Laffey had easily beaten Kaecilius to the brink of death, forcing him to flee.
Priest Vog immediately dropped to his knees before her with devout reverence.
"Thank you, great Messenger of the Lord, for descending to save a humble follower like me!"
Laffey stifled a yawn and replied in a lazy, almost bored tone.
"The Lord of Life asked me to tell you this… you've done well. Keep it up. Work harder next time. Prepare well for the next sacrifice, and when the time comes, the Lord of Life will bless you again."
"Thank you for the Lord of Life's mercy! The Lord's divine might is boundless! The divine flame eternal!"
"The Lord's divine might is boundless! The divine flame eternal!"
A chorus of believers echoed Vog's cry, their faces radiating utter devotion.
"The Lord of Life feels your faith at every moment," Laffey continued. "Keep your hearts pious, and He will surely protect you."
"O great Lord of Life, You are the Master of Life. Your divine might is supreme, and we Your followers will believe for all eternity!"
"Mm. Good."
Laffey nodded, then her eyes suddenly turned toward Natasha and Barton.
Both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been shocked silent by Laffey's combat prowess. When her gaze landed on them, even their years of black-ops training couldn't stop the cold sweat trickling down their backs.
"My Lord asked me to give you two a reminder," Laffey said softly. "Don't provoke the ones you can't afford to provoke. Or your end will be the same as what you just saw. Your S.H.I.E.L.D. should be focusing on… other matters."
She finished with an innocent, almost sweet smile.
Before knowing her power, the smile would have seemed warm and harmless. Now, knowing what she could do, Natasha and Barton found it utterly terrifying.
Without another word, Laffey turned away from them. She waved a small hand, and a beam of divine light shone down from the statue's forehead. In the blink of an eye, her figure vanished completely.
Natasha and Barton let out the breath they'd been holding. But then they noticed every single believer in the temple was staring at them. Cold, predatory stares. Like a wolf pack sizing up prey.
The two agents felt an icy weight settle in their chests. Without a word, they bolted for the temple doors.
The plan to capture Vog was completely abandoned. After seeing Laffey's power, only a fool would still think about laying a hand on Vog. That would be suicide.
Vog, watching them flee in embarrassment, made no move to have them chased. He was badly injured himself. It was time to focus on healing.
Without hesitation, he burned the last of his mental energy, casting Holy Light of Life once more, enough to heal part of his wounds.
The most crucial requirement for casting the Holy Light of Life was mental strength. The stronger the healing effect, the greater the mental power consumed.
Though Vog's Holy Light of Life was only Lv1, and appeared to be the same "level" as that of Jason Kin, the Lord of Life, the actual effect was worlds apart.
If Jason Kin used the Holy Light of Life, he could bring a dying person back from the dead, restore flesh to bare bone. But Vog, as a mere human priest, could only mend part of his injuries. The gap was all in their spiritual power. A god and a mortal could never be compared.
Still, healing even this much was no small feat. To the ordinary believers, Vog was already someone clearly blessed by the Lord of Life, his chosen representative in the mortal world.
First the priest's Holy Light of Life, then the Apostle Laffey's overwhelming power the believers' devotion surged to new heights.
Follower Status:
Saints: 0
Apostles: 2
Fanatics: 201
Devout: 286
True Believers: 32
Shallow Believers: 2
After this incident, hundreds of true believers upgraded to devout, and over a hundred devout became fanatics.
A single fanatic generated ten Faith Power a day. With the current count, fanatics alone now gave Jason Kin over two thousand Faith Power daily. Add in the rest, and his daily total had reached three thousand.
Three thousand a day meant ninety thousand a month. At this rate, he could reach one million Faith Power within a single year. That was four times faster than before.
Under the Life Tree in his divine realm, Jason Kin felt a deep satisfaction. He hadn't descended to the temple himself, but through Apostle Laffey, he had learned everything that happened.
Natasha and Barton appearing there was no surprise. After all, the commotion at the port had been far too big. It was only natural for S.H.I.E.L.D. to take notice.
What he hadn't expected was that a dark mage who had defected from Kamar-Taj would also target his followers, drawn to the life force radiating from Vog.
That had been unexpected.
It seemed his very presence in this world was making it more turbulent by the day.
Jason Kin thought this silently to himself.