The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 215: Holy Sword (4)

The spheres of darkness floating around Zirukan quickly transformed into dozens of long spears. There was no doubt about their intended target.

Whoosh!

Kai glared at the spears rushing toward him and swiftly swung his sword.

Clang! Clang!

Each time the sword and spears collided, sparks flew into the air. The dark spears rained down on Kai relentlessly, like a rainstorm on a midsummer night. However, no matter how sharp the tips were, they were useless if they couldn’t land a hit.

“As expected. Our newbie priest has grown far too strong.”

Zirukan, floating in midair, looked down at Kai’s impenetrable guard and nodded quietly.

A wizard always had to be prepared with various strategies. Pushing a method that didn’t work until it succeeded was nothing but foolishness.

Let’s try a different approach.

The reason his attacks weren’t working on Kai was simple. Kai’s reaction speed was too fast.

And my attack pattern was far too basic.

This was merely a test, after all. It was Zirukan’s preferred analytical phase to gauge how far Kai could react.

“Well then, let’s get serious.”

Zirukan’s warning made Kai swallow hard.

This is bad.

Kai possessed the special title Reaper of the Battlefield. Its effect allowed him to generate stamina with every enemy defeated, making it a top-tier title. But for the first time, Kai realized its downside.

This title is utterly useless in a one-on-one situation.

He wondered why he had only realized this now.

Tightly biting his lower lip, Kai looked at Karundal, who was far away. The dwarf king, who had been running toward the portal, was now stuck in an awkward position between Kai and Zirukan, wearing a deeply troubled expression.

I should summon Shimizu first.

The duration of the Descent skill was one hour, with a one-hour cooldown. Theoretically, this meant it could be used continuously all day, assuming his Benevolence stats were sufficiently high.

“Activate Descent skill.”

Murmuring to himself, the now familiar interface appeared before him. But at the same time, his eyes darted around the screen.

W-what is this?

Usually, when activating the Descent skill, the names of Shimizu and Cherantia would glow brightly, while Patrick’s name remained blacked out. Now, however, Shimizu’s name had also turned black.

Bewildered, Kai called out her name. “Select First Apostle, Shimizu!”

Ding!

[Once an Apostle’s soul has been summoned to battle, they enter a resting state for eight hours.]

[Shimizu’s soul is currently sleeping soundly at the edge of the heavens.]

[You must wait 7 hours and 47 minutes to summon Shimizu’s soul again.]

“N-no...!”

A series of setbacks. Having never used the Descent skill consecutively, Kai had been unaware of this drawback.

Darn it. Without Shimizu’s Absolute Sanctuary...

Kai’s trembling eyes landed on Karundal. The unease of being unable to guarantee his safety was written all over Kai’s face.

“Hm. It seems you’re worried about the king of the dwarves.”

Kai’s expression momentarily showed he made a mistake. Revealing his true feelings in front of a monster harboring countless schemes was a grave error.

“Well then, allow me to ease your concern.”

The dark power swirling in Zirukan’s left hand struck Karundal, hurling him against a wall. Not stopping there, a cage of pitch-black bars materialized around him, trapping him completely.

“Now, with that out of the way, fight me with all you’ve got.”

The moment Kai realized he couldn’t summon Shimizu’s soul, his first thought was to run.

If I use the Shadow Shift skill, I can escape with Karundal, but...

First, he would need to break through that cage. But with Zirukan watching him like a hawk, that would be impossible.

So I have no choice but to fight.

After the battle with Lucifer, Kai had entered a state of complacency by the euphoria of victory, leading to his greatest mistake. @@novelbin@@

He quickly assessed the situation.

What skills do I currently have available?

The Knight of Nightmare and its Death Army were already used hours ago and couldn’t be used again. Ultimately, all Kai could rely on were the basic skills he had mastered himself.

And should I summon Cherantia?

Honestly speaking, Cherantia’s abilities weren’t particularly effective in a one-on-one battle against a wizard like Zirukan.

But the passive skill, Cherantia’s Body, is what I need.

By permanently consuming 20 Benevolence stats, this skill could temporarily boost all stats by 300 for an hour. And currently, Kai was in a situation where he couldn’t afford to choose between one or another.

“Select Second Apostle, Cherantia of Rest.”

[Cherantia has descended into the user's body.]

[You can now use some of his restricted abilities.]

[You have temporarily acquired the skill: Army of Light.]

[You have temporarily acquired the skill: Wave of Purifying Fire.]

[You have temporarily acquired the skill: Sword of Oblivion.]

[You have temporarily acquired the passive skill: Cherantia's Body.]

[All stats increase by 300 due to passive skill Cherantia's Body.]

Cherantia’s formidable strength filled Kai’s body. Alongside it, Cherantia’s deep voice echoed in Kai’s mind.

—Hmph. I sense a murky aura in this mana. Is it someone connected to demons?

“Yes, a follower of the Demon King.”

—What a troublesome situation. Even at a glance, he seems to be a high-level wizard... Even the Army of Light won’t be enough to handle him.

“But I don’t have any other options.”

—They’ll only be a shield at best, no more, no less.

As Kai listened to Cherantia’s advice, Zirukan raised an eyebrow.

“Hm? The atmosphere seems to have changed...”

Zirukan squinted and carefully observed Kai.

There’s no physical change. However...

For a moment, it felt as though the presence of the newbie before him had suddenly elevated.

No, that’s unlikely.

Zirukan shook his head, dismissing the idea. After all, elevating one’s presence was not something a mere human could achieve in a matter of seconds.

“Well then, let’s get this started.”

Zirukan slowly raised both hands, like a virtuoso placing his fingers on the keys of a piano before a performance. With a reverent posture, his outstretched hands unleashed magic in an instant.

