Within the battle circle, the three knights—were the first to bear the brunt of the impact!

  The red-haired knight’s pupils constricted sharply, his longsword trembling in his hand,

  his fingers stiffened, and the sword hilt almost slipped from his grasp!

  The blonde-haired knight’s right knee buckled, barely holding himself up,

  cold sweat slid down his forehead, his vision blurring slightly!

  The black-haired knight recoiled two full steps—

  a jolt of cold shooting up his spine, straight to the crown of his head!

  They weren’t weak.

  Each of them was a top-tier knight, forged through countless battles and rising from mountains of corpses.

  In skill, courage, and willpower, they were all at the top of the "Transcendent Pyramid."

  But now—this killing intent had far surpassed anything they could handle!

  Deep within their souls, the primitive instincts sent a clear signal:

  —That is not human.

  —That is a demon.

  —A killing demon that drank the blood of thousands and broke free from hell!

  And just as this desperate killing intent swept across the battlefield—

  An eerie sight suddenly appeared before their eyes:

  The leader’s black-clad companions—seemed completely unaffected by the killing intent!

  No… not unaffected.

  Their battle intent was roaring to life!

  Da Niu and Er Gou, their hearts pounding like thunder, blood boiling!

  Their fists were already clenched tight, veins bulging, bones creaking,

  their muscles taut as bowstrings, as if they were about to explode in the next instant!

  Every drop of blood in their bodies burned, every nerve screamed:

  —Charge! Kill! Kill them all!

  But they didn’t move.

  Even though their battle intent roared like a volcano,

  they could only—grit their teeth and endure.

  Why?

  —Because they were influenced by the killing intent of that sword.

  That killing intent was indeed a kind of buff, making them stronger, faster, and fiercer.

  But at the same time, it was also eroding their sanity, making them more and more bloodthirsty.

  And this change, deep within their hearts, was extremely dangerous.

  Transcendents driven by the desire for slaughter are no longer "human";

  They become—uncontrollable beasts.

  True strength has never been about being controlled by power, but about being able to master it.

  But beyond that, there was an even more practical reason—one that made it impossible for them to act.

  Their mission was to protect Xianzi Lin and San Niang.

  Not because Xianzi Lin and San Niang lacked close combat abilities.

  In fact—if it really came down to a fight,

  Xianzi Lin alone could easily take both of them down—one after the other—and wipe the floor with them!

  They weren’t unfamiliar with this—they had both been beaten up by Xianzi Lin before, and still carried the psychological scars.

  So, they knew very well: Xianzi Lin didn’t need “protection.”

  Then why stay by her side?

  Because this wasn’t a question of "strength," but a strategic decision.

  Everyone understood—there were hidden enemies on the battlefield.

  And Xianzi Lin was one of the enemy’s top priority targets.

  Not because she was weak—on the contrary,

  But because she was too strong, and posed too great a threat.

  If you were the enemy,

  Wouldn’t you try to eliminate the strongest support first?

  —They would.

  So they had to stay where they were.

  If the enemy launched a surprise attack,

  they would have to throw in everything—and hold the line to the death.

  All to buy even a few seconds—

  until the leader’s support could arrive.

  Of course, Da Niu and Er Gou both knew very well:

  The primary target of the man hiding in the shadows was definitely the leader!

  But the problem is—who can guarantee that he won’t suddenly change his mind?

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Who can be sure that he won’t choose to kill Xianzi Lin first, to quickly weaken our forces?

  Xianzi Lin and San Niang are indeed powerful, but that’s only—in a direct confrontation.

  If the enemy’s as strong as the leader—and it’s a long-planned ambush on top of that?

  —They would die too.

  They couldn’t take that risk.

  Absolutely not.

  So, they had to protect them.

  What’s more...their leader doesn’t need support.

  He is a man who can suppress three knights by himself.

  In front of a true powerhouse—numbers never hold any meaning.

  Weaklings, no matter how many, won’t change the outcome of the battle.

