Randall's decision not to immediately order the witches executing the mission to commit suicide was a strategic move.
If the witch hunt failed, if the evil dragon Achilles failed, and if Constantine also failed, then Leon would definitely return to the Southern Continent. He must know that he controls the Gifted Item, the Hand of God, and knows some of its abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have suspected the ten witches immediately, and thus wouldn't have evaded the witches' assassination attempt.
Since he knows some of the Hand of God's abilities, he likely also knows that he absorbed the divinity of other members of the Church to revive the witches. Therefore, he will definitely investigate the ruins of the temple and trace it back to those dead special-grade believers. As long as the ten witches are alive, they give Leon hope, making him believe he can send Randall to the Supreme Tribunal.
But if they die, he loses witnesses, and perhaps Leon will abandon this method and not fall into the trap Randall has set.
Now that Leon has been lured into the trap, there's no need to keep the ten witches who betrayed him alive.
The other [Summoner] that Randall arranged in the Guardian Bureau can finally be put to use, ordering the witches to directly kill the ten resurrected witches and destroy the evidence.
No one can keep secrets better than the dead.
With the witches' trail cut off, even if Ophelia, the director of the Guardian Bureau, wants to investigate him, she won't be able to.
Randall already knew Ophelia had sided with Leon when she obtained the special-grade believer data.
But to Randall, Ophelia, like Archbishop Damir, is an insignificant person, not worth his time to deal with.
Only Leon, the young man who has repeatedly escaped his deadly traps, is the real opponent, worthy of his significant investment.
"What an elaborate and painstaking scheme. I never imagined that a small fry like me could catch the eye of His Holiness the Pope, and warrant such effort to set up a trap."
Leon's lips curled into a slight smile. "It seems you're truly afraid of me."
"I admit, you make me very angry, but not to the point of fear. Nothing in this world can frighten me anymore."
Randall stepped back, and the monsters pouring out of the Gate of Hell began to attack Leon.
The entire Gifted Temple was enveloped in complete darkness, the shadows isolating it from the outside world.
In the completely dark world, Leon's senses were amplified.
There was not a single ray of light around, only endless darkness and oppression, as if even the air had solidified.
The sound of his breathing was particularly clear in the silence, but he heard the cracking sound of bones rubbing together, the White Bone Skeleton Knights slowly approaching.
Their footsteps were heavy and slow, each step carrying the threat of death.
Leon's fingertips trembled slightly, and blood mist quietly overflowed from his palms, swirling around him like a living thing. He could feel every movement of the blood mist, as if they were extensions of his own body.
Suddenly, a low roar came from the left, and a hellhound pounced, its fangs glinting in the darkness.
Leon didn't move, but the blood mist instantly condensed into a barrier. The moment the hellhound hit the blood mist, it let out a miserable wail, its body quickly corroding and turning into a puddle of black water.
The blood mist is also effective against hellish monsters! This was a pleasant surprise for Leon.
It seems that killing Constantine before coming to Randall was definitely a wise move.
However, this was just the beginning.
The White Bone Skeleton Knight's long sword cut through the air, the blade carrying the cold breath of death.
Leon flashed, drawing Enzo, and the power of shadow wrapped around Enzo, turning it into a shadow sword. The blade was as black as ink, as if it could devour all light.
He swung his sword to block, and the moment the blades collided, sparks flew, illuminating a few inches of space around him.
In the brief light, dozens of hellish monsters were approaching Leon from all directions, the black knight's armor gleaming in the darkness, their eyes burning with the flames of hell.
The corners of Leon's mouth curled into a cold smile, and the blood mist spread rapidly under his control, spreading like venomous snakes.
The monsters touched by the blood mist let out painful roars, their bodies rotting rapidly, but more monsters rushed up without fear. Leon's figure was like a ghost in the darkness, the shadow sword dancing in his hand, each swing bringing a gust of bloody wind.
His body was pierced by the black knight's spear, but the wound healed instantly, as if it had never existed.
The self-healing power of the Seven-Star Blood Shadow Knight is far superior to that of the Six-Star Blood Knight, coupled with the power of order, he can adjust the only weakness of his body at any time, hiding his heart in the safest place. Even without using the healing power of the special-grade believers, Leon can now remain unharmed in the army.
The battle became more intense, Leon's breathing began to quicken, but his eyes remained cold.
He knew that these monsters were just the vanguard of the Gate of Hell, and the real threat had not yet arrived.
Suddenly, the darkness within the barrier became even denser, and a powerful sense of oppression came from above.
