Chapter 649: Act 11 – The Crystallization Disease
Brendel broke through the door with a sword, and the solid oak door disintegrated into wood shavings that fluttered like butterflies in the air. His black earl coat spread open like a rose blossoming from the splintered wood, the petals stretching forward, with a cold blade piercing from the center, pointing directly at the noble young man who had his hand pressed against Countess Dierphir’s neck.
Ackle probably never imagined that someone would suddenly burst in; his face was filled with shock as he shouted in anger, “Damn you, Anurak, where are you!”
In the next moment, a shadow lunged at him, but Brendel had anticipated that there might be others in the room when he heard the young man’s angry shout, and he instinctively pulled his sword back. With a sharp ‘cling’, Brendel felt the Earth Sword block something, and when he squinted, he saw it was a transparent longsword, shimmering with a cold light like ice crystals.
“Get out of my way!”
With a roar, the crystalline sword pressed against the blade of the Earth Sword with a screech, trying to cut into Brendel’s wrist. But the Earth Sword pushed forward, an overwhelming power surged like a landslide, instantly knocking that thin, ice-like crystal blade away.
Brendel felt the gray shadow retreat, and then he could see the sword bearer, cloaked in a gray robe that hung all the way to the floor, his hood shrouding him like a nightmare, with black smoke obscuring his face.
The ghostly figure howled, its voice both fearful and furious. It probably never imagined that this young human in front of it possessed such terrifying strength. Little did it know, Brendel’s power was inherently at a higher level due to equipping the Ghost Knight Crystal, not to mention he was a peak twenty-year-old, which was already a miracle.
Brendel, the creator of this miracle, had no intention of giving the opponent any chance. His long black coat gathered amidst the falling wood debris, and another black light slashed toward the ghost.
“Flash… Sword!”
The ghostly figure screeched, as if recognizing Brendel’s swordsmanship. It had already been forced back towards the bed by Brendel’s sword, but now it had no choice but to raise its crystal longsword to defend. As the two swords clashed, a heart-stopping shattering sound was heard, and countless patterns instantly spread across the crystal.
Without saying a word, Brendel continued to advance with the Earth Sword, and in the next moment, the shining blade in the gray-cloaked figure’s hand shattered into countless fragments, exploding apart.
The monster let out a miserable scream, likely realizing the insurmountable gap in strength between it and the young man. In the final moment before the blade reached it, it looked up and emitted a barely perceptible mental wave directed straight at Brendel’s brain.
Mental Shock.
The speed of the mental wave was incredibly quick, and with the distance between them so close, Brendel had no time or space to evade. The moment he began to react, the mental shock had already pierced into his mind.
Unfortunately, this time the ghostly figure had clearly chosen the wrong target.
Brendel’s will attribute had reached a staggering number after being enhanced by the Blood of God, and after implanting it with the Lightning Core, it was even more formidable. The resulting will barrier could neutralize most spells, let alone a mere mental shock.
The ghost’s mental shock crashed into Brendel’s will barrier, feeling like a head colliding with a 1000mm thick steel plate. Brendel sensed someone probing into his will field; he couldn’t help but sneer, watching as the mental wave seemed to crash against an invisible wall, shattering into pieces, and then the backlash shot back at ten times the speed.
Brendel shot a cold glance at the figure.
The ghost let out a chilling scream, clutching its head and shaking wildly. But it was futile; everyone present heard a crisp crack, and then the monster’s head exploded like a glass ball shattering.
Brendel inwardly cursed; he expected to see the legendary scene of blood and brain matter splattering everywhere. Of course, he didn’t mind, but he couldn’t forget the presence of several ladies here; he feared his impulsive act might spread the infamous rumors of his brutal tendencies throughout Ampere Seale.
To his surprise, the next moment, he saw the monster’s head explode like a crystal ball, sending shards flying like blades throughout the room.
Brendel quickly activated the Conflict Aura, and the crystal fragments clattered against the magical shield as they scattered, ultimately avoiding a disaster.
On the other side, the noble young man named Ackle wasn’t so lucky; he had been watching the fight in shock, only to suddenly find himself in a deadly confrontation. As countless crystal fragments exploded, he instinctively shielded Dierphir, who was being pressed against the bed.
The outcome was predictable.
At the instant the crystal fragments detonated, hundreds of sharp, needle-like shards pierced into his entire half, marring his handsome face with countless lacerations. One shard even burst his eyeball, causing his right eye to ooze like a piece of rotten flesh from its socket.
