Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 567-565: The Truth!!! (Two-in-one)

Above the ruins of Lion Castle,

A sacred iceberg rises abruptly from the ground, and His Majesty Saint John Stuart stands proudly upon the throne.
With a wave of his hand, massive icicles stretched across the sky, dense as rain, weaving into a net that left almost no room to hide or avoid.

Luo Yi stood in the void, her sacred dragon flame battle aura bursting forth, transforming into a great sun; the light and heat alone could distort space.

The icy power that freezes everything melts into water vapor before it even gets close, rises into clouds, shines brightly, and even displays a seven-colored rainbow.

He brandished his divine sword, creating flashes of sword light as he unleashed a barrage of battle aura slashes.

These battle qi slashes were all about ten feet long, crescent-shaped, with chaotic trajectories, yet all aimed at the same goal.

Wherever it passed, ripples spread through space, sometimes disappearing and sometimes reappearing, making it truly unpredictable.

The collision between the battle aura slash and the ice shards created a sonic boom and shockwave in mid-air.
Upon closer inspection, the space it carries is cracked with lines, resembling a spider web, but in the next second, it is quickly repaired.

At one moment, Saint-Jon's expression turned solemn, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had made a decision.

"Give me, get up!"

With a low roar, the sacred iceberg beneath him began to move, shattering with a 'crunching' sound, like a rampaging mountain peak, crashing down on Luo Yi.

Wherever it passed, the power of ice spread through the void, turning the world into a pure white expanse, as if it were about to be frozen.

The Frozen Throne

It is both a legendary combat skill and a legendary domain. It is His Majesty Saint Yorn's signature move, which has caused countless dark legends to suffer great losses!

Luo Yi's expression turned serious, and her heart pounded like a drum, spreading outwards in ripples, carrying unparalleled scorching heat that melted away all the coldness.

But that's not all. Following [Divine Sigh - Behemoth's Heartbeat], the holy skills [Divine Sigh - Dragon's Might Bloom], [Lion King], [Muscle Overlord], [Sea God's Protection], and [Golden Bone] were successively activated.

With each sacred skill activated, Luo Yi's aura increased exponentially, and the spatial ripples expanded further, eventually reaching a thousand meters away, completely suppressing the power of ice.

At this moment, Luo Yi was no longer the blazing sun overhead, but the scorching midday sun of summer, radiating unparalleled heat.

Facing the sacred iceberg, he moved and crashed directly into it, having a close encounter.

The collision of the sacred fire and the ice produced a large amount of water vapor, which distorted the view as it rose.

What onlookers could see was two figures intertwining and colliding vaguely between the dark cracks amidst the deafening roar of the collision.
The clanging sounds continued incessantly.

At times, flashes of sword light or shattering ice shards would appear, or the sea of ​​clouds would be sliced ​​open, leaving huge wounds that lingered for a long time.
Or it falls to the earth, and frost spreads through the ruins, freezing everything.

At this point, there were not many people left who could stand here to watch the battle; even those who were fourth-tier natural disasters were constantly retreating.

Only the red dragon Virgil stood proudly in the void, his body shimmering with dark dragon flame battle aura, unaffected by the turbulent elemental shockwaves.

In the far reaches of Brussels, countless extraordinary individuals, regardless of what they were doing, all stopped what they were doing.

They stood in perfect unison, looking up and gazing into the distance, facing north.

With their eyesight, they couldn't actually see anything, but the elemental fluctuations, like ocean tides, came wave after wave, terrifying them.

However, this was destined to be a friendly sparring match, not a satisfying one, and it didn't last long.

About ten minutes later, there was another collision, and the sun and the iceberg exploded completely, forming a spatial black hole.

It took another ten minutes or so for the condition to completely recover and disappear.

On the ground, Saint John lay panting heavily.

His forehead was covered in sweat, which had completely soaked his hair.

Beside him, Luo Yi sat cross-legged, seemingly still savoring the previous battle, his hand making a grabbing and releasing motion in the air.
There was no visible fluctuation of battle aura, but the space was rippled with disturbance.

