Chapter 334 - Dolores' Retreat
From all directions of the cathedral, hundreds of priests and high-ranking Radiant Knights stormed in. Meanwhile, the dozens of Guardian Knights that Ophelia had brought were now being blocked outside by a barrier.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Domination Sanctuary!"
Facing the situation, Han Kexin smiled seductively and spread her arms. A powerful and invisible force erupted from her body. Instantly, everyone present, including Dolores, found themselves in a space filled with countless threads.
In this space created by Han Kexin, all powers except for those related to psychic and soul magic were sealed. Moreover, the church personnel on the scene could clearly feel that they had completely lost control of their own bodies. A stronger force was dominating their movements, even commanding their brains to cast various spells.
Such terrifying control abilities!
Dolores had never encountered such powerful psychic techniques before. However, she did not back down. She began to radiate a myriad of holy lights, which acted like countless sharp swords, instantly tearing through the surrounding threads. Dolores, enveloped in holy light and stepping on the radiant path, advanced toward Han Kexin, resembling a legendary saintess. This was her own sanctuary.
The two sanctuaries clashed, with the forces of both sides colliding intensely. In terms of the power and level of both domains, they were evenly matched, resulting in a mutual cancellation. Ultimately, the confrontation ended in a stalemate, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Han Kexin narrowed her eyes slightly. It seemed this person truly deserved the title of the current pope of the largest church. If she hadn't recently boosted her strength with the legend crystal, she would have been at a significant disadvantage. But now, Han Kexin was not intimidated.
Dolores also felt Han Kexin's immense power. Her expression turned serious as she said, "It appears you are from the Darkness City. I didn't expect that under that Dragon Demon King's command, there would be someone as powerful as you."
Previously, Dolores had underestimated the Darkness City Demon King. She had thought that using the church's most important artifact, the Heart of Holy Light, to deal with such a Demon King was overkill. But now it seemed her mentor's approach was entirely justified. This woman was clearly not the Demon King of Darkness City, yet her strength was enough to rival Dolores, the Pope. One could only imagine how powerful the true Demon King must be.
Today, Dolores had intended to control the Frelio Empress but ended up encountering a formidable opponent. Given the circumstances, she aimed to capture both women. Although Dolores didn't fully understand Han Kexin's abilities or her role within the Chaos Federation, she was confident in her own strength. Whether it was the Frelio Empress or this mysterious succubus, they were undoubtedly crucial to the Demon King. If she could subdue them in this operation, it would be akin to crippling the Demon King before the church's confrontation with him.
Dolores raised her scepter. An even more dazzling aura was released from the scepter, instantly filling the entire space.
"What's this?"
Han Kexin was shocked to discover that Dolores' Radiant Sanctuary had suddenly strengthened several times over. Initially, both their domains were of equal level, able to cancel each other out. However, the sudden enhancement of the Pope's domain gave her an overwhelming advantage.
Han Kexin's domain was completely suppressed. Everyone present was now engulfed in a space filled with blinding light. The omnipresent light elements inflicted significant damage on Han Kexin, a demonic race entity. Additionally, Dolores used her control over the law of dominion to instantly seal all powers except for light-based and divine spells. This meant that Han Kexin could no longer use any of her elemental magic.
"A legendary-grade equipment?" Han Kexin identified the issue.
Although the Radiant Pope's power was on par with hers, the equipment made all the difference. Han Kexin had a few epic-grade items, which significantly boosted her abilities, but Dolores, as the Radiant Pope, evidently had far superior gear. Beyond the epic-quality ornaments and the robe, Dolores' scepter emanated power and aura that far surpassed the epic-grade. It was a legendary-grade item, and among legendary-grade equipment, it was an exceptional piece.
Dolores, her face stern and imposing, coldly stated, "Do not resist in vain. You cannot withstand the radiant light."
