Lord of Prayer

For a moment, Yao Hu had Natas completely suppressed, the roar of their battle unending.

The pain from his wounds caused Natas’s expression to grow increasingly twisted and frenzied.

“N-no, I can’t let this go on! I’ll die!”

“I finally obtained the power of a Demon! I’m supposed to rule the World! How can I fall in a place like this… I can’t die! I can’t die!!”

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”

The pain morphed into intense killing intent. Following his instincts, Natas activated some kind of Ability. The black sludge in his hand writhed, gradually forming a long, thin Thorny Whip.

Yao Hu tore through the air toward him. Natas swung the whip fiercely. Lashing out like a venomous snake, the Thorny Whip with its sharp spikes moved too fast to be seen, striking Yao Hu with a loud CRACK.

Knowing he couldn’t dodge in time, Yao Hu activated his Vajra Transformation to endure the blow. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to throw a punch, blowing a huge hole in Natas’s chest. He was about to press his attack when waves of intense sensation, like an ocean tide, suddenly surged from his whipped shoulder and back, assaulting his mind.

His movements faltered, giving Natas the chance to retreat.

’The pleasure brought on by the sin of lust…?’ Yao Hu felt the extreme sensation fading, replaced by a deep-seated emptiness and a primal craving.

A craving for more.

A Metal Talisman appeared in Yao Hu’s hand, and he crushed it forcefully—he possessed a Storage Artifact as well, but had kept it hidden until now.

“Purification.”

He called out the Talisman’s name. A gentle power swept over him, completely purging the lingering sin of lust from his body.

The next second, Yao Hu leaped aside just as the ground bulged without warning. Scorching crimson magma erupted from beneath the earth.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Like a volcanic eruption, more and more pillars of fire and magma erupted. In a matter of seconds, the arena was transformed into a Fire Purgatory as magma continued to gush forth, spreading uncontrollably across the ground.

—Fury Fire!

The air grew scorching hot. Yao Hu felt a thread of agitation, like trying to sleep with a mosquito buzzing in your ear. You turn on the light, but you can never find it… That same sense of frustration welled up inside him.

“So that’s it… so that’s it…”

Natas seemed to understand something and let out a hoarse laugh. “So this is how my Power is meant to be used… Hahaha, thank you, thank you! If it weren’t for you, it would have taken me ages to figure all this out!

Now, you’ll get a real taste of my Divine Power!”

The fly-like eye that dominated half of his face suddenly glowed red. Yao Hu’s heart stopped. Then, his liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys began to shut down one by one, sinking into a deadly sloth.

Even his brain was affected, his thoughts growing more and more sluggish.

“Fucking move! I command you to move! Get moving!!!”

Yao Hu roared furiously. The Essence in his body erupted like a volcano. Under the command of his absolute will, his sluggish organs sputtered back to life.

In the arena’s spectator stands, countless people stared with wide eyes, deeply shaken by the bizarre scene.

Not everyone could possess such a domineering will.

“A promising talent… He has some of the Tyrant’s old flair.”

In the Pantheon, the High Priest watched the live broadcast of the Sword Forging Competition, exceptionally pleased with Yao Hu’s performance. It was a pity the decennial Heroic Trials had already begun; Yao Hu had missed his chance. But in another ten years… as long as Yao Hu survived, he was certain to advance to Tier Four.

After commanding his organs to function with sheer will, Yao Hu saw a group of beautiful women materialize before him in his dazed state. Their eyes shimmered as they stared at him, beckoning flirtatiously and striking seductive poses.

’Hmph. You think this is enough to bewitch my mind?’

Yao Hu snorted. Steeling his resolve, he remained completely unmoved by their beauty and easily broke through the Light of Desire.

In the few seconds that Yao Hu was affected, Natas hadn’t seized the opportunity to attack. Instead, he was gathering power to use a Skill.

This Skill could only be used once per day. It required a full five seconds to prepare, during which he couldn’t move at all. If interrupted, the Skill could not be cast again.

“Seize!”

Natas reached out and made a grabbing motion toward Yao Hu, activating the power granted by the Sin of Greed.

The forceful Seizure of Greed!

Effect: Randomly seize any one item from the target, including abstract concepts such as abilities and techniques.

Immediately after, a Sun Talisman carved from metal materialized in Natas’s hand.

Yao Hu raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but let out a sneer. He shouted a command word:

“Light!”

At his word, the Sun Talisman in Natas’s hand cracked open. Heat swelled as it unleashed an infinite, scorching light!

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Natas was engulfed by the explosive light and ignited like a torch, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. Its current body was composed of Dark Essence, making it fatally weak to the purifying blaze.

Even the ever-serious and stoic Yao Hu let out a sneer. The guy was just too unlucky; he’d happened to steal the one Sun Talisman from his Storage Artifact.

Natas could never have guessed about the existence of the Storage Artifact. Yao Hu carried so many items that the probability of “Seize” grabbing anything useful had been diluted to almost nothing.

Unfortunately, the Sun Talisman’s Level was too low to kill or seriously wound Natas. It could only make it suffer for a bit.

While chastising himself for his carelessness, Yao Hu seized the opportunity to rush forward. He threw a bottle of Purifying Holy Water at the Demon, which was still burning like a torch. This was true Holy Water, capable of purifying a Dark Demon. It was like concentrated sulfuric acid poured over its body, causing large patches of its sinful flesh to rapidly fester and rot.