Lord of Prayer

They were Light Sabers made of oil paint, yet they radiated a scorching heat.

Dozens of Holy Light Swords darted through the air like a school of fish, sending out wave after wave of golden halos that purified all the corruption in the area. The Corrupters’ bodies on the ground began to smoke, like snow under the sun, and rapidly burned away into charred remains.

No matter how formidable "Siegfried’s" Corrupter body was, it was still a Corrupter and thus weak to Holy Light. The steel scales on his body quickly turned red-hot and billowed black smoke. As dozens of Holy Swords locked onto him, an intense, prickling pain spread across his skin, as if he were about to be riddled with holes.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Jade-green vines made of oil paint appeared. As thick and tough as steel cables, they writhed and intertwined, twisting madly like tentacles in a chaotic frenzy as they shot toward Zhou Chen. Simultaneously, several more vines sprouted from the ground beneath him, binding his legs and growing rapidly in an attempt to form a cage and trap him.

Zhou Chen tapped his Magic Wand, and the vines binding his legs turned into a pile of sand. The dark red Calamity Flame covering his body flared, transforming him into a sinister, dark red Flame Demon.

With a grinding of steel and a shower of sparks, the Steel Wings on his back unfurled to a span of nearly ten meters. He gave a powerful flap, and flames erupted. A dense barrage of steel feathers shot out like a curtain of bullets, colliding with the incoming Holy Light Swords in a deafening ROAR and exploding into a series of blinding Fireballs. The feathers also sliced the cable-like vines to pieces, and the Calamity Flame incinerated the fragments, reducing them to charred paint.

Without hesitation, Zhou Chen stomped his foot. The ground caved in with a BOOM, leaving a deep crater. He charged toward the direction the voice had come from. ’That’s probably where the "Painter’s" real body is hiding!’

Sure enough, a figure had appeared there at some point. The air behind them rippled like the surface of water; it seemed the "Painter" had been using some special method to hide in the area all along.

Seeing Zhou Chen charge, the "Painter" raised a paintbrush and swiped at the air. The earth trembled, and a Rock Wall erupted from the ground.

BANG!

Like a cannonball, Zhou Chen smashed straight through the Rock Wall, only to slam head-on into a Metal Spike Wall covered in sharp thorns. He was moving too fast to do anything else and could only tense his body for the impact. The coldly glinting spikes instantly pierced his torso, sending a shower of blood into the air and leaving ghastly holes in his body. But a moment later, the entire spike wall shattered from the force of the collision.

Using that brief opening, the "Painter" created some distance and slashed a crimson Blood Cross toward Zhou Chen through the air.

Two slits suddenly split open on Zhou Chen’s face, revealing a second pair of eyes. Their pupils were a lifeless, grayish-white. This was an Ability he had acquired after devouring the four-eyed Corrupter from before, called "Twisted Air."

Silently, the air before him distorted violently, as if a flat sheet of paper were being crumpled into a ball. The crimson Blood Cross was caught in the distortion and redirected. With a loud RUMBLE, a massive red X appeared on a hundred-meter-tall office building in the distance. The part of the building within the X was instantly hollowed out, its structure turned to dust. The "Painter’s" Extraordinary Abilities were shockingly destructive.

Using the Twisted Air, Zhou Chen crossed a hundred meters in an instant, appearing right in front of the "Painter."

’Is this another Clone? Doesn’t matter. I’ll kill it first and worry about it later...’ Zhou Chen treated his Magic Wand like a Cavalry Lance and thrust it forward. With a sickening SQUELCH, it pierced the "Painter’s" throat.

Even with their throat pierced, the "Painter" showed no alarm. Their eyes, burning with fury, stared death at Zhou Chen—or rather, at "Siegfried."

’The plan had been proceeding perfectly. We were just one step away from disabling the Royal Tower’s Defense Array, which would have allowed us to corrupt the core of the Overthrowing Matrix and complete our mission. But no one could have imagined that "Siegfried" had infiltrated our ranks. Not only did he know our plan, but he chose the most critical moment to strike, activating the Any Door’s locator and allowing the Star Association to regain control.’

’Siegfried" single-handedly ruined the entire plan!’

’How infuriating!’

The resentful look in the "Painter’s" eyes faded as their body deflated, turning into a thin sheet of drawing paper. It was another Clone. The humanoid paper immediately caught fire from the intense heat radiating off Zhou Chen’s body, burning to ash.