Han Kexin scoffed, "Empress Ophelia, I'll leave the cardinal and the others to you. As for this pope, she's mine to deal with!"
Ophelia drew her epic-grade ice sword and immediately charged toward the cardinal and other targets. Although Dolores' sanctuary could seal various powers, Ophelia, having reached mythic-class and mastering the law of ice, could still use her abilities even when other aspects of laws were suppressed or missing. Additionally, Ophelia was skilled in both magic and martial arts, making her fighting abilities and battle techniques unaffected in this situation.
Having just freed herself from her restraints, Han Kexin was now able to join the battle.
Seeing this, Dolores' expression turned even colder. "Stubborn fools. In that case, I will purify you in the name of the radiant light!" As she spoke, she unleashed a beam of light.
In response, Han Kexin summoned her phoenix. Her Undying Phoenix, a divine beast, was not significantly weakened by the sanctuary and immediately intercepted the pope's attack, exploding into flames mid-air. The flames scattered and fell like raindrops, eventually gathering back onto Han Kexin. Merging with the phoenix, she gained even greater power and agility and then activated her Soul Shepherding skill.
In the next second, six Behemoth Kings appeared around Han Kexin. Though they were in spirit form, their presence was nearly indistinguishable from real behemoths. They all simultaneously unleashed the behemoth control skill---Death Hunt!
Six red auras, like snares, ensnared Dolores. Her expression changed drastically. She had never seen an ability like this, which could summon six entities almost at the mythic-class level out of thin air.
But that wasn't all. Han Kexin continued her Soul Shepherding, releasing two more spirits. One was the werewolf Hero Will, who had died by her hand, and the other was the fallen druid Jason from the Chaos Forest. Two mythics!
While controlling these eight powerful soul minions, each possessing nearly the same abilities as when they were alive, and with her own power as a Level 6 legendary being, Han Kexin had Dolores looking somewhat beleaguered despite her superior equipment.
Damn it! She had greatly underestimated her!
Han Kexin, with these soul minions and the Undying Phoenix granting her formidable regenerative abilities, was a match even for someone as strong as Dolores. Despite the pope's near-endless supply of mana, the battle dragged on with no clear victor in sight. They had already exchanged dozens of moves, and it was evident that Dolores couldn't quickly end the fight.
Logically, if the battle continued, Han Kexin would eventually exhaust herself. Furthermore, finding a flaw and eliminating a few of Han Kexin's soul minions could break the stalemate. However, time was not on her side. After all, this was the Demon King's territory. How could the Demon King remain unaware of such a fierce battle occurring here? Dolores could already sense several powerful beings approaching the cathedral. If the Demon King was among them, it would be the end for her.
The operation had failed!
Dolores understood the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she chose to retreat immediately. Just as Han Kexin was getting into the heat of battle, Dolores suddenly exploded into a light so intense it seemed capable of scorching both psyche and soul. Han Kexin had to step back. She could withstand the attack herself, but her fragile soul minions couldn't, and she didn't want them to be destroyed, so she withdrew them preemptively.
Taking advantage of this moment, Dolores retrieved a remote teleportation device. A surge of powerful spatial energy condensed around her like a dark cloud, enveloping her entirely before she vanished the next second.
"She escaped?"
Han Kexin was a bit stunned. Dolores hadn't been at a disadvantage, so why had she suddenly fled? The reason quickly became apparent. Three powerful auras appeared as the three Dragon Emperors of Darkness City were teleported in by Li Si's magic. They had come to reinforce her.
Fortunately for Dolores, she had fled just in time. Otherwise, even she would have found it extremely difficult to deal with simultaneous attacks from the three Dragon Emperors. With Han Kexin present as well, Dolores would have been in serious trouble.
"What a pity. I almost had her!"
Han Kexin was somewhat dissatisfied with the result, but she didn't dwell on it. The Pope of the Radiant Church was indeed powerful, but not so much that Darkness City had to be overly cautious of her.