Chapter 441: Act 193 – The Final Moment (Part Nine)
However, after Mephistopheles displayed his power, Andisha immediately wanted to use her strength to overpower him as well; both were proud individuals. The Giant Plant was an eighth-circle spell of the Druid, and it was the highest-level druid spell that Tree Shepherds could cast. Its effect was to amplify the already strengthened magical plants by more than ten times due to their size.
This meant that at this moment, the strength of the vines commanded by Andisha was comparable to that of a true elemental warrior.
The dragon-like plants wove a net in mid-air, sealing off any escape route for Mephistopheles under Andisha’s command. The Gray Saint had nowhere to run and could only face the confrontation head-on.
But Mephistopheles remained calm. He slowly came to a stop and looked up at the giant tentacles waving in the air.
The tentacles lunged at him—
He raised his sword, and the “Gray World” instantly unfurled. Then, with both hands gripping the sword, he swept it upward—although there was nearly a hundred meters between them, Brendel and Faina suddenly felt the entire world dim for a moment.
It seemed as if only the trajectory of that gray sword in Mephistopheles’s hand remained in existence, slicing the world into two along a diagonal line.
Then time seemed to freeze.
A loud cracking sound echoed as if something had split apart. Those tentacles in mid-air suddenly snapped cleanly from their roots, and green sap gushed from the broken ends. One could imagine countless dragons being cleaved in mid-air, falling downward.
The spectacle was utterly magnificent.
Then, the severed plants toppled backward, appearing from above like a green chrysanthemum blooming in the forest; the vines crashed to the ground, scattering ancient trees around, filling the air with dust.
After delivering that strike, it was evident that Mephistopheles had also expended considerable energy. He leaned his sword against the ground, gasping for breath.
However, Andisha was not faring any better; her guiding spell was completely shattered in an instant, and the backlash nearly caused her to explode. She grit her teeth and chose to sacrifice her minions to save herself, her left hand explosively transforming into a burst of green sludge, releasing all her magical power just enough to spare her life.
Andisha let out a muffled groan, glaring fiercely at Mephistopheles below. She had never suffered such a significant loss even when battling the Archmages of the Silver Alliance, as wizards were more cautious and their attacks more predictable. In contrast, this warrior-like man fought as if he had nothing to lose, and she found herself unwittingly on the defensive.
“Hamil, you bastard, how long are you going to wait?” she finally couldn’t hold back her roar. “Are you planning to watch from the sidelines and reap the maximum benefits?”
Mephistopheles was taken aback by her shout; he hadn’t expected this woman to have assistance. Although he had gained quite a bit from that previous strike, it had required the collective strength of almost the entire “Gray Domain.” Now, he was struggling to summon the departing elements again.
He took a breath and quickly looked around, soon spotting a man in a gold and crimson ceremonial robe stepping out from behind the smoke.
“You are one of the priests of the Temple of Fire?” Mephistopheles frowned upon seeing the man’s attire.
At that moment, Brendel also recognized the appearance of the newcomer. Priest Amann nearly passed right by them—of course, even if he had walked through them, it wouldn’t have made much difference. Yet when Brendel confirmed the man was indeed the deceased Amann, he couldn’t help but be shocked.
For although this man did resemble Amann, his face was pale and waxy, and his body was mottled with dark spots. This was hardly a look befitting a living person; rather, he looked more like an undead.
To Brendel, this appeared to be the work of the Reanimation spell, a notorious necromantic art from Vaunte. This spell could transform a person into an undead at the moment of their death, but it required previously removing a part of the target’s soul and placing it in a container.
This container couldn’t be a jar or a box; it needed to be a living person devoid of a soul. As for how a living person could become a soulless vessel, that remained unspoken.
This forbidden art was strictly prohibited by various temples, and only the necromancers of Madara and certain cultists would dare to study it.
Therefore, upon seeing Amann, Brendel immediately confirmed this guy was undoubtedly an undercover agent. However, considering his relationship with Andisha, he didn’t seem to be a Tree Shepherd. In reality, among the numerous cults in Vaunte, Everything Returns Society and Tree Shepherds were merely two of the more influential factions.
Others, like the Silver Serpent and Goat-Faced Cultists, also had terrifying legends surrounding them.
It was only when Brendel noticed the dark ring on Amann’s finger that he narrowed his eyes. It seemed this guy had no intention of returning to the temple since his death, and thus had no need to hide his identity anymore—this ring was the emblem of the Everything Returns Society.
