Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Confronting Lunia!
His expression was as calm as ever, and he said in a composed tone, "I imagine you\'re all eager to proceed. How about I take you to the Moon Temple today and begin the plan?"
"Yes!"
Dean Bruce and the others had long been impatient to leave the village, so there was no hesitation in their response.
Hearing this, Ebner Mondo nodded slightly. Once everyone had gathered together, he raised his left hand and made a few gestures in the air, his lips moving silently.
Buzz—
In an instant, a brownish-yellow light enveloped them, and before they knew it, Dean Bruce and the others found themselves inside a tunnel, flanked by stone walls.
Ebner Mondo\'s voice echoed in their ears: "Just keep moving forward, and you\'ll reach the Moon Temple. Go now, and I hope you can defeat the traitors and drive out the outsiders!"
"Do we really have to crawl through another tunnel?"
Feeling the earth all around them, the group couldn\'t help but sigh, especially Alita Miller and Lina Jones—crawling through the dirt was far from dignified.
However, everyone\'s minds were focused on the impending battle, so no one was particularly concerned about appearances or gender at that moment.
They continued climbing upward, unsure of how long it had been, when they finally saw a glimmer of light.
Following the light, Dean Bruce and his group emerged to find themselves amid ruins, surrounded by broken walls and debris.
As each of them looked around, someone couldn\'t help but comment, "There\'s no one here. Did that old man send us to the wrong place?"
"That old man may be stubborn and old-fashioned, but his magical skills are solid. Do you really think he would send you to the wrong place?"
Suddenly, a sinister voice rang out, causing everyone to shudder involuntarily.
Dean Bruce and the others quickly looked up and saw a figure dressed in white standing atop a broken pillar. In one hand, the figure held a flute, while the other toyed with a dagger.
Noticing this, Dean Bruce and his group exchanged puzzled glances. According to Ebner Mondo, the enemy they were supposed to face was a mage, so why was this person wielding a dagger and a flute as weapons?
Curious, Dean Bruce asked, "Are you Lunia?"
Lunia casually toyed with the dagger in his hand and answered nonchalantly, "That\'s right, I\'m Lunia, the one that old man wants you to defeat. I had planned to capture you all in one go, but I didn\'t expect you to walk right into my trap! Admirable courage, truly admirable!"
"But it doesn\'t matter. Once I finish you off, I\'ll follow the tunnel and take care of that old man too!"
As he spoke, a murderous intent filled Lunia\'s eyes.
Sensing the almost tangible killing intent, Lina Jones didn\'t hesitate for a moment. She stepped forward, her ring flashing as a magic scroll appeared in her hand.
"Another one of these things!"
Seeing this, Lunia\'s eyes lit up with excitement. He licked his lips and said eagerly, "Outsiders, hand those over, and I might just spare your lives!"
"Spare our lives?" Lina Jones rolled her eyes and replied coldly, "I hope you\'ll still have that confidence in a moment!"
With those words, she tore the scroll open.
Buzz—
A brilliant golden light erupted, enveloping Lina Jones entirely.
A terrifying surge of magical energy burst forth, creating an invisible storm that swept away the nearby ruins in an instant.
Even Lunia was forced back several steps, but instead of anger, excitement gleamed in his eyes. "Your aura was that of a mere fourth or fifth-level Grand Mage, yet tearing a piece of paper unleashes power nearing that of a sixth-level Magus. It\'s truly incredible!"
"Do all you outsiders possess such abilities? Well then... after I kill you, I\'ll be sure to leave one of you alive to get some answers!"
As he spoke, the winds continued to batter Lunia, hurling stones against him that cut into his skin, causing blood to trickle down.
But Lunia seemed utterly oblivious to the pain, his face twisted into a sinister grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he kept his gaze locked on Lina Jones.
The golden light gradually dissipated, revealing Lina Jones\' transformed appearance, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
Previously, Lina Jones had the appearance of the girl next door—sweet and unassuming. If it weren\'t for her status as the designated saintess, it would have been hard for the followers of the Temple of Wisdom to take her seriously.
But now, Lina Jones was utterly transformed, looking worlds apart from before. Her long hair, once ordinary, now resembled golden waves as if struck by lightning. Her eyes glowed with a radiant golden light, and as her red lips parted, the sound of thunder echoed.
Additionally, three pairs of golden wings had appeared behind her, each adorned with hundreds of sword-like blades.
Buzz—
The residual golden light coalesced into a long spear, which fell into her hand.
