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A deep blue, almost black, bolt of lightning shot out from the grand and spacious church, accompanied by an explosive roar.
That was a terrifying sonic boom!
And unlike a normal sonic boom, it seemed to be mixed with the wailing of the wind domain.
This was from Sea King Jahn Kottman!
.....
Aaron, under the illumination of the Crimson Eye, barely escaped the state of spiritual exhaustion. He supported his sore and swollen head, observing his surroundings, feeling a sense of urgency.
Arianna's historical projection had already dissipated. Without its hidden concealment, the commotion here could no longer be kept secret.
Not far away, at the very center of the battlefield, the severely wounded Weather Warlock, now completely mad, roared, gathering the surrounding mist, as if about to transform into some unspeakable Monster.
The Sun Chaser Scepter in Varna's hand surged with endless light, seemingly transforming into a Sun that had descended upon reality.
The Domain of Chasing Light enveloped the transforming Weather Warlock. Pure, scorching light, like that of a blazing Sun, dispersed the mist and forcefully interrupted the transformation.
Ricciardo had already closed his eyes at this moment. Drops of silver blood emerged from his body, and one mercury-colored complex symbol after another converged, instantly forming a huge, illusory, scaleless snake.
On the surface of this silver-white giant snake, dense patterns and symbols formed interconnected wheels, with different markers around each wheel.
With a cold, crimson gaze, the giant snake soared into the air, above the Weather Warlock, curled its body, and bit its own tail.
Its shadow enveloped him, like a mysterious and exaggerated wheel. An illusory river flashed past, and that small area of space seemed to be isolated from the outside world.
"Fate Cycle" caused the Weather Warlock, who had lost the ability to resist, to fall into a peculiar state. Time maintained a certain degree of flow, but was fixed within a certain range, cycling back and forth, maintaining balance and continuity.
Having realized that certain uncontrollable factors might emerge, Will Auceptin decisively sealed him first and handed him over to Varna.
Using his last bit of strength to disrupt the fate current of this space, he sent Ricciardo, whose eyes were bleeding, to Aaron's side, and said with a somewhat anxious tone:
"Hurry and leave. I can already feel it; that guy is coming soon."
Watching the giant snake's illusion completely dissipate into the air, and Varna disappear with the Sun Chaser Scepter and the Weather Warlock, Aaron breathed a sigh of relief.
He grabbed Ricciardo, whose condition was unknown, with his left hand, and crushed a dark gold rune with his right.
This was an interference rune Aaron had created himself above the dark gold mist, using the power of the Sefirah to respond to himself, which could disrupt any potential pursuit and investigation later on.
After doing all this, he looked at Astolfo, whose figure had emerged from the Spirit World, nodded, and then began his journey.
Feeling Aaron's aura rapidly disappearing in the Spirit World, Astolfo stood in the center of the half-collapsed valley. The complex patterns on his body gradually became illusory, as if some kind of shielding had been lifted, and an invisible fluctuation spread into the Spirit World.
Spiderweb-like cracks covered the void. A blood-yellow arm, wrapped in rags and filled with wriggling rotten flesh in its crevices, pierced through the Spirit World and violently grabbed at Astolfo.
Suddenly, a huge lightning bolt, illuminating the surrounding sea, struck down. Electric snakes began to dart around, followed by dense, silver-white lightning bolts, each with bared claws.
The lightning storm successfully blocked the huge arm reaching out of the Spirit World. Amidst a roar that made all living beings and spirits tremble, Astolfo's figure quietly disappeared.
As if pulled by some force, the deep black waves surged up, nearly 10 meters high!
These waves were like a wall created by a god, pushed by an invisible hand, surging towards the offshore mountains of Bansy Port.
This was the tsunami created by Sea King Jahn Kottman!
This could already be called a Calamity!
Although he was still some distance away from here, he, who could already control this sea area, could exert influence from afar while en route!
This was a Sequence 3, a Saint close to the Angel rank!
Upon sensing the aura highly similar to that of the Rose School of Thought, he did not hesitate and immediately attacked with full force.
The sound of crashing waves, like an explosion, woke all the travelers and residents in Bansy Port from their sleep.
Looking at the sky covered by silver-white lightning, the swirling dark clouds, and the giant waves outside, they felt as if Apocalypse from mythical legends had arrived, and all fell into a state of panic.
Inside the giant waves created by the tsunami, a fundamental illogical and unscientific chaos appeared. An indescribable vortex rapidly formed, tearing at the whole, causing the terrifying waves to collapse with astonishing speed!