Bloodied Ackle seemed to pause for a moment before realizing what had happened, then he cradled his face and began to wail on the bed, his cries chillingly reminiscent of an animal being led to slaughter.
Dierphir, pressed below him, somehow mustered the strength to push him away and struggled to jump off the bed. But she forgot that she was unable to walk at all, resulting in her falling right off the edge and hitting the floor hard. With a dull thud, the Countess cried out in pain.
Brendel’s heart ached upon seeing this, and he hurried over to pull Dierphir up, bringing her to his back. The Countess’s face was colorless, trembling, her shirt completely unbuttoned and revealing much of her form, yet she was oblivious; she lacked the strength to even clutch Brendel’s sleeve. If it weren’t for Brendel supporting her, the maiden would have collapsed on the floor at any moment.
“Are you alright?”
“Mr. Brendel… I…” Dierphir seemed to have gone through a nightmare, her cheeks wet with tears but unable to speak another word.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Brendel reassured her.
He glanced at the bloodied figure screaming on the bed—Ackle had completely stained the sheets red; some scraps were stuck to his wounds, tearing open new ones and causing even more blood to flow out. Soon, the guy lost strength, shrieking while trembling on the bed as though he feared tugging at even the smallest injury.
The wailing gradually turned into painful sobs.
It was evident that he would not survive. However, Brendel felt no sympathy; especially upon seeing Dierphir in her current state, he was filled with rage, wishing he could throw a couple more healing spells at that guy just to make him suffer a bit longer before dying.
At that moment, Princess Grifian hurried up to the second floor. Upon seeing the scene in the room, her expression changed, and upon glancing at Dierphir, she realized immediately what had happened. “Beast,” the Princess coldly uttered.
“Who is he?” Brendel asked.
“I do not want to mention that beast’s name,” she replied, coldly. “He is Baron Dale’s only heir, not Dierphir’s brother—you should understand who this guy is now.”
Princess Grifian coldly stared at the sobbing bloodied figure on the bed before turning back to Dierphir with gentle eyes, comforting her, “Dierphir, are you alright?”
The Countess seemed strong before Brendel, but upon seeing her childhood friend, she finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears. The Princess quickly supported her, softly soothing her, while throwing Brendel a glance:
“How long do you plan on holding her?”
That look clearly conveyed that message.
Brendel was momentarily taken aback.
“Hurry and let me take her to change clothes; with all this noise, the Harbor Guard will be here soon. You want Dierphir to be seen like this by outsiders?” the Princess whispered.
Brendel suddenly understood and quickly assisted the sobbing Countess into the Princess’s arms. He then glanced at the noble young man, who had nearly screamed himself hoarse and lacked strength. Initially, he acted out of anger without considering too much, but now it seemed the situation was hard to manage. However, it was this guy’s own fault; otherwise, he could have left some breathing room to clarify what was going on.
Now it was a mess, having inexplicably killed a nobleman without even knowing his intentions.
What truly puzzled Brendel was another matter, and he couldn’t help but take another look around the room. “What are you looking at?” Noticing his gaze, the Princess keenly asked.
Brendel shook his head. He had some vague suspicions but wasn’t ready to confirm. He pointed at the bloodied figure on the bed and asked, “What are we going to do about this guy?”
“Please leave it to me, Lord Earl, Your Highness.”
A cold voice cut in. Brendel and Princess Grifian turned in surprise to see Nia approaching, the Lady Knight looking at them with a pleading expression. Upon seeing her eyes filled with hatred and fury, Brendel was slightly taken aback. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded.
About five minutes later, a final scream came from Dierphir’s room, then the sound abruptly ceased.
The Harbor Guard was evidently much slower than the Princess had expected. At least by the time they arrived, the Countess had finally changed clothes. Brendel saw Dierphir sitting in a wheelchair alongside Princess Grifian; the Countess clearly hadn’t recovered from the previous nightmare, her hands intertwined tightly around her shawl, seeking some solace.
At least she could speak normally now. The pale Countess looked up at Brendel, full of gratitude, and quietly replied, “Mr. Brendel, thank you.”
“It’s nothing, so what exactly happened?” Brendel asked, as he didn’t believe that the bastard had come all the way from Yanjian just for his own sister. Moreover, he had heard Ackle asking Dierphir what she wanted, and he had some vague suspicions but still wasn’t ready to confirm.
