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At the military zone where the Intis Military was stationed, a thick curtain of shadows silently enveloped the area. The darkness and shadows here instantly became viscous and deep, causing those within its range to unconsciously conjure various Fallen thoughts.
As soon as the Fallen thoughts emerged, they were quickly separated, transforming into drops of black, viscous liquid that fell, instantly merging with the surrounding shadows, forming strange, uncontrollable creatures.
As soon as they appeared, they launched a frenzied attack on the people around them.
A bright, blazing spear of flame instantly fell from mid-air, piercing a monster three to four meters tall that had merged with a large number of Fallen thoughts.
Boom!
A huge explosion instantly resounded throughout the entire military zone, and the blazing red light rapidly spread, incinerating the strange, mutated, and Fallen creatures one by one.
After being killed, the monsters did not directly disappear; instead, they disintegrated into a dark black puddle and quickly merged into the surrounding shadows, making the power of the Fallen and defiled even more concentrated for a time.
The surrounding shadows and darkness continuously wriggled, surging like a flood, and soon formed three giant snake-like heads. They were covered in black, cold scales, with only two clusters of deep Red Light flickering in their eyes, as if condensing infinite malice.
The aura of the Fallen and defiled domain instantly permeated, causing the Intis Military, already eroded by various Fallen thoughts, to completely lose any will to resist.
The surrounding blazing flames instantly condensed and reorganized, forming a figure with flowing red hair. He stared coldly at the three-headed great snake in front of him, his throat wriggling, and he let out a cold snort by exhaling through his nostrils:
"Hmph!"
A strange power spread with the sound. The surrounding Intis soldiers seemed to have their courage ignited, and the constantly lingering Fallen thoughts in their minds were instantly suppressed.
The aura of the entire army instantly became cohesive, forming a continuous whole. They seemed to have transformed into a single entity, with invisible flames flowing among them, stirring courage and connecting their wills.
The next moment, the shadows beneath them came alive, surging like a flood, tightly entangling every soldier around them.
These shadows, separated from them, seemed to be a part of them. As the shadows came alive, their spirits lost their integrity, and the close connection and blazing aura that had united the entire army uncontrollably slipped away.
In mid-air, specks of starlight flew out from the void and quickly condensed into a mysterious, dark blue gate covered in enigmatic patterns. The other side of the gate appeared dim and dark, deep and hollow, with no clear view of the specific scene.
The Saint of Secrets, Botis, dressed in a mysterious black robe, walked out of the gate. A constantly flipping book was reflected in his deep eyes, and he chanted in a low voice:
"I come, I witness, I record."
The book in his eyes flipped faster and faster, and starlight continuously sprinkled around him, quickly condensing and taking shape, becoming a dark, ancient horn, imbued with an extremely heavy and powerful essence.
This was a Mystical Reenactment he had recorded from Leyton, the "Miraculous Horn," also known as the Horn of Destruction.
He gently brought the horn to his lips, then blew it forcefully. A hollow, low hum instantly echoed around, and with the superposition of sound waves, everything around began to collapse and shatter, and even space itself showed black cracks.
Fireballs instantly appeared from all directions, smashing towards Botis in mid-air. These fireballs converged in mid-air, turning into a gigantic, blazing white fireball.
The enormous fireball whistled past Botis, scorching the scattered, slightly curly brown hair on his forehead to a withered yellow, and making his exposed skin somewhat dry and red.
The huge fireball went straight into the sky, disappearing from sight, and layers of dark clouds quickly emerged and gathered in mid-air.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Streaks of silvery-white lightning then fell, splashing patches of silvery-white electric arcs with strong numbing effects on the ground.
Under the gaze of six deep red eyes, the figure shrouded in flames clenched his right fist and pounded his chest. A layer of bright dawn instantly permeated the surroundings, quickly converging into a thick wall that blocked the silvery-white electric arcs striking down from the sky.
The three giant snake-like heads covered in black, cold scales hissed rhythmically, one after another. With their movements, the surrounding wind became disturbed.
Violent wind collided with the air, creating explosive sounds. Terrifying, visible hurricanes appeared, swirling and coiling, and uncontrollable tornadoes suddenly rose from the ground, sweeping all people and objects into mid-air.
The army, which had maintained a silent formation, instantly fell into disarray. The thick wall formed by the bright dawn was also torn apart by the tornado, and the Intis soldiers swept into mid-air were like helpless leaves blown away, liable to be torn to shreds at any moment.
