Chapter 187: Hail Before Storm (3)


    "As multiple lights connected into one against the man bombarded by constant attacks from all sides, he stumbled back as he angrily sustained all the damage, barely leaving him at the red.


    "U-Ugh..." The man gritted his teeth as he desperately attempted to summon a shield of ice that could absorb most of the damage taken. However, with the number of attacks consecutively pitched against him, he had not any time to cast a skill. "This... You..."


    Although the group were of a lower level than the man, the damage wasn''t to be taken lightly. From Frey''sbos to Shinto''s spells, all the skills that dealt damage added up massively to the point where his health dropped down in almost an instant.


    "Hey, hey!" Frey uttered out. "He''s down to the red!"


    "Huh? So soon?" Ethaniel raised his brow. "A monster that can instantly be downed with just a few our attacks... What?" he questioned. Before entering into battle, he had not managed to clearly see the target among the countless spells shot out that the group was fighting against.


    This was because, as soon as everyone entered the premise and noted that ke had used [ Flightless Pursuit ], Shinto ordered everyone to immediately attack in the target in the midst of shadows and blindness.


    "That guy... He''s a yer?" Shinto uttered out in confirmation. "Not a boss or a monster, so he wouldn''t have thatrge of a health pool."


    "He''s a yer?!" Still within the shadows, Frey cried out in question. "He''s not some monster wannabe that we have to defeat all of a sudden?"


    "Grr... Who the hell do you think you''re calling a monster wannabe?!" The manVincent, roared in anger as he swept across the field, immediately pushing back Ethaniel and Frey who were at the front. "Enough of that! Get this over with and stop using foul tactics!"


    Moments after he had been released from the endlessbos of skills on him, he muttered out under his breathsoon protruding out countless spikes of cial ice on the ground. Meanwhile, the cold air flow around him swept through the adventurers within the fog and forcing them out of it.


    "A-Ack...!" The group who couldn''t withstand the sudden counterattacks stumbled down to the ground.


    "E-Eep! He''s attacking!" Frey cried out. "And his damage is scary! How can we get near him now to attack?!"


    "Hmph, such a desperate attempt..." Ethaniel frowned. "Frey, at the very least you can just force him to attack you with your taunt skill, right? That''ll make an opening for us to attack."


    "Huh? Me!? Are you asking me to die?!" Frey shouted out. "Just one hit from took me to yellow! Arghh! Why is my health so low?!"


    "Damn... He was so close to death too..." Shinto coughed as he got himself back up from the ground, soon turning over to his health which had dropped into the yellow. "But whatever... Frey, just use your provoke skill and" continuing on with his sentence, he soon closed his mouth as he felt a familiar spell on him.


    [ White Priest - Curing Hearts ]


    "...curing hearts?" Shinto muttered out silently as he turned to the back of him, noting of an extremely familiar woman standing by the side of Raina. With auburn hair and a gentle smile, almost innocent under the circumstance, was... "H-Hikari?!"


    "Shh!" Hikari instantly whispered to Shinto. "Don''t you have some sort of secret you''ve got to keep hidden? Crowelin told me about it beforeing here... But I never would expect that it''d actually be you!"


    "Hikari... Now''s not the time..." Shinto whispered with a cautioned mind. "I had the feeling it''d be you... But that''s a discussion forter. You mind helping me?"


    "Probably. After you promise you to tell me about your little adventure!" Hikari replied. "You''re holding a staff of all things!"


    "Hikari..." Shinto answered whilst simultaneously moving towards the side, barely dodging against a sudden attack protruded out by the man. "...this is actually not the time to messing around..."


    "I''ll help and be serious only if you promise me!" Hikari silently murmured out a spell. "Otherwise I''ll tell"


    "Alright, alright!" Shinto shouted out in a sudden tone. "Just use your spell already!"


    "Huh?" Frey mumbled out in confusion. "I just used my provoke skill! That guy''s attacks are so big! I can''t imagine taking them all!"


    "...cough," Shinto coughed slightly as he turned back to Hikari who had a smile of joy stered on her. At the sight, he could almost tell that she was somehow nning something sinister on Shinto. "This won''t end well..."


