The three cardinals in the Holy City each have a different physique:
Luxiusi, who had been training diligently for a long time, was thin and wiry, while Sailesi, who had rich combat experience, was quite robust, and Geliwusi, who was in charge of documents and archives and rarely exercised, looked slightly overweight.
Despite his advanced age, as the two approached, Geliwusi could still see through his robes that Sailesi's figure was gradually swelling up, like a balloon being inflated.
The two walked closer and closer, Geliwusi responded with a smile:
"Well, if we want to see the Son of God, we can't just go empty-handed, can we?"
So you're thinking of bringing a gift?
Thin but resilient long leaves had wrapped around Sailesi's arms and fingertips like bark armor, making him feel as if he were encased in a very thin, close-fitting soft armor.
"Yes, if you ask me, you're quite clever. The Son of God might take pity on me and reward me with something."
As soon as he finished speaking, Geliwusi's body underwent a noticeable Alienation.
He stopped a dozen steps away from Sailesi and stood still, rapidly merging with the ground.
His arms emerged from his sleeves, revealing his obvious Tree Transformation features; Geliwusi was rapidly evolving into a tree-man.
"I vaguely remember, you couldn't even beat Cuiske, could you?"
Sailesi gave a soft hum and stepped forward:
"I really don't know who gave you the guts to fight me."
"You might be thinking of pretending to stop me, Luxiusi will put in a good word for you with that Son of God."
"But you seem unaware that Luxiusi is already in dire straits himself!"
A smug and arrogant smile appeared on the Fallen Cardinal's face, but surprisingly, he did not see any panic on Geliwusi's face.
"I have no interest in knowing what Luxiusi is facing, but you just asked me who gave me the courage to challenge you?"
Geliwusi's smile, which had been almost permanently fixed on his face, vanished.
"That's exactly the one you described as being in dire straits himself."
The cardinal, whose usual tactful manner had become serious, spoke in a stern tone.
"He gave me many good things, such as the dense root system that covered the Holy City."
Having said that, Geliwusi slammed his now incredibly long arms, which had Alienation, onto the ground.
With a muffled "bang," the entire Holy City and its surrounding dioceses truly shook.
"Let me take Luxiusi and fight you properly!"
Geliwusi let out a low shout, and his Tree Transformation body became even more connected to the ground, its size beginning to transform from an ordinary tree into a giant tree.
"Do it!"
Sailesi roared, stomped his foot hard, and flew towards the Tree Transformation- like Geliwusi, his fists carrying immense force, attempting to shatter the giant tree in front of him.
Just like Archbishop Antiya Lisi, who diligently trained his body despite the Symbiotic Tree being highly poisonous, Sailesi, as a true Master of illusion, possessed immense power. However, creating illusions that blurred the lines between reality and illusion required time to activate, and thus his body had become extremely strong through years of battles and training.
After all, as long as the physical strength is high enough, it can perfectly match one's abilities.
Whether it's beating up enemies who have fallen into illusions or strengthening illusions while they're resisting your attacks, it's an excellent choice in battle, and it can be considered a mix of physical and magical damage when fighting.
As Sailesi shouted, seven or eight people immediately emerged from the hurried crowd, the church buildings behind him, and the nearby residential area.
They were all Sailesi's loyal followers, either having been educated by him since their youth or having a deep working relationship with him.
In short, these people are already beyond redemption, so they will naturally continue down this dark path.
At this moment, besides their own symbiotic plants, they also possess the spider lilies [ Dream of Rebirth ] belonging to Sailesi, brimming with Vitality.
Not just one, not just two, but dozens, even hundreds, of spider lilies of all sizes.
For most people, just a glance or a few whiffs would be enough to immerse them in the illusion, but for Geliwusi was also of High Tier, it was a completely different story.
To trap a High Tier powerhouse who is also a plant-type expert in the illusion woven by Sailesi, the duration of the effect must be as long as possible, and the number of spider lilies must be dozens or even hundreds of times greater than before.
At this moment, along with Sailesi, the ten Stained Ones launched a combined attack on the ever-growing and taller Tree Transformation Geliwusi.
Besides their own symbiotic plants, the most dangerous thing is a large number of dazzling [ Dream of Rebirth ] that constantly emit a strange fragrance due to their movement.
Sailesi was the strongest and closest to Geliwusi, so he was naturally the first to arrive before him.
He raised his bulging fists, which were wrapped in layers of dark green leaves like a mummy, and delivered a powerful blow to the waist of the great tree, Geliwusi.
"Boom!"
The powerful punch slammed into the giant tree, which was already over ten meters in diameter. The shockwave instantly destroyed the Holy City Square and left cracks in the ground.
Sailesi's fist appeared to have embedded less than an inch into the tree trunk, but the back of the trunk directly opposite the punch had already been blasted open with a cone-shaped gash the same diameter as the trunk.
Wood chips belonging to Geliwusi flew everywhere, covering most of the Holy City square.
"So-so, old friend."
Sailesi gave a sinister chuckle.
"I'll return those words to you, Sailesi."
Although his defenses were breached in a single blow, Geliwusi continued his verbal sparring:
"I thought you could kill me with one punch, but it seems you're not all that great."
As soon as he finished speaking, countless branches of the giant tree surged from all around. The new branches were soft and boneless, like water snakes trying to entwine Sailesi's body, while the old branches were extremely sharp, like countless spears trying to slam Sailesi to the ground.
Sailesi didn't even bother to glance at the attack; he listened to the chaotic sound of the wind around him, intending to retreat and prepare for the next attack.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly discovered that his fist, which was only half an inch deep into the tree trunk, seemed to have grown into it and he could not pull it out at all.
"You?!"
The Fallen Cardinal's face lit up with shock, and he only managed to utter a single word.
The next moment, countless plant branches, some soft and some hard, attacked from all around, and it seemed that Geliwusi's attack was about to succeed.
At that moment, the Stained Ones had originally rushed towards the giant tree changed their course at the same time, using their bodies and their Aberration plants to block the attack from Geliwusi.
Feeling the powerful force binding his right hand—so strong it was hard to tell if it was sticky or attractive— Sailesi anger flashed across his face.
Resin?
"This is... the resin of the Clear Void Pine!"
"He actually gave you his power!?"