Chapter 209: Gods must not be gazed upon |
Su'en knew that another team was secretly coming to exorcise Princess Theresa, so naturally, Mr. Mirror wouldn't ignore this intelligence.
After all, the means of a god are not something ordinary humans can fathom. Even with the divine fire sealed, who knows what incomprehensible abilities He might possess.
So, instead of stepping on a landmine himself, it was better to let the enemy test the waters and weaken their strength in the process.
Those folks at the Duke's mansion still thought Princess Theresa was merely a case of "demonic possession."
***
While Su'en was conversing with Pestoya, as soon as he put on the ring Sereya sent, he heard a piercing scream in the distance.
It seemed that some entity was trying to force Pestoya to remove the ring, but Pestoya's face was contorted with struggle, as if she was resisting with all her will.
This was something her mother had given her.
Moreover, the ring seemed to be irremovable.
It appeared she had returned to the host body of Princess Theresa.
Su'en listened to the commotion from afar and looked in that direction.
After a moment's thought, he quickly followed.
With Mr. Mirror's mirage technique, he didn't have to worry about his safety for the time being.
He wanted to see the battle situation, and also to try his luck.
After all, there were many fourth-tier and even a fifth-tier guard around Princess Theresa.
What if he could scavenge a few bodies and strip some soul fragments?
Su'en's mental strength was now formidable, and he was highly sensitive to fluctuations in mental power.
Feeling that spine-chilling pressure descend, he knew that the deity had shown His face.
The "exorcism team" from the Duke's mansion seemed quite capable, having forced the fallen angel's soul to reveal itself.
Su'en didn't know what Mr. Mirror had done before, but it seemed that he had successfully instigated a fight on the other side.
He cautiously approached, staying about a kilometer away, and found a sturdy cover to hide behind.
Su'en didn't forget Mr. Mirror's admonition; he closed his right eye and watched the battle with only his left eye, which possessed the "Eye of Omniscience."
He now also knew that this gift had a filtering protective function, preventing him from seeing things he shouldn't.
Mortals should not gaze directly upon a god.
This was the warning left to posterity by Isaac after his great battle with the fallen angel.
***
It was clear that the exorcism group from the Duke's mansion had come prepared.
When Su'en arrived, he saw hundreds of people surrounding Theresa, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
But the only ones who could get within a hundred meters of Princess Theresa were about twenty people, all third-tier experts or above.
The leader, an old man with a white robe and a red beard, was holding a cross that radiated blinding silver light, clearly an exorcist.
Su'en glanced at the heptagram under the man's feet and realized that this fellow was also a fifth-tier professional.
Upon closer inspection, the old man's "Exorcist Cross of the Paladin" turned out to be a sealed artifact-level treasure.
The silver light of the cross shone on Princess Theresa, emitting wisps of black vapor.
Like light dispelling darkness, ordinary people didn't feel anything from the silver light, but the princess's face contorted in pain, as if enduring great suffering, and she let out a piercing scream.
Even more terrifying was the black vapor steaming off her body under the holy light, as if she were being scorched.
Theresa seemed to be enduring the burning of the holy light, trembling all over, and screamed in agony, "Foolish humans! You are desecrating a great deity!"
When the cross was shoved in her face, the fallen angel knew she couldn't hide anymore and didn't conceal herself.
But hearing this, the people from the Duke's mansion remained unmoved.
The red-bearded exorcist even spat a mouthful of old blood onto the cross, and the intensity of the holy light surged dramatically.
No one took "Theresa's" words seriously; evil spirits were not uncommon in this world.
Those spiritual entities formed for various special reasons often boast themselves as gods to bewitch people's hearts, and exorcists had long grown accustomed to such claims.
In reality, they were just more advanced spiritual entities.
They thought the situation with their princess was probably just that.
But Su'en knew that these guys were in for big trouble.
After all, this was once a genuine deity of divine rank!
***
The people from the Duke's mansion had delayed for so long just to wait for this sealed cross, to ensure a foolproof operation.
Indeed, the artifact was very effective, capable of driving away abnormal spirits within the human body.
After all, the fallen angel, having lost the divine fire and body, was no longer of divine rank.
The holy attribute of the cross was particularly harmful to dark creatures.
It didn't take long for the black vapor on Theresa to slowly condense into a shadow of an evil spirit.
