Chapter 806: Outer Skirt Fight [3]

The world appeared to come to a sudden standstill.

Everyone seemed to stop at the same time as a terrifying pressure bore down on them. A quiet dread seeped through the silence, and moments later, a figure emerged, his form concealed beneath a deep red hood.

The sight nearly made me lose my focus, but I managed to maintain it.

’Anger. Sadness. Blindness. Deaf.’

BANG! BANG—!

The three before me continued to attack each other, their injuries growing more and more severe with each passing moment.

I paid no mind to the figure in the sky.

I knew what had to be done. I needed to make sure the people in front of me were hurt badly enough that they couldn’t interfere when the time came. Because deep down, I understood one thing clearly. I wouldn’t be able to face the man in the sky on my own.

’Just a little bit more...’

’Anger.’

’Anger.’

’Ang—’

"Haven’t you done enough?"

The voice came from above. It was soft, and yet, the moment it reached my ears, I found myself stopping on my tracks.

That was the moment I knew that my time was up.

BANG!

A powerful force slammed into my abdomen, sending me sliding backward across the surface of the water. It had only been a light touch, yet by the time I managed to steady myself, my lungs burned for air. Gasping, I lifted my gaze, and there he was, standing high above the sky, watching me.

’....I guess this is the difference between a Tier 8 and 9.’

He didn’t even move, and yet, he had been able to do this much to me.

"..."

A heavy silence hung in the air, the pressuring gaze sweeping the surroundings.

A look.

That was all it took for him to force Kiera, Evelyn, Aoife, Anne, and Leon away.

The attacks weren’t heavy, but they were enough to disrupt their momentum and ’save’ the Seats that were having a hard time against them.

Nevertheless, the damage had been done, and a lot of them had been weakened.

"...Be careful. That’s a Solarch."

Anne’s voice echoed quietly across the surroundings.

The atmosphere turned even tenser. Although the others weren’t all too familiar with the layout of the church, over the past few weeks, they had come to learn a little bit about how things worked around her, and they were naturally aware of what a Solarch was.

I was all too clear as well.

’Not that I didn’t expect it.’

There was just no way the Living Saint was going to send people without a backup plan in case things turned awry.

"Hmm."

The Solarch’s voice echoed quietly across the surroundings, his gaze sweeping the place once more, falling on me and the others one by one.

"You are all incredibly young."

Though his voice was calm, a thread of surprise and shock ran through it. None of us wore masks to hide our faces, so he could see us plainly.

"To be this strong at such an age..."

The shock merely lasted a few seconds before his face settled. He eventually raised his hand, the air shifting as a massive magic circle appeared before his hand, causing the hair at the back of my neck to rise.

’Shit!’

I wasn’t the first one to react.

It was indeed Kiera. In the next instant, several black pools spread beneath our feet, their surfaces rippling before pulling us in one by one. The surroundings turned completely dark a moment after, and by the time I regained my vision, a terrifying wave had erupted.

SPLASH!

The waves calmed down a moment later, but the lingering mana that spread in the air made my lungs burn with a heaviness that I couldn’t shake away.

’Holy fuck.’

"Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..."

Kiera’s breath was ragged, her face pale as she stood next to me. The others were also similarly next to me, staring at the spot where the attack had landed.

"I... I don’t know if I can do this a lot."

Kiera’s words shook me out of my thoughts as the Solarch’s attention focused on us once more, his eyes flickering beneath the hood as he raised his hand again. A ring gleamed on his finger as alarm bells rang in my mind.

"Quick!"

Kiera’s body turned dark again as she attempted to ’teleport’ us away once more, but the moment she tried, the pool beneath her wiggled and her face paled.

"Shit! I’m... I’m losing control of my mana."

The magic circle on the Solarch’s hand had already begun to form, a blinding light beckoning across the surroundings, blinding all of us present.

The next moment, a soft pulse swept through the air as the attack moved toward us.

’Shit!’

I cursed under my breath, feeling the heaviness of the attack.

I wanted to act, but Leon beat me to it. Taking a step forward, his eyes turned completely dark as all the stars contained within them faded. A sword materialized in his grasp a moment later, and taking a step forward, his entire body started to expand.

