Chapter 422: Act 175 – The Escape
Andisha’s expression was a mix of surprise and intrigue at being the center of attention. However, it couldn’t compare to the heart-wrenching pain and anger of losing the Blood of the Dark God.
“Stay, obey me, and I will leave you a way out,” Andisha said in a low voice.
This commanding attitude didn’t amuse Brendel; instead, it raised his defenses. He frowned, holding his sword in front of Xi. Although gaining the Blood of the Dark God and the inheritance of the Dark Dragon Odin had momentarily elevated his strength to an upper-tier level, even reaching the threshold of elemental mastery under full activation, Brendel knew well that this level of power was still insufficient for direct confrontation with the Decayed Lord.
“You’re pushing me towards Veronika, Andisha. I have no intention of fighting you, and I don’t want to get involved in your grievances with the Crusian Empire.”
He placed a hand on the shoulder of the unconscious red-haired girl and continued, “I’ll leave with her, you continue to pursue your Lionheart Sword. Who knows, Miss Veronika might reconsider and agree to your request.”
“Brendel!” Veronika frowned, her emerald eyebrows knitting together.
But Brendel ignored the female commander. Earlier, he might have helped Veronika out for the Valkyrie’s sake, but after the previous battle, he had had enough of the arrogant Crusian people.
“You think you can escape? What an absurd thought!” Andisha coldly interrupted them. “I won’t allow my possessions to slip from my grasp. Do you think I fear you joining forces?”
Her purple eyes suddenly narrowed like a reptile, glinting with a cold light. “Both the Lionheart Sword and you are mine.” The woman proudly raised her chin. “If you wish to struggle, by all means, give it a try!”
Veronika let out a cold hum. As a commander of the privileged Azure Sky Legion of the Crusian Empire, she had never faced such contempt. Although she knew each of the Twelve High Priests of the Shepherd was far stronger than her, she still couldn’t tolerate it.
Just as Andisha finished speaking, the female Sword Saint had already made her move. She withdrew her long sword, pressed her left hand against her chest, and softly chanted, activating her first elemental source. Then, gripping the Azure Sky tightly with her right hand, she waved it forward—this time, Veronika was genuinely unleashing her full strength, her emerald-like eyes fixed on Andisha’s movements, her brow raised like a pair of sharp swords; even her fair face was tinted with a faint blush.
A blue wind dragon surged forth from her sword’s edge, the great dragon spread its wings and let out a long roar, then circled gracefully in the air, diving straight for the Decayed Lord.
At the same time, Brendel also prepared for battle. Andisha’s declaration clearly indicated her intention to keep both of them. It sounded somewhat arrogant, but this woman had the right to be arrogant.
The Twelve High Priests of the Shepherd were practically invincible in the early game against anyone except ancient dragons and those ancient wizards.
Seeing Veronika’s Azure Secret Sword—the Wind Fairy—take action, Brendel noticed a circle of black deadwood fragments appear around Andisha. These fragments floated in the air, visibly disintegrating into finer dust at every moment, symbolizing that the Decayed Lord had begun to manifest her powers.
At this moment, Veronika’s actions also irritated Brendel. Andisha’s true strength was at least several tiers above this female commander, drastically more powerful compared to him; even if they teamed up, they may not be able to contend with her. Therefore, a direct confrontation would be the most inadvisable route.
Yet, the female Sword Saint opted for that very path.
Brendel raised the Earth Sword as flames erupted from the crimson blessing, enveloping the blade in an instant. He silently cursed Veronika for having her decades of battlefield experience dulled by a life of luxury—but then again, it seemed Veronika herself came from a military background, where clashes in battle rarely involved elaborate tactics.
In that moment, Andisha was using one hand to block the Sword Saint’s Azure Sword Art, while Faina lay unconscious behind her. This scene sparked a tactical thought in Brendel; without hesitation, he drew a cross in the air with his left hand, leaving behind a series of black afterimages. Suddenly, a pair of black wings formed from swirling smoke erupted behind him—like the cloak of the Grim Reaper.
Brendel activated his Frenzy ability.
His entire momentum shifted, and while temporary attributes couldn’t break through the element wall, his power and physique exceeding six hundred still made him feel the vague presence of that wall.
He reached out, and the space in front of him shattered like layers of glass. A beam of black light shot towards Andisha, who immediately sensed the threat from behind and waved her hand back.
With a deafening boom, the ground trembled, and the incomplete Earth Puppet stood before Brendel. The black light struck the puppet’s right leg, exploding and creating a nearly two-meter diameter hole that completely penetrated its body.
The sheer penetrating power startled Brendel.
“Is the White Crow Sword Art influenced by the Dark Power in a Frenzy state?” He was taken aback but then felt a shadow looming over him.