His Majesty Saint John Stuart turned his head and looked at him with a face full of envy, jealousy and hatred.

He knew that he had just used all his strength, without holding back at all.
However, looking at Luo Yi, there wasn't a single sweat stain on her clothes, and they weren't even messed up.

After a battle, one might even gain some insights, seemingly understanding more of the rules of space.

In the past, only others envied his talent and ability; now, he actually has someone to envy.

More than ten minutes later, Luo Yi finally snapped out of her daze.

In fact, ever since he mastered the sacred skill [Heart of the Dragon] and became an ancient red dragon knight, his body seemed to have broken through some kind of limit and entered a period of rapid growth.

From physical strength to fighting spirit, from the soul to the less valued magic power, and even the difficult-to-master holy techniques, everything changes every single day.

His strength was growing so rapidly that even he was somewhat frightened.

Even the intangible ability to comprehend has undergone a qualitative change.

Every now and then, he can find glimpses of the rules of the plane from the smallest things, and based on this, he can continuously understand and update his offensive and defensive methods.

However, the more he cultivated, the more questions arose that lingered in his mind.

Because his growth and progress seem to have transcended the normal path of cultivation.

If things had gone according to plan, he would have already crossed the line into legend.

But now, he has clearly embarked on a new path, with a potential that is beyond imagination.

Seeing that Luo Yi had snapped out of his comprehension state, Saint Yorn couldn't wait to ask, "Tell me, how much of your strength did you use just now?"

Luo Yi tilted her head slightly and said, "Eighty percent!"

Saint-Yon's expression froze, and he rolled his eyes: "Even if you want to lie to me, at least put some effort into it."
"If you used 80% of your strength to fight a legendary figure like me, then even a vampire prince or a demigod would be nothing."

He paused, then said, "Tell me the truth, how much effort did you actually put in?"

Luo Yi, feeling a bit mischievous, asked, "You want to hear the truth?"

"Nonsense! As a legend who still wants to improve, only by facing the gap can we make progress."

"Actually, it's 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20%..."

As Loy muttered this, Saint-Yon's expression grew increasingly grim.

He asked directly, "Just tell me, how many sacred techniques did you use in the battle just now?"

"Five gates!"

"I heard you've mastered fifteen sacred techniques, which means you've only used a third of them, and yet I can't beat you?!"
Oh right, we haven't even counted the ancient red dragon Virgil.

If we add that in, then it's only 30%? Or 20%?

After considering this, His Majesty Saint John's expression became even more unpleasant.

Luo Yi was genuinely afraid that he would become withdrawn, so she quickly said, "Then, Your Majesty, you've come all this way just to fight me, haven't you?"

"This is one of my tasks."

Although those dark legends say you're incredibly strong, and that you even beheaded a vampire prince with a single sword strike, they've never actually seen you.

Therefore, His Holiness the Pope has asked me to consider it.

"Isn't it disappointing?"

"Disappointed? No, no, no, it should be called a huge surprise."

You are now at the peak of Herka's combat power, one of the top contenders.

Don't worry, in the future, very few people will dare to show off in front of you; their status and position will be different too.

Luo Yi didn't reply, but instead asked, "Is this one of the tasks? Are there other things?"

"The second thing is also to inform you about the handling of the vampires' practice of keeping humans and animals!"

"What? Is the church going to do something else?"

"Of course!"

Saint John immediately became serious, radiating a murderous aura: "Raising humans and livestock? Raising humans and livestock!"

This hasn't happened in years, and it happened right under our noses; it's a direct challenge to the Church's bottom line.

"His Holiness the Pope has ordered all twelve cardinals to be mobilized, and the Inquisition will also be deployed to carry out a massive purge against the entire vampire race!"

Luo Yi replied, "There aren't many vampires active in the Old Continent to begin with; the main force is in the New Continent."
"The thirteen vampire clans are mostly located within the Radiant Empire. Do you really think your purge can be carried out within the Radiant Empire?"

