Chapter 699

Chapter 84 Corruption Part Six

East of Messe Town.

Rushing water flooded the dried yellow earth road, causing floods that submerged and swept away almost all the grass huts within nearly two kilometers, with earthen walls and wooden pillars collapsing into the water with a loud “crash.” Soon, they were churned into mud, and crimson karma flames burned on the surface, with fire tongues spewing out large amounts of steam, constantly surging upward with thick black smoke.

Bang!

In a dull sound, the half-submerged ruins of the house suddenly exploded. In the hazy mist, a bulky figure slowly stood up.

“Pfft.”

The figure seemed to spit out the blood and filth in its mouth, then wiped its face with its hand. With its right hand tightly gripping a large hammer, it swung it onto its shoulder. She walked out from the swirling heat mist, her steps unsteady, her clothes already tattered, burnt with several large holes by the flames. Wet hair clung to her face, water droplets dripping from her bruised nose.

Though somewhat disheveled, the old woman’s face now bore a wild and exultant expression, like an old but fierce she-wolf, with eyes filled with a drunken battle intent, gazing far off at the western sky where the flames had just dissipated.

After a moment, she subconsciously felt around her waist, then pouted unhappily.

“No more wine, tsk… so annoying.”

Bam—

A sudden explosion erupted, and the old woman’s bulky figure instantly transformed into a hurricane, creating shock waves on the water surface, breaking through the raging flames, and smashing two walls with a “boom boom,” before leaping high like a cannonball, swiftly heading towards the west of the town.

On the other side, Elona, wrapped in karma flames, seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned back and saw a dark shadow flying from the distant sky. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her blood-red arm swung again, summoning a multitude of scarlet fireballs from above, which roared toward that direction.

Rumble rumble rumble…

Explosions continued to erupt over the small town. Amidst the tremendous sounds, she saw the shadow break through the rampant red flames, carrying moisture and black smoke, with its speed unchanged, arriving in front in mere seconds. The warhammer swung, creating a whirlwind, falling from the sky, and striking down.

“Pope’s knight…”

“Fe! Male! Heretic—!”

Rumble!!!

Scarlet karma flames and boiling water clashed again in the west of the town.

At the same time, at the center of the town, the burning crimson egg-shaped orb was slowly and steadily floating higher into the air.

Scarlet flames swirled around the flowing blood, with dead smoke twisting into several thick smoke serpents outside, coiling around the orb. Soon, the blood that formed the orb began to deform gradually from a widened crack, with boiling blood bubbles emerging and bursting on the surface with a “gurgle gurgle,” emitting a sticky sound that made one’s scalp tingle, and faintly heard the labored breathing of a young girl.

On the southeast side, between the relatively intact earthen houses not too deeply affected by the battle, blue lightning flashed “zizz,” with astonishing arcs scattering along the path of the current, then abruptly stopping. A scruffy swordsman emerged from the light, his steps stopping with a “swish,” and he suddenly looked up.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The continuous explosions from the west shook the entire ground. A swordsman named Carlos looked up and muttered, “Teacher…”

Then, he saw the crimson fireball rising nearby.

“…What the hell is that!?”

The man widened his eyes, displaying an incredulous look of shock: “Karma flames… dead smoke? Why can these two things appear simultaneously… wait, is that… blood? Is it blood flowing and burning? What’s going on…”

What’s happening here…

Carlos felt a very bad premonition.

He had thought he might see the townspeople resisting the Pope’s knights. If that gluttonous girl was also there, seeing such things happen might make her angry and uncontrollable, leading to irrational actions.

Thus discovered by the people of the Church, it quickly escalated into a tragedy, pushing things to the worst possible scenario, beyond control.

This was what he had been most worried about.

On his way here, Carlos had been thinking about these matters. Initially, he had planned to act before his teacher did. If he could confirm that the girl had indeed returned to this side, he would sneak into town and find some convincing reason—anything—to quickly deceive the foolish girl and lead her away from here.

But as he approached, he saw the golden stream rising from the western sky, knowing it might already be too late.

And little Hill…

Perhaps she wasn’t as easy to deceive as before.

The situation seemed to be deteriorating, and despite appearing calm on the surface, Carlos was deeply anxious inside. He couldn’t show his concerns to Lea, not wanting her to worry excessively.

“Rest assured, I have my own way of handling this…”

Though he said those words to her, in reality, after learning that his teacher would soon arrive and he might not reach there first, he had no idea how to proceed. He could only take things one step at a time, deciding his course of action based on the circumstances when they arose.

He hadn’t expected things to turn out so bizarrely.

The knights should already be outside the town. His teacher and others must be there. It seemed someone was fighting with the heretics, and the battle looked intense, but it appeared to involve only two people… possibly Aphurfil, though his teacher had also drawn his sword, but now everything had quieted down.

Little Hill wasn’t seen…

There wasn’t a single person in sight in the town, nor any sounds of combat… It was eerily quiet.

Yet at the center of the town, there was still this strange blood sphere entangled in the flames of karma and the smoke of death… What exactly was that thing…

Had his teacher and others noticed what was happening here?

Carlos pondered, his expression suddenly frozen.

…Wait a moment.

Karma flames…

Death smoke.

Boom—!

In the direction of the town’s west, raging fire burst up again, sending various debris flying into the air. The aftermath of the battle burned away in the scorching air. Watching the commotion, Carlos suddenly had an unbelievable suspicion.

Death smoke…

And karma flames…

Zzz!

A flash of lightning, and a man leaped onto the roof in an instant, swiftly moving through the ruins. With each breath, he reached near the blood-colored fireball, stopping thirty meters away from it, lifting his head to face the red orb enveloped in black smoke and flames still rising.

No way.

No way, no way, no way…

“Hey hey hey…”

A blood-red sphere, seething with the smell of blood and flames, with several dark smoke serpents swirling around it, this scene reflected clearly in Carlos’ slightly terrified eyes.

“Could this thing be…”

Could it be…

That foolish girl…

Even though the guess seemed absurd enough to make him want to laugh.

However, the situation had evolved to such a degree. In the west, Aphurfil was already fighting the heretics, while the townspeople remained motionless. They were certainly too late to escape; they were likely doomed. Yet the girl had clearly returned here, but she hadn’t been seen anywhere until now…

So there was only one possibility left.

Death smoke, karma flames…

Who else could have caused both of these terrifying forces to appear in this cursed place besides her…

“Little Hill…”

Damn it.

She might be trapped inside this cursed thing…

“Little Hill!”

Carlos looked up at the blood-red orb in the sky and called out tentatively.

Puchi—