With the protection of a Tier 4 spell, Emi finally earned a moment to catch his breath. His mana had been severely depleted during the chase.

But he didn’t dare rest for long. The Stone Shield, lasting only three minutes, couldn’t protect him indefinitely. Moreover, this was the vampires’ lair, and the longer he delayed, the slimmer his chances of escape became.

He turned his attention to his ultimate survival skill.

Tier 3 Spell — Shadow Step

Shadow Step: A long-distance teleportation through the shadow plane, consuming 150 mana points.

[T/N: The author used the exact same name as the tier 2 spell, i don't know if this is a mistake or intentional so i’ll leave it alone for now.]

This was a life-saving skill he had learned as a Shadow Priest, capable of randomly teleporting him twenty kilometers away—an almost foolproof escape.

However, the casting time for this spell was a full minute and a half.

And because the destination was random, it carried significant risks—he could end up in a beast’s den or on the edge of a cliff. Thus, Emi only intended to use it as a last resort.

Combined with the Tier 4 spell — Stone Shield, he was absolutely confident in his ability to escape.

If the opponent wanted to cast a Tier 4 spell to break the Stone Shield, it would take at least three to four minutes of preparation. That would be more than enough time for him to flee.

With an angry glance at Li De hovering in the sky, Emi ignored him, closed his eyes, and began channeling mana into the Tier 3 spell, Shadow Step.

Li De placed the last vial of Mana-Infused Blood in his mouth. In less than ten minutes, he had already consumed two vials.

This was the third.

Mana-Infused Blood, truly worthy of being a potion created by the divine remains of vampire gods for over a century, provided immense benefits to vampires.

One vial increased recovery speed by 1000%, but that wasn’t the limit. With continued consumption, the second vial stacked to 1500%, and the third reached the maximum of 2000%.

Though the stacking effect peaked after three doses, its duration was brief—only two minutes at the peak rate. Afterward, it would gradually decrease, dropping back to 1000% after five minutes.

But during those two minutes of triple stacking, Li De’s mana recovery would reach a terrifying 20 points per second.

Even firing five Small Fireballs per second only consumed 15 points of mana, meaning his mana would overflow during this period.

For a full five minutes, he could maintain maximum firepower without restraint.

Stone Shield? Tier 4 spell?

Even anti-magic stones capable of resisting Tier 4 spells could be melted by the Small Fireball spell. Who knew how long this Tier 4 spell could hold up?!

Mana surged furiously into the improved magic model of the Small Fireball spell. A faint blue glow flashed, and within 0.2 seconds, all the magic nodes were activated. By the time the fireball left his hand, exactly 0.2 seconds had passed.

True Gatling Fireball activated.

Ratatatatatat~

A long stream of fiery projectiles erupted from Li De’s hands.

If using the Gatling Fireball against the anti-magic stone in the Crimson Mage Tower was merely a magical experiment, then this fully unleashed assault allowed Li De to experience for the first time the terrifying damage and power of magic.

And the prolonged, high-frequency barrage of Small Fireballs was far more intimidating than any Tier 4 spell.

Bang, bang, bang~

One Small Fireball after another exploded against the Stone Shield. The ripples caused by the Tier 4 spell grew larger and larger.

The originally transparent shield turned crimson under the relentless bombardment of scorching fireballs. The temperature within the enclosed space climbed at an unimaginable rate.

In less than a minute, over two hundred Small Fireballs struck the same spot.

The core temperature reached a bluish-purple flame, soaring to several thousand degrees.

The Tier 4 spell, Stone Shield, was enduring thousands of degrees of heat every second. The mana sealed within the magic scroll was being consumed at an alarming rate.

Emi, who was halfway through casting Shadow Step, suddenly froze. The overwhelming surge of external mana disrupted his already fragile concentration, causing his mana input to abruptly halt.

When the mana flow stopped, the magic model for Shadow Step collapsed instantly, sending a sharp pain shooting through Emi’s mind.

Overcome with grief and anger, he snapped his eyes open. But the first thing he saw was the searing, violent flames dancing atop the Stone Shield.

Fear coursed through him from head to toe in an instant.

