Chapter 105: Chapter 104: Sanctioning All Directions
The source of the warm sensation was precisely the blade he held in his hand at that moment. For an instant, Alka thought it would burn him, but instead, it merely brought a warm and soothing sensation.
This truly put Alka’s mind at ease.
He picked up the blade.
On the spiral hilt, the guard that resembled wheat glittered with a golden light.
The upper part of the blade had already ignited in blazing flames, and Alka could feel his Magic Power transferring from his arm to the blade.
With my Magic Power transferring at such a rate, the sword feels more like a water pump, he thought.
Something was being transmitted from the blade into my mind.
The whistle of a slash came from behind. Alka immediately turned, holding the sword with both hands to block the Soul Blade that was slicing down with a scarlet glow.
The guard caught the enemy’s Soul Blade. With a reverse turn of the Sword of Love, Alka knocked the attacking blade away, followed with a short swipe of his own, then stepped forward and thrust.
The blade, blazing with flames, pierced directly through the Knight Evil Spirit’s golden Armor, completely impaling it.
The erupting flames instantly spread over the Evil Spirit’s entire body. The scarlet and ghostly green within its soul faded, turning into smoke.
The Knight’s helmet fell to the ground, scattering and revealing the firm, square, and solemn face within.
His soul was dimming, but its color turned pale. He opened his eyes. Clarity seemed to return to his soul’s gaze as he nodded towards Alka, arms folded across his chest.
Then, the smoke that was his form vanished.
Seizing the opportunity, Alka held the Sword of Love defensively before his chest and swiftly rushed towards Chadite.
I can feel the Sword of Love rapidly burning through my Magic Power, like a water pump, Alka thought. My small internal reservoir can’t withstand this.
If he hadn’t used the Meditation Method to practice Meditation beforehand, which had considerably improved his strength and increased his Magic Power, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand such a drain.
Calculating my remaining Magic Power... I must act quickly, or I won’t hold on for long, he urged himself.
Chadite’s condition wasn’t good either; her face was pale, and her hands and left leg were trembling.
She alone was holding off two Knights. She was being continuously attacked, and sweat dripped from her face.
She was enduring the pain in her soul.
The two Knights in front of her continued their assault, one of their blades slicing across her arm.
The pain almost made Chadite collapse.
Enduring the pain, she tried to dodge a thrusting blade, but another was already slashing down toward her shoulder.
Calculating the distance, Alka quickly drew a Blue Card with one hand and threw it.
Then he immediately raised his sword high with both hands.
"Annihilate!"
The blade swung downwards, and a ball of flame shot from it.
The Blue Card arrived first and burst in mid-air, forming four chains. Two chains wrapped around each Knight, binding their hands and saving Chadite.
The flame-like sword energy flew out, slashing into the Knight Evil Spirit to their side.
The flames quickly spread and burned over him, causing him to pause. Just a second later, green smoke began to recede from his body.
At that moment, he unhesitatingly reached out to his nearby Knight companion, his own blade lowering to his side.
Having escaped the attack, Chadite unhesitatingly rolled aside to retreat.
And the flame-engulfed Knight, as he reached out, passed the flames onto his nearby companion.
Both were set ablaze!
Finally, their helmets scattered, revealing their faces within, before they turned into white smoke and disappeared.
Alka, already barely holding on, found it even harder to sustain his Magic Power after that attack and sank to one knee on the ground.
Using his last ounce of strength, he flung the sword away.
"Vanessa!"
A silk thread shot out, wrapped around the sword, and flung it towards Andre, who was not far away.
Andre braced himself against an attack, his brow furrowed tightly, then leaped up to grasp the sword.
The flames immediately blazed high, shooting upwards and completely dispersing the darkness.
The Sword of Love in Andre’s hand was like a torch, entirely enveloped by flames.
The gushing flames seemed to lengthen the sword by half its original size.
If the Sword of Love in Alka’s hand was like a lighter, then in Andre’s hand, it’s a flamethrower!
"Now will you die?!" he roared, swinging the blade at the Archbishop before him.
My previous attacks barely damaged the enemy, only delaying him and causing some discomfort,
Andre thought grimly. But now, finally, I can get my revenge!The blade struck the Archbishop, and the fire from the Sword of Love immediately spread onto his body.
The moment the burning flames touched him, the Archbishop froze, his eyes instantly clearing.
"What a disgrace," he murmured, his voice tinged with regret and a sigh. "I hope the Holy Mother can forgive my transgressions. Ultimately, my will failed to withstand the invasion of darkness."
He looked at Andre before him and the Sword of Love in Andre’s hand. He nodded at Andre, then folded his arms across his chest.
While the flames burned on him, he picked up the Scepter in his hand and stomped it heavily on the floor.
Most of the flames on his body spread down the Scepter and onto the floor, instantly forming lines of fire that extended into the distance.
The Knights chasing Vanessa and Jason halted. The Knight cutting at mechanical tentacles also stopped. They, too, ignited with the same flames.
The Archbishop looked at his left hand; his arm was transforming into dissipating smoke. Looking up at Andre, he said, "Damage to the soul can be repaired with the Sword of Love. I hope this can help..."
