103: Flame of Martyrdom

The Silver Armor Corpse's figure emerged from the dense shadows, its pair of pitch-black pupils silently gazing at Knight Commander Tyre.

"Is that you?"

Knight Commander Tyre slowly turned around, and beneath his heavy full plate armor, the scorching platinum light surged again, flowing Li Ke magma through the armor's seams, making him appear Li Ke a deity.

"I joined the Holy See at thirteen."

"After three thousand nine hundred and seventy-two days of rigorous training, I became a Punishment Knight."

His voice was deep and firm, every word Li Ke the clash of metal and stone: "For the next eight thousand six hundred and two days, I never relaxed for a moment."

His voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of fanaticism.

"I am the Lord's blade!"

"I am the Lord's shield!"

He stared at the Silver Armor Corpse.

"Come, let's fight head-on!"

"Let me kill you, or you kill me!"

Before his words finished, the stone slabs beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and his entire being transformed into a platinum stream of light, instantly conjuring a long spear burning with Holy Flame in his hand, stabbing directly at the Silver Armor Corpse's chest.

The Punishment Spear, containing terrifying penetrating power!

The Silver Armor Corpse did not dodge, its right arm, covered in silver scales, suddenly lifted, and a pale gray Corpse Qi swirled around it, fiercely meeting the dazzling Holy Spear.

"Clang!"

The loud clang of metal echoed through the silent street, creating a visible shockwave.

At the center of the Holy Spear and Corpse Arm's collision, platinum Holy Light and pale gray Corpse Qi violently clashed and annihilated, emitting sizzling sounds.

The Silver Armor Corpse was shaken back half a step by this blow, a shallow white mark left on its slender Corpse Arm, but it vanished in an instant.

Knight Commander Tyre's figure paused, feeling an extremely cold force reverberate back.

He slammed his chest, and on the surface of his armor, three dazzling platinum halos suddenly lit up, swirling endlessly.

The Ring of Rejection, repelling all external forces!

That cold force was immediately forcefully repelled, unable to approach his body.

"Kill!"

Knight Commander Tyre let out a low roar, his left hand grasping the Void Realm, and strands of platinum chains appeared out of thin air.

Li Ke a white lightning bolt, they instantly wrapped around the Silver Armor Corpse.

The Holy Shackles, capable of restraining powerful enemies and forcefully sealing extraordinary power!

The Silver Armor Corpse's figure flickered, trying to merge into the shadows.

But the Holy Shackles were faster, instantly piercing through the Void Realm and tightly wrapping around its limbs and torso.

Platinum Holy Light flowed on the chains, forcefully suppressing the surging Corpse Qi, and the Silver Armor Corpse's figure was momentarily fixed.

"Now!"

Knight Commander Tyre seized this momentary opening, the light of the Punishment Spear in his right hand surged, and it instantly vanished from his hand.

"Pfft!"

This time, the Holy Spear directly pierced through the Silver Armor Corpse's chest, the spearhead emerging from its back.

However, the Silver Armor Corpse seemed to feel no pain from this.

"Crack!"

Several of the Holy Shackles wrapped around it were actually broken by force, and at the pierced spot on its chest, silver scales continuously wriggled.

The Tai Sui Guarding Corpse Divine Ability activated, and the wound healed at a visible speed.

The next moment, the Silver Armor Corpse's figure suddenly blurred, flickering a few times in the shadows before appearing behind Knight Commander Tyre's side.

A sharp claw covered in fine silver scales, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air, clawed towards his head.

Knight Commander Tyre reacted extremely quickly, the Ring of Rejection shone brightly, barely blocking this claw.

"Sizzle..."

The sharp claw scraped across the halo, emitting a harsh scratching sound, leaving several deep claw marks.

The halo vibrated violently but still repelled the Silver Armor Corpse.

The battle between the two became increasingly fierce, platinum Holy Light and pale gray Corpse Qi continuously colliding on the empty street!

The Silver Armor Corpse, relying on the terrifying recovery power of the Tai Sui Guarding Corpse and its elusive movements in the shadows, became even more ferocious in its attacks.

Knight Commander Tyre, relying on the three Ring of Rejections, forcefully repelled most attacks.

The Holy Shackles in his left hand transformed into white lightning bolts in the air, constantly moving, occasionally binding the Silver Armor Corpse in place.

The Punishment Spear in his right hand always emitted dazzling strong light, and each thrust could pierce through the Silver Armor Corpse's body.

His armor, under the aftermath of repeated violent impacts, gradually shattered.

And deep within his Divine Soul, that faint trace of divinity continuously generated a massive amount of Holy Light power, forcefully pulling and suspending the armor fragments around his body, maintaining his defense.

