Calculating the time, there were approximately twenty minutes until dawn. Detecting the flow of air, Xia De found that the wind in the church came from behind the stone wall where the three fat Merman stood.
So Xia De took out a Steam Bomb from his waist and pulled a rhode cards from his pocket:
“I want to show you that my study of Treasured Possessions was definitely not just for the convenience of playing cards.”
Thinking this, he took a deep breath, and his left hand touched the ring on his right hand. A faint golden light glowed from the sleeve of his robe, and the sense of abundant power made Xia De feel at ease.
He quickly pulled the ring on the surface of the Steam Bomb, but no steam sprayed out, because the Steam Bombs of this era all required a sharp blow to detonate, which was to prevent accidents.
He used a handkerchief to wrap the second corpse doll with the bomb, then tied a dead knot.
Timing it perfectly, Xia De lightly tapped the handkerchief:
“Toy Making!”
Feeling the object inside the handkerchief rapidly expand, the rhode cards, under the control of Treasured Possessions, carried this package and quickly flew to the very front of the church.
“What is that?”
Even with the assistance of the Witch’s Ring, such a large object flying through the air was hard to miss. A light glowed from someone’s hand, and then the expanding mass heavily crashed into the aisle between the long rows of seats.
The prayers were interrupted, and people looked over curiously, seeing the corpse with a blade wound at its heart lying face up on the ground, with a faint sizzling sound seemingly coming from beneath its body, though not very obvious.
“Oh, my God, isn’t that little Fessina?”
The priest standing beside the Merman on the left exclaimed and hurried down to check the situation. The grey-robed Merman sitting around also moved closer, and even the Ring術士 frowned and stood up.
Xia De did not get up; instead, he immediately lay flat on the ground between the seats. With his hands covering his head, completely prone, he began to count down, estimating the time:
“Five.”
The corpse was already surrounded by the Merman.
“Four.”
“It’s Fessina! Quick, see who else is here!”
“Three.”
The Ring術士 came to the corpse for a closer inspection.
“Two.”
“blasphemy, this is blasphemy!”
The old Merman priest screamed hysterically.
“Something’s wrong, why is there white smoke under the corpse? No, it’s not white smoke, it’s steam mist. Could the corpse be awakening into a Ring術士?”
Xia De, who was counting down, almost burst out laughing.
“One.”
“Fools, quickly get out of the way, it’s a Steam Bomb!”
Bang ~
At that moment, the ground truly vibrated. Besides a small amount of compressed gunpowder, the small steel balls, iron fragments, and other strange things embedded within the Steam Bomb were shot out in all directions at an astonishing speed due to the air pressure.
Even though Xia De lay there motionless, his left leg was still struck by something, but it was just a graze.
The nearby Merman, however, were in terrible luck. Xia De even believed he heard the sound of flesh and blood falling into the puddles on the ground after the explosion.
Dust continuously fell from the stone wall above due to the explosion. Xia De had actually worried whether this place would collapse due to the Steam Bomb, but the Merman’s buildings were still very sturdy. Moreover, if one Steam Bomb could collapse this place, the Church’s Ring術士 team wouldn't have fought the Merman to a standstill.
Screams, curses, and wails continuously emanated from the dust after the explosion ended.
Xia De took this opportunity to get up, not bothering to brush off the dust from his body, and walked forward along the wall, keeping low.
One Steam Bomb was still somewhat insufficient. After only a few steps, he heard someone loudly shouting for everyone to stay still.
The sea breeze was summoned, suppressing the dust raised by the bomb explosion, while two Cultists Ring術士 gathered together, treating the injured and confirming who was still moving.
Xia De certainly couldn't stop moving, otherwise, once discovered, he wouldn't be able to deal with so many people at once.
Thinking that he couldn't be passively exposed, he raised his right hand high, then fiercely chopped down into the center of the still-dissipating dust. A dazzling Silver Moonlight Slash flew in an arc towards the Scarlet Cult Ring術士.
Without a second thought, his body disappeared the next moment, reappearing ten meters ahead.
Screams and curses once again came from behind him, and the spot where Xia De had just stood was bombarded by several spells he didn't recognize at all.
This was enough. Including the distance Xia De moved during the initial explosion, he had now reached the very front of the damp chapel.
“Give it to me!”
He snatched the large leather book from the old Merman priest standing there, and as the other party tried to resist, the greatsword in his hand, shimmering with Moonlight, directly cleaved down.
Filthy red blood stained the front of the robe, and the fat Merman from whom Xia De had snatched the book immediately died. But Xia De didn't go looking for trouble with the other fat priest; instead, he used the sword in his hand to block, deflecting an arrow flying from the front.
“Oh!”
With a muffled groan, that bone arrow actually shattered the blade of the Moonlight Greatsword. Even after shattering the Moonlight Greatsword, it continued forward. After Xia De turned his head to avoid it, the arrowhead grazed his cheek, pierced through his hood, and then shot into the stone wall beside the holy emblem behind him.
The arrowhead passed through the stone wall, creating another hole in it, and allowing Xia De to feel more of the sea breeze.
“Nobody move!”
With the book tucked under his arm, he pulled over another Merman priest, drawing his pistol with his right hand and pressing it against the other’s forehead.
The dust completely settled, and the damage Xia De had just caused became visible.
The area where the Steam Bomb exploded was covered in bloodstains. One-third of the Merman who died in the first wave of the explosion were gone, and the rest were saved by the Ring術士.
And then, the Silver Moon Slash that Xia De unleashed amidst the chaos truly played a significant role. Amplified by the Witch’s Ring, the Moonlight, cleaved through two rows of chairs, was something even a Middle-Ring Ring術士 without special means absolutely couldn’t block.
Therefore, the bodies on the ground, neatly cut in half, were all caused by Xia De’s attack. Among them, only three Merman remained alive, and even one of the Scarlet Cult Ring術士 had died. This must have been bad luck, as they happened to be in the path of the Silver Moonlight arc.
Even better news was that the old Merman priest who had gone to check the corpse had also died. Adding the one Xia De had killed with his cleave, only the Merman priest Xia De was pointing his gun at remained alive.
If the ritual here was to continue, the other party could not possibly disregard the life of this old Merman.
The ability to cause such a large impact was partly due to the Ring and partly due to Xia De’s sneak attack amidst the chaos. But this was not without a cost; Xia De was now surrounded by the remaining Cultists.