Leon looked up, his pupils contracting slightly in the darkness. His extraordinary vision allowed him to penetrate the dense darkness and clearly see the huge hellish creature slowly descending from above.
Its body was like a moving mountain, its skin covered with thick black scales, each shimmering with a cold, ghostly luster. Several curved horns grew on its head, and its scarlet eyes were like two blood moons, looking down at Leon below, filled with contempt and killing intent. Each breath it took carried a scorching heat, as if it could ignite the air.
The blood mist around Leon surged like a living thing, quickly condensing into a thick shield, enveloping his entire body. He could feel the corrosive power contained in the blood mist stirring, as if eager to devour all life before him. He gripped the shadow sword in his hand, the blade as black as ink, with faint dark red patterns flowing on it, as if responding to its master's fighting spirit.
The hellish creature let out a deafening roar, the sound waves impacting the barrier like a substance, even the air trembling.
Its giant claws swung down violently, approaching Leon with the momentum to destroy everything. Leon flashed, his speed so fast that he almost turned into a phantom. The shadow sword drew a black arc in the air, and the moment it collided with the giant claw, a harsh metallic friction sound erupted. Sparks flew, illuminating Leon's cold face.
However, the power of the hellish creature was far beyond imagination. Leon was shaken back several steps by this blow, and the ground under his feet cracked like a spider web. Just as he stabilized himself, the hellish creature's tail swept over like a whip, its speed almost impossible to capture. Leon didn't have time to dodge, and the blood mist shield instantly condensed in front of him, forcibly blocking the blow. The shield shattered under the tremendous impact, and Leon's body was sent flying, crashing heavily into the edge of the barrier.
Leon slowly stood up, and blood mist surged out of him again. This time, they were no longer just defending, but turned into countless slender tentacles, sweeping towards the hellish creature. The blood mist touched the hellish creature's scales, making a "chi" sound of corrosion. The scales were quickly eroded, revealing the scarlet flesh underneath.
The hellish creature let out a painful roar, its huge body suddenly leaping up and pouncing towards Leon. Leon didn't retreat but advanced, the shadow sword turning into a black lightning bolt in his hand, stabbing straight into the hellish creature's heart. The blade pierced through the scales and deep into the flesh. The hellish creature's blood spurted out, carrying scorching heat, splattering on Leon's body and burning his skin. But he didn't care, and exerted force with the sword again, the blade completely piercing through the hellish creature's body.
The hellish creature let out a miserable wail, and its huge body began to collapse, turning into countless black fragments and dissipating into the air.
However, this hellish creature had just been annihilated, and dozens of such behemoths crawled out of the Gate of Hell.
Although Leon, who had fought dragons, had a certain immunity to this size, he still felt a tingling in his scalp when he looked at these constantly emerging monsters.
The Gate of Hell must be destroyed first.
Senior special-grade believers, I'm sorry, your coffins are not going to be safe!
Leon controlled the blood mist tentacles, quickly extending towards a row of coffins, wanting to destroy these Gates of Hell from the source.
Randall realized what Leon wanted to do, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sneer.
"It's useless, the Gate of Hell cannot be destroyed by you. Perhaps you can choose to summon an angel to try."
This was a test to see if Leon could summon an angel at any time.
Leon was unwilling to let Randall know how he summoned Soraya. No one knew if this heretic, full of conspiracies and tricks, would have a way to block his connection with Soraya.
But Randall reminded himself that there was also Soraya.
Angels are better at dealing with these Gates of Hell than he is. Instead of wasting his energy here, it would be better to let Soraya solve these little monsters first.
Leon took out the angel card from his pocket and threw it out.
Soraya cooperatively emerged from the card, and the angel's holy light instantly illuminated the darkness. But the light was fleeting, and the surroundings quickly fell into silent darkness again.
Because darkness is more conducive to Leon's battle, Soraya would not deliberately turn the surroundings into daylight.
The beautiful and holy angel Soraya smiled at these hellish monsters. A giant tree grew under her feet, and the tree's vines instantly entangled the hellish monsters, turning them into cocoons of various sizes.
The vines wrapped around these insect cocoons and extended towards the Gate of Hell. These cocoons quickly blocked the 36 Gates of Hell.
Cards are disposable items. Once used, Soraya disappeared.
"Cards can actually summon angels? Interesting. Unfortunately, what you summoned is just an angel's projection in this world. Its power cannot fully descend, so it cannot defeat the Gifted Item."
