After cutting the connection between the Exorcist and his Angel, the battle became anti-climatic. There was nothing the clergyman could do to threaten my hegemony, even if he summoned another ten thousand Angels with whatever miracle he could concoct. In truth, the moment I'd realised the existence of the Faith dimension, the battle had concluded right then and there.

I could kill the Exorcist off at any time; the only reason he was still alive was my genuine curiosity about what he could do.

Other than Holy magic, the greatest Exorcist in the Holy Church should have a few tricks up his sleeves, right?

And as expected of the Holy Church's ace, the Priest didn't let that one setback unnerve him completely. Taking one deep breath in, the man regrouped and planned out a new course of action. But first…

Once more, the Exorcist muttered a prayer which linked him to the Faith dimension. It activates the catalyst to connect Holy magic practitioners to the alternate dimension; one must pray with a faithful and earnest heart. And since the Exorcist firmly believed in the Holy Church's doctrine, he could call forth a vast amount of Faith energy with a single prayer.

Utilising the Faith energy, the Exorcist proved once more that he stood at the pinnacle of the Holy Church. A golden light illuminated his wrangled and bloodied body, gradually healing the wounds I'd caused by my casual flick.

Divine Heal.

It was the signature ability of the Holy Church. To call that ability magic would be a stretch. It went against all laws of physics and nature and was akin to a miracle instead. In the distant past, when medical science and magic hadn't been developed, the Holy Church used Divine Heal to influence the population, eventually becoming the majority religion that all humans followed.

Seeing it firsthand did bring an inquisitive smile to my face. As a Vampire, I did not need such a backwater ability as my regenerative factor far exceeded anything Heal could do. But that didn't dwindle my curiosity one bit.

Divine Heal… Now that I had seen the true Face of God, I now knew how this sacramental ability worked. By using Faith energy produced through prayers and emotions, one could change the properties of their magic power to that of a healer.

It was pretty ingenious, actually. Using the energies of their believers to create miracles that could bring in even more believers.

Perhaps one day, I could implement this system to enhance my power.

Alas, that was a thought experiment for another day. As I contemplated my options, the Exorcist had completed his self-repair and prepared to strike again. Spinning his magnum pistols about, the Holy man leapt off his feet and charged straight towards me.

"O' almighty Father in Heaven, bless me with your sacred grace…"

Coated once more like a Paladin in golden armour, the man fired his bullets laced with Holy power.

I frowned, unimpressed by the lack of originality of the Exorcist's attacks.

Was shooting bullets the only thing this man could do? And since when did Priests shoot guns anyway? Did the Holy Church have a Second Amendment?

Naturally, the silver bullets that all Vampires feared couldn't even touch my skin. Deflecting off my barrier, the shots landed straight on the ground like snow falling from the Winter skies. Drilled deep into the floor, there was no harm left that those bullets could do.

Or so I'd thought…

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

Like landmines that had been triggered, the bullets activated and sent out a surge of Holy power, creating craters beneath my feet. A delayed reaction? I didn't even notice magic power being channelled through those bullets.

How intriguing… So the man did have some cards up his sleeves. Not that it mattered, though. Such a weak attack would do nothing to my barrier, let alone damage my skin.

And as I continued to demean the Exorcist's weak attacks, he pulled yet another surprise for me.

Schling!!! Schling!!! Schling!!! Schling!!! Schling!!!

Eighteen golden chains erupted from the ground where the bullets rested, creating a dome of spikes wrapped around my barrier. Using the knives at the tip of the chains, my opponent slammed all eighteen spikes into one point of my barrier. Sparks flew as the attrition between the golden spikes and my protection collided. Like Superman trying to rip apart a comet, the chains continued to force their way into my barrier as they did their best to tear my protection apart.

And the cherry on top of it all…

"ARGHHHH!!!"

Leaping high into the air, the Exorcist unloaded all his remaining silver bullets into that one point, hoping to drill a hole through my impregnable barrier.

BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!!

Shot after shot landed, and sparks flew around the snowy landscape. Gritting his teeth, my opponent's face turned completely red as magic power poured out from his body staggeringly. He was betting it all on this final attack.

It was the textbook method of taking down an unbreakable defence. If there were no weaknesses in the barrier, one had to make one by concentrating all of their firepower into one spot to create a weakness. It was the only feasible way for him to break down my barrier and win the duel.

But unfortunately for him…

My barrier, no, my Aegis, was moulded after the shell of Eyghon. It was my greatest defensive spell; besides its magic power cost, it had virtually no weaknesses. Even if the man tried with a thousand Exorcists by his side, my Aegis would never fall. And even if cracks did appear on the barrier, it would simply repair itself with my bottomless magic power pool.

"So bright… Time to shut off the lights."

