Chapter 498: Act 246 – Inky Adversity, Pure White Paradise
Without the cover of Andrigraphis, Brendel suddenly felt the pressure increase sharply. The Abyssal Net sparkled over a large number of enemies, turning the monsters trapped within into mere fodder; they not only moved sluggishly and blindly ran about, but they were also continuously losing health. However, he could also sense that the effect of this net was gradually weakening, and the spell’s duration was nearing its end.
At this moment, Andrigraphis actively sent a request to create a derivative creature, but after considering it, Brendel declined. Low-level derivatives were simply meaningless in such a battle.
The rejected vampire girl snorted coldly, while the Pendulum Man, seeing that Brendel had not yet given up resistance, threw out another card—this time, a tall female wizard with four arms and metallic gray skin appeared on the battlefield. The witch towered over normal humans by at least two heads; she had a slender, elongated neck, no hair atop her head but rather bundles of nerve-like strands, and strange patterns on her face and shoulders.
Brendel suspected whether this was an Ekrion Weaver, but he only saw her wield a staff in one hand while the other three hands wove arcane runes, and an invisible bind was placed upon him.
However, before this invisible bind could have any effect, it vanished into thin air. He was momentarily stunned but couldn’t help but laugh heartily, thinking that the clumsy giant had met its match; he was immune to all spells below Tier Ten. But before he could finish laughing, the Pendulum Man threw out another card:
“Doom Guard!”
From within another light portal emerged a squad of ten soldiers clad in black helmets and armor, and beside every monster previously killed, a Doom Guard appeared. In an instant, the number of monsters on the battlefield not only returned to its original state but increased by half.
“Shit, is it never going to end?” Brendel saw that the Pendulum Man was throwing out card after card and felt like crying; it had always been players using endless strategies to wear down the boss, but today he was to be the first player worn down by the boss’s endless tricks.
Brendel opened the Mage Traveler system, placing his hand on one of his cards, preparing for a final effort. Just then, a woman’s voice suddenly echoed from the darkness: “Pendulum Monster, when did this become your sole jurisdiction?” Brendel abruptly turned around and saw a pure white spear burst forth from the darkness, striking a Doom Guard in the chest. This spear seemed particularly effective against dark creatures; upon impact, it erupted in brilliant holy flames, turning the creature to ashes in an instant.
What was going on?
Brendel was momentarily stunned, but he saw a tall figure emerging from the darkness, radiating soft white light. To be precise, it was a woman with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a white deer; generally, in the Amber Sword, this form of life was referred to as a Lamia. The Centaur Lamia wore a pair of wing-like white feather adornments on her head and held a light spear, wrapped in a breastband that revealed her shapely and powerful waist—she pursed her lips, adding a hint of an elusive smile, with golden hair cascading down like a goddess.
The soft glow emanating from the Centaur Lamia dispelled the darkness in the hall, and she leapt to Brendel’s side, as if standing with him in unity, looking up at the Pendulum Man: “Pendulum Monster, he’s a Mage Traveler, right? How can you be rude to our guest?”
This sudden turn of events left both Brendel and Otales dumbfounded, while only Andrigraphis remained indifferent. But the Pendulum Man clearly recognized the newly arrived woman; its expression shifted somewhat as it spoke, “Hmph, Yilian, it’s one thing to oppose me on usual days. I can ignore you, but do you also want to be a traitor in front of outsiders now?”
“Hah,” the Centaur Lamia, named Yilian, laughed as if hearing a tremendous joke, her charm almost quivering with delight, “What traitor? That’s a serious accusation. When our master set down the prohibition, he only said ordinary people were not allowed to enter, but this handsome young man is a qualified apprentice. Pendulum Monster, do you want our master’s legacy to be lost?”
Brendel felt that whenever people talked about legacy in this world, it seemed to carry some special significance, even the Pendulum Man’s demeanor grew serious. He thought for a moment, but ultimately shook his head and replied, “In any case, the master never said it was allowed, so it’s not allowed.” After saying this, it prepared to act.
“You really are thick-headed. Let me unlock your understanding; to begin with, I had little hope for this,” the Centaur Lamia looked friendly but was actually quite violent, ready to fight if anything went amiss. Brendel was shocked, wondering what was going on with these two; it was already strange enough to have a vast array of magic arrays below an unnamed tomb, but this?
