Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  After bowing, Linley instantly utilized the Windshadow spell and flew into the sky. Bebe, who had been sleeping nearby in the grass, instantly transformed into a black shadow as well and flew into the air. A man and his magical beast flew away, just like that. Desri and the others watched them fly out of the mysterious village, out of the mountain, and then continue north at high speed.

  It was still late at night.

  “Boss, what happened? What’s the rush?” Bebe asked while flying alongside Linley.

  “The Radiant Church is playing for keeps.” Linley’s eyes narrowed, emitting a razor-sharp light.

  Bebe instantly grew excited. “Oh? The Radiant Church really dares to go head on against us? Wonderful! I’ve been bored to death lately. Now, I can have some good fun.” Bebe’s eyes had a hint of bloodlust in them. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a nice good slaughterfest.”

  Linley’s eyes contained a killing intent as well. “I’ve waited for this day for a long time!”

  Linley felt utter hatred from the depths of his heart towards the Radiant Church. Whether it was his father, his mother, or Grandpa Doehring…all of his loved ones had departed for reasons related to the Radiant Church. This superficially honorable but secretly vicious organization was one which Linley had desired to destroy long ago.

  Linley and Bebe flew at very high speed.

  Soon, they saw a black blur erupt from the ground below and join them, flying next to Linley.

  “Master.” Haeru said respectfully.

  Bebe immediately called out, “Haeru, what’s the situation? Quick, speak up.”

  While flying, Haeru said, “Barker and Boone were staying in the prefectural city of Moat, but today, seven Four-Winged Angels of the Radiant Church and a human Saint came attacking out of nowhere.”

  “Seven Four-Winged Angels?” Bebe’s eyes lit up. “Whoah-ho! Awesome!”

  “The Four-Winged Angels weren’t so bad, but that human Saint was absolutely terrifying. In the blink of an eye, he kicked the already-transformed Barker and Boone and injured them so badly they couldn’t move. I didn’t dare to fight against him at all. My only choice was to flee. When I fled into the ground, he emitted a wave of black fire that blasted a hole several hundred meters deep. I nearly lost my life. That human Saint is too powerful. I feel he is far more powerful than that Haydson.” Haeru, when discussing Osenno, still felt a hint of fear even now.

  Linley pondered this in his mind.

  “According to what the War God said, the ‘Holy Emperor’ of the Radiant Church should be a level lower than the likes of Fain and Desri, but stronger than Haydson. The person who came today…it sounds like he is on par with the Holy Emperor.”

  Black flame, and power on par with the Holy Emperor…

  “Could it be the person who is on par with the Holy Emperor in both power and status…that ruthless, diabolical…Praetor Osenno of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal?” Linley secretly wondered.

  Linley didn’t believe that the Holy Emperor himself would attack, but it was very possible that Osenno would.

  “Bebe, this opponent should be more powerful than Haydson. You need to be careful as well.” Linley reminded. “This time…we can’t be overconfident in the slightest. When we reach the Sherry Duchy, I’ll cast the Windshadow spell on both of you.”

  As a spell of the ninth rank, despite only being a supportive spell, the Windshadow spell still consumed a great deal of mageforce. Fortunately, Linley possessed the Coiling Dragon ring, and by casting spells through the Coiling Dragon ring, he only needed to expend a sixth of the normal spiritual energy and mageforce.

  “Windshadow?” Bebe rolled his eyes. “Could it be that he’s faster than me?”

  “We can’t be too cocky.” Linley shook his head.

  Bebe nodded. Linley said towards Haeru, “Haeru, let me and Bebe handle that human Saint. As for you…go deal with those Four-Winged Angels. When we first arrive, we’ll help you kill a few Four-Winged Angels as well.”

  “Yes, Master.” Haeru replied.

  Immediately, the man and his two magical beast flew north at high speed. At around five in the morning, as the sky was just barely beginning to lighten, Linley, Bebe, and Haeru arrived within the borders of the Sherry Duchy. Upon reaching the Sherry Duchy, Linley immediately Dragonformed while also casting the Windshadow spell on Bebe and Haeru.

