Xing Tie: Wait a minute! How come Weng Xing has two saviors?

Chapter 14 Bai Mo: Looks like someone's ready to get elbowed.

P.S.: Thank you all for your support. I didn't expect so many people to urge me to update; it's already past the triple digits! So, I'll add an extra chapter today, making it three chapters in total.

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Eternal Holy City - Ohma

Golden threads carried messages from afar.

Aglaia leaned lazily against the edge of the bathtub. The rising steam blurred her exquisite features. Beside her, the red-haired Tibo frowned adorably, her little face tense, her fingers unconsciously twisting the golden tassels hanging from the edge of the bathtub.

“My master, a letter has arrived from Janusapolis.” Aglaia’s voice was slightly hoarse from the moisture in her eyes. “Olonis has sent down a divine decree, ordering us to go and protect a girl.”

“Janusapolis?” Tibo’s childish voice rang out. “Since the ‘Chase the Fire’ began, *we*…haven’t been back to that ‘cage’ for a long time.”

“But this matter concerns a ‘Golden One’ from an oracle,” Aglaia gently stirred the water, creating a ripple, her tone still languid, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority. “Euronis’s will cannot be easily ignored, even by us.” She turned her head, water droplets sliding down her smooth neck, her gaze finally focusing on Tibo.

Tibo's little brows furrowed even more, almost forming a knot. She was silent for a moment, and finally, she raised her eyes, "Even without a divine decree, *we* really should go to Janusapolis."

Aglaia's lips curved into a half-smile, her languidness fading, replaced by a sharp, insightful understanding of the world.

“My master, now that the ‘cage’ of Janusapolis has been cracked open, you… must eventually go back and see. The karma from a thousand years ago must also be settled.” She slowly rose from the water, water droplets rolling down like broken pearls, outlining breathtaking curves. Mist swirled around her, as if draping her in a hazy divine veil.

"Prepare yourselves, Master. I will have Xia Die accompany you." Aglaia's voice regained its previous gentleness, yet carried an irresistible power. "Go see the 'Golden One' who could command Oronis to issue a divine decree, and also see..."

Her gaze drifted into the distance, seemingly piercing through the golden dome of Ohma and landing on the holy city known as the "Cage," wondering, "What new sparks are brewing in that temple we deliberately forgot after the 'Chasing of Fire'?"

The half of the "Savior" card was still burning hot, like a branding iron, inside Bai Mo's clothes, searing his skin through the fabric.

Outside the window, the cries of refugees, the shouts of guards, and a deeper, more unsettling commotion, like the prelude to the Black Tide itself, crashed against the seemingly peaceful windowpanes of "Lianmo Kitchen."

Bai Mo stood by the window, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the cold wooden window frame, his sharp gaze sweeping across the street below.

“Sister Xilian,” Bai Mo’s deep and calm voice broke the silence in the room, “find a safe place for yourself later.”

Xi Lian abruptly looked up at Bai Mo. His profile appeared unusually sharp in the dim light streaming in from the window, and his eyes, which always held a hint of nonchalance or helplessness, now held only a cold, focused intensity. She instantly understood—trouble wasn't just "possible," it was already at the doorstep.

“Xiao Bai Mo…” Xi Lian opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end she nodded vigorously.

Almost at the same moment her figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, the not-so-thick wooden door of the small restaurant was violently pushed open from the outside!

The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

The person who burst through the door was none other than Jacob, panting heavily and pale-faced. His usual lazy, carefree demeanor had vanished, replaced by utter terror. His priestly robes were covered in dust and even torn, making him look utterly disheveled.

"Bai Mo! Miss Xi Lian!" Jacob practically rushed in, his voice hoarse and shrill, trembling with tears. "Quick! Run! Get out of here! Now! Immediately!"

A group of people slowly approached the restaurant from the left.

Leading the group was an elderly man dressed in an exceptionally luxurious high priest's robe, its gold thread almost blindingly bright, the robe so new it wasn't wrinkled at all. He wore a sickeningly fake "kind" smile, and even held a string of expensive prayer beads that emitted a strange fragrance in his hand.

Behind him were four priests, equally well-dressed but with shifty eyes and weak auras, and eight temple guards, dressed in fine leather armor, with longswords at their waists, and sharp eyes filled with contempt.

