The principle behind Divine Smite is remarkably simple. Paladins channel their willpower into Magic Power, then project this specialized energy outward, imbuing their swords with it before unleashing the strike.
Aria, having used Divine Smite for so long, was intimately familiar with this process. Her current task was to replace the sword's imbued light-attribute Magic Power with Half's Ice Power. The essence of the Skill remained unchanged; it was essentially a 'Divine Smite' imbued with ice instead of light.
"Cough, cough!" Simultaneously, Douglas, freed from the Giant Child's chokehold when it attacked Aria, coughed twice before a surge of divine power erupted from him. "Found its weakness yet?"
Perfect timing—six or seven minutes of their ten-minute limit had already passed. It was time to end this.
The crimson divine power crackled like ceaseless lightning as Douglas raised his fists and gently collided them before his chest. Instantly, these scarlet bolts erupted outward from him in all directions.
Such a massive area-of-effect attack left the Giant Child with no escape. It had no choice but to stand its ground and endure the full brunt of the assault.
Zzzzzt~
Feeling the faint, tingling sensation on its skin, the Giant Child chuckled. "Is that all? Doesn't hurt at all..."
But before it could finish speaking, Douglas's towering figure materialized behind it, his colossal shadow engulfing the Giant Child. Red electrical arcs crackled in Douglas's eyes as he raised his fist high, and like a meteorite crashing from the sky, he slammed it down with overwhelming force toward the Giant Child's head!
In truth, these so-called "red lightning" weren't meant for direct attack. They served as markers, tagging the enemy for target acquisition!
Sensing the imminent threat from behind, the Giant Child immediately activated its Imitation Divine Speed, attempting to accelerate away. Yet Douglas's figure remained relentlessly locked behind it, as if moving in parallel. No matter how far the Giant Child fled, Douglas maintained a position one step behind.
This strike was inescapable!
The meteorite-like fist crashed down with earth-shattering force. In that instant, the very concept of "sound" seemed to lose all meaning—not because there was no sound, but because the sound was simply too colossal to comprehend!
Cipher immediately entered her Divine Speed State, able to see the shockwaves rolling toward her with the naked eye. The cat ears on her head drooped slightly, betraying a hint of fear as she hesitated whether to retreat a step.
Just then, Feidric's voice echoed in her mind: "Don't be afraid. My magic will shield you from the sound's effects."
Hearing this, Cipher finally breathed a sigh of relief. With her heightened hearing, she had genuinely feared being caught in the crossfire. Even if the blast didn't deafen her, the resulting dizziness could prove fatal at this critical moment.
Sure enough, as the visible sound waves swept past her, Cipher experienced an eerie silence as if a mute button had been activated. Incredible, she marveled inwardly. Did this magic just adapt to this situation?
"No," Feidric replied. "This magic was designed from the start to nullify sonic attacks. Especially for you, Cipher, with your exceptional hearing, you're vulnerable to sonic attacks. I've been preparing for this all along."
Cipher couldn't help but laugh. "You're so reliable!"
Just then, Aria joined the mental communication channel. "I'm ready!"
"Good!" Cipher replied.
She immediately scooped up Aria and, in Divine Speed State, raced toward Douglas and the Giant Child. As she ran, she could clearly see the Giant Child sprawled on its back, half its head smashed into the ground.
Douglas's punch had left a massive dent in the creature's skull, its face frozen in a mask of shock and agony.
There was no time for amazement. Cipher carried Aria to the designated spot, even gripping her wrists to fine-tune her aim. Mentally, she murmured, "Now!"
BOOM!!!
In an instant, an ice-blue beam slammed into the Giant Child's chest. The aftershock alone caused frost to bloom across the surrounding ground.
Being so close to the epicenter of the attack, even in Divine Speed State, Cipher felt her movements grow sluggish, as if time itself were freezing around her.
The Giant Child still wore the pained expression from Douglas's earlier attack, seemingly oblivious to Aria's strike that had pierced its chest and encased its body in thick ice.
After what felt like three or four minutes to Cipher, the time-freeze effect slowly dissipated. Cipher retreated with Aria in her arms, while Douglas exhaled a frosty breath, staggered back several steps, and began gasping for air.
"Is... is it over?" Aria asked.
"Should be?" Douglas replied. "It can't possibly survive this, right?"
The aftershocks of the attack finally pushed the Warlocks' Reversal Magic Circle to its limit. Cracks like shattered glass appeared in the space before them, accompanied by a soft crack. In the blink of an eye, everyone was yanked out of the Dream Realm and back into the Real World.
The battlefield looked as if the battle had only just begun. The ground was relatively smooth, with few craters, and the surrounding trees remained intact. Yet at the heart of the battlefield, the Giant Child—its head crushed flat and its chest pierced through—twitched slightly before slowly rising to its feet.
Horror filled its remaining half-face. "How... how is this possible?! My power... why has it vanished?!"
A closer look revealed that the Giant Child's wounds had stopped healing. Its body had ceased functioning normally because its 'weak point' had been shattered, severing its connection to the Mother of Flesh. It could no longer draw an endless stream of power from the Outer God.
The Giant Child understood this all too well, only deepening its shock. No, how could it not know its own weakness? So where the hell did this weak point suddenly come from?! Does that even make sense?!
"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" It cursed furiously, golden energy coalescing in its hand. Seeing this, Cipher remarked, "This thing isn't dead, but it's on its last legs..."
Aria raised her longsword once more, channeling her energy. "The final strike?"