Badge in Azure

Chapter 349: Courting Trouble (Part 1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Saleen was both alarmed and terrified. This holy master was actually a saint!

It was possible that Guise had not even known that he was under god’s protection. The Lord of Glory had already noticed Guise, it was just that he had not been able to disseminate a decree in time. Even if Banchajanna’s axe was used against a mountain, the mountain would also be breached. However, at this moment, the axe had only injured Guise’s skin. The bone beneath his skin remained crystal clear and unharmed.

Currently, the three kings had no other option. They knew that they had trifled with someone they should not have. If the kings let this fellow escape now, they would face more trouble in the future.

At the same time, the three kings took out their scepters and surrounded Guise.

“Thank you Shanglan, for giving me the power of truth!”

“Thank you Shanglan, for giving me the power of deceit!”

“Thank you Shanglan, for giving me the power of absurdity!”

These three scepters were actually a single entity wielded by Diyabannersa. But in order to conceal their tracks after arriving on the mainland, the scepter had been separated into three parts and wielded by the three kings. At this moment, the three kings were going to strike together. The scepters formed a triangle with Guise in the center, as illusory magic patterns flashed between the scepters.

Saleen and Aini retreated to the stairway at the same time. They looked at each other, petrified. What magic was that? They could feel an aura which originated from elemental destruction.

As spirits, it was very strange that the kings were releasing elemental magic. Furthermore, the power from this spell was horrifying. It was not something which Saleen or Aini could handle, and if they were even slightly affected, they would end up in a miserable state.

The cracking of bones could be heard coming from Guise’s body. This sound was clear and lasting, as though someone was using a hammer to hit every last inch of his bones.

Pak, pak…

Two gentle pops sounded. It turned out that Guise’s eyes had popped out of their orbitals, landing on the ground. From the surface of his body, blood was spurting outwards, causing his long white robe to turn scarlet.

“Filthy spirits, blasphemers, in the name of my god…” Guise struggled desperately, trying to finish chanting his prayer. However, this attack from the three kings was a spell which had been summoned from the scepter. Such a spell could not be utilized by modern mages. It belonged to an era tens of thousands of years ago. It was a strange spell which existed before the humans had gone into decline.

A space was formed in between the three scepters. Within this space, the protective powers from the Lord of Glory were torn away gradually, turning into nothingness.

Aini clenched his teeth as he witnessed this scene unfolding before him. He knew what the holy master in a white robe was trying to do – a cursing spell.

“Kill him completely, don’t even spare his soul!” Aini commanded Judikaka. Previously, a cursing spell had nearly killed Aini, and had even caused his magic chords to disappear. Aini had almost been rendered useless because of such a spell. If not for his parents’ aegis and blessings from his family, he would have already been a sickly man by now. A young and talented elemental mage had been forced to convert to cultivating death magic.

Even without Aini’s commands, the three kings would not have spared Guise anyways. If they allowed Guise to ascend to heaven, their doings would be revealed to the gods.

In this plane, gods were not omnipotent, so the kings were really lucky. By killing this holy master thoroughly, their secrets would not be exposed for the time being, assuming that the god had not cast any special blessings.

“All of you…will, die!” Guise experienced great difficulty trying to finish his sentence. Whenever a word came out from his mouth, a surge of blood would spurt out from his body. At this moment, there was a pool of blood under his feet, and the ground was stained with blood.

“What a load of crap.” Aini cast a deadly glare at this holy master, as though Guise was the person who had harmed him from the shadows.

“Aini, remain calm,” Saleen reminded him. Even though elemental magic and death magic were two different schools of thought, they shared one thing in common, which was that a mage’s heart could not be blinded by any emotion. Obviously, Aini had recalled the incident which had happened to him, and that rush of vengefulness would in turn cause Aini to lose his rationality.

“I am very calm. Every time a quack like him dies, I become slightly happier.” Aini rubbed his face, trying to regain his composure. Most opinions about holy masters were positive. After all, their daily routines were to save people. However, in the region where the Holy See and the other three empires crossed swords, holy masters would frequently violate their boundaries and carry out some clandestine activities. Noblemen who were privy to such classified information never felt that holy masters were kind people.

Even within the interior of the Holy See, the pivotal council was quite dissatisfied with some of the actions taken by the inquisition. However, the three inquisitors were simply too powerful. Thus, most cardinals would choose to steer clear from trouble, causing the officers in the inquisition to become increasingly appalling.

A group even more obscure was the holy masters under the oracles. In name, the seven oracles of the Holy See were led by the pope, but in reality, the oracles who regarded Fycro as their leader would defy the pope’s commands. Furthermore, some dioceses under the pivotal council had no choice but to go under the command of these oracles. As a result, this had caused the Holy See’s power to become even more fragmented.

For the past hundreds of years, the only issue which the interior of the Holy See had cooperated on was the assassination of Emperor Chanake. Emperor Chanake had been too mighty, causing the upper echelons of the Holy See to be deeply troubled.

