Ding-dong~
The Holy Bell rang again, its sound seeming to appear directly within the souls of everyone present. The golden ripples that had been compressed to within one meter of Shade suddenly burst outward, then crashed overwhelmingly toward the cultists.
As that wave of light swept past them, a crack appeared on the surface of the shrine with a crunch. The ordinary believers and low-ring priests all vomited blood and collapsed, like reeds swept down by a sickle. The cultists' ritual and power had been struck down head-on. Though the remaining mid-ring and high-ring priests could still maintain the ritual, they had no choice but to stop and inspect the damage to the shrine.
Even Shade looked at his own right hand in surprise, but Noble Fate had already quietly vanished. Though he had stopped ringing the bell, the Holy Bell still emitted the golden radiance of a miracle. Within that gold, the faint traces of purple light had also disappeared.
With both sides ceasing their actions, silence returned to the dark alley. Yet the ringing in their ears from the clash of those two sounds lingered for a long while.
The Archbishop of the Misfortune Order first directed the priests to check on the injured. Only then did he look toward Shade again. His gaze passed over the Holy Bell, but he knew that the bell alone could not have unleashed such power:
"God Summoner, I admit that I never expected you to find those people from the Saint Tree Order."
He lowered his hand.
"This time, you win. But please, don't be in such a hurry to leave. How about we change the terms of our deal?"
Shade and Megan could have turned around and left at that moment, but Shade was no longer in any hurry to