............"Yes, now they won't be able to escape unless they strike the barrier with double the force needed to break it!" Thaddeus Lumara said with a smug smile, pride evident in his tone."Good. Let's tighten the noose," Rajendra Chauhan said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the chaos unfold. "We can't let any of them escape."Thaddeus Lumara nodded, signaling his men to advance. The barrier shimmered faintly, slowly closing in on the Starcrest Family grounds.The Holy Knights, emboldened by the barrier's protection, pressed their attack harder.Inside the Starcrest grounds, the Starcrest men were struggling. Despite their fierce resistance, they were being overwhelmed."Vice Head, we're surrounded!" one of his men shouted, desperation in his voice."We have no choice but to hold our ground!" Malik barked back, refusing to show any fear. "Keep fighting! Reinforcements will come!"But deep down, Malik knew the situation was dire. The Starcrest grounds were their last refuge, and
............Thaddeus's Divine Tool had already lost four petals, leaving only a single petal."Swiish... Bammm... Swiish... Boomnn!!""Boommmn... Craaack!"In a decisive moment, Celestius found an opening. With a swift, powerful strike, he brought his weapon down on Thaddeus. The powerful aura shield Thaddeus had dissipated as he blocked the attack, losing its last petal."Thump...!!"Thaddeus fell to the ground, drained of all his energy.The battlefield fell silent, all eyes on Celestius as he stood victorious. His presence radiated hope and strength, and the Starcrest men rallied with renewed vigor."Fight on, Starcrest!""Hooooohhhh!!" The remaining Starcrest men shouted with zeal, despite being tired and injured, or coughing up blood.Malik shouted, his voice filled with triumph, "Victory is within our grasp!"Meanwhile on the Everglen Family grounds,"Bammmnn...Booommn...Ahhhh...!!"Aarav arrived at the mansion after decimating several dozen beasts on his way through the fores
............Yet he wondered how Elowen knew about the situation in Quartzgate City when even Pope Aurelius only knew because Bishop Dominic had informed him.He became curious about this Dark Dan she spoke of. From her tone, Aarav could guess that it wasn’t anything good, seeing the malevolent energy surrounding the figure."Swiish...Bamnn...!!"The malevolent figure moved with inhuman speed, his attacks precise and deadly. Aarav could barely keep up, his body screaming in protest with each parry and counter.Despite being equal in strength, Aarav started to lag behind due to fatigue and exhaustion. But he still fought on, as he had no choice but to keep this malevolent figure occupied and try to analyze his weakness.Aarav knew he had to end this quickly. He couldn't afford to let the malevolent figure wear him down.Gathering his remaining strength, he waited for the right moment. As the malevolent figure lunged again, Aarav dodged to the side, bringing his light dagger up in a sw
............Aarav was beyond pissed, trying to repeatedly stop a crazed opponent. He was done holding back; he was ready to kill her, seeing she was beyond saving."Ah... Swoosh... Bam!"Elowen attacked again with sinister energy. Aarav deflected it, sending a shockwave back at her."Boom!"Elowen staggered, her momentum broken. Aarav seized the opportunity, closing the distance between them in an instant."Swish!"He brought his dagger down, aiming for Elowen's shoulder. She barely managed to deflect it with a barrier of malevolent energy, but the force of the blow sent her reeling."Swish... Bam!"Aarav pressed his advantage, striking with swift, precise movements that left Elowen struggling to keep up."Boom... Ah!"With a powerful strike, Aarav broke through Elowen's defenses, his dagger cutting through the dark energy that surrounded her. Elowen cried out in pain, stumbling back as the light dagger pierced her shoulder."Thud... Ah!"She fell to the ground, clutching her wound,
............The woman nodded slowly, allowing Serena to help her to her feet. Serena signaled to a nearby holy knight to escort the woman and immediately set up a temporary area where they could give her counseling.Cardinal Serena then approached other people who were also overwhelmed by despair. She spoke to them in a soothing tone, offering comfort and hope.Cardinal Serena not only had the gift of healing but also Persuasive Oratory, a talent that made her speeches and seminars deeply moving and inspiring, able to strengthen people's faith.So Cardinal Serena was the right person for this job, and she excelled in helping those who had lost hope and were on the verge of losing themselves.Meanwhile, Pope Aurelius was directing the holy knights and men from Lumara, Chauhan, and Moonshroud Family who had surrendered to Aarav, ensuring that aid was distributed efficiently.He also asked them to use their family resources and contact construction companies immediately to start rebuil
............"Hahaha... leader, we thank you in advance for your generosity. We, Servants of the Scourge, are grateful for being chosen for this mission. Please let us know if there's anything else we can do for you!" Nineteen men stood up, bowing to him, expressing their humble gratitude and trying to curry favor.He was the sole Acolyte of the Blight present, and the rest were lower in rank. They knew they had to please him if they wanted to climb the ladder in the organization.Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, filled with a chaotic swirl of dark energies.The leader, now basking in the respect of the Servants of the Scourge, allowed a sinister smile to spread across his face. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction."Very well," he said, his voice filled with a chilling authority. "With the success of our mission, the Cult of the Plague God will be pleased with our progress. We have shown our enemies the true power of chaos and terror."The mention of their cult's name sent a ripple o
............"Ahhh...this is...!" New strings of information flooded Aarav's brain. The locket around his neck was also shining. If he weren't occupied with the headache and the influx of new information, he might have noticed this.Aarav struggled to stay conscious as the searing pain in his head grew stronger. Every part of him urged him to give in, but he fought to stay awake.Through the haze of pain, fragments of new knowledge began to form clear thoughts. It felt like ancient wisdom was flooding his mind, each piece part of a larger puzzle he couldn't yet see.As the pain slowly faded, Aarav's breathing slowed. "Phew...!" he exhaled as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but it quickly cleared.The locket around his neck had dimmed, its brief glow fading as if it had served its purpose.Pope Aurelius and the Cardinals stood up, their eyes wide with astonishment."My Lord," the Pope said, his voice trembling with awe, "What just happened? The divine energy...it
............"Ohh... it's that old? I didn't know," Pope Aurelius said, shocked by the revelation. He had no idea the records were so ancient.Just like the previous Pope guarded the treasury before him, he had been doing his duty without knowing much about the history of their own organization, let alone the world. He only knew a little from the five record books he could read."Let's find some more books similar to this one!" Aarav said before he put down the book on the table and looked into other shelves.After spending some time searching through the books, Aarav, with the help of Pope Aurelius, who could only use the illustrations to make sense of them, found about ten books."Hmm, even though some of these records have deteriorated, I can make do with them," Aarav said, looking at the ten books on the table. As he flipped through one, he noted their aged condition."Hmm, should I fetch you some new sturdy materials so you can record on them?" Pope Aurelius asked, glancing at t