Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 449: The Descent of God (II)
From that moment on, the entire West Saint Continent descended into chaos.
Pedestrians walking on the street suddenly fall to the ground, housewives cooking collapse beside the stove, drivers lose consciousness at the steering wheel and let their cars crash into pedestrians, swimmers suddenly stiffen and sink to the bottom of the river, and people going to bed lie down and never get up again... Mass comas caused by unknown reasons spread across the entire continent in a very short time, and the life force of hundreds of millions of believers of the Divine Law Cult —individuals incorporated into the order—is being rapidly squeezed.
Each person's body was enveloped in a faint white halo, with thin lines of light extending from them and converging at the same place— the Cathedral of the True God in the center of the continent.
To be precise, it all converged on the Heavenly Law, which had been transformed into a "divine presence."
At first, it was just a shell.
This is an empty container constructed based on a woman's body.
Then power came.
Hundreds of millions of threads of light extend from every corner of the West Saint Continent to it, enriching it with the life force of countless living beings.
Finally, there's the driver kernel.
The pure white orb of light, which just minutes before had been called the "Prayer" Saintess, flew in from nowhere and embedded itself within it.
Only then did the true strength of the Vatican reveal itself.
It has no thought, no self, no soul; all that exists are programmed calculations and cold, impersonal commands.
"Annihilate the invaders"
The sacred river surrounding the Cathedral of the True God has been stained murky with ashes and mud, no longer as clear as it once was. The white jade-like walls have also become dilapidated, with cracks and scorch marks telling the story of what once happened here.
The once impregnable protective barrier on the towering main gate has vanished, leaving only a huge gap to welcome intruders.
Haoyue, Xiao Wu, Nid, Little Ying, and Sin Annihilation stood at the door, while Yun Can, Saleh, and other division commanders stood slightly behind. Further back were the various branches of the Revolutionary Army. Although they had also suffered considerable losses, with most of them wounded, such losses were insignificant for a decisive battle. Even they looked at each other, puzzled as to why the previously aggressive Papal Army had suddenly fallen unconscious.
"... Hey, Saleh, Yun Can."
""Exist!""
"You should leave."
""... ah?""
"I said let's get out of here, so let's get out of here quickly. Haven't you noticed? Everywhere you look, there's that nauseating, itchy feeling that's making your skin itch..." Nid said, showing no mercy.
Seeing that Yun Can and Saleh were still confused, Haoyue shrugged helplessly.
"In short, it's that awful feeling of 'a formidable enemy is at hand and a great battle is imminent,' you can't feel it because you're too weak."
"So you'd better retreat. Some enemies can't be overwhelmed by numbers. Having too many people will only get in your way," Xiao Wu added.
Is it really necessary...?
After being repeatedly told they were "too weak" and "a hindrance," Saleh, Yun Can, and the others seemed quite discouraged.
Sin Annihilation coldly said, "Xiao Wu said you're in the way, so get out of here. You're not even good enough to be meat shields."
Little Ying chimed in, "That's right, that's right! What's that saying... oh right! From now on, it's a world of the strong! Those weaklings who don't want to get involved should hurry up and run!"
"You go back too!"
"--I'm being attacked by a mob!?"
"Oh dear, have you been blinded by these high emotions? People like you usually don't even last past the opening theme." ← Haoyue
"This isn't child's play. Don't cause trouble for yourself or others." ← Xiao Wu
"Miss Si Nan, don't forget, you also have to live on for your sister's sake, okay?" ← Nid
"Get out of my way, go away." ← Sin Annihilation
"You... you guys are so mean!!!"
Little Ying burst into tears.
"See? He cried after only a few words. Typical child." ← Haoyue
"Immature." ← Xiao Wu
"Leave with my direct troops." ← Nid
"...(ignore)" ← Sin Annihilation
"You bunch of bad people! He clearly—"
Clang!!!!
A beautiful V-shaped flash of light ripped through the church wall.
Cut the air,
It flew past, almost grazing Little Ying's hair.
Then came a teeth-grinding creaking sound as the cathedral's outer wall slowly collapsed along the breach, the falling bricks and stones shaking the earth.
Behind the constantly falling curtain of rubble,
A humanoid figure of light emerged from the thick smoke.
"Get out of here right now!!!!"
With a roar, Nid swung his Greatsword, and the gusts of wind that spread in all directions turned the falling rocks into dust. Haoyue didn't even look and immediately unleashed a barrage of Light Gun. Saleh and the others said no more and turned around to signal for retreat, leading the main force to retreat!
"Sin Annihilation, quickly!!!"
"Offering intestines, liver, and lungs... the walls of the internal organs!"
The delicate abdomen of the Sin Annihilation opened a gaping maw, accompanied by the crackling sound of water spheres bursting open. Endless, blood-soaked organs surged out like a tsunami, instantly forming a wall tens of meters high and hundreds of meters wide! Just as the fleshy wall took shape, the humanoid figure of light also erupted with extremely violent energy fluctuations, the bursting light radiating in all directions, directly impacting the fleshy wall!
"Mmm... uh..."
