Chapter 443: Act 193 – The Final Moment (11)
“However, you can help me with one thing.” Brendel turned back to Faina and said.
“Help?” Faina looked at him in confusion.
“Can you analyze the spells on Amann and tell me the protective ones?”
“You plan to deal with Amann first?”
“Of course. It’s always better to pick the soft targets first,” Brendel replied as he stared at Amann’s back not far away—he actually had another option, which was to control Valhalla’s core while Andisha battled Mephistopheles and Veronika, but he chose to stay for two reasons.
One was obviously because of Xi; the distance from here to Valhalla’s core wasn’t short, and Mephistopheles was clearly no match for Andisha. Leaving Veronika and Xi here didn’t seem wise.
But the more important reason was that he saw an opportunity. Both Andisha and Amann belonged to the Everything Returns Society, which had a vast influence and deep penetration in human society. The Shepherds were a bunch of lunatics, and Brendel didn’t want these guys to return to the civilized world to secretly oppose him.
The only way to eliminate this threat was to take out these two here, ensuring that everything that happened would be buried forever in the Black Forest, removing future troubles.
Hence, he had previously encouraged William. Unfortunately, the cautious Archmage of the Silver Alliance hadn’t fallen for any of his tricks; however, Mephistopheles’s appearance now presented a second opportunity. Brendel knew that Andisha’s most troublesome aspect in combat was her Corrosive Domain, but this Gray Saint could counter that effectively.
In this way, Andisha’s previously well-hidden weakness was exposed.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try,” Faina replied. “But he’s at a much higher level than me; I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed.”
“Don’t worry,” Brendel reassured her. “He’s now an Undead, and holy spells will reject his body, making it easier than you imagine.”
Faina nodded.
Lady Azure approached Priest Amann closely and stopped, looking at him. “Priest Amann, it’s not too late to turn back. Out of our personal friendship at the imperial level, I don’t want to harm you.”
“Turn back?” Amann sneered. “Will the Temple accept an Undead as their priest? Besides, you must have heard of the Undead Resurrection spell, Veronika. Don’t waste your breath here; you know it’s of no use to me.”
Veronika was not surprised by Amann’s response; her original intention was simply to sway his mind. However, Undeads were indeed as cold as steel and showed no signs of weakness to this fallen priest.
So she stopped talking, flicking her sword to send a flurry of azure birds soaring from its blade, arcing beautifully as they swooped towards Amann from both sides.
Amann pointed his finger, “Golden flames grant me a sturdy shield.” Several golden shields appeared and vanished, each colliding with a blue bird and exploding into a shower of sparks.
“Flame Blessing,” Faina said.
“This spell is an active defense skill, but if the caster is unaware of it, it’s of little use. Keep going,” Brendel said, holding the Amber Sword as he focused on the gap in Amann’s back.
“There’s also a layer of mental barriers; that’s a passive-trigger defense.”
“That only protects the front 180 degrees. What else?”
“Arcane Armor.”
“Prescient Attack.”
“It’s getting troublesome. Is that it?”
“Looks like… yes.”
Brendel nodded and lifted his cloak. At this moment, Amann and Veronika were locked in fierce combat, completely unaware that only a few feet behind him there were three people concealed. With Amann’s ability, there shouldn’t have been anyone capable of lurking so close without him noticing, unless the intruder was ten times stronger than him.
But conversely, for someone ten times stronger, there would be no difference whether they realized it or not, and Amann would never think that such a being would sneak up on him from behind.
There was no need for that.
The moment Brendel stirred his cloak, the prescient attack placed on the priest immediately sent a warning signal to Amann. However, he was too engaged in combat with Veronika to have time to look back. Moreover, the urgency of the spell’s warning was weak, indicating that the one harboring hostility was some distance away.
What Amann did not know was that Brendel was also aware of how prescient attack worked. From the start, he had calmed his breathing, disguising the murderous intent; as a true veteran of the Amber Sword, Brendel had experience that even surpassed some mage hunters.
At the moment he revealed himself, Veronika noticed him along with Faina behind him. An unusual glint appeared in her eyes; she was curious about how Brendel ended up here and why he had been undetected so close to both her and Amann.
Though puzzled, her expression remained calm, not giving anything away to Amann—remaining unflappable was the most basic quality of a battle-hardened general.
Brendel was well aware of this. He believed that the Crusian war goddess would not disappoint him; sure enough, Veronika not only kept his presence hidden but also immediately understood his tactical intent, stepping forward to initiate an attack.
“Ah, you also noticed reinforcements are coming? But it’s useless; that kid should still be far away. I have enough time to deal with you, Veronika.” Amann continued to talk to himself.
