CHAPTER 480: CHAPTER 307: INHUMAN MONSTER_1

And thanks to Junia’s Divine Arts, the veiled Sorcery was dispelled, revealing the Heretic Priest who had been hiding in the shadows.

They wore similar black iron masks and had more clothing than the others, with animal skins inscribed with complex runes draped around their waists.

These details weren’t important. What mattered was the Magic Wand she held, as she was preparing some sort of ritual.

"Quick, interrupt her! We can’t let her complete the Sorcery!"

Without any hesitation, Geralt charged forward with his sword. However, his intentions were too obvious, and the believers were not foolish; they immediately tried to block him.

Facing the obstructing cultists, he simply raised his hand and cast an Ald Dharma Seal to repel them, but in the next second, another came at him. They were clearly sacrificing themselves to hold him back, which left Geralt momentarily at a loss.

Tadiff hadn’t expected the first skirmish to be so difficult. The strength of these Heretics was greater than he had imagined.

But he was paid to do a job, and since he had accepted the task, he would do everything in his power to complete it.

Finally, he saw an opportunity. A left hook smacked a cultist’s head askew. As the enemy staggered, Tadiff’s ax cut into their neck, killing them.

By chance, he noticed the Divine Arts dispelling the Sorcery, revealing the Heretic Priest, whom Geralt then marked.

Although he hadn’t integrated well with the team, appearing somewhat aloof, he knew when it was time to cooperate.

Taking advantage of the attention Geralt drew from most of the cultists, he stealthily moved closer. His target was very clear: the Heretic Priest.

That head was his bounty.

And he was about to collect it!

Tadiff’s charge was so fast that the cultists didn’t even have time to react.

However, the Priest herself reacted. How could she not, with an enemy charging right at her?

Seeing the ferocious enemy approach, the Priest didn’t dare gamble on her neck withstanding an ax. She wasn’t like those fodder; as one who mastered Divine Arts, she couldn’t die so easily. Only by living could she be of greater use to her lord.

Almost instantly, sensing her safety was compromised, she was forced to abandon the ritual she was preparing and turned to flee into the darkness.

But the one pursuing her was a Bounty Hunter.

"Hmph! Trying to escape?" Seeing this, Tadiff pulled a hook chain from his waist, spun it in his hand to build momentum, and then threw it.

This signature move hit the Priest’s shoulder with precision. Tadiff pulled with force, the hook biting deeply into bone, and managed to drag her over.

If a normal woman were impaled by an iron hook and dragged, she certainly wouldn’t withstand it. But the Priest felt no pain. Such flesh wounds mattered little to her.

However, she harbored intense hatred for the man who had so rudely interrupted her ritual. She immediately turned, raised her Magic Wand, and cast the Sorcery. A black mist, undetectable to ordinary people, began to gather above the wand.

Tadiff had never seen such a tactic before and couldn’t see the dense black mist hurtling towards him. He kept swinging his ax.

But in the next second, his motion froze. Beneath his helmet, no one knew his reaction, but his drooping arm and the strange sound that emerged were quite eerie.

Dismas was a tough man who had sustained countless injuries, but even he nearly collapsed after being struck by such an attack.

Tadiff was no exception. His crumpling body confirmed it.

The reason was simple: ordinary people had no means to resist such a soul attack. They could only endure it.

Geralt and his companions noticed this too. They were initially relieved when Tadiff interrupted the Priest’s spellcasting, only to see him fall victim to the bloodless Sorcery moments later.

Witnessing this, the Priest stopped pretending. Her mouth moved, chanting indecipherable words, as she intended to use the same technique to eliminate Geralt, their main force.

Seeing this, Geralt and his companions naturally felt a surge of anxiety. They were uncertain if they could withstand it either.

The Priest also noticed their reactions. Seemingly feeling the gaze of her lord, her chanting became more impassioned.

But she made a serious mistake: underestimating Tadiff.

"Need more money... need more money..."

Tadiff’s senses slowly recovered from the agony. His strong will wouldn’t let him forget his mission. Muttering continuously, his grip on the ax tightened until, suddenly, the previously limp Tadiff burst forth, raising his ax toward the Priest.

"For more money, to hell with your lungs!"

Though his consciousness wasn’t clear, a Bounty Hunter’s muscle memory guided his aim to her neck. The ax, meticulously maintained before nightfall, demonstrated extraordinary power, cleaving off the unsuspecting Priest’s head.

As the head hit the ground, its lips could still be seen moving. The headless body stood for a moment, hands still gesturing as if unaffected—a truly bizarre sight.

Nevertheless, the steady stream of blood pouring from the severed neck eventually drained the last vestige of her Life Force, and the body collapsed with a crash.

Instantly, the tide turned. The cultists, seeing their Priest dead, became frenzied. They abandoned Geralt and the others, rushing at Tadiff instead.

Individuals with Extraordinary Talent were rare anywhere, and a Priest chosen from among them was one in a hundred. Hence, within the Sect of Ascension, a Priest’s status greatly differed from that of the other cultists.

Their mission was to protect the Priest. Now, with the Priest dead, they believed they had no reason to exist unless they could kill her murderer.