Chapter 315: The Angel's Descent (Part 12)
"May the Lord protect you, brothers and sisters," the figure in mid-air said softly.
He was thin but very tall, and his every word and action conformed perfectly to Church etiquette.
"The attire of a Holy Land Attendant... Who exactly are you?" Kalvis's eyes were cold.
Holy Land Attendants were Holy Clergy Members specifically responsible for the daily lives of the Church's Holy Clans. These people were raised in the Church from a young age and were almost considered the private property of the Holy Clans.
"My apologies, you may have misunderstood," the man smiled.
"Wearing these clothes was merely to conveniently obtain the Teleportation Flying Stones; after all, this place isn't suitable for living. As for me..."
The man tossed the blood-dripping severed head into the barrier, and the next moment, a patch of evil aura swallowed it up.
Seeing this, all the Holy Clergy Members held their breath.
And the man slowly drifted down from the sky.
"My name is... Lucifer."
"This is impossible!" Lorcy frowned. "What is flowing on your body is clearly the power of Holy Light."
"You are correct, Nun of the Zadok family," Lucifer took out a crucifix, then began to chant with a face full of piety.
"In the name of the Father, the Son..."
As the sound of the Bible echoed in the air, a pure white glow bloomed on Lucifer's body.
At the same time, William discovered that the Reversal Magic Array had lost control.
He frowned tightly, attempting to drive it again, but his Holy Power was repelled.
"The magic array you set up is very comprehensive, and your Holy Power is also very strong," Lucifer looked at William.
"But what happened on Anniversary Day will not be repeated."
As soon as his voice fell, a violent tremor occurred around them, followed by five bright red pillars of light shooting straight into the sky.
At this moment, if one looked down from an extreme height, they would discover that these blood-red pillars of light corresponded exactly to the five points of the ritual magic array's pentagram, and perfectly enveloped the seven pure white pillars of light.
"A summoning ritual is different from a sacrificial ritual. Aside from sacrifices, it also requires an immense amount of evil power," Lucifer smiled.
"A magnitude far beyond your comprehension."
The crowd remained silent, all staring at him.
"That is why we chose the Land of the Holy War."
"For the vengeful spirits that died here a thousand years ago?" William was the first to speak up.
Right now, he hadn't fully grasped the current situation. Since the other party was willing to communicate, he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity to gather intelligence slip by.
"Exactly," Lucifer said.
"That war back then killed many Holy Clergy Members and also left behind a massive amount of evil spirits and demons. But don't you find it strange..."
He shifted the topic.
"From the areas controlled by the Evil Spirit to here, the number of dead spirits present is not that many."
William frowned upon hearing this.
He looked around; the number of dead soldiers was indeed quite large.
But considering the scale of that historically recorded Holy War, as well as the reason these guys braved massive risks to attack the Holy Land just to come here...
"Hehe, why don't I reveal the answer for everyone," Lucifer smiled slightly.
He took out a glass bottle, which contained a drop of bright red liquid.
"Could this be... the Blood of the Son of God?" Haggai widened his eyes.
"Your diligent efforts in your studies are indeed worthy of the name of a Holy Clan," Lucifer did not deny it.
"What... the Blood of the Son of God!"
"How could you possibly obtain such a thing!"
The crowd found it somewhat unbelievable.
William narrowed his eyes. Although the other party's words were hard to verify, relying on the ability of [Missionary], the item in that bottle was indeed extraordinary.
"Compared to the Holy Blood itself, you should be focusing on what I am about to do," Lucifer shook the bottle.
"The so-called Land of the Holy War is actually a place of sealing."
"After that war ended, this space had already been completely polluted by evil. If it were left in the human world, it would definitely become a territory for evil existences."
He looked at the group of Holy War personnel.
"Therefore, the Church at that time made a bold decision: abandon this place."
The several Holy Clan members looked at each other; they had never heard of this secret.
Lucifer continued: "They abandoned those warriors who bled for the Church, letting their souls wander in this space."
"And to ensure that evil existences could not lay hands on this land, the Church did not hesitate to utilize an exceptionally precious holy relic to seal the evil aura."
"That is exactly your target this time—the Ten Commandments Stele."
Aside from William, the other Holy Clergy Members present widened their eyes.
Lucifer curled his lips, very satisfied with these people's reactions.
"What exactly does the Ten Commandments Stele do?" William spoke up; he had always been curious about this question.
Unexpectedly, Lucifer actually answered.
"The Ten Commandments Stele symbolizes God's will; it can indeed purify evil. But the true function of this object is to open a new Source Power passage."
"Source Power..."
"What is that..."
Aside from Haggai and William, the others present had never heard of it.
"The Source Power passage connects to the Unknowable Space; it is the source of all supernatural power..." Haggai explained.
"Correct," Lucifer picked up the conversation.
