Blade, however, didn't dodge. Instead, he stood his ground and activated "Whirlpool Slash."
He made a swift circular motion, summoning a dome-shaped vortex of water. As the two lasers collided with the swirling current, they were absorbed and melded with it. Spinning a full 360 degrees, Blade swung his greatsword, sending the attack back at Pope Drevigo.
[ Whirlpool Slash ]
A spinning attack that generates a vortex, pulling incoming attacks toward the center and then returning them back.
Effect: Deals an additional 200% of the returned attack power.
Skill Usage Conditions: A sword-type weapon must be equipped.
Mana Cost: 800
Cooldown: 90 seconds
"What?!" Pope Drevigo said in shock, but he swiftly used "Goddess' Protection" just in time, blocking the attack.
But Blade didn't give him time to recover. Using "Stone Fang," he summoned multiple stone spikes with an upward motion of his greatsword. The jagged spikes pierced Pope Drevigo's body, ripping through his flesh.
"Heal the Pope!" a steady voice shouted.
A nearby healer swiftly restored Drevigo's wounds. The priests were supporting the knights fighting Damian and Valentine, but upon seeing the Pope injured, they immediately redirected their magic to heal him.
"Don't you know who I am?! I am Pope Drevigo! I am the parent of 70 million people, the agent of the goddess, the most sacred being in the world! You dare point a sword at me?! You infidel! Are you not afraid of divine punishment?!" the Pope shouted, panting, his fury directed at Blade.
"You corrupt being… you are no longer a Pope," Blade declared coldly.
Without hesitation, he activated "Solar Strike," diving forward as his sword slashed through the Pope with brutal force.
"Arghhhhhhh!"
But before Blade could finish him off, Drevigo desperately activated "Goddess' Breath."
A radiant light engulfed him, and in an instant, his health was fully restored.
"What kind of ridiculous healing skill is that?" Blade muttered in shock as he witnessed the miraculous recovery. But he didn't get distracted and continued to push on.
"Blazing Horizon Slash!" Blade roared, swinging his sword.
A fiery slash, infused with the power of the sun, tore through the air and struck Pope Drevigo, who was still reeling from the previous attack.
"You insolent wretch!" the Pope seethed as he countered with a golden laser once again.
His "Goddess' Breath" healed him once more, but something was different this time. He suddenly exclaimed, realizing that his wounds weren't fully regenerating.
The effect of "Blazing Horizon Slash" had taken hold—it reduced the healing rate of anyone struck by it by 50%.
"What have you done?!" the Pope demanded, but Blade gave him no chance to recover.
He dashed forward once again, his greatsword slicing through the air like a ghost, an unstoppable force relentlessly attacking the Pope from every angle. Each strike left deep wounds, dealing heavy damage.
The Pope's face turned pale. He desperately fired bursts of light magic, but the speed of his spells couldn't keep up with Blade's movements.
In a final attempt to counter, the Pope unleashed a powerful surge of light magic around himself, intending to sweep away all of Blade's energy swords.
But this time, the result was different.
Kwa! Kwa! Kwa! Kwang!
Blade had activated "Sculpting Sword," and with it, he executed a seamless Abyss Devour-The Skill Abyss Devour ignores the target Defense.
It wasn't just a simple attack—it was a brutal, unstoppable strike.
"You've grown stronger?! but this is no.....Kuaaaaak!"
The Pope's light magic failed to resist the overwhelming power of Blade's swords, and his body was struck again and again. His agonized screams echoed through the grand hall as a series of notifications flashed before Blade's eyes.
[ You have dealt 13,300 damage. ]
[ You have dealt 13,910 damage. ]
[ You have dealt 14,080 damage. ]
[ The Abyssal Tyrant effect has activated, allowing you to strike the target twice. ]
[ You have dealt 28,300 damage. ]
[ Critical! ]
[ You have dealt 31,050 damage. ]
The Pope's health gauge was dwindling at an incredible pace. Blade carefully observed the damage numbers and estimated the Pope's total health.
'Is it around 300,000?'
That was the advantage of fighting humanoid NPCs—they had significantly lower health compared to monster bosses. However, they were often more difficult to fight due to their intelligence and powerful abilities.
As Blade continued his relentless assault, he prepared to unleash another skill—
"Goddess' Breath...!"
The Pope invoked his magic once again, and in an instant, his health gauge was fully restored.
"Damn, does that even have a cooldown?" Blade muttered, frustrated.
But he didn't let up. He attacked over and over, pushing the Pope's health back down to a dangerously low level. Just as Pope Drevigo was about to cast Goddess' Breath again, Blade acted first.
[ Seismic Slash ]
A powerful downward slash that channels force into the ground, creating a shockwave.
Deals 300% of attack power in a cone-shaped area in front of the user.
Stuns enemies for 2 seconds if they are struck directly.
If used on rock or earth, the shockwave extends by 5 meters.
Blade slammed his greatsword into the ground, sending a powerful tremor through the battlefield.
The impact stunned the Pope for two seconds, leaving him vulnerable.
Without wasting any time, Blade followed up with "Fiery Ray," Spell unleashing a piercing ray of Sun energy that dealt 1000% of his magic attack power as damage.
And then—he ended it all with one final strike.
[ Abyssal Cleave ]
The Pope, barely clinging to life, used the last of his magic power to conjure a shield. But it wasn't enough.
Blade's massive greatsword tore through the shield and cleaved the Pope in half.
"Cou...gh! You…!"
Pope Drevigo's red, bloodshot eyes glared at Blade as he coughed up blood. His body gradually disintegrated into gray light, signaling his defeat.
Then, a flood of notification windows appeared before Blade.
[ You have defeated the 13th Pope Drevigo, who was corrupting the Rebecca Church! ]
[ 500 gold has been acquired. ]
[ Party leader 'Blade' has acquired the Goddess' Essence. ]
[ Party leader 'Blade' has acquired the Holy Light Armor. ]
[ Party leader 'Blade' has acquired the Holy Light Gloves. ]
[ Party leader 'Blade' has acquired the Holy Light Crown. ]
[ 145,350,000 experience has been acquired. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Your level has risen. ]
[ Virtue Stat increased by 6 points for killing an Evil ]
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