——The Black Umbrella Nine Styles "Lightning"

"Lightning Lightning" is a high-level magic of the lightning attribute. Originally, this magic fires a lightning barrage, but by combining it with metal wire, it can be transformed into a lightning attack barrier. The magic power can also be adjusted to suppress the power to the point where it can immobilize an opponent.

However, Dilan and Katie reacted brilliantly and jumped out of the way, escaping the range of the lightning barrier. However, their bodies did not respond well, and they immediately fell to their knees upon landing, bleeding from their noses and even vomiting blood.

"Dilran! Katie!"

Oscar couldn't help but scream. Though he impulsively tried to run over, his entire body was weak and he collapsed to his knees. He seemed to have lost too much blood and was suffering from anemia. His intense movements despite being seriously injured must have increased his bleeding.

Oscar's hands were too weak to move and he finally put Colleen down. Colleen supported Oscar with tears in her eyes.

"How was it? Did you have a touching reunion with them?"

Suddenly, an unpleasant voice with a tone full of pleasure, cruelty, and tone was heard, and Oscar looked back.

"...What did you do to both of them, Bishop Fornes?"

Hearing the low and cold voice, Colleen in his arms couldn't help but startled. That voice was far different from Oscar's usual voice.

"Everything is God's will. They are chosen by God to become the cornerstone of the Creator God's soldiers."

"Soldier of God?"

While talking, Oscar's eyes were still on the surroundings. The Knights Templar surrounded them again, and Dilan and the others stood up staggeringly. Although the bleeding had stopped, their faces were still red, and they seemed to still have a fever.

Oscar understood that there was something wrong with the health of Dilan and the others. Although he was reluctant, in order to solve the problem, he at least had to listen to what Bishop Fornes said.

However, Bishop Fornes probably also noticed Oscar's thoughts and did not intend to answer. Instead, he said to Oscar with a disgusting smile:

"You really surprise me, Oscar. I thought you were just an ordinary heretic, but I didn't expect you to have so many magical items, and every one of them is at the artifact level! When I heard Pinggu say that you easily defeated the Knights Templar, I thought that coward must be exaggerating... I never expected this! Oscar, you made those magic items, didn't you? This isn't a 'loser', it's 'incompetence'!"

Bishop Fornes became more and more excited as he spoke, opening his arms exaggeratedly and praising Oscar.

Behind him, Pinggu and the others had taken refuge in a nearby building without knowing when. They looked at Oscar with eyes full of resentment and jealousy.

"so what?"

"Come and serve me, Oscar. Kneel down, show your faith, serve me, and dedicate everything to Master Esid!"

"...What if I refuse?"

Oscar's eyes were fixed on Dylan and Katie, who had stopped what they were doing when Bishop Fornes spoke, and their loyal look was nauseating.

At the same time, seeing the situation of the two, Oscar was also very clear about the consequences of his refusal.

"Will you refuse?"

Although Bishop Fornes was somewhat disgusted by the refusal to serve God's word, he still asked back happily.

Then, as if to seize the opportunity, he said:

"As long as you wake up in time and pledge your allegiance to the true faith, Lord Esid will surely bless No. 44 and No. 45. But if you dare to resist, they may be called upon by the Lord as the chosen ones."

To put it more clearly, what he meant was that as long as they obeyed, Dylan and Katie would recover; if they did not, the two might die from their physical abnormalities, or he would deliberately let them die.

Oscar gnashed his teeth and glared at Bishop Fornes fiercely. Anger was not enough to describe the intense emotion in his eyes.

However, Oscar cannot act rashly.

He didn't know what had happened to Dylan and Katie.

Although it is also possible to defeat all the enemies and threaten Bishop Fornes with his life to tell him the solution.

But is it that easy? Bishop Fornes is a complete follower of the Esidian faith. Asking him to restore the Soldier of God to an ordinary person—according to him, that would be forcing him to go against God's will. Would threatening him with his life mean he would obey...

All I can say is that it would be an unfavorable gamble.

Besides——

(With my injuries... can I defeat them?)