"Tsk tsk tsk," the ornately dressed old priest stopped a few steps away from the entrance of "Lianmo's Little Kitchen," his gaze greedily sweeping over the shop before finally settling on Bai Mo. His voice was affected and pretentious. "Look at this... such a charming little place with a lively atmosphere. No wonder Priest Xilian lingered here." He took a step forward, his smile widening, but carrying a chilling, venomous edge.

But at almost the same time, another group of people emerged from the shadows on the right side of the restaurant.

Their styles are completely different.

But there were only three people.

The leader, a tall man clad in matte black scale armor that gleamed coldly against each other, was none other than Vilthor, one of Ascalon's men. He wore no priestly insignia; his face beneath his helmet was sculpted like rock, expressionless except for his sharp, hawk-like eyes, which carried a pure, professional aura of killing intent. Behind him, two others, also clad in black armor, exuded a chilling aura, their movements synchronized like precise killing machines. The stench of blood and rust emanating from them was far stronger than that of the flashy but impractical guards on Helios's side.

"Hmm?" The old priest's expression changed slightly before quickly returning to normal. "Did His Excellency Ascalon send you?"

"So what if we are? You are Helios's men?" The person under the armor narrowed his eyes slightly.

"As expected, we've both come for the same goal..." The ornately dressed old priest drawled, his cloudy eyes sweeping between the black-armored warriors. "Why not set aside our differences for now? With a shared objective, why waste time on internal strife? Bringing the 'Holy Maiden' back is the primary task. As for her allegiance..." He twirled the expensive prayer beads in his hand, producing a subtle but irritating clinking sound, his fake smile widening, "Of course, we can discuss it, even... share her?"

The priests and guards behind him, though trying to maintain a facade of authority, had their eyes filled with barely concealed fear when facing the three silent, towering black-armored warriors exuding pure killing intent.

It wasn't just the difference between the fine leather armor and the matte black scale armor, but also the fact that the person opposite them was a Goldenborn. A Goldenborn who could crush the mortal realm.

“You can try to recruit them first, but they must come back with us,” Vilto finally spoke after a silence.

“You have no choice.”

"Very well! But I will tell Lord Helios the truth about what happened today!"

"Suit yourself! Then you two! Go and clear out everyone else around here, leave no survivors!" Velto ordered the two black-armored soldiers who were with him.

Chapter 15 Bai Mo: I've suppressed my ahoge (cowlick), so be careful when you talk to me.

Bai Mo didn't move, but his gaze swept across the empty doorway behind Jacob like lightning before returning to Jacob. His voice was unusually calm: "You'd better explain yourself, Jacob. Who's here?"

Jacob, seeing Bai Mo's expression, paused for a moment before recounting the whole story. This included Vittorio's good intentions, the situation of Helios and Ascalon, and... Vittorio's plea for help from Ohma.

"That's right! They're all here! Helios's men! Ascalon's men!" Jacob pointed outside, then towards the temple. "Teacher... Teacher is held up by them! The temple guards... all the guards have been redeployed! It's a trap! They want to capture Miss Xilian! The High Priest of Ascalon has given the order... to... to get rid of you!"

"Get rid of me?"

Bai Mo didn't even twitch his eyebrows, but instead, a faint, cold smile curved at the corners of his mouth, like moonlight reflecting off an ice blade.

"Heh, really..." He slowly raised his hand and precisely pressed down the unruly tuft of hair on his head, facing the blurry reflection on the window.

(Bai Mo: I've suppressed my ahoge, so watch your tone when you talk to me!)

"—This is exciting..."

"Excited?" Jacob's voice was tinged with confusion; his thoughts hadn't even caught up with the ending of Bai Mo's words.

A pure, blinding, and solid white beam of light tore through the air without warning! It did not originate from Bai Mo's hand, but rather seemed to materialize out of thin air beside him, carrying a judgmental majesty and destructive heat, whistling past Jacob's hem!

Target—outside the door!

The old man, dressed in a high priest's robe embroidered with gold thread, with a "kind" smile on his face that seemed like poison mixed with honey, along with the rosary in his hand that exuded a decadent fragrance, and the four priests behind him who were dressed in fine clothes but looked like rats in the sewers...

They've all disappeared...

