The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 597 Saintess Resonance
She is not a member of any church faction, but rather inherits the ancient natural beliefs and heritage of her people, using her innate affinity for nature to comprehend the divine grace bestowed by the spirits of the land and the will of the stars.

This power is extraordinary and unconventional. It does not rely on traditional holy light, but possesses the characteristics of being clear and transparent and condensing the essence of heaven and earth. It is regarded by the people as the last line of defense.

Alya opened her azure eyes and looked towards the misty forest.

She sensed a faint message from afar, a painful struggle emanating from the depths of Irene's will within the shattered castle at the far north battlefield, and David's unwavering determination to purify the corrupt gloom and restore the glory of his homeland.

She took a deep breath of the crisp air, as if drinking sweet dew, or swallowing the frost of winter, condensing all her gentleness and resilience into an invisible bridge that reached the edge of the distant battlefield.

Despite facing considerable opposition and even surveillance pressure from within the church against such "heretic" forces, she resolutely chose to break with convention and use herself as a link to invoke and activate the long-lost and powerful power of the land's heritage and the local guardianship faith.

With her slender fingers forming a hand seal, she guided the natural elements to converge into a pure, crystal-clear, and intensely cold light, just like crystal.

The entire altar was enveloped in a light, shimmering white mist. The ancient incantation from the bloodline permeated the heavens and earth, like the bright North Star slowly turning in the sky, echoing and resonating with the will to resist the corruption and erosion caused by the chaotic core thousands of miles away!

Return to the far northern wilderness
As Aliya cast her spell, dazzling and beautiful runes suddenly surged around the outer edge of the array.

A stubborn, chilling aura, like the light of winter twilight filtering through the treetops onto the withered leaves and the ground, surged along the path to the center of the hall. It formed a rare and wondrous connection with the destructive, ancient power released from the core of chaos, and gradually expanded to the uncorrupted area that imprisoned Irene's consciousness, allowing that last vestige of resistance to breathe again and regain its strength!
Irene lay between the illusory rifts in the sky, her pale cheeks tinged with long-lost warm ripples, an indescribable sense of joy amidst endless pain. Even though her body was still tormented and trembling by the curse, her spirit was instantly redeemed by the three-way secret contract built across mountains, seas, time and space.

An invisible bond quietly connects three of humanity's most important and vulnerable parts, making them each other's last hope and eternal beacon!
Hill stood beside the magic circle, witnessing the entire process.

His brows were furrowed yet his eyes shone brightly. "Without this resonance forged across mountains and oceans, and through life-or-death situations, we would not be able to break through the deeper layers of the 'Black Mark,' nor end this eternal nightmare!"

Anne gripped the healing staff, her whole body tense but her eyes showing relief. "I want to believe in miracles, to believe in those forces that transcend ordinary reason, to cherish every breath, and to protect this home with everyone!"

David looked around at everyone present. Some were wounded, others had solemn expressions, but in each of their hearts beat the same firm and precious rhythm of life: hope.

He knew that at this moment, the final victory would be achieved not only by the sword, but also by the giant net formed by the gifts of nature and the indelible bloodline imprint bestowed upon them by their ancestors!
As the vast starry sky gradually brightened, the sharp outline of a large-scale spell depicted a crystal-clear scene resembling a glass palace. All the knights knelt respectfully, offering their final, devout prayers for the impending final battle.

Inside the hall, the grand array blueprint radiated a cold, divine glow in the dim candlelight, and countless runes swirled and leaped in the air, like an invisible dragon coiled between heaven and earth.

The time has finally come for the Dawn Holy Flame Array to be activated.

Half of the surviving knights were clad in weathered armor, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of fear and determination.

They were led to the pre-set array base node. Each step they took into the center of the array totem produced a dull yet powerful echo, as if shattering the last trace of hesitation in people's hearts.

Hill stood at the forward position, his eyes blazing, raising the blood-stained longsword high above his head. The cold runes emanating from the blade flowed like molten lava, constantly bursting forth with dazzling light.

He took a deep breath of the icy air, solidifying his will like steel: "Brothers! At this moment, we are the last line of defense on this land!"
Let our souls become the most blazing flame of dawn!

The knights nodded silently, their hands trembling slightly but not loosening their grip on their weapons.

