Chapter 1523: Each Side Wins and Loses

Chapter 1523: Chapter 1523: Each Side Wins and Loses

When the last soldier of the Mechanical Legion retreated from the battle circle outside Council City, the battle within the city had yet to completely end. There were still numerous Temple Knights fighting against their former comrades, revived by the Blood Curse. Witnessing this scene, Pei Yan recalled that these Blood Curse Puppets were not under Jiang Feiyang’s jurisdiction and required him to independently dispel them. Just as he was about to raise his hand to lift the curse, he saw Meilin gently lift his arm and point towards the battlefield. Although he didn’t exert much effort, the Holy Light Technique used by the Light Church Priest and Temple Knights below gained a qualitative leap in power. In almost an instant, the Blood Curses controlling the corpses were enveloped by an ocean of Holy Light, and the knights, devoid of the curse’s support, fell to the ground, reverting to their rightful appearances.

"Elemental Harmony!" Aleister couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as he observed his idol achieve such an outstanding effect with a spell of not particularly high level.

Pei Yan also greatly appreciated Meilin’s maneuver. Dispelling such a large-scale Blood Curse would usually require a high-level, large-scale Light Dispelling Spell. However, Meilin hadn’t taken that route. He merely amplified the light attribute within the essence around Council City and harmonized it with the spells cast by the Light Church, greatly increasing its power. With ease, he resolved the crisis that had left many priests in Council City in disarray.

As the skirmishes within the city gradually calmed, the cessation of battle cries made the fierce sounds in the air seem more jarring. In a confrontation at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao, even the slightest mistake could lead to eternal doom. Thus, no one dared to hastily call for a stop.

"It seems we really lack trust between us. To show sincerity, I will first have my people stand down. Can you guarantee that your people won’t continue to pursue?" Meilin said helplessly, observing the ongoing battle in the air.

"I can!" Pei Yan nodded, then turned and called out in Mandarin, "Gu Chu! Everyone, listen! As long as the people of Council City stand down, we will halt as well and focus on self-defense to prevent any ambushes. Do not pursue!"

After shouting this, Pei Yan gestured to Meilin, indicating he had given the order. Observing this, Meilin similarly had Aleister and Urban issue commands for everyone in Council City to stand down.

After a brief hesitation, the fighting crowd suddenly paused, with the Council City side swiftly adjusting their formations to retreat from the battle circle, while the Investigation Hall side cautiously adopted defensive stances to guard against potential deceit and counter-attacks.

The issuance of the two commands resulted in mixed feelings for both sides. One could gauge the battle’s dynamics by observing each party’s state post-fight.

On the Investigation Hall’s side, the fight was notably arduous for Zheng Jia Ru and Gu Shenghui, each taking on two and three opponents, respectively. At this moment, Zheng Jia Ru’s skin had transformed into scales, a clear initial manifestation of the effect from the Contracted Divine Beast’s symbiosis. Even so, his body bore seven or eight unhealed wounds, with the cut on his face being the most shocking. A deeper cut there might have rendered his right eye useless, and due to the enemy’s magic, these wounds were greatly slowed in healing.

In contrast, Gu Shenghui, who had to handle an extra opponent, performed far better than Zheng Jia Ru. This isn’t to say Gu Shenghui’s strength far surpassed Zheng Jia Ru’s, nor that his opponents were weaker! Instead, Gu Shenghui had a clearer view of both himself and the battlefield. He understood that he could not defeat three top-tier Heavenly Dao experts at the same time, so from the beginning, his objective was clear: to delay!

He preserved his strength, kept these three occupied, waiting for others to overcome their opponents and expand their gains thereafter. Moreover, Gu Shenghui’s supernatural abilities were diverse and bizarre, so he sustained far less damage compared to Zheng Jia Ru, who was focused on close combat and eager for victory and fame.

Beyond these two, the most intense battle pertained to Xia Yu. Her duel with Bedivere generated such commotion that it almost overshadowed all other fights. However, she was clearly dominating, and even as the fight wrapped up, she remained in a heightened state of excitement, yearning for more.

Aside from Xia Yu, Pei Jin also felt unsatisfied. Also dealing with three opponents, Pei Jin’s approach was far more aggressive than Gu Shenghui’s because it was her brother risking his life there, and how could she not give her all! Thus, she endured more injuries than Gu Shenghui. Once Hu Jiu joined, their collaboration exploded with immense combat power, and just as they were about to secure victory, Pei Yan forcibly hit the pause button. This made her feel not only unfulfilled but quite displeased.

On the Council City side, sentiments were similarly mixed. The two Round Table Knights opposing Zheng Jia Ru, Jiaheris, and Exeter, also suffered considerable injuries. Jiaheris’s arm had twisted out of shape from the battle; nonetheless, neither showed any intention to retreat, fighting with fervor. To them, they had already discerned Zheng Jia Ru’s limits, and with acceptable sacrificial costs, they were determined to finish Zheng Jia Ru here!

Not attacking the soul was Zheng Jia Ru’s greatest shortcoming, while for the Round Table Knights, forsaking their physical bodies was the least significant cost. If the Divine Artifact breaks and their host body perishes, killing Zheng Jia Ru here was, in Jiaheris’s eyes, a highly worthwhile trade. This wasn’t merely for Council City but also as revenge against Pei Yan and for avenging Boss.

On the other side, Gerald, who led a Holy Knight and Saint Violet Witch to encircle Gu Shenghui, was enraged. He failed to fulfill his vow to kill Gu Shenghui within ten minutes. Although he believed the goal was attainable, Gu Shenghui’s cunning and bizarre tactics far exceeded his expectations, repeatedly dismantling their joint attacks. Just when he thought he grasped Gu Shenghui’s combat pattern and was prepared to launch an assault, the battle abruptly ended.

These five weren’t content with the halting of the battle, but the remaining four were relieved the fight had concluded. The bloodstains trickling through cracked armor and heavy breathing from beneath a shattered helmet revealed Bedivere’s plight in the fight. Observing Xia Yu across from him, spirited and constantly shooting challenging glances, Bedivere sighed helplessly. This girl was progressing at a staggering pace, far beyond what he imagined! In this battle, he was entirely at a disadvantage, oppressed. Have I truly lived so long only to be overshadowed by this age?

Though Bedivere had the leisure to reflect on his long-lost life, elsewhere the situation was at a more urgent juncture.

"What did you do to her?" Hecate roared angrily at Pei Jin!