"Hello, Alone. Your name does not match your situation. Why are there 15 knights alongside you?"
Mercy called out the bald man while he walked close to him and his group which was rendered naked due to Mercy's flame spell.
"You underestimate my power, flame born. I am the priest of Uro, and I have lived in the world when you were, like, hiding in the Ashen capital. You don't know the power I hold."
The priest then mumbled some words and cast his sceptre at his knights. The spell he cast restored the knights their armour and weapons.
Mercy smiled at the priest, and he returned with a cold look.
The distance between the two groups grew less as Mercy walked towards the priest, and the priest did the same. Soon enough, the two were face to face.
"Your knights won't be useful against me. Why are you keeping these poor servants with you? They will die for no reason at all." Mercy smiled.
"The knights are here to carry you and the blasphemous Arya Robon corpse from this place. I suggest you surrender now. My age should be a good indicator of how much chance you have." Alone laughed.
Alone was right in the fact that his age was high for someone who fights other warlords and beasts often, but there was a problem comparing it to Mercy.
"You don't want to compare ages, here. Best we let our powers and spells talk. You have the first turn." Mercy smirked, Alone gave a small smile in response.
"Thank you for this opportunity, But I believe you have already thrown this battle to pride, young one."
The priest looked at his book, and his sceptre vanished. He placed two fingers in the middle of his eyelids and then screamed.
「Realm: All sins are forgiven.」
Like the paper that burned in the sky, papers enveloped the surroundings once again. Mercy and Arya were caught in Alone's realm from the moment they left the capital.
The paper unfolded on the ground below Mercy's feet, and the snow was restored. Then the plants came back, and finally the snowy sky.
The realm was recreated into a new one, and only Mercy and the priest were part of it.
"A realm?! Lord Alone, I think I underestimated you! How many orbs of power do you have?" Mercy clapped his hand in amazement.
"Telling my opponents what about myself is not something I do anymore. Still, as per the rules, you get the second attack. Then we are free to a brawl."
"Brawl? I thought people like you say, 'Let's dance to the death' for something like that. I suppose times have changed." Mercy commented.
"My knights would say that, but I suppose their dragon steel blades and water affinity don't help with someone who can burn a realm in a swing. So, I left them out. Also, the time for prayer is calling, do your attack." The priest ordered Mercy as he opened his book and began reading once again.
"As you say, Lord Alone."
"Power of the star," Mercy called out in his mind.
Mercy clenched his fist, and he called out the power of the flames in his hand. The strength of powers in his possession. Enough to cause an earthquake.
Mercy pulled back his fist and, crimson flames burst into the sky. He pulled his fist back and unleashed his forward at the priest.
"Try not to die!" Mercy screamed.
「Divine Retaliation」the priest said lightly.
Mercy's punch was caught mid-air between Alone's hand. A protective barrier had formed between their hands. No matter how much force Mercy applied, the barrier would never break or even be pushed.
"So strong, yet so pathetic." The priest made a pitiful face.
"Very funny…"
"Your strength means nothing to years of experience gained on the battlefield. You meet your end here. A sad sight indeed, you were so strong we could have recruited you." The priest kept up a pitiful face.
"What are-?!"
Blood came flowing down from Mercy's mouth, and then his head popped a vessel.
"What did you d-Ar..ghhh..." Mercy fell to the ground, choking and holding his neck, gasping for air.
"Poor boy, pulled in affairs of the elders by the evil flame gods. May the forest gods give you rest." Alone moved toward the dying boy.
"Arg..gah"
Alone, I saw Mercy gasping for air; soon, his eyes were blood red, and the pupils disappeared and came out of his body. His ears, nostrils, and eyes all were bleeding.
"A... AAAGGG"
Mercy tore out his hair and began eating them, then
Blood leaked out of each hole in his body, and seeing that Priest Alone had a bit of relief and comfort.
"Pretty brutal, huh?"
"What?"
Alone turned around his back and Mercy stood right on his back, smiling and healthy, not a drop of blood was visible to him.
Alone looked back to where the corpse and blood previously lay, but they all shattered into the snow like glass.
"An illusion technique! The power of the Snow Gods, Evil blasphemous one, don't you have any sense of loyalty towards a god."
"Loyalty wouldn't have saved me from bleeding my guts like that. That was brutal, why hurt someone like this? I mean can't you just reflect the attack and kill them instantly?"
"This not how my realm works. Everyone must pay for their sins as hard as they try to hurt others. Your illusion tried to kill me, and met my divine retaliation and got the deserved fate."
"This is your ability or your realm's power?"
"You think I will tell you that? I will if you tell me if you grant me a vow of 3 orbs of power in our battle."
"Smart old fart." Mercy thought to himself.
"If divine retaliation was a natural ability, then the realm's blessing was still there, and it could have worse effects. I have to keep trying."
"What are you thinking? I think it is better to give up; nothing you throw will ever pass my divine retaliation." Alone boasted.
Mercy picked up the snow from the ground and started making a snowball with it and threw it slowly at Alone.
「Divine Retaliation」Alone said calmly.
The snowball vanished in front of Alone and came on top of Mercy's head. Mercy moved aside and caught the ball with a quick reflex. He nodded his head, his understanding had gotten better.
"Hmm… Let's try that again. You are ready, old priest?" Mercy clutched his snowball once again.
"What mockery of me are you trying to ma-" Alone shouted.
"Too late! This one comes with full force." Mercy threw the ball at high speed, with full force.
*blast
The explosion sent big sparkles into the sky, snow flew away, and a storm formed in the sky. The realm was shattering once again, as if paper getting wet and folding upon itself.
"God's grace. what happened?" Alone didn't understand what happened. He was still unharmed but his body was getting goosebumps.
"The ball was too fast or, it was a faint for another attack." He spoke aloud in the smoke, which he was shielded by.
"That ball was 1/8 times the speed of light. There was no chance of you ever seeing that attack come to you. You couldn't have raised your hand or spoken the incantation for the spell either." Mercy came from the shadows, he held his snowball in his hands.
"..?" Alone knew that Mercy had the answer to the question about the divine retaliation.
Mercy was smiling, and shining with confidence. He was proud of himself for his discovery.
"That means that your protection comes from the realm itself. And when the realm uses it without you incanting the spell. No damage comes to the attacker."
The secret was out for the two to hear,
"Don't you find my illusions mind-bending, Lord Alone. Its scary that they can bring out of a man." Mercy threw his snowball on leafy grassland below him.
"???" Alone was confused, the look leaked out of his cold expression.
"Look at your feet. Not in my eyes and you will see the illusion."
"What?"Alone looked his feet and snow was there once again, the sky was snowy and the storm wa gone. The realm was resorted to how it was before the attack.
"What is happening to me?!" Alone hands began shaking.
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