NOVPUBSigrid paid no attention to Asksan, she merely made sure Lanci was safe behind her, her purple eyes locked onto Asksan like they were honing in on prey.
The cold stare-off between the two bishops was the quiet before the thunderclap of a storm rolled across the sky. The confrontation between the mighty ones was about to erupt once again in this northern city-state.
An invisible link of magical power had already been established between Lanci, who was far away, and Sigrid.
This was the eighth-order Purple Rareness level spell ’Life Link’ that Sigrid used to protect him. It was capable of sharing life status with the target. It would only be disengaged once a certain distance had been reached, and it would also provide a subset of physical and mental attribute bonuses to the linked individual.
The cost of this link was that when the linked person was harmed, the user of the spell would also suffer the same harm.
In addition, an eighth-order Summon ’Mind Power Doll’ was left by Lanci’s side.
Although the magical doll, entirely made of silver light, bore no facial features, its powerful figure, identical to Sigrid’s, radiated an intimidating aura.
Even without being able to discern its effects, Lanci could probably guess that this magical doll had copied most of Sigrid’s attributes. Even without Sigrid’s equipment effects and spells on it, it was almost an exact copy of Sigrid.
This was because the Cardinal Bishop, who relied on her exceptional physical capabilities to fight, possessed the power to shatter walls with every ordinary punch she threw.
Every living being’s upper limit for soul binding with magic cards was ten times their own tier.
Sigrid, being of the eighth-tier, had in her possession magic cards, all of which were of tiers that added up to less than eighty. Now, using two full eighth-tier cards to protect Lanci would cause her combat power to reduce to a certain extent.
As lightning continued to illuminate the sky and earth filled with falling snowflakes, Asksan opened his palm behind the magic barrier, forming a swirling vortex of darkness at the center of his palm. God-like demonic powers gathered towards him, endlessly compressing and gradually generating an eerie black storm of electricity that blocked out all surrounding light.
If caught in the middle of this devastating eight-tier damaging sealing magic spell, even a gigantic Imperial Army would likely be obliterated.
Just the magic storm alone caused Lanci’s skin and cheeks to sting. At the same moment, the Silver Glow Doll grabbed Lanci and, just like how Sigrid usually behaved, swiftly carried Lanci away from the battlefield.
From afar, Lanci could only see Sigrid standing fearless amidst the standoff against Asksan, despite the deadly magic.
She glowed with an undiminished clear radiance, like a Moon Goddess, a War Goddess, serenely wielding unstoppable punches that could break through any obstacle!
The Silver Glow Doll protected Lanci, shielding him from the shocks of residual waves, avoiding the center of the battleground amidst the crumbling upper levels of Bandera City.
However, due to the dust and fluctuating air currents, Lanci’s vision occasionally went dim. Accompanied by a deafening rumble that echoed throughout the Northern Tundra, he was almost swept away along with the Silver Glow Doll.
It was only after a thorough struggle that they managed to regain stability. He then lifted his head to look at the distant scene.
The two bishops were battling as if they were ancient gods.
A collision of cardinal-level conflicts was unfolding atop the teetering Bandera City!
In an instant, the entirety of the city’s upper area near the gate had become a battlefield, with ever-changing shockwaves hitting each and every building. The once sturdy structures and towers were reduced to mere ruins by monstrous entities formed out of smoke and ashes.
The battle was getting more intense, with the entire city enveloped in a thick curtain of smoke. Firelights, explosions, and thunderclaps from the skyline intertwined together. Storm clouds swirled and gathered in the sky, as if nature itself was being startled by the sudden outbreak of battle, causing an increase in atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes.
Each clash illuminated the expansive clouds from the ground below.
Ordinary warriors, let alone approach their battlefield, could not even look up to clearly see the deathmatch between the eighth-tier Archbishop-level bishops.
At the heart of this battlefield, even though the two cardinals were not at their full potential, Asksan, who had suffered heavier injuries at the start, gradually started to lose ground. It was clear that Sigrid hadn’t given him an opportunity to heal his wounds!
For the first time, Sigrid had a chance to determine a winner in her struggle against Asksan.
But she did not wish to prolong the battle.
She was just very clear that she had to severely injure Asksan here before she could escape this treacherous city-state with the Saint Heir.
Being chased by Asksan was the worst-case scenario. He had countless ways to stage an extended pursuit, and there was no way to get rid of him. The long journey south would be extremely difficult, and even she didn’t want to go into a chasing battle with Asksan, let alone while having to protect the Saint Heir.
However, correspondingly, once she brought back the situation of Bandera City in the North Border Province to the Imperial Capital of Herram, the conspiracy of the Bishop of Nirvana would be foiled entirely!
"Sigrid, do you really believe that I’m your only adversary?"
Asksan’s calm and confident smirk felt eerie.
Even while being at a disadvantage during his clash with Sigrid, he simply chuckled, as if he was playing a game with her.
"......"
Sigrid did not possess any weapon in her hand. No equipment of any level of magic surpassed the strength of her body. Every step she took was as shocking as a thunderbolt, producing a pressure wave and stirring up a great amount of airflow. Her gaze was cold and tinged with a touch of purple, focused solely on cornering Asksan.
Asksan, on the other hand, just as composed as his old adversary, every time he snapped his fingers, he released a powerful sealing charm, which formed a deep grey forbidden area to clash with Sigrid at the front of the space.
