Chapter 186 Time to go
There was not really more for Dilan to say, which was why he decided to enter the Krendel's Underground Valley to approach the large Gate.
He had more than 500 leftover Bronze Tier-1 Essence crystals to exchange with treasures.
'The number of Bronze monsters keeps increasing. If their numbers keep increasing like this, they might outnumber the ordinary monsters in the future…'
Dilan began to exchange batches of 50 Bronze Tier-1 Essence crystals of the same monster at the blueish Gate while his mind was deep in thoughts.
He was quite bothered about a few things but he didn't have the capabilities to procure more knowledge to figure out more.
Even after combing through the Sacred Shop, Dilan didn't find many things that were of high use to him in this regard.
'I can only try to focus on strengthening everyone, and to keep them safe as well.'
Dilan sighed deeply as he closed the Sacred Shop once again after he received a total of 8 Bronze Tier-1 treasures.
The 500+ Essence crystals belonged to different types of monsters. It was already a wonder that the leftovers were enough to procure eight treasures.
One of the treasures was even another Penta Item pouch. On the other hand, there was a pair of boots, three weapons, which Dilan straight up ignored, and three ability crystals.
[Magnastrian Silver Boots] <Bronze Tier-1> Treasure-.
[+8 Agility], [+8 Strength]
Even if they're not the most comfortable boots owing to their heavy weight, true warriors will be able to make use of the boots' heavy weight to issue powerful attacks!
Others might have a great use for these boots, but not Dilan. He was satisfied with the Aeris' leather boots. In his opinion, they were far stronger than the Magnastrian Silver Boots, either way, simply because [Gale] was a powerful ability he still used quite often.
Dilan didn't pay too much attention to the boots. He stored them inside the Penta Item Pouch and averted his attention to the three ability crystals.
[Basic Blademaster Mastery (Passive)] Tier-0 ★★★
[Nightwalker Lion Summoning (Active)] Tier-0 ★★★★★
[Triple Shot (Active)] Tier-1 ★
"Amazing!"
All three ability crystals were exceptional, to put it simply.
With the passive mastery ability, they could create one more powerful Ascender with lots of combat experience and some powerful fighting techniques.
Meanwhile, even an inexperienced Survivor would be able to use [Nightwalker Lion Summoning] as long as they had enough mana to summon the monster.
Another powerful Ascender could be created with the summoning ability crystal.
On the other hand, [Triple Shot] would be best for a seasoned Archer to increase his or her combat power by a few times.
'Ailee should be the most suitable candidate for [Triple Shot]. Her archery mastery passive ability will allow her to master this ability quickly.'
Dilan was more than just a little bit satisfied with the gains their group made in a single day. Three powerful weapons, a good pair of boots for a close combat warrior, and three strong abilities were certainly pleasing to the eye.
From the looks of it, everything was going smoothly for Dilan's group.
Ever since the day when the monsters had escaped from the mountainside, they had not faced any more problems with beasts or any invaders.
It almost felt like it would be possible for their group to return to a normal life after a few months, or years if it were to continue like this.
Everything was going according to Dilan's plan without any kind of issues. There had not even been a casualty in their group of Porters, who had carried the corpses back and forth in the Shikan plains.
Even Dilan felt like he could relax and that it was fine to allow everyone to ease their tension a little bit.
It was only fortunate for Dilan to have noticed that something was amiss, that the situation was too good to be true.
Not only the Sun temple and both the Ligrav and Rasnian race were something he shouldn't underestimate by any means but the mountainside's dangers were even bigger.
'Will we have another week of peace and quiet?' Dilan suddenly asked himself.
He was actually not sure how much time they had left before something would happen.
However, what he knew was that chaos would descend on mankind…and that the situation was bound to worsen compared to the period immediately after the Primordial Ascension.
When Dilan returned to the hospital, he found out that Williams, Kathrine and the others were still sitting together.
He chose not to join them because they looked as if they were deep in thoughts, and currently thinking about various things.
Instead of joining them, he put down the Bronze treasures he had obtained before he returned to his room.
Dilan needed some good sleep to recharge his energy.
Meanwhile, a few Ascenders, who had heard the earlier discussion Dilan had with the others, couldn't help but start their own gossip.
"What do you think about the Leader's words? Will it really be necessary for us to leave soon?" A young woman asked while biting her nails, apparently worried about the future. Everything she had heard worried her as she clearly recalled the horrifying scenes of her friends being torn apart when the Primordial Ascension had started.
A wonderful new year's eve party had turned into the start of a never-ending nightmare.
"Leaving the Rian mountainside hospital is possible now… well as long as you're slightly stronger, that is.
You haven't been outside with us but I personally witnessed how Dilan, the others, and obviously I as well, slaughtered large herds of hundreds of monsters with ease. Leaving the hospital will probably be a necessity if our groups keeps increasing in size. Our group will probably accept survivors from everywhere as long as we can find and save them.
That's at least my guess. But that we'll have to leave because of danger? I really doubt it!" A middle-aged man, and Tier-1 Ascender commented, waving off his hand to reassure the young woman from before.
"Dilan is so powerful, we have nothing to worry about. He is probably just trying to ensure that we dont slack off and stay focused and become stronger for potential future threats.
A friend of mine in the Porter Unit saw the Lion-headed Ligrav race and the Hawk-headed Rasnian race. He says that their presence is even stronger than Dilan's!! That means we have to become stronger and be prepared for the possibility of them attacking us all of a sudden!"
This time, a young man began to speak about the two foreign races they made contact with. His voice was filled with excitement and not a trace of worry could be sensed in the way he acted.
It was almost as if he trusted Dilan with his life, soul, and body.
They continued to speak about all kinds of topics but nobody took Dilan's word seriously, at least, not as much as the people, who were the closest to Dilan did.
After all, they knew that Dilan didn't give out warnings without reason…and the worry and confusion in his voice had been more than enough reason for them to start worrying about the mysterious existence lurking within the mountainside.
It was not as if they had never worried about the mountainside but the Sun temple had seemed more dangerous to them, even after the night where all monsters had escaped from the mountainside.
The Sun temple's danger could be assessed to some extent. That was why nobody was truly worried about it for now, simply because it looked like they only needed help to hunt monsters.
Thus, even Kathrine and the others had slowly relaxed a bit up without even doing it consciously.
Only Dilan's comment had pulled them back to their senses, which was why they worked even harder in the following four days.
Four days.
It was not long, and there were merely three days left before Dilan would have to meet the quota given by Priestess Brashta.
However, in these four days, everyone had hunted more than enough large groups of monsters to sacrifice more than 15,000 corpses.
They didn't need to hunt a lot anymore to fulfill the given quota.
However, Dilan was far from happy.
He had hoped that the day wouldn't come and that it wouldn't be necessary for him to say this but Kirak's Vassal wreaked havoc with his mind.
The premonition and the situation on the mountainside had kept worsening day after day according to his perception. It was impossible to postpone the inevitable.
Dilan knew that if he wouldn't give the instruction now…everyone would die, including himself…
"It looks like we have to go now. Everyone pack up…" Dilan suddenly announced, his voice both eerily calm and overflowing with uncertainty about the future.
Chapter 187 Tyrann?
"It looks like we have to go now. Everyone should pack up…"
It was merely afternoon when they had returned from hunting for the day.
Everyone was exhausted which was why his orders confused them extremely. They had been looking forward to resting for the day and catching on some sleep.
"I will exchange the Sacred points we've accumulated until now and finish the trade with the Sun temple as soon as possible. Everyone else should focus on packing up. We have a few Penta Item Pouches now, so everything stackable should be stored within them. If there is still some space left, the heaviest items should be stored as well."
Because nobody said anything, Dilan continued speaking and giving instructions. He was currently wearing a light silverish armor over his clothes and looking at the others, who stared at him in confusion.
His order had been so sudden that nobody was able to instantly act on it.
Several minutes passed without a single soul speaking. Dilan had already averted his focus from the others to access the Sacred Shop of the Sun God Valgard.
They had more than 34,000 Sacred Points. This was more than enough to purchase hundreds of low-Tiered, yet powerful abilities but also to purchase other goods.
Without wasting too much time, Dilan purchased the goods they had already voted for unanimously. In addition, Dilan took charge of purchasing specific items that were also quite important while migrating to another place.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use the Sacred Shop because Dilan was pretty certain that his access permission would be revoked soon enough.
Dilan made use of every single Sacred point and completed his purchase in no time. However, making the purchase and getting his goods were two different things because he had to go to the Sun temple in order to get his hands on the goods he had just purchased.
Closing the Sacred shop's holographic screen, Dilan lifted his head for the first time in several minutes.
It was at this moment that he noticed that something was odd.-.
"What the hell are you guys doing? Pack up your stuff, help everyone else to move, and get the busses ready for the unleveled Survivors and low-leveled Ascenders."
However, even then, nobody moved an inch, which forced Dilan to take a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Guys…Pack up…NOW!!" In an instant, Dilan's entire pent-up frustration, and nervosity of the last days was released as he screamed his lungs out.
He didn't want to leave either. The hospital was cozy and quite nice to stay at. That was a fact. However, he wanted everyone to survive…meaning they had to leave without any further delay.
Even he didn't want to believe his own gut feeling, his Divine occupation's warnings, and the things he had perceived from within the mountainside.
But it was a fact that their life would go downhill the moment they chose to postpone moving any longer.
While venting his emotions, he released his bloody aura that had accumulated from all the lives he had reaped. When he did so, Dilan looked like a ruthless dictator, who didn't allow anyone to disobey his orders.
