Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 609 The Pitch-Black Pillar
The pitch-black darkness instantly swallowed up Monigne's entire field of vision.

She could no longer see the battlefield, nor could she feel the presence of "Saintess" Franya, who had always been by her side.

Only the sharp, dry whistling of the wind continued to clamor in her ears, and it seemed as if shadowy gazes and mocking, secretive voices filled her from all directions—

Monigne did feel that she was being locked onto by a hidden gaze, but she did not sense any killing intent, nor did she feel enveloped by any spirituality, a feeling that made her uncomfortable.

It's like walking down the street in strange clothes, attracting the attention of countless passersby, yet unable to discern who the real enemy is.

—Snap!

A sudden crackling sound erupted, and a dim patch of light burst forth from Monigne's left side, from which a high-frequency vibration quickly emanated.

The sound was like the chirping of cicadas in the height of summer, spreading rapidly from a single point to a wider area. Monigne gripped the holy sword tightly with both hands, channeling her spirituality as much as possible, her senses like a taut string, closely capturing every rustle and movement around her.

Wow!

The trembling sound of the cicadas suddenly stopped, and that suffocating feeling of the air freezing and the heart stopping surged up again. In an instant, Monigne felt a chill on his neck—

In a panic, Monigne grabbed him by the neck and twisted his upper body. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a throat-slitting sword twisted like a crescent moon.

Then she smelled blood, the smell of fresh blood gushing from the fresh cut on her shoulder.

"The Blind Shadow" Archirad—his initial goal was to slit his own throat!
Monigne was already on alert. Just moments before, she had a strong premonition of a crisis that could seriously injure her—she instinctively twisted her body to avoid an attack, but the short sword that grazed past her also pierced her shoulder.

When the short sword sliced ​​through Monigne's shoulder armor, not a single metallic clang was heard. It pierced through the armor silently, into the flesh, and then sliced ​​through the skin and pulled away!

"..."

Monigne vaguely heard a sigh.

The holy sword in her hand spun simultaneously, its blade bursting with an extremely dazzling golden light, and with Monigne's fastest reaction speed, she slashed towards Archelaad's side!
--boom!!!!!!!

The heavy, deafening sound was no less than the shockwave of a meteorite hitting the ground, causing the earth to roar with a thunderous roar.

But Monigne didn't feel like he had struck anything—"The Blind Shadow" Archirad was no longer in this area.

The entire shadowy realm that Archira had created began to dissipate from the top—

Monigne saw the red light that enveloped the battlefield again, and the first thing she did after leaving the Shadow Realm was to turn around sharply and see that Franya was still standing there unharmed, which put her at ease.

……

At this moment, Franya was holding the [Holy Silver Grip] and quickly constructed several barriers around herself, protecting herself within the holy barrier.

A comprehensive defense is the best way to deal with unpredictable enemies like Archirad the Blind.

No matter where or by what means Archira intends to attack him, he will inevitably have to first dispel or shatter the barrier.

The barrier that Franya created came from the sacred relic, the "Remains of an Ancient Saint"—a band whose domain possessed the effect of being unbreakable and impenetrable.

Archirad was not a demigod and did not have a way to directly bypass the barrier shield.

Monigne initially instructed Franya to use the [Remains of the Ancient Saint] to protect herself from Archelad, and Franya was also instructed not to reveal her power at the "Sevenfold Fate" level.

Franya has advanced to the seventh level of destiny and become the "Celestial Crown," which is her biggest trump card capable of turning the tide of a local battle.

Archira wasn't enough to make Franya reveal her trump card, and Monigne was currently sufficient to deal with him. Meanwhile, countless eyes were watching them intently, and Franya always had to be wary of these unknowns.

……

Monigne saw a short, thin figure not far in front of him.

He appeared out of thin air, yet blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment, without seeming out of place.

Archirad, the "Blind Shadow," was actually a dwarf.

He was wrapped in a black cloak like a sack, his withered right hand tightly gripping the crescent-shaped dagger Monigne had seen earlier. Beneath the cloak, his distorted face bore a sinister expression, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

The deep, dark eyes beneath the cloak were fixed on Monigne's direction. His lips were tightly closed, and in the next moment, under Monigne's gaze, they turned into black mist that dissipated in all directions.

"A tricky problem..."

Monigne heard a low, dry human voice.

At the same time, she saw the corners of Archibald's mouth curl up in a strange arc—he was unable to contain his mocking smile, excited for some unknown reason.

Darkness quickly surged back into the edge of Monigne's vision—

She knew that Archirad, the "Blind Shadow," was about to make his move again, and Monigne was prepared for it—she raised the divinely forged holy sword in her hand high, from which a blazing golden light flowed out.

The light illuminated the surroundings and also "ignited" the enveloping darkness—Monigne, as the "Sword of the Holy," was herself a walking sun.

