Chapter 449: Act 199 – Restoration of the Country?
“Impossible!” Andisha could not help but scream.
But nothing is impossible; she was unaware that the Earth Sword at this moment held the attribute of “indestructible.”
This attribute was not inherent to the sword itself, or rather, it acquired this quality only when Brendel wielded it, stemming from his elemental stability.
The power of the Annihilation Black Hole seemed invincible, unmatched, and even Andisha could not budge it an inch. But ultimately, it was merely because her elemental power was too low. Brendel remembered the moment just before when Veronika’s Azure Sky was destroyed, while his Earth Sword was able to withstand the chaos’s corrosion—not due to the distance between them.
Thus, he placed his hopes on the sword in his hand, or rather, on his own elemental power.
When time reversed a few seconds before, and the Annihilation Black Hole sucked Brendel in with unstoppable force, he focused on the ancient evil book suspended in the center of the black hole and swung his sword down.
Then came a ‘crack.’
Like the shattering of glass, the Annihilation Black Hole actually shattered before everyone’s eyes.
“Did it actually succeed?” Brendel was stunned, falling from the air with a wave of relief. But suddenly, a similar rush of anxiety swept through his heart. The power represented by the Mavikarte Book was the existential force of ‘chaos’, and although what he faced now was a counterfeit, the level of power was still significant. The fact that his sword could cut it apart meant that his element was at least at the level of the Four Elements.
The Four Elements, King of Flames Gilt, Queen Saint Ausoor, High Priest Jianzan, and Saint Erlandta were no better than this; being on par with such legendary names was something Brendel had never even dared to imagine in the game. That was the privilege of RMB players and face fighters, yet now it seemed possible.
Only, unfortunately, it was still a step short of the existential force. Brendel, feeling a bit greedy, thought this greed was fleeting, but at this moment, he longed to shout out in excitement—not only because he realized that his element could stand shoulder to shoulder with the four saints but also because the final obstacle had finally been cleared, and Valhalla was right before him.
He didn’t know how that lucky player had managed to obtain this territory in the game, but as far as he was concerned, he had indeed gone through hell and back to get here.
First, he offended the Crusian people, then experienced both overt and covert power struggles, faced the tide of demons, wolf disasters, and was hunted by Gray Saint Mephistopheles, struggled against Echis’s nightmare, and finally had to escape from one of the empire’s most powerful dark beasts, Andisha, the High Priest among the twelve tree wardens.
“S-level tasks aren’t that bad after all.” Brendel couldn’t help but mutter to himself quietly, although he had never completed any S-level tasks before. He turned back among the rubble, his gaze landing on Andisha.
At this moment, the lord of the tree wardens no longer had the previous arrogance. Facing Brendel’s dangerous gaze, Andisha clenched her teeth and said, “I give up!”
She was straightforward because she knew that in her battered state, she could not compete with the combined forces of Veronika and Mephistopheles. Furthermore, she also recognized that Brendel was not simple; his various means were numerous, and he could even destroy the Annihilation Black Hole.
To be honest, she was even more wary of Brendel.
“Lady Veronika, can you keep an eye on this guy?” Brendel did not intend to push Andisha to a dead end; a cornered rabbit would still bite, and besides, the withering lord was still a wounded lion.
The female warrior of the Crusian people glanced longingly at the sword in her hand. Once radiant, the wind-element holy sword now seemed dull as ordinary iron. With a sigh, she nodded.
The Loop of Trade Winds showed no trace of the Lionheart Sword, meaning the Crusian people’s efforts were in vain, and they instead lost the Azure Sky, which was also a fantasy-level holy sword. Even Veronika couldn’t help but feel depressed.
“Rocklare is still a guest in the imperial prison; you can go keep him company, Andisha,” Veronika said as she sheathed her sword.
Andisha remained silent, only giving a cold snort.
Brendel shouted ‘Whoa!’ in his heart. Rocklare was the Blood Leader among the twelve tree wardens; in the game, he was only known by name, and no one had ever seen him. Players thought he was the behind-the-scenes BOSS among the twelve lords, but it turned out he had been locked away in the Crusian Empire’s prison all along.
This truth was rather awkward.
But what was even more awkward was that once Andisha moved in, the Crusian Empire would effectively imprison two of the tree wardens’ high priests, which would undoubtedly create intense animosity. However, Brendel welcomed the conflict between the Crusian people and the tree wardens.
At this moment, noticing that the battle in the square was over, Faina hurriedly ran over, with Xi—the girl with long red hair in a ponytail—still appearing somewhat silent, slowly following behind her, holding Funiya’s hand.
At this time, the bad-tempered little princess of the Crusian people approached Veronika, not daring to be presumptuous, obediently calling out, “Lord Commander.” The latter sighed and shook her head at this troublesome young lady.
Veronika knew that Faina was not inherently bad, but which noble offspring from an empire wasn’t so proud and arrogant?
The empire bestowed them with glory, and they used the same pride to uphold its dignity. If there were no such pride, how could there be the eagle’s proud flight?