The Black Umbrella also has a recovery ability, even if it is activated for only a moment, the healing effect will not be immediate.

During the treatment, Oscar didn't think Bishop Fornes and the others could just wait leisurely, and the lost blood would not come back.

not to mention--

"Dilran, Katie..."

His beloved brother and sister didn't even look at him. He didn't know why, but the two of them were at the master level in combat. Could Oscar cripple their fighting power without hurting them?

Oscar hesitated and closed his eyes.

Then he looked at Bishop Fornes with cold eyes.

"I hope you will promise me not to harm this child, Colleen, and the family at the orphanage. Also, you must restore Dilran and Katie to their former state and return them to their families."

"That depends on how sincere your faith is."

Bishop Fornes was convinced that Oscar had surrendered, and a smile appeared on his face.

"If you don't agree, I'll fight to the death. As long as I kill everyone here, at least my family members other than Dylan and Katie won't be in danger. Don't think I don't have any cards up my sleeve, okay?"

Oscar's cards are almost all exposed; this is just a bluff.

However, his courage to risk his life is real; one can see his strong will just by looking into his eyes.

Hearing Oscar's words, Bishop Fornes frowned unhappily.

"...Hmph, I can let the orphanage and that child go, but not Number 44 and Number 45. It shouldn't matter how many cards you create, right? If I let them recover, you'll immediately turn against me, which will be a real headache. Since you can easily refine the Sealing Stone, the slave collar won't work on you, right? Until I can confirm your absolute devotion, I'm keeping them as a safety net. Don't worry, I'll guarantee their lives."

"——!"

Even though Oscar gritted his teeth, he had to admit that if he didn't have insurance, the other party would not agree to deal with him, who was difficult to restrain and enslave.

Oscar swore in his heart that one day he would free Dylan and the others and take revenge on Bishop Fornes.

Bishop Fornes called back Dylan and Katie, ordered them to stand by his side, and ordered Oscar to kneel in front of him as the Knights Templar continued to surround him.

"elder brother……"

Colleen looked as if she was about to cry. Oscar staggered to his feet, and Colleen clutched his sleeve tightly. She knew that in order to protect them, Oscar was about to embark on a life path he didn't want to take.

Oscar thought this might be the last time they met, so he touched his smart sister's hair.

"Don't worry, one day, I will definitely let Dilran and Katie come home. Colleen, you just wait at home with mom and the others."

Where's my brother? Ke Lin couldn't bring herself to ask.

Seeing her brother's determined expression, she couldn't say a word and could only hold his sleeve tightly, hoping that he would not leave.

Oscar gently pulled Colleen's hand away, and the young Colleen was powerless to resist. Even in the fierce battle, Colleen had never shed tears, but now tears kept sliding down her cheeks.

Although Oscar felt a pang in his heart, he still hardened his heart and turned his head away.

Then he slowly walked towards Bishop Fornes.

"Haha, don't worry. As long as you are loyal to Master Esid, I will ensure the safety of the experimental subjects and will not interfere with your family."

"...For our mutual benefit, I hope so."

Oscar knelt before Bishop Fornes.

Bishop Fornes nodded with satisfaction and urged him to take the oath.

"Then please take the oath. Form is important in everything."

You just want to satisfy your vanity - Oscar cursed in his heart, but did not show his emotions outwardly. For the first time, he expressed his belief in God.

"I swear to the omniscient and omnipotent God of Creation—Lord Esid—that I, Oscar, will give my whole body and soul—"

——Dedicated to you.

When Oscar was about to say these four words.

The entire tunnel shook violently.

The shaking was so intense that small fragments kept falling from the ceiling.

“W-What!? What’s with this vibration!? What happened!?”

Bishop Fornes shouted in panic, but no one answered him, and the Knights Templar also looked around in panic.

This must have been a sudden event for them as well.

Of course, this was also unexpected for Oscar, but he was different from Bishop Fornes and others. He knew one thing.

That's the feeling only an alchemist who is sensitive to geology and changes in the earth can have.

"From the center of the facility? Damn it! Are you hiding something more troublesome?"

