Creak~
On the tranquil water, the sound of the box lid opening was exceptionally clear.
Immediately, a bolt of pitch-black lightning shot out from the gap, and with a crackling roar, Xia De, who had been standing on the water, was blasted dozens of meters away by the startling lightning, tumbling several times on the water before stopping.
"Meow~"
The cat on the shore looked at Xia De worriedly, as if the thick fog could not block Mia's vision at all.
"Oh, that was really invigorating!"
With the Moonlight Greatsword in his hand already dissipated, Xia De, whose left sleeve was almost completely torn, stood up, trembling.
Dark electric arcs flickered on his body for a few moments before quickly disappearing, and he exhaled a puff of smoke through his teeth.
That strike was merely the relic's own resistance, not a full-power attack, and after being struck by lightning last time, he had developed a great resistance to such attacks.
Therefore, although his whole body was numb when he was sent flying, just like before, he was fine now.
"You actually have resistance to the power of my lord!"
Because Xia De was sent flying, the Great Sin Chains also automatically disappeared.
The Cultists, who had regained their mobility, stood up on the water and asked with a serious expression:
"Who exactly are you?"
"Does that matter? But if you really want an answer, perhaps it's because I once received the favor of the lord of the scarlet spiral."
Xia De spoke truthfully, squinting at the box in the fog.
The brass-colored box now seemed to be covered in a faint glow, and Xia De felt it was tempting him to obtain it.
"No, this time it's really just your own illusion, that's your greed."
"She" reminded him with a light laugh.
"Scarlet Spiral... you're one of them!"
Ka Er · Lai Bi Xi was extremely surprised, Xia De shook his head slightly:
"It doesn't matter, since I've encountered you again, you will definitely not escape this time."
"Do you really know what you will face?"
"Of course I do, a strike of lightning."
Xia De laughed:
"Lightning is a part of the sun; although I fear the sun, I do not fear lightning.
Compared to the true sun, the lightning you hold is merely an insect under the sun."
In this world's mystical element classification, "lightning" is not a basic element on par with other elements, but a manifestation of the sun's power.
Therefore, Iluna's Sunlight Gun is a power that combines scorching light and thunderous lightning.
He was deliberately slandering the other party's faith; this was Knowledge Xia De had acquired from Mr. Edmund when inquiring about the three evil gods of Coldwater Port.
As expected, the follower of the evil god raging storm showed an angry expression upon hearing this statement; he was truly enraged:
"Blasphemer!"
He held the box in his left hand and pressed his right hand on the lid, preparing to open the 【Wrath of Divine Punishment】.
But at this moment, Ka Er · Lai Bi Xi was not completely overwhelmed by anger; he naturally knew that Xia De was deliberately provoking him:
"You know that once this holy relic is used, it will quickly attract the High-Ring Sorcerer of the Orthodox Church."
"Then will you abandon attacking me out of concern for a potentially present Church High-Ring Sorcerer? By the way, we clearly followed the route of the two ladies earlier to reach the water, yet now we can't hear any sound of their battle at all.
I think this fog can absorb sound."
Xia De said, stuffing the last youthful immortality leaf into his mouth.
Even though he couldn't find any information on the relic 【Wrath of Divine Punishment】, he was quite clear that this relic could not be used twice in a short period of time.
As long as he endured the first time, this battle would essentially be over.
The priest of the Storm Church looked at Xia De suspiciously, still maintaining the posture of about to open the lid.
Seeing that the other party did not make a move, Xia De chuckled and summoned the Moonlight Greatsword:
"Silver Moon Slash!"
The light of the blade cut through the water, as smooth as silk, and the Cultists waved his right hand forward, a black electric light clashing with the silver moon arc.
But behind the exploding water spray, pitch-black Great Sin Chains once again tore through the air and attacked.
The man without eyebrows hastily dodged sideways, but his heart was still startled.
Even though he knew in his heart that opening the box would fall into the opponent's unknown scheme, he still gently lifted the metal box lid after praying to the raging storm.
He had to do this; his opponent was immune to the negative effects of the 【Wrath of Divine Punishment】, and his three-Ring strength was not enough to defeat his opponent:
"God, please bless me!"
Creak!
As his right hand lifted the metal box lid, brilliant golden light radiated from the box, and at the same time, a soul-shaking power swept across the entire Schluch Lake.
"What?"
All Ring術士 who entered the Schluch Lake area felt a terrifying power sweeping over them, but due to the presence of the white fog in the lake, this strange power fluctuation did not affect Lakeview Manor.
