Divine Flame Crystal

Chapter 612 Hypocritical Tiffany

"How many people did they send?" asked the Paladin.

The scout replied, "About 500, wearing unidentified magical gear, appearing to be a miscellaneous mercenary force."

"What a joke," the knight sneered. "A mere five hundred mercenaries, you dare to stop the Army of Light? Have the archers prepare to suppress them, and then we'll push forward."

"Yes."

But the next moment, his smile froze.

From the hilltop, rows of mercenaries clad in Dragon Flame armor marched out in unison. Their armor burned with a faint blue demonic flame, their steps in unison, their coordination tacit, like a torrent of steel from hell.

Xingluo did not personally fight in the battle. He stood at the rear, commanding heights, and simply raised a magic staff. The Divine Flame Crystal began to glow, like a second sun rising at dawn, illuminating the entire battlefield.

"Blessings of time and space."

boom! !

The entire battlefield was engulfed in a sea of energy. The Sky City mercenaries' magical armor erupted in dazzling light, and every warrior's magic power skyrocketed, nearly doubling their combat power!

They are not ordinary mercenaries, but a group of super warriors wearing legendary magic armor and infused with blessings.

In the first clash, the frontline cavalry of the Holy See of Light was ripped apart in less than a minute. The mercenaries didn't rely on formations, but in those few seconds, like giant beasts of demonic flame, they used the blessing of time and space to charge directly into the heart of the enemy formation.

"Didn't he...didn't he say there were only miscellaneous soldiers?!" A priest of light screamed in fear. Just as he raised his staff, a javelin burning with demonic flames pierced his chest.

Just as the central army line was in chaos, a squad of Dwarven Fireforged Lancers rushed out from the mercenary formation, their heavy fire magic spears gushing out, and a rain of magic flames swept across the entire battlefield, even the Paladins were repelled! Of course, the high-end combat forces on the Xingluo side were not idle either, and faced the Paladins who were suppressed by the firepower.

In less than half an hour, more than half of the Holy See's vanguard troops were killed or wounded. Seeing this, the rear army was thrown into chaos. The commander made a quick decision and hurriedly withdrew the troops—the entire army retreated ten kilometers!

As they retreated, the black flame flag of the Sky City slowly rose. The crimson moon in the flames seemed to mock their ignorance and arrogance.

On the night after the battle, Meteoric Moon Castle was brightly lit.

Mo pushed aside the tactical scroll and reported calmly, "We used only 500 newly recruited mercenaries to severely damage the 3,000-strong vanguard army. The shocking effect of this battle far exceeded our expectations. The Holy See of Light may have to reassess our military strength."

"They will evaluate, but they won't retreat." Xingluo's tone remained calm. Mo nodded and said, "Tiffany's methods are far more vicious than this vanguard army."

Xingluo stood up and looked out the window - the starry sky was vast, and there seemed to be wind whispering in the distance.

"Although this is just a test, it's time for me to let her experience what it means to fight back."

Mo chuckled softly, "So what are you going to do?"

"The Red Beard Dwarf has opened up the underground volcanic passage, and our people are relocating the second batch of alchemy factories. As long as Pandora... can return safely, we will have a second demigod fighter, and we can be on par with them in high-end combat power."

"Pandora..." Mo's expression darkened and he nodded slowly, "I hope she's okay."

Xingluo looked up at the night sky with an unfathomable expression.

"She lit the fire in my world and allowed me to retain my humanity. I hope she returns soon."

It was late at night. On the high tower of Meteoric Moon Castle, Xingluo stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the cold and lonely light in the north.

"Do you still remember what she looked like when she first came to Luoshen Academy?" he asked in a low voice.

Mo stood beside him, his brows furrowed. "She was wearing a Vatican uniform, smiling gently, with clear eyes. Even we...almost believed her back then."

"Almost?" Xingluo smiled, a hint of chill in her voice, "I really believed her."

The wind blew from the north, and the coldness in Xingluo's eyes became more and more intense.

"Compared to that vanguard army... Tiffany's viciousness is the truly terrifying weapon of war."

Xingluo flipped through the information Mo handed over, her hands trembling slightly. It was a night three years ago, in the basement of the Holy See of Light - in a secret room sealed with holy silver and soundproofed with obsidian, Tiffany was performing a "purification ceremony".

