Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1528 Multi-cornered War

Ophelia's mage group was not intended to inflict effective damage on the serpent dragon. The most important role of this group was to serve as an early warning, informing the people in the church that the serpent dragon had come to their doorstep.

Veronica had no intention of sending these people to their deaths, so when the first warning spell went up, she ordered people to retreat in an orderly manner, not to head towards the Minute Church, but to disperse to the surrounding areas that used to be residential areas.

Now that Lu Ning is leaving, and Bavotley might arrive later, she needs to buy herself more time. However, Veronica doesn't feel the weight of responsibility; after all, Vanessa and Lu Ning are facing gods, while she is only dealing with a serpent dragon.

Although she comforted herself with this thought, Veronica's heart was still pounding when she entered the Eternal Sanctuary.

The serpent dragon looked disheveled. Although he had one foot on the steps of the Minute Church, he hesitated to take a step inside. His body was covered in dust, burn marks from magic, and bloodstains, which greatly reduced the sense of threat emanating from the rumors surrounding him.

He looked at Veronica, and even a slight smile appeared on his face.

“What about the others at the Minute Church?” he asked.

“Not here,” Veronica said somewhat stiffly.

The snake dragon nodded.

He stepped onto the stairs and entered the church. There was no obstruction, no traps. The Serpent Dragon looked at Veronica and planted his stick on the ground: "So you were the designer of those outer layers of defenses?"

"Yes."

"Don't be so nervous. Although you've caused me a little trouble, it's only a little... Little girl, why don't you run? If you leave, you know I have no interest in chasing you."

“This is our Minute Church, and you’re just an outsider,” Veronica said. “Do you want divine retribution for starting a fight here?”

"Hmm... I don't want to." The serpent dragon thought about it seriously and felt that provoking the gods was still too stupid.

"So as long as we're inside the church, I'll be able to stop you; you don't need to run."

“Very good, you're a person with your own opinions. So blocking me... means that someone really will come to face me, right? To be honest, I do have the ability to fight people here, but I won't waste it on you. Before anyone arrives, how about we have a chat? I saw the golden light wrapped around you, blocking me here. To those who don't know the situation, it's a miracle.” The Serpent Dragon said.

“What kind of miracle is this?” Veronica frowned.

“Child, the symbolic meaning of myths and legends always outweighs their actual meaning. From the very beginning of creation rituals, people have tried to make the gods recreate miracles through imitation. Everything you are doing here today is witnessed by no one, only the result remains, and if the result is something that the world thinks you could not have accomplished, then that is a miracle,” the serpent dragon said patiently, no longer in a hurry.

"This is nothing more than a human creation..."

"No one knows except you." The serpent dragon took a step forward, its tone alluring. "Everyone here already knows I'm here, and I will now prove my unparalleled strength. After that—"

Veronica will be lifted into that position.

"Why are you doing this? It doesn't make sense! What did Rosemaryda promise you? Why would you give your life to help her?"

"Hmm...you probably don't understand. It's very complicated. It could be redemption, it could be the future, but more than that, it's about finding a soulmate who can understand and recognize each other, someone who won't mistake you even if you're killing each other."

The snake-dragon laughed and actually sat down on the spot.

"It seems that the arrival of that person will take a long time. During this time, I would be happy to tell you these stories of a minor deity who was chosen by chance and then inevitably became a god."

=
As soon as Vanessa and Lu Ning landed, they felt the uncomfortable air around them. Even breathing felt like inhaling a lot of dust into their lungs, with a rough pain.

The ferocious black and red blade had already pierced into the pure divine realm of the "forbidden zone." Wild Plague had taken the skeletal military knife back into her hands. In her hands, the swordsmanship of conquest had become a powerful and unrestrained suppression technique. Unlike the storm-like offensive that Rosalyn had once displayed, Wild Plague's attacks were more like flames. In the process of burning fervently, they would also explode from time to time, as if they wanted to crush both friend and foe.

Vanessa was stunned by the imposing manner she displayed; she had never imagined that she would use this sword technique in such a way.

