Chapter 164 Finally Ended

After the battle in Twilight Forest, Lize had a deeper understanding of her control in spiritual energy. Also with Marlene's guidance, she could finally manipulate spirit energy to attack…

Undoubtedly, as a support type Cleric, her attack skills were quite limited. Therefore, her attack skills aren't meant to deal much damage. This was something inevitable. After all, the cleric class isn't known for its attacking power.

If they can't forge a sharp blade with good steel, then what's the point? Clerics just simply weren't similar to mages who could conjure dozens of wind blades. If the significance of the attack didn't matter, it would be better if they did not attempt to attack at all, lest they injure themselves in the process.

As Marlene harassed the Shadow Devil, Lize found an opportunity to finish casting her skills. Eventually, she lifted her slowly hands and held them in front of her.

The holy barrier surrounding the mercenaries started to withdraw from the mercenaries; a brilliant light congealed on her palms in front of her. Then, a bright golden beam shot out from Lize's palm, landing directly onto the Shadow Devil. The Shadow Devil who was being harassed by Marlene couldn't react fast enough to defend itself against Lize's attack. It could only stare at the beam and await its fate, hoping that its defense would withstand the beam.

But it is a pity; it was a wish that meant to be broken.

The shadowy mist which was able to devour the icy swords couldn't handle the beam. Perhaps the water element and the dark element was like using a tangible object to resist an intangible one, causing it to be ineffective. But the beam of light was the eternal natural enemy of darkness. Thus, the result was obvious.

The Shadow Devil could only watch as the beam pierced through the shadow mist, utterly shattering the mist to bits, followed by its shoulder. After the initial blast, accompanied by a burning sensation, the hole in the Shadow Devil's right shoulder immediately melted. Since it was a creature formed by darkness, with a mixture of a corporeal body and an immaterial form, Lize's beam of light made it suffer so severely that it howled in rage. It quickly raised its head and focused its attention on the woman that was emitting unbearable holiness from head to toe.

KILL! KILL HER!

Pain and hatred overwhelmed the Shadow Devil's senses and made itself forget its most threatening enemy.

Celia didn't give up this chance.

The moment the Shadow Devil diverted its attention, Celia immediately stopped her probing attacks and struck with all her might with her sword. Before the Shadow Devil could react, the silver-white flames on the sword had already sliced right through its body, leaving a deep and dark gash. The Shadow Devil slanted to the side and instinctively attempted to swat this irritating glittering bug away. But out of its expectations, Celia didn't bother dodging. Instead, in the face of its enormous claw, Celia tilted her sword and swept forward!

The silver-white sword drew a perfect and elegant arc.

The angel maiden spun her body around and beat her wings as she circled the Shadow Devil to dodge the claw. And the next moment, her sword slashed through the Shadow Devil's wrist without any restriction. It wasn't long before the wrist separated from its arm, disappearing into nothingness.

Done deal…

Rhode turned his attention away from the Shadow Devil, not bothering about it anymore since he had already informed Lize on the Shadow Devil's weakness and attacking style. Moreover, Marlene and Celia seemed to be collaborating well together. If a Shadow Devil with full HP was considered a threat, then right now, with a hole in the shoulder and a missing hand, the threat lessened a great deal. As long as the three of them don't put their guard down, taking it down wouldn't be any issue.

And the surrounding mercenaries didn't seem to have any problems. Even though some received injuries after losing the holy barrier, but currently no one was in critical condition. Despite fighting the most challenging battle yet, it wasn't an impossible feat as they would just hang on till the end.

As for that guy…

Rhode's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword by his waist. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the battle. The battleground was in a mess but he didn't let his guard down. The Shadow Devil and the surrounding undead monsters weren't posing any significant threat any longer. Now, the most prominent problem lies with the man behind the curtain. Since the start of the battle, Rhode treated this man as an ordinary devil worshipper. But right now, his opinion changed. This man's danger level increased by two levels in his heart. A devil worshipper who could control a Shadow Devil was considered to be trusted by the Devil. After all, not all Devils would be so generous to send their own kind to the surface.

And since he could receive a Shadow Devil, maybe the Devil had bestowed him other abilities.

Not to mention, Rhode didn't neglect his goal. The core of this battle wasn't to destroy the undead creatures nor to defeat the Shadow Devil, but it was to protect Christie. And up until now, the undead monsters and the Shadow Devil were almost finished. Since Rhode had yet to weed out the mastermind, it could suggest he already lost all hope. But the thing that worried Rhode the most now was if he would use extreme measures since he had nothing to lose anymore. In the past, Rhode had met countless of monsters who were forced into a corner; they ended up transforming three times.