  “Boss, I feel as though your current level of speed has increased quite a bit.” Bebe could sense the extra speed provided by the Windshadow spell, but at the same time, he stared in puzzlement at Linley.

  “I had some insights while training on the Elemental Laws of the Wind. Naturally, my speed went up a level as well.” Linley laughed as he spoke. Linley had made breakthroughs in both the ‘Fast’ and the ‘Slow’ aspects of the wind, allowing him to be even more graceful and even faster.

  Given that he was a Dragonblood Warrior to begin with, and had the Windshadow spell supporting him, Linley’s speed was now a full level higher than when he had dueled with Haydson.

  “How rowdy.” Linley saw one of the small cities of the Sherry Duchy from afar. The families of that town were all extremely active, with lamps lit everywhere. Not too long ago, on this night, two Angels had descended! Naturally, these small cities were filled with so much excitement that nobody could fall asleep. All of them were even firmer in their faith towards the Radiant Church now.

  Linley saw quite clearly that the flags on the small cities had all changed, returning to the previous flag of the Sherry Duchy.

  “As soon as the Angels arrived, the lost territory was all reclaimed.”

  Linley couldn’t be bothered with the small cities. He flew straight towards the prefectural city of the Sherry Duchy. Soon, the man and his two magical beasts arrived in the air above the prefectural city of Sherry. By now, it was day, and the fresh morning air filled the lands.

  The Dragonformed Linley, Bebe, and Haeru stood in the breezy air above the prefectural city of Sherry.

  “Only six Angels and Barker and his brothers. No other Saints present.” Linley’s spiritual energy quickly scanned the entire area below.

  “Just six?” Bebe seemed rather dissatisfied.

  By now, those six Four-Winged Angels had sensed Linley’s spiritual energy. They flew up into the sky at the same time, surrounded by that dazzling holy aura. It was as though six suns had suddenly risen into the skies. At the same time, lightning danced within Linley’s eyes, and he barked coldly, “Kill all six of the Angels!”

  “Yes, Boss (Master).” Bebe and Haeru replied simultaneously as they transformed into two flashes of black light, charging towards those six Four-Winged Angels.

  Book 10, Baruch – Chapter 14, Downfall

  The citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry knew that there were Angels within the governor’s mansion, so many people were continuously watching the mansion. Seeing those six Four-Winged Angels fly out into the air, they instantly began to shout jubilantly…which in turn attracted the attention of even more citizens.

  Six Four-Winged Angels. Creatures whom these commoners had tremendous faith in.

  “What are those three black shadows? How dare they fight against Angels?” Many people also noticed that the six Four-Winged Angels were currently engaged in a wild battle against three black shadows. In the blink of an eye, the citizens once more shouted in joy…

  Because those three shadows had already been completely surrounded by the six Four-Winged Angels.

  “Their movements are very orderly and almost perfectly choreographed in sync.” Linley laughed calmly as he stared at his surroundings. Just then, Linley, Bebe, and Haeru had charged forward to fight them, but unexpectedly, the Angels had instantly scattered in multiple directions, setting up the Angel Battle Formation in the blink of an eye, surrounding Linley, Bebe, and Haeru within it.

  The six Four-Winged Angels had turned into six points of this heavenly cage.

  “Growl…” Bebe sent out a claw swipe against
one of the Four-Winged Angels, but that pure white light only shuddered and didn’t break.

  Linley secretly sighed in amazement. This Angel Battle Formation truly was formidable. These were nothing more than six middle-stage Four-Winged Angels, but the Angel Battle Formation they created couldn’t be broken by even Bebe, who dared to fight Haydson’s ‘Worldbreaker’ attack head on.

  “This magical beast is very formidable. Be careful.” One of the Four-Winged Angels immediately shouted.

  At the same time, a brilliant light began to emanate forth from the Four-Winged Angels, blasting forth towards the skies. When it reached a certain height…that eye-piercing brilliance suddenly exploded, temporarily blinding the countless citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry.

  Immediately, the citizens began rubbing their eyes, trying their best to stare upwards at the battle.

  “Informing Osenno?” Linley said to the six surrounding angels.

