"Well, so this is what you think." Looking at the black smoke getting closer and closer, Qi Ji sneered, "I was wondering, are your morals so noble that you are willing to rush to the front and take risks?"
The black flames that were hot enough to obliterate matter were so weak in front of the darker smoke that they seemed completely harmless. They were wantonly enveloped by the black smoke but were unable to cause any harm to it.
In the golden light that streaked across the sky like a meteor, Rosago saw this scene and a smug look appeared in his eyes.
He had already led his seven subordinates to go around to the rear of the black smoke column. At that location, another irregular hole appeared at some point, and the strange object inside that was flashing crimson light... was exposed again!
"My guess was right. The 'Connected Ashes' will automatically counterattack the attacker, but its quantity is limited!" Rosago's emotions became more and more excited as he controlled the golden light-woven vehicle to rush towards the unobstructed scarlet light:
"As long as someone draws enough firepower, the defense it forms may reveal loopholes..."
"Dear little girl, your attack is indeed powerful, enough to attract the attention of the 'Connected Ashes'." At the last moment before passing through the hole with red light flowing, he squinted his eyes and looked at Qi Ji who was about to be swallowed by the surging black smoke in the distance:
"I will remember you, goodbye..."
Chapter 95: Sunfire's Judgment
Qi Ji put his hand down, interrupting the release of the black flame.
The purple-black flames disappeared instantly, but the surging smoke did not stop and continued to attack her without stopping.
It was clearly a gas, but it carried an overwhelming momentum. The air began to tremble, as if in fear of its power.
However, Qi Ji, who was about to bear its direct impact, had a calm expression. He neither dodged nor defended, and was completely indifferent.
"be careful!"
Seeing this, Lunxi, who was hiding in the distance, screamed in horror.
No matter how much she wanted to help, she knew her own limitations and was unable to participate in a battle of this level, so she evacuated early so as not to hinder Qi Ji and the clergy.
However, she had just run away when she turned around and saw such a worrying scene.
Just by looking at it, you can tell that this black smoke is extremely dangerous - it is not even afraid of the terrifying black flames, which means that the power it contains is even stronger than the latter!
The black flames of the Seventh Season contain extremely high temperatures that are enough to obliterate matter, but what about the black smoke that is even more powerful than it?
She couldn't even imagine what the consequences would be if she was touched by something like this.
It is true that Xiao Qiji is very strong...but according to the priest, this power is related to the sacrifice of the evil god!
No matter how powerful a transcendent being is, he is still just a living being living in the mortal world. How can he possibly contend with a power comparable to that of a god? !
Seeing that Qi Ji was about to be swallowed by it, her heart was in her throat.
Black smoke rushed towards him, filled with the smell of death. Qi Ji looked at it indifferently, and at the last moment turned his head to look at Lun Xi:
"Evacuate the crowd and residents. We may have to--"
The surging turbid black smoke crashed into her and instantly engulfed Qi Ji's petite body.
"call!--"
Before the second half of the words could reach Lunxi's ears, they were blown away by the wind like the howling of ghosts and wolves and disappeared into nothingness.
"Little Qiji..."
Lunxi's eyes widened, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails were about to dig into his palms, and faint tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"No... Lunxi, why are you so sad!" But soon, she straightened her face, suppressed all her sadness and reluctance, and only remained firm determination and full trust:
"She's so strong, why should you worry about her? All you have to do is do your best..."
The black smoke did not stop immediately after engulfing Qi Ji. Instead, it hit the ground with forward momentum and then spread out in a circular shape in all directions, like a cigar blown against the wall in one breath.
While the smoke was still washing the ground and not exposing the objects it covered, Lunxi quickly turned around and stopped looking, using all his strength to run towards the east district as fast as possible.
She did not forget Qi Ji's final instructions: evacuate nearby residents.
The nobles in the central area all have their own carriages, guards, and deep enough basements. Although they are closest to the center of the crisis, they are also the easiest to escape, so Lunxi doesn't need to worry about them.
The adventurers, merchants, and factory owners in the North District were in much the same situation. Moreover, these people might not necessarily be willing to listen to the orders of a noble like himself.
