Chapter 626: Act 369 – Requiem XIX
There was no time left for disputes; the final two groups were quickly determined. Brendel knew he could not persuade the princess, so he took one last glance at the rain and then covered himself with the cloak.
The princess took the spear from a nearby knight, cut a piece from the cloak with her sword, and tied it to the spear’s tip. In the wind and rain, the pattern of the crescent moon and lily flew high.
The knights stared at the flag representing Erluin, now soaked by the rain.
The slender group began to move forward.
They indeed attracted the demon horde. The Hellhounds, running in formation, charged like a rolling tide, devouring everything in their path as they went toward the small group of fewer than thirty in the center of the battlefield.
This bought Brendel a precious moment to breathe. The group holding the Giant King’s cloth of Norse brushed along the edge of the battlefield and approached the last remaining flame gate.
But even this stretch of road was not calm.
Though the mountain-like hellhounds couldn’t see them, they sometimes charged head-on, leaving no room for evasion. In those moments, Brendel could only lift the cloak and stab his sword through the throat of those monsters from below, allowing the stinking bl**d to spray out while the enormous demons staggered, colliding with several of their kin.
However, the fallen hellhounds did not draw much attention from their kind. Demons inherently enjoyed fighting among themselves, and such trampling incidents during a charge were insignificant—no one paid any heed to one corner of the battlefield.
The demons gradually became denser, and everyone could feel the ground beneath their feet churning.
The savage monsters in the sky were the first to approach the humans at the center of the battlefield. Reld raised his head, his gray eyes reflecting the terrifying, hideous faces. The monsters in the sky screeched and opened their wings, diving toward them like arrows.
Several savage monsters suddenly crashed into the knights’ formation, sending a few knights flying. Their strength was much greater than that of the hellhounds. Reld witnessed several knights being torn apart, their armor shattering like glass. bl**d and flesh exploded beneath the immense pressure, vessels rupturing into a cloud of sanguine.
Several drops of bl**d even splattered onto the princess’s snow-white face. Grifian stood still, gripping the spear tightly, her knuckles pale from loss of bl**d, yet the spear stood firm.
The savage monsters swooped past. Behind them, more of their kind dived down, and one of the savage beasts lunged toward the princess in the crowd. By the time the remaining two or three knights reacted, the monster’s sharp claws were almost within reach of the half-elf maiden’s chest.
“Be careful!”
A flash of silver pierced through the rain, striking the head of the savage beast, causing it to crash to the ground. The old knight stood in front of the princess, holding a longsword. Grifian looked at the kingdom’s lion blocking her, knowing he had once betrayed the Corvado royal family, but she recognized that this elder had never betrayed Erluin.
“Thank you, Sir Reld.”
“As long as the princess does not blame me for my treachery, that’s all I ask. It is my duty. This old man already owes the late king a life, and now using this old body to repay is no loss.” Reld sighed, “But even my old life may not be enough to atone.”
“It is not your fault,” the princess’s eyes radiated cold light, “Someone will pay for this. Brendel will not let them go.”
Reld knew that the princess spoke of her uncle with immense power. He could not help but heave another sigh, never expecting Duke Siphai would be so mad as to summon demons into this world. No wonder Nicolas and Gherlok would show no mercy in instantly aligning with the princess.
He was left with a feeling of regret; had he known, he would have never allowed the White Lion army to become accomplices. But it was too late to say such things now. Not to mention that young man, even the Temple would not spare Duke Siphai.
And the White Lion army was doomed to lose their past honor.
In fact, none of this mattered anymore. What mattered was whether Erluin could continue to exist; it was a gamble with their lives today for something that might yet succeed.
A silver light slipped from the old man’s sword, resembling a crescent moon. The moon flew forward, sweeping through the savage monster formation. The flying demons remained in motion but their bodies shattered, chunks crashing to the ground, bringing with them a stench of bl**d.
What a beautiful technique of the White Crow sword, representing the most glorious past of Erluin. Princess Grifian stared blankly at the dazzling brilliance disappearing into the rain, yet ultimately being swallowed by the surging horde of demons.
The savage monsters began to lift off again. But the towering figures of the Hellhounds emerged on the ground; the knights of Lantonrand were almost entirely wiped out, and the remaining witches were hardly enough to protect themselves. Reld and the Temple knights of the Crusian moved closer, ready to protect the last flag of the battlefield.
When Brendel turned his head, he saw that the flag still stood far ahead in the rain, unwavering. A blue and white battle flag stood as the only emblem on this battlefield.
Lightning tore through the dark sky over Ampere Seale, illuminating everything into a snowy white.
Brendel turned heavily. He understood that now all hope rested on him—if only he could dismantle that portal quickly—perhaps there was still a chance to salvage everything.
Brendel clenched his jaw. They had already charged through the first wave of demon arrows, with less than half the distance remaining behind them. The demons on the battlefield had become much thinner. He had used the Giant King’s cloak intermittently, and so far had only expended less than a third of its duration.