"Cough, don't just stand there, see if you can contact the surrounding—cough—bacterial colonies," Lu Ning said, covering her nose.

"I can't believe I've actually become like this," Vanessa murmured, transforming the Plague into a spear and plunging it into the dark red ground.

All these black and red colors are colonies of bacteria that have spread out and together constitute the divine realm, but Vanessa can indeed perceive them.

But unlike the "Vanessa" who had briefly appeared before, the heart of the Plague was not empty. Instead, it was filled with intense regret and anger. Vanessa, who had just come into contact with this emotion, was startled. She looked up at the shadow that was constantly cutting through the pure squares of the forbidden zone, and it did indeed seem to want to vent all its anger.

“That’s normal… You were bound by responsibility and fate, and then in a place like Judgment Island, most of what you held dear in your heart was slowly worn away. And now this god is the result of you suddenly losing everything. Of course, Rosemerada and the Serpent Dragon probably played a part in it too,” Lu Ning said.

One is an instantaneous burst of flames, the other is slowly burned to ashes; they are practically two different people.

However, Vanessa remained full of doubts.

"Pharmacist, even though I'm mentally prepared for my future, I still can't avoid this ending?"

“That’s not something you can avoid just by being mentally prepared. When the breakdown comes, the heart… can easily shatter.” Lu Ning replied after a moment of silence.

She had witnessed the pharmacist's precarious spirit, and the shadow cast by the future of the Holy War within her heart had yet to fade, even after she later heeded Lu Ning's advice and visited the Fountain of Youth. As if having overheard their conversation, the Plague, which was fiercely attacking, suddenly turned around and looked at the two of them.

"Don't you understand, Vanessa? Do you think your will can endure the long night or remain unmelted under the scorching sun? That's good. It seems you haven't really lost your happiness yet."

A black and red aura surged into the sky, and the pure divine kingdom grew increasingly faint.

"I understand why you've come, so come and see... Let me show you!!"

Javelin emerged from the ground like a jungle, then grew like saplings, eventually transforming into square tombstones on the earth.

"Plague!" Vanessa gripped the gun tightly, a powerful surge of emotion flooding her, causing her thoughts to momentarily freeze.

Although Lu Ning could not sense this emotion, she could clearly see the belongings on Huang Yi's body, which were probably left behind by people close to her.

“Do you know what? When I saw that everything was beyond saving, when I myself was in dire straits, that damned Rosemerada gave me this power! I picked up my companions’ belongings from the ruins and embedded them into my body. I knew then that I had to do this, no matter the cost, I had to rewrite this ending!”

The plague's blade pierced the ground again. The "Forbidden Zone's" expression was grim. With the divine kingdom compressed to its current minuscule size, he could now precisely defend against the plague's attacks. Meanwhile, the plague, unable to break through after a prolonged assault, clearly showed signs of impatience.

"You..." The Forbidden Zone raised its hand, grasped a pure cube, and slowly pushed it towards the direction of the plague. He had ultimately reached the level of a god, and in terms of power alone, he was capable of fighting. However, he could no longer afford to be distracted by the situation of the gatekeeper.

But he was met with the mockery of the plague.

"Is this all the love you have for your wife and daughters? Once your own survival is threatened, you only care about yourself? Ha, you still want to save them, separate them, but that woman is already a new independent individual. Tearing a living person apart in soul and body, don't you feel any guilt? Ah, right, what is there for a plague apostle to feel guilty about? You are not merciful when you kill people."

The forbidden zone remained silent, but the cube in his hand continued to advance. He knew he was unlikely to win, but he wasn't going to let this meddlesome god get away with it. He possessed the ruthlessness and intense vengefulness to become the Plague Apostle; he wouldn't care even if he died.

However, as he attempted a final struggle, a strange, restless atmosphere suddenly filled the air.

Wild Plague paused for a moment, and in that instant, Vanessa severed the surging emotional connection, taking a few steps back. Lu Ning reached out and grabbed her, her gaze turning to the uninvited guest who had just appeared there.

A young man and a strange man in a tattered cloak.

