Chapter 707

Chapter 92 – Rebirth Part One

Boom!!!!!!

A deafening explosion erupted above the town. The crimson light burst forth from the orb the instant it opened. Neither Carlos nor Aprifel could react in time.

Following that, scarlet flames and dissipating black smoke, mixed with frost-like stars shimmering across the sky, suddenly surged out of the orb’s radiance, spreading in all directions. In an instant, they engulfed the surrounding ruins and yellow earth.

The impact of the explosion rushed over like a raging hurricane. The old woman, who was hit first, was blown away like a piece of paper. Next came Swordsman Carlos, who had just stood up from the rubble. Even the two powerful Pontiff Knights couldn’t resist such a terrifying shockwave, and they were instantly sent high into the air, vanishing from sight.

Rumble rumble rumble…

The aftermath of the explosion continued to spread rapidly. Black wind and scorching waves reached hundreds of meters away before finally stopping.

Amidst the rising smoke, a large circular area was swept clean around the orb, which served as the center. The remains of the buildings below were completely destroyed, leaving nothing behind. The yellow earth seemed to have been plowed, with soft gravel reflecting faint red, emitting wisps of green smoke.

Buzz—

The beam of light piercing through the black clouds suddenly became thick and vast after a strange sound. It emitted light so intense that it was almost impossible to look at directly, but then it suddenly dimmed and disappeared after a few seconds. Sparks and smoke scattered into the air, and the embers fell like red snow, covering the ground.

When the last beam of light vanished into the clouds, the black clouds over the wasteland began to churn incessantly. Blood-red light grew brighter from the bottom of the clouds. With each thunderous roar, countless lightning bolts crisscrossed through the clouds, striking the suspended orb repeatedly. The black smoke enveloping the orb dissipated, and green fog rose from the burning hellfire. The smoke rolled thicker and denser, and the entire orb wrapped in red lightning looked like a massive, glowing steel furnace, too bright to stare at.

“Cough… Ugh…”

From the distant ruins untouched by the blast, Carlos crawled out of the scorching yellow sand. His face was grim, and he coughed up a small amount of blood, unable to hold back his pain.

“What… happened…”

He struggled to stand, but staggered and nearly fell again.

The last sword on his waist was still there, but the one in his hand had long flown away. His light armor was torn and severely deformed, and the shirt underneath was burned with numerous holes, still emitting heat. Burnt skin was visible through the charred patches, even on his face.

Fortunately…

He was first hit by the shockwave and thrown away. Afterward, he managed to escape with all his might, avoiding much of the subsequent hellfire and black smoke.

Otherwise, he would have turned to ashes along with the debris in the explosion.

Despite this, Carlos was still seriously injured.

Previously, he had been burned by the hellfire from the orb while rescuing others, leaving burns on his face and arms. Now, those wounds seemed worse, with his face, neck, and arms turning an unusual crimson, accompanied by various sizes of blackened burns. Blood slowly seeped from the wounds, and his once white hair had turned a messy yellow.

It had been a long time.

Over the years, the man had faced the abyss countless times, cutting off monsters’ heads with his sword. Apart from the cataclysm caused by the gluttony of the abyss three years ago in the Valen Empire, he hadn’t experienced such a miserable situation.

Nor had he seen anyone capable of creating such a scene of destruction and doom with their own power again.

“Little Hill…”

Carlos trembled and lifted his head.

Rumble rumble rumble—

Blood lightning intertwined far in the distance, roaring in terror.

Under the dark and scarlet sky, after the shockwaves had completely dissipated and everything returned to dust, red embers slowly drifted down in the warm air.

These embers were like hot goose feathers, landing on the man’s head and body, curling his hair. The already tattered shirt sleeve ignited instantly.

The commotion startled him. He suddenly reacted, tearing off the burning right sleeve and deformed wrist guard, revealing his blackened, bloody arm. His uncontrollable trembling fingers firmly grasped the hilt of the last sword at his waist, pulling it out and slashing towards the sky.

Clang—

The sharp blade cut through the embers, creating a huge gust of wind. The fiery red snow drifted away from the sides of the gust, no longer approaching Carlos.

However, the hot currents still scorched his lungs with every breath.

The man endured the pain.

He wanted to step back, but instead took two steps forward.

Then, the thunder stopped.

He saw the last blood-red lightning strike the dark sky, like a sword splitting the heavens, hitting the orb, which had grown several times larger and was now as bright as the sun. The orb’s light dimmed abruptly, as if the burning hellfire had been consumed, replaced by dark smoke surging out, enveloping the orb. The orb instantly turned pitch-black, like an inkstone.

The gloomy sky darkened even more.

Carlos felt the temperature drop sharply.

The heat that had scorched his face and lungs seemed to be pulled away, becoming slightly cool, then cold. He saw the white mist from his mouth, and the burnt wounds started to itch and hurt. He felt his hair and eyebrows freeze and turn to ice. The embers falling from the sky, unnoticed, transformed into true snowflakes like those in a winter city.

Snowflakes drifted down before the man’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but lift his palm and catch one.

Thump thump…

Thump thump—

Heavy and forceful heartbeats echoed from the horizon, as if sounding from his ears.

Carlos shivered.

He couldn’t tell whether it was because of the cold or something else.

“You…”

The frost melted silently in his palm. The man raised his head again, looking at the apocalyptic scene in the sky, facing the floating, seemingly restless black sun, murmuring.

“What will become of this…”

But no one could answer him anymore.

After a moment, he thought of the fat old woman who had also been blown away by the explosion and had not been heard from since.

“…Aprifel.”

Zzz—

With a flash of lightning, Carlos leaped onto a nearby half-collapsed wall, breathing out white vapor, scanning the surroundings, trying to find the figure of the old Pontiff Knight amidst the chaotic ruins.

However, what met his eyes were only ruins and destruction.

He did not find the old woman.

But he saw a surging golden tide of armor coming from the west side of the town.