Light of the Holy Light

Renault saw Taelan Fordring enveloped in a layer of distinct, milky-white holy light. He knew this was the Paladin's blessing ability! It would not only remove the movement speed reduction caused by his Hamstring, but also grant temporary immunity to further slowing effects!

Having broken free from the Hamstring, Taelan immediately raised his hand, preparing to cast a few Holy Bolt spells to drain Renault's stamina. Renault let out a loud shout, gripped the hilt of his sword with his left hand, and pulled his right arm back. The arm was instantly suffused with pale red rage, and he threw a fierce punch toward Taelan's face.

A Warrior's interrupt skill: Pummel. Taelan abandoned his attempt to fire the Holy Bolt; he had no desire to be stunned by a Pummel. He raised his shield, stepped forward with his left foot, and pushed off the ground with his right leg. Clang! The punch was packed with power! Even with Taelan bracing himself, he was still knocked back, leaving two furrows in the ground.

Taelan Fordring did not take the setback lying down and launched a counterattack. He leaned forward slightly, lunged, and activated the skill Mortal Strike. Renault reacted quickly, immediately leveling his two-handed sword and holding it horizontally before him. The two collided, and relying on the force of the impact, it was Renault who was knocked back a step this time. Clearly, Renault's strength was superior to Taelan's.

Both sides abandoned spellcasting, and the visceral, flesh-to-flesh combat ignited the training grounds. Jaina's face flushed with excitement, and she raised her small fists to cheer for Taelan!

Renault used the knockback to recover from the brief stun of the Mortal Strike. He was not about to let Taelan dictate the rhythm of the fight. At that moment, Taelan Fordring's Blessing of Freedom expired, and the milky-white holy light dissipated. He held his sword in one hand while pressing his glowing red left hand against the ground.

"Boom!" The ground shook, followed by a cloud of dust. The Warrior's area-of-effect crowd control skill: Thunder Clap.

Renault's Thunder Clap drew gasps from those nearby. The group of children who often hung out with him immediately cheered! Most of them were children of the nobility.

After slowing Taelan, Renault seized the opportunity to leap into the air, gripping his sword with both hands for a Heroic Leap. Taelan Fordring did not hesitate to raise his shield while simultaneously firing two Holy Bolt spells! The two bolts of light traced arcs through the air, streaking toward Renault.

Renault could no longer worry about the Holy Bolts. One look told him that Taelan was guiding them; they had locked onto him. He could only hope his leap would strike true and leave Taelan no time to chain more Holy Bolts.

The two Holy Bolts struck Renault in mid-air and exploded, ruining his form. Taelan had already raised his shield to catch the strike, only to be pushed back by the force of the blow. Renault hurriedly pursued Taelan to continue his assault. Seeing Renault's desperate attempt to force close-quarters combat, Taelan stopped dodging. With a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, he began to trade blows!

At this moment, the cooldown for Hammer of Justice finished, and Taelan Fordring stunned Renault once again, preparing to cast a Holy Light Spell on himself! Renault knew that after the previous exchanges, both of them were injured. He could not allow Taelan Fordring to use the Holy Light Spell to restore his health.

He activated his racial trait, Every Man for Himself, breaking the stun effect of the Hammer of Justice. He did not hesitate, first using Enrage to boost his rage levels as high as possible.

Then he leaped into the air, both hands glowing with red light. Even his weapon was shrouded in a layer of grayish-red energy! He brought it down in a crushing strike toward Taelan's head!

Jaina did not know what this seemingly evil attack was, but Bridget cried out: "Mortal Strike!"

Is this his trump card?

A sharp weapon for an Arms Warrior to deal with a healer! A vicious attack. Not only could it deal massive weapon damage, but the attached Mortal Wounds effect could significantly reduce healing effectiveness.

Jaina knew of Mortal Strike, but she could not recognize it in its current form. Taelan, however, knew the terror of this skill. It was a vital PvP skill for Arms Warriors, having undergone many revisions—from no cooldown to a cooldown, and from consuming rage to adding extra damage to weapon attacks. The only thing that never changed was the effect of Mortal Wounds. This effect made it the ultimate tool for an Arms Warrior to counter healing classes!

Taelan Fordring did not hesitate; he raised his shield high! A beam of milky-white holy light descended from the sky, landing at the exact same moment as Renault's Mortal Strike!

A milky-white, translucent shield protected Taelan. The Paladin's signature skill: Divine Shield!

Renault's fierce attack struck the shield but failed to cause any damage, merely sending a violent ripple across the translucent surface!

As soon as the Mortal Strike ended, Renault saw Taelan's arm and weapon suddenly erupt with intense holy light, and a sword-shaped Aura appeared beneath his feet. A Warrior's instinct warned him of danger, and he hurriedly held his two-handed sword horizontally, struggling to adopt a defensive posture.

