Chapter 632: Act 375 – Requiem XXV
“Brendel!”
Brendel, in a daze, heard that scream, as if it had torn him back from an endless world of darkness. If there’s a single voice in this world he would never forget, it might be the pure promise made on the night he escaped Buche.
“Will you protect me, Brendel?”
“Yes, I will.”
Brendel opened his eyes in disbelief and saw that familiar figure. The Merchant Miss hung from the neck of the newly appeared Titan statue like a swing, and though she swung back and forth, scraping her head bloody against the granite, she still looked very pleased upon seeing Brendel.
What are you doing!?
The only thing Brendel wanted to do at that moment was to glare at the Merchant Miss in exasperation, just like he did whenever she got into trouble in the past. But unfortunately, he didn’t even have the strength to blink, and could only lie quietly on the ground, watching it all unfold and waiting for the last moments of his unyielding talent to pass.
Romaine…
The teleportation gate behind the two Titans glowed a vivid red, as if all chances had been lost. He wondered where Antinna was now and whether she had found the nodes on the teleportation gate.
Perhaps there’s still one chance left.
Brendel fixed his gaze on the Merchant Miss, while Romaine had already climbed onto the shoulder of the Titan. Ear hole, he thought. He knew that was the only passageway to manipulate the core inside the Titan.
It seemed that the Merchant Miss had heard his thoughts, as she dirtied her hands and scrambled in that direction.
But at that moment, a surge of electric sparks suddenly erupted from the Titan’s shoulder, enveloping the Merchant Miss in an instant. Brendel’s eyes widened in horror; he saw Romaine convulsing in the arc before quickly collapsing in a cloud of smoke.
Brendel’s heart turned cold.
He breathed heavily, regret poisoning his heart like venom. He thought that perhaps without all this, the Merchant Miss, Antinna, and the others could have their own destinies.
But simply for his own wish.
Everyone had come here.
Could they truly change nothing in the end?
Was the choice he made at Fir Tree Castle really wrong? He couldn’t help but close his eyes, Funiya’s nearly pure gaze resurfacing in his mind. If given another choice, how would he decide?
Brendel didn’t know.
He opened his eyes one last time, as if to say a final farewell to this brief yet unforgettable world. At the very least, he wanted to take one last look at Romaine, to see the Merchant Miss. They had promised to become the greatest merchants together.
But he had broken his word.
What he saw made his heart constrict violently. He saw the Merchant Miss laboriously crawling toward the Titan’s ear hole, and she was so close now.
Romaine wasn’t dead!
The operator of the Titan seemed to have realized the danger, raising its left hand to slap its own shoulder. At that moment, Brendel’s heart leapt, fearing he would see the scene he dreaded. But unexpectedly, the Titan’s slap landed on its own face.
“Ha!”
Brendel felt a rush of joy. The Titan was being operated by a novice! He felt like a death row inmate who had just been told he was granted a stay of execution—a feeling of drastic elevation nearly took his breath away.
By this time, Romaine had already sobbed her way to the ear hole. Marquis Julian had attempted several times to reach that position, while another Titan was slowly recovering from a fatal wound on its chest. In desperation, he drew his sword and prepared to personally end the Merchant Miss.
In his eyes, what threat could a half-dead witch pose to him? If she had the strength to cast a spell, she’d surely have stormed in by now.
As he stepped out, he happened to see Romaine crawling into the ear hole—the Titan’s ear hole was shaped like a small cave, with the Merchant Miss positioned right at the entrance. Marquis Julian could only shake his head in disdain; victory was in sight, and he had no lingering affection for Erluin’s status—only the Everything Returns Society could bring him true honor.
The sacred work in Erluin had been ongoing for quite some time, and today, everything was about to be harvested.
With that jumble of thoughts, he approached and thrust his sword toward Romaine.
But just then, the Merchant Miss suddenly lifted her head.
Marquis Julian could hardly believe his eyes. He saw a pair of eyes—pure black, devoid of whites or pupils, like two black holes threatening to consume his very soul.
He recoiled in fright, instinctively trying to step back, but it was too late. Suddenly, the Merchant Miss reached out and grabbed him by the neck with terrifying strength. Then, in a voice altered to a chilling tone, she asked, “Who are you?”
Julian could swear on his life and all his reputation—if he had any—that he had never heard such a terrifying voice, as if the wind howling through a valley of jagged rocks had chilled him to the bone.
He involuntarily shivered.
“You’re not her, you… who are you?”
He heard a cold laugh in response.
Then there was nothing more; Marquis Julian—the brother of Erluin’s former king—tilted his head and completely lost his soul.
The cave seemed to fall into silence for a moment, then Romaine crawled up from the ground with a rustling sound.
“Hurts…”
“White Mist, are you there?”
“What just happened?” She looked blankly at the lifeless body of Marquis Julian lying on the ground, not comprehending the situation.
White Mist remained silent for a moment.
