Chapter 66: The Secret of the Soul, Manifesting Flowing Radiance

Unlike the standard golden hue of the Holy Light system, this time, the holy staff in the hands of the black-haired girl radiated a dazzling array of colors.

The flowing light descended like a divine gift, transforming into colorful musical notes that fell upon all those who were suffering from having their souls stripped away.

The soul deprivation by the vengeful spirits was undoubtedly fierce. According to the intel, a complete adult would be devoured in less than a minute, while a child would be even faster—let alone those who were already wounded in spirit.

However, in reality.

Three seconds—that was the time it took for the soul of the maid sister before me to be restored, while the others at most took another extra three seconds.

They say it’s easy to kill, but hard to save, yet these splendid celestial sounds healed everyone almost instantaneously, far exceeding the speed of tenfold plundering.

Tier 10 Magic—【Manifesting Flowing Radiance】.

This is a wide-area group healing skill, but its purpose isn’t to restore conventional HP or MP.

SP value, which can only be possessed and used by players at level 100 or above, as well as certain high-tier NPCs and boss characters.

Its role is typically to drive the ultimate skills in the world of 【Phantom Realms】—the legendary magic, attainable only upon reaching level 100 and learning all visible skills in a single category.

Moreover, the higher the SP held by a player, the more powerful and effective their various skills become.

Conversely, if SP is completely depleted, a player will be afflicted with a state similar to dizziness, while NPCs or monsters will exhibit the mark of【Extreme Weakness】, drastically reducing their battle power—a true double-edged sword with both benefits and drawbacks.

Thus, in the late stages of the game, methods for replenishing SP are crucial among high-end players, and recovery channels are far rarer and more difficult than conventional HP or MP, mostly replenished only slowly over time.

However, Miss Vilyric happened to be a player who grasped such methods, and she had more than one way to restore SP.

For example, the Tier 9 magic【Blessing from the Heavens】, which she initially cast at Wanku Fortress in a semi-experimental manner, had SP recovery effects.

But【Blessing from the Heavens】was only a single-target magic, and could only be cast on herself. While units within its coverage would enjoy the same recovery effect, frankly, its limited range was of no real significance in battles involving hundreds or even thousands.

The reason【Manifesting Flowing Radiance】is Tier 10 is that it can simultaneously release its effects on up to a thousand targets in an instant. Although it can only restore SP, as long as Vilyric’s MP isn’t exhausted, she can continuously replenish it before the skill’s cooldown expires.

It may seem a bit underwhelming and far less grand compared to other Tier 10 magic spells, but only players who truly reach the max level and understand the role of SP can comprehend how important this skill is.

Even for Vilyric, this top-tier priestess at level 110, the means to replenish SP were still rather limited—at most seven or eight options, even fewer than the number of resurrection spells.

All along, she never quite understood what SP was, why it was needed to drive legendary magic, and why it produced both beneficial and detrimental effects.

But after coming to this world and encountering the concepts of souls, and through continuous experimentation, especially in light of today’s experience, Vilyric suddenly understood a bit.

SP is the soul, the power of the spirit.

Thus,【Manifesting Flowing Radiance】restores the souls of living beings.

She had already seen the best proof of this among those gradually recovering their spirits around her.

However, mere healing wasn’t enough.

“Xiao Guang, stay here and watch over these people. If anything happens, use the contract to inform me, okay?”

“Sure.”

The little dragon daughter nodded obediently, though her expression briefly turned to one of suspicion.

“But Master, what are you going to do? Find Miss Liliya?”

Hmm?

Why did this little girl say that out of nowhere? While there’s a high chance Liliya was indeed over there, I was clearly off to conduct important business, right? Why does it sound like I’m off on a date?

Setting aside the strange implications, Xiao Guang has indeed become more self-aware recently. Although it can be a bit of a headache at times, overall, it’s a good thing—like seeing my silly daughter finally grow up, hehehe~

With a fatherly chuckle in my heart, I, the priestess who excels at managing expressions, nonetheless maintained a serious demeanor on the surface as I explained.

“Of course not… While I’ve temporarily saved their lives, if we don’t eliminate the source that’s absorbing their soul power, it’s ultimately just a temporary fix.”

At this point, a measure of seriousness surfaced on the otherwise carefree face of the priestess.

“You understand, right? I’m a priestess, and that means more than just a profession.”

“?”

The blonde giant dragon girl was momentarily taken aback, and soon smiled helplessly, the look of suspicion on her face fading.

“…That’s really a classic Master statement. Got it; I won’t let you down here. No matter who comes, I’ll knock them down!”

“Thanks, Xiao Guang. You’re the best~”

Vilyric waved her staff, leaving behind a spell node capable of sustaining【Manifesting Flowing Radiance】for a while. She tiptoed to pat her pet’s little head and swiftly turned to leave.

As she walked away, the dragon daughter narrowed her eyes in comfortable bliss from the head pat, and only then did she slowly open her gem-like golden eyes, her smile growing even more radiant.

“I feel the same, Master~”

…

After sending off some of the wounded, Princess Liliya’s expedition team pressed deeper, having essentially decimated the main forces at the stronghold of the Throne of Immortality. Liliya chose not to split the team further.

With nearly a hundred powerful warriors at least of Ink Steel level, including fighters and knights at the front, archers and mages, priests included, they cautiously advanced.

Additionally, although Miss Natalie had been sent out for treatment due to exhaustion and ongoing drug experimentation, the somewhat stable Miss Edwina voluntarily requested to join and was currently with the team.

After some time of rest and healing, her injuries had mostly recovered. Although her depleted divine power couldn’t be refilled immediately, her combat capability wouldn’t be too weak; at her sky-level strength, she would still be able to lend a hand.

Mainly because, as one of the only two who had escaped from the prison, Edwina was the only one familiar with the internal paths of the orphanage, allowing them to save a considerable amount of exploration time—hence why Liliya didn’t refuse her offer.

Of course, Princess Liliya had also asked about this Holy Knight’s background and conducted some tests, confirming that she posed no issues.

Now, Edwina was walking alongside another member of the team, a middle-aged swordsman named Nickles, chatting casually as they moved.

“I see, Mr. Nickles, you’re from the Empire, a disciple of the Gale Flow? No wonder your swordsmanship is so extraordinary; it’s likely few can easily defeat you across the land!”

“Haha, Miss Edwina flatters me. I’m just a rough and tumble fighter; my sword skills are merely the superficial teachings of my master. How could I be worthy of being called extraordinary?”

The Fierce Wolf chuckled wryly, his right hand resting on his sword hilt as he subtly adjusted his stance, maintaining readiness to draw his sword at any moment, while his conversation never halted.

“The world is vast, with countless strong beings. There are truly those who could crush me with just a single finger. I’m quite aware of my own weight.”

“Wait, what? Crush you with just a single finger…? That can’t be an exaggeration, right?”

Edwina tilted her head in surprise. She had witnessed the prowess of this Gale Flow swordsman firsthand; he was a peak level sky warrior. It wouldn’t be out of place to call him a “swordsman par excellence.”

What kind of existence could so crush Mr. Nickles? Even someone beyond the realm of the Gale Sword Saint wouldn’t be able to do that, right?

Suddenly, two figures of girls flashed through the girl’s mind, and she seemed to come to an understanding.

“Indeed, true strong beings do exist in this world, and we are still far from their caliber.”

“Haha, Miss Edwina speaks wisely. It’s pretty rare for young people today to possess such a humble mindset…”

   

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