Chapter 44: The Saint’s Awakening
“You’ve finally come.”
Erin’s voice was no longer human in tone, but mixed with the eerie resonance of crystal vibrations.
She slowly turned around, the crystallized half of her face refracting strange purple light in the sunlight, her six-petaled compound eyes spinning wildly as they fixed on the suddenly arrived Crimson Saint.
Cynthia’s red pupils contracted slightly. As expected… she’s completely turned into a witch.
She looked at Erin before her. Though this girl had an extreme personality, she had been one of her capable officers in the past, yet now she’d become this twisted form.
“Erin…”
Cynthia’s voice rarely carried a trace of regret.
“Even you have fallen to this extent?”
Erin’s mouth corners stretched wide, crystal clusters cracking spider web-like patterns across her cheeks.
“Fallen? No, Lady Cynthia…”
Her voice fluctuated high and low, as if two souls were fighting for control of the body.
“This is clearly ‘evolution’! Look—”
She suddenly spread her arms wide, the crystal clusters around her body erupting violently. Dark purple magic power swept out like a storm, the ground cracking beneath her feet, surrounding trees instantly crystallizing into a purple thorn forest.
“Now I have endless magic power! This feeling… is too wonderful!”
“Lady Cynthia, her witch transformation was artificially catalyzed. The mastermind might still be nearby.”
Sean struggled to stand up, covering the wound on his shoulder as he warned her.
Cynthia didn’t turn back, only nodding slightly.
Her gaze remained locked on Erin, complex emotions flashing in the depths of her red pupils.
“Stay back.”
She commanded Sean in a low voice.
“This isn’t a battle you can interfere with.”
Sean bit his teeth and ultimately retreated to a safe distance.
He could feel Cynthia’s gaze briefly stop on him—that look clearly said: “Your account will be settled later.”
The flame bomb incident must have been exposed…
He smiled bitterly, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
“Finally… finally I’ve surpassed you!”
Erin’s crystallized arm swung violently, a purple crystal sword instantly forming, its blade wrapped with dark purple corrosive energy.
“I’m going to kill you and prove my worth to that lord!”
Cynthia’s brow furrowed deeply.
That lord?
But before she could think further, Erin had already become a purple-black afterimage, instantly closing in.
“Clang—!!!”
The crimson longsword clashed violently with the purple crystal sword, sparks flying.
Cynthia’s eyes widened slightly—Erin’s speed and strength had actually approached Saint level. This kind of amplification… was definitely not achievable through natural witch transformation.
The two figures crossed at high speed in the crystal forest, the explosive sounds of clashing blades echoing continuously.
Every sword qi flame that Cynthia slashed out was forcibly blocked by Erin’s crystal clusters, while the black mist on the purple crystal sword continuously corroded her flames, even backfiring onto the sword body.
Her magic power… is corroding my flames?
Fine sweat appeared on Cynthia’s forehead. After dozens of exchanges, her breathing gradually became irregular, while Erin fought more fiercely, her magic power seemingly endless.
“How about it, Lady Cynthia?”
Erin grinned savagely, crystal clusters trembling with her laughter.
“Compared to witches, saints are pitifully weak, restricted everywhere, even having to carefully calculate magic power usage… truly laughable, isn’t it?”
Cynthia’s brow pressed down like a blade edge, her golden-red pupils like frost-covered snow, carving a sharp mark between her brows. She was right… though a Saint’s magic power was strong, it ultimately had limits.
Subsequently, Erin’s attacks became increasingly violent, the purple crystal sword almost becoming a blur of afterimages. Cynthia was forced to retreat step by step, her flame defensive circle being compressed bit by bit.
“Give up!”
Erin’s six-petaled compound eyes flashed with crazed light.
“That lord will definitely be very interested in a ‘Saint test subject’!”
Cynthia’s gaze suddenly turned ice cold.
“Don’t joke around.”
Her voice was terrifyingly low.
“Becoming like you… I’d rather die.”
The next second—
“Boom!!!”
Cynthia’s body suddenly erupted with unprecedented blazing flames. Her red hair flew upward like a burning banner, each strand bursting with brilliant golden-red light.
