Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

John's Detection spell yielded excellent results, providing him with detailed information about the member of the Mystery faction who had aided Darklord.

[Mystery Incarnate]

[Affiliation: Mystery Faction]

[Level: 350]

[Special Skill: Mystery Barrier – Mystery Incarnate uses the power of Mystery to create an invisible barrier that can shield against all types of attacks and completely reflect the effects of the attacks. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

Perhaps the use of the Mystery Barrier had significantly drained the power of the Mystery Incarnate, who, despite being at a high level of 350, could not interfere with John's Detection spell.

However, John wasn't elated by the success of his Detection spell, as the strength of Mystery Incarnate was formidable – its level surpassing that of any Devil John had encountered before. 

Moreover, the special skill, Mystery Barrier, had a cooldown of only 30 seconds. 

This meant that if John wanted to defeat Mystery Incarnate, he would need to do so within the window of the skill's cooldown.

Realizing this, John immediately launched an attack. 

Taking advantage of the ongoing effects of [Morphing Mirage], he instantaneously moved next to Darklord. 

Two Fire Spellscrolls were thrown out and detonated in an instant. 

Since they were in the deep sea, the explosive force of the Fire Spellscrolls was concentrated in the narrow space around Darklord.

Even with the presence of the Mystery Barrier, Darklord's health dropped to less than 20%. 

The rapid assault left Darklord in a critically weakened state, showcasing John's strategic acumen and his ability to capitalize on momentary vulnerabilities in his opponents.

Having successfully weakened Darklord with the Fire Spellscrolls, John activated [Abyssal Prison] and [Eye of Artemis]. 

The combined use of these two skills allowed him to clearly discern the form of Mystery Incarnate. 

Like the Mystery Prophet, Mystery Incarnate appeared as a dense mass of black fog. 

The key difference was that the fog around Mystery Prophet was more noticeable, whereas the fog enveloping Mystery Incarnate was so faint it was almost transparent.

Realizing why he hadn't detected Mystery Incarnate earlier, John understood that its invisibility was particularly effective in the deep sea. 

As John continued his offensive maneuvers, Mystery Incarnate was not idle either. 

It chose to merge completely with the surrounding seawater, perfectly evading the attack from the Fire Spellscrolls and swiftly approaching John.

Mystery Incarnate reactivated the Mystery Barrier in close proximity to John. 

The effect of the Mystery Barrier completely countered that of the Abyssal Prison. 

The effect of John's Abyssal Prison instantly vanished, along with the magic that had been restraining Darklord, who was now free to move.

Darklord's escape infuriated John, but he chose not to pursue him directly, knowing that his primary adversary at the moment was Mystery Incarnate. 

John materialized a blade imbued with the Power of Sea God in his right hand using [Divine Blade] and once again raised his left hand, preparing to unleash [Abyssal Explosion].

Despite being aware of the Mystery Barrier's description as a special skill of Mystery Incarnate, John was skeptical about its ability to block all attacks. 

If the power of Mystery was truly that formidable, why had the Mystery Saint fallen during the previous divine war? 

Shouldn't the power of Mystery have ensured a complete victory for the Mystery Saint in that conflict?

Surrounded once more by the immense Power of Sea God, John launched [Abyssal Explosion] while simultaneously striking the Mystery Barrier with the blade in his right hand. 

Given his high level and the use of skills associated with the Sea God, which were enhanced in the ocean, John's attack was exceptionally powerful.

This resulted in a concentrated burst of the Power of Sea God within the Mystery Barrier, creating cracks in the otherwise invisible shield. 

Sensing the impending danger, Mystery Incarnate swiftly merged back into the surrounding seawater. 

The moment it fully disappeared, the Mystery Barrier collapsed.

As the barrier shattered, a massive shockwave rapidly spread outwards. 

Although Darklord had already put some distance between himself and the epicenter, he was still knocked down by the powerful wave. 

His health dropped to less than 10%, putting him in a precarious position if John caught up with him.

Focused solely on his escape, Darklord disregarded the ongoing battle between John and Mystery Incarnate. 

After the shockwave passed, he used a Teleport Spell again. 

This time, there was no one to interrupt his spell, allowing him to successfully escape.

At the center of the battlefield, having successfully shattered the Mystery Barrier, John shifted his gaze to where Darklord had been. 

However, Darklord had already vanished.

"He escaped again!" 

John uttered with considerable anger in his voice, but he knew that finding Darklord again wouldn't be easy after such an escape. 

So, his immediate focus shifted to eliminating the Mystery Incarnate before him.

"Since you chose to aid Darklord's escape, you'll take his place in being vanquished by me!" 

John couldn't directly see where Mystery Incarnate was, but the effects of [Eye of Artemis] hadn't faded, allowing him to detect the entity's presence.

Following these traces, John located Mystery Incarnate's hiding spot. 

"No more hiding! I've found you! If you're willing to cooperate with me, I can stop my attack," John called out. 

He knew that ordinary attacks wouldn't pose much trouble to Mystery Incarnate. 

He hoped to negotiate, suggesting that if Mystery Incarnate could provide information related to the Mystery Saint, he might consider a collaboration.

Simultaneously, John hoped his words would lower Mystery Incarnate's guard, creating an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow while the entity was distracted.

John's strategy was sound, but the Mystery Incarnate was clearly not interested in collaborating with him. 

The entity focused solely on defense, not even attempting a counterattack against John. 

As the standoff continued, John began to feel the situation turning somewhat unfavorable. 

Despite his upper hand in the battle, the rapid refresh rate of the Mystery Barrier proved to be a significant obstacle.

John sought a decisive blow, a chance to overpower the formidable defenses of the Mystery Incarnate, who could also conceal itself within the surrounding seawater. 

However, no such opportunity presented itself, and as the battle dragged on, John's patience began to wane.

"I don't have time to waste on this any longer! I'll let you go for now. But if we meet again, I will make sure to annihilate you completely!" 

With these words, John turned and left the scene. 

He planned to head to the Blue Sea Guild to report and discuss the recent developments and encounters, including the elusive and formidable Mystery Incarnate.

Long after John had departed, Mystery Incarnate slowly emerged from its hiding place within the sea. 

Despite its high level of vigilance, it was unaware that John's Detection spell had clearly monitored its movements. 

John, through his spell, observed Mystery Incarnate entering the Naga Tribe, suggesting a potential awareness or even cooperation between the tribe and the Mystery entity.

John speculated further, considering the possibility that the Naga Tribe might even worship the Mystery Saint. 

If this was true, it would answer many of his previous questions. 

It wasn't a collaboration between the Sea God and the Mystery Saint, but rather between the Sea God's followers, the Nagas, and the Mystery Saint. 

John even entertained the possibility that these Nagas might have betrayed the Sea God.

The implications of his conjecture were serious. 

If the Naga Tribe truly collaborated with or worshipped the Mystery Saint, the Order Faction could face a significant crisis. 

The Naga Tribe could potentially join forces with the power of Mystery to launch attacks along the coastline against all towns of the Order Faction. 

Coastal cities like Karen Port and even major cities like Storm City could be at risk.

John was hesitant to fully trust his hypothesis, but the potential consequences were too grave to ignore. 

The prospect of the Naga Tribe siding with the Mystery Faction presented a strategic and existential threat that the Order Faction would need to address urgently.