Chapter 527: Soul Attack? I’m Unaffected!

Leon took the first step toward the building, with Violet, Celeste, and Emilia following closely behind him.

However, just as they approached the entrance, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from above.

"You were given so many opportunities to stand back," Cavin said, shaking his head in disappointment. "And yet... you persisted."

Leon and the girls immediately looked upward.

Standing on the roof of the building were the twenty-four remaining members of the Requiem Guild.

Their figures were partially concealed by the shadows, but their eyes remained fixed on the four intruders below, and the pressure they released made it clear that their strength had changed considerably.

They were no longer the same opponents Leon had encountered before even though it had only been less than a day.

"Wasn’t there supposed to be twenty-five of them?" Celeste asked, counting the figures standing on the roof.

"One of them died in Monster Tide," Leon replied with a grin. "He was weak."

"Oh, I had forgotten about that..."

The moment Leon mentioned their fallen member, the atmosphere changed.

The pressure released by the Requiem Guild grew heavier, and Cavin’s expression twisted as he clenched his teeth in anger.

The remaining members stared down at Leon and his companions, their hostility becoming impossible to conceal.

Leon simply returned their gazes with a confident smile.

They had threatened his companions, destroyed their own stronghold to stop him, and repeatedly offered him opportunities to retreat, all because they believed the power granted by their god would guarantee their victory.

Now, the time for threats and warnings was over.

Excluding the wolf-headed man who had died during the Monster Tide, all the remaining members of the Requiem Guild were gathered on the rooftop, looking down at Leon and the three girls.

To them, the four intruders represented the final obstacle standing between them and their ascension.

They had received an extraordinary boost in power after completing their mission, and with the backing of a god, they believed they were now strong enough to deal with almost any opponent in the higher domains.

Unfortunately, they had no idea how much Leon’s strength had increased since their last encounter, which was less than a day ago.

I mean, just how much could someone grow in less then a day?

They needed the power of a god to get so strong, so a normal human stood no chance, right?

"Before I kill all of you," Leon began, causing several members to twitch at his casual declaration, "which god are you aligned with?"

The question did not matter much to him, since he intended to eliminate the Requiem Guild regardless of their answer.

However, he was curious about the identity of the god who had supported them and given them this power.

Considering how the God of War and the God of Magic had previously observed his battles, it was reasonable to assume that the god supporting the Requiem Guild was also watching the current situation.

If that was the case, Leon wanted to know who he was dealing with before the fight progressed any further.

Unfortunately, Cavin had no intention of answering his question normally.

Fwoosh!

In an instant, the oni disappeared from his position atop the building and reappeared directly in front of Leon.

His movement was so fast that the three girls barely had time to react before a powerful surge of aura erupted from his body.

BAM!

The overwhelming pressure forced Celeste, Violet, and Emilia backward, preventing them from immediately approaching Leon.

Meanwhile, Leon remained exactly where he was, watching Cavin without showing any signs of panic.

’Hm.’

Leon had countless ways to avoid the incoming attack.

He could have used [Abyss Teleportation] to escape, activated another skill to block the blow, or even relied on [Time Stop].

However, he deliberately chose to remain still because he wanted to test something.

Ever since the Requiem Guild had announced that their power had been enhanced by a god, Leon had wondered exactly how much stronger they had become.

More importantly, he wanted to know whether their new abilities could overcome his defenses.

Cavin’s fist began gathering aura, and the energy surrounding it rapidly intensified until it was several times more powerful than ever before.

Blue flames emerged around his knuckles, twisting through the air as he concentrated the entire attack into a single strike.

Then, without giving Leon any opportunity to respond, Cavin punched him directly in the chest.

The attack bypassed Leon’s physical defenses completely, ignoring his armor and constitution as the blue flames penetrated his body and struck his soul instead.

"FOOL!" Cavin laughed triumphantly. "The God of Souls has granted us his powers because of our accomplishment, and all our souls and abilities have been greatly enhanced!"

His expression was filled with confidence as he watched the attack connect.

Cavin had struggled to inflict serious damage on the Soul Soldier, now, however, his soul attacks had become powerful enough that he believed he could kill the same enemy with a single strike.

With such a dramatic increase in power, he was convinced that Leon would suffer the same fate.

Yet, as Cavin looked at the human standing before him, his confident smile gradually became less convincing.

Leon had not fallen to his knees, nor had he shown any obvious signs of injury.

Although the attack had struck his soul directly, he remained standing with a calm expression.

’That kind of hurt, but... not enough.’

Leon had felt the impact, and his soul cracked slightly, however, the damage was nowhere near enough to threaten his life.

His soul had already reached its maximum strength, and his [Soul Protection (S+-Level)] sub-talent provided another layer of defense against soul-related attacks.

Even with the power granted by the God of Souls, Cavin could not simply shatter his soul with a single blow.

Leon was therefore not particularly worried about himself.

The girls were a different matter.

If the Requiem Guild’s attacks could bypass ordinary defenses and strike directly at the soul, he would need to make sure the girls did not underestimate their opponents.

’So its the God of Souls, huh? Good to know.’

However, he still did not understand why the God of Souls had chosen to support them in the first place.

What exactly had they accomplished by getting this stronghold to Level 6 to earn such a reward, and what did the god expect them to do afterward?

Those questions would have to wait until later.

"My turn," Leon sighed before swinging his sword at lightning speed.

Fwoosh!

Cavin immediately sensed the danger and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Despite his confidence, he understood that Leon’s sword was not something he could casually ignore, especially when a single successful strike might be enough to kill him.

However, before Cavin could launch another attack, Leon raised his staff.

A massive blue fireball began forming at its tip, its surface flickering with terrifying energy as the flames gathered into a dense sphere.

The power radiating from it was unmistakable, and Cavin’s expression became serious as he recognized the danger.

"You have 22 million combat power," Cavin declared, attempting to reassure himself as much as his companions. "You don’t stand a chance. As I said, all of us have been enhanced!"

Before receiving the blessing, most members of the Requiem Guild had possessed around 20 million combat power, while Cavin and Empress had reached approximately 25 million.

Those numbers had already made them formidable opponents, but their new enhancement had pushed their strength to an entirely different level.

Leon activated his [Eye of Truth] and examined several members of the guild.

---

[ID: LordCavin]

[Combat Power: 35,230,500]

---

[ID: EmpressOfSilver]

[Combat Power: 34,900,050]

---

[ID: ColdGranite]

[Combat Power: 31,258,040]

---

Leon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the results.

Every member he inspected had exceeded 30 million combat power or was close enough that the difference hardly mattered.

’Did the God of Souls just add around ten million combat power to each of them? That seems like the most obvious explanation.’

If the god had directly increased their attributes, the numbers would make sense.

"He empowered our souls," Cavin said, noticing Leon’s expression as his smile widened again. "Not in the normal way, either. He made us stronger in a way you couldn’t possibly understand!"

"Huh."

He had already confirmed that the Requiem Guild was much stronger than before, but that did not mean they were invincible.

Their combat power might have exceeded 30 million, yet their actual defenses and abilities still had to be tested.

Rather than wasting time arguing with Cavin, Leon simply swung his staff in a wide arc and released the spell he had prepared.

However, instead of targeting Cavin, he aimed directly at the members of the Requiem Guild standing atop the building.

Cataclysmic Soul Fireball!