As soon as Randall finished speaking, the 36 Gates of Hell suddenly swelled in the darkness, as if being pried open from the inside by some indescribable force.
Their surfaces were originally covered with thick vine cocoons, and those vines wriggled like living things, trying to suppress the terrifying beings inside the gates.
However, the Gates of Hell at this moment were like ignited volcanoes, throbbing and shaking, emitting low rumbles, as if announcing the arrival of some kind of destruction.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion broke the silence. The first Gate of Hell suddenly exploded, and the vine cocoons were torn into countless pieces, scattering in all directions.
Then, the second, the third—the 36 Gates of Hell exploded one after another, and the violent energy swept across the entire space like a hurricane.
Inside the gates, countless monsters poured out like a tide. Their forms varied, some resembling giant beasts, some like twisted humanoids, and some were bizarre beings that could not be described in words.
Their eyes flickered with scarlet light in the darkness, and they uttered low roars, as if venting their long-imprisoned anger.
The White Bone Skeleton Knights rode their rotten warhorses, holding rusty long swords, and rushed out of the Gate of Hell first.
Their bones glowed with a pale white luster in the darkness, and ghostly blue flames burned in their empty eye sockets.
Following closely behind were the Black Knights. Their armor was covered with hellish runes, and the spears in their hands exuded a suffocating aura of death. Hellhounds, ghouls, giant worms—all kinds of monsters poured out like a flood. The sound of their footsteps, their roars, and the friction of their bones intertwined, forming a terrifying symphony of death.
Leon stood in the center of the barrier, blood mist swirling around him, and the shadow sword trembled slightly in his hand. His gaze was cold and sharp, as if he could penetrate the darkness before him and look directly at the monsters pouring out of the Gate of Hell. He could feel that these monsters were not only a threat in terms of quantity, but they also carried the curses and destructive power of hell, each of which was enough to plunge ordinary people into despair.
"Tsk, they're really troublesome."
Leon clicked his tongue, looking at the dense monsters. He felt that the internal space of the Ruins Church seemed to have been extended to some extent; otherwise, these monsters would have broken through this narrow space long ago and spread outward, causing disaster.
Could it be that the shadow barrier can extend space? Or have I entered another realm?
After knowing that the witches failed, the evil dragon failed, and Constantine failed, Randall has somewhat assessed my strength. To prevent me from escaping, this shadow barrier must be extraordinary.
What exactly is it?
Leon felt his heart beating faster, which was the effect of the [Gifted Item Radar].
That's right, the shadow barrier is caused by a Gifted Item.
This place is filled with the aura of Gifted Items, whether it's the Gate of Hell, Randall, or the shadow barrier.
The taste of the shadow barrier felt the most unfamiliar to Leon. It was a Gifted Item he had never come into contact with. Combined with the card made by Fia, Leon guessed that it was likely Sequence 9, the House of Happiness, which allows the holder to possess a small house that can fulfill all wishes, but the wishes can only be realized in the house, and once they leave the house, they are still empty-handed.
Randall didn't have any new entries, which meant that the House of Happiness and the Gates were controlled by other people, and they weren't on the scene.
This is interesting. Even if they're not on the scene, can they use Gifted Items to control this place?
Or are they actually outside the church and haven't gone far? While Leon's thoughts were churning, the monsters had already swarmed over, and their roars almost shattered the barrier.
Leon's figure disappeared in an instant, the shadow sword drawing a black arc in the air, and the blood mist spread like venomous snakes.
In an instant, he exploded with the power comparable to an Eight-Star War Knight, turning the monsters that surged forward into ashes.
"So that's how it is? The power of shadow. It seems you're not just a simple Seven-Star Order Knight."
Randall stood in the center of the church, his fingers snapping lightly, producing a crisp sound.
With that snap, the darkness within the shadow barrier seemed to receive some invisible summons, and began to recede rapidly, like a tide retreating from all directions towards the center.
The retreat of the darkness was not silent, but accompanied by a low hum, as if the entire space was trembling.
As the darkness dissipated, the environment within the church underwent earth-shattering changes.
The walls, floor, and dome that had been swallowed by darkness gradually reappeared, but they were no longer what they once were.
The church walls were covered with ancient runes, emanating a ghostly blue light, as if narrating some ancient curse.
The marble patterns on the floor twisted and deformed, forming bizarre patterns, as if countless eyes were watching everything here.
Above the dome, the original stained glass windows were replaced by black mirrors, reflecting countless distorted figures, as if countless eyes were peering into this space.