    "O'' bright lights that shine against Raphael, please heed my prayers..." Hikari muttered out as her hands clutched together. "I call for hope, I call for miracles, bring thee judgement into darkness!"


    With chants ending at her lips, a bright shining light illuminated the room. With the cial ice on the walls and the grounds being crystal clear, the light all reflected into one as the skill[ Orthodox Luminescence ]


    [ Orthodox Luminescence Lv 1 ] [ 1 Raphael''s Blessing / 10 Good Will / 1000 MP ] [ Cooldown: 24 Hours ]


    By the jurisdiction of the archangel, Raphaelunder the guise of the White Priest, the best of the best, the user casts out a gentle spell with the blessing of the angels, causing all allies within the area to gradually have their health restored up to 10% of their current MAX HP over the next 5s. Thereafter, for the next two minutes, the defences of physical and resistance to magic of allies will be greatly increased by 60% whilst raising only the user''s healing by 60%.


    *Skill can only be activated once [Good Will] and [Prayers] is at least above 150.


    *If Raphael were to oversee and approve of such usage of spells, the cost of the skill will be reduced by 50%.


    ...


    "Hah..." Shinto uttered out with a sigh as he felt a warmth much warmer than his own healing skills. "Hikari''s Orthodox Luminescence... With this, everyone can just tank the hits and Frey will survive."


    "Huh? What the... What is this?!" Frey tilted her head in question whilst continuously sustaining against the attacks of Vincent. "This is... So great! I can go in again!"


    "The heck...? Orthodox Luminescence...?" Ethaniel raised his brow. "Hikari''s here too? Damn..."


    "Everyone! Go in!" Hikari shouted out whilst she continuously casted out multiple skills rting to that of healing. "ke and has got your back!"


    "..." ke nodded his head as he continued to shoot out arrows from his bow over to the man. "...just a few more hits. He''ll either have to stand down or be it and ept death."


    "Tch... The hell?!" Vincent clicked his tongue. "Are you kidding me with all of this?!"


    The battle against a single entity wasn''t fair, to begin with. in the first ce unless one was a battle god or had the ability to meticulously dodge, or fend off against every single attack that the enemies would throw at thema battle against one against ten was near impossible, especially if among the headcount there were a few who were in the top ranks.


    "Grr..." Looking around in a desperate attempt to do something about the battle, he felt helpless. "...he said that there''d be no interference but the hell is this? Ugh... I''m going!" with a firm look, Vincent stabbed the Ice Queen''s de down to the ground. In the next moment. a diamond-shaped barrier appeared before him.


    "Huh...? the heck''s this?!" Frey cried out as her punchnded on the shield, in turn knocking her back away. "Hey! This thing is in the way!"


    "A barrier?" Crowelin blinked at the sight. "Great... What''s he trying to do now?" As if fearless, she walked up towards the barrier and soon began to smash it down with her hammer. At the moment she did so, the barrier that had gone in a crystalized that cracked, and soon shattered.


    "...?!" Everyone''s eyes opened wide at the scene before them. The man who had been inside of the barrier disappeared away along with the Queen''s de.


    "...he''s gone!" Frey shouted out.


    "So he chose to run away... Well, no matter. That''s one thing done. " ke muttered as he soon kept his bow away, soon turning to Raina. "Raina... Do you have the mes of Etheral ready?"


    "Yeah, I didn''t use them," Raina answered.


    "Right... Then good. Let''s fill in on the details with Master and the rest and..." As ke uttered out, the grounds of the Chapel suddenly shook immensely, almost throwing the group off their bnce. "...?!"


    "H-Huh? What the?!" Frey cried out. "Hey... Can snowy ins have earthquakes? No... is it an avnche?!"


    "Tch... It''s even worse than that," ke clicked his tongue as hurriedly made his way over to Shinto. "Master, we''ve got trouble. That thing sleeping its cocoon is about to awaken."


    "That?" Shinto turned towards the crossing, noting that the icy chrysalis was shaking greatly. "...who is in there?"


    "Rustly and well... Bareth, the one who brought eternal winter to this ce."