Chapter 148

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Chapter 148: Sacred Rune · Astarte

“Deep Red – Divine Punishment!”

Though it wasn’t necessary to shout the name of the extraordinary power, Maryse did so with utmost seriousness!

A deafening impact roared through the alley, shaking the very ground beneath them. In an instant, half of the Ogre’s massive body was obliterated.

The gentle priest who had been there moments before was now gone, replaced by a towering, three-meter-tall troll. Holding a pitch-black giant blade, its green skin and white fangs were a grotesque sight.

Its face, full of shock, showed signs of rapid recovery. In just a few seconds, the Ogre’s body was healing, regrowing and stitching itself back together.

But that was all.

“Ah! I will kill you! Eat you!” the Ogre priest raged.

He couldn’t understand. Why was there such a massive difference between two extraordinary beings, both at the awakening level? What kind of power was she wielding?

With a wild swing, he brandished the “Relic” greatsword, its power so immense it cleaved through the corner of the street. He aimed to chop the little girl in half with a terrifying blow!

“Too weak.”

Maryse looked at the enemy coldly. Fearlessly, she extended her little hand and reached out to touch the massive sword descending toward her.

Deep Red – Divine Punishment.

With impeccable precision, she accelerated the part of her body touching the sword, while the rest of her body moved in the opposite direction.

“Bang!”

In an instant, the greatsword shattered, and its pieces flew through the air, slicing through the Ogre’s enormous, terrifying green body.

“Boom.”

The Ogre fell to his knees, his consciousness wavering. He had finally realized that this little elf girl was an unbeatable force.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn heretical elf! Mr. Theodore won’t let you go! You are fighting against the true god!” the Ogre roared, despite his grave injuries.

Even as his tendons regenerated and his flesh grew back, he struggled to rise again.

Maryse didn’t even glance at him. She simply snapped her fingers lightly.

“You are already dead, trash.”

The fragments of the shattered giant blade started to move!

They zipped back and forth at high speed, weaving into a horrifying web of torture, carving the Ogre to pieces in mere moments, far exceeding his limits.

“Aaaaahhh!”

The giant Ogre howled in agony, disintegrating into a bloody mess before finally collapsing to the ground, defeated.

The two informants, trembling in fear, dropped to their knees.

“We will tell you everything, that’s for sure!”

“Please, don’t kill us!”

Maryse smiled, savoring the feeling of being worshipped. With a prideful grin, she replied:

“It’s alright, you don’t need to trouble yourselves with providing me any more information now.

Because of your intentions, I already know everything.”

As the night wore on, the events of the evening had not yet passed.

A search targeting the Dark Light Church began in earnest. The Night Watchers had expected fierce resistance, but to their surprise, all the church’s believers were meekly compliant.

They sat quietly inside the church’s residence, awaiting arrest without protest.

No one resisted.

After a thorough search, the Night Watchers found no useful clues. Two significant figures remained missing: “Pastor” and “the Left Hand of Dark Light.”

Bai Yan, deep in contemplation, silently observed the events unfolding before him.

He glanced at the phone in his hand. The level of urban erosion had dropped to only 3%, but upon his arrival, it had stagnated, failing to decrease any further.

As long as “the Left Hand of Dark Light” remained in the city, they could continue using the “Piety Chain” to influence the citizens of Tatsumi City. Nothing would be resolved unless he was killed.

But both “the Left Hand of Dark Light” and “Pastor” had vanished. They had disappeared without a trace.

Despite the Demon Hunt Agency’s interrogations, no clues about the two were uncovered. They had evidently gone into hiding, concealing themselves so well that finding them in a short period was virtually impossible.

The entire Demon Hunt Agency worked through the night, and at sunrise, the team leaders gathered in the director’s office.

The fifth team leader, a stern bald man, asked in a deep voice, “What is the next course of action for the kings?”

The seventh team leader, an elderly man with black hair and blind eyes, added, “When will the Eyes of the Empire’s people arrive?”

Adelaide asked, “Director, should we seal off the city and impose martial law?”

The Night Watchers were anxious, their voices rising with urgency. This was a significant incident, and they all felt that it wouldn’t be easily resolved.

But Lin Bian, Raven Reaper, and Director Mr. Trap sat in silence. The three most important people in the room seemed to have already known something—perhaps even guessed the outcome.

Mr. Trap sighed, looking at everyone with calm eyes. He spoke deliberately:

“The final outcome of the Hundred Kings Assembly may not be what you expect. After it was hastily convened, the King of Helder presented a letter from the Dark Light Church of the Eruo League.”

