Chapter 2423: Fire of Birth

The altar fell silent. Su Xiao dispelled his crystal shield, blood dripping down his chin. Just as he prepared to move forward, agonizing pain surged from every part of his body.

Amu and the Orphan of Resentment were the most severely injured, especially Amu. The Dark Ring and Light Blades had expanded from within the Archbishop's scepter; in the final two seconds, Amu had taken over 80% of the Dark Ring and Light Blades head-on.

"Won... *cough, cough, cough*."

Qisi knelt on one knee, spitting blood, yet he was laughing—laughing quite heartily.

"You... did well. I thought no one could kill me anymore. You deserve to be rewarded."

The Archbishop's head spoke. The Orphan of Resentment's eyes widened; it swallowed the head in one gulp and chewed with all its might.

"Hehehehehe~"

As the Archbishop's head was being chewed, it emitted a hair-raising laugh. Anyone timid seeing this scene would either collapse in terror or turn and flee.

"Light illuminates the darkness; shadows are born between light and dark. Fire... drives away the shadows..."

*Snap. *

The Archbishop's head was crushed, but his headless body grabbed the Orphan of Resentment's neck, and flames exploded.

The Orphan of Resentment let out a miserable howl, its claws tearing at the Archbishop's headless corpse. The headless corpse stood up and, like throwing trash, flung the Orphan of Resentment against the wall. A large patch of black-red blood splattered across the wall, looking like a tomato violently thrown against it.

The Archbishop's headless torso leaned forward, arms hanging naturally. Flames ignited over his entire body, swirling like smoke.

Seeing the Archbishop's body engulfed in flames, Su Xiao immediately retreated. To step forward now would mean certain death.

Su Xiao took out a recovery item. Just as he used Zhan Long Shan to slice open the vial, flames surged up on the bottle.

He discarded the vial. If it were a potion he had concocted himself, this would never happen; the moment he took it out, it would essentially be consumed. His first choice during combat was a skin-permeable type, crushed in his hand immediately after being drawn; his second was an injection type, administered by clenching his palm.

Potions like this, meant for drinking, were usable at lower tiers, but by the Seventh Tier, enemies would never give you the chance to drink them.

When the flames dissipated, a figure appeared—the Archbishop, resurrected through the "Light/Dark · Fire of Birth" ability. His robes were somewhat tattered, his scepter covered in fire patterns, its tip holding both darkness and light.

A trace of anger appeared in the Archbishop's eyes. The next moment, he pointed at Amu. Darkness gathered at his fingertip; he knew Amu was an Ice-type and had to be dealt with first.

A black line, thin as a hair but perfectly straight, surged from the Archbishop's fingertip, heading straight for Amu's chest.

At that moment, Amu felt it was going to die. There was no other possibility; the instant it was struck by this black line, it would perish. Its health was at only 12.6%. This was a kill-shot ability.

*Boom! *

A palm blocked the black line. A shockwave expanded, dust and smoke surging everywhere. Within the dust, short black hair fluttered, and a pair of eyes flashing with red light flickered in and out of view.

The spatial fluctuations dissipated. Su Xiao gripped his hand, and the black line shattered with a *crack*. He did not fear kill-shot abilities.

Blade Master Lv. 20 Ultimate Ability: Soul Blade (Passive) — Immunizes 50% of soul damage and negates one lethal kill-shot effect.

As the dust settled, Su Xiao spat out a faint trace of blood-qi, staring directly at the Archbishop.

In that instant, the Archbishop was stunned by Su Xiao. He was puzzled as to why this person hadn't died.

In the Dawn Adventure Group's team channel:

Su Xiao: "Amu, grab me and retreat immediately. Go to the Saintess."

Amu saw the message instantly. Frost spread; it grabbed Su Xiao's arm and charged toward the doorway of the empty room with long strides.

After Su Xiao took the Archbishop's kill-shot ability head-on, the kill-shot was indeed negated, but dark energy rampaged through his body, leaving him unable to move even a finger for a short time.

Before long, Su Xiao heard a roaring sound from behind, but for now, it had nothing to do with him.

Amu pushed Su Xiao through the corridor, arriving at the church on the outside.

"Saintess, heal my injuries."

"As you wish, Lord Bai Ye."

The Saintess's hands gripped Su Xiao's right hand. Compared to her soft little hands, Su Xiao was more concerned with the Saint-characteristic energy merging into his body.

The Archbishop probably never dreamed that the tool in his eyes was now aiding the enemy. Qisi and the Orphan of Resentment were currently locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Archbishop; judging by the thunderous sounds, the battle there was extremely intense.

Su Xiao's health recovered rapidly, and his wounds healed. Before long, his health was fully restored.

After treating Su Xiao, the Saintess began to heal Amu. Su Xiao did not waste time; he sprinted through the corridor and returned to the empty room.

Upon returning, Su Xiao saw that the place had turned into a sea of fire. Qisi was struggling to hold on within the flames, while the Orphan of Resentment had transformed into a four-legged monster with a mouth full of fangs, clashing head-on with the Archbishop. It did not fear fire.

Seeing Su Xiao return, Qisi felt a weight lift from his heart, but upon discovering that Su Xiao's injuries were healed, Qisi's eyes widened.

"You... how did you do that? Give me a hit of that too."

"It was the Saintess."

"Hold him off for a while, I'll be back soon."

"The Saintess's ability is exhausted."

"I..."

