Chapter 52: Bishop Entrance [Part-3]
"Now, it’s my turn."
Without any hesitation, Alicia summoned several sharp shards made of pure frost and shot them straight toward him!
As the ice shards thrust directly inside his body, dark blood began to leak from his fresh wounds. Kaelian stumbled backward, desperately trying to pull the jagged ice away from his skin. But instead of pulling out, even after he used all his strength, the ice melted right into his wound and absorbed into his body! Suddenly, he started to feel freezing cold internally. Even his blood started to freeze, and his face turned pale white!
"Haah... haah... What the f*ck did you do?!"
Alicia just folded her arms and replied calmly.
"Just a simple curse. It will not do much. It will just freeze your blood, stop your circulation, and halt the working of your internal organs. You may even die."
She spoke as if it was just a matter of fact, acting like this terrifying magic was just a simple spell and not a big deal at all!
Just as it seemed Kaelian was done for, his eyes darkened with pure malice! A massive killing intent emitted from his body as he glared at her with intense, glowing eyes.
Even Alicia started to feel the danger radiating from him. She stepped back, maintaining a cautious distance.
’Something seems off... Why did he suddenly become so powerful? Just half an hour ago, he lost to Alden with a single shot. What happened to him now?’
She took a battle stance, ready to dismantle any incoming attack. But suddenly, his eyes dilated as if he realized something terrifying, and he clutched his head with both hands!
"No-no-no-no, what am I doing?!"
His killing intent skyrocketed! The whole field around him began to crack open! His body started to shake as dark energy condensed around him, even against his own will, as if he was succumbing to someone else’s control!
He fell to his knees as a horrific scream tore out from his mouth! Everyone backed away after sensing this dark, unfamiliar energy.
"AHHHHHHHH—!!!"
After a few seconds, his screaming subsided. He remained motionless on the ground. Then, he stood up suddenly and looked at them with a blank gaze. A slow, sinister smile curved on his face.
"Hello kiddos, sorry to disturb you, but I am here for my own work."
A different, raspy voice came from his mouth! They all felt this new energy, which was darker and more malicious than anything they had sensed before.
A red energy, different from the earlier darkness, started to coil around his limbs. Alicia immediately recognized what it was!
’Red Divinity! That means... He must be from the temple! Judging from his immense power, he is at least a Bishop rank! I cannot beat him head-on with my current strength.’
The Bishop’s gaze turned around as he tried to find the specific person he came here for. He frowned when he could not detect the target. Just a second ago, he was able to sense him! He did not know what happened in that short time for the person’s presence to disappear into thin air.
He closed his eyes and tried again, but he still found nothing.
"Why the f*ck can I not sense that person anymore? What happened?!"
His face hardened with fiery rage! He looked around at everyone present. He spotted a boy with black hair and crimson eyes. He turned to look at the green-haired boy. Neither of them had it! He looked at the red-haired girl. She did not have it either! As he realized the person holding ’that thing’ had vanished out of nowhere, his rage boiled over!
’If I do not find the person, I cannot return to the temple! The higher-ups will kill me. What should I do? I cannot go back empty-handed!’
As he looked around, he sensed the silver-haired girl standing before him. From a single look, he recognized exactly who she was. Why wouldn’t he know about her? She was the daughter of an SS-ranker! She possessed enough talent to surpass her father in just a few years. If he brought her as a vessel to the temple, it would not only eliminate a huge future threat but also give the temple a terrifying new weapon!
A slow, wicked smile tugged on his lips as he stepped toward her.
"Hey girl, what is your name?"
Alicia narrowed her eyes. It did not take long for her to interpret what he was planning. She knew such kidnapping schemes were common among the heretics of the temples.
"I think you are done with whatever you came here for. You should leave now and get out of his body."
The Bishop’s smile widened. The red energy around him started to shape into thin, deadly spikes floating in the air!
"Hehe... Well, I was planning to leave. But now that I am here, I thought I should take you with me! So, will you come with me in peace, or would you like me to force you to come?"
Before she could even answer, the red spikes shot toward her with blinding speed!
