Chapter 343: The Calling
"Since you think you’re so damn great, be the first one to die!"
A Philosopher-level Sorcerer instantly appeared just inches away from Priam. The atmosphere around them cracked immediately, the overwhelming pressure freezing the very air.
A monstrous hand steeped in corruption reached straight for his throat. The suffocating aura of a Philosopher descended upon the area like a divine mountain, paralyzing both heaven and earth.
But... Priam simply smiled.
A cold, icy smile filled with absolute contempt.
He didn’t even bother trying to retreat. His eyes showed not the slightest trace of fear — only disdain for the one standing before him.
The Sorcerer took it as the useless pride of someone who had already accepted his death. ’Just a mere insect trying to keep up appearances,’ he thought, a savage, sadistic grin forming on his face. He could already imagine the sound of Priam’s neck bones shattering.
"You fucking bastard!"
A chilling roar tore through the skies. A colossal sword sliced through space-time in a devastating arc, shooting straight toward the Sorcerer’s head.
Mishnar, consumed by desperation and absolute hatred, had unleashed all her power without holding anything back!
The Sorcerer’s eyes widened. His hand was barely fifty centimeters from Priam’s throat, but Mishnar’s blade carried the promise of cleaving him in half if he continued the attack.
With a brutal reflex, he shifted his focus and raised a gigantic shield of corrupt energy to block the incoming strike.
What he could never have predicted was that Priam had never been affected by his pressure in the first place.
Instantly nullifying the Philosopher’s coercion through the System, Priam moved his arm with unreal speed.
In his right hand... a simple black branch appeared.
**POW!**
The black branch struck the Sorcerer squarely in the face.
The impact generated such a monstrous shockwave that the fabric of space around them cracked. The Philosopher’s head and body spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees in a bizarre jerk, while half his teeth exploded out of his mouth along with a spray of blood!
At the exact millisecond when the brutal impact destabilized the Sorcerer’s energy flow, Mishnar’s giant sword slammed into the weakened shield.
**BOOOOM!**
The corrupt barrier shattered like cheap glass.
Mishnar’s massive blade struck the enemy’s chest with the force of a meteor, sending him flying across the battlefield. The Sorcerer flew like an uncontrolled projectile, vomiting blood as his robes were reduced to tattered rags in midair.
"Why don’t you try attacking someone your own size, you bastard?!"
An imposing female figure landed heavily between Priam and the rising cloud of dust, a broad sword resting on her shoulder.
"Mother!"
"Elder Leader!"
Seeing that overwhelming presence, Inigo and the other disciples burst into cheers of excitement.
"What the hell is that?!"
Someone let out an incredulous scream. In the middle of the battlefield, silence fell like a bomb. Tens of thousands of heads turned toward the same spot... and the air froze under a wave of pure bewilderment.
Even Priam, known for his unshakable apathy, blinked several times. An expression of profound existential doubt appeared on his face.
"A... a dress?!"
Beneath the torn and burned rags of the terrifying Philosopher-level Sorcerer who was getting back up, the truth was revealed: a fiery-red women’s dress, tight-fitting, silky, and ridiculously extravagant.
"What kind of bizarre fetish is that?! Just looking at him is making my vision blurry..." Dandara covered her eyes, making a face as if she’d just swallowed rotten poison.
The Sorcerer’s face turned an unbelievable shade of purple. The black mark on his face looked almost like some tacky decoration against his deeply flushed skin of utter humiliation. He looked like he was about to blow his own brains out from embarrassment.
In the distance, Shakwi was also trembling with rage, the vein on his forehead bulging. After all, that was none other than his own son! The family’s prestige had been pulverized in a matter of milliseconds.
In reality, that dress was an extremely high-level Emperor-grade Spiritual Artifact, created by a legendary master from antiquity. It was an impeccable defensive item that anyone would covet. The only "detail" was that it had been designed exclusively for female use.
When he found the treasure, the Sorcerer refused to give up such incredible protection. His "brilliant" solution? Wear the outfit underneath and stuff three enormous men’s robes over it. Who would ever know?
And, in fact, the garment had saved his life.
Without the artifact’s barrier, Mishnar’s devastating blow would have turned his organs into jelly.
The problem was the price... now, everyone there was staring at him as if he were the weirdest freak in the world. The sheer visual shock of such a brutal Sorcerer wearing such an eye-catching outfit possessed an unparalleled power to mentally destroy anyone who witnessed it.
"You bastards! I’M GOING TO CUT YOUR TONGUES OUT!" he roared, desperately pulling out an enormous black robe and covering himself as if trying to hide a crime.
"You depraved maniac... does your dressing like a prostitute have anything to do with Boss, or is that fetish all yours?" Dandara shot back disdainfully.
Priam slowly nodded, keeping the most serious expression in the world. "You really should consider changing your title from Sorcerer to Stripper. It suits your calling infinitely better."
The Sorcerer ground his remaining teeth together so hard that the sound cracked through the air. Literal flames almost burst from his pupils.
The combination of Dandara’s verbal poison and Priam’s solemn slander delivered such a supreme insult that even if everyone there died today, the story of the "Red-Dressed Sorcerer" would be sung for millennia.
"GO TO HELL!" Mishnar roared, taking advantage of the enemy’s mental collapse to charge forward with everything she had.
In the distance, the other Elders also clashed with the opposing Philosophers. Mishnar, who was originally supposed to face Shakwi, simply decided to eliminate his son first.
"ALL DISCIPLES, FALL BACK! GET AWAY FROM THE IMPACT ZONE!" Dandara shouted, pulling the troops away from the carnage of the higher ranks.
Meanwhile, the horde of ordinary Sorcerers, finally awakening from the trance caused by their leader’s dress, let out a collective roar and surged forward like a raging tide.
The real battle was finally beginning... or almost.
Priam gave a cold smile, activated his Elemental Physique, and simply disappeared into thin air.