Chapter 373 The Holy Flame's Silent Burn

Driven by the extreme speed and sheer momentum of [Fang Hunt], Xia Nan swung his sword with such force that the surrounding pink light seemed to twist and cling to the sharp shadow of the blade, carving a pink arc through the air.

Yet because this full-power strike was fueled by his body's momentum, when the blade and its violent air currents struck the seemingly indestructible pink barrier surrounding the priest, the rebound force transmitted through the hilt was massive.

Had it not been for his acute Perception detecting the gemstone's energy eruption the moment it happened, combined with his high Agility and lightning-fast reflexes, he would not have been mentally prepared to grip the hilt tighter. Without that precaution, the sudden impact of the rebound could very well have jolted the straight sword right out of his hands.

Of course, even with that mental preparation, the gemstone's barrier still sent him flying backward.

[Tidal Stabilization] activated silently. As the powerful reactive force of [Fang Hunt] sent Xia Nan flying high backward into the air, his figure suddenly slowed.

It was as if the space around him were no longer formless air, but a thick, viscous liquid.

Flexing his waist and abdomen, supported by his core strength and a slight pull of gravity, Xia Nan moved as if swimming through water. He used his backward momentum to smoothly flip two hundred and seventy degrees.

Like a drifting feather, his feet landed lightly on the floor.

His dark eyes reflecting the dazzling pink light ahead, Xia Nan remained calm. He gently rotated the wrist holding his straight sword, easing the discomfort brought on by the rebound.

He had to admit that the strength of the priest before him, Moin, exceeded his expectations.

Although Xia Nan hadn't encountered many proper Spellcaster enemies since entering this line of work, he maintained the utmost vigilance against magic-oriented classes like mages and clerics. This was partly due to the high regard adventurers in this world held for them, and partly because of the ingrained stereotypes from countless entertainment works in his past life.

Even shortly after transmigrating, before he had obtained a Class Level, he would often mentally rehearse similar scenarios. If his enemy was a fully prepared Spellcaster, what must he do to secure victory and chop off his opponent's head?

As his strength grew and his combat experience increased, Xia Nan's theories became more refined. He even developed specific, targeted combat strategies for different terrains and Spellcasters of varying power.

The current battle environment was a fairly spacious Church, and the enemy was an elderly Spellcaster of the cleric class whose true strength was relatively unclear.

There was some distance between them, but not too much.

Taking all these factors into account, Xia Nan adopted a less aggressive, relatively conservative combat strategy that left a margin for error. He intended to use the speed and instantaneous burst power of [Fang Hunt] to close the gap with the priest and bring the opponent into his attack range.

He wanted to exploit Moin's ignorance of his gap-closing combat technique to catch him off guard.

But...

[Radiant Prayer], [Guiding Bolt], [Hold Person];

A cantrip, a 1st Circle Spell, and a 2nd Circle Spell.

Even if he was fully prepared, the old priest's casting speed was terrifyingly fast.

Executing [Fang Hunt] to charge from the Church doors to the very back would normally take no more than a single breath if he faced no obstacles.

However, the old priest's exaggerated casting speed turned him into a spell machine gun. Xia Nan had barely endured the scorching damage of [Radiant Prayer] before a [Guiding Bolt] blasted his way; the moment he blocked it with his Snake-Scale Arm Shield, he was hit by [Hold Person].

This forcefully and indefinitely prolonged a distance that should have been crossed in an instant, giving his opponent ample time to react.

Even though he didn't know much about the cleric class, Xia Nan was certain that this casting speed was absolutely beyond what an ordinary Class Holder should possess.

Even if the released spells were of low circle tiers, casting them continuously with virtually no gaps in such a short period... that was likely something reserved only for high-level Class Holders with relevant Feats.

At the very least, anything below Level 5 was out of the question.

But obviously, judging by the density of the magic just now and the dissipating aura of the spell energy, the opponent's exact Class Level was probably right around Level 5, definitely not too far beyond his own.

'So... is it that Pastel Gemstone giving him this power?'

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the pink Pastel Gemstone in Moin's hand, his heart sinking.

It was only because he was relatively well-rounded—with his physical attributes, combat technique level, and equipment quality all far surpassing those of an ordinary Class Holder—that he managed to forcibly tank all three spells.

If any other adventurer had faced such a combo, the villagers would probably be setting up for their funeral banquet by now.

