Chapter 561: Act 308 – The Wrathful Maelstrom V
The flying dust momentarily halted, and a layer of golden lines floated within this vast and enclosed space, centered around Brendel, connecting him to the laws of the entire world. They flickered for an instant before vanishing.
This is the element.
At the same time, Brendel’s elemental status extended a branch that bore a line of attributes:
Guaranteed Hit: As long as the lines of fate tend toward stability, the caster can make the next attack appear at any coordinate in space. Activating this capability requires sacrificing 50 units of Order Power.
“Old buddy, we finally meet again!” Brendel looked fondly at this attribute—element, which is essentially the power of the laws. The power of the mundane transcends from the peak of gold to the realm of elements, creating an insurmountable chasm between them. This chasm far exceeds the differences between gold and silver, and silver and iron, with only a rare few geniuses able to touch the wall of elements and master such power.
But once one grasps this power and crosses the chasm, they enter another world. There is a consensus among former players that the history of the Amber Sword only truly begins when the first player reaches level fifty-five (1) and manifests elements.
(In fact, this level can vary depending on different jobs.)
Sophie took three and a half years to reach this page.
The player known as the world’s first back then achieved this in ten months.
This time, he took a year. But that was because he circled around Toniger, distracted by planning, and for the same reason, he could estimate his actual combat power far exceeded the so-called world’s first at that time.
Brendel gently lifted the sword’s edge, pointing the tip at the opposing knight, the dark blade of the Earth Sword resonating faintly in the surrounding space.
Words follow laws. Causality reverses. The “Guaranteed Hit” within the element has many forms of manifestation, but his version is clearly not one of them; it instead possesses distinct spatial characteristics.
Spatial elements, which are among the strongest forms of elements.
How could Brendel not be pleased? This is leagues stronger than the elements he had in his previous life. Compared to his past elements, he felt almost embarrassed; could it be that crossing over could change the properties of one’s abilities? The soul that bears the name Sophie couldn’t help but feel jealousy towards Brendel at that moment.
Though it seems a bit strange to be envious of oneself.
Yet he felt a bit regretful; during the stage of element manifestation, the limit of Order Power is 100, and each use of Guaranteed Hit consumes half. That previous strike was an unconscious response after leaving the realm of laws; otherwise, the Knight of the Temple would have undoubtedly met his end in an unanticipated attack.
Missing this opportunity would make it much harder afterward.
Though his Guaranteed Hit could let him place a strike at any point in space at will, it required a prerequisite: “The lines of fate must tend toward stability.” Brendel looked up; those golden lines of space that he alone could see would not stabilize over infinite distances, and in fact, beyond fifty meters, they began to dim.
At the same time, the proximity of those golden lines around that Knight of the Temple began to distort, indicating that there were overlaps and intersections with the opponent’s laws nearby.
Because the opponent was also a Knight of the Temple, a powerful elementalist, and had even truly manifested their elements and had a bit more strength than him. If it weren’t for the overwhelming strength of the spatial element and the element of surprise, it would have been difficult for him to achieve a one-hit kill.
Of course, “Guaranteed Hit” is indeed “Guaranteed Hit.” Mastering such a powerful element makes it relatively easy for him to inflict injuries on the opponent. But to leave another scar, he’d have to expend all his remaining Order Power, and Brendel was not irrational enough to go that far.
“What a pity, it’s just the active ability of element manifestation. If only I could actively manipulate the elements, I could stand and fight openly with the opponent using the spatial element’s strength. But that requires elemental enlightenment…”
He sheathed his sword and immediately helped the half-kneeling Ni Meisis to her feet.
The Lady Knight frowned slightly, letting out a soft hum, clearly in great pain. She had sustained serious injuries trying to obstruct a Knight of the Temple with her Golden rank strength.
Though Ni Meisis and he were not related, Brendel felt like he was supporting a senior. The thought that the opponent had been so merciless towards a woman, especially someone like Ni Meisis who was practically defenseless against a Knight of the Temple, made him glare a bit more than usual at the knight across from them.
Without a doubt, were it not for the inability to effectively fight back, Brendel would have stormed forward with the Earth Sword to fight three hundred rounds.
The Knight of the Temple across from them clearly sensed that Brendel was not to be trifled with; one hand pressed against his wound as he cautiously took a step back. In the fight, encountering someone who had touched the wall of the elements was a rarity, not even recorded in the temple’s thousand-year history. Moreover, his retreat did not mean he intended to let Brendel and the princess escape, for the hall had already fallen under their control.
A large hole shattered the crystal dome of the Loshex Palace, resembling a soulless eye staring indifferently at the gloomy sky outside. Rainwater cascaded down the crystal dome, creating layered patterns from below, the flow forming several dirty waterfalls.
