Chapter 420: Act 173 – Awakening
Mephistopheles looked up, seeing a golden beam of light piercing the night sky, along with another beam in the distance reflecting up into the clouds. He stood up from the grass, brushing off the leaves from his body. Among the four people before, he had managed to escape the attack of the Nightmare with the greatest ease. The Multi-headed Dragon of the Holy One hardly troubled him, but upon leaving the forest, he unexpectedly found himself lost.
Mephistopheles gazed at the light beam, his eyes shining bright; he paused for a moment and then headed in that direction.
Meanwhile.
At the moment the blinding beam of light erupted, Andisha grew countless tentacles from behind, shooting them towards the center of the light beam where Brendel stood, trying to stop this massive divine reaction. However, she did not expect that her iron-like vines would burn to ashes the moment they touched that golden light, as if paper met fire.
Andisha shouted in surprise and hastily withdrew her entangled vines. The golden flames seemed to possess a power capable of scorching her very soul, causing a sharp pain to stab at her heart.
Just as she delayed for a moment, the High Priestess of the Tree Shepherd suddenly felt something. She alertly turned around, her purple eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed a flash of azure light at the other end of the valley.
“That was fast.” Andisha gritted her teeth, quickly retreating to grab Xi’s arm, speaking in a low voice, “It’s not yet the time to deal with that woman, my little darling, come with me.”
However, she did not expect that this pull would not budge Xi. Andisha looked down in surprise and found the red-haired girl gripping the protruding rock on the ground with one hand, staring defiantly at her.
“I’m not going with you.” Xi unabashedly locked her gaze onto Andisha’s eyes, answering slowly and clearly.
“Are you crazy?!” Andisha’s voice suddenly rose an octave. “You promised me! As long as I heal him, you would come with me!”
“I never said I would keep my word,” Xi replied, “I won’t leave Lord Brendel. You can kill me.”
Andisha momentarily froze. By all accounts, Tree Shepherds were cunning and unpredictable in the impressions of ordinary people, yet today she fell for a little girl’s trick. She could have killed Brendel right then, but the golden flames likely wouldn’t allow her to do so. Angered and trembling all over, she could only slap Xi behind the head, causing the girl to let out a soft whimper and faint.
But just as this delay occurred, a green figure at the end of the valley suddenly accelerated—none other than Veronika, the goddess of war from the Empire—her lips pressed together, a single hand placed on the hilt of her sword Azure Sky, stepping forward, folding hundreds of meters of space into one point.
In the next instant, she stood before Andisha.
Veronika coldly regarded Faina, tightly bound by Andisha, and spoke, “Andisha!”
“Tsk,” Andisha halted her movements. After all, she was a high-ranking figure and managed to compose herself. With a light hum, she remarked, “You are indeed a step too late. Lady Veronika’s elemental power has truly entered the realm of ‘extreme,’ with speed fast enough to create visual illusions.”
“Don’t waste my time, Andisha,” Veronika’s voice was as cold as ice. She was well aware of this woman’s identity and knew she wasn’t here to pay her compliments, not to mention Faina was still in her grasp. “How did Faina end up in your hands? What about Rono and Alman?” she demanded.
“You’re talking about this little girl?” Andisha appeared unfazed by Veronika’s tone, reaching out to pull the vines binding Faina closer, her finger cradling the chin of this noble girl. “What a charming beauty.”
“Quit playing games with me!” Accompanied by a sharp shout, Veronika unsheathed her sword with a clang, pointing it at Andisha. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Veronika noticed the light beam behind Andisha, but due to the blazing golden flames obscuring her view, she had not realized there was another person inside.
However, she did see the unconscious Xi and frowned slightly.
Andisha, with her picturesque brows and a smile, said, “Why don’t you guess, Lady Commander?”
Veronika’s expression darkened; she chose not to engage in idle talk with this woman and bit her lip, directly swinging her sword, creating a stream of azure energy. The energy burst forth, forming a bird-like shape, resembling an azure bird flapping its wings, trailing a long tail as it shot towards Andisha.
The speed was akin to thunder—
Andisha’s expression changed. She had not expected Veronika to come in with full force right away. With her slender right hand covered in vines, she waved, and with a loud crash, numerous pale thorns erupted from the ground, attempting to block Veronika’s sword energy. These were not ordinary thorns but rather the vines from the Blood Rose of the River of Sulphur, tough as steel, and their backward-facing spikes held a potent poison that could rot human flesh.
Yet, the azure bird, as if it were alive, flapped its wings, buzzing around the gaps between these hellish plants, skillfully avoiding obstacles while heading straight for Andisha.
