Chapter 318: The Fire Phoenix (Part 2)

  The diving phoenix opened its beak, and a torrent of sky-covering flames erupted downwards, turning a section of The Radiant Citadel into a sea of fire. Screams of agony rose from the sea of fire as many priests were turned to charcoal within the flames. This was no ordinary magical flame, but a spew similar to a dragon's breath, against which the mages' elemental defenses were almost useless.

  Dozens of griffins flew in from the periphery of The Radiant Citadel. The griffin knights atop them, using either bows or magic, rained attacks down upon the Fire Phoenix, but whether it was fireballs or ice arrows, they seemed to have little effect on the giant, supposedly immortal fire bird. The phoenix, with a blinding blaze of fire, charged at these much smaller birds at a speed several times faster than theirs. With just a collision of its massive body or a flap of its wings, these raptors that could tear apart wild beasts fell from the sky like a swarm of burning flies.

  The Ancient Elven Empire once used such magical creatures to contend with dragons. This was not something any existing creature could fight against. Even Wyverns were as fragile as bats before a phoenix, let alone other flying beasts.

  "Everyone, don't panic! All of you, follow me to the Grand Hall of Light." Gazing up at the giant beast above, the Pope's expression was grim, but he was not panicked. He turned and ran towards the Grand Hall of Light. He threw a command to Lancelot, "Capture this kid. If necessary, cut off his hands and feet. Just keep him alive."

  A small portion of The Radiant Citadel was already submerged in the sea of fire. The phoenix's massive body, carrying a sky full of firelight, violently slammed into a prominent spire. The entire The Radiant Citadel trembled. The tall tower snapped in the middle and collapsed, smashing the houses below into pieces. The place where the phoenix had struck directly shattered, sending bricks and stones flying through the air, scattering down like a rain of fire.

  The entire The Radiant Citadel had become as hot as a desert where eggs could be roasted. Everywhere the phoenix flew, anything that could burn was set ablaze. To the priests of The Radiant Citadel, this legendary divine bird was now like a demon summoned from purgatory. If this continued, they wouldn't even need the flames; the high temperature alone would roast everyone in Celeste to death.

  Over a dozen bolts of lightning and Thunder Frost shot up from the ground, among them two high-level spells like Thunderblast Bomb. All of these spells struck the phoenix. The Thunder Frost dissipated some of the flames on the phoenix's surface, and then the lightning and Thunderblast Bomb all exploded on its body. Amidst the roar, the giant, flame-wreathed body shook, and a rain of fire scattered from the explosion of the Thunderblast Bomb.

  But this combined attack from more than a dozen mages had not caused much damage to the phoenix. After an extremely angry cry, the phoenix dove towards the ground, spewing a torrent of sky-covering flames from its mouth. The dozen or so mages were turned to ash before they could even scream.

  Suddenly, a trace of cold appeared in the scorching air. Countless condensed water elements forcibly formed snowflakes in the searing air. Although they melted and evaporated almost instantly, they cooled the air considerably. Gradually, more and more water elements condensed in the air, and the formed snowflakes no longer instantly evaporated into steam, instead falling as raindrops. The raging fire that had originally spread across the ground paused slightly.

  On the plaza before the Grand Hall of Light, priests and mages had already gathered. Several high-ranking water mages waved their arms, chanting incantations as they all cast the spell Ice Storm. Low and mid-level magic had almost no effect on this element-based creature with its astonishing vitality, while the fire-based magic that the Church's battle mages were best at and most powerful with only added to the phoenix's vitality when it struck.

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  The priests' white magic was of little use against this strange creature made of elements, but all the priests on the plaza were concentrating on chanting their prayers. Yet, no white magic glowed on their bodies. Instead, it seemed the Grand Hall of Light was resonating with the surrounding priests, and a faint white light appeared above the great hall.

  Standing alone on the domed roof of the Grand Hall of Light was the Pope. He had no guards beside him, just looking up at the phoenix rolling in the sky above. The great hall beneath his feet glowed with the light of the priests' prayers.

  On the plaza, several high-ranking water mages were going all out. The effect of their combined Ice Storm was gradually becoming apparent. The air was no longer scorching, and had even become a bit chilly. The raindrops, formed from the melting snowflakes, continued to fall. Although the surrounding flames constantly dissipated the power of the Ice Storm, the phoenix's movements seemed to have slowed somewhat compared to before.