The church pews had long disappeared, replaced by towering stone pillars, carved with various hellish creatures, their eyes flashing with scarlet light under the ghostly blue glow.
The coffins of those special-grade believers were all inverted on the walls, forming the true 36 gates.
Each gate contained an aura of infinite terror.
The air was filled with a heavy smell of sulfur, as if the atmosphere of hell had permeated every corner of this space.
The Shadow Sword trembled slightly in Liam's hand. His gaze swept around, his eyes devoid of any surprise, only icy fighting spirit. He could feel that this space had been completely transformed by Randall, or rather, by the [House of Happiness], becoming a domain between reality and hell.
Every inch of air here was filled with oppression, as if trying to crush him.
The [House of Happiness] is not happy at all.
Randall's voice echoed in the church, with a hint of戏谑 mockery and sarcasm: "To be in the House of Happiness, you should feel extremely honored."
Liam did not respond. He touched the [Canvas] on his arm, and could still feel the roaring of the dragon trapped within.
He wondered who would win if the dragon fought against its master.
Thinking of this, he showed a mischievous expression.
"Randall, I have a gift for you."
Taming the dragon Achilles? Impossible, it is absolutely impossible.
Even Randall couldn't do it, let alone Liam, who had a deep-seated hatred for the dragon.
However, since he could sign a blood contract with Achilles' descendants, it meant that he could also sign a blood contract with Achilles.
Three days ago, Liam found a way to sign a contract with Achilles and successfully contracted him. The current Achilles is his servant! Even if he is still affected by the Ancestral Dragon Mark.
But as long as the [Mouth of Bewitchment] does not personally intervene, Achilles is his loyal servant.
Even if the [Mouth of Bewitchment] comes, he can still lock Achilles in the [Canvas].
Although Achilles was ten thousand times unwilling, having just escaped from the [Canvas], he even wanted to bite Liam to death immediately, but he was restrained by the blood contract and immediately suffered the heart-wrenching pain of the square worms gnawing.
Achilles looked at Liam angrily, "Damn you, why did you let me out?"
"Achilles, be polite to your master. Now I want you to kill Randall. If it weren't for Randall, you wouldn't have been contracted by me. You must also hate him, right?"
Liam looked at Achilles.
Achilles certainly harbored resentment towards Randall. If it weren't for Randall's scheme, his son, the Azure Dragon King, would not have died in Liam's hands, and he would not have been reduced to being Liam's servant.
Although he couldn't kill Liam, killing Randall first could temporarily relieve his rage.
"Okay, then let me kill Randall first, and then kill you."
Although Achilles knew that he couldn't kill Liam now, his pride as a dragon would not allow him to lose to anyone in words.
Achilles instantly transformed into a giant dragon, rushing towards Randall.
Randall frowned slightly, "Achilles, you shouldn't treat your true master like this."
"Bah, a mere human, daring to become my master, you all deserve to die!"
Achilles swept his tail, directly smashing the hellish monsters rushing out of the gate of hell into powder.
Then he stretched out his claws, lightning surging between his gestures.
The lightning-like speed allowed his huge body to instantly arrive beside Randall, and his claws tore Randall's body apart.
"This is the House of Happiness, the blessed me, will not die."
The next second, Randall appeared from another direction in the church.
The one he had to deal with was not Achilles, but Liam.
Randall waved the staff in his hand, pointing it at Liam.
A wave of energy pierced through Liam's body.
Liam fell straight down.
Randall frowned slightly, "A clone?"
Just as a fierce battle was taking place in the ruins temple, the Red Tower in the Guardian Bureau was already surrounded by witches.
The sounds of explosions and fighting echoed throughout the Guardian Bureau.
When Secretary Syndra arrived at the Red Tower with the witch captain Fula, she thought she would see Ashley, Milia,
Anita and others lying in a pool of blood, but she didn't expect them to be safe and sound, and the Philosopher's Stones on their hands had also been removed.
"You?"
Syndra looked at this scene in surprise, subconsciously retreating behind the witch captain Fula.
"Who unlocked your hands?"
Ophelia walked out from behind the ten witches, she looked at Syndra with a cold expression.
Syndra swallowed and immediately said, "Director, it's great that you're back. Just now the witches said they received instructions to kill the problem witches in advance. I know this must not be an order you issued."
"Yes, this is not an order I issued, this is an order you issued, Syndra, besides me,
The Guardian Bureau still has a second [Summoner], which is you."
"Director, what are you talking about? I don't understand. What summoner?"
