The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 54: Shattered

Thump, thump!

The sound of his own heartbeat echoed in Lumian's ears as scenes from deep within his memory were being slowly and painfully dragged out. It caused him such excruciating pain, as if his head was about to split open, that he instinctively resisted and didn't want to continue.

Outside the stained glass windows, seeing that the ritual had begun, Ryan didn't hesitate anymore. He threw the "Tanago Strawman" to Leah, signaling her to use the sealed artifact against the priest. He himself raised the "Sword of Dawn." Under the light of the clusters of golden flames, Leah and Valentine moved to another stained glass window, with only a semi-protruding cylindrical wall separating them from Ryan.

They were doing this to avoid the damage caused by the light storm while still being able to move freely. Given the defensive capabilities the Saint Sith Cathedral had just displayed, they believed that having some separation between them would be sufficient protection, especially since Ryan would be doing his best to control the direction of the attack.

Leah hugged the "Tanago Strawman" from behind, pressing it against the stained glass window depicting the missionary scenes of Saint Sith. She aimed her sight at the altar, locking onto the priest, Guillaume Bénet, who was presiding over the ritual.

On the other side, Ryan grasped the hilt of the "Sword of Dawn" with both hands and drove it into the window sill. The giant sword, formed entirely of condensed light, immediately shattered, transforming into countless sharp fragments and light particles that whirled into a storm. The "storm" instantly expanded and slammed into the stained glass.

A cracking sound echoed as the entire cathedral trembled slightly, with tiny cracks spreading across the surface of the glass like a web of spider silk.

But it still stood firm, not letting them down.

Seeing this, Ryan caused small bits of dawn light to materialize around him, which then formed into a massive axe requiring both hands to wield. Unable to unleash another "Light Storm" in such a short time, he resorted to using a different weapon.

Leah and Valentine, protected by the protruding wall, successfully avoided the aftershocks of the "Light Storm." At this moment, the gaze of the "Tanago Strawman" fell upon the priest. The pair of eyeballs embedded in the brownish-green straw soon reflected the figure in a white robe with gold trim.

Suddenly, a faint, silvery-white light with black streaks emerged around the altar where Guillaume Bénet stood.

With a soft pop, the "Tanago Strawman"'s eyeballs burst, and blood-red tears trickled down.

The priest glanced in their direction before returning his attention to the ritual.

As two sheep walked onto the altar on their own, he solemnly and steadily chanted the next incantation: "You are the eternal cycle, the destined fate, the cause, the effect, and the path!"

Suddenly, the light from the two candles representing the deity on the altar elongated, growing to the size of a human head.

Within the cathedral, the sound of wind began to howl, and the villagers seemed to turn into statues, with the exposed skin on their faces, hands, and other body parts slowly sprouting silvery-white tumors one by one.

The silvery-black light that originally surrounded the altar quickly spread out in all directions, enveloping the entire cathedral.

The dome, adorned with murals, turned transparent. The layers of clouds in the sky dissipated, revealing a crimson moon that deepened to a blood-red hue.

The stars on the black velvet sky, no longer obscured, lit up one by one, glowing almost as brightly as the sun.

Ryan's skin turned a dull gray-blue, Leah's face appeared as though countless maggots were squirming beneath it, and tiny fleshy growths were about to emerge. Valentine, on the other hand, glowed like the sun, from the inside out, from top to bottom.