Chapter 007: A Bit of Skill

“Honorable Lord Bruce! We mean no offense. I think you already know the answer to this question, so could you please step back?” Nicholas sighed softly.
Bruce’s heart was filled with gloom; he felt as if he were being mocked. Although he had sent everyone away this time, if a fight really broke out, even if they weren’t a match for these three, he could at least escape unharmed.
But their target wasn’t him. If Ordas returned and didn’t find Kris, Bruce couldn’t imagine what he might do.
An out-of-control pawn can be a hundred times more dangerous than a cunning enemy!
So, under such circumstances, Bruce had no choice but to fight. Not only for himself, but also for Kris, Ordas… and for the essence of the gods…
He had to fight—and win decisively.
As if reading Bruce’s thoughts, Tasia suddenly said coldly, “By the way, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell Lord Bruce. Although Young Master Du Fan ordered them to bring the person back alive, he also said that if it’s impossible, killing Kris is acceptable. So whatever you plan to do, consider this outcome: if we take her away, you might still have a chance to retrieve her, but if she dies, you won’t have any chance at all.”
Bruce sighed slightly and said, “It’s unfortunate that I don’t want you to take her away, yet I can’t allow you to harm Kris in the slightest. I guess I only have one option left.”
Nicholas smiled faintly and said, “Good. I also don’t think Lord Bruce, the strongest being close to the Saintly rank, would flee without a fight. So, Lord Bruce, we won’t hold back. And remember, this is a life-or-death struggle, not a sparring match. We definitely won’t spare you—please don’t forget that!”
Bruce sneered and said, “Perfect! I’ve long wanted to learn more about Saint Nicholas’s skills. Since I have this chance today, don’t blame me if I’m not gentle!”
With that, Bruce suddenly opened his mouth and let out a low roar: “Zhà—”
The sound was utterly strange, impossible to decipher. Yet the three people present couldn’t help but show strange expressions upon hearing it. Each of them staggered slightly, as if barely able to withstand it.

Seeing this, Bruce showed a hint of surprise on his face and said, “So you truly are all eighth-level warriors, with exceptionally strong mental powers. Ordinary people, upon hearing my sound attack, would at least take a few steps back if they didn’t spit blood. Yet you all withstood it—very good! Very good!”
With that, Bruce smiled softly again and said, “It seems I no longer need to hold back this time. Let’s see then—whether the three of you are stronger or if I, Bruce, have the upper hand!”
This time, Bruce slightly spread his arms, and a beam of holy light emanated from his palms, like a dazzling sun.
Nicholas glanced at it and his eyes lit up. “It’s Holy Combat Qi. It seems Lord Bruce is quite devout after all. Tasia, Ringo, you two step back for now… Today, I really want to experience just how powerful Lord Bruce’s peak ninth-level Holy Combat Qi really is.”
Tasia was slightly stunned and said, “But…”
“There’s no but,” Nicholas sneered. “Since I, Nicholas, am called a Saint, how could I not be able to handle Holy Combat Qi?”
Tasia and Ringo exchanged a look, sharing a silent understanding, before stepping back a few steps and standing aside on guard, ready to prevent Bruce from escaping at any moment.
At that moment, a flash of surprise crossed Bruce’s face as he said, “Nicholas, do you really think you can take on me alone? If the three of you attack together, I might be a bit worried about you, but if it’s just you, you’re doomed to lose!”
Nicholas snorted and said, “I’m giving you this chance only because of your cultivation of Holy Combat Qi. Why so much talk? If you’re going to fight, do it quickly!”
Bruce smiled softly and said, “Very good! Then I won’t be polite!”
That soft laugh seemed to carry a mix of joy, satisfaction, helplessness, and relief… but Nicholas knew clearly that this Lord Bruce was by no means an ordinary person. Besides his astonishing combat qi, he also knew various strange martial arts. That soft laugh, just like the sound attack earlier, was a form of mental attack—something he absolutely could not take lightly.

Before the laughter faded, Bruce suddenly disappeared from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared behind Nicholas. With his left hand behind his back, his right hand held his index and middle fingers together, and at the tips of his fingers was a glimmer of pure holy light. That light flashed by in an instant, but in that brief moment, Bruce already pointed at Nicholas’s chest.

Dressed in plain clothes, Bruce didn’t seem like a master at first glance. Yet that single move carried an aura of deadly intent. A whirlwind suddenly arose from his right hand, making the clothes on his arm flutter loudly, but he himself remained motionless. Still, he pressed forward with that finger, unswervingly aiming at Nicholas.

Yet Nicholas seemed to have anticipated Bruce’s move. With a soft sigh, he said, “Is this the Holy Heart Finger of Roland Academy? Truly formidable… It’s a shame you practice Light Combat Energy!”

As he spoke, Nicholas turned backward, and everything around seemed to become eerily strange.

Nicholas turned very slowly, yet by the time he was fully turned around, Bruce’s finger still hadn’t reached him. On the contrary, Bruce’s finger moved swiftly, but it couldn’t get any closer to Nicholas—seemingly as if the distance between them had stretched infinitely in an instant.

Although Tasia and Ringtone were also top-tier fighters, this move was beyond their comprehension. They felt dizzy and nearly fainted.

If Du Fan were here, he might have been able to faintly sense that Nicholas’s move involved some use of spatial rules—though it was only a partial application…

Finally, when Nicholas was fully turned around, all the strange phenomena suddenly vanished as if they had never existed. A look of surprise flashed across Bruce’s face, but his move was irreversible. The tiny glimmer of holy light at his fingertips suddenly swelled into a mass of holy energy, rushing toward Nicholas.

Nicholas still smiled faintly and said, “Didn’t I say it? It’s a shame you practice Light Combat Energy!”

As he spoke, a “whoosh” sound was heard. Nicholas stepped back at an angle, his right hand suddenly appearing in front of him, just like Bruce’s posture. Nicholas’s fingertips also carried a hint of holy light as he pointed forward. Two beams of holy light collided violently, but strangely, instead of causing a catastrophic impact, it was as if two sponges were being mashed together—silent and without sound. Immediately afterward, Nicholas’s fingers slightly closed, and those two streams of holy energy surged toward him in an instant. In the blink of an eye, it seemed as though all the holy energy had been absorbed by him. Seizing the advantage, Nicholas didn’t give Bruce time to recover from his shock. He quickly pointed back again, but this time his move carried no holy energy. Instead, it seemed to draw in the surrounding air to form a vortex that rushed toward Bruce. Bruce’s expression turned solemn; he could no longer hide the shock in his eyes. With no way to retreat, he waved his hand sharply, this time with several ice-blue flames in his palm, which he hurled at Nicholas’s attack. The silent attack collided with those ice-blue flames, producing an extremely harsh sound of impact. The surrounding space seemed to tremble slightly, the old bell tower made a creaking noise, and even the water on the ground, which had been accumulating, was instantly sucked dry. A wave-like shockwave spread out violently, lifting fallen leaves and tangled vines into the air. Yet, within this shockwave, three figures remained motionless: the crystal coffin, and of course, Tasia and Ringo. Both of them looked grave, clearly shocked by these two casual moves. But Nicholas smiled. His attack had failed, yet he had already stepped back. With a light laugh, he said, “It seems the Light Combat Energy of Roland Academy does have some skill to it. No wonder it has dared to challenge our Holy Church all these years. It truly has some strength!”