Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 297

[Vol. 5] Chapter 297: The Prayer of the Unbeliever

Shards of varying sizes burst out in every direction, covering every corner of the seemingly boundless, featureless space. Among them was, of course, the robed young man hiding within the mist.

“Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!!!!”

The sound echoed as Minchen, who had thought he had already secured victory, hurriedly blocked the shards with his weapon. But thinking that such a defense would suffice was overly optimistic.

This ability, called the [Magic Source Shield], is a skill granted by the [Demon God’s Gem] that might sound straightforward but is actually quite a devious offensive skill.

It operates in two stages. The first stage, as seen earlier, is a magic-powered barrier that blocks incoming attacks. Its defensive strength, while not unparalleled, is quite decent. In terms of power, it’s roughly equivalent to an eighth-tier defensive spell cast by Violet.

But a skill bestowed by an artifact wouldn’t be so simple.

Calling it an offensive skill is somewhat misleading. It’s more accurately a counterattack skill.

At this point, the true nature of the skill should be evident.

Yes, it’s essentially a “shield bomb.”

The [Magic Source Shield] itself only has moderate defense, because ultimately, it wasn’t designed purely for defense but rather as bait to lure the enemy into attacking.

As an [Primordial Artifact], the evolved [Demon God’s Gem] can be considered a physical manifestation of the law of [magic] itself. Any magic-based attack, regardless of its form or effect, will be absorbed by the [Magic Source Shield] and temporarily stored within.

If the enemy’s attacks are too weak to break the first-stage shield, this stored magic will simply dissipate over time.

However, if, over the course of battle, the stored energy within the [Magic Source Shield] reaches its limit, exceeding the shield’s containment capacity…

Then all the previously absorbed magic energy will be released at once, forming a wide-range destructive skill akin to “using the opponent’s force against them,” thereby activating the skill’s second phase.

Clearly, Minchen’s attack power was more than sufficient. After all, he managed to trigger the true form of the [Magic Source Shield], didn’t he?

As a reward, he had the pleasure of facing the combined force of his own attacks, reflected right back at him.

Within the shredded mist, Minchen’s disheveled figure, on the brink of being consumed by the storm of shards, finally came into Violet’s view.

“Urgh!”

At the critical moment, Minchen suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Gray light flared from his fingertips, neck, and wrists, forming a thin, shield-like layer over his body alongside his otherwise ordinary-looking robe.

Although the barrier’s fragments continued to dim the light of this protective layer with each desperate slash, it managed to shield him from the overwhelming force that far exceeded his endurance. Ultimately, it absorbed the hundreds of shards within the impact area, dispersing into particles of light.

“Oh… something rather nostalgic.”

Seeing this, the White Fox girl murmured softly.

The Hermit’s Set of Four.

In [Illusory World], this was quite a classic gear set.

Unlike the usual accessory sets, which have at most three items, this sacred-tier set includes four pieces, along with armor, creating a unique skill of remarkable power. Nearly comparable to a semi-divine artifact.

[Nameless Protection]—which grants the user an absolute invincibility state for three seconds, immune to any damage.

Even from its description, it’s clear how invaluable this skill is at critical moments.

However, it seems [Nameless Protection] has been somewhat weakened in this world, or for some other reason, it doesn’t quite achieve absolute invincibility as it should. Otherwise, Minchen wouldn’t have needed to bother blocking with his blade and could have simply taken the hit head-on.

To be honest, the effect also ended a bit early, more like it was broken rather than naturally dissipating.

The mist shrouding the space was temporarily swept away by the wave of magic energy from the counterattack. Violet lifted her gaze, studying the cloth-clad young man who had barely withstood the attack and now looked exhausted and displeased, noticing something else.

He actually went and wiped the shoe print off his face?

Minchen, how shameless!

“…So you did keep a backup plan. Alright, alright, I’ll take back what I said earlier. Got any new tricks you haven’t used yet? Otherwise, you, the protagonist blessed by fortune, are about to be defeated by me, the main boss!”

“Who… exactly are you? How do you know these terms? Did Miss Violet tell you as well?”

Though he suspected she was just using banter to recover, the White Fox girl simply shook her head, still feigning mystery.

“What I know goes far beyond what you can imagine. So, are you ready to surrender? Or will you resort to some underhanded tactic that doesn’t quite suit you, the protagonist?”

Minchen lowered his head, looked at the longsword in his hand, and then turned to the White Fox girl, whose expression was hidden behind a mask.

“Miss Dawn, I truly don’t want this to end in a fight to the death. You should understand, once certain powers are used… there’s no turning back.”

“Enough talk. I’m going to fight until you admit defeat.”

“…I see.”

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, lifted his head again, and looked around. The mist had dissipated, revealing a boundless white void in every direction, no longer the underground hall they had once been in.

“Miss Dawn, do you know where this is?”

Without waiting for a reply, the young man in cloth continued, as if answering his own question.

“The Divine Realm, the root and core of a deity, the hyperdimensional space that nurtures divinity. This is Mochi… the nascent Divine Realm of Aurora, the Goddess of Light.”

“And for now, I hold temporary authority over this place.”

As though he had reached a decision, Minchen took a radiant six-winged holy emblem from his pocket and hung it around his neck, closing his eyes.

He began to chant softly.

His voice pierced through space, aligning with a concept that hovered invisibly above, awakening the slumbering divine power hidden in the void.

“O great and noble Light… I offer a sincere prayer in Your name, Aurora. O Spirit of Light, I ask that You take form within me… descend upon this world!”

Golden radiance fell from the heavens.

That was a [Spirit].

The existence of deities takes two forms.

Firstly, they were the gods of ancient times, who ruled over the land, each descending in their unique forms. They were the physical manifestations of concepts and laws.

However, not all laws manifest as gods. The majority of laws that constitute the world actually exist in a more ethereal form, detached from time and space, as [Spirits] without physical bodies or individual identities.

Spirits are the embryos of deities, the essence of concepts and laws. This is the limit that divinity created by [Blood of the Cross] can achieve—

—an immature [God].

(Edit: the previous translator was diagnosed with cancer in early December 2024)

Hi everyone, I’m Lan. I’m the new translator for this novel.
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