Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 776 - : Before the Church

Chapter 776 -776: Before the Church

After bidding farewell to the professors of Zaras Literary Academy, Shard continued toward Nature Chapel, located in the city center of the Interstice. The contents of the letter were to notify the chapel in the Interstice that once the sound of the bell tolling from Sicarl Mountain was heard, the ritual should start immediately.

The reason why this important letter was entrusted to a stranger like Shard was that this message was being transmitted through more than one channel. It seemed that some incident had occurred on Sicarl Mountain, and the church planned to start the ritual early.

Even though the sounds were suppressed, mysterious noises could still be heard all along the way.

Joey Barton, whose real whereabouts were currently unknown, was undoubtedly manipulating the Undead, and the Interstice itself was also retaliating against the actions of the living. The chapel had assembled a large number of people for this occasion, and with the help of friendly organizations such as the Three Great Magics Academies and the Prophet’s Society, they were barely holding off the Interstice’s retaliation.

It was when he finally neared Nature Chapel that Shard witnessed an “Undead Tide.”

It was a terrifying sight; he had climbed to a high point in an attempt to find his way, and from there, he saw the fog swirling ahead as if stirred by the wind. With his leaping ability, he jumped over the streets, onto a bent gas streetlamp, and then onto the rooftop of another building facing the street. From there, he could see a dense mass of Undead, like a tide, rushing toward Nature Chapel, which flickered in and out of visibility through the fog.

Everything in the Interstice was a “decayed, damaged version” of its counterpart in real-time, but Nature Chapel alone, from the outside, looked almost exactly like the real chapel and was even glowing.

At this time, atop the chapel’s side tower, the golden bell was being rung persistently by a burly figure whose features were indiscernible. The tolling of the bell couldn’t spread far, but with each ring, green ripples would spread outward from the chapel, slowly melting any Evil Spirits they touched.

At the main entrance and side windows of the chapel, Circle Sorcerers stood guard, using talismans, Arcane Techniques, and Sorcery to expel any approaching Undead.

This wasn’t the first onslaught, and the Church Ring Sorcerers’ response was adept. Even though the Interstice suppressed Divine Arts, using the chapel itself as a Ritual Circle, the Divine Ritual of the Church of the Five Gods could counter this negative suppression.

At the end of this horrifying tide of Undead, a giant black Evil Spirit with a hunched back dragging a bone hammer appeared. It was hard to imagine what sort of living person could transform into such a thing after death.

However, its enormous size meant a larger surface area to attack. It hadn’t even touched the walls of the chapel before it was riddled with holes by golden Light Bullets like rain, then turned into wisps of white ash and disappeared.

The people at the chapel’s windows applauded in celebration, then proceeded to redeploy the defensive rituals and traps that had been breached. Meanwhile, Shard’s attention shifted to the other end of the battered street where the chapel was located.

At the fog-shrouded street corner, a figure slowly vanished into the mist. Because of the distinctively small and misshapen appearance, Shard was almost certain that it was Joey Barton.

“He appeared simultaneously at the mountain’s peak, mid-slope, and base? He absorbed the Jester and inherited the clone ability?”

As if noticing Shard’s gaze, the slowly fading figure became clear again.

It was indeed Joey Barton, who was leaning against a cracked red brick wall at the street corner, peering through the fog at Shard on the rooftop.

Their eyes met until Joey Barton deliberately averted his gaze. He struggled to squat down and then slammed his hand forcefully against the ground—

Boom!

A muffled sound emanated from Nature Chapel on the other side of the street, followed by a silent mini-earthquake centered around the chapel. After the earthquake, a black wind blasted through the chapel doors and spiraled into the sky like a tornado.

Following closely was Iluna, a 17-year-old girl dressed efficiently, shaking the Holy Bell at the chapel entrance, and then crouching slightly before hurling the golden Thunder Spear in her hand:

“Sunlight Gun!”

Of course, Shard couldn’t hear the sound, but he guessed Iluna must have shouted that phrase.

The Sunlight Gun pierced the clouds and struck the center of the black wind. As the Golden Thunder exploded in the sky, the black wind revealed a woman in a wedding gown, riding on a dark red horse. The gown, which should have been pure white, was covered in black bloodstains, and a veil completely concealed her face. In her right hand, she held a sharp black scythe, while her left hand cradled a man’s head against her chest.

Since the figure was in the air, Shard couldn’t make out the expression of the man. But as his gaze met the woman’s, an inexplicable intuition made him understand:

“The Fourth Nail! The church has brought it into the Interstice… it has escaped?”

Somewhat surprised, he looked back at Barton at the street corner. Barton nodded slightly toward Shard, then receded into the fog.

[It’s clear that he’s luring you to chase after him.]

“I know.”

