"What do you think?" Kael asked in a flat tone, looking directly at Gazef.
As Kael opened his mouth, Gazef felt his body sway for a moment, and then he realized that the invisible force restraining him had suddenly vanished. He was free again.
He stared intently at Kael, and after two tense seconds of silence, he finally said in a heavy voice, "It is indeed miraculous to be able to revive the dead, but that is not your own power, but the effect of a magic item. How can people truly be sure that you are a god?"
"Oh?" Kael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his expression showing a hint of surprise mixed with interest. "Then what exactly do you want?" he asked curiously.
Gazef took a deep breath, his eyes radiating strong determination. "I am a rough man and have no sophisticated testing methods. If you are truly a god as you claim, use your absolute power to defeat me directly! Show me your greatness!"
It was clear that Gazef had made a firm decision before he opened his mouth. He answered Kael's question without the slightest hesitation. A tremendous fighting spirit erupted from within him, his aura surged powerfully, and his tiger-like eyes stared at Kael with a graceful yet challenging gaze.
Proving his divine identity was only a secondary reason. The main reason why Gazef stood out and challenged Kael once again was his warrior's instinct and his sense of responsibility towards his kingdom. A magic caster with terrifying power had suddenly appeared on the border of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and he was even using seemingly false words to confuse the villagers and encourage them to believe in a new religion. It was difficult to ignore the possibility that he had hidden malicious intentions.
And if Gazef's suspicions were correct, then this person would most likely become an enemy of the kingdom in the future. He felt obligated to test the limits of the other party's power, even at the risk of his own life, to determine the extent of the potential harm Kael could inflict on the Re-Estize Kingdom.
As for the fact that he might not be a match for Kael, and this provocation could cost him his life... wasn't it more dangerous if they did nothing? He and the Royal Knights were still the other party's prisoners. If Kael had evil intentions, sooner or later they would all die. It would be better to try and test his strength now in the form of an open challenge. If he was indeed killed by Kael because of this, at least it would prove that Kael was just an ordinary person with great magical power, not at all the tolerant and benevolent god he claimed to be.
Oh! Kael, who could read a bit of the firmness and worry in Gazef's eyes, didn't fully understand the complicated reasons behind the challenge. However, he found Gazef's behavior of daring to challenge him quite amusing. In this strange world, monsters above level 43 that could destroy cities and hunt intelligent life would be feared as terrifying demons. Yet, a player like him who had reached level 100 was being questioned about the legitimacy of his divine title just because he preached and did good deeds normally. Should I consider this man before me too stupid to underestimate me, or should I say he underestimates himself too much? Kael thought with a slight chuckle.
Human Domination! A dark purple magical light suddenly enveloped Gazef's body. The next second, with a loud thud, he fell to his knees on the ground, his body trembling violently. Even his resistance with clenched teeth was futile. The invisible force pressed down on him ruthlessly.
"Captain of the Knights!?" exclaimed several members of the Kingdom Warriors anxiously as they saw their respected commander suddenly helpless.
"What are you doing, you bastard god!?" shouted a soldier angrily, even though he himself felt terrified. Seeing their commander being treated like this, more than 20 members of the Royal Knights, despite having no weapons in hand, immediately charged towards Kael with burning determination, trying to protect their captain.
But... it was all in vain.
Human Domination! The same magical force spread rapidly, hitting the soldiers who had just run a few steps. They suffered the same fate as the sergeant commander and fell to the ground simultaneously, helpless under the pressure of the powerful magic.
At that moment, Kael said lightly, as if discussing a trivial matter, "Those who doubt the Lord, if you wish to challenge the Lord, you may not yet be qualified to do so." He looked at Gazef with a slight sneer. "As you can see, I only need to lift my hand slightly, and you won't even be able to resist. You'd better submit to the Lord quickly before His wrath truly consumes you."
The magic suddenly lifted, and Gazef and many other soldiers regained their freedom of movement. However, for a moment, they didn't dare to stand up and just stared at Kael, who stood calmly on the temple steps with astonished and slightly fearful expressions.
