"You two must be the same bastards who tried to kill my friend." Lian gave them a cold look.
With just one look, it was clear that they were really human, but what caught his attention was that he had not noticed their presence.
Could they have some kind of skill that hides their presence? Or does it have to do with their fancy shiny armor?
Although the two did not seem to have any interest in talking to him.
Both did not hesitate even for a moment, as soon as the last words left their mouths, mana exploded throughout the hall.
A golden aura formed around both of their bodies and lit up the dark space of the ruin.
The swordsman stepped forward, his movements were calm, but with every step he took, the mana pressure increased.
At the same time, the light mage stood a few meters back and raised both his hands, several golden magic circles appeared one after another behind him.
Each circle was covered with unknown symbols that Lian had never seen before.
They clearly used magic arts from a different civilization than theirs, and with just one look, they seemed more complex but more powerful.
The mage whispered with a cold voice.
"Holy Judgment."
The next moment, the hall’s ceiling was covered with golden light, dozens of massive spears of light formed and fell toward Lian with terrifying speed.
Almost simultaneously, another circle appeared beneath his feet.
"Radiant Chains."
Chains of light burst out from the ground and rushed toward Lian’s legs and arms with incredible speed.
At that same moment, the swordsman’s sword also shone, and the entire blade was covered with sun-like light.
"Solar Edge."
The mana power around the sword multiplied several times, and the air around the blade was splitting even before impact.
"Be careful, they are really strong." Kain warned strongly.
Lian, without the slightest change in his expression, watched both of them, their raw power was not very high.
If compared based on the awakened system... they were probably around level twenty to twenty-four.
But what made them dangerous was not power.
It was skill and mana control, coordination, and combat experience, these two had clearly fought together for years.
And from these initial displays, it was clear their magic skills focused more on control and destructive power, but this also made them slower and more complex.
’Two advantages and two disadvantages, in contrast, our world’s magic system is faster and more precise, but mana control depends on the person, and destructive power is the same.’ He thought to himself.
The swordsman, ignoring the spears of light, charged directly at Lian.
His sword came down toward his neck with lightning speed, but right before impact... Lian’s skin changed.
[Diamond Skin]
An invisible but extremely hard layer covered his entire body.
The sword hit his neck and a blinding spark spread through the hall.
The sound of metal on metal echoed, but... no blood flowed, and no wound was created.
The swordsman froze, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible..." How? How could his strike not deal any damage to this heretic?
He did not even have time to pull his sword back, blue lightning covered Lian’s entire fist.
[Thunder Calamity]
Lian just threw a simple punch, but that one punch... was like a meteor striking.
BOOOM!
The strike hit the man’s stomach directly, and all the air in his lungs was expelled in an instant, his body lifted off the ground and was thrown back like a heavy bullet.
One stone pillar shattered.
Then the second pillar.
And the third.
Finally, with another explosion, he hit the end wall of the hall.
His entire white and gold armor cracked, for a few seconds he could not even breathe, and started coughing up blood.
His face turned pale, as if a mountain had collapsed on him.
The light mage, seeing this scene, lost his color, how could this heretic have such power? Where did he come from?
But he still did not stop his attack, dozens of light spears fell toward Lian at the same time, and each of them could pierce the body of a level twenty monster.
But Lian just ignored them, and the next moment...
All the light spears passed through the space around his body without hitting him, his dodging speed was so high that the two could not even see it with their eyes.
And in their view, it was as if he had not moved at all, and the attacks had passed through him.
"How is this possible...?! What kind of demonic skill is this?!" The mage stepped back in terror.
They had picked the wrong opponent, an enemy they had no chance against, but they still could not retreat.
This was about their goddess’s honor and reputation.
But Lian was no longer interested in continuing this show, mana exploded in his body once again.
His muscles contracted, the wind around him became chaotic.
In the eyes of both humans... he disappeared, the swordsman who was just trying to get up suddenly felt an intense cold behind his neck.
Before he could even turn around... he heard Lian’s calm voice behind him.
"It is over."
Glacial Reaper Claw.
A massive claw of ice passed through the air, leaving four deep marks on the man’s armor.
The metal split like paper, the flesh and bones did not escape this attack either, and the man fell to the ground again with a painful scream.
This time he could not get up again, blood was flowing from under his armor.
The light mage accepted reality for the first time.
This battle... was not a battle at all, it was a one-sided massacre, they had no chance! They had no chance to kill this heretic and restore the goddess’s honor.
He did not even look at his comrade, with a trembling hand, he pulled out a golden scroll from his belt.
Lian noticed, but the distance was still a little far.
The mage tore the scroll, a bright light filled the entire hall, the eyes could not see anything for a moment, when the light faded...
The mage was no longer there.
Silence.
"...He ran away?" Kain, who had been watching this entire scene with his mouth open, whispered quietly.
He could not believe that the two who had brought him to the brink of death were so powerless and defenseless against his friend, like insects facing a monster.
’And I thought the gap between us had gotten smaller.’ He sighed and pushed the foolish thoughts out of his mind.
He still had a long way to go.
Lian, without taking his gaze off the escape route, answered calmly.
"Yeah, he sold out his friend."
The wounded swordsman tried with all his might to get himself on his feet, his hand went toward his sword, but before he could touch it...
Lian’s foot landed on his chest, the pressure was so high that all the bones in his ribcage creaked.
No matter how much the man tried, he could not move even a few centimeters, the power gap was too great.
Lian bent down and picked up the glowing sword, examined it for a few moments, the sword had excellent quality.
But stranger than that... all the mana inside the sword was fading away, as if it only worked in its original owner’s hands.
He threw the sword a few meters away.
"That’s it...? It is over?" Kain was still looking in disbelief.
"It was over from the start." Lian shrugged.
The swordsman stared at him with hatred, his lips bloody, but he still shouted with all his being.
"Heretic... the Divine of Light... will destroy you..."
Lian calmly bent down and grabbed the collar of the man’s white and gold armor, there was no trace of anger on his face, only calmness, his gaze fell on the end of the corridor for a moment.
There was no trace of the mage anymore, he looked at his captive again and a very small smile settled on his lips.
"It seems... your friend left you alone." A few seconds of silence followed, and then his voice became quieter.
"Now, how about answering a few questions?"