  And now, the killing intent had become a raging tide!

  Countless invisible blades poured out from the cursed sword,

  sweeping across the entire battle zone like a storm, slashing straight at the three knights!

  That killing intent was sharper than San Niang’s zither notes, deadlier than Xianzi Lin’s sound blades!

  It wasn’t a killing move—it was death itself, moving freely through the field!

  "Crack—!"

  "Crack, crack, crack—!"

  The killing intent struck the edge of the shields like a barrage of invisible waves;

  The protective glow around the three knights’ bodies,

  under this force, seemed like thin ice—cracks spreading rapidly, shattering at a touch!

  Of course, even if this layer of shielding broke, there were still more.

  Even the red-haired knight, who had been given “special attention,”

  still had more than twenty layers of shields clinging to him at this moment!

  More importantly—

  No one ever said that when those twenty-plus layers were broken, that would be the end.

  As long as the two mages and the priest still stood at the rear, and still had strength left,

  those shields could be endlessly rebuilt, replenished, and reinforced!

  That was the defense system—

  A wall of shields built on perfect coordination, capable of endlessly delaying time.

  But the BOSS knew—it couldn’t be dragged out any longer!

  His gaze turned cold as he glanced toward the priest.

  He needed the priest to enter the battlefield immediately and engage in the fight—

  only then could the tide be turned.

  But when the BOSS’s gaze swept across, his expression darkened slightly—

  The priest… was still standing in place.

  Not because he was still trapped by the [Buddha’s Palm].

  In fact, by now he had already broken free—but he hadn’t entered the battle.

  Instead, he stood on the roof ridge, gazing at the golden Buddha’s palm in the night sky.

  Yes—it was still descending.

  Slowly, yet never ceasing.

  Let’s not forget, this battle contained extreme speed and destruction in every single moment.

  And the amount of information exchanged in a single second far exceeded what an ordinary person could comprehend.

  Saber light streaked like shooting stars, killing intent soaring to the heavens.

  The battle seemed already at its boiling point—but from the moment the Buddha’s palm appeared…

  only 25 seconds had passed.

  And now…

  The priest stood tall, looking up at the "slowly" descending Buddha’s hand;

  His eyes held no fear, only—burning battle intent!

  Given his strength, he could have withdrawn easily—well before the Buddha’s hand came down.

  But—he didn’t want to run.

  —He would never retreat.

  He would personally—shatter that Buddha’s hand!

  In his eyes, he was a servant of the divine, the executor of holy will, the sword of faith.

  And now, that golden Buddha’s hand—

  The flame of faith from the Buddha’s teachings—hung above his head.

  If he retreated now, even if it was a tactical withdrawal, it would mean lowering his head before the Buddha’s teachings.

  —This was an insult he could not accept!

  So—it had to be destroyed!

  He would make sure everyone saw—

  Only his faith was the one eternal, holy light in this world!

  This scene sparked a quiet fury in the BOSS’s heart—yet not a flicker of emotion appeared on his face.

  He simply stared at the priest in silence, eyes darkening, like a storm raging behind a still curtain.

  Off in the distance, Elo nearly burst out laughing.

  He knew that look all too well—

  and he understood exactly what the BOSS was feeling in that moment:

  —What the hell are you doing?!

  —My soldiers are out there bleeding on the front lines, and you're in here doing a faith showdown?!

  —I swear, if I could, I’d rush over and cut down this pig teammate right now!

  So here’s the real question:

  —Did the priest truly not know what he was doing?

  —Did he really not feel the fire raging inside the BOSS?

  —Was he really unaware of how badly the BOSS wanted to chop him in half right now?

  There was only one answer:

  —He knew.

  Clear as day. Sharp as a blade.

  But—so what?

  Survival was important, sure.

  But death wasn’t the thing to fear.

  What was truly terrifying—was betraying his own faith.

  Even if the price—was his life.

  More importantly, he knew full well—

  the front line had not collapsed.

  The five knights were still holding.

  Their shields still held.