Everyone else would be slaughtered…that was what his aura was suggesting to him right now. It was not difficult to perceive that Dilan was serious with his comment about leaving.
However, nobody really felt like moving but then slowly they forced themselves to move their exhausted bodies.
Kathrine, Williams, Xenia, Sven, and Yvonne, were the first ones who had come back to their senses.
They had been talking about the possibility of Dilan ordering them to leave, to move away from the hospital for the last few days.
Thus, they knew what to do, and who was likely going to follow them.
Having spread the 'rumours' about them having to leave in the coming few days, everyone slowly regained their senses.
"Patrick, Miles, Nina, Killian, Ovir…you guys gather the others. Organize the goods of the Elite Combat Unit, and pack up our stuff. We will leave once Dilan returns!"
The five Ascenders, who had been called out, were still stupefied. But upon hearing their names, they felt a shiver run down their spine before they nodded their heads.
With quick steps, they disappeared in the hallway.
"Miriam, Hannah, Bianka, Phillip, Sandro, and Tarkan, collect as many mattresses, clothes, and other daily utensils and store them in the Penta Item Pouch. Hurry up!"
Kathrine threw one of her Penta Item Pouches toward the six young members of the Porters Unit after giving the instructions.
Following the second order, Sven and Xenia began to issue their orders as well. Dozens of Survivors began to move rapidly and finally got into action. They slowly got to know that the situation was real and that Dilan was far from joking with them.
He would leave the Rian Mountainside Hospital, and the Elite Combat Unit, followed by the strongest Ascenders who would follow him…that was certain.
That was why even many Survivors and Ascenders, who didn't think that it was necessary to leave, began to move.
Even if their current life in the Rian Mountainside Hospital was far from dangerous, they knew that all of this was owed to the constant efforts of Dilan, the closest people to him, and the strongest Ascenders that allowed them to stay in a secure place with food in their bellies.
If all of them were to leave, they would be alone, which was not something they wanted to be in the time and Era they had entered…being alone and weak was a death sentence after all!
Thus, even if they were unwilling, many Ascenders moved, followed by numerous Survivors, who could clearly understand what was going on.
"I thought he was nice…but he just wants to order us around however he pleases. There is literally no reason for him to order us to relocate… If we were to face a beat tide with dozens of Tier-2 monsters, I would understand it, but right now? What a tyrant! I vote for dethroning Dilan from his position as a leader!" A certain Karen said, speaking up as if she was the representative for everyone.
However, merely a moment after she finished speaking, a hoarse voice could be heard from Karen's left side.
"You dumb bitch. How valuable is your shitty vote? Strength determines everything. Furthermore, how f*cking low is your IQ? The moment we face a beast tide with dozens of Tier-2 monsters, all of us will be dead. What do you even think are TIer-2 monsters? Some plushies? Your IQ is truly that of a brick…what the hell…!!
You can only spew nonsense because Dilan is around, otherwise, some horny blind men would have probably f*cked you by now. Well, maybe not because we don't have anyone blind in our group.
That means we have only men, who can see your face that resembles a construction site."
In the beginning, the bulky Ascender didn't want to waste his time speaking to that idiot of a woman. However, he could not hold himself back from wanting to put some sense into her.
After he had been saved by Dilan, the young and bulky Ascender had noticed that Dilan worked relentlessly, not for his own sake but for everyone else.
He might be merciless and cruel on occasions, to the extent that he may seem like a dictator, but if Dilan wanted to, he could have just left everyone to fend for themselves.
It was not like creating a huge group and taking care of close to 3000 Survivors would actually help him in any way. Forming a small group of 10 powerful Ascenders would be more than enough for him to survive, to become stronger and to escape all kinds of dangerous situations.
The bulky young man trusted Dilan fully, which was why he felt the need to support him with all his might, and lecturing the braindead woman was the best way to do so.
"But why…" Oliver suddenly mumbled, acting as if he was a sulky little child.
He couldn't understand Dilan's reasons for making them leave their home even after four days had passed since he announced that they might have to leave soon.
Oliver was slow-witted and didn't notice many small hints that should have made him realize what was going on.
The young and former nerdy Oliver was not able to see the fear in Dilan's eyes. Many could see it after looking at Dilan for some time and they also sensed his aura that was wildly fluctuating.
The majority of Survivors could sense his fear…and if Dilan feared something, it was time to get the fuck out of there!
"Because I said so, do you understand?! If you want to die, don't drag others with you! Act according to your age, will you?!" Dilan was fuming when he finished his comment. His eyes gleamed coldly as he diverted his attention from Oliver.
Dilan knew that he had been mean to Oliver but that was not something he could care about.
There were more important things to take care of than treating a sulky adult.
"I'll start the busses. You three, follow me!" Nick, a young but dependable young man, who had become the new vice-leader of the Porter group suddenly stated.
He could ignore Dilan's comment and his anger toward the sulky Oliver. He had assessed the situation correctly and could tell that time was running out.
A few Survivors and Ascenders seemed to be creating trouble but they quieted down quickly.
Dilan's presence was terrifying enough to prevent anyone from doing anything.
Even after Dilan left the hospital, nobody dared to say anything openly against Dilan.
The situation was quite odd.
Most Survivors were not even sure why they were suddenly moving. They only regretted leaving the place they had started to call their home.
However, because Dilan told them to move, they followed his orders. The reason for this was simple and exactly as the young and bulky Ascender had said.
Dilan was the strongest and strength determined everything. They needed Dilan's strength to protect them…and the fear in his eyes caused an unexplainable feeling within the deepest parts of their conscience.
Without actually knowing what was going on, the Survivors felt as if they were currently facing a situation that would decide over life and death…and that was exactly what was going on.
While packing their stuff, the Survivors didn't even realize that doom was slowly crawling towards Rian, reaching out with its claws of despair and destruction.
Chapter 188 Baggage
Dilan didn't take long to leave Rian. Despite his worries, he didn't rush it and sorted the jumbled mess of thoughts in his mind instead of doing something stupid.
'I should be back in half an hour as long as the situation does not spiral out of control.'
He was certain that Priestess Brashta would find something odd about him to not let him avail the benefit of even a single Sacred point they had accumulated during the last five days.
Even someone naive would notice that it would be quite weird because it made no sense to use up every single Sacred Point. At least, it made no sense, as long as one wanted to continue accumulating more Sacred Points.
That was also the reason why Dilan was ready to confront the Ligrav and Rasnian race if that was necessary.
Dilan had read more than enough reports about the behavior of everyone within the Sun temple.
These reports were provided by none other than his own people, the members of the Porter Unit during the last few days. Thus, Dilan was pretty sure that Priestess Brashta had made her own assumptions about the human race's strength.
There were quite a few facts both sides had learned about each other. Simultaneously, both Dilan and the Priestess had concealed specific information that the opposite party was not ought to get to know.-.
'Even if I were to be forced to fight the Eternal Guards, I should be able to pose a threat to them. As long as I can retreat to the frozen Shikan plains there shouldn't be anything to worry about.'
Dilan had already come up with several plans to survive, and one of it involved the new chestplate he had obtained from exchanging Essence crystals at the large gate inside the Krendel's Underground Valley.
[Ilran Chestplate] <Silver Tier-1> treasure.
[+10 Health]
Powerful Chestplate inscribed with mythical runes.
Enhances the effect of protective abilities by 15%
Other than the Ilran Chestplate, Dilan's equipment was pretty much the same. However, the number of monsters he had killed during the last four days had been quite high.
Contrary to the others, whose level had already surpassed level 10, slowing their progress drastically owing to the lower level of their defeated opponents, Dilan was still at Level 5.
After fighting for four days, Dilan's level had increased by one and he sensed that his Essence Pool was about to be filled once again.
He didn't need much Essence to reach Level 7. But Dilan's level was far less interesting than the progression of his stats. The monsters he killed were always the leader of the groups the others hunted.
Thus their strength and level was the highest. Dilan had also received quite a few status points, despite the restriction of the Cursed Blessing [Will of the Primordial].
But even then, Dilan couldn't be certain to emerge victorious against existences, whose strength was on par with the peak of Tier-1, at least not without playing around with his abilities.
"There is no need for you to hide. Why did you follow me, instead of helping the others pack up?"
All of a sudden, Dilan's voice rang through the large and empty street. Nobody could be seen in his immediate surroundings, but Dilan had halted in his tracks before looking in a specific direction behind him.
Seconds turned into two entire minutes, yet, not a single leaf fluttered anywhere around Dilan. It was as if the entire area had turned into a statue.
Dilan's eyes turned cold, his gaze fixated on a single spot as he ordered
"Come out and reveal yourself!"
His volume was low but his tone was stern. Dilan was not in a good mood, to begin with. Migrating with their entire group was certainly not easy, even less if everyone thought that Dilan was either being overly cautious or simply trying to show off that he was the one who had all the power in the group.
The trouble that awaited him was also not something Dilan looked forward to because it was not a mindless fight of life and death but more related to politics.
He couldn't simply bash everyone in the Sun temple, eradicate believers of the Sun God's temple, and offend two foreign races of unknown strength and the Sun God Valgard.
This was not what Dilan was out for, thus, his head began to ache while he thought about what to do to prevent the situation from escalating the moment he reached the Sun temple.
"I-I-I'm sorry Sir…I-I just wanted to…to follow you…to help you…" A stuttering and somewhat familiar voice could be heard from behind the corner of the building Dilan's gaze had been fixated upon.
In an instant, he knew who had followed him but it didn't lighten his mood. On the contrary, Dilan knitted his brows, feeling as if the entire situation was slowly turning for the worse.
"Mason, go back and help the others. I'm going to the Sun temple. It's too dangerous for you to be there!"
