Chương 26: Storms and Curses

Harrow Gaunt, an angel of the Lord of Storms!

Sia quietly exhaled a sigh of relief. Harrow was an arrogant and ruthless man who believed in absolute power. Likes of him wouldn't bring a powerful sealed artefact to the battle, as they would think it was beneath them.

This knowledge calmed her heart; she knew she was about to confront an angel of the Lord of Storms, but what sealed artefact they might carry with them was what truly worried her. After all, despite their negative effects, sealed objects could completely determine the result of the conflict. Nevertheless, she didn't let her guard down, as you should never underestimate an angel. For all she knew, she could be totally wrong with her assumptions.

Sia was in for a tough battle; she could feel that, but she wanted to end the coming battle as early as possible, for her task was almost completed.

As for Harrow, she only planned on wounding him; as for killing him, she didn't even bother to think about it because the fall of Harrow was guaranteed to attract the attention of the Lord of Storms, which she and her organisation couldn't afford. There was also a fact that prompted her to make that decision: the forces of the Church of Storms and Night in Bayam were entering the battle commanded by their saints. If the fight did not conclude quickly, her side would be completely disadvantaged.

Given all of this, Sia Palenque Eggers didn't hesitate to launch an attack on Harrow, who was clearing his throat in preparation for a pompous proclamation. She assumed her mythical form and spit out a pale white flame towards Harrow, threatening Death.

Having his proclamation interrupted made Harrow seethe in rage, and he responded cataclysmically. He transformed into his mythical creature, a sea creature with tentacles, and aimed his tentacles at the approaching flames.

Immediately, bolts of white lightning shot out and collided with the pale flames, cancelling each other out in a horrific explosion. A catastrophic shock wave emerged, threatening to destroy all in its path, but Harrow erased it with his calamity authority, rescuing Bayam and all of its people from annihilation.

Using his momentary distraction to her advantage, Sia dashed out of the remains of the explosion at Harrow, flapping her feathery-oily wings. In order to weaken Harrow, she used her authority to judge him.

Harrow, on the other hand, wasn't caught off guard, though his annoyance and wrath were palpable as he felt himself weaken and enfeeble. But he bore it totally with his authority and counter-attacked Sia as her vertical eyes flashed with pale flames, prepared to use her death sight on him.

Harrow unleashed a terrifying and chaotic hurricane that expanded from him as he dashed to Sia. For her, though, his intention was clear as day: Harrow wanted to divert their fight away from Bayam in order to avoid collateral damage.

But Sia was having none of it; instead of directing her death sight at Harrow, she directed it at the cyclone, disintegrating it into oblivion as she and Harrow collided amidst tendrils of white lightning and embers of pale fire, all of which lit up the sky in blinding brilliance in the moment of their collision.

In the midst of it all, a feathered serpent and a tentacled monstrosity fought each other, just like the mythical beasts. Within moments, they zigzagged throughout the sky, leaving trails of light and nothing but destruction in their wake.

But Bayam, the City of Generosity, remained standing despite clashes of mythical creatures, thanks to the Saints of the Churches of Storm and Night, who were negating the aftermaths with all of their might, but their defence wasn't powerful enough to stop it completely, causing the entire city to begin to burn and collapse in the midst of a storm of lightning and flame.

The cries of despair and grief resounded from the burning city in haunting echoes; nevertheless, they didn't faze any combatants in the terrifying conflict, though grimness began to seep into their hearts with each passing moment.

As they crashed towards Sonia Sea, Sia received a prayer from her force, informing her the task was accomplished, and so she went all out, holding nothing back. She swiftly exited her mythological creature form, surprising Harrow and momentarily freezing him. This was enough of an advantage for Sia to put some distance between them.

Immediately after, a necklace appeared around her neck, each of its rubies as red as the blood moon, emanating a decadent aura.

Rather than attacking, Harrow also exited his mythical creature form, looking at Sia with a sneer. "So that's your hidden card, but do you really think it'll help you with the coming divine punishment?"

Sia's heart sank. "I think you should worry about yourself first," she said sharply.

"Oh, Sia, how foolish you are!" Harrow reprimanded, his aura grew stronger, then he laughed, his laugh booming like a thunderclap, rattling the entire Sonia Sea. "You are not the only one holding back, you know?" He declared, his form bathed in lightning and waves, as if he had become one with the storm itself.

Sia's eyes widened at Harrow, for she felt something arising from within his aura—something otherworldly, something transcendent, something divine.

"You are right." Harrow concluded her thoughts with a twisted smile, relishing in her shock. "I have received the mercy of my Lord!"

The Blessing of the Lord of Storms!

Sia didn't even think twice before mentally calling for help in the spiritual network that linked all high-sequence beyonders of the Numinous Episcopate.

Yes, Sia could still fight Harrow in his current state, but as her lord had said, she was not here to fight but to destroy, and her task had been completed, and there was also her force she was in charge of, so she didn't see any appeal in fighting Harrow to the death. Nevertheless, she put on a front, as if she wanted to do just that in order to fool Harrow. She just wanted to buy some time until Hermes arrived to support their escape.

