The "King of Angels" Melkentron had barely descended when he raised his right hand with solemn dignity, as though everything had been prepared in advance.
Eighteen pairs of wings composed of pure radiance bloomed behind him with sacred brilliance, while the magnificent seven-layered Heavenly Mountain materialized faintly in the background. Holy Spirits and angels alike sang hymns and offered praises, their graceful and ethereal voices rippling outward in wave after wave, converging into a single overwhelming intent—lofty, impartial, and coldly judicial.
Unlike how other Holy Spirit Priests and Archangels might cast "Light of Judgment," and unlike how he himself had previously channeled the "Heavenly Tome" to unleash the same, Melkentron now had a small pair of scales floating before his chest—white on the left, black on the right—as though weighing how much sin resided in the souls condemned beneath the "Light of Judgment," determining whether they should ascend to Heavenly Mountain, be cast into
Beyond radiating the aura of "judgment," these scales also carried a powerful sense of Order. The vast, chaotic starfield nearby instantly fell into perfect order—no more rogue collisions, no more inexplicable impacts. It was as though this were the true cosmos!
The "Scales of Order"—the "King of Angels" Melkentron's own Legendary Divine Art, separate from his "Guardian of God." The Sacred Helz Empire's holy artifact, the "Scales of Order," had been modeled after it—the Sacred Helz Empire's royal family had deep ties to the Church of the True God, and they themselves carried the bloodline of Archangels.
The black-and-white scales swayed slightly, emitting a deep, resonant hum that harmonized with Melkentron's solemn adjudication, as though passing sentence upon Lucian and Natasha—declaring them guilty!
As the sound rang out, the "Light of Judgment"—so pure that it tolerated the slightest imperfection—descended from the projection of the seven-layered Heavenly Mountain in a mighty torrent.
Darkness vanished. Everything incompatible with Order, with the Divine, with the True God disintegrated in an instant. This was the verdict upon death and life alike—the final judgment!
Lucian did not dare be careless. From his throat poured a string of harsh, jagged incantations: "Inversion Deflection!"
A mirror covered in countless intricate patterns materialized in the void before him and Natasha. Through those patterns, one could almost glimpse another world hidden within!
The "Light of Judgment" struck the mirror's surface, sending deep cracks radiating across it. Then, following the laws of light reflection, it deflected away in an entirely different direction.
After that single exchange, the "Inversion Deflection"—capable of reflecting five individual attacks—was already on the verge of shattering. Such was the gap between a Tier-3 Legendary and the peak of Legendary!
Yet Lucian felt quite pleased. By his own estimation, facing the "King of Angels"—an expert ranked among the very top even at peak Legendary—his "Inversion Deflection" should only have been able to block a single strike. Who would have thought it still had a chance to reflect one?
"Was it the clash between the
Meanwhile, as the "King of Angels" Melkentron attacked Lucian and Natasha, Clement—the Northern Church Saint who shared a name with the Purification Angel—seized the opportunity. A single "Holy Cross" shattered the asteroid made of diamond-like crystal, completely exposing the "Tablet of Space-Time."
With the "King of Angels" present, he had no further doubts about retrieving the "Tablet of Space-Time"!
Suddenly, a silver-gray sword light tore through the layers upon layers of illusory space-time surrounding the "Tablet of Space-Time" and flashed before his eyes. The intent to sever all things, to destroy all things, was so overwhelming that he instinctively activated "Sanctuary of the Holy" and did not dare risk grabbing the "Tablet of Space-Time." Being struck by the "
Within the silver-gray sword light lurked ominous spatial fissures. When they fell upon the "Sanctuary of the Holy," it silently and effortlessly split into four pieces, forcing the hastily defending Clement to use every precious second of his defensive delay to teleport away—nearly swallowed by the "Spatial Vortex."
Only then did he realize that Lucian had pushed his "Inversion Deflection" forward to block the "King of Angels'" second "Light of Judgment." Moreover, his left eye blazed crimson like a glistening gem, firing a beam of scarlet light that forced the "King of Angels" to fold all thirty-six of his radiant wings around himself as a barrier, buying Natasha the chance she needed to intercept Clement.
*Crack*. After a crisp sound, the cracks spread uncontrollably, and the mirror of the "Inversion Deflection" shattered with devastating fragility.
The pinnacle of single-target defensive magic was undeniably formidable—in its tier, it could reflect five attacks, and against those stronger than the caster, at least one. But it had an equally notable weakness: the cooldown was exceedingly long. Even with Lucian wearing the "Robe of the Grand Archanist," he would be unable to cast it again for another round or two.
Thus, Clement's heart surged with joy. He understood that Lucian would soon be completely suppressed by the "King of Angels," and he would have more than enough time and opportunity to seize the "Tablet of Space-Time."
But just as his spirits rose, Natasha—with her left hand gripping a small, exquisitely crafted black shield—seemed to have divined his intentions. Her silver-gray longsword swept outward in a shuttle-like streak of sword light, blocking his path.
"Hmph—don't think you can fight me just because you're wielding two Tier-3 epic artifacts. I'll show you exactly how vast the gap is between you and a true Tier-3 Legendary!" Clement certainly had no interest in wasting breath on idle banter—these words were merely an instinctive reaction.
"Light of Judgment!"
Though he knew many Divine Arts, they simply could not match the sheer number, cunning versatility, and situation-specific adaptability of Arcane Magic. All things considered, "Light of Judgment" offered the best effect and the greatest power, suitable for the majority of scenarios. Thus, when Holy Spirit Priests fought, the Legendary Divine Art they employed most frequently for offense was "Light of Judgment"!
A sword-like beam of sacred radiance shot forth from the Heavenly Mountain projection behind Clement, vast and solemn, adjudicating all the sins of the mortal world.
Natasha held her ground and raised the "
When the "Light of Judgment" struck the "
Tiny hairline cracks appeared across the dark, sacred surface of the "
After blocking the "Light of Judgment," Natasha swung the silver-gray longsword in her hand. Cold, detached sword light entwined with illusory spatial fissures slashed toward Clement.
The sword light landed on Clement's body without resistance, tearing at his flesh and swiftly ripping him apart. Yet Clement wore not the slightest trace of pain on his face. With a smile still on his lips, he shattered like a shadow.
At the same moment, he reappeared on the other side, drawing closer to the "Tablet of Space-Time," preparing to use a Divine Art to retrieve it.
He had exploited a fundamental limitation of the "
Natasha's brow furrowed slightly at the sight, but without a moment's hesitation she used the "
"Light of Judgment!" Clement smiled and once more unleashed the Legendary Divine Art, watching with unsurprised satisfaction as Natasha stopped in her tracks and raised the "