Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 158: Chapter 156: [Dragon Flame Dance: Dragon Might Burst]

The dragon’s head was coalesced from flame, yet its scales, claws, fangs, and horns shone as if real, exuding a heart-stopping majesty.

To the Eternal Frost Cultists, the Blasphemer standing before them now seemed like a terrifying Giant Dragon in human form, radiating an overwhelming presence!

Then, before they could react, this ”Giant Dragon” opened its mouth and roared.

”ROAR—!”

A shockwave covering more than half the battlefield erupted from Jon, washing over the vast majority of the Eternal Frost Cultists.

Cultists below Official Level passed out without a sound. Those at Official Level fared slightly better, but their minds went blank, leaving them stunned and motionless.

With no one to maintain it, the ritual’s Energy instantly spiraled out of control. The backlash froze several High Tier cultists who were part of the ritual into ice sculptures!

While they were extremely resistant to cold and wouldn’t necessarily die from being frozen, they were, for the moment, completely out of the fight.

The Eternal Frost Sect’s absolute advantage in high-end combat power was instantly reversed!

This was, of course, the new effect of the [Dragon Flame Dance] that Jon had mastered during the previous battle in Meis Town, under the full blessing of the sisters Xia and Xina’s enhancement Divine Techniques.

——

[Dragon Flame Dance LV.1 (Perfect)]

[Details Omitted]

[Active Effect 2: Dragon Might Burst: Consume 30 Life Value, 30 Magic Power Value, 30 Qi Value, and 30 Willpower Value to activate ”Dragon Might Burst.”]

[Dragon Might Burst: Unleash a powerful shockwave against enemies in a designated area, inflicting 170% Magic Strength + 200 Flame Damage, with a very high probability of causing fear, unconsciousness, or a dazed state.]

——

Although the effect’s damage wasn’t very high, it transformed the intangible ”Dragon Might” of the Dragon Flame Dance into an active, controllable, and powerful crowd-clearing ability, much like the Conqueror’s Haki from a certain shonen manga.

It had a wide range, a powerful effect, and was flexibly controlled!

Moreover, the appearance of this active ability proved once again that Dragon Flame Dance, a self-created Skill, held infinite possibilities.

After unleashing [Dragon Might Burst], Jon didn’t pause for a moment. He immediately used [Leap Attack] on the dazed High Tier cultists.

While in mid-air, surging Dragon Flame already wreathed the blade in his hand.

[Dragon Claw Swing]!

Combining an elemental advantage with a physical attack, he decapitated one of the frozen High Tier cultists the moment he landed.

[-1344 (Critical Hit! Fatal Blow!) -180 (Flame Damage)]

[Defeated a higher-level monster. Gained 5,400 (1,800 base × 3.0 reward multiplier) combat Experience Points.]

For Jon, the experience from killing a single Official Level enemy was almost equivalent to completing an Ordinary mission with a high rating!

And now, he was surrounded by enemies of that caliber, all of them defenseless and his for the slaughter!

’In that case, what is there to hesitate about?’

’The only thing to do is to pursue victory!’

Covered in Divine Technique buffs doubled by the effect of [Po Ao’s Gaze], Jon was a nearly tireless fighting machine. He unleashed a continuous combo of [Dragon Claw Swing] and [Dragon Tail Sweep], mercilessly reaping the lives of the High Tier Eternal Frost Cultists.

In just a few moments, he had cut down most of the High Tier cultists.

Witnessing this, the morale of the Trade Hall Guards and the Defender Army soared. Under the command of Vedri and Julian, they charged, scattering and isolating the remaining Low-Tier Cultists, vowing to ensure none of the vile Cultists who attacked their town would escape!

Finally, as Jon’s blade swung toward the neck of the stunned Midia, the Eternal Frost Sect’s Priest shuddered as if by a stroke of inspiration. He dodged the blow with a desperate, clumsy roll on the ground.

”Hm?”

Jon raised an eyebrow. He changed his attack in a flash, following up with a vicious Dragon Claw Swing.

However, a wall of solid ice materialized out of nowhere, blocking his blade’s edge with a sharp CRACK.

The impact left only a shallow white mark on the ice’s surface, and the massive recoil traveled up the hilt, making Jon’s wrist go slightly numb.

Midia was curled up like a frightened turtle inside an oval Shield of ice that had appeared abruptly, a foot thick.

The ice radiated a bone-chilling cold, and faint blue Runes flowed across its surface. This was clearly his ultimate life-saving technique.

Through the warped surface of the ice, his gaunt face was contorted with extreme rage and the agony of his collapsing faith. His murky, bloodshot eyes were locked on Jon, looking as if they might start bleeding at any moment.

”Blasphemer!”

His voice came through the ice, muffled and hoarse, yet saturated with bone-deep venom.

”You slaughter my lord’s lambs and defile his holy maiden! Your sins are immeasurable! Your soul is doomed to damnation!”

Midia’s withered fingers dug into the ice wall, his knuckles turning white from the strain. His voice rose abruptly, laden with a desperate curse.

”By the Dragon God Candela! His will permeates the eternal ice! Your actions today will surely bring down divine retribution!”

”Your flesh will be frozen, your bones will be crushed, and your soul will suffer the endless torment of the Cold Prison in the depths of the eternal frost! This is the price for blaspheming Deities! You cannot escape! The gaze of Candela is everywhere!”

His roaring was tinged with the unique hysteria of a fanatic, as if trying to pour all his despair and hatred onto Jon.

Yet, in the face of this utterly vicious curse, Jon’s expression remained completely unperturbed.

He even tilted his head slightly, his ice-blue eyes gazing through the visor of his Crystal Scorpion Armor with a placid look, one you might give to a simpleton, as he watched Midia rage impotently inside his shell of ice.

”Candela? Divine retribution?”

Jon scoffed, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.

”Save it, old Ice Stick. That Sub-dragon you worship is hiding deep in the Shery Mountains and hasn’t even reached the Ascension Level. And you call it a ’God’? ’The gaze is everywhere’? Hah.”

He flicked his wrist, tapping his blade lightly against the ice. It made a crisp TINK TINK sound, like he was taunting a caged beast.

”If it were really that powerful, it would have declared itself a god publicly long ago. Why would it need to send a bunch of small fry like you to stir up trouble in the shadows just to make its presence known and gather more followers?”

”It’s just afraid that making too much noise would attract the true powerhouses of the Empire, who would come and strip it of its somewhat valuable Dragon Scales, Dragon Horns, Dragon Heart, and Dragon Crystals to use as crafting materials, isn’t it?”

Jon’s words were like poisoned, ice-tipped needles, piercing precisely into the most sacred and vulnerable part of Midia’s faith.

The Eternal Frost Priest’s breath caught in his throat. Beneath the ice, his face instantly flushed a deep, liver-red. Veins throbbed wildly under his gaunt skin, looking as if they might burst at any moment.

”Silence! You vile Blasphemer! How dare you speak so of my lord!”