Catastrophic-level

The four priests watched as Father Raphael walked faster and faster, their hearts filled with confusion, not understanding why he was suddenly in such a rush.

Father Weiss stepped forward, preparing to ask for an explanation. 

But just as Weiss was about to get close, Father Raphael suddenly stopped by a large tree, placing one hand against the trunk, bending over, and starting to cough violently.

His face turned pale instantly, and he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead like rain.

"Raphael!" 

The other four priests were startled and rushed forward in panic.

Father Thomas was the first to reach him, quickly pulling out a precious pill he had carefully stored away and without hesitation, placed it into Raphael's mouth.

"Hold on, Raphael!" 

Father Thomas nervously gripped Raphael's hand, his eyes filled with anxiety.

The pill's effects took hold quickly, but Raphael remained slumped in Thomas' arms, his face as pale as paper, with cold sweat continuously rolling down his forehead.

Five minutes passed, and Raphael's breathing gradually steadied, yet he couldn't stop coughing, occasionally spitting out more blood.

"What's going on? Wasn't he fine just a moment ago?" 

Father Carsey asked anxiously, his face full of worry.

Father Raphael remained silent for a moment, struggling to stand with the support of the tree, his voice weak but calm as he answered.

"That man's strength surpasses mine."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the four priests were filled with shock, their eyes wide in disbelief.

Moments ago, it seemed that the gray-haired man was on the losing end. How could Raphael now be the one seriously injured?

"Are you alright?" 

Father Phillips asked cautiously.

Right now, Raphael was their backbone.

If something happened to him, the four priests couldn't even begin to imagine the chaos it would cause in their army.

"I'm fine. I caught him off guard, that's why I gained the upper hand. 

If it had come to a real fight, the five of us combined wouldn't have stood a chance against him." 

Raphael weakly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Hearing this, the hearts of the four priests pounded wildly.

Cold sweat poured down their spines, soaking their clothes.

In that previous confrontation, they had believed that Raphael had the upper hand.

They never expected that their opponent was this powerful.

The four priests exchanged glances and each swallowed hard, feeling a sense of lingering fear.

If it hadn't been for Father Raphael casting that protective water barrier, they would likely have perished in that terrifying roar.

Because Raphael had focused on shielding them, he hadn't had time to defend himself properly, which led to his current serious injury.

Raphael felt as though his internal organs had been shattered.

The roar from that giant ape had not only affected the four priests but had also inflicted severe damage on him.

Although he had managed to gain a temporary advantage through a sneak attack, the aftershocks of the roar still reverberated within his body, causing immense pain.

They were now deep in the heart of the Celestoria Mountains, shrouded in darkness, with a sense of danger looming all around.

Father Carsey sensed the unspeakable threat around them and dared not delay any longer.

He quickly cast a wind elemental spell, forming a whirlwind around the five of them.

The place was too dangerous for them to stay any longer.

The wind magic carried them away from the depths of the Celestoria Mountains.

Back by the lake, the white-haired man watched as the five priests quickly flew off, his face filled with confusion as he asked,

"Why did you let them go?"

The gray-haired man's expression was grim as he answered in a low voice.

"If I had tried to keep them, Raphael would have fought me to the death.

And at that point, I might have been seriously injured or even killed."

This statement took the white-haired man by surprise, his mouth hanging open in disbelief as he asked,

"He's that strong? Stronger than three purple-robed archbishops?"

The gray-haired man didn't respond right away, instead falling into a brief silence.

He then spoke slowly, his expression heavy.

"Maybe even stronger than three purple Cardinal."

No matter how he looked at it, he hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary priest to possess such shocking strength, far beyond what he had anticipated.

The white-haired man saw the serious expression on his companion's face and realized that he wasn't joking.

He felt a wave of fear wash over him, recalling the scene in the tent earlier, cold sweat forming on his back.

If Raphael had really intended to kill him back then, his body would probably already be cold, and he wouldn't be standing here now.

His face gradually turned pale, his mouth twitching slightly as he swallowed nervously.

"Thank God… thank God he didn't strike."

The white-haired man muttered to himself, a trace of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.

The gray-haired man remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, his expression still somber.

The air was filled with tension, rain continued to fall, soaking them both, yet no one spoke again.

Father Carsey manipulated the green wind, swiftly carrying the five of them back to their base camp.

Father Thomas and Father Phillips held the weakened Raphael between them as they rushed into the tent.

Once inside, they immediately retrieved a precious white pill and handed it to Father Raphael.

Without saying a word, Raphael sat down in a chair, took the pill, and began to meditate, trying to restore his energy.

The atmosphere inside the tent was tense, and the four priests stood silently by, not daring to make a sound.

Time passed slowly. Raphael remained silent, his face still pale, his breathing weak.

The four priests frowned deeply, their eyes filled with concern.

Each of them feared that Raphael might start coughing up blood again, their nerves too taut to relax.

After half an hour, Raphael finally opened his eyes.

Although his face was still pale, he had regained some strength.

The four priests finally breathed a sigh of relief, though none dared to lower their guard completely.

"Hurry, I'll dictate, and you write."

Father Raphael said weakly, his tone urgent.

Though he no longer had the strength to hold a pen, his mind remained sharp.

Father Weiss was the quickest to react. He immediately stepped up to Raphael's side, picked up a quill, and grabbed a clean sheet of paper from the table, ready to write.

"The enemy in the Celestoria Mountains is powerful.

There's a catastrophic-level magic beast…"

Before Raphael could finish speaking, the tent fell into a stunned silence.

All four priests froze in place, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Father Weiss's hand began to tremble, his shock causing him to lose control. 

He accidentally knocked over the ink bottle, and thick black ink spread across the page, soaking through the paper.

"Sorry! I…"

Weiss stammered, apologizing as he frantically tried to clean it up with his sleeve.

"Don't panic. Just get another sheet."

Raphael said, suppressing his exhaustion, his voice still steady.

The four priests exchanged serious looks, their expressions growing more and more grave.

A catastrophic-level magic beast was something they had only read about in history books.

Never had they expected to face such a creature in real life.

Once a magic beast reached the destruction level, it gained the ability to take on a human form.

Throughout history, many beasts never managed to cross that threshold, remaining stuck at the destruction level.

But those few that did reach the catastrophic level were beyond comprehension in terms of power.

"I can't believe… there really is one."

Father Thomas murmured to himself, clenching his fists as cold sweat dripped from his forehead.