Anne softly recited a prayer, a warm golden halo surrounding her healing staff, yet it could not conceal the weariness on her face, though her gaze remained steadfast.

David stood at the core of the formation, clad in royal knight armor, which was covered in blood and cracks, yet still exuded an aura of majesty and inviolability.

He reached out and lightly touched the core of chaos. The dark energy sphere shimmered with a scorching blue-white light at his fingertips, like a crystallization containing the secrets of the world's destruction and rebirth.

A stardial and a void star core surround it, resonating with the clear and transparent natural faith power transmitted to Aliya through a spiritual bond.

"Initiate!" David's voice was steady and resolute, each word carrying an unshakeable conviction, "In our name, by the eternal glory of the Silver Moon!"

In an instant, a dazzling white pillar of fire shot from the core of chaos into the void; it was the divine fission energy that erupted from the most direct collision between the power of purity and the power of the abyss.

The surrounding runes surged and cheered, and countless white holy flames burst forth like the first stars of dawn, erupting from every node and illuminating the entire battlefield as a burning glazed palace.

These flames possess a pure and awe-inspiring power; they are not merely shimmering crystals under the blazing sun, but rather an inextinguishable sun pouring down from the heavens to cleanse the filth and darkness.

These blazing holy flames, accompanied by sharp humming, tore through the sky in the wind and snow, like thousands of sharp blades piercing into the abyss of decay, tearing the darkness to shreds.

The demonized knights were swept away as if by an irresistible torrent. Their faces were contorted in pain, and each scream was like the last note on a broken string, echoing terrifyingly in the cold wind.

The evil life force within them, eroded and fused by the alien energy of the abyss, was utterly powerless against this pure holy flame.

Like snowflakes melting in the blazing sun, those who were once fierce, ruthless, and cold-blooded became fragile and desperate, burned to ashes, leaving only scattered smoke and fragmented remnants of consciousness.

The lower-level demon horde collapsed instantly, their scarlet scales reflecting scorching white flames, melting away like accumulated snow in the warmth of spring, dissolving at the slightest touch.

All witnesses present felt the foundation crumbling and being eroded from within. This was the destructive and righteous judgment released by the Dawn Holy Flame Array, a baptism and an end!
However, at the same time, a large number of knights placed in the base of the magic circle were also suffering extreme pain.

Their lives are being stripped away at an alarming rate—their bodies, their souls, their very essence.

This burning is not merely physical scorching, but a soul-level tempering and purification.

Amidst despair and unwavering faith, they gritted their teeth. Some had tears streaming down their faces, while others wore tragic smiles. Still others struggled on the edge of consciousness until their very last moment, refusing to give up the fight!

Hill bit his lip, feeling the tremor in his hand as he gripped the longsword, but he remained standing firm.

"Brothers... I see you... You are the brightest light in this eternal night!" The vast battlefield space was filled with deafening roars. It was not thunder, nor explosion, but an indomitable cry, a tremor of faith, and a raging torrent that erupted from the depths of the soul.

A vast and symbolic tide swept across the land.

"My blade is eternally cold!"

"Soul Forged Dawn!"

"The Silver Moon will prevail, undaunted by death!"

The sounds rose and fell, coming from every corner, shaking the heavens and the earth like a flash flood!
Arya strode forward to the front lines, her eyes fixed on the fading shadows in the distance, slicing through the remaining gloom with the edge of her sword.

"Let this icy blue blade be our pact of life and death, so that no matter when or where, I will fight alongside you."

Anne prayed silently, stretching out her hands with healing magic, using her own weak but steady warmth to protect the victims from the brink of destruction. "As long as there is a breath left, there is hope."

Lia gripped her staff tightly, using azure incantations to draw upon the power of the elements, layering her mental defenses to bring a brief but precious tranquility to those closest to their burnout: "This is not the end, but a new beginning."

David witnessed this scene, and he choked up but raised his sword even higher, his entire will fused into it: "This is the price we pay, and it is the only way for us to move towards the future!"

The Black Mark will be destroyed; we will rise from the ruins!

As time passed, about half of the participating knights fell, their bodies gradually becoming transparent, as if slowly swallowed up by time;

Their faces were mostly calm and even content, because this was both a sacrifice and a redemption.