Right now, they were already at the outskirts of Rian. After crossing another 300 meters they would reach the Shikan plains. Mason might not be as weak as a week or two ago but he had barely advanced to Tier-1.
His stats were quite high already but the Sun temple was still too dangerous for Mason to be at, right now, at least.
"N-No sir. Please, you might need my help. I will help you in any way, just let me follow you right now. You don't even need to protect me, but I want to help…"
Dilan clearly remembered that Mason had been working hard during the last few weeks. He was one of the few young men, who trained daily with the spear. Mason's ability [Thrust] was the most compatible with the spear, which was also why he was one of the few Ascenders, who had received a Bronze Tier-1 weapon.
'He won't be able to help me well… He might be able to fight well but he is quite naive and hyperactive…well usually, at least.'
Dilan sighed deeply before staring deep into Mason's eyes. They were crystal clear and filled with the determination to help Dilan. Mason wanted to be useful, he was eager to learn from Dilan by observing his fights and he wanted to become stronger…stronger than everyone to achieve one thing.
He was not overly ambitious but there was one thing he wanted to achieve, and it looked like Dilan was the only one who could help him in achieving this.
Thus, the determination in his expression intensified the longer Dilan looked at him.
A minute passed but Dilan had yet to move. His ice-cold eyes stared deep in Mason's clear greenish eyes. Only when Dilan seemed to be satisfied with what he saw did his expression soften.
"Let me make one thing clear. Both of us might die if we make a mistake, so act properly and don't do anything stupid. I'm not confident of protecting you in the Sun temple…if you cannot protect yourself, go back and help the others, otherwise, I can only consider you as an unnecessary baggage!"
Dilan's words might sound cruel to some but they were his honest words. If the situation in the Sun temple escalated, Dilan was not even sure whether he would manage to save himself or not.
That was why he didn't make any empty promises to Mason but he told him the truth about the given circumstances.
"I understand…please let me come with you, Boss!!"
Dilan sighed after hearing the excited voice of Mason. He shook his head and turned back to the direction of the Shikan plains before he broke into a light jog.
"Follow me then…"
Chapter 189 Annoying Bitch
To have Mason by his side was certainly not planned and it made things more difficult for Dilan.
However, after handing Mason a specific treasure he received from exchanging Silver Tier-1 Essence crystals at the large Gate, Dilan was able to regain his composure.
[Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll] <Silver Tier-1> Treasure
One-time use.
Anchor for teleportation has to be set up before.
Teleportation cannot exceed 1,000 Meters!
Even if they were to land in trouble, Mason would be able to escape, lifting a huge burden off Dilan's chest that would allow him to go all-out.
Like this, nothing would go wrong.
The Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll was the only reason why Dilan allowed Mason to follow him, to begin with.
Mason understood this as well, which was why he held tightly onto the scroll with one hand.
He hid it in his thick jacket while holding a spear in his other hand. If one were to look at Mason from afar, they would definitely think of him as an Inuit.
With Mason next to him, Dilan felt a little bit less stressed than before but that was mostly owed to the youth's non-stop talkative nature.
Since Dilan had accepted his company, Mason's prior timid behavior had changed completely.
However, even Mason was not able to keep his act together when they reached the range of the Sun temple.-.
After setting up the teleportation anchor for Mason to escape if necessary, they made their way into the small town that surrounded the Sun temple.
For the Ligrav and Rasnian it was not weird to meet humans anymore. Rather, they were quite familiar with them after the constant stream of humans had entered the Sun temple one after another to offer the monster corpses.
Despite their familiarity with other humans, everyone tensed up a little upon perceiving Dilan's presence once again.
Some recalled him as the first human to enter their town and to make a sacrifice to Sun God Valgard's Divinity fragment.
They clearly remembered his presence from before as well.
Dilan's strength didn't seem to have increased by leaps and bounds. He had definitely grown stronger but it was still within the realms of an ordinary life form, or so they believed.
However, what astonished most Ligrav was the eerie calmness that surrounded Dilan.
It was not long ago that Dilan's entire existence gave off the desire for blood, clearly telling everyone that he was proficient in killing his opponent, and that he would not hesitate to kill them if they tried going against him.
But now, one couldn't even assess the true might of the young and determined man and most ordinary Ligrav and Rasnian could only make assumptions about his strength.
This was even scarier than knowing Dilan's bloody aura because an unknown and well-hidden powerhouse was the most dangerous.
A concealed and sheathed sword would only unleash its true potential when unsheathed. Meanwhile a bloodied saber exposed everything.
Dilan continued to walk towards the Sun temple and didn't even halt to wait for someone to welcome him, or to get him the goods he had ordered.
Instead, he walked up the stairs to approach the Divinity Fragment.
Contrary to before he entered the proximity of the Sun temple when he had been a bit nervous because of Mason, Dilan's mind and heart were eerily cold now. Mason noticed that Dilan's behavior had changed and that he was fully focused on his task ahead.
Admiration gleamed in the young man's eyes after seeing how focused Dilan was and that nothing seemed to be able to ruffle his feathers.
'He is so amazing!!' Mason could only think, momentarily forgetting about the excitement that filled his heart after seeing so many beings of other races.
To Mason, Dilan was no less than a hero of the old legends.
He might seem cruel occasionally but Dilan was always doing his best for others.
Mason didn't even think that Dilan was doing everything for his own sake. On the contrary, Mason was sure that Dilan tried everything in his power to better the lives of his fellow survivors…the fellow humans that were not as strong-willed, determined and powerful as him.
Dilan tried to ignore Mason's stare as he kept advancing to the cone-shaped building on top of the Sun temple.
He had already perceived that a few powerful beings were located there, which he presumed to be the two Eternal Guards and Priestess Brashta.
'As expected…oh…wait…a third and fourth Eternal Guard??'
When Dilan climbed the last stair to reach the Sun temple's large top, the first thing Dilan noticed was that four Eternal Guards stood behind the Priestess.
It didn't look like the Eternal Guards, whom Dilan knew from before, had gotten stronger. Each of the four Eternal Guards was stronger than one of the Inferior Two-headed Hydrani he had killed earlier.
Dilan even presumed that it would take two Inferior Two-headed Hydrani to hold back one of the Eternal Guards, even if it was only for a minute or two.
Mason felt that his entire existence was being pushed to the ground by an invisible force the moment he encountered the noble-looking robe that was worn by an arrogant looking Ligrav. This particular Ligrav seemed to be looking down on Dilan and him, and the pressure the four Eternal Guards created.
Though Dilan began to smile faintly, his heart began to race.
Even if he didn't want to acknowledge it, he…wanted to fight the Eternal Guards.
However, for now, he had to calm down because he knew that it was not a good time to spar with someone else, let alone to enter a life and death battle.
'Who knows what kind of hidden tricks they have up their sleeves. I'm in their territory, right below their God's Divinity Fragment. Hold your horses dude!'
Dilan forced himself to calm down. He was still worried about various things, but also excited to see that there were four Eternal Guards.
His worries and excitement were a weird mixture and they revolved around an equally weird person. Dilan was pretty sure that his emotions were usually not like this but the warmth that radiated from the Sun God's Divinity Fragment prevented him from being able to think straight.
"Brave Warrior of the human race, what is your reason for wanting to exchange all your Sacred points so soon? Don't you feel the need to save up more to purchase rarer goods or possibly a powerful slave?"
Priestess Breshta didn't waste her time greeting Dilan. She had gotten more than enough information to understand that they had an upper hand over the human race.
As long as the winter season would end, it was possible for the believers of the Sun God to expand their influence, to kill everyone who obstructed their sacred mission, and enslave the sinners!
Everyone who worked against them would be annihilated, without a single exception!
All of this was more than enough reason for the Priestess to talk to Dilan with a slightly angered and disappointed tone as she stressed on the words 'all your Sacred Points so soon'.
'As expected, she has figured it out. Well, it's not like I tried to hide my intention, to begin with.'
Dilan's expression didn't change at all even after hearing the trace of hostility in Priestess Breshta's voice.
He expected everything that had happened up to this point, which was why he was ready to deliver a 'plausible' explanation.
"Esteemed Priestess, you're correct. I would love to save up more Sacred Points to purchase even better goods. In fact, I have already chosen to purchase several Slaves because their unique characteristics would be extremely helpful for our entire group.
There are also mighty Tier-1 abilities and unique Tier-1 treasures I wished to purchase but unfortunately I'm not alone in the group.
As you might be able to deduce from my purchases, I focused on purchasing various ability crystals, including several treasures, and even a Tier-1 Storage ring…all of that just to increase our group's strength.
Maybe you have figured it out already but my group is truly weak. We have only a few powerful Ascenders, which is why it was possible for us to kill so many large groups of monsters in the past five days.
Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to accumulate so many Sacred Points. I hope the reason for the noticeable improvement of my group's combat prowess is enough to calm you, Miss Brashta.
It was a mere coincidence that I used the Sacred Points up without leaving a single one for future use!"
Dilan was already acting as if he could fully understand Priestess Brashta's anger. He attempted to pacify her by revealing a few semi-true facts.
In the end, he needed to strengthen his people and everything he purchased was for the sake of becoming stronger, whether it was for him, the strongest combat focused Ascenders in his group or the other occupations that had to be nurtured as well.
There was no lie in his words, which was why Dilan could still hope to escape the worse-case scenario as long as he could trick her.
Priestess Brashta looked at him for several seconds before she reached for the pocket in her robe. A small ring appeared in her hand.
The ring seemed to have been made out of granite or some similar colored stone. It was nothing special but Dilan could clearly sense that it was the ring he wanted.
