Chapter 79 - Battle With The Paladin [2]
Claanng!
The sword and the scythe clashed. A huge dent appeared on the floor as layered shock waves burst in the area.
”All at once,” Perry said and pointed her staff at her master. The pregnant twins did the same.
”Unholy Blessing!”
[Ding! Your attributes are boosted by 30%]
A notification rang in Jake’s mind as the buffs of the priestesses hit him. However, he was too engrossed in the battle to know about it. This time, he would not let the paladin cast any spell.
Masterfully moving the scythe, Jake cut long arcs in the air. While using a long-handed weapon, Jake maintained a certain distance from the paladin.
The scythe’s blade was heavier than the handle. So when he swung it, a greater force would hit the opponent. With the buffs he gained from his equipped weapon and the blessings of the priestesses, Jake pushed Ash back with his every move.
However, the paladin was not down yet. Jake noticed his opponent’s sword glowing again.
The glow was bigger than any he had seen. The paladin was using all of his divine power.
Jake was sure that he had equipped his title as well. Otherwise, how could Ash match his buffed agility?
If that was so, Jake decided to go all out as well. He disengaged from the battle to tell Irene to prepare her strongest spell. Jake also informed the priestesses to get closer to Irene.
Clang!
At this moment, the Hell Knight blocked the paladin’s attack. However, to everyone’s surprise, Ash repelled the 8-feet tall giant.
Jake’s robes began fluttering as he converged a lot of his mana in front his palms.
”Now!” he shouted when the paladin was close to him.
Of course, Ash also realized that they were plotting something and kept his defensive spell ready. With his divine sense, he found out that an abnormal amount of mana was gathering in front of this demon.
It gave him an immense sense of danger. However, the woman on the left side made him worry more. Seeing the dark magic circle appear below her feet, Ash immediately used [Sword of Judgment] as well as [Divine Smite].
The latter was a powerful support skill. It spent his spellcasting capacity of the next ten minutes in exchange for a large attack boost. He had to use almost all of his Divine Power to activate that.
The radiant glow on his sword outshined everything inside this dark area. The sound of the river seemed to be frozen. It was as if the entire world was enveloped in that light.
”Black Lightning Field!”
”Explosion!”
The mana in the dungeon boiled and a moment later, everything burst.
Boom!
Just like before, Irene used [Mana Barrier] but this time to shield herself and the three priestesses behind it. Jake was at the front and he used the Sphere of Darkness.
Ash actually cut through the initial layer of explosion before he was swept through the chaotic wave of burning and zipping mana. A 4th Circle Paladin he may be, but it was too much trying to fend off two offensive magic spells used with all the surrounding mana.
Also, Jake’s attributes were boosted at the moment, so the might of his Superior grade skill could match a Unique grade skill.
However, despite having it all prepared, the holy light coming from the [Sword of Judgment] still hit Jake.
Much like before, that arc of sword light nullified his Sphere of Darkness. However, because it was boosted by [Divine Smite], Jake sustained heavy injuries.
A breaking shock wave rang out. Jake crashed against a wall and spurted blood. His head felt dizzy, and he circulated his almost dried out mana core. The divine power had burned most of his skin and cut marks were appearing on his body.
The room temperature reached its peak. This place’s ceiling was extremely high, so the explosion did not affect it. However, the course of the river was slightly changed.
As the explosion died out, a ray of red light cut through the dust, landing on the figure who was still standing.
”Aaah!” The paladin roared in pain when the Hell Knight’s [Eye of Anger] hit his already injured body.
Ash’s armor broke into countless pieces, and a large hole appeared in his belly. His little remaining divine power began leaking away as he slumped on the ground. It was unknown if he had died.
On the other side, Irene coughed and waved her hand around her face. She and the three priestesses were far away, so the explosion did not affect them.
Irene would never stay in her spell’s area of effect.
At this moment, arcs of black lightning zipped all over the place. There were dents on the ground. She turned her head to her right when the hot air started cooling.
There, her master hovered over the riverbed. His scythe was glowing red and the wounds on his body were healing rapidly. As this place was very close to the dungeon core, the mana in the surroundings was being rapidly filled.
However, Jake was using half of it to heal his body using [Blood Regeneration].
Whoosh!
While he was healing, Jake flew to the paladin who seemed to be dead… or not. This blonde man was still twitching. The paladin’s over 350 Vitality did not let him die so easily.
Jake pointed the Black Reaper at him. It was a pity, he could not use [Degeneration Halo] on this paladin. He was not on the same level as Ash, so he would get a… Wait, would he really get a backlash?
Jake stopped and checked the skill’s description again. It said no such thing.
He didn’t use his abilities such as Malefic Enchantment or Degeneration Halo because the paladin’s Will was higher than his own. He needed to have all three attributes: Intelligence, Will, and Charisma to be higher.
Jake didn’t want to waste mana in a battle for a result that may or may come true. However, now that the battle was over, he could try it out.
His overall attributes were better than even some 4th Circle beings. With the buff from the priestesses, Jake was sure he could be superior in mental attributes against an injured person.
If he somehow depraved the powers and mind of this paladin, he would have a 4th Circle servant at hand! Jake didn’t want to waste such a powerful resource by simply killing him.
‘But first, I have to restore my mana.’ He stopped hovering in the air and landed on the ground.