Leon glanced at Sylvia, who was being treated by the light curtain barrier, and turned to step outside the screen.
Going all out was the best way to show respect to an opponent.
Besides, Sylvia was a Silver rank chief priest, yet she had been one-shot by a Bronze rank priest like himself due to a single moment of carelessness.
If he, a Bronze priest, encountered a Silver priest, wouldn't he be even more likely to be one-shot?
Well, although it sounded a bit convoluted, Leon believed in a simple principle:
During battle, be cautious, go all out, and strike with overwhelming force until the opponent or enemy is completely incapacitated.
This was the only way to be sure.
Otherwise, there was a high chance of capsizing in a gutter—of being the superior fighter who gets counter-killed by an underdog.
Leon blinked, opening his divine spell panel.
【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Excellent】
【Hammer of Holy Light XP +17】
【Hand of Divine Spells XP +17】
【Prayer for the God of Sacred Light's Blessing XP +18】
【...】
【Hand of Divine Spells Lv1 (98/100) → Hand of Divine Spells Lv2 (15/300)】
【...】
The reason the Hammer of Holy Light had suddenly surged forward just as its momentum was spent was due to the effect of the 【Wish】 spell.
After Wish reached Lv2, it gained a freely selectable divine spell linkage. At that time, Leon had linked it to the Hammer of Holy Light.
The reason Leon didn't link it to Holy Light Meditation was that he could simply chant the prayer words and manually cast Wish to speed up his meditation. Linking Wish to Holy Light Meditation would be a complete waste of its potential.
Aside from being slightly more convenient, it wouldn't have much of an impact.
Linking it to the Hammer of Holy Light, however, was different.
First, the Hammer of Holy Light already had a linkage with the Hand of Divine Spells, allowing it to persist for a significant amount of time. This meant the effects of the Wish spell could be continuously exerted.
Second, the Wish linkage with the Hammer of Holy Light was incredibly useful!
Do you understand what it means for your words to be law, for your commands to be destiny!
Do you understand the meaning of 'this strike shall hit'!
Do you understand the weight of an unavoidable attack!
Of course, this unavoidable 'sure-hit' effect was only applicable within close range.
He couldn't swing the hammer here and expect an enemy ten meters away to take the hit.
With Leon's current level in the Wish spell and his own mental energy levels, he couldn't achieve such an exaggerated absolute hit yet.
But with the blessing of the Wish spell, a close-range strike from the Hammer of Holy Light still guaranteed an extremely high hit rate, as if it had been fitted with melee magnetism.
Leon scanned the panel again. After quite some time, he had finally upgraded the Hand of Divine Spells from Lv1 to Lv2.
【You have upgraded Hand of Divine Spells. You may choose one of the following three traits to strengthen it:】
【Wall: The size of the Hand of Divine Spells is doubled, and it can condense around you into a solid wall as if cast from steel. It can be used to protect yourself and block physical attacks.】
【Mastery: The consumption of the Hand of Divine Spells is reduced to one-fifth of the original, and you can control every finger as you wish. Your control precision will be greatly enhanced.】
【Linkage: Link with the divine spell Hammer of Holy Light. When the Hand of Divine Spells grips the Hammer of Holy Light, the strikes will carry a "Thunderous Vibration" effect. Striking the ground or an enemy can trigger lightning power, shocking and paralyzing the target to slow their movements. This effect can be stacked repeatedly.】
Leon’s gaze swept over the three traits. Without the slightest hesitation, he decided in his heart:
“I choose the divine spell linkage!”
【Strengthening trait selected: Linkage】
Of the three traits, the primary function of 【Wall】 was self-protection, but Leon already had the defensive spell 【Holy Light Shield】.
There was no need to waste a precious trait upgrade on defense.
As for 【Mastery】... Leon really couldn't understand what he would need such flexible control for in a giant divine hand.
To do handiwork?
