“Dual Heaven Chanted Magic Manipulator, Healing Light, and the Crimson Magic of Autumn Unknown.”
Within the black thunder came the sharp appraisal of the Sword Saintess, and beneath the calm exterior was a hint of astonishment and admiration.
Sensitive Samimi immediately recognized that this Holy Words Holy Maiden was not the stubborn kind—in fact, she was one of the rare Saintesses who lacked the rigidity of devout orthodoxy.
Yet the more steadfast and pure their faith, the more likely they were to end up stationed here in the grimy Church Sewers, since the grand and resplendent Grand Church had no place to accept them.
The Predecessor Chief Seat Holy Maiden must have seen through some of this as well. She knew only a Saintess like Makima, a person with such presence, could lead everyone toward a bright future, so she handed The Book to Makima.
If these Holy Words Holy Maidens, with their power and thickheaded stubbornness, didn’t change, they’d spend their whole lives working away in the sewers.
“Strong, pitiful, and tragic Holy Words Nuns, today we’ve come to rescue you.” Samimi muttered in a whisper, careful not to say it too loudly.
Aside from the megalomaniac Saintess Makima, now there appeared the little woman Samimi and the scheming Seki Duo—so reform would depend on people like her.
“Let me see if your sword truly lives up to our title!” The Sword Saintess’s voice came warmly from the darkness.
But Samimi couldn’t pinpoint the other’s exact location; cloaked in the blackness, the voice echoed from all directions.
Her opponent was clearly anxious, so Samimi couldn’t play along—she simply wouldn’t use the Rain Domain Maiden’s fire magic, as holy arts held little advantage over Saint Magic Users.
“[Loathing Upon Loathing]”
As soon as she channeled magic to enchant her staff, it transformed into a glowing sword that swept out in a wild slash toward the front.
One after another, crescent-shaped moonlight blades tore through the air, slicing through the darkness and even capable of severing evil spirits.
The Sword Slope Girl immediately vanished from sight, hacked to pieces, imitating the dark, and raised her unique black Magic Shield to block the incoming magical onslaught.
“Senior, if you really are so cunning, you shouldn’t be dueling me in such a cramped space. You ought to be sparring with me in a far broader place,” Samimi commented.
“…,” For the first time, the Sword Saintess, who always spouted sharp words, fell silent.
“Back then, my sister Makima sent me to further my studies at the Continental Magic Academy. She basically sent me to my death. But I survived. In that Magic Academy, teeming with Elemental Factions, I founded the [Healing Society]. I battled apprentices of the Five Great Elements and possess rich experience in fighting Magic Users,” Samimi said calmly.
“…,” The Sword Slope Girl furrowed her brow, growing solemn and earnest.
“I’ve seen far stranger and more heretical Magic Users than you, people with a ninety-nine percent impenetrable defensive magic, or Magic Users who can transmute magic into flesh and blood. Heh, it’s the same principle as the Immortal King turning Blood Magic into oceanic power. Enough talk, show me your ultimate technique, otherwise you’ll lose your chance,” Samimi laughed.
“Don’t regret it,” said the Sword Saintess, her entire body shrouded in black mist, melting once more into the darkness.
To be honest, this kind of dominating magic was like a Small-Scale Domain—a truly rare magic.
Why call it small-scale? Because its pressure on enemies was limited—it could only seal the foe’s Emotion Sealing System.
If her black mist carried more added effects, then this would be a true magical domain.
What satisfied Samimi most was that the Sword Saintess truly understood power, not like those brainless, glory-hungry fools.
But even as a candidate facing the Examination Official Sea Intent, she was still quite the remarkable figure.
All the Black Aura began to retract and converge around the Sword Slope Girl, as in the pipes there emerged a unique Technique-Pattern Special Attribute, as strange and intricate as a religious rite.
Yet Samimi’s instincts screamed that she must interrupt the other’s incantation, or she’d be in real trouble.
However, there’s no meaning in winning by peeking at the Sword Saintess’s Title Ritual—winning like that isn’t satisfying; it might as well be a loss. Tonight, she must win fairly.
“[Initial Forbidden Vision].”
When all the Black Aura gathered at one point, a terrifying Black Rotating Torrent suddenly formed into a streak of magical black sword, splitting infinitely and shooting straight for Samimi.
Such a simple sure-kill move!
This technique was just a magic slash—Samimi could do it herself.
And yet, the simpler the technique, the scarier it was!
This was the true logic of magic in this world—those flashy advanced spells lacked this visceral impact.
Still, as before, the arena was too small, ill-suited to the Sword Slope Girl’s abilities.
Because Samimi could see that this Black Rotating Sword had immense plasticity and extension—it could absolutely twist, turn, and kill by surprise. But here in the pipe, it could only attack head-on.
“[Thorn Barrier] x3”
In a flash, Samimi grasped the key to breaking the move. She slapped her hands together, instantly conjuring three layers of dense Thorn Barriers, forming a thick defense that fully blocked the passage.