'A storage ring…did she really believe what I said? Does she trust me that much?' Dilan was confused for a moment.
But in order to keep the charade up, Dilan stretched his hand out to reach for the storage ring. He had yet to ascertain that it was truly a storage ring and that everything he had purchased was stored within.
It was difficult for Dilan to keep his heart under control but it didn't thump as wildly as he expected the moment he grasped the ring. A faint smile appeared on his lips while holding the storage ring, which was only obvious.
Everyone would feel exhilarated after getting hold of an invaluable treasure, after all.
However, the moment Dilan tried retracting his hand, Brashta's hand enveloped his hand, preventing him from moving.
"Oh, by the way…why did you create a teleportation anchor point roughly 900 meters away from the Sun God's temple? Say…are you scared??"
All of a sudden, the Priestess' eyes seemed to turn into blazing flames as she stared in the depth of Dilan's eyes. Her hand holding the storage ring suddenly erupted in flames, scorching Dilan's skin, while the Eternal Guards unsheathed their weapon in unison.
'What an annoying bitch…how frustrating.'
Chapter 190 Doesn't work
The sudden hostility Priestess Brashta and the Eternal Guards behind her had revealed shouldn't have astonished Dilan in the slightest.
Rather, it should have been an expected response. But even if he expected it, Dilan was extremely worried about the fact that the anchor point they had carefully installed was now exposed.
'Did she send some of her people to the anchor point to prevent us from fleeing?'
Dilan's right hand was currently set ablaze. Yet, instead of bothering about something as trivial as burning a little bit and feeling some pain, Dilan's attention was on the storage ring he was already holding in his hand.
His high Health stat, which had crossed the Natural limits of a Tier-1 existence, was already powerful enough to endure the Priestess' blazing fire.
Additionally, with the use of his Special trait [Stone Skin], it was possible for Dilan to be completely unbothered about the Priestess' rather mocking tone.
He assessed the storage ring with his mana, combed through the contents for a moment before a bright smile emerged on his face.
"Little Priestess, I don't think it was smart of you to show me all these treasures inside the storage ring. I think I'm getting greedy now!"
The moment he finished speaking, Dilan's left hand moved with a blinding speed.
"Mason, use the scroll!!" He shouted all of a sudden before he averted his attention to the others.
[Thunder Step] was activated after using one Unit of Mana. A thunderous sound reverberated through the entire Sun temple and the town of the two foreign races, attracting everyone's attention.-.
However, that was not something Dilan bothered about anymore. From the moment the Priestess had looked down on him, Dilan had known that there was no way for them to continue making deals.
If the Priestess would have acted nicely, Dilan might have even warned her about the dangers lurking in the mountainside.
'Warning the dead about something concerning the living is not really necessary either way!'
The moment Dilan had activated [Thunder Step] his left hand had moved to his belt. It was a rapid movement and none of the Eternal Guards were able to react in time.
Their Agility might be close to 70 Units, but Dilan's was not much lower after he activated [Thunder Step].
Dilan was also at an advantage because he moved first, which was why he could easily bring out the dagger he had hidden in his belt to slash in the air in front of him.
[Mana Slash]!
Using a meager amount of 5 Units of mana to activate [Mana Slash], the dagger Dilan was holding began to crumble the moment the compressed energy entered its body.
A small crescent blade was released from the dagger, cutting into the Priestess' arm. Afterward the Jadetite dagger broke into hundreds of fragments owing to the strong force five mana units exerted upon being compressed.
Jadetite was certainly not the best choice to use [Mana Slash] but it created the desired effect, so Dilan was satisfied.
Taken aback by the sudden attack of Dilan, the Priestess had instinctively opened her hand.
Dilan's [Mana Slash] hadn't been powerful enough to cut off her arm but it was more than enough to enrage Priestess Brashta.
But Dilan didn't allow the Priestess to vent her anger.
He was still tightly grasping the storage ring, and had activated [Aegis' Shield] to block off the path of the Eternal Guard, who had reacted the fastest before he turned around to dash off.
With the use of three Mana, [Regeneration] was activated before Dilan replenished the entire Mana he used just now by activating [Bearer of Pain].
His Health stat decreased drastically though on the brighter side his mana was filled to the brim.
Thus [Bracing Pain] showed its unique powers once again, amplifying Dilan's stats by nearly 15% at once.
Dilan was about to rush outside the Sun temple, fearing that the Divinity Fragment was capable of weakening him, or that it would further strengthen the Eternal Guards.
However, the moment he saw Mason, and his pale, horrified expression he realized that something was wrong. The young man was simply staring at the [Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll].
'It doesn't work? Fuck it!!!'
Dilan grit his teeth, wore the storage ring on the ringfinger of his other hand before he rushed forward and went over to grasp Mason.
Afterward, he created another [Aegis Shield] behind him before he converted more of his Life force to Mana.
Dilan's expression was filled with pain despite not having been attacked even once. The burns on his right hand were negligible as the injury didn't restrict him but [Bearer of Pain] was truly painful.
[Bracing Pain] amplified his strength further as his Health stat kept decreasing.
But none of this was something Dilan could be bothered about right now.
After all, he wanted to fight but could not simply because Mason was in his way.
Jumping down the stairs of the Sun temple, Dilan let go of his previous humble and gentleman-like image.
He used the shortest way to reach the ground, while moving his other hand to the Penta Item Pouch.
The hilt of the Blazing Serpentine Blade emerged from the pouch and Dilan tightly grasped it.
The Serpentine blade instantaneously reached a length of 20 meters the moment Dilan brandished it.
Flames engulfed the blade, increasing its lethality drastically.
Simultaneously, the blazing flames made it easier for Dilan to block the attacks that were bound to reach him at any moment.
The Eternal Guards pursued him. Their Agility was slightly lower than him by now owing to the various abilities he had activated.
However, it was only obvious that the Eternal Guards would make use of their abilities as well. Their active and passive ability slots were less than that of a human's but that was not necessarily a disadvantage.
By possessing both a fire and wind affinity seed, they didn't even need abilities to exhibit a terrifyingly high combat prowess.
Only by using their high proficiency with the wind affinity was it already possible for the Eternal Guards to catch up with Dilan.
They were flying in the air, slashing at Dilan with their longswords that hissed through the air with a velocity that was barely traceable by him.
Using the vast majority of his focus on controlling the Blazing Serpentine Blade, Dilan was momentarily able to block the Eternal Guards' advance.
But the moment Dilan reached the ground of the Sun temple with Mason in one of his arms, he realized that he had grossly undermined the strength of the ordinary Ligrav and Rasnian.
Attracted by the commotion, several dozen Ligrav and Rasnian had noticed Dilan's fight against their Sacred Priestess and the Eternal Guards.
Manifesting hundreds of Fireballs and Windblades, both the Ligrav and Rasnian charged forward to attack Dilan.
Even if they didn't know what was going on or why, it was obvious that Dilan had turned into their opponent.
And all of their opponents had to die!
The moment the first windblades and fireballs reached his proximity, Dilan knew that he couldn't continue like this.
He frowned deeply while thinking of a way to escape this situation.
"What the hell is wrong with the scroll?!?" Dilan shouted, trying not to panic. He wasn't afraid for himself but Mason.
Even if it was highly risky to use the Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll after the Priestess found out about it, Mason's presence here was way more burdensome for Dilan than 900 meters away from the Sun temple.
The Eternal Guards never left the Sun temple's proximity and they hadn't seen any hunters of the two races outside the Sun temple during the last few days, let alone in the last half an hour, either.
That was why Dilan believed it would be better for Mason to leave by using the Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll, rather than staying by his side right now.
"I-it doesn't work…I d-don't know w-why…" Mason could barely respond in a panicked voice while trying to endure the pressure of four Eternal Guards that weighed on him, and Dilan's terrifying strength.
His breathing was labored and he felt as if his mind was going to explode at any moment.
However, Mason forced his entire being to stay awake so that it would be possible for him to help Dilan if necessary.
But it was only now that Mason truly realized that he had not helped Dilan by following him. Instead, Dilan was now in big trouble and drastically restricted because of his presence…because he had to be protected.
'If only I would have listened to him and not followed him here… will….we die today?'
Chapter 191 [Second Acceleration]
The moment Mason told Dilan that the Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll was truly not working, he knew that holding back was out of question.
It was at this moment that the first wind blades and fireballs found a small gap through his defenses, if one could call it as such.
Wielding the Blazing Serpentine Blade in a complex manner, Dilan shielded his entire body using the enlarged form of the blade to his full extent.
Dilan's only disadvantage was the fact that his movement speed was too slow, preventing him from creating a perfect shell-like defense.
As a result, the attacks hit him hard, impacting on his back, arms and legs. The fireballs exploded while the wind blades cut through his clothes.
The wind blades manifested by the ordinary Rasnian merely scratched his skin, but the exploding fireballs were a different problem.
They didn't actually injure Dilan much but rather Mason.
Dilan blocked all the attacks using his body as a shield but the exploding fireballs were still bothersome enough to inflict injuries on the young man.
As if all of this was not bad enough, the number of Ligrav and Rasnian, who were rushing towards the area in front of the Sun temple with rapid steps was steadily increasing.
From the Sun temple's direction, more than a hundred hunters could be seen making their way down towards them.
The Eternal Guards had also upped their game as they had begun to create powerful wind blades and fireballs.
They were several times stronger than the other fireballs but looked similar at the first glance.
In the end, the Eternal Guards were intentionally using simple elemental attacks because they wanted their attacks to be well-hidden and take cover under the high quantity of weak fireballs and windblades.-.