As for the final 【Linkage】 trait... Leon could only say:
It was incredibly powerful!
The Hammer of Holy Light already had a linkage with the Hand of Divine Spells. Add the Wish linkage and then the Hand of Divine Spells' own linkage, and he now had a triple linkage!
Furthermore, the linkage effect granted by this upgrade was actually a lightning paralysis effect!
The Hammer of Holy Light linkage turned a single strike into multiple attacks;
The Wish linkage made close-range strikes almost guaranteed to hit;
And the Hand of Divine Spells linkage added a lightning control buff!
Attack, accuracy, and control—a triple stack.
The enemy wouldn't be able to run, and if they tried to tank it, they would have to endure the paralysis of the Thunderous Vibration. It was practically cheating!
If a character in a game were designed with such moves, Old Feng, the lead designer, would definitely be getting a lot of heat.
But... reality wouldn't nerf the Hammer of Holy Light just because it was overpowered!
Leon’s gaze shifted, landing on Priest Siss, who had provoked him earlier.
Sensing Leon’s gaze, Siss unconsciously took a step back.
His current state of mind was nothing like the eager, predatory hunger he had shown before.
Earlier, he thought Leon was a soft target who could be easily handled since he had only recently become a priest and happened to have a high reputation.
But now, seeing Sylvia—who was equal to him in strength—knocked unconscious by Leon in just two strikes, the faint smile on Siss’s face instantly froze, and his heart began to waver.
“He wouldn't challenge me right after fighting Sylvia, would he...?”
Before Siss could finish that thought, Leon’s voice rang out:
“Priest Siss, I challenge you.”
Siss’s heart skipped a beat. He forced a smile. “Priest Leon, aren't you going to take a break after fighting Chief Sylvia?”
“No need,” Leon said. “The Holy Light domain cast by Archbishop Charles can quickly restore our consumed mental energy. There’s no need to worry about being drained.”
Leon stared at Siss, a clear look of realization suddenly flashing across his face. “Oh. I see. Priest Siss, you’re looking for an excuse because you don't dare to accept the challenge.”
Leon didn't speak loudly, but at a moment when all the priests were focused on them, his words were heard clearly by everyone around.
In an instant, the surrounding priests’ gazes shifted from Leon to Siss.
Some of those looks were filled with disdain.
Others were also filled with disdain.
After all, before Leon had one-shot Sylvia, Siss had tried to bully the smaller guy, attempting to use his Silver rank to suppress a Bronze priest, even using words to goad Leon.
Now that Leon had demonstrated his strength, Siss was suddenly acting like a coward?
“Make way, make way!”
At that moment, a group of servants carried a soft chair through the crowd and placed it behind Leon, saying:
“Priest Leon, this is a soft chair gifted to you by His Highness Aaron.”
“His Highness said that only a powerhouse like you is worthy of sitting in this chair.”
After speaking, the servant turned and looked at Siss.
“Additionally, His Highness Aaron said—”
The servant cleared his throat, imitating Aaron’s tone:
“Hey, Siss! You’re a dignified Silver rank priest; surely you wouldn't be too scared to accept a challenge from a Bronze rank priest?”
“You’re the runner-up of Crawford Academy. If you don't even dare to fight, then His Highness thinks your Crawford Academy should just be renamed to Craw-fraud Academy.”
As those words fell, not only the other priests but even the students from Crawford Academy turned their eyes toward their own runner-up.
Sensing the weight of the gazes around him, Siss’s heart pounded violently.
Leon combined with that meddling Prince Aaron—the words of the two had directly put him on the hot seat!
They weren't giving him any room to breathe!
Siss gripped the priest’s staff in his hand. Enduring everyone’s stares, he gritted his teeth and said:
“Fine! I accept!”
Upon hearing this, Aaron, up in the stands, immediately flashed a smile like a bright, sunny boy.
And for Leon—
Double XP Card, activate!
Rate on N.U.
