novelonline Chapter 4267 Lacey and Dorothy VS "The Infant Madonna"
Chapter 4267 Lacey and Dorothy VS "The Infant Madonna"
Chapter 4267 Lacey Dorothy VS "The Infant Mother"
"elder sister."
"It's all over now, Adelina, you did a great job."
"Dorothy" praised, gently patting Adelina's back. Dorothy's appearance was not a false illusion; behind her, three carriages were parked outside the previously empty orphanage courtyard gate. The witch's followers were casting a spell to seal the place. A few people bypassed "Dorothy" and Adelina to check on the unconscious children. Eve held an umbrella for "Dorothy" and Adelina, watching Adelina with concern.
Lacey's tone was full of concern and worry. Her true form was still in the Yodel Palace, while Dorothy had rushed over almost immediately after receiving the news.
"Don't speak yet, we'll handle the rest. Shad, Vigo, Grace, and Helen have already gone to deal with the relic itself; we'll go back together in a bit."
"Lascia said softly," Adelina said, somewhat surprised as she pulled away from her sister's embrace.
"The real body? Then what about that one just now?"
"The Guardian-level relic ['Mother'], the specific origin of the relic is unknown, it was first recorded in the Third Era. It is not classified as a humanoid relic, and the form in which the relic exists is still unclear."
Its characteristics likely appear in humanoid settlements, subsequently distorting the will of life on a large scale, causing children to see it as their mother. Children taken away by the 'Mother' and not found in time will never return. Returning to the 'Mother's' embrace is essentially becoming one with it. Adelina, you saved these children.
Once this relic appears, it will continuously draw children back to its embrace. It is said that its purpose is to nurture its offspring with fresh, young flesh and blood, and once it achieves this goal, the creation will likely be far more terrifying than the relic itself. What you just defeated was a shadow it projected; Shad and the others fought a shadow that could barely be called its true form. I was watching you the whole time, intending to help, but you defeated it yourself, Adelina. You've grown up.”
In fact, before Shad and Vig returned to Fragrant Mansion, Miss Rowling realized what Adelina's departure meant because of her "mother's" absence. Therefore, around the same time that Adelina was abducted to this abandoned orphanage, Shad and Vig had already received news from Miss Rowling.
Grace and Helen were immediately called upon by Shad for help. At the time, Shad was still unaware of what had happened to Adelina and was worried that he wouldn't be able to rescue her in time, so he even asked Grace to call Dorothy over as well.
Red Butterfly had already located Adelina's position, but did not guide her out immediately. This was not because Shad or Lacia wanted to test Adelina, but because they also needed time to ascertain the general situation of the relic, in order to prevent it from taking Adelina hostage after realizing her importance.
"So, is the artifact itself very powerful?"
Adelina whispered to her sister, Lacia, who was not only treating her but also drying her clothes. Behind Adelina, the unconscious children were being moved to the carriage parked at the orphanage gate, while the orphanage building further away was completely silent.
Lacey shook her head:
"I don't know why, but the characteristics that 'Mother' has shown this time are somewhat different from those recorded in history, and its power is also very strange. Shad is worried that there are other problems behind this relic, so he sent me here to pick you up. They've gone to cause trouble for that relic."
Most of the relic's power is currently tied up with Shad and the others; 'Mother' possesses the ability to create countless clones. Even so, Adelina, the enemy you just faced far exceeded your capabilities; you did very well.”
The little princess was naturally delighted by her sister's praise; her earlier worries and panic vanished, leaving her only with concern for Shad.
"Sister, go help Shad and the others. Have the maids seal off the orphanage. Eve and I will take these children and leave here first."
Lacey hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head:
“Shad said he can handle it, your safety is the most important thing. This time you were kidnapped directly from Fragrant Mansion. If it was a coincidence, that's fine, but if someone has already discovered Vigo or even Shad's identity, then there may be more trouble to come.”
She took her younger sister's hand:
“Let’s return to Fragrant Residence first. Shad has already notified the others to come over. If anything else happens, my main body will also come to help.”
Hearing this, Adelina could only nod slightly, and led by Lacia's hand, she and Eve walked towards the carriage outside. After leaving the orphanage courtyard, Adelina glanced back one last time. There was still no sign of battle within the orphanage building; the building standing in the rain only brought Adelina an overwhelming sense of oppression.
She took a deep breath, wanting to board the carriage with her sister, but then noticed that Lacia and Eve had suddenly stopped moving. The girls were looking towards the east side of the path leading to the orphanage.