Like this, their attacks were bound to create more lethal damage and a mental instability in the minds of their opponents.
Dilan would be forced to pay his full attention to every single windblade and fireball after one of the Eternal Guards' elemental attacks impacted on him even once.
Mason could clearly tell that the situation was spiraling out of control. His heart was beating wildly and desperation filled his entire being.
However, even then, he could only swallow his saliva before he faintly said,
"L-L…Leave me behind…"
He didn't want to die. Death was the last thing he wished to face right now, or in the near future. However, Mason could clearly tell that he and Dilan would die together if the situation kept worsening.
Right now, Dilan was still able to block most attacks and only a few impacted on him. They didn't injure him but that was not something Mason could tell.
Mason was merely able to perceive Dilan's completely focused expression, the sweat that trickled down his temples, and the rapid movements he made with his arms to control the Blazing Serpentine Blade efficiently.
'I'm too slow!' He noticed which made him feel highly frustrated. He could clearly sense that he was not able to release his full strength but that was not something he could change right now.
Mason was in his arms, and leaving behind the young man despite knowing that he was defenseless and would die was something Dilan would never resort to.
Dilan knew what kind of potential dangers would attack them the moment he allowed Mason to follow him. It was disadvantageous that the Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll didn't work but this was also something Dilan could have expected.
He had underestimated Priestess Brashta and her wits. This was a big mistake and he wouldn't let go of Mason, just to ensure his own survival.
It had been his mistake, so he would have to fix it. Promising himself to save Mason, Dilan took one step after another.
Keeping his guard up while approaching the outer area of the town was certainly not easy.
It was even more dangerous when the Sun temple's hunters and the vast majority of ordinary Ligrav and Rasnian were closing on him from all sides.
They attacked him with volleys consisting of several hundred Fireballs and wind blades. Even if he were to be stronger, it was only luck that would make him leave the area unscathed. And right now, he needed all the luck he could have.
Despite the fact that death was looming over them, Dilan was not worried about his own life and well-being but rather about Mason's. Because Dilan was not fast enough, it had been impossible for him to protect Mason from every single attack.
The young man might be a Tier-1 ascender, but even he was not able to fight against the power of the elements.
Two fireballs had exploded on Mason, and three wind blades cut in his right arm, his right cheek, and his thigh.
Despite feeling unbearable pain and discomfort because of the current situation, Mason didn't dare to scream out in pain. He endured everything and felt horribly guilty for having pulled Dilan into this miserable situation.
The mighty hero he admired for his strength was currently being attacked, his skin was getting cut by wind blades several dozen times and the majority of his clothes had already been burned.
"Just lea–…"
"Shut up, will you?!!!" Dilan suddenly roared, gnashing his teeth as one of the Eternal Guards' fireballs exploded on his chest.
For a moment, Dilan lost his focus and he was forced to rely solely on his perception of the surroundings to be able to evade the attacks that shot toward him and Mason mercilessly with the aim of brutally killing the two human Ascenders.
The Blazing Serpentine Blade staggered in the air for a moment owing to the numerous attacks Dilan tried to block with it but the situation seemed to grow more and more helpless.
It was the first time since arriving at the Sun Temple that even Dilan couldn't help but feel a little bit bothered by the fact that he was numerically overwhelmed.
Each of the four Eternal Guards was powerful as well. Their basic stats were already higher than his, they were able to control both of their elemental affinities in a precise manner and they had certain abilities through which their attacks and base stats increased even further.
Dilan was forced to halt in his tracks and there didn't seem to be a single safe way for him to escape the town with Mason. There were still more than three hundred meters between his current position and the last house of the Sun temple's town.
The distance was not the problem but the hundreds of beings, who were blocking his path could be considered quite problematic.
None of the present Ligrav and Rasnian was below Tier-1. All of them were powerful but that was obvious. After all, the Sun temple couldn't send weak believers to other worlds to expand their influence.
Gritting his teeth, Dilan didn't even notice that blood was trickling down his nose. As he was under immense pressure, he slowly changed his tactic.
Using the 11.5 Stat points that were not yet allocated to increase his Agility, it reached 50 Units.
Adding the 10% amplification of stats he received from the Title [Beyond the Stars], and the [+10 Agility] he had gained by wearing [Aeris' leather boots], his stats increased to 65. With [Thunder Step] fully unleashed and [Bracing Pain] amplifying his stats even further, his Agility increased to over 90 Units.
However, even then, Dilan was not yet done with the drastic change in his tactics.
He had sincerely hoped not to be forced to resort to this but Dilan could clearly tell that if he wouldn't use it right now, that everything would be over.
Either he went all out right now, or he would die with Mason by his side!
Thus he activated his newest ability, the ability he gained from exchanging numerous Bronze and Silver Tier-1 Essence crystals at the large Gate.
[[Second Acceleration] Tier-1 ★✭✭
Ability can only be used if an Agility-enhancing ability has already been activated
Stamina consumption increases by 5 times.
Consumes between 2 to 15 Units of Mana to amplify the overall Agility stat by 5% to 30%
Duration: 90 Seconds
Disclaimer: The more Mana used to activate this ability, the higher the Stamina consumption will be. If certain criteria are exceeded the Stamina consumption may increase to more than 5x!]
Not holding back anymore, Dilan ignored the 5x Stamina consumption, which was the most worrisome factor owing to his rather low Stamina stat, he used 15 Mana to activate [Second Acceleration] in its strongest form.
Increasing his Agility by 30% once again, Dilan's agility reached close to 125 Units.
His body was heating up as he felt the sheer unbending power surging through him. Meanwhile, his hand began to move rapidly.
The Blazing Serpentine Blade in his hand turned into a huge ball of fire that enveloped him tightly. Not a single attack could break through him once again.
However, even then, Dilan was not yet done with enhancing his strength. If he said that he would go all-in, he would do so!!
Allowing [Bearer of Pain] to use his Life force in exchange for Mana, [Bracing Pain]'s effect was immediately unleashed.
In an instant, [Bracing Pain] enhanced Dilan's stats by 50%, and reached its limit.
Feeling the unbearable pain coursing through his body, while enduring the pressure of having an Agility that was close to 150 Units, and a Health stat that crossed 150 Units, Dilan knew that he would have to end the fight until the duration of [Second Acceleration] was used up.
If he wouldn't make it in time, Dilan would not only enter a weakened state but he couldn't even be certain of being able to move anymore.
He was desperate enough to make use of every means up his sleeves to fight against the hundreds of Ligrav and Rasnian, the four Eternal Guards, and the crowd of more than a hundred veteran hunters.
Meanwhile, Mason, who was barely able to stay conscious while being so close to Dilan's overbearing presence, could only question himself.
'We…will we be able to survive???'
Chapter 192 Sentient
If the situation was near impossible to survive before, the sudden improvement in Dilan's power changed everything at once.
His Agility was much higher than the strongest existence present. In fact, his current Agility was already high enough to rival Mid Tier-2 existences!
Moving his arm that was holding the Blazing Serpentine Blade rapidly, he expertly fended off every single attack that tried to reach him, no matter the level of force or momentum exerted by his opponents.
All of the attacks were nullified long before the moment they entered the range of the enlarged Serpentine Blade.
With a mere duration of 90 Seconds left until [Second Acceleration] would wear off, Dilan had to move rapidly.
He used his entire strength to blast toward the direction of the exit.
'I can always kill you guys later…saving Mason is far more important for now!'
Dilan didn't care about facing dangers or pain by himself. However, he didn't want to drag others in his mess.
That was simply not necessary. Thus, despite feeling the desire to tear apart the entire Sun temple, Dilan held back on his urges as his responsibility towards Mason was more important.
He would never be able to forgive himself if something were to happen to Mason right now.
Determined to safely transport Mason away from the dangers, Dilan crossed a distance of more than 200 meters. He would be able to leave the Sun temple's town in a second, and it should be possible for him to reach the Rian mountainside hospital in less than a minute as well.-.
Afterward, they would be able to leave at once.
Unfortunately, escaping the Sun temple was not that easy.
Just when Dilan hoped to escape the town, fiery red blazing walls of flames surrounded the entire town.
They cut off Dilan's way of escape.
He might be able to use [Gale] to disappear from his spot, but the ability of Aeris' leather boots was not unparalleled.
First of all, Dilan was pretty sure that [Gale] didn't allow him to actually disappear. It only boosted his speed to the threshold required to cross a distance of 10 meters in a single moment.
It was not a short-distance traveling ability that was related to the spatial element, or something similar.
And even if that were to be the case, Dilan couldn't be sure that it was possible for him to take Mason with him.
Thus, the sudden appearance of the wall of fire that could even injure Dilan was certainly not something he could cross, let alone ignore while passing through.
'If I cannot even come close to it despite my high Health stat, and the Special Trait [Stone Skin], Mason will definitely die the moment he is engulfed by the flames!'
Understanding this rather easily, Dilan turned around in an instant. His gaze immediately traveled to the top of the Sun temple, where he could see Priestess Brashta.
Instead of rushing down the Sun temple in order to follow him herself, Priestess Brashta had ordered the others to do so.
Simultaneously, her gut feeling told her that Dilan could escape her grasp even if more than a thousand of her people at Tier-1 would pursue and attack him relentlessly.
Her gut feeling had not only been correct but actually way off the mark. She didn't even realize that Dilan was strong enough to contend with an agility-based Mid Tier-2 existence while going all out.
It was not difficult to perceive that Dilan would face a severe backlash from going all out but that was not interesting as of now.
The most important fact Priestess Brashta had perceived while sensing Dilan's sudden increase of strength was something that had never happened before.