Previously, being completely enclosed in darkness, Monigne needed to observe Archelaad's fighting style, but now that's no longer necessary. Once she sees and locks onto Archelaad's figure, Monigne can effectively target him.

"In the name of Skadi, let the promised holy judgment and divine punishment descend."

Monigne raised the holy sword high, and a light as dazzling as the sun emanated from the outline of his body as he began to pray—

"I pray to see the appearance of the blazing sun."

--boom!!!!!

Right where Archirad, the "Blind Shadow," had been standing, a pillar of holy flame, overflowing with golden light, erupted from bottom to top like a volcanic eruption!
Then, cracks tore open in the sky, and the phantom of the holy sword that Monigne had condensed fell from above—

It covered all the possible hiding places of Archirad, and brilliant golden light bloomed everywhere on the battlefield. It not only baptized Archirad's possible hiding places with holy light, but also instantly purified the nearby dark army into ashes.

But Monigne did not feel that he had struck the "blind shadow" Archellad—

Just like that pitch-black pillar of [Bitter Tea], it has once again evaporated from the world.

Monigne was puzzled—it was indeed the first time she had faced such an unpredictable enemy as Archelaad.

As the light emanating from the holy sword in her hand faded, Monigne suddenly saw a crimson and a grayish-brown light rising from either side—

That was not the "Blind Shadow" Archirad, but another "Pillar of Darkness" and a bizarre figure that resembled a humanoid octopus!

The moment they appeared, Monigne sensed that they were all "Seven Fates," enemies on the same level as him!

A dark pillar of "Crimson Lotus," and another unknown enemy that appears to be "Lost"... Monigne quickly made her judgment.

...That unknown enemy is...the Lich King of the "Lich Society"?

Monigne's mind raced; she clenched her teeth, and her eyes became somewhat dry.

The threat they faced suddenly escalated from one person, "The Blind Shadow," Archirad, to three.

Monigne's pupils contracted slightly; she instinctively sensed something was wrong, but the sudden surge of spiritual energy had temporarily plunged her power to a low point.

Such a change happened in an instant—the black pillar of the [Red Lotus] raised its hand, and the scarlet blood mist swept out in an instant, gathering into a hurricane that could destroy everything, and was already howling towards Monine's seemingly insignificant figure!

And the [lost] enemy—that alien creature with countless tentacles, resembling an octopus.

His tentacles extended infinitely, accompanied by an extremely strong pressure, causing the flowing air, along with the spirituality contained within it, to be drawn into clumps by the tentacles and consciously pulled away from Monigne!
He wanted to create a field out of thin air, a space with a near-vacuum of spiritual energy—so that any resistance Monigne could mount would require her to expend her own spiritual energy, and with this ebb and flow, she would eventually run out of energy.

Seeing the movements of the two newly appeared enemies, Monigne quickly understood what they were plotting. She wouldn't allow this to happen before her eyes. So Monigne gripped the holy sword tightly once more, raised it high to the sky, and prepared to summon the spiritual power of her [Radiance]—

—Sizzle!!

The sound of flames burning fiercely suddenly erupted from Monigne's shoulder.

Monigne suddenly felt a loss of strength; her power and her spirituality vanished in an instant, as if a stone had sunk into the sea.

She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, followed by intense numbness, and soon she could no longer feel her left shoulder or arm.

"..."

"poisonous……!!"

Monigne was shocked to realize that black blood was gushing out of the shoulder that had been pierced by Archirad's short sword.

I hadn't felt anything before, and even when my own spiritual energy flowed through me, I didn't notice anything unusual. This was also one of Archela's methods...

In Monigne's eyes, she did indeed see Archelad reappear in the corner of her field of vision, his face still bearing that sinister expression, a strange smile playing on his lips, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

But Monigne had no time to think any further.

The blood-soaked hurricane from the black pillar of the Crimson Lotus was about to engulf her; the tentacles of the octopus-like alien, resembling the Lich King, were also close to touching her. In this critical moment, Monine could only wield her sword with one hand and desperately try to block—

But the next moment, golden halos appeared around her, enveloping and protecting her, isolating her from all hostility and malice from the outside world.

That was Franya—she held the [Holy Silver Grip] and pointed it at Monine within the barrier, thinning her own barrier to protect Monine as well!
--boom!!!!!

—BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
Crimson, grayish-brown, and jet-black light surged and crashed against the barrier's light screen.

Monigne's eyes reflected a chaotic light, and he heard a thunderous roar. He saw cracks spreading across the surface of the protective barrier provided by the [Remains of the Ancient Saint]. Under such a terrifying bombardment, even the sacred relic could not withstand it for long.

Monigne intensified her prayers, using the "Divine Seal" to purify herself from the curse and corruption she had been subjected to.

But the barrier in front of her was also about to break.

—Crack! !!