This secular emperor had more than a million soldiers under his command, and he still had grade-9 sorcerers ensuring his safety inside the palace. Furthermore, his own secret magic was unique on the mainland. Be it against a grand swordmaster, a sorcerer, or a holy master, Emperor Chanake’s family secret magic would be effective. Such a person had to die.

As a result, the Holy See had declared a war on Loulan in order to bait out Emperor Chanake. However, the Holy See had not expected Emperor Chanake to lead the attack and even go to the frontline. Immediately, the interior of the Holy See had created a perfect ambush under the pope’s command. However, after this event, the interior of the Holy See did not become united. In fact, it became increasingly fragmented.

Guise was feeling serene. He had lost his eyes, his mind was blurry, and almost all the blood had been drained from his body. However, in the depths of his soul, tens of thousands of holy texts had emerged, exploding vigorously before encompassing his physical body. These holy words contained the power of glory. Even though his physical body was close to utter destruction, his soul remained unharmed.

Even though I have done so much wrong, god still hasn’t abandoned me. A sense of warmth filled Guise’s heart. He had obeyed Fycro’s orders and aided the development of black mages in the Chaotic Swamp, which was a serious offence.

Saleen’s heart turned cold when he noticed a smile on Guise’s bloody face. This lunatic can still smile at this point in time?

“Truth, is the nature of this world,” Diyabannersa said with a solemn expression as he waved his scepter about. His scepter controlled the illusory magic patterns engulfing Guise’s body. Those holy texts which had burst from Guise’s body crumbled. In front of this mysterious human spell, even holy texts would revert to their original form.

“Deceit, is the reality of this world.” Judikaka also raised his scepter and launched an attack. Guise’s body exploded with a huge amount of force, causing the flesh and bone to be detached and leaving only a skeleton behind. This skeleton was no different from a newly formed skeleton soldier. The only difference was that flickering soul flames were not present.

“Absurdity, is the laughter of this world.” Banchajanna executed the final blow. When he waved the scepter, all of the magic patterns disappeared. Guise collapsed peacefully, his bones looking ever so crystal clear. In that final moment, Guise’s soul shrank violently before going up in flames.

At this point in time, Saleen felt that something was wrong. This spell cast by the three kings seemed completely unrelated to death magic. When the holy master in a white robe had been on the verge of death, his soul had not tried to escape. Instead, it had turned into the soul flames which were found in all spirits. This bundle of soul flames lingered in the air, with nowhere to seek refuge. Under Banchajanna’s attack, the holy master’s body became completely shattered. When a gust of wind came by, those crystal clear bones broke down into powder.

Saleen felt unsettled. Those scepters in the hands of the three kings seem to have come from somewhere else. If only my teacher was here, he would be able to pinpoint the problem. It was a pity that Saleen’s knowledge leaned towards that of combat. He still knew too little about ancient equipment. In truth, Saleen could enquire about the kings’ secret. However, he was afraid that if he asked, he would violate some kind of rule.

If such a rule applied to Saleen’s contract, then when Saleen asked the question, he would immediately lose his reins over the three kings.

Perhaps the three kings were waiting for such an opportunity? Saleen and Aini were not the only people who knew how to create traps. The kings had been alive for tens of thousands of years, yet they had been deceived by Saleen and Aini. They must have been feeling unusually outraged. At this moment, the three kings quickly resumed their composure, looking very obedient. And that was definitely an abnormal sign.

All of a sudden, a commotion could be heard under the magic tower. With a scan using his perception, Saleen discovered the problem. The teleportation portal on the first story had been stimulated. An endless stream of the Holy See’s riders were swarming out from the portal. They charged out ferociously, attacking the spirits outside the magic tower.

Saleen pointed to the soul flames lingering in midair, then said to Aini, “Is there any way to conceal that so that others will not be able to detect it?”

Aini waved his hand, and that bundle of soul flames entered his mouth. Aini then simply swallowed the soul flames.

“The soul of a saint…” Aini was a little frightened, but he did not really care. All types of soul flames would be assimilated as long as they fused with his death flames. That was the special attribute of plant spirits, which were necessary for killing people.

Aini was a little uneasy. Committing blasphemy against the soul of a saint was akin to spitting saliva on a god’s face. However, the gods could not descend upon the Myers Mainland. It would be better for Aini to not travel to the other planes in the future.

“Banchajanna, go down and kill those people.” Saleen knew that Daniel would not be able to hold the fort by himself. The pirates might have possessed higher offensive power than the black puppets, but the Holy See’s riders were regular soldiers. In comparison, the pirates would just be an unruly mob.

The three kings maintained their silence, then they jumped out of the window and lunged at the Holy See’s riders and officers. While in midair, Banchajanna reverted to his original form with his six arms and a colossal tail. With a boom, Banchajanna landed on the ground, striking seven enemies at the same time.

Saleen heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since leaving Ceylon City, this battle had gone the smoothest. With the three kings by his side, he would not need to worry at all unless the enemy was a sorcerer.

“Aini, the contract might have taken effect, but why do I feel that the three kings aren’t fully under control yet?” Saleen asked doubtfully.