Chapter 98: Priest vs Prophet
Roseus looked up at the same time that a purple bolt of lightning struck through the ceiling and landed nearby. Following this, sand and rubble began to rain from above.
Lencho looked up, and once he noticed that the ceiling was beginning to fall, he looked worried.
He wondered whether he should run or stay with his allies. However, as a large chunk of sandstone nearly flattened him, he knew that he didn’t have any choice.
"Get out of here!" Roseus shouted, and at the same time, Lencho began to Flash Step back towards the way they came.
Blodwen risked a glance at Roseus, who nodded his head back at him. This was to say that he should worry about himself and not the captain. So, he nodded and reached into the shark’s mouth.
He pulled out a stopwatch with a dangling chain from it and pressed the button on its side.
At that exact moment, Blodwen’s body instantly began to dart about the place in a strange pattern before rapidly travelling back towards the entrance of the cave. It was clearly a skill that could rewind his position in the physical world.
This left Roseus staring down the one-armed prophet.
Mikoto brought forth another bolt of lightning that came crashing through the ceiling, bringing about more destruction. He did not care what happened to himself at this moment. He had accepted death and wanted only to bring down his enemies with him.
"Your friends have left you here to die!" Mikoto roared, sending blood and spit flying from his mouth. "None of you should have come here... None of you!"
A third lightning bolt crashed, and this one landed so close to Roseus that he could feel its current zapping him.
If not for his resistance to shock, he might have been stunned.
However, rather than being fearful, Roseus cheered inwardly. He had been waiting for that third strike.
As he looked up, he could see the skies above through the cracks in the ceiling. Grey clouds were swirling in the dark sky, both of which were two different shades.
Blood started to leak from all of Roseus’ orifices.
Mikoto looked up. When he saw the state of the skies, his eyes widened greatly before looking back down at Roseus.
"These powers..." His voice trailed off beneath the sound of rain and thunder. "These are the powers of a priest."
Roseus smiled a bloody smile.
As soon as the first crack appeared in the ceiling, Roseus had focused on stirring up the powers of the storm. However, since Mikoto’s storm was also present in the skies, he did not push too hard immediately, in case the man felt the new presence.
Now, it was time.
Using the powers of the storm, he pushed against Mikoto’s as hard as he could. The two forces collided in the skies, and since Mikoto was currently weakened, it was an even battle.
After a silent battle, which resembled an arm wrestle in the skies, Roseus finally let out his first bolt of lightning. However, it did not enter the cave.
Roseus instead watched as it missed the crack and landed somewhere above, in the desert.
Then, a few seconds later, Roseus vanished.
When he reappeared, he was first surrounded by blinding golden light. Then, he found himself standing on the desert sand with rain pouring down on him. He was standing atop a sand dune.
His first instinct was to look around and see if Blodwen and Lencho had arrived.
Not yet...
Afterwards, he positioned himself away from the collapsing crater in the sand that led to the cave.
Then, another bolt struck from the sky. This time, it landed on the desert a few metres away from him.
The bolt was purple, and after it faded away, Mikoto was left standing there. His arm still poured blood profusely.
Yet he was still adamant. The man had one job, and it was to finish off Priest Roseus right there.
Mikoto raised his one good arm and sent a bolt shooting straight for Roseus.
He took the bolt straight to the chest, sending him staggering backwards. Although he was somewhat resistant to lightning, he was not resistant to its impact.
Not to mention, his lightning resistance was not absolute. He could still feel painful currents shocking his entire body.
Still, he gritted his teeth and outstretched both hands to the side, as though he were addressing a crowd in the desert.
Two bolts of lightning struck from the sky, both golden. One landed on Mikoto’s figure at a diagonal angle, sending the man staggering to the side and almost off balance. Being a prophet seemed to give him some sort of immunity to lightning, but once again, not to its impact.
The second bolt of lightning struck exactly fifty metres away, which was the maximum distance that Roseus was able to Storm Jump.
He teleported towards the bolt, far behind Mikoto.
The man turned around and raised his palm towards the sound of the bolt. He planned to send another bolt towards Roseus before he could recover from the teleportation.
But when he turned, he saw the priest aiming a gun at him.
This gun was loaded with six bullets, each of which was regular and not a treasure. However, due to his distance multiplier skill, they would have increased impact.
Bang.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Roseus placed one hand over the hammer of the barrel and repeatedly cocked the gun as he pulled the trigger in succession, letting out six shots.
The bullets flew across the desert sands towards Mikoto.
Since becoming a Deckhand, Roseus’ accuracy had naturally increased, allowing him to hit shots over distances that most men would miss.
This didn’t allow him to land all six shots, but the two that hit were enough.
Mikoto wasn’t able to use his powers in time, and two bullets struck him in the chest and flew out through his back.
The already severely weakened man stumbled backwards a few times before falling onto his arse in the sand.
Half of the clouds above suddenly dispersed.
No more purple lightning fell from the sky.
