[111] Free to Act

"Hiss!"

The Basilisk, its head smashed into the ground by the hammer, let out a furious roar. Its lower body twisted, whipping its long, rough green tail.

Whoosh!

The air screeched as the tail lashed with ferocious force toward the newly summoned giant angel.

The angel raised its left arm, a pale gold shield embossed with a sun emblem braced across its chest.

Thud!

The tail struck the shield with a deafening crash, but the angel's body didn't budge.

The silver warhammer swung.

Boom!

The angel struck again, slamming the Basilisk's struggling head back into the earth.

The two consecutive blows cleared the frenzied haze from the Basilisk's green eyes.

"Hiss! hiss!" The Basilisk writhed, its eight legs scrambling to pull its head free, retreating.

Blood oozed from its head, where fin-like, spiked protrusions had been shattered by the angel's strikes.

Adam's gaze lifted to the giant angel.

It shared lineage with the Archangel Flame but was far more distinct. Unlike the simple, flame-sword-wielding Archangel Flame, this angel bore a hammer and shield, with glowing yellow cloth strips draped from its shoulders and waist.

Most striking were its wings, two pairs, though the upper pair was so small they seemed more decorative than functional.

[Dominion Authority (Level 22)!]

After acquiring Cursed Knight and reaching level 22, Adam had met the conditions for 4th-Tier Angel Summoning.

Facing this new 4th-tier angel, Adam's expression was grim. He'd preferred not to use his mana directly unless necessary.

"Two strikes, and still no effective damage. It's lacking in offense compared to defense."

Seeing the Basilisk's unabated frenzy, Adam knew the Dominion Authority's hammer blows hadn't inflicted meaningful harm.

However, the fact that a low-tier Dominion Authority could hold it at bay showed this transformed Basilisk didn't reach the difficulty 83 Leinas had estimated.

By actual level, difficulty 83 equated to roughly levels 27–28, nearing the Hero Domain.

Leinas snapped out of her daze, staring at Adam's back, clad in his white priest robe, standing alongside the Dominion Authority.

"Adamantite-rank strength, and I thought to challenge him." She muttered, a bitter smile crossing her pale, weakened face.

"Hiss!!"

The retreating Basilisk's green eyes suddenly glowed earthen brown.

"Back!" Adam's mind stirred.

The Dominion Authority descended, positioning itself before Adam and Leinas.

Swish!

Petrifying light burst from the Basilisk's eyes, bathing the Dominion Authority.

But the angel showed no sign of petrification.

"Angels aren't flesh and blood. Petrifying rays won't work." Adam said, stepping out from behind the angel with a cold smirk.

"Hiss!"

The Basilisk froze, then turned and fled, its form darting toward the distant jungle.

Adam's eyes sharpened.

He couldn't let this humanoid monster escape!

It was likely a mysterious demi-human native to this place, possibly holding answers about why the local monsters carried cursed power.

He turned to Leinas, her condition dire, her body soaked in blood.

At her Orichalcum-rank strength, she shouldn't be this battered, but the area's cursed power was clearly affecting her.

Adam's sleeve concealed a 3rd-tier magic scroll, which he crushed.

A Archangel Flame materialized.

"Your condition isn't fit for going deeper. Let the Archangel Flame take you out of the marsh."

Adam spoke quickly, the archangel lifting the frail Leinas.

"I'm sorry." Leinas murmured, her blood-matted golden hair obscuring half her face.

"It's not just for you." Adam said with a gentle smile. "I'm curious about this place too."

He leaped, grabbing a groove in the Dominion Authority's armor, perching on its shoulder.

Whoosh!

The Dominion Authority's wings beat, carrying Adam in pursuit of the Basilisk.

The Archangel Flame bore Leinas back toward the marsh's edge.

Adam and the Dominion Authority soared over low shrubs, reaching the edge of a dense forest. The towering, thick foliage was ill-suited for the angel's bulk.

"Finally, I can move freely." Adam muttered, feeling an odd kinship with the jungle. With no one around, he could use his abilities openly.

His palm flipped, revealing a bone-crafted magic item, the one from the goblin boss, imbued with Forest Passage.

"Track!" Adam activated his Ranger skill.

A trail, left by a large creature's swift passage, appeared in his vision through the dense jungle.

"Follow it." Adam said, gripping the bone item and directing the angel.

With the item's power, the jungle's thick branches parted, clearing a wide path for the Dominion Authority's massive frame.

Basilisk thrived in dark, narrow burrows, adept at navigating tight spaces. The forest terrain barely hindered its bulky form.

In less than ten minutes, Adam and the Dominion Authority caught up to the Basilisk, which had vanished into the forest.

The Basilisk noticed them, its green eyes flashing with anger.

"Hiss! hu-human…"

"Leave!"

It turned, roaring in broken, stilted words.

"You can leave, but first, we need to clear some things up." Adam said, standing on the Dominion Authority's shoulder, eyeing the Basilisk crouched in the undergrowth. "About the curse…"

At the word "curse." The faint clarity in its green eyes vanished, replaced by rage. A beastly roar erupted.

Boom!

The jungle's branches and trees shuddered as the Basilisk charged.

"Holy Strike!"

The Dominion Authority's silver hammer glowed white, swinging down with force.

From the 4th tier onward, summoned angels gained skills or magic, information Adam sensed the moment he called the Dominion Authority.

It had three abilities: Holy Strike, Holy Guard, and Mass Lesser Defense Boost, which enhanced allies' defense within its vision but required the angel to remain stationary. Movement canceled the effect.

Boom!

The hammer struck the Basilisk's head, staggering it.

But this time, the Basilisk was prepared. Though its head tilted, two of its eight legs clamped the Dominion Authority's arm, locking it in place.

Its nearly ten-meter body lunged forward.

The Basilisk's green eyes fixed on Adam, its fetid maw snapping toward him.

"Sorry, you picked the wrong opponent." Adam said, his gaze icing over. "Dark Wave!"

The Cursed Knight skill activated, black energy radiating from Adam, spreading outward.

The Basilisk's body froze in place.

***

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