Chapter 332
Chapter 332
Chapter 332
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 332 – Lan Qi Has Always Been a Troublemaker
Sigrid ignored Askson. She simply made sure Lan Qi was safe behind her, her violet eyes locking onto Askson as if she had found her prey.
The brief, frigid stare between the two Bishops was like the calm before the thunder roared across the sky — a stillness that heralded the coming clash of these peak powerhouses within the Northern Frontier city.
Far behind her, Lan Qi suddenly felt an invisible thread of magic form between him and Sigrid.
This was Sigrid’s protective eighth-tier magic card—
[Life Link]
Type: Spell Card
Grade: Purple (Rare)
Attributes: Link / Regeneration
Tier: 8
Effect: Links the life state of the target to the caster. The link is only broken when the distance exceeds a certain range, and a small portion of the caster’s stamina and mental attributes are continuously shared with the linked target.
Note: “As long as I am here, no one will hurt you.”
The price, however, was that any damage taken by the linked person would also be inflicted upon the caster.
In addition, an eighth-tier summoned creature — [Psychic Construct] — was left by Lan Qi’s side.
Though this humanoid construct of pure silver light had no face, its body was identical to Sigrid’s, radiating a crushing aura of power.
Even without formally appraising it, Lan Qi could easily guess that this construct copied most of Sigrid’s attributes. Even without her equipment and spells, it was nearly equivalent to a clone of Sigrid herself.
After all, she was a Cardinal Bishop who fought relying on her unparalleled physical prowess — even an ordinary punch from her could shatter a city wall.
Any living being’s maximum capacity to soul-bind magic cards was their tier × 10.
As an eighth-tier powerhouse, Sigrid could carry no more than eighty tiers’ worth of cards. Using two eighth-tier cards just to protect Lan Qi meant her direct combat strength would inevitably be reduced.
Lightning once again split the snow-filled sky, illuminating the ground. Behind the magic barrier, Askson opened his palm. A black vortex formed in the center, divine and dreadful magic surging toward him as he endlessly compressed it. Black electric arcs began to crackle, swallowing all light around him.
If this destructive sealing magic of at least eighth-tier level were unleashed, even the largest imperial army would be completely annihilated.
The magic storm alone made Lan Qi’s skin and face sting. At the same time, the silver construct grabbed Lan Qi, carrying him rapidly away from the battlefield — just like Sigrid would have done herself.
Lan Qi could only watch from a distance. Sigrid, standing against Askson, did not retreat even before this apocalyptic spell.
Her body still shone with pure light, like a moon goddess — or a war deity — whose fists could shatter any obstacle in her path!
The silver construct shielded Lan Qi, sparing him from the shockwaves, carrying him away from the collapsing upper levels of Bandera City.
Even so, Lan Qi’s vision was repeatedly thrown into darkness and light by the smoke and violent air currents. The booming roar that shook the northern snowfields almost sent even the silver construct flying.
When they finally landed and regained balance, Lan Qi looked back.
The two Bishops looked like gods of an ancient age reborn, their clash tearing apart the very heavens.
On the upper levels of Bandera City, a Cardinal Bishop–level calamity was unfolding.
In an instant, the entire upper section near the city gate had turned into a battlefield. The surging magical shockwaves blasted apart building after building, reducing sturdy towers to drifting ashes.
The battle grew fiercer and fiercer, choking the city in smoke and dust. Firelight, explosions, and thunder merged into one deafening symphony. Storm clouds churned in the sky, as if nature itself trembled at this sudden outbreak. The air pressure above plummeted.
Each exchange of blows lit up the clouds from the ground.
Ordinary powerhouses could not even get close — they would be killed instantly — and not even raising their heads allowed them to see the clash between these two eighth-tier Cardinals.
And in the heart of the battlefield, even though neither combatant was at full strength, Askson — who had taken more damage earlier — was gradually being driven into a disadvantage. Sigrid clearly had no intention of giving him time to recover.
For the first time, she had a real chance of defeating Askson.
But she did not linger.
She knew very well that she only needed to gravely wound Askson before retreating with the Holy Son from this cursed city-state.
Being pursued by Askson was the worst possible outcome. He had countless means of turning terrain into his advantage, making it impossible to shake him off. The long journey south would become a nightmare, even for her — especially when she still had to protect the Holy Son.
But if she could bring word of Bandera City’s situation back to the imperial capital Helrom, Askson’s entire conspiracy would fall apart.
“Sigrid, do you really think I am your only opponent?”
Askson’s calm, chillingly amused voice sent shivers down the spine.
Even as he was slowly losing ground, he smiled as if playing a game with a child.