Even so, when Xia Nan relied on his own stats and mechanics to tank the three-spell combo and charge to the priest's side at a speed that remained far from slow despite the delays, the opponent surprisingly had one last trump card prepared, using the gemstone's pink barrier to block his attack.

In the blink of an eye, the first round of their clash had concluded.

Aside from a slight ache in his right wrist and forearm from the rebound, and a minor burn on his chest from the radiant spell, he was largely unharmed. It couldn't even be considered a minor injury—because the damage that actually reached Xia Nan's body after filtering through [Purgatory Pulse] was already so small, the 5% radiant resistance provided by the [Light-Bathed One] Feat had a relatively limited effect, though it was better than nothing.

Conversely, Priest Moin, who appeared to hold the upper hand, now showed a deep sense of exhaustion on his aged, pallid face.

It seemed that for him, pulling off that spell combo was absolutely not an easy task either.

Even the way he looked at Xia Nan had shifted.

Just as Xia Nan was surprised by the priest's casting speed, Moin was equally astonished by Xia Nan's outrageously resilient performance in the face of his spell combo.

For a moment, the priest couldn't even maintain his composure.

The contracting pupils within his glowing eyes could faintly be seen, and even the staff gripped in his hand wobbled subconsciously.

Countless thoughts flashed through their minds, but before they could coalesce into concrete ideas, they were ground to dust as the two men's gazes collided.

There was no unnecessary banter.

Once a battle began, it would only end with the death of one side.

Just as Xia Nan landed lightly from being knocked back, and while the high-frequency screech of his blade striking the energy barrier still echoed in the Church's vaulted ceiling, a long, drawn-out wolf howl rang out once more.

Knowing well that to maximize his speed advantage he absolutely could not stand still and become a living target, the pitch-black Winter Wolf, its mane swaying, circled its prey with ghostly patience. Instead of pouncing straight in like before, it continuously applied pressure while probing with feints.

At the same time, Xia Nan acutely observed that as time quietly ticked by amidst the wolf howls, the pink energy barrier erected around the priest—which had rapidly expanded to knock him away—was now slowly deflating at a visible rate.

This allowed him to breathe a small sigh of relief.

After all, with his current attack power, he couldn't break through the barrier's defense. If his opponent could maintain it indefinitely, he might really have to figure out how to escape the Church with his teammates.

On the other side, Moin's increasingly pale and exhausted expression betrayed his gradually waning strength.

Clearly, he knew he couldn't let things continue like this.

Otherwise, exhausting himself just to sustain the barrier would ultimately leave him a lamb waiting to be slaughtered beneath the wolf's claws.

He had to seize back the initiative in this battle!

"Hum!"

A high-frequency energy drone burst forth in a flash.

Seizing the brief window when Xia Nan feigned an attack and retreated, Moin acted with extreme decisiveness, dropping the shrinking pink barrier that protected him.

Simultaneously, gripping his staff tightly, he forcefully raised it, pointing the tip straight toward the black-haired adventurer ahead.

Rumble—

A massive influx of mental energy distorted the surrounding air.

A brilliant magical light, far stronger and more dazzling in both momentum and intensity than anything before, surged across the surface of the staff.

In merely the blink of an eye, it was about to coalesce into a complete spell within his mental construct.

'Now's the time!'

A flash of inspiration crossed Xia Nan's mind, stirring his heart.

The distance between them was close enough. It seemed his past theories finally had a chance to be put into practice.

A streak of grayish-white suddenly surfaced deep within his pitch-black eyes.

[Heart-Guided Vision]!

His already less-than-abundant mental energy drained rapidly as everything before him instantly transformed into a bizarre world composed entirely of pure black and white lines.

With unprecedented focus, he locked onto the arm Moin used to grip the staff. He carefully observed the gravitational ripples changing on its surface due to the magic infusion, searching for the most fragile and crucial nexus—a tiny point located just beneath the priest's wrist.

'Here!'

The grayish-white in his eyes vanished. Snapping out of [Heart-Guided Vision], Xia Nan ignored the throbbing in his brain from overexerting his mental energy. He focused completely, maximizing his Perception while manipulating every ounce of gravitational force he could muster.