It wasn't knocked away, nor was it blown to pieces.

Like boiling water poured on snow, there wasn't even time for a scream. All that remained was a cloud of dust, instantly vaporized by the intense heat and torn into a crimson mist by the shockwave, eerily dissipating in the charred air. The sweet, cloying fragrance was instantly and completely overwhelmed by the pungent stench of burning and the metallic stench of blood.

As for the eight temple guards accompanying them, the edge of the pillar of light merely grazed them—

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*

The upper halves of the four guards, along with their sturdy leather armor and longswords at their waists, were as if bitten off by an invisible behemoth, the severed ends charred black and emitting wisps of smoke. The remaining four were completely frozen, their contempt frozen and shattered, leaving only pure terror with their eyes wide open to the limit, their bodies trembling like leaves sieves, as if their bones had been removed.

Why wait for the enemy to attack? In this apocalyptic purgatory where flesh and blood are fueled by blood and morality has collapsed, should we still recite those rotten and stinking scriptures of benevolence and righteousness to jackals?

Bai Mo dislikes listening to nonsense, especially from enemies.

Now that we know the people coming aren't good people, why listen to their nonsense?

Does anyone actually enjoy watching those long, tedious, and overused plots of persuasion and coercion?

Since we already know that the outcome will inevitably be swords drawn, why not just do it?

Bai Mo, carrying the sword he had prepared beforehand, stepped out of the small restaurant where he was staying.

[Agility Blessing] [Strength Blessing] [Precision Blessing] [Spiritual Blessing] [Energy Blessing] [Stamina Blessing] [Berserk Blessing] [Tranquility Blessing] [Guardian Blessing] [Life Blessing]...

These runes, which normally require a lengthy priestly ritual to obtain, lit up one after another in his mind, and power surged into his limbs and bones like a tide. The moment his foot touched the ground, a sudden change occurred!

(Bai Mo: Activate all skills! Activate! Activate! Activate! And this one too!)

A sharp whistling sound that tore through the air exploded from his side! Bai Mo didn't even turn around. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword behind his back precisely blocked the attack, exploding into a trail of dazzling sparks!

"clang--!!!"

A dull, resounding boom, like a giant hammer striking an ancient bell, echoed outwards! The stone bricks beneath his feet, weathered by millennia, cracked instantly like a spiderweb! He deftly blocked the attacker's powerful slash with one hand from the most impossible angle.

(Bai Mo: No kidding, kid. You should have run away when I could catch a heavy sword with one hand.)

Bai Mo slowly turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the ferocious black-armored figure that had broken through the neighboring courtyard wall and was closing in.

"The hyenas of Ascalon?" His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet like a blade tempered with ice. "To get to me from this angle, you must have crushed the bones of many refugees, right?"

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Mo's sword-wielding hand jerked violently! The overwhelming force sent the attacker staggering backward. At the same time, his free left hand rose, palm up, fingers loosely clenched—

Directly use composite high-level spells—Purifying Flame, Exploding Flame Bullet, Incinerate, Flame Tempering, Light Degradation, Matter Separation, Holy Radiance Healing...

(Bai Mo: Sorry, there were too many skills, the screen couldn't hold them all, so I just pressed randomly. Wait, something weird seems to have gotten mixed in. Oh well, the other team is doomed anyway.)

A buzzing sound! A pure, soul-chilling light burst forth from his palm without warning! The light did not spread, but rather, like a spear of judgment, it instantly pierced through the path the attackers had taken, precisely enveloping all the figures lurking in the shadows!

"No—!" The screams and cries were swallowed by the light.

The light flashed and vanished in an instant, leaving only wisps of rising smoke and a deep, hot, smooth trench carved into the ground. The attackers, along with the four guards, were reduced to ashes in the supreme purifying light.

"Instant high-level spell!!" At the end of the street corner, the leader, Velto, let out a horrified roar, his eyes under his helmet widening in disbelief. "This is impossible! And how can you have so many, and even composite ones?!"

(They cleared out this area in advance to capture Xi Lian... Heh, that saved them trouble.) A cold sense of understanding flashed through Bai Mo's mind.

At this moment, a large number of Temple Guards clad in standard iron armor finally poured out from the end of the long street. Witnessing the instantaneous annihilation of their comrades, their fear ignited a blind charge, which crashed down like a tide of steel!