“……”
Sigrid held no weapon — no piece of equipment was stronger than her own body. Each of her steps was like rolling thunder, sweeping away the air and forming shockwaves. Her amethyst eyes glowed coldly as she drove Askson back, intent on cornering him.
As Ba’tian’s old rival, Askson remained equally methodical. Each time he snapped his fingers, powerful sealing sigils flared, creating zones of gray suppression to intercept Sigrid’s advance.
The distance between them shrank and widened again, but every clash felt like two world-ending disasters colliding. Ba’tian’s every blow crashed like a waterfall, trying to crush Askson, while Askson slipped through his own intricate web of traps like a dancer, counterattacking with seal after seal to slow and bind her.
Though his delaying tactics did not stop Sigrid from closing in, his most complex spellwork was finally completed. The space around them began to warp. From the ground rose gray-black vines; from the sky fell enormous gray eyes, all seeking to swallow Sigrid whole.
At that moment, Sigrid’s form blazed with near-transparent silver light. Even her eyes turned silver as she entered a selfless, transcendent state. She threw a punch like none before — and in midair, silver light and gray spell collided, creating a gigantic explosion with a razor-sharp line dividing light and dark.
Askson was hurled back and crashed hard, clearly losing the exchange. He was never suited to direct confrontation with Sigrid, yet his lips still curled into that infuriatingly calm smile — as though this was just sport.
Finally—
As the battle between Ba’tian’s Cardinal Bishop and the Bishop of Annihilation reached its climax, the sky suddenly darkened under a massive shadow. A cold wind swept across the ground, freezing dew into ice within seconds.
Even Sigrid felt a sudden chill down her spine.
“……”
A figure appeared — no one knew from where or when he had arrived. He landed silently, cloaked in black, his face hidden from even the lightning’s illumination.
Though his identity was a complete mystery, Sigrid could feel his danger — even greater than Askson’s.
“You’re finally here.”
Askson’s expression shifted to one of pleased relief.
The black-robed man moved his hand, and a pitch-black chain of magic yanked Askson out of Sigrid’s attack range. Almost simultaneously, another chain lashed toward Sigrid.
Though battle-hardened, Sigrid realized too late that this chain was not magic at all. Even before it touched her, it emitted an irresistible force that smashed her into the ground, coughing blood as she was hurled into Bandera City’s lower levels amid the crumbling ruins.
She steadied her breathing, forcing herself to stay alert.
Against Askson, she still had confidence.
But with this black-robed man added to the equation, the situation was no longer certain.
And worse, this man’s true identity would throw the entire situation of the Protos Empire into chaos.
Standing amid the ruins, Sigrid’s long hair streamed in the wind, her eyes sharp as she faced the two figures descending slowly from the air. Her aura was still unshaken.
“Cardinal Bishop of Ba’tian…”
The black-robed man’s voice was distorted, metallic, as though pondering why she was even here — why the Prophet’s divination had failed so badly.
Divination, after all, was not always perfectly accurate. It was normal for it to have slight deviations, but it was rare for it to be wrong by this much.
And if multiple powerful seers tried to divine at once, their readings could interfere with one another, resulting in situations no one foresaw.
“Could it be that the Marquis of Blood, Heritier, from the Southern Continent has interfered with our Northern Continent affairs…?”
The black-robed man murmured almost inaudibly.
Askson paid no attention to his musings, only glaring at Sigrid.
“Apostle, don’t waste time. If we let this woman stall until nightfall, it will become very troublesome.”
“Heh.”
The black-robed man only chuckled, as if amused by Askson’s words.
From his sleeve, he tossed out an orange epic card, cracked with a blood-red scar.
A moment later, in the twisted space above, a creature appeared. It was a small, disc-shaped larva, its body covered in hard, rune-etched black carapace. Its cold blue eyes radiated malice and poison.
At once, a terrifying pressure pressed down on Sigrid, forcing her to stagger two steps forward.
Though her eyes burned with pain, she forced herself to use appraisal magic, piecing together its attributes from fragments of information—
[Abyssal Black Worm]
Type: Summon Card
Grade: Orange (Epic)
Attributes: Telekinesis / Poison
Tier: 8
Effect: Cannot move or attack. The closer an enemy is to this summon, the stronger the gravity suppression they suffer. (Defeat effect redacted)
Note: “The power to annihilate all things.”
High above, the black-robed man looked down at Sigrid and asked Askson:
“How long do you think she can last?”
Askson only shook his head with a pitying smile.
To them, Sigrid was now just prey with no escape.
Today, Bandera City — on the Protos Empire’s northern frontier — was a perfect grave for Cardinal Bishop Sigrid of Ba’tian.