The sky was dark, and night had covered everything. Around the temple, many figures were seated, appearing to have surrounded the place to prevent any strange incident from happening.
But suddenly, a terrifying and powerful aura appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, a black layer spread and enveloped the entire temple.
"What? What’s going on?"
"Why can’t we see the temple anymore?"
"Where did the temple go? What is that black layer?"
The people there quickly noticed the black veil and, terrified, tried to examine and understand what it was.
They even tried to destroy it, but it was useless. No matter how much they tried, they couldn’t make a single dent in it. They used all kinds of weapons and attacks, yet the black layer didn’t take even the smallest scratch.
News spread quickly, and more and more people began to gather to see what had happened.
Many theorized that maybe the Grand Priest was trying to escape, or that he had used some kind of magic to hide the temple.
But whatever the reason, their anger reignited. Some even thought they were fools for not impeaching the Grand Priest that same day.
Inside the black layer that surrounded the temple, the void collapsed, and a figure emerged.
"It’s time to destroy it."
With cold, emotionless eyes, he stared at the temple. He raised his hand, and black, deadly energy formed into an orb.
He threw it toward the temple, and—
Boom!
The sound of a massive explosion shook both the sky and the earth. Smoke and ash filled the air, and even cracks appeared in the void itself.
"Hm? Not destroyed?" Daniel frowned. When the smoke cleared, he saw the temple still standing.
A golden barrier surrounded it, though a massive crack had formed on its surface. It was clear that one more strike would completely destroy it.
He was about to attack again, but suddenly he felt several powerful auras awaken within the temple and rush toward him.
It didn’t take long before dozens of figures surrounded him in the sky.
"So it was you! You’re the bastard who plotted against the temple!" one of the priests shouted in anger, his killing intent radiating.
The rest also recognized him, glaring with hatred and rage, clearly intending to tear him apart.
"Who is he?" a young woman with a beautiful but cold face asked.
"He’s one of the two who arrived from outside the city a few days ago," one of the priests replied respectfully.
"A foreign? Three of our people went to investigate them. If he’s here, then—" the young woman frowned, then turned to the white-haired man beside her.
"Where are those three?" she asked in a voice that was cold and bone-chilling.
"Don’t worry. You’ll be meeting them soon enough," Daniel said with a mocking, disdainful smirk.
The girl didn’t get angry or reply. Instead, a hint of caution appeared on her face.
She glanced at the two others beside her. All three of them were players, probably the only ones still alive at this point.
Then her gaze moved to the priests. There were many of them.
Besides, the Grand Priest had gone deep into the temple for something important. With all this, there shouldn’t be any problem, right? It was impossible for this man to defeat them all.
But that confident expression on his face made her uneasy.
"Hmph, bastard, I don’t know how you bypassed the Divine Bath, but today I’ll kill you with my own hands!" one of the priests shouted furiously and launched an attack.
Golden light filled the entire area.
Daniel calmly raised his death aura, darkness thickening around him.
Two opposing forces, holy light and the darkness of death, clashed in the sky. The sound was like the explosion of several thunderbolts.
Three priests simultaneously cast [Sacred Beam], golden rays descending from the heavens toward Daniel.
Daniel summoned [Demonic Twilight Shield] in front of him. The semi-transparent black shield absorbed the blasts and reflected part of the holy energy back.
Light and shadow twisted in the air, creating a brief explosion.
"You couldn’t defeat me before. You think you can do it now when you’re even weaker?" Daniel laughed.
The priests froze in fear at his words, remembering the monstrous being that had attacked the temple a few nights ago.
Was that monster really this man before them?
They exchanged glances, swallowed hard, and continued their assault.
Daniel charged forward.
Three more priests activated [Celestial Chain], golden chains descending from the sky and wrapping around Daniel.
He stopped for a brief moment as the chains gleamed, but then darkness poured from his body.
The aura of death corroded and broke the chains instantly.
Daniel burst forward from the shadows.
[Bloody Shadow Dance]
His movements were erratic and unpredictable. One of the priests didn’t even realize where he was until Daniel’s sword passed by his face, leaving a black mark of death across his cheek.
"He’s the embodiment of darkness!" the priest shouted, retreating in terror.
Four others formed a circle of light and activated [Faith Resonance].
The sky began to tremble, their golden aura sending waves of light outward.
At that moment, spears of light rained down from above—
[Judgment Rain].
Daniel looked up and raised his sword.
The aura around his blade flared.
With precise and rapid movements, he cut through every descending spear midair. Each strike echoed with the clash between death and faith.
[Moonlit Veil]
A faint silver aura formed around Daniel’s body, a lunar energy that served both as protection and as an absorber of incoming energy.
This aura could convert a portion of faith energy into neutral energy, giving him an advantage in prolonged battles.
In fact, he had created this skill long ago using the Law of the Moon specifically for situations like this. It could transform any energy into his own.
Daniel used [Moonlit Veil] to neutralize the rain of light. When the ground glowed white from the aftermath, he emerged from the golden smoke.
The last two priests shouted, "[Saint’s Fury]!"
Dozens of light bullets fired from their hands.
Daniel dashed forward, weaving through the explosions, and swung The Heavens Honor in a swift arc.
The strike split the air, and the wave of death instantly brought two of the priests down.
The smell of blood mixed with burnt metal and holy light filled the air.
But the remaining priests didn’t retreat.
One of them activated [Golden Baptism], golden light healing the wounds of his comrades.
Their injuries sealed shut, and they rose once again.
Both sides pulled back slightly, the priests to catch their breath, and Daniel to observe.
His gaze shifted toward the three remaining players. From start to finish, they hadn’t taken part in the battle.
’What do they want to do?’