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After the mutated Mahmosi and Jax both met with unexpected incidents, Suah, who had transmitted his power from a great distance using some method, was thoroughly enraged.
Just then, the surroundings suddenly turned dark, not the kind that precedes heavy rain, nor caused by a moonless, starless night. It was utterly silent, emanating a putrid smell.
Terrifying Darkness swept towards the lightning storm, and roars that could instantly blank out the minds of all living creatures, causing them to temporarily lose all thoughts, echoed.
The arm within the lightning storm suddenly elongated, its surface black and viscous, seemingly oozing an evil liquid.
From within these liquids, pale skeletal heads, blood-veined eyeballs, fanged tongues, and various other bizarre and grotesque things grew out.
An extreme sense of evil and madness rapidly permeated the area, causing the forest below to instantly crack and dry. Count Mistral, severely wounded, had no time to ponder what had just attacked Jax, as his body abruptly shattered into crimson moonlight.
The evil liquid transformed into a new black, viscous arm, its momentum undiminished as it stabbed towards Count Mistral, who was re-coalescing his body behind Nibbs Odora.
A hint of solemnity flashed in Nibbs's eyes. His left hand tightly restrained the bizarre puppet. He softly chanted a phrase in ancient Hermes, then extended his right hand forward, conjuring a translucent, ethereal Door inscribed with numerous mysterious symbols.
A phantom figure, as if merely a projection, appeared behind the portal. Strands of blood-red silk surged from the projection's body, rushing towards the black, viscous arm.
Amidst sizzling sounds, everything vanished into nothingness. Unlike Suah's physical form, the projection of Duke Olmer, a mere Sanguine, should not have possessed this level of power.
However, with the power transmitted through the Door of Summoning of a fellow Sequence High Summoner, this projection of His Excellency "Full Moon" also possessed power nearly at the Angel level, though it was not long-lasting.
As this phantom stepped out of the portal, the surrounding ground, which had become parched and putrid from Suah's aura, instantly seemed to blossom anew, filled with the essence of flourishing life and new beginnings.
Just as Duke Olmer's projection entangled Suah, the area above the battlefield suddenly grew gloomy, seemingly containing an unspeakable natural wrath.
In just an instant, streaks of lightning of different colors leaped across the night sky, clawing and expanding wildly, seemingly engulfing the entire heavens in an ocean of thunder.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dull rumbling echoed. In faraway Bayam City, many residents were startled awake, shouting about miracles. Louise stood behind her window, gazing at the distant silver-white sky, lost in thought.
Hundreds of massive silver-white lightning bolts descended from thin air, simultaneously striking the barrier formed by Suah's Abomination state, transforming it into a forest of thunder, emitting a powerful aura of destruction.
Rumble! Before the deafening sound dissipated, silver-white, blazing lightning bolts, like a torrential downpour, covered the entire sky, piercing through the barrier and tearing all corruption, Concealment, Darkness, impurity, and evil into shreds.
A tall, burly middle-aged man with thick, dark blue hair, wearing a Storm Priest's robe, stood in mid-air, looking down, his eyes containing evident rage.
He was none other than the Cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Archbishop of the Rorsted Archipelago, a senior "Punisher" deacon, and "Sea King" Jahn Kottman.
Electric snakes coiled around his body, and his right hand held high a scepter emitting a terrifying aura of destruction.
It was the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, "Scepter of Divine Punishment," code-named 0-23, wielded by Jahn Kottman, and the greatest deterrent of the Church of the Lord of Storms in suppressing the Beyonder world of the Rorsted Archipelago.
This Grade 0 Sealed Artifact had always been wielded by Sequence 3 Jahn Kottman. Once Jahn Kottman left Bayam, the Rorsted Archipelago would, like other Loen colonies, at most retain two to three Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts for defense.
Watching the arm retreat unwillingly back into the portal amidst the destructive storm, akin to a divine punishment, Jahn Kottman's eyes no longer spewed flames, and the destructive aura emanating from 0-23 subtly receded.
Jahn Kottman slowly descended to the ground, feeling the life force swirling around him. He restrained his surging anger and nodded slightly towards the phantom projection. This was a gesture of respect for an Angel of the Land.