Sia took a deep breath, grim determination filling her fiery eyes, and noticing this, Harrow's grin widened, brimming with supreme confidence, but before either of them could make a move, an aura swept past them, freezing them momentarily in their place.

An aura so powerful, so eerie, so nihilistic, so cold—Sia couldn't be mistaken. "Lord..." she murmured under her breath, her eyes mirroring the emergence of crimson-dark flames.

——————

Caesar Bay, West Balam.

The initial stage of the assault at Intis Navy Base was successful, as it had been at all other bases, but things quickly became complicated when Reinette Tinker appeared. This seemed to be the signal that the Rose School of Thought had been waiting for, as they immediately attacked the forces of the Numinous Episcopate. They temporarily joined hands with survivors of the Intis base.

Thankfully, Lucien and his angels had planned a special squad of beyonders carrying powerful sealed artefacts just to combat the armies of the Indulgence faction, preventing Numinous Episcopate from falling completely into disadvantage, and there was the Temperance faction in the battle as well. All in all, it was a chaotic and heavy battle, even more so than the ones happening at the other bases.

As soon as the two sides engaged in battle, Caesar Bay completely turned into a wasteland engulfed in Death and Desire.

And this was not considering the fight happening between Reinette Tinker and Barrcana in the sea. They were both in their mythical-creature forms—dolls bound by throne vines.

An Ancient Bane possessed authority of curse. Their curses might range from something as simple as infecting someone with sickness to something as frightening as inflicting unavoidable death. It was ultimately up to the users and their creativity.

Reinette Tinker and Barrcana, both Ancient Banes, weren't short of creativity, slinging not only curses but also jabs at each other. They were both the size of castles and left nothing but devastation in their footsteps.

"Remember how you called me a traitor?" Barrcana glared at Reinette as he diverted her curse into the surrounding sea, causing it to evaporate instantly. "But look at you now, kneeling to that Reaper! At the end of the day, lovely Reinette, we're not that different, are we?"

"Don't lump with the likes of you." Reinette spoke in an emotionless tone, but anyone could feel the rage surfing beneath it. "I still have my soul and my freedom, unlike you, Barrcana."

"You and your inane thinking. I missed that so much, you know. Always gave me the best laughs." Barrcana laughed while launching a death curse at Reinette, and as she countered that with her own curse, he continued, a fanatical expression marring his countenance.

"Reinette, you still refused to acknowledge the truth. You say you have freedom? Ridiculous! You and I, as well as all other prisoners like us, are already a part of something bigger, something greater, something cosmic. You should have rejoiced in truth, as I did, rather than pursuing your illusory freedom."

His words, fervent yet true, hurt Reinette deeply, searing her soul. "So what if it was the truth? I refuse to believe it! I refuse to submit myself to it!" She declared, her heart burning with rage and hatred, all of which she channelled into a curse she was silently accumulating for a very, very long time.

The root of the curse was the anger, hatred, and grudge that had emerged after she nearly lost everything to the Indulgence Faction, and now with her declaration, it had reached perfection.

Reinette Tinker opened her mouth, and all light throughout the southern continent dimmed and sank into the embrace of Darkness, as if the Evernight Goddess herself had turned her attention here.

And Barrcana felt his senses scream in danger—danger that could claim his life—but he looked unfazed, saying nonchalantly. "Futile, Reinet—"

"Annihilation!" Reinette Tinker cursed, and the darkness around the southern continent converged towards Barrcana, emitting a nihilistic aura that all but threatened to annihilate him into nothingness.

But before the tsunami of nihilistic darkness could reach Barrcana, an arm reached out from the spirit realm, targeting Reinette, who was exhausted and worn from casting the annihilation curse, with the aim of killing.

Its surface was flowing with a black, sticky liquid that kept protruding out with strange objects. Some were skulls, while others had barbed mouths and three-dimensional eyes.

Abomination Suah!

The leader of the Rose School of Thought, an existence at Sequence 1, had been waiting for the right time to assault Reinette Tinker, and when it came, he seized it. And he didn't forget to spare some of his power to weaken the annihilation curse of Reinette to the point where Barrcana could face it without dying.

Reinette Tinker gazed at Abomination Suah, who was on her tail, without surprise. She expected this, and she even knew what the true intention of Abomination Suah was for coming after her at this moment, and she somewhat felt bitter that he succeeded:

A white rose bloomed in the splendour of death between her doll-figure and his black-sticky arm.

A young man materialised right before it, grasping the rose ever so gently. He had bronze skin and a chiselled build. His black hair was short and frizzy, exuding a darkness rivalled only by the void. His eyes were platinum silver, sparkling like the argent moon at night. He wore deep, dark robes embroidered with golden threads. But these were not the most noticeable aspects of him; rather, six pairs of wings with metallic colours unveiled themselves grimly from behind his back.

The Reaper!