The poor people in the South District live in dire straits all day long and have long since developed enough shrewdness and a nose for danger. They are penniless and don’t have much belongings to pack, so they can leave at any time if they want to.
They had probably already started evacuating when the dark clouds rose, so there was no need for her to intervene.
Only the people in the East District, whose situation is between poverty and wealth, would be completely at a loss when faced with such a situation. They are the ones who need their help the most.
As the daughter of Baron Iris, she often carries out charity activities and has enough appeal among the civilians, which makes it easier for her to carry out evacuation activities.
She completed all these considerations in just a few seconds, but after running a few steps, she couldn't help but look back.
The spreading black smoke has dissipated, or rather, it suddenly converged backwards and tried to return to the black smoke column, revealing the ground where Qi Ji was originally standing.
Like meat corroded by strong alkali, it became bumpy and charred everywhere, and the greenery that originally dotted both sides of the street turned into charcoal.
However, Qi Ji himself has disappeared and no one knows where he has gone.
A look of sadness finally emerged uncontrollably, but Lunxi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand and ran towards the East District without saying a word.
At the same time, Rosago and others, who were guarded by the golden light film, were approaching the hole revealed behind the smoke column, and the faintly flickering scarlet light was becoming clearer and clearer!
"Everyone, get ready!"
Rosago's face was stern. He raised the golden scepter in his hand and pointed one end at the strange red light in the center of the hole.
Behind him, seven Templar Knights at the "Prayer for Mercy" realm had already drawn the greatswords from their waists, clasped their hands together, and pointed the sword tips straight to the sky.
At Rosago's command, the eight people immediately sang in unison with loud and solemn voices:
"As strong as the sun, as eternal as gold;
“The bearer of the scales, the judge of justice;
"—The dawn that dispels darkness and examines the entire earth!"
When everyone finished chanting the honorable name of "God of Grace and Redemption", the tips of the seven church knights' swords suddenly glowed with golden light.
Then, without pausing, they recited the next part of the chant:
"We offer you our most sincere faith!
"I pray that you will cast down your eternal burning sun!
"Purify us of the evil that is blasphemous before our eyes!"
Immediately, a thin and bright beam of light burst out from the golden light at the tip of the sword and shot towards the sky!
Seven beams of pure light pierced into the surging black cloud covering the sky and were immediately swallowed up, as if they were completely unable to penetrate its barrier.
But Rosago didn't care. He held the golden scepter tightly with dignity and shouted out a series of ancient and mysterious syllables powerfully and heavily -
"Judgment of Sunfire!"
"boom--"
The dark clouds above were still deep, but the area hit by the seven rays of light suddenly began to churn violently like boiling water.
This was accompanied by a dull rumble like thunder, low and extremely penetrating, as if a huge millstone was slowly spinning inside.
"Oh!"
After a moment, the black cloud exploded, creating a wide hole.
The bright sunlight shines through in a fan shape, revealing the clear blue sky without reservation.
A pure, holy beam of light emitting a dazzling and scorching golden glow fell right in the center of the hole!
“Shh!——”
The black smoke that only dispersed but did not disappear even when facing the black flames, faced the endless blooming scorching golden light...
Just like the water drops evaporating quickly in an iron pot, evaporating very quickly!
It's as if it were the natural nemesis of these fumes!
The beam of light pierced through the dirty black cloud and shot obliquely towards the hole in the black smoke column, and then...
Directly hit the flickering crimson light!
At this moment, whether it was the rising black smoke, the dark clouds in the sky, or the raging cold wind, all of them stopped, and all of them stopped spreading and surging.
After a brief stalemate, the beam of light cast from the sky gradually became thinner and darker, and finally disappeared completely.
However, the black smoke was also becoming lighter and thinner, as if it had lost its most core energy source and was disappearing bit by bit.
"Finally, it succeeded..."
Seeing this scene, Rosago's mouth curled up into a victorious smile.
Chapter 96 A sudden change occurs
The dazzling ball of light slowly descended and finally landed steadily in the ruins of the Lion Craftsman Villa complex.