Shard adjusted the fishing rod on his back, picked up the kerosene lamp at his feet, and glanced once more at the bride riding through the sky above the chapel and the two High Ring Sorcerers flying out of the chapel:

“But even if it’s a trap, I still have to chase after him.”

Without attracting the attention of the church, Shard came down from the rooftop to the ground and stood where Barton had just been at the street corner. Of course, there was no one there, so Shard looked around the empty streets and stepped forward to check the right side. However, unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out, everything whirled around him, the fog rushed in, and his line of sight was completely obscured. When his vision returned to normal, the surroundings had changed from the city to a barren landscape filled with black withered trees and twisted dry grass.

“Spatial Movement? No, I have the Space-Time Spirit Rune; spatial forces shouldn’t be this effective on me… It’s not that my position was shifted, but rather another space was pieced together here?”

In the woodland clearing, the only thing like black withered grass was meaty sprouts. And on the other side, Joey Barton was waiting for Shard.

After a day’s absence, his skin had turned much paler. It wasn’t a healthy pale but was like the pallor of a corpse. And with the decline in his health came the increase in his power.

Even the least sensitive Circle Sorcerer could easily detect the rich Whisper Element in his presence.

“Mr. Watson, why so persistent? Do you have such deep feelings for Midshire Fort?”

He watched Shard calmly, his voice coming from all around the thick woods, as if he were everywhere at once.

It was a trick designed to instill fear, but Shard wouldn’t fall for it.

“I’ve said before, I’m an Outlander. I have no particular affection for this city. But now that I’ve stumbled upon this matter, and since I have the power to stop it, I can’t just watch you make a grave mistake.”

“You still wish to persuade me?”

“You’ve already begun integrating with the Relic. You can’t turn back now.”

Shard spoke softly, then a sigh came from around the dense forest:

“Indeed…”

Mr. Barton bowed his head and said no more, while Shard frowned and raised his longsword.

Suddenly a sharp crack rang out, and Joey Barton’s neck stretched out like a snake, his head shooting towards Shard like a cannonball.

Since he had decided to stop the other, Shard had no intention of probing anymore:

“Sunlight Ray!”

He placed his index finger on the blade and then thrust forward with both hands holding the sword. Thick beams of light shot straight out with immense wind pressure as the color of the noon sunlight gathered on the blade.

Not only did the sunlight beam pierce through Joey Barton’s body, but it also left a straight Light Trace in the dark woods behind him.

Joey Barton’s body completely melted into the light beam, and Shard, panting heavily, quickly drew a circle on the ground with his longsword before kneeling down with his forehead touching the sword hilt:

“Spatial Stabilization Aura.”

Crack—a clear sound of something breaking resounded next to his ear. Looking up again, he had returned to the fog-enshrouded, abandoned street corner of the city. Joey Barton was kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath, trying to get up. Shard, carrying his sword, stepped forward and in the next moment appeared right beside him.

With a swift motion, he swung his sword down toward the other’s neck, but a thick arm suddenly rose, forcibly grasping the blade of the Night Watchman. The longsword hummed, the Rune “My heart is clear, I cut down demons” glowing brightly on its blade.

Joey Barton, who was gripping the sword blade, slowly stood up against Shard’s strength, his eyes still calm:

“I am no longer the First Ring Diviner you once knew.”

The Night Watchman automatically retaliated against the Evil Power, dozens of white Sword Lights striking at Barton’s chest. With a fierce shake, the Night Watchman was wrested from Shard’s hand, flying out and landing diagonally in the ground, buzzing from the Vibration.

“I know.”

Shard punched out with his right hand, while Joey Barton threw his left. The two fists collided head-on, and there was a cracking sound of breaking bones. Shard was thrown backward, breaking a leaning street lamp on the other side of the road before crashing through the brick wall of a nearby shop.

As he rose from the rubble, he felt his entire right hand go numb, obviously broken in multiple places:

“That strength is too exaggerated.”

Enduring the pain, he got back up, while Joey Barton was still standing in the same spot, watching him and not approaching:

“The gentlemen from the Truth Society told me that only The Chosen One can fight The Chosen One. Mr. Watson, you’re a spectator. Don’t think about interfering with the performance on stage.”

Shard snorted but said nothing.

Joey Barton was still speaking:

“Perhaps The Chosen really are selected by Fate. If it were just with my own power, I would never be able to break through the Church’s defenses, but luckily, the Interstice is unwilling to be sealed. So, I help it, and it also helps me.”

“In stories, it’s usually the villains who talk like that.”

“Fortunately, this isn’t a story; it’s an epic.”

The middle-aged man, resembling a deformed child, watched as Shard limped out of the rubble, supporting his right arm:

“Mr. Watson, I haven’t had many friends in my life, but I consider you, who I’ve only met a few times, one of the few friends I have. Please watch closely, watch all that transpires today. The events of tonight in Midshire Fort will be recorded in the annals of history.”