A bellyful of curses rolled within Qisi, but he couldn't say them, because Su Xiao was already charging toward the Archbishop, braving the flames.

Su Xiao was in the best state now; naturally, he had to take on the Archbishop's full firepower alone, otherwise, this battle would surely be lost.

【Warning: You have been burned by the "Fire of Birth." You will take 272 points of burn damage per second.】

【Warning: For every 0.5 meters the Hunter approaches the Archbishop, the fire damage will increase.】

When Su Xiao charged to within a few meters of the Archbishop, the burn damage had already reached 470 points per second. In a few minutes, he would be burned to death.

Checking the Archbishop's health, 36% remained. This was good news; the Archbishop was not at full status after "resurrection."

In the flames, figures formed of fire were pouncing on the Orphan of Resentment. The Archbishop's state was poor, but his health was recovering rapidly.

Looking upward, Su Xiao spotted a female phantom. Her wings were spread, and she was less than 50 centimeters tall. This must be the Light Source Spirit.

Finally, this ability was ready. Fighting the current Archbishop required a quick resolution.

【Blood Feather】 shattered, attacking the Light Source Spirit. The Light Source Spirit was an energy lifeform and a healing type; naturally, it would be affected by the Blood Feather.

The Blood Feather floated quietly on the surface of the Light Source Spirit's body, and a trace of blood color appeared in the white light she emitted. The Archbishop immediately sensed something was wrong—after all, he was feeling stinging pain all over. His combat intelligence manifested, and he immediately ordered the Light Source Spirit to retreat and vanish.

The Light Source Spirit let out a mournful cry, her body splitting rapidly. After glaring at the Archbishop in anger, she dissipated.

"Blade Dao Blade · Blue Ghost."

A blue-green blade glow slashed out, and Su Xiao charged to the front of the Archbishop in a few steps.

With a *boom*, flames gathered. Su Xiao felt the surrounding temperature soar sharply. The Archbishop was in a somewhat weakened state, unable to use dark energy, and most light abilities were also unusable.

*Zheng. *

The long blade slashed past, the tip grazing the Archbishop's neck. The Archbishop clenched his hands, and the flames became so dense that Su Xiao could no longer see what was in front of him.

A whistling sound came from his side. A giant black arrow pierced through part of the flames and plunged into the Archbishop's chest. The Archbishop retreated several steps; the Orphan of Resentment had appeared behind him at some point.

*Puchi. *

A sharp long tail pierced the Archbishop's back. Having fought Su Xiao, Qisi, and the Orphan of Resentment to that extent, the Archbishop appeared to have stood up reborn, but in reality, his injuries were severe.

Pierced by the long tail, the Archbishop's expression remained calm. His Light/Dark abilities had recovered.

"Darkness, Repentance."

Darkness spread, and within this darkness, a short figure charged in, wielding a staff-blade.

"For the Blacksmith."

Qisi whispered, his staff-blade thrusting forward. Cracks appeared on the arm holding the staff-blade, and a cold glint appeared in the Archbishop's eyes.

With a *swish*, the staff-blade pierced the Archbishop's head. One must know that just a moment ago, Qisi and the Archbishop were at least seven meters apart. This was Qisi's trump card: Dark Walk · Silent.

Black-blue smoke rose from the long blade in Su Xiao's hand. He charged forward, braving the flames. Just then, a drastic change occurred.

Dark, Light, and the Fire of Rebirth gathered simultaneously, and then, all surged toward Su Xiao.

【You have been attacked by an unknown ability. You take 17,229 points of Light/Dark damage.】

【Your burn status has intensified. You will take 895 points of burn damage per second.】

【You are subjected to a control effect. Negated.】

【You have been...】

Various prompts appeared. Su Xiao's health plummeted to the brink of death. The Archbishop had sensed the threat.

Su Xiao did not retreat a single step; instead, he stepped forward and slashed diagonally. The Orphan of Resentment was restraining the Archbishop; this strike would definitely land.

The long blade broke through the flames, leaving a black-blue slash mark, and then everything went silent.

"This is..."

The Archbishop raised his right arm, looking at the slash mark. Black smoke was drifting out from within it.

With a *thud*, the Archbishop fell backward onto the ground, slain by the Demon Blade.

The flames dissipated. Su Xiao gasped for air, his entire body burning with pain, sparks flickering on his long leather coat.

"Won?"

"Won."

"Roar."

A few seconds later, Su Xiao, Qisi, and the Orphan of Resentment all slowly retreated.

"Too interesting. In my whole life, I've never experienced anything as interesting as today. Hahaha~"

Qisi laughed loudly, and the Orphan of Resentment also grinned. Their goals were different, and they were even hostile toward each other; battle was inevitable.

"Resentment, I want your heart. You probably won't give it to me, right?"

Qisi spoke with a smile. He wanted the Orphan of Resentment's heart, as well as the Seed of the World inside the Archbishop.

"Roar!"

The Orphan of Resentment roared. It wanted the Furnace + the Saint Heart energy inside the Saintess + the Seed of the World inside the Archbishop. It hadn't had a chance to kill the Saintess before, but now it did.

"Hey, I haven't asked what your name is yet, or what your goal is?"

"The Archbishop's Seed of the World."

"What a coincidence, we both want this thing. No wonder we could fight together."

Bone hands reached out from the darkness behind Qisi, sparks flickered on the Orphan of Resentment, and blood-qi spread around Su Xiao.

The second round of battle began, a slaughter between three severely injured powerhouses. Today, only one could walk out alive.