What is an offensive priest?

Chapter 17 Dawn

Hearing Richard's provocative voice, the surrounding goblins immediately erupted in chaos.

"Glash! Kill him!"

"Tear this arrogant human to shreds!"

"Use his skull as a wine glass!"

The goblins roared, howled, and brandished their weapons in a frenzy.

A tidal wave of hostility nearly overwhelmed the three of them.

Paladin Kro coughed lightly and lowered his voice.

"Perhaps you shouldn't provoke them."

The goblin priestess was highly intelligent; unlike ordinary greenskins, she was not easily angered. Her shrewd and cunning eyes were fixed on Richard.

"You came here for these human cubs, didn't you?"

"How about we make a deal?"

transaction?

The fact that the word came from a goblin startled both Kro and Aiver.

Richard was intrigued when he saw the green-skinned creatures in front of him mimicking human trade.

Tell me about it.

The goblin priest pointed his staff at the slightly larger ogre in the corner.

A low growl came from the ugly monster's throat, and yellowish-green saliva dripped from between its fangs.

"This is my warrior." The goblin priest's voice was filled with undisguised pride. "It once tore three fully armed human adventurers apart with its bare hands, and it once smashed the head of a dire wolf with its spiked club."

The goblin priest paused, then turned his yellow eyes toward Richard.

"I will release these human cubs if you can defeat it in the duel."

"I swear in the name of the Most Holy God."

Upon hearing the goblin priest's suggestion, Avel lowered his voice and reminded him.

"These greens are the most cunning."

"Sir Richard, ignore it! They never keep their oaths!"

Richard did not respond; his gaze swept silently across the circular corridor on the second floor of the temple.

That's where the choir stood during the ceremonies held by the Sereng believers.

At this moment, in the shadows of the corridor, a figure that almost blends into the darkness is moving slowly.

As Richard had arranged, the thief Maurice secretly sneaked into the upper level of the temple when the three entered.

We need to help distract the goblin so he can find an opportunity to approach the iron cage.

"Okay, I promise!"

Richard agreed.

The surrounding goblins immediately erupted in a mocking howl.

In their view, the proposal was nothing more than a cat-and-mouse game, with a human priest challenging an ogre.

"Ize, your food rations have arrived!"

The ogre in the corner let out a deafening roar, gripping its spiked club with both hands, and charged forward like a chariot with its heavy body.

With each step, the stone slabs on the ground would crack instantly, and fragments would fly everywhere.

The spiked club, accompanied by a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, crashed down toward Richard's head!

Kro instinctively wanted to step forward, the holy light of the longsword in his hand already shining, but Richard raised his hand to stop him.

"I'll do it myself."

The moment he finished speaking, Richard slid to the side.

The spiked club grazed his shoulder armor and slammed into the ground!

thump—

The entire temple was trembling!

A deep crater was blasted open in the stone slab floor, and spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly in all directions.

Pebbles flew like raindrops, and the nearest goblin was hit in the cheek by a stone fragment, screaming as he clutched his bleeding eye.

Avel could even feel the ground beneath his feet trembling slightly. If that blow had landed on him, even ten healing spells probably wouldn't have been enough to save him.

Of all the enemies Richard had faced, the ogre was the first to completely overwhelm him purely in terms of strength.

We cannot confront them head-on.

Faced with the cannibal's frenzied attacks, Richard remained calm and collected, dodging the attacks with ease while quietly waiting for his chance.

Just as the ogre retracted his spiked club, Richard completed the incantation of his first divine spell.

"In the name of dawn—"

"Command!"

First-circle spell: Command.

Defeat your weapons!

Pale golden holy runes flashed in the air, and the ogre's massive body suddenly froze. A trace of confusion flashed in its turbid yellow eyes, and the spiked club in its hand fell to the ground.

Although the effect of the Command spell might only last for a moment given the intelligence of ogres, it's enough!

Richard strode forward, his right fist clenched, the sacred light on his knuckles like a burning flame.

He wanted to seize this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the cannibal.

Just as his fist was about to strike the ogre.

"Sir Richard, be careful!"

Suddenly, Avel, who was watching from the sidelines, shouted.

The words fell.

A gust of wind swept up behind Richard!

He had no time to dodge, so he could only turn slightly to the side and use his toughest shoulder armor to withstand the blow!

clang--

The steel-forged mace slammed solidly into Richard's chainmail.

A terrifying force transmitted through the armor into the body, as if the internal organs were being shaken out of place.

Richard groaned, staggered forward a few steps, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The shoulder area of ​​the chainmail has become noticeably sunken.

