Chapter 289: Filial Piety!
In the Knights of the Round Table dungeon, Cheng Tian, who had transformed into Ghost Rider, snatched Prince Alon's hammer and fused it with his Hell Chain, then saved his progress.
Just as he was returning on the serpent, Cheng Tian also used the power of Hellfire reshaping to replace some of the Clearlia ore that was originally inside the Hell Serpent, transferring it into the chain hammer.
Compared to such a massive puppet, the amount Cheng Tian extracted was actually not much; it only slightly increased the Hell Serpent's magic consumption.
Cain's Fact Barrier was indeed an absolute defense in some sense, but as is well known, anything claiming to be an absolute defense inevitably has something that can counter it.
And highly purified Clearlia ore weapons were the most effective way to break it.
Since the goddesses sealed the ore veins, it was normally difficult to obtain extra ore, so there were not many high-purity Clearlia weapons currently existing in the Kingdom of Ys.
Compared to Thor's Clearlia silver sword in the original work, which was broken and then repaired, the chain hammer that Cheng Tian temporarily replaced could even be described as 'luxurious' in terms of materials used... Of course, the Hell Serpent itself was the true luxury.
But even so, it was enough to break through an absolute defense barrier, not to mention that Cheng Tian also carried the blessings of two goddesses.
Cain said a lot of things, but in reality, he still didn't have the ability to directly bypass the goddesses' authority to seize the Black Pearl. He could only achieve his ultimate goal through secret schemes, step by step leading the innocent goddesses to selfishly choose to sacrifice themselves in secret from everyone.
In the Unica and Yugo routes of the original work, Cain always remained hidden behind the scenes. Even when the twin goddesses sacrificed their wings and themselves to seal the Black Pearl and the Root of Evil, he never showed his face.
This also meant that from then on, controlling the Kingdom of Ys, which had already lost its goddesses, was only a matter of time for Cain.
When a villain with national resources wants to cause trouble, no one can really stop him. At that time, interfering with the goddesses' seal and forcibly unsealing the Black Pearl would be merely a thought for Cain.
And when it came to the true Thor route, if there wasn't a player-controlled Thor to be 'filial', Cain would have actually succeeded. Both the Black Pearl and the Root of Evil would be under his control.
He would have broken through the goddesses' restraints, completed his ultimate demonization, and become the supreme Demon King above all.
But here, there was an extra Cheng Tian.
His overly early intervention directly twisted the script, even turning the original tower-climbing game into a head-on tower defense.
And the prepared goddesses clearly wouldn't let Cain succeed easily.
Cheng Tian sensed the surge of magic from the goddesses' side, which made him realize someone was 'stealing the tower'.
Fortunately, the twin goddesses held out long enough, and Cheng Tian's return was decisive and timely enough.
Cain, struck directly in the face by the Clearlia Hell Chain Hammer, could be said to have lost all his BOSS dignity, but there was more to come.
He slowly stood up, rubbed his still-untransformed jaw twice, then instinctively inhaled and exhaled, actually spitting out two bloody broken teeth from his mouth... *clack clack clack clack clack*
Cheng Tian's big, hellfire-infused teeth clacked together happily. Fina, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved, knowing that this was not the time to laugh, but her entire face was flushed red from holding it in.
"Who are you?"
Despite looking very disheveled, Cain unexpectedly did not continue to be angry, but instead looked at Cheng Tian with a scrutinizing expression.
At the same time, the place where his broken teeth should have been in his open mouth began to regenerate at high speed.
From this alone, Cain had already initially departed from the human realm; his body had probably completed the injection and mutation of demon factors long ago.
But Cheng Tian chose to answer irrelevantly, directly replying with this sentence:
"OI! Old man! It's time to step down! That position of Heart Priest of yours, it's time for me to sit in it!"
A voice like a hellish echo emerged from Cheng Tian's mouth.
He clearly still remembered his fake setting as a collateral branch of the Fact bloodline.
Hearing such a reply, Cain paused slightly, then a look of sudden understanding appeared on his face.
"So you're that liar Yugo spoke of... But with demon blood, why would you choose to side with the twin goddesses? Aren't you afraid that the old fogeys in the temple will purify you once they know your true face?"
Even though he had just been hit, Cain continued to ask questions as if making small talk.
And at the same time, the absolute barrier at the White Tower's entrance had risen again, once more preventing others from rushing in from outside.
"Demon? Old man, are you blind? Open your dog eyes and look closely! This is a genuine angelic form!"
Hearing Cheng Tian's reply, not only Cain but also the twin goddesses looked astonished.
In the Ys worldview, angels mostly referred to winged people, i.e., the twin goddesses and their ancestors. That's why they were particularly astonished that Cheng Tian dared to call himself an angel.
Whose angel looks like a fire-attribute skeleton soldier?
And where are your wings? What kind of angel are you without wings?
...Could it be that all angels who lose their wings end up like this!?
Thinking of this possibility, the twin goddesses' faces immediately showed unprecedented fear.
The core of a winged person's power lies in their wings. Although the goddesses knew they could seal the Black Pearl by sacrificing their wings, they had never had any relevant experience. Never having truly lost their wings, they didn't know what they would become without them.
Although Cheng Tian seemed a bit unreliable, he had never disappointed them in crucial matters, so... would a wingless winged person really turn into a skeleton soldier?
No! No! No! No! No!
The twin goddesses, who dared to face death and eternal slumber, for the first time felt strong repulsion and fear towards losing their wings.
"You don't believe me, do you? Then I'll show you proof!"
Under Cain's visibly widened eyes, Cheng Tian summoned his Crystal Eyes, which immediately split apart.
The two already eye-catching colorful eyeballs, under the enhancement of Hellfire, had almost transformed into the Eye of Sauron, already having a bit of the 'Old Testament angel' feel.
But these evil-looking eyeballs, at this very moment, condensed a holy radiance with strong purifying power!
No!
Cain, who was originally planning to see what tricks Cheng Tian was up to, immediately realized the strong danger contained within this purifying magic. He clasped his hands in front of his chest, and a gem—two sizes smaller but extremely similar in appearance and magical fluctuations to the Black Pearl—appeared:
The Black Pearl, a replica of the divine artifact Black Pearl personally created by Cain Fact. Although its power was far inferior to the original, it could bear and store a portion of the Black Pearl's power.
This item had appeared in both the Unica and Yugo routes. It was originally a key item brought by NPC Thor to advance the quest, but Cheng Tian hadn't expected it to appear in Cain's hands.
But with the arrow on the string, Cheng Tian still fired a Triple Purification Light at Cain.
The Black Pearl in Cain's hand emitted chaotic dark magic. The Purification Light, which should have acted upon him, seemed to be teleported away by some spatial magic, directly disappearing.
And at the same time, outside the White Tower, Yugo, Thor, who were engaged in battle with the twin goddesses' forces, and Dares, who was still throwing fireballs, each had a Purification Light appear above their heads, mercilessly falling upon them.
[Cain Fact used the 'Black Pearl' to forcibly transfer the attack target of the Triple Purification Light to his controlled 'puppet' units.]
[As the cost for forcibly transferring the attack target, all Purification Light judgments are forcibly passed.]
Yugo's long pants, Thor's skirt armor, and the demonized flesh carapace of Dares' lower body were all instantly stained purple, then burst open on the spot, turning into a shower of flying Easter eggs and gold coins...