[Chapter 143: You Know Nothing of Power]
Smoke and dust rose, filling the sky and blanketing the entire area.
For a moment, the air was so thick with haze it almost blinded the eyes.
Then, suddenly, a golden light pierced through the dust, cutting through the night like a beacon.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The violent sounds of collision echoed relentlessly.
Golden light and streaks of lightning flashed continuously.
"Ah..." The roar of the Flesh Giant tore through the clouds above.
"No..."
"How could this be?"
"Go to hell."
The Flesh Giant launched repeated attacks, but the figure -- clearly much smaller -- stood like an unmovable reef in a stormy sea. No matter how fiercely it was struck, it remained firm and steadfast.
Especially because this reef fought back.
"Five Thunder Doctrine, Celestial Thunder! Descend!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Streaks of Celestial Lightning descended, crashing down on the Flesh Giant.
In his Divine Empowered state, the Celestial Lightning Daniel summoned was even more potent than before, forcing the Flesh Giant to shriek in agony.
"Ah! You can't kill me! Go to hell!"
The Flesh Giant withstood the Celestial Lightning and raised a fist larger than a human head, smashing it down hard.
Rumble. The punch thundered through the air, tearing it apart.
Bang. The blow slammed heavily onto Daniel's body, but he only staggered slightly as a flash of golden light shimmered across his skin.
"Is that all?" Daniel murmured.
"Watch this."
His golden fist suddenly shot forward.
Pfft.
Daniel's punch collided with the Flesh Giant's body. Golden light flared, dispelling all evil.
"Ah!"
The Flesh Giant roared in pain and rapidly staggered backward.
Under the blazing golden light and the relentless strike of Celestial Lightning, its flesh and blood began to melt and dissolve.
"Can you escape?"
"Earth Spears!"
Daniel stomped the ground. Earth energy surged up and slammed into the Flesh Giant.
Though the Earth Spears didn't cause much direct damage, it slowed the giant's movements.
Daniel launched himself upward, landing on the Flesh Giant's back. He rained down continuous punches.
Golden light flashed. Thunder rumbled.
Each punch carried a surge of golden light and lightning, smashing repeatedly into the Flesh Giant's body.
If this had been an ordinary ghost, it would have been utterly annihilated under such relentless assault.
But this Flesh Giant was born from sacrificed flesh and blood -- lives given up to create it.
Its vitality was beyond stubborn.
Though melting away with every strike, killing it wasn't easy.
Suddenly, a flicker and a Seal appeared in Daniel's hand.
This Seal was no ordinary prayer seal drawn on paper. It was a fifth-grade Seal, inscribed from the skin of a Slender Man.
By sealed edict, let consecrated fire be bound and brought to bear.Flame of judgment, burn away corruption and all unclean residue.Let all ill omens be cleansed; let clarity and stillness prevail.Authority affirmed. So ordered.
Boom!
Daniel pressed the Seal onto the Flesh Giant.
A spark ignited, then a burst of flames erupted, engulfing it completely.
The Flesh Giant transformed into a blazing Flame Giant.
"Ah..."
Ordinary fire was useless against a Flame Giant, but this -- this was the Seal of Sovereign Flame Edict.
The flames carried the true essence of the Sovereign Flame, far beyond mortal flames.
The Flesh Giant shrieked mournfully as the Sovereign Fire burned it fiercely. Without any further effort from Daniel, it collapsed to the ground, rolling and howling.
Its body slowly melted away in the punishing fire.
"Celestial Lightning, descend!"
Daniel unleashed the Five Thunder Doctrine once again.
The Celestial Lightning and Sovereign Flame merged into pure thunderfire.
"Ah!"
The Flesh Giant squealed in even sharper agony.
It tried to rise but failed.
Under the relentless bombardment and burning thunderfire, its body rapidly shrank.
"Exorcist! You killed my followers, destroyed my church, and severed my foundation -- you bear unforgiven sins. Come to hell with me."
Suddenly, the Flesh Giant began shrinking on its own, refusing to wait for the thunderfire's mercy.
In the blink of an eye, it shrank from over six meters tall to about one meter.
Its flesh and blood power, now compressed to an extreme, became terrifyingly concentrated.
Its form flickered and disappeared in an instant.
It transformed into a blazing fire meteor, hurtling directly toward Daniel.
Wherever it passed, space seemed torn apart, shrieking sharply.
This power was no less than a missile.
A buzzing surged from Daniel's body.
Golden light burst forth across him.
He raised his glowing golden hand and slammed it down.
Bang!
Daniel's palm met the speeding flesh-and-blood mass head-on, landing perfectly on its exposed, burning head.
An enormous explosion ripped outward, an overwhelming force scattering topsoil and shrouding the area in smoke.
When the dust cleared, a large crater lay where Daniel had stood.
Daniel took a small step back, unfazed.
All of the Flesh Giant's power dissolved into nothingness with that single strike.
"No! How is this possible?"
"All my flesh and blood power -- how could you extinguish it so easily?"
The one-meter-tall Flesh Midget screamed in shock and fury, unwilling to accept defeat.
"You know nothing of Divine Power."
Daniel's voice was cold.
"Die now! Die under Divine Power! This is your end!"
He tightened his grip and slammed his hand down again.
Boom.
The Flesh Midget's head exploded, crushed beneath Daniel's force.
[Ding! Killed a C-rank cultist. Gained 1,000,000 Merit points.]
[Ding! Killed a C-rank cultist. Gained 'Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite.']
The System prompt rang in Daniel's mind.
"Only C-rank? The lowest C-rank at that?"
Daniel studied the smoldering remains, now reduced to ash by the Sovereign Flame after its head blew apart, feeling a flicker of surprise.
He had expected greater strength.
But then he reminded himself: all this power was stolen through sacrifice.
In truth, none of it was truly his own.
That explained a lot.
Fortunately, the reward wasn't just Merit points -- he had gained the 'Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite.'
He quickly examined the Rite's effects in his mind, and was immediately shocked.
"The Seven Lamps of Dominion Rite is incredibly powerful."
At first, Daniel had dismissed it.
But its power far exceeded his expectations.
Had he known this earlier, the battle would've ended much faster.
Still, he had dominated just fine without it.
Daniel's body trembled as the golden light faded.
The Divine Empowerment power ebbed away.
Weakness hit him like a wave.
But this time, it wasn't nearly as bad as before.
Previously, when Divine Empowerment drained, he not only grew weak and powerless, but also ached all over -- unable to fight back at all.
Now, though weaker, the soreness was greatly reduced.
He could still mobilize his internal power and had strength enough to keep fighting.
As long as the Brotherhood of Saints didn't produce another Flesh Giant, Daniel wouldn't be in serious danger.
He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he began inspecting the farm.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.