Chapter 442: Act 193 – The Final Moment (10)
When Veronika emerged from the mist, the priest from the former temple was as surprised as Brendel. Before he could react, Lady of the Azure had already spoken to him: “Lord Amann, you truly caught me off guard.”
“You too, Lady Veronika,” Amann replied with a stern face.
“It is surprising that the Gray Saint Mephistopheles has allied with the Crusian,” Andisha said coldly, her right hand covering the stump of her left arm, green blood continuously seeping between her fingers. “That wretched dog over there, is your hatred for the Crusian really so superficial?”
Brendel watched, unable to contain his admiration for the Gray Saint, who displayed no excessive emotion in response to such a barb, acting as if he hadn’t heard it at all. Indeed, this sword saint appeared to have an extraordinary character and breadth of mind.
However, to his astonishment, the legendary sword saint actually raised his head and asked earnestly, “Huh?”
‘Huh? What the hell! Are you that clueless!’ Brendel struggled to catch his breath, nearly choking, and couldn’t help but curse internally. In the past, the Gray Saint was somewhat of a fearless warrior among NPCs, an idol to countless people, yet he appeared like this now.
The collapse of the idolized figure in his heart was perhaps the effect of this moment. Although Brendel was not an ardent fan, the contrast was too stark.
Andisha’s expression darkened further. She certainly did not believe that Mephistopheles hadn’t heard her; she thought he was mocking her—translating to the fact that he didn’t regard her at all.
Having nearly two hundred years of experience since entering the realm of elements, she had never been so underestimated. For a moment, she felt as if her blood was boiling.
Pointing at Mephistopheles, she growled, “Mephistopheles, I heard thirty years ago that you were a genius that only emerges once in a millennium among the Meyers. The Crusian Empire even went so far as to dispatch troops to crush the Sutherland Duchy simply to kill you in the cradle. But fortunately, that woman, Martha, seems to have cared for you well, yet you didn’t cherish that favor and instead allied with your former enemies.”
“With your talent, you could indeed be called a genius, but the current you is still far from my level. You should understand that your previous moment of carelessness only favored you temporarily, but such situations cannot happen repeatedly. Value your life, young man. Besides, that woman behind you is the female war god of the Crusian. Killing her would deal a significant blow to that arrogant empire; you must understand this, right?”
Mephistopheles nodded, “I understand, Lady Andisha, but I am here to take your life; as for my grievances with the Crusian Empire, I will resolve them later.”
“You dare to refuse my invitation to drink?” Andisha said through gritted teeth. It wasn’t that she didn’t dare to strike at Mephistopheles; she had already assessed his strength in their previous battles. As long as she didn’t underestimate him, Mephistopheles wouldn’t have any opportunities.
However, she was unwilling to engage in a life-or-death struggle with Mephistopheles, simply put, she didn’t trust that Hamil was with her; she knew that he might stab them both in the back at any moment.
But hearing this, Mephistopheles merely raised his sword and replied, “I don’t drink, you should know that anything that corrupts the mind is harmful to someone pursuing the utmost swordsmanship.”
“Yes, indeed. And Andisha, you also know that both the Crusian and Meyer people are subjects of Martha, unlike you monsters. To us, you are the primary enemy. Even if Count Mephistopheles has many grievances with the Crusian, shouldn’t we first unite against a common foe?” Veronika interjected, folding her arms and smiling as she addressed Andisha, her long aquamarine hair cascading over her shoulders, making her smile particularly charming.
Andisha fumed, “Then go die! Corruption, let you witness the power of time!”
A green domain unfolded from the enraged lord, and anything wrapped in that green light instantaneously withered and decayed. Those stone structures that had endured for over ten thousand years crumbled at that moment, turning to dust.
The green light surged forward, instantly surrounding Mephistopheles and Veronika, seemingly ready to engulf them both. Yet to everyone’s astonishment, the green light halted just within a hundred feet of the Gray Saint’s body, unable to advance a step further.
On the outer edges, the streets crumbled to powder as the stones disintegrated, exposing the earth beneath, and plants sprouted from the bare soil only to wilt again, leaving the ground a grayish-black. But beneath Mephistopheles’s feet, the street remained intact, without a hint of change.
What was happening? Andisha felt a twinge of surprise; theoretically, Mephistopheles’s real strength shouldn’t be enough to resist her elemental erosion.
“What’s going on?” Faina, hidden under her cloak, also asked in confusion. “How, how can he resist the influence of the elements from such a distance? Could that guy’s strength really be comparable to Andisha’s?”
Realizing Mephistopheles was now standing on Veronika’s side, the term used in the lady’s mouth shifted from “the great demon lord” to “that guy.”
“It’s the element of restraint.” Brendel’s eyes lit up. “Corruption is, at its core, merely a lower-level element of time, existing just at the level of overt elements. However, the Gray Domain is a fantasy element of the strongest rule power, and it is also related to time; in the ‘Gray World,’ time slows down, so corruption naturally becomes ineffective.”
“And the fantasy elements often operate under self-defined rules. Within that world, the lower-level time element must abide by the rules of that world.”
Brendel withheld further details because elements are categorized into six levels: microelements, mixed elements, strong elements, rule power, elemental power, and existential power. Among them, microelements are powers that everyone possesses in this elemental world of Vaunte, often referred to as human attributes, but they do not manifest, being too weak to be perceived.
Mixed elements are merely manifestations of strong elements, hence they are also called overt elements. These elements mostly appear before an individual has truly awakened their elements, like the ‘frost’ ability Brendel had previously demonstrated.
Only those who truly awaken their elements can possess genuine overt elements; this level is the strong element, which is the most widespread among groups of people.
Next comes rule power, such as fantasy, mystery, holy, and nature; then elemental power, which is also called the upper-level elements, where the four great elements belong. This level is the foundation of this world.
