Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1404: The Weeper Appears Again

"How am I supposed to stay calm at a time like this?"

Shard quickly supported himself on the ground and flipped over to get up, then widened his eyes in disbelief, witnessing an impossible event described in textbooks.

The stone statue boy, who had devoured a human heart, extended his right hand, pointing his index finger in Shard’s direction. The dazzling silver spiritual light that could twist the soul of any normal person who glimpsed it, foretold the power of the strike.

On the opposite side, Mr. Thomas Granger, in soul status and robed, stood before Shard. He faced the finger emitting desecration aura head-on, extending his own right finger toward it. The golden, brilliant golden miracle aura was in no way weaker than the glow from the stone statue prepared for the Evil God’s descent.

The gale swept over the two beings that were anything but human, and the fierce collision of spirits and energy dragged out dazzling traces of light in silver and gold toward each of their respective masters, expressing incomplete eggshell-shaped shields of light before their faces.

The light of the Ring of Fate fully illuminated Shard’s surprised face. It wasn’t his Ring of Fate but the ring of the guardian—Mr. Thomas Granger. Complete, solid, and flashing with a four-color aura, the metallic Thirteen-Ring Life Ring appeared behind the soul amidst gale and darkness.

That ring’s light shone in the night like the sun atop the hill, illuminating the faces of everyone below, even calming the roaring winds and the trembling earth in an instant. But in the next moment, the raging wind brought back the power of the Evil God, the night was long, and this battle had only just begun.

"The Ring of Fate of a Circle Sorcerer’s spiritual body shouldn’t be a phantom, should it? Why is this solid?"

This was completely different from the common knowledge recorded in textbooks, also differing from the Ring of Fate of Circle Sorcerers in soul form that Shard had seen with his own eyes:

"Moreover, in the letter Mr. Granger left in the Church of the Forgotten, didn’t he claim he was just a Low Ring Sorcerer before he disappeared? There are indeed more Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers in the Material World than officially recorded by the Church... Wait, if the Chosen of the Earth was originally Thirteen Rings, even higher than Sister Delphine, then how did Luviya from Bygone Era: Sixth Era fail so many times... Could it be that the Stone Mirror Demon succeeded each time?"

However, this Thirteen Ring was clearly weaker in spirit than most Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers Shard had encountered.

No one at this moment knew Shard’s complex thoughts, and Shard noted that Mr. Thomas Granger’s Core Spirit Rune wasn’t the typical brass color Enlightenment Spirit Rune. Or rather, his three Core Spirit Runes were all not Enlightenment but Miracles: [Earth], Miracles: [Guardian], and Miracles: [Human].

"That’s completely expected."

Miracle Element and Desecration Element clashed atop the hill, yet Shard, even on the periphery, couldn’t approach for a moment. As the two colors stalemated briefly, with another strong earthquake occurring, the power on the stone statue boy suddenly intensified. Mr. Granger’s soul visibly darkened, and the opposing entity, though not a god, was definitely not an ordinary monster:

"Guardian, if you choose to believe in me, I am willing to transform you into my angel."

The boy spoke in a stiffened voice, while Mr. Granger’s voice was extremely weak and strained:

"Let your god say such words."

He held his left hand against his right wrist, stabilizing the miracle aura at his right fingertip:

"I swore to safeguard the Earth with all I have, something like you, lacking a heart, cannot comprehend."

"Just now, I acquired a heart."

"That is not your heart."

"Moonlight Wheel!"

The rotating Light Wheel slashed through the night sky, narrowly dodged by the stone statue boy as it arced through the air behind him, then surged back to strike the stone statue squarely on its back.

The stalemate was utterly broken. Mr. Granger seized the opportunity to grow out another arm from his spiritual body. From the fingertip of the newly grown right hand, the shining miracle aura again burst forth, overlaying with the initial, to transform into golden rays that pierced through the stone statue’s left shoulder. The stone statue boy could only temporarily retreat; he approached the still erupting "Black Mud Fountain".

"Huff~ Huff~"

At this time, Shard nearly became stained black by the descending mud. The accumulating mud below almost reached his ankles, while he felt his heart pounding intensely, yet staggered towards Mr. Granger.

The additional hand of Mr. Granger had disappeared, and he extended his regular hand, gesturing for Shard to cease moving forward:

"Today’s events have taken an unexpected turn, you should leave here first, I’ll handle things here."

"But..."

