Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 152

[Vol. 5] Chapter 152: When a Person is Killed, They Die

The next day, the young girl arrived at the snowy peak of the ?Wall of Heaven? through the portal, just as agreed. However, this time, she was not alone.

Following behind the shrine maiden, a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat and cloak, along with two gray-banged girls who looked strikingly alike, stepped out one after another from the now-fading invisible portal.

Not far ahead, the gray-clad swordsman, with seven treasured swords at his waist, was already fully armed, standing respectfully and waiting.

“Greetings, Miss Dawn. You… uh, why are you all here?”

?Dark Spirit? look at him with an annoyed look.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to collect your corpse, you fool who doesn’t know his limits! I was wondering why the blockhead suddenly wanted to prepare some kind of gift ‘suitable for an esteemed lady’—I thought he had finally come to his senses, but this was your real plan? Ha…”

Her sister, ?Dark Lotus?, immediately chimed in, mercilessly mocking him.

“Did you forget what our master repeatedly warned us before we left? The path of seeking the Way is a life-or-death struggle, and you, with your half-baked skills, dare come here to ask Miss Dawn to be your master?”

The two sisters rattled off their scolding like machine guns. Though their voices remained cold, the concern in their tone was unmistakable.

It was clear they were genuinely worried about their captain. Their harsh scolding was not only because they were angry, but perhaps also a plea to the white-fox shrine maiden, hoping she might show some mercy in what was to come.

Perhaps because they were in Dawn’s presence, they didn’t dare to be too brash. After mocking the gray-clad swordsman for a few moments, they fell silent again, only casting dissatisfied glances at him.

After a brief pause, the ?Ferryman? summarized on behalf of the two sisters, his expression unusually serious and grave.

“?Dead Soul?, have you truly prepared yourself mentally? The power of the ?Fox Spirit Shrine Maiden? is beyond your imagination. If you regret it now, it might not be too late.”

“You all…”

The young man remained silent for a moment, then slowly but resolutely shook his head.

“You understand, ?Dead Soul? belongs to the way of the sword. If I can die in pursuit of the sword’s path, I will die without regret.”

“Sigh… The descendants of the ?Four Saints? are all this stubborn. So be it…”

The ?Ferryman? sighed softly, and the expressions of ?Dark Lotus? and ?Dark Spirit? were also grim. But in the end, they said nothing further. After bowing to the white-fox shrine maiden, who had remained silent the whole time, they withdrew, leaving the battlefield.

“I’m sorry. When they heard about this, they insisted on coming to watch. They said they at least wanted to witness your final moments… I couldn’t stop them. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No problem. On the contrary, I’m grateful that Miss Dawn allowed them to come. It’s just what I wanted. Thank you for your kindness.”

“~”

As they chatted casually, Violet raised her head to examine Mr. Dead Soul’s equipment for the day.

It was clear he had fully prepared. Not only was he wearing most of the gear they had seen before, but on his left thumb, there was now an exceptionally ornate jade thumb ring. It was obvious that this was something he hadn’t previously carried and had added specifically for this battle.

It’s worth mentioning that after adding the thumb ring, all the other rings Mr. Dead Soul usually wore on his hands, including space storage items, had disappeared. This was somewhat strange in a situation where he needed to go all out.

Then, there was only one explanation.

This thumb ring must be an item that requires binding to the owner and cannot be stacked with other similar artifacts. It is at least of a sacred-tier artifact or higher.

In ?Illusory World?, the biggest difference between bound and non-bound equipment is that bound equipment can only be used by its owner, and it occupies a corresponding “equipment slot.”

For example, with the three main accessory slots for rings, necklaces, and bracelets, if the equipment is of ordinary quality, purple-tier artifacts or below, players can wear multiple rings or stack several bracelets on their wrists and still get the effects of each, given the high freedom and realism of ?Illusory World?.

In the early days after the game launched, this feature led to all sorts of funny and strange situations.

However, once players move past the beginner stage and enter the mid-to-late game at level 50 or above, where they start acquiring sacred-tier artifacts or higher-quality gear that requires binding, things change.

With bound equipment, players can only equip items in the specific slots for weapons, armor, or accessories. Generally, this means one two-handed weapon or two one-handed weapons, a full armor set or several separate pieces, and one ring, one necklace, and one bracelet each.

Furthermore, no matter how many additional items a player wears, if they aren’t bound to the “equipment slot,” they won’t have any effect.

At this stage, players begin to develop their own unique styles, as their gear and strategies gradually take shape.

Logically, since ?Dead Soul? hasn’t even reached level 50 yet, he shouldn’t be able to use or bind sacred-level items.

However, level restrictions are not absolute. It’s possible that the rules of this world aren’t entirely consistent, or this could be a Semi-Divine artifact that barely meets the threshold, similar to the ?Ring of the Demon God’s Protection? that Prakaka once stole from Ben Melchior, the second prince of the Human United Kingdom.

In any case, this item is most likely what ?Dead Soul? is relying on. Perhaps it has a special passive effect similar to the ?Casket of Ascension?, which can block a fatal blow, making it the perfect counter for the “one move” challenge posed by a certain white-fox shrine maiden.

While Violet made various judgments in her mind, she outwardly remained calm, merely glancing at the golden-armored warrior holding his sword nearby, and spoke indifferently.

“If you’re ready, let’s begin. The signal will be yours. As I said, I will only make one move.”

“Whew…”

Tightening the flying wings on his back, ?Dead Soul? poured all the pills from the porcelain bottle into his mouth, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the longsword at his waist. He nodded.

“Then, please guide me.”

He suddenly grasped the lowest hilt of his sword, as if bearing a great weight, and drew it with all his might!

“The seventh sword, Shadow…!”

“The flower blooms on the other side.”

*Ding-ling~*

The crisp and melodious sound of a bell echoed softly, carrying away everything around it. The gray-clad swordsman’s determined shout, as well as the howling wind and snow on the ?Wall of Heaven?, all fell into silence.

It was as if the entire world had plunged into stillness at that very moment.

Until the girl raised her hand and once again rang the small silver bell that had appeared in her grasp without anyone noticing.

*Ding-ling~*

“Whoo~~~~”

The cold wind at the mountaintop lifted the red-and-white hem and sleeves of the white-fox shrine maiden’s dress once more. The soft, furry triangular ears atop her snow-white hair twitched nimbly, as if announcing…

Her single move was complete.

“Guh… ha…! Haa!!!!!”

Behind her, the sound of ?Dark Spirit? and the others gasping for breath, as if finally able to breathe again after being suffocated, could be heard. Lucas, who had already raised his hand, lowered it again, shaking his head slightly, seemingly in regret or resignation. After receiving a nod from the white-fox shrine maiden, he was enveloped in light and disappeared.

At that moment, the gray-clad swordsman, whose fingers had only just gripped the hilt of his seventh sword, which had not even fully left its sheath, fell backward as the light faded from his eyes, leaving them lifeless.

He collapsed into the snow.

*Thud.*

“?Dead Soul?!!!!”

………………….

Artifact/weapon’s tier list:

White (Common), Green (Fine), Blue (Rare), Purple (Exquisite), Gold (Spirit), Orange (Sacred), Red (Semi-Divine Artifact), and Divine Artifact