Aoife followed after, her hand pressing forward as several swords shot towards the attack.

Not wanting to be left behind, I also acted.

Holding the book in my hand, I looked at Leon before mumbling, ’Anger, Joy, Sight, Feel, Anger’.

Leon’s expression flickered for an instant, but he ignored it and charged straight at the incoming strike. His sword flashed with a sharp gleam as he let out a fierce cry and brought it down against the attack.

The two attacks met a moment later.

BAAAANG!

A thunderous ’clap’ reverberated in the air, the aftermath of the attacks pushing me and the others back.

"Ukh!"

"Uekh...!"

By the time I regained my balance and looked up, I saw Leon standing in the middle of the water, gripping his sword tightly with both hands. His appearance was haggard, his clothes disheveled and soaked, yet despite how rough he looked, he didn’t seem to have taken any serious damage. His gaze remained locked on the Solarch, steady and unwavering.

As he did, I couldn’t help but feel several gazes on me.

"...Let’s talk about it later."

They were all curious about the book in my hand.

Indeed, the book wasn’t only capable of casting curses, it could also aid those around me. In a sense, I had become a kind of "support" for the others. The boost it granted, however, wasn’t particularly strong, just enough to make a difference in the right moment.

The only issue was that it was quite burdensome on the mind.

"You managed to block that?"

The Solarch once again looked surprised, staring at all of us with a peculiar expression. He covered his mouth for a moment, seemingly thinking of something.

From the way he carried himself, it was obvious that he didn’t take all of us seriously.

’Or is he trying to buy time for the others?’

I looked at the Luminarch’s, and my expression soured.

It’d be bad if they all joined in once more.

I needed to act quickly.

"I... think I’ve recovered a little."

Kiera’s hoarse voice echoed from next to me as she took a couple of breaths.

"I should be able to send a couple in his direction, although he might probably feel it. I think we shou—"

The Solarch cut Kiera off.

Swooosh!

A blinding light engulfed the surroundings, flaring for only an instant. But when it faded, the expressions on everyone’s faces had changed.

"Fuck..."

"Shit."

I was no different.

Looking up, I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of different magic circles hovering in the air. They all rotated in the air, growing faster with each spin as the air grew heavier. The Solarch didn’t even give us time to breathe before pressing his hand down.

Almost a moment later, the magic circles activated, and it suddenly started to rain down.

"Quick!"

Kieara didn’t waste a second.

Flicking her hand, a black pool formed beneath me and Evelyn.

Leon, Anne, and Aoife, on the other hand, reacted. Holding onto her whip, Anne lashed out at the attacks. Leon slashed with his sword, and Aoife used all of her swords to block the incoming attacks.

Cra Crack!

Kiera’s face paled as the black pool beneath me and Evelyn flickered, Evelyn’s body tensing and paling as numerous muffled ’pops’ echoed from deep within her body, her hair raising at the same time.

"Hurry! I... can’t hold on for too long."

"I’m fucking trying!"

Kiera cursed at the top of her lungs, the black pool beneath our feet stabilizing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The air around us continued to crackle, Leon, Anne, and Aoife trying their best to stop the incoming attacks, but it was very clear that they were starting to lose ground as they were getting pushed back more and more.

Aoife’s body crackled further as her face grew paler and paler. Her face started to wince, thin bolts of lightning crackling around her body, and just when it seemed like she couldn’t hold it any longer, her entire body turned black.

My vision similarly turned black, and by the time the darkness faded, Evelyn and I appeared before the Luminarch.

Evelyn didn’t waste a single moment; the built-up momentum inside of her threatened to destroy her as her hair rose and her bolts flickered away from her eyes.

"Haaa—!"

A scream ripped out of her throat, a large magic circle forming above the Solarch as a terrifying thunder crackled down.

"..."

The Solarch appeared to have expected such an attack as he tried to block it, but it wasn’t like I was going to let him.

"Stop that."

My voice layered, a purple orb forming in the Solarch’s body.

The effect wasn’t immediate, but it was enough to make him hesitate for a split second.

That was all that we needed.

The lighting rained down, striking the Solarch directly.

Cracka!