Chapter 525: Act 273 – Lord High Priest, I Didn’t Mean To
“Has nothing to do with you.” Brendel, having no intention to answer Dejyar’s question, put down his sword, and his aura shifted. The power of the Golden Pinnacle made everyone’s expression change slightly. Princess Margadale and Marquis Julian had previously witnessed Xi’s strength—Golden Pinnacle. Yet now, another Golden Peak, and so young—
Even the Princess of Nuns harbored doubt in her heart. Who exactly is this young man, no wonder even High Priest Wood pays him respect in person. Marquis Julian, however, had to grow serious. It wasn’t surprising for a noble family to have a servant of Golden rank but when even the young scions possess such power, it warranted caution.
He subtly gestured to Dejyar, signaling not to go all out. A family that could raise a young Golden-rank must necessarily have considerable strength on the surface. The cold-eyed lord of the venomous snake could not help his gaze flickering, yet his face remained indifferent; he was determined to give Brendel a lesson he would never forget.
The Golden Pinnacle manifests elemental power.
In fact, Brendel had just reached Golden Pinnacle thanks to becoming a Level 15 Temple Knight, but he did not hesitate at all for this strike—this time it was no longer military swordplay; Brendel first used the Charge skill, transforming into a phantom—such terrifying speed made Dejyar’s scalp tingle, but he quickly recognized it as the unique skill of the Sun Knights and immediately held his breath, raising both swords.
But it was just speed; against the Silver Barrier, speed was a useless attribute, the hawk swordsman thought to himself.
Brendel’s sword pointed at the defense formed by Dejyar’s long and short swords. He stepped forward, and Wind Queen Nine Suns immediately created a phantom behind him. Brendel slashed down; a silver mirror appeared in front of Dejyar as before, creating a painful resonance as the longsword and the mercury mirror vibrated violently.
To conceal his identity, Brendel did not use the Sword of Earth, but his passive elemental property was stability, making even an ordinary longsword indestructible. Otherwise, with this blow, the longsword in his hand would have shattered into countless steel shards. This blow from Brendel had long been anticipated by Dejyar. A swordsman of Golden rank could not penetrate his Silver Barrier defense. He secretly scoffed, raising both swords to stab at Brendel.
However, what sent shivers down Dejyar’s spine was that before the longsword blocked by the Silver Barrier could be retracted, another sword struck from the void, as if Brendel’s remnants were simultaneously in two dimensions. The hawk swordsman couldn’t believe his eyes as this sword hit the same spot on the Silver Barrier again.
Although the Silver Barrier floated around Dejyar’s body in a semi-spherical shape, the elemental power still originated from the elemental holder. The vibrations caused by Brendel’s two sword strikes felt as if they were hitting Dejyar himself. Especially with the second sword, caught off guard, he was unexpectedly propelled backwards by that sudden powerful force.
Brendel was relentless, using the effect of ‘Charge’ to flash around the courtyard eight times, leaving behind shadows of Wind Queen Nine Suns. The scene was as if nine Brendels were simultaneously attacking Dejyar, and each shadow’s attack trajectory was completely different. Although Dejyar was a master swordsman, he had never imagined such an ancient sword style like Wind Queen Nine Suns, which was comparable to the legend of the Crusian’s Flashing Blade, was something he could not contend with, let alone that Brendel had taken the initiative; he found no opportunity for counterattack.
Dejyar was momentarily dazed. He had power superior to Brendel yet was unable to unleash it; being attacked by nine Brendels simultaneously, no matter how formidable the elemental manifestation, could not cope with such an onslaught. Moreover, these nine Golden Pinnacle beings were in sync, leaving no trace of vulnerability. Even Princess Margadale, who was completely ignorant of swordsmanship, could see that Brendel’s speed was too fast, with attacks like a raging storm. She was unaware that this was due to the special nature of Wind Queen Nine Suns, thinking merely that Brendel’s speed had surpassed all limits, momentarily rendered speechless.
“How could there be swordsmanship this fast!” Marquis Julian’s eyes flickered. He couldn’t resist peeling his hand away from his wound, despite his face being smeared in blood.
Yet Brendel hadn’t managed to break through the defense of the Silver Barrier with his nine strikes; instead, he noticed silver scales rising from the muddy ground of the courtyard and couldn’t help but call it bad. He hadn’t expected that even Wind Queen Nine Suns couldn’t break through Silver Barrier’s protective power, but rather, had ignited Dejyar’s true fire. Dejyar’s active elemental Silver Oscillation was no joke; once that great swordsman decided to use his active element, this battle could easily turn into a hard struggle.
It must be resolved quickly.
Brendel took a deep breath, merging the nine figures into one; though it looked like he was at an advantage before, his left hand was bleeding profusely, and the right hand gripping the sword had a split in the palm. The power of elemental manifestation was not to be underestimated; just the recoil from Dejyar’s block was almost too much for him. However, he did not hesitate; his form stopped, and the longsword in his hand thrust down toward Dejyar’s Light Barrier.
The hawk swordsman Dejyar was forced to this point by a junior strong two realms beneath him, filled with rage at that moment. Gritting his teeth, he raised his dual swords to block Brendel’s strike—
The three swords collided.
Sparks flew in the air, golden embers leaping onto the ground, a crisp sound echoed, and Dejyar’s short sword actually broke. The hawk swordsman was taken aback. For a swordsman of his level, every sword was a renowned blade. This short sword was named Teeth of Kaes, a well-known runic short sword with three layers of magic affixed to it, but in that previous strike, all the magic arrays collapsed, and even the enchanted metal shattered.