A giant sword, seemingly condensed from the light of dusk, emerged from the vortex. Accompanied by chaotic and violent aura, silver armor with mottled bloodstains appeared on the arm holding the giant sword.
The terrifying lightning storm struck the armor without causing a ripple. As the giant sword slashed out, an orange-yellow and brown mixed sword light cut through layers of tsunami and sped towards the distance.
Perhaps the object that attracted him disappeared, or perhaps it was due to the limitations of the Spirit World itself; after delivering this strike, the terrifying arm retracted back into the Spirit World.
A few minutes later, Jahn Kottman, enveloped in lightning and holding the Sealed Artifact with code name 0-23, the "Staff of Divine Punishment," appeared on the seaside mountain that had been completely destroyed by the aftermath of the battle.
There was a bone-deep wound on his left arm. The orange-yellow power mixed with black light clung to the wound like a maggot, eroding against the flickering silver-white electric arcs.
Jahn Kottman closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, discovering that not only was the Spirit World of this area completely chaotic, but even the aura that might have remained was completely covered by the aura of that terrifying creature just now.
Besides the surging anger, there was also an inexplicable sense of powerlessness. Suddenly, his spiritual perception stirred, and he instinctively turned his gaze to his side and back.
There, a flash of light and shadow, and an illusory Door emerged, from which a figure stepped out.
The figure wore a simple and plain linen robe and had long silver hair.
He was a male, with gentle features, a beautiful face, and eyes that held a hint of indifference within their tenderness, as if observing fate and every person in the world from a bystand's perspective.
Behind him, layers of pure, illusory wings formed by light spread outwards, obscuring the red moon.
A hint of surprise flashed across Jahn Kottman's still-angry face, his pupils constricted, and his mind quickly recalled the texts recorded within the Church of the Lord of Storms, accessible only to Archbishops and other members of the Sacred Synod:
"Angel of Fate! The Tail-Devourer, Ouroboros!"
"The King of Angels who believes in the True Creator!"
Jahn Kottman, already injured, did not bother to consider why this terrifying existence had appeared here. He raised the "Staff of Divine Punishment" and simultaneously chanted the honorific name of Pope Gaard II of the Church of the Lord of Storms in his mind.
Even if he, holding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, could contend with ordinary Angels, this clearly did not include the one standing opposite him, and only an Angel could truly unleash the full power of a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Ouroboros did not care what the Archbishop of the Church of the Lord of Storms did. For him, who had accommodated two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, and with the gods of the Fifth Epoch having retreated to the Astral World, the Church of the Lord of Storms would not actively provoke him.
Looking down at the shattered valley, a shimmering river appeared simultaneously in both his eyes, encircling the entire area.
Silently, the valley that had been destroyed in the lightning storm reappeared. Suddenly, the illusory river was violently disturbed.
The auras of several Angels mixed together, and the recently reset scene shattered, returning to its ravaged state after the great battle.
The Tail-Devourer Ouroboros watched quietly, motionless for a long time, a slight curve on his lips, as if he had discovered something interesting:
"Bansy… Medici… Will Auceptin…"
A beam of light composed entirely of lightning broke through the swirling dark clouds, accompanied by a fear-inducing thunder, and landed beside Jahn Kottman, transforming into a human figure.
He wore a triple crown inlaid with sapphires, emeralds, and other gemstones, and a deep blue, almost black, robe.
Embroidered on it with gold and silver threads were symbols of lightning, storms, and the ocean, exuding a profound and majestic aura, giving the feeling of an impending great storm.
It was indeed a Grounded Angel, the spokesperson of the Storm Lord, Pope Gaard II, who had governed the Privy Council for nearly a century.
The "Staff of Divine Punishment" actively delivered itself into his hand, behaving completely unlike a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
At the same time, Ouroboros also slightly turned his head to look at His Holiness the Pope, his indifferent pupils no longer showing any outward emotion.
-----------------
East Tucker County, Loen, Osel, East Tucker Manor.
Aaron returned here, holding Ricciardo, whose eyes were bleeding, completing the final disruption through Astolfo's connection with the terrifying existence in the Spirit World.
As long as they didn't actively expose it, no one would know that the East Tucker Family had obtained a Sequence 2 Beyonder characteristic.