The one who launched the sneak attack was the bear goblin.

While the cannibal distracted Richard, it quietly circled behind him and launched a despicable sneak attack.

"Kill him! Ize!"

"Tear him to pieces!"

The surrounding goblins erupted in wild laughter and mockery; these greenskins had no concept of rules whatsoever.

"Pastor Richard!"

Seeing the goblin launch a sneak attack, Avir turned pale with anger.

"Those despicable, shameless greens!"

With Kro's longsword already drawn, the paladin could no longer stand idly by.

Richard raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then slowly straightened up.

His gaze swept over the grinning goblin and the ogre who had broken free from the command spell and raised his mace again.

[Triggering the single-target staff attack modifier increases Strength attribute by 50%]

[Triggered the Bloodlust modifier, enters Bloodrage state, pain is reduced by 70%, unarmed attacks deal additional blunt damage]

Richard's eyes gleamed with a golden-red light, the muscles beneath his chainmail were swollen and congested, and he was breathing heavily.

He moved.

The stone slab beneath my feet shattered the moment I pushed off the ground.

Richard charged toward the nearest goblin bear like a beast unleashed from its cage.

The bear goblin didn't even have time to raise his warhammer.

Richard's gleaming fist had already slammed hard into its chest.

thump—

The goblin's bulky body, weighing over three hundred pounds, was sent flying backward as if struck head-on by a battering ram.

The goblins behind him, who had no time to dodge, along with the ones who were killed, exploded into a spray of blood as if a heavy truck had run over a speed bump.

The goblin slammed into the temple wall and became embedded in the brickwork.

His ribs shattered into powder, and his internal organs were turned into a puddle of mush by the impact.

It didn't even manage to let out a single scream.

Richard didn't stop; he turned around to face the cannibal who had already raised his spiked club.

It let out a furious roar and swung down with all its might!

But this time, Richard did not dodge.

He stepped forward, his right fist, gleaming with light, met the spiked club head-on!

The iron fist and the wooden stick wrapped with iron nails collided in mid-air, but they couldn't even hold their positions for a moment.

It exploded into countless fragments like a fragile, withered branch, with iron nails and wooden splinters flying everywhere, startling the goblins watching and causing them to retreat one after another.

I'm worried that I might accidentally become a victim in this showdown again.

The cannibal Izzy's hands were ripped apart at the base of his thumbs, and blood gushed out like a fountain. For the first time, fear appeared in his cloudy yellow eyes.

Pure, biologically instinctive fear of a more powerful predator.

But it was all too late.

Richard exhaled a hot breath, the radiance of the Holy Iron Fist condensed to its extreme, like a Holy Knight unleashing the full power of the Ascending Ring Holy Slash.

It was so fast that it created a sonic boom, and hurtled away, smashing straight into the ogre's chest.

puff--

The iron fist pierced through the ogre's chest as if it were through a layer of rotten flesh, blood and flesh splattering everywhere, leaving a large, blurry hole.

Its massive body crashed to the ground.

The dust that was kicked up was like a funeral curtain for it.

The entire forecourt fell into a deathly silence.

The goblins, who had been shouting incessantly, suddenly fell silent, their cunning and treacherous eyes revealing shock and fear.

Before the mage could even celebrate for Richard, he reacted first and shouted at the goblin priest.

"Lord Richard has won the duel; you should keep your promise!"

The goblin priest recovered from his shock and revealed a wicked smile.

"What promise?" Her voice was shrill and grating, every syllable filled with mockery. "I don't remember..."

"you……!"

Avel was so angry he was trembling.

But Richard remained calm throughout.

From beginning to end, he had no expectations whatsoever regarding the goblin priest's deal.

His gaze lingered on the second floor.

The thief finally approached the iron cage, silently crept to the bottom of the winch mechanism, and made a hand gesture to Richard.

Right now.

Richard took a deep breath, slowly raised his hand, spread his fingers, and placed his palm upward.

A dazzling light erupted from Richard's center, instantly enveloping the entire temple with its radiant brilliance, cleansing the sins within.

It is the guiding power of the Light Priest, the dawn of a new day!

The nearest goblins were burned to ashes by the Radiant damage, while the goblin priest in the distance was blinded by the light and his body was covered in soot.

The thief then took the opportunity to release a mechanism, and the tip of his adamantine dagger precisely severed the locking bolt of the winch's main chain!

The heavy iron gears, freed from their restraints, began to spin wildly, lowering the iron cage imprisoning the child.

After ensuring the children's safety.

The real battle has only just begun!