Free Web NovelChapter 197: Chapter 197 Perhaps Can Win_1
The shadow demon’s claws kept extending, tearing all around the body of the priest transformed into a composite beast. The power of the shadow demon summoned by Daili was strong enough to suppress the crazed Veronica, but as soon as Father Bales struggled seriously, he seemed about to break free, and one after another of the shadow demon’s claws snapped under his mighty pull.
Sure enough, it was a resilient body forged by the power of "evolution," capable of comparing to a calamity-level magical beast. Not only was its strength immense, but it also had astonishing self-healing abilities; the wounds that the priest had just bitten into himself with his teeth had now stopped bleeding.
Aiden ordered Asenna’s guardian spirit to use the necromancy spell "Netherworld Ghostfire," which had a relatively long attack range, and fired his gun at the same time.
Informed of the dangers of close combat with Father Bales, Veronica gave up any attempt to approach the priest, raising her sidearm to provide fire support alongside Aiden.
They had all come prepared, their firearms having been swapped for large-caliber guns specially designed for fighting magical beasts.
However, to Aiden’s frustration, the firearms technology of this world still had plenty of room for development compared to his previous life; the most powerful gun at best could deal with large animals like cows and horses, and although it was somewhat lethal against calamity-level magical beasts, it was still not enough to be fatal.
From the memories lingering in his mind as a Judge, a magical beast of Father Bales’s size and resilience, such as after his transformation, would often require a cannon to inflict a fatal wound.
Several consecutive shots only shook the priest’s body slightly, and then the priest, withstanding the shadow demon’s power, folded his wings protectively around his body.
At the same time, he began chanting divine words.
Under the power of "proliferation," the priest’s back rapidly swelled, and soon a duplicate of him, identical in form, separated from his body.
Simultaneously, Aiden and the others felt their minds buzz and become jumbled as the priest, while using his power, "imparted" the divine words to them, inflicting mental contamination.
Veronica immediately clutched her forehead, feeling as though her brain was about to burst from the incomprehensible language; this was her first experience of the mental suppression brought on by divine words.
"[This is an autumn afternoon, and the lake is as smooth as a mirror.]" Presia began reciting a spell.
In an instant, the mental contamination affecting everyone was dispelled, and Presia’s exquisite mental spells were more than enough to handle the mental contamination from the imparted divine words.
By then, the priest had completed his division, and the two composite beasts strained at the same time, completely breaking free from the claws of the shadow demon.
The offspring that had split directly from the priest’s body let out a wild roar, charging towards them like a rampaging bull, while ripping open wounds on its hands, attempting to splash them with fresh blood at close range.
Aiden’s thoughts shifted, causing that blood to stick firmly in their own wounds. His divine words were still in effect; as long as they were within his domain, the priest’s blood could not harm them.
"[The ear hears lies, and the eye sees illusions.]" Presia recited the spell once more.
This was the "Sensory Disarray" that had once pushed Aiden to the brink. All the aggressive mental spells in Presia’s arsenal suffered from the limitation of having a short attack range, but now that the enemy had closed the distance, she wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The duplicate’s perspective quickly twisted, making him feel as if the world was spinning and stumbling in his steps.
Daili didn’t miss this chance either, manipulating the shadow demon to grasp the duplicate’s hooves, tripping him over.
Veronica immediately raised her gun and fired two shots, piercing through the duplicate’s eyes.
Her marksmanship was quite good indeed; at this distance, she was able to aim at the eyes of the giant beast that had been tripped to the ground.
The split body immediately stopped moving. Even if its flesh was tough, its brain couldn’t withstand two bullets, and the power of the split body was in no way comparable to that of the original.
Aiden didn’t pay attention to the split body and shifted his gaze to the distance. He noticed that after breaking free from the restraints, Father Bales hadn’t charged along with the split body. Instead, he stood in place—no, the man had even retreated a bit.
Aiden narrowed his eyes, finding the priest’s behavior extremely cautious, even to the point that after Aiden used the "Order" power, this "Reproduction" power-holder suddenly seemed more cowardly than he.
The abilities of the "Reproduction" power might not be suitable for direct combat, but the priest’s beast-like body possessed considerable combat strength.
Just now, if the priest had been willing to take a risk and use his offspring as a human shield to charge together, he might have created an opportunity to close the distance and annihilate them as a group.
Was it necessary for a saint with the "Inheritance" power to be this careful?
Perhaps Father Bales, upon witnessing Aiden’s use of god-like powers, was suspecting that he too was a saint wielding a certain authority. With Father Bales frequently utilizing his abilities to create the church’s "workers", he no longer felt confident about beating him...
But this was also contradictory; if he didn’t want to fight an uncertain battle, he could just leave now. Aiden and the others couldn’t stop him... of course, they hadn’t planned to stop him either.
This contradiction made Aiden vaguely aware that Father Bales might not be as strong as they had estimated, and there was a suspicion that he had an inflated reputation—that was the conclusion he reached from the probing just now.
Maybe they could win...
Thinking this, Aiden took out a whistle from his pocket, blew it to his mouth, and then drew his sword, taking slow steps toward the priest.
"Commander?"
Veronica was somewhat surprised; it had been Aiden who warned her not to approach the priest earlier, but now Aiden seemed to be intending to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the priest himself.
"You all stand here and support me," Aiden ordered without turning his head, his eyes fixed on Father Bales in the distance, trying not to let his gaze show any sign of wavering.
He was quite skilled at this technique; when confronting uncooperative and vicious criminals, one must never lose the battle of wills.
The priest was evidently on guard due to this unexpected move. He watched every move Aiden made, and Aiden keenly captured the concentrated focus... and the nervousness of the other party.
Then those who stood still, like Veronica, saw it. From afar, behind the priest, the pool of silver liquid swiftly flowing on the ground.
The Mercury Golem.
When Aiden led them to retreat, he had left the Mercury Golem where they had hidden. His original command was to ambush Father Bales to buy time when he came after them, but instead, the priest flew directly into the sky.
The whistle Aiden had blown just then was the signal to call the mercury orb.
Walking slowly with his sword, Aiden approached as if in a duelist’s standoff. Father Bales’s attention was all on him, each waiting for the chance to make their move. After a while, the priest finally couldn’t hold out any longer.
Just as Father Bales was about to make his move, he suddenly felt a strong push from behind. Something heavy and cold wrapped around his back, sticking firmly onto him.