That being said, I did not need to indulge in my opponent's plan. Raising my hand, I severed the man's connection with the Faith dimension, turning the golden chains and silver bullets into pure light.

Stunned that his attack failed, the Exorcist froze mid-air, unsure why his Holy magic failed. Taking this chance, I sent another shockwave flying into his chest and made him fly two kilometres back this time. However, unlike the last time, I did take a souvenir.

"So this is a Holy Church rosary…"

I held up the metallic cross with my left hand and examined the odd structure. It was made out of a special metal that I couldn't identify yet. It seemed to be an alloy of silver and some other metals, but I couldn't be too sure.

But what baffled me was, unlike traditional catalysts like wands or staffs, the rosary was nothing more than a glorified necklace that facilitated the clergyman's prayer. So how does this metallic rosary connect the Exorcist to the Faith dimension?

"Y-You… Y-You did it again… You countered my Holy magic!!!"

Spitting out blood, the Exorcist quickly got to his feet and stared at me with a look of confusion. He'd never experienced anyone who could cancel his connection with the Faith dimension, and seeing me do it twice in a row made his entire spine shake in fear. I was confident that even without his injuries, the Priest would have spat out blood all on his own just through rage and fear.

"..."

I ignored the man and continued my examination of the rosary. Largely, I wondered if I could use the powers of the Faith dimension using this rosary as a catalyst.

Closing my eyes, I immediately sent a mental connection into the Faith dimension. However, this time with the rosary, I could establish a link just like the Exorcist did. And as I attempted to draw out Faith energy from the bedrock of the Holy Church…

"Argh…"

I groaned out in pain. I was hit with a minor migraine which instantly cut my connection to the Faith dimension. I frowned and sent a death stare to the rosary, which caused my headache. If my body weren't that of a Progenitor, the backlash would have been much higher, and I might have been writhing on the floor in agony.

Holy magic was powered by Faith energy that the Holy Church had farmed from their believers. And Faith energy bore all of their prayers and emotions. Including their resentments and absolute doctrines to deny anything that may harm the human race.

Be it Outer Demons, Werewolves, or… Vampires.

The energy within the Faith dimension was hostile to Vampires, which explains why Holy magic was so effective against us. Therefore, as a Vampire, I couldn't farm the Faith energy within this dimension even if I had the body of a Progenitor.

How insulting…

If only I had my own religion where I could farm Faith energy from…

"You… Fuck! We've really kicked the dirt on this!"

"Huh?"

Did that Exorcist just curse? I get that he's a combatant, but Exorcists are still full-fledged Priests that believers call Father. To think that he would sin all on his own by cursing out loud.

"Not only have we failed this mission, but I have also somehow made you stronger. Fuck, this is a fucking nightmare…"

"Hoh? Is this your true self showing?"

"Hah! I'm a dead man walking anyway! What's there to hide anymore?!"

The Exorcist dropped his pistols with a defeated look on his face. Staring straight at me, he covered up the fact that he was shaking all over and declared:

"Progenitor… No, Jin Valter!!! I won't beg for my life, so… Let me die an honourable death!"

"Honourable death?"

"Yes," the man sighed and continued: "Show me the heights of a Progenitor! Show me the pinnacle of the Vampire race!"

"..."

Oh hoh? So he's asking me to kill him with my strongest attack? While that does sound tempting… My strongest attack will level the entire Everwinter Estate. And while Matriarch Innocence has sworn fealty to me, I shouldn't go around destroying my subordinate's houses the moment I ascended to a Progenitor, right?

Besides, I have other plans for the man.

"Shoot your Holy magic at me one more time."

"Huh?"

"I don't like repeating myself," I scoffed. "Shoot your Holy magic at me."

"..."

The Exorcist paused for a moment before picking up his guns one final time. Loading his barrel with his last silver bullet, the clergyman mustered up his remaining magic power and charged up a fatal Holy magic shot. Usually, it would have bounced off my Aegis barrier and left me completely unharmed, but this time…

Psssstttt…

I deactivated my barrier and allowed the bullet to damage my hand. It wasn't strong enough to pierce through my skin, but the Holy magic within it burnt the first layer of my palm. For the first time in my Progenitor life… I was wounded.

It wasn't life-threatening; heck, it wasn't even bad enough to be called an injury. And my regeneration would have taken care of this wound in a second. But this was definitive proof that Holy magic could harm me.

"You…"

"You've won the duel, Father Amorth. You've managed to harm me once. Per our agreement, I'll allow you to warp back to the Holy Church safe and sound."

"You… What are you planning?"

"Me? Nothing at all…"

I smiled while reaching my hands over the unnerved Priest's face. My eyes turned royal crimson with golden tints emerging from the sides. The Life ring glowed with emerald light as my magic power mesmerised Father Armoth, turning him into a mindless puppet for a brief moment.

"You are just more useful to me alive than dead, that's all."