Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 420: Anubas
We must make every effort and spare no expense to retrieve Sin Annihilation and Nid.
We cannot send Templar Knight, nor can we wait for the return of the Heavenly Law, because once they engage in battle with Sin Annihilation, they will inevitably notice something amiss.
As a compromise, only elite troops below the Templar Knight could be dispatched to temporarily entangle Sin Annihilation by sacrificing a large number of cannon fodder, and then members of the Inquisition could use special relics specifically designed to restrain Sin Annihilation to subdue Sin Annihilation.
They then publicly claimed that Sin Annihilation was merely a cadre in the Revolutionary Army, and that his ability to infiltrate behind enemy lines was due to his long-standing infiltration.
The key lies with the court.
For 1,500 years, although the management of the Sin Annihilation has never gone wrong, there have always been precautionary measures. In order to prevent the special situation of the Sin Annihilation going out of control, the Tribunal has always kept special equipment for capturing the Sin Annihilation. Moreover, considering that the Sin Annihilation can now break the seal with its own will, they have specially improved the equipment before the operation to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
This means there's another factor to address.
The Revolutionary Army came to meet Nid.
If the Revolutionary Army successfully brings Nid back, or if the elite Papacy forces arrive just as the Revolutionary Army is engaged in fierce battle with the Sin Annihilation, then everything will be over.
With the Templar Knight unavailable, the only option is to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
This is the first time since the Divine Law Cult defeated the Rakshasa Divine Sect 1,500 years ago that the Holy See has mobilized a force of 100,000.
On the vast plains, the Revolutionary Army, led by the commanders of the Blood Blade Knights, is marching at full speed.
"Maintain the current speed and continue!"
"""""Clear!"""""
The commander of the 2nd Division looked up at the distant horizon, where streaks of dark blue were spreading, night was approaching, but the progress was not optimistic.
This was already their second day on the road. This operation utilized all available vehicles, and the soldiers had given their all. They had been under constant high tension, taking only minimal rest and spending the rest of their time traveling, but... the pace was still frustrating.
The only information currently available is that "Nid was taken away by an unknown person," but the direction that mysterious person is taking Nid is unknown. The best possibility is that they are heading in the direction the Revolutionary Army came from, so they can meet and complete the handover as soon as possible. The worst possibility is that the mysterious person does not intend to "send Nid back to the Revolutionary Army," but is taking Nid away from the Papacy and the Revolutionary Army for personal purposes, in which case they will be helpless.
"We don't know who you are, but please don't try to scam us..."
The army had been maintaining this high-intensity march for too long, and what had sustained them was the fact that "Nid had been rescued." If they ultimately found nothing, what a huge blow that would be.
"Whoosh... Beep beep..."
The magical communication device hanging on their waist suddenly went off. This was one of the many specially made instruments of the Vatican that they had captured over the years. Its greatest feature was that communication did not require speaking; one could communicate simply by thinking, making it very useful for long-distance, covert communication.
"Hello, is this Miss Haoyue?"
"Yes, we just encountered resistance from the Papacy's army again."
"Then please return quickly--"
"No need, no need. It's only a few thousand people; we've already easily taken care of it."
"... Oh, congratulations."
"But my record so far seems to be no match for the delinquent girl, which is really annoying. I'll just keep hunting."
"... Take care, and best of luck in your military endeavors."
"Goodbye."
It was only a few thousand people... and it was done very quickly...
The commander of the 2nd Division suddenly realized that they didn't need to deploy such a large force at all.
To ensure everything went smoothly, Haoyue and Xiao Wu each led an elite squad to scout ahead. Although their original intention was to report to the main force and prepare for battle once they discovered the Papacy's garrison, they seemed more inclined to eliminate the enemy in one fell swoop.
Miss Haoyue and Miss Xiao Wu's fighting power is too unfathomable. He still doesn't know their full strength, so it's difficult for him to formulate corresponding tactics. After all, he is not Loxue, and it's too difficult for him to plan from afar.
The far side of the moon, Mare Mirror, in the Void Space--
Beside a building resembling the ancient Roman Colosseum, a man stood in the shadow cast by stone pillars, looking at a piece of paper in his hand. The paper was parchment-like, fiery red in color, and covered with many strange symbols. In the middle of the symbols were rows of numbers that would occasionally jump up and down, like a dashboard displaying the working status of a machine.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, with a head of white hair. He wore a rather unkempt white suit with the collar wide open, and incongruous chains and beads around his waist. Overall, he looked quite unpleasant.
"Wow, she actually devoured a Sub Core of the Boundary Breaking Armor? I really underestimated her before."
It was an extremely hoarse and unpleasant voice, like that of an old, broken radio, which matched his eyes, which always gleamed with an eerie light.
"Surprises always happen, don't they, Huang Huo?"
Standing beside Huang Huo was a young woman.
The woman's appearance was even more peculiar than Huang Huo's, its most striking feature being the contrast and interplay of black and white. Her face was extremely white, as if painted, while her hair was jet black, as if ink had been applied, without any reflection. She wore a knee-length dress of a very ordinary style, but the pattern was entirely black and white checkered, making it dizzying to look at. Furthermore, her left foot wore white shoes with black socks, and her right foot wore black shoes with white socks—a truly bizarre combination. Upon closer inspection, her right eye was a normal white with a black pupil, but her left eye was black with a white pupil. Even more peculiar were her teeth—a mixture of black and white, and they didn't appear to have been dyed.
