Chapter 355: The Variable (End)

  He was sent flying a great distance, tumbling more than a dozen times on the corpse-strewn ground before Inham finally came to a stop. He struggled to prop up his upper body and spat out a few words. "How formidable!"

  Along with these words, he spat out a large mouthful of blood. Inside the blood were some fragments of his lung. His chest had almost completely caved in, and the ribs on his front were all broken. If he wasn't still wearing the Robe of the Lich Lord, and if he hadn't instantly sensed the danger and flown backward with an agility an ordinary mage could never hope to match to deflect the force, this long-range punch could have easily pierced right through him.

  Using Necromancy to manipulate the dead muscles and organs and White Magic to rapidly heal, he finally stabilized his injuries. Inham looked up. Before the Grand Hall of Light, there was already a field of red light, and nothing could be seen. The blood-colored rainbow had transformed into a large, pulsating curtain of red light, completely enveloping the few people who were originally there.

  "Ha!" A loud shout came from within the red light, and everyone who heard it trembled, as if The Radiant Citadel itself had shaken with the roar. Then, a massive ball of white light blasted out from the red curtain of light, as if condensed with thousands of angry thunders roaring towards Inham.

  In the instant the light shattered the red curtain, several figures could be seen within, the most conspicuous of whom was Gru, who had thrown that punch. In the dazzling white light, mixed with the leaf-like, emerald green glow of Battle Qi, the surrounding red curtain paled for an instant. This was his full-power punch, no longer just striking the air from a distance, but using all his strength and Battle Qi. He not only wanted to shatter this bloody light but also to kill Inham, who had cast the spell.

  But this dazzling brilliance lasted only for a moment. The next instant, the red waves silently surged and pressed down again, completely submerging him. This was the power of a thousand people's life force, transformed by the highest level of Necromancy, which no one could break through. Only the ball of white Battle Qi remained, carrying a heaven-shaking roar as it rushed towards Inham.

  Watching the immense force hurtling towards him, Inham was not too panicked. Although any magic shield he had would be like thin paper against this ball of Battle Qi, and even moving was a problem for him now, it didn't mean he was completely helpless.

  Even the slightest movement of his fingers would pull at the injury in his chest, a truly heart-wrenching pain. But Inham still quickly formed a strange hand seal with both hands. A pendant made of a Star Shard on his chest emitted a glow, and the next instant, he disappeared. The blast of energy plowed a trench in the ground and struck a house at the edge of the square. With a deafening roar, the entire building, as if struck by more than a dozen Thunderblast Bombs at once, shattered and flew apart.

  A blue light flashed, and Inham's figure reappeared on the other side of the square's edge. His face, already exhausted, was now even more haggard. He looked like someone who had just fought a bloody battle for three days and three nights without a moment of rest or a drop of water.

  Space Shift. This was a spatial spell invented by the genius Archibald, and for hundreds of years on the continent, it was the final life-saving spell that only a Necromancer bearing the brand of The Black Star could use. However, it was not only exceptionally dangerous but also caused significant harm to the bodies of Necromancers.

  Using the last bit of his strength, Inham took a teleportation magic scroll from his robes and unfurled it. At this moment, mages who had spotted him were already casting dozens of spells in his direction, and nearby swordsmen were all charging towards him. But amidst the dense explosions and magical flames, the blue light of the teleportation magic still rose unyieldingly into the sky. By the time the swordsmen rushed over, all that was left was an empty field scarred by the impact of magic.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Before the Grand Hall of Light, the curtain of light was now surrounded by priests. The White Magic of Purification, which was all-powerful against other forms of magic, had no effect against this bloody red glow. Even the combined casting of over a hundred priests left the crimson light unchanged. Many were shouting for Lancelot and the others in the center, but there was no response.

  The bloody curtain of light continued to churn, its range shrinking, becoming denser and pressing inward. Those around it seemed to be able to hear the fragmented sounds of the people in the center. But that was only if there were still people alive inside. Just now, two priests had tried to slash at it with their swords, but the moment the blades touched the red light, which was seemingly formless yet substantial, a great suction force seemed to emanate from it. The two priests, along with their swords, were directly pulled into the curtain of light. Their screams had just begun when everyone watched in horror as they rapidly melted into the bloody light.

