Chosen of God

The poor Apprentice Mage had all her attention fixed on her precious candles, completely unaware of the sudden catastrophe bearing down on her.

She even curiously raised her head to look at the light source that had suddenly become brighter than the sun, her eyes filled with pure confusion, like a fawn about to be crushed beneath a wheel without realizing it.

Time seemed to stretch at that moment.

There was no thought, no hesitation.

His body reacted before his mind did.

The [Ring of Swift Wind] on his hand erupted with a pale cyan glow, and a strange force violently propelled Xia Lin forward.

His figure left behind an almost invisible afterimage as he lunged like a fearless cheetah, slamming hard into Lila!

"Move!"

A hoarse growl accompanied the heavy impact.

Lila was sent flying by the tremendous force, barely avoiding the direct path of the golden beam.

But... she had not avoided it completely!

Sizzle—!!!

The horrifying sound of red-hot iron searing flesh exploded through the air!

The golden beam grazed past the rolling Xia Lin, its terrifying energy instantly punching through his right shoulder.

Xia Lin's vision went black, and an involuntary muffled groan escaped his throat.

He could even smell the pungent stench of his own flesh burning. A fist-sized hole had been blasted through his shoulder, its edges charred black. Very little blood flowed out; only faint smoke and golden sparks sizzled from the wound.

"Fuck!" He ground his back teeth together and forced out the word through clenched teeth.

"Xia Lin! Your shoulder!" Lila struggled to her feet. When she saw his terrible state, her voice changed with fright.

"Bulwark!!!"

Barrett's roar was like the howl of a wounded beast!

His eyes were bloodshot as he braced that weathered shield firmly before him, facing the remaining energy of the beam.

Earth-yellow light erupted from the shield's surface, forming what looked like a thick shell of rock as it forcibly met the golden beam tearing through the air.

Screech—the golden light and the earth-yellow Bulwark collided fiercely, scattering brilliant sparks and producing an ear-splitting grinding sound.

Barrett's feet sank deep into the ground. Every muscle in his body was taut as stone, veins bulging along his thick neck as he desperately resisted that terrifying torrent of energy.

At the same time, a black shadow swift as lightning had already pounced to Xia Lin's side.

It was Kasimir.

His movements were utterly clean and swift. Dropping to one knee, he pressed one hand against Xia Lin's struggling body while the other pulled a bottle of deep-red potion from the pouch at his waist.

He efficiently pulled the stopper, then, without even giving Xia Lin time to react, pried open his mouth and poured every drop of the cold, healing potion down his throat.

"Cough! Cough, cough... you... go easier..." Xia Lin choked so hard tears nearly came to his eyes. But as soon as the potion entered his throat, it transformed into a cool, comforting warmth that flowed toward his wound. The agonizing pain rapidly faded as though it had met its nemesis, and new flesh even began slowly wriggling from the edges of the charred wound.

"Good kid! Nicely done! Hang in there!" Barrett was still struggling to hold on, but he nevertheless found the chance to shout at Xia Lin. His voice was hoarse, yet full of heartfelt praise.

"Are... are you okay?" Lila crawled to Xia Lin's side. Looking at the wound that had begun to heal but remained horribly gruesome, her eyes reddened and her voice trembled.

"Not... not dead yet..." Xia Lin grimaced in pain, but still tugged up the corners of his mouth into a miserable, self-mocking smile. "Heh... just speaking from experience."

Before his words had faded, the rampaging golden beam finally exhausted its energy. Its light rapidly dimmed, then vanished completely with a soft pop.

"Huff... huff..." Barrett could no longer hold on. His huge body swayed several times like a collapsing mountain, nearly crumpling to the ground.

The shield on his left arm had been completely destroyed, leaving only a twisted, blackened metal frame and a few shattered pieces of wood hanging from his arm, wisps of smoke rising from them.

Leaning on his battleaxe, he panted heavily. Sweat streamed like rivulets down his face, streaked with dust and blood, his chest heaving violently. He had clearly exhausted all his strength.

"Quick! Get behind cover!"

Kasimir yanked the still-grimacing Xia Lin off the ground, practically dragging and supporting him as they rapidly retreated toward the thickest natural stone pillar at the edge of the Cavern.

Barrett forced himself to follow, swaying on his feet.

Lila hurriedly supported Xia Lin as well, and the four of them moved toward cover together.

The four had only just staggered behind the stone pillar, without even a chance to catch their breath or assess their losses—

Hum!!!

A new change occurred. The enormous Golden Flame Candle on the altar lit up once more with dazzling golden radiance!

But this time, it was no attack.

A soft, pure golden beam filled with immense life force flowed gently downward as if guided by something, precisely enveloping a dying kobold at the edge of the battlefield whose leg bones had been completely shattered.

A miracle had descended.

Bathed in that sacred, warm golden light, every wound on the kobold's body—its broken bones and torn flesh—healed rapidly at a visible rate.

