The Dark Church Strikes

When news of Shadow Valley's destruction arrived, Affleck, the pope of the Dark Church, flew into a rage.

The Dark Temple on the western border of the Luo'ao Empire blazed with light. In the center of its great hall, Pope Affleck sat on a throne carved from a massive black stone, his expression sinister. Two Cardinals stood beside him, while dozens of senior members of the Dark Church stood below.

"Shadow Valley was destroyed, Moulton was killed, six angels fell, and the core of the Sacrificial Magic Array was destroyed." Affleck's voice echoed through the hall, each word hammering at the listeners' hearts. "Who did this?"

A Cardinal stepped forward and said quietly, "Your Holiness, according to the patrols outside Shadow Valley, someone saw a streak of azure light heading into the valley that night. A Saint-level Peak battle broke out soon afterward. By the time the patrols arrived, Lord Moulton was dead, and all six angels had been killed. The core of the Sacrificial Magic Array had been utterly destroyed."

"I asked who did this!" Affleck's voice rose sharply, and the temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees.

Cold sweat beaded on the Cardinal's forehead. "A deacon from the branch temple in Blackstone Town, near Shadow Valley, reported that a mysterious man carrying an Elder Token came to inspect the temple the day before the incident. He asked about Shadow Valley's location and the array's progress. Our investigation identified the attacker as... An Baruch, the Dragonblood Warrior of the Baruch Clan."

An uproar swept through the hall.

"An Baruch." Affleck ground out the name through clenched teeth. "Instead of staying in the O'Brien Empire where he belongs, he came to my Luo'ao Empire to meddle!"

He rose, his black robes stirring without a breeze. He unleashed the full pressure of his Saint-level Peak power, leaving many in the hall barely able to breathe.

"Hear my command!" Affleck's voice thundered. "Issue a warrant for An Baruch throughout the Luo'ao Empire! The bounty is one hundred million gold coins, plus a sacred dark artifact, the Shadow Cloak. Anyone who provides information, regardless of status, will receive one hundred thousand gold coins!"

The hall erupted again. One hundred million gold coins was enough to buy an entire duchy. The Shadow Cloak was a sacred artifact passed down through generations of the Dark Church. Such a bounty could tempt anyone.

"And one more thing." Affleck swept his gaze across the hall. "Summon Gaius, Morgan, and Sylvia."

At those three names, everyone in the hall held their breath.

They were the Dark Church's three strongest Saint-level Peak experts. They rarely acted together, but whenever all three appeared, it meant the Church intended to erase an enemy completely.

Three figures emerged from the shadows of the hall.

The first was Gaius, the Dark Sword Saint. He was tall, with long gray-white hair falling over his shoulders and a sharply chiseled face. A pitch-black longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard covered in dark runes. His eyes were deep black, with what seemed like black mist churning in his pupils. He cultivated the profound mystery of evil within the Laws of Darkness.

The second was Morgan, the Undead Archmage. He was hunched, his skin as pale as a corpse, his fingers long and thin as dead branches, with black fingernails. His staff was a scepter assembled from white bones, topped with a fist-sized black gem in which souls seemed to wail faintly. He cultivated the death element law.

The third was Sylvia, the Shadow Assassin. She was slender, dressed in close-fitting black leather armor, with a black veil covering her face and only her amber eyes exposed. Two short blades hung at her waist, their serrated edges coated with deadly blood-sealing poison. She cultivated the Shadow Clone Technique profound mystery within the Laws of Darkness, allowing her to create multiple solid clones in the darkness, each possessing seventy percent of her own strength.

"Gaius, Morgan, Sylvia." Affleck looked at the three of them. "I want you to join forces and hunt down An Baruch. Bring him to me alive, or bring me his corpse."

All three dropped to one knee.

Gaius spoke in a low voice. "Rest assured, Your Holiness. He is merely a Dragonblood Warrior. With the three of us hunting him, he will have nowhere to escape."

Morgan said nothing. He merely extended his scarlet tongue and licked his cracked lips, his eyes gleaming with a hunger for souls.

Sylvia nodded slightly, then flickered and vanished into the shadows. The other two turned and left as well.

Silence returned to the hall. Affleck sat back on his throne, tapping his fingers against the armrest.

"As long as he dares remain in the Luo'ao Empire, he must die," Affleck murmured.

Two days later, in the western mountains of the Luo'ao Empire.

