Sword of Salvation-Chapter 77: - Gods of Seven Sins (4)

After successfully injuring Lergen several times, though not as severely as the first time, Celinee had lost the element of surprise in her attacks.

Of course, her strikes were still unpredictable, and she could still inflict wounds when using her time frame ability. However, the doctor had become increasingly prepared to receive each assault.

Celinee projected another time frame, and then clicked her tongue as her left hand managed only to graze Lergen’s stomach. The doctor was becoming more adept at evading her attacks.

The situation would have been much better if Celinee could project more than one time frame in succession. That way, she could replay the events that had severed both of Lergen’s hands and slashed his chest. However, she could only project one time frame at a time—and it couldn’t be used consecutively without pause.

"Kukuku. Without a weapon that can match the hardness of your skin, my efforts are futile. No matter how accurately I predict what kind of time frame you’ll project, I can’t block your attacks. I can only dodge."

"In that case, stay still and let me pierce your heart!"

Lergen laughed as he repelled Celinee with a wave of fire.

"Can you use unification mode?" the doctor asked once Celinee’s feet were back on solid ground. "I doubt you can, but your spirit’s presence has become clearer than before. I suppose it’s time we take this fight to the next level."

Without waiting for the ninja’s response, an intense surge of prana erupted from Lergen’s body.

Allowing the doctor to enter unification mode would be foolish. Celinee was not a fool. She immediately used her spirit power to project a time frame. In an instant, she was behind the doctor—their positions now near the door.

However, projecting the time frame didn’t stop Lergen from releasing even more prana. He didn’t even seem to care about his current situation.

Celinee didn’t waste even a single second. She thrust her left hand forward, aiming to pierce Lergen’s back. But—

"Devour the world within your grasp, Gluttony King Beelzebub."

—she was 0.1 seconds too late.

Just before her left hand could penetrate the doctor’s back, a shockwave struck her with immense force.

Celinee was flung backward, crashing hard into the wall. She was fortunate that her skin, harder than diamond, significantly reduced the impact. Otherwise, she would have felt pain in her back.

"Now it’s your turn."

Celinee’s eyes refocused on the owner of the voice.

Lergen had fully entered unification mode. A pair of jet-black angelic wings spread from his back. Two green horns jutted from either side of his forehead. His irises had also changed—they were now an even deeper green than the ten-centimeter-long horns.

The being standing several meters before the ninja was no longer an opponent she could handle.

Celinee gritted her teeth. This is not a good situation, she thought, furrowing her brows.

"Kukuku. It seems you still can’t do it. Oh well. I’ll just have to push you to the brink of death. If your spirit still refuses to grant you access to its power, then that simply means death is your fate."

Celinee snorted and pushed herself to her feet. However, before she could move, Lergen was already in front of her, his fist slamming into her abdomen. He had become faster.

Unlike before, this time, Lergen’s punch sent a violent shock through Celinee’s body. Her mouth opened in a sharp cry of pain. Even her spine throbbed with discomfort. It wasn’t just the pain—the sheer force behind the blow also shattered the wall behind her.

The farthest wall of the laboratory collapsed, leaving a gaping hole that revealed the outside of the cave.

Lergen stood still, watching as his experimental subject was sent flying out of the cave, crashing through tree after tree. She only came to a stop after breaking eight of them.

Lergen took a step forward, slowly walking through the massive hole.

He did not quicken his pace. His steps were deliberate, giving the ninja time to stand back up. Being in unification mode had exponentially increased his power. The woman’s hardened skin could no longer offer her any real protection.

Gluttony King Beelzebub was one of the seven guardians of Tartaros, one of the seven gods representing the great sins. His power could not be compared to that of other gods. Not even the king of the gods could match them. Because of that, the woman would die if she didn’t enter unification mode as well.

Lergen had no intention of holding back.

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

"Are you sure you want to keep listening to me?" Livera asked, glaring sharply at the young man who had slammed her to the floor. "Your friend will die if you don’t help her as soon as possible. I can feel that Lergen has already entered unification mode. Your friend won’t be able to last much longer."

"Continue," Mariel said with a blank expression. "You said Lergen is only pretending to obey Great Human Council. Tell me, what does he know about them and the World Order?"

-----[ ooOoo ]-----

After lying on the ground covered in dead leaves for dozens of seconds, the ninja stood up again. The pain in her body had likely disappeared, and her regeneration ability ensured she no longer had any internal injuries.

However, Lergen did not allow her to take a step.

Before she could even look at him, the doctor was already in front of her, his leg raised. She was startled again, but the shock only lasted for a few milliseconds. Lergen’s right foot struck the left side of her head with immense force.

This time, the doctor didn’t let her get thrown far. His wings flapped, and in an instant, he had already shot past the ninja. Lergen struck her hard, sending her flying upward. Then, he clasped his hands together and unleashed a massive fireball upward, intercepting the falling ninja.

"Use your spirit power," Lergen commanded as his super-massive fireball collided with her body.

Of course, he knew that his fire wasn’t hot enough to burn the ninja’s tough skin. But he didn’t care. After all, the flames weren’t meant to hurt her—they were meant to send her even higher into the air.

The moment she reached the highest point the fireball could carry her before dissipating, Lergen flapped his wings and shot into the sky. In a blink of an eye, he was already above the ninja. Clenching both fists together, he gathered all his strength and slammed them down onto her helpless back.

The woman plummeted like a falling meteor. The impact of her crash into the ground was so loud that Lergen could hear it clearly. When he descended and stopped a few meters above her motionless, facedown body, he noticed that she had reverted to her human form.

"Kukuku. It seems I set my expectations too high, huh?"

Lergen sighed in disappointment, but then he laughed again—as if he wasn’t truly disappointed at all.

"Oh well. Like I said, if you can’t enter unification mode, then that means you’re destined to die tonight." Lergen conjured a spear of fire in his right hand. "Don’t hate me, kukuku. Hate the world for making you die before you can fulfill your ambitions!"

Without hesitation, Lergen hurled his fiery spear with great force. The spear grew larger, shooting forward at high speed before—whusss!—it struck the ground with a deafening crash.

In her human form, there was no way the ninja could have survived. However, the spear did not hit her. Her body had vanished milliseconds before the fire spear could pierce her body.

Lergen’s eyes darted left and right, but he couldn’t find any trace of the woman. He turned slightly to confirm her location. However, before he could do so, his movement stopped abruptly. An immense surge of energy radiated clearly from dozens of meters above him.

When the doctor looked up, his green eyes locked onto a pair of piercing blue eyes staring down at him.

"Kukukukukukukuku...."