But what no one expected was that the "evil spirit" shadow was not just humanoid; it had a pair of pitch-black wings spanning several meters on its back.
As soon as these wings appeared, an evil yet majestic aura descended abruptly.
Looking at the figure, it was exactly like the fallen angels from the myths.
The bystanders, not understanding, were all shocked.
From a distance, Su'en muttered to himself, "So this is the fallen angel..."
The red-bearded exorcist had plenty of experience in exorcism and shouted, "This is the evil spirit's illusion, guard your minds, don't be deceived by it!"
His six disciples also coordinated tacitly, forming a hexagram position, and the ropes binding "Theresa" were taut, giving Her no chance to break free.
At that moment, the old man holding the cross stomped his foot, and the heptagram array beneath him shone brightly, and a divine gate of light suddenly appeared behind him, clearly preparing a powerful move.
At the same time, he took out a crystal vial and splashed the water towards "Theresa."
The holy water splashed onto the shadow of the fallen angel, hissing like sulfuric acid, and smoke billowed.
The situation looked like they were planning to directly transcend this "evil spirit."
"Ah... despicable humans, you have successfully angered me!"
"Theresa's" voice became terrifyingly horrific, filled with not only rage but also an overwhelming intent to kill.
If it were an ordinary evil spirit, it should have been burned or driven away by now.
Unfortunately, this was a true god.
Her understanding of the laws was not something these people could comprehend.
Caught off guard by a sneak attack and trapped by the holy artifact, She couldn't escape, but now, She had recovered!
Just as the soul was about to be driven out of Theresa's body, She made a move that baffled everyone.
Suddenly, a ball of black fire rose from Her right wrist, and the silver rope binding the wrist turned pitch black. The blackness spread rapidly from the wrist towards the two exorcists pulling the ropes.
"Not good, it's elemental theft!"
Seeing this, the red-bearded exorcist's face changed dramatically, "Damn, how could it forcibly reverse the holy power of the 【Binding Spirit Ropes】?!"
From a distance, Su'en wasn't too surprised.
He had seen this "elemental theft" once before when Mr. Black and his group surrounded and killed a fifth-tier professional.
Mr. Black used this technique to dissolve a fifth-tier spell with fourth-tier strength.
To use this technique, one needed an extremely deep understanding of the laws.
The stabilizing runes contained in the alchemical item 【Binding Spirit Ropes】 were of sixth-tier, and to reverse the holy power they produced into dark power required at least a seventh or eighth-tier understanding.
Others couldn't, but this Deity could!
The red-bearded exorcist wanted to do something else, but by then, it was too late!
"Theresa" suddenly broke free of Her right hand, and without hesitation, plunged it into Her own chest, causing blood to spurt out.
Suicide?
From a distance, Su'en was also a bit puzzled by this action, which seemed somewhat incomprehensible.
At that moment, everyone was visibly stunned.
They were there to save someone, and now the evil spirit had controlled their princess to commit suicide; what was going on?
And what was even more horrifying was yet to come!
"Theresa" directly pulled out Her own heart and, without hesitation, crushed it.
With a "bang," it was like bursting a bag of plasma, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Now, the originally noble and elegant princess had turned into a terrifying blood figure.
Exorcism?
Keep exorcising!
Her soul was still present, and Theresa couldn't die yet.
Once driven away, without a heart, Theresa would undoubtedly die.
At this point, everyone understood why the evil spirit had done this.
***
From a distance, Su'en marveled at the tactic: "Can gods really live without a heart?"
His mind immediately recalled some research reports he had seen in "forensic" Gerald's notes.
The guy had also researched this topic: if vital organs like the heart were shattered, how to survive.
The solution in the notes was to create blood circulation with external forces without the need for the heart's pumping ability.
But that was still at the experimental theory stage; he hadn't expected to see a living example right before his eyes.
Su'en carefully observed the changes in the body of "Theresa," who had a bloody hole in her chest.
Having harvested Gerald's memories, Su'en now had a deep understanding of human anatomy.
Seeing the faint pulsations in the body, he immediately guessed, "It seems to be using muscle contractions and dark spiritual power to create an alternative circulatory system... Hiss~ Gerald's hypothesis seems to be feasible after all."
Su'en, as a bystander, watched with ease, but the people from the Duke's mansion were instantly dumbfounded, their faces pale with fear.
They had never imagined things would turn out this way; an almost foolproof "exorcism" operation had caused severe damage to the princess?