An stood atop a mountain peak, overlooking the gorge below.

The Dark Church would certainly retaliate furiously after Shadow Valley's destruction, but rebuilding the Sacrificial Magic Array would take six months. That was precious time he had bought. If he could further weaken the Dark Church during those six months, or even destroy its sacrificial plan entirely, a million lives could be saved.

But he also knew the Dark Church would not let the matter rest.

An suddenly sensed three powerful auras closing in on him.

"They came quickly." An frowned.

Three against one. Since they knew he had destroyed Shadow Valley, they certainly would not send weak opponents. With all three among the strongest Saint-level experts, An was confident, but by no means arrogant. He turned and flew deeper into the mountains.

The three auras detected him and gave chase.

An was extremely fast, but the three auras behind him were not slow either. One in particular was astonishingly swift, almost matching his speed.

At dusk, An stopped beside a waterfall.

An decided to probe his opponent first.

He quietly moved toward that aura. Two minutes later, he encountered her in a dense forest.

An continued flying forward, pretending he had not noticed her. Sylvia took the bait, closing rapidly from the side and thrusting her crossed short blades toward his back.

Just before the blades struck, An spun around. With a turn of his right hand, the Azure Frost Sword appeared in his grasp, and he swept it across.

Clang!

The Azure Frost Sword collided with the short blades, scattering sparks. Sylvia was knocked back several steps, but she reacted swiftly. Her figure flickered, and one person became three. All three figures stabbed at An from different directions.

The Shadow Clone Technique.

An frowned and instantly locked onto the real body. He thrust the Azure Frost Sword straight at her, azure light surging from the blade as it pierced the figure's chest. But the figure dispersed like smoke. It was a clone. The real Sylvia had already appeared on An's right, slashing her short blade toward his throat.

An tilted his head to dodge. The blade skimmed his cheek, leaving a shallow cut.

When her attack failed, Sylvia immediately retreated and melted into the darkness again. Like a phantom, she slipped between the shadows of the trees, appearing and disappearing.

An had gauged her strength: Saint-level Peak, extremely fast, and skilled in cloning and stealth, but relatively weak in direct attacks. If he underwent dragon transformation, he could defeat her within three moves. The problem was that the other two auras were rapidly approaching and would arrive within five minutes at most.

I can't get bogged down fighting. An made his decision.

He channeled his wind element battle qi, becoming a streak of azure light as he flew deeper into the mountains.

Sylvia did not pursue him. Her task was not to kill An alone, but to hold him until the other two arrived.

Five minutes later, Gaius and Morgan arrived.

"He escaped?" Gaius frowned.

"He went east, very quickly," Sylvia said flatly. "His movement techniques are impressive. I couldn't catch him."

Morgan extended his withered fingers and traced a rune in the air, then closed his eyes. "I can sense his aura. He is fifty kilometers away, moving northeast. That is... Dead Silence Ridge."

Gaius grinned. "Dead Silence Ridge has no way out. He won't escape."

All three rose into the air and pursued him to the northeast.

Dead Silence Ridge ended at a towering cliff. Below lay a bottomless gorge shrouded in thick mist year-round. Even Saint-level experts did not dare enter it lightly.

An landed on the highest peak of Dead Silence Ridge.

Fifteen minutes later, three figures appeared on the horizon. Gaius, Morgan, and Sylvia landed a hundred meters from An, forming a triangle around him.

Gaius looked at An with a trace of admiration. "An Baruch, you truly live up to the name of the Dragonblood Warrior, one of the legendary four ultimate warriors. You should be proud that it took all three of us to face you."

Clang.

Golden dragon scales emerged from beneath his skin, swiftly covering his entire body. Dragon horns sprouted from his forehead, spikes bristled along his spine, and a dragon tail lashed behind him. His dark-gold slit pupils gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

An drew the Azure Frost Sword, the azure glow of its blade mingling with the moonlight.

Gaius's pupils contracted slightly.

"Attack!" Gaius barked.

Sylvia struck first. Her five clones rushed An simultaneously, their short blades stabbing from different angles and cutting off every route of retreat.

Holding his sword in his right hand, An reached out with his left and seized one of the clones. His dragon claw crushed it, but the real Sylvia appeared behind him, stabbing her short blade toward the back of his neck.

Without looking back, An lashed out with his dragon tail like a steel whip.

Crack!

