Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic
Chapter 917 - 917: Thunder and Cat

Creak~

On the tranquil water surface, the sound of the box lid opening was exceptionally clear. Suddenly, a pitch-black lightning leapt out from the gap. With a thunderous crack, Shard, who was initially standing on the water surface, was blasted dozens of meters away by the lightning, rolling several times on the water before coming to a stop.

"Meow~"

The cat on the shore watched Shard worriedly, as if the dense fog could not obstruct its sight.

"Oh, this is really something!"

The Moonlight Greatsword in his hand had already dissipated, and Shard, whose left sleeve was almost completely torn, trembled as he stood up. The black arcs of electricity jumped across his body a few times before quickly disappearing, and he spat out a mouthful of smoke from between his teeth.

The strike earlier was just the relic's own resistance, not a full-force hit. Additionally, since being struck by lightning last time, he had developed significant resistance to such attacks. Therefore, although he was paralyzed all over when he was blasted away, just like before, he was fine now.

"You actually have resistance to the power of my master!"

Because Shard had been blown away, the Great Sin Chain automatically disappeared. The Cultist regained mobility and stood up on the water surface, asking seriously:

"Who on earth are you?"

"Does it really matter? But if you're really seeking answers, it may be because I have received the favor of the Lord of the Crimson Spiral."

Shard spoke truthfully, squinting at the box in the fog. The brass-colored box now seemed covered with a layer of ghostly light, tempting Shard to obtain it.

"No, this time it's really just your own illusion, that is your greed."

"She" chuckled lightly to remind him.

"Crimson Spiral... you're one of them!"

Carl Leipzig was extraordinarily surprised, and Shard shook his head slightly:

"It's not important. Since I've encountered you once again, this time you absolutely won't escape."

"Do you really know what you're about to face?"

"Of course, I know, the strike of thunder."

Shard laughed:

"Thunder is a part of the Sun, I may fear the Sun, but I do not fear thunder. Compared to the true Sun, the thunder you hold is nothing but a bug under the Sun."

In the world's mysticism element classification, "Thunder" is not a basic element on par with others but rather an expression of Sun Power. Hence, Iluna's "Sunlight Gun" is the combination of burning light and crackling thunder.

This was a deliberate slander of the opponent's faith, knowledge Shard had gleaned from Mr. Edmund while inquiring about the Coldwater Port Three Evil Gods.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the believer of the Evil God Fury Storm displayed an angry expression, truly provoked:

"Blasphemer!"

He held the box aloft with his left hand and pressed the lid with his right, preparing to unleash the Divine Wrath Punishment. But at this moment, Carl Leipzig was not completely blinded by rage; he knew well that Shard was deliberately provoking:

"You know that once this Holy Relic is used, it will quickly attract the High Ring Sorcerers of the True God Church."

"So will you refrain from attacking me due to the possible presence of High Ring Sorcerers? By the way, although we followed the route of the two ladies just now onto the water, we can't hear the sounds of their battle at all. I think this fog can absorb sound."

Shard said, stuffing the last Ever-Youth Leaf into his mouth. Even though he couldn't find any information on the relic Divine Wrath Punishment, he was quite certain that the relic couldn't be used twice in short order. Once he survived the first time, the battle was effectively over.

The priest of the Church of the Storm suspiciously observed Shard, still poised to open the box lid. Seeing his opponent make no move, Shard chuckled softly and summoned the Moonlight Greatsword:

"Silvermoon Slash!"

The sword's glimmer cut through the water surface as smoothly as silk. The cultist swung his right hand forward, clashing the black lightning with the Silvermoon Arc. But behind the splash of exploding water, a pitch-black chain once again tore through the air to attack.

The man without eyebrows hurriedly sidestepped to dodge, but his heart was still startled. Even though he knew that opening the box meant falling into an unknown scheme of the opponent, he still lightly lifted the metal box lid after praying to Fury Storm:

He had to do this because his opponent was immune to the negative effects of Divine Wrath Punishment. With his Three Rings' strength, he was not enough to defeat his opponent:

"God, please bless me!"

Creak!

His right hand lifted the metal box lid, and as a brilliant golden light radiated from the box, a soul-stirring power swept across the entirety of Lake Schluch.

"What?"

