167: Cardinal
"Go check it out."
The Red-robed Cardinal commanded a Black-robed Cultist.
But just then,
The steel door of the air-raid shelter suddenly rattled with a deafening boom, as if struck by a heavy object, reverberating throughout the entire factory area.
The entire air-raid shelter trembled along with it.
"What's going on? Has the news of our sacrificial ritual leaked out?"
"Are the Great Xia Country's people using heavy weapons to bombard the door?"
The Red-robed Cardinal frowned, looking towards the door.
To ensure the smooth and safe execution of the sacrifice,
He always specifically chose air-raid shelters like this, easy to defend but difficult to attack, for each ritual.
The door of this air-raid shelter was at least half a meter thick, made of pure steel, and could even withstand air raids.
But the commotion it just caused to the steel door, besides heavy weapons like RPGs or rockets, he couldn't think of anything else that could make such a big noise.
At this moment, after the first boom, a second loud bang came.
This time the sound was even louder than before; the entire several-meter-high steel door vibrated, and even dust on the walls was shaken down with a rustling sound.
In the quiet underground, it seemed so abrupt, and all the Black-robed Cultists present looked towards the door in unison.
Even the two women struggling on the ground stopped and looked towards the door.
"It seems the news has leaked."
The Red-robed Cardinal swept a glance, his tone flat: "It's probably the government calling in heavy weapons. Heh heh, it's nothing major. You, go open the door."
"After I kill all these annoying ants, we'll find another place to perform the ritual."
"Yes! Lord Cardinal!"
"Haha, I have already redeemed thirty-two sinners. If I can redeem that group of peacekeepers outside later, I might even make it a hundred."
"Haha, one step closer to receiving the Heavenly God's blessing."
Hearing the Red-robed Cardinal's words, the Black-robed Cultist's expression immediately relaxed.
Indeed, as Lord Red-robed Cardinal said, it was just a matter of killing and changing locations.
Lord Red-robed Cardinal was an envoy who had received the Heavenly God's blessing.
His power, if converted into the realm of secular Ancient Martial Practitioners, would be Level 6!
Now that martial arts were just emerging, there were only a few Level 6 Ancient Martial Practitioners in the entire Great Xia Country.
"Open the door."
The Red-robed Cardinal gave a look to the Black-robed Cultist beside him.
The Black-robed Cultist nodded, walking towards the door with a sinister grin.
The other Black-robed Cultists also stopped discussing the sacrifice, as if they had discovered something worth anticipating.
Each of them wore a sinister grin, their eyes fixed on the door with anticipation.
The Black-robed Cultist who went to open the door quickly walked to the steel door and found the valve controlling it.
Just as his hand was about to touch the valve...
"Bang!"
With a loud bang, a section in the center of the pure steel door suddenly bulged inward, and the steel door's pivot also became twisted.
The Black-robed Cultist froze, turning his head to look at the Red-robed Cardinal.
The Red-robed Cardinal's eyes narrowed slightly. This destructive power... it seemed there wasn't just heavy weaponry outside, but even a demolition hammer had been brought.
However, he didn't pay too much attention.
With his strength as a Level 6 Ancient Martial Practitioner, and one who had received the Heavenly God's blessing, capable of controlling flames.
Even if intercontinental missiles were brought outside, he was confident he could break out.
Calmly, he waved his hand towards the Black-robed Cultist: "Continue opening the door."
The Black-robed Cultist investigating the situation took a deep breath, preparing to continue opening the door.
However, before his hand even touched the valve, he heard a deafening boom.
Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Looking down, he saw a long blade, glowing with an eerie red light, piercing through the half-meter-thick steel door.
The tip of the blade was precisely where the Black-robed Cultist stood; unable to react, he was directly pierced through.
Blood gurgled from the Black-robed Cultist's mouth, but his face was filled with fanaticism, his hand reaching towards the sky, as if wanting to touch something: "All things return to Zero... embrace the Heavenly God..."
The other Black-robed Cultists looking at the door, their fanatical expressions abruptly ceased, all of them astonished.
The Red-robed Cardinal's eyes also grew cold and dangerous.
Clusters of bright yellow flames instantly rose from his body.
"To be able to stab through a half-meter-thick steel door with one strike, his strength is at least that of a Level 5 Martial Artist."
"Interesting. It seems Great Xia Country came prepared this time. What a pity, you overestimated my strength."
...
With that, the Red-robed Cardinal personally stepped forward and pulled open the steel door.
Outside the door was a young man dressed in black combat fatigues.
The young man was currently holding a saber with his right hand. Seeing the door suddenly open, he was clearly startled. His gaze swept around inside, then directly fixed on the Red-robed Cardinal in front of him, asking curiously, "Hmm? You're the Red-robed Cardinal, right? Opening the door yourselves, are you planning to surrender?"
This young man was Li Ziyu, who had rushed over according to the mission's guidance.
The A-rank mission stated to apprehend cultists, but didn't say much else, and he wasn't sure if their voluntary surrender counted as completing the mission.
Li Ziyu was puzzled.
"Surrender? Heh heh, what nonsense are you talking about?"
The Red-robed Cardinal swept a glance outside. Seeing only Li Ziyu alone, he was clearly stunned.
He had thought there would be heavy military encirclement outside.
However, upon hearing Li Ziyu's words clearly, the Red-robed Cardinal was directly amused, sneering at Li Ziyu: "A mere single person, yet you dare to fantasize about me surrendering. Should I say you don't know your place, or are you fearless in your ignorance?"
A ferocious look flashed across the Red-robed Cardinal's face.
He felt that the other party was simply here to be funny.
Or perhaps he had just gained the power of a Martial Artist and thought he was incredibly powerful, unable to recognize his own limitations.
"While I don't know your situation, I can be 100% certain that you are dead today."
"I just happen to be short a sacrifice, so I'll use you to make up the number."
With that, the Red-robed Cardinal raised both hands, and the bright yellow flames around his body instantly surged.
He transformed into a man of fire, the fiercely burning flames intensely hot, raising the temperature inside the air-raid shelter by several degrees.
"Zeroing God Cult, all things return to zero! I, Nicola, Red-robed Cardinal of the Zeroing God Cult, redeem you on behalf of the Heavenly God!"
The Red-robed Cardinal chanted a spell, his voice deafening.
As his voice grew higher, his raised hands began to tremble violently. When his voice reached its peak, he swung them forward fiercely, and a powerful energy burst from his hands.
It quickly gathered in mid-air, forming a massive fireball.
The fireball was half a meter in diameter, like a small sun, emitting suffocating high temperatures.
Even the surrounding air was burned and distorted, as if the entire space was trembling.
"Go, fire of redemption! Cleanse the sins of the one before me!"
The Black-robed Cultists watching below became even more fanatical after the fireball appeared. They had witnessed the power of Lord Red-robed Cardinal's fireball; it was even stronger than an intercontinental missile.
With one strike, it could destroy a main battle tank!
The Black-robed Cultists raised their hands, shouting fanatically: "Zeroing God Cult! All things return to zero!"
"Redeem!"
"Redeem!"
"Redeem the sinful!"
With each shout, they took a step towards Li Ziyu, as if to pressure him.
The two girls, kneeling half-folded on the ground beside them, were so frightened by the scene that their mouths hung open, unable to speak, only staring blankly.
The next second, the small sun-like fireball crashed down onto Li Ziyu with a boom.
"Noisy!"