"In recent years, the frequency of evil incidents has put immense pressure on the Church. To solve this problem, the only way is to cultivate more Holy Clergy Members, but the power in the human world is ultimately limited."
He only said half of it, but everyone present understood the implication.
"Therefore, our goals do not conflict," Lucifer said.
"You need the 'Ten Commandments' Stele to complete your mission, while my goal is the sealed evil power."
"Could it be that after Your Excellency achieves your goal, you plan to let us leave safely?" William retorted.
"Oh~ is that not possible?"
William smiled slightly: "Since that's the case, why doesn't Your Excellency surrender without a fight? Once we return to the Church, we can have these Holy Clan members jointly submit an application to approve your right to use the evil aura."
"Hehe..."
Lucifer took a deep look at the former, abandoning this line of rhetoric.
"I have another question," William continued to speak.
"For Your Excellency to so generously announce your plan, aren't you afraid of ultimately failing?"
Hearing this, the Holy Clans, the Priest Order, and the members of William's squad all pricked up their ears; they were also very curious.
"You're trying to say, why am I not afraid of you stopping me, right?" Lucifer said.
William shrugged.
"The initiation of the Descent Ritual is destined by fate; no one can stop it," Lucifer spread his hands.
"But the ritual does indeed require time to activate."
William's eyes flickered; he faintly realized something.
"Sacrifices, power accumulation... these are not complicated. From the beginning to the end, everyone present here is the greatest obstacle to the Descent Ritual."
Lucifer smiled: "That is why I have to stall you all here."
The crowd was somewhat confused.
"The Holy Clans, the Priest Order, and... you, Father William. Your performance on Anniversary Day left a deep impression on us. Little Samael talked about you quite a lot."
Samael beside him gritted his teeth. Just now, he realized he had been tricked once again.
This compliment from the enemy made William even more uneasy.
"You are all the people within the Church most likely to reach the final stage. Naturally, you won't be easily deceived," Lucifer said as he uncorked the glass bottle.
"Therefore, to make you behave, the bait thrown out must be tempting enough."
William's eyes flickered.
Since the other party's goal was to stall for time, it must be for a certain purpose, and right now, the Descent Ritual was the only option.
"What is the ritual still missing... Could it be." He suddenly raised an eyebrow, "He's waiting for the seal to be broken!"
Hearing this, the group of Holy Clergy Members instantly woke up.
"Hehe, everyone truly wakes up with just a hint," Lucifer smiled. "But it's already too late."
He held up the glass bottle containing the Holy Blood, which slowly rose into the sky.
Immediately after, massive amounts of evil aura erupted from half of his body, combining with the Holy Light power to form a black-and-white pattern.
The two powers separately sank into the ground. Subsequently, the blood-red pillars of light and the Reversal Magic Array operated in the same direction.
The evil aura originally converted by the Holy Light gradually broke free, while the remaining Holy Power all gathered toward the Holy Blood.
Boom!
The seven pillars of light bypassed the ritual magic array, heading straight for the mist vortex high in the sky.
The two powers quickly collided.
Hum!
Accompanied by a massive rumbling sound, the mist in the sky gradually faded, revealing an extremely colossal stone slab.
Its surface was engraved with some kind of ancient text, each character exuding a terrifying aura.
Bang!
A streak of ancient Holy Power plummeted down, instantly annihilating over a dozen dead soldiers on the ground.
Most of the Holy Clergy Members present also fainted and fell to the ground after coming into contact with this power.
William and the others were unaffected due to the protection of that pentagram's blood-red pillars of light.
At this time, a drop of bright red blood dripped onto the stone slab, instantly blooming with a dazzling golden glow.
Subsequently, that terrifying Holy Power also gradually disappeared.
"He... he's actually using the Reversal Magic Array to break the seal," Haggai said, eyes wide open.
"Hehe, the Church's seal naturally has to be broken using the Church's methods, right?" Lucifer smiled.
William narrowed his eyes.
This guy, in order to attract their attention, actually used his own plan as bait. Truly a madman...
Subsequently, the stone slab in the sky shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, plummeting straight down.
Boom!
The stone slab crashed not far from the ritual magic array, kicking up a lot of dust and smoke.
Just as the few were hesitating whether to go and check, another anomaly occurred.
They saw the sky, which was still relatively bright, suddenly dim. Immediately after, roars transmitted down from above.
Drip... Drip...
Haggai suddenly felt a chill on his face. He reached up to wipe it, but found a patch of bright red on his hand.
"This is..."
He placed his hand under his nose, and then smelled a thick, bloody stench.
Haggai slowly raised his head, only to see the sky had been dyed completely red.
A massive amount of spirit bodies charged out of the mist.
Screams, groans, curses... It was just like Hell.
William used the Holy Light barrier to isolate the blood-colored rain, his brows knitted tightly together.