In Luo Yi's view, this is a typical vanity project.

The largest 'vampire den' in the Old World was the Blood Moon Forest demiplane, which has already been destroyed by Loy.

The Pope's current actions don't even qualify as remedial action; they're purely a loss of face and a reckless outburst.

However, Saint John looked at him with a strange expression and said, "Do you have some misunderstanding about the power of the Church?"

"How to say?"

“That’s right. There are factions within the church, and the conflicts are quite serious, but there is only one pope, and the deity they worship is the same. In the New World, there are indeed hundreds of races coexisting, but don’t forget that the main body of the Glorious Empire is the human race that migrated from here.”

Luo Yi finally turned her head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"This great purge is aimed at all vampires, whether from the Old World or the New World..."

The Thirteen Clans of the Vampires—what a prestigious name! But if we don't completely wipe out three or five of them after this, then we're simply incompetent.

"There must be a lot of resistance to doing this, right?"

Saint John began, “Before coming here, His Holiness the Pope communicated with the Kingdom of God through the Great Prayer, and finally obtained a divine oracle, which was distributed to each sect.”

Therefore, this is not a matter of whether or not to do something, but a divine decree that must be fulfilled!

"Then I'll wait and see!"

"In that case, let's talk about the third thing, which is also the most important thing."

What are your thoughts on the war between the Allied Forces and the Empire?

He paused, seemingly realizing that his statement was too vague, and added, "To be more direct, which side are you on?"

Luo Yi frowned and said, "I thought I had made myself quite clear."

A flower collar is a flower collar; I am who I am, and I don't take sides!

"Let me rephrase the question: If someone were to threaten the world of Herka, would you be willing to fight to protect this world?"

Amidst the ruins of the ancient castle, a gust of wind swept through, stirring up dust.

However, His Holiness Saint John's words clearly reached Roy's ears, like a thunderclap.

Luo Yi suddenly turned her head, her eyes extremely serious, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Saint Yorn said softly, "You studied in the Habsburg Empire and systematically learned about magical machinery."

But haven't you noticed that there's almost no research data or technological accumulation regarding the transition from the elemental pool to the mana pool in the mage tower?!

"And then there's the Royal Society, so mysterious that no one knows what's inside. The Church has devoted all its efforts to investigating it, day after day, for decades, and has only managed to uncover some of its peripheral members."

The true core, those great mages, only left behind one name.

and then?
We know nothing about their upbringing, their school of thought, or their magical specialties!

"It's like it popped out of a stone."

Yet it was they who pushed the development of magic in a different direction, leading to the unique branch of magical machinery, and ultimately contributing to the power of the Habsburg Empire.

"If you think this is just a coincidence, a truth that the church has overlooked in the long history of history, then..."

What about the seven gods?

"Given that the great sun god unified the beliefs of the Old World, where did they come from? How did they become gods? And how did they develop a complete doctrine?"

Saint John's words struck Roy's heart like a bolt of lightning, revealing a truth shrouded in mist.

"You mean, those people come from outside this plane?"
An invasion akin to hell and the abyss?

Saint John nodded slowly and explained, "The Church is not unaware that magical weapons have changed the nature of warfare."
It's not that I don't know that the magic energy industry has liberated productivity and is good for the whole world;

They were not unaware that the traditional aristocracy and knightly class hindered social development;

But as I said before, we simply cannot accept all of this technology and knowledge from another dimension!

"Even now, we still don't understand what those behind the empire are up to, or what kind of conspiracy they're plotting?"

"Therefore, the church's resistance is actually for the sake of the whole of Herka."

Luo Yi agrees with this statement, but not entirely.

In his view, it is definitely not acceptable to throw the baby out with the bathwater; those who are unwilling to learn advanced technologies and systems will only be eliminated by the times.

However, changing the subject, Saint-Yon repeated his previous question: "Count Lloyd, my most important mission here is only one..."
If, if one day, the world were to collapse, would you be willing to fight for Herka?