  Their will remained unbroken.

  They could still fight.

  They could still endure.

  So while the situation was dire, it was far from out of control.

  That’s why he remained where he stood—

  Not because he was immovable like a mountain,

  But because his will was as steady as a mountain.

  Elo could almost hear the priest’s inner monologue playing out in his head:

  —What are you so worked up about?

  —My faith is unshakable—and it will never bow to the Buddha.

  —As for you... just wait a little longer.

  At that thought, a subtle gleam passed through his eyes.

  —Humans... are fucking interesting.

  It wasn’t the first time this idea had crossed his mind.

  In fact, in countless similar moments, this emotion would quietly surface—

  Their obsessions, their pride, their arrogance, even their recklessness—

  Perhaps none of it was rational.

  But it was precisely this irrationality that made them feel so vividly alive.

  They would die for a belief,

  or refuse the most logical action, just to preserve a shred of dignity.

  Contradictory, reckless, stubborn to the point of stupidity...

  And yet, because of all that, they were—captivating.

  Of course, he knew—this was just him reading too much into it.

  Who could say what was really going on in that guy’s head?

  He had no interest in “confirming” whether his imagination was accurate.

  He simply watched in silence, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing clearer.

  And slowly, an absurd yet irresistible thought rose from deep within:

  —Come on. Show me everything you’ve got.

  It wasn’t provocation.

  It wasn’t mockery.

  It was a long-suppressed, primal anticipation.

  He wanted to see—

  Just what kind of miracle this priest could deliver.

  Just as that thought in Elo’s mind had yet to fully take shape—

  the priest moved.

  In that instant, it was as if an invisible hand had pressed down upon the heavens and the earth.

  He did not take a step, yet it seemed as if he had crossed the entire battlefield.

  He released no light, yet it was as if he had triggered a quake within every soul.

  The night was silent.

  The scorched earth trembled.

  Amid the crater-ridden battlefield—

  —air, froze.

  Airflow halted.

  Flames paused midair.

  The clash of magic and battle energy was abruptly silenced,

  as if some unseen hand had slammed down the mute button.

  Killing intent, sonic booms, energy surges…

  All sank into a strange, dreamlike slowness;

  As if the entire world had been drawn into a dream teetering on the edge of tearing reality apart.

  —Slow.

  —Suffocatingly slow.

  —Not sluggish, but a stillness so oppressive it crushed the soul.

  It was the hush before a downpour,

  the moment before a volcano erupts—when magma roars in the depths of the earth.

  His soul was ablaze. His blood thundered like war drums.

  Spirit and magic surged in silence, as if piercing through heaven and earth.

  He stood upon the rooftop, beneath the shadow of the Buddha’s hand,

  his figure motionless, like a statue.

  In his eyes—there was no anger, no fear.

  Just one word: faith.

  A faith that transcends life and death—

  a will unyielding enough to clash head-on with divine will itself.

  Before anyone even realized what was happening, he slowly opened his mouth—

  The first words slipped quietly from his lips:

  “God said—”

  His voice was soft, calm as still water—

  yet it descended with the weight of divine authority from the heavens.

  Like a sacred bell tolling at dawn and dusk,

  it exploded within the depths of every soul—

  BOOM!

  In that moment—the battlefield went dead silent.

  The wind stopped.

  The flames extinguished.

  Magic and battle energy froze midair.

  Even light… seemed to slow for a breath.

  The strong and the weak, soldiers, knights, mages, black-clad figures …

  All, in that instant—froze.

  It wasn’t fear.

  It wasn’t control.

  It was this:

  That one sentence carried true divine authority—

  and directly suppressed the very root of all action.

  That was not a line of dialogue.

  It was a shockwave of belief, a projection of divine will.

  One sentence—

  silenced the entire battlefield.

  In that moment, everyone understood:

  They were no longer facing just a priest.

  They were facing—an embodiment of divine will.

  And in the breathless silence that followed,

  he spoke again:

  “Let there be light.”