When Leon shattered the [Protection] surrounding the [Church of Light]’s stronghold, it changed everything.
As long as that barrier had stood, he would have been unable to step foot inside, no matter how strong he was.
The passive granted by a Level 3 stronghold was absolute in that regard.
Without breaking it, he would have been forced to retreat or attempt sothing far more reckless.
Even though [Oblivion teor] had ultimately been nullified before it could devastate the entire stronghold, it had still accomplished one of its goals.
The shield was gone. The stronghold was exposed.
And unlike what happened with the [Shadow Assassin Guild], this would not end with a single spell from the sky.
Leon would have to fight them directly.
He rose slowly from his previous stance, his eyes fixed on the massive fortified stronghold ahead of him.
The church tower in the center still radiated golden light, though the glow now flickered slightly after the barrier’s destruction.
He gripped his [Power Sword] in one hand and held his [Void Staff 3] in the other.
Then he dashed forward. The ground blurred beneath his feet as he accelerated.
’They’ve already noticed ,’ he thought calmly.
Breaking the [Protection] was not a subtle action.
Every mber inside the stronghold would have received a system notification.
Panic, anger, and confusion were probably spreading within the walls right now.
The biggest issue was numbers.
The [Shadow Assassin Guild] had housed hundreds of players, and Leon expected similar numbers here. Possibly even more.
The [Church of Light] was built around fanatic devotion.
He estimated there were around four hundred players inside the stronghold at the mont.
Many were likely out, but even three to four hundred coordinated opponents were not sothing to dismiss lightly.
Still, numbers were not the main threat. The real danger was the [Archbishop of Light].
Leon’s expression hardened slightly as he considered that opponent.
The archbishop was the strongest player in [Lower Domain #267]. Stronger even the lord of [Myriad Race City].
He was certainly not on the level of the [Guardian of Spirits], but that did not an he was weak.
And more importantly, Leon could not confidently assu that [Celestial’s Might] would activate against him.
If it did not, then the two of them might fight on nearly equal footing.
That possibility alone made this battle far more dangerous.
Even so, Leon did not hesitate. When he was close enough to the outer walls—
Abyssal Slash!
His body lted into the shadows as the skill activated, his presence thinning and blending with the darkness.
’I should be able to enter before they properly react,’ he reasoned.
If he could infiltrate the stronghold quickly, chaos would work in his favor.
Once inside, he could possibly strike down the [Archbishop of Light] before the rest organized themselves.
In fact, if he managed to kill the archbishop first, the entire church would crumble.
The priests relied heavily on centralized leadership. Without their figurehead, morale would shatter.
Leon moved swiftly toward the main gate.
And when he was just about to slip through—
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted directly in front of him.
The blast tore through the shadows, forcing Leon to react instantly by coming out.
He raised his staff and cast [Darkness Barrier] at the last possible mont.
The explosion collided with the barrier, sending him skidding backward across the ground.
Crack!
The barrier shattered almost imdiately. Leon narrowed his eyes.
’There’s only one person here who should be able to do that.’
He lifted his gaze toward the walls.
Standing atop them was a tall figure in radiant robes, a golden scepter held firmly in his hand. His expression was calm, almost amused.
"You are [Celestial]," the man said slowly as he lowered his scepter. "I did not expect you to co here."
Leon did not answer. He simply adjusted his stance, sword angled slightly forward, staff ready in his other hand.
"That is very good for us," the archbishop continued, a thin smile spreading across his face. "Otherwise, we would have had to seek you out ourselves."
Leon’s eyes flickered.
Appraisal!
A status panel appeared instantly before him.
Fwoosh!
---
[ID: Lightssenger]
[Level: 50]
[Talent: ???]
[Skills: ???]
[Combat Power: ??? (Approximately 300,000)]
---
Leon did not receive exact numbers, but the rough estimate was more than enough.
Around three hundred thousand combat power. That placed him firmly at the top of this domain.
Even among all lower domains, this would be considered monstrous.
And this was likely without any direct empowernt from the [God of Light].
If divine intervention strengthened him further, the fight would beco significantly more complicated.
