Chapter 82: Breath of Flame

Seeing the crimson words appear, Li Nanke froze.

To end Aniya's life or to save her seemed to lead to two entirely different dream paths.

Saving Aniya had triggered the follow-up to a hidden node, and what came after it was also connected to the Book of the Grand Survey of Painful Grace.

He took a deep breath and looked toward the candelabrum hanging beside the corridor outside the cell. The other candles burned with a dull yellow glow, but one in particular gave off a faint white light, its flame a vivid scarlet.

As Li Nanke passed the corridor, he casually reached out, and the crimson candle came into his hand.

The strange prayer power of this dream surged through the candle and into his mind.

He came to a halt. The powerful mental erosion signaled that this extraordinary power must be a Tier One trait.

Trait: Flame Breath

Affinity: Humanity

Tier: One

Level: 0/10

Details: This trait can grant your melee weapon an extraordinary flame effect, allowing it to inflict far greater destruction. The flame has no need for special burning conditions; it can function in a vacuum or underwater, though it grows even more powerful when suitable fuel is present. This extraordinary flame can only be applied to weapons.

As this trait levels up, the flame power of your melee weapons will continue to increase.

Remark: Welcome to the Flame Brotherhood. Our creed is to burn, burn, burn.

Li Nanke had long coveted Renault's blazing blade technique, and he had even spent several days studying and practicing it to no avail. Now, at last, he had gained the trait Flame Breath as a reward.

Yet this Tier One trait seemed different from the Tier One main trait. It did not begin its growth at a cap of 0/20, but instead came with 0/10 from the moment it was obtained.

Whether it was because the Tier Zero Humanity trait Weaponization had already been maxed out, or because traits themselves did not require much foundation to improve, he could not tell.

With a thought, the chainsaw sword in Li Nanke's hand burst into roaring flames.

The fire was a strange crimson, radiating searing, ultra-high heat that caused the air around it to waver and distort.

And yet the chainsaw sword itself did not turn red-hot. Li Nanke tentatively extended a fingertip through the flames, feeling warmth and fierce heat, but no agonizing burn.

"So it really is an extraordinary fire. It can tell friend from foe."

Behind him, Renault stared in surprise. "Edward, you learned Flame Breath that fast?"

The battle prayer Li Nanke used was by no means comparable to his own overwhelming presence, but after only a few days of teaching and practice, to grasp the essence of such a combat prayer so silently was a display of talent almost absurdly formidable.

The two of them led Aniya onward, encountering scarcely any of the punitive troops left to defend the way.

Most of the punitive soldiers along the route had already fallen beneath their blades, and the remaining men, seeing they could not stop the intruders, retreated according to the rally orders.

They climbed the stairs, passed row after row of massive stone pillars, and beneath them the church dome loomed high overhead, grand and oppressive.

Wrapped within a large-scale defensive prayer formation, even the afterglow of the setting sun could not pass through the windows. Only dim, ghostly lamps remained to light the church.

At the iron gates before the hall of audience in the deepest part of the church, the punitive troops stood in strict formation.

With the death of Faliano and the Grand Bishop of the Grave Diggers, the Holy Church had been forced from the offensive into passive defense.

So long as the punitive army held the hall of audience, safeguarded the Holy King, and waited for the energy of the great defensive prayer outside the church to be exhausted, the two invaders would be driven into a desperate corner.

Li Nanke glanced at the punitive force, now reduced to only a few dozen men. More than half of them were priests and clerics brought in merely to fill the ranks, their faces panic-stricken; a single hammer blow could smash through several at once, and they posed little real threat.

The captain of the Holy Sword Legion, Inquisitor Jonathan, stepped forward and said gravely, "Renault! Edward! The Holy King bestowed upon you both the honor of inquisitors, and yet you have betrayed that trust!"

"For your acts of blasphemy against the Holy Church, the merciful Holy King has ultimately shown forgiveness and pardoned your sin of rebellion."

"Now lay down your weapons and hand over the Maiden of Endless Pain. It is not too late."

His voice echoed through the vast hall, carrying an authority beyond dispute.

The air was heavy with oppression. The armor of the punitive soldiers gleamed coldly in the lamplight, while the clergy silently recited prayers, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

Li Nanke looked at the four inquisitors at the head of the formation.

These four were the real danger to them. Even with his main trait, Blood Moon, nearly maxed out, and with the new trait Flame Breath in hand, Li Nanke still had little confidence of victory.

The reason the four had delayed taking action was likely because Li Nanke and Renault's record was simply too terrifying. Only after they had killed the Grand Bishop of the Grave Diggers and so many punitive soldiers underground had the Holy King become wary, unwilling to risk another battle.

Li Nanke said nothing. The chainsaw sword in his hand had already changed into a heavy and ferocious blood-soaked warhammer.

As his thirst for slaughter swelled to the brim, not only did swirling bloodlight appear around the monstrous hammer, but fierce flames also blazed up around it.

Renault also drew his wolf-headed greatsword and prepared for a fight with his back to the wall.

His back, Aniya, seemed as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she remained silent. She understood that she could not alter the decision of either man.

"Fools! The Holy King has granted you pardon and forgiveness, yet you still refuse to repent!"

Inquisitor Jonathan raised his greatsword and pointed toward the church doors, his tone no longer as hard as before. "I can overlook your rebellion, and you are not to approach the hall of audience. Once the large defensive prayer fails, you will crawl back to Soros Village..."

"Renault! Now!"

Li Nanke was ready for battle. Seizing the moment while the enemy's strength was faltering, he launched a fierce assault, giving them no time for more words.

The instant his voice fell, he was already charging ahead.

The power armor of drive surged over his body, and the bloodstained warhammer tore a crimson path through the air. Flames danced with the giant hammer, instantly igniting the air around him.

Behind him, azure fire roared in full force. Borrowing the momentum of his charge, Li Nanke swung out a savage hammer strike.

The blood-colored thorns had already shifted from the chainsaw sword onto the warhammer. Though they did not raise the weapon's grade, they did increase its rating and power.

Combined with the boosts from Weaponization and Flame Breath, the destructive force of the bloodstained warhammer soared dramatically.

Waves of flame surged and sparks scattered everywhere.

Boom!

Jonathan, holding the holy sword, could not withstand the ferocious hammer. He raised his sword to block, only to be swept aside without surprise.

Li Nanke knocked away the enemy blocking his path with one hammer blow. The shockwave from his burst rifle erupted, causing the holy spear striking from the flank to falter for a moment.

With a sidestep, he crashed into the punitive troops, leaving behind a trail of blood and carnage as he drove straight for the doors of the hall of audience.

Renault followed close behind. The wolf-headed greatsword spun in his hands without a gap in defense, as he unhesitatingly shielded Li Nanke from the inquisitors pursuing at his back.

Jonathan's expression changed drastically. He had not expected such a decisive attack. He immediately roared orders to the soldiers, "Hold the gate! Do not let them near the Holy King!"