[Sacrifice this human to me!]
It was said that the Divinity of Gods was sentient. That meant the Divinity Fragment, and the miniature sun was also sentient.
Sensing something in its range of effectiveness, the Divinity Fragment immediately contacted the Priestess, who was the closest to him.
A trace of Dilan's Divine Inheritance had leaked from his body that was barely being held together.
Despite increasing its strength to an extent that was not ought to be possible for Tier-1 existences, Dilan's body didn't crumble. Instead, he was able to fight while his stats were double the natural limit of a Tier-1 existence.
Obeying the Divinity Fragment's order immediately, Priestess Brashta used a vast majority of the accumulated energy within the miniature sun to activate the Tier-2 town defense spell [Towering Wall of the Crimson Flame].
The duration for which the spell would remain active was indefinite, and the only requirement to be maintained was a large amount of the painstakingly accumulated sacred energy.
However, that was something Priestess Brashta had to accept simply because the Divinity Fragment ordered her to sacrifice Dilan to it.
A few sacrifices in exchange for gaining the Divinity Fragment's favor was perfectly fine for her.
Thus, the Priestess didn't hesitate the slightest as she gave her final order to the guards!
"Kill them…I don't care how, but I want both of them dead!"
The Priestess' voice reverberated through the entire town and reached everyone. In a mere moment, the situation had changed once again.
Not only was he imprisoned but the gaze he and Mason were subjected to had changed as well. The murderous intent everyone released was different from before.
There was something wild in their expressions, their presence, and the wildly raging mana that was suddenly released by all of them.
It was not difficult for Dilan to tell that they were now in a life and death situation. Thus, Dilan shot toward one of the taller buildings before he allowed Mason to stand next to him.
He let him down so that the young Ascender could finally take a few deep breaths.
However, even before Mason was able to regain his composure, Dilan had to grasp him once again.
A volley consisting of more than a thousand fireballs and wind blades shot towards him. The fireballs and wind blades destroyed the building Dilan and Mason had been standing on in an instant.
'They're growing more and more ferocious…what the hell…'
All of a sudden, Dilan perceived something behind him. More than 30 wind blades had changed their trajectory all of a sudden. They rushed at Dilan, cutting off all of his paths to evade the attacks by running away.
Wielding the Blazing Serpentine Blade in return, Dilan blocked the majority of attacks.
"Huh?" Dilan suddenly exclaimed as the 30 or so wind blades turned into more than 60 wind blades.
He thought that the compressed wind of the wind blades would scatter upon impact with the Blazing Serpentine Blade.
However, that was not what happened.
Rather, the flames of the Blazing Serpentine Blades seemed to nourish the wind blades, invigorate them and allow them to duplicate.
Dilan was utterly dumbfounded at this sight.
But that was not even the worst because something even less expected happened just a moment later.
Out of nowhere, wind blades emerged beyond the near-perfect protection shell he created around himself and Mason by wielding the Blazing Serpentine Blade in a wild manner.
Dilan's Agility might be rapid but his paths to retreat were not many. Thus, he had to force his way through the path where the fewest attacks would pierce into him.
But that was fine as long as each attack targeted him…only him.
Thus, Dilan used his entire body to block all the attacks that pierced through him.
Yet, what Dilan didn't expect was for an invisible wind blade to emerge less than 30 centimeters away from him all of a sudden.
'Fuck!'
Chapter 193 ...
'Fuck!'
Dilan was not bothered about his own well-being and tried to twist his body at an uncomfortable angle. However, even his extremely fast reflexes didn't allow him to fully twist his body as the wind blade had already emerged next to him.
Advancing with rapid velocity, it didn't halt in its tracks before piercing right into the target it had been shot at.
Mason flinched…and all of a sudden, Dilan felt something warm trickling down his right arm.
'No, fuck it. That can't happen right now!!'
Dilan increased his speed, forcing his body to endure even more pressure exerted by the unbearable and potent energies that surged through his body.
He wanted to escape the numerous volleys of attacks that shot toward him but that was easier said than done.
A bad feeling swept through his entire body and Dilan could clearly feel how Mason's movement grew weaker by the second.
His heartbeat slowed down rapidly and in a matter of seconds, Dilan's entire arm was covered in the warm liquid.
With an ominous feeling, a trace of fear, and the desperate hope that everything was different than he perceived, Dilan's eyes turned to Mason.
The young Ascender was still thrown upon Dilan's right shoulder, but his face was slowly draining color.-.
Blood trickled down the corners of his mouth and Mason's eyes were slowly losing focus.
One of the small and nearly untraceable wind blades created by an Eternal Guard had found its way through Dilan's defense, and his perception, preventing him from noticing it before it was already too late.
Dilan felt like cursing out, and his left arm's movement speed increased drastically, preventing even the weakest attack from piercing through the shell of fire, which the Blazing Serpentine Blade was forming.
Instead of attacking Dilan with the nearly untraceable wind blade, the Eternal Guard hadn't aimed at him…but Mason.
A 20-centimeter-long deep cut revealed Mason's back, his flesh, and his mangled spine…
If Dilan was not holding tightly onto Mason, the young man would have long since collapsed on the ground, and bled out before dying a painful death.
Mason felt miserable while struggling to hold onto his consciousness. His body barely transmitted him the pain he ought to feel, only for his mind to be fully awake.
Mason didn't feel much pain anymore…only tiredness…endless tiredness that was slowly overwhelming his body. But even then, his mind was still fully working and was focused on one particular thing.
"I'm sorry…for letting you down…I made a huge mistake…please…p-please sur-vi-…." Mason barely managed to stutter after taking several breaths.
He was forcing his body to work despite it being on the brink of a breakdown but there was nothing Mason could do against it. He was struggling to stay alive, yet, his fate did not seem inclined to let him.
Mason had so many things to do. He wanted to reunite with his family and meet up with his ex to apologize to her for having neglected her. He wanted to work it out with her and try to get back together once again.
Mason was also eager to become stronger, to explore the new side of Milarn, adventure through the Gates, visit new dimensions and get to know new races.
He was curious about everything that had happened after the Primordial Ascension. Being too afraid of the unknown dangers was never how he acted.
It was obvious that the new world was dangerous, otherwise, it wouldn't be necessary for everyone to learn how to kill monsters.
However, the dangers of the new world had never been a reason for Mason to hesitate to do something.
That was, at least what Mason had told himself during the last few days.
Reality was unfortunately different.
He was afraid of dying…
Despite all the curiosity that filled his entire being with excitement, Mason knew that he was afraid of death.
A numbing fear of death had settled in his heart on the first day after the Primordial Ascension had occurred, and grew worse in the weeks that had followed.
Dying at old age could be considered a blessing in the face of the possibility of being torn apart by wild animals, bitten to death by zombies, or killed by elemental attacks used by foreign races.
The new world was dangerous, and even if Mason wanted to explore everything, the most important thing to do…was to survive.
When Dilan had appeared in front of them, saved him and the others, offered them food, something to drink, and a place to sleep without demanding much in return, Mason had been overjoyed.
Given the great support Dilan provided to every single survivor in his group, it was possible to become a powerful Ascender without encountering situations where one's life was truly endangered.
With Dilan by their side, almost everyone believed that they would survive, that it was fine to continue dreaming about a promising future, that it might even be fine to dream about exploring Milarn in its new avatar despite being filled with dangerous monsters, mysterious places and places such as the Sun temple.
Mason had been certain that Dilan would be able to save him and protect his life by all means.
However, today, Mason noticed that nobody was unparalleled, or undefeatable.
Because of his nosy behavior, Mason knew that he had created lots of trouble for Dilan. He could clearly sense that Dilan was going all-out right now, risking his own safety and well-being just to protect Mason.
But even then, it was impossible for a single low Tier-1 individual to defeat more than a thousand Tier-1 existences, more than a hundred Mid Tier-1 veteran hunters, and the Eternal Guards, who had not only a combat prowess at the Peak of Tier-1 but also a terrifying control over their elements and numerous unique abilities that enhanced their elemental control and the versatility in their attacks.
Dilan was just a human…who was alone and trying to fight more than a thousand opponents at once while going all out in order to protect Mason.
Yet, in the end, Dilan failed…
However, even in the face of death, Mason could only force himself to smile one last time.
He was thankful for everything Dilan had done for him, and for everyone else he had protected.
Mason should feel regret dying like this, and it might even be normal to loathe the person who should have protected his life.
But right now, while taking his last breaths, Mason didn't feel any of that. The only thing in his mind was to say a few more words to Dilan…their protector…their savior…
'…It's not your fault'
The moment he thought of the words he wished to tell Dilan, Mason's eyes turned dim.
The last traces of life left his eyes and body as a lone tear trickled down his cheek.
After that, all the remaining strength left Mason's body, and his body stiffened in the grasp of Dilan, who was utterly dumbfounded about the twist of events.
"Is…he…dead?" Dilan could barely mumble in disbelief while looking at the young man in his hands. He was a few years younger than Dilan…yet, he died…
His life had ended, all of a sudden, just like that…
[Overflowing rage, regret, guilt, wrath, and adrenaline have been detected within the Host.]
[Requirements to activate <Berserk Mana> have been met.]
[<Berserk Mana> has activated itself upon sensing the host's inability to control his emotions.]
[Due to the activation of <Berserk Mana> the host's mana will be altered. Potency of Mana x2.]
Chapter 194 Losing it (1 of 2)
Several Units of Berserk Mana were consumed to activate [Thunder Step] and [Second Acceleration] once again.
Despite having already been activated, the potency of Dilan's Berserk mana overshadowed the ordinary mana, unleashing the terrifying strength of having mana with a potency twice as strong as usual.