If she died, the Duke would never let these guards off the hook.
But at this point, they had no choice but to fight to the death!
They might not be able to save the princess, but at the very least, they had to kill that "evil spirit."
The man in military uniform with a pale face decisively ordered, "Take action, capture her first!"
Unfortunately, "Theresa" breaking Her own heart was not just to make the exorcist wary.
A large amount of blood gushed out and quickly condensed into a red blade in Her hands.
The blade was entirely formed of red light, with crimson lightning flickering, as if She was holding a bolt of lightning.
The fallen angel wasn't using alchemy, nor did any alchemical array appear.
But Su'en keenly noticed some white strands appearing in Her hair and guessed, "It seems to be using some kind of life-sacrificing secret technique."
Princess Theresa's body was said to be only second-tier, still too weak.
***
In the blink of an eye, a fierce battle erupted between the two sides.
Su'en had also learned about the conditions of the abyssal plane from his conversations with his teacher Sereya.
It was a plane with an extremely harsh living environment.
The harsh conditions in this cavern were just a microcosm of that place.
Those who survived in the abyss were the best among their kind.
This fallen angel from the abyss was naturally no exception.
Just by watching, Su'en, a "martial arts master," couldn't find any fault with "Theresa's" combat level.
Not only was Her combat experience impeccable, but the red lightning dagger in Her hand was also bizarre. Upon contact, the lightning exploded, and ordinary weapons and mechanical equipment were easily sliced through like cutting through mud. Even if blocked, the crimson lightning would transform into lightning elements, catching the opponent off guard.
First and second-tier professionals were killed with a single slash, third-tiers could last a few moves, and only fourth-tier professionals with "elemental barriers" could barely survive under the lightning blade when working together.
The people from the Duke's mansion had initially thought about capturing the "evil spirit," but this battle made them realize they were too naive.
Vaguely, everyone began to sense that the evil spirit's claim of being a deity might not be so far-fetched...
But the battle had already begun, and they had no way out.
As private soldiers of the Raphael Duke's mansion, the lives of all of them combined were not worth as much as Miss Theresa.
They had no choice but to fight to the death!
How terrifying was the battle of high-tier professionals?
For a time, various high-tier spells bombarded the ruins like a dense bombing run, with shockwaves from the battle rising wave after wave.
The ancient buildings that had stood for a thousand years were reduced to dust, limbs and body parts flew everywhere, and blood literally flowed like rivers...
"This combat power is truly outrageous..."
From a distance, Su'en watched with a heavy gaze.
Even using a life-shortening secret technique, "Theresa" was only just managing a fourth-tier professional's level, as Mr. Mirror had predicted.
But watching Her withstand two fifth-tiers, along with more than a dozen fourth-tiers and dozens of second and third-tiers in battle...
Who would believe this was just fourth-tier?
The equipment of the people from the Duke's mansion was not poor; they were the elite of the elite, several levels stronger than the likes of the Oliver and Clark families.
Various ancient relics, alchemical items, cursed objects, scrolls... were thrown out as if money was no object.
It was as if Su'en could hear the sound of money being thrown...
He was amazed by what he saw.
Indeed, in this world dominated by nobility, as the wealthiest few, the foundation of the Raphael Duke's mansion was terrifying!
But even with money paving the way, the casualties of the Duke's mansion's party continued to increase.
Bodies littered the ground, and clusters of "grey mist" seemed to beckon to Su'en, making him extremely envious.
These were the personal guards of the Duke's mansion, and those selected were one in ten thousand.
The quality of their souls could be imagined, right?
If he could harvest this knowledge, he estimated he could save at least another ten or eight years of knowledge accumulation...
But as much as he coveted, he dared not make the slightest move.
The core of the battlefield had become a meat grinder, and third-tier professionals had no assurance of survival, let alone second-tiers who would be in mortal danger in an instant.
Although Su'en was a bit stronger than the average second-tier, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could make a splash.
"There are still two fifth-tiers, so many fourth-tiers..."
He muttered to himself, comforting himself that the soul fragments of those third-tier professionals and above were the real treasures.
He also prayed that when Mr. Mirror and the others arrived, those grey mist fragments would not have completely dissipated.
***
Although the battle was one-sided, with several fourth-tiers being slain.
Gradually, Su'en also noticed something unusual.