"The [God of Light] has blessed us," Lightssenger said as he joined his hands briefly in reverence. "We will not fall to soone like you... soone who pretends to be divine."
"What are you even talking ab—"
LIGHT BEAM!
Leon did not have ti to finish.
A concentrated beam of golden light shot from the tip of the archbishop’s scepter, tearing through the air toward him.
But unlike many of his other opponents taken aback, Leon was actually already prepared.
He spun his staff and responded instantly.
Blood Beam!
A crimson beam erupted forward, colliding head-on with the incoming light.
BOOM!
The two forces clashed violently, creating a shockwave that rippled outward.
Dust and debris scattered across the battlefield as red and gold energy intertwined before exploding outward.
"A filthy mortal," Lightssenger said with visible disgust. "You dare stand before the gods."
At that mont, more figures appeared.
Priests in white and gold robes gathered along the walls. Others poured out from the gates, forming ranks behind their leader.
Their expressions ranged from anger to fanatical determination.
They were all here for one purpose: to kill [Celestial].
"I do not know how you acquired such a spell," Lightssenger continued coldly, talking about [Oblivion teor], "but you will not use it again."
Without warning, he leapt from the wall.
His descent was swift and controlled. As he fell, he swung his scepter downward.
Light Blade!
A blade of condensed radiance extended from the tip of the scepter, transforming it into a massive weapon of pure light.
Leon raised his [Power Sword] just in ti.
Clang!
The two weapons collided.
Leon felt the searing aura of light graze against his cheek as he pushed back. The impact was heavy, far heavier than he had anticipated.
Lightssenger’s physical strength was no joke.
"You may think you can win," the archbishop said with a confident grin as he pressed forward, "but you possess a fatal weakness that we can exploit."
Leon tilted his head slightly. A weakness?
He quickly scanned his own status panel in his peripheral vision.
Debuffs did not affect him easily. Most elental resistances were high. His passives granted immunity to nurous restrictions.
Then his eyes paused briefly.
[Embodint of Darkness (A-Level)]
’Right.’
Darkness and light were opposing advanced elents.
If he embodied darkness to a degree, then naturally—
LIGHT BALLS!
Dozens of priests behind Lightssenger raised their scepters simultaneously.
Golden spheres of condensed light ford above each staff. In the next second, they launched them forward.
Hundreds of glowing projectiles streaked toward Leon from every direction.
"So that’s your plan," Leon muttered.
They believed he was weak to light. To be fair, it was not an unreasonable assumption.
Darkness and light naturally clashed, and light spells could deal amplified damage to dark-aligned beings.
It was interesting that Lightssenger had deduced his sub-talent so quickly.
Either he was incredibly perceptive or he had access to so form of insight ability.
Regardless, Leon did not panic. He rushed forward instead of retreating.
As long as he killed Lightssenger, the rest would collapse. He lifted his staff and began casting rapidly.
Powerful Fireball! Storm of Lightning! Ice Spikes!
Multiple spells ford around him in quick succession, launching outward toward both the incoming light spheres and the archbishop.
At the sa ti—
Vision Enhancent!
His eyes flared subtly. The world sharpened.
Every [Light Ball] slowed in his perception. He could see their trajectories clearly, calculating safe paths within fractions of a second.
Leon weaved forward, dodging dozens of projectiles while deflecting others with his sword or disrupting them with spells.
Explosions erupted behind him as missed light spheres detonated against the ground.
anwhile, Lightssenger did not remain idle. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing inward.
A brilliant golden aura erupted around him, intensifying rapidly. The light surrounding his body beca almost blinding.
The priests behind him stared in awe.
"So powerful..."
"The [God of Light] truly favors him."
"Our god is the greatest of them all."
Their voices trembled with reverence.
Leon glanced at them briefly before returning his focus to the archbishop.
’Every servant says the sa thing,’ he thought dryly. ’Everyone believes their god is the strongest.’
He did not care about their faith. He only cared about ending this threat.
Golden energy continued to surge around Lightssenger as he prepared sothing far more dangerous.
Leon tightened his grip on his sword and staff.
He was fully prepared to fight the [Church of Light] at once. And he would not back down.
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