[Thunder Step] and [Second Acceleration] became nearly twice as powerful as before, increasing Dilan's Agility to above 200 Units.
Dilan's body was not able to cope with the sudden increase in his Agility and as a result, blood trickled out of his pores.
Before he knew it, his skin was already covered in a thin layer of his own blood.
But Dilan didn't pay any heed to himself, neither the pain that swept through his entire body nor the blood he was losing.
After taking a single step, he disappeared from his previous spot before appearing on the other side of the town, which was several hundred meters away.
His empty sky blue eyes looked at Mason as he put the body of the young man on the ground.
He then accessed one of his Penta Item Pouches and took a pinkish potion out of it.
It was a [Rejuvenating potion], another Bronze Tier-1 treasure that he had obtained from exchanging Bronze and Silver Tier-1 Essence crystals at the large gate.
He didn't even hesitate before he carefully opened Mason's mouth as he emptied the contents of the vial inside his mouth.-.
Dilan's expression was stiff and he kept looking at the young man, who didn't move even after he received the strongest healing potion they had gotten their hands on during the last few days.
'He really is dead…'
That was the only thought flashing through Dilan's mind as realization struck him.
He was at fault for the young man's death. If he would have rejected Mason before leaving Rian, all of this wouldn't have happened.
Mason would still be alive and he would have left the Sun temple by now.
Everything would be fine and everyone would be alive…
'It's…my fault that he died?'
Dilan's mind was in chaos. He was not sure where the front or back was and had momentarily lost the ability to know what was right and what was wrong.
Death was nothing new for him but until now he had never been the reason for the death of someone innocent…
He always killed the scumbags, and numerous monsters. This was something Dilan could do without hesitation.
But being the reason for the death of someone innocent was something that had never happened before.
It broke something within Dilan as he was looking at the corpse of the young man. He had already stiffened and the only thing Dilan could do for Mason was to close his eyes.
Even giving him a proper funeral was not possible because they didn't have enough time left.
Dilan knew that he needed to be back as quickly as possible to leave with the others so that they would survive.
He was not sure what was going to happen but it was something terrifying.
Not even being able to provide Mason a proper funeral felt wrong but Dilan's mind had already lost the ability to think straight.
His rationality was slowly dispersing in the searing hot wind of the imprisoned Sun temple's town.
Every nook and cranny was waving off the unbearable heat the walls of fire created.
Mason was dead, killed by the believers of the Sun temple… thus, the only fair trade Dilan could do was to avenge Mason as his soul would travel to the afterlife.
Dilan's train of thoughts was messy and he barely remembered that he picked up Mason before moving him to the closest wall of fire by taking a single step.
Afterward, Dilan's empty eyes turned fiery and were overflowing with killing intent as he gently placed Mason down in the blazing fire.
He had no idea why he wanted to burn Mason's corpse. There was no reason for him to do so, however, his entire being screamed that he had to do so.
His mind had gone blank and he could do nothing save act upon his instincts without the desire to retaliate, Dilan's actions were slow and filled with mysteriousness.
When Dilan had put Mason in the fire, his hands had already caught on fire and were burning brightly. He didn't mind this at all, and circulated his Berserk Mana through his hands to extinguish the flames before he began to make numerous mysterious signs and gestures with his hands.
At this moment, he didn't even realize that he was not himself, or that it was not him, who was moving his body but that something deep within his conscience had taken control over him.
He had not lost his senses but something else had merged with Dilan's rage, it was his unbending wrath and his guilt.
Through this, he moved in certain ways he had never moved, did things he had never done, and stayed calm until Mason's 'funeral' ended.
Thus, Dilan did not even notice what was going on as he began to speak various phrases in an ancient language he never heard of before.
"Young Warrior…May your courage be the fire of your soul.
May your charisma be the reason for your brethren's ascension.
May your strength be the shield of the poor and powerless.
May your love never be lost in the hearts of your loved ones.
May the blood of your opponents exhilarate you on your path to the Gates of Nirvim
By the name of the God of Revenge, the Messiah of Carnage, and the God of Death's Loved One, I swear to sacrifice the blood of your enemies in your name!
Warrior Mason…Rest in Peace as long as you can, for when you are done, I want you to overcome the trials of retribution and return to the Battlefield of Eons to brandish your Sword by my side!"
Dilan's voice grew louder when he reached the end of his speech. Simultaneously, his hand was reaching out for Mason's burning corpse.
He ignored the flames that burned his hand, and instead fully focused his attention on the young man, who had sacrificed his life not too long ago.
All of a sudden, a white glow shrouded Dilan's hand. It spread over Mason's chest and faintly engulfed his entire body.
Only seconds later, the corpse began to glow faintly before the body crumbled, turning in the ashes of the blazing flames.
Dilan's eyes were still ice-cold and a murderous intent swept through his entire being.
He retracted his hand slowly, and looked at the scorched hand before he waved it once.
[Regeneration] had been activated without Dilan even realizing it.
He turned around and ignored the layer of boiling blood that covered his skin as a bloodthirsty aura shrouded his entire existence.
"I will kill you…all of you!!"
The Blazing Serpentine Blade had appeared in his hands once again. Dilan brandished it in a seemingly simple manner.
However, owing to his extremely high Agility which exceeded 200 Units right now, his arm's movement was not something an ordinary Tier-1 existence would be able to perceive.
*Swish*
With a terrifying sound, the enlarged Blazing Serpentine Blade cut through the air, slashing the surrounding buildings into two pieces.
Following which, Dilan leaned forward a bit, his feet dug deep in the ground as he blasted in the direction of the mortal enemies he had to exterminate.
The moment Dilan dashed toward his opponents, a two-meter-deep crater was created at the spot where Dilan had been standing before.
He crossed several hundred meters in a single second though on the flipside his Stamina was being drained rapidly.
However, all of this was of little to no interest to him.
The only thought that flashed through his mind was simple.
'If you kill one of my people…I will annihilate all of yours!'
Chapter 195 Losing it (2 of 2)
Priestess Brashta noticed that something was wrong the moment the human next to Dilan died.
Dilan's presence had changed instantly and the mana surrounding him had turned like a cloud of roaring fury.
For a few seconds, nobody knew where Dilan had disappeared to because it had been impossible to follow the path he had run to with their bare eyes.
This created distinct fear within the ordinary Tier-1 Ligrav and Rasnian, who hadn't even seen the purple flash Dilan's movements had created before.
Nobody dared to move first, forcing Priestess Brashta, the Eternal Guards, and the hunters to take the first step.
They were not less vigilant than the others but they also knew that mass panic would ensue the moment they would try fleeing from a single opponent.
Priestess Brashta was still in charge of controlling the miniature sun to her best capabilities while standing on top of the Sun temple.
She was more than half a kilometer away from Dilan but even her hair stood on its ends the moment the Priestess saw something.
If Dilan's speed and his presence had been terrifying before the death of the other human, he was on a completely different level right now.
There was no hesitation in his movement and the bloodthirst and killing intent he released nearly manifested around his body.
However, in the end, it was merely Dilan's blood that kept trickling out of his pores, owing to the overwhelming strength his body was not able to handle for too long.
Dilan could tell that his body would crumble and that it would be impossible for him to return to his earlier form and physique for more than a month the moment [Second Acceleration]'s duration ended.-.
But that was without his Origin ability's interference.
Whether the duration of his weakened state was shorter with his Origin ability or not didn't bother Dilan at all. His heart was beating wildly, adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he wanted nothing more than the death of the Sun temple's believers.
He didn't want anything else and accepted every punishment he would face in return.
That would be his retribution and atonement for Mason's death.
Willing to accept anything, Dilan disappeared from his position and emerged right in front of the first Eternal Guard.
He clearly remembered this Eternal Guard because the mana he had released to create wind blades was exactly the same as the invisible wind blade that had pierced through Mason's back.
With eyes that were as cold as Antarctica, Dilan stared into the depths of the Rasnian's eyes before his hand moved rapidly.
The Blazing Serpentine Blade coiled around the Eternal Guard's neck in a fraction of a second, without giving him even a moment to react.
A moment later, Dilan pulled his hand backward, pulling the Blazing Serpentine Blade in the process, and beheading the Eternal Guard in an instant.
Several hundred fireballs and wind blades shot toward him a moment later but Dilan only needed to dash toward the front to evade the volley of elemental attacks easily.
His movements were smooth, without wasted steps and it allowed him to emerge in front of the hunters.
They were Mid Tier-1 existences and powerful enough to fight against the stronger monsters all over the Shikan plains.
However, that was certainly not something Dilan was bothered about.
He twisted his body in a rapid spin while shooting the Blazing Serpentine Blade outward.
Dozens of hunters were killed in an instant. They were cut in half as his weapon and speed did not give them a way to escape Dilan's attack.
It was not even possible for their eyes to follow Dilan's path.
The only thing they perceived was the after image of the electric currents that shrouded Dilan's feet and the fiery red color of the blazing flames that engulfed the Serpentine Blade he wielded.
Other than that, the next thing they noticed was merely their blurred sight, the fact that their body slumped to the ground and that they were not able to move anymore.
They were dying and only noticed it when it was already too late!
With regret, they merely perceived the blurred images of Dilan's bloodthirsty appearance disappearing into a blur as he became their people's personal Grim Reaper.
He didn't hesitate the slightest while killing dozens of Ligrav and Rasnian with a single slash of his Serpentine Blade.
Rather, his speed and agility seemed to increase the longer he fought.
It was almost as if he had yet to adjust to the drastic increase in strength he had received from all the various abilities that were utilized at the same time.
