The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

This time, in addition to the thirty regular members of the Moonlit Knights, the group also included Lydia, the leader of the Moonlit Knights, and Shug, one of the three high priests.

Even the chief high priest himself personally came to the scene.

Even so, they were still powerless when faced with the calamity-bringers.

in the room.

The crackling flames in the fireplace brought a touch of warmth to the room.

But Orina's heart sank to the bottom.

Not only Orina, but also Sugar, who had always been absolutely confident in his own strength, experienced the feeling of having his life threatened for the first time in this battle.

Especially when she saw Ryan, the overwhelming pressure he exuded made her realize the insurmountable gap in strength between them.

Sugar even felt that he was so insignificant.

The things we've been so proud of so far—magic, combat skills... they're really nothing special after all.

On the other side, Lydia's eyes were darkening and her breathing was erratic, but fortunately her vital signs were relatively stable. After all, the release of the Eighteen Gates of Rashomon had not been completed, as it had been interrupted by the Calamity Walker.

If the release had been completed, Lydia would probably be a corpse by now.

The two remaining members of the Knights also hung their heads by the hearth.

The extensive festering sores on their bodies were burning their nerves and eroding their remaining sanity.

Only that unwavering faith and loyalty never diminished in the slightest.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

“It’s me, Ryan.”

The familiar voice instantly enlivened the previously somber atmosphere of the room.

Sugar raised his head, and Lydia also struggled to sit up.

A faint glimmer of water appeared in Orina's eyes.

After Ryan entered the room, Orina wiped away the tears from her eyes and went closer to check if Ryan was injured.

Then she was surprised to find that Ryan only had a minor superficial injury, and it looked like it was almost healed.

More importantly, Orina discovered that Ryan... had actually awakened his seventh magic circuit.

Ryan patted her on the shoulder and said reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

"That extraterrestrial being has been dealt with by me."

So... Ryan has become this powerful?

At this point, Orina's disappointment deepened.

Noticing Olina's disappointment, as well as the low spirits of Sugar and Lydia, Ryan tried his best to soften his tone.

"Actually, you don't need to feel sad and powerless."

"The corpses of the extraterrestrial beings have been taken away by the Knights of the Morning Star. It won't be long before you learn of this information."

"However, I'll tell you about it first."

"The real reason why you encountered such a pale face when facing alien creatures this time."

Ryan's words had two main points.

First, the Knights of the Morning Star have actually appeared in Cold Mountain Town.

Orina clearly remembered that she had not authorized the Knights of the Morning Star to act.

Moreover, the Knights of the Morning Star are notorious homebodies; they spend their days in the laboratory researching magic and have no interest in anything else.

There's only one reason why the Knights of the Morning Star could be mobilized.

Captain Elsa has made a major discovery related to magic, and the key lies in Cold Mountain Town and the extraterrestrial life.

Secondly, there were reasons for the defeat.

This is what Olina, and everyone else, wants to know.

"Let me state the conclusion first." Ryan moved a small stool over, sat down, and slowly began to speak to the crowd: "Extraterrestrial life forms are not invincible."

"And you just haven't found the way yet."

"Next, I will tell you how to defeat extraterrestrial life. Or rather, what the weaknesses of extraterrestrial life are."

Chapter 252 Dividing the Army into Three Routes

The Hermitage.

The room was filled with an impenetrable fog.

Thirteen chairs stood forlornly around the round table, resembling tombstones. Each chair's back was inlaid with a crystal, which shimmered faintly in the thick fog.

Today was the day the president called for everyone to be present, saying there was something important to announce.

The piper always arrives at the exact time, never a minute early.

Upon arriving at the venue, the piper sat down in his seat and looked around.

As expected, most of the members were present.

Two people were missing: one was the martyr responsible for assassinating Ryan, and the other was the Killer Blade.

It was understandable that the Martyr wasn't there, since she was currently chasing Ryan all over the world. However, the absence of the Killing Blade was unexpected by everyone.

Although this guy has a bit of a temper, he's surprisingly punctual.

Just then, the sharp-eyed Heart Eater suddenly noticed that the life crystal belonging to the Martyr on the back of her seat... was dim and lifeless.

The Heart Eater quickly went over to observe carefully and then confirmed the fact.

"Look at this!"

"The crystal of the martyr... has no light."

The others immediately looked toward the location of the martyr.

At the same time, the piper looked around and then began to speak softly.

"Not only the martyrs, but even the life crystals of the Blade of Slaughter have dimmed considerably..."

Life Crystals are crystals created by members who contribute a portion of their life force after joining the Order, and are then inlaid on the back of chairs.

The original intention of doing this was to urge members to obey the chairman's orders and attend meetings as long as the person was still alive.

This also means that once a crystal loses its luster, the owner of that crystal is most likely dead.

"Is the martyr... dead?"

The Heart Eater clearly couldn't accept this fact. After all, he quite liked the girl who was very polite in her speech and manners, but didn't talk much.

The raven leaned back in its chair, fiddling with the crow perched on its shoulder.

"Since the crystal has lost its luster, there is only one answer."

The piper's face was grim: "It's been about twenty years since a member died."

"The martyrs are dead, and the Blade of Slaughter is probably in no better shape; he's likely not far from death."

"Losing two members in one go... This is the first time we've encountered such a situation."

The Corruptor, however, had an indifferent expression.

"Since a member has died, it means we need to bring in new members."

"I do have a good candidate on my side, and their qualifications are quite good..."

"Heh, Corruptor, you'd better shut up." Raven immediately interrupted him, her face full of disdain: "What you're really interested in isn't the other party's ability, but its appearance, isn't it? We know your disgusting interests better than anyone else."

"What, turning women into dolls and statues is no longer enough for you? Now you're finally going to lay your hands on living women?"

"You!" The Corruptor roared in fury, slamming his fist on the table as he stood up.

The raven showed no weakness, cawing loudly as the crow on its shoulder stared intently at the Corruptor with its red eyes.

"You're nothing but maggots from the sewers! How dare you yell at me!"

"Raven, I think you're tired of living!"

"Should I send you down right now to keep the martyrs company?"

A strong corrosive aura emanated from the corrosor, spreading outwards. Within this corrosive aura lay a sinister and eerie terror.

The raven snapped its fingers, and a dense cawing of crows filled the air.

The overwhelming force sent chills down one's spine.

At the same time, the crow on her shoulder spread its wings and, after a series of cawing sounds, turned into black feathers.

A powerful magical pressure swept through the entire room.

"Oh ho~"

"Then come and give it a try."

"You good-for-nothing who only knows how to wallow in women's company. I'd like to see if your magic is as soft as your 'down there'~"

"Hahaha!"

Sparks flew between the two, and a great battle seemed imminent.

The Heart Eater stood between the two to break up the fight, but nobody paid any attention to him.

Because compared to ravens and corruptors, hypocritical creatures like the Heart Eater are far more detestable.

Just then, the president's aged voice rang out from above.

"Stop it all!"

A powerful pressure slammed down on the area around the round table, causing the Corruptor to freeze in shock, and the magic he had just activated immediately came to a standstill.

Then, a burning sensation came over my chest, and blood flowed from the corner of my mouth.

The raven on the other side wasn't in much better shape; her knees were weak, and if she hadn't been holding onto the table, she would have been kneeling on the ground by now.