  "Prepare, fire!" Harlan commanded loudly from the mage formation. With his words, the gathered mages, over a hundred of them, all released their magic at the Fire Phoenix.

  Scattered attacks seemed to have no effect on this giant beast. But this was a concentrated attack from over a hundred mages. Although most of the elemental mages in The Radiant Citadel specialized in the most destructive fire-based spells, the other mages were not to be underestimated. Among the temporarily gathered hundred-plus mages, there were quite a few high-ranking ones. Some mages even took out the scrolls they carried with them and unfurled them. In this wave of magical onslaught, spells like Massive Rock Strike and Thunderblast Bomb were not uncommon.

  The phoenix also sensed the power of this attack. With an unbelievable agility and speed in mid-air, it twisted its body to evade most of the spells. But its body was simply too large, and the area covered by the magic was too vast. A small portion of the spells still struck its body. Amidst the violent explosions, flames flew wildly, and giant feathers filled the sky, only to be instantly neutralized by the Ice Storm, turning back into pure fire elements.

  Just as the phoenix's cry of agony rang out, the Golden Battle Bow in Wilskey's hands let out a massive hum, and a bolt of condensed Battle Qi, brilliant with light, left the string.

  He had tried his usual fine steel magic-breaking arrows earlier, but no matter their speed or destructive power, the moment they touched the flames around the phoenix, they were melted into molten iron. This arrow, however, was purely formed from all his Battle Qi. The arrow-shaped Battle Qi, at a speed several times faster than magic, struck the phoenix. With a soft hiss, it was followed by an even louder shriek from the phoenix.

  This arrow caused more damage to the phoenix than high-level spells like Thunderblast Bomb. The phoenix's body actually tilted slightly. Amidst the scattering fiery feathers, a trace of golden, lava-like blood appeared.

  With a loud boom, the flames around the phoenix surged as if doused in oil, erupting with explosive power and heat. The air, which had gradually cooled under the blizzard, instantly became scorching hot once more. The phoenix was still crying, but no longer in agony. It was a furious shriek, incited by the pain. Its massive body turned, and with the flames, now intensified a thousand-fold by its rage, it dove towards the Grand Hall of Light.

  All the mages on the plaza who could use water magic frantically poured out all their power. Even the mages casting Ice Storm stopped their spells, desperately using water-based magic to neutralize the oncoming heatwave that threatened to roast them. The enraged phoenix was no longer just carrying flames, but a sea of fire. Its charge was no longer a simple flyover, but a direct attempt to smash this area into scorched earth with its body, to burn everything to ash.

  Facing the giant body diving down with a sea of fire, the over a hundred priests on the plaza did not dodge or panic. They continued to chant the prayers they had been chanting since the beginning. The white light on the Grand Hall of Light grew stronger and stronger.

  "In the Lord's name, shatter!" An incomparably majestic voice came from the Pope atop the Grand Hall of Light. With this sound, the white light enveloping the entire Grand Hall of Light instantly dissipated, and the Pope's body became dazzlingly bright.

  The Pope's body was completely submerged in this converged light, a brightness that seemed almost tangible. The next instant, this tangible light transformed into a giant white sword of light, stabbing directly at the diving Fire Phoenix.

  The sword of light, from its appearance, condensation, to its thrusting flight, was as smooth as flowing water, meeting the phoenix head-on as it dove. And this was not just the Pope's power alone, but the power of over a hundred high-ranking priests, gathered and amplified through the Grand Hall of Light.

  The white sword of light silently pierced the phoenix's chest, nearly splitting the giant fire bird in two. The sky full of fiery clouds instantly dissipated. The phoenix's body, which had been diving so menacingly, tilted, drifting askew to the side like a kite with its string cut. Lava-like blood gushed profusely from its body, but it evaporated and vanished in the air before it could fall.

  "Long live His Majesty!" "Long live His Majesty!" Amidst the phoenix's weak, dying wails, the cheers of The Radiant Citadel boiled over.

  Although it was a scene of utter devastation, with many dead and injured, they had all seen how this terrifying beast of legend had been brought down. It was a display of the Pope's supreme majesty and power.

  Amidst the tsunami-like cheers, the Pope's face turned pale. His body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing. The priests on the plaza were also looking drained. To unleash a blow that could defeat such an ancient beast in a single strike, they had used up every last bit of their magic power.