The tail struck Sylvia, sending her flying into a rock. A tear opened in her black leather armor, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. She stared at An in horror. The Dragonblood Warrior's defenses were too strong. Her short blades could not pierce his scales at all.

Gaius seized the opening and charged, thrusting his dark longsword toward An's heart. Black mist writhed along the blade like something alive, spreading toward An's chest.

An dodged sideways, but the black mist veered away from the blade and continued surging toward him. The corrosive profound mystery could exert its power as long as the blade came within a certain distance of an opponent.

The instant the black mist touched An's dragon scales, they hissed with corrosion. Tiny pits appeared on their surface. Though the scales had not been eaten through, their defensive strength had clearly diminished.

An frowned and poured dragon battle qi into his scales, dispersing the black mist.

Gaius sneered and thrust again.

At the same time, Morgan acted. He waved his bone staff, and a gray pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping An. It was the death element spell Soul Extraction. A direct hit would forcibly drag the soul out of the body.

A wave of dizziness swept over An, and he felt as though some force were trying to wrench his soul from his body. But he gritted his teeth, and the protective power of his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline surged forth, canceling out the pull.

Though An held his own against all three attackers, he could not secure victory immediately.

Gaius's swordsmanship was exquisite, each strike carrying corrosive power; Morgan's death magic was difficult to guard against, repeatedly disrupting An's rhythm; Sylvia harassed him from the side, unable to injure him but capable of dividing his attention.

Wind-Cutting Formation!

The Azure Frost Sword swept out, sending countless azure wind blades hurtling in every direction like a torrential downpour. They were so densely packed that almost no gaps remained, engulfing Gaius, Morgan, and Sylvia.

Gaius parried with his sword, but there were too many wind blades, and his clothes were slashed in several places. Morgan summoned a wall of bone to block them, but the blades sliced it to pieces, forcing him to retreat. All of Sylvia's clones were destroyed, and her real body was driven back step after step.

An seized the opportunity and charged at Morgan.

The Undead Archmage had the weakest defenses of the three. If An dealt with him first, the remaining two would be easier to handle.

Morgan's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly cast a spell, enveloping himself in a black barrier of light. It was the defensive undead spell Wall of the Dead, capable of absorbing physical attacks.

An thrust his sword into the black barrier. It shook violently but did not shatter. Morgan breathed a sigh of relief and raised his staff to counterattack.

But An's second thrust followed immediately.

Storm Spear!

The azure light on the Azure Frost Sword suddenly grew blinding. Like an enormous azure spear, it struck the same spot on the barrier. With a crack, the barrier shattered. An's longsword drove straight through, thrusting toward Morgan's chest.

"No!" Morgan let out a piercing scream.

Gaius rushed in from the side and swept his dark longsword across, blocking An's sword tip. The blades clashed with a shrill metallic ring. Black mist churned on Gaius's sword, and corrosive power spread along the Azure Frost Sword toward An's arm.

An had no choice but to withdraw his sword and retreat, shaking off the corrosive power.

Sylvia seized the opportunity to charge again, stabbing her short blade toward An's lower back. An swept his dragon tail out, forcing her away.

The three regrouped and faced An.

Morgan was deathly pale. The sword tip had torn a hole in the robes over his chest, narrowly missing his body. Lingering terror gripped him, and a trace of fear entered his eyes as he looked at An.

Gaius's expression had changed as well. An's strength far exceeded their estimates. Surrounded by all three, he had not only remained uninjured but had nearly killed Morgan. If the battle continued like this, its outcome would be uncertain.

An stood with his sword in hand, his dark-gold slit pupils sweeping over the three.

"You are no match for me," An said calmly. "Leave now, and I can spare your lives."

Gaius gritted his teeth and was about to speak when Morgan suddenly interrupted. "Gaius, he's right. Even together, the three of us cannot defeat him quickly. If we keep fighting and he goes all out, at least one or two of us will die."

Sylvia remained silent, but her eyes had already given Gaius her answer. She did not want to fight anymore.

Gaius took a deep breath and sheathed his longsword.

"An Baruch, you win today," Gaius said coldly. "But don't think this is over. Work to rebuild the Sacrificial Magic Array has already begun. You cannot stop the Dark Church alone."

Gaius turned, with Morgan and Sylvia following behind him. All three rose into the air and flew toward the Dark Church.

Perhaps it's time to find some help, An thought.

He put away the Azure Frost Sword and vanished into the night.