Lord of Prayer-Chapter 133 - 109: Book of My Thoughts

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At the rendezvous point.

"So, you’re the new guy?"

The Raven Legion’s squad leader looked Zhou Chen up and down. He was a tall, powerfully built man with dark skin. A long, narrow scar stretched from his temple to his jaw, almost cleaving his face in two and giving him a ferocious appearance. The moment his expression grew stern, his fierce aura became so intimidating it could make anyone’s heart seize up, putting them on the back foot.

"Yes," Zhou Chen nodded.

"Do you know what your mission is?" the squad leader asked, his cold eyes staring down at Zhou Chen, radiating a dreadful, oppressive presence.

For a moment, Zhou Chen caught the thick scent of blood. The burly man before him was gone, replaced by a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood straight from Hell. A crimson torrent rushed toward him, stirring the deepest fear within every living creature—death.

This was the squad leader’s Extraordinary Ability: Killing Intent Illusion. Anyone affected by its terrifying killing intent would be plunged into a fear of death and answer any question asked of them, which made it the perfect tool for interrogation. He was currently using less than a tenth of its power, his goal merely to hear the answer in Zhou Chen’s heart.

’This mission has no room for dead weight. If Zhou Chen’s answer was about saving someone, there was no way he’d be allowed on this operation.’

Zhou Chen took a deep breath. He savored the stimulating scent of blood, which only cleared his mind. He met the squad leader’s gaze calmly and gave the answer from his heart:

"Execute the beheading operation. Destroy the main summoning ritual formation."

"Good. It seems you have a clear head."

The squad leader retracted his ability and spoke in a solemn voice. "I know why you’re on this mission, but you must remember: the mission comes first. If we don’t close the Gate of Hell in time, many crucial subsequent strategic operations will fail.

"In the worst-case scenario, the situation will spiral completely out of control, and Jinzhu City will be wiped off the map. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly clear," Zhou Chen said with a nod. "Don’t think I’m here to get myself killed or to hold you back. As much as I want to save her, I know what the priorities are. If I can’t save Erin, I’ll find another way to avenge her."

"Alright, Titan, don’t be so hard on the young man."

Father Daun approached from a distance. The young woman walking beside him was particularly eye-catching; she had long, dark green hair and a massive, ancient book slung over her shoulder.

"Senior Daun," the squad leader, codenamed Titan, greeted him with a nod. A rare expression of respect surfaced on his cold, harsh face.

He was a former ace of the Raven Legion, one of the Seven Great Bishops of the Dawn Church, a heaven-sent prodigy. After the Night of the Sun’s Fall, he had been hailed as the one most likely to become the next Sun. But he had suddenly shed all his heavy responsibilities and chosen to disappear. Now, all those honors lay buried in the dust of the past.

But many people in the world who had received his help and favor still remembered him, and Titan was one of them.

Many years ago, during an operation, Titan had been trapped in a desperate situation and suffered what should have been a fatal wound—the very one that left the scar cleaving his face. It was Daun who had rescued him from that predicament at the critical moment, saving him when he was at death’s door. It was no exaggeration to say that Titan would not be here today were it not for Daun.

"You could have stayed safe with the Star Association. Why join such a dangerous mission for someone you’ve only known for a short time?" Father Daun asked, looking at Zhou Chen.

"It’s simple, Father," Zhou Chen began with a light sigh. "We’re friends. Even if there’s not much hope, at least I’m taking action, doing what I can for my friend. If I did nothing, I know I’d regret it for the rest of my life. You can just think of it as me doing this so I can sleep soundly at night."

"Is that so?"

Father Daun gazed at him with a profound look but ultimately said nothing more. He led the green-haired young woman over to the group, and Titan began the introductions in a loud voice:

"This is Daun Jones, and this is Anna Heloise. These two Tier Four Ascenders will be our greatest asset on this operation."

’Tier Four...’ Zhou Chen thought, looking at the green-haired girl in surprise. ’She’s a Tier Four? Isn’t she a little too young for that?’

"Hi everyone. You can call me Anna. My ability is a little... eccentric. You might laugh when you hear about it, but that’s okay... Um, so it doesn’t cause any problems during the operation, I’ll demonstrate it now..."

The green-haired girl named Anna took a deep breath and opened the ancient book slung at her waist. As if walking to the executioner’s block, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted the embarrassing incantation:

"—I reckon your morale should be doubled!"

And just like that, every member of the team felt a rush, as if they’d been pumped full of adrenaline. They were instantly filled with drive and fighting spirit; even their Spiritual Power and Essence Capacity had noticeably increased!

’It’s just... that incantation was a bit too...’

Luckily, everyone present was professionally trained and wouldn’t normally laugh. Plus, with Instructor Titan right there, they had to hold it in even if they wanted to burst.

But someone there *hadn’t* had that training...

Zhou Chen couldn’t stop a snort from escaping. He immediately straightened his face and pretended nothing had happened, but Anna’s face was already bright red with shame. She looked like she wanted to bury her face in her book.

There was no helping it. That bizarre Spell was a prerequisite for using Forbidden Object A-11: Book of My Thoughts.

The artifact had been excavated from a certain Restricted Area, one that was home to a civilization—the Green-skinned Orc Civilization.

This powerful Forbidden Object had been created during the golden age of the Green-skinned Orc Civilization, and as a result, it had picked up the orcs’ habits.