First Battle a Victory

The underground cavern several miles away was, just as Declan had anticipated, a meticulously laid trap.

The ninth-rank undead that had intentionally leaked its energy fluctuations was shattered into nothingness by a single, furious bear roar from Gideon. Immediately following, over a dozen Sanctuary-level undead surged from the shadows of the cave, surrounding the two in an instant.

"This Undead Holy Magus is certainly patient; the undead are nearly wiped out and he still hasn't shown his face," Gideon communicated via mental energy while tearing a Bone Dragon apart with his claws.

According to their prior agreement, the two could not appear too strong—lest they scare away the mastermind—nor could they appear too weak, as that would only lead the opponent to keep deploying more undead without ever drawing out the Undead Holy Magus.

Thus, Gideon was responsible for the frontal assault to create pressure, while Barn disguised himself as an assassin with exceptional speed but lackluster attack power, fighting "strugglingly yet tenaciously."

Barn parried with a Black Knight undead while transmitting his voice: "Could it be that we are applying too much pressure?"

Gideon swiped another Sanctuary undead into pieces: "Then should I pretend my magic power is exhausted and enter a weakened state?"

At that very moment, a terrifying and distinct magical energy erupted from a shadowy corner deep within the cavern.

"Finally coming out?" Gideon's eyes lit up.

Barn, however, frowned sharply: "No—it's wind-element magic!"

In the next instant, the violent energy coalesced into a four-meter-long, emerald-green spatial edge that tore through the air, hurtling toward them with peerless sharpness.

A chill ran through both of them as they blurted out:

"Damn it—Dimension Blade!"

Almost by instinct, the two bolted in opposite directions, not daring to look back.

Only then did it suddenly occur to them: a standard Undead Holy Magus always comes with a contracted magical beast! Clearly, the opponent's contracted beast was one proficient in wind-element magic!

Declan's voice immediately rang out in Barn's mind: "What is it? Are you in danger?"

"Big trouble, have Fukaloss prepare to provide support."

This was the first time since Barn had transmigrated that he had faced the Dimension Blade, known as the strongest single-target forbidden spell in the Sanctuary realm. Even with the extreme speed of a Tiger-pattern Warrior, he could not guarantee he would be able to dodge it completely.

The reason the Dimension Blade was called the strongest single-target offensive forbidden spell was not only because of its near-indefensible nature at the Sanctuary stage, but also its terrifying speed and the fact that the caster could control its flight path after release.

But the next second, Barn realized his judgment had been wrong.

The target of the Dimension Blade was not him, but Gideon.

Perhaps because Barn had appeared too "mediocre" earlier, only daring to skirt the edges rather than engage head-on, the opponent had not viewed him as a threat at all, focusing all the killing blows on the more aggressive Gideon.

Watching Gideon flee frantically as he was pursued by the Dimension Blade, Barn made a rough assessment: in two more breaths, Gideon would have nowhere left to hide.

Barn abruptly halted his movement, a flash of irritation crossing his eyes.

"Looking down on me, are you?"

Before the words had even faded, he lunged with his spear, his figure suddenly transforming into an almost invisible white shadow as he charged directly toward the source of the Dimension Blade.

The speed of a Tiger-pattern Warrior at full burst was only a fraction slower than the Dimension Blade itself.

Gideon, having run out of room to dodge, let out a desperate howl, preparing to tank the fatal blow.

But Barn had already reached the caster in that very instant.

Deep in the cave stood a seductive female Undead Holy Magus, with a sleek, black-patterned wind-element leopard beast crouching beside her.

Neither the woman nor the leopard had paid Barn any mind—in their estimation, he was merely an ordinary Sanctuary warrior with slightly higher speed and mediocre attack power.

The female Holy Magus waved her staff, and dark green death magic coalesced, ready to blast Barn in the face.

Yet, she discovered with horror that the white shadow before her had suddenly blurred, vanishing completely from her field of vision.

"Sla—!"

The sound of flesh being torn was ear-piercing.

The wind-element leopard beast had exhausted its strength to block in front of its master, only to have both its front paws severed by Barn's spear, blood spraying everywhere.

It was precisely this obstruction that caused the Dimension Blade, which had been locked onto Gideon, to tilt slightly.

"ROAR—!" Gideon let out a shrill, agonizing wail.

Barn glanced back, his heart settling slightly: Gideon had survived, but his entire hind leg and a portion of his flank had been completely severed by the Dimension Blade; the wound was as smooth as a mirror, and blood was gushing out.

"Bastard, you dare to be distracted!"

The Undead Holy Magus was furious, the death magic on her staff surging as she blasted it toward Barn once more.

Barn confirmed that Gideon was not in immediate danger of death, and a layer of white-gold halo suddenly rose around his body—the Town Evil Gale instantly enveloped him.

The eerie death magic touched the gale and dissipated by half, and while the residual power invaded his soul, Barn forcibly ignored it.

He transformed into a shadow once more, lunging straight at the master and servant.

The leopard beast, despite having lost its paws, remained fearless, blocking in front of its master. But Barn was no longer in a state of mind to be moved by so-called "loyalty."

