For a moment, the blinding light almost illuminated the entire cemetery.
In the air, the 【Hexfire】 Elias had just released continued to burn around the mountain of flesh's arm.
On the ground, the holy halo of the 【Divine Smite】 on the silver longsword held high by the alchemy puppet exploded like a scorching sun.
One above, one below, two distinct streams of light intersected and complemented each other, revealing every detail of the gloomy graveyard.
For Guss...
This 【Divine Smite】 slashing down at him would bring some trouble, but it was only a minor nuisance.
He did not retreat.
In fact, he felt more astonishment than a need to counter the attack.
Originally...
He had thought the opponent was just a common alchemy puppet.
A few runes to enhance strength and speed recorded in the core, and that would be it.
Who would have thought that even the spells of the Dawn Church were imprinted inside?
This was truly inconceivable to a demon.
It was important to know that the spells of the Dawn Church were not so easily recorded.
There was a fundamental difference.
Other elemental or arcane spells were released solely through a Rational Circuit.
The imprinting process was actually an alchemical craftsman using runes that could communicate with the Origin Web to combine with corresponding circuits, achieving the goal of mechanical coordination.
As long as the materials met the standards and the logic was sound, it could be replicated.
However, the spells of the Dawn Lady's path of faith were completely different.
There was a step in the process that could not be replaced by machinery.
That was the vow.
This vow wasn't just signing a name on a piece of paper or a verbal promise made to someone.
It was more of a conviction held by the caster in the depths of their soul.
A spiritual vow made to the entire world.
These vows actually became the code of conduct for every Dawn Herald in reality.
A powerful core spell like 【Divine Smite】 had to rely on a firm vow.
The caster had to have a vow in their heart and their own conviction as an anchor for the spell to be released successfully.
That was the paradox.
How could a cold machine have conviction?
This proved one fact.
The alchemical craftsman who manufactured this puppet had mastered at least one unprecedented technology.
A technology capable of imprinting a “vow” along with the spell circuits into the puppet's operating core.
As for the trouble about to fall before him...
For Guss, his response was merely to shift from brute force to a slightly more tactical approach, applying a bit of protection to himself.
The moment before the blade of the 【Divine Smite】 was about to strike him...
The blood-red spirituality within Guss surged instantly.
On his thick arm, a dark red amulet inlaid with a ruby appeared out of thin air.
The amulet activated.
When the silver blade, flashing with blinding light and carrying unmatched power, touched the dark red barrier deployed by the amulet...
A burst of radiance energy several times stronger than the energy originally dissipated by the 【Divine Smite】 erupted back from the ruby amulet!
This energy used the opponent's own strength against them, accurately reflecting everything back onto the alchemy puppet.
“How's that for 【Holy Retribution】?”
Guss stood his ground and sneered, watching the puppet being swallowed by the light.
It was specifically designed to counter all holy strikes.
However...
When the blinding light faded and Guss looked closer...
That alchemy puppet was actually completely unscathed!
“?”
Guss was stunned.
On his already liver-colored red demon face, his muscles twitched, forming a hideous expression.
“Who the hell made this damn puppet?!”
“Not only was the previous 【Banishment】 useless against it...”
“But now, how did this hunk of metal even have radiance resistance?!”
“Immune to spatial banishment, immune to holy reflection, and can even cast church secrets.”
“How is this even fair?!”
Guss set aside his playful “working for the money” attitude, his vertical pupils narrowing as he began to take things seriously.
Initially...
When he descended, he had been calculating in his mind.
The gentleman who spent money to hire him was merely a transcendent who had just reached Scale Two.
An employer of this level would have limited reach and shouldn't get into too much trouble.
Even with this massive stitched-together mountain of flesh nearby, Guss hadn't taken it to heart at first.
After all, it was just a necromantic creature.
To an infernal demon like him who traveled between the spirit world and reality all year round, such a monster posed no fatal threat at all.
Who could have thought...
The real trouble was right here!
In this unremarkable hunk of metal!
Guss took a deep breath and gripped the broad Ever-Burning Sword tightly.
The dark red spirituality on his body surged violently.
【Haste】!
The spell was cast instantly.
Guss's originally heavy and massive frame suddenly felt light, and his speed instantly surpassed the limits of the flesh.
Then, he swung his thick arm to meet the silver longsword swung by the puppet.
“Clang—!”
The burning greatsword and the alchemy puppet's silver longsword collided fiercely.
The ear-piercing metallic sound of the two weapons clashing echoed through the dead silence of the entire cemetery.
Looking back at the other side of the battlefield...
On the thick arm of the mountain of flesh.
Even after several rounds of the mountain of flesh trying to shake him off, Elias remained motionless.
Taking advantage of the mountain of flesh's obscured vision and before the next attack aimed at him arrived, he immediately pulled out his dagger and began to move rapidly.
A flash of spiritual light appeared beneath his feet.
【Traceless Step】 activated.
This spell directly erased the sound of his footsteps and the sensation of his weight as he stepped on the flesh.
Next, he skillfully draped the transparent moonlight veil over himself again.
With double concealment active...
Elias ran quickly along the giant arm, clutching the dark red dagger.
He was like a floating phantom.
Having lost its visual lock, the mountain of flesh could at most judge his approximate position based on the faint spiritual traces Elias left in the air as he moved.
Meanwhile...
While maintaining high-speed evasive movement, Elias's mind raced.
To break the mountain of flesh's thunder resistance, he had to find the Storm Judge equipment John had used in life.
Elias diverted a thread of his mind and quickly extended his spirituality into the Gluttonous Stomach hanging at his waist.
His intention was to search for some of the defensive equipment John had used before his death.
But he hadn't expected...
The moment his spirituality entered the wrinkled opening of the stomach...
The shriveled stomach was like a leech that had smelled blood.
It latched directly onto his consciousness and began to frantically suck the spirituality from his body!
“What the hell!”
Elias's expression changed drastically, and he couldn't help but curse.
While jumping and moving precariously on the mountain of flesh's arm, he desperately concentrated his mind, trying to force his spirituality out of the stomach's pull.
However...
At the very moment he resisted...
Suddenly, a clear image was projected directly into the depths of his mind.
It was the spatial information from inside the Gluttonous Stomach.
Detailed information on all the items stored in the stomach, their positions, and even the tactical backpack he had just stuffed inside earlier.
Everything was clearly presented in his consciousness in an instant.
Elias was stunned for a moment.
“So this is how this thing is actually used?!”
Rate on N.U.
