Boom!
A fireball unleashed by an undead Archmage exploded amidst a line of cleric-warriors, sending a shockwave that scattered the defensive formation of Leinas and her team. As team leader, her battle instincts took over. Her gaze immediately locked onto the figure of the undead Archmage, standing haughtily behind its ranks of undead soldiers.
[Teleportation]!
In the blink of an eye, the magic activated. Leinas's figure vanished from her spot and suddenly appeared directly behind the undead Archmage. Without a pause, the [Spuit Lance] in her hand thrust forward, effortlessly piercing the undead Archmage's chest. A dull sensation of striking decaying flesh vibrated at the spear's tip.
Undead generally possess extremely strong vitality; they wouldn't die easily from an attack like this, especially an Archmage-class undead. So, Leinas wasted no time, immediately adding a touch of offensive magic.
Warm, burning holy light emanated from her palm, enveloping the undead Archmage's body. Under the illumination of the sacred light, the undead Archmage rapidly disintegrated and melted, like a wax statue touched by holy fire, leaving behind wisps of swirling darkness.
However, this powerful attack also depleted her remaining magical strength. She knew the ensuing battle would be forced into close quarters, a daring gamble given her opponent.
The fleshy giant that had been guarding the undead Archmage, having lost its target, became brutal and immediately rampaged. With a savage roar, it raised its boulder-sized fist and slammed it towards Leinas's head. The attack carried enough force to shatter a human skull.
Leinas, with swift reflexes, raised her [Spuit Lance] above her head, deflecting the fleshy giant's fist. The fierce impact created a rush of air, and she was pushed back slightly. But she didn't give up, pushing the giant back before activating her next skill.
Pure white energy separated from Leinas's body, then spread rapidly, and finally formed an energy battle-doll precisely identical to herself. The duplicate radiated the same aura of power.
This was a special skill from the Valkyrie profession—[Hero's Soul]. As a class-specific skill, it required no skill points to learn, but was limited in the number of uses per day or per specific duration. A rare and valuable power.
When her magical power was completely exhausted, using this move not only divided the pressure of battle—now there were two Leinas on the battlefield—but also psychologically shocked the enemy. After all, besides magic and a few other specific skills, [Hero's Soul] could perfectly inherit the basic attributes and weapons of its own user. It was the most perfect clone skill, an invaluable asset.
With the full support of [Hero's Soul], Leinas quickly regained control of the battle line. Her duplication fought in synchronicity, cutting off enemy attack paths and delivering deadly blows. Soon after, she and her teammates worked together to annihilate the entire undead army, ending today's strenuous training.
All the clerics and warriors gathered before Kael, their faces sweaty yet their eyes radiating profound respect and deep loyalty. They saluted the object of their faith, the "God" who had given them strength. After receiving permission, the figure who commanded Sixth Tier Magic [Greater Teleportation] led the team back to E-Rantel in a flash of light.
In the underground palace of the city's church, with a similar flash of light, Kael and Leinas appeared in the dimly lit conference hall.
"You've worked hard today, go and rest first." Kael said, his voice calm, implying concern.
"Yes." Leinas nodded, her expression weary but satisfied.
After her curse was lifted and her beauty restored, Leinas had officially become Kael's personal attendant, responsible for his daily protection, a task she accepted with deep gratitude. To be honest, when she first heard about the appointment, she felt unqualified for the job with her abilities. She suspected the reason she was chosen was entirely due to factors beyond her fighting prowess.
As it turned out, her feelings were entirely correct. That day, Kael revealed his desire to her almost without disguise, and asked her directly if she was willing to become the first combat saint of the Church of Destiny. In almost all church regulations in this world, a saint was a virgin willing to offer everything—including her purity—to God.
Therefore, in Leinas's view, Kael's request was essentially the same as asking her to remain pure for Kael, which meant swearing a deeper oath of possession than mere loyalty. However, years ago, her fiancé abandoned her because of the curse, leaving Leinas with an empty heart, making her no longer care about what was called love and marriage. Her greatest desire was simply to be free from the curse.
So, when Kael asked her if she wanted to become a combat saint, she agreed casually, almost without emotion. For her, it was simply an exchange.
After saying a temporary farewell, Leinas went to the underground palace's bathing area to relax. The warm water and silence were luxuries she appreciated. Come to think of it, magical creations are truly practical, she thought. Although only two people lived in this entire underground palace—Kael and herself—and there were no other servants responsible for maintenance, the facilities could still operate normally, as if inhabited by hundreds of people.
Kael watched Leinas's receding back, a faint smile gracing his face. Inwardly, he felt satisfied. Over the past few days, Leinas's performance had been quite good, even exceeding his expectations. After using the Meteor Ring until her original levels were depleted, she not only didn't hesitate to train again—an admirable dedication—but also completed the orders given to her exceptionally well.
After a while, I'll find an opportunity to read her memories and ascertain her feelings for me, Kael planned. If there were no issues, she could be officially canonized as the church's combat saint and listed as a primary training target, just like Enri and Fluder. A valuable asset, like the others.
"According to the timing, the Blood Emperor should have received the letter from Fluder by now, right?" Kael murmured to himself, his thoughts drifting to his grand plan. The Katze Plains was a troublesome place, and not a single one of the three human nations—the Kingdom, the Empire, or the Theocracy—was willing to occupy it. I'm sure the Blood Emperor won't refuse this request, and the same applies to the Slane Theocracy, he was confident.
Kael walked out of the conference room, his mind busy strategizing. Honestly, as a Prophet, he had accumulated a massive amount of game resources before traveling through time. So, he had no problem supporting the advancement of his followers.
However, these items were non-renewable resources in this world. They were relics from the past and could not be consumed at will just because of their abundance. To grow stronger in the future, it was necessary to develop 'new copies' or sustainable resources.
Kael had already made several development plans for this. The Katze Plains was just the beginning. After that, there would be the Dragon Kingdom adjacent to the Katze Plains, the Abelion Hills between the Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy, the Great Forest of Tob north of E-Rantel, and so on. In addition to natural resources, 'artificial copies'—places like hidden dungeons or laboratories—were also worth developing.
"Then we will talk to the leaders of the Slane Theocracy about cooperation. There are many magic casters in their country. If we organize them, we can build large training dungeons," Kael thought deeply. "But the people of the Church are not fools, so we must give them some benefits. Hmm... let's give some slots to their most talented followers. Given their desire for power, they surely won't be able to resist this temptation."
"By the way, ask them for the Dragon Kingdom's contact information. The Dragon Kingdom is almost destroyed now. As long as there is support, they will agree to any harsh terms. Even if the entire Dragon Kingdom is named Kael, that might not be a problem," he smiled faintly, a grand scheme beginning to materialize in his mind.
Kael was contemplating 'copies' and his expansion of power, and before he knew it, he had reached the underground palace's large bathing area. The faint sound of running water jolted him from his reverie.
"Good, let's take a bath first, then eat on the way." Over the past few days, Kael's daily routine had gradually formed, and this thought appeared in his mind almost subconsciously, a pleasant new habit.
Then he indulged his habit and walked towards the large bath.
He stepped through the open bathhouse door. The entire large bath was enveloped in a thin mist, a soothing warm steam. In the center was a large square bathing pool. There were several faucets with water beside the bathtub, and there was a drain hole at the bottom to release the water, so the water in the entire bathtub was always circulating, clean, and warm.
Kael used his [Instant Armament] ability to put all his clothes into his backpack, then he prepared to step into the bath.
At this moment, his steps halted. His usually calm and calculating expression was now slightly bewildered.