Just as Monigne heard a crisp sound, a thunderous roar followed—the terrifying surge of chaotic light had shattered the barrier and was hurtling straight toward her!

--boom!!!!!!!!!

Then, her vision was completely filled with an intensely fiery crimson.

But Monigne did not feel the scorching heat that could burn her. The thunderous roar that had been pounding in her ears vanished in an instant, as if some immense energy had neutralized the combined attack of the three "Seven Fates".

"--roar!!!!!"

Monigne heard the roar of an incomparably majestic dragon.

Until the deep red gradually faded from the edge of vision.

Monigne saw it—a deep red pillar of light crashed down from the sky, engulfing the black pillar of the [Red Lotus], the [Lost] alien saint, and the figure of "Blind Shadow" Archirad!

Its source was indeed a colossal dragon that blotted out the sky—Monigne recognized that dragon.

—Quisanx, the Dragon of Justice!
But something doesn't quite feel right...

"..."

When Monigne looked up at Quesanx, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Above the Star Spirits..."

"..."

she murmured.

She sensed the presence of Quesanx, that transformation from the very core.

She also saw the archbishop, Rosius Carlos, whose wings had spread behind him, and who was now high in the sky as the "incarnation of the holy wings," with a smile on his face as he looked down over the entire battlefield.

……

"【Bitter Tea】Sevenfold Fate 'Pillar of Darkness', 'Blind Shadow' Archirad..."

"【Red Lotus】Seven Fates 'Pillar of Darkness', 'Blood Crowned Venerable' Borgula...and a 【Lost】'Lich King', 'Brown King' Bridget..."

Beside Quesanx's enormous dragon body, Luo Xiu murmured as he surveyed the battlefield, having already made out his enemies.

Having already encountered three enemies with "Sevenfold Fate", there was no need to hold back this trump card, Quesanx. Luo Xiu summoned him and had him unleash his [Surge of Destruction] onto the ground, which indeed had a disruptive effect!

Luo Xiu was pleased to see this scene unfold.

Just as he had predicted.

As expected, the Lich King of the "Lich Society" appeared—but Luo Xiu did not expect that three enemies of the "Sevenfold Fate" would launch an attack on Monine's side.

Monine might not be their primary target. Luo Xiu knew that what the "Pillars of Darkness" might want to eliminate immediately was the "Saintess" Franya.

In the eyes of the Black Pillars, the "Saintess" is still destined for the Sixfold Fate. Killing her wouldn't be difficult, but the significance of killing her would be immense, so Archirad would choose to attack her first.

As for the newly emerged dark pillar—the 'Blood Crown Venerable' Bogula of the Sevenfold Fate of the Crimson Lotus—one can see the tactics employed by the dark pillars when they are outnumbered by the Empire.

The "Pillar of Darkness" conceals its movements as much as possible, while simultaneously launching a joint attack on a Saint who has entered the "Sevenfold Fate" of the Empire. There is a high probability that it can severely injure or even kill the Saint.

Even if they fail, they can still escape during the gaps—these dark pillars are indifferent to the casualties of the Dark Army below the "Fivefold Fate Path".

They are all cannon fodder, expendable supplies used to attract or hinder the firepower of all Saints of the Empire. This tactic is based on the fact that most of the high-ranking Saints of the Empire are already active on the battlefield, making it easy to concentrate fire on them and to quickly hide or disperse.

The dark pillars are engaged in a game of strategy—

The main focus of the Game Empire will be on annihilating the Dark Army, rather than on ensuring the safety of every Saint who enters the battlefield.

Even if the entire Dark Army is wiped out and the ordinary soldiers of the expeditionary force suffer only minor losses, as long as the Dark Pillar can cause the demise of more than half of the Empire's "Sixth Destiny" and "Seventh Destiny" Saints, it will be a victory for the Dark Duchy, and the Empire will suffer an extremely heavy blow as a result.

After all, the Dark Principality is not a nation established in the traditional sense, based on the allegiance of its people. It is a den of evil, a "dreamland of the lawless" on the continent of Fanor. As long as evil exists, the Dark Principality will exist forever.

The "Pillars of Darkness" are the Dark Grand Duke's most precious "asset." Everything else is insignificant and can be discarded.
As long as the losses of the Dark Pillars are less than the losses of the Empire's "Seven Fates" Saints, the Dark Pillars can still quickly establish a new "Dark Duchy" after this decisive battle. This is the part of their "game"!

Luo Xiu has seen through all of this.

Just as he was looking down at the battlefield, amidst the dragon flames spewing forth from Quesanx, "Blind Shadow" Archirad and "Blood Crowned Venerable" Bogula were already showing signs of retreating.

They seem to be preparing to abandon their goals for Monigne and Franja and instead seek other opportunities.

Surrounded by the blazing dragon flames, they endured the burning and retreated to the edge of the surrounding dark army.

They were about to blend in and disappear.

……

(End of this chapter)