"Just because I couldn"t stand up for years, people already forgot I used to rule the dangerous mountains in the borders." He clicked his tongue after the kick. What displeased him a bit was that he always got treated like some useless young master in need of a bodyguard to act as his meat s.h.i.+eld. "How dare you!" The b.l.o.o.d.y-faced Creator angrily snarled at him.
Jiang Li distanced himself a bit from the other, seizing a spot where his back faced the retreating group. If the old b.a.s.t.a.r.d tried to sneak attack them again, he could easily intercept. He doubted if the other would do that though. Currently, the Creator was dying to kill the G.o.ddess" prophet. He would certainly shower him with deadly strikes.
He started taunting the other. "He he. You are not in your optimal state because the barrier is keeping you from using power greater than what this world could withstand. Isn"t it amazing? Your Creation is being faithful to its feature. Let me guess. You would have been not trapped and would become freer to use divine power if you have just not recently awakened and not inside a fake avatar."
"Why can"t you just die peacefully without causing any trouble? What do you think are you doing?" The man spoke full of resentment. He was trembling from both anger and annoyance. One of the organs in the midsection just got turned into a mess of flesh and blood inside so he was really feeling uncomfortable.
A reply came from Jiang Li just when he was vomiting red like a faucet. "What am I doing? Acting like a villain, the pig eats tiger type who then becomes the talking to death type."
"You must die!!!" Behind the man, the other monks and rebels finally caught up. They all raised their weapons and charged at him Other soldiers from the imperial side climbed up to cross swords with them.
"Prophet!!!" One of the monks not engaged in battle went to Marcus" side, extremely shocked at how he looked right now. The bald man did not recognize the Creator since the red-haired guy"s eyes were tightly shut, his hand covering his mouth which kept producing blood like a faucet.
Looking at the one before him, pity was showing in Jiang Li"s eyes since a talented man would die just like that. Marcus Lilac had visited him before, and he found the person worthy of admiration. Yet in the previous life, that guy died from the crown prince"s retaliation. He got executed because evidence of House Lilac"s rebellion was found out before the coronation. In this life, Marcus would be dying from being made a vessel of the unreasonable G.o.d.
"I"m sorry, but you have to fail," Jiang Li murmured.
To be honest, his own magic power had been drained by the counter summon and the maintaining of the wall of ice earlier.
This was why when he joined the battle, he relied on the martial arts and black arts learned from the witch of Jiang Ying Yue"s world. These were skills he didn"t neglect even when he was busy learning sword skills and magic spells. The martial art was the reason why even though he was supposed to be having difficulties adapting to his legs when he cured it a month ago, the sense of discomfort was actually kept to the minimum.
"I acc.u.mulated all the mental energy so I can cast it here."
It was fortunate that the Creator had not left Marcus and that he was at best only on par with Jiang Li or any other generals in this world due to the physical body"s limitation.
Jiang Li had a few bouts with the other. The Creator was creating weapons of all types on the spot and attacking through them. He was purely relying on qinggong and martial arts, a weird set of moves that both intrigued and annoyed the opponent. One time when the Creator was caught off guard, he chanted something.
He just cast a spell usually used by witches from Zhou Dynasty to attach a soul to a dead body.
Didn"t the Creator want a mortal"s sh.e.l.l so he could kill him and wreak havoc here? As a good guy, how could he not help him realize his wish, especially when he had the means to do so?
The Creator, whose part of a soul suddenly got locked inside the dying vessel, stiffened and then hurriedly retreated. Jiang Li did not pursue him.
Instead, he breathed deeply and went after the Pope"s group.
...
Before leaving the amphitheater, the Pope heard a very beautiful and ethereal voice echoing softly in his mind.
"Bring Rumina Bolden at the altar in the main hall of the church... I will be descending... She is to be my vessel."
That time, he stiffened for a couple of moments, in a state of disbelief. The voice came from nowhere and was definitely not one from those around him. Add to this the fact that it would be hard to hear a uniquely clear and distinct voice like that in the middle of a chaotic place like this.
So was it the G.o.ddess? He asked in his mind.
A moment later, the Pope slapped his face and called himself an idiot. What a stupid question? Of course, who else could speak directly to one"s brain, especially a person of his caliber, apart from the G.o.ddess?
"S-She spoke to me?!" The old man found it hard to control his excitement. Then remembering the oracle he received, he vowed to accomplish it perfectly.
"Leave this place now!" When the prophet shouted those words to the others, the Pope seemed to have noticed the anxious white-haired man looking at him so he had an epiphany that the prophet also got the same message.
"On account that this is the will of the G.o.ddess and that there are more important things to do, I will forgive you for sending the Saintess back to her world."
Thinking it was indeed very urgent, he led the group outside. In his heart, he was swelling in pride and was being thankful that the Holy Church was only about two hundred meters away from the amphitheater.
Along the way, knights, magicians, and soldiers joined them. Feeling that he was on a very important mission, the Pope generously demonstrated his power, ensuring that his forces wouldn"t tire nor get injured. It was like the people around him became people who wouldn"t die even if they want to, like zombies.
Initially, the imperial people planned to go back to the palace. However, a few of their people intercepted them and told them the situation. They all looked so bloodied and covered in wounds and injuries, so they had no choice but accept the fact that the palace had fallen to foreign hands.
It was a great humiliation. The male lead balled his fists and trembled so badly. As an emperor, even though he had just been crowned, his house had been robbed away from him.
"We will impose on your kindness, Your Holiness," helplessly, the fat former Emperor told the old man in a pristine white robe.
The Pope readily nodded and then continued leading the way.
"Your Holiness!" The priests and knights that were told to guard the grand cathedral anxiously greeted them the moment they stepped foot into the place. The people there, of course, also bowed and saluted to the Emperor and the others.
"Activate the holy barrier! Don"t let any rebel or people with malicious intention get inside! It"s an order!" He hurriedly shouted.
After a bow, most of the white-robed men left to do what had been tasked to them. Another knight asked, "What are we going to do with the ones who followed our group here? Most of them are civilians or low-ranked n.o.bles. Should we let them in?"
"Headache." The old man resisted the urge to ma.s.sage his forehead before many people. There were many eyes around and he couldn"t destroy the wise image he had in their minds. This was why he settled on rubbing his fingers as he pondered.
Since the prestigious Houses are either hiding away or engaging in the fight at the plaza, he shook his head and said, "The palace has fallen, people are anxious to find a place to shelter them. They are the G.o.ddess" people so we can"t drive them out... However, we are about to do an important ceremony and we can"t afford to have a distraction...."