“It’s really him, Priest Amann!” Faina whispered.
Brendel nodded. “The Everything Returns Society has truly penetrated the world of humanity thoroughly.”
Though close at hand, Amann did not hear Brendel and Faina’s conversation. He simply smiled at Mephistopheles, “Good eye, but that is just an old identity of mine.”
“The venerable priest of the temple is actually a cultist; the Cruz are truly fallen,” Mephistopheles remarked disdainfully as he glanced at Amann.
“Count Mephistopheles, I must disagree. Priest Amann is merely a rare exception hidden among them, and moreover, the esteemed priest is not a Cruz; how can you generalize?”
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the mist.
Brendel perked up at the sound; it was Veronika. What was she doing here? However, he was more surprised to see that this Cruzian war goddess seemed to be in league with Mephistopheles. How did they end up together?
He had thought that, even in the face of catastrophe, the Gray Saint would never compromise with any Cruzian.
But before Veronika could finish her sentence, a flash of green light appeared from the other side of the mist. At that moment, Amann was about to strike toward the immobilized Mephistopheles, when suddenly, a flurry of wings sounded from within the mist, and a mass of blue birds burst forth, flapping their wings and charging at him directly.
These birds seemed to be made of light; their vibrant blue-indigo colors were so beautiful that they could take one’s breath away. But upon seeing this, Amann’s face changed dramatically. Among such seemingly lovely creatures lay a terrible danger, their feathers sharper than real swords.
Because they were composed of Veronika’s sword energy.
“The Sky Wall!” Faina exclaimed upon spotting the blue birds. “It’s Lady Veronika!”
Amann immediately stepped back, as eight runes floated around him, and a six-sided barrier of light suddenly appeared in front of the blue birds. The birds crashed into it one by one, creating ripples, but ultimately disappeared.
Brendel recognized that the spell was one of the strongest protective spells of the Temple of Fire, the Sacred Shield. The spell’s original effect was to block all attacks, but evidently, Amann’s implementation was much weaker. It appeared that now, as an undead, his affinity for such divinity spells had diminished significantly.
Perhaps in a few days, Amann would completely lose those divine abilities, but at least for now, he could still be considered a powerful priest.
Amann took a step back, warily watching the lady emerging from the mist. However, Brendel observed her long sword with a peculiar expression. If he wasn’t mistaken, that sword was the one used by the Gray Saint—Rune Sword Gurnis.
When had these two grown so close that they could even exchange their backup weapons? Was it possible that the Gray Saint’s hatred for Cruz had merely been a charade? Or had Veronika enchanted him with some kind of seduction?
Brendel couldn’t help but think mischievously as he looked at Veronika. Though the imperial war goddess was over a hundred years old, she appeared to be in her early thirties, holding considerable charm for Mephistopheles.
Although the Gray Saint was a bit younger, their age gap wasn’t significant. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Could it be that this Gray Saint and the imperial war goddess had developed a mutual attraction? Unlikely alliances didn’t appear impossible.
“Hey, Faina,” he couldn’t help but ask. “Why are they together? Could it be that Lady Veronika used the legendary beauty trap on Mephistopheles?”
“You, you, you can’t say that! Lady Veronika wouldn’t do that!” Faina, also dumbfounded at the scene, stammered weakly.
Yet while Brendel spoke carelessly, his heart grew anxious. He scanned around, hoping Xi hadn’t followed them. Unfortunately, reality quickly dashed his hopes as he soon spotted the girl behind Veronika.
“Hey, isn’t this trouble you’re bringing me, Lady Veronika?” Brendel sighed upon seeing Xi.
“Let’s go out and meet with Lady Veronika,” Faina suggested quietly.
Brendel immediately grabbed her arm. “Wait, let’s assess the situation first.”
“What more is there to assess? Your little lover has arrived; are you really going to leave?” Faina glowered at him.
“Hey, I mean, you’re a noble lady; how can you speak so unpleasantly?” Brendel couldn’t help but cough. “Besides, aren’t you stupid? We are in the dark while the enemy is in the light. Do you really want to go out and let them be on guard?”
Faina was taken aback, not expecting Brendel to think that way. Her face flushed. “That’s not it! I just don’t think about sneaky attacks like you do! Are you really a noble?”
“Isn’t stabbing someone in the back, poisoning, and assassination the forte of your Cruz nobility? It seems like what I’m doing perfectly aligns with your values!” Brendel retorted.
Faina was left speechless for a moment and then glared at him with gritted teeth. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