Brendel’s passive property of stability greatly helped him, but he felt his hand was on the verge of breaking. In that strike, he activated the Piercing skill, the wind generated by the sword tore through behind Dejyar, creating a series of chaotic sounds, and the rear courtyard was transformed as if attacked by a machine gun, with several columns in a thirty-meter radius cut down—Princess Margadale couldn’t help but cover her mouth, realizing that she had forgotten this was still the Sanctum of Andifula. If these two were to go all out, wouldn’t they demolish the place?
At that moment, the Nun Princess became fearful. Even though she held a high position here, several old fossils in the temple could easily scold her to tears. Princess Margadale bit her lip, having resolved to bleed herself to pay for the repairs, only hoping these two wouldn’t cause too much trouble.
But her wishes were destined to be in vain.
Brendel struck down again; Wind Queen Nine Suns immediately took effect, and the second sword followed suit—this time, Brendel activated both the 30% power output of the Ghost Knight Crystal and the Piercing skill. With a loud boom, he and Dejyar were forced back seven steps. The courtyard ‘collapsed’ loudly, half of it crumbling down.
Now Marquis Julian’s face changed as well. He never dreamed Brendel could be this strong. If they truly destroyed the Sanctum of Andifula, he would have it bad too. At this moment, he finally reacted, making the most juvenile decision of his life: “Damn, stop!”
But Brendel had no intention of listening; how could he possibly pull back now? While he had been retreating, Wind Queen Nine Suns continued to operate, producing another phantom, delivering another strike at Dejyar. The hawk swordsman was beside himself; he could not grasp how Brendel’s absurd swordplay worked. Though he clearly saw himself and Brendel getting knocked back together, the next moment, another sword was coming at him.
What is he trying to do?!
Dejyar felt an overwhelming rage, as if his decades of swordsmanship practice had made him a joke in others’ eyes. He finally couldn’t help but unleash his fury, disregarding Marquis Julian’s orders and roaring, “Silver Oscillation!”
Brendel slashed down; at that moment, silver blades suddenly projected through the air without any warning. Brendel and his phantoms were suddenly cut open, blood pouring out, as if these blades had instantaneously appeared on him without needing any flight time.
This is the essence of elemental power—
Active elements are the greatest difference in strength between those who have entered the realm of elements and those of Golden rank below it. The strength of active elements is unimaginably powerful, akin to Mephistopheles’s Gray Domain, wielding force not convertible through mere techniques. Silver Oscillation was just that; its power inflicted damage on any enemies entering this scope, without any attack time. Once it appeared, it automatically applied damage, ignoring all defense—elementals are powers that transcend all laws; mere objects cannot block them.
Brendel had long understood this. Covered in blood, he remained unflinching, his resolve to attack undeterred. Skills activated one after another in his retina—Fool’s Talent ‘Fervor,’ Ghost Knight Crystal, Piercing—the moment the inheritance of the Dark Dragon activated, the entire Sanctum shook.
The Nun Princess turned pale; this was elemental resonance, the true power of elemental manifestation.
At that moment, Brendel had become a strongman who had stepped into the domain of elements. While only for an instant, it was enough. His power directly penetrated the elemental wall, reaching another height, even transcending the phase of elemental manifestation. Even if the Sword Saint of Azure, Veronika, were present, Brendel would be only slightly inferior.
Dejyar, who was right there, was so frightened his breath almost stopped. He looked up to see only one sword remaining between heaven and earth—
Brendel’s sword passed through the Silver Barrier without any obstruction.
It wasn’t the strength too great, but it had received absolutely no hindrance.
Active element: Spatial Disruption!
A splash of blood, Dejyar’s scream echoed through heaven and earth, while Marquis Julian and Princess Margadale watched helplessly as the renowned swordsman’s right arm flew high, accompanied by a striking fountain of blood. Brendel had no intention of killing in the Sanctum; if he truly went that far, it would be troublesome, but a lesson was certainly required. He and Anlek were destined to be enemies, especially during this time in Ampere Seale; it was always better to have one less enemy.
He sheared off Dejyar’s right arm, knowing that with Anlek’s power and his relationship with the temple, healing this famed swordsman wouldn’t be difficult. The regeneration of limbs is an incredibly complex spell that requires materials costing astronomical sums to an ordinary person, but for Grand Duke Anlek, it was nothing; yet even if the injured arm were reattached with divine magic, it could not be used with strength, meaning this reliable aide of the Grand Duke would essentially be out of commission for the duration of this time in Ampere Seale.
As Brendel withdrew his sword, the dissipating power surged outward; the horror of elemental manifestation was immense. When these powers touched the nearby buildings, they immediately cracked and collapsed. It seemed the Sanctum of Andifula was facing the greatest calamity since its construction, but at that moment, a more imposing and solemn power descended from the heavens, calming all the raging forces, bathing the entire courtyard in a sacred atmosphere.
Brendel, bloodied, turned around, just in time to see High Priest Wood walking out from the sanctum with a stern face.
“Oh no, how could I forget this guy is still here,” Brendel cursed inwardly, realizing he had only acted impulsively to cripple Dejyar, neglecting that the rightful owner of the Andifula Sanctum was still here. This was a troublesome joke he had made with Marquis Julian, causing extensive damage to the sanctum.
“Um, Lord High Priest, you saw it, I didn’t mean to…” Brendel coughed awkwardly and replied dryly.
Wood cast a displeased glance at him, then looked at Marquis Julian.
“Ah, Lord High Priest.” Marquis Julian’s eyes flickered upon seeing Wood, and he elegantly bowed, displaying a good demeanor.
