It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Their eyes met, Roy's pupils contracted, and he prepared to enter "destruction mode" for battle.

However, in the next instant, their expressions changed simultaneously.

A terrifying electromagnetic disturbance swept over their bodies in an instant, and at the same time, ten rapidly expanding and destructive waves appeared within their senses.

"?!"

The sudden turn of events caused the Pope's smiling face to falter, then turn ugly: "Ruthless enough, decisive enough."

Without further hesitation, the Pope raised his hand and plunged it deep into the gem between the mechanical god's eyebrows.

Roy tried to stop it, but before he could enter the "Destruction State" and reach the demigod level, he was swept by the sudden strong electromagnetic wave, and his body and soul were temporarily paralyzed, making him unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as the temple pope, who had inserted his hand into the gem between the mechanical god's eyebrows, pulled out an irregular crystal.

"A flawed heart of God? It's still usable, I suppose."

The Pope of the Temple sighed and gave a deep look at Roy and the other two below.

The moment the Pope saw Latie and Cecil in her doll form, he knew that the person wearing the gray spiral mask was the culprit who had been constantly sabotaging his plans.

He really wanted to resolve the issue directly on the spot.

Unfortunately, there's no time left.

A second passed, and the destructive fluctuations within his perception circle, which were so intense that even he felt a chill run down his spine, made the Pope of the Temple realize that if he didn't leave now, he would surely die here.

Without hesitation or delay, the Pope of the Temple directly inserted the "fragmented heart of God" into his left chest.

It was unclear what secret technique the Pope of the Temple had used, but at this moment, Roy felt as if he possessed the divine status of the God of Thunder and Justice in his complete form.

"If you survive, then settle all the scores."

A dense white light emanated from the pendant around the Pope's neck, and as the pendant shattered, the Pope's figure vanished from the spot.

Second second.

Roy finally broke free from the "paralysis state," thanks to the fact that he was currently absorbing the essence of the blood soul, making his body and soul highly active; otherwise, it would have taken at least three seconds for him to break free.

At this moment, the destructive energy fluctuations had brewed to a level that terrified him.

If the initial destructive wave intensity was 1, then after two seconds of fission, it has reached a terrifying 100, and it will soon reach the critical point!

Run away?

The idea was rejected by Roy as soon as it popped into his head.

He lacked the ability to teleport, while Latie, who possessed the ability, was still in a "paralyzed state." In a mere second, he couldn't escape the Mechanical Holy City - Erikd.

What's more, Toni is still inside the body of the mechanical god!

With the Pope of the Temple taking away the incomplete divine heart of the mechanical god, the position of the God of Thunder and Righteous Machines has become unstable and has begun to decline. Although he still maintains his divine status, he has reached the critical point of collapse.

He escaped, but what about Tonigne, who is still trapped inside?

What should I do? What should I do!

Roy's mind raced, and finally, he made a decision.

With one hand grabbing the paralyzed Latie and the other hand placing the doll-like Cecil into the pocket in front of him, Roy transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and arriving before the broken gem between the mechanical god's eyebrows, where he plunged headfirst into it.

The seemingly hard gemstone is actually as soft as liquid and has a viscous feel once you put it inside.

With the keen energy perception granted by [Infinite Desire - God], Roy "saw" a unique light in the energy liquid - the magical fluctuations that belonged only to Tonine.

With a full-force attack, Roy quickly arrived near the magical fluctuations and saw Toni, who was floating in the energy liquid, hugging her knees, closing her eyes as if asleep, and whose entire body had transformed into a perfect mechanical form.

With his free left hand, he grabbed Toni's arm, and the [Satan's Redemption] technique instantly unfolded, a bright yellow halo protecting the four of them.

The next moment, a terrifying and devastating explosion occurred.

"——!!!"

At the border, atop the meteorite launch tower, in front of the chairman of the round table council, ten mushroom clouds rose in the mechanical holy city of Erikd. They intertwined and converged into a colossal mushroom cloud that covered the entire city.

An intense burst of light, exceeding the limits of human vision, caused the equipment capturing the image to melt and the projection screen to go completely black.

The intense tremors could be faintly felt even across the border, more than a thousand kilometers away.

On this day, all citizens of the Kolei Empire personally witnessed the rise of the world's second "scorching sun".

Countless people lost their sight under the bright light, and millions of people in the mechanical holy city of Erikd died instantly.

Its terrifying power caused the heavens and earth to change color; even demigods standing at the pinnacle of the world would be annihilated in such destruction.

this moment.

Finnage on Witch Island, the chief pillar of the Twelve Radiant Pillars in the royal capital Saint Fuye and the old Grand Master of the Royal Knights, the Grand Inquisitor of the Temple sitting alone on a cliff edge...

All the demigods in this world simultaneously turned their gaze toward the capital of the Kolei Empire, witnessing the birth of "divine punishment" from a great distance.