  “Hrmph. Linley. This time, you will definitely die.” One of the Angels said with certainty. “Soon, the Lord Praetor shall come, and you won’t have the chance to flee.”

  “So it really is Osenno.” Linley’s gaze turned cold. “You think you can defeat the Lord Praetor?” The six Four-Winged Angels were very cold and arrogant. They knew exactly how terrifyingly powerful Osenno was.

  The faces of the six Four-Winged Angels turned cold, while at the same time, a thick, powerful blast of holy light was transferred to one of the Four-Winged Angels. Linley knew that this was one of the powerful attacks of this formation. Shaking his head, Linley let out a cold chuckle.

  “Whoosh!”

  Linley suddenly appeared in front of one of the Four-Winged Angels, and that Four-Winged Angel’s body immediately began to glow with divine light. “How laughable.” That Four-Winged Angel was very confident. According to their reports, Linley’s power was only on par with Haydson. It wasn’t greater than that of the magical beast named Bebe.

  If even Bebe couldn’t break the Angel Battle Formation, how could Linley?

  A hint of satirizing amusement appeared in Linley’s eyes. If he wasn’t confident, how could he have let himself be ‘trapped’ within this Angel Battle Formation?

  “Bang!” The adamantine heavy sword struck against the protective light.

  A terrifyingly powerful surge of vibrational force transferred directly into the Four-Winged Angel’s body. Those vibrations actually caused the internal organs of the Four-Winged Angel to instantly rupture and turn into a pile of soft mud. Even Haydson would have been badly injured after taking this blow, to say nothing of the Angel.

  The face of that previously very confident Angel instantly turned ashen pale, while fresh blood spurted forth from his nose, ears, and mouth. In an instant, his eyes turned dim, and then like a pile of soft mud, he fell down from the skies, smashing into the ground like a ruptured sandbag and kicking up a cloud of dust.

  Profound Truths of the Earth – 150 Layered Waves!

  This was Linley’s limit!

  “Last time, it was six Angels also. And this time, once again…” Linley laughed coldly. “The Angel Battle Formation is useless against me. But unfortunately, those six Angels who died last time didn’t have the chance to tell you.”

  The power of this 150 Layered Waves attack was far stronger than when he had previously competed against Haydson. Even someone as defensively powerful as Haydson probably wouldn’t be able to take two of these hits head on.

  “How is this possible?” The other five Four-Winged Angels were still in a state of shock. They hadn’t felt much of an impact against their holy power, but their comrade had died. And at this time, Bebe and Haeru instantly transformed into streaks of black lightning…

  “Shkreeeee!” An ear-piercing, heaven-shattering screech.

  “Slash.” A Four-Winged Angel wanted to dodge, but Bebe, after having his already-terrifying speed enhanced by the Windshadow spell, was simply too fast. The Angel simply couldn’t fight against him at all. Those sharp claws tore directly into the Angel’s chest and ripped out his heart.

  Bebe, with just three claws, sent three Four-Winged Angels falling from the skies, their blood covering the ground.

  “Bang!” Haeru killed one of the Four-Winged Angels as well.

  “Whooosh…” Linley’s body seemed to have turned into the wind itself, as he flickered everywhere. Sometimes, his adamantine heavy sword moved fast, while sometimes, it moved slowly…in front of the adamantine heavy sword, a spatial edge actually appeared, chopping down at the head of one of the Four-Winged Angels. The Four-Winged Angel, terrified, tried to dodge, but it was chopped into two halves.

  Profound Truths of the Wind – Tempos of the Wind.

  “Using the adamantine heavy sword with the Profound Truths of the Wind is indeed somewhat weaker.” Linley chuckled calmly as he looked down at the corpse on the ground.

  The Profound Truths of the Earth and the Profound Truths of the Wind could be used with any weapon, even fists. Only, the level of effectiveness would vary. If the adamantine heavy sword were used to display the Tempos of the Wind attack, it would only be roughly half as powerful as the Bloodviolet sword. The power was roughly the same as using a knife-hand chop.

  Although all of this took a while to describe…

  In truth, when Linley used the Profound Truths of the Earth to kill one of the Four-Winged Angels, it happened in the blink of an eye. And then, the other five Four-Winged Angels were killed by Linley, Bebe, and Haeru. Six Angel corpses lay scattered on the ground.

