The priest’s fists moved so quickly that even Isaac struggled to follow them. One punch destroyed his shoulder. Another blew apart his arm. Shockwaves from missed attacks tore through nearby buildings, reducing entire sections of the city to rubble.
Again and again, golden flames repaired Isaac’s injuries. Again and again, the Third Priest forced him to spend more mana.
Throughout the city, Isaac’s clones continued evacuating civilians, pulling people from collapsing buildings and moving the wounded away from danger, but the overall situation continued worsening.
The Third Priest was simply overwhelming him. The only reason Isaac remained alive was because the priest wanted Isaac. If killing Isaac had truly been his objective, the battle would already be over.
Isaac knew that fact, and was using it to his advantage to buy time.
Meanwhile, the battle against the Purification Cult was progressing even worse.
Sera and the others were steadily losing ground.
Isaac could have taken out Selene’s pendant and attempted to contact the Spirit of Machines, but he refused. There were too many unknowns. Nobody knew how long it would take. During that time, the Third Priest could destroy the evolution pod.
If he didn’t, the two members of the Purification Cult certainly could.
Isaac wasn’t willing to gamble Selene’s life on an uncertain plan. Not yet.
First, he needed to make sure none of them could interfere. He needed to tie down his enemies.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.
A devastating punch slammed into his chest and launched him through the air. Isaac crashed into a four-story building, causing the entire structure to collapse on top of him. Dust filled the street as thousands of tons of rubble buried him beneath the wreckage.
The Third Priest landed calmly on a nearby rooftop and looked toward the ruins.
"Your mana must be reaching its limit from all the healing and supporting those summons. Give up. You cannot win."
For several moments, nothing happened. Then the rubble shifted. Concrete rolled aside as Isaac slowly emerged. Golden flames continued burning around his body, repairing fresh injuries almost instantly.
His eyes, however, appeared distant and unfocused.
To the Third Priest, the explanation was obvious. The constant healing, endless mana consumption, and pressure of fighting someone vastly stronger than himself must be crushing Isaac mentally.
The priest raised his fist and unleashed another attack aimed directly at Isaac’s Mana Core.
Isaac moved at the last moment. Not with some dramatic dodge or burst of speed. He merely twisted his shoulder slightly, allowing the attack to pass by him with only inches to spare.
The Third Priest frowned. Was that luck?
He immediately focused on his Mana Pattern Eyes. Streams of mana became visible throughout the battlefield as he focused entirely on Isaac.
Yet nothing seemed different. The mana flow remained unchanged. No new skill had activated. No unusual fluctuations appeared.
The priest attacked again. Isaac tilted his head and the attack missed. Another strike followed. Then another. Then another.
Every attack passed by him with only inches separating him from disaster.
An uncomfortable feeling settled inside the Third Priest’s chest.
Isaac was definitely doing something, but Mana Pattern Eyes couldn’t detect it.
’Is he using a skill powered by Aura? But how does he already have an Aura powered skill?’ the priest wondered.
Unknown to him, Isaac’s skill [Flow State] had finally activated. This was a skill granted by his Warthrone Physique.
The battlefield transformed before his eyes as countless red lines stretched through the world around him. Every red line represented a possible attack trajectory.
Interwoven among them were blue lines, each marking an opening, weakness, or opportunity that could be exploited.
At the same time, his emotions calmed. Fear faded. Frustration disappeared. Every decision became clearer. Every movement became more efficient.
Unfortunately, the skill could only activate when he became completely immersed in battle. That was why he had been fighting like Alice until now.
He needed the battle itself to push him into that state. Now it had finally happened.
His counterattack had begin.
Isaac’s eyes sharpened as he looked across the battlefield.
"Sera, Oz, Ezekiel! Go all out!" His voice echoed through the city.
The three of them didn’t understand what he was planning, but they put their trust in him. Without hesitation, they abandoned caution and unleashed everything they had. Defensive measures were discarded. Safety no longer mattered.
The Third Priest immediately sensed something was wrong and attacked Isaac with his full strength.
Isaac endured the blow. Bones shattered. Blood sprayed. Yet at the exact same moment, one of his distant clones activated a skill.
[Prison of Folds]. Celia’s skill.
Space folded inward and Beroga vanished from the battlefield. The Purification Cult member disappeared entirely, trapped inside a looping dimension that would hold him for several precious seconds.
Everyone immediately understood what Isaac had done. Sera, Oz, and Ezekiel moved without hesitation.
Their strongest attacks exploded toward Ki Beli. The battlefield trembled as barriers shattered and defensive artifacts activated one after another.
For the first time since the battle began, Ki Beli looked genuinely threatened.
The Third Priest reacted instantly. He abandoned Isaac and rushed toward Ki Beli. He couldn’t allow one of the cult’s strongest members to die.
Then a faint whisper reached his ears.
"Got you."
The priest turned and felt his heart skip a beat.
Isaac stood in the distance with one of his pendants open. Floating beside him was a pod containing a beautiful silver-haired woman. Selene.
The moment he saw her, danger alarms exploded inside his mind. Something felt deeply wrong.
He immediately changed direction and flew toward Isaac, but he was too far away.
At that exact moment, Prison of Folds ended. Space distorted and Beroga returned. Without wasting a second, he unleashed a powerful skill that struck Sera directly.
Blood erupted from her body as she was blasted through multiple structures.
At the same time, Ki Beli remained alive. Although Sera, Oz, and Ezekiel had attacked with everything they possessed, Ki Beli simply had too many life-saving artifacts. Barriers appeared. Talismans burned. Protective treasures shattered. Together, they bought him enough time to survive.
The Third Priest tried to calm himself. One enemy had been gravely injured. Beroga had returned. Ki Beli remained alive. Their side still held the advantage.
Everything should have been under control. Yet the feeling of danger only continued growing. His heart refused to settle no matter how much logic he applied to the situation.