SPURT!

Suddenly, a spray of blood erupted from Zhou Chen’s throat. A piercing wound had appeared, identical to the one he had just inflicted on the "Painter’s" Clone.

’This Clone curses its attacker...’ Zhou Chen figured it out almost instantly. He calmly touched his bleeding throat, then tapped it lightly with his Magic Wand to heal the wound. At the same time, he repaired the other ghastly injuries on his body.

’I have to admit, the "Painter" is pretty devious. A trick like that would be a death sentence for any unprepared Ascender. Unfortunately for them, a Corrupter’s Life Force is even more tenacious than a cockroach’s. The higher their rank, the harder they are to kill. Even if this body were down to half a head, it could still function. What would be a fatal wound to a human is just a flesh wound to this thing.’

’I wonder where the "Painter’s" real body is. It must be nearby, not too far...’ Zhou Chen scanned his surroundings, on guard for a potential attack.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a spot in the distance. Over thirty figures had appeared at the base of the Royal Tower. He was slightly startled once he recognized them.

They weren’t from Fallen Paradise or the Abyss Church. They were high-ranking officials of the North Carolina Government!

Zhou Chen had seen portraits of the government’s top officials. He recognized the vice president, Minister of Defense, attorney general, and secretary of the treasury, among other key figures. There were also a dozen lavishly dressed former members of the royal family—men and women, young and old—huddled in the center of a tight circle of guards. They seemed to be of the direct royal bloodline.

They had survived the initial disaster thanks to the protection of the Light-Burning Barrier. But with the Barrier collapsing and the Abyss invading, they would die sooner or later if they didn’t find another way to save themselves.

Judging by the situation, their solution was to take refuge inside the Royal Tower.

The Royal Tower was a High-Level Extraordinary Artifact protected by numerous Defense Arrays. Breaching it would take a significant amount of time. However, as the tower’s owners, the government officials surely had a backup plan—a way to open a safe passage inside.

Zhou Chen had a bad feeling and immediately flapped his wings, rocketing toward them.

「At the base of the Royal Tower.」

"Hurry up! Isn’t it done yet? We could be attacked at any moment!" a chubby young man with an arrogant face, dressed in traditional North Carolinian noble attire, urged impatiently, stomping his foot in anxiety.

"Almost! Just one more bloodline verification is needed. It has to be a pure royal bloodline," the Minister of Alchemy said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. He was trembling with nervousness; they were in a race against death where the slightest mistake would mean utter doom.

"Move aside. I’ll do it." A young man pushed his way to the control panel. He was a legitimate heir of the North Carolina Royal Family, a direct descendant of a former North Carolina Emperor. Had it not been for this chaos, he would have been a strong contender for the presidency in ten years.

"Don’t! Stop!" A noblewoman in the crowd suddenly went pale and rushed forward to grab the young man, but she was a step too late. He had already placed his index finger on the control panel. After a slight prick, the blood sample was collected.

"BEEP! Verification failed!"

The young man froze.

"Did the scanner malfunction?"

"Impossible... How could something like this break down..."

"Huh? Then doesn’t that mean..."

Everyone realized that if the scanner wasn’t broken, there was only one other possibility.

"You damned adulteress!" an elderly man in a wheelchair roared, his face contorted with fury. He looked as if he wanted to strangle the noblewoman with his own hands, but now wasn’t the time. "Get out of the way!" he snarled. "Push me over there!"

A guard pushed the old man’s wheelchair to the control panel. The young man, still frozen in disbelief, was ruthlessly shoved aside. The sudden, drastic turn his life had taken nearly shattered him. He wasn’t of the noble North Carolina Royal Family bloodline—he was the product of an affair!

"BEEP! Verification successful!"

A doorway materialized on the wall of the Royal Tower. Forgetting everything else, the people scrambled and pushed their way inside. In less than ten seconds, they had all transferred through, and the doorway began to slowly close.

In the distance, Zhou Chen raced toward them, his heart pounding. He had been keeping count of the high-ranking officials. At first, there were only thirty-eight people, but forty had entered the Royal Tower!

’Two extra people slipped in unnoticed!’

’It was obvious they had to be infiltrators from Fallen Paradise or the Abyss Church!’

Seeing the doorway about to close, Zhou Chen gritted his teeth and accelerated again, transforming into a streak of dark red light. He shot through the entrance and into the Royal Tower at the very last second.