She is Anubas, a high-ranking member alongside Huang Huo, and is the "collaborator among the high-ranking members" Huang Huo mentioned. She is also one of the four women among the former nine high-ranking members. Although she is indeed quite beautiful, setting aside her strange black and white color scheme, she is different from the extravagant and gorgeous Madam, the stunningly beautiful and otherworldly Blood Fiend, and the disabled and weak Neumann. She is very eye-catching in a bad way.
"If this is truly a surprise, that would be wonderful. To be honest, I'm quite unsure of myself. If things continue like this, Miss Ye will be going head-to-head with Madam. I don't believe she can contend with Madam simply by consuming a Boundary Breaking Armor, but neither you nor I can intervene... Tsk tsk."
Of course, Huang Huo was unaware of Yusuo Zai's background, and it was impossible for him to find out by any means what had happened between Yusuo Zai and Ye in the Starfall Mountain Range.
"Did it devour the Boundary Breaking Armor...? But this contract that reflects her physical condition has been acting strangely for the past few days. The numbers often jump around randomly, and for a while, it didn't display anything at all."
"Your contractual abilities are theoretically foolproof..."
"But that's only in theory; something might have happened to her that goes beyond the scope of the contract."
Unlike her unusual appearance, Anubas's expressions and tone of voice are no different from those of an ordinary woman; it seems that only her appearance is particularly exaggerated, while everything else is completely normal.
"Can't you get a little clearer?"
"Even if you say that, I'm helpless," Anubas shrugged. "After all, you know, the contract I made with my power cannot be broken even by myself, so the effect won't change."
"It is precisely because our abilities are limited that we must make the most comprehensive preparations possible. We have now acquired partial control of the Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass, the Crystal Realm Fruit, the core of the Boundary Breaking Armor, and the Karmic Fire through the Forced Contract. Of the six things that constitute the World Crossing Gate, only the Rakshasa True Word and the Truth Incantation remain."
"The Rakshasa True Word is not a concern for Miss Ye for the time being. The problem indeed lies with the Truth Incantation —no, with Madam?"
"Madam isn't a fool, but she's far too self-centered. She must have already realized that Ye is the heir to the Blood Fiend, and probably even confirmed the existence of the Rakshasa True Word. But given her personality, she'll definitely keep this a secret to create an opportunity for herself to compete with the heir of her old rival... So for now, there's no need to worry about the Rakshasa True Word being exposed."
"What about the Truth Incantation?"
"Hmph... If nothing unexpected happens, that thing should already be half in the lady's possession by now. It won't be easy to put a mandatory contract on the Truth Incantation under her nose, but..."
"But?"
"However, if Ye can really kill Madam... then there will be no problem."
The province of Aquiles, in the heartland --
This is a fairly large Papal military base, where the Papacy has been stationed for a long time. It is both a vital transportation route and an important repository of strategic resources, making the establishment of a base here a win-win situation.
Right now, the nearly 90,000 troops stationed here are assembling and forming ranks at top speed, creating a formidable sight. Just recently, the Cathedral of the True God received an urgent order personally issued by His Holiness the Pope, requiring all troops stationed along the route from Aquiles to the Liu Province to immediately make full preparations to deal with any escaped Rebel Army Leader or the large Revolutionary Army forces that come to Leader them.
This base was naturally included, and it's worth mentioning that the highest-ranking officer here was Jack Slow, the Eighth Seat Templar Knight, whose combat power was far superior to that of the other garrisons.
Jack is now standing on the high platform, looking down at the paladins and Divine Spellcaster who are already lined up neatly below, nodding in satisfaction.
He was very confident about this mission. For him, this was a great opportunity to establish military merit and add another chapter to his glorious resume. He even hoped that all the garrisons in front of him would fail and that the main force of the Revolutionary Army or the Rebel Army Leader would be released directly.
"Gentlemen, an emergency has arisen at the Cathedral of the True God. Rebel Army Leader Nid Bradwich has been kidnapped by unknown individuals, and the main Rebel Army force is advancing. Either side could very well pass through our territory! For us, this is both a challenge and an opportunity! It is a chance to establish—"
He suddenly stopped halfway through his speech.
It is precisely because we stand high that we can see.
The ground below, trampled under the feet of countless paladins... seems to have turned red?
Something faintly red was seeping from the soil, spreading silently and without a sound. He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been standing on high ground, and the paladins, all looking up at him, naturally didn't notice it either.
"Hey! Watch your step, that—"
"Lord Jack! Look at the sky!"
Before he could finish speaking, his men erupted in commotion, pointing at the sky above Jack's head and shouting incessantly.
"... above?"
Jack looked up.
That's when he realized that the sunlight had been blocked out at some point.
A dark red shadow was cast upon the earth.
The sky above this massive base, which houses 80,000 to 90,000 people, has completely changed color.
The blood-red sky seemed to have been washed with blood.
"What... happened...?"
What a coincidence!
I was just worried about not having anyone to choose from.
Let them try it out.
"Blood Prison, unfold--"
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Tragic cannon fodder