[Chapter 254: Sam]
Boom!
Lightning energy, fierce and vibrant, surged along Daniel's fist, instantly piercing through the monster's entire body.
This time, the vitality of the Primordial Regenerative Marrow could no longer repair the collapsing tissues.
Lightning erupted from within, completely shattering the deformed lump of flesh. Before the pieces scattered across the ground could land, the violent mana shook them into fine powder.
[Ding! Killed a D-rank monster, obtained 500,000 merit points.]
[Ding! Killed a D-rank monster, obtained the 'Earth Flow Technique'.]
Daniel withdrew his hand, and the glazed luster surrounding his body faded away. He glanced down at the ashes scattered on the ground, then looked at the empty stone pit, curling his lips in mild disappointment.
"It is too weak. All those hands and feet grew for nothing. I wanted to try the Guard Sacred Invocation, but you didn't give me the chance."
With Dominion Incarnate of Higher Ascendant Order, combined with the fourth level of Body Enhancement and various lightning techniques, taking down this monster was, admittedly, a bit like bullying.
He put away the crystal bottle, turned, and walked out of the cave.
...
As Daniel stepped outside, a dry heat wave swept away the last traces of coolness inside. The sunlight was harsh and glaring, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly. His gaze fell on the open ground not far away.
Two bodyguards who had originally been guarding the area now lay curled in a pool of blood, their lives unknown.
Michael stood frozen, hands raised, his face so pale it seemed almost translucent.
Opposite him, Sam gripped a long double-barreled shotgun, the black muzzle pressed firmly against Michael's forehead.
There was no trace of the warmth or kindness Michael had spoken of in Sam. His once-earnest face was now twisted and grim, temple veins bulging. His mouth stretched into something sinister.
"Michael, you shameless traitor!"
Sam roared like a wild beast. His finger on the trigger tightened until it whitened.
"I brought you to the Holy Land and gave you a chance for eternal Fusion, and you brought an outsider to destroy it!"
"Sam... calm down, calm down."
Michael's voice trembled, sweat dripping from his chin.
"Calm down? How can I be calm?"
Sam's eyes went wild. Suddenly, he swung the gun stock, slamming it against Michael's shoulder with brutal force.
The blow forced the superstar to a muffled groan as he dropped to one knee.
"You destroyed the holy water! You killed the guardian! You damned blasphemer, I will use your blood to cleanse the insult on this land!"
"Hey, you old geezer."
Daniel's voice was calm but carried clearly across the open wasteland.
Sam whipped his head around, and the shotgun's sights locked onto Daniel instantly.
"You piece of trash! Did you kill my Lord's guardian? I'm going to carve every piece of flesh off your body and feed it to the vultures in the valley!"
Daniel straightened his cuffs, his tone bored, "I've heard this kind of tough talk so much over the past few months that my ears have developed calluses. Can you not say something new?"
"Go to hell!"
Sam roared, pulling the trigger without hesitation.
Bang! Bang!
Two deafening gunshots echoed. The large-caliber shotgun scattered countless steel pellets, enough to pulverize a black bear's head.
Yet, under Michael's terrified gaze, Daniel stood unmoving.
A faint orange-red glow shimmered on his skin. The steel pellets struck the glowing barrier like hitting the hardest alloy, producing loud metallic clangs before falling limply to the ground.
If Daniel weren't concerned about staining his clothes, he wouldn't have needed the mana shield at all.
With his current physical strength, such firepower was nothing more than a mild irritation.
Unblinking, Daniel strode toward Sam step by step.
"Is this where your confidence comes from?"
"No... this can't be! You're a devil! A devil from the South!"
Sam's composure shattered. He fumbled desperately to reload, but his trembling hands dropped shells onto the sand.
Dropping the shotgun, he grabbed a rusty skinning knife from his waist and charged with a furious roar, "Long live my Lord! Flesh and blood as one!"
Daniel snorted, unmoved and not bothering to raise a hand. Lightly tapping his foot, Daniel utilized Earth energy, and caused the sand beneath Sam to bulge violently.
Boom!
A jagged stone spike shot out of the ground, piercing Sam's chest and pinning him midair.
Sam's mouth gaped, blood spilling from the corners, eyes wild with madness and refusal to surrender.
Finally, his head slumped to the side, and went still.
Daniel shook his head. "What a waste of time."
He walked over to the two bodyguards and checked on them. Fortunately, their vital areas had been missed; they were just unconscious.
He casually flicked two streaks of mana, staunching their bleeding. Soon, their eyelids twitched and they slowly regained consciousness.
Michael knelt, staring blankly from Sam's suspended corpse to the scattered pellets on the ground.
"Mr. Cross... thank you..."
His voice was filled with awe like never before. If he had always seen Daniel as a powerful Exorcist, now Daniel was a god walking the earth.
Daniel came over, helped him up, and said calmly, "The job's done. We should get out of this godforsaken place."
Michael looked at Sam's body. "But... but we killed someone..."
Daniel said, "Just call the police. The bones inside can all testify this is a cult. They've killed many people. We acted in self-defense. Have your lawyer handle it."
Then Daniel remembered Michael was still caught in a public opinion storm. He waved a hand.
"Forget it, I'll find someone to deal with it. You don't need to show your face. You guys go ahead; I'll catch up soon."
Michael understood and said gratefully, "Thank you..."
...
After watching Michael and the bodyguards leave, Daniel turned back to Sam's corpse.
With a wave of his hand, a Seal flew out and landed on Sam.
"Burn."
Daniel formed a hand seal; the Seal burst into a fireball that instantly consumed Sam's body.
Soon, only a pile of ashes remained. The wind scattered them until nothing was left.
Next, Daniel sensed the Spiritual Sense mark he had left on Michael.
With a thought, he took flight, quickly chasing after them.
...
Squeak... The off-road vehicle suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Inside, Michael lurched forward from inertia, along with the two bodyguards.
Ahead of them, Daniel hovered in midair, blocking the car.
Michael was familiar with Daniel's ability to fly, but the bodyguards rubbed their eyes in disbelief, thinking they were hallucinating.
But the figure in the air didn't vanish -- he stayed right there, soaring.
He then landed beside the car, opened the door, and slid in.
The bodyguard next to Michael climbed out and took the passenger seat, giving up the back row.
Daniel sat down beside Michael and slammed the door shut.
*****
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