“You heard it too,” the Countess’s face flushed. She never expected to let Brendel see such a shameful scene, which was truly embarrassing for her family: “My brother… he came to ask me for the Swordbearer’s Ring.”
“That’s not your brother; he’s just a beast,” Princess Grifian said in lingering anger. “The Swordbearer’s Ring is an honor granted by the royal family to the Swordbearer’s family, and that guy actually tried to resort to such shameless means to obtain it—it’s simply outrageous.”
Brendel nodded. He was not surprised; the nobility in Erluin had become embroiled in such filthy affairs. However, the methods of Dierphir’s brother were particularly despicable; using such tactics against a woman, especially his own sister, was just a waste of food in this world.
“How could Yanjian be in such chaos?” he asked.
This time, it was Princess Grifian who answered on behalf of Dierphir: “This is quite normal. The shattering of the Swordseat must have caused some hidden demons and monsters to take advantage of the opportunity and stir up trouble. If they didn’t, it would raise suspicions.”
The Half-Elf Maiden replied coldly, as if she were used to seeing such things. And indeed, she had seen such occurrences repeatedly, having experienced it herself once. In the face of supreme power, familial ties were but a veil that could be torn apart at any moment.
“No,” Brendel shook his head. “What I mean is, has Yanjian’s Earl—Dierphir’s father—lost control of the situation? If I recall correctly, Dierphir, you took away the three strongest swordsmen from Yanjian, but your father should still have a private army, right?”
“If the Earl of Yanjian had even an ounce of control over his territory and subordinates, that guy wouldn’t dare to act so arrogantly,” Brendel left some words unsaid. Both Princess Grifian and Dierphir understood his implications. If the Earl of Yanjian still had power, Ackle would never dare to blatantly come to Ampere Seale to assault Dierphir.
Though both Dierphir and Princess Grifian were just girls, they were born into noble families, deeply versed in the rules of noble struggles. They immediately caught on, but Countess Dierphir reacted first, her expression changing as she anxiously asked, “Mr. Brendel, are you saying my father might be in trouble…?”
“Don’t be so anxious, Dierphir; those guys might just be bullies relying on someone else’s power,” the Princess shook her head in consolation. “The Temple is using your ability to wield demon magic to make a fuss over this. I knew about this matter as well. I originally thought they wouldn’t create any waves, but I didn’t expect that in a moment of negligence…”
“The Temple is preparing to hold Dierphir responsible for wielding demon magic?” Brendel, hearing this news for the first time, almost flew into a rage. The demons were summoned by the Temple themselves; the Demon Armlet was given to Dierphir by them. The Countess, a dignified noblewoman, reduced to this state where she couldn’t even walk on her own because of her demon magic sacrifice, had saved the entire harbor.
Now, the Temple’s monks were actually going to cause her trouble?
Brendel took a deep breath, furrowing his brows as he just managed to refrain from immediately turning around to confront the Temple. He believed that Princess Grifian was not the sort of person to sacrifice others for the sake of broader interests.
He looked at the Princess.
The Half-Elf Princess sighed, “This matter isn’t High Priest Wood’s intention; it’s just those clowns below who colluded with the northern nobles. Moreover, the incident originated from the fault of the Crusian people. I initially thought this was merely their little ploy to irritate us, not expecting it to be misinterpreted by certain people.”
That ‘certain people’ clearly referred to Ackle and Baron Dale. Yet Brendel frowned.
“Is that so?”
“Dierphir,” he suddenly asked, “Are you familiar with your uncle?”
“Um, somewhat familiar. His reputation is not great outside, but he is said to be quite capable. He has always been at odds with my father, but according to Yanjian’s family rules, aside from the Count himself, the collateral branches are not allowed to have private armies. Therefore, his conflict with my father has only ever remained at the level of mutual avoidance.” Dierphir replied, frowning. She was clearly deep in thought as well.
“Do you know what kind of retainers he had in the past?” Brendel asked.
“I don’t know,” Dierphir shook her head. “I have never seen the person Ackle brought. Maybe Nia knows something; she’s more aware of the personnel shifts in the territory than I am.”
“I asked her.”
Brendel replied, but this time he wore a serious expression: “I’ll ask you one last question, Dierphir.”
“What is it?”
“Has anything strange occurred in the Yanjian area recently, or have there been appearances of things similar to a crystal forest?”
……
(PS: I have something to attend to today and will be going out for a while, continuing with two updates tomorrow~) (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.)