He quickly stopped Yilian, asking, “Wait, I want to know what’s going on?” Unfortunately, the towering Centaur Lamia, taller than Brendel by more than a head, meant his hand inadvertently landed in a most inappropriate area. Yilian glanced down at the hand resting in a very awkward position, unable to help but smile slightly, “What’s this, little fellow? Are you interested in what’s here? Don’t worry, after the fight, we can discuss this matter privately.”
“Shameless!” Otales coldly snorted in Brendel’s mind: “Brendel, are you seriously considering… discussing that kind of thing with her?”
“…Discuss your sister!” Brendel helplessly shouted inwardly, rolling his eyes before addressing the Centaur Lamia, “My lady, it seems we have no business together, do we?”
“Originally, yes, but since you’re against this Pendulum Monster, then I am on your side! Come, let me help you defeat this wooden-headed fool; it’s been here too long, and its mind is completely rusted!” the Senior Sister said confidently.
What kind of bizarre logic was this? Brendel felt a bit dizzy. However, he absolutely did not believe this Lamia’s words. If what she said were true, and she could readily beat the opponent until it was battered, then how could the Pendulum Man still appear so evenly matched with her? This woman was clearly trying to drag him in to be fodder, all to settle old scores.
Brendel had seen plenty of such plots before, so he would not be easily fooled.
“Alright,” Yilian, realizing she could not convince him, shrugged her shoulders, “No matter what, that wooden-headed fool will not let you off, and only by defeating him can we have a proper conversation. You should be able to accept this, sly little fellow?”
That reasoning was acceptable. Brendel turned back and indeed saw the Pendulum Man poised to attack. However, he thought for a moment and replied coldly, “Yeah, I can fight alongside you, but don’t expect me to trust you too much.”
“You sure talk a big game, but I’ll go along with it, fine?” Yilian replied cheerfully, asking curiously, “But aren’t you worried I might get angry and leave you to fend for yourself? You can’t beat the Pendulum Monster alone; although his mind is rigid, he is quite powerful.”
Brendel glanced at her; typically, he wouldn’t engage in so much conversation with such an unknown creature. But this time he indeed needed such assistance, and he vaguely sensed a familiar aura from this Centaur Lamia, a feeling he could also sense from the Pendulum Man—that of a Mage Traveler.
But neither of them were Mage Travelers.
Brendel only suspected that they might be connected to the legacy of the Mage Traveler Chunximan, which was why he was patient enough to hear her talk.
However, he thought for a moment before replying, “Actually, it’s fine if you leave; I usually believe in myself, and moreover, it’s not like I’m necessarily not his match.”
“Oh?” The Senior Sister raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming somewhat surprised: “Then I’ll wait and see.”
“Now that the chit-chat is over, let’s get started.” The Pendulum Man coldly interrupted her, snorting, “A ‘sword-wielding’ apprentice and an underdeveloped animal, dare to declare they will defeat me? Quite laughable. Alright, Yilian, let me teach you a lesson so you understand the price of betrayal.”
As soon as the Pendulum Man’s metallic voice fell, it raised the bronze staff high, and a rustling sound came from below. One after another, beetle-sized metallic insects burst from the ground; upon closer inspection, Brendel realized these were not actual metal beetles but metallic constructs resembling beetles, armed with three pairs of sharp claws and shaped like small metallic spheres.
Once these metal creatures appeared, the gear-like metal sphere that had been hovering over the Pendulum Man’s head began to stir and rotate.
“Be careful,” Yilian quietly warned from the side, like a caring older sister: “That Pendulum Monster’s card is called Inky Adversity; it’s part of the Dark Paradise card set. That sphere above its head is the core card of that set, and using the effects of that metal sphere, it can connect the entire set of cards.”
Brendel looked at her, suddenly asking, “Your card is called Pure White Paradise, right?”
Yilian was slightly taken aback, surprised as she replied, “So you know.”
She proudly nodded, “Exactly—”
The Centaur Lamia waved her hand, and three cards descended enveloped in white light. When the light dissipated, a boy in a white robe, barefoot and holding a long horn, appeared beside her, followed by a floating book of spells in holy white, and finally, a row of soldiers in silver armor wielding long spears marched out from the open light portal.
“Radiant Hornblower, Life Codex, Glory Guard; these are my cards,” Yilian pointed to her summoned creatures, introducing them one by one.
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
