214: invite

Despite being constrained by cold mechanical components and energy fluctuations, Lin Feng, Alicia, and even the keenly perceptive Alien Queen, all clearly caught the deep, barely suppressed, yet volcanic surge of—excitement—in that voice!

It was a tremor from the deepest part of the soul, a profound stirring that came from finally seeing the beacon of faith after an eternity of despair!

"A...century...has passed..."

The figure's voice trembled noticeably, and the fluctuations in his aura grew more violent, with Transcendent and Epic powers clashing wildly within him, as if threatening to tear him apart at any moment.

"You...have finally...returned!"

Alicia hovered in the air, her face, shrouded in Holy Light, remained as cold as frost, but for the first time, a ripple clearly passed through her deep eyes!

It was an extremely complex emotion—surprise, doubt, scrutiny, and even a hint of an instinctive response, touched by this ancient knightly Rei, hidden deep within her bloodline.

The scepter in her hand lowered slightly, an inch, and the violent Holy Light energy at its tip, as if soothed by an invisible hand, began to slowly recede.

"The...glory...of the Church of Light...has long since...been defiled...and extinguished...by the Archangel...and the traitors...of the Papacy..."

The Cyborg spoke with difficulty, each word seemingly carrying the weight of heavy blood and tears.

"We...the surviving...believers...like rats...in a gutter...have barely clung...to existence...for a century...under their...pursuit..."

He lifted his head, his glowing red mechanical eye fixed on Alicia, as if to pierce through the Holy Light and gaze directly into her true soul.

"But...we...have never...abandoned...our faith!"

"We...have always been...waiting...for your...return! Waiting...for the opportunity...to restore...the Light!"

His words were like heavy drumbeats, echoing across the silent battlefield.

The Holy Light flowing around Alicia seemed to resonate strangely with his words, rippling slightly.

"He!"

The Cyborg suddenly raised his cold, metal-covered left hand, his sharp alloy fingertips pointing directly at the bewildered Lin Feng.

"Lin Feng! A Dragon Kingdom native!"

Lin Feng, thus named, tensed up, and the fluctuations in the spatial rift beneath his feet almost spiraled out of control!

"Dragon Kingdom!"

The Cyborg's voice abruptly rose, carrying an almost fanatical certainty.

"It is...the only...pure land...in this...decaying...world! It is...the only...nation...that has not been...completely...infiltrated...and corrupted...by other planes!"

His words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hearts of Lin Feng and Alicia!

In Alicia's cold eyes, for the first time, a truly meaningful, contemplative light appeared.

She slowly, deliberately, turned her gaze back to Lin Feng, her look no longer that of scrutinizing prey, but carrying a new consideration of assessing value.

"The Papacy's...claws...cannot reach...beyond the Great Wall...of the Dragon Kingdom!"

"The Archangel's...Holy Light...also cannot...fully...illuminate...that ancient...and mysterious...land!"

The Cyborg continued his statement, his voice becoming even more intermittent with excitement, his aura wildly fluctuating between Transcendent and Epic.

"Only...the power...of the Dragon Kingdom...only...by leveraging...their...foundations...and their...untainted...will...can we...resist...the powerful...Archangel...legions! Only then...can we reclaim...the authority...of Light! Only then...can the Church's...holy emblem...once again...hang high...above the world!"

His glowing red mechanical eye gazed fervently at Alicia, as if burning his last vestiges of energy.

"Your Holiness the Saintess! Lin Feng...he...is not...an enemy! He is...our...hope! He is...the crucial...key...to restoring...the Light!"

His final words seemed to exhaust all his strength.

The illusory figure flickered violently a few times, as if about to dissipate, and the intensely fluctuating aura suddenly plummeted, stabilizing at a relatively weaker Transcendent-initial level, appearing extremely frail.

But he still maintained the knightly bow, kneeling on one knee, his head lowered, awaiting the Saintess's judgment.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence. The Holy

Light no longer boiled, the encroachment of the Decay Divine Domain temporarily halted, and the roars of the Fallen Creatures subsided.

All eyes were focused on the holy figure suspended in the air.

Alicia remained silent.

The Holy Light flowing around her fluctuated like her thoughts.

Her cold gaze lingered for a long time on the kneeling Cyborg figure below, then slowly shifted to Lin Feng, her eyes filled with complex meaning.

Time seemed to freeze.

Finally, Alicia slowly, completely, lowered her raised scepter.

The light of the miniature sun at the scepter's tip completely receded, becoming gentle and calm.

The Holy Light barrier around her also stabilized, no longer fiercely clashing with the Decay Divine Domain, forming a delicate stalemate.

She did not speak.

But her actions had already expressed her attitude.

The Cyborg seemed to sense the receding Holy Light; his lowered head subtly lifted, and a relieved, ineffable light flashed in his glowing red mechanical eye.

He struggled, using his cold metal arm to support himself on the ground, slowly, somewhat laboriously, standing up.

The illusory figure remained unstable, but he straightened his spine, facing Alicia and Lin Feng, and with a tone of post-calamity relief and immense solemnity, extended an invitation.

"Your Holiness the Saintess...Mr. Lin Feng..."

"Please...follow me."

"We...need...to talk...properly."

"The base...is right...there...it has...everything...you need...to know...as well as...our remaining...strength..."

After conveying the crucial information, the illusory mechanical phantom flickered violently a few times, like a holographic projection with poor signal, finally dissipating completely into the air, leaving only a complex and precise coordinate mark, composed of tiny light points, suspended between Lin Feng and Alicia.

"Coordinates..."

Lin Feng murmured, his fingertips, imbued with Decay Divine Domain power, lightly touching the string of light points; the information instantly imprinted itself into his consciousness.

A strong curiosity coiled around him like a vine.

The existence of this Cyborg, who claimed to be a "believer of the Church of Light from a century ago," was a huge mystery in itself.

How could he partially resist the erosion of the Decay Divine Domain?

What did the "base" he spoke of look like?

More importantly, his mention of "Dragon Kingdom not infiltrated" and "restoring the Church of Light"...these fragments of information collided in Lin Feng's mind, sparking countless possibilities.

Alicia silently watched the place where the coordinates had disappeared, her holy face still showing shock and a hint of imperceptible confusion.

A century-old believer?

Suppressed by the Papacy?

This information made it inevitable for her to go to the coordinates left by the Cyborg.

She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes complex.

"It seems we have to go."

Lin Feng broke the silence, a curious curve playing on his lips.

He chose not to retreat to the relatively safe Fallen Space; instead, he made a bold decision.

He turned to Alicia, extending his hand, not in a polite invitation, but pointing to the ominous, living-like spatial rift behind him.

"Your Holiness, would you mind hitching a ride? Though the environment might...not quite suit your aesthetic."