158: The Moon Extinguishes Its Light for You
A Destructive-rank turned to dust right before their very eyes!
There was no earthshaking battle, no loud commotion, and even more so, no unnecessary nonsense.
An hour of speechless silence later.
Buck, the Waning Crescent Apostle, head of the Inquisition Office, was a Destructive-rank transcendent being known as “Dead Kingdom”. He was one of the top forces of the Church of the Dome, yet just like that, he met his death so abruptly.
He was arguably at the peak of Norzin’s pyramid of power hierarchy, yet under the watchful eyes of many, he had died as casually as an insignificant minion.
The two massive explosions that killed two apostles in succession would be shocking to most, but it would still be within the laws of logic.
After all, there was such a huge disturbance, and all transcendent beings could see for themselves.
Anyone could have sensed the extent of the two explosions and could clearly see the devastation that leveled the Seventh Parish Chapel. At most, transcendent beings could understand why even the apostles couldn't withstand it.
After all, even if their combat prowess was multiplied several times, facing an attack of this degree would only result in death.
This kind of shock was the clearest understanding of the gulf between themselves and such immense power.
Yet there hadn't been any activity in this situation, and the terror of the unknown was what was truly frightening!
Right in front of everyone, without any aetheric fluctuations nor prior signs, a Destructive-rank had died without even putting up the slightest bit of resistance.
This meant that the foe had utterly crushed him!
Crushing a Destructive-rank… No, Buck's resurrection was equivalent to being backed by Pope Rodney, who would definitely utilize his powers to give Buck additional blessings.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was a half-step Supreme-rank.
But even so, Buck had died here. He hadn't even entered the doors of the bookstore. This was just too terrifying.
As a result, the onlookers were all shaking in fear, and they scattered like animals fleeing a forest fire, wishing they had more legs or even wings.
If they ran too slowly, there was no telling that they wouldn't end up the same way as Buck!
As such, Claude, who had arrived in a hurry with his men, stopped where he was and watched the transcendent beings that were running for their lives.
With an exasperated sigh, he ordered his men to capture a few of them.
These transcendent beings were too busy fleeing with their lives that they never imagined that a bunch of people from Secret Rite Tower would suddenly appear at this moment. They were unable to deal with it amidst the panic and were quickly contained and brought before Claude.
The few that were captured could clearly recognize the blonde youth before them and some had resentful looks, wondering who had snitched.
Others were anxiously wanting to run away, imploring their captors to let them run with pleading eyes.
Claude was not impressed by these bounty hunters, who made a living from bounty rewards and craved for the world to be plunged in chaos.
With a deadpan face, he interrogated them about the details, but his heart dropped when he learned that Buck was dead.
He was a step too late again!
But when he learned that Buck had died as delicately as the autumn leaves in the wind, he unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
Claude couldn’t help but look around and noticed that the houses in the surroundings were completely undamaged.
Boss Lin was truly a man of his word. He really didn't create a scene, and there wasn't so much as a scratch on the surrounding buildings.
Compared to the scene of the last great catastrophe, the technique this time was as gentle as spring rain.
However… From the way Buck died, it seems that Boss Lin had no need to make a big fuss over dealing with a Destructive-rank.
This wasn't even an opponent of the same level.
When Claude approached the bookstore, he found the shop’s windows tightly shut and lights off. The surrounding buildings were all in the same state, meaning that the occupants inside were sleeping.
Looks like Boss Lin was disturbed while he was sleeping and got grumpy from being woken up.
So, without even saying a word, he simply crushed the big one, and in the meantime, deterred those small insects circling around.
I guess I shan't disturb him either, I’ll just come back in the daytime when the bookstore is open for business.
Claude glanced at the bookstore and reckoned he should go along with what he thought.
Although he was currently standing beside the bookstore, it was the owner of the bookstore who had called for him to come over a call.
But there was no guarantee Claude could handle the bookstore owner in his state of morning irritation, and he certainly didn't want to be dealt with as well…
Things probably wouldn't reach a point where it would be life-threatening, but it was perhaps not a good idea to visit now.
Just so happens that we are able to round up some of these bunch that have gathered. I undoubtedly saw a few wanted criminals that were probably trying to blend in and take advantage of the situation… That sort of counts as an achievement, I guess.
Claude called his men over to assign tasks and got them to move on their own, reminding them to reassure any alarmed citizens.
Still in thought, he muttered to himself, “So that’s what Boss Lin meant when he said ‘Theirs was a weak and powerless side and the situation was extremely dangerous,’ and he needed help from the police."
In the eyes of Boss Lin, those bounty hunters that ran away in panic weren't part of the vulnerable people who needed help.
It was true that they were in an extremely precarious situation having to face such a terrifying presence like Boss Lin’s.
Thus, he hoped that Claude could rush over and catch them before they could escape far.
When not making any moves, Boss Lin was, as expected, really friendly and considerate.
Teacher and the special assessor sent by the council of elders didn't judge wrongly indeed.
But to his enemies, Boss Lin is truly a monster.
Claude cast his gaze towards the sky above. It was there that the Waning Crescent Apostle, Buck, was completely eradicated.
Then on, the night sky was empty, with nary a trace left behind.
According to eyewitnesses, there hadn't been any aetheric fluctuations at all…
Claude inhaled deeply, his gaze focused, and exhaled slowly. What exactly was that level of technique?
The reason why the Truth Union had assigned the rankings of Abnormal-rank, Pandemonium-rank, Destructive-rank, and Supreme-rank was that up till now, only transcendent beings of this level existed in Azir, and no one has been able to go any higher.
He now had some understanding why the council of elders had remained closed off till now, most likely deliberating on how to deal with and reach out to the bookstore owner… Perhaps what they really wanted to achieve was that level which didn't exist.
Rodney spat out a mouthful of blood, his face riddled with disbelief.
He stared at the staff in his hand… This time round, it didn’t melt. On the contrary, there was nothing unusual with the lunar ornaments on it, except that the faint glow that emitted like moonlight had dimmed.
At the same time, he felt his connection with the moon's divine power was completely severed.
And on top of the consecrated altar, the writhing silver placenta contracted violently, as if letting out the sharp cries of a baby as it was being ripped apart and gushed out a huge amount of blood.
A tumor-like piece of flesh on the placenta burned up into a charred black layer.
Rodney, with his eyes wide with anger, threw himself at the sacrificial altar.