The rushing water swept across the ground, and the dust in the hall quickly settled into the murky water, the floor now several inches deep, littered with overturned chairs.
Around the hall, soldiers had long since poured in from outside. Siphai’s royal sword master, fiery-haired Nicolas, and the “Seeker” Gherlok guarded the two side doors. Behind them stood another Knight of the Temple guarding the main entrance.
Including the high priest Merros, the opposing side had mobilized five powerful elementals just in this hall, not to mention the semi-elemental black-blade general Geralt nearby, who could be considered half an elemental.
Brendel supported Ni Meisis, while the princess and Overwell stood behind him; meanwhile, the royal faction led by Makarolo and Livwz stood on the other side, with Bud guarding them, effectively having two elementals on their side.
Unfortunately, Freya did not have the qualifications to enter the temple, otherwise, she could have intimidated these fellows.
Brendel scanned the room, recognizing many familiar faces among the crowd. These individuals were prominent NPCs from the game, mostly Golden rank masters from the northern region, and the worst among them had reached the peak of Silver. He had interacted with many and taken on quests from them in the past.
After all, above the Golden rank, most were nobility with land grants, some even holding decent titles. For instance, aside from Kuran’s unique case, most of the underlings under Count Rendener had lofty statuses, while players at the game’s outset were far below these NPCs, often “making a living” under them.
However, he never expected that, with the tides of history shifting, these individuals had now become complete cannon fodder and side characters in today’s Ampere Seale, and Brendel couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic.
The hall fell silent, with only the sound of rushing water remaining.
The lesser nobles present, such as the envoys from Golan-Elsen and Duke Vieiro, were pale with fear. They likely sensed the change in the situation but were unprepared for such a swift escalation between the two sides. Now pushed to the side by the soldiers, they stood silently, merely observing the shifts in the hall.
Only the Highland Knights, alongside Bud, stood at the center of the hall, and around them there was not a single soldier. Brendel couldn’t help but admire the fact that capable people were always impressive regardless of the situation.
As for Duke Anlek, he was momentarily untraceable, likely having slipped out in the chaos, not wanting to get involved in this mess. With his surrounding elite swordsmen and silver knights, he’s likely faced little resistance outside the temple.
Then Brendel spotted Dierphir, the young lady countess from Yan Fortress shielded by Andrigraphis, who had not suffered much scare thanks to her three Golden rank guards. Actually, combining his group with that of the Swordbearers, the Golden power was already more than a dozen strong—though they were far behind in the realm of elementals.
Brendel understood this clearly.
Everyone present had seen the situation. The new high priest of the Grand Temple of Andirfbeller, Merros, also fully understood, so aside from his still cold expression, he remained calm, appearing somewhat overconfident.
He stood in his original position, with two high-ranking priests flanking him, unmoving, glancing at the Highland Knights before turning his head—clearly, this high priest had no intention of provoking these hotheads.
In his view, while Duke Karasu was manageable, the Highland Knights were truly troublesome opponents. Behind them was the Black Tower wizardry; did you think ignorance of the Black Tower’s nature was a blessing? You should know that the dozens of floating cities belonging to Bud above were not merely for building floating gardens.
Evidently, Duke Karasu had sent these Highland Knights to this meeting just to vex others. He had always been unruly towards the central authority and was acutely aware of the dynamics but did not want to get involved in the kingdom’s intricate power struggles.
Merros glanced at Duke Seifer, whose complexion was notably poor.
Then he returned his gaze to the princess.
“Princess, the matter is already crystal clear; what do you have to say now?”
The high priest spoke slowly.
“Where is Begoning?” Princess Grifian frowned and asked. She silently counted the people in the hall but did not see the face she hated most.
The half-elf maiden’s expression was ice cold; she was not angry over the deception but over her brother still being in their hands.
Thinking of this made her clench her silver teeth.
“To ensure the witness’s safety, he has already been sent to a secure location,” Merros replied without changing expression. If it were an ordinary person, he would not mind handing him over to this princess for some relief, if that would earn his agreement for the upcoming demands.
But this was different; first, he was the young son of Duke Seifer, and more importantly, his status and position were significant.
He shook his head and said, “Princess, please do not be obstinate.”
“No, High Priest, there’s a problem,” an abrupt voice interjected: “It’s actually like this… um, I think the matters we’re discussing are too complex, but it’s about time for breakfast. The princess is still growing; I believe you should let us go to eat before continuing this meeting, to display proper hospitality.”