By integrating itself into the crisscrossing network of runes, it creates a solid barrier for more survivors;
He sacrificed himself by rising up to help shatter the darkness and ultimately collapse!
At the same time, the power of nature's land heritage, mobilized by Alia Frostheart, was continuously injected into the system. This ancient and clear power penetrated the void star core and collided with the alien elements released by the chaotic core, producing a wonderful reaction. This filled the entire Dawn Holy Flame Array with a mysterious fluctuation that transcended the mundane and rational, forming an indestructible barrier around the far northern wilderness.

This is not just a defensive line, but an immortal bulwark woven from the memories of bloodlines from ancient times to the present, engraving the glory of the past into every inch of the land, so that hope will never be extinguished!

The distant forests and mountain peaks, bathed in the soft golden light of the rising sun, appeared even more solemn and dignified under the illumination of the newly opened grand formation.

Although all life is weary and even on the verge of despair, the heart that is willing to sacrifice itself for justice still shines brightly, more precious and dazzling than any gemstone!

“Dawn has broken…” Hill murmured, gazing at the pure white flames that were gradually spreading and engulfing everything. “Even if it costs us everything, we will make the sun shine high in the sky again!”

The clouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate, replaced by the dim yellow light of a newly risen sun, like a symbol of hope after a baptism of new life, bathing the scarred earth in a warm and soft glow...

David, Hill, and the other surviving members of the Knights seized this fleeting opening. They were fully armed, their eyes still filled with unwavering determination. They immediately formed a formation, like a sharp blade piercing into the depths of the royal court, which was corrupted and twisted by the abyss.

The surrounding ruins of the royal court were filled with an eerie atmosphere, a mixture of frozen ice and thick black mist. The strange runes gradually dimmed due to the aftershocks of the holy flames, no longer emitting the suffocating poisonous miasma they had previously emitted.

The wind carried the sounds of crumbling ancient stone walls and collapsing ice crystals, like a mournful sigh echoing in the empty hall.

David led the way, his figure standing tall and straight like an iron tower, each step he took striking the decaying skeleton of the dark palace.

His eyes shone brightly, and a giant sword flashed with blue-white holy flames, breaking the silence amidst the wind and snow and the sound of cracking.

He turned his head and whispered to Hill, "This is everything that the queen once ruled... Now all that's left is death and curses."

Hill gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his face grim.

He stared ahead, where twisted and strange crystal clusters writhed and stretched along the wall, breathing like living things, and every corner exuded the unique cold and suffocating atmosphere of the abyss.

These crystal clusters, like decaying tumors, have twisted and grotesque the once dazzling and magnificent palace, filling it with an aura of death.

They went deeper and deeper without saying a word, but the tension in the air was so thick it seemed like it could drip water.

Everyone could feel the faint, low-frequency vibrations emanating from the ground beneath their feet—the uneasy rhythm of the lingering aftershocks of the abyss's power.

Finally, deep within the royal court, they arrived at a massive altar—the very heart of the palace and the place to which countless ancient legends pointed.

But now, the altar is no longer pure; it is surrounded and eroded by thick ice and dark, vein-like black crystals.

The surface of the crystal shimmered with a faint blue light, yet it was also mixed with a deathly black, reminiscent of ominous relics buried beneath the glacier.

In the center of the altar, Irene lay quietly—her upper body was almost entirely enveloped and covered by those black crystals that moved and writhed like living veins.

These crystal clusters, like countless intertwined blood vessels, curled up half of her body into a cage, seemingly becoming the painful shackles of her life.

The only thing exposed was her pair of extremely contradictory yet heartbreaking eyes:

His left eye was completely plunged into endless darkness, devoid of stars and life, leaving only a desolate, cold light left behind by the abyss.
Her right eye burned with a painful yet tenacious icy blue flame, a symbol of her last remaining self, a small beacon of an unextinguished soul and a struggling will.

The air seemed to freeze under the oppressive sorrow emanating from those eyes, each breath feeling as if it were tearing one's lungs apart, making all who approached feel the endless grief and the desperate, pounding cries of despair.

Irene's lips trembled slightly. At times, she seemed to regain her former queenly majesty, issuing intermittent commands in a hoarse but firm voice: "Protect... Silver Moon... It must never fall..." Her voice contained an undeniable majesty, but it was also mixed with increasingly intense groans of pain that she could not hide.
(End of this chapter)