  In the center of the square, the orcs did not make any unusual moves but cautiously guarded against the surrounding swordsmen under the restraint of several chieftains. The minds of the orc leaders had cleared. They understood that acting recklessly would be courting death. But if this ball of red light truly devoured everyone inside, they would also be doomed.

  In the palace of Erathia, a Cardinal, covered in blood and on the verge of death, appeared in the teleportation magic array, startling the nearby guards half to death. Although Queen Katherine, who was informed of the situation, was extremely anxious, she did not notify the Grand Cathedral. Instead, she brought Inham to the palace for emergency treatment.

  It didn't take long for Cardinal Inham to regain consciousness. After using healing magic on himself, his injuries quickly improved. After signaling for everyone else to leave, only he and the Queen remained.

  "The Radiant Citadel is finished," Inham said flatly. "Magnus, Lancelot, and more than ten Cardinals are all dead."

  "What?" The Queen was greatly shocked, but her surprise was quickly followed by even greater delight.

  "Oufu used a Gate of Another Dimension to invade The Radiant Citadel. Both sides were greatly weakened in the melee. Both of Oufu's leaders are also dead. Even if Oufu City can continue to exist, it will not be a threat in the next ten years. You can have no more worries. Among the kingdoms, Erathia is the strongest, and among the kings, none are your match. If you are careful, installing a puppet as Pope will not be difficult..."

  As Inham spoke, two flames seemed to ignite in Queen Katherine's eyes, growing brighter and brighter, and her breathing became rapid. She quickly took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "The position of Pope is naturally yours. There's no need to rush to talk about this now. You should focus on recovering from your injuries..."

  "Don't worry, I'm not interested in that position. And what I mean by saying this is... my usefulness to you is over. You can be your queen in peace. I won't bother you again."

  "What are you talking about..." Queen Katherine's brows furrowed, and in her shock and anger, an unconcealable panic could be seen.

  "From now on, you will be busy with the affairs of your kingdom, and I will probably have to go to the Far East to avoid someone I can't afford to provoke. We won't have many chances to meet in the future. At this point, there's no harm in speaking plainly."

  "You... we..." The Queen's face was grim.

  "Are you willing to give up Erathia and leave with me?" Inham suddenly looked at Katherine.

  The Queen's expression froze. Her eyes flickered for a moment, then her expression dimmed. She sighed and then returned to that calm, composed, yet captivating demeanor. "Then... thank you for that."

  Inham also sighed. After a long silence, he asked, "By the way, where did the young man who teleported with me go?"

  "Who?" The Queen was taken aback. "No one used the teleportation array with you before..."

  "What?" Inham jumped up from the bed. His whole body suddenly trembled violently. He turned his head, and his eyes were filled with fear.

  "What's wrong? There's nothing there..." The Queen looked towards the spot Inham was staring at. It was just a wall, completely normal, but he looked at it as if a terrifying demon was drilling out of it.

  The fear in Inham's eyes grew heavier, so heavy that it seemed to completely obscure his reason. He was still facing that direction, his knees slowly bending to kneel.

  "How is this possible..." What came from his mouth seemed to be a moan.

  A thousand miles away, in the library of the Magic Academy, an old priest also slowly knelt in one direction, his face ashen.

  In the Diya Valley, three old men, dressed in different styles, were also kneeling. The expressions on their faces were varied, but none of them looked good.

  In Celeste, in The Radiant Citadel, on the square before the Grand Hall of Light, the magical red light that had been about to devour everything had disappeared. Just now, when everyone was at a loss, the magical red light had suddenly and inexplicably surged into the great hall, as if a giant beast inside had taken a great breath and swallowed the light.

  No one here was kneeling. Everyone was looking towards the Grand Hall of Light. Although they could see nothing, they could all feel it, feel the aura gushing out from the great hall like a tide.

  An aura that submerged everything, looked down on everything, and was indifferent to everything. It was the aura of death, the aura of a god.

  Under this aura, everyone felt a deep-seated terror and horror from the depths of their souls. They all felt their own insignificance and powerlessness. Whether they were devout priests or savage orcs, the expressions on their faces were the same: despair and fear.

  Only two people had expressions different from the others. They were where the red light had been churning. Both were covered in wounds, their faces filled with exhaustion. One was crouching on the ground, his face full of disbelief and astonishment. The other stood ramrod straight. Only his gaze, fixed on the Grand Hall of Light, was so bright, so sharp.