229: Onion Brother appears

As everyone pondered in confusion, a clear chant echoed from the passage outside the stone door.

"My Lord in Heaven, please, with Your light, recall the poor souls lost and bewildered by evil..."

The voice was clear and magnetic, reverberating like a morning bell in the gloomy passage.

As the last syllable fell, three azure halos suddenly appeared around Ernest! Ancient runes were etched on the halos, emitting a pure and sacred light.

"This is..." Lloyd's eyes widened.

The halos slowly rotated, and Ernest's collapsing body seemed to be put on pause; the process of dissolution abruptly stopped!

"Church Divine Word?!" Noel exclaimed.

At the end of the passage, a slender figure slowly walked in.

He wore a white, jacket-style priestly robe, his green hair stood up like flames, and gentle yet resolute light flickered in his emerald eyes.

"Excuse me for the interruption, everyone," the young man's voice carried an apology, yet remained composed, "There's no time; I must deal with this immediately. Could I trouble you all to make way?"

Lloyd and the others instinctively cleared a path.

As the young man reached Ernest's body, a painful groan erupted again.

"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Hmm, just one step away from complete collapse, then," the young man concluded with a glance, "However, it seems he gritted his teeth and held on for a while."

"His luck isn't bad; he might just be saved."

The young man nodded slightly, then turned and raised his right hand, bending his arm back to his chest. As he made his move, an intricately patterned blue and white magic circle appeared at his feet.

"Oh, Azure Mark shining in my abyss..."

As the young man uttered the first line, a windmill-like carving composed of three outward-pointing spears instantly appeared behind him. The carving emitted an azure blue light, seemingly possessing healing power.

Lloyd and the others, bathed in the light, felt the fatigue and minor injuries from their battles with monsters along the way vanish.

"Please transform into light to dispel the dark miasma, and guide the lost!"

Buzz—

Azure light poured down like flowing water, completely enveloping Ernest. Purple-black mist was forcibly expelled from Ernest's pores, making a "sizzling" sound in the holy light, like burning filth.

"Ah ah ah—" Ernest let out a painful howl, but his voice gradually became "normal." The demonized roar faded, returning to a human vocal tone.

His body also began to change; the dissolving skin gradually healed, and the bone wings dissipated like phantoms...

A dozen seconds later, the light faded.

Lying on the ground was a restored human-shaped Ernest. Although still covered in wounds, at least he was no longer in that terrifying demon form.

"Is... is it over?" Noel asked softly.

"He, he's back to normal?" Lloyd looked at Ernest lying on the ground, pleasantly surprised, "How is his condition?"

The young man withdrew his hand, and the light of the Stigma slowly extinguished: "Yes, he's temporarily stable."

He knelt down for a brief check, then stood up and turned to Lloyd: "He's just unconscious; he'll probably be out for a few days, but there's no danger to his life."

"Of course, to be safe, it's best to send him for medical treatment. There should still be some minor injuries and such."

"That, that's great..." Lloyd let out a long breath, and Noel beside him also relaxed.

"Let's not talk about that for now." Dudley, though still in shock, relied on his professional instinct to question this second uninvited guest, "Who exactly are you?"

"You look like a Septian Church priest, but why are you in a place like this?"

The young man blinked, looking at Arios with some surprise: "You didn't tell them about me?"

Arios shrugged: "Because you said you didn't know if you could make it in time, and your identity needs to be kept secret, so to be safe, I didn't tell them beforehand."

"I see, thank you." The young man seemed to put down some worry upon hearing Arios's words, "Oh my~ You're still so thoughtful~"

"Heh, you too." Arios's usually calm tone uncharacteristically carried a hint of ease and cheerfulness, "Thank you, it's great that you could come and help."

"Hmph, it seems you secretly prepared a backup plan."

Dudley adjusted his glasses and, after a moment's thought, deduced the identity of the person before him, "If I'm not mistaken, you are a Dominion Knight belonging to the Septian Church's Congregation for the Sacraments, aren't you?"

