Chapter 627: Saint Monastery (VIII)

"Argh... Ahh!"

Sister Helen curled up on the smooth, marble floor illuminated under the bright moonlight spilling through the window of the monastery hall. However, she couldn't conceal the patches of bloodstain and miserable, pale complexion.

Why... Who are... those people...

Sister Helen looked up vacantly at the religious image before the monastery hall. It was no longer the statues of the Archangels and Light Dragon. Instead, it was a gigantic hammer held in a Demon's claw. Sister Helen couldn't understand why such a situation would happen. She didn't know where those intruders came from, and they possessed incomparable strength. It could also be said that they were here to eliminate the Saint Knights!

Strictly speaking, this was a disaster for the Saint Knights. Rhode, Canary, and Mini Bubble Gum arrived here simply because this place would become a dungeon in the future. But the reputation of the Saint Knights would be terrible by then. As a popular BOSS for the players, it was common for them to take turns annihilating it. However, it was different now. The Saint Knights would be destroyed even before they had the chance to re-emerge and put into practice their firm belief.

But the Saint Knights' opinions had nothing to do with Rhode and it was enough for him to simply grind for EXP.

Sister Helen had never felt this powerless. An incomparable force had blasted her into the entrance of the monastery and everything had ended by the time she woke up.

Every part of her body was burning in intense pain and she could feel blood flowing out of her body. The flame of life was weakening and about to extinguish. Her beloved died and she was about to join him anytime soon. Moreover, the Saint Monastery was about to crumble entirely... Could this be my fate?!

"No!"

Sister Helen struggled in lifting her head. Then, she raised her right arm and gazed at the sculpture.

"O Holy, mighty presence. We've met with unprecedented dangers. But I don't intend to give up just yet. I shall offer you my blood, flesh, soul, and everything. My despair and pain shall become yours to collect. I use my entirety in requesting humbly and praying that the ritual... must... continue... Our Saint Monastery... shall..."

Sister Helen spat out a mouthful of crimson blood, collapsed to the ground, and coughed acutely like deep bellows. She shuddered pitifully and her voice softened into silence.

The monastery hall returned to its stillness, but... Something had changed.

The crimson blood flowing out from her body slowly crept forward as though it had self-conscious, climbing the flight of steps and arriving before the sculpture to be absorbed completely by it. The brilliance in the sacred hall dimmed abruptly and became pitch-black.

"Oh, Lord."

The Archbishop anxiously scrutinized the young lady who was in deep sleep on the altar. The nuns around him displayed the same worried expressions. Sister Helen had been gone for a while, but they hadn't heard back from her. There were no signs of activities at all. What was happening up there?

The Archbishop wished to check on the situation, but the main priority was to protect the sacrificial offering.

"—!"

Suddenly, an eerie breeze trembled the candle flames and sent a chill down the Archbishop's spine. He came to his senses and heaved a sigh of relief. But... Wait... this is the underground hall, so where did the wind come from?

Before he figured out the answer, the rows of candle flames extinguished abruptly and everything fell into eternal darkness.

"Isn't it strange, Leader?"

Mini Bubble Gum scanned the surrounding curiously as she stood on the plaza full of corpses. Since the BOSS had been defeated, they would be searching for treasures and equipment in the BOSS room next. Although the couple engaged in an illicit love affair in the Saint Monastery had kept their relationship a secret, it was no secret to the players that this venue had been stamped flat by them.

"What's wrong, Bubble?"

"Normally, there should be a lot of low-level critters outside the BOSS room. Why haven't I heard of anything? Could it be that they've fled after witnessing their BOSS getting slaughtered?"

"Now that you've mentioned..."

Rhode was a little curious too. In the game, there would indeed be waves of critters roaming along the path to the BOSS room after the BOSS was defeated. However, the critters wouldn't be as difficult to deal with as the Saint Knights were because they were only ordinary presences. The Saint Knights had other duties for clothes, food, shelter, cleaning, and whatsoever and they couldn't possibly be relied upon for every single matter. But now, the trio couldn't even spot Sister Helen's corpse that should've been in the hall after they entered the monastery entrance. There was only her scarlet robe, shattered scepter, and a pool of blood declaring their presence.

If this was the game, it could be explained as the refreshing of map had removed her corpse. But this was the real world and even if this was in the game, Sister Helen's corpse wouldn't disappear just like that.

"—!"

At this moment, the trio heard a mourning scream from the underground. They were astonished because they had never faced such a situation in the game!

"Leader, did you trigger some hidden mission?"

Mini Bubble Gum turned to Rhode with glinted eyes. Rhode scanned through the system interface before his eyes and spotted a glaring line of golden words.

[Triggered Mission — Revival of Destruction]

"The decisive summon has called upon the spirit of darkness and vengeance. It shall finally awake from the seal and bring upon blood and destruction..."

"A mission!"

As Rhode spoke, a dark beam suddenly burst from the ground, penetrating through the ceiling and into the sky. In an instant, crushed rocks fell from above and struck the ground. Then, the trio witnessed a dark figure emerging from the ground with a highly lifted double-handed longsword. Without any delay, the dark figure pointed her sword at Rhode and bolted forward!

Canary puckered her brows slightly. Then, she extended her right hand and clenched, slowing the dark figure's movement. But the dark figure appeared unaffected as it forcefully brandished its sword and slashed a crack in the barrier, which emitted strong streams of air.

"Bubble, I need your help!"

Mini Bubble Gum let out a snarl as she pounced forward. It was apparent that this enemy was much harder to deal with than the previous couple. The enemy wasn't hurt from Canary's attack and it proved just how formidable it was. Normally, Mini Bubble Gum could stand by idly and watch as Canary annihilated the enemies. But now, both of them were donned in plain equipment and this BOSS had suddenly emerged. For safety, they should attack it together!

The Battle Angel Suit once again emerged on Mini Bubble Gum in a glaring, golden flash. Almost immediately, she struck forward and brandished the enormous pike in a dazzling radiance, landing heavily on the dark figure's double-handed longsword.

Clang! The pike and sword collided fiercely and released countless golden sparks. The dark figure retreated abruptly and the fog surrounding her had completely dispersed. At this moment, the trio had finally witnessed the dark figure's true identity.

It was an Angel. But, unlike ordinary Angels, she wore a pitch-black armor with a pair of rotten wings revealing ghastly white bones. Instead of a fair, beautiful face, she looked pale and was filled with the stench of death. These signs had clearly proven her identity as a Fallen Angel.

"Foolish mortals!"

The Fallen Angel emanated fierce, murderous intent as she stared with bloodshot eyes and clasped her longsword.

"What you're doing is struggling on your deathbed. I've come to this world and it will finally be destroyed!"

"BOSSes always speaks the most crap. Big Sister, let's get rid of her!"

Mini Bubble Gum rolled up her sleeves for battle while Canary extended both arms and magical powers coalesced between her hands into a matchless, formidable spell.

But at this moment, Rhode's voice interrupted their focus.

"Wait."

"What's wrong, Leader?"

Mini Bubble Gum turned to Rhode in dissatisfaction. Rhode rubbed his chin with knitted brows, sizing up the Fallen Angel fluttering in midair.

"Somehow... I seem to have seen her from somewhere before..."

Rhode stretched out his right hand. A spotlessly white summoning card emerged in a dazzling flash and spun on his palm gracefully.

Eternal Holy Sword Number 10—Star Mark.