The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 125

The torrent of fire filled the entire field of vision, a surging blaze as vibrant and alive as a dragon, with scattered sparks dancing like frenzied particles. With a mighty swing of Lloyd's sword, the incandescent explosion erupted.

The pure flames soared wildly, engulfing the courtyard in an instant. Since precise sword strikes couldn't hit their mark, Lloyd opted to expand the blast radius, creating a lethal zone where the Archpriest Lawrence had no place to hide.

In the midst of the white-hot inferno, the crimson silhouette of Archpriest Lawrence began to burn. His secret blood ignited, and he swung his sword with a force long forgotten. His aged body, like an ancient machine buried in dust, churned back to life, shaking off rust and debris.

In the blinding light, Lawrence's spiked sword struck Lloyd's divine armor once more, but this time, it didn't budge him an inch. This was his power, the power bestowed by the angel Metatron. According to the Gospel, Metatron was the angel closest to the throne, bearing countless noble titles, and as a demon hunter, Metatron mirrored his divine counterpart, guarding the earthly kingdom.

Unlike the uncanny foresight of the Chanda faction or the endless radiance of Michael, Metatron's power was simple and pure—an ironclad armor. Yet, this heavy, dark armor was sufficient to stand immovably in the torrent, a symbol of despair that oppressed all foes.

Empowered by Watson, the secret blood thrummed with excitement. Though demon hunters were merely humans with demon blood, now the demon's will merged perfectly with Lloyd's body, pushing him further into the darkness.

"Secret blood awakening: 30%, critical threshold reached."

"Warning! Warning! Warning!"

The silver bind in his mind roared, but soon its voice faded. Watson's power fused perfectly with Lloyd's, and under her mysterious influence, anything could happen.

"I've got you now..." Lloyd's voice twisted in his throat, his face a mask of fury.

Despite a barrage of sword strikes, nothing could halt Lloyd's advance. His black divine armor served as the ultimate shield, pushing forward amidst the shower of sparks.

Archpriest Lawrence knelt, his spiked sword raised above his head, now full of cracks. The burning greatsword stood like a beacon of daylight above him. Looking at the face illuminated by the white light, Lloyd let out a hoarse laugh.

Even after all this time, Lloyd vividly remembered that night. The whole city of Seven Hills was swallowed by a sea of fire, as if hell had descended upon the holy city, desecrating all its glory and miracles.

Back then, he was merely a guard on duty, secret blood coursing through his veins as he stood outside the grand cathedral of Saint Nalo. The magnificent structure behind him represented the earthly kingdom of heaven. But no one expected the destruction to come from within, caused by the mysterious "Messiah" containment breach.

It was something only recorded in history books, yet now it appeared in reality, turning the night sky blood-red, just like tonight.

In that despair, Lloyd was helpless. He didn't even understand the full scope of what was happening. He was merely dragged along, surviving by chance in Old Dunling.

Things wouldn't have turned so dire if not for the critical moment when Archpriest Lawrence was nowhere to be found. Not just Lawrence, but the entire Gospel Church seemed to have betrayed the demon hunters. The Templar Order surrounded the city but refused to engage, the Silent Temple remained silent to the demon hunters' calls, and the Pope didn't lift the restrictions of the silver bind.

A series of mistakes culminated in the greatest tragedy. That night, Seven Hills became a deathmatch arena, leaving only the demon hunters to battle the mysterious entity.