Chapter 104: There’s Another Guy.
Yuri’s katana cut deeper into the Divine Priest’s neck, the blue scales cracking and shattering beneath the raw force being channeled through the attack. Lightning raced along the blade and forced the runes engraved into its edge to life, their glow intensifying as they vibrated violently against the Priest’s flesh.
Yuri’s arms trembled from the strain. Her blood vessels began bursting one after another beneath her skin, blood running down her arms and dripping from her fingertips, but she didn’t stop. She continued forcing more power into the blade, pushing it deeper through the layers of scales.
The Divine Priest roared in anguish and desperately raised his hand, catching the blade before it could cut completely through his neck.
Yuri’s eyes remained bloodshot as she stared directly at him, lightning still surging through her body.
The Divine Priest gritted his teeth and slowly forced the blade away from his neck. He thought he had actually managed to stop her.
Then Andrea appeared from the side.
Her body tore through the tornado surrounding them, her enchanted blade already swinging. The sword collided with the scales on the opposite side of the Priest’s neck, and the impact instantly shattered them. The runes engraved along her blade vibrated violently as the sword tore through the remaining defense and sank deep into his neck.
The Divine Priest’s eyes widened.
Yuri’s katana and Andrea’s blade were now embedded from opposite sides, their weapons meeting at the centre of his neck.
Both blades tore through the Divine Priest’s neck from opposite directions, cutting through flesh and bone until there was nothing left to hold his head in place.
The cold wind tornado suddenly weakened.
The violent currents that had surrounded the battlefield began losing their strength, swirling slower and slower before quietly fading into the air. The snow that had been suspended within the storm fell back onto the ground.
The Divine Priest’s blue scales lost their shine, his body finally collapsed into the snow.
Yuri’s breathing was heavy. Blood covered both of her arms, some of it belonging to the Divine Priest, but much of it came from her own damaged body. Her eyes were still bloodshot, and faint lightning continued crawling across her skin before finally disappearing.
Andrea withdrew her blade and looked towards Yuri, she nodded in acknowledgement.
Yuri had done it.
A normal Dormant-rank Awakened would never have been able to follow the battle between Andrea and the Divine Priest, let alone participate in it. The speed of their movements had been beyond what most people could even perceive, yet Yuri had kept up with them.
She had pushed her body beyond its limits, endured the pain and used every ounce of speed she possessed to create openings that Andrea could exploit.
And in the end, she had helped Andrea kill the Divine Priest.
Yuri’s body suddenly gave out, and she fell towards the ground, but Andrea caught her before she could hit the snow.
"If the Priest was this much trouble, how powerful would the Chief have gotten?"
Yuri’s voice was low.
Andrea really didn’t want to answer that question. It would mean she had to lie to her best friend, because if the Chief had truly found a way to attain power like this, then they had no chance at all.
Yuri coughed as she tried to chuckle.
"You look like you have a lot to say, but you’re worried you would hurt my feelings."
Andrea smiled and nodded.
"I do have a lot to say, but the one that matters is that we’re going to win, no matter what it takes."
Andrea helped Yuri up, supporting her as they began walking back towards the battlefield. Strangely enough, the thick artificial storm hadn’t completely faded. It was weaker now, light enough that they could see more than three feet ahead of themselves.
"Do you know where Damien went?" Yuri suddenly asked.
Andrea was at her wits’ end. She really wanted to keep him out of her head, but people wouldn’t stop bringing him up. Even Yuri, who rarely spoke, wouldn’t shut up about him.
Andrea sighed and answered indifferently.
"He was last seen with Vincent. Naomi should be with them, so they shouldn’t be in much trouble, unless they somehow ended up fighting a Divine Priest or an Awakened-rank monster."
Yuri smiled lightly at Andrea’s frustrated expression. Not many people got to see it, and not many people even knew it existed.
But before Yuri could say another word, they heard movement behind them. Both women stopped dead in their tracks, the wind suddenly felt colder.
Andrea helped Yuri turn around, and the sight before them was beyond anything they considered possible, even by the standards of the Tower of Mysteries.
It was the Divine Priest.
He was smaller now, his body clearly weakened, and the glow of his blue scales had become dim. Yet he was standing tall once again, holding his severed head in his hands.
Yuri’s eyes widened.
The Divine Priest calmly lifted his head and placed it back onto his neck. He then twisted it into place with a brisk motion. The blood still covering his neck began to move, fusing his head back onto his body as the damaged flesh slowly connected.
The Divine Priest raised his head and looked towards them.
"Foooools... I am a god. My godhood was sealed by the flesh of the Storm Blizzard God. I am his Divine Priest. I cannot be killed."
Yuri sighed deeply. She was more surprised than scared.
"Don’t brag about your resurrection. There’s a guy that could have done that in way less time. How long did it take you, like a minute?"
"About two, really," Andrea added.
The Divine Priest roared in rage. He genuinely wondered if they were scared witless, which was why they kept underestimating him.
The Divine Priest was going to kill them and show them his supreme might. He growled aggressively and prepared to charge.
But the next moment, the wind exploded as his body was sent flying by a giant hammer.
"No, that’s the wrong target. Uh..."