Shard glanced at the stone statue resembling a boy, its shoulder opening regenerating rapidly, with the silver desecration aura growing stronger than before. He wasn’t sure what this entity was but sensed its power rivaling the current state of Thirteen Rings Mr. Granger.

The Guardian didn’t allow Shard the chance to speak further; he advanced against the falling mud towards the statue, and the statue approached him. This time, neither extended their hands, as gold and silver spiritual lights burst directly from within their souls and the statue.

The power of miracles and desecration vaporized part of the mud beneath their feet, with the glow lighting the hilltop anew, prompting people fighting below the hill, worriedly to look over.

The situation was not improving. Surrounding the small hill, the late winter Dead Forest had almost turned into a sea of fire. Corrupted Elemental Giants, agitated by the power of the Evil God, underwent new changes, and the intense battle left the Church’s people too occupied to focus on the hilltop details, leaving only the Thirteen-Ring lady "Nightmare Sorceress" hovering in the sky, as though waiting for something.

"Guardian, you haven’t used all your strength."

On the hill, the stone boy spoke stiffly.

"To deal with you, I don’t need to use all my strength."

For some reason, Mr. Granger appeared even more powerful than before. He suddenly took another step forward, and with a cracking sound, a fissure appeared on the surface of the stone statue, forcing the stone boy to retreat.

"I will bury you in this hill, using your power to nourish the wounded earth."

"No, tonight you must give it your all."

The stone boy continued, his stiff voice showing no fluctuation. The stone statue was already standing on a heartless corpse, which was covered with black mud.

"Why?"

Mr. Granger asked earnestly.

"Because, there’s me too."

A fourth voice abruptly appeared at the top of the hill, a crimson light suddenly appeared in the lightless night sky, and then, like a falling star, it descended from the heavens, directly impacting Mr. Granger.

Shard wanted to rush up and use the Heaton Seal, but the stabbing pain in his heart made him a step slower.

"You’ve finally arrived!"

At the outskirts of the hill, the Church of Nature’s Thirteen-Ring Sorceress "Nightmare Witch" cast a spell, summoning a green light that formed a shield, blocking the light descending from the sky.

The silhouette within the light revealed its true form in mid-air—a man wearing a hat, a red coat, black leather shoes, and holding a metal cane appeared. His face carried a solemn expression, looking like a man in his forties, yet there was an inexplicable youthful aura about him.

Since his disappearance from the Old Continent last summer, the leader of the Blood Spirit School, "Weeper" Hermons, had finally appeared again, confirming the Church’s suspicions that he was also involved in the Randall Valley Incident.

Compared to last summer, the man in red seemed to have changed little. He scanned his surroundings in mid-air, finally gazing at Miss Maria of the Church of Nature:

"Greetings to you, ’Nightmare Witch.’ I remember our last meeting was when you expelled my school from the Old Continent. It’s been many years. How has your health been?"

He even tipped his hat in greeting, but the lady from the Church of Nature had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. She transformed into a stream of green light and charged forward, prompting Hermons to cease paying attention to the three on the hill. Just as before, he transformed into a burst of blood light and flew into the distance.

On the outskirts of the hill, the witch shattered the giant statue before her into rubble, then looked up at the two rays of light departing in the sky:

"Hermons’ injury healed in just half a year? Did they really find the Creation Chamber? When he appeared earlier, I was truly startled. Fortunately, the Guardian notified us in advance, and the Church also dispatched a Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer."

But the girl with purple eyes beside her was not as relaxed, frowning as she looked at the cards in her hand:

"The results of the divination are still off, very off, Miss Benanis, we need to prepare to assist Shard."

"Is this your backup?"

On the hill, amidst the interwoven gold and silver light and the clashing energies, Mr. Granger asked the stone boy, who answered with a stiff voice:

"Considering the influence the Church’s power might have, it’s necessary to lure away the Church’s Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer. There’s a relic out of control happening in the city, and no Thirteen-Ring can come to support within fifteen minutes."

"Mr. Granger, make it quick, I have a very bad feeling!"

Clutching his heart, Shard gritted his teeth and voiced the same warning as Luviya at the bottom of the hill. Mr. Granger pressed forward step by step, while the stone boy retreated step by step. When the stone boy finally retreated again in front of the Black Mud Fountain, he stopped:

"It’s enough."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Mr. Granger was puzzled, but still followed Shard’s advice, reaching out with his right hand to touch the statue’s chest. Destroy the heart of the sacrificial believer, and this statue would only be a statue.

"Before the first Randall Flower blooms, both I and my allies want to ascertain your true identity. So now, I need a mirror."