Chapter 301: Chapter 273: Sun’s Gift, The Might of Divine Power

As they spoke, sacred barriers as condensed as liquid sunlight unfolded, layer after layer. They not only precisely intercepted the storm of feathers aimed at the city district but also acted as invisible chains, firmly binding the joints of Red Crying Castle’s limbs.

The Divine Energy clashed violently with the profane, dark-red mist, producing a sizzling, corrosive sound.

Royce swung his holy sword and charged forward once more.

Though the two senior Saint Professionals did not approve of Bagget’s methods, they still fulfilled their duty to provide cover, fighting to create a fleeting opportunity for the infiltrator.

「Far away, on a makeshift artillery position.」

Jon kept his eyes glued to the battle. He only let out the breath he’d been holding when he saw Royce and Finian firmly take control of the situation, completely suppressing Red Crying Castle’s frenzied counterattack.

’It worked. We’ve got this in the bag.’

He looked down at his open palm, where the searing sensation from channeling the immense Divine Power for the Enchantment still seemed to linger.

Even though his Constitution Attribute was far beyond an ordinary person’s and his Spirit had been forged to incredible resilience through many battles, this was the first time he had actively communed with and channeled the power of such a high-level entity. The effort placed a heavy pressure on his very soul.

"As expected of one of the most powerful Deities..."

On his system panel, just below his personal status bar, a small golden sun icon was faintly flashing.

——

[Sun’s Gift (Legend · Blessing): You can use Solar Divine Power to enhance your skills. The skill’s effect increases based on the amount of Divine Power consumed. You can hold a maximum of 10 points of Solar Divine Power, and you recover 0.1 points each day when the Sun rises.]

[Current Remaining Divine Power: 2/10]

——

This was one of the gifts he had received when he met Po Ao.

This was Divine Power in the truest sense of the word, something he had never encountered even when he was a level 120 [Immortal Venerable Master]!

So, even though he had put on a confident front for everyone, he hadn’t actually been sure how much he could accomplish.

’It might be Divine Power, but how could its use by a mere mortal compare to its use by the Deities themselves?’

But now it seemed that Divine Power was Divine Power, and it was virtually unstoppable against evil!

Red Crying Castle had barely been scratched by the successive attacks of three Advanced Level Professionals, yet it was now howling in pain from his cannonballs, each infused with 0.5 points of Divine Power. The second round of shells, each infused with 1 point of Divine Power, had practically blown its head open!

For him, a mere Official Level Professional, to inflict such damage on a monster that was almost at the peak of the Advanced Level—it was a true testament to the power of the gift!

This was a powerful trump card, capable of both protecting himself and striking his enemies a heavy blow!

’The big guy sure is generous!’

After this silent praise, Jon turned his gaze back to the distant, pained, and chaotic rock Giant.

Bagget had already gone inside Red Crying Castle. Whatever purpose this mysterious "Night Owl" had, the key to breaking the stalemate now lay deep within the castle’s fleshy core.

Now, it was all up to this expert from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It remained to be seen if he could find and expose Nerva Heta’s true, mutated form within the precious window of opportunity the two Saint Professionals were creating.

Once that moment came, the two remaining cannonballs, each infused with 2 points of Divine Power, would deliver the final blow!

——

Meanwhile, Bagget moved like an intangible phantom, passing through the nauseating, viscous darkness inside Red Crying Castle.

The once-magnificent stone corridors were now completely covered in a slick, writhing substance.

It was neither dust nor moss, but a carpet of flesh, forcibly woven from the bodies of countless civilians and Soldiers, fused together by some profane power.

The vague outlines of severed limbs and organs were embedded within it, like the most malevolent bas-relief sculpted by a Hell Artisan. It was self-evident where the missing residents, Soldiers, and even Knights had gone.

Furthermore, a sinister aura, so thick it was suffocating, filled his nostrils like a tangible miasma. It was a mix of the metallic tang of blood and the sickly-sweet stench of rotting viscera, almost enough to make even this "Night Owl," a man accustomed to the Empire’s dark underbelly, retch.

