Katheon stared in shock as Xia Lun tore apart the Holy Light Barrier with his bare hands. He couldn’t believe what was happening.
This was a defensive spell jointly cast by five bishops! And yet, a single man had shattered it effortlessly.
This guy… there’s no way he’s human. That was the only thought running through Katheon’s mind.
After all, this was utterly inconceivable. Katheon couldn’t fathom how any human could cultivate such overwhelming power.
"I hope you’ll stop this," Xia Lun said calmly. "If you’ve been misled by that so-called ‘Hero’ and haven’t committed unforgivable sins yet… I can spare your lives. I’m not one who enjoys killing."
But the bishops gave no reply, continuing to channel their magic relentlessly.
Under their control, the shattered Holy Light began reforming, coalescing into a radiant spear in midair.
"Spear of Final Judgment."
The piercing spear of light shot toward Xia Lun with unstoppable force, arriving before him in an instant as if to nail him to the ground.
Xia Lun caught the spear with one hand, wisps of white smoke rising from his palm. The shaft burned with terrifying heat—had it been anyone else, their hand would have been reduced to charred flesh.
Crack—
With a slight exertion of force, Xia Lun snapped the spearhead clean off, causing the rest of the weapon to dissolve into scattered motes of light.
Yet the light didn’t fade. Instead, the priests gathered it once more, this time shaping it into a massive sword several meters long.
"Sword of Divine Retribution."
The colossal blade descended toward Xia Lun’s head, stopping mere inches away as he caught it between his palms, halting its momentum completely.
Xia Lun then spun, wielding the sword like a discus, and hurled it back at the five bishops. However, the blade dissipated mid-flight.
"Hey, these guys are way more creative with their attack names than Xia Lun," Liyana remarked, watching the battle—a sight most ordinary people would never witness in their lifetime—as she nudged Mo Lini. "Unlike him, who just swings his sword without even shouting a move… I’ve only ever heard him say ‘Holy Sword’ once."
"R-really?" Mo Lini couldn’t tear her eyes away from Xia Lun’s back. His figure wasn’t particularly imposing, yet at this moment, it radiated an indescribable sense of security… reminding her of her father from long ago.
"But their moves sound way more impressive than they actually are," Mo Lini whispered. "They look grand and flashy, but they don’t seem that powerful."
Liyana’s expression turned odd.
"Mo Lini… those spells from the priests are absolutely worthy of their names," she explained patiently. "If it were me facing them, I’d be running for my life—no way I could block them head-on. That’s the combined divine magic of five high-ranking bishops of the Goddess’s Church. In my experience, aside from beings like the Demon King, there are probably only a handful of people in this world who could withstand them…"
"R-really?" Mo Lini’s jaw dropped slightly. In front of Xia Lun, the supposedly terrifying attacks Liyana described seemed like child’s play—effortlessly dismantled without even a hint of struggle.
Liyana gave Mo Lini a sympathetic look.
Truly, meeting someone too extraordinary at a young age could be a curse.
Because of Xia Lun, Mo Lini’s perception of the world was bound to be completely skewed.
"Stay calm! That thing must be some kind of shapeshifting monster—it has to have a weakness!" one of the bishops, a middle-aged man, growled.
"Calling me a monster… how rude." Xia Lun strode forward casually, seemingly unguarded as he approached the group.
Behind him, the ground suddenly bulged, and a sharp earthen spike shot toward the back of his head in a silent, spiraling thrust.
Without even turning, Xia Lun caught the spike mid-air.
The drill-like spike spun violently in his grip before finally coming to a stop, after which he casually tossed it aside. Though unassuming in appearance, the spike was as hard as diamond, its surface smooth and threaded like a finely crafted drill bit—designed for maximum penetration.
This was magic, not the divine spells the priests had used earlier.
At least these guys knew how to adapt.
From among the bishops, a woman in holy robes suddenly lunged forward, pulling out a massive battle-axe from nowhere and leaping high into the air, bringing it down in a vertical slash aimed at Xia Lun’s head.
A warrior this time?
But Xia Lun simply pinched the axe’s blade between his fingers and flung both the woman and her weapon aside like a ragdoll.
His overwhelming display sent a chill down the spines of the priests.
"Is this guy even human?"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"Are we seriously supposed to fight him?"
Even bishops—figures of immense power—were being tossed around like helpless chicks in front of Xia Lun.
After all, priests were still human. Faced with such a terrifying opponent, fear was inevitable, and now, they even felt a sense of unreality, as if this couldn’t possibly be happening.
Katheon frowned, feeling the faith energy behind him waver slightly.
Xia Lun stood still, meeting Katheon’s gaze—his eyes practically asking if there was anything else he wanted to try.
The blatant disregard ignited fury in Katheon’s heart. He slammed his staff into the ground, cracking the marble tiles beneath.
Tremendous faith energy surged into Katheon’s body.
Xia Lun watched patiently as Katheon channeled his divine spell, making no move to interrupt.
This technique… Kalein had used it before. But the scale and aura of Katheon’s version were far greater.
Invisible faith energy condensed into a radiant pillar, enveloping Katheon’s body. The blinding column shot into the sky, piercing through the clouds above.
Every citizen in Abandes City looked up in awe, their faces filled with reverence at the sight.
"You’ll pay for your arrogance," Katheon said, reassured that Xia Lun hadn’t tried to stop him.
The faith energy continued gathering—this was the collective devotion of an entire city. Even he didn’t know just how powerful he had become.
Katheon felt that at full strength, he might even be capable of shattering space itself.
His figure vanished from the spot, reappearing high above Abandes—he didn’t want the city caught in the crossfire.
As expected, Xia Lun appeared before him.
Katheon spoke slowly, "I don’t know who you are… but you’re a worthy opponent. If you surrender now and pledge loyalty to—"
"Enough with the nonsense," Xia Lun cut him off, flicking his fingers. "Game over."