All the Circle Sorcerers within the range of Lake Schluch felt a terrifying force sweeping through, but due to the white mist over the lake, this peculiar disturbance did not affect Lakeside Manor.

The surface of the lake, which rippled slightly, seemed to freeze in an instant under the splendid starry sky, with clouds solidifying along with Space-Time. The oppressive force from the sky caused Shard to remain rigidly still in his place. The dense mist in the lake region where they stood completely dispersed, revealing a starry sky as dark clouds rapidly covered the night over Lake Schluch, hiding the starry sky and the three bright moons.

The once still water surface rippled, and in an instant, as if a storm had arrived, black winds swirled around, and the trembling surface undulated like the waves of the ocean.

In the depths of the long night, a massive shadow stood at the horizon, its illusory outline seemed exceptionally real in Shard's eyes. The tumultuous roar of waves surged from all directions, mingling the sound of waves with countless intertwined prayers and curses, as if truly standing amidst a stormy sea.

The black clouds completely covered the sky, with leaping black arcs flashing within the clouds, and Shard felt clearly that he had been targeted.

"Finally, it's here."

Shard's face flushed with excitement at this moment.

"If you are willing to surrender and leave, I can forgo this strike."

Carl Leipzig, standing upon the lake, gritted his teeth and said. The use of this Relic was extremely burdensome for him as well, and the rapidly spinning ring behind him, impacted by pitch-black lightning, already showed vague cracks. His Sixth Sense warned him absolutely not to unleash this strike, yet the current situation compelled him to do so.

"Surrender? Oh, sir, I'm eagerly anticipating facing the brilliance of thunder! Because this is..."

Shard looked up at the black lightning in the clouds, facing the violent thunder brought forth by the Power of the Evil God, and inch by inch the fiery cracks glowed along his body. The warmth of the Fire of the Primordial comforted his soul, supporting his spirit to directly confront the brilliance of that thunder.

"...Power!"

The frog leg was casually tossed into the lake by Shard. He was already prepared to leap into the sky and face the thunder directly.

"You madman!"

"What happened?"

On Heart Lake Island in Lake Schluch, two disguised Grand Witches stood at the edge of the fog-shrouded island, looking up at the sky. Almost everyone within the dense fog had stopped in their tracks. The heart-stopping rumbles of thunder struck, and at this moment, no one dared to move carelessly.

Shard, crouching and ready to leap, didn't care how others perceived it. But there was a voice in his ear, "She" noticed something unusual:

[The target of that thunderbolt isn't just you.]

"He can target multiple at once, who else is targeted? Tifa?"

[No, maybe you should turn and have a look.]

Originally looking up at the thunder accumulating in the dark clouds, Shard was suddenly startled, turning his head to the lake shore. The fiery glow in the cracks of his eyes allowed him to clearly see the pathetic figure of Mia standing there.

He heard the cultists' manic laughter, listening to their taunts:

"Even if I don't know where you get your confidence, since you are confident to face the Divine Punishment of my Lord, what about the dog you took special care of?"

"You..."

The black lightning brewing with violent elements and spirit within the clouds, seemingly just a patch of rain clouds to the distant manor, appeared capable of turning everything here into scorched earth in Shard's eyes.

The silly cat seemed utterly unaware of the impending danger, still crouching with wide eyes staring at Shard on the lake surface, looking even more pitiful under the descending thunder. The light fell on the orange cat, in Shard's eyes, his entire world only had Mia about to face the thunder punishment.

"Mia..."

The dazzling lightning finally descended at this moment, a flash so bright it nearly rendered everyone watching momentarily blind.

To Shard, this second stretched infinitely, as he witnessed the black Divine Punishment thunder striking at his cat, the fleeting terror followed by a surge of rage due to the fear of loss made him feel as if time truly stopped at this moment.

Time had to stop because he was more than ten meters away from the shore, unable to use Lagre's Leap to block that thunderbolt. Even if the terrifying thunder caused the surface of Lake Schluch to shimmer with leaping lighting, causing an inexplicable sense of dread to spread instinctively in the entire Tobesk Southern Part, Shard realized in that instant—

Time had to stop, otherwise, he couldn't intercept the thunderbolt of Divine Punishment.

As the thunder descended, the clouds churned, and only after the lighting flashed did the booming sound follow. After the thunder strike, everyone inexplicably sighed with relief, only then realizing they had held their breath for a full half-minute.