Finally, there exists existential power, which defines existence itself parallel or transcendent to the world, the very essence of matter and consciousness.
Andisha’s corruption is merely a secondary element derived from the natural elements, its highest form being time. Although it boasts noble origins, unfortunately, at this secondary level, it probably only corresponds to the level of a strong element.
In contrast, the Gray Saint’s ‘Gray World’ is an authentic fantasy element in rule power. Both elements possess time components, but due to the characteristic of lower-level elements serving upper-level elements, Andisha’s power is undoubtedly suppressed.
Had she not been significantly stronger than Mephistopheles, he might have even been able to control her elements through the Gray World.
“What excellent luck, Count.” Veronika smiled from behind Mephistopheles. Although she understood just how dangerous Andisha’s elemental power was, she seemed to carry on nonchalantly.
However, the youthful sword saint of the Meyers glanced back at her, his dark gray pupils revealing the sentiment of—I’m already aware of Andisha’s abilities.
“Understood.” The female sword saint said, extending her hand protectively over Xi behind her, addressing the red-haired girl: “You step back; you cannot get involved in the upcoming battle.”
Xi showed a hint of surprise, “You don’t need to go to such lengths to protect me, Lady Veronika. I also possess golden-level power.”
“Oh?” Mephistopheles raised his eyebrows slightly, “Your lord is a golden-level existence, right? In recent years, many figures have emerged among the Erluins. I’ve heard there’s a young man named Bud with outstanding talents who received recognition from the Cross Sword early on; he is also from your country, isn’t he?”
Xi nodded; after all, Bud was still her deputy captain. But she didn’t dare mention that the once young Bud was no longer young and had already entered middle age.
“You don’t need to look at me,” Veronika said with an irritated tone as she noticed the Meyer sword saint looking her way, “You wouldn’t actually believe that woman’s nonsense, would you? The Empire’s military action against the Sutherland Duchy was not due to your good son, the duke. Besides, rest assured, I will do what I say.”
“Then good.” Mephistopheles raised his sword: “I’ll deal with that woman; you take care of that priest, understood?”
“No problem, Amann’s strength is beneath mine.” Veronika replied.
“Not necessarily; be careful,” Mephistopheles added, “I’m not worried about you; I just don’t want you holding me back.”
Lady of the Azure glared at him; no one had dared to speak to her like that since her rise to fame. Moreover, to be fair, she was actually older than this ‘young sword saint.’
However, Mephistopheles ignored her and turned away in silence. The exchange between them was quick, and at this moment, Andisha also realized the issue. Shock twisted her face.
But the elemental power being suppressed didn’t mean she had no way to handle Mephistopheles. As a lord of a sheepherder, she was not solely relying on elements. She released her right hand from where it had covered her left arm stump, grabbed the twisted wooden staff floating in the air, her eyes practically spitting fire as she gazed at the group below.
Clutching the staff tightly, she immediately shouted, “O Chaos above all things, I wholeheartedly revere your power! May you churn in the endless ocean, filled with fury, burning away all entities that defy the truths of this world! Now let me borrow your authority and do your will!”
A terrible tremor swept through the hearts of everyone present.
“The Seventh Round Moon, by your name, I summon Ankaramu! Let all things return to one!” Andisha raised her staff, and her body, covered in vines, was instantaneously pierced, sprouting scales that were black and tinged with blood-red: “Come forth, dragon of chaos, Duskgazer—”
(Note: Ankaramu is the name of the seventh round moon, which witches believe represents the reflection of the destruction and shadow magic above in the sky, thus representing the brutality and killing intent of the Duskgazer Dragon. Ankaramu and the fourth round moon, Akana, are twin moons; Akana represents judgment and rebirth in Crusian mythology and is also known as the wisdom moon of Wizard Bud.)
Horns erupted from her hair, and the sunlight in the sky darkened at that moment, as a pair of scaled wings unfurled behind her. She swung her tail and stretched her neck, her fingernails becoming sharp, and her entire figure grew larger.
“Now the real battle begins!” Brendel saw this scene and couldn’t help but draw the Earth Sword from his back, tightening his grip on the hilt as he said to Faina beside him, “You take Funiya and find a place to hide; don’t get too close, or else if the winds from the battle scratch that pretty little face of yours, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
“You— I’m not afraid; I want to go too! I’m a warrior as well!” Faina exclaimed, her eyes wide open as she reached for her short sword, only to remember she had lost it: “I can use spells to help you!”
“If you want to go,” Brendel looked at her, “you’re saying that you would leave such a small child alone in this battlefield? That truly is a heart of a serpent, woman.”
“You—” Faina was at a loss for words, glaring at him. “Fine, I get it; but if you lose, you’ll regret it!”
Lose?
Brendel glanced at the battlefield outside, thinking that if they lost, there wouldn’t even be a need for her to mock; probably no one would survive.
However, he was more concerned with Amann beside him. He was well aware that he wouldn’t be able to intervene in the battle between Mephistopheles and Andisha.
He raised his sword, watching for Veronika and Amann to engage so he could immediately launch a sneak attack from behind. However, if the young lady beside him knew his current thoughts, she would likely reprimand him for being dark-hearted and focused only on ambushing.
Yet in Brendel’s perspective, not launching a sneak attack would be foolish; ambushing NPCs was a privilege for players, and why not take advantage of it? He certainly didn’t have any notions of maintaining gentlemanly decorum on the battlefield.
“Hey, you probably don’t know who Duke Song Xiang is, do you, little girl? This is the power of transcendence; compared to that, what is chaos but a pile of trash!” He shot a glance at Faina before turning to the now massive dragon form of Andisha, finding it more a self-motivating comment than anything else.
……(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