As he continued to move faster and faster, Dilan was barely perceptible even to the three remaining Eternal Guards.
They had been confident to protect the new Branch of the Sun temple because the world called Milarn had yet to enter the second phase.
The planet had been recently awakened and it would take quite a while before Milarn would be able to adjust itself to the changes it underwent.
Nature was currently unable to adapt to the various changes, let alone the infiltration of foreign races and the Gates.
Clearly aware of the past records on how planets usually faced the Primordial Ascension, it had been easy to determine that the Eternal Guards were currently amongst the strongest existences on Milarn.
At least, that was what they had presumed. How could anyone expect that the first human being they found was an anomaly amongst anomalies?
Even if one didn't want to acknowledge it, Dilan's current speed and his whole combat prowess had long since surpassed the norms of a Tier-1 existence.
He had long since left that realm and turned his surroundings into a bloody battlefield, into his very own zone of the massacre.
Wherever Dilan went, blood, body parts, bones, and organs splattered through the air. He didn't show mercy to any being that entered his view, whether it was a man, woman, old, young, crippled, or the strongest warrior.
All of this was not important to Dilan because the blood of the foreign races he killed was a sacrifice to honor Mason, to provide his soul a safe trip to the Gates of Nirvim.
Dilan had no idea what all of this meant but his mind was not able to comprehend anything right now, to begin with.
Every fiber of his being was solely filled with the desire to kill, to exact revenge, and the desire to pay for his sins, for the mistake he did, and to prevent a repeat of the tragic and horrifying incident like today.
And for that…not only Priestess Brashta, but her Eternal Guards, the veteran hunters, or the thousand Ligrav and Rasnian had to be killed!
Charging through the masses of enemies like a bloodthirsty maniac, Dilan had killed more than a third within a minute.
However, even that did little to calm him.
Reaping the lives of more than 400 enemies in a minute might be enough for others but not for Dilan.
He didn't have much time left before he would enter a weakened state. His body was barely coping with the pain of moving around while having an Agility exceeding 200 Units.
But it didn't help that he was still able to move. He had to eradicate every single believer of the Sun God's temple before the effective time of [Second Acceleration] would wear off.
There was merely half a minute left before [Second Acceleration] would lose its effectiveness, and Dilan could clearly tell that his body wouldn't be able to reactivate [Second Acceleration] again.
The moment he would attempt to do so, his legs would give in and his muscles would be torn apart.
Severely damaging his body wouldn't be a problem for Dilan, but he still had to move after the battle was over.
This was even something the messed up mind of Dilan could understand despite malicious thoughts raking his conscience.
Thus, he gathered more than 20 Berserk Mana in his Blade as he activated [Mana Slash] the moment he reached and stood in front of the most crowded area of Ligrav and Rasnian.
"…die for me!"
Chapter 196 No Mercy
A bloody reddish hue shrouded the white crescent mana Slash Dilan released.
His mind was filled with nothing but hatred, wrath, and regret, which nourished the Berserk Mana his body had transmuted on its own.
As [Mana Slash] was used with Berserk Mana, the attack's potency was doubled. Thus, the attack was twice as lethal and destructive as usual.
Fear filled the eyes of the Ligrav and Rasnian, who found themselves standing in Dilan's attack range.
However, even before they could make a move, their body had been halved as their upper body immediately slumped to the ground while their lower body followed suit seconds later.
The Berserk Mana Slash used with 20 Berserk Mana units was equivalent to a Mana Slash used with 40 Units of Mana.
Its lethality and destructive force were enough to break the strongest defenses of Peak Tier-1 monsters, let alone a few hundred Low Tier-1 Ligrav and Rasnian, who were not even able to react fast enough to attempt to block the attack.
They didn't wear any special equipment to protect themselves either, which drastically decreased their chances of survival.
Dying at the hands of Dilan was just a matter of time for all the beings inside the prison the walls of fire created.
The same prison Priestess Brashta had created to prevent Dilan from running away was what caused the death of several hundred loyal believers of the Sun temple. This was just one of the many forms of payback Dilan planned to deliver.
In a matter of seconds, the Berserk Mana Slash had cut through several hundred bodies, halving them as if it was nothing special.
The number of casualties increased to more than 800 in seconds, but Dilan was not yet done.-.
He brandished the Blazing Serpentine blade and re-activated [Mana Slash] once again.
However, this time instead of wasting his precious mana, Dilan used merely 2 Berserk Mana units to utilize [Mana Slash].
That was enough to cut through more than a dozen opponents as the rapidly shot-out crescent Mana Slash was not something they could perceive with their bare eyes.
Dilan's Agility exceeded 200 Units, while their own mana was not even close to 30 Units. The gap between their strength was too wide to be solved by just looking at numbers.
Thus, hundreds of Ligrav and Rasnian died as Dilan repeatedly used [Mana Slash] with merely 2 Berserk Mana units.
Due to [Bracing Pain] Dilan's Mana had increased drastically as well.
He had more than enough mana left to make use of his precious mana on killing the small fries around him.
But they were not enough to calm down Dilan's endless rage.
Through his eyes, everything looked red. He was not able to differentiate between friend and foe anymore.
However, that was not necessary because every single being that was breathing around him was his opponent.
There was no ally by his side anymore. Mason had already been killed by the vile existences, who had forced him to fight them.
Despite blaming himself for Mason's death, he knew that he was not the only one at fault. Priestess Brashta had prevented him from leaving when he wanted to.
It was not his fault for the bitch of a Priestess to act all high and mighty.
That was why Dilan didn't want to atone to his sins alone. He wanted everyone to feel what death tasted like.
Death was the best way to atone to one's sins, directly after endless pain.
Because Dilan was far from being able to control himself and holding back he couldn't take his sweet time torturing Priestess Brashta. He didn't have the necessary time either.
Thus, she had to die and become the sacrifice for Mason's soul's journey to the Gate of Nirvim.
Dilan slowly adjusted to his extraordinary state and his high stats. He moved smoothly through the rows of dead bodies, killed everyone in his vicinity, and ended their lives with a single slash.
The enlarged Blazing Serpentine Blade whizzed through the air, killing dozens of opponents with a single strike, and ended their lives in a more or less painless manner.
The flame engulfed Serpentine Blade sizzled when it spilled blood that came in contact with its searing hot surface that dripped from the organs, flesh, and bone fragments stuck in its numerous small blades.
'A weapon of death…'
That was the only thought flashing through Priestess Brashta's mind as she witnessed the death of her people right in front of her eyes.
Her earlier confidence in defeating Dilan crumbled to dust as she watched him move like a tornado that left nothing but death and destruction behind.
The tides had changed and the numbers of her believers were not even in the three digits anymore.
In less than 90 seconds, Dilan had killed more than 1000 of her followers including three Eternal Guards.
On the other hand, they had merely managed to kill the weakling who had followed Dilan. It was not even close to a fair trade.
Yet, even then, Dilan's anger and his craving for blood didn't seem to have soothed either.
Rather, the bloodlust radiating from his body had intensified. The pressure he released didn't allow anyone to move freely.
If someone dared make a move, they were immediately detected by Dilan's razor-sharp senses and chosen as his next target.
His perception of the surroundings was terrifying. Even the slightest movement couldn't escape his grasp in his current state.
It was impossible for anyone to flee from his sight. He crossed more than 100 meters in a single dash and killed everyone in his way without a second thought.
Dilan was currently not even able to think, to begin with. His mind had temporarily lost the ability to think rationally.
He only knew that he wanted to wash his hands in the blood of his enemies, that he had to eradicate everyone around him, and that the death of his enemies was the only thing he could give Mason.
Dilan didn't even feel pain anymore right now.
His body was already crumbling, the skin on his legs already had blisters and his muscles were slowly giving in.
However, Dilan couldn't care less about the impending exhaustion. His only focus was to kill, to slaughter everyone, and end the life of the people who were responsible for the death of Mason.
Less than 10 seconds were left on the duration of [Second Acceleration] but that was more than enough to kill the last Eternal Guard, eradicate the remaining veteran hunters, and end the lives of all the Ligrav and Rasnian, who were cowering on the ground.
They were afraid to die, afraid of Dilan, the monster, who had barged into their home and was killing them as if he was slaughtering chickens stuck in a coop.
They could not fathom how the situation could have changed so much in just a few minutes.
Before, Dilan had been quite nice to them. The humans who were with him had brought them numerous sacrifices and it had looked like they could work together in the future.
Little did they know that the Priestess never planned to work together with Dilan.
From the beginning, her plan had been to kill Dilan and every single human in his group.
She had just waited for the perfect moment to attack them, for winter to end, and for Dilan and his people to lower their guard.
Unfortunately, her entire plan had been destroyed the moment she noticed what Dilan had planned when he used every single Sacred Point he and his group had accumulated during the last week.
The other clues she had gotten wind of were enough of an indicator to tell her that Dilan didn't want to keep dealing with the Sun temple.
However, even if he wanted to end it on friendly terms while expecting an attack, it was not as if the Priestess was willing to end it on friendly, let alone on neutral terms.
In her opinion, they could only end up being each other's, mortal enemies. After all, her plan had been to get her hands on the being, who had received the Divine Inheritance, not to make friends!!
Little did she know that her plan would not only fail miserably but that the entire Sun temple would cease to exist just because of the little human being, whom she had encountered at first.
'Is he the one?' Priestess Brashta asked herself as fear and desperation gleamed in her eyes while she looked at the monster of a human being, who had slaughtered every single person under her.
Not even the young or old had been spared, nobody had escaped Dilan's wrath!!
Everyone had been slaughtered without mercy…