In an instant, a Five-Hit Combo struck his sword in rapid succession. The sound was so fast it blurred into a single, elongated, crisp "Clang!" Renault's two-handed sword was knocked directly to the ground, and Taelan kicked it away; the sword hit the barrier with a sharp ring. The spectators outside ducked their heads in fear as the longsword flew toward them!

That kick was a special technique he had learned from Hass.

The reason Taelan hadn't used Charge and Zeal right from the start was that he didn't know what Renault's trump card was. Moreover, without the hit support provided by the Blessing of Tirion Fordring and the buffs from Fanaticism, the accuracy of that move was abysmal! It seemed necessary to learn Blessed Aim in the future to increase his accuracy. More importantly, his body was not yet tough enough, and the muscles in his arms could not withstand the pressure of continuous strikes.

However, the attack from Zeal was truly terrifying; not only did it knock away Renault's weapon, but the final strike also hit Renault's breastplate, leaving a gash in the sturdy armor.

Renault was truly Old Mograine's son! That whole family had a stubborn streak. Renault saw that the arm Taelan had used to swing his sword was no longer as flexible, so he immediately rushed to the edge of the training ground, preparing to retrieve his sword. He had already realized that his strength was significantly greater than Taelan's, and his stamina should be better as well. If he could drag this out until the Divine Shield ended, he might be able to wear him down. A terrifying attack skill like that certainly couldn't be used continuously!

The people around them marveled at the Aura beneath Taelan's feet! Only a Paladin who had mastered an Aura could be a leader of an army! Only then could they better lead their troops and provide them with group buffs. No one had ever seen Taelan's Aura before! It just looked beautiful. But judging by the way Renault's two-handed sword had been sent flying, its effects were certainly formidable! Jaina waved her small hands, cheering for Taelan! He had indeed become stronger! Not only had he learned Blessing of Freedom, but he had also mastered a brand-new ability. That terrifying, instantaneous attack was breathtaking!

Taelan Fordring did not want a repeat of what had just happened. He stopped hiding his skills and directly activated Charge! After slamming into Renault, he followed up with a Mortal Strike. This combo forced Renault to retreat two steps involuntarily, leaving him no choice but to raise his hand again, channeling his rage energy into the earth to activate Thunder Clap!

But Taelan, seeing Renault running toward his weapon again, did not panic. He activated Charge and Mortal Strike once more. After Renault was knocked back twice in succession, Taelan fired a barrage of Holy Bolts. For a moment, the battlefield was filled with the radiance of holy light and a series of booming explosions that sent Renault staggering. Taelan seized the opportunity, slammed into Renault again, and knocked him to the ground. He then pointed his sword at Renault's throat, leaving him unable to move!

At this moment, the instructor Havinfar walked over and announced: "The winner is Taelan Fordring."

The crowd outside immediately erupted into thunderous cheers, happy for these two outstanding members of the younger generation.

Taelan pulled his sword away. Renault looked as if he had lost all his strength and couldn't stand up, feeling utterly dejected! Taelan raised his hand again, and a Holy Bolt shot directly toward Renault, forcing him to raise his hands in defense. The crowd outside stopped cheering, stunned. Could it be that Taelan Fordring had abandoned all decorum and intended to kill this annoying challenger? But Renault, the person involved, felt no pain; instead, he felt a gentle holy light entering his body. He suddenly understood: a Holy Bolt could not only strike enemies but also heal allies.

Taelan pulled Renault up and said, "It's alright. Go back and get some rest. Don't get stuck in a rut; failure isn't scary, losing the courage to face it is."

Havinfar dispelled the barrier and said in a gentle voice, "Renault, cheer up. Who hasn't failed before? You've made great progress; you are already a qualified Warrior. Your improvement this month has surprised me!"

Renault nodded, saying nothing more. He shook hands with Taelan, nodded silently, and walked out of the training ground. He didn't even look back to greet Whitemane.

Father wouldn't think so!

After he walked out of the training ground, Jaina, Bridget, and Whitemane walked over, surrounding Taelan Fordring. Just as Jaina was about to speak, Bridget cut in: "Taelan! That was beautiful! What was that move called?" As she spoke, she mimicked the motions, clearly trying to imitate Taelan's move from moments ago!

The world of children is often more direct. Jaina didn't wait for Taelan to respond to Bridget; she grabbed Taelan's hand and pulled him out of the crowd. Bridget glared at Jaina several times before walking away in a huff.

"You said you'd take me into the forest to hunt bears! I want to go right now!"

When did I ever say I'd hunt bears! Are you sure dressing like that isn't just delivering yourself as lunch for the bears!

Posted first, edited later! Penglai had things to attend to yesterday. I only got back tonight to edit the text! Thank you all for your suggestions! Thank you!