Sin Annihilation's hand was embedded in the flesh wall, his teeth clenched, controlling the flesh wall to fight against it. The internal organs that made up the flesh wall emitted a terrifying creaking sound, and the rhythmic pulsation at first turned into random convulsions, on the verge of rupture!
"Ugh... No, I can't stop it..."
After a stalemate lasting several seconds, the fleshy walls finally gave way and exploded into puffs of Blood Mist! Although the intensity of the light stream had weakened considerably, it still affected the soldiers who hadn't managed to escape in time! Those who were far away were simply blown away, while those who were closer were directly pulverized into a bloody pulp!
Xiao Wu and Sin Annihilation relied on their superhuman healing abilities to withstand the attack, while Haoyue used her orange light shield to defend herself. Little Ying hid behind Haoyue, and Nid used his greatsword to protect himself. The scene was chaotic for a moment, and after what seemed like a few seconds or even minutes, the terrifying energy burst finally subsided.
Silence.
The Revolutionary Army displayed remarkable mobility and, under the orders of their leader, has already withdrawn.
Those who remained to fight the enemy were the cream of the crop.
A long sword, its blade gleaming like the moon, lay horizontally across the table.
Xiao Wu drew her twin guns.
Nid adjusted his breathing.
Sin Annihilation stared intently into the depths of the smoke and dust.
Little Ying looked around nervously.
The overwhelming silence oppressed one's nerves; even the air seemed to have stopped flowing, and all things in the world seemed to make the same tacit choice—silence.
Only that terrifying divine pressure grew stronger and stronger.
Click...
An unusual noise was heard.
Crackling sounds...
It sounded like glass shattering, so sharp and piercing that it took them several seconds to realize it was footsteps.
Creak!
The smoke and dust completely dissipated, as if a curtain had finally been drawn back.
That "thing" finally revealed its true colors.
"Babble--!"
Little Ying couldn't help but cry out, but immediately covered her mouth.
It was a humanoid creature.
Judging from her body curves, she should have been a tall, mature woman, but that's only in terms of shape.
Its flesh was a pale blue, jelly-like substance, cloudy and translucent, like a viscous liquid wrapped in plastic film. Through the plastic-film-like skin, one could see the stark white bones, but those bones—the spine, radius, and ribs—were merely arranged haphazardly, and their size was noticeably reduced. The internal organs were even more severely atrophied; the deflated heart and lungs, the twisted liver and spleen, and the tattered large and small intestines drifted slowly and randomly within the jelly-like body. In the center of the internal organs, a hazy white sphere of light could be vaguely seen, as if it were its core.
The irregularly shaped foot stomped across the ground, breaking it apart and creating spiderweb-like cracks; the crunching sound from before came from this.
What's most disgusting is its face.
--No, it's more like a showerhead than a face.
The woman's head was shaped like a face covered with holes of varying sizes. Deep within each hole, a small eyeball-like object was spinning wildly. A twisted slit, resembling a mouth, was surrounded by the holes in the center, slowly opening and closing, each time emitting faint particles of light.
Yet this humanoid monster possesses a pair of exquisitely beautiful wings on its back, pure white and flawless, each feather perfectly aligned, covered with solemn geometric patterns, forming a stark contrast to its owner.
""""...""""
Everyone held their breath.
Without a doubt, this is a monster.
Moreover, the aura that even made Xiao Wu get goosebumps indicated that this monster was very strong, unprecedentedly powerful, even surpassing the Heavenly Laws of Sadington's time.
Haoyue and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance and a look.
If Tianlu's full power is comparable to the organization's top brass... then this monster is probably at the true top brass level.
They knew what that meant.
While Ye was facing threats from the madam, the pressure on the rest of them was no less than hers.
However, although all five of them were on high alert, the monster did not make any special moves.
The eyeballs in the hole in its face darted around wildly, like the unfocused eyes of a drunkard. Its steps were also unsteady and aimless, as if it hadn't noticed the five people in front of it at all.
Could it be that it has no mind and is just an empty shell?
That would make things much easier.
--The moment I thought that,
Click, the monster vanished.
There was no warning, not even a lingering image.
The spot where it was originally located was suddenly empty, leaving only the shattered ground.
Click,
The moment the sound rang out again--
"Qipao Woman!!! Behind her!!!!!!!!!"
"Ah..."
A blurry purple light shot out, and a burst of purple lightning tore through the atmosphere.
The flying sparks of electricity, the flashing muzzle flashes, the blurred light and shadow, and the monster's movements all combine to break the world down into frame by frame.
At the same time, the bayonet and bullet, both operating at maximum output, made contact with the monster's body.
But in the previous frame, its shimmering silver arm had already swept the Qipao Woman in half.
An extraordinary fluctuation was emanating from the Cathedral of the True God.
They must have encountered a very strong opponent.
Is it the law of heaven? Or something that exists above that?
That's none of my business anymore. I'm sorry, my dear companions, I can't get there to help you.
Because my main event is finally here.
"Welcome, Miss Ye. Madam has been waiting for you for some time."