Thinking this, Aaron looked at Ricciardo, who had regained consciousness, and his hand, which had grown some silver-white scales, with some concern, and couldn't help but ask:
"Councilor, your eyes…"
Ricciardo's eyes were tightly closed, blood flowing down his cheeks. He skillfully took out a black cloth, re-covering his eyes, and said in a relaxed, even matter-of-fact tone:
"This is a necessary backlash. All gifts of fate require a price."
"I am already a Demigod, and the Speaker bore part of the backlash for me, so this injury is only temporary. I will recover in at most a month."
Ricciardo coughed twice, and said in a hoarse voice:
"I'll have to trouble Earl Your Highness during this time. My power is a bit out of control; anyone who enters a certain range of me will be afflicted with bad luck."
Aaron was stunned for a moment and did not feel any so-called bad luck. He then nodded. The reason he returned to East Tucker County was because he considered Ricciardo's condition unsuitable for the perilous Southern Continent.
After settling the Councilor and explaining the precautions, Aaron went directly to the underground hall of the Ancestral Tower.
As soon as he entered the hall, covered in red copper rust, a strong aura of iron and blood, accompanied by a terrifying, almost tangible pressure, assailed him.
Aaron's steps paused slightly. He saw Varna, dressed in classical full armor, with red hair and brown eyes, standing in the center of the hall. The entire hall was enveloped by an ancient array pattern.
The Sun Chaser Scepter, entirely crimson gold, like the Sun, was plunged into a silver-white and blood-red intertwined ball of light, which was also the center of the entire array.
"The decree array patterns left by my Imperial Father are buried here, which can help me suppress and wear down that Weather Warlock. With your Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, even if the corruption he suffered is of a high rank, we can obtain his Beyonder characteristic in at most a week."
Emphasizing the words "Grade 0 Sealed Artifact," Varna said with a half-smile:
"Not only that, that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact can also extract additional Beyonder characteristics of Sequence 3 and below. No wonder the Demigod Beyonder characteristics you gave the family before were so pure."
Aaron coughed dryly. Still unsure how to explain, he simply feigned ignorance.
Without pressing for details, Varna pointed to the Sun Chaser Scepter:
"I will keep this Sealed Artifact for now. You can come back and retrieve it in a week."
Aaron nodded. After leaving the underground hall, he began his journey, teleporting several times before finally returning to Saint Annes in the Southern Continent.
-----------------
The intersecting sea area of the Berserk Sea and the Fog Sea, Seros Island, Port Area.
Anderson covered his face with his hat, propped his legs on a chair, and listened to William-Blake's shouting nearby. He clicked his tongue and said:
"I didn't expect that after all this, it's still you accompanying me. I didn't realize our friendship was so deep."
William-Blake, his face full of black lines, stopped shouting:
"I'm a Sequence 6 Notary, not some nobody. Anyone you ask in the Oladk Islands would know I've been hanging out with you lately."
"I've boarded your pirate ship, and I can't escape now. If I couldn't beat you, I'd want to tie you up and send you to those Lunatics from the Iron and Blood Cross Order."
Anderson shrugged carelessly:
"I've said it before, their brains seem to have been eaten by Zombies. Even Demigods, aren't they still easily played around by me? I shook them off quite easily."
"Don't worry, I'm the strongest Hunter in the Fog Sea. I can definitely lead you to the treasure in the divine battle ruins. Hehe, by then…"
Just as he was about to instill some more of his toxic wisdom into this wavering crew member, Anderson seemed to sense something. He flipped his hat onto his head and sat up.
A beautiful lady, wearing a white linen shirt and a dark red coat, appeared at the dock.
Her dark, charming curly hair was tied up high, wrapped in a white headscar. She wore well-fitting beige trousers, and her figure was tall and slender, yet graceful.
As she looked around, her eyes occasionally lost focus, appearing hazy and particularly alluring.
"Is this… a Demoness?"
Anderson, curiously observing the lady and sensing the strong sense of temptation, curved his lips into a sunny smile and walked towards her.
Tracy, who had recently advanced to Sequence 5 Demoness of Afflictions with the help of her Mother, Katarina Pelle, felt a surge of murderous intent within her as she sensed the man walking towards her, his gaze blatant, as if he were observing a rare animal.
Then, remembering her mission and sensing that the other party's Sequence might not be lower than her own, she forcefully suppressed her distorted desire for slaughter and decided to enter the island as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, Anderson and Tracy turned almost simultaneously, looking towards the northern sea area of Seros Island. A huge naval fleet appeared on the horizon, slowly approaching, with the East Tucker Family crest hanging from the flagship.
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