Chapter 294: Chapter 140: Dawn, Sacrifice (2)
But clearly, this was nothing more than a slow death.
More and more Holy Professionals were struck by black lightning descending from the dark clouds. Their Power of Faith dissipated, the light vanished from their eyes, and their bodies turned a deathly pale as they stood frozen on the spot.
The army of Holy Professionals marching behind them saw this, their hearts filling with despair. They desperately wanted to flee far, far away from the Krimms Cathedral grounds.
"Hold on! Don’t panic! Trust in the protection of the Dawn! Trust that Lord Bishop Andrews and the candidate Kali will come to our rescue!"
A commander among the Holy Professionals shouted, encouraging everyone.
From the very rear, the support-class Holy Professionals periodically released their Power of Faith, concentrating it on the Guardian Knights and Ascetics at the front. The warm Dawn Holy Light instantly dispelled the fear, hesitation, and other negative emotions from their hearts.
"The night will pass, and the Dawn is eternal..."
Only the Demon Clown seemed displeased by the corpses in the square. His big red nose wrinkled grotesquely up to the space between his eyes as he stared viciously at the retreating Holy Professionals.
"Where is my audience?!"
"Keep my audience here! All of them! No, even just one would be fine!!"
"Damn it, you—uh, never mind..."
The Demon Clown noticed the massive phantom in the sky turn its gaze upon him. He instinctively recoiled and muttered a few words in Gonzalez.
The massive phantom looked at the Demon Clown’s bizarre posture, a sneer spreading across its face. "From the great Turing Empire... and you end up a clown. How very like you, Arnold."
Faintly hearing the voice, the Demon Clown picked up his pace, chasing after the Holy Professionals.
"Tina... I miss home..."
Meanwhile, the girl in mid-air paid no attention to any of this. Her gaze remained fixed on Krimms Cathedral.
As the Holy Professionals retreated, she was drawn by the black lightning into the square. The surrounding sinkholes and lava flows had already spread to the foot of the Cathedral.
But resisted by some unknown power, the Cathedral, which had stood for countless years, remained completely intact, not even showing a hint of a tremor.
Gradually, Tina seemed to grow impatient. For the first time, she waved her hands, redirecting several bolts of black lightning from the assault on the Holy Professionals and sending them crashing down upon the Cathedral.
ZZZT—
But the moment the lightning struck the walls, a layer of sacred light materialized above the Cathedral.
The phantom behind Tina stared at Krimms Cathedral with its enormous eyes, seeming to see right through it—the prayer hall, the empty confessionals, the pious faithful hiding deep in the catacombs, and, in the chapel...
"The Lord of Dawn..."
The phantom saw the statue in the chapel and seemed to sneer. It raised its hands, and terrifying Calamity Power surged from the void, transforming into bolts of black lightning that converged on the girl with white hair and black eyes.
"...Despair, darkness..."
Words in Gonzalez, each one imbuing the lightning with terrifying malice, caused black patterns to form across Tina’s body and face. Finally, an emblem with countless twisted, complex markings slowly materialized between her brows.
Tina calmly stared at a spot in the Cathedral, murmuring, "’Calamity. I am Calamity... an ill-omened vessel, the shadow that overturns the world. Brother, I... I might not be able to come back...’"
As her voice faded, the emblem was already deeply branded between her brows. Its black, lightning-like patterns twisted and overlapped to form the image of a vertical pupil.
"The Calamity Demon Eye... hehehe..."
Seeing her transformation, the massive phantom couldn’t help but smile. Its bell-like laughter echoed throughout the entire Caster City State.
A terrifying malice radiated outward from the Cathedral. The entire city state began to tremble, and fissures spiderwebbed across the ground, threatening to swallow Caster whole.
The dark clouds in the sky grew heavier, and the faint red moon vanished completely. The city state plunged into deeper darkness, illuminated only by flickering candlelight and the fiery glow of erupting lava.
"The Divine Prohibition Era. How ironic—"
For the first time, Tina’s expression shifted, her calm demeanor turning utterly glacial. She seemed indifferent to the chaos around her. As her hands danced, the lightning wings on her back transformed into long, black whips that lashed out at Krimms Cathedral. A bright image flickered in her black eyes—what looked like a fluffy stuffed doll.
"Tina... I miss home."
She brandished the Lightning Whips, smashing them against the Cathedral again and again, weakening the sacred light protecting it. Sections of the wall began to crumble away, thick stone blocks turning to dust and scattering into the air.
By now, the army of Holy Professionals that had been resisting her had long since fled the vicinity of the Cathedral. Despair was etched on every face as they foresaw the great Cathedral being reduced to rubble by the little girl’s power.
"Oh Dawn, please help us..."
"Dawn, we beseech you, send down your light..."
"Dawn!"
Guardian Knights, Ascetics, and support-class Holy Professionals alike all prayed desperately for a miracle.
"The Dawn’s arrival? He’s much too busy, why would He care about you? Better to just watch a show! Allow me to put on a splendid performance for you, hee hee ha ha..."
The Demon Clown continued his relentless pursuit, determined to turn them all into a worthy audience for his theatrical performance.
SNAP,
SNAP,
With two snaps of his left fingers, he suddenly materialized beside several paralyzed Guardian Knights. The dagger in his hand sliced across their throats as his other hand firmly steadied one of their heads.
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