It happened again! Gazef thought unwillingly, feeling a bitter defeat. Could this person's power really be so irresistible?
In fact, the control magic Kael used was not some complex high-level spell. The reason why Gazef and the others were unable to resist at all was simply because the level gap between the two sides was too large. They didn't have enough understanding of Kael's magical power to assess and counter the effects of his skill. Just like the control-type magic 'Eternal Charm' in the game Yggdrasil, as long as the target had sufficiently high mental attributes or possessed magic items that increased resistance to mental effects, they could be completely immune to such magic. However, Gazef and his soldiers lacked such protection against Kael's power that far surpassed them.
"Alright," Kael said suddenly with a playful smile on his lips, "since you are so eager to fight, the Lord will give you a chance to prove your faith." He then called Enri to his side and said to Gazef and the other soldiers in a slightly mocking tone, "I heard that your Royal Knights are the most elite troops in the country, and you are the strongest warrior in the Re-Estize Kingdom. In that case, all twenty-six of you will challenge my first follower in a battle."
What! .... Gazef and the other soldiers were stunned by this unreasonable challenge. Although Enri was now dressed like a church priestess and might possess the power of a magic caster after receiving Kael's blessing, from what they had heard from the villagers, this little girl was just an ordinary girl in this village only two days ago. Now, a group of trained adult men, led by the strongest warrior in the kingdom, were being asked to beat up a village girl? This was undoubtedly a humiliating insult!
It wasn't just them; even Enri herself felt a little nervous and unconfident about this. She looked at Kael with wide eyes and asked in a hesitant tone, "My Lord... can I... can I really do this?"
"It's alright, Enri," Kael replied with a gentle smile that encouraged her. "You are much stronger than them now. Just go ahead and don't hesitate. This is also a test for you to try out your new power."
So that's it... this is a test from the Lord. Then I must not disappoint Him! Enri thought to herself, secretly encouraging herself. She nodded firmly and replied with newfound determination, "Alright, Lord, I will try my best."
No, don't try too hard, Kael opened his mouth, wanting to remind Enri not to use her full power to avoid killing Gazef and the others. But then again, even if Gazef and the others were killed in this fight, the worst that could happen was that Enri could revive them. Yes, Enri had now mastered the fifth-tier magic [Raise Dead]. Gazef and the Warrior Group members were all above level 5, so they would receive the full benefits of the resurrection effect. Letting Enri see blood and face a real combat situation now could be considered valuable mental training for her.
However, Enri herself had no problem with the challenge. It was the other party, Gazef, who had some reservations. He stood up straight from the ground and said to Kael in a firm and righteous tone, "Wait a moment, Lord! This girl is a citizen of the Re-Estize Kingdom. As a knight, I cannot draw my sword against her..."
"You have no power to choose who you fight," Kael interrupted in a gentle yet undeniable tone. "The Lord has been tolerant enough of you and your group. Otherwise, considering your repeated offenses against the Lord's majesty, even if you died ten times, it wouldn't be enough to quell His anger."
"Marcus!" Kael called out suddenly. Hearing his name called, a figure immediately hurried out from the crowd of villagers. It was the village chief of Carne.
The village chief didn't expect that the Lord actually knew his name. He was slightly surprised and happy for a moment, then immediately knelt down respectfully to await further instructions, "Lord God!"
"You are all people who believe in the Lord," Kael said casually. "You don't need to perform such exaggerated worship ceremonies as before in the future. Just keep respect and faith in your hearts." He then instructed the village chief, "Take away all the weapons and war gear of these people. I want them to lose sincerely in this fight and have no excuses for their upcoming defeat."
"Yes, Lord!" the village chief replied obediently. After receiving the order, he led some villagers to take away all the weapons and armor of Gazef and the entire Royal Knights members.
Gazef and his subordinates saw that the situation was irreversible and that resistance would only worsen their situation. With heavy hearts, they had no choice but to rearm themselves as Kael requested, albeit with feelings of humiliation and injustice.
All the spectators immediately retreated a few steps, leaving a spacious area for both sides to move and fight, awaiting the start of this uneven battle.
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