The earthquake originated from the center of the facility.

Oscar's speculation about "troublesome things" was exactly right.

The shaking stops.

After a brief silence.

The central part of the facility erupted like a volcano, and the roof was blown off.

then……

"Hello! Everyone's beloved, Millardy Lessin, has arrived!"

The guy with the blonde ponytail jumped out!

Amazingly, she leaped high into the air, without using any wind magic or creating any kind of barrier, yet she simply remained suspended in mid-air! Furthermore, she struck a perfect pose, her fingers forming a peace sign next to her eyes, and even blinked, creating a dazzling effect.

““““Who are you—!”””””

Bishop Fornes, the Knights Templar, Pingu and the others all opened their eyes wide with expressions of astonishment.

But Meredith paid no attention to them and continued to do her own thing as usual.

"Hahaha! That disgusting old man over there! What a shame! Ao has already been reserved by Xiao Mi~~! Did you think you won just now? Did you think you were sure to win? Hahahaha!"

A vein popped up on Bishop Fornes' forehead. Of course, it was because no one had ever called him a "disgusting old man," but for some reason, the girl's playful smile made him particularly irritated.

In addition, she seemed to have eavesdropped on Oscar's conversation with Bishop Fornes by some means, and waited until the right moment to jump out. She even destroyed Bishop Fornes's important facilities, which made him furious.

When Bishop Fornes was about to speak to Meredith, Oscar came before him and said blankly:

"M-Miletti? W-why are you here…"

Oscar looked up at Meredith blankly. Meredith, floating in the air, smiled and said:

"Oh, you're so useless! If you had asked me for help earlier, you wouldn't have been so badly injured, and you wouldn't have made Colleen cry! Oh my! You made a little girl cry. You're such a bad man!"

"That's not the case! No, maybe it's as you say! But I've also given it a lot of thought... No, it's not like that!"

Although Oscar thought that Meredith was still very upset, he still complained reflexively. Because speaking loudly seemed to cause pain in his wound, making him unable to speak, Meredith said with a serious expression:

"Oh, those people can't possibly keep their promise. For them, just saying 'in the name of God' is enough to justify everything. Besides, they themselves don't know how to restore Dylan and Katie."

"What did you say?"

Oscar opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Bishop Fornes' face flushed with rage, and he cried to Meredith:

"You bastard! How dare you destroy the facility I built for Master Esid to create divine weapons! Oscar! Is she in cahoots with you? If that facility is destroyed, the two test subjects will be irrecoverable, you know!?"

"——!"

Oscar gasped, and Bishop Fornes put pressure on him with his silent eyes.

What I mean is - if that woman is your companion, take care of her for me.

Oscar gripped the black umbrella even tighter. However, no matter how serious Oscar's mood was, Meredith ignored him and said in a frivolous tone:

"Hmm~? Could this be the thing you're afraid of being destroyed?"

Meredi snapped her fingers, and something massive pierced through the roof of the damaged facility and floated into the air.

“W-What—!”

Bishop Fornes was astonished.

But it’s no wonder.

A patch of ground, five or six meters in diameter, floated in the air amidst the falling debris. Intricately carved into that excavated surface was a magic circle, and atop it stood an altar-like structure. In the center stood a rectangular pillar, atop which sat a sculpture of an eyeball.

"Oh! This is the artifact that transformed Dilan and the others. It can record the combat skills of outstanding ancient warriors and instill them into others. However, the Bishop and the others cannot fully master this artifact!"

According to Meredith, the sheer volume of information they were fed led to self-repression. Initially, the subjects became like berserkers, wreaking havoc everywhere. Only recently, the bishops were finally able to get the subjects to obey orders, but they still couldn't restore them to their original state.

Furthermore, in order to force the body to replicate the movements of ancient masters, the body's safety mechanisms are forcibly disabled. Naturally, if the body can't withstand the pressure, it will be damaged, but since its self-healing ability is activated beyond its limits, the damage will be instantly restored. However, the body still has its limits, so if it continues to fight, it will die in a short time.

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