Chapter 191 – Breaking In

Once the decision to fight was made, there was no need for unnecessary delays. With their straightforward and brutal approach, Punk and Bloodclaw required little planning. After preparing for battle, the two of them, along with Golem Two, flew from above Mimig City toward the Old Lantern District Church.

Punk employed his usual combination of the Levitation Spell and Greater Swiftness, while Bloodclaw condensed a pair of small but rapidly flapping wings from blood on his back to fly.

From high above, Punk could discern that the enemy’s defenses were roughly divided into three layers. The innermost layer was naturally the small church itself, where Erok was likely stationed with five bottles of High-Concentration Holy Water. Around the church’s periphery, near the grove, a group of Apprentice-Level clerics meticulously maintained and guarded the alert formation, forming the second layer of defense. The third layer consisted of small squads of ordinary soldiers led by Apprentice Rank clerics, positioned at the edges of the outer alert formation.

According to Punk’s plan, to prevent Erok from realizing he was outmatched by two Formal-Level experts and destroying the holy water or resorting to a “disagreement-triggered” mutual destruction, it was best to bypass the first two alert lines and land directly on the church roof. However, the church was, after all, Erok’s temporary stronghold, and no one could guarantee that he hadn’t left some divine traps there. Approaching recklessly was too risky, so Punk and Bloodclaw ultimately chose to land in the center of the second warning line. If no powerful measures were detected, they would charge in directly; if it turned out to be a trap, it would be easier to escape.

The cautious approach of two higher-level professionals teaming up for a sneak attack might seem overly meticulous, but neither Punk nor Bloodclaw dared to underestimate any opponent of their caliber. As the saying goes—every expert has their trump cards!

This mid-air descent tactic undoubtedly spelled disaster for the Apprentice-Level clerics. Logically, they should have been the safest: if the enemy was testing defenses, the ordinary soldiers on the front lines would face the brunt, and if it was an assassination, Erok in the church would be the primary target. But they had the misfortune of encountering two cautious, unconventional experts.

Thus, a one-sided, brutal slaughter unfolded at the edge of the tranquil grove outside the church!

As the red, black, and golden figures descended abruptly, the Apprentice-Level clerics, who had been diligently performing their duties, were initially stunned. But they soon lost all mental state—for the dead cannot be stunned.

Seeing the horrified expressions on the clerics’ faces, Bloodclaw let out a hearty laugh, his hair dancing excitedly. Gloves formed of writhing blood instantly covered his hands.

As a thoroughly evil Lawful alignment, Bloodclaw might usually appear amiable, like a joking big boy, but when given free rein to indulge in slaughter, he became utterly ferocious.He was an evil warlock, a warlock who had not undergone “Cage Escape.” The instincts of the wicked bloodline surged through his veins, and the agonized wails of the living were Bloodclaw’s greatest delight!

Before the paladins and priests could even react, the cackling Bloodclaw transformed into a crimson gust, sweeping past every enemy in the courtyard. Every knight “brushed” by this wind turned into a mist of blood and minced flesh within a second—their bodies torn into fragments averaging less than five square centimeters in size in mere milliseconds.

Among them were veteran holy practitioners with some life-preserving tricks, but these minor defenses were utterly fragile against a Formal-Level warlock, failing to offer even the slightest resistance.

By the time other nearby holy practitioners rushed to support, all they found was a ground paved with pulverized, dark-red flesh… and a faintly passing “crimson breeze.”

“Exhilarating, so exhilarating! This is truly fascinating.”

Bloodclaw widened his blood-red pupils, seized the last surviving young priest, and with one swift move, tore off one of his arms.

“How about it? This feeling is incredibly fun, isn’t it? My maidservants all say they love it. Hurry up and say you like it too.”

No sooner had he spoken than Bloodclaw ripped off the young priest’s other arm. The gushing blood nearly soaked through Bloodclaw’s trench coat.

As an Apprentice-Level Priest of the Church of Dawn, the believer did not die from blood loss. Though convulsing in pain, he roared at Bloodclaw:

“Evil heretic! The great Lord of the Dawn will judge you! All that awaits you is utter purification! In death, you are doomed to fall into the Abyss, where equally filthy worms will devour your soul!”

“Annoying zealot! Do you believe even the Lord of the Dawn can’t save you now?”

Clearly dissatisfied with his prey’s defiant reaction, Bloodclaw reached for the priest’s left leg, and the sound of shattering bones crackled once again.

“Bloodclaw, there are no traps inside. Get in quickly.”

Punk paid no attention to Bloodclaw tormenting the follower of the Lord of Dawn. The paladins charging at him had already been reduced to shattered skulls by Golem Two’s swift slaps.

From the very beginning, Punk had been focused on one task—fully sensing the fluctuations of divine magic.

Now, Punk was almost certain that no traps had been set inside the church.

So far, less than twenty seconds had passed since the two descended upon the Old Lantern District—enough time for Erok to react and attempt an escape (the teachings of the Lord of Dawn permit believers to “strategically retreat” for the sake of good). Thus, Punk merely offered a symbolic reminder to Bloodclaw before rushing toward the small chapel radiating dense light energy. He had no intention of causing trouble only to return empty-handed.

“Hey, wait! You’ll need a companion! Safety first, alright?”

Bloodclaw was not one to ignore priorities. Seeing Punk transform into a streak of black light and charge toward the chapel with Golem Two, he quickly tore the barely breathing young priest to shreds and leaped up to chase after Punk.

Of course, he wasn’t going to help—he was afraid that if he arrived late, Punk would hoard all the spoils alone!Facing the stone gate of the church, Golem Two charged straight through without slowing down. The massive door carved from granite exploded into a pile of rubble with a thunderous boom, as if struck by a high-explosive bomb. Through the opening, Punk and Bloodclaw caught sight of Erok inside the church.

At that moment, Erok had already completed half of his signature divine spell.

“Formal-Level Conjuration Divine Spell – Summon Lesser Divine Emissary: Summons an emissary from the God Realm with the equivalent of ten paladin levels to fight for the caster. This emissary possesses an independent soul and personality, shares a life force with the caster, and lasts for thirty minutes.

Note: The divine emissary retains the right to refuse the caster’s commands.”

(End of Chapter)