Descent and death
The next moment, amidst the twinkling of countless stars, the entire snow-capped Snow Mountain was completely covered by a deep layer of starlight. The low-hanging stars were mainly light blue and pale purple, their cool yet dazzling starlight cascading down, illuminating the entire icy and snowy Snow Mountain with a crystal-clear glow.
Amidst the twinkling starlight interwoven with pale blue and light purple, the dozens of Heretic standing atop the Snow Mountain outside the cave, their faces contorted in a ferocious, fanatical expression, hadn't even had time to change, nor utter a single struggle or scream, before they were all hanged on the spot in the same instant.
They were as if they were being pulled down from mid-air by an invisible rope, their necks tightly bound, their heads strangely tilted to one side, their feet just a fist's distance off the ground, hanging there, completely devoid of life.
This group of dozens of pursuers, led by Fourth Order Heretic, were ruthless thugs who had cornered Brunkel and his companions. Faced with the sudden burst of starlight, they were utterly powerless to resist and were neatly hanged in the icy snow-covered Snow Mountain.
The dozens of Heretic corpses hanging in mid-air swayed gently in the wind and snow. Under the clear starlight, the corpses formed a striking pattern of twinkling star trails in the Snow Mountain.
Above those unseen, invisible ropes, an extremely twisted, star-colored, clump-like figure, seemingly composed of a thick tuft of hair, vanished silently from the void in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the wind and snow.
On a snow-covered slope illuminated by pale blue starlight in the distance, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, with his full head of white hair and beard and wearing armor adorned with star patterns, appeared amidst the snow with his only student Eli.
Two days ago, on the Stargazing Platform atop the Snow Mountain- capped mountain at the Knight Academy, the Calamity Dark Star, suddenly lit up. Immediately afterward, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander took Eli away from the Knight Academy and headed north to the Astrology Society in the Northern Territory, intending to rely on the Astrology Society's rituals to fully interpret the prophecy.
During their journey north, the Knight Academy discovered the distress signal sent by the Blue Knight before he fell unconscious. Considering the perilous situation in the Northern Territory, the Academy immediately sent a message to the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, who was closest to the scene and happened to be on his way north, to go and provide assistance.
Guided by the Star Disk and following the lingering fluctuations of Angel gazes and Heretic Contamination along the way Astrologer Grand Knight Commander found this place. Looking at the cave ahead where there was still a trace of living people, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed that he could still make it in time.
Eli, who was standing next to the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, looked up and saw this extremely bizarre scene before him. His pupils contracted slightly, and an indescribable shock surged in his heart.
This was the first time he had witnessed Fifth Order Grand Knight Commander truly make a move since becoming his disciple. The group of ferocious Heretic, led by Fourth Order Heretic and numbering in the dozens, couldn't even make their teacher stop. They were wiped out in an instant amidst the twinkling starlight of the day.
In particular, the bizarre sight of dozens of people suddenly hanging in mid-air in a star-like formation, and the fleeting, distorted, star-colored hair-like figure in the void, made Eli feel a strong sense of threat and death deep in his bones. He was so frightened that his face turned slightly pale, and his feet involuntarily took a step back.
But Eli quickly realized that the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander was his teacher, and no matter how strange or terrifying his methods were, he would never harm him. He immediately took a deep breath of the cold air, quickly approached the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander, steadied himself, and asked in a low voice:
"Teacher, are your methods derived from your Pathway, or from the Astrology Society?"
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander stopped, turned to look at Eli who had approached, and helplessly raised his hand to pat his head, explaining gently:
"This power comes from my own Pathway, combined with the methods of the Astrology Society. My Pathway itself is related to the stars, and it is inseparable from the astrological arts of the Astrology Society."
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander withdrew his hand, looked at the dozens of Heretic corpses hanging in the snowstorm ahead, and explained helplessly to Eli:
"The celestial phenomena are so numerous, and each one can bring countless different methods and produce countless effects. The methods you will acquire from the stars in the future will be quite different from mine. Besides, without strength, how could I, your teacher, possibly see even a vague glimpse of the future?"
Brunkel and the nun, inside the cave, saw through the opening the grotto the Heretic's corpses hanging from the stars, and were equally shocked, not daring to even breathe for a moment.
Before he could even make out the face of the person emerging from the snowstorm Brunkel's pupils constricted, his muscles tensed, and he instinctively gripped the executioner's Execution Longsword tightly in front of his chest, adopting a highly vigilant and defensive posture towards the outside of the cave.
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander ignored the wary gaze at the cave entrance, strode across the snow-covered slope, and quickly reached the cave entrance, calling out into the dark cave:
"Alright, Blue Knight, you're alright... Wait, something's off about your aura."
Before he finished speaking, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had already quickened his pace and entered the cave, with Eli following closely behind, carrying the books in his arms.
Upon entering the cave, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander first saw Brunkel, who was guarding the entrance, covered in blood and looking wary. Brunkel recognized the star-patterned armor and the star emblem on his chest by the starlight shining through the cave entrance. His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he slowly lowered the Execution Longsword in his hand.
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander nodded slightly to Brunkel, his gaze passing over her shoulder and landing on the unconscious Blue Knight on the Stone Platform behind them. His previously gentle expression instantly turned gloomy.
He walked quickly to the Stone Platform, bent down to examine the Blue Knight's condition closely, and with just one glance, he could tell that the Blue Knight's state was extremely abnormal.
Her injuries went far beyond the physical; her consciousness and Pathway had been deeply eroded by some extremely high-ranking Heretic power, and her internal Pathway were rapidly sliding towards irreversible Mutation.
If it weren't for some mysterious force that seemed to have barely managed to hold her breath and maintain her last bit of clarity, she probably would have become Heretic or monster two days ago.
Without the slightest hesitation, the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander immediately raised his right hand and placed it on the Blue Knight's forehead and chest, drawing upon the immense Stellar Power the Fifth Order stars within him to flow into the Blue Knight's body.