  “How…how is this…”

  “Imp…impossible…”

  The countless citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry all stared. The Angels whom they venerated in their hearts above all other creatures. The ‘Messengers of the Lord’! But the six Four-Winged Angels had died in the blink of an eye by those three shadows.

  Linley’s body was covered with a roiling layer of azurish-black battle-qi, and he floated high in the air.

  The citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry stared up at this fiend.

  “You actually believe in the Radiant Sovereign? What a joke!” Linley’s voice seemed to shatter the heavens like thunder. “The teachings of the Radiant Church are nothing more than a type of deception. In this world, don’t entrust anything to a ‘god’. Rely on yourself. If you are strong, you can even kill an Angel as easily as you can raise your hand.”

  The citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry were somewhat baffled.

  The Messengers of the Lord. Those six Four-Winged Angels had been killed, just like that. According to the teachings of the Radiant Church, nothing could block the glory of the Lord, and in the face of the Messengers whom the Lord sent, anything blocking them would be turned to ash. But today…the ones which were turned to ash were the Angels!

  “Who is this person?” Many people in the prefectural city of Sherry were quietly whispering this question to each other.

  “Remember. My name…is Linley!”

  Linley’s voice echoed nonstop in the prefectural city of Sherry, and then Linley, Bebe, and Haeru flew into the governor’s mansion. The citizens of the prefectural city of Sherry remained in a stunned state.

  “Linley…it’s actually Linley…”

  In the Yulan continent, there was only one expert named Linley. It was the grandmaster sculptor, the genius magus, the Dragonblood Warrior…Linley Baruch!

  Ever since he knew that he would have to fight head on against the Radiant Church, Linley had decided to no longer conceal his identity. The reputation of a peak-stage Saint was extremely alluring, and so Linley immediately proclaimed his identity. Most likely, some of the other Duchies would no longer dare to resist and might even immediately surrender to him.

  “Boom!”

  Osenno was flying at high speed towards the prefectural city of Sherry. “I didn’t expect that Linley would head to the prefectural city of Sherry. I thought he had fled.” Osenno had badly injured Barker and Boone, then sent people to
lock them up with Gates and the other two in the prefectural city of Sherry, then headed towards Blackdirt City in the night.

  But in the area around Blackdirt City, Osenno couldn’t find a single Saint-level expert.

  “Linley ran away!” This was Osenno’s first reaction.

  He believed that the Blackcloud Panther had mentally contacted Linley, and Linley had been so terrified that he immediately fled. Osenno was quite disappointed. He had no choice but to return to the prefectural city of Moat. But unexpectedly, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a dazzling burst of light could be seen from the direction of the prefectural city of Sherry.

  It was a signal!

  The signal of Linley’s appearance!

  “Although Linley is powerful, when those six Four-Winged Angels join forces and set up the Angel Battle Formation, even if they cannot kill Linley, they should be able to stay alive.” Osenno said to himself. The reason he had arranged for six Four-Winged Angels to be there was so that they could set up the Angel Battle Formation.

  After all, they were six Four-Winged Angels! To the Radiant Church, they were still extremely valuable.

  When Lyndin and the other five had died, the Radiant Church hadn’t minded, because Lyndin and the others were only of the ninth rank, after all. Only when going all out could they have the power of a Saint. The Radiant Church had quite a few of those low-level Angels. But these six Four-Winged Angels were another matter altogether.

  To find bodies capable of holding the power of Four-Winged Angels was fairly difficult.

  Those bodies had to be of the seventh rank in physical power alone. Only those bodies could allow Four-Winged Angels to descend into them and for their full power to be put on display. Bodies of the seventh rank…the Radiant Church only acquired a few despite thousands of years of searching.

  “I’ve arrived.” Osenno saw the distant prefectural city of Sherry and instantly flew towards the governor’s mansion.

  Osenno’s spiritual energy encapsulated the entire prefectural city of Sherry like a tempest, but his face quickly changed. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in the air above the governor’s mansion. He clearly saw that on the main walkway in front of the governor’s mansion…