“Priest Amann, are you not aware that falling from grace also makes one arrogant?” Veronika said with a faint smile.
“Watch your back, fool!” At that moment, Andisha’s sharp voice suddenly rang out from above.
Amann froze, then became startled. But by then, Brendel had already made his move—the “Arcane Armor” placed on Amann was a triggered full-body protective spell, a tool favored by wizard-type characters against rogue ambushes. The combination of “Arcane Armor” and “Prescient Attack” had been the unanimous choice of all top mage players in the early game and had caused complaints from many Nightingale players.
But its applicability was limited to the early game; players’ creativity was boundless, and the rivalry between offense and defense would never see a single side emerge as the ultimate victor.
Brendel did not directly stab his sword into Amann’s back. He raised his right hand and chanted, “Oss!”
A wind projectile charged out, crashing into Amann’s back. The Arcane Armor on Amann immediately reacted, manifesting a layer of silver block-like light spots that appeared like scales on his back, absorbing the projectile’s lethality.
However, the silver light quickly faded. The “Arcane Armor” could only block one attack in a short time, and Brendel was fully aware of this. Seizing the opportunity to bypass the spell’s protection, he swiftly slashed his sword.
Once the proud layered magical defenses were dispelled, Amann, though possessing elemental force, was no better than an ordinary person before Brendel at this moment. This was the greatest weakness of priests and wizards—their hand-to-hand combat ability was too weak! The Amber Sword sliced through Amann’s back like cutting tofu; the great priest let out a terrible scream and stumbled forward, while Veronika stabbed her sword through his abdomen, and Amann howled again.
Yet, even so, this Undead still did not suffer a fatal injury. He staggered backward, drew out his long sword, and hurriedly turned to flee.
“Ah, a zombie type?” Brendel was taken aback. “Slice off his head, Lady Veronika.”
“Don’t think!” Amann shrieked in resentment, raising his hand. A red bracelet on his wrist exploded with a ‘bang’. A ring of white light immediately enveloped him, making him disappear from the spot, only to reappear a hundred meters away with an arrow embedded in his back.
“Cut,” Brendel spat, looking in that direction as he lowered his shale longbow. “Isn’t it just a teleport? Do you think I can’t judge your direction?”
Veronika stood off to the side, watching him with a smile. “Brendel, where do you get all this combat experience? In Cruz, I’ve seen the best young knights but none compare to you, you little brat.”
“I’m a descendant of Highland knights, and fighting mages is a talent inherited in my blood.” Brendel replied nonchalantly, returning the Azure Sky to the lady. “Go deal with Andisha; I have a way to kill her.”
The lady looked at him with curiosity.
Brendel shook off the dirty blood from his sword and looked up at Andisha, who was observing the battle. Upon seeing Amann’s failure, she couldn’t help but glare at Brendel with resentment.
At this moment, this woman had turned into a massive black dragon, coiled atop the building, like a gigantic beast lurking in the shadows.
Though she herself formed part of that shadow.
The battlefield had now become a three-on-one situation, yet Andisha showed no signs of retreat. The leader of the Shepherds had her pride; moreover, Brendel and Veronika were nothing in her eyes. She didn’t believe these two, who fell so short of her strength, could pose any threat to her.
“How do you plan to deal with that woman? She’s extraordinary,” Veronika asked Brendel.
“I have my ways.”
“Actually, I would recommend that you take Faina and Xi away from here, Brendel. Andisha is not easy to deal with. I can persuade Mephistopheles to hold her off—”
“And you?” Brendel turned to the lady.
“Me? As a general of the Empire, dying in battle is not a shame.” Veronika smiled. “Faina has a special identity; I must protect her.”
“It’s not that serious. Although Andisha has turned into a dragon, she has merely gained the defensive power and strength of the golden bloodline. Brendel withdrew the Amber Sword and headed towards Andisha’s direction. “The true strength of the dragon race lies in the magic flowing in their veins. You must know that all magical knowledge held by silver humans and elves originates from dragons, right?”
Veronika nodded.
“So Andisha’s strength does have its weaknesses,” Brendel lowered his voice. “After all, she is a Druid. If her connection to the forces of nature is severed, she becomes powerless.”
“That’s not easy.”
“But it’s not impossible.” Brendel said, “If there’s anything in this world that can sever a region’s connection to nature, it’s the Golden Magic Tree.”
“The Golden Magic Tree?”
Brendel nodded, thinking to himself that Andisha injecting divine blood into herself might be digging her own grave.
(PS: Some students told me that I didn’t post yesterday, and I only realized it now. I’m really sorry about that; today, there will be another installment.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