Alicia dodged effortlessly by side-stepping. She gestured for her teammates to move away from the battlefield.
But the red spikes turned their direction mid-attack and shot toward her from the back! With no time left to dodge, Alicia immediately created a small barrier made of ice in front of her.
The attack launched at the ice, penetrating through her thick barrier with ease and striking her stomach!
Alicia was thrown back several meters! Her body crashed hard onto the ground. She quickly pulled herself up, but before she could defend herself again, a rain of red spikes shot toward her!
She rapidly channeled her mana, manifesting a sharp ice spear in her hand! She spun the weapon rapidly in front of her, deflecting most of the incoming attacks! However, some of the fast spikes still managed to slip through her guard, piercing her left shoulder and stomach!
She frowned in pain as she stumbled backward. Her body was littered with fresh wounds. She looked up at the Bishop, who was now calmly stepping closer to her with his hands perfectly tucked behind his back.
"Your courage is formidable, kid. But it is useless when it comes to fighting someone like me! Consider it your bad luck for facing me today. If you—"
*BOOOOOM!*
A punch imbued with pure stellar energy shot forward from right beside him! Alden suddenly appeared out of nowhere! His glowing fist hit squarely on the Bishop’s face, launching the possessed boy’s body back several feet away!
Alden stood tall before Alicia, putting himself directly in front of her to shield her from the monster.
He looked back at Ronan and Syrene. "Take her and leave as soon as possible!"
Alicia glared at his back.
"You should leave! I can handle myself. I will create a diversion for you all to escape!"
She stepped forward, ready to face the Bishop, who was already standing up from the ground. Alden’s surprise attack did not even leave a scratch on him!
Alden looked at Alicia’s stubborn behavior. He walked closer and whispered a secret into her ear. She remained motionless for a few seconds, trying to process what he just said.
"Are you sure? What if you cannot handle it and die?"
Alden stepped forward toward the Bishop and whispered one last time over his shoulder.
"Trust me."
Without looking back, he burst from his spot! He appeared right before the Bishop and punched forward with all his might!
Alicia looked at his brave figure one last time. She fell back, gesturing for both her teammates to leave the area.
Syrene stopped in her tracks, not wanting to leave him alone.
"Syrene, let’s go!" Ronan yelled, calling her away.
She remained rooted in place. Her heart hammered against her chest. She did not want to abandon him, not this time! But Alden looked at her once and gave a firm nod. Seeing that, she could not refuse him.
She stepped back and ran away from the battlefield without looking back.
Alden’s glowing fist passed through empty air as the Bishop in Kaelian’s body simply side-stepped the attack! With a simple flick of his hand, the Bishop touched Alden’s body, throwing him backward like a broken ragdoll!
Alden’s body skidded across the muddy ground, sliding several meters before finally stopping.
The rain continued to fall from the dark sky. Only the two figures remained in the destroyed forest clearing. As the heavy footsteps of the Bishop stepped closer, Alden looked up. He sat on the wet ground, leaning his back against a thick tree. Blood flowed from his shoulder from just that simple impact!
He looked up, meeting the Bishop’s gaze through the hazy, rainy vision. A sigh of pure relief escaped his lips as he realized his team was finally gone.
"So... You think you have become a hero by sending them away and sacrificing yourself?" the Bishop mocked.
Alden smiled. He spat out a mouthful of red blood from his lips and used the tree to push himself up. He met the terrifying enemy’s eyes, and a low chuckle escaped his lips.
"Hero? No, I do not think I am a hero. I never wanted to become one. I preferred staying in the background for a long time... But it seems life did not want me to be just another side character playing an NPC role! So... If given a choice, I will instead choose to be a ’villain’ rather than a hero! At least villains have the independence to do whatever they think is better and more advantageous for themselves!"
"Hehe... And I am facing you not because I wanted to save them... But because defeating you gives me my own benefits!"
[Ding! New Quest Arrived!]
[Mission: Defeat the Bishop in front of you!]
[Reward: Unknown Martial Art Technique (Rarity: Divine-grade)]