At this moment, the scenes of the recent battle still lingered in Jahn Kottman's mind, remembering every participant:
A mysterious powerhouse, suspected to be a high-level Beyonder of the Sun Pathway or one who wielded a corresponding Sealed Artifact. The thought of that disgusting Sun aura made Jahn Kottman involuntarily frown, yet he couldn't even track how the opponent attacked or disappeared.
The Rose School of Thought's Demigod and Saint, the bizarre Spirit World creature that appeared abruptly, and the Rose School of Thought's Angel, as well as these Sanguine before him.
The only one without divinity had fled the area before Jahn Kottman arrived, or more accurately, when the Rose School of Thought was in decline, and could not be found afterward.
However, Jahn Kottman recognized him.
A Pirate Admiral with a bounty of 42,000 pounds was worthy of having his information on the "Sea King's" desk!
Although this type was considered less important, Jahn Kottman, having experienced the Seafarer Sequence, still remembered the relevant details.
Looking at the mess around him, Jahn Kottman glared impolitely at Nibbs Odora, who was standing nearby, and said, suppressing his anger:
"I need an explanation..."
-----------------
As soon as Jahn Kottman, holding that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and the projection emanating endless vitality appeared, Aaron proactively cut off his vision.
There was no need to care about what happened next. If two couldn't defeat one, it would be better to just find a spot and bury himself.
Seated on his throne, under the illumination of the "Crimson Eye," Aaron's spirituality had mostly recovered.
He very restrainedly put away the "Crimson Eye," avoiding its terrible negative effects, then took out his divination pendulum and began divining using a wisp of Admiral of Blood's aura he had previously intercepted.
In the hazy dream fragments, Aaron saw a somewhat familiar street.
Admiral of Blood Senor, his old tricorn hat fallen somewhere unknown, still bore a look of horror on his face, which hadn't faded. He emerged from a mirror-like puddle on the street, his face grim.
Aaron opened his eyes with a strange expression. If he remembered correctly, that street was right next to Phil Street in Bayam's South District, very close to where he currently lived.
Firmly sealing the "Sun-Chasing Scepter," Aaron planned to endure the remaining negative effects after he dealt with Admiral of Blood. His figure abruptly vanished from the throne.
Senor tightly clutched a necklace made of pure silver, with a matching pendant shaped like an ancient coin hanging below.
Both sides were covered in mysterious patterns and symbolic designs, and inscribed with an ancient Hermes text:
"However lucky you are now, you will be just as unlucky later."
It was by relying on the luck provided by this Sealed Artifact that he was able to escape the battlefield almost unharmed. Of course, this was also related to his weak strength and not being the target.
The direction of the seaside was covered by the battlefield. After escaping, he decided to return to Bayam first to rendezvous with his crew, and use some pre-arranged methods to hide in Bayam until the storm passed before leaving.
But no matter what, tonight's operation had completely failed. Senor dared not imagine what punishment he would face in the future.
He trembled slightly, recalling the battle, completely oblivious to the faint glow emanating from the necklace in his hand. As a Wraith, he didn't even notice certain changes occurring in the surrounding space.
Aaron silently appeared, accompanied by a brief ancient Hermes phrase:
"Imprison!"
Senor's movements abruptly halted. Transparent walls seemed to surround him, or perhaps extremely viscous liquid flowed around him.
Aaron knew that Wraiths could transform their state into a true phantom and gain corresponding damage immunity, so he did not slack off.
The illusory black thread cluster in his eyes receded, and two dazzling silver-white lightning bolts burst forth from deep within to the surface.
Interrogator, "Mental Pierce"!
In a normal state, Senor's spirit-body-like physique would only be slightly affected, perhaps even causing Aaron to suffer a backlash. But under the negative effects of the Sealed Artifact and the "Imprison" edict, he could only forcibly endure this invisible arrow aimed at his mental body!
His mind felt as if a knife tip had drilled into it and violently stirred, and the pain spread throughout his body, causing him to temporarily lose his sanity.
When he regained consciousness and prepared to leap repeatedly to create distance, he heard the edict "Prohibit Mirror Teleportation." At the same time, an ancient longsword, covered in blood-red patterns and without a trace of rust, continuously magnified in Senor's vision.
Using the "Prohibit" edict, combined with the weak point attack provided by the "Sword of Judgment"'s harvest, assisted by the "Death" edict's targeting and Mental Pierce's interference, the "Sword of Judgment" directly struck Senor's head.
