Elena's words allowed Lin Qingyue to fully untangle the threads of the matter.
No wonder an Evil God whose core tenets were desire, flesh, and corruption commanded a mechanized force with such a starkly different, steampunk-industrial aesthetic.
It was not a creation of the Mother of Rebirth at all.
Rather, it was the "divine legacy" that He had failed to fully digest after the Great Feast.
The Evil God had forcibly seized the authority and followers of the God of Machinery and Creation, yet He could not erase the "Order" and "Logic" embedded in their faith's core.
Thus, "prisoners" like Elena, who retained a sliver of lucidity amidst the conflicting beliefs, were born, as was the Steam Magitech Mecha Legion, whose core directives had been twisted by desire, turning them from "defenders" into "destroyers."
"Where is the Prophet?"
Lin Qingyue asked the most critical question, "Where is he?"
Elena's expression grew even dimmer. She shook her head, her voice saturated with a profound sense of helplessness.
"I have never seen his true form. He is like a ghost, existing only in magical projections, optimizing the Mother of Rebirth's teachings from on high and issuing orders to us."
"He has perfectly integrated the arcane arts of 'Corporate Management' and 'User Psychology' into the Evil God's faith system, elevating the entire cult's operational efficiency and the believers' fanaticism to an unimaginable level."
Elena looked at Lin Qingyue, the despair in her eyes almost taking on a physical form.
"In a sense, he is the true 'God' of this City of Corruption."
"I don't even know if my waiting here today is my own will, or just a part of a script he wrote long ago."
Before her words could even fade.
"Duang!"
With a deafening roar, the church's heavy door, crafted from Holy Oak and strong enough to withstand a battering ram, was kicked open from the outside by an unparalleled force!
The hinges groaned shrilly as the entire massive door tore from its frame, turning into a rain of shattered wood and dust that slammed onto the church's mirror-smooth floor.
Lin Xiyue stepped forward.
[Blackstone's Protection] stood firmly before her, its deep earthy-yellow runes instantly lighting up to form an indestructible barrier, blocking all impact and debris from the outside.
In the dust-filled doorway, a tall and imposing figure slowly emerged.
He was covered in a set of top-tier Paladin Armor that shimmered with light, with intricate Holy Light runes engraved at every joint.
He wielded a Great Sword of exaggerated design, its blade swirling with Holy Flame and radiating a heart-stopping pressure.
Beneath short blonde hair was a handsome face etched with arrogance and mockery.
Behind him followed a team of equally well-equipped Professionals, complete with a Mage, Ranger, and Priest, clearly an elite squad with seamless coordination.
"Caught you at last, you rats."
The blonde Paladin slung his Great Sword onto his shoulder and swept his gaze across the four people in the church as if looking at trapped beasts, his lips curving into an exaggerated grin.
"Oh, right, the 'Prophet' asked me to convey his greetings."
"He says... he's very grateful you walked right into his trap, providing the final sacrifices for this grand Purification ceremony."
He looked at the stunned Elena and gave a flirtatious whistle.
"And you, Bishop Elena, you did a great job."
"I think the 'Mother Goddess' will be very pleased to leave your body in the confession booth while your soul completely merges with Her Flesh Divine Kingdom, as a reward for your final worth."
The color instantly drained from Elena's face.
Her body trembled slightly. She looked at the unwelcome guests at the door, then at Lin Qingyue and the others, before her lips finally curved into a desolate and self-mocking smile.
Indeed.
From start to finish, she had been nothing more than a disposable pawn.
The so-called "waiting for the right opportunity," the so-called "longing for liberation," were nothing but pre-set programs designed by the mastermind.
Her greatest tragedy was that even her own sorrow was scripted.
"Jack, cut the crap."
Behind the Paladin, a female Mage spoke coldly, "Don't forget the Prophet's warning. These people are not simple. End this quickly."
"I know, I know."
The Paladin named Jack waved his hand impatiently, his face full of disdain.
"A bunch of rookies who haven't even touched the Intermediate threshold, how could they be anything but simple?"
"Just watch. Let me show you what the Absolute Power of the Free World truly is!"