At this moment, the man named Lucifer floated into mid-air, his white robes soaked, but he didn't care at all.
And those five blood-colored pillars of light also operated faster and faster.
Gradually, the Reversal Magic Array in the middle also turned from white to red, completely tearing open the mist in the sky.
Like a floodgate opening, countless souls poured out from inside, swept up by the blood-red light and plummeting toward the magic array below.
A dense evil aura spread to the surroundings, and the temperature in this space also dropped rapidly.
And in the center of the ritual magic array, fresh blood dripped onto the sacrifices. Subsequently, as if possessing a life of its own, it wandered toward the surroundings.
One drop.
Two drops.
Densely packed.
These drops of blood condensed into threads, hooking together. If viewed from directly above, they were outlining a massive flesh-and-blood body.
Lucifer tore off his robes, revealing his sturdy muscles.
He chanted an obscure and difficult-to-understand incantation, slowly floating to directly above the pentagram.
Subsequently, he took out a dagger, and under the astonished gazes of the crowd, plunged it into his heart.
Squelch!
Fresh blood spurted out.
"Cough, cough... Wake up... Huff... my Master," he managed to say with difficulty, immediately after which his entire person plummeted downwards.
The next moment, everyone present inexplicably shuddered.
Immediately after, an insurmountable power erupted from the center of the ritual magic array, spreading across the entire space in the blink of an eye.
Decay, death, endlessness...
William slowly raised his hand. At this moment, his skin was covered in wrinkles, like an old man with one foot in the grave.
He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the world with [Missionary], and actually discovered many pitch-black spirit threads entangled around his body.
William used Holy Power to expel these forces, and when he opened his eyes again, he had finally returned to normal.
"Was this... an illusion?"
He slowly raised his head, and then saw a shocking scene.
He saw a thick layer of mist blanketing the ritual magic array, and the blood-red electrical arcs flashing within illuminated a majestic body.
Its true appearance was invisible; only six giant wings darted in and out of the mist.
Half pure white, half dark.
"So this is..." William's gaze was solemn.
Just standing here, the blood in his entire body boiled violently, making him feel the urge to slice open his skin.
William chanted passages from the Gospel, forcefully suppressing this thought.
But the others were not so lucky.
In just a minute, over a dozen Holy Clergy Members rushed nearby and used holy artifacts to slit their own throats.
Fresh blood instantly dyed the ground red.
And aside from William, only the several members of the Holy Clans and the Priest Order could resist.
"This kind of existence... how can we possibly defeat it." William inexplicably felt a sense of powerlessness.
But he quickly discovered an anomaly.
He saw many golden chains suddenly extend from the sky, plunging straight into the dense mist.
Sizzle... Sizzle...
The two powers collided.
Relying on [Missionary], William discovered that those chains were composed of spirit particle threads radiating Holy Light. This was a power unique to this space.
"Similar to spatial suppression..." He quickly realized.
Even if an existence of this level descended to the world, it could not act as it pleased.
But these chains were trembling violently, looking like they couldn't hold on for much longer.
"We have to do something before the chains break."
William almost immediately thought clearly; this might be the last chance to stop the angel's complete descent.
Boom!
At the same time, a loud crash also came from the distant sky.
They saw a dazzling cluster of light instantly arrive nearby.
After the light dissipated, the figures of Jolan and Shiloj were revealed.
The former had a few more sword wounds on his body, looking quite battered.
And Shiloj was severely injured. His right leg was unnaturally twisted, looking as if it were broken, and his entire left palm was missing a chunk of flesh.
"That thing is currently being suppressed by spatial power, it hasn't fully formed yet! Take advantage of now to destroy the magic array, there's still a chance! Quickly!" Jolan's tone was urgent.
And behind them, a scarlet light was rapidly approaching, revealing an exceptionally beautiful face.
William immediately took out three hundred-year vintage holy artifacts and activated [Holy Step].
But the next moment, he frowned—he was still in his original spot.
"Hehe..." At this time, Samael's voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Lucifer specifically instructed that a guy like you is the most likely to do something at a critical moment, so he told me to keep an eye on you."
He held a pale blue stone in his hand. It was clearly a Teleportation Flying Stone, but the power it emitted was somewhat bizarre.
"Before the god completely descends, you'll just have to accompany me to another place for a while. We can conveniently settle the grudges between us as well," Samael sneered.
Subsequently, he tossed the Teleportation Flying Stone into mid-air. Immediately after, a dazzling red light submerged the two.
"What kind of power is this... I actually can't break free." William frowned tightly.
At this moment, the scenery around him was rapidly receding, and the giant shadow in the mist was also gradually shrinking.
Right before being completely pulled away from the ritual magic array, William only saw the chains in the sky completely snap.
Immediately after, a massive evil aura swept outwards in all directions, centered on the mist.
Wherever it passed, everything was devoured.
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