Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 240 Devouring Divinity

Backlund Bridge district, Lastville Street.

The massive wreckage of an airship lay askew in the riverbed, kerosene leaking from its fuel tanks and flowing onto the Tasok River, burning fiercely on the surface, reflecting a dazzling orange-red hue onto the dark water. The bright flames also illuminated the streets on the riverbank, projecting the figures of those locked in combat onto the buildings opposite. Thus, the fierce melee suddenly transformed into a spectacular projection show.

"Bang bang bang!"

"boom!"

"Thank God!"

Gunshots rang out, and frantic, eerie prayers echoed intermittently.

The "Red Gloves" worked together, entangled with a large group of fanatical cultists. The fearless cultists ignored the bullet wounds and charged forward like a tidal wave. Even when wounded by bullets, they would often only sway slightly and it had little effect.

What's even more troublesome is that among the ordinary fanatics are a few "hermits" and "Rose Bishops" who conceal themselves and launch attacks silently, causing considerable trouble for these night watchmen.

Fortunately, the cultists were facing an elite group of Night Watchers, well-trained and possessing a wealth of extraordinary items. Although they couldn't defeat them immediately, they were able to maintain their lines and withstand wave after wave of attacks.

"These guys are insane!"

Leonard raised his hand and struck a shadowy figure that was moving rapidly beneath the feet of a cultist, cursing angrily. Normally, these cultists lurked in the darkness of the city like cockroaches and rats, but now they had all poured out.

The number of cultists surrounding them was simply too great; he felt that perhaps half of Backlund's Aurora Society members were present. Although the three major churches and the Loen government were the largest forces in Backlund, the opposing side did indeed have a numerical advantage before reinforcements arrived.

How much longer do we have to hold out before reinforcements arrive...?
Leonard looked up with a hint of worry at the other side of the street.

There, two powerful extraordinary beings are locked in battle.

The once handsome Mr. A had undergone a dramatic transformation. He had grown three or four meters tall, sporting ram horns on his head and bat wings on his back, with sulfurous blue flames swirling around him. The lava greatsword in his hand was now incredibly sharp, each swing bringing astonishing destruction; the ground and walls melted silently, leaving behind horrific scars.

Opposite Mr. A, the tall and slender "Goddess Wings" Isabella held up her astonishingly large revolver, firing it intermittently. Beneath the wide sleeve of her right arm, something fluttered and expanded, effectively "wiping away" any approaching attacks. It was because of this ability that Mr. A was unable to get close.

The battle had been going on for some time, and the Red Gloves had failed to break through the Aurora Society's blockade, allowing Lanius to escape.

"boom--"

Just then, a dull thud came from the distant street, as if the road had collapsed. A sense of sacred yet filthy blasphemy instantly spread from there and quickly reached this place.

"It's Lanius! He's over there!"

Leonard immediately recognized that the familiar, eerie aura emanating from Lanluus. Although he didn't know why, Lanluus didn't seem to have gone too far; he was still nearby!

On the other side of the street, Mr. A and Isabella, the "Wings of the Goddess," also simultaneously sensed Laneus.

The former was surprised and angry, while the latter saw an opportunity.

"Leonard, go after them!"

she shouted.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Leonard responded loudly in return upon receiving the order.

Meanwhile, the other Red Gloves acted swiftly and decisively, creating a temporary passage for Leonard. He grabbed his revolver and dashed out through the passage to pursue the fleeing Lanius.

"Humph!"

A glint of rage flashed in Mr. A's eyes. He swung his lava longsword towards Leonard's retreating figure, a ghostly blue flame, wrapped in a terrible curse and deadly poison, flying towards his back. But the blue flame was "swept away" halfway; Isabella stepped in front of him. "Don't forget about me."

She chuckled and said to the other person.

In the time that was wasted, Leonard's figure had already rushed out of the street and disappeared.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Bang! Bang!"

Lu Ze's body was collapsing, constantly bursting open and blooming into dazzling, crimson "roses." But at the same time, his body's flesh and blood repair power continued to take effect, and countless roses quickly closed up after blooming, as if accumulating power for the next flowering season.

Destruction, restoration, holiness, and evil—these are constantly recurring themes in his life.

A deep, intense darkness roamed over his body, casting flickering light beneath the rose petals and deep within the cracks of flesh, like a faulty light bulb.

Lu Ze felt like he was about to burst.

The offspring of the evil god had been slain, and all the filth and madness had been submerged and destroyed by the sea, leaving only a trace of pure divinity on the surface. However, even this trace of pure divinity was an immense burden for him!
Not only that, but the extreme rage of the True Creator echoed in his mind—no, it was more like a roar. Luze had killed His offspring and devoured the wisp of divinity within Him. This not only ruined His opportunity to descend as God, but was also a blasphemous desecration of the divine Himself!

"Wow—"

Luze struggled to hold on, the illusory sound of the ocean waves resisting the onslaught of his delirium. Within him, the curse brought by Lanius was gradually being dissolved. Once the curse was gone, the true creator would temporarily cease his calls due to the break in the connection.

"Cough cough."

His body trembled, collapsing and recovering, and he was unable to move for a moment.

Beside him, Lanius's enormous body gradually disintegrated, turning into pure blood that flowed into the filthy sewers of Backlund. This despicable and cunning conman ultimately became a sacrifice to the gods, vanishing completely, both spiritually and physically.

My thing is still inside him.
Lu Ze thought vaguely as he looked into the mass of flesh and blood.

Within the crimson and deformed flesh, something rich in spirituality seemed to be emanating, shimmering with a strange radiance.

Could it be that he absorbed all my pain?

Lu Ze was lost in thought.

"Dengdengdeng!"

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from the street above. A man in a black uniform came running, his hands covered in bright red gloves, which stood out in the darkness.

Leonard ran to the gap, stopped at the broken opening, and looked down warily.

His expression quickly turned to one of utter shock. Amidst the chaos, Lanluus's body was festering, and a strange man was struggling frantically and painfully in the same spot, his body breaking down and healing itself. For this reason, the man's shattered appearance was difficult to discern.

"He looks so strange. Did he kill Lanluus, or is he an enemy too?"

Leonard was pondering what to do when he suddenly heard a sharp "whoosh" sound behind him, as if something was cutting through the air and hurtling towards him.

He jumped aside to avoid it and discovered that they were several tarot cards, embedded straight into the ground.

　Thank you to reader Manchester United Rebirth for the 100 Qidian coins.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)