The shadow shook.

"Anne, protect Christie! Beware of the shadow!"

Rhode commanded while extending his right hand. Suddenly, a pitch black card spun and appeared on his palm. Rhode gripped and turned the card over and it immediately vanished into thin air.

"Shadow?!"

Anne was startled. In front of her were distorted shadows, nothing out of the ordinary. But at this moment, Anne finally displayed her acute battle sense. She quickly raised her steel shield and revealed the little girl under the bright flames. Under the flames, the shadows retreated like the tide. Afterwards, Anne turned around and saw a pair of huge hands burning with black flames, coming for her face.

"Heyah!"

Anne yelled and raised her shield. A pair of burning hands smashed into the shield and released a deep impact. The man in black robe emerged from within and rebounded backward, whereas Anne's body didn't even budge. After blocking the ambush, she immediately rotated her shield, and in a blink of an eye, sharp teeth from within the shield, shot out.

Before the man could do anything, dozens of tentacles suddenly appeared beneath and instantly bind him up tightly.

This sudden ambush panicked the man. He retaliated by twisting his body in an attempt to free himself. However, soon enough, the man realized that it was a meaningless struggle. At the same time, Rhode appeared in front of him with a smile. A crimson colored sword in his hand shone under the flames.

"It's over."

Rhode stared at the man in the black robe and spoke coldly.

And at this moment, as if answering his sentence, the Shadow Devil let out a miserable howl. Under the attacks of the holy duo, it vanished into nothingness.

Hearing his Shadow Devil's death cry, the man in black robes frantically tried to untangle himself from the tentacles' binds. Pitch black flames exploded from his body and burned downwards along the tentacles. However, even so, those black tentacles didn't stop their movement. They followed Rhode's command and bound the man's hands and legs tightly, limiting all of his movements. No matter what, the tentacles had a defense as high as level 10. On top of that, it was a creature of the dark element. Using attacks of the same element was a big mistake…

In the end, it was Rhode who caused the man to stop resisting.

In the face of the dark flames, Rhode frowned and pierced the man's palm. This sharp and intense pain caused the man to scream miserably and also stopped his meaningless struggles. His scream sent chills down the spines of the mercenaries. However, Christie who was hiding behind Anne revealed a shocked expression after hearing the voice.

Not only her, but even Rhode slightly frowned.

"I didn't expect that… Although I had already suspected… and that the culprit was always between us. But… this was still an unpleasant find."

As Rhode spoke, he pointed his sword towards the man and used the tip to remove the man's hood. Soon enough, an old, withered face appeared in their eyes.

"Am I right, Village Chief?"

---

[ Rhode's attributes, skills, and talents so far]

Rhode. Alander (Lv:18)

Race: Mixed (Unknown)

Talent: Summoning Master

First Stage: Soul Resonance LV3 / Integration LV2 / Call of the Soul LV0

Second Stage: Soul Hourglass LV3 / Inner Gate LV0 / Forced Awakening LV1

Talent: Soul Messenger

First Stage: Spirit Armor LV3 / Shadow Follower LV3 /

Second Stage: Sacrifical Spirit LV0 / Path of the King LV3 / Infinite Sentiments LV2 / Heritage Seal LV0

Race reward: Locked

Race Characteristics: Locked

Job: Spirit Swordsman (Hero)

Special Swordsmanship:

Moon Shadow Swordsmanship (Rank C) (Available Skills - Blade of Destruction - Shadow Flash - Moonbeams)

Starfall Swordsmanship (Rank E) (Fury Trial)

Ten of the Strongest Spirit Decks

Crown: (Control, Governance, King)

Wisdom: (Creation, Analyze, Soul)

Empathy: (Construct, Coordination, Balance)

Kindness: (Cure, Repose, Gentle)

Strictness: (Follow, Sanction, Law)

[Army of Abyss 2/ 5 - Number 3, Nether Tentacles. Number 5, Soul Hunter Knight]

Beauty: (Elegance, Sensual, Hearken)

Victory: (Eternal, Stable, Exorbitant)

[Eternal Deck 1/10 - Number 10, Star Mark]

Radiance: (Dignity, Glory, Honor)

Basis: (Hard work, Solid, Determination)

Kingdom: (Element, Synthesis, Substance)

[Sky Deck 1/10 - Number 5, Spirit Bird]

[Red Lotus Deck 2/10 - Number 1, Gillian. Number 6, Flame Killer]