"Sinner with the Dark Mark, your soul shall be purified today." The pope's white robe flapped with the wind. He appeared extraordinarily righteous.
Claire immediately understood!
So this was the reason!
The Temple knew that she was the one with the Dark Mark, so they were to kill her at all costs.
Claire's knuckles were already pale, clenched so tightly her nails dug into her flesh, yet she did not notice. Her hand dripped with bright, piercing blood, dyeing it red.
Endless pain, sorrow, and anger swallowed Claire whole. She stared at the pope fixedly, her emerald eyes bloodshot, becoming more and more red. Her malevolent expression became even more terrifying.
"Tighten the net!" the pope ordered. He did not know why, but when faced with Claire's hateful gaze, he felt unease.
"Ahhhhhhhh" Claire roared into the sky suddenly, her voice filled with rage and grief. The sound pierced the night sky towards the horizon. Everyone's heart started to beat.
The pope's sense of unease grew stronger, but he could not care for it. He raised his hand high. With a flash of white light, a giant scepter appeared in his hand.
"Great goddess of light, please bestow upon me strength. Light of the sky, converge here…" The pop chanted quickly as he raised the scepter and point it at Claire, who was still trapped inside the net of light. At the end of the scepter, a ball of light appeared, gradually growing in size.
Claire looked up towards the sky, her gaze vacant. As she slowly stood up, Claire felt as if time stopped.
In an instant, Claire emitted golden light that grew until it engulfed her completely. The golden light looked so pure and holy that. Gradually, it became brighter than the white light of the net and the light at the tip of the scepter.
What was going on? The pope was taken aback. A final struggle?
The twelve cardinals could not bear the strong light and squinted, watching Claire. Clearly it was Claire who was being pressured by them, but why were the ones to feel uneasy them?
"Today, I will teach you what regret means!" Claire roared. She brandished her hand high. Suddenly, the devil net shattered. A golden flame snaked along the lines of the net towards the twelve cardinals, as if alive.
The next instant, there were multiple painful cries. Some cardinals did not even have the time to cry out before their chests became huge, bloody holes. You could see the trees behind them through their bodies.
Not even a trace of the net was left.
The pope's face ashened. He knew Claire would be hard to deal with, but did not expect it to be this difficult. Earlier, when she roared, it seemed her strength had increased. Did she ascend another level? A breakthrough? But the pope immediately cast away this thought. Impossible! She was already a sorcerer, what level could she ascend to? How could she make a breakthrough in such a situation? THe only possibility was that Claire was trapped beast! This was only her final struggle.
The pope relaxed slightly. He finished his incantation, then swung forward with all his might. The huge ball of light at the top of the scepter streaked towards Claire violently.
Claire laughed coldly, not intending to dodge at all. With a wave of her hand, a sword appeared!
It was the Azure Ripple blade!
Originally ordinary looking, the moment Claire drew the Azure Ripple blade, it radiated with light, then shattered to reveal its true form! The pattern on the hilt was ancient and profound, whereas the blade was abnormally sharp, imbued with a terrifying, cold hue.
This was the true appearance of the Azure Ripple blade! Only now could Claire use its true power!
The transformative Azure Ripple blade! An artifact!
Claire dashed forward. With one slash, she cut the giant ball of light in half!
Her expression cold, she passed through the remains of the ball of light, heading straight for the terrified pope. The two halfs struck the ground, boring two giant craters. Dirt and rocks flew, trees fell.
The pope dodged Claire's strike hastily.
The blade appeared wild and uncontrolled.
But in that instant, the pope felt as if the sword was very, very slow, so slow he could see the reflection of himself in the blade. The pope wanted to dodge, but realized he could now. He could only watch on with his eyes wide open as the blade struck his chest.
The Azure Ripple blade, glimmering with golden flame, slashed right into the pope's shoulder.
The pope's eyes were filled with shock, then turned pained. The power of the slash was not that simple! An unbearable burning pain spread throughout his entire body from his shoulder wound.
Roar!
It was still the pope, after all. With a roar, the scepter shot another ball of light towards Claire.
Her expression indifferent, Claire raised her sword. With a slight whish, a pair of golden wings extended behind her back. She flew up to avoid the pope's attack.
Now, the pope did not dare to be careless. The strange pain from his shoulder made him painfully aware. The overbearing pain surged through his body violently. He finally understood that Claire had indeed made another breakthrough at such a critical time!
What level was Claire at now?
The pope did not dare to be careless any more. There was only one way left for him to eliminate Claire.
The pope suddenly withdrew far away, then raised his hands towards the sky, a most devout expression on his face.
"Divine possession!"
Claire knew without thinking that the old fox was using some sort of last resort. How could she let him have the opportunity?
Her face icy, Claire dashed forward, sword raised, but was blocked by several white figures. They were cardinals. She turned to look and saw that the other cardinals that were still alive were also raising their hands to the sky like the pope with devout expressions.
Claire immediately understood that the cardinals before her were trying to stop Claire from preventing the others from finishing at all costs. These thoroughly brainwashed cardinals were using their lives and all their might to stop Claire and let the pope and the other few cardinals finish their incantations.
Once Claire struck flying the last cardinal, some of them had already finished their spell. Claire narrowed her eyes as she watched the eerie scene before her.
The cardinals who finished each grew a pair of pure white wings, their expressions cold, gaze icy. They held swords, shields, scepters. The pope also finished. He grew three pairs of pure white wings and had a silver bow!
Claire immediately understood. The "divine possession" allowed angels to possess their bodies in order to help them in battle. The cardinals had summoned angels with only one pair of wings whereas the pope had three pairs. The difference in power was clear.
"Lowly human, your black and ugly soul should not exist. Become ashes." The pope's voice changed. Compared to his previously elderly voice, this voice was much younger, only a little similar in that it was cold.
There were five cardinals who were possessed, six, considering the pope. Claire did not dare to be careless. The pressure the pope emitted was not that of a human any more. The six winged angel was very powerful! And archers were the natural enemies of magicians. But, in terms of close combat, archers were no match for warriors.
Claire gripped the Azure Ripple blade tightly, her eyes narrowing. The five cardinals encircled Claire with her in the center. The pope's pairs of wings flapped as he flew in mid air, making distance from Claire. To an Archer, distance was very important.
Three out of the five remaining cardinals were warriors. These three flew towards Claire and started to fight her. Claire was shocked. The cardinals were completely different from before. While the three cardinals fought Claire, the remaining two cardinals continuously cast attacking spells. Under their coordinated attacks, Claire could only barely defend.
What was the pope doing? The three cardinals were fighting her in close combat, so what could the pope, an archer, do? Claire blocked a sharp attack from behind as she mused. But immediately, Claire felt an abnormally intense aura from the cardinal before her. Claire cursed, but it was already too late. A ray of white light pierced through the cardinal like lightning, attacking Claire fiercely. The cardinals to the left and right of Claire immediately brandished their swords. Claire raised her sword to defend, but was not able to avoid the arrow. The arrow shot straight into Claire's should. Burning pain spread through her pain.
How malicious, going so far as to shoot dead a cardinal to hit Claire.
As the arrow pierced through the cardinal, his body flashed with white light. The angel that possessed him left, but the cardinal remained dead.
Their plan was not clear.
Suicide. No, it could be said that the cardinals were sacrificed, but the angles were perfectly unharmed. They had to kill her at all costs.
The next moment, Claire was moved. Her opponent would attack her with no regard to their lives. Their only goal was to slow Claire down. But there was no way Claire would let them have their way so easily.