Vicente's party swiftly acted on his instructions, channeling their mana through their armor and Magic Gems.

None of them believed the Paragon of the Congregation of Revelations, who claimed Vicente was a practitioner of the Dark Path.

How could they? Vicente was undeniably a magician of the Light Path. Bearing this in mind, as soon as the man made his move, they responded in kind, anticipating the unfolding events with the aid of Lina and Casey's combined powers.

Torne quickly started channeling his mana into Vicente's first gem, preparing his master to confront an adversary who was clearly intent on killing him.

The Mid-level Paragon didn't hesitate; right after issuing his threatening words, he lunged forward and launched a lethal attack on Vicente.

Sensing the imminent danger, Vicente knew staying put would result in severe injury at best. Observing the opponent manifest a Spirit Bamboo in his hands, Vicente stepped back, allowing his allies to unleash the electromagnetic force of their armor against the attacker.

In an instant, Vicente evaded the enemy's initial assault, appearing right where the young man stood, wielding the bamboo.

When Vicente skillfully dodged, the Sacred Devotee's brow furrowed in surprise, but he quickly composed himself. Before the electromagnetic pressure from Vicente's companions could reach him, he unleashed his first skill against his primary adversary.

"Bamboo Field!"

Lifting his bamboo staff into the air, he invoked several plants to sprout around them, forming menacing bamboo intent on harming Vicente.

Vicente clasped his hands together, activating his second pentagram, which emitted a bright glow. He altered the electromagnetic field around himself, rendering him invisible. The bamboos, although relentless in their attack, became increasingly slow as they neared him, failing to land a hit.

In the midst of the chaos, Onyx unleashed his attack, using his vocal cords to emit a deafening scream that sent a blast of sound toward the Paragon just as the man began to feel the full force of Vice's armor.

"You think that will stop me?" the man scoffed, feeling the pressure that was substantial but not debilitating. It was uncomfortable, yet insufficient to halt his advance.

Unfazed, he activated his second ability. Several bamboo shoots, akin to those he wielded, sprouted from seemingly nowhere, targeting the troublesome figures obstructing his path.

"If you wish to meet your end first, so be it!" he declared. Meanwhile, Layla and Rory quickly regrouped and moved forward.

As the man directed his bamboo shoots at Vicente's team, sudden explosions erupted around his body, adding to the tumult.

Boom!

Boom!

'What the hell?' He felt parts of his clothing being damaged as his eyes moved to see Layla moving quickly around the area to direct Rory's attacks at him.

Casey tried to manipulate the man's mind but only made him feel confused for a second.

Meanwhile, Vicente attacked his opponent with as much power as he could muster.

A massive bolt of lightning split the sky as a large metal hammer materialized in its hands, with which it struck at the Mid-level Paragon.

This attack, rivaling the power of a Low-level Paragon, relentlessly attacked the Paragon of the Congregation of Revelations. Meanwhile, Vicente merged his mental prowess with Casey's, eroding the enemy's mental defenses.

The expression of the 5th-stage Sacred Devotee dramatically changed as he realized that his adversary was much stronger than he had initially believed.

"Damn! We underestimated him," he cursed under his breath, breaking into a cold sweat as all of Vicente's allies skillfully evaded his previous assaults.

At the same time, he tried to use his fourth skill but found it very difficult because of Vicente and Casey's combined action.

Vicente's third ability was a mental one. It allowed him to enter his targets' minds through the metals in their bodies and eventually take complete control of their bodies.

Vicente had used this power many times to temporarily "possess" the bodies of his family members and see situations far away from himself through his men's eyes.

Against an opponent as strong as this Paragon, he would never be able to do that now. But Vicente was able to make the Sacred Devotee temporarily lose some control over his own body.

It wasn't enough to prevent this foe from activating his fourth ability, Bamboo Avatar, but it did slow down this high-ranking member of the Congregation of Revelations.

As the Bamboo Avatar took shape, the giant hammer was about to hit him!

"Fuck!" He shouted at the sight as his avatar took a defensive stance in front of him.

Boom!

As the two forces clashed, a thunderous boom echoed across dozens of kilometers, accompanied by strong winds that whipped through the surrounding vegetation.

Vicente's assault momentarily halted as cracks appeared in the Paragon's avatar.

During this pause, Rory activated his Flame Avatar, enveloping the fractured bamboo form, while Onyx and Sarah launched a physical assault on the Paragon to divert his attention from Vicente.

Weakened by his own mana depletion and the mental assaults from Vicente and Casey, the Paragon found himself overwhelmed and unable to do much but withstand their persistent attacks.

Crack!

Immediately after their initial strike against the Paragon, louder cracking sounds emanated from the Bamboo Avatar.

Sensing impending danger, Sarah and Onyx quickly withdrew.

Under the watchful eyes of Vicente and his companions, they witnessed the green avatar burst apart as Vice's hammer relentlessly drove toward the now pale and injured Paragon.

Boom!

Another explosion resounded as the Paragon managed to shatter Vicente's hammer, employing his magical form to strike the massive weapon.

"I'm going to kill you!" the man declared, watching the metal of the hammer fracture like glass.

Meanwhile, his whole body was shaking, and he felt a lot of pain after so many attacks against him, from the damage he had taken to destroy that dangerous attack that could hurt even Low-level Paragons and from his mental damage.

When he thought his opponents had used up all their cards, he suddenly felt something rip through his chest.

His eyes opened wide as he looked down and saw a blood-

stained silver blade protruding from his body.

"That..." He looked back and saw Layla holding the weapon just before she disappeared and reappeared away from him.

Vicente placed a hand on his opponent's chest, seizing the opportunity to deliver a final blow by accessing the interior of the Paragon's body.

"You have made an unforgivable mistake," Vicente declared as his first pentagram glowed intensely, empowering him to finish off his foe. "This is your end, you wretch!"