Everyone was momentarily stunned. Interrupting in such a context was inherently lacking in decorum, and all present started to search for the source of such an undiplomatic comment. But once the speaker finished, they were left dumbfounded.
Even the envoys from Golan-Elsen and Duke Vieiro recognized that this wasn’t really about discussing breakfast; someone had dared to make a mockery of the high priest at this moment.
Had he lost his mind?
Even the leader of the Highland Knights couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.
In fact, all eyes were focused on the young Yan Fortress lord’s “aide,” as it was none other than Brendel who spoke.
If Merros had looked cold before, his expression was now about to drip water. He regarded Brendel as if staring at a corpse: “Sir, if you think mocking me in your final moments will make you feel better, I have no objection to hearing you say a few more words.”
He disdainfully shook his head: “I’ve seen many heretics; most are just empty vessels spouting hot air like you.”
Brendel smiled slightly: “No, no, you misunderstood, High Priest. That last line was not directed at you, and now this line is meant for you, I just don’t know if you’ll listen.”
“Of course, it’s unnecessary,” the pale-faced Duke Seifer finally interjected. He first glanced at the Highland Knights, seemingly sarcastically rebuking: “What status does the High Priest hold? How can he entertain your nonsense?”
His remark was meant as a pointed quip, but he didn’t expect Brendel to suddenly stop speaking and turn to glare coldly at him—at that moment, this great duke, who commanded awe across the kingdom, felt as if the surrounding air was suddenly sucked away, as though countless sharp blades pressed upon him, making him feel as if the end of the world was nigh. Squeezing out a scream, he nearly fell into the puddle of dirty water without the support of Marquis Julian beside him.
Brendel glanced at him and Marquis Julian behind him, speaking coldly: “You clowns, the bill for your antics will come due later.”
Julian was startled; though Brendel hadn’t said much, it felt pointed. He uneasily recalled matters concerning Princess Margadale, lowered his head to contemplate, and wondered if he should confirm with High Priest Merros later.
At this moment, however, the High Priest gently uttered a sound of surprise, lifting a hand to cut off the line of sight between Brendel and Duke Seifer; he hadn’t realized that Brendel had already attained the strength of manifested elements. In fact, that glance earlier had used the power of elements. For an ordinary person like Duke Seifer, a minor tug on the lines of fate was enough to terrify him to collapse.
But against someone of Anlek’s caliber, it would likely be ineffective. Of course, if Brendel used his Guaranteed Hit ability, killing any elemental under the Golden Peak within fifty meters would be like killing a chicken.
“Hmph,” Merros snorted coldly: “A little cleverness does not justify your arrogance; I want to see what you really intend to say to me.”
Brendel shrugged: “It wasn’t me who provoked you first, High Priest; however, what I want to say is that before you think of resolving our matters, perhaps consider your own safety first.”
Your own safety first?
Merros couldn’t help but chuckle; indeed, he had been smirking. Of course, it’s possible that Brendel was concealing his true strength, otherwise, how to explain his rapid growth? But as a High Priest of the realm of elements surrounded by four elemental experts, could he really be killed by Brendel?
Even the strongest among the sect leaders in the Temple of Fire probably wouldn’t possess such capability.
Yet before his sneer could dissipate, just as Brendel concluded his last word, a chilling sensation suddenly arose from behind him. Having traversed numerous crises in his life, someone of his stature wouldn’t show fear even in the face of harrowing danger.
But this time, Merros experienced a strange delusion as if a terrifying beast was watching him, ready to strike him down at any moment. It had been years since he had felt such a premonition.
His expression changed, and he instinctively turned around.
But the crowd was too crowded; someone else had already beaten him to it, shouting: “Look over there! Who is that?”
Merros saw a hand reaching out of thin air beside Brendel, lifting a piece of cloth. To be precise, it was a cloak:
“The Cloak of Giants…”
He was somewhat knowledgeable and immediately recognized it. But at the next glance, this high priest couldn’t help but leap. Not only he, even all the high-ranking priests and Knights of the Temple from Cruz couldn’t help but reveal expressions of fear.
“This can’t be!”
“Mephistopheles!”
“The Gray Saint!”
“Long time no see, Merros. I’ve brought you a gift again this time,” a certain uncle smiled at them, appearing harmless. But in the next moment, a terrifying power emanated from him, instantly enveloping the entire hall.
Everyone’s expression changed.
This was the peak aura of the mundane world—
…
(PS: I got stuck this morning. Initially, I wanted to ask for a break to seek inspiration, but after considering, I thought it better to persist and write a chapter daily to avoid interruptions. Fortunately, I finally managed to write this out. Indeed, one must push themselves.) (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommended votes or monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
