Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - The God's Monster
"Go! Let's all go!! Don't let that thing hatch!!!"
Xiao Wu shouted, and Haoyue immediately took action! The cold light of Frost Moon spread, and the crackling sound of freezing continued, completely covering the winged pupa! Nid's Greatsword once again burst forth with light, and a sharp and unparalleled gust of wind slashed towards the frozen pupa. The ear-piercing explosion shook the atmosphere, as if the pupa would shatter completely in the next instant!
"Offer, Stomach —a sour, rotten coffin!"
With Sin Annihilation low groan, the stomach that had burst open from its abdominal cavity suddenly expanded, tearing open a huge mouth and swallowing the pupa, which had been frozen and then chopped up, whole. The sizzling sound that made one's scalp tingle indicated that the pupa was being frantically corroded by strong acid! Piles of pungent yellow-green smoke escaped from the crack, polluting the air with a putrid stench. Anyone would be worried for the pupa, but the Pope remained completely at ease, showing no concern whatsoever for the cocoon.
"It's no use, it's no use! If you could stop this process, then MacArthur and the others would have worked for nothing!"
"Really? Then --"
Xiao Wu connected the two guns together, and the black and white parts disassembled and reassembled on their own, instantly forming her secret weapon— the Gun Blade! Although each shot consumed a lot of stamina, she had to use it now, especially since Xiao Wu had grown significantly and believed she could now wield the Gun Blade!
With a click, an empty cartridge case ejected from the shell. Xiao Wu grasped it in her hand, and in that instant, a power purer than any other form of energy, originating from this world and even the entire space, converged here and frantically poured into the cartridge case! The cartridge case's structure became more and more complete, eventually transforming into a brass-colored bullet! Strands of rainbow-like light surrounded it, and even after the bullet was loaded into the Gun Blade, they did not dissipate!
"--Tsk!"
The Pope had been so confident just moments before, immediately changed his expression. Although he didn't know what the Gun Blade and bullets were all about, the violent energy fluctuations were enough to indicate the danger! His eyes flickered a few times. Despite feeling somewhat resigned, reason still told him that staying here would be pointless, and leaving this place would offer a chance to make a comeback!
With this thought in mind, the Pope immediately took action and ran in the opposite direction!
Nid immediately noticed his movement and decisively swung his sword. The translucent blade traveled through the air and reached the Pope's back in the blink of an eye! However, the Pope suddenly unleashed a bolt of lightning, which collided with and neutralized the blade. He glanced back at Nid one last time, at the Rebel Army Leader had led his army into Gloria, and snorted coldly.
"Perhaps the throne of this continent is due for a change of hands, but since you can overthrow the Divine Law Cult that has existed for fifteen hundred years, naturally someone will overthrow you! In a hundred years, a thousand years, what path will your regime take? Don't be too happy, Nid Bradwich!"
Thunder Wings emerged from behind him, vibrating the air, and flew towards the cathedral at an extremely fast speed!
"No, we can't let him escape!"
As soon as Nid finished speaking—
"Let me go! I'd like to be of some use too. You guys just focus on dealing with this monster!"
Little Ying responded immediately, rushing out before anyone could stop her.
Then he tripped over some gravel on the ground.
"Don't, don't look at me like that! I'm very reliable! Come out, Modified Flying Bubble Extra Type Zero!"
With a soft "plop," a huge... bubble appeared beneath her, comically lifting her up, and then—
Whoosh--!!!
They sped away at an astonishing speed, disappearing from sight in just a few breaths.
It turned back a few seconds later.
"No, no, I'm sorry, I went the wrong way--"
They sped away again, leaving everyone in their dust.
It's really worrying.
At this moment, the Gun Blade, having finally reached its limit of power, unleashed a dazzling rainbow of light. A torrent of light shot out from the muzzle, and in that instant, even the surrounding space was shattered, cracks appearing everywhere! The earth trembled continuously, the wind was as sharp as a razor, and the air became icy cold—because all the heat had been concentrated there!
"Go!!"
Just as the rainbow light was about to touch the pupa, Sin Annihilation removed the enormous, corroded stomach that had been covering it. The pupa, its surface now unrecognizable, was directly exposed to the rainbow light, completely exposed! Each scorched feather emitted a glow, condensing into a shield of light before the pupa at the last moment. However, such a defense was utterly vulnerable to the power of the Gun Blade! The devastating stream of light engulfed both the shield and the pupa, and the radiating energy blasts shattered everything in their path!
Xiao Wu was unharmed; as an archer, she was the least likely to be affected. However, the other three had to hide behind her to avoid wasting their energy dealing with the annoying aftershocks.
Call out----
The torrent of light finally dissipated, leaving only the traces on the ground that looked like riverbeds formed over tens of thousands of years—and pure white fragments on the ground.
The fragments were shaped like feathers, clearly left by the pupa.
"... It worked?"
With a powerful strike from the Gun Blade, they successfully nipped the monster in the bud?
