Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 405: Battling Juror Clergy

CH405 Battling Juror Clergy

***

’This might get annoying.’

Alex’s expression tightened as he sensed the surging divine energy—not only from the Priest, but from multiple Paladins as well.

Worse still, the higher-ranked combatants among the fortress defenders had already begun reacting to the raid. In a few more minutes, they would reorganise and launch a coordinated counterattack.

Alex knew he could not allow the Juror clergy to join forces with the fortress troops. Their already unfavourable odds would collapse entirely.

But the Priest clearly had no intentions of making things easy.

Through Spirit Sight, Alex watched a dense, unique energy—almost certainly Faith energy—gathering within the temple and rushing towards the Priest.

’He’s preparing a large-scale divine spell!’ Alex realised.

”Alex, stop that priest! Whatever he’s doing is suppressing my abilities!” Eleanor’s urgent voice crackled through comms.

Healers stood as the antithesis to Navi—and, by extension, their clergy. Pangean Healers especially were the bane of the Navi in the right circumstances.

But the reverse was just as true.

According to Pangea’s scholars, Healers were a unique type of Ascension professionals who had obtained the Healing Authority of their plane. This authority allowed them to heal regardless of elemental affinity—be it Water, Light, or anything else.

Navi, as part of their bid for faith dominion, would usurp this very authority, restricting its proper use to their own clergy within a plane.

This resulted in a constant struggle for control between Healers and Clergy.

Within any confined space, whichever party possessed the advantage—or the stronger power—would seize the authority.

The Barnsil Fortress was consecrated ground dedicated to Juror. That Eleanor could cast even basic healing spells here was a testament to her all-round skill –abilities, bloodline and talent.

But now that the Priest was actively pulling in faith energy, the advantage was tipping sharply. Eleanor was moments away from being completely severed from the Healing Authority within the area of the fortress.

’Indeed... misfortune never comes alone,’ Alex grit his teeth.

If the expedition party lost Eleanor’s support while the enemy gained the Priest’s, their chances of victory would evaporate.

There was no longer any room for elaborate planning.

’I need to move. Now.’

He abandoned any notion of finesse—and charged.

”You two, on me.” Alex barked as he shot forward into the temple, Kavakan and Mogal thumping after him.

At the same time, he also could out sharply on comms, ”Silver! Udara!”

Just as he rushed into the temple, he came face to face with the Priest—already deep into casting.

Interestingly, the Priest was not chanting.

Instead, he was forming hand seals.

’Hand seals...? Does this plane use seals to cast?’ Alex wondered.

But the Priest’s furious shout blasted him out of his thoughts.

”You arrogant beasts of the Dark Realm! You dare defile ground consecrated to my Lord?! Even your deaths will not cleanse your sin!”

The man’s eyes blazed with so much hatred that, had his gaze held power, he would have flayed Alex and his companions alive before offering their ashes to Juror.

The three Paladins surged forward simultaneously, two intercepting Mogal and Kavakan, while the third bore down on Alex with a heavy mace.

Alex reacted instantly, snatching the Draconic Baton from his belt.

With a snap, the compact object extended into a half-metre rod, meeting the Paladin’s mace with a resonant clang.

The Paladin staggered in shock.

’A sorcerer—parrying a Paladin’s blow? And so effortlessly no less?’ The paladin’s eyes opened in shock.

He barely ducked Alex’s counterstrike, his gaze flicking to the baton. Mystical equipment of antiquity always carried peculiar functions. The Paladin felt his caution spike.

But his eyes drifted back to the Priest, whose hand seals blurred into a frenzy. Every second bought was a second closer to divine retribution descending upon them.

’I don’t even need to defeat him,’ the Paladin decided. ’I only need to stall him until the spell is completed.’

With sorcerers infamous for their unpredictable and devastating power, he refused to commit fully until the divine spell activated, giving them a clear overwhelming advantage.

But while the Paladin still had the luxury of patience—

Alex did not.

He needed to end the Priest’s casting now, before the spell completed and wiped out every chance they had.

Just then, Alex sensed Udara and Silver arrive.

Udara slipped into the temple through a side window, while Silver perched atop the roof of an adjacent building, lining up her shot on the Priest.

”Execute,” Alex ordered.

Power Arrow!

Shadow Dash!

Silver loosed a mana-charged arrow—her strongest shot without pushing herself into prolonged weakened state—while Udara vanished into the darkness, reappearing from the Paladin’s shadow with a perfectly angled backstab.

Unfortunately, the Paladin’s armour held firm, stopping her blade before it could pierce through.

Meanwhile, the Priest sensed Silver’s attack and narrowly dodged.

While the arrow may have missed, it did succeed in shattering the priest’s concentration, stopping his spellcasting in its tracks.

”Hold them off!” the Priest roared at the Paladins, seething with fury.

”Separate them!” Alex ordered.

Immediately, Kavakan, Mogal, and Udara forced their opponents apart, driving each Paladin toward opposite ends of the hall and preventing them from regrouping or forming a defensive line.

The Priest saw the chaos and instantly bolted for the rear exit.

Silver lost her angle from the adjacent roof, so Alex sprinted after him.

He quickly noticed that the Priest was still forming seals even while running, which put him in a bit of a bind.

Spellcasting required concentration.

At Alex’s current proficiency—lacking rigorous training in traditional spellcasting—it was almost impossible to cast a spell while chasing down the priest.

Ideally, he needed to slow down, even briefly, to chant and cast the spell.

But he had no such luxury.

’Desperate times call for desperate measures.’

Calm Madness!

Alex triggered the bloodline trait. The cold clarity washed through his mind, crushing away every unnecessary emotion and sharpening every thought into a single point of focus.

He forced himself to chant and gather mana even while sprinting.

Thankfully, the Priest was also struggling to cast while running, and his seals slowed—buying Alex precious milliseconds.

Alex’s heartbeat thundered in his ears.

If he cast even a moment later than the Priest...

It would mean death for him and everyone in the expedition.

And yet, instead of panicking, the pressure only drove him deeper into Calm Madness.

All distractions disappeared.

There was only the Priest.

Only the chase.

And Only the spell.

The Priest led him through twisting hallways and branching corridors, hoping to lose him in the maze-like temple interior.

It failed.

Then—the Priest’s eyes gleamed.

He reached the rear exit, the doorway leading straight into the officers’ area where fortress troops were massing.

And his spell was almost complete.

A triumphant grin split his face.

”You lose, heathen!”

He thrust out his hands, sealing the final gesture.

”Holy L—”

***