The lifespan of a human body is limited, which means that "Theresa's" secret technique must have a time limit and could not be used multiple times.
And this point was directly reflected in the battle.
As the fight went on, "Theresa's" hair turned completely silver.
The people from the Duke's mansion obviously also noticed this.
The more they pressed, the faster Theresa would die.
If Princess Theresa exhausted her lifespan and died, the battle would be meaningless.
But they couldn't capture her alive.
To fight or not to fight...
It was this indecision that gave "Theresa" the opportunity to kill several more people. Even two fifth-tiers were injured to varying degrees under that unpredictable lightning dagger.
It seemed to be a situation where both sides would suffer.
It was just a matter of whether "Theresa" would run out of life first or if the Duke's mansion's side would be wiped out first.
***
But no one noticed that when "Theresa" killed people, it was almost always at certain special nodes, and the positions of the bodies seemed to fit some kind of formation.
As time passed, the blood of those who died in battle was quietly absorbed by the ground.
From a distance, Su'en, with his Eye of Omniscience, took in everything before him.
Soon, he also noticed the unusual flow of blood in the air and identified it as 【a forbidden spell in the process of condensing】, thinking, "Is She initiating some kind of forbidden technique?"
It wasn't described as "transcending tiers," but as "forbidden," which meant... divine magic?
Discovering this, Su'en wasn't surprised at all.
As a deity of divine rank, it was natural to have some tricks up Her sleeve.
Moreover, he also felt that "Theresa" must have guessed something.
If She was entangled by these people and forced to respond, what followed would be even worse.
The fallen angel wasn't wary of these people.
No!
From the beginning to the end, She was wary of Sir Isaac, who had defeated Her a thousand years ago!
Although Mr. Mirror and the others hadn't shown themselves yet, some clues had already indicated that a conspiracy against Her was closing in.
If it were Su'en himself, he would have been alert long ago.
***
Su'en guessed that "Theresa" needed a sacrifice to activate that divine magic.
Sure enough, at that moment, the sky hundreds of meters high suddenly became turbulent.
The thick fog in the ruins gathered into a vortex of dark clouds in the sky.
The vortex grew larger and larger, and the center condensed into a black hole several tens of meters in diameter.
It was this abnormal movement that made the Duke's mansion's guards, who were engaged in a fierce battle on the ground, stop and glance at the sky.
The commotion was too exaggerated, not something that any fifth or sixth-tier alchemy spell could cause.
They were still completely unaware of what kind of existence they were facing.
The black hole slowly cracked open a gap, allowing a glimpse of a pupil emitting a strange, ghostly light, which was a gigantic eye!
The moment this giant eye opened, a sense of awe that made people want to worship surged from the bottom of everyone's heart...
As if a deity was gazing upon the mortal realm,
Everything,
Became insignificant.
Those who saw the giant eye all knelt down.
Even the two fifth-tier professionals knelt down instantly, powerless to resist.
Their faces showed only devotion and fervor.
Upon looking again, these people simultaneously drew their blades and committed suicide on the spot!
Their blood and energy completely merged with the ground.
The Duke's mansion's party, just by one glance, were all killed.
At this time, after absorbing the power of the formation, a pair of solid pitch-black wings slowly condensed behind Theresa, with an aura so high that it was unbearable to look at directly.
"The power of lower beings is really weak..."
The whisper from the abyss echoed in the ears, as if it had some kind of magic.
Su'en felt that strange sensation, and his left eye immediately identified the 【???】 and automatically blocked the forbidden power that would make him lose his mind.
He He instantly understood, "Gods must not be gazed upon... So this is why!"
Su'en knew he had been discovered.
At that moment, "Theresa" suddenly looked his way.
Just one glance, and Su'en instantly died on the spot.
However, there was no burst of blood.
Like a shattered mirror, his body dissolved into specks of light.
Yet, seeing this, "Theresa," who had just been self-satisfied, suddenly changed expression!
Clearly, She recognized the origin of this "mirage ability"!
***
And just as the giant eye formed in the sky, in a distant tower.
Although Mr. Mirror was not present on the battlefield, he too sensed that awe-inspiring power and knew exactly what it was.
After all, he was the only person in this realm who had seen a true "god"!
He murmured to himself, "The power of faith... finally resorting to this move, huh. Having used up the last bit of faith power without the divine fire, it seems She's preparing to flee back to the abyss."
With that thought, his figure vanished from the tower.