In mid-air, Botis gave up blowing the Horn of Destruction. His figure constantly flickered in the howling tornado, dodging the attacks of the Iron-Blooded Knight from the Intis Military while searching for an opportunity.
"Exile!" In the gaps between the flying fireballs and flame spears, Botis finally seized the opportunity to use his Beyonder ability.
With the creation of an illusory door, the Iron-Blooded Knight, unable to control his body well in the tornado, was dragged by several solidified shadows and thrown into the chaotic flow of time and space behind the door.
As the Iron-Blooded Knight, who was the center of the army, was exiled, the cohesive momentum that had united the army instantly vanished.
Botis's figure rapidly flickered in the tornado, leaving behind a series of afterimages, each releasing completely different magical abilities.
For a time, frost, flames, and lightning intertwined in the strong winds.
Although there were many Beyonders in the Intis army, under the combined attack of two demigods, they were simply unable to put up effective resistance.
Outside the Axis Cathedral, located in Loth City on the south bank of the Paz River Valley, the headquarters of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery for proselytizing in West Balam.
Leomaster stood with a gentle expression at the main entrance of the cathedral. He had deep wrinkles on his forehead, at the corners of his eyes, and around his mouth, but his hair was dark and shiny, without a single silver strand, and his eyes were deep, showing no obvious emotion.
Behind him, the ascetic Snowman, dressed in an extremely simple white robe, quietly followed, holding a picture frame covered with black cloth in his clasped hands.
He had almost no presence, yet he gave off an extremely dangerous, unignorable feeling.
Inside the Axis Cathedral, an elder wearing a light brown robe embroidered with gears and bearings slowly walked out.
His short, silver hair was meticulously neat, his features were gentle, his face was gaunt, his skin was full and lustrous, and there was no beard around his lips, making him look more like a well-preserved nobleman than a church bishop.
He was Kadir Muster, a high deacon of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery responsible for Southern Continent affairs, and also the Archbishop of the Axis Cathedral.
Kadir calmly surveyed Leomaster and Snowman, who were blocking the entrance of the Axis Cathedral, and spoke in a calm and composed tone:
"The New Church? You've been very active among the common people lately? What do you intend to do? Expel the Intis Military and establish a new regime in the Paz River Valley?"
Leomaster slightly curved his lips, speaking like an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time:
"I am the person in charge of the New Church's affairs in West Balam, the Black Saint, Leomaster."
"I have no particular opinion of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, nor do I mind you continuing to proselytize here, but our allies bear some hostility towards you, so I'm here to ask you to leave the Paz River Valley area."
"The Black Saint? You are indeed members of the Aurora Order!"
Kadir, standing at the cathedral entrance, murmured thoughtfully, his gaze directed towards the encampment of the Intis Military. The storm and firelight there had been ongoing for a while, and it seemed the Intis Military was at a disadvantage.
His gaze quickly retracted, turning instead to Snowman, who stood quietly behind Leomaster, and to the picture frame covered with black cloth that he held in his hands.
He pulled a cold smile onto his face and said in an icy voice:
"This is the Axis Cathedral. Under the gaze of my Lord, do you think you can force us to abandon this place with just one Saint and one unique Sealed Artifact?"
"This is indeed a Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, but His gaze cannot reach here. You can stop me, but this Sealed Artifact can also cleanse all life from the entire Axis Cathedral within that time."
Leomaster stated calmly, without a hint of emotion.
Kadir's gaze became solemn. He slightly tilted his head and distorted a gold-cased pocket watch-like object hanging around his neck, revealing the monocle embedded in a golden circular frame in the center.
Like an old professor with presbyopia, he unhurriedly placed the monocle over his right eye.
The surrounding scene suddenly changed in his eyes. The originally somewhat bright crimson moonlight was obscured by a thick, invisible curtain of shadows.
This curtain of shadows isolated the cosmos, blocked the astral world, and segmented the spirit world, severing the connection between the Paz River Valley and reality in both a physical and mystical sense.
Kadir's eyes showed surprise and disbelief, mixed with some fear, as he exclaimed:
"True Creator! How could He unleash such a degree of power!"
"Do you Aurora Order members intend to sacrifice the entire Paz River Valley?"
Leomaster calmly gazed at the somewhat flustered Kadir, chuckling as he spoke:
"My Lord is benevolent; He loves every life equally."
"Do not use your narrow perspectives and thoughts to speculate on the great Lord; this is a great disrespect."
"If it weren't for the concern that the battle between us would affect the innocent lives around, the shadows would have already submerged this Axis Cathedral before you even reacted."
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