“It seems there’s something inside of you,” she replied coldly. “But this isn’t the time to discuss that; you need to hurry. Your little boyfriend is likely to run out of breath soon.”
“Ah!” Romaine gasped, quickly getting up and limping toward the control room.
…
The battlefield was now nearly silent.
Brendel found it hard to lift his head to see the situation near the princess. He could only see countless demons crossing the battlefield, like a crimson sea engulfing the two Titans, finally closing in on the teleportation gate below. The Miss Staff stood dumbly by the gate, as if waiting for the final moment to arrive.
The sounds in his perception had all but faded. He quietly stared at the Titan statue, which had stopped functioning for quite some time. Beside it, another Titan was shakily rising; its body was covered in the injuries Brendel had inflicted. If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they could hardly believe that such a damaged construct could still operate.
But this was the pinnacle work of Wizard Bud.
Yet Brendel was still waiting—waiting for a final answer.
That answer came quickly.
Suddenly, the Titan statue, which had been stagnant by the teleportation gate, began to move slowly. Its first action, under everyone’s watch, was to suddenly lift its fist high and, with a lightning-quick spear, stab toward its companion.
That wobbling Titan, having only a final strand of operational ability left, was undoubtedly crushed by this blow. After a brilliant flash of light, lightning pierced through its head, and the enormous head of this dreadful creation exploded like a watermelon.
Of course, the unfortunate operator was also instantly obliterated.
“Yay!”
The Merchant Miss, holding the crystal ball, let out a cheer almost immediately.
She grimaced in pain as her entire body throbbed with injuries, tears streaming down her face, but she still beamed with a sense of triumph, loudly declaring, “White Mist, White Mist, see? I told you Brendel would make me the greatest merchant!”
“You should resolve the situation here first,” White Mist replied irritably.
Romaine eagerly pressed her hand against the crystal ball while observing the movements outside. The core of the opposite Titan statue was damaged, and the control room had been blown apart, rendering it completely inoperable. However, there were still many demons on the battlefield, and she frowned as she contemplated how to deal with these monsters.
It was just then that she heard a small voice calling to her below.
“Miss Romaine, attack the teleportation gate! The three nodes are right above you!”
Romaine glanced down curiously and immediately widened her eyes upon seeing the tiny, ant-like Antinna: “Ah, it’s Antinna!” She promptly licked her lips and said, “Okay, I got it! Watch me!”
She raised the crystal ball, which immediately emitted a bright light.
“Miss Romaine’s super powerful attack!”
With a tremendous rumble, under the gaze of all, the two arms of the remaining Titan statue suddenly fell away from its body, crashing down onto the heads of the demon army advancing toward the teleportation gate.
“Damn!” Even Brendel couldn’t help but shout in astonishment. At a critical moment, this Merchant Miss had gotten herself into trouble again!
And the most critical part was that this girl could dismantle her own Titan! He had been wondering if the Titan he had bounced back could become the most pathetic way to die in history, but now someone else had outdone him in that respect.
Sadly, this person was, from all angles, his fiancée.
“Ah…” Not just Brendel, but Romaine herself was startled at that moment. She looked around, frowned, and then said, “This thing is really frail; it broke itself.”
Even the lady spirit of the contract couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her immediately.
“But it’s okay, I can still attack!” The Merchant Miss waved her hand dismissively, and the crystal ball shone brightly once more. The Titan she controlled suddenly leaned back, then charged toward the teleportation gate, moving in a fluid and perfect motion, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.
Headbutt!
And it struck the target perfectly.
Due to the Titan’s broad range of attack, this time, the three nodes of the teleportation gate crumbled almost simultaneously.
In the next moment, the golden-red halo emitted a dazzling brilliance, and after a violent tremor, it completely shattered. Then came the horrific explosion and blinding flames, bursting forth like a fireworks display.
Of course, the first to bear the brunt of it was the Titan of the Merchant Miss, which had its head against the teleportation gate. The immense figure was blasted away like a sheet of paper under the terrifying force of the explosion, landing heavily among the demon army.
And because of inertia, it rolled over, crushing its way through the demons like a siege vehicle. The demons on the ground immediately faced disaster; they were initially rushing toward the teleportation gate, but clearly did not need to teleport anymore, as Lady Romaine’s Titan would naturally send them back to the River of Sulfur—whether they wanted to or not.
Wherever the Titan passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Since it was created, it had never been used in such a manner to slay enemies. One must admit, the efficiency was remarkably high.
Brendel couldn’t help but smile wryly.
He watched the last teleportation gate, which dissipated like fireworks in the rainy night, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation. He couldn’t help but gently close his eyelids, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
At least it wasn’t a total failure, was it?
But just then.
Suddenly, a golden light pierced down from the cloud layer.
The last image in Brendel’s mind was a pair of golden eyes.
…
(PS: The final update, you know what this means.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider voting for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
