Atop the watchtower.
Lu Yuan took in the scene and made a split-second decision.
He picked up the communication crystal and tuned into Sivating's channel.
"Captain Sivating, have Alice retreat. I'm going to fire."
Sivating's deep voice came through the crystal: "Understood."
On the battlefield.
Upon receiving the command, Sivating swung his giant blade in a fierce sweep, forcing the High Priest back a step.
"Alice, withdraw!"
Alice did not hesitate. She planted her warhammer into the ground, using the momentum to leap back several meters.
Sivating followed close behind him, his golden figure instantly opening up the distance.
The High Priest let out a cold sneer as he watched them retreat.
"Trying to leave only now?"
"It is too late."
The silhouette of the massive entity behind him was growing clearer, on the verge of taking form.
The blood swamp spread like a living thing, attempting to catch up with Alice and Sivating.
Right then.
The roar of cannons sounded.
Two beams of black light tore through the rain curtain, howling straight toward the High Priest!
The High Priest did not even turn his head.
He casually lashed out with a tentacle, and the liquid in the blood swamp instantly condensed into a wall of blood-colored shields.
Boom!!
The two cannon strikes slammed into the shield wall. The light from the explosions scattered, but they failed to breach the barrier.
The High Priest turned his head, his fish-like eyes looking toward the watchtower.
"Two shots?"
His tone was laced with contempt.
"I told you, even if you fire another two, they won't do anything to—"
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
Because at the exact same moment the two cannon strikes hit the shield wall.
Atop the watchtower.
Lu Yuan had already flicked the hands of his pocket watch.
Click.
The world slowed down in his eyes.
The fire from the two cannon strikes hitting the blood shield looked like elongated threads of silk, slowly blooming.
The High Priest's movement as he turned his head was as slow as swimming through water.
The opening and closing of his lips, spitting out words one by one, had nothing to do with Lu Yuan, because he couldn't hear them, nor did he want to.
In this elongated moment, Lu Yuan's movements were fast as lightning.
His fingers flew across the control console, adjusting the angles of the remaining four cannon barrels.
The third cannon, locked.
The fourth cannon, locked.
The fifth cannon, locked.
The sixth cannon, locked.
Four pitch-black cannon muzzles all pointed directly at the High Priest.
Lu Yuan's finger pressed the rune.
Fire.
From the High Priest's perspective.
He had just blocked two cannon strikes.
The blood shield was still there, and his mocking words were only halfway finished.
Then.
Four beams of black light arrived in rapid succession.
There was no interval.
There was no breathing room.
Before he could react to the first, the second had arrived.
Before he could block the second, the third and fourth blasted in simultaneously.
Fast.
It was too fast.
So fast that he had no time to re-condense the blood shield.
The High Priest's pupils contracted violently.
"No!"
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
Four cannon strikes hit one after another.
Combined with the previous two, six beams of black destructive light exploded upon the High Priest.
The fire from the explosions swallowed everything.
The blood sacrifice array collapsed under the shockwave, and the dark red liquid splashed everywhere before rapidly evaporating.
The massive entity that was forming also dissipated, like mist blown away by the wind.
The Deep Sea Song came to an abrupt halt.
The smoke cleared.
The High Priest... was still standing.
But he was no longer in human form.
His deep blue robes were shredded into pieces, revealing a scale-covered body beneath.
One tentacle had been blown off, with blue blood gushing out incessantly.
There was a massive hole in his chest, through which writhing internal organs could be seen.
He... actually wasn't dead yet.
"Good... very good..."
The High Priest let out a raspy laugh, his voice filled with madness.
He looked up, his fish-like eyes staring toward the watchtower.
"Since you won't let me leave..."
His remaining tentacle stabbed into his own chest.
"Then let us all go meet the Mother together!"
Atop the watchtower.
Lu Yuan saw the High Priest's movements.
He didn't know what the other was trying to do.
But he knew one thing.
He was currently in control of high-powered alchemical cannons, and villains die from talking too much.
His finger pressed the rune once more.
The cannon barrels hadn't finished cooling down, and the runes were glowing with abnormal heat according to the temperature of the barrels, burning his finger red.
But Lu Yuan did not let go.
Fire.
Another six beams of black light sprayed out!
From the High Priest's perspective.
His tentacle had just grasped that black heart.
The Heart Covered in Eyes.
The power bestowed by the Mother.
As long as he detonated it, everything within a hundred meters would be dragged into the embrace of the deep sea.
Then he saw it.
Six beams of black light came howling again.
Aiming for his body, aiming for the heart in his hand.
"No... Stop...!"
The High Priest crushed the heart at the final moment,
But simultaneously, boom!!!
The cannon strikes hit.
The black heart shattered in the explosion, the eyes upon it spinning wildly for a split second before they all went dim.
The High Priest let out a piercing wail.
It was not the pain of the flesh.
But rather... that he had lost something extremely important.
In that moment, a massive golden blade slashed in from the side!
Sivating!
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
The giant blade, wreathed in golden light, went straight for the High Priest's neck.
The High Priest writhed his body, trying to dodge.
But his strength was draining rapidly as the heart shattered, and his movements became incredibly sluggish.
Psh.
The golden blade entered the flesh.
The High Priest's head flew off.
In his cloudy eyes, the final traces of indignation and terror remained.
To his death, he couldn't understand.
Why did that person on the watchtower refuse to give him even a moment to breathe?
Why didn't he wait for him to finish his sentence?
Why... did he not play by the rules?
The headless body swayed twice before collapsing to the ground.
Blue blood gurgled out, soon to be washed away by the rain.
Alice rushed over from the other side, her warhammer raised high as she slammed it down onto the corpse.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
She only stopped once the body had completely turned into a pile of mangled meat.
"Death confirmed."
Alice was breathing heavily, her voice raspy.
Sivating withdrew his giant blade, and the golden light began to fade.
He looked toward the watchtower and gave a small nod.
It was a sign of recognition for Lu Yuan.
Atop the watchtower.
Lu Yuan released the pocket watch and panted slightly.
His finger was half-cooked from the heat of the cannon runes, stinging with a burning pain.
But he couldn't be bothered with that.
【Sanity: -3, 29/70】
The grey-white text at the edge of his vision flickered, reminding Lu Yuan that his pitiful Sanity had dropped another small notch.
Lu Yuan looked down at the battlefield in the distance.
The High Priest's corpse was completely still now.
That black heart... had also been crushed into dust.
Lu Yuan let out a long breath. Fortunately, these cannons were powerful enough.
The rain was still falling.
But the battle was over.
The Nightwatchers began to clear the battlefield, collecting the corpses of those grey-cloaked figures.
The soldiers of the Holy Armored Army were exhausted. The golden light had completely dissipated, but an unyielding look still shone in their eyes.
Sivating walked toward the box wrapped in black cloth. Upon touching it, he couldn't help but frown before picking it up.
"The decapitation is complete. This thing counts as extra spoils; keep it at your base for safekeeping for now."
His voice betrayed no emotion.
Alice dragged her warhammer over to the remains of the High Priest and looked down for a while.
She thought of her brothers who had died in the attacks a few days ago.
"Brothers... your debt has been repaid."
Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.
As she reined in her emotions, Alice looked up, her gaze crossing over the ruins of the warehouse toward the inner city.
The sky over there was still flickering with an eerie light, and though the massive black shadow had blurred significantly, it still hadn't completely vanished.
"I wonder how things are... on Old Morgan's side."
Rate on N.U.