Just as he prepared to pierce both of them with a single strike, an incredibly heavy binding force descended, as if he had fallen into a quagmire.

"Hmph—"

A cold shout fell from the void, and Barn was struck as if by a heavy blow, his body sent flying backward to slam hard against the rock wall, causing loose stones to tumble down.

Just as a look of joy appeared on the Undead Holy Magus's face, another, even more terrifying and bone-chilling energy fluctuation erupted with a boom.

"BOOM--!!"

The entire underground cavern shuddered violently, massive boulders collapsing from the ceiling as dust and smoke filled the air.

Fukaloss had made her move.

Her soul transmission landed directly in Barn's mind: "Barn, save Gideon first. The others will handle those two Sanctuary-level fighters. As for that woman—take her alive."

Barn looked up to see Declan, Julia, and Blair already closing in for the kill. Though the cavern was collapsing, the battle was firmly under control. He stopped seeking glory and turned to rush toward Gideon.

Gideon was severely wounded, his severed leg a mass of mangled flesh. He was using his remaining front paw to clutch his detached lower half, struggling to fly upward as blood dripped like a fountain.

Though they had once been enemies, Gideon was also the catalyst for his transmigration. Barn did not hesitate; he stepped forward to support the beast and began chanting an incantation.

Light-element magic offered the strongest healing, but Barn was not proficient in it. Furthermore, the water-element healing spell [Water Heal] required a seventh-rank mage to cast, and with the water elements in Gobada being so thin, even with Barn's strength as an Undead Holy Magus, it took a full minute to complete the spell.

A soft, water-blue glow enveloped Gideon, and his profusely bleeding wounds slowly congealed and healed.

The two finally burst out of the collapsing cavern and returned to the surface.

In the distance, the energy storm of a Deity-level battle nearly obscured the sky, drawing everyone's gaze.

This was the first time Barn had seen Fukaloss fighting at full strength.

She held two thumb-thick, indestructible chains in her hands. The chains moved with a life of their own, winding and coiling to bind her opponent layer by layer. Water-element divine power surged along the links, freezing the very space they passed through. Even as her opponent fought desperately to break free, he could not shatter Fukaloss's killing formation.

"I didn't expect the young lady to be this strong," Barn whispered.

Gideon's wounds had stopped bleeding, and he was temporarily out of danger. He panted heavily, "But she won't be able to take him down in a short time. The opponent is a Deity-level fighter specializing in the earth element—they are the best at holding their ground."

The Evil Royal City simply had a high proportion of practitioners of the Death Law; it did not mean everyone cultivated it.

Yet, even for a Deity-level fighter known for high offense and defense, the frantic collisions and bursts of earth-element divine power could not break through that icy chain formation.

Barn teased, "When the young lady kills him later, she might reward you with his godhead."

Gideon's massive bear head shook firmly. "I know the drawbacks of refining a godhead. I am only one step away from the Deity level; I don't want to ruin my future path. A Lowgod who refines a godhead doesn't even have the qualifications to enter the Royal City, let alone leave this godforsaken place."

Barn smiled faintly. "I think the same."

At that moment, Blair and Julia flew out from the smoke, carrying a figure frozen into an ice sculpture between them—it was the Undead Holy Magus. Declan followed closely behind, emerging from the ground with the corpse of the Wind Leopard Beast in his hand.

Seeing that everyone was safe and Gideon's condition had stabilized, Barn pulled out a crystal ball and aimed it at the distant Deity-level battlefield to begin recording.

These were Floating Image Crystals Barn had bought back in the Yulan Continent before he had even broken through to the Sanctuary level. He had stockpiled over a hundred of them specifically to record the battles of powerhouses, and they were finally coming in handy.

Gideon grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Hey, my lower half hasn't grown back yet."

"Water-element magic would take at least a day to heal an injury like yours," Barn said, staring straight at the sky. "Once the young lady finishes the fight, having her use divine power to repair it will be much faster than my spellcasting."

He paused, adding, "It's rare to witness a Deity-level battle with my own eyes; naturally, I must record it in its entirety."

Gideon snorted but stopped urging him.

The opposing Deity was a practitioner of the earth attribute. If he could gain some insight from this, a little injury was nothing at all.

Fukaloss's strength far exceeded what Barn and the others had initially estimated.

They had assumed she was merely relying on her elders and a few powerful Divine Artifacts to dare lead a team and recruit people on her own.

But seeing it with his own eyes, she was suppressing a Deity-level earth-element fighter—known for high offense, defense, and endurance—using only the power of her water-element divine clone. Her chains were as fluid as water, her ice-sealing as sharp as a prison, and she kept the rhythm of the battle firmly in her grasp.

The fierce battle lasted for nearly half an hour.

The earth-element Deity exhausted his mental energy and divine power, and his defense finally showed a flaw.

Fukaloss's eyes turned cold. A cluster of pure white flame rose in her palm, which she pressed lightly into the opponent's skull.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

Only a faint, mournful wail of a soul.

The battle ended.