Chapter 364: Act 123 – Two Against One (Second Update)
“Unaware of your own mortality!” Count Cullenz sneered, his sword blade drawing near to Brendel’s body.
Brendel looked at him with a gaze of pity.
The young lord was completely overwhelmed by Veronika’s imposing aura, nearly unable to move. Yet as he watched Count Cullenz step closer, the green light net on his retina began to flicker in layers, different attribute panels rapidly switching:
Character.
Mana Pool.
Attributes.
Traveler Mage Skill Tree, Card—
At this moment, the attribute panel froze on the Traveler Mage system.
Then Brendel smiled slightly at Count Cullenz, who was taken aback and puzzled by the smile. However, the commander of the Azure Sky Legion, Veronika, noticed something was off first: “Eh, this little guy—Cullenz, step back!”
She warned.
But it was too late; a blade of platinum fire had already appeared in front of Brendel—the Blade of White Sun. This was the first time Brendel had revealed this card in a long time, and the unfortunate Count Cullenz became the first guest to experience it.
He had no idea that Brendel could still counterattack under Veronika’s pressure, so when the blade materialized before him, the noble from Cruz could only widen his eyes in terror.
He was struck directly and let out a scream as he was sent flying backward. After an astonishing series of 1800-degree aerial spins, he crashed heavily onto the floor.
“Lord Cullenz!” The blonde girl with twin tails gasped.
Veronika raised her beautiful green eyebrows in surprise. She had not expected Brendel to strike back under the pressure she exerted; her astonishment was mingled with dissatisfaction. Since becoming the commander of the Empire, no one had dared to be so arrogant in front of her.
The female commander reached for her sword—Azure Sky—but then thought better of it, holding herself back. As a famed sword saint of over a hundred years, it seemed beneath her dignity to bully a junior.
Nonetheless, the Empire’s authority could not be disrespected.
She raised her hand and said coldly, “Seize this guy!” Veronika’s gaze turned icy as she waved her hand forward, and the thirty-odd knights from the Empire’s Imperial Cavalry surged forward.
As Veronika spoke, she also released the pressure she had been placing on Brendel. Although the Imperial Cavalry might seem like ineffective decoration to her, they would be sufficient to deal with a small noble from Erluin.
She had seen Erluin’s armies; apart from the Corvado royal knights, which could barely be considered soldiers, the rest were a rabble.
But as Brendel sensed the pressure lift from his body, he raised his head to see the Imperial knights charging toward him, quickly recognizing their insignia as the Cruz Imperial Guard. These knights, though not the elite of Cruz, were far more troublesome than the frontier cavalry he had dealt with earlier.
After all, the frontier cavalry were somewhat like the Erluin garrison.
Brendel took a steady step back and drew his sword for the first time.
As the long sword emerged, the faint cold light reflecting off the dark blade made the thorn-bound Faina cry out, “…that…that sword…”
“Watch out! Crimson Blessing!” But the voice of the black-haired boy quickly overshadowed hers.
Rono staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He pressed one hand against his chest, feeling quite unwell; however, the turmoil of his insides paled in comparison to the shock in his heart—he finally confirmed his earlier suspicion.
That was indeed the Crimson Blessing, Bahamut’s Grip.
The true artifact in the eyes of alchemists.
Flames of true red ignited in Brendel’s hand, surging up his arm and engulfing the Earth Blade in an instant. He leveled his long sword and charged at the knights, appearing like a demon emerging from hell, leaving a trail of flames in his wake.
Veronika’s expression changed as she saw Brendel draw his sword.
This was no mere semi-sword saint; the young man before her was a genuine sword saint. Moreover, seeing the sword and armor he bore, she realized she had made a tremendous error.
She had underestimated him.
Veronika immediately grasped the hilt of Azure Sky, but by this time, Brendel had already plunged into the ranks of the knights like a blazing phoenix, trailing flames.
“Advance from the left!” Otales’s voice was cold and calm as she fought alongside him.
“Exploit the knights’ attack openings!”
“Do not let this chance to retreat go!”
“Chase them down!”
“Blocking this blow first yields the best effect.”
“Eh, little guy, how are you doing this?” Otales suddenly paused, realizing that sometimes Brendel seemed to understand the enemy’s intentions even more than she did. While she relied on centuries of experience, what was happening with Brendel seemed too extraordinary to merely be explained as talent.
Even Otales was astonished by an individual’s abilities in swordsmanship.
Gilt—surely he couldn’t have such talent.
She thought.