"The crisis has been resolved, but our mission is not over yet."
Rosago put down the golden scepter, but did not put it away. Instead, he leaned on the ground and said to the seven exhausted church knights behind him without looking back:
"Please be patient and search for 'that thing' in this ruin. It must have been knocked to some corner by 'Sunfire Judgment'."
The previous attack consumed too much physical and mental strength, leaving the knights almost exhausted and their steps a little weak.
But they did not show any resentment, but nodded in agreement:
"Yes, my lord!"
Because the noise just now was too loud - it was a large-scale blood sacrifice ritual directed at an unknown evil god! The ripples caused were enough to sweep across a thousand miles.
The detection rituals of high-level clergy and the churches were extremely sensitive to fluctuations related to divinity. Churches in other surrounding cities, and even the East Woshu Cathedral, could immediately detect any abnormalities occurring here.
I believe that it won’t be long, at most half a day, before the first group of priests or knights from other churches will arrive in Stio.
If "that thing" is not found before then... once discovered by the church, the consequences will be disastrous!
The seven church knights immediately urged their tired bodies to disperse and began searching in the ruins of the Lion Craftsman Villa area.
Rosago stood there, looking at what was in front of him.
The place where he landed was the root of the original black smoke column, which was the former residence of the Lion Craftsman.
Today, the magnificent and luxurious villa has disappeared, leaving only a hemispherical depression, which is dozens of meters in radius and more than ten meters deep. The cross-section of the edge is black and yellow as if it had been corroded.
At the bottom of the depression, there were faint flashes of bright, colorful light, but because the distance was too far, it was difficult to see its true form.
"Little girl, in terms of attack power, your 'Black Flame' may not be inferior to 'Sunfire Judgment', but..."
Rosago raised his eyes slightly and looked at the land corroded by black smoke from afar:
"Only divinity can fight against divinity. No matter how powerful the spell is, it is just the influence of the spirit, and the spirit...how can it possibly compete with divinity?"
After saying this, he turned his gaze back to the colorful light at the bottom of the pit, and walked over slowly, leisurely and naturally, as if he was taking a stroll along the river in the evening.
Although I don’t know which evil god the “connected ash” belongs to, which realm it belongs to, and what effect it has...
But no matter what the situation is, attacks containing divine power are by no means something that humans can resist.
Being hit on the head... Not to mention the magic fighter who is a magician and psychic warrior, even the "Metallurgist" who is at a higher level and has a certain resistance to divine attacks will definitely not be able to bear it.
That mysterious and gifted female demon fighter must be dead... Thinking of this, the corners of Rosago's mouth curled up more comfortably:
"It was so easy to get rid of a 'threat'... It was so easy, thank you goddess for your mercy."
The hand that was not holding the golden scepter was raised to the chest, with five fingers spread out and gently pressed on the heart area - this is the prayer gesture of the "Grace Church".
However, the smile on his face did not contain a trace of piety, but rather... disdainful mockery.
Although the pit was deep, it was so large and had a relatively gentle slope that Rosago was able to walk to the bottom without any effort.
As the distance got closer, the object shining with seven lights at the bottom of the deep pit finally revealed its true appearance.
This is a regular geometric polyhedron, made of some kind of dense stone, with a smooth and shiny surface and a black and glossy color.
It exudes a halo of light, a mixture of seven colors, brilliant and colorful, dyeing the ground below and the surrounding air with a dreamlike and illusory color.
"Is this the key to starting the ceremony?" Looking at the polyhedron that was glowing with colorful light, Rosago narrowed his eyes.
"As expected, I was wondering how a ritual of this scale could be launched so easily. Even if there was 'that' as a medium, it's too unreasonable."
He raised the golden-patterned scepter and pointed one end at the colorful polyhedron on the ground.
Several platinum-colored filaments lit up around the polyhedron, intertwining and entwining with each other to form a hollow bell-shaped cage that imprisoned the object.
The golden scepter was raised, and the bell-shaped cage rose with it, reaching a height level with Rosago's eyes.