The rippling lake surface seemed to freeze in an instant, and the clouds under the brilliant starry sky solidified with time and space.
The oppressive feeling from the sky made Xia De also stiffly stop in place, the dense fog in their lake area all dissipated, revealing a starry sky where dark clouds quickly covered the night above Schluch Lake, obscuring the starry sky and the three bright Moons.
The frozen water surface rippled, and in an instant, it seemed as if a storm was coming, black wind swirling, and the swaying water surface was like surging waves on the ocean.
And in the depths of the long night, a huge shadow stood on the horizon, its illusory outline appearing exceptionally real in Xia De's eyes.
The sound of violent waves surging came from all directions, the sound of the sea and countless interwoven sounds of prayers and curses mixed together, as if at this moment he was truly on a stormy sea.
Black clouds completely covered the sky, and flickering black arcs of light flashed within the clouds, Xia De clearly felt that he was locked on.
"Finally, it's here."
Xia De's face was flushed with excitement at this moment.
"If you are willing to surrender and leave, I can give up this strike."
Ka Er · Lai Bi Xi on the lake surface said through gritted teeth, using this relic also put a considerable burden on him.
His rapidly spinning Destiny Ring, due to being covered in pitch-black lightning, already showed faint cracks.
His sixth sense was warning him that he absolutely could not unleash this strike, but the current situation forced him to do so.
"Surrender? Oh, sir, I am looking forward to facing the divine power of the lightning directly! Because this is..."
Xia De looked up at the pitch-black electric light accumulating in the clouds, facing the violent lightning brought by the evil god's power, fiery cracks lit up inch by inch along his body, the power of the Original Fire warmed his soul, and the not-so-violent but all-consuming flames supported his soul to face the divine power of the lightning directly.
"...Power!"
Xia De casually threw the frog leg into the lake, he was ready to leap into the sky and face the lightning directly.
"You lunatic!"
"What happened?"
On Lake Heart Island in Schluch Lake, two disguised Great Witches stood on the edge of the fog-shrouded island, looking up at the sky.
Almost everyone in the dense fog had stopped moving.
A heart-pounding clap of thunder sounded, and at this moment, no one dared to move recklessly.
Xia De, who was bending down and preparing to leap, couldn't care less about what others were thinking at this moment.
But a voice appeared in his ear, "She" noticed something unusual:
"The target of that lightning isn't just you."
"He can lock on to multiple targets at once, who else is locked on? Tifa?"
"No, perhaps you can turn around and look."
Xia De, who had been looking up at the lightning accumulating in the dark clouds, was suddenly startled at this moment, turning his head to look at the lakeside, the firelight in the cracks of his eyes allowed him to clearly see Mia standing there pitifully.
He heard the Cultists' wild laughter, heard his mocking voice:
"Although I don't know what confidence you have, since you are confident enough to face my lord's divine punishment directly, what about the dog you've taken special care of?"
"You..."
Black lightning accumulated violent elements and Ling in the clouds, which from the distant manor looked like nothing more than a cumulonimbus cloud, but to Xia De, it could almost turn everything here into scorched earth.
The silly cat seemed to have no idea of the impending danger, still craning Mia's neck and staring with wide eyes at Xia De on the lake, looking even more pitiful under the lightning that was about to strike.
Light fell on the orange cat's body, and in the world of Xia De's eyes, there was only Mia, who was about to face the lightning punishment.
"Mia..."
The dazzling lightning finally struck at this moment, the instantaneous light almost temporarily blinding the eyes of all who witnessed this scene directly.
This second felt incredibly long to Xia De; after seeing the pitch-black divine punishment lightning strike his cat, the momentary panic and the subsequent anger that surged due to the fear of loss made him feel as if time had truly stopped at this moment.
Time had to stop, because at this moment he was more than ten meters away from the shore, unable to use Raglai's Leap to block in front of that lightning.
Even though that lightning, which terrified mortals, directly caused flickering lightning on the surface of Schluch Lake, leading everyone in the entire southern Tobesk region to subconsciously feel an inexplicable sense of panic, Xia De still realized at this moment—
Time had to stop, otherwise he would absolutely not be able to intercept that divine punishment lightning.
The lightning struck, the clouds churned, and a rumbling sound followed the flash of lightning.
After the lightning strike, everyone inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that they had been holding their breath for a full half a minute.
------Author's Note------
PS: The next chapter will definitely be exciting, no-prize guessing, guess what Xia De's next Ling Rune will be.
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