Chapter 354 : Ancient God Contract: Summoning the Seraph
Chapter 354: Ancient God Contract: Summoning the Seraph
Smoke billowed, and the roar ceased.
After the violent explosion, the Pale Giant Hand had already vanished, replaced by the Count of the Blood Clan, Yulan-Bloodred, who had no small grudge with Anthony-Rook and Janna Roland.
"Uthaz’s sacrificial target… turned out to be you?"
At the moment Yulan-Bloodred appeared, Anthony-Rook also stepped out from within the 【Law Domain】, his form shifting from phantom to solid, flying in mid-air to face Yulan-Bloodred.
"Thanks to you, that idiot Uthaz was willing to offer the Soul Fire to me. — My promotion to Blood Clan Marquis is also thanks to your generosity."
Upon seeing Anthony-Rook again, Yulan-Bloodred no longer had the awkwardness he displayed when his clone last descended into the 【Material Plane】.
Not only had his strength broken through from Count of the Blood Clan to a Blood Clan Marquis comparable to a Second Tier Wizard, but his true body’s personal descent also made the oppressive aura he carried far surpass that of Anthony-Rook standing before him.
"What exactly is your purpose?"
Looking at the arrogant Yulan-Bloodred, Anthony-Rook’s calm eyes still revealed a trace of doubt.
He truly could not understand what the Darksun Church had schemed for with such a laborious arrangement this time.
A year ago, Uthaz-Dimsun, with the aid of an inside agent in Blackbone Grove Academy, had first descended into the 【Material Plane】, only to be jointly slain by Anthony-Rook and Lucia Heigel.
Later, Yulan-Bloodred had feigned an attack on Janna, in reality to lure out Anthony-Rook, and then cooperated with the 【Bloodred Archduke】 to launch an ambush.
After that, they laid down the guise of a 【Ritual of Divine Descension】, trapping the majority of the wizards within Turin City, while Uthaz-Dimsun took the chance to hide his identity, infiltrate White Coral Academy, and secretly spread plague, feeding on the life force of ordinary people to restore his divine power.
If Anthony-Rook had not successfully reincarnated and secretly locked onto Uthaz-Dimsun’s soul aura, following the trail back to him, then Uthaz-Dimsun really would have succeeded in completing the 【Resurrection Ritual】.
Finally, when Anthony-Rook, relying on the amplification of the magic tower, was preparing to once again kill Uthaz-Dimsun, the latter decisively sacrificed his own Soul Fire to initiate a summoning.
And the one he summoned was none other than Yulan-Bloodred — the same Count of the Blood Clan who had recently been seriously injured by Anthony-Rook, then pit-trapped by Janna, and finally forcefully sealed by Grace Eva.
Anthony-Rook truly could not figure out what purpose Uthaz-Dimsun and Yulan-Bloodred had for going to such lengths to descend into the 【Material Plane】.
If it were simply revenge against Anthony-Rook, then when the 【Bloodred Archduke】 struck at him with that one palm, their goal would already have been achieved, without needing such a roundabout scheme.
If it were to destroy Turin’s wizard gathering place, then the 【Ritual of Divine Descension】 launched by the Darksun Church should not have been merely for summoning a Darksun Apostle.
"My purpose, naturally, is to represent the great Holy Lord in punishing you filthy crawling insects!"
With that, the smiling Yulan-Bloodred from a moment ago suddenly grinned hideously, raising both hands to summon thousands of bats toward Anthony-Rook and the citizens of Turin City behind him.
"Bone Bind!"
Seeing the swarm of black bats in the sky flying over like a dark cloud, Anthony-Rook immediately expanded his 【Law Domain】.
In an instant, countless bone claws condensed from skeletons stretched out from behind Anthony-Rook, like pale chains from the Nine Hells, grasping toward Yulan-Bloodred, intending to drag him into the 【Death Realm】.
Seeing this, Yulan-Bloodred, who already possessed the strength of a Second Tier Wizard, was not the least bit afraid of Anthony-Rook’s attack.
At the instant when the dense bone claws pierced through the swarm of bats and were about to seize Yulan-Bloodred’s body, a strange blood-colored fog surged out from behind him.
Like massive blood-red pythons, carrying an incomparably foul stench, they swept across the entire rear mountain, corroding Anthony-Rook’s undead bone claws.
"滴答——滴答——"
As the battle between Anthony-Rook and Yulan-Bloodred grew ever fiercer, Professor Uta, who stood before the crowd maintaining the Guardian Barrier, looked like a candle flickering in the wind, tears of blood continuously flowing from his mouth and nose, dripping onto the ground.
And behind the Guardian Barrier, under the influence of Yulan-Bloodred’s 【Law of Disease】, the people of Turin City were already on the brink of death.
The heavy aura of death was like a dulled blade with an edge, scraping along everyone’s neck, prolonging their dying.
"Janna, stop wasting your strength on me—cough, cough!"
Unlike ordinary mortals, in addition to the plague brought by the 【Law of Disease】, Wizard Apprentices like Vivian Rose were also showing symptoms of corruption and mutation in their bodies.
Even though they had taken Purification Potions immediately, the continuous power of corruption still ceaselessly eroded the bodies of all transcendents, even affecting their souls.
For this reason, under the combined assault of plague and corruption, even a bloodline warlock like Vivian Rose, with her strong physique, could only half-lean against a bush, her face pale.
"Huu—"
Milky-white light continuously shone from Janna’s hands, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not completely purify the corruption on Vivian Rose, and instead, even her own body began to show signs of corruption and mutation.
"Cough, cough—forget it, Janna."
Raising her hand and holding Janna’s slightly cool hands in return, Vivian Rose’s pained expression eased slightly, but immediately afterward, an unspeakable sorrow, like a mist, settled over her light-colored pupils.
"If I could have another chance, I would definitely work even harder at cultivation—cough, cough!"
"Vivian, don’t talk for now——"
"No, I have to finish."
Wiping away the blood foam from the corner of her mouth caused by the violent coughing, Vivian Rose continued holding Janna’s hand and spoke softly:
"Then, I’ll become very, very strong——so strong that I can protect my father, my people, and… my friends."
"Enough, Vivian, if you keep wasting your strength talking, you really might die."
"Cough, cough——and if I don’t talk, will I not die?"
"Of course you won’t."
With that, Janna gently let go of Vivian’s hand and scattered the Plant Essence in her hands, now turned to powder from exhausting her magic, onto the ground.
"Because I won’t let you die."
Huu—
Milky-white light once again burst rapidly from Janna’s hands.
But this time, the light was no longer confined only to her hands; her entire body, under its glow, was outlined in radiant golden light and shadow.
"O wise sage hidden beyond the River of Time, under the eternal, undying starry sky, please heed my call across the corridors of time and space——"