Chapter 727: Instrument of Heavenly Retribution
“No—!” Pasha cried out.
Serene, after extracting her tendrils from the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution and knocking down two hybrid species, was immediately set upon by other evil beasts. Several gashes appeared in her tumor-like body, scattering scales and gray fluids everywhere. Some nimble wolf-like hybrids even climbed up her rough skin, attempting to tear at the main tendril at the top.
The other witches drew their swords to rescue her. The first to arrive was Ailena, her figure like a streak of silver light, splitting a hybrid species blocking her path in two. She then charged into the swarm of evil beasts, slaughtering them in all directions, blue blood splattering everywhere—the monsters that instilled fear in ordinary people were no better than ordinary beasts when faced with the God's Punishment Warriors who were no less than transcendent beings. In the early stages, when their stamina was abundant, they were at a disadvantage in both strength and speed.
As more and more witches joined the battle, the evil beasts were slaughtered one by one, and the brief chaos finally subsided. Pasha retracted all her tendrils and quickly rushed towards the heart of the hall, her heart in her throat.
Unlike the God's Punishment Witches who could freely replace their shells, those who entered the tumors could no longer change to a new one. Once their bodies were on the verge of death, they could only choose to merge with Lady Eleanor.
If it were Pasha herself, she wouldn't mind such an ending—ever since she decided to follow Lady Nataya, she had long been prepared to sacrifice herself at any moment. But Serene couldn't, she was the only survivor who had the deepest understanding of the magic core. Once merged, they wouldn't be able to activate the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution for a long time, which was fatal in the treacherous Evil Moon.
“Are you alright?” Pasha asked anxiously, drooping down beside the scarred tumor.
“Hmm… not a big problem,” Serene's reply immediately relieved her, “Just need to patch up these few holes in my body. It’s just that several tendrils were bitten off, it hurts like hell.”
“Be content, you can still experience pain… I wish I could relive the feeling of pain,” someone grumbled.
“Yes, if Phillis heard that, she would definitely be envious, but it's a pity that she can only obtain these things from the spirit now.”
“Don’t say that, she served mortals for Taqila,” Ailena frowned.
“She should be called Number Seventy-Six now, right? I wonder how the Chosen One project is progressing.”
“It hasn't been long, and it's no longer the era when the Association ruled the entire territory. It's not easy to even contact those witches who are hiding everywhere. We have to persevere for at least two to three years.”
“Or persevere until the Red Moon descends, and then be swallowed by the devil army,” someone added.
“Damn it, did you have to say it out loud?”
This caused a burst of laughter from the crowd.
“Settle down, we haven't escaped the predicament yet,” Erzya said unhappily, “What to do now, there's a breach in the ceiling, if the first one falls down, there will be a second one. Should we divide a group of people to guard under the hole?”
Pasha pondered for a moment and then rejected the proposal, “No, if the evil beasts that fall down specialize in fighting the remaining witches, that's fine, but what if they turn around and attack the outer defenses? Then the people defending each entrance will fall into a situation of being attacked from both sides, even with the power of the God's Punishment Warriors, it is still fraught with danger.”
“I agree with Pasha’s statement,” Ailena nodded, “And everyone will easily be divided and surrounded, with no way to retreat. Instead of fighting separately, it is better to gather at one point and defend the relics and core around the heart of the hall. As long as Serene repairs the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution, we can all survive.”
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
“Anyway, it’s better than being bitten to death by evil beasts from behind.”
“Then let’s do this,” Pasha waved her tendrils, “Give up the bottom-level entrance and fully defend the magic core.”
This was equivalent to facing the swarming hybrid evil beasts in the empty center of the hall. What followed would undoubtedly be an arduous battle. The only fortunate thing was that the Hell Beasts, which were too large and strong, and the Flying Species, which were impossible to guard against, could not penetrate deep into the maze, otherwise the situation would be a hundred times worse.
But she felt a faint anxiety in her heart. The number of evil beasts was too terrifying, and the God's Punishment Witches' stamina was not infinite. If they could not repair the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution for a long time, could they really block so many monsters?
Had she known this, she shouldn't have let Serene continue to test the core in the Evil Moon—at least she shouldn't have tested this most important core.
Half an hour later, the figures of the evil beasts finally appeared at the bottom of the maze, and the battle began.
All the witches used all their abilities. Without a doubt, the victory or defeat of this battle would determine the survival of mankind. Pasha also joined the battle, drawing magma from the Lava River and spraying it on the heads of the dark mass of hybrid species. The hot and viscous red water ignited the monsters' fur, and the raging fire filled the air with the smell of burnt flesh.
Even so, they still charged forward one after another, determined to launch an attack on the location of the relics. The God's Punishment Witches formed a wall of flesh with their bodies. As long as their heads were not damaged, they would not truly die. Therefore, this battle was extremely tragic. Even if their shells were bitten to pieces, it did not prevent them from lying on the ground and severing the enemies' feet and disemboweling them.
At this critical moment, Serene's excited voice entered everyone's minds, “Core calculation is complete! The magic form is adjusted to alien annihilation, the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution is ready!”
“Pasha, leave this to me, go and activate it!” Erzya spat out a mouthful of magma, forcing back the nearby evil beasts, and then jumped in front of her.
Among all the survivors, her "key" was second only to Lady Eleanor, and she was also the thickest one among those who could drive the instrument.
Pasha nailed her main tendril into the stone slab above her head, and came to the Instrument of Heavenly Retribution in one fell swoop. According to previous experience, she stretched out all her tendrils and tightly embraced the spindle-shaped core suspended in mid-air. In an instant, the magic power in her body surged out, and the dark and cold light emitted from the instrument's frame became brighter and brighter.
She could feel her magic power condensing into a translucent, bizarre polyhedron in the center of the spindle—it was extremely complex, with countless edges and faces, almost impossible to describe with words. This was the alien annihilation core, Pasha realized, just like the magic symbol of a high-level witch, but the power it contained was much stronger. When the dark blue cold light turned into a dazzling pure white, the frame of the spindle suddenly opened, and the center of the hall was as bright as day!
“Now!” Serene shouted.
Pasha issued the command to cast the ability. With her will, a light blue wave burst out from the center of the core and quickly spread out, like the surface of water rippling, sweeping across the entire hall in the blink of an eye!
Ermu says:
Recommend a new book by Tingtao Gongzi, "Mixed in Marvel as a Swordsman". Those who are interested can check it out :)