"What a touching scene..."
Antioch appeared at the other end of the passage, with a massive Spirit Realm Guard following closely beside him.
Glancing at Joanne and White Dove being swept toward the exit by the rushing current, Antioch made no move to stop them. After all, the wizard standing before him would never let him have his way.
If not for the rather different setting, this was practically a reenactment of the Battle of Nordland...
"I think you may have misunderstood something..." Lynn turned around, his gaze blazing as he fixed his eyes on Antioch at the end of the passage. He raised his right hand, and the traces of white phosphorus remaining on the surface of the storage pouch were stripped away under the effect of [Mage Hand].
First, he needed to record it...
Recalling Joanne's explanation from moments ago, Lynn instantly entered overload mode and cast the zero-ring magic—[Basic Material Deconstruction]!
The fine white phosphorus powder rapidly disintegrated, reverting to its fundamental molecular state...
Then came Magic Mimicry!
A vast amount of magic power poured into his palm. Like dividing cells, the white phosphorus floating in his hand multiplied rapidly before surging up and forming an enormous fireball.
Deconstructing and recording an element, then using magic power to mimic it—this was the essence of how Official Wizards could cast spells without materials!
Normally, recording and mastering an element would take weeks or even months. But with the immense processing power provided by the intellect core, Lynn had shortened that time to less than three seconds.
A new rune was swiftly inscribed into his mind—[White Phosphorus—Fireball]!
Seeing the fireball ignite in Lynn's hand, Antioch stopped advancing. Having witnessed the terror of White Phosphorus Fire, he naturally did not dare let down his guard. His opening move was his strongest defensive divine spell—[Divine Barrier]!
An invisible curtain of light stood before him like an unbreakable city wall, but the white phosphorus fire Lynn threw curved around it and struck the entrance behind Antioch.
A violent explosion rang out in the next instant. Flames burst forth, and the entrance behind him was engulfed by terrifying white phosphorus fire.
Antioch froze for a moment. Once he understood Lynn's intentions, his expression immediately turned extremely ugly.
Clearly, the wizard before him was not merely trying to cover his companions' escape—the man had sealed off his retreat, which meant he intended to kill him here!
"Very good!" Realizing this, the anger in Antioch's heart flared as well. The enormous Spirit Realm Guard beside him broke into a charge with heavy steps.
Its body, formed from giant stones, was incomparably heavy. Each step onto the shattered tiles left a clear imprint...
Standing before the Spirit Realm Guard, Lynn looked like a mantis trying to block a carriage.
Yet Lynn remained calm, showing no intention of dodging. He merely counted silently in his heart.
Three... two... one...
[Turn Stone to Mud]
Just as the Spirit Realm Guard rushed before him and swung down a crushing fist, Lynn ducked aside and pressed his palm against the ground.
The solid floor instantly turned into soft sand. The clumsy giant stone statue immediately lost its balance upon stepping onto it, rolled over, and crashed directly into the rushing waters behind it.
Before the enormous spray of water could even fall, it was deconstructed into its most fundamental elements. Magic power was then infused into them, condensing them into dozens of crystalline ice blades that shot forward at indescribable speed!
Using the terrain to his advantage, Lynn cast a second-ring spell for the first time—[Group—Blade of Ice]!
The shift between offense and defense happened in an instant. Antioch had no time to react before the Spirit Realm Guard sank beneath the water, while the locust-like ice blades slammed directly into the [Divine Barrier].
How could a second-ring offensive spell possibly overcome a third-ring defensive divine spell?
Lynn swiftly provided the answer. Dozens of Blades of Ice struck three fixed points with incredible precision. Ripples spread across the surface of the invisible barrier faster and faster. First, a tiny crack appeared, then it rapidly widened, and the invisible barrier shattered...
This was breaking a surface with a point!
Antioch's expression changed completely. He could not help taking a step back as he raised his staff and unleashed a second third-ring divine spell—[Holy Light]!
Dazzling waves of light radiated an aura of death as they spread forward in a semicircle. Five minutes earlier, Lynn had fled miserably from this attack, but now he was no longer the same as before.
[White Phosphorus—Flame Demon Hand!]
Lynn raised his hand, and terrifying white phosphorus flames erupted once more, transforming into the hand of an ancient demon god several meters tall as it collided with the dazzling wave of light.
This ordinary upper-tier first-ring spell erupted with unimaginable power in Lynn's hands!
Scorching flames shot into the sky. The entire castle jolted violently and began to shake...
Amid the white smoke, rubble, and firelight, Antioch vaguely saw something gleaming in midair. Only when it drew closer did he realize it was a sword—and Lynn, holding it, was already right before him.
Clang~
The sharp longsword collided with the gold-inlaid staff, producing a harsh, grating thud.
What was the best way to deal with a Priest capable of using divine spells?
Naturally, close combat!
However, Lynn quickly discovered that the experience he had accumulated from games and novels had failed him this time. Antioch had blocked his full-force strike with only one hand holding the staff...
Could this be the legendary melee Priest?
Cold sweat beaded on Lynn's forehead as he lowered his head and dodged Antioch's heavy blow.
Feeling the staff whistle through the air above his head, Lynn roughly calculated that the strike carried at least 1.5 tons of force.
It reminded Lynn of the witch hunter he had encountered earlier.
Were all the people from the Holy Church fucking humanoid tyrannosaurs?
Fortunately, due to years of pampered living, even after taking a Divine Grace Potion, Antioch's close-combat skills remained woefully lacking. Fighting was not just about having great strength!
After two or three exchanges, Lynn instantly calculated where the staff would land. His longsword thrust in from an awkward angle, carving a savage bloody gash across Antioch's chest...
Antioch was both shocked and enraged. Ignoring how close they were, he immediately cast a second-ring divine spell with a backhanded motion—[Holy Light Impact]!
A dazzling white light flared, and Lynn and Antioch, standing at point-blank range, were both blasted away by an immense impact.
Lynn, whose physique was somewhat weaker, was sent flying more than ten meters. Fortunately, at the instant the divine spell was released, he hastily formed a layer of ice shield around himself, absorbing most of the force and preventing him from falling into the rushing river behind him.
On the other side, Antioch had taken the full force of his own divine spell head-on. His magnificent gold-trimmed robe had become tattered, while the long, vicious wound on his chest split open once more.
[Holy Word: Shield], [Divine Blessing], [Remove Fear], [Divine Barrier], [Wall of No Light]...
Under successive threats to his life, the still-shaken Antioch did not even heal his injuries first. Instead, he repeatedly cast defensive divine spells, practically turning himself into a turtle shell!
Before you continue