As the Pope, a transcendent powerhouse, naturally capable of overseeing all directions and listening to every corner, upon hearing the blasphemous words spoken by Jiang Han, a disdainful expression formed on his lips, as if he wished to crush him with the Papal Scepter in his hand.
"Bestowal?"
"You insignificant creature, the Lord wishes for you to go to hell!"
"Considering your age, refrain from agitating your liver and gallbladder," chuckled Lorei, with eerie and unsettling emerald pupils, "Just a mere Six-Winged Celestial Angel; the Lord does not care."
"You!"
The Pope's gaze turned icy, suppressing his anger.
Currently, he couldn't afford to quarrel with Lorei. As the "Evil Curse," Lorei possessed too many bizarre means. With his extremely malevolent personality, a face-off could lead to immense calamity due to the vengeful nature of the Bright Church.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the heavens and earth trembled.
Just as Jiang Han was about to inspect his equipment, his attention was drawn towards the gradually floating body of Uriel. A radiant brilliance erupted from him, forming a dense golden column that soared into the sky, piercing the firmament.
In an instant, the atmosphere became turbulent, and a terrifying aura filled the air.
What's happening?
Jiang Han felt a tightness in his chest.
Whether it was the main storyline or the exclusive main storyline, the system rewards had already been settled. There shouldn't be any unexpected occurrences.
"Humph!"
Staring at the dazzling column of light, the Pope coldly snorted. With a tap of the Papal Scepter in his hand, ripples appeared in the space, and he disappeared from sight.
Watching the Pope hurriedly leave, Lorei's lips curled into a wicked smile, "Looks like the Pope is afraid..."
"Humming..."
The column of light quivered.
Gradually, it transformed from gold to gray, and Uriel's body gradually disappeared, as if corroded by some energy substance.
"A simple plot twist?" Jiang Han squinted, vaguely seeing nine objects similar to pearls appearing inside the bead.
Pearls!
One of them must be the Undead Mage Daniel after his death, right?
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."
Suddenly, the column of light dissipated, and the nine pearls shot out in all directions like meteors, with an unstoppable momentum.
The sudden change came and went, disappearing as quickly as it arrived.
"Ding!~"
System prompt: The judgment from the gods has been destroyed by the Dark Swordsman. The Light has paid a heavy price and could not prevent the prelude of the disaster. Explorers are beginning to awaken from their slumber, and the era of chaos is imminent!
"Ding!~"
System prompt: The second expansion of "Eternal" - "Betrayal of Justice," has officially begun!
...
In the ears of all players, two solemn and majestic system bells rang.
This marked the official conclusion of the first expansion, "Struggle between Light and Dark."
"Betrayal of Justice..." Jiang Han furrowed his brow slightly.
Just from the name of the expansion, he couldn't guess the content. Perhaps he would only understand the answer when facing the main storyline.
Similar to the Struggle between Light and Dark, he initially thought it was merely a conflict between the forces of Light and Dark. Unexpectedly, there was another layer to it at the end of the expansion – as a Dark Swordsman, he would have to engage in a life-and-death battle with a Six-Winged Celestial Angel.
"Disciple, you've grown," Cheryl approached, expressing satisfaction, "Uriel is a being from a higher dimension. Killing him will undoubtedly bring you substantial benefits."
"I haven't seen the benefits yet, but I'll take your words as a good omen, Master," Jiang Han grinned, casually speaking out the NPC's mysterious words as if he had seen it all before, "Thank you for coming to support, Master."
"No need to be polite; as a mentor, it's only natural to assist the disciple."
Cheryl took off the Bond Bracelet and handed it to Jiang Han, saying, "I need to return to Seaheart City as soon as possible. Before that, is there anything else you'd like to ask?"
"Yes!"
Jiang Han timely shifted the topic to the recent anomaly, "Master, those nine pearls..."
"They are the condensation after the death of the Undead Mage," Cheryl explained, "Now that Uriel is dead, the nine pearls will absorb the elemental energy in the air in an undisclosed location until the energy is sufficient, allowing the explorer to return to the mortal realm."
"What about Daniel..."
"Daniel is a part of the explorer's power. Even if he wakes up, he won't forget you," Cheryl patted Jiang Han's shoulder, reminding him, "The time has not come yet. Before that, there's no need to be distracted. Focus on improving your strength."
"Understood."
Jiang Han nodded.
The time has not come!
That's enough!
As Cheryl said, before that time, he wanted to ensure he had enough strength.
Of course, it's not that he doesn't want Daniel to be resurrected soon, but he fears that the "explorer" might not be Daniel. Moreover, he vaguely feels that the other party has other intentions in nurturing him.
A somewhat dark thought.
Mainly, he doesn't understand why the explorer killed the previous Dark Swordsman, and yet, as one of the explorer's incarnations, Daniel shows goodwill towards him, even going all out to cultivate him.
"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Cheryl patiently continued.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Han hesitated and inquired, "Master, Uriel has a move called 'Forbidden Soul Whipping'..."
Exceeding 100% pain perception beyond the system's limitations, how could he easily ignore it?
However, he was unclear whether the system was targeting him or if there was another reason. After all, his position was much more unique compared to other players.
"Uriel is an extraterrestrial being, not entirely bound by the rules," Cheryl shook his head, "I can't go into specifics. When your strength is sufficient, everything will be resolved."
"Alright."
Jiang Han nodded.
Afterward, Cheryl prepared to leave but suddenly remembered something, smiling, "Speaking of which, you were able to defeat Uriel thanks to the peculiar power in the necklace you wore."
The peculiar power in the necklace...
Jiang Han was momentarily stunned and decisively checked the Faith and Oath Necklace given by Feichi after rescuing Liss from captivity. He found that the name of the necklace had changed.
[Oath Bond] (Earth-grade)
The properties hadn't changed, but the special one-time skill [Faith] attached to it had disappeared, seemingly used at an unknown time.
However, Jiang Han still vaguely remembered its description.
[Faith] (Passive) (S-grade): When you hold an absolute belief, faith will respond to you (one-time use).
"So that's how it is." Jiang Han suddenly realized.
He wasn't foolish; naturally, he understood when the special skill came into play.
"If it weren't for your resolute determination to face Uriel, coupled with the assistance of that strange power, you might not have comprehended the
true essence of the Dark Reincarnation at the critical moment of death," Cheryl sighed with emotion, "At that time, as your mentor, I was watching with bated breath..."
"Thanks for your concern, Master."
"No need to be so polite. I hope that when we meet again, you will be even more powerful!"
"Yes, I will!"
...
Watching Cheryl depart, Jiang Han swept his surroundings and found that Lorei was nowhere to be seen. Estimating that the hidden powerhouses had already left, he rode the Azure Scale Beast back to Tianhai Town.
Entering the Mayor's Mansion, Jiang Han suppressed the excitement in his heart, opened the package, and began to inventory the spoils of war.
The first thing to check was undoubtedly the super-rare item given by the exclusive main storyline – a magical stone emitting colorful brilliance. The size of a fist, it lay quietly in the package, particularly eye-catching.
[Peerless Stone] (SS-grade)
Introduction: Peerless, proving the unique power it contains.
Effect: The user can additionally integrate relevant attributes of other professions, significantly enhancing their own potential and aptitude.