Chapter 717

Chapter 102: Rebirth – Eleven

Rumble—

Black clouds churned in the sky, and the dead smoke swirled back, gradually converging on the floating sun at an alarming speed. Scarlet lightning flashed momentarily, illuminating countless figures running across the yellow earth below.

There, lightning surged wildly as well.

Clang!

The blood-soaked swordsman clashed with the knight charging towards him, then kicked him away with a powerful kick. Shocking arcs of lightning raced around, twisting like snakes over the wasteland, slashing outwards from the swordsman’s position with a series of sharp sounds. Azure electric lights struck the advancing knights repeatedly, but were all deflected by the thin light barrier.

Whoosh—

Two holy spears whistled through the air from behind. The swordsman turned swiftly to avoid them, then slashed again with his sword, blocking the fierce blade coming towards him with a clang. His cloak flared up suddenly in the breeze.

“Drop your sword, Mr. Carlos!”

The strong knight puffed out his cheeks, his jaw muscles bulging due to the strain. He tried to press his sword tip against the Pope’s knight who was right before him: “Your injuries are severe; you can still receive divine healing if you stop resisting now—”

“Then why don’t you stop?”

Carlos’ face remained expressionless. Despite his left arm starting to numb and his lips losing their color, and feeling increasingly weak, he fought back with only his right hand against the young knight’s bulging veins. No matter how hard the other pushed, the sword tip remained steady in front of him, not budging an inch.

In the next moment, Carlos pressed his sword sharply to the right. Sparks flew as the blade nearly grazed his cheek. The knight lost balance, stumbled forward, and his pupils dilated instantly. Carlos shook his left arm, which was enveloped in lightning, and thrust it into the light barrier, grabbing the knight’s face.

Zzz.

At the instant the current surged, the knight’s body stiffened abruptly. His sword clattered to the ground, and the light barrier shattered, sending him sprawling backward. Carlos ignored him and turned to block another sword strike from the left, then kicked away a knight attempting to attack from behind. His body transformed into lightning and appeared several meters away in an instant. Where he had stood, a silent, slender flame pierced through the crowd and plunged deep into the ground.

The man followed the direction of the ray and turned his head.

In his line of sight, about ten meters away, two robed priests hid behind the crowd. One of them had not yet retracted his extended finger, its tip flickering with light, his expression one of surprise, seemingly not expecting Carlos to evade his attack.

It’s the person who came with the young bishop earlier…

Not to be underestimated.

Carlos prepared to charge forward, but just as the lightning flashed, the sound of chains rang out beneath his feet. He immediately became alert and quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding three golden chains that sprang from the ground. But before he could regain his footing, Lariex’s figure appeared in a flash of golden light.

“Cursed…”

“Ca-rlos Gon-sa-les—”

Buzz!

The sound of divine miracles filled his ears. The young priest lunged forward with a palm strike, the light blade on his hand flashing as it sliced through the air with a piercing shriek. Carlos’ pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly ducked, letting the relentless blow pass harmlessly over his head. Just as he was about to counterattack with his sword, someone charged from the side, grabbing him around the waist, using brute force to try and pin him down.

“Ahhhh—”

“Mmm…”

Carlos groaned.

He planted his feet firmly to resist, but this action pulled at his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain. Dizziness from blood loss washed over him, and the man clenched his teeth.

Grinding his teeth, lightning surged through his body. With a “crack,” he electrocuted the person hugging him, making their hair stand on end and smoke rise from their head.

Even so, the other person did not let go. The physical strength was extremely powerful. As he shouted, he tightened his grip, pushing Carlos back several steps. His boots rubbed against the ground, kicking up dust. Just as he was about to lose balance and fall, he suddenly twisted his body, grabbing the person’s neck. With a “thud,” he threw the person to the ground, and his right hand, holding the sword, instinctively stabbed at the knight’s head, but hesitated at the last moment.

In truth, even in this state of injury, if Carlos wished, these people could not get close to him. They would have been struck by thunder or cut down by sword energy long before they reached him. Even wrapped in the Sin Barrier, most of these knights would likely meet such a fate.

But to truly do that, the men would lose control over their lives.

Carlos did not want to really hurt them.

But some of them seemed to think otherwise.

“Pfft—”

Just as he was about to retract his sword, a ray shot straight from outside the crowd, piercing through Carlos’s chest.

At this moment, there was no pain.

He only felt his chest, back, and internal organs heat up. His body instantly lost all its strength, and his vision blurred for a moment. After regaining his senses, he rolled aside, but collided with an unknown barrier. The man gritted his teeth and got up, barely standing before turning into a bolt of lightning and darting away. The holy spear chased after him, striking the ground with repeated thuds, and more knights rushed over.

“How tenacious…”

Outside the ruins, Bishop Aresta looked at the encircling situation, his face showing a hint of anxiety. He whispered, “If we delay any longer, that old Sword Saint might return…”

“Bishop.”

The monk beside him, after looking away from the figure amidst the lightning, gazed at the young bishop with flickering eyes. “If we don’t hold back, how should we explain ourselves later?”

“…Explain?”

Aresta sneered, “To whom? Mr. Lane? His disciples are obstructing the Church’s efforts to reclaim the Flame. In the end, it might be him who needs to explain to us, the First Knight Order, and His Holiness.”

“Then what does the bishop mean…”

The monk hesitated.

The young bishop fell silent upon hearing this. He did not speak further.

But the monk watched him for a moment before nodding, seemingly understanding his intent.

The battle ahead continued.

The swordsman clad in lightning bled across the barren land. His robe had turned dark red from blood. His steps became unsteady, and his sword movements grew less fluid. Blood frothed in his mouth, yet the knights continued to surge towards him. The holy spear whistled, golden light continuously blooming, and the sound of chains never ceased.

“He’s tired!”

“This is the final counterattack! Charge, charge!”

In the midst of countless shouts, the sword repeatedly struck the heavily injured swordsman. The man blocked wave after wave of attacks, growing increasingly exhausted. His arm was slashed, his chest kicked, and he was gradually surrounded and trapped. A solid wall of light stood on all sides, and the chains “clinked” incessantly, sealing off all of Carlos’s escape routes.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

His breathing heavy, he barely blocked the strike from the captain’s sword, then used his shoulder to push the opponent back. Suddenly, his legs gave out, and he knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword.

He was indeed tired…