Vera puffed out her cheeks in mild frustration. After all, she was a third-tier wind mage—not entirely incapable of defending herself.
But as her gaze fell upon the countless crimson eyes glowing at the base of the hill, her legs nearly gave out, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Humans’ fear of darkness was innate, rooted perhaps as far back as prehistoric times.
The dark creatures, once humanity’s natural predators and apex hunters of the night, embodied this primordial terror. Even the most disciplined Black Knights couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease at the sight of those countless glowing dots resembling a hellish inferno.
Rowan Kai, however, remained unfazed.
He lived by a saying from his homeland: **“All fear stems from a lack of firepower.”**
And soon, this philosophy would be put to the test.
---
The hillside lit up with countless crimson eyes, flickering like hellfire against the shroud of night. Plague ratmen, armed with rusty weapons, let out ear-piercing shrieks as they charged uphill, their claws scraping the ground in a cacophony of hisses and growls—a dark tide, surging with unstoppable momentum.
A golden light hummed and erupted, splitting the darkness like dawn breaking through the night.
The holy light array activated in an instant, scattering streaks of light across the blackened air. With a blinding flash, the plague ratmen caught within its radius disintegrated into ash. Their death cries were sharp and shrill, echoing like curses upon the radiant barrier that had ended them.
Blades of light erupted from the ground, weaving a lethal web that sliced through the oncoming swarm. The aftermath of the holy light swept across the slope like a tempest, clearing the stench of decay from the air and replacing it with the sharp tang of scorched flesh.
---
Standing atop the hill, Vera watched the scene unfold, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She gripped her staff tightly, cold sweat dripping from her brow and wetting the corners of her eyes.
The holy light array was awe-inspiring in its power, yet the seemingly endless waves of dark creatures kept coming. The sea of crimson eyes in the darkness was suffocating.
“Rowan Kai… can this really hold them back?” Vera’s voice trembled, caught between fear and a desperate hope.
The hill was now a battlefield drenched in chaos. The snarls of dark creatures and the shrieks of the plague ratmen were deafening. Rowan stood at the peak, raising a hand casually as a tendril of holy light flowed from his fingertips into the ground.
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With a deep hum, the buried runes around the hill began to glow one by one.
“Prismatic Array, activate.”
Rowan’s voice was calm yet commanding, the harbinger of a silent storm.
In an instant, the runes exploded with radiant silver light. Countless beams of light, fine as threads, shot forth from the array, crisscrossing and weaving into a dense web of destruction. Each beam reflected within the array, growing more precise and intense with every refracted strike. The entire hillside was engulfed in pure holy light, tearing apart the night itself.
---
“This is the true Holy Light Barrier,” Rowan said with a smirk, his eyes glinting with a touch of mischief.
The first wave of plague ratmen didn’t even have time to scream before they were pierced by countless beams of light. Their bodies were shredded into tiny fragments and instantly vaporized by the intense heat, leaving only the faintest trace of charred flesh in the wind.
A werewolf leader roared defiantly, slashing forward with his claws. But the moment he stepped into the array, a horizontal beam severed his claws.
Before he could react, more beams converged on him from all directions, slicing him apart layer by layer. His body dissolved into wisps of smoke, leaving not even ashes behind.
---
Vera shielded her eyes from the searing light, peeking through her fingers at the spectacle. The beams of light darted through the darkness like countless blades, leaving no survivors in their wake.
The dark creatures were thrown into disarray, their fury and terror mingling as the oppressive holy light dimmed the crimson glow in their eyes.
“These light beams…” Vera muttered to herself, “their paths—every refraction is more precise. Did he calculate their movements in advance?”
“Of course. Precision is my forte,” Rowan replied lightly, adjusting the output of the array as if it were child’s play. “If it weren’t accurate, how else would I harvest them so efficiently with holy light?”
As if on cue, another wave of plague ratmen rushed into the array. In an instant, they were reduced to powder. Wisps of white smoke rose into the air, shrouding the battlefield in a ghostly mist.
Knight Commander Keltis stood in stunned silence, awe evident in his voice. “Your Highness, this array… it’s nothing short of a holy miracle!”
Rowan chuckled, spreading his arms theatrically. “A miracle? No, it’s the perfect marriage of faith and technology. Miracles are the refuge of the lazy. I don’t believe in laziness.”
---
Vera covered her nose, her expression conflicted. “Rowan Kai, this holy light… is it really divine? Why does it feel more like an advanced mechanical weapon in your hands?”
Rowan stood at the center of the array, hands casually on his hips, a relaxed smile on his face. To him, the chaos below seemed no more than the opening dance of a grand ball.
“Hold them back?” Rowan raised an eyebrow and grinned. “This light array’s cutting ability would make any master blacksmith jealous.
This is my Prismatic Technique. It not only cuts through iron like butter but also purifies the ashes afterward—one and done, efficient and eco-friendly.”
---
A thunderous crash echoed as a massive werewolf broke through the array’s outer edge, lunging straight at Vera. Its claws tore through the air, aiming directly for her face.
Frozen in fear, Vera instinctively stepped back, only to lose her footing.
“Focus!” Rowan called out, flicking his wrist. A golden blade of light shot past Vera, slicing the werewolf in half mid-air. The creature disintegrated into shimmering motes of light.
Vera’s heart threatened to leap out of her chest. When she finally regained her composure, Rowan was already beside her, his tone casual yet reassuring.
“Don’t worry. With me here, the Goddess of Light’s blessings won’t go to waste.”