Chapter 129: Chapter129-Sophia Winchester
With this resolve, John's Eclipse Staff began to shine with golden and yellow lights, quickly intertwining.
Soon, a suit of yellow armor adorned with golden patterns manifested on him.
At the same time, a blood-red longsword appeared in his hands, seemingly from nowhere.
"Gold Mail Armor!" "Bloodthirsty Blade!"
John's eyes gleamed with a bloody light, as a furious aura of blood erupted from him.
"Blood Rage!" "Bloodthirst!" "Frenzy!"...
Multiple augmenting skills overlaid, causing John's aura to skyrocket under the astonished gazes of Fire Badger, her companions, and Sebastian.
"Boom!"
A wild surge of energy radiated from John as the epicenter, scattering stones and dust in a tempestuous whirlwind.
In the blink of an eye, his strength reached a terrifying level.
Additionally, massive blood-red wings unfurled behind him, with the silver light of the moon constantly flickering around him.
"Wing of Blood!" "Moonshadow!"
The dual enhancement of magic and strength enveloped John in a dark red mist.
Even the feathers of the Wing of Blood turned a dark red, making his entire being resemble a demon god descended upon the earth.
The raging aura swept across the area, creating a whirlwind that lifted stones and debris, blinding those who dared to look directly.
The only clear sight was John's blood-red eyes, a mix of brutality, madness, and murderous intent.
Merely making eye contact instilled a profound sense of dread.
Watching John at this moment, everyone present felt their breath catch in their throats.
In just a few moments, John seemed to have transformed into a completely different person.
No one could believe that the figure before them was the same silver-tier magus they had seen just moments ago.
Astonishment filled Sebastian's eyes, for even with his vast experience, he had never encountered such an aberrant individual.
John, however, paid no heed to such reactions.
His focus intensified, eventually condensing to a singular point.
In John's vision, strands of black lines emerged faintly visible.
These black lines, densely interwoven, faintly outlined Sebastian's figure.
John had to discern Sebastian's vulnerabilities within these lines to deliver a fatal blow.
Since mastering the Godslayer Blade, this was his first attempt at employing this mystical technique.
Each use of the Godslayer Blade inflicted significant harm upon the user's body, making John hesitant to employ it recklessly, thus he was uncertain of success.
John's mind power furiously scanned through the myriad of complex lines, eliminating countless incorrect ones.
Finally, near Sebastian's head, John identified several drifting red strands – Sebastian's weak spots.
John's gaze sharpened, as all his power began to converge upon the Bloodthirsty Blade in his hand.
Subsequently, a fine, dark red lightning surged along the Bloodthirsty Blade.
This lightning, unlike the purple lightning seen on others, was not as mighty.
However, it possessed terrifying potency in its own right.
Success!
A look of surprise and elation appeared in John's eyes, astounded that his first activation of the Godslayer Blade had been successful.
Now, it was time to test its power.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes became incredibly piercing.
In the next moment, a black mist emerged around him, and his figure abruptly vanished.
When he reappeared, John was already behind Sebastian.
"Shadow Puppet!"
Without hesitation, he ferociously swung his long blade towards Sebastian's head.
The dark red glow of the Bloodthirsty Blade was not blinding, nor was its speed exceptional, yet it filled Sebastian's eyes with a terror he had never felt before.
An unmatched shadow of death enveloped him, rendering his body as rigid as a statue.
His eyes widened in horror at the sight of the blade descending upon him, but he found himself incapable of dodging.
The Bloodthirsty Blade passed through the air in a flash.
"Pff!"
A head soared into the air, the disbelief and confusion still evident in Sebastian's eyes, as if he could not comprehend what had just occurred.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, dark red lightning exploded within his severed head, with terrifying energy bursting from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
The potent force shattered all surrounding glass into dust.
Glass shards danced in the air as Sebastian's head was obliterated mid-flight by the power of the Godslayer Blade, leaving not a trace behind.
The bizarre insects on the ground stiffened momentarily before exploding into clouds of blood mist.
John stood silently with his long blade in hand, his demeanor calm.