Its shattered bones crackled crisply as they reset and fused themselves together, becoming even thicker and stronger.

Its formerly shriveled, scrawny body expanded and grew as if being inflated. With impossible speed, its withered muscles swelled into firm, powerful masses, and a metallic sheen like refined gold appeared across the dark-brown scales covering its body.

In only a few breaths, that humble, weak kobold had been completely transformed into... some entirely new creature.

It slowly rose to its feet. Far taller and larger than any of its kind, it was nearly the height of an ordinary human, radiating a heart-palpitating aura of power.

Especially its yellow eyes, once murky and cowardly, had now been completely replaced by pure, burning Golden Flame.

Those eyes were cold and hollow, devoid of even the slightest emotion belonging to a living creature. They held only the indifference of a god looking down upon ants.

"Roar—!!!"

It opened its mouth, which still retained its original features, but what emerged was no longer the shrill cry of a kobold. It was a majestic roar!

This earth-shaking transformation, which completely defied the laws of life, left everyone behind the stone pillar who had survived the disaster stunned, as if struck by a Petrification Spell.

Lila's eyes widened in disbelief. Looking at that terrifying creature bathed in golden light and radiating an unnatural sacred majesty, she trembled as she breathed out a word filled with reverence and fear, almost as if sleepwalking:

"Chosen... Chosen of God!"

Chosen of God... the term was not unfamiliar to the inhabitants of this continent.

Countless legends and epics spoke of the gods who stood above the mortal world—whether benevolent gods who spread light and mercy and were revered by all, evil gods lurking in the shadows who wove schemes and brought disaster and terror, or even neutral beings whose positions were unclear, whose actions were strange, and who could not be judged by good or evil. For all kinds of reasons, they might project their will and power onto some mortal.

Those fortunate enough to be chosen by a god would possess power far beyond ordinary mortals, becoming extensions of divine will in the world. They were known as Chosen of God.

But a kobold?! A Chosen of God?!

Xia Lin felt his worldview being challenged.

What respectable god would be blind enough to choose a kobold as their "chosen one"?

Could it be some god specifically in charge of "garbage sorting and recycling"?

Or was there really something wrong with that huge candle itself?

Before the doubts in his heart could be resolved, the newly made monster bearing the title of "Chosen of God" had already displayed its divine might.

It slowly turned its head. Though that head still retained its original features, it now exuded a suffocating majesty.

Those pupils burning with pure Golden Flame were like two melted gold coins, coldly and hollowly sweeping over the few "blasphemers" behind the stone pillar.

The instant that golden gaze met Xia Lin's, an icy chill seemed to pour directly into his marrow.

That feeling.

That feeling of being seen as dust, as a roadside pebble, as something too insignificant to even notice.

It was exactly the same as the gaze of that woman in purple robes he had felt in the mage's bedroom.

Before he could make sense of it.

The newly made monster bearing the title of "Chosen of God" had already locked onto a new target.

The monster suddenly stomped on the ground, sending the rubble beneath its feet flying in every direction as though struck by a heavy hammer.

Its newly thickened, powerful legs erupted with astonishing strength.

Its huge body carried a vicious gale as it charged toward Barrett like a golden cannonball fired from a barrel!

The attack was simple and direct—a seemingly ordinary right punch.

That fist covered in pale-gold scales came crashing toward Barrett's chest with a muffled roar through the air.

Barrett's pupils shrank. He clearly had not expected the thing to be this fast. In his haste, he raised the already slightly bent battleaxe across his chest.

Boom!!!

A deafening crash rang out! It was like two savage bulls colliding head-on! A visible shockwave spread outward!

Barrett let out a muffled groan as his burly body was driven backward again and again by the tremendous force.

His feet plowed two deep trenches into the ground, yet he still could not fully disperse that terrifying impact.

Crack! The wooden haft of the battleaxe snapped in two.

Barrett lost his balance and fell backward, slamming heavily into the ground without moving.

One punch! Just one punch had completely destroyed the toughest shield in the group!

The tremors from the impact and the flying rubble reached Lila nearby.

She had just tried to get up and cast a spell when a falling rock the size of a human head struck her in the back. With a scream, she pitched forward, hit her head on the ground, and lay still. She appeared to have been knocked unconscious.

In the blink of an eye, the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Only Kasimir seemed to have anticipated it—or perhaps his reflexes simply were not human.

At the same time Barrett was sent flying, Kasimir had already turned into a swift black shadow. He grabbed Xia Lin, whose shoulder injury and shock had slowed him by half a beat, and darted rapidly to the side and rear like a ghost.

Kasimir shoved Xia Lin behind the stone pillar. For the first time, an expression that could be called "grim" appeared on his poker face.

He gave the Kobold God-Chosen a long look—the creature that had taken down Barrett with one punch and was now slowly turning around, its golden eyes utterly unruffled.

Kasimir did not even turn back to look at Xia Lin. In a hurried voice that still carried his characteristic flat tone, he said:

"Buy me some time."