The young man was holding a book. Lu Ning was somewhat sensitive to books, but upon closer inspection, she could tell that the book was just a placeholder; he had a piece of paper and a pen tucked inside. He seemed a little shy, but his eyes felt familiar to Lu Ning.

As for the other person, although his face wasn't seen, his appearance had already been known during the prior strategic meeting. This was the Soul Master—another accomplice found by Pan De'ang. This person wasn't known for the plague that caused widespread slaughter, but he was still on the Church's wanted list. The fundamental reason was that the numerous plague-themed divine spells he created greatly increased the difficulty for the Church in hunting down the Plague Apostles.

Now that this master of magic has appeared here, even in a battlefield of gods, Lu Ning feels wary.

"Wow... this is the power of a god! A spell powerful enough to restrain hundreds of monsters only caused a momentary hesitation." The Soul Master spoke, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere. "And Pan De'ang, my old friend. How did you end up in such a miserable state? Is the power of a god so difficult to control that you have to resort to this to survive?"

"...Writing about Soul Masters." Huang Yi diverted a sliver of attention. "You, and the letter paper, what are you planning to do?"

“Good question. It seems we didn’t reveal much in the other world either.” The Soul Master glanced meaningfully at Vanessa. “However, our goal is still very clear. As you know, I am an ally of Pan De’ang, so of course I have to help him at this time. At the same time, given the special nature of your position, I’m afraid I also have to help this nun.”

“You?” Vanessa sneered, but the Soul Master didn’t care.

“Yes, I need to help you calm down. Seeing so many different versions of yourself making different choices makes you too easily influenced, doesn’t it?” The Soul Master raised his hand, and a spell instantly formed, enveloping Lu Ning and Vanessa together.

However, Lu Ning immediately swung her gleaming longsword, tearing apart the spell's structure, leaving only Vanessa instantly caught in its effects.

Lu Ning glanced sideways. This didn't seem to be a damaging spell, otherwise Vanessa would have simply been immune to it. But an effect spell would still have some effect no matter what.

"Oh? Impressive. I thought I could deal with you like that Xin Shishu did." The Soul Writer shrugged, not particularly concerned. The letter was presented to Lu Ning as she rushed over.

“Madam Pharmacist, I think we still have something to say.”

"Playing tricks!"

Lu Ning didn't waste any words with him and attacked directly. Xin Zhi hurriedly drew a dagger to parry. His physical skills were obviously not very good, and after a few moves he seemed to be struggling and about to lose.

However, Lu Ning sensed something strange during her attack. She could clearly see her opponent's movements and knew how she was going to attack and parry. In addition, her combat skills were far superior to Xin Zhi's, so this should have been an opponent she could defeat in a few rounds. But despite her rapid and aggressive attacks, Xin Zhi managed to hold on no matter how badly she fought.

This doesn't make sense!
Lu Ning observed the opponent's actions again, but this time, she didn't focus on suppressing them based on their future moves. The "Secret Rebirth" spell did indeed have the ability to predict most attacks, but if its effects took effect even earlier, she wouldn't have a chance to see them. And Lu Ning wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of experience.

The only reason why the "future" has no flaws is that the facts have already been fixed by the "past"!
Sword light and lightning flashed and intertwined. Lu Ning had already retreated to Vanessa's side, and a look of surprise finally appeared on Xin Zhi's face. He had thought that he could at least keep Lu Ning occupied here for several minutes.

"Is it something like 'the letter will intercept the apothecary here, preventing her from passing through'?" Lu Ning sneered, reaching out to pat Vanessa's shoulder, who was trapped in the spell, as lightning flashed in her hand.

Divine Thunder was a secret technique that the Heavenly Emperor was well-versed in. It could shake one's soul with a single strike. Vanessa was only affected by half of the spell's effect at most. After she gave her a helping hand, her somewhat cloudy eyes suddenly became clear in an instant.

"Make your move, Vanessa."

The tacit understanding that the two had developed through constant practice didn't need many words. After Vanessa clearly saw the letter in front of her, she immediately raised her gun and fired a powerful sniper shot.