“Hah!” The Sword of Unseen Gaze pierced straight through the first Base of Foundation, its destructive force plain to see, boasting tremendous penetration.
This piercing power already surpassed the King of Scabbards’ fire tongs’ eighteen-blast volley, though in sheer destructive force, it still fell short.
“Chi!” The Sword of Unseen Gaze continued relentlessly, piercing through the second Base of Foundation with the same strength.
“Rrgh!” Yet, faced with the third Thorn Barrier, the Sword of Unseen Gaze’s magical power was nearly exhausted—it could not break through.
The Sword of Unseen Gaze was still connected to the torrent behind it, its source of magic—but suddenly, that source shrank considerably.
Truth be told, this spell didn’t even resemble a magic slash; it was completely unified with the caster, and that’s what gave it such power.
As the black spinning sea dissipated, what emerged was the Sword Saintess’s true form.
She didn’t say anything, yet it felt as if everything had been said.
If one insisted on attacking, one could probably break through the third Thorn Barrier, but would she be able to overcome the new, young Magic User behind it? Even the Sword Saintess couldn’t be sure.
“Examiner, how was my magic calculation? Accurate enough for you?” Samimi was sweating a bit, less at ease than she appeared.
“You passed,” the Sword Saintess turned away, her back exuding a certain allure as she silently walked off.
Samimi saw right through the Sword Slope Girl—a true researcher at heart.
The more serious she appeared, the more she was simply testing Samimi, just watching her performance.
Looks like she passed this round.
But at this rate, would she have to face another Holy Words Holy Maiden, pitting her life against theirs?
The Sword Saintess was one of the milder ones; though she looked the part of a mysterious member of the Black-Common Religion Shearing Soil, she was in fact a true Old Swords veteran.
The Rain Domain Maiden looked like a jokester.
That fiercely loyal Saintess—one glance and you knew she was a hardheaded, unreasonable type.
Neither of them seemed like rational people—they probably wouldn’t let Samimi pass easily.
“Sigh, here goes nothing,”
Samimi could only grit her teeth and venture deeper.
Yet as she reached the bottom layers of the sewers, the pipes here were surprisingly much cleaner than above, without all that unsettling junk.
The environment was no longer so unbearable; only a few iron pipes remained, though there were still inhuman design features that made Samimi, after several dead ends, a bit irritated.
One part battle, one hundred parts navigation.
Samimi wandered the maze for dozens of circuits before finally conquering the labyrinth. Along the way, she did not encounter any more ambushes from the Holy Words Maidens.
However, down here, the water was much worse—like it was always raining, though whether the water was clean or not, who could say?
Samimi was a little reluctant to press on, but at least she had her Magic Shield active, blocking out the deep water.
“The Blood Clan of Tang Migration—all Mountain Ghosts in that clan have a severe obsession with cleanliness. That’s why when we seal the Immortal King here, his activity is greatly diminished.”
As Samimi walked, someone suddenly started explaining things out of nowhere.
She stopped, turning toward the source of the voice.
There, the lively Rain Domain Maiden had appeared soundlessly behind her.
What is with you people? Are you trying to scare me?
You shouldn’t be Rain Domain Maidens—you should be stand-up comedians; you’d definitely be a hit.
“So, how do you plan to test me, Senior?”
Though she was ranting inwardly, Samimi kept her face calm and voice low, cautious in every move.
“I won’t test you. I’m a water-element Magic User; combat isn’t my strong suit. Since you made that Black Blade lunatic satisfied and got here in one piece, your fighting strength must be plenty. So, I have no tricks to test you with—I’m here to help,” the Rain Slope Maiden said with a bright smile.
“Help me?” Samimi asked, puzzled.
“Someone’s waiting for you below. If you end up losing to her, I’ll be in charge of healing you,” the Rain Domain Maiden said with a smile. “Come on, I’ll guide you.”
“Wow, thanks so much,” Samimi replied, with zero sincerity.
Just as she had suspected, the Rain Slope Maiden was simply a mischievous spectator.
Not that Samimi was qualified to judge—she herself was the same kind of person.
With the Rain Domain Maiden leading the way, Samimi was no longer in danger of getting lost—this time, she could proceed straight to the bottom of the Church Sewers.
Down here, there were no more nerve-racking labyrinthine pipes or construction platforms. Instead, it was a vast circular space supported by thick, pitch-black stone columns—another of those perplexingly designed structures.
The two of them weaved between the great black stone pillars until they reached the end of the Church Sewers.
There stood a deep, pitch-black stone door, engraved with sealing runes forged by the Mountain Ghosts of Ying Carving.
And on the sturdy ground all around, Samimi saw the remnants of countless Old Swords.
Those were one after another of broken, lifeless New Demon Swords, abandoned as if they’d been discarded there.
No doubt, this was the final battlefield of the Demon-Hunting Nuns.
A patch of Sword Relics left behind by their last stand.
“You’ve arrived.”