Dying

Torres side--

"... You mean, the 'door' is strange?"

Loxue was very puzzled, and Xiao nodded timidly in affirmation. "That's right, it's become unstable, as if it's been interfered with by something."

"What do you mean by interference?"

"I don't know either... If I had to put it in a way, it's like there are similar 'fields' clashing, causing instability... In short, it's hard to describe."

Similar, field?

The door that Xiao has opened is a portal for transporting troops.

If we're talking about similar things--

"Hey, hey, hey... no way..."

A flash of insight struck her, and a terrifying possibility surfaced in her mind.

"Could it be that the great teleportation array has been—"

Dorothy's mind went blank.

She tried to understand what was going on, but her sluggish brain worked slower than a snail.

That can't be right. No way.

The massive teleportation array, which had been successfully defended for so long, has been breached?

And not from Sadington, but from another teleportation array on the other side?

Are there really people in this world who can do such a thing?

That's impossible.

Human beings' perception of "strength" depends on how much they have experienced and witnessed.

In the eyes of Dorothy and the others, the Blood Emperor, Ned, and others were the pinnacle of power, beings they could never hope to reach, no matter how hard they tried.

However.

This woman's sudden appearance completely overturned her understanding.

Without any special action, simply standing there quietly radiating pressure was enough to convince everyone that they were doomed to defeat.

"Accept divine punishment, you filthy Blasphemers!"

The voice was filled with chilling anger.

Someone pounced on her, pinning her to the ground where she couldn't move.

"--Divine Thunder of God of Heavenly Punishment!"

The moment the words left his mouth.

The world became a shimmering mass of pain.

The dazzling electric light nearly destroyed her vision, and the rumbling thunder practically pierced her periosteum. Her sight and hearing were paralyzed, and all Dorothy could perceive was the human body covering her... and the pungent smell of burning flesh.

How much time has passed exactly?

It only took a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

After my vision returned, the first thing I saw was a charred corpse.

His clothes and skin turned to dust, his flesh to charcoal, and his bones to fragments, yet Dorothy still managed to identify him.

"Commander...?"

Call out softly.

There was, of course, no response.

After death, he was no longer Sasin, but a pile of charred remains that was once Sasin.

"... Everyone?"

Looking around blankly.

As far as the eye could see, there were only ruins and thick smoke, and clumps of black dust. Only a very small number of things still retained a human-like shape.

The elite troops who were full of energy less than a minute ago.

The comrades of the Seventh Division, who had spent many years together and knew each other inside and out.

The soldiers were still outside mopping up the remaining enemy troops.

If Sasin hadn't shielded her with his body a moment later, she would have been nothing but black ashes by now.

"They're all... dead...?"

If this is a nightmare, please let me wake up soon.

If this is a joke, please stop messing with me.

If this is reality, please don't be so cruel.

Please—who is it?

Pray to God?

But would God punish his messenger?

A tall woman with long, orange-yellow hair walked through the ruins.

He showed neither joy nor sorrow, but the anger in his eyes had somewhat subsided.

Is that her?

Was she the one who created this mess?

Was she the one who killed all her comrades, comrades-in-arms, and friends with a single blow?

The hard feel of my favorite dagger came through my hand.

The numbness in the limbs was not very serious.

OK.

If you're just moving your body, that's fine.

Then, use your special ability.

Minimize your presence to the extreme.

That way we can go to --

"... Hmm? There are still some who slipped through the net?"

Boom!!!

With a flick of the finger, the holy light's spiritual flames transformed into a long whip, and after a soft crackling sound—

Dorothy's head turned to ashes and her body fell to the ground.

What was she thinking at the moment of her death? Was it the fear of death? Or the longing for her friends? Or the guilt towards the Blood Emperor? Or perhaps she didn't have time to think about anything before she perished?

--Whatever, Heavenly Law certainly wouldn't consider it; who would care about a corpse?

But--

As she finally left the ruins, Tianlu looked back, and the charred corpses and remains of the Revolutionary Army that came into view made her frown.

"You have defiled this sacred land, it's disgusting... Sanctuary Praise - Purification."

A colossal cross of light shot into the sky, turning the entire region pure white. In this incomparably holy radiance, all the remains of the Revolutionary Army turned into particles of light, leaving not a single trace behind.

Tianlu nodded in satisfaction and left.

At that moment, everyone witnessed the divine power.

Above Sadington City, the sky, which had been covered in dark clouds, was torn apart. Two huge, intersecting cracks of light divided the sky into four parts, resembling a giant cross of light, or as if God were looking down on the world through the clouds.

"Spirit Descent - Holy Angel!"

Beneath this enormous golden cross, a pair of pristine white wings, thousands of feet long, slowly unfurled, revealing a woman's figure at the very center. Her entire being radiated a holy, white-gold light, and a vast, divine pressure enveloped the entire city. The Heavenly Law had now taken this seriously!

Messenger of the Most High God.

The Sword of God.

The guardian of the precepts.

A fanatical monster.

A symbol of divine punishment.