“He claimed that the letter had been sent days ago, but he hadn’t had the chance to present it until now.”

“Several powerful super beings can attest that he wasn’t lying.”

The room fell silent as the leaders exchanged strange looks.

Mr. Trap continued, “Just a few days ago, the Dark Light Church expelled the ‘Left Hand of Dark Light’ and ‘Pastor’ from their positions. They also expect us to collaborate in capturing them, as both have lost control due to their frequent use of powerful relics.”

“This incident, therefore, is the personal action of the ‘Left Hand of Dark Light’ and ‘Pastor.’ It has nothing to do with the cooperation between the Air Alliance and the Euro League.”

“The Dark Light Church has also stated… that they are willing to offer significant compensation and a formal apology.”

Lin Bian scoffed, “If it fails, it will be a personal act. Like a pawn… who wouldn’t understand that?”

After a long silence, Mr. Trap spoke again, “In the end, the Hundred Kings Assembly decided by majority vote not to initiate a counterattack, prioritizing the livelihood of the people.”

The Night Watchers exchanged incredulous glances, disbelief evident on their faces.

But Lin Bian was not surprised. He could guess that the kings of cities benefiting from the Dark Light Church’s “compensation” had voted against a counterattack. A real fight would only harm them and could boost the military exploits of the Imperial Guards leader.

Sometimes, Lin Bian wished someone in the Air Alliance could assume “dictatorship.” If the ultimate decision-maker in the country were Mr. “World,” things would never turn out this way!

The next words from Mr. Trap made all the Night Watchers uneasy.

The old man’s eyes seemed vacant as he spoke in a hollow voice:

“If the Demon Hunt Agency successfully captures these two, we cannot kill them. They must be handed over to the Dark Light Church.”

“No way!” Lin Bian shouted, his eyes burning with fury. “I must kill them, absolutely! Eliminate evil to the utmost!”

Babel Tower had never shown evidence of wrongdoing, but the “Pastor” and “Dark Light Church” must never be allowed to escape!

Mr. Trap locked eyes with Lin Bian and spoke firmly, “This is the decision from the top. If you violate the order due to personal impulse or private feelings, even I cannot protect you.”

Lin Bian suddenly smiled, causing Mr. Trap to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Without another word, Lin Bian turned and exited the office.

“Goodbye.”

Adelaide watched him leave, her thoughts lingering on Bai Yan’s whereabouts. Why hadn’t he contacted the team all night?

It was now the fifth day of the event.

Bai Yan sat calmly in the coffee shop, sipping a glass of sparkling iced cola, enduring the perplexed glare of the cafe owner.

He glanced casually at the owner, speaking as though it were the most natural thing in the world:

“In the future, it would be best if you sold cola here as well. That way, I wouldn’t have to go outside to buy it and return with it… Even though you’re a coffee shop, offering a variety of drinks is key to expanding your business.”

The cafe owner hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

After a moment, Bai Yan pulled out his phone and checked the status of each Core Operator. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Core Operator · Psychic Dancer’s log intelligence.”

“Killed a low-ranking priest of the Dark Light Church and obtained 80 Source Energy Points.”

“Successfully located the target and used ‘long-lasting mind control’ on them.”

Maryse had already found the person and was bringing them here soon. Well done—she had beaten Mu Ling, Alan, and Amy to the punch.

Suddenly, he stood up, his eyes turning silver-white.

“Everyone, forget that I was here.”

Bai Yan turned and left the cafe. Half an hour later, he returned in the guise of “Profligate,” wearing a black classical robe and sitting confidently in the corner.

Five minutes later, his phone vibrated, a new game prompt appearing on the screen.

“Game prompt:”

“Mission one, prevent ‘Mary Scatino’ from contacting Pastor, has been completed! Reward Sacred Rune ×1!”

The Sacred Rune received was… Sacred Rune · Astarte.

Bai Yan stared at it in shock.

“Sacred Rune · Astarte: The wearer only needs to consume physical strength to reproduce at high speed and can adjust the innate abilities of the offspring to a certain extent.”

Bai Yan frowned. He doubted any of his current Operators would want to use it.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to store it away. Perhaps only an inhuman operator could make use of it.

Just then, Maryse arrived, her eyes full of pride, delight, and curiosity. Behind her stood a bewildered blonde woman in black autumn clothes.

“The Walking Ten-summon?” Bai Yan thought as his eyes brightened.

He turned toward her and smiled.

“You are the person we’ve been looking for, Mary Scatino.”