But what greeted them was a different kind of light that purified everything and pierced through illusion!

"EX——"

The second beam of light was thicker and more violent, like divine punishment descending upon the world! It tore through the air, letting out a deafening roar, and crashed headlong into the charging torrent of steel!

Rumble—!!! Wherever the light reached, the steel-forged armor melted like wax, and the heavy body instantly vaporized! The legendary glory that had guarded the temple for sixty years on the scroll of history now transformed into the most ruthless torrent of destruction, raging and sweeping wildly through the narrow streets!

Chapter 16 Bai Mo: Is it true that if it's not off, it's on?

clang--! ! !

The ear-piercing clang of metal clashing rang out almost at the same moment the pillar of light dissipated! The leading black-armored knight, still brimming with residual power, launched a surprise attack at speed exceeding the limits, his heavy sword, burning with eerie black flames, slashing fiercely at Bai Mo's face!

Bai Mo parried with his sword, his feet remaining perfectly still, while the stone bricks beneath his feet crumbled once more. A mad and incredulous light flickered from the gaps in the black-armored knight's helmet.

"This is the Oath of Radiance? The price is burning one's life and pure soul? Advanced magic? The Oath of Radiance? Where did you learn this from?" His voice was hoarse and distorted.

"What's it to you?" Bai Mo's voice was calm and even as he stared directly at his opponent through the crossed blades, his eyes like a frozen pool. "You are haunted by many wronged souls. How many people have you killed?"

“I am a noble member of the Golden Clan. Do you even know how many ants you’ve crushed, how much dust you’ve shattered?” Vilto’s wrist tightened suddenly, trying to pin Bai Mo’s one-handed sword down, each word distinct and deliberate. “I said, you can no longer use…”

Before he could finish speaking, the longsword in Bai Mo's hand erupted with a blazing white light once more! This time, the light did not shoot far away, but instead tightly wrapped around the blade, as if he were holding a solidified bolt of lightning!

Vilto: 0_o?! Dude, you really opened it?

(Bai Mo: If it's not off, then it's on?)

boom--! ! !

An explosion that's just inches away! A violent torrent of light erupts at close range!

Bai Mo deliberately controlled his power. The light exploded, but it did not completely engulf his opponent. The heavy body of the black-armored knight was blasted away like a rag doll, the expensive and exquisite black armor shattered inch by inch, and the strong body wrapped beneath it was also turned into dust.

His right half of his body was completely gone, and his left half was charred and smoking. Only his head remained relatively intact, falling into a scorching crater. His golden blood, like molten gold, flowed freely and sizzled in the grooves of the ancient stone bricks.

Bai Mo slowly sheathed his sword, his boots sizzling softly as they stepped over the scalding golden blood. He walked to the remaining head, looking down at the face contorted with pain and fear.

"Ha," came a cold laugh filled with utter contempt, "the noble Golden Descendants? They don't seem any different now."

Boiling golden blood flowed on the stone bricks engraved with a thousand years of history, steaming up a mist with an earthy smell.

“Repent properly,” Bai Mo’s voice was icy, like a verdict, “or, in the last moment of your life… continue to harbor resentment.”

[An individual was detected whose vital signs have completely disappeared within the observation range.]

[Core protocol activated.]

[The individual's 'vital characteristics,' 'core competencies,' and fragments of their mental imprint have been collected.]

A new 'folder' has been created. Its capabilities can be accessed freely.

Please name this folder ______.

It was named: Verto.

Along the way, there were no enemies, only teachers. Bai Mo thought to himself. Then he pressed two more skills.

[Floating Protection] [Wind Control Protection]

An invisible force lifted his body, air currents swirling beneath his feet. Bai Mo's figure shot up like an arrow, instantly rising from the ground and hovering above the chaotic and noisy skies of Janusapolis. The biting winds of the high altitude billowed his robes.

His gaze pierced through the chaotic streets, landing on the two enormous mansions deep within the city, which radiated a luxurious golden light even in the night—the residences of Helios and Ascalon in the city-state.

“According to the information in the folder, Helios and Ascalon are actually in the temple now? Oh well,” he muttered to himself, his voice carried by the wind but with a resolute determination to cut off everything, “then let me collect some… insignificant extras first.”