Chapter 18

"Leave them, they are the last sacrifices!" the shadow figure instructed the fifth-level priest standing at the front.

"Your wish is our mission!" The priest bowed respectfully. Then, he turned around and shouted to the other kneeling believers, "The great true god needs more sacrifices, go and bring over those sinners who are peeping at the true god!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and swung it sharply. A dark red light followed his movement and directly struck Ji Ran and his group!

"Watch out, take cover quickly!"

The priest's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. Feeling the impending danger, Lai Si immediately charged forward and rolled into a bush!

The others reacted quickly and scattered. Ji Ran managed to grab Lydia's waist and fled with the frail mage.

However, it was too late. The dark red light instantly appeared above everyone's heads, not falling but exploding in mid-air. Then, a large area was enveloped by the dark red light.

Everyone immediately felt a sluggish state, with every movement becoming slow. Although everyone was still trying to rush out, the dozen or so believers from the valley had already arrived...

"We can't leave without dealing with them!" Lai Si barely managed to escape the area affected by the group slowing spell, but it was too late to run. Moreover, Ban and Baker were still under the effect of the slowing spell. If he fled now, the remaining two would have no chance of escaping...

With a roar, Lai Si, holding a bone-blade sword, turned and charged at the believers!

These believers of the True God Sect were not particularly powerful, but they were roughly at the third-level standard. Among them were warriors and mages. After surrounding everyone, they immediately launched an attack. A few warriors moved forward, while the mages began chanting spells. Waves of magical energy fluctuated, and it was clear that if these spells landed, no one would emerge unscathed...

At this moment, Lai Si arrived. He charged from the front to the warriors, swinging his greatsword with both hands!

The greatsword was enveloped in a layer of fighting aura, increasing its attack range by half. Some warriors were quick-witted and jumped back to avoid the attack, disrupting the formation of the mages behind; while some more stubborn ones tried to block Lai Si's attack with their weapons, but none could withstand it and were swept back by the greatsword!

With a loud boom, the fighting aura exploded. Half of the warriors charging forward were sent flying, even knocking down two mages!

However, there is a common trait among cults: the believers are often fearless of death.

The warriors who dodged Lai Si's sword, after he retracted it, immediately charged forward again. The ones who fell did not suffer much damage and quickly rolled back up, continuing their attacks!

The mages' spells were almost complete. If they were allowed to cast, Lai Si, Baker, and Ban, who were facing them, would inevitably suffer severe injuries...

At this moment, an ice spike rose from among the mages. The mage standing in the center was pierced through the foot by the ice spike, screaming in pain, and his spell was interrupted.

And this was not the end. The ice spike immediately exploded, enveloping the mages in a large cloud of ice mist. All the mages were covered in a thin layer of frost, greatly slowing their movements!

Suddenly, Ji Ran appeared from nowhere. He held an iron sword and quickly advanced to a mage, thrusting the sword toward the mage's chest!

The mage never expected someone to suddenly appear in front of him and was momentarily stunned. Before he could react, the iron sword had already pierced his body, straight into his heart...

Ji Ran's mind was blank, with no thoughts. Seeing an opportunity and finding the right angle, he naturally moved in and thrust the iron sword. It was like playing a game, where he seized every opportunity to attack.

However, when the sword truly pierced the body, and he heard the person's scream, feeling the sensation through the sword, he was stunned.

He... had killed someone? A real person, not an NPC in a game! He had personally ended a life!

For a moment, he was rooted to the spot. The shock was immense, realizing he had actually killed someone!

Although he had thought about this day when he arrived in this world and believed he would have no psychological barriers, the reality proved that he had overestimated his willpower.

If it were by other means, it might have been better, but this direct method of piercing a weapon into someone's heart made him feel the reality of killing, which he could not adapt to.

He even felt a strong urge to vomit and forgot to pull out the sword.

Just as he was in a daze, a figure suddenly pounced from the side, knocking him to the ground. Then, the person rolled with him, stopping after a long distance.

The impact brought Ji Ran back to his senses. The sounds of battle reached his ears, and he saw the flashing blades and swords. Turning his head, he saw that it was Ban who had knocked him down.

"What are you daydreaming about? Do you want to die?" Ban shouted at him, raising his shield to block a sudden sword strike.

Ban stood up, and Ji Ran, in a daze, also stood up. Yes, he was in a battle, a life-or-death situation. If he didn't kill, others would kill him...

