The people around him stared in terror at the strange flower in Mu Fengyu's hand, afraid he would use the unknown World Item to kill them instantly. Mu Fengyu shrugged and sneered.
"If you don't have the guts, don't try to be the last one standing. Go back, wash up, and get some sleep."
"Vier, let's go."
With that, he headed forward with Vier. The people destroying the barrier noticed someone approaching and were just about to chase him off when dense, intricate magic circles appeared around him. Someone shouted nervously,
"That guy's going to cast Super-Tier Magic! Stop him, quick!"
They had just gotten to their feet when Mu Fengyu's spell was ready. He crushed the hourglass-shaped item in his hand, and the magic circles around him began to take shape at an accelerated pace.
The space in front of him gradually shattered. Sighs echoed from the darkness beyond, and the being within seemed to notice a crack in this place. A pair of enormous pale claws reached through, trying to widen the opening, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't make it any bigger or escape.
The giant claws withdrew into the crack. A head made of stars drew close to the opening, gazed at the vibrant world outside, and let out a helpless sigh.
Starlight drifted toward everyone ahead, carried by the sigh. Those touched by it felt all their attributes drop drastically, as though the being within had stolen their strength.
Super-Tier Magic, [Abyssal Sigh]. The demon god, banished by the gods to another dimension, longed to return to the real world every moment.
Whenever a crack opened, he would struggle to escape. But the gods had strengthened the space, and only those acknowledged by a god could open even the tiniest fissure.
"Damn, it's a wide-area debuff spell! Forget the barrier for now. Take these people out first!"
Although Mu Fengyu's Super-Tier Magic had weakened their attributes considerably, easing the pressure on Takemikazuchi and the others, they were still low on HP. If this group focused their attacks on them, they could still be taken out.
"Vier, I'll leave the rest to you. Show them what you can do."
Mu Fengyu had just cast Super-Tier Magic and was now entering a brief period of weakness. It was the perfect chance for his companions to see what Vier could do.
Vier took two light steps forward. A staff interwoven with silver and white appeared in her hand, as though it held boundless mystical power.
As she moved, a sonorous, solemn voice rang from her lips, echoing through the air like a heavenly melody.
"May the feathers of holy light shelter all beings; may all evil and wickedness suffer in this world."
Her staff traced an elegant arc through the air, releasing a dazzling radiance. Sacred feathers drifted down and gathered around Takemikazuchi and the others, shielding them from harm.
"Under the gods' protection, we fear nothing here. Holy Magic, [Heavenly Protection]."
She swung her staff again, and an even stronger light shot into the sky. The enemies caught in its glow were all frozen in place, while those protected by the feathers of light were teleported to Mu Fengyu's side.
The sudden teleportation caught everyone off guard. Takemikazuchi immediately swung his sword, but Mu Fengyu reacted in time and caught the blade with his bare hands.
"Big bro, we're on the same side! Don't swing at me!"
The two stared at each other, awkwardly wide-eyed. It was as if a few crows had flown past overhead.
"Heh, I didn't react in time. You okay?"
Once they were sure there was no danger, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even with great skill, fighting five people at once had been exhausting. Yamaiko dropped onto the ground and complained,
"I'm exhausted. If this happens again, I'm not doing it. This job is seriously brutal."
"Quit complaining. Once we take this place, we'll have resources to burn."
Mu Fengyu smiled and patted Yamaiko on the shoulder, encouraging her.
"True enough, haha."
Yamaiko gave a wry smile, then laughed along.
Genjiro glanced at Vier and asked curiously,
"By the way, Yu, what class did you give your NPC? I've never heard of the magic she's using."
Mu Fengyu proudly patted Vier's head and introduced her hidden class to everyone.
"Vier's class is [Divine Musician]. You have to max out the cash-shop class [Chanter] and combine it with other classes to get it, just like how Momonga maxed out the necromancer class to get [Eclipse]."
"Just between us, Vier is the first [Divine Musician] in the whole game. I picked it out of the database myself. Jealous?"
"And this class also..."
After hearing Mu Fengyu's explanation, everyone wore the same exasperated expression. The [Chanter] class required real money to obtain.
On top of that, its skills could only be activated by singing their names, and they only slightly increased the power of the spells. Players had once mocked it as the most useless cash-shop class.
"Ahem. We don't need the full explanation just yet. Why don't you show us instead?"
"Huh? I still have lots more to tell you."
Seeing how impatient everyone looked, Mu Fengyu realized he'd gotten carried away. If he kept going, they might beat him up, so he had to leave it there.
"Come on, Vier. Show these people who don't know how to appreciate you what truly overwhelming firepower looks like."
Nishikienrai silently took out a dagger and turned to the others with a serious expression.
"I want to stab him right now. Think I've got a chance?"
"I say give it a try."
Genjiro drew his katana too. The thought of backstabbing a teammate was thrilling.
At Vier's command, she began chanting her most powerful spell.
"From the mortal realm I come, to Asgard I go. Ancient gods, open your slumbering holy casket. With my lowly soul, I beseech your eyes, I beg for your gaze. Fury of flame, silent earth, grant me the power to ascend to heaven."
As Vier chanted, a pair of profound eyes suddenly opened in the sky. An ornate, ancient crystal casket appeared alongside them, and a golden flame fell from above.
The immobilized players stared in horror at the strange sight in the sky. As the flame descended toward them, the earth trembled, and rows of stone pillars surged up from the ground, trapping them inside.
"Divine Magic, [Flame Judgment]."
With Vier's final chant, the flames erupted. A massive vortex of fire swallowed everyone trapped within the stone pillars.
A deafening explosion rang out, and the entire space seemed to tremble under the force. As the smoke slowly cleared, the players inside the pillars had vanished, leaving only a scorched black patch on the ground.
Everyone stared at the scene, dumbfounded. They couldn't imagine that an NPC who looked so delicate could possess such incredible power.
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