Yet, the way Fire Badger and the others looked at him was as if they were beholding a deity.
Bone Claw swallowed hard, murmuring, "This guy…"
He struggled to find the words to describe the scene before him and the person that was John.
It was, indeed, beyond his comprehension.
A silver-tier cutting down a diamond-tier with a single strike!
Even in the 130-year history of the Federation, such occurrences were exceedingly rare.
Yet, this scene had unfolded right before their eyes, leaving them utterly astounded.
Fire Badger and Giant Elephant exchanged looks, seeing the bitter smiles in each other's eyes.
Now, they understood the gap between themselves and a true genius.
However, they soon noticed something amiss.
John remained standing still, without a single movement.
Just as they wondered if he was trying to act cool, a gentle breeze passed, causing John's figure to sway and nearly collapse to the ground.
Fortunately, Fire Badger was close enough to catch him in time.
The sight that greeted them as they looked at John's current state made them involuntarily gasp.
Starting from the hand that held the blade, a network of crimson cracks spread across his entire body like a spider web.
The mere act of Fire Badger catching John caused those wounds to seep copious amounts of blood, quickly staining her white clothing red.
He seemed like a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering, where the slightest touch could cause him to crumble.
It became clear to them that John's defeat of Sebastian, while seemingly effortless, had come at a great cost.
Fire Badger's gaze turned vacant, never having expected that someone they had only met once would risk his life for them.
Giant Elephant fell silent too.
Bone Claw looked at John with a complex expression, sighing, "I'll remember this favor. I owe you my life."
John's lips twitched slightly.
His voice was as faint as a whisper, "Could you... please call someone over quickly? If it's any later... I might actually die..."
The trio paused, quickly turning their attention to John.
They realized that although John's wounds were severe, they weren't fatal.
The group felt a bit embarrassed, having thought John was on the brink of death, especially given his blood-soaked appearance.
Fire Badger swiftly took out her badge, calling for rescue from the Hidden Stars headquarters.
John's breath was faint, but he still clung to consciousness.
He had overestimated his physical resilience and underestimated the backlash from the Godslayer Blade.
Had it not been for Yina's last-minute intervention, using the power of the Stellar God to protect his internal organs, and the Blood Absorption technique siphoning off some of Sebastian's life force, John might have already perished on the spot.
Yina, within the Contract Space, was fuming, her face flushed with anger.
She yelled, "Next time you decide to kill yourself, could you give me a heads up so I can start looking for a new host earlier?"
John's lips twitched, but he lacked the strength to respond.
The Godslayer Blade had drained not only his physical strength but also his mind power and life essence.
It was a desperate move, not to be used lightly unless absolutely necessary.
He had been too confident this time; unless it was absolutely necessary, John vowed never to use this mystical technique again.
Mainly, because it was too painful, feeling as if his entire body was being torn apart.
After Fire Badger finished calling the headquarters, it wasn't long before terrifying sonic booms echoed in the sky.
Three dazzling streaks of light, like meteors slashing through the heavens, rapidly approached their location.
Surprisingly, the first to arrive was a little girl who appeared to be only seven or eight years old.
With her fair skin, youthful face, and delicate features, she was dressed in a lavish silver-white gown, crowned with a beautifully crafted golden star ring, and her golden hair trailed on the ground.
Her silver-white eyes seemed to swirl with stars, shining as brightly as a stellar ocean.
Upon witnessing the dire aftermath of the battle and the condition of John and his companions, she frowned slightly, her figure instantly appearing beside John.
Before Fire Badger and the others could react, the girl's tender fingers lightly touched John, enveloping him in a golden glow.
Astonishingly, the wounds on John that had been profusely bleeding ceased in just a few breaths, and the dense network of cracks on his body healed visibly to the naked eye.
Fire Badger and her companions exchanged bewildered glances, uncertain of the identity of this person before them.
It was then that Vincent, carrying a long spear, and Emily, dressed in the Hidden Stars uniform, hurried over.
Upon seeing the little girl, they too paused in surprise before promptly approaching with respect, greeting, "Principal Winchester!"