A sudden and powerful restraint seized Kai’s legs, causing his eyes to widen.

This feeling is... Binding!

Binding was a status effect, but this one came from an external force, so it couldn’t be dispelled with Sunlight’s Warmth. Of course, there was another way.

“Holy Enchantment.”

Kai’s blade glowed brightly, greatly infused with holy power. He swung his sword, and easily severed the energy binding his legs.

But this isn’t all.

Binding his legs was merely a preparation step to prevent his escape.

Kai quickly scanned his surroundings, and his expression instantly hardened. Spikes erupted from the ground, while arrows and spears rained down.

Confusion.

Kai’s body shifted outside the attack range, leaving only his clone behind. The spot he moved to was none other than directly above Zirkan’s head.

Not even Helik could detect this movement.

In other words, it meant he could freely deliver a powerful strike to Zirukan right below him.

Upgrade. Sword of Oblivion.

The Sword of Oblivion was one of Cherantia’s skills that inflicted the Oblivion status effect on its target. It had the effect of making the target unable to use any skills for five minutes, a status effect far superior to Silence, which had a similar effect.

If I can just land this...!

The difference between a warrior being unable to use skills and a wizard being unable to use skills was like night and day. A warrior could continue fighting with their superior physical abilities even without skills. But for a wizard...

The moment their skills are sealed, they’re like a bun without filling or an omelet without ketchup.

In other words, they lost their entire purpose!

A tiger left behind its pelt in death, but Kai left behind a clone while alive, and that clone was hit with dozens of Zirkan’s spells.

Yes!

It was the perfect moment for an attack. Zirukan was still focused on the clone while Kai stood above his head. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kai swung his sword downward. The blade tore through the air with a sharp, rushing strike, and the attack precisely pierced through Zirkan's body.

Wait, that was a one-hit kill?

No matter how weak a wizard’s defense was, Zirukan was a level 700+ wizard.

There’s no way someone like that could be taken out in one strike.

The moment Kai realized this, he instinctively activated a skill and curled his body tightly to reduce his exposure.

"As expected, your instincts have always been sharp."

As Kai’s clone scattered like a mirage, Zirukan’s pierced body also dissolved. At the same time, Kai felt a powerful impact slam into his side.

Crunch!

“Kugh...!”

Ding!

[Your 4th, 5th, and 6th ribs have been fractured.]

[The fractured bones are piercing your organs.]

[You have been afflicted by the Dyspnea status effect.]

[Your stamina slightly decreases every second.]

[You have been afflicted by the Severe Bleeding status effect.]

[You take 1,250 damage per second.]

Thud!

Kai was thrown to the ground, leaving him no time to groan in pain or think about what happened.

First, I need to heal.

As Sunlight’s Warmth spread through his body, the discomfort in his side gradually subsided. Having dispelled all status effects, Kai looked up at Zirukan floating above and tried to piece together what had happened.

How did he know it was Confusion?

This technique was supposed to be undetectable, even for battle-hardened veterans. Not even Helik, the Solarian God, had been able to react the first time she had seen it.

“Wait, the first time?” Kai frowned as he finally realized his mistake.

Quietly watching his expression, Zirukan smiled. “So, you’ve finally figured out your mistake?”

“...You didn’t read my skill activation, did you?”

"No. Unfortunately, as someone who does not believe in gods, I lack such prophetic abilities.” Zirukan had simply prepared in advance, and he had every reason to.

“I used this skill once when I fought the desert bats.”

“That’s correct. After seeing it then, I judged it to be a highly dangerous technique and prepared accordingly.”

What a terrifying opponent. He recognized the threat of a skill after seeing it once and set a counter-trap.

This is why I hate fighting wizards.

Facing opponents who meticulously planned traps several steps ahead was both physically and mentally exhausting.

If only he was more like Sting of the Black Bees, someone who blindly relies on their strength and acts recklessly...

But Zirukan was meticulous to the core. He never revealed his weaknesses while thoroughly analyzing and countering his opponent.

Wait, then that means all the skills I used while fighting the monsters...

Were now stored in Zirukan’s memory.

Kai recalled the skills he had used during that battle and sighed. “I’ve shown all my cards.”

“Someone prepared versus someone unprepared. The winner in such a fight is as clear as day.”

With his shoulders squared confidently, Zirukan smiled softly as he looked down at Kai. To anyone watching, it was obvious the victor of their first clash was Zirukan.

But at that moment, Kai smiled. "Oh, by the way, I’m really sorry for lying. The truth is, I haven’t completely run out of tricks just yet."

“Huh?” Zirukan furrowed his brows as he saw the smile spreading across Kai’s face. “What are you talking ab—”

Before Zirukan could finish his sentence, a blade pierced through his back and emerged from his chest.

“Kugh...?!”

“Here’s today’s lesson: you haven’t won until it’s truly over.”

Slowly turning his head, Zirukan came face to face with a figure in the exact same equipment as Kai. Oh, except for one detail. Its face lacked eyes, a nose, or a mouth, smooth like an egg.

"You know, there’s one thing people who lack skill are really good at," Kai said with a mischievous grin, clearly trying to provoke Zirukan. "Calling for friends when things get tough."

The moment Zirukan’s body was split in two earlier, Kai instinctively activated a skill.

“Let me introduce you to my soulmate. Solarian Self.”

At the same time, a pleasant notification rang in Kai’s ears.

Ding!

[Your opponent has been struck by Sword of Oblivion.]

[Opponent afflicted by Oblivion status effect.]

[Due to your opponent’s significantly higher level, the effect of Oblivion has been greatly reduced.]

[Your opponent cannot use any skills for 10 seconds.]