Now, two of the True God Sect believers had fallen, one mage and one warrior. The mage was killed by Ji Ran, and the warrior was taken down by Baker from the side. Ailin and Lydia were protected by Lai Si and were fighting hard. However, the sect members were not weak; they had underestimated Lai Si's combat power and were caught off guard by Lydia's spells and Ji Ran's sudden attack.

After all, they were third-level professionals, and their numbers gave them an advantage. Overall, their strength exceeded that of Lai Si's group. After stabilizing, Lai Si and the others found it difficult to resist.

When Ji Ran killed the mage, it was a good opportunity. If he had continued to charge, he might have killed another. However, he was caught in the shock of his first kill...

"Don't daydream! Stand up! You are fighting for your life, no time for disgust and revulsion!" Ban shouted again, pushing a True God Sect believer with his shield. At the same time, a small shield appeared beside him, blocking an arrow.

Ji Ran shook his head hard. Ban had seen his problem and told him what was most important. Yes, he had no time to regret or fear killing. To survive and protect his companions, he had to make his sword bloody again!

Since he had come to this world, he should have the resolve to kill!

After a slight shake, Ji Ran steadied himself. Looking at the mages chanting spells in the distance, he took a deep breath.

Battle! For survival!

He instantly activated his school's light skill, circling around to the side of the two warriors charging forward. Activating it again, he appeared directly in front of the mages!

First, kill these mages who posed the greatest threat to everyone!

He raised his longsword and swung it down at a mage. Thunderclap!

A thunderous sound rang out, and the mage facing him stopped chanting in fear. The backlash of magic made blood seep from the corner of his mouth, making him even more powerless to dodge Ji Ran's sword!

At this moment, a yellow light appeared on the mage. A warrior also charged forward, desperately blocking Ji Ran's sword with his own.

Clang! Ji Ran's Thunderclap knocked the warrior's sword away. But with the delay caused by the warrior and the yellow light protecting the mage, he did not kill the mage with one strike but only knocked him to the ground.

A mage behind was still in the casting position. Clearly, he had cast a spell in time to protect the mage in front, saving his life.

Ji Ran wanted to step forward and deliver a finishing blow, but the warrior had already charged forward, blocking his attack. The warrior's madness made Ji Ran somewhat flustered, unable to continue his pursuit.

However, the mage was not only being watched by Ji Ran.

The mage's protective light was dispelled by Ji Ran's sword, and he was struggling to stand up. At this moment, a black light flashed from a distance. With a whoosh, an arrow pierced his neck.

The mage's eyes widened, and he reached out to pull the arrow. But his remaining strength was not enough to complete the action, and he soon fell to the ground.

The one who delivered the finishing blow was Ailin. The elf ranger had been watching the battle from a distance and interfering with the enemy archer to prevent him from harming their side. Seeing the opportunity, she had Huaruo distract the archer while she shot the arrow, hitting the unfortunate mage.

Ji Ran took a deep breath, gradually stabilizing his mind. This was a life-and-death struggle, and he had no room for hesitation. Even if the opponent was a real person, he could not hesitate!

He unleashed the Four Seasons Sword Technique! Although his level was only 24, not as high as the third-level warriors, he had an unparalleled sword technique!

A sword sweep, and the sword energy spread. The warrior in front of him was quickly forced to retreat.

On the other side, the battle continued. With two mages and a warrior dead, the True God Sect's strength was greatly reduced. Lai Si's combat experience far exceeded his current level. Even with only fourth-level strength, he was using the power of the bone-blade sword and Baker's assistance to press the warriors back.

Lydia was not idle either. Using the few limited spells she knew, she continuously harassed the enemy warriors. The damage was not significant, and the enemy still had two mages providing support...

If it were just this, the battle might have continued for a while. But after Ailin, with Huaruo's help, blocked the enemy archer's line of sight and delivered a fatal shot, the situation changed dramatically.

Ji Ran's group now had a significant advantage, and it seemed that it would not take long to eliminate the enemy!

Just as everyone was pressing forward, a cold snort suddenly came from the battlefield.

"A bunch of failures! Power, will, grant it to my believers!" A large white light suddenly flew from a distance and entered the bodies of the True God Sect believers!

The believers immediately perked up, as if injected with a stimulant, their strength greatly increased!

The fifth-level priest, who had been hiding in the back, finally came forward to act.