350 Missed Again
“Madam Remides, what… what’s going on?”
Looking at the network formed by the thousands of trajectories in the narrow space, Nizemar subconsciously squatted down slightly and covered her head with her hand.
Remides didn’t answer, nor did she dodge the arrow that constantly whistled in her ear.
She knew that the arrow named Karma had already locked onto an existence named Floral Kane. At this moment, she was using all kinds of possibilities to find a path that could pierce the other party’s throat.
This arrow was bound to hit its target like fate. Although it was as dangerous as the Void Sovereign who created it, it also kept its word like the Void Sovereign who created it—it wouldn’t ask for additional remuneration before penetrating the target.
However, because it couldn’t penetrate or circle around the reinforced barrier, the trajectory drawn by the arrow became visibly chaotic and irritable.
“Sibylla, how much longer do you need…” Remides turned her head and shouted anxiously.
Sibylla’s white eyes turned into a nebula as she replied anxiously, “Don’t rush me. It’s being done.”
Mana was controlled by her powerful will, and she was dismantling the Inverse Entropy spell as precisely as a scalpel. However, the ether domain of the body she was using was only at the Apprentice level, and the connection she had with the Astral World was very weak and unstable. This limited the mana she could output. Even if she dismantled it with the Eyes of God at full capacity, Sibylla couldn’t immediately do anything to the spell whose structure was as stable as a rock.
On the other side of the barrier, Bishop Sigmonds of the Second Order revealed an expression of reverence that bordered on sacrifice. With a slow, almost stationary speed, he used a strange-looking tool imprinted with the Holy Spirit Mother’s holy emblem to remove the small acorn from the withering and germinating stand.
The moment he removed it, the Holy Spirit Mother’s holy emblem on the strange tool was branded on the acorn like a soldering iron.
Something changed at this moment.
Other than Floral, everyone present felt a damp, gentle, warm, and dark sense of peace from the bottom of their hearts. It was just like how people subconsciously felt at ease with their blurry memories before they were born.
With a mixture of joy and madness on his face, Sigmond looked like he had used all his willpower to not let himself roar and jump in excitement.
“In that case, the conditions we promised have been fulfilled.”
Looking at Sigmond, who was trembling slightly, Floral smiled and applauded gently.
She looked at her Mother’s brand on the Oak Heart and continued, “The prototype of Earth Mother, the dark side of Mother, will soon be integrated into the Second Holy Spirit’s system. Congratulations, Sigmond Abyss. The dream the Return Church has pursued for thousands of years has finally been successfully completed in your hands.”
As William had replicated the Inverse Entropy spell based on Nehe’s thoughts back then, he didn’t change the effect. Therefore, using the Second Order’s corrosion of the Holy Tree Matriarch’s faith symbols in recent years, Sigmond could rely on the Church’s holy relic to gain the authority to temporarily disable the protective barrier by imitating the aura of the World Tree Core’s guardian.
This was also a deal Beatrice had made with the Second Order.
Using the Moon Realm to deepen Ravenwood’s influence in exchange for the return of the Earth Mother prototype.
This was because Platinum City’s senators also planned on using this opportunity to weaken Emerald Province, an important foundation of the empress faction, and obtain more say. Therefore, they also piled an excessive amount of combat strength, be it the upper house of the Astral Council or the secret weapon that had always been hidden in the Obliteration Tower.
Of course, Beatrice never made it clear how deeply the Moon Realm’s influence on Ravenwood would deepen.
“Floral” felt that if they knew, they definitely wouldn’t have made such a hasty decision.
According to the Whispering Empress’s plan, when the Lady of Starvation began the rebirth ritual shortly, the Oak Heart branded with the Mother Holy Spirit would activate the World Tree, and the new Earth Mother would naturally be taken over by the Second Order.
Beatrice had always prided Herself on Her integrity when making deals with mortals.
“But before that, we have another matter to attend to.”
Sensing Mother’s presence, Sigmond turned and looked at the three people on the other side of the barrier. He said with malicious intent, “Her reputation precedes her. It is said that she is Ava State’s Shadow Queen, who once defeated Emperor Terra under the cover of a storm. As a witness of the previous glorious era and the last surviving member of Judgment, I am keen to see what kind of magical power she possesses.”