The most powerful warrior of the Holy See, possessing numerous accolades, has finally arrived.

"Blasphemers, pay the price for your folly!"

The divine spell amplified this solemn yet cruel pronouncement to every corner of the city, exploding like thunder in the ears of every Revolutionary Army! Almost the entire army was thrown into chaos in an instant—no one could have imagined that the Papacy's supreme fighting force would appear so suddenly! But the Revolutionary Army was ultimately a disciplined and powerful force. Under the command of its many generals and commanders, they quickly regained their footing and prepared for battle! Escape was futile in the face of such absolute power; it was better to unite and fight to the death! The Heavenly Law was merely human, not a god; and being human, it was impossible for them not to be defeated—

"Flame Blade Cross!"

The subsequent attack shattered their beautiful illusions.

Wherever the angelic wings of light touched, crosses formed of spiritual flames shot into the sky! The raging spiritual flames burned away all formations, defenses, and resistance! Warriors who had just mustered their courage were reduced to ashes in the next instant, their battle cries turned into screams, and fear spread like a virus. The elite troops of the Revolutionary Army were utterly powerless against the laws of heaven!

"Fear it, tremble, shudder..."

Tianlu coldly observed everything on the ground that had been completely destroyed.

"Aton for your actions with your life!"

So,

Where is that damned Rebel Army leader?

"Damn it! How did that guy end up here?!"

"Then... could it be...?"

"It's that bitch Tianlu!"

Yu Jie, who was just about to fight Nid for three hundred rounds, spat out a curse. Why was Tian Lu here? He had only brought the Goddess, who had been locked up in the ivory tower for too long, out for some fun and fresh air. How did they end up running into so much trouble?

"Heaven, the law..."

Nid stared blankly at those two words, only snapping back to reality after a long while.

He pulled the Greatsword from the church roof and held it in his hand, then-

"Wait a minute, you idiot!"

Yu Jie grabbed her.

"Are you stupid?! Courage and suicide are two different things!"

"But, but--"

Beneath the boundless holy light and flames, the Revolutionary Army struggles desperately! Warriors who tirelessly fight for the future of hundreds of millions of people on the West Saint Continent are being slaughtered one-sidedly! Their shrill screams can be heard clearly even from this distance! Since the appearance of the Heavenly Law, it is likely that thousands of warriors have already perished here!

"Let me go! I must, I must--!!!"

"Calm down, you bastard!"

A heavy punch landed on Nid's cheek, knocking out a tooth, and only then did Nid's rage-filled mind cool down a little.

"But what if we don't fight...?"

"Tsk, I'd like to know what to do too! To be honest, I originally just wanted to teach you a lesson and force you to retreat before leaving, but that bitch is here! She's definitely after you. Do I have to capture you and tie you up? Besides, my sneaking out with Spirit Sacrifice-chan has definitely been exposed!"

Amidst Yu Jie's rambling, Nid heard one sentence.

She's definitely after you.

If that's the case--

"Stop right there, kid! You're probably thinking, 'Since they're coming for me, there must be room for negotiation,' right? Don't even think about it!"

"This..."

"If you hand yourself over, you'll only hasten the Revolutionary Army' demise! If that bitch went all out, there wouldn't be a single living thing left in this city! The reason she's slowly slaughtering everyone is to find you and capture you alive! Once she captures you, everyone else is finished! She's the kind of ruthless person who won't even let a small fry go!"

"Tsk...!"

Nid clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. The intense resentment in his heart was almost driving him mad! He knew that Yu Jie was right. No one here was a match for Tian Lu. If he rashly appeared in front of her, he would not only harm himself, but also make his comrades die even faster!

Looking at Nid like this, Yu Jie sighed softly.

Let me share some life experience with you, young man.

"..."

So-called intelligence is not absolute rationality, but knowing when to act on emotion and when to act rationally.

"... I don't quite understand."

"Don't think about it too much if you don't understand. I have to go, taking a certain Princess with me away from this dangerous place. Besides, you're in for a lot of trouble when you get back..."

Yu Jie shook his head, popped a piece of chewing gum into his mouth and started chewing, just as he was about to jump off the church roof—

"Ah, I almost forgot, kid. I just remembered something important, but since we had a pretty good fight, I'll give you a heads-up."

"... What is it?"

"I've heard that several major cities in the surrounding area were attacked simultaneously. This is probably a smokescreen, to prevent the Vatican from discovering that the real main force—the force you're leading—is in Sadington."

"So what if it is? If you just want to spout this nonsense..."

There's a spy.

"--!?"

Nid finally turned to face him, his face full of surprise.

"Although it's just my guess, it's quite possible. Maybe there's a traitor in your Revolutionary Army who relayed your location to the Vatican's higher-ups at a crucial moment!"

After saying that, Yu Jie left a shocked Nid behind, jumped off the church, and walked far away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The climax is about to begin~~

I know a lot of people call me Bento Demon... but... well, that's just how the script is.

If we can return to the top ten in Monthly Votes within the next two days, I will definitely add more chapters to repay the favor.