A ragged sorceress was tied to a cross, her eyes were dull, her lips were pale and cracked, and beneath her was a pool of blood and bone fragments that had accumulated for several days.

"You said you don't believe in light?" Tiffany's voice was soft, like a spring breeze. "Do you think magic can bring you true salvation?"

The sorceress smiled weakly: "...at least... don't force me to peel the skin..."

"Then prove it to me." Tiffany smiled and waved her hand. Two priests behind her stepped forward, holding bright iron hooks engraved with divine words. They inserted them into the sorceress's shoulder blades and peeled off her shoulder skin inch by inch.

The whole room echoed with her suppressed screams, but Tiffany closed her eyes and breathed calmly as if appreciating a hymn.

"The Holy Light must be pure," she whispered. "The impure must be purified."

None of the priests present dared to look into her eyes—there was no mercy in them, only twisted fanaticism and condescending indifference.

The thing she was most proud of was making Xingluo step into the abyss she set with her own hands.

At that moment, Xingluo realized that he was not her partner, nor her ally - but a pawn she used to sacrifice the old gods, a "vessel of filth" that could be used to prove her loyalty to the Holy See of Light.

Before the launch of the "Holy War" of the Holy See of Light, Tiffany was appointed "Holy Flame Inspector", responsible for front-line logistics, purification and "military morale prayer".

But in reality, this inspector was the most heinous executioner on the entire battlefield.

In Yuebai City, she ordered the burning of a small town of civilians - the reason was that an eight-year-old girl mentioned the words "faith in magic" in her prayers.

"As long as one person mentions it, the whole town is polluted," she said in public.

She doesn't kill pagans, she kills civilians who are "not pious enough." She is more concerned with "purifying the home front" than the enemy.

When the Army of Light was defeated, she ordered the bombing of three villages on the northern border, cutting off the enemy's supplies on the pretext of "not leaving a drop of water for heretics", causing thousands of innocent people to starve to death.

What's more, after a victory on the battlefield, she held a grand "Judgment Celebration" - nailing the captured enemy mages alive to the Holy Light Tree, burning them for three days and three nights, so that their souls would never be able to escape.

Throughout the whole process, she smiled and directed the believers in the chorus, as if playing a sacred symphony.

"Everything she does is covered with a bright facade."

Mo stood in the study, looking at the information on Xingluo's desk, his tone rarely filled with anger: "She massacred the village, but called it purification. She sacrificed, but called it atonement. She killed you, but called you a fallen one. She is the real witch!"

"She is the Saint." Xingluo said softly, "They call her the Saint."

That's the most disgusting part.

She ascended the altar with a holy appearance and won believers with humble words, but at her feet were piles of ashes and... the blood of fallen stars.

Xingluo clenched his fists tightly, and the Divine Flame Crystal became slightly warm.

"She took advantage of my trust in her, the protection given by the academy, and even... took advantage of Pandora's kindness."

"Pandora was also harmed by her?" Mo was shocked.

"She had long known that Pandora's family had a fusion ritual with the ancient gods, but she deliberately leaked information about the trial to the Vatican's supervisory army, forcing her to return to her family early and leave me, forcing her to merge before she had recovered from her injuries."

"She was afraid Pandora would stop her."

Xingluo said in a deep voice, "Tiffany is a person who treats everything as chess pieces. Faith is a chess piece, civilians are chess pieces, and I was the first one to be sacrificed by her."

He lowered his head, his eyes like the abyss of the night sky:

"I will let her know that the blasphemous divine flames... can also burn down the entire heaven."

"The most terrifying demon in this world doesn't come from hell." Mo whispered.

"It comes from the temple."

As the wind blew, the cold and lonely light in the distant sky gradually became blurred, as if swallowed by the darkness.

Xingluo slowly raised his hand, and the divine flame in his palm quietly ignited. He whispered:

"Tiffany, the evil you committed under the guise of light will be settled by the flames of time and space."

"With the hatred of all people, I will reforge the Divine Flame of Time and Space and burn away her hypocritical body."

Mo sighed. His former partner had now come to this point. He confirmed this information many times before realizing that Tiffany was never a human being, but a plaything of the gods. Her face had been distorted beyond recognition.