The distance between the two was constantly changing, but at all times, it felt as if two world-ending disasters were confronting each other. Every strike from Sigrid was as fierce as a cascading waterfall, attempting to shatter the Bishop of Nirvana, whereas Asksan was more like a nimble dancer, appearing and disappearing within the trap web he laid down. At the same time, he released seals, seeking to lock onto and weaken Sigrid!
Although Asksan’s delay tactic hadn’t significantly slowed down Sigrid’s advancement, his more complicated spell was fully prepared, and the whole space began to distort. Deep grey vines were rising from the ground, and grey pupils were falling from the sky, about to engulf Sigrid in an instant.
At that very moment, Sigrid’s figure radiated nearly translucent brilliant light. Even her eyes turned silver. She seemed to enter a new egoless state and threw an unprecedented punch. In mid-air, her silver light clashed with the deep grey magic, creating a clear dividing line where a massive energy burst occurred.
After a long while, Asksan, who fell considerably short in this clash, was thrown off and plummeted. He was not really equipped for a head-on confrontation with Sigrid, yet the corners of his mouth still curved into a smirk, as if he was merely playing a game with her.
Finally.
As the fight between the Bishop of Hegemony and the Bishop of Nirvana escalated dramatically, a sudden shade cast from the sky obscured the scenery. A cold wind swept across, smoothing the sand and gravel on the ground.
The drop in temperature was so drastic that dew on the ground visibly froze instantly, a chilling sensation that caused Sigrid to shudder.
"..."
A figure surreptitiously appeared, draped in a pitch-black robe, his face obscured even by the lightning. His origins, and when he arrived, were unknown.
Although his presence was utterly enigmatic.
Sigrid could sense the danger emanating from him, even surpassing that of Asksan.
"So you’ve finally arrived."
Upon seeing the mysterious figure in the black robe, relief and delight filled Asksan’s eyes. In a split second, a black magic chain pulls Asksan away from Sigrid’s attack range, and almost simultaneously, another black chain lunges towards Sigrid.
With her rich combat experience, Sigrid was still caught off guard by these enigmatic black chains, unlike any familiar magic power. Before hitting her, an irresistible force sent her hurtling down into the ground. As the city began to crumble, Sigrid coughed out blood and was sent crashing into the lower levels of Bandera City.
She tried to regulate her breathing while maintaining her alertness with all her might.
Sigrid knew that she stood a chance against Asksan alone.
But if this black-robed figure were to join, everything would become unpredictable.
And what’s worse was that the true identity of this black-robed man would complicate the situation in the Protoss Empire even further.
Sigrid rose from the ruins of the lower levels of Bandera City, her long hair billowing in the wind, her eyes fiery with determination. Despite facing two formidable adversaries hovering in the air, she still exhibited a strong, unbending aura.
"Bishop of Hegemony...."
The black-robed figure spoke, his voice filled with mystical distortions, carrying a faint metallic echo. He seemed to reflect on the situation. Why the Bishop of Hegemony would appear here, contradicting the prediction of the Prophet.
Of course, the Prophet’s predictions weren’t always accurate. Minor deviations were perfectly normal. However, it was rare for the deviations to be this drastic.
Furthermore, if multiple seers on the world were to make predictions and plan based on these predictions, they could interfere with each other, thus causing all of them to be inaccurate.
"Could it be that the Blood Clan’s Marquis Heratier from the South Continent is interfering with our Northern Continent...."
The black-robed figure mumbled in an inaudible voice.
Asksan paid no heed to the black-robed man’s mutterings, his gaze fixed on Sigrid in the distance.
"Envoy, don’t waste our time. If we let this woman drag this until nightfall, things would get tricky."
Asksan said coldly to the black-robed man by his side.
"Hehe."
However, looking at the horizon, the black-robed man merely chuckled, as if he thought Asksan was making an excellent joke.
He pulled out an Orange Epic Card with a massive crimson gash from his sleeve.
Subsequently, a monstrous figure emerged from the distorted space in mid-air, shrouded in darkness. It appeared to be a small, disc-shaped larva, its entire body covered in a hardened shell inscribed with bizarre patterns. The monster’s eyes emitted a cold, bluish light. Looking at it, one could almost feel the wickedness and toxicity radiating from deep within.
Instantly, a dreadful pressure descended upon Sigrid, causing her to stagger forward.
She stared intently at the creature, continuing to confront her own ocular torment while doing her utmost to analyze the epic summoning creature’s attributes using her identification magic.
The strangest aspect was that the black-robed figure had boldly summoned this halo-type creature right in front of her without any fear of it being instantly slain.
Gradually, she was able to deduce its basic attributes based on her sensory findings and the sparse analysis results from her probing magic—
[Abyss Black Worm]
[Category: Summon Card]
[Grade: Orange Epic]
[Level: 8]
[Effect: Immovable and unable to attack. The closer an enemy target is to this summon, the stronger the gravity suppresses. After defeating this summon.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.]
[Note: The power of extermination.]
The black-robed figure in the air looked at Sigrid and asked Asksan by his side:
"How long do you think she can withstand this?"
Asksan did not reply. He simply shook his head, smiling ruefully at Sigrid.
In front of them, Sigrid was trapped like prey ready for the hunt.
Today, Bandera City in the northern border of the Protoss Empire, is a fitting burial ground for the Bishop of Hegemony, Sigrid.