"Damn lunatic!"

Bagget squeezed the curse from his throat.

It was less a condemnation of Nerva Heta and more an instinctive revulsion toward this scene of ultimate blasphemy.

He suppressed the churning in his stomach and moved silently through the constantly writhing and distorting shadows cast by the pillars, all while maintaining a thin layer of Shadow Energy at his fingertips.

This layer of energy was not only an external manifestation of his Stealth Skill but also a highly sensitive probe, constantly feeding him information so he could avoid the pulsating energy nodes that had spontaneously formed from the profane flesh.

Relying on the blueprints of Red Crying Castle’s interior that were seared into his mind, Bagget navigated the now-chaotic labyrinth of flesh with great difficulty.

Soon, after he had traveled some distance toward where he remembered the main hall to be, he faintly caught a roar. Muffled by layers of flesh, it nonetheless grew increasingly clear. It was no longer a human voice, but a bestial bellow mixed with pain, fury, and a deeper, more profound madness!

This spurred him to quicken his pace.

Finally, a relatively "intact" archway appeared before him, but it was completely sealed by a thick, pulsating door of flesh.

The roars emanated from behind it, and an intent of pure madness and pain washed over Bagget’s eardrums and nerves like a tidal wave.

But his gaze remained as dark and deep as a well, showing no ripples, save for a fleeting, focused glint of cold light.

Without hesitation, he brought his fingers together like a blade. Dense Shadow instantly converged at their tips and silently sliced open the fleshy gate.

Viscous, dark-red fluid slid down silently, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Bagget dropped low, melting into a wisp of Shadow, and silently slipped into the main hall.

However, the scene behind the fleshy door made even the stoic Stalker’s breath catch in his throat.

The high seat that once symbolized the supreme authority of the Heta family had now transformed into a massive, pulsating altar of flesh.

Atop the altar, Count Nerva Heta, who had once ruled the Northern Territory with an iron fist, was nowhere to be seen.

In his place was a colossal monster!

Its silhouette vaguely resembled the ferocious form of a raptor, but this was certainly not the Crimson Vulture Beast of Legend, a creature said to be too proud to attack the weak.

Its body was covered in dense, dark-red feathers that resembled quenched metal, all of it gleaming with an ominous light.

Its massive beak was twisted and deformed, dripping a viscous, dark-red saliva. Its crimson, magma-like eyes burned with pure, destructive impulse and chaos, devoid of any spark of reason.

Thick limbs covered in keratinous scales were rooted deep within the fleshy altar. Countless dark-red blood vessels, each as thick as a child’s arm, snaked out from the altar and connected to its body, acting like umbilical cords that delivered the vile Energy absorbed from the entire castle.

It was the heart of Red Crying Castle, the will of Red Crying Castle—a half-bird, half-demon monster born from a lust for power, madness, and profane Evil Power!

The air was thick with a suffocating pressure of despair and blasphemy, heavy enough to threaten to crush the intruder’s very soul.

Bagget’s gaze pierced through the nauseating darkness, locking firmly onto the crown atop the twisted raptor’s head—the crown symbolizing the status of Patriarch Heta, now stretched and warped almost beyond recognition.

A rare, indescribably complex emotion flickered in the eyes of this shadow of the Empire before dissolving into a nearly inaudible sigh that vanished into the blood-filled air.

"Nerva Heta..."

He whispered, his voice so low it was almost illusory, carrying a hint of desolation, as if witnessing the final settling of dust.

"The former family of the Sword Duke, the glorious Northern Guardian... to think they’ve fallen to this..."

He shook his head slightly, as if to cast the untimely sentiment from his mind.

In the next instant, an endless coldness and resolve froze his gaze once more.

"Then let me put an end to your madness—"

Before his voice had even faded, Bagget’s figure abruptly vanished!

There was no earth-shattering sound, only a dark trajectory—purer than the deepest night—that tore through the viscous air!

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