It seemed victory was in sight.
Everyone instinctively quickened their pace.
They crossed the last third of the distance. After getting through the second wave of arrows, the defensive line formed by the horned demons became clear.
Nicolas drew his longsword. Before Brendel could issue any commands, he dashed toward those high-ranking demons like a bolt of red-gold lightning. Twelve horned demons were clearly stunned by the sudden appearance of such formidable foes. The two closest to Brendel and his group had not even had time to scream before they were engulfed in flames by Nicolas.
Their fate was obvious.
Brendel held up the Giant King’s cloak and continued forward, with nine seconds remaining. At this point, he no longer needed to conserve. They were so close to the last stretch.
Antinna followed closely behind him, Charles cradling the unconscious JarSugar, and Dierphir in the rear. The four had never felt as anxious and restless as they did at this moment. Even Brendel’s previous experiences amidst the wolf tide seemed pale in comparison, for back then he could at least see through history, while now the future lay shrouded in a fog.
He had to break through this fog himself, but he couldn’t be sure what judgment lay behind it.
Thirty meters.
The Giant King’s cloak finally became ineffective. Yet, there were only a few small demons left near the portal. They were all demon sorcerers; as soon as Charles and Brendel appeared, they quickly dispatched them.
Antinna swiftly tossed aside the Giant King’s cloak as if it were not a legendary item but just a piece of trash. Then she frantically rushed toward the last flame gate on the battlefield.
Charles, Brendel, Dierphir, Nicolas, and Gherlok, Reld, and the princess trapped in the center of the battlefield all witnessed this moment.
Just a little more effort would suffice! Almost every heart likely harbored that thought.
But unfortunately, fate had other plans. Just when everything seemed to be proceeding toward the best outcome, an overwhelming aura suddenly descended upon everyone on the battlefield.
The oppressive force of a demon lord!
Brendel’s hair stood on end; the feeling of oppression was akin to a deity suddenly descending upon this domain, but that was impossible. To start, Vaunte did not have any tangible godly existence, and even if there were gods, none could exude such a cruel, violent aura.
That kind of aura could only exist in one creature within the confines of Vaunte.
A demon.
He looked up, witnessing the space by the portal quake violently. A massive, golden-red light gate suddenly opened beside Antinna without warning. Before anyone could react, a gigantic, three-headed monster, seemingly constructed of crimson, fleshy matter, squeezed through the door.
That distinctive shape could only invoke one name in Brendel’s mind—Chaos King Nicland.
In that instant, Brendel’s heart clenched tightly.
“Be careful! Antinna!” He shouted with all his might.
But it was too late. The aide had not even realized the calamity that was upon them. When she heard Brendel calling her, she turned in surprise, but the next moment, the demon lord’s claw had already pierced through her body.
With a sharp sound, the bl**d-red claw struck Antinna like three swords, piercing through her. Her whole body arched in pain.
Antinna opened her mouth, seeming to carry a look of surprise in her final moment. But bl**d immediately flowed from her mouth and nose, yet the noblewoman still stretched out her hand toward Brendel.
“Brendel… Bu… Brendel…”
Her mouth opened and closed, but finally, she helplessly lowered her head.
“No—” Brendel’s eyes widened in disbelief; he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Though a glimmer of delusion remained in his heart, wishing it was all just an illusion, delusions were ultimately nothing but delusions.
His heart sank deeper.
As an ordinary person, did Antinna have any chance of survival against the strike of the demon lord Nicland at such an extreme level? Any rational individual would give a commonsensical answer.
But Brendel could not accept that answer.
Antinna was dead?
Brendel saw Chaos King flick its paw, flinging Antinna’s body away. The aide’s limp form crashed onto the grassy ground, lifeless; at that moment, his mind blanked out. He stood in the torrential rain, gripping the Sword of the Earth, feeling as if the entire world around him had dimmed.
The noblewoman who had always silently accompanied him, willingly standing against the entire kingdom with him, was gone?
Brendel’s heart swirled with unclear emotions.
Just then, the Chaos King finally noticed the young man beneath it. Its three enormous heads turned back to the portal, then to Brendel, and in an instant, it figured out the humans’ intentions, its face revealing a sinister anger.
“Insects, look what you have done,” Nicland’s voice came from the depths of the abyss. It lifted its claw and immediately swung it down toward Brendel.
“Brendel, you b*stard, snap out of it! Do you want to d*e here? You have the Destiny Card! Miss Antinna is not dead yet!” Queen Saint Ausoor was on the verge of panic.
But only the last sentence pierced through the darkness in Brendel’s mind like a flash of lightning. He jolted awake. Yes, he still had the cards; as long as he had the Destiny Card, there was at least a slim chance to save the aide.
Though it was merely a sliver of hope in a desperate situation.
But as long as there was a chance, he would absolutely not give up.
Brendel snapped back to full consciousness, but as he looked up, a shadow had completely enveloped him.
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