"Gurgle... gurgle gurgle..."
A sudden burst of intense light from overhead provided the answer.
"Varied--"
The four of them looked up at the sky at the same time, at the thing that had suddenly appeared above them.
Its entire body was covered in light, and its three pairs of enormous wings of light exuded a strong sense of presence. It was so magnificent and solemn, like an angel sent by the gods to punish sinners.
But once the light covering its body dissipates, no one would consider it an angel.
It's too ugly.
The face is still the lotus-shaped face that could drive anyone with trypophobia crazy, but there are even more holes and eyes deep inside the holes; the skin and flesh no longer have the original jelly-like texture, but rather a combination of metal and rubber, to put it nicely, "soft and resilient metal," to put it bluntly, "frozen chicken breast"; the legs and right arm have the same feeling, while the left arm still retains its original jelly-like texture, and the left side of the torso, chest, and abdomen are the same as the left arm, looking very abrupt.
Clearly, Haoyue and the others' attack was effective; it destroyed the pupa before she could complete her transformation, causing some parts of her body to not fully change.
Even so, it remains extremely dangerous.
But having learned from their previous experience, they weren't too panicked.
Previously, it only took three people to throw the Heavenly Law onto the moon.
Now that there are four of them, and this thing has no sense of reason, the win rate should be greatly improved!
In that instant--
The monster's long, sharp fingers pointed downwards, and that cold, mechanical voice rang out again:
"The liberation cry: 'Earth, tremble for me!'"
Without warning, massive energy clumps appeared among the monsters, skipping any "preparation" process and directly entering the activation phase!
"--Third Super Divine Spell, Cross Boundary Monument Great Burial"
Looking down on Gloria from above, it's a sea of white and pale gold, with streets and main roads arranged like a chessboard, perfectly orderly, and this orderly beauty is still evident even after the ravages of war.
But such beauty ends here.
The third Super Divine Spell: Cross Boundary Monument Great Burial.
A terrifying killing move designed purely for striking ground targets and destroying ground fortifications.
Unlike the "Wrath of the God of Heavenly Punishment" which spreads outwards along a plane, or the "Myriad Wheel Heavenly Light World-Piercing Holy Spear" which concentrates energy for ultra- Long-Range Snipe, the Cross Boundary Monument Great Burial erupts directly from underground, shattering the entire surface and destroying any slightly larger objects.
If Sadington's area is equivalent to Tianjin on Earth, then Gloria exceeds that of Beijing. Compared to the former, the latter's foundation is much more solid, and many necessary adjustments were made in the early stages of its construction to prepare for major natural disasters.
Even so, one-third of it was destroyed.
The ground shattered instantly at the start, and colossal pillars of light, hundreds of meters high, burst through the earth's constraints one after another, no more than ten meters apart, densely filling one-third of Gloria's surface. Each pillar, upon reaching approximately two hundred meters, would burst open at the top, resembling an elongated cross. But instead of dissipating, these pillars solidified, their original energy-based structure becoming increasingly dense, ultimately transforming into countless colossal, solidified boundary markers!
"This ugly thing... what evolution? It's just randomly releasing power like before!?"
"I'd say it's fortunate that he still released his power haphazardly as before! This move is clearly a massive Super Divine Spell targeting buildings; small individuals like us simply can't accurately strike it!"
"Thank goodness, you delinquent girl!"
Xiao Wu and Haoyue darted through the gaps between the boundary markers, carefully avoiding direct contact with them as the holy light enveloping them had a strong corrosive effect. Despite the perilous situation, the two still managed to banter quite happily.
"It's a real relief! Her actions actually reshaped the battlefield terrain, creating an environment with numerous cover!"
"You expect these untouchable pillars to protect you?"
"Two people--"
""What's wrong!""
The two women glared at Nid, who was also weaving through the gap in the boundary marker not far from them. Nid made a shushing gesture and pointed to Sin Annihilation was squinting as if trying to discern some sound.
Sin Annihilation's ears had turned into strange reddish-black fleshy lumps, as if some kind of hearing enhancement had occurred. Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper, her teeth slightly biting her lip, and a few seconds later she suddenly opened her eyes wide—
"... They're here! Bow your head!"
The other three reacted immediately, simultaneously lowering their heads—the next instant, a scorching beam of light grazed the back of their necks, blasting the boundary markers in a straight line into fragments! Along the forcibly opened passage, an extremely murky and violent aura was rapidly approaching—it was the monster!
"Are we finally going to go head-to-head?"
There was no way to avoid it, and no need to avoid it any longer! Xiao Wu and Haoyue both stopped, one drawing her twin pistols and the other her longsword, facing the approaching monster head-on! Sin Annihilation also stood beside Xiao Wu, ready to fight at any moment!
But Nid hesitated for a moment.
He frowned slightly as he watched the approaching monster.
--Then, my gaze shifted toward the side entrance of the Cathedral of the True God.
There, a solitary, pure white pillar of light stood.