Though the Stone Shield blocked all magical energy transfer, it couldn’t prevent the temperature within Emi’s enclosed space from rising continuously. In just a few dozen seconds, the temperature had climbed to over 70 degrees Celsius.

The intense heat inside the shield made breathing nearly impossible for Emi, and the burning air prevented him from continuing his spellcasting.

How could this be?! This was a Tier 4 spell!!

How could it be on the verge of collapse in such a short time?!

What kind of existence was that vampire outside?!

Emi’s heart filled with despair, like bitter ale. There was no way to break through a defensive Tier 4 spell quickly unless one used a higher-level spell to brute-force it.

But that vampire outside had managed to grind down his Tier 4 spell using nothing but the Small Fireball spell—a spell typically used only by low-level mages!

At this moment, his faith in magic nearly crumbled. His beliefs were shattered.

Less than ten seconds after Emi’s spellcasting was interrupted, crack~

A sound like shattering glass rang out.

The Stone Shield, released just a minute ago, shattered.

Bang~

An unimaginable wave of scorching heat erupted.

The terrifying shockwave caused more than ten nearby houses to collapse.

At the center of the explosion, Emi, the Shadow Priest bearing the title of Blasphemer, was engulfed by the heatwave. His Magic Shield collapsed instantly.

Within seconds, he was on the brink of death.

Every piece of clothing on his body had been charred by the extreme heat.

At this point, Li De finally ceased his spellcasting. Instead of descending immediately, he flew fifty meters away, his eyes filled with caution.

Snap~

With a flick of his fingers, Mage Hand appeared.

The massive Mage Hand instantly transformed into a chain. Under his control, it tightly bound Emi’s hands and feet.

Even a warrior would need some time to break free from the Mage Hand’s grip, which exerted hundreds of pounds of force. How much more so for an elderly Priest?

No matter how prestigious his title, he couldn’t escape the physical limitations of a spellcaster.

Thus, this sudden battle came to an end.

Li De emerged victorious in a manner beyond outsiders’ imagination. His opponent—the boss figure bearing the title of Blasphemer—had been utterly helpless throughout the entire fight.

The only offensive spell Emi managed to cast was a Tier 2 spell, Thunder Explosion.

A battle where a Blasphemer was crushed by Small Fireballs.

Not long after, the other vampires arrived at the battlefield. Harrison stood behind Li De, his eyes filled with admiration.

“Clan Leader, your brilliance burns brighter than the gods themselves. Praise be to you!”

After the battle began, Li De had ordered him to seal off Dawn City. He knew that a battle of this caliber was beyond what he, a mage unfamiliar with offensive spells, could handle. After Li De took control of the situation, he didn’t allow the other vampires to intervene, so they became mere spectators.

Precisely because he was a spectator, he had the fortune to witness Li De’s divine descent—the endless barrage of fireballs resembling a blazing sun.

Powerful and majestic progenitor, praise be to the Goddess of Night—no, praise be to the Holy Spirit, for granting us such a mighty progenitor.

“Go restrain him. Be careful; don’t let him pull any tricks.”

Li De waved dismissively, ignoring the flattery.

Several vampires stepped forward, restraining Emi and binding him securely with manacles infused with large amounts of mana-blocking materials. They stripped him of everything except his undergarments.

Now, even if he tried to scheme, there was no way he could cause trouble.

Seeing this, Li De retracted his bat wings. The excitement lingering on his face after the battle slowly faded, replaced by calmness.

Yet, just as he thought he could remain composed after defeating a boss with the title of Blasphemer, a wide grin spread across his lips.

At that moment, system notifications chimed in.

“Ding~ You have defeated a Shadow Priest who blasphemed against the Knight God. Gain +10 favor with the Knight God.

You will receive a 20% discount when purchasing supplies from the Temple of the Knight God.”

“Ding~ Your improved Small Fireball spell has automatically optimized its magic model by 10% after prolonged, high-intensity use. Casting speed has increased.”

“Ding~ After enduring a grueling battle and continuous high-intensity mana usage, your mana pool has increased by 10.”

“Ding~ You have defeated a Level 14 Shadow Priest. Gain 200 Character Experience Points.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com