As the favored of the Second Holy Spirit, Sigmond could almost be conferred the title of Living Saint by the Church after achieving such meritorious deeds. With this, he could transcend the complicated ten-level system within the Church and ignore the path of ascension.
If he killed the governor here and minimized the casualties in the subsequent war, thus practicing the virtues of mercy and love of Mother, he could even be an apostle of the Holy Spirit and be canonized when the Second Church revised the scriptures a hundred years later.
When that happened, not only would he be mourned as a Saint, but he would also be able to stand beside the Holy Spirit!
How could he give up this opportunity to truly become transcendent?
“Dispel the barrier and I’ll let you see all you want.” As Remides spoke, an arrow named Sharpness appeared in her hand.
However, at this moment, “Floral” stopped Sigmond, who was about to undo the barrier.
“Hold on.” She looked at Sibylla, whose eyes constantly swirled with nebula-like whiteness, and said, “If you don’t wish to face two Judges simultaneously, wait another minute… She won’t be able to hold on much longer.”
Sigmond was left at a loss.
How were there two Judges? He knew Nizemar, who was holding a silver rapier. It couldn’t be her. Could it be that the other party was referring to the little girl?
How could this be possible?
These words had another meaning in Remides’s ears.
She rushed to Sibylla’s side.
“Is it time?”
Sibylla, who was gritting her teeth, suddenly smiled in relief and replied, “Things are unpredictable. I originally thought that I could…”
With that said, she turned to Remides.
“By the way, remember to remind the Presiding Judge to find the Blind Sisters and retrieve what I left behind. Even for magic chanters at his level, that information should be very helpful.”
At this point, Sibylla’s expression turned slightly bitter.
“That’s if you survive this crisis… This is my stop; I’m sorry I can’t stay longer.”
Sibylla kept emphasizing that she was running out of time, but she never explained the exact reason.
Remides didn’t think too much about it. After all, one had to pay a considerable price to cross a thousand years and timelines.
However, Sibylla’s tone made her uneasy.
“You…”
Remides hesitated as to whether she should voice her guess.
“Actually, there’s nothing to feel sad about. In any case, to you, I’ve long died in the distant past, right?” Sibylla said.
“However, it’s still a little regretful that I couldn’t meet the Presiding Judge in the end. However, the me who’s scattered among the other pruned possibilities might be able to fulfill this wish.”
Remides didn’t know what to say.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you something.”
Before she covered her bleeding eyes and collapsed, Sibylla suddenly said, “Actually, I deliberately tampered with that dagger of yours with the explosive runes back then… Who asked you to always put on the airs of a senior?”
With that said, ‘Sibylla’ fell to the ground. Then, almost at the next moment, Elise screamed as if she had woken up from a nightmare and regained control of her body.
“Sister Nizemar, the entire Ravenwood is about to…”
…
Sigmond was stunned by their inexplicable conversation and actions.
Moreover, this created a strong sense of vigilance.
If the enemy’s words and actions exceeded his expectations, after eliminating the possibility that the other party was crazy, there was a high chance that it was caused by the information and understanding asymmetry between both sides.
If there was information asymmetry on the battlefield, he couldn’t be too careful.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how he died.
Sigmond stared straight at Remides, who posed the greatest threat to him, and asked the woman behind him, “Hey… Can I undo the barrier now?”
After all, the tunnel was the only exit. The barrier had to be opened no matter what.
Defeating or even killing a Judge would become his most dazzling accolade.
However, Floral didn’t reply.
Without looking away, he reached out and patted the other party’s shoulder.
“Answer me. If we want to leave through the only exit, we have to kill this Judge. You can’t…”
However, what Sigmond reached out and felt wasn’t the texture of a gown, but some thick and rough fabric—like a large scale.
Dragon scale pauldron?
Sensing that something was amiss, Sigmond slowly turned his head. Floral, who had been behind him, had disappeared at some point.
In her place was a gray-haired man. He held an inferior iron sword in one hand and an iron stone in the shape of a heart in the other.
“Who did you say you were going to kill?” the person asked.