Secret Sword Technique!
Only then did Andisha realize Veronika was genuinely serious. The Aegis Wall was a defensive sword technique based on the element of wind. Though it focused on defense, it could counterattack with agility, showing a unique side when necessary.
The azure bird was the best evidence of this moment.
Andisha gritted her teeth, simply releasing her hold on Faina’s chin, and countered with her sword. The moment her fingertip brushed against the azure bird, Veronika’s sword energy scattered like dust in the wind.
“Lady Veronika,” she said, “you are not my match, why act rashly?”
Veronika didn’t respond; her answer was delivered through her sword. Before Andisha could finish speaking, she looked up and was met with a magnificent scene—countless azure birds were soaring from a massive azure vortex, creating a breathtaking sight.
That moment was slow and grand, akin to witnessing a vast migration of birds flying along the walls of white clouds and azure skies—
“Children of the Wind!”
The Decaying Lord’s face changed. She extended five fingers upwards, screaming, “Earth Puppet!” Accompanying Andisha’s voice, the ground beneath them roared, and countless dirt and rocks surged upward, instantly forming a massive puppet.
Meanwhile, Veronika and her legion of azure birds charged ahead, crashing into the suddenly appeared puppet, each blade of sword energy creating deep pits in its surface, though more earth would quickly reform the rocky puppet.
After a moment of wild sword strikes, the puppet giant was covered in pits and cracks yet still capable of movement. With a low roar, it lifted its colossal fist and swung it toward Veronika like a mountain crashing down from hundreds of feet away.
The female commander had started to sweat, yet she appeared remarkably steady. She stood firm, her teeth clenched as she raised Azure Sky above her head, the shimmering blade slicing through the rocky puppet with a tremendous crash. A stone arm of the puppet fell heavily to the ground.
Veronika retracted her sword and let out a soft sigh; the previous battle had nearly drained her. But when she looked up, she found Andisha standing beside the earth puppet, her face only slightly less pale than before.
After their round of combat, the victor was clear.
Andisha regarded Veronika closely; to prevent her from attacking again, she smiled gently, placing her finger on Faina’s neck. “Lady Veronika, I did not come here to fight you. If you move again, do not blame me for being rude.”
“You will not kill her,” Veronika replied coldly.
Andisha was taken aback, then smiled, “Very clever indeed, but it also depends on how valuable this little princess is.”
“What do you want?”
“You know very well, Lady Veronika,” Andisha grinned, “I want the Lionheart Sword.”
“That’s absurd,” Veronika replied.
“Then you won’t want this little princess either?” Andisha tapped Faina’s cheek lightly.
Veronika took a breath but shook her head. “Not to mention the Lionheart Sword is not in my possession, even if it were, I wouldn’t use it to trade for Faina.”
“What a heartless perspective. A mere object, in your view, is deemed more precious than a human life?” Andisha’s sharp fingers traced Faina’s face. “This little girl seems to be the only heir of Duke Huaye. Aren’t you worried that the duke will come after you?”
“Quit rambling,” Veronika replied. “Andisha, we both know what the Lionheart Sword represents. Never mind Faina; even if the Emperor were in your hands, I would not agree to such demands.”
She lifted her head and said slowly, “The Cruz Empire will never bow to any threat.”
This time, it was Andisha who fell silent.
She understood Veronika’s character well. Originally, she had not planned to meet this woman so early. Her original plan was to wait until Veronika obtained the Lionheart Sword, using Faina to distract her, and then seizing the Lionheart Sword from her.
This was indeed her best tactic.
But she did not expect to have her arrangements completely disrupted by the sudden appearances of Xi and Brendel. Now she sat in silence, growing angry while simultaneously contemplating how to remedy the situation.
“Since the Lionheart Sword is not in your hands,” Andisha spoke softly, “then the item that seeks the Lionheart Sword should at least be in your possession.”
Veronika furrowed her brow at her words, immediately understanding the other’s intentions, raising her sword in readiness to defend.
But Andisha offered a seductive smile, raising her left hand to grasp Faina’s throat. “However, since this little princess has become useless, it’s fine to use her for a blood sacrifice.”
Veronika’s expression changed, about to speak, but at that moment, a voice suddenly interjected—
“Lady Andisha, I wouldn’t mind you doing that,” the voice said, “but before you do, you better explain to me what you’ve done to my guard.”
Andisha’s expression changed; a warning sign flashed through her. At that moment, she felt as if a beast had locked onto her from behind, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up. She instinctively turned around.
An intense golden flame surged toward her.
……(To be continued. For more details on the subsequent events, please log in; there are more chapters available to support the author and encourage genuine reading!)