"What a formidable Punishment Knight."

On the attic chimney, Li Ke, in his black mist human form, quietly watched all of this.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Truly worthy of being one of the three great Holy Sees that stand high above the world."

On the surface, the two seemed evenly matched in their battle, an inseparable struggle.

However, Knight Commander Tyre himself knew that he was about to give out.

That trace of divinity in his Divine Soul had already begun to dim, about to burn out.

That was a trace of divine grace he had obtained by personally sacrificing his beloved daughter, Ella, to the Lord of Radiance.

In his mind, Ella's innocent eyes stung his Soul Li Ke needles.

Looking at the Silver Armor Corpse's seemingly endless terrifying recovery power, Knight Commander Tyre's eyes became even more resolute.

"I must not let Ella sacrifice herself in vain!"

"I must not die Li Ke this!"

He bit his lip fiercely, beginning to touch the deepest part of his Soul, that fading trace of divinity.

The Flame of Martyrdom!

"I am the Lord's blade!"

"I am the Lord's shield!"

Accompanied by his silent prayer, that remaining trace of divinity deep within his Soul suddenly erupted with a brilliance far exceeding before.

It instantly, through an unseen connection, forcefully broke through the illusionary restrictions constructed by the Phantom Building Fist, drawing upon the vast Holy Power accumulated over thousands of years in the Oak Tree Cathedral in the outside world!

......

Outside.

Li Ke sat leisurely on the chimney of a two-story attic, enveloped in a hazy, illusory ripple.

Around him, within a radius of several hundred meters, all people and objects were in a strange state of stillness.

A team of cavalry wearing bright silver full plate armor was on the road below, maintaining the posture of reining in their horses with raised hooves.

However, except for the exceptionally tall Knight Captain at the front, the rest of the knights were just hollow sets of armor, eerily floating in the air above their warhorses.

Suddenly, Li Ke looked up sharply, his gaze directed towards the distant Oak Tree Cathedral.

In his vision, a terrifying platinum aura was rising there, its immense power making even him feel a jolt of alarm.

"Such vast power of incense."

Li Ke raised an eyebrow slightly.

"If you really summon it, the trouble will be great."

Without hesitation, he moved his mind.

A bone nail, entirely pale and suffused with the foul Qi of the Mortal World, quietly appeared at his fingertips.

On the bone nail, the hideous faces of the Three Aunts Six Grannies Nine Ghosts flickered indistinctly, emitting a grayish-black, resentful aura.

Li Ke flicked his finger.

The Red Dust White Bone Nail silently pierced through the air, instantly breaking through the boundary between illusion and reality.

It directly ignored the protective properties of the Ring of Rejection, merging with the sacred and pure Holy Power, and directly pierced through Knight Commander Tyre's body.

"Pfft!"

Within the illusion, Knight Commander Tyre suddenly spat out blood, and the process of drawing Holy Power abruptly ceased.

The platinum light on his body rapidly withered Li Ke a punctured balloon.

However, at this moment, the Oak Tree Cathedral had been completely alarmed.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The distant and urgent bell tolls rang out again, piercing the sky.

Several powerful and pure Holy Power auras began to rise from the direction of the cathedral.

Li Ke's mouth twitched slightly.

He turned his head and looked towards the Lower City District.

His gaze passed over the roofs of countless gray-white, low-rise buildings, landing on a dilapidated house courtyard.

At this moment, Celestine's aura had stabilized.

Throughout the entire Lower City District, thousands of commoners had already voluntarily thrown themselves into the blazing White Bone Holy Fire, their flesh and blood becoming fuel, their bones merging into it, forming the eerie White Bone Lotus Platform beneath her.

And tens of thousands of commoners throughout the Lower City District, under the pervasive influence of the Boddhisattva Heart Sound, had become her most devout followers, continuously gathering towards that courtyard.

Within the courtyard, the pale white Holy Fire on Celestine's body was slowly receding, entering her body.

She also slowly raised her head, looking towards Li Ke's direction from a great distance.

She revealed an incredibly bizarre face.

One half was pure and sacred, a peerlessly beautiful face.

The other half was horrifyingly grim, a hideous white bone flickering with phosphorescent light.

"Li Ke joy, Li Ke terror, half a graceful figure, half stark white bone..."

Li Ke's mind involuntarily recalled the descriptions in ancient texts.

"What a White Bone Boddhisattva form."

"It seems it's done."

Li Ke's lips curved into a satisfied smile.

His figure transformed into a wisp of pitch-black mist, silently dissipating from where he stood.