At the exact instant Moin's spell was about to take shape, drawing on the core point he had glimpsed through his unique vision, Xia Nan hooked the gravitational force across the empty air. Beneath the wrist the priest used to hold the staff, at the most optimally adjusted angle, with the most precise timing, and the most appropriate amount of force... he gave a gentle tug.

"Thrum-Crack!"

It was as if Moin's entire body had been viciously yanked forward by something invisible. His center of gravity pitched forward, and he stumbled several steps.

The staff in his hand nearly slipped from his grasp, and the spell taking shape at its tip instantly fell into chaotic distortion.

Under normal circumstances, an experienced Spellcaster facing such an "accident" could entirely mitigate the backlash of an interrupted spell by cutting off their mental energy infusion or forcibly dissolving the magic model, turning the coalesced magic particles into harmless, turbulent energy.

However, the timing and location Xia Nan had pinpointed were at the absolute most delicate nexus. Coupled with his aged body and the massive exhaustion he had suffered during the fierce battle, the old priest's control over his magic particles had been severely weakened. As a result, instead of prematurely terminating, the spell model—abruptly disrupted by the gravitational pull—began siphoning magic from the priest's body in an even more violent, uncontrolled manner.

Outwardly, this manifested as a small, blindingly bright orb of light abruptly rising above the staff as Moin stumbled forward.

It was like a miniature sun.

It greedily devoured magic, rapidly expanding and swelling.

Then, it hit a critical point... and exploded!

Boom—

Dazzling white light flashed through the spacious Church, completely overpowering even the pink beams overhead for a brief moment.

Sensing danger, Xia Nan had already transformed into the phantom of a black wolf and retreated early. Amidst the flashing light, he subconsciously narrowed his eyes.

A scalding shockwave carrying a holy aura washed over his face on the heels of the blinding light, kicking up countless wood chips and dust from the floor.

"Ahhh!!!"

A miserable, agonizing howl of pain pierced his ears.

Xia Nan opened his eyes.

What entered his vision was a contorted figure engulfed in flames.

The pure, flawless Holy Flame seared through flesh and skin, releasing a nauseating stench of charred meat accompanied by a sizzling sound.

The once solemn and ornate ceremonial robes were mostly reduced to ash, revealing the skin and fat beneath rapidly melting in the fire.

The elderly priest, who once held such supreme prestige in the hearts of the townsfolk, was now shrouded in his own Holy Flame, resembling a human torch.

Even more gruesome was his left hand, the one that had gripped the staff.

It had been blown clean off from two inches above the elbow. The blood at the wound was baked dry, exposing pale shards of bone.

As for the White Waxwood Staff that had served as his casting medium, only a small stump remained, rapidly blackening under the white flames as it lay on the nearby altar alongside two equally burning fingers.

It had clearly lost all value as a piece of loot.

It had merely been a flash of inspiration mid-battle; Xia Nan hadn't expected it to cause such a devastating impact.

Naturally, he wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by.

Amidst an echoing wolf howl, he charged furiously toward Moin.

With no spells to block him this time, he pushed his speed to its absolute limit.

In an instant, he leaped right in front of the priest.

Feeling the searing waves of heat radiating from ahead alongside the wailing, he raised his Dark Gray Straight Sword high, ready to bring it down.

But right at that moment, guided by his Perception, a sense of extreme, lethal danger burst forth in his heart.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Nan followed his intuition almost instinctively. Retracting the strength in his arm, he stomped heavily against the floorboards.

Rubble shattered and flew!

Simultaneously, his entire body was swept away in a flash, carried off by the black wolf phantom.

Hum—

The pink energy light—which had instantly erupted from the gemstone clutched tightly in the priest's right hand before snapping violently backward—grabbed nothing but thin air.

The screams abruptly ceased.

The pure white Holy Flame continued to burn across Moin's body, his flesh and blood still being devoured and charred by the fire.

However, the distortion and agony on his face vanished without a trace.

With flames licking at his throat and his vocal cords damaged, he was long past the point of speaking. Looking at Xia Nan, his open mouth could only let out meaningless "Heh-heh" sounds.

Then, right in front of Xia Nan's eyes, he raised his right hand.

Amidst the sound of splattering blood, he practically shoved that gemstone—flashing with a demonic pink light—forcefully right into his own chest.

Behind him, the Goddess statue stood in eerie silence.

Beneath its compassionate, benevolent stone eyes, a speck of pure white Holy Flame burned silently.