Saint Sirius did not even glance at the annihilated puppet.
His eyes, burning with holy flames, were filled with an intense and resolute sorrow, like two tangible swords piercing through layers of buildings and fiercely stabbing towards the direction of the Pope's bedroom!
That one glance contained so much.
Disappointment, questioning, and the realization of martyrdom for one's faith!
He slowly descended, his bare feet stepping onto the cold floor of the altar hall, standing between the Enlightenment Society and the "Heart of Holy Light" that floated at the core of the altar and pulsated slowly.
His simple figure seemed like an insurmountable mountain of holy light!
“Saint Sirius…it’s been a long time.” The fallen knight Balg stepped forward from the crowd, his deep voice breaking the deathly silence.
His face, hidden in the shadow of his hood, revealing only a skull, now showed a complex and unreadable emotion. There was mockery, regret, and even... a hint of shared sorrow.
He slowly removed his hood, revealing a black skeleton that once belonged to a legendary knight of holy light, but was now corroded by the abyss.
The purplish-red soul fire seemed to see through the pervasive particles of holy light, landing on the old dean's eyes, which burned with an indomitable holy flame.
In fact, when he became the Grand Master of the Holy Knights, it was also the time when Saint Sirius became the Abbot of the Holy City Monastery.
Old friends reunited, but things had turned out like this!
“It seems,” Balg’s voice carried an all-knowing calm as he slowly said, “that in this power game in the Holy City… you are already the loser.”
These words were addressed not only to the old dean who stood alone in his way, but also to the Pope, who remained secluded in his palace and tacitly approved of all this.
It tells the story of the bloodless yet even more brutal battle at the highest levels of the Holy Light Church, and its final outcome.
Saint Sirius stood barefoot on the cold holy crystal ground, his eyes, burning with holy flames, sweeping over the members of the Enlightenment Society, finally settling on the skull of Balgna, where the ghostly purple soul fire was leaping.
His imposing figure stood upright like an ancient rock, his simple hemp robe fluttering even without wind.
Only when he sensed that the aura of the Thirteenth Holy Knights, who had taken Kyle and the others away, was completely far from the Holy City's vigilance range, did the burning white flame in the old dean's eyes flicker almost imperceptibly for a moment.
He has already done everything he could to delay them; even if Omaha XII were to send men out now, they probably wouldn't be able to catch them.
“Barge,” Saint Sirius’s voice was deep and resonant, like the tolling of church bells, piercing through the air mingled with holy light and demonic energy, “after you plunged into the abyss, do you still remember the holy light in your heart?”
Balg's dark finger bones rubbed against the hilt of the broken sword at his waist, a hoarse grinding sound emanating from his throat, a sound that was both a laugh and a sigh:
"Holy Light? When the Omadri family turned the papal crown into a hereditary scepter, the Holy Light had already betrayed its knight!"
The ghostly purple soul fire suddenly surged up.
"Look at this altar! Look at those chosen ones in the Misty Forest, used as firewood! Is this the faith you uphold? Is this the essence of the Holy Light?"
“They turned away because they had not seen the light.” Saint Sirius slowly raised his right arm, palm up.
The holy light cascading from the dome flowed like rivers into the sea, coalescing in his palm into a heavy hammer made entirely of light.
"But my stubborn disciple Alfonso saw it, young Kyle and Ruby saw it: as long as this hypocritical holy city has not completely fallen into darkness, the light will eventually pierce through the gloom!"
His tone suddenly turned fierce, and he slammed the heavy hammer down on the Qizhi Society's formation.
"Now that I've stepped into this place, I have no intention of leaving alive! Let me see just how much you demons and monsters are worth!"
"You old stubborn fool!" Rita sneered, her red hair dancing wildly without wind.
Her slender fingers swiftly swept through the air, and ripples of time suddenly appeared around her. Dozens of frozen time blades tore through the air, forming a net-like pattern that enveloped Saint Sirius!
Almost simultaneously, the puppeteer's black robe billowed, and dozens of gray-white puppets infused with orcish divinity burst forth from the shadows, their joints spewing out thick blood and magical energy, their hands transforming into sharp claws aimed straight for the old dean's back!
Saint Sirius neither flinched nor dodged, but stomped his bare feet firmly on the ground!
"Thump—!"
Pure holy light exploded outwards in a ring of energy emanating from him!
The blade of time struck the light barrier with a screeching sound and shattered instantly!
The gray-white doll was struck as if by lightning; the demonic fire extinguished it, and its body twisted and deformed under the burning holy flames, sizzling and crackling!
Even epic-level items have varying levels of strength!
Saint Sirius, who was a priest, was a top-tier figure even among epic-level beings!
Of course, that only applies to epics for ordinary professions.
The group of people from the Enlightenment Society opposite him at this moment were no ordinary people!
"Hmph! A death throes." The Abyss Saint sighed softly.
The fragment of star remnant in his palm suddenly lit up, and a beam of abyssal light, as condensed as ink and wrapped in starlight, shot out silently!
Wherever it passed, space collapsed, and the altar floor tiles turned to ashes!
This is the annihilation breath that combines the divine power of the stars and moon!
Saint Sirius, his beard bristling with rage, gripped the hammer with both hands and swung it down fiercely!
"Holy Judgment - Destroy Evil!"
The light hammer and the black light collided with a deafening roar!
There was no explosion, only terrifying annihilation ripples spreading wildly!
The protective runes on the four walls of the altar flashed wildly, and the holy crystals in the dome crackled and exploded!
The old dean's hemp robe was charred black, and a trickle of golden blood spilled from the corner of his lips, yet he stubbornly withstood the attack!
Inside the sanctuary hall, the aftershocks of the collision between pure holy light and abyssal magic still reverberated, and fragments of shattered holy crystals fell in a flurry.
The Abyss Saint's eyes were deep and unfathomable, the fragments of star remains in his palm shimmering with light, and his voice remained calm and undisturbed:
“Saint Sirius, why bother? Your holy light cannot protect this false faith, much less this divine heart that is about to change hands.”
"Old man, you're still got some backbone!" Rita exclaimed, her figure darting like a phantom as her fingers flew across the paper.
Silently, the "shackles of time" that seemed to freeze time and space began to wrap around Saint Sirius's limbs and joints, attempting to slow the flow of his raging holy light.
Although these invisible shackles sizzled and crumbled under the surging holy flames, they effectively disrupted his spellcasting rhythm.
"Roar!" Balg roared, and the dark greatsword in his hand, which was wrapped in the abyss's aura, burst forth with a scarlet blood light.
He fell silent, and his massive frame unleashed terrifying power, transforming into a black whirlwind of death, carrying the intent of destruction, and fiercely cutting in from the flank!
Each sword strike was powerful and heavy, tearing through the air and aimed directly at the old dean's vital points, forcing Saint Sirius to be distracted and block.
Each time his holy-flame-burning hammer clashed with the broken sword, it erupted with dazzling light and fragments of demonic energy, causing the entire altar to vibrate.
When three epic-level powerhouses of the same caliber join forces, their power is enough to shake mountains.
If they hadn't concentrated all their strength around themselves, suppressing their magic power by a single thread...
Even if the Cathedral of Glory is blessed by the legendary, even epic, magic arrays of the Holy Light Church throughout history.
They were probably already reduced to dust by the aftershocks of the battle!
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