The terrifying aura she exuded forced Dean Bruce and the others to step back several paces.
"This is Divine Descent magic! My God, I never thought the Temple of Wisdom valued Lina Jones so highly that they\'d give her a scroll of such power!"
Alita Miller whispered. "Be careful from now on. She likely has more than one magic scroll. This type of magic is incredibly powerful, temporarily granting her some divine attributes. Even if it doesn\'t raise her level significantly, her power will be terrifying!"
Dean Bruce raised an eyebrow, having guessed the effects of the Divine Descent magic. It was like the angelic possession or divine invocation spells found in novels.
[A six-winged angel... In the system of my previous life, this was considered one of the most powerful angels. I wonder how strong a six-winged angel is in this world. Hopefully, she can defeat Lunia outright, allowing us to keep some of our strength hidden.]
"You have sold your soul to the devil and committed heinous crimes. Today, I shall cast you into the depths of hell!"
Lina Jones no longer seemed to be herself, her voice now booming like thunder. Her eyes blazed with golden light, and with a flap of her golden wings, she shot toward Lunia like a bolt of lightning, thrusting the spear directly at his chest.
Buzz—
However, when the golden spear pierced his chest, no blood spurted out. Instead, Lunia\'s entire body became transparent, shifting with the wind as if he had turned into water.
"Hahaha!"
"Is this the extent of your power?" Lunia sneered, suddenly spinning around and delivering a powerful uppercut aimed at Lina Jones\' chin.
Swish—
The golden wings retracted, forming a protective armor that collided with Lunia\'s uppercut.
But as soon as his fist collided with the golden wings, his previously ethereal body solidified, unleashing a fearsome strength that sent Lina Jones flying backward.
With a smirk, Lunia flicked his wrist, and the dagger in his hand was swiftly thrown forward.
Lina Jones\' wings dispersed into hundreds of golden sword shadows, launching an attack on Lunia and intercepting the dagger mid-air.
To everyone\'s surprise, as the golden sword shadows passed through Lunia\'s body, they seemed to pierce through water, leaving him completely unharmed.
Lina Jones managed to stop her backward momentum and raised her long spear, which began to glow with golden light.
"Sinner, prepare to receive the divine thunder of angelic judgment!"
Crack!
Crackling sounds filled the air as the golden light intensified, transforming into dozens of lightning bolts that struck at Lunia\'s ethereal form.
"Hahaha, don\'t waste your energy—you can\'t hit me!"
Lunia boasted arrogantly, not even bothering to dodge the incoming lightning.
Boom!
Crack!
The lightning exploded around him, but just as Lunia predicted, it failed to cause any harm. However, just as he prepared to counterattack, his expression suddenly changed.
While the lightning hadn\'t directly injured him, it had filled the water-like substance of his body with electric currents. As he attempted to solidify his form to fight back, the lightning paralyzed him on the spot.
"Now\'s our chance—attack together!"
Shouted one of the Temple of Wisdom members, and they all charged at Lunia.
Dean Bruce, Alita Miller, and the others also rushed forward, but they refrained from using their most powerful magic, instead staying alert for any surprises.
After all, this was still within the ruins, and none of them knew how many enemies were out there or what they might be capable of. It was crucial to remain cautious.
As for not going all out against Lunia, they understood that he was unlikely to be without a backup plan, so there was no need to reveal all their strength just yet.
Sure enough, as the barrage of attacks descended upon Lunia, including the powerful strikes from Chelse, the sword cultivator, Lunia closed his eyes, no longer taking them lightly.
Boom, boom, boom—
The combined assaults struck Lunia, sending him flying, his body battered and bruised.
Seeing this, even the members of the Temple of Wisdom were momentarily stunned. Could it be that their so-called formidable enemy had been defeated so easily?
Buzz!
Suddenly, water surged from where the dagger had fallen, and Lunia\'s figure reappeared on the other side, completely unscathed.
It was as if the earlier beating had only been an illusion.
For a moment, even Lina Jones, still under the influence of angelic possession, was stunned, her eyes fixed on Lunia.
Lunia grinned and said, "That was an impressive spell, and you\'re quite clever. But unfortunately for you, I am immortal. I can regenerate from any wound. What will you use to fight me now?"
"…"
Dean Bruce frowned, knowing that Lunia was bluffing, but he couldn\'t figure out how Lunia had managed to do this.
Was it a clone?
But the aura of the current Lunia was identical to the one they had just attacked!
Could they all be clones? That didn\'t seem possible.