Adelina looked over and saw a woman wearing a hood and holding a swaddled baby standing in the rain. Although the woman's appearance was similar to her "mother," her height was normal, and Adelina wouldn't mistake her for her "mother."
The two women evoked completely different feelings in Adelina. The "mother" was a silent repression and madness, while upon seeing the person in front of her, Adelina sensed endless distortion, eeriness, and terror. The thing the woman was holding seemed to harbor malice towards the entire world.
The powerful senses, ironically, became a negative effect at this moment. Adelina stumbled and almost fell, but thankfully her sister caught her. The blonde, blue-eyed girl looked serious, and the other girls by the carriage were also ready for battle. Eve recognized the woman who had appeared in the rain at a glance:
"The Infant Mother of the [Holy Son Alliance]!"
Feeling a splitting headache, Adelina immediately guessed what had happened that day, and Lacia asked coldly:
"Was 'Mother' summoned by you?"
The woman standing in the rain looked down tenderly at the swaddled baby in her arms, her voice very soft:
“Every woman has the right to embrace her child, even if it's a keepsake. Why are you stopping that pitiful woman?”
Lacey knew the power of the "Infant Mother," and she could sense how strange the being in the swaddling clothes held by her was. She released Adelina's hand and took two steps forward, blocking her way for her younger sister and the maids:
"I heard that you were almost completely wiped out by the Witch Council a while ago because you said a few wrong things. Now you're back to do evil. Are you worried that the witches won't be able to find you?"
The woman holding the black swaddled baby was not angered by Lacia. Her lower face was visible beneath the hood; she simply smiled gently and reached out to lightly stroke the object wrapped in the swaddle. Then, the baby's hoarse cries emanated from the swaddle, and as the cries spread outwards, the entire space centered on the "Madonna of the Infant" began to tremble.
Just as the world adapts to the rules of the gods when their hymns are sung, the things in swaddling clothes cannot compare to the gods. But the deep darkness and endless malice in the cries are changing the spatial structure of this area. In the gradually spreading black area, Lacia clearly saw an unreal behemoth looking down at them in reality.
Red butterflies fluttered, and Lacia's body, which had traversed space, took Dorothy's hand. Fate rings simultaneously appeared behind the two chosen ones from different dimensions, and as they reached forward, a massive cube composed of twelve straight golden lines enveloped the writhing, spreading darkness in the rain.
The edge of the spreading darkness touched the golden cube barrier but failed to break through it, so the baby continued to cry. Something stirred within that darkness, which seemed to harbor malice towards the entire world. Adelina stared wide-eyed involuntarily at that spot, unable to see what happened next, only feeling as if her head had been struck by a giant hammer.
When Agelina came to her senses again, all the maids in the middle ring, except Eve, were lying on the ground, while the maids in the high ring were fighting in the rain against the ring sorcerers of the [Holy Son Alliance] who appeared out of nowhere and were radiating golden light.
Lacey and Dorothy have become one, and the power they unleash in this state far exceeds the sum of their powers when they exist separately.
The discontinuous and bizarre space made the dark area where the merged girl and the "Infant Mother" were located even stranger than before. The Mother stood in the center of the darkness, seemingly unable to move, locked in space, while the chosen one of the half of the space was crossing the dark space, approaching her against the power that hated the whole world.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Feeling as if her head was about to explode, Adelina tried to stand up, leaning against the carriage beside her. This battle was beyond her control. The "Infant Mother" was no match for her sisters. The girl in the darkness seemed to be fighting something unseen. Adelina, whose mental strength was severely damaged, couldn't see what it was, but her already extraordinary intuition became even more active after her mental injury.
She felt the damp air growing thicker and thicker, as if blood was raining down from the sky; she could only hear the patter of rain and the sounds of battle, but Adelina also distinctly felt someone whispering in her ear.
The thing crying in the darkness and blocking her sisters' way was definitely not what the "Infant Mother" was holding. It was just a puppet, a false body, and Adelina saw the truth in the darkness at that moment.
An unborn being, abhorring everything, is attempting to devour the entire world. It is the antithesis of divinity unearthed by mortals seeking remnants of the power of the great; it is the most terrifying malice that can only be born in the twilight of a world on the verge of destruction. It is not any life, yet it is all life.
Adelina saw it, and it saw Adelina in turn. Because it was unborn and formless, it cast a glance at Adelina from the angle between illusion and reality, and Adelina felt her soul being devoured.