Chapter 1348 - City of the Decisive Battle (5) (2/2)
The moment her blade hit, the mental crystal that emanated a shining glow suddenly dimmed and let out a bell-like ring. Along with this crisp sound, a halo erupted from its cylindrical body and shrouded the entire top floor in a shining barrier of light! Soon after, a splendid and eye-catching magical ritual emerged and rotated gradually.
“Watch out!”
Upon looking at this scene, Rhode was stunned. He gripped his sword in his right hand and frowned at the scene in front of him. Meanwhile, Little Five was also bewildered. Although she was a reckless eater, she wasn’t a fool. The instant she witnessed this scene, she felt like something had definitely gone wrong. Thus, she raised her long sword and leaned against Rhode’s side, keeping a wary eye on the surroundings. But at that moment, Rhode and Little Five discovered a rather serious problem; along with the activation of the magical ritual, a strange power suddenly appeared out of nowhere and imprisoned the two of them!
What’s going on?
Rhode stared in astonishment at the magical runes that rotated and circled his limbs and body constantly. It was clearly a kind of confinement spell. Could this be a trap? Or a countermeasure? Was it used against those who tried to destroy the mental crystal? Logically speaking, it wasn’t impossible. But…
“Mr. Rhode, what happened to both of you?”
Not everyone was caught in the magical ritual. Catherine stood where she was, gazing at the two of them who were trapped in the confining spell with a clearly terrified expression. And what was most amusing was that even then, her hands were still wrapped around the various snacks and lollipops that Little Five scavenged from the refrigerators earlier, which seemed quite hilarious when paired with her expression that looked as if she were an abandoned puppy. But unfortunately, it was clear that neither Rhode nor Little Five were in the mood for a laugh right now.
“Are you alright, Catherine? Be careful, this place is…”
Swish!
Before Rhode finished his sentence, he heard a soft sound, followed by a flash of white light. At the next moment, a figure that was also enfolded by golden light from her head to toe like Catherine appeared in front of the three of them. She held a sword in her hand and gazed around with a serious face as if she had just ended a fierce battle. And the moment Rhode and Little Five saw her, they immediately recognized that this young lady was also Catherine.
But even though both of them were Angels of Light, there was still a difference between them. The armor that the Catherine in Rhode’s team wore was more akin to a combination of leather and cloth. She was also arguably unarmed, and Rhode and Little Five hadn’t seen any presence of weaponry on her body at all. Coupled with the fact that she looked like a young, melancholic literary woman at all times, she simply couldn’t be more recognizable.
On the other hand, this Catherine who suddenly showed up was entirely different. She wore a platinum armor similar to a battle angel like Celia. She also wielded a shining sword and her entire being exuded an austere aura, which was a stark contrast to that fool who stood by with snacks in her arms and put up a bewildered expression. The difference was so huge that even though they looked the same, their temperament and quality were distinct enough for others to tell them apart.
The Catherine who appeared here all of a sudden was also stunned. Just like Rhode and his team, she sized up the surroundings cautiously, before pausing her gaze at Rhode and Little Five, puckering her brows, and gazing at the glowing cylinder before her. It was apparent that she also heard Karin’s broadcast, so she recognized what was in front of her at first glance.
“Mental crystal?”
She muttered and strode toward the mental crystal. Of course, she also observed Rhode and Little Five and after reckoning that they seemed to be imprisoned by an unknown force, she became more cautious as well. But even so, she didn’t come to a halt. After all, Karin had made it clear that the only way to leave here and return to their world was to obtain the mental crystal. And no matter which Catherine it was, neither of them were interested in staying here. Thus, it was only natural that they wished to obtain mental crystals and leave. However…
The Angel of Light came to a standstill.
What surprised Rhode and Little Five was that it was precisely their Catherine who stopped the Angel of Light, standing hesitantly in front of her other self. Although Catherine looked much less aggressive and the packet of snacks in her arms made her look undignified, she still summoned the courage to stand in front of her other self.
“D-Don’t come any closer. This mental crystal belongs to Mr. Rhode and us…”
Looking to her other self, Catherine spoke hesitantly.
“…”
Upon hearing Catherine’s words, it wasn’t just the Angel of Light who showed a surprised expression, but Little Five and Rhode were also stunned. To be honest, they didn’t expect much from Catherine who saw the ‘non-violent and non-cooperative’ ideologies to the end. In the face of the shadowy monsters, she almost ended up like a martyr. No one expected her to step out and defend them at such a moment.
“But it doesn’t look like the crystal has acknowledged them.”
The good thing about angels was that they kept order, so even if it was another Angel of Light in their way, they didn’t start a fight right away, but replied very calmly instead. And upon hearing her answer, Catherine hesitated, but finally stood there with gnashed teeth and didn’t retreat in fear.
“But we’re the ones who came here first… By rights, this crystal belongs to us. Besides, even though Mr. Rhode and her have indeed met with an accident… I’m still around, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Upon hearing Catherine’s words, the Angel of Light nodded, swung her sword, and pointed it at the former.
“In that case, we shall have a duel right here. The victor will gain dominion over the crystal, how about that? Do you have any objections?”
“Huh… Huh?!”
Faced with this blade pointed at her, Catherine clearly showed an expression of helplessness. She turned to look at Rhode who stood beside her as if waiting for him to give her an idea. But in the face of Catherine’s gaze, Rhode didn’t say a word. Instead, he knitted his brows and observed the scene in front of him.
A barrier that enveloped the entire rooftop… Two Catherines who move about freely… And the mental crystal…
At this thought, Rhode finally understood what everything was about.