Saint John's attitude was extremely serious, and Loy did not hesitate at all.

He sat up straight and said loudly, "I was born here, I grew up here, this is my hometown."

If that day ever comes when the world is about to collapse and foreign enemies invade, wanting to trample on my homeland, then I will fight to the death and not yield an inch of land!

"I'll remember what you said; nothing else matters."

Saint John left, his back initially looking somewhat disheveled, but as he walked, he straightened his back and once again became the youngest legend of the church, full of vigor.

Luo Yi didn't move, but after watching the other person leave, she lay down on the ground again.

His gaze was fixed on the sky, watching the ever-changing sea of ​​clouds, which seemed to stretch ever further into the distance.

Only then did the red dragon Virgil stroll over and ask, "Now that you know the truth, is it hard to accept?"

"It was somewhat hard to accept, but it also cleared up many of my confusions."

Loy then turned to look at Virgil the Red Dragon and asked, "So, that 'Battle of the Stars,' which cannot be spoken of to anyone, was actually the first clash between the two sides?"

"Did you guess it?"

"So who wins? Who loses?"

"Hehe, you're so smart, why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?"

After a slight pause, Virgil the Red Dragon continued, "Since you're still not giving up, then I'll shatter your illusions!"

"That battle took place more than three hundred years ago. They came from across planes and fought against the Sun God's war legion outside the plane, in the chaos of the astral plane."

"In that battle, terrifying magical beams pierced through space, horrific energy storms shattered meteorites, and raging lightning and divine power intertwined in an endless stalemate."

That battle lasted a full century; the corpses of legendary figures who perished were enough to fill the void, and the blood of demigods flowed into rivers.

Even among true gods, more than five have fallen; both sides suffered heavy losses.

"The one you know best, the most powerful deity under the sun god, the silver angel, has fallen on the way of the charge."

Therefore, that battle is also known as the Battle of God's Tears.

"That was an era of dazzling stars, but you must know that after the brilliance, they vanished like shooting stars in a flash!"

"Overall, the battle ended with the retreat of the gods of Herka, but the enemy did not suffer any losses."

Seeing the resolute resistance of the Herka gods, they dared not press too hard, instead choosing to temporarily halt their attack and instead invade through appeasement and infiltration.

"So, the Habsburg Empire is their chosen representative?"

"Yes! The rise of the Hohenzollern family began with their selection."

They were not in a hurry, or rather, they had no shortage of time; rather, they were advancing their plans step by step.

"Although, to this day, no one knows what their conspiracy is or what their purpose is."

Virgil the Red Dragon sighed and said, “I admit that the Church has many shortcomings; there are many corrupt people occupying positions and doing nothing; and many policies are just about exploiting the people to support themselves.”

However, when it comes to protecting the world of Herka, they are never inferior to anyone else.

That's why I was willing to believe in the sun god and became a red dragon bishop.

Luo Yi then asked another question that had been bothering her: "So, the new divine calendar is actually calculated from the day they arrived, right?"

"Yes, it's strange that when the victorious side chose to postpone the war, they only made one request—to change the calendar."

The solar calendar became the old divine calendar, and from the day they arrived, the new divine calendar was put into use.

For them, this seems to have extremely important symbolic meaning.

Luo Yi nodded slowly, then asked the most important question: "Who exactly are they?"

"Them?"

Virgil's voice grew distant: "They call themselves the people of Netheril, the cradle of great arcane mages, who control the ultimate secrets of magic, and who pilot vast floating cities capable of traversing the stars."

You heard right, it was just a floating city that arrived, yet it has kept the entire world of Herka from raising its head for countless years.

"So, how does it feel to know this secret?"

"An overwhelming pressure is coming at me!"

At this moment, Luo Yi couldn't help but smile bitterly: "I understand now why the church doesn't want others to mention this 'Battle of the Stars'?"

It's not just about losing face; most people simply can't handle it!

"Ignorance is bliss; once you know the truth, you'll feel suffocated by it."

(End of this chapter)