Before he could finish his words, he turned into smoke and completely dissipated into the air.
The other two Knights vanished along with him, and the flames on the floor gradually faded with their disappearance.
Only the Sword of Love in Andre’s hand still burned fiercely. When the flames finally died down, the original blade was revealed.
"This thing really consumes a lot," Andre couldn’t help but mutter, looking at the blade in his hand.
Then he looked at Alka, who was sitting on the ground, and Chadite, who was curled up and trembling on the floor.
Alka was merely exhausted, and the massive consumption of Magic Power made it difficult for him to stand. Chadite, on the other hand, had suffered too many soul attacks, and the pain was intensely wracking her mind.
Andre quickly walked over.
The Sword of Love in his hand became covered with a layer of golden-green light, and the blade turned translucent, like a soul.
Andre then held it and gently touched it to Chadite’s palm.
"PHEW..." As the sword made contact, Chadite let out a heavy breath and collapsed limply onto the floor, as if utterly exhausted.
The sweat that had dripped from her formed a human-shaped puddle on the floor. But she was in a much better state compared to her previous trembling.
Seeing that Chadite was alright, Andre turned to look at Alka, who was still sitting on the ground.
Alka waved his hand, indicating he didn’t need it.
When I held the blade earlier, it already repaired the damage to my soul, Alka thought. After all, I only took one hit.
Andre then looked at the others. After confirming that no one else had suffered soul damage, he held the blade and touched it to himself.
His soul had also suffered numerous attacks while he was blocking the Archbishop. As the sword made contact, an expression of extreme relief washed over his face.
Withdrawing the blade’s touch, he plopped down onto the ground, casually tossing the Sword of Love down beside his feet.
As he relaxed, he gasped heavily for air.
Vanessa hurried over and took the limp Chadite into her arms. Five silk threads extended from Vanessa’s fingertips and inserted themselves into Chadite’s chest.
Having recovered somewhat, Chadite opened her eyes. Seeing Vanessa’s anxious face, she couldn’t help but smile and said, "I don’t think even childbirth could be this painful."
Hearing Chadite’s words, Vanessa’s tense expression relaxed slightly. Then she glared at her and said, "Shut up and get some proper rest."
"HEE HEE," Chadite giggled weakly, closed her eyes in Vanessa’s embrace, and fell into a deep sleep.
Not far away, Alka was still sitting on the ground, looking at Jason, who was also lying limp nearby. The two exchanged weary smiles.
"You really don’t last long, do you? That’s no way for a man to be," Jason quipped, despite his exhaustion.
Hearing Jason, already limp and powerless, still making snide remarks, Alka helplessly rolled his eyes at him. I’m too tired to bother with him, he thought.
By now, Gami had walked over, and a tentacle from his vehicle lifted Jason upright.
"The first one to collapse has no right to say that," Gami retorted.
Lifted up, Jason stretched out a hand and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then weakly gave up.
An instantaneous burst of energy had almost drained all his Magic Power. While Vanessa had been dragging him to dodge attacks, he’d had to force himself to stay alert to help her.
If it weren’t for the laurel crown on his head maintaining his stamina, he would have passed out by now.
He currently had the least Magic Power in the team, as he had become one of the Touched at the same time as Alka. Alka, however, had the help of the Meditation Method. For Jason to have held on this long was already very commendable.
Vanessa placed Chadite into Andre’s arms. After checking Andre’s condition, she came over to see if Alka and Jason had any problems.
After giving Alka and Jason a few Potions to help them recover their strength, everyone paused in the Growth Hall to rest.
"Alka, I never knew you could use a sword! I saw that move of yours clearly just now," Jason couldn’t help but say as soon as he regained some strength.
From not far away, he had clearly seen how Alka had taken down that Knight Evil Spirit in a single move.
To be a Guard Knight in this Great Cathedral, one’s Sword Techniques must be top-notch. He had personally experienced the Sword Techniques of these Knights just moments ago, and they were certainly not undeserving of their reputation.
Alka waved his hand and said, "It wasn’t me controlling the sword; the sword was teaching me how to wield it."
While holding the Sword of Love, it was as if I became a Sword Master, Alka recalled. Every block, attack, and swing was guided by the blade itself. It was like a Sword Master personally teaching me, step by step.
"Is it that amazing? No wonder it’s called the Sword of Love," Gami remarked with awe, hearing their conversation.
This is an undocumented ability. I must record it, Gami thought.
As Alka spoke, he couldn’t help but recall the scenes he had witnessed while holding the Sword of Love.
At that time, I was dragged into a pitch-black space and saw several images. But when I snapped back to reality, it seemed as though no time had passed in the outside world; it was still the exact moment I first gripped the sword.
Thinking of this, Alka looked up, gazing at Andre who was not far away, holding the sleeping Chadite and resting with his eyes closed. His gaze then drifted to the Sword of Love lying near Andre’s leg. He opened his mouth and asked, "Leader, when you held the Sword of Love, were you also dragged into a dark space? Did you see any strange scenes?"
Hearing Alka’s voice, everyone perked up their ears with interest. Andre opened his eyes as well.