102: Chapter 102 A Ruthless Attack! The Blood Wolf Battle Formation! A Battle to the Death!

Crack!

The moment the runestone shattered—

An invisible ripple silently infiltrated the massive protective formation beneath the Dawn Cathedral!

The formation's light flickered slightly, and several key nodes experienced subtle disruptions and delays in their operation!

Almost simultaneously, violent magical fluctuations suddenly erupted from several directions around the cathedral's perimeter!

Several figures launched a bold assault on the outer patrols, hurling a large number of magic scrolls that created smoke, illusions, and chaos!

Even more mysterious auras, like venomous snakes, locked onto the main hall of the cathedral, targeting the positions of Bishop Cole and Commander Calvin!

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the Bishop! Protect the Cathedral!"

"Temple Knights, assemble!"

Chaos instantly broke out inside and outside the cathedral!

Piercing alarms echoed through the skies!

The Temple Knights reacted swiftly, roaring as they charged at the attackers, clashing in a chaotic melee.

Bishop Cole and Commander Calvin were also alerted by this sudden assault.

Their powerful auras erupted, and they were about to step in to suppress the situation.

But suddenly, their expressions changed drastically!

It wasn't because of the noisy attackers outside, but because they both sensed something simultaneously:

Deep underground, several core leyline nodes closely linked to the cathedral's protective array were surging violently without warning!

A cold, obscure power had boldly invaded the leylines, attempting to destroy the very foundation of the formation!

"Bastards!" Commander Calvin roared, his eyes boiling with killing intent, but he was forced to suppress the urge to rush out and join the fray.

He exchanged a glance with Bishop Cole, and with perfect understanding, both redirected the majority of their power underground to soothe and suppress the rampaging leyline disturbances!

Just then—

A streak of highly condensed, dark-red blood-light ignored the chaotic battlefield, carrying an aura of destruction and brutality as it charged straight toward the location of the church's underground prison!

The terrifying pressure of a High-Order Grand Knight erupted without restraint, mixing with pure bloodlust and savage fighting spirit, instantly enveloping the entire Dawn Cathedral like a tide of blood!

The whole city was shocked!

...

Underground prison, the deepest cell.

Aria was still quietly stripping away the final barrier of the Pale Knight's soul.

The violent energy fluctuations from outside and the terrifying aura rapidly approaching with undisguised killing intent were all kept outside the lake of her mind.

In her eyes, pure white flames burned quietly, reflecting the Pale Knight's face twisted in agony, as well as the flickering shadows of memories being refined by the Source Fire.

When Rowan had informed her of hidden powerhouses in the city, she had already guessed their objective.

Once she began to forcibly break through the Crimson Guardian in the Pale Knight's mind, there would inevitably be obstacles.

Anyone who still dared to lurk in Gino City with designs after the battle at Mist Whisper Town had to be at least a High-Order Grand Knight.

An enemy of this level would have staggering destructive power once they fully manifested their High-Order Grand Knight War Manifestation within the city.

This Inquisition prison, covered in suppression runes, was actually the perfect battlefield to limit the scope of their destruction.

She had already given instructions to the guards beforehand.

Therefore, as that brutal blood-light smashed its way through the underground passage, it didn't encounter layers of resistance from guards fighting at any cost; there were only symbolic attempts to block and delay it to avoid needless casualties.

Deep in the dungeon.

The Pale Knight's body hung from chains like a tattered rag, his head bowed, his breath as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

His shattered memory fragments were flickering within Aria's heart-fire—

A blurry altar on a wasteland, a majestic figure, secret dealings...

Most importantly, a massive pool of blood!

Aria frowned; that place appeared to be deep within the Mess Mountains!

The crucial information flashed by...

The rampaging blood-light, carrying a pungent, fishy wind, crashed into this deepest cell—

As if experiencing a final burst of lucidity before death, the Pale Knight used the last of his strength to laboriously lift his head.

His dark-red, dilated pupils reflected the phantom of a ferocious, roaring blood-wolf flickering within the blood-light—

He recognized the newcomer!

It was the [Blood Wolf War Avatar] of the Bloodthirsty Knight!

The Pale Knight's lips moved, letting out a barely audible sound filled with both relief and malice:

"Kill... me..."

"Useless trash!" The Bloodthirsty Knight's roar was like a clap of thunder, echoing in the narrow cell.

Seeing the Pale Knight's state, he knew the soul had been heavily damaged by the Source Fire. His memories had likely been mostly read; he was a waste even if he lived, and he might leak even more secrets.

A crimson glint flashed in his eyes, and without hesitation, he triggered the final self-destruct seal in the other man's mind!

Pfft!

A dull thud.

The Pale Knight's head suddenly exploded like a ripe watermelon!

Red and white matter splattered everywhere, but it was all blocked by a thin barrier of holy light that naturally appeared in front of Aria, leaving her pure white sacrificial robes completely untainted.

The headless corpse twitched twice.

Then it went completely still...

Only then did Aria slowly withdraw her gaze, the pure white heart-fire in her eyes gradually extinguishing.

She turned around, her indifferent gaze falling upon the intruder.

The Bloodthirsty Knight had now fully revealed his form.

He was exceptionally tall and burly.

His bare upper body was knotted with muscles and covered in scars, wearing only simple leather armor and bone ornaments.

Viscous, dark-red blood-aura swirled around him.

This blood-aura faintly condensed around his body into a Blood Wolf War Avatar with bared fangs and eyes burning with frenzied blood-flames!

The manifestation was lifelike, radiating a heart-palpitating, brutal pressure that cast a blood-red glow over the already dark dungeon.

"Church bitch! Pay for Pale's life!"

The Bloodthirsty Knight wasted no words. Blood-light shot from his eyes, and the Blood Wolf War Avatar let out a heaven-shaking roar.