……

The Mechanical Holy City - Erikd.

That's no longer accurate.

The once-mighty city of machinery has been reduced to ruins by the "scorching sun" formed by the convergence of ten "fallen stars".

This sacred city, a symbol of mechanical palaces, will cease to exist from this day forward.

Endless light and heat filled everything within the field of vision.

The extremely yellow halo rippled like water.

The energy within Roy's body is being continuously consumed and transformed into soul power to sustain the existence of [Satan's Redemption].

One second, two seconds...

In this desolate place where no living thing could survive, he gritted his teeth and endured for five seconds.

Previously, the "Satan's Redemption" technique, which had been used to resist electromagnetic pulses at a rate measured in seconds, was now being used at a rate measured in energy in the face of this devastating impact.

When the time reached the sixth second, Roy's speed of converting soul power was gradually falling behind the rate at which [Satan's Redemption] was being consumed.

The ripples on the extremely yellow halo had merged into one, and it was on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!"

Roy gritted his teeth and persevered.

Standing beside him, Latie, who had broken free from the "paralysis state," was pale-faced and kept trying to sense the space, attempting to teleport Roy away with her.

However, in this land filled with extreme light and heat, even the concept of space itself became blurred. Every perception was a painful torture for Latie, but she still gritted her teeth and kept trying.

Standing on Roy's shoulders, Cecil used the gentle power of the Dark Moon to soothe the wounds and weariness in Roy and Latie's spirits and souls.

Although its effect was far less than Shanika's life force, it was still invaluable to the two who were on the verge of collapse at this moment.

But no matter how hard we try to persevere.

The arrival of limits is beyond human control.

The supply of soul power could not keep up with the rate of consumption. The extremely yellow halo no longer rippled; instead, it was covered with dense cracks.

A hint of despair flashed in Roy's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

Before death came, he did not regret coming to the Mechanical Holy City to rescue Tonnie. His only regret was that he had not tried harder in the past.

If he possessed the power of a demigod at this moment, he would be able to protect Cecilia, Latie, and Tonine, preventing them from dying here along with him, given their already tragic fates.

"Feel sorry……"

Turning his head to look at the pale-faced Latie and Cecil, who was struggling to maintain the Dark Moon Light on her shoulder, Roy said softly.

"It's not your fault, why apologize?" Cecil smiled faintly. "Although the time we spent together was so short, I don't regret having you by my side."

Latie remained silent. Even in despair, she continued to sense the surrounding space. She could feel the light and heat gradually fading. Give her some more time—just a little more—and she could attempt long-distance spatial teleportation. However…

There's no time left.

The extremely yellow halo shattered completely, sending fragments flying everywhere.

Roy closed his eyes, preparing to face death.

But the next moment.

The destructive light and heat he had anticipated did not arrive. Instead, a cool sensation spread throughout his body, invigorating his weary spirit.

He opened his eyes in a daze, raised his head, and looked at a pale blue, semi-illusory figure. She made a embracing gesture, and the light bands spreading from her body formed a protective shield, protecting him, Cecil, and Latie inside.

A familiar face, a different body… Gazing at the girl who had lost her physical form and was now only in energy form, Roy murmured to himself:

“Tonnie…”

"I am here, Lord Roy." The girl's voice was as indifferent and calm as ever, without any fluctuation of emotion.

She lowered her head, her face still that of a "mechanical girl" even in her semi-illusory form, and gazed at Roy: "In the past, I was protected by you; today, it is my turn to protect you."

-

(Please give me a monthly ticket~)

Chapter 223 Post-War Improvement

The pale blue fluorescent band formed a protective shield, isolating the light and heat from the outside world that would annihilate living beings.

Roy looked up at the suspended Tonnie and couldn't help but ask, "What's your condition?"

“Don’t worry about me.” Toni’s tone was flat and mechanical, without any fluctuation. “It’s just that I’ve discarded my former useless body.”

After saying that, she looked at Latie: "Ms. Latie, after a five-second countdown, I will detonate the core of the God of Thunder, forming an outward shock wave. According to the AI's calculations, in this situation, your spatial abilities have a 30% chance of opening a remote teleportation channel."

"Time is of the essence, and I don't have a deep understanding of the space. You will have to make your own judgment."

Tonière used the Soul Voice technique to quickly transmit the message to Roy, Latie, and Cecil.

Then she started the countdown.

"5, 4..."

"1!"

"burst!"

The intense light and heat robbed Roy of all his senses, but at this moment, he clearly felt an explosion, slightly less powerful than the previous "Blazing Sun," suddenly occur.

The intense light and heat bursting outwards created a powerful annihilation effect on the surrounding remnants of the "scorching sun," and the shockwave generated by the explosion created a "peaceful zone" with a radius of one kilometer.