On a distant treetop, a black shadow quietly observed all this.
“This is… the true power of a Saint’s awakening?”
The man’s voice carried sickly excitement.
“Too perfect…”
At the center of the battlefield, the awakened Cynthia seemed like a different person.
Her flames were no longer blocked by crystal clusters, but burned through Erin’s defenses like molten lava.
“Impossible!!”
Erin watched in terror as her crystal armor melted in the high temperature.
“My crystallization should be immune to flames—”
“It’s over.”
Cynthia said coldly, her crimson longsword suddenly thrusting out.
“Splurt!”
The blade pierced through Erin’s chest, flames exploding from within, burning her crystallized body red-hot. Cynthia reversed her grip and slashed horizontally, withdrawing the sword. Erin’s body was almost cut in half as she slowly fell.
“Ahhhhh—!!!”
Erin let out a piercing scream, her body gradually disintegrating in the high temperature… finally turning into scattered black crystal slag.
Cynthia breathed a long sigh of relief, the flames around her body gradually extinguishing. Her face was pale as paper, her legs went soft, and she nearly collapsed.
Magic power exhausted… the burden of awakening on a Saint was still too severe.
However—the battle wasn’t over.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
The crystal slag on the ground suddenly began to writhe, gathering together as if alive.
“What’s happening?”
Under Cynthia’s surprised gaze, crystal clusters grew madly, finally forming a three-meter-tall giant crystalline monster. Its twisted body split open a giant maw, letting out an unclear roar:
“Cynthia… you’re doomed!”
Cynthia gritted her teeth and gripped her longsword tightly, but her arms were already trembling so much she could barely hold the weapon.
Damn… truly at my limit…
At this critical moment—
A pair of warm hands gently gripped hers from behind.
“Lady Cynthia, no need to worry.”
Sean’s voice rang in her ear, gentle yet firm.
His left arm encircled her waist, his right hand covering the back of her hand, gripping the crimson longsword together with her.
A warm current instantly flowed into Cynthia’s body—that was Sean’s mental soothing ability, calming her agitated magic power. Her originally restless spiritual power immediately became as calm as a tranquil lake surface, and her previously depleted magic power surged forth again.
“Sean…”
Cynthia turned her head slightly, meeting Sean’s smiling eyes.
“Let us resolve all this.”
He whispered in the Saint’s ear.
“Yes.”
Cynthia took a deep breath, her gaze becoming sharp again.
The two simultaneously raised their longsword high, the previously extinguished flames igniting once more.
“Boom—”
A pillar of pure flame shot skyward, directly piercing through the crystal cocoon and rushing into the clouds. That flame was as brilliant as dawn, without a trace of impurity, as if it could purify all the world’s filth.
“No, impossible! Why do you still have such magic power?!”
The crystalline monster let out a terrified howl.
What answered it was the flaming giant sword falling down.
Flames devoured everything.
When the light faded, the crystalline monster had vanished into smoke, not even leaving a trace of residue.
The embers of flame drifted in the air, the crystalline monster’s remains turning into fine purple light points, slowly dissipating like fireflies.
Sean’s arms trembled slightly, Cynthia in his embrace leaning softly against his chest, her breathing rapid and irregular.
Her long hair was soaked with sweat, sticking to her slightly pale cheeks. The flames in her red pupils hadn’t completely extinguished, but she was obviously exhausted.
Sean was just about to breathe a sigh of relief—
“Clap, clap, clap.”
Slow and clear applause suddenly rang out.
He slowly raised his head. Finally willing to show yourself?
From the shadows not far away, a man slowly walked out.
He wore the robes of the Light Temple, his face carrying a playful smile.
“Wonderful, truly wonderful.”
The man’s voice was low and elegant, yet carried an uncomfortable sticky quality.
“Is this the ‘mental soothing ability user’ that lord mentioned? Indeed… able to raise a Saint’s upper limit.”
Sean felt Cynthia’s body suddenly tense in his arms.
She raised her head, her red pupils staring deadly at the man’s face, then—
“So it’s you.”
The Saint’s voice was as cold as polar ice, each word wrapped in bone-piercing killing intent.