Lloyd and Noel exchanged glances: "Dominion Knight?"

"I remember they're involved in recovering ancient artifacts..." Lloyd suddenly recalled something and cast an inquiring look at the young man.

"Haha, you've seen through me," the young man smiled slightly, placing his right hand over his chest in a standard Septian Church bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kevin Graham, a Dominion Knight of the Stellard Knights, affiliated with the Septian Church. I received a message from Mr. Arios and have come as agreed."

Kevin Graham had just finished his introduction when Lloyd suddenly noticed a problem.

"Wait..." He looked around, "Where did Topaz go?"

Only then did everyone notice that Topaz, who had been standing nearby moments ago, had vanished without a trace.

Noel looked around in surprise: "Topaz? She was just here..."

Dudley frowned: "When did she leave?"

Arios's pupils contracted slightly, and a storm raged in his heart, 'I actually... completely failed to notice her departure?'

As the Sword Saint of Wind, his perception was far beyond ordinary people. Even other A-rank Bracers skilled in stealth would find it difficult to completely escape his attention.

However, this "Topaz's" disappearance was like instant evaporation, leaving no trace.

"Kevin," Arios's voice uncharacteristically held a hint of gravity, "Could you try to sense her?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"

Seeing Arios's grave expression, Kevin understood and nodded: "Understood."

He raised his right hand again, the Stigma's light swirling in his palm: "This is above a Septium Veins, so the Stigma's sensing range will be greatly expanded. As long as she's still within the range of this mountain, I can sense her."

As the Stigma activated, an invisible ripple spread out from Kevin, sweeping across the entire ruins. His brows gradually furrowed, and the light in his eyes grew sharper.

A few seconds later, the Stigma's light extinguished.

"Strange..." Kevin's voice carried clear confusion, "There are no human presences in the ruins besides us."

"Are you sure there was someone else here? When I first arrived, I don't recall seeing the Topaz you mentioned?"

"What?" Lloyd was incredulous, "How is that possible? Topaz was clearly just here..."

Noel tightly gripped her Orbal Gun: "Could she... not be human?"

Dudley snorted: "Or it's just some Orbal technology we don't know about."

Arios remained silent, but the wariness in his eyes grew more intense.

Kevin put away the Stigma, deep in thought: "Who exactly is this 'Topaz'?"

"She claimed to be a Scholar from the Liberl Royal Orbal Technology Research Institute," Lloyd recalled, "But her power... is very strong."

"And her power doesn't seem like common Orbal technology at all," Noel added, "It's more like magic. And, it's the kind of magic without a casting time."

"And that strange creature," Dudley frowned, "It could easily suppress the demonized Ernest..."

Kevin and Arios exchanged glances, both seeing the same doubt in each other's eyes.

"In any case," Kevin broke the brief silence, "let's deal with the immediate situation."

He pointed to the unconscious Ernest and Hartmann, who was slumped on the ground: "These two need to be sent back to Altair City as soon as possible."

"Then let's leave here first," Lloyd suggested, "The vibrations from the battle were too strong; a secondary collapse could happen at any moment."

Everyone nodded and began to move down the mountain. Kevin and Arios were responsible for helping Ernest, while Lloyd and Noel guarded Hartmann. Dudley walked at the rear, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

At this moment, Topaz stood on the mountaintop not far behind them, watching Lloyd and the others descend the mountain.

"Oh my, it seems their perception still can't affect full-spectrum stealth, otherwise it would have been quite difficult to sneak away."

"That Stigma is quite interesting; it seems to have a sense of destruction and abundance."

Topaz was about to report her special findings about the Stigma to Chen Hao when a communication request came in.

"Hello? Eh, Boss? Any instructions?"

...

"Oh, oh, okay."

...

"Uh, do we really have to get involved? Can they handle it?"

...

"Yes, I understand."