Looking up, Brendel realized the Earth Puppet was tipping over towards him—due to its right leg being damaged, it lost balance and toppled violently in his direction.
Brendel did not dare hesitate. He forcefully pushed off the ground, activating his Charge skill. His body transformed into a black streak, darting around the crashing Earth Puppet and heading straight for Andisha—towards Faina.
The resounding crash and rising smoke from the collapsing Earth Puppet perfectly concealed Brendel’s intentions.
Furthermore, Andisha would never have imagined that Brendel’s speed would be so absurd—under the combined effects of Frenzy and Charge, Brendel surpassed even Veronika, who commanded the Wind Element. The woman didn’t sense anything as Brendel edged closer.
“You!” Andisha exclaimed as she discovered Brendel in the smoke, but it was too late. She suddenly realized something, her expression turning ferocious as she clawed backwards.
The power of erosion grazed past Brendel, instantly turning one of his sleeves and a side of his inner armor to dust, but at least he had managed to evade Andisha’s attack. Taking advantage of the split second, Brendel lunged forward, cutting through Andisha’s vines with one sword and catching the falling Faina with his left hand.
The girl let out a soft groan, frowning slightly. Brendel noticed the red ring around her neck, knowing she must have suffered quite a lot before.
But now was not the time to dwell on that; Andisha had already noticed his movements. With a scream amidst the swirling smoke, she began chanting loudly and extended her fingers—suddenly, a massive wooden thorn appeared out of nowhere, shooting towards Brendel.
At that moment, while severing Andisha’s vines with one hand and holding Faina with the other, he found himself in an unguarded state. The wooden thorn came screaming toward him; he could only turn back and concentrate, manifesting a solid barrier with his formidable willpower in front of him.
When the wooden thorn burst through the mist and struck the barrier, the immense force twisted and deformed it, exploding into countless shards. Yet the spell was far from over; the fragments transformed mid-air into numerous wooden claws, once again lunging at Brendel.
Brendel had no choice but to dissipate his will barrier, allowing the claws to crash against the separated transparent barrier. The wooden claws exploded once more under the magical resistance, turning into a sky full of black dust.
All of this happened in an instant. Brendel shook his head, feeling slightly dizzy; while his strength provided terrifying magical resistance, it wasn’t without cost. As he watched the black dust swirling down to encircle him, he quickly had an idea, wrapping the flaming Earth Sword around himself and swirling it. The flames instantly incinerated the dust.
The Living Wood Thorn was a three-stage spell: piercing damage, then binding, and finally the poisonous powder. Any unacquainted person could fall prey to it, but for Brendel, the spell had long been anticipated. After countering all three stages of the spell, he leaped backward, away from Andisha’s close combat range while holding Faina.
Mission accomplished!
Brendel avoided two vine whips and quickly shouted, “Veronika, I’ve rescued Miss Faina; we need to split up and leave!”
He was well aware that the two of them together weren’t a match for the Decayed Lord, and if he wanted to escape with Xi, neither Veronika nor Andisha were fools.
Only by rescuing Faina would Veronika wholeheartedly cover his retreat. As long as Veronika could hold Andisha back, his chances of escaping would greatly increase.
However, his shout completely enraged Andisha. She saw Brendel and Xi as her possessions, especially the precious Blood of the Dark God on Brendel. She would never allow them to escape so easily.
The Decayed Lord of the Shepherd let out a high-pitched scream. She spread her hands, and in an instant, countless thorny hell vines erupted from the ground, blocking Brendel’s path like a dark sky.
“Damn it!” Brendel’s heart skipped a beat as he saw the massive cage manifesting out of thin air; he realized he had underestimated the tenacity of this vine woman.
In this critical moment, a beam of azure light suddenly pierced through the fog—wherever it passed, the vines split apart. However, the blue sword light transformed into a flock of azure birds that scattered, instantly blasting a large hole through the encircling vines.
Brendel’s eyes brightened; he seized the opportunity to leap through the hole. Dragging Faina behind him, he turned back to see Veronika standing firm, one sword in hand. The female Sword Saint was surrounded by swirling air currents, her hair flying wildly, leaving him with a cerulean silhouette.
“That red-haired girl is over there; take her and Faina and go,” Veronika said without turning back. “Leave this to me.”
Thank goodness he hadn’t miscalculated!
Brendel let out a sigh of relief; he knew Veronika wasn’t a match for Andisha, but since the female Sword Saint chose to do this, it was her decision. Moreover, they were enemies before; by saving Faina, he had returned her a favor.
It was merely a collaboration and transaction.
Thus, he felt no burdens and immediately sped off towards the Saintly White Stone, hearing Andisha scream angrily behind him:
“Damn brat, don’t let me catch you!”
Yet her voice sounded somewhat desperate. (To be continued, for more chapters, please log in to support the author and support legitimate reading!)