A hideous wolf claw as large as a millstone, carrying a sharp whistle that seemed to tear through space, slammed down toward Aria's head!

Before the claw even arrived, the incredibly violent impact caused the ground to crack.

The runes on the walls also began to flicker uncertainly!

A strike fueled by the rage of a High-Order Grand Knight.

Its power was overwhelming!

But Aria's expression remained calm.

She simply raised her right hand slightly.

At her fingertip, a spark of pure white flame quietly leaped out.

Holy Law: Wall of Purifying Flame.

Buzz—!

A translucent wall of light composed entirely of pure holy flame appeared out of thin air before the wolf claw.

The wall wasn't large, but it was incredibly solid, its surface flowing with profound sacred patterns.

Boom!!!

The blood-red claws slammed hard against the pure white wall of light!

A deafening roar accompanied by a terrifying energy shockwave erupted in the narrow space!

Dark-red and pure white energies clashed frantically!

The dungeon's specialized black-stone walls were instantly covered in cracks, the ground collapsed, and the chains snapped!

Had the entire underground prison itself not been a massive reinforcement formation, this single strike would have been enough to cause a total collapse!

The wall of light rippled violently, yet it steadily blocked the savage blow!

Aria's figure remained motionless behind the light wall, not even the hem of her clothes fluttering.

The Bloodthirsty Knight's pupils contracted, his face showing a look of disbelief.

Although he hadn't used his full strength in this strike, it was certainly not something a Low-tier New Moon priestess could easily block!

"You've broken through?!"

The Bloodthirsty Knight exclaimed in shock.

He felt that Aria's holy power was exceptionally pure and vast, completely inconsistent with the intelligence reports.

Aria did not answer.

The five fingers of her right hand, which had blocked the attack, gently clenched.

Judgment: Radiant Verdict.

The pure white wall of light suddenly deformed, turning into countless Holy Light threads as thin as hair. Like living things, they flowed back up along the claws of the Blood Wolf War Avatar!

Wherever they passed, the condensed blood-aura made a "hissing" sound as it was rapidly purified and dissolved!

The Bloodthirsty Knight let out a muffled groan, feeling an intense feedback of pain from the manifestation. Those holy light threads not only had incredible destructive power but also carried a purifying agony that struck directly at the soul.

He hurriedly controlled the manifestation to retract its claws while simultaneously retreating explosively, his blood-colored combat qi surging to deploy layers of blood shields in front of him.

High-tier New Moon... how is this possible?"

The Bloodthirsty Knight was horrified, finally realizing that her strength had taken another terrifying leap since Mist Whisper Town.

Though arrogant, he was not stupid. He instantly judged that on her home turf, it would be nearly impossible for him to kill this priestess who had already broken through in a short amount of time.

Moreover, there were other church experts outside; once he was pinned down...

"Damn it, what bad luck!" the Bloodthirsty Knight cursed inwardly, blood-light flickering in his eyes as the intent to retreat took hold.

The Pale Knight was dead, so his objective was partially achieved; there was no need to fight to the death here.

As long as he broke out, with the speed and methods of a High-Order Grand Knight, it would be impossible for the church to keep him there.

However, just as he was preparing to burst with power to leave—

Two spheres of blazing white solar discs suddenly ignited in Aria's previously calm eyes!

An aura far more ancient and vast than before erupted from her body!

Dawn: Primordial Fire!

Her red lips parted slightly as she uttered the words. Her voice remained cold, yet it carried an authority that made her words law.

An indescribably pure white flame-flower appeared on the field and bloomed with a roar!

The Bloodthirsty Knight was instantly alarmed!

He hadn't expected her to use her ultimate move over a single disagreement!

Judging by his sensory perception, this was absolutely her unrestrained, full-strength strike!

He felt a lethal threat from it!

But—how did she dare!!!

As long as he withstood this blow, he could turn around and kill her while she was inevitably in a weakened state!

"Roar!!!"

Amidst his shock and anger, the Bloodthirsty Knight's ferocity was also fully triggered.

Since you want to decide life and death in one move—

Then, as you wish!!!

The blood-light in his eyes was almost dripping blood!

The blood-aura around him was like a volcanic eruption, injected into the Blood Wolf War Avatar regardless of the cost!

The blood-wolf phantom looked up and roared silently, its size expanding again, becoming more solid and hideous as it charged resolutely toward that pure white flame-flower!

The pure white flame-flower and the hideous blood-wolf collided violently—

The next moment.

An even more violent explosion shockwave swept through the entire underground prison!

Aria was, after all, only newly entered into the High-tier New Moon rank. Even with top-tier bloodline divine arts, in a pure head-on clash, she was still half a step behind a veteran High-Order Grand Knight like the Bloodthirsty Knight.

The pure white flame-flower began to dim... and dissipate...

Seeing this, a cruel, savage grin instantly erupted on the Bloodthirsty Knight's face!!!

"Die!"

He roared wildly, burning his essence blood without hesitation, about to force a breakthrough to take Aria's life!

He wanted to completely slay this young priestess who didn't know the heights of the heavens!

However—

Facing the charging Bloodthirsty Knight.

Aria made an unexpected move.

She slightly turned her head and looked toward a corner of the shadows that had remained quiet throughout.

This glance was very calm.

But the Bloodthirsty Knight's charging momentum suddenly froze!

Only at this moment did he realize with horror—

There was actually a third person in this dungeon!!!

And he had, from beginning to end, completely ignored his existence!

What kind of technique was this?!

Gloom Shadow?!

But how was that possible?

Wasn't that the inheritance of the Count Farrell family?

When his gaze met a pair of eyes in the shadows as deep as an ancient well—

A piercing chill suddenly surged up from his spine!

...