Siss’s face was set with determination as he met the attack, his holy sword clashing head-on against the head of the Hammer of Holy Light.
Clang!
The Hammer of Holy Light and the Carian Holy Sword collided, producing a crisp, booming roar within the barrier.
Because he had exerted his strength correctly, the collision did not result in an immediate collapse like the counter-arrows of the 【Holy Light Shield】.
However, the moment he blocked the hammer, Siss’s eyebrows twitched. His entire body began to shudder uncontrollably, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Then Siss realized—it wasn't just 'as if'!
He hadn't been seeing things earlier; the head of that Hammer of Holy Light really was covered in crackling arcs of lightning!
As his holy sword struck the hammer, the arcs of lightning seemed to come alive. The power of thunder surged, rippling outward in waves like the tide.
Even though Siss’s sword was condensed from holy light and was not made of pure steel, the moment it touched the hammer, he was shocked until his whole body trembled and his scalp went numb!
This shuddering made the hand holding his staff feel weak and tingly, losing its coordination.
At the same time, he felt his legs going numb, and even his attempts to maneuver became sluggish.
“Dammit! You call this a Hammer of Holy Light?!”
To enter the priest academy, Siss came from a well-to-do noble background. But now, after taking two hits from the hammer, his refined noble upbringing couldn't stop his urge to curse up a storm!
He could tolerate a Bronze priest knowing the Gold rank 【Holy Light Shield】; after all, Leon was a genius.
He could tolerate the 【Hammer of Holy Light】 working in tandem with the 【Hand of Divine Spells】; after all, he had seen the intelligence before the fight.
But... your damn hammer is electrified! Siss couldn't take this at all!
Who told you, Leon, that a priest’s Hammer of Holy Light could carry electricity?
Furthermore, as he continued to clash with the hammer, the intensity of the electric shocks became more and more exaggerated!
The paralysis caused by the shocks grew stronger, making his movements feel like rusty gears—less and less responsive and increasingly slow.
And that wasn't all.
Being paralyzed was one thing, but following the paralysis was a searing sensation!
The Light Prayer orb above Leon’s head was like a furnace, roasting him.
It hadn't felt like much at first, but like the paralysis, it grew more intense over time!
In a short moment, Siss felt as if he were trapped in a sea of flames. Burning pain radiated from his arms, neck, and face.
Siss could endure ordinary pain, but this burning sensation was an all-encompassing agony across his skin!
Flaming burns paired with lightning paralysis—it was practically inhuman torture!
Under this dual torment, all the grand ambitions Siss had held onto vanished into thin air.
He opened his mouth to surrender, only to find that his tongue was so paralyzed by the lightning that he couldn't even form a clear word.
“You’re even silencing me?!”
Siss’s eyes widened—only to find that even widening his eyes was a struggle.
He nearly crushed his teeth as he struggled to prop up his holy sword to block the hammer’s attacks.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion or if his arms had simply lost all sensation from the lightning, but the force of the hammer’s strikes seemed to have weakened slightly.
But even against a weakened hammer, Siss didn't dare take a hit with his small frame. He could only grit his teeth and keep defending.
His defensive struggle soon reached its end.
Not far away, Leon raised his hand and made a pulling motion, manifesting a 【Radiant Longbow】 in front of him.
An arrow of light ignited on the bow and suddenly shot forth, piercing through Siss’s arm.
Blood splattered as the priest’s staff flew from Siss’s hand. Without his mental energy to sustain it, the 【Carian Holy Sword】 quickly dissipated.
His staff spun several times in the air before landing on the rocky ground with a clatter.
Having lost his weapon, there was only one possible outcome left: defeat.
The light curtain barrier glowed red, and a gentle power descended from above, connecting to Siss’s pierced arm.
Leon withdrew his aura and ended all his divine spells.
“The match is decided. The battle is over! Priest Leon wins.”
The voice of the presiding High Priest rang out at the perfect moment.
Outside the barrier, the crowd of onlookers erupted once again.
“Hammer of Holy Light, Hand of Divine Spells, Radiant Longbow, Holy Light Shield... just how many divine spells has he mastered?!”
“A landslide! Another landslide! Is he even human? A Bronze priest beating a Silver priest, and he’s completely unscathed!”
“Runner-up Siss still couldn't pull off an upset...”
“Wait, what? Hold on. One is a Bronze priest and the other is a Silver priest. When you say 'upsetting the order,' do you mean the Silver one trying to beat the Bronze one?”
Leon unwrapped a lollipop, ignoring the discussions around him as he stepped out of the barrier.
As he bathed in the 【Holy Light domain】 cast by Archbishop Charles, his depleted mental energy recovered rapidly, and the slight fatigue in his body was quickly soothed.
This was the power of a Diamond rank divine spell, the 【Holy Light domain】.
The caster of the 【Holy Light domain】 could consume their own mental energy to restore the mental energy of other priests.
Of course, it wasn't a one-to-one exchange. For every 1 point Leon recovered, Charles had to consume 1.5 or even more than 2 points of mental energy.
If it weren't for the fact that this spell was of such a high rank, Leon would have wanted to hire a dozen low-rank priests in the Duke’s Manor to restore his mental energy so he could grind experience points as much as he wanted.
Unfortunately, low-rank priests couldn't learn Diamond rank divine spells directly through a panel like he could.
As for hiring a Diamond rank priest... with the Douglas family's influence, it wasn't impossible.
But hiring a Diamond rank priest and having them focus solely on casting 【Holy Light domain】 just to restore his mental energy... that would be quite insulting.
Every Diamond priest was at least at the level of an Archbishop. With such a status, they were entitled to not bow before an emperor. Not even the Prime Minister's family, let alone the Cassius royal family, would dare to be so wasteful.
Leon composed himself and turned his gaze toward Austin.
He hadn't forgotten that when the "Divine Spell Combat Assessment" was first announced, this man had been the first to approach him and demand a challenge.
Leon wasn't a petty person who would remember a comment like "your level is too low" for sixty years.
At this moment, he simply wanted to respond to Austin’s previous request.
Seeing Leon’s gaze, Austin immediately grimaced.
Before, he had thought about picking on Leon as a pushover, but after seeing the fates of Sylvia and Siss, Austin had only one thought in his mind:
“Are you kidding me? I have to fight Leon?!”
While Leon was fighting Siss, Austin had really wanted to turn and run.
But he couldn't.
It wasn't because he was worried about his reputation or because he held out hope.
It was because—
Prince Aaron’s servant had blocked him in the crowd at some point.
He wanted to flee, but he couldn't get out...
“Priest Austin, I accept your previous challenge,” Leon said to him with a calm expression.
So, I'm going to die too, aren't I?
Austin’s face turned bitter, looking like a withered bitter melon.
However, Austin quickly forced himself to perk up.
“Sylvia and Siss only lost so quickly because they lacked intelligence and didn't understand Leon’s divine spells well enough.”
“But I’m different. I’ve gathered plenty of intelligence on Leon. If I face him...”
“Maybe I can hold out for five minutes!”
Although he still felt weak at heart, Austin forced himself to stay positive:
“I definitely won't be beaten into a heap like a dead dog the way Sylvia and Siss were!”
...
One and a half minutes later.
The light curtain barrier cast down a gentle healing power, connecting to the soot-covered Austin, who was twitching from the electricity as if he were breakdancing.
The High Priest announced: “The match is decided. Priest Leon wins.”
Rate on N.U.