But at that moment, the battle exhibited a different scene in Brendel’s eyes. He saw lines of gold, each delineating a complex image:
Attack, defense, encirclement—the knights’ intentions were laid bare in these lines. The instant they lowered their bodies, a golden line would extend from the offensive path he had prepared, aiming directly at Brendel’s chest.
This was the effect of deep analysis.
Perhaps it was not perfect, but Brendel discovered that this skill suited him remarkably well. Especially combined with his hundreds of years of swordsmanship experience from past games, along with Otales’s guidance, it was a boost like no other.
The knights of the Cruz Imperial Guard sometimes fell behind in their preparations, only for Brendel to seal their efforts with a single sword.
The knights were frustrated beyond measure; the moment they clashed with the young man, they realized something was off. It was as if he knew what they were trying to do. Often, he would instinctively anticipate their reactions, and just when they thought they’d found an opening, he had already disarmed all their possible attack routes with a sword.
The feeling made them want to drop their swords and flee, as if they were mice being toyed with by a cat.
Nevertheless, Brendel always pulled back at the last moment, which surprised the knights. They knew that if he were truly intent on it, he could have easily defeated them.
But he did not.
Was he showing mercy?
It didn’t seem so.
The knights did not know why, but Veronika, having drawn her sword, understood that Brendel had long since focused his attention on her; from the very beginning, he had sensed her intent to strike.
But how did he know?
“She’s about to strike,” Otales reminded him.
“I’m very curious,” Brendel began to disengage from the knights’ attacks while keeping his gaze fixed on Veronika, “Lady Otales, during your peak, who was stronger, you or this lady?”
“She’s just a little girl,” Otales snorted, answering with confidence, “I wouldn’t even need to draw my sword to fight her. She’s not as formidable as your grandfather.”
“What?” Brendel exclaimed in surprise.
“Watch out, here it comes.”
The young lord raised his head, seeing Veronika seemingly appearing right in front of him in an instant. He was startled and rolled away to evade her sword.
Veronika was slightly taken aback, thinking that this guy dodged quite quickly; she hadn’t even had the chance to launch her attack before he seemed to know what she was going to do.
However, while this commander was surprised, Brendel was receiving a reprimand.
“Why are you dodging?” Otales said, somewhat dissatisfied. “Meet her head-on.”
“Lady Otales, I’m not afraid of her swords, but when it comes to strength, I’m leagues behind this woman!” Brendel explained while dodging.
“Fool! How could she use too high a level of strength here?” Otales scolded in his heart. “Unless she intends to demolish this marketplace with a swing.”
Brendel was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing. Right, this was a Druid’s aerial marketplace. Although there was a barrier for protection, it wouldn’t support a duel beyond two Golden-tier combatants; any greater strength would break through the protective barrier.
At this realization, he almost received a sword strike, but the young man turned away at the last moment, narrowly avoiding Veronika’s blade as it grazed his cheek.
The sword energy left a cut on his face.
Brendel felt a chill across his cheek. However, Veronika, witnessing this scene, was both amused and exasperated. This little fellow dared to be distracted while fighting her; even the famed sword saints of Cruz wouldn’t be so bold—and the most astonishing part was that he actually managed to evade her!
“This kid…” Veronika couldn’t help but think, “If only he were from Cruz, I would definitely take him under my wing to carry on my legacy.”
But Brendel was, of course, oblivious to the female commander’s thoughts. After receiving Otales’s reminder, he calmed down and had already decided to turn the tables.
He paused, then raised the Earth Blade to block Azure Sky’s sword blade, the blue and gray glows intertwined—Azure Sky was a wind-element fantasy-grade weapon, which on level was certainly not inferior to the Earth Blade, Harangaya, but the steadiness of the Earth naturally suppressed the unpredictable nature of the wind.
As a result, Azure Sky’s whirlwind effect was almost entirely suppressed.
As the blades met, Brendel only felt a tingling in his arm.
“This woman has great strength,” he thought to himself. However, this time he did not retreat; instead, he retracted his sword and lunged forward again.
Counterattack.
Everyone was taken aback; the Imperial knights, who couldn’t even make a single advance, could hardly believe their eyes—the young man was actually counterattacking.
“What audacity!” Veronika was enraged; this kid not only showed no fear of her but also planned to overpower her head-on—this was utterly ridiculous.
……
(PS: It seems the air is pregnant with a restless aura. What is it? I don’t know, but… that… where’s the monthly ticket? (Dragged away…(To be continued. For further developments, please log in; more chapters are available to support the author and enjoy legitimate reading!))
