ALL NOVEL Chapter 104
Chapter 45: The Transcendent
“Excuse me, are you the inn’s staff? I should have told the owner not to let anyone into my room without permission, right?”
On the surface, Edwina spoke politely, but she quietly reached for the sword at her waist, while the holy emblem dangling from her wrist began to emit a faint glow.
This woman is very strange.
Edwina couldn’t sense her strength at all, and before she pushed the door open, she had no idea someone was inside.
Either she had mastered some special secret technique…
Or her strength was far beyond Edwina’s.
But whatever the case…
“The one who comes is up to no good…”
The holy knight girl murmured, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, her internal power reaching its peak as she vigilantly observed the woman who stood with her back to her, dressed in a black fitted dress, dark blue hair cascading over her shoulders.
“You must be a follower of Aurora; your courage is astounding for meddling in our business.”
The woman spoke, her voice peculiar, ethereal and void-like, as if a thousand mixed noises combined yet distinctly melodic.
“What?!”
There was no time to think about the other’s oddity, as a look of anger instantaneously surfaced on Edwina’s lovely face.
To call upon a goddess’ name like that—such a thing could only be done by heretics who despise the divine, even in special ceremonies.
This was no mere matter of belief; just this act alone was a tremendous sacrilege!
She is the enemy.
At a time like this, appearing in her room and speaking disrespectfully of the goddess could never be out of goodwill.
Better to strike first.
“Take this!”
With a flash of light, a Holy Radiance Slash came crashing down on the back of the mysterious girl.
The Holy Radiance Slash was a signature skill that most holy knights had to learn; it was classic, powerful, and offered excellent versatility, with a notable restraining effect on evil entities.
Legend has it that there was once a Judging Saintess in the Holy Kingdom who refined this skill over decades and, in a certain battle against heretics, she killed three duke-class vampires in an instant with one swing, earning immense fame.
Though Edwina hadn’t reached that level, her mastery of the Holy Radiance Slash was superb, and with her sky-level strength and a fully charged strike, this was the strongest attack she could unleash in a short time.
The enemy was too strange, and with the lingering shadow of the strong on her heart, she dared not hold back in the slightest.
“Not bad; you should be among the young elites of the Holy Kingdom, but unfortunately, you’re still too weak.”
Clang!
The girl finally turned around, an alluring smile on her face, her dark vertical pupils shimmering slightly as she raised her left arm and actually caught Edwina’s Holy Radiance Slash with her bare flesh!
“?!”
Edwina’s pupils constricted. She quickly glanced at the girl’s forearm, which had dark blue scales densely covering it, and her precious holy sword, blessed by the Pope, had left no mark on it at all?
A transformed magical beast!
Judging the situation in her mind, Edwina quickly retreated.
She had no intention of determining a victor with the girl before her; this was the capital of the United Kingdom, where powerful individuals gathered. She believed that even if she made some commotion and fled to the streets, the girl wouldn’t dare pursue her under the bright sun.
If she were truly that confident, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to stalk her and hid in an empty room to ambush her.
However…
Bang!
As she retreated a few steps, Edwina suddenly felt a dull pain in her back and realized she had collided with a solid wall, halting her retreat.
Only now did she discover that the entire room had unknowingly become enveloped by a dark blue light screen, trapping both Edwina and the girl in a small space.
“A barrier…?”
“It’s useless, useless! My arcane barrier cannot be broken unless someone is at the sixth tier or higher. Oh, you humans call this a transcendent level, right?”
Transcendent level! Another transcendent level!?
Edwina was horrified.
From the hints she’d gleaned from the other’s words, along with the casual way she blocked the sky-level Holy Radiance Slash, it was highly likely that this girl had also reached a level beyond the limits of humanity.
It was clear that only mythological beings could easily attain transcendent status; why, in just over a month, had she encountered so many top-tier powerhouses!?
“You don’t seem to be that scared; how strange. Usually, humans show a face full of incredulous fear when they realize the gap in strength with me. Has Aurora trained you too well?”
“…”
After her initial surprise, Edwina didn’t continue speaking, but rather thought silently about how to break through this predicament.
This woman, while strong, hadn’t instilled the same suffocating fear and overwhelming sense of imbalance that Miss Vilyric and her maid Xiao Guang had.
It felt like she was about as powerful as her sister, Fleidetrika Cecelia, who possessed the【Arbitration Holy Sword】and was one of the three saintesses.
In other words, she had just reached transcendent level.
If the enemy were complacent, there should still be a sliver of a chance for her to escape; after all, Edwina had a few tricks up her sleeve to preserve her life.
“Alright, let’s resolve this quickly. Although no one in this city is my match, there are still a few troublesome ones around; getting discovered would give me quite the headache.”
“Devour.”
The blue-haired woman raised her hand, her fingers clawing toward the holy knight girl, and Edwina immediately felt all her strength rapidly draining away, including her spirit and the holy light energy within her.
What… is this bizarre technique?!
It was utterly unheard of!
But the holy knight girl naturally wouldn’t sit idly by; resisting the enemy’s absorption, she suddenly tightened her grip on the simple holy emblem around her wrist and spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the square seal.
The light surged, and dozens of characters already inscribed on the holy emblem emitted a vast, sacred power, breaking the woman’s hold over Edwina, causing her expression to slightly change.
However, she didn’t seize the moment to attack; the disparity between their strengths was a full two levels, and even using the power entrusted to her by her instructor might not injure this suspected transcendent magical beast.
Edwina’s choice was to turn and directly brandish the radiant holy emblem onto the dark blue barrier behind her.
Zzi… zzi zzi… Bang!!!
With an ear-piercing scratching sound, the barrier and wall were forcibly cracked open, creating a gigantic gash as high as half a person, quickly leaking the tension of their battle out through it.
Though the blue-haired woman’s complexion changed dramatically as she rushed over, it was already too late.
After all, this girl was too overconfident; because Edwina was only at the sky level, she hadn’t put it to heart. The girl stood there without moving, completely intent on playing with this follower of the goddess, which led to her being countered.
“You’re seeking death!”
Boom! A surge of immense power hit Edwina at her side, and she had no time to react as she was kicked back, crashing against another barrier, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood, while the light from her holy emblem rapidly dimmed.
“Ugh… cough cough…”
The frantic opponent didn’t hold back at all; Edwina lay at an angle on the ground, feeling a pain in her waist as if it had broken, unable to move, and coupled with the vast amount of stamina and spirit energy she had just lost, her vision darkened.
In her periphery, the white knight armor at her waist was actually caved in, showcasing how incredibly powerful the girl’s blow was—transcendent level, indeed living up to its name…
Is this the end?
She had already made the right choice, and the woman’s sudden fury confirmed that her previous actions would indeed bring her no small trouble, but that was it.
As expected, she was still too weak…
Was there truly no way to return home and continue to serve the goddess?
Please… forgive my sins, Goddess…
Amidst the growing noise from outside, Edwina lost consciousness.