[Vol. 9] Chapter 67: The Evolution of Destruction Mode
Even so, Violet herself was a bit secretly surprised by the feedback from that last strike.
In the past, although she could also knock away any enemy below the level of a false god with one swing, without using magic to greatly strengthen her body, she absolutely couldn’t have created such a shocking result.
After all, she was, at the end of the day, a priest. Those two words were not for show, she really didn’t have much natural strength or speed. Her strength and agility stats were less than twenty thousand each, which, when compared to melee classes in Illusory World, would only be around level 70 to 80. And that’s not even counting those classes’ passive boosts, combat movements, or various burst skills that increase power even more.
But just now, judging by the destruction and sheer power of that single hit, it was probably already equal to a normal tier-8 or even tier-9 single-target attack spell. Yet... that was just her most ordinary, casual, normal physical attack!
Such an amazing increase couldn’t be explained just by adding twenty thousand more points of strength. If she calculated carefully, the momentary physical power she released might already be equal to a level 90 or even level 100 top warrior’s full-force strike.
Violet knew very well that the recent strange improvement in her physical ability and overall strength came from that time she absorbed the golden energy beneath the frozen sea. If she excluded the visible increase in her status numbers, and thought about what else might have changed secretly inside her, then there was only one possible cause. The invisible effect brought by the awakening of the [Radiance] divinity.
But... what exactly was that effect?
If it wasn’t a direct enhancement to her physical stats, then what kind of change could make her raw physical power rise as if it had leapt through a gap, making even a casual swing turn her target into a flying human missile?
The difference in destructive power was at least ten times, maybe even several dozen times stronger than before!
Wait... several dozen times stronger attack power?
Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed the priestess’s mind. She instantly thought of one possible answer—
[Destruction Mode]!
That’s it! That’s right!
In fact, Violet had already suspected more than once that this mysterious skill called [Destruction Mode] was deeply connected to the [Radiance] divinity.
The effect of that skill was to greatly increase the power of all offensive skills during transformation, by dozens or even hundreds of times. However, that terrifying boost did not apply to healing or support spells, and it also didn’t affect normal physical attacks that weren’t classified as skills.
At least... that used to be the case.
But what if the [Destruction Mode] itself had evolved?
For example, what if it had changed from an active skill into something that worked automatically, at least to some extent? Or maybe its range of effect had expanded, and now it could even boost her direct physical attack power?
Although it sounded unbelievable, if [Destruction Mode] truly had a close connection with the hidden secrets of the [Radiance] divinity, then such a change was completely possible.
At that moment, the priestess seemed to gain a clearer understanding of what the “evolution” of the [Radiance] divinity, or in other words, the growth of her control level, truly meant.
Even with only about 50% control right now, she could already turn [Destruction Mode], that almost bug-like ability, into a passive boost to her physical strength. If she ever completely finished that fusion process, what kind of terrifying power would she reach by then?
Surely it wouldn’t mean that this skill would become permanently active, or that all her abilities in every aspect would suddenly increase by dozens of times, right?
Hey, hey, that would be way too crazy! Even Violet herself would start to feel a little scared of her own power...
While her thoughts were spinning like a storm inside, the battle outside didn’t stop to wait for her. After a brief moment of silence, the enemies finally realized that the woman in the white robe standing before them was the real monster here. Their reactions split into two extremes almost instantly.
Some of the smarter ones backed away in panic as if they had seen a ghost, their faces already full of fear. But there were also a few bloodthirsty maniacs, especially the reckless fighters under [Blood Claws], who instead of retreating, were driven mad by their fear. Their eyes turned red, and they screamed as they charged toward her again without hesitation!
Violet didn’t even bother to take them seriously. After all, their weapons couldn’t even break through the basic passive defense of her [Feather Robe Graria], while any casual swing from her could clear out a whole area in front of her in an instant.
Since she didn’t really have any useful low-level area attack spells, she simply took advantage of this new passive boost that seemed to come from [Destruction Mode], and started smashing everyone in sight. Like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, she struck down the so-called “skilled fighters” until they were crying, screaming, and running for their lives.
For a while, the entire rocky valley echoed with explosions and screams. Although Violet had actually been holding back, reducing her strength so as not to cause the same earth-shaking impact as before, the whole battlefield had already fallen into total chaos.
Only then did the mercenary girl, who was clearly the leader and backbone of the group, finally snap out of her shock. While muttering angrily, she quickly tried to adjust their tactics.
“W-What kind of monster is this...?! Damn it! Don’t get close to her! Keep your distance! Attack her with ranged weapons and magic!”
Although her command came a little late, and a few of [Blood Claws]’s men, blinded by rage, ignored her and continued their suicidal charge, most of the others still understood her words.
Especially the mercenaries under that woman’s command. There were only a few dozen of them here, but even in the earlier parts of the fight, they had already shown how cunning they were. They had always stayed behind, using [Black Dogs] and [Blood Claws] members as human shields to reduce their own risk, rarely putting themselves directly in the priestess’s attack path. Because of that, their numbers were still mostly intact, they hadn’t lost much so far.
Hearing their leader’s shout, they were the first to react. Quickly and in good order, they pulled out of melee range and formed a defensive line several dozen meters back. Then, they started launching a series of dense ranged attacks to keep Violet occupied.
It had to be said these mercenaries really were elites. Their teamwork and tactics were perfectly coordinated. Some used magic mirrors or bows to attack from afar; others threw explosives or created smoke screens to block her vision and stop her from charging in.
There were even a few mages hiding among them. Using their allies’ attacks as cover, they had already begun chanting spells in secret, preparing some kind of unknown magical assault.
But what they didn’t realize was that [Feather Robe Graria] didn’t just protect her from physical attacks. Its immunity was complete, covering every possible form of damage with no weak points at all.