Chapter 321: The Fire Phoenix (Part 5)
Ethan didn't actually kneel. In the face of the angel's overwhelming majesty and presence, he was merely dazed for a moment before immediately turning to run again.
He was running, but his thoughts were not solely on escape. The Fire Phoenix in the sky, though an ancient divine bird, was his summoned creature. Acting on his will, the phoenix seized the opportunity of the Archangel turning to stop him. It brought its sea of fire down from the sky and crashed into the angel's body, its talons sinking deep into the Archangel's shoulder. The angel's massive body tilted, and it was sent flying to the side, along with the great sword still stuck in the ground.
In the battle in the sky, the angel and the phoenix had been evenly matched, at a stalemate. But this turn of events allowed the phoenix to gain the upper hand in a single move. The two massive bodies slammed heavily onto the ground, and all of Celeste shook. The bodies of these two behemoths crushed several buildings.
The Fire Phoenix did not stop there. The sea of fire that enveloped its body now completely covered the Archangel's upper half. This was an elemental purgatory of such pure, dense fire that fire sprites could spontaneously form from it. The phoenix opened its beak again, spewing an even more scorching breath directly onto the Archangel's head.
Flames spread out from around the Archangel's body. Everything within them burned and melted. Even the bricks and stones of the buildings were shattered, eroded, and decomposed in the flames. The extremely dense fire elements had already surpassed the concept of mere fire; it was a high-temperature breath of such extremity that even the scales and resistance of the dragon race were powerless. The ground also became a lake of boiling magma. The area within a hundred meters of the phoenix and the Archangel suddenly became like the legendary fire elemental plane. Even if the Archangel had a head cast of gold, the phoenix's full-power breath would be enough to turn it into a golden mist, like vaporized metal.
The hymns from before all turned into screams. The clergy members who had been kneeling and prostrate on the ground all stood up. But before their cries of alarm could finish, they all turned into cheers once more.
The white rain of light filling the sky showed no sign of weakening. A sacred hymn, whose origin was unknown, still faintly resounded in everyone's ears. The Archangel pushed with his shield and swung his sword. The Fire Phoenix cried out mournfully and once again shot into the sky, its red fiery feathers scattering everywhere.
The Archangel stood up. He was still clad in golden armor, his face, framed by golden hair and a beard, was expressionless and incomparably majestic. The pair of giant white wings on his back remained as flawless and pure as before. That breath of flame, which could melt everything, had not managed to leave even the slightest trace on his body. His giant wings spread, and the angel flew once more towards the Fire Phoenix in the sky.
All the priests cheered, but only the Pope, standing high above the Grand Hall of Light, remained expressionless and motionless. However, no one could see that traces of blood were seeping from this old man's body from the corners of his mouth, his nose, and his eyes.
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Lancelot still did not see this, but he seemed to have sensed something. He turned his head to look at the Pope on the Grand Hall of Light, then suddenly spun around, ignoring Ethan for the moment. He shouted to Wilskey and the other Temple Knights, "Help, now!" Then he casually grabbed a stone slab from the ground and tossed it into the air, before leaping up himself.
In mid-air, Lancelot stepped on the stone slab he had thrown. With a dull thud, the stone slab shattered into countless small pieces, while he himself continued to shoot upwards. His Battle Qi flared brightly, instantly condensing into a cross-shaped sword of Battle Qi. With a piercingly sharp whistle of wind, he struck down at the phoenix.
Although this strike was hasty, it was incredibly fierce and swift. Although the great sword, condensed with the Paladin as its core, seemed unremarkable against the phoenix's massive body, even before the sword arrived, the flames around the phoenix were forced back and scattered. Several fire sprites that had just condensed were instantly shattered under the sword's energy.
This was Lancelot's full-power strike, the same one that had nearly killed Moriel in the caverns of Nighon.
But Moriel, at that time, had been at the end of his strength, unable to move. The Fire Phoenix was not. The phoenix also seemed to sense the sharpness of this strike. It performed a mid-air roll and tumble. But the sword of holy light also skewed at an angle, closely following the phoenix's form to slash down.
With a puchi sound, the sword of holy light slashed diagonally into the phoenix's body. To the phoenix, this strike was not too heavy. With its life force and recovery ability, it could likely heal itself in a short time. But Lancelot had never intended this strike to kill this ancient divine beast. He was creating an opportunity for the others.
At this moment, Wilskey on the ground had already redrawn his bow, but what he nocked was not an arrow. It was the hands of the Archmage Diana.
Archmage Diana was only in her forties. Her slightly plump, round face was covered in sweat. Her hands were placed virtually on the drawn bowstring. A ball of blue-white light, shaped like an arrow, radiated a chilling cold. This was the Arrow of Divine Ice, condensing all her magical power. Any water-based magic would be like a clay ox entering the sea against the phoenix's current flames. She could only risk everything in this simplest way.
As the sword of holy light struck, the flames around the phoenix dimmed slightly. In that instant, the Arrow of Divine Ice, containing all the Archmage's power, broke through the sea of fire and struck the phoenix.
In terms of magical attainment or spell rank, Archmage Diana might not be considered the absolute top in Celeste, but when it came to the quantity of magical power, she was undoubtedly number one in Celeste. Moreover, this was a water-based spell, the most lethal kind against a top-tier magical creature of fire elements like the Fire Phoenix. The phoenix's body suddenly stiffened, and even its color changed.
Before this, the Fire Phoenix had always been enveloped in dense flames, and even the feathers it shed carried heavy fire elements. But in the instant it was struck by the Arrow of Divine Ice, the fire elements around its body were completely neutralized.
The sea of fire around it still raged, but the layer of flame on the surface of the phoenix's body was gone. Only now could one see this divine beast of flame's own golden color, even more dazzling than the sun. From its spread wings to the long tail feathers trailing behind it, it was a divine bird that seemed forged of pure gold.
But Lancelot was not creating an opportunity for them; he was creating one for the Archangel, who was spreading his wings and raising his Decapitating Greatsword.
The white rain of light that had filled the sky had vanished, but the white light illuminating The Radiant Citadel had not weakened in the slightest. Because the light from all the rain had gathered onto the Decapitating Greatsword in the Archangel's hand. In this moment, the holy light of white magic completely overpowered the color of the flames. Lancelot's sword of holy light seemed as insignificant as a child's toy dagger before this Decapitating Greatsword.
One sword, swung out. A curtain of white light neatly cleaved the night sky in two.
In every corner of the continent, even in the most remote places, anyone who could see the night sky could see a world-shattering, immense light flash across it. The night was still night, and the world ultimately could not be changed, but in that instant, it was as if the very heavens had been torn apart.