He slammed his Great Sword into the ground, clenched both fists, and assumed a starting posture for a charge.
The Holy Light Energy throughout his body erupted, as brilliant as a miniature sun!
"Taste the Number One Paladin's [Holy Charge]!"
With a roar, Jack's figure turned into a golden streak of light that tore through the air. Carrying an irresistible force meant to crush everything, he charged straight at Lin Xiyue.
He was supremely confident. At the Novice level, no one could withstand this strike head-on!
However, Lin Xiyue didn't even lift an eyelid.
Her gaze was as calm as ice, her legs rooted to the ground like an ancient pine.
Just before the golden streak of light was about to collide with the shield, her wrist dipped slightly, and [Blackstone's Protection] swung out in a graceful arc from right to left.
A dazzlingly brilliant golden arc of light appeared with it!
[Golden Parry]!
"Bang!"
A muffled thud, completely unlike the sound of metal clashing, exploded in the empty church.
Jack only felt his entire strength collide with a Wall of Sighs!
That incomparable impact force, on that ancient shield, along a strangely smooth runic trajectory, was perfectly deflected, guided, and then...
With double the force, it was violently returned upon him!
Under the horrified gazes of his teammates, this insufferable "Number One Paladin," with twice the speed he had come with and in an even more wretched posture, screamed as he was sent flying backward.
"Bang!"
He turned into a human cannonball, crashing heavily into his stunned teammates, bowling them over like a rolling gourd.
The entire battlefield fell into a momentary deathly silence.
"Just this?"
Lin Xiyue finally looked up, her tone carrying a hint of well-placed disappointment.
"Number One? I thought he'd be more impressive."
"Attack."
Su Wan's voice remained cool and clear, but the two words she spoke carried bone-chilling killing intent.
She tapped her staff lightly on the ground.
In an instant, a deep blue torrent of frigid air swept out from her!
The moisture in the air instantly condensed into frost, and a layer of crystal-clear thin ice rapidly spread across the cathedral's floor, walls, and pillars.
[Glacial Domain]!
The entire cathedral was instantly transformed into an ice cave.
The bone-piercing cold seeped into their marrow. Those American Professionals who had just struggled to crawl back up found their movements instantly sluggish and stiff, and even their Magic Power flow became sluggish.
"Whoosh!"
A silent black arrow, piercing precisely through a gap in the crowd, nailed into the throat of a Priest who was just about to chant a group buff spell.
The Priest's eyes bulged, and before he could even scream, he clutched his throat and fell stiffly, vanishing into a streak of white light.
Xia Lian retracted [Dark Night Starwhisper], her figure merging back into the shadows.
And Lin Qingyue finally moved.
She didn't even look at the struggling enemies, just tapped her staff lightly on the ground, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Oh dear, how can our distinguished guests be in such a pitiful state?"
She didn't chant, only condensed a ball of the purest Holy Light in her palm, then tossed it into the air.
This gentle, completely harmless sphere of light rose and hovered over Jack and his disheveled teammates, illuminating the terrified, astonished, and humiliated expressions on their faces with perfect clarity.
This spotlight was more insulting than any physical attack.
"My, it seems your 'Power of Freedom' isn't very suited to the 'laws of physics' over here."
The battle, from the moment it began, had already ended.
In the face of absolute strength suppression and flawless team coordination, Jack's so-called "elite" squad was as fragile as glass.
In less than thirty seconds, amidst the chaotic light of various life-saving items, Jack and his team were unceremoniously "sent" out of the Dungeon, leaving a scene of utter devastation behind.
Silence returned to the Church once more.
Lin Qingyue looked at Elena, whose expression was complex, her gaze shifting from despair to shock.
"They came so quickly. It seems you are under constant high-intensity surveillance."
The moment her words fell.
A sharp, piercing alarm tore through the night sky of Winred City, echoing throughout the entire City of Corruption!
Woo— Woo— Woo—!
Outside the Church, countless chaotic footsteps began to gather, like an approaching storm.
The heavy, uniform sound of machinery running grew closer and closer, as if an army of steel was marching in.
Countless fanatical roars that had lost all reason were surrounding this place from all directions, like a rising tide.
The real party was only just beginning.