Yet…
This Crusian warrior princess shook her head, glancing at Brendel in the distance. Meanwhile, Xi silently observed Brendel comforting Funiya without uttering a word.
“What’s wrong?” Brendel found it a bit strange to see the girl with a stubborn expression.
“Nothing, my lord,” Xi replied, not wanting Brendel to see her weakness.
In the past, feeling completely helpless and only able to watch her lord protect her in battle subjected her to a complete sense of powerlessness. Therefore, if she didn’t display this stubbornness, she would be forced to reveal her weakness.
Xi didn’t want to be viewed merely as a weak girl in her lord’s eyes.
“Well, since we’re almost finished, let’s go take a look, young one,” Veronika suddenly said from the side, looking up at the towering World Tree. Although the chances of finding the Lionheart Sword were slim, even the Crusian warrior princess would be curious about the secrets contained within the legendary World Tree.
Besides, within the World Tree was said to reside the legendary primordial flame seed.
In present-day Vaunte, no one had seen the legendary gifts from Martha, the seeds of order that existed before the gods had descended upon the earth.
These seeds had long transformed into vast sacred lands.
Thus, not only Veronika but even the Gray Saint was subtly moved upon learning this secret. It implied that civilization would once again expand its borders after centuries. The weight of this significance was profound, and among all present, only Andisha wore a bitter expression.
However, Brendel found it somewhat odd that when Gray Saint Mephistopheles learned this news, a hint of relief flickered across his face.
He couldn’t understand why he would show such a reaction.
Brendel couldn’t help but watch Mephistopheles and Veronika with suspicion. Theoretically, the Gray Saint and the Crusian people were sworn enemies, right? He had almost forgotten due to the intensity of the earlier battle, but looking back now, how did these two end up together?
Not only that but also fighting alongside each other against Andisha?
If this news had been shared in the game, probably 9 out of 10 people wouldn’t believe it; the remaining one would think he was insane. Yet, suddenly Brendel thought of this and couldn’t help but turn back to quietly ask Veronika, “Esteemed Lady Veronika, can you explain that guy’s situation to me?”
“Eh? Why can’t he stand by us?” Veronika pretended to be puzzled, smiling slightly. “Count Mephistopheles is also a reasonable person. In the face of a common enemy like the tree wardens, it’s quite normal for us to stand together, right?”
A reasonable person? A reasonable person would chase him and Xi all over the mountains without saying a word? Brendel didn’t believe it for a second; he couldn’t help but glance at Veronika suspiciously, his mind swirling with ominous thoughts.
“This old woman wouldn’t have used some underhanded means, would she? For instance, the legendary beauty trap?” The more Brendel thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, although Veronika was over a hundred years old, for someone of her power level, that age was nothing.
At least on the surface, Veronika still seemed to be an extraordinarily magnificent woman. Although she rarely showed color to anyone, Brendel thought that if she were intent on it, Mephistopheles would likely fall for her.
Many melodramatic plots are arranged this way, entangling national grievances and personal feelings, ah! Suddenly, Brendel felt that this wasn’t just possible; it was practically confirmed. But just then, he heard Veronika coldly hum beside him.
“Little one, what bad ideas are you turning over in your mind?” The Crusian warrior princess glared at him sideways.
“Me? I didn’t!” Brendel immediately shook his head like a rattle. Come on, thinking was one thing, but if he were to voice his suspicions, regardless of whether there was any truth to it, that woman would probably be the first to stab him through with her sword.
“Hmph.” Yet Veronika, with her vast experience, saw through this guy’s lies at a glance. She could even guess what sordid things were on Brendel’s mind, unable to help but grit her teeth and say, “I merely promised Count Mephistopheles to help him restore his country.”
“Sure enough!” Brendel couldn’t help but blurt out, “So this is what we call a promise to share oneself, right?”
“Sure enough, your head!” Veronika, the epitome of noble grace, couldn’t hold back her fury at that moment. She slammed the hilt of her sword against Brendel’s head: “I only promised to help him restore his country.”
“Wait, restore his country!?” Brendel raised his hands to block the warrior’s sword, nearly biting his own tongue: “Did I miss something? You want to help him restore his country?”
He looked at Veronika in disbelief: “You’re not joking, right? The Crusian Empire would agree to such a thing? Impossible, those guys are so proud that they almost think the entire Vaunte should heed their orders. To make them spit out what they’ve got in their mouths, it’d be easier for pigs to grow wings and fly up a tree.”
“No,” Brendel shook his head resolutely: “Even if pigs grew wings and flew up a tree, the Crusian people wouldn’t bow down. I’m telling you, Lady Veronika, you’re not tricking that honest Gray Saint there, are you? If he gets angry later, we can’t handle it; don’t forget that Andisha is still nearby…”
This news was simply too shocking, and for a moment, even Brendel was nearly unable to contain himself. He felt that unless Veronika was the emperor of the empire—no, even if Veronika were the emperor of the empire, it would absolutely be impossible for her to make such a decision.
……(To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