Senor, who only managed to transform into a semi-phantom state, directly faced the attack. His head shattered in response, but no blood splattered, only a fragmented phantom dissipating amidst wails.
Even for a Wraith, whose body is like a fused spirit and flesh and who can transform into a true phantom, this level of damage was considered a fatal injury.
Senor, reassembling his body not far away, felt a mix of anger and despair. He finally seemed to realize something and forcefully threw the silver necklace away.
Aaron sighed, a hint of regret in his voice, and mused:
"Wraiths sure are tenacious..."
Senor's face was pale. He opened his mouth, attempting to let out a Wraith's shriek, while simultaneously condensing transparent, slightly greenish ice crystal arrows in front of him.
However, they were not aimed at Aaron, but at the surrounding streets and houses, seemingly intending to delay Aaron's movements and buy time to escape.
Aaron was already prepared. He spoke in a low voice and waved his left hand, which wasn't holding the sword:
"Exile!"
Senor was immediately struck by a vast, invisible force. His entire Spirit Body was blown away, crashing against the wall, against the invisible barrier created by "Confinement," but he did not pass through and escape.
Seizing this opportunity, the golden light in Aaron's eyes suddenly intensified. In an instant, he seemed to grow slightly taller, as majestic as a great figure who could control others' lives.
Senor, who had just been freed from the "Exile" state, immediately felt an immense, unprovoked fear. He couldn't help but want to lower his head, to prostrate himself, to listen to every word of the other party, and obey every command!
His movements became quite sluggish. In his pupils, Aaron, rapidly approaching, raised the "Sword of Judgment" in his hand. Only one thought remained in his mind:
"This is impossible..."
With a sound similar to shattering glass, the "Sword of Judgment" passed through the Spirit Body, cutting Senor in half.
Looking at the two halves of the corpse, which had detached from its phantom form and fallen to the ground, Aaron took a deep breath, feeling the Judge potion being digested.
In addition to judging and arbitrating Beyonder cases, establishing new rules for a certain area using several of the Judge's edicts and judging Beyonders who did not comply with the rules could also lead to potion digestion.
The feedback from judging a Sequence 5 advanced Aaron's Judge potion digestion significantly.
Aaron opened his eyes with satisfaction. Seeing that Senor's Beyonder characteristic had not fully precipitated yet, he turned and picked up the silver pendant that had been thrown away earlier.
Looking at the inscription on it: "However lucky you are now, you will be just as unlucky later."
Aaron somewhat understood why Admiral of Blood Senor was lucky enough to escape the battlefield, where an Angel had intervened, almost unharmed, only to unluckily end up near his residence right around the corner.
He casually named the necklace "Scales of Fortune" and then pulled out a box with a Wall of Spirituality from his person, placing the necklace inside.
Aaron tilted his head to look at the ground. He saw a translucent crystal, mixed with many black and red blood threads, gradually condensing and shrinking from Senor's corpse.
After flicking off the greenish blood adhering to the Beyonder characteristic and putting it away, Aaron lifted the "Confinement" edict on the surrounding area. He stood quietly in place, waiting for the Church of the Lord of Storms's Punisher team to arrive.
In just a moment, accompanied by strong winds, a short-haired man in a Church of the Lord of Storms clerical robe, riding the wind, avoiding obstacles, and gliding short distances in the air, landed steadily in front of Aaron.
As the captain of the Punisher team, already a Sequence 6 Wind-Blessed, he had clearly arrived before the other team members.
Seeing that Lord Aaron was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief and explained:
"Something happened in the Rorsted Archipelago tonight. Bishop Joghory left Bayam, so only..."
Before he could finish speaking, the captain saw the two halves of the corpse lying on the ground. His throat seemed to be choked, and he could no longer speak.
Even covered in blood and with his head split in two, for a Punisher extremely familiar with pirates, especially famous ones, he could recognize him at a glance: this was Admiral of Blood.
Aaron, who was well aware of what had happened in the Rorsted Archipelago tonight, first gave an awkward cough, then very thoughtfully put the two halves of the head back together.
Aaron pointed at the corpse on the ground, then at the damaged streets and walls around them due to the battle, and said to the still-stunned Punisher team captain:
"Hmm, you can take the body. I'll send someone to collect the bounty tomorrow. The repair costs for these damaged walls can be directly deducted from the bounty."
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