Chapter 659: Act 21 – The Firmament III
“Avina?”
Even Brendel racked his brain and couldn’t recall the origin of this name, much less anyone else. Only Romaine stammered and asked, “Y-You’re impersonating me!?”
Avina glanced at Romaine and was slightly taken aback. “I see.”
“Eh? What do you mean?” Merchant Miss was puzzled.
The Lightning Maiden turned around, frowning as she looked at Brendel on the ground. “Your authority seems to be inherited from the Truth Society, yet you clearly possess a higher authority, which is baffling… Let’s see, how strange, you carry the aura of Gaia’s will.”
She then circled her gaze around everyone but only paused briefly on William. The archmage of the Silver Alliance frowned, silent as if deep in thought. However, Avina’s eyes brightened slightly when they landed on Freya.
“Descendant of the War Goddess’ guard, it’s unexpected that this bloodline still persists,” she remarked with mild admiration.
Brendel naturally heard the Lightning Maiden’s words, but they sounded like a foreign language to him. He had never encountered any of the names mentioned by Avina, not even in his past experience within the game.
He frowned and asked, “Madam, who exactly are you? Are you a spirit, representing someone’s will?”
“Me?” The Lightning Maiden stepped forward, tilting her chin up, “Humans should refer to me as the Knight of Azure, according to your records.”
Knight of Azure.
These five characters echoed loudly in Brendel’s mind. He opened his mouth but for a moment felt as if he had lost the ability to speak.
Everyone else probably felt no better; if anything, worse. Medisa nearly dropped the spear she was holding, and those behind Princess Grifian muttered incessantly, “This is impossible… This can’t be…”
Before them stood the Knight of Azure, who had shattered the firmament, causing stars to fall and ushering in the era of mortals.
If one were to ask what the most renowned heroic epic in the history of the Amber Sword was, it would undoubtedly be the Poem of the Azure. And if one were to inquire what part of the Azure Poem was most widely known, it would surely be the legend of the Knight of Azure.
It was the origin of all knightly epics, from which countless stories have been fabricated, with the shadow of this legendary figure appearing in nearly all knights’ fantasies.
But she was actually a woman?
Everyone found it hard to comprehend for a moment, with only Romaine curiously asking once she realized the other party was not impersonating her, “But why do you look exactly like me?”
“The river of history flows quietly, amidst countless stars, there are always two that resemble each other so closely. It’s just a coincidence,” the Lightning Maiden replied in a low voice.
Brendel felt that this lady was speaking nonsense. He asked, “Lady Knight, what do the words you spoke earlier mean?”
Avina glanced at him and said, “What I said, you have heard and that’s that. What I didn’t say, I won’t rashly disclose to you. In this world, every secret carries its price.”
“And what kind of price do we need to pay?” Brendel furrowed his brows, aware that players had been trying to unravel a puzzle that led to the ultimate path of existential power in the game. However, no one had ever succeeded, and he sensed that the term Avina had mentioned might be related to that final door.
Ever since the downfall of Babel Fortress, ancient knowledge had been lost beneath the earth, and there were no records about the power of existence. Since then, neither the Golden people nor the Silver people had truly opened that door.
Even the lofty Dragonkind had stagnated at the peak of the golden body.
Brendel looked at Avina earnestly, but the Lightning Maiden shook her head. “You cannot afford to know about them, human. So, tell me, what is your purpose for coming here?”
“Purpose?” Brendel suddenly came to his senses, recalling their reason for being there. “My lady, we accidentally discovered the Azure Spear that you once used. We hope to gain its approval.”
“I see.” The Lightning Maiden nodded, raising her gaze to inspect the entire hall. “This should be the ruins of the Balbard Hall. You probably haven’t heard of this name. So, what is this place to you? What year is it outside?”
“Currently, this is the territory of the Kingdom of Erluin, under the underground of the trade harbor Ampere Seale, my lady,” Princess Grifian’s voice chimed in, “It is now the year 376 of the First Era.”
“The Age of Chaos has ended, then.” The Lightning Maiden murmured, “Are there still divine people existing on the land?”
“Divine people?”
Everyone looked at each other in confusion—what sort of term was that? Even for players, it was only background lore existing in legends.
Seeing their expressions, Avina understood what had happened. However, there was no sadness or joy on her face; she simply replied, “I see. I understand now.”
She lifted her head and said, “You say you wish to gain the approval of the Azure Spear? That’s simple—just defeat me.”
Defeat you?
Brendel almost choked on his own saliva; after all, the person before them was a legendary hero who shattered the firmament and brought forth a new era. The Knight of Azure, said to have lived before the fall of Babel Fortress, undoubtedly possessed existential power, and even in that terrifying era, her power was at the peak level.
It could be understood just how terrifying this Lightning Maiden’s power was.
Although it was already known that obtaining the Azure Spear was no easy task—after all, the Amber Sword was primarily a game; therefore, there could be no free lunch—Brendel still didn’t expect that the condition for this “instance” was so simple yet harsh.
To defeat the Knight of Azure.
But was that even possible?
Based on the strength displayed in the previous blow, he could roughly judge that even at his peak strength in the game, along with the help of other top players from the Grey Hush Knights, it might not be enough to contend with this Lightning Maiden before him.
A doubt emerged in his mind. He asked, “My lady, may I know if your spirit possesses a fraction of your strength from life?”
Avina smiled slightly. “You are clever, human, to inquire about your opponent’s power first. However, my answer will likely disappoint you: as long as I remain in this hall, my power is equivalent to that of my peak period.”
Everyone felt as though they’d just been punched in the face.
Makarolo and the others couldn’t help but glance at the legendary magician from the Silver Alliance, but William couldn’t help but smile bitterly; his power, while nearing the pinnacle of the mortal realm, paled in comparison to existential power.
He shook his head; there was no chance of victory.
“That’s too excessive,” Princess Grifian exclaimed after a moment of surprise, unable to suppress her frown. “My lady, how can anyone defeat you?”
“Half-elven girl, if you cannot defeat me, what right do you have to wield my weapon?” The Lightning Maiden smiled slightly and replied.
Brendel furrowed his brow; unlike everyone else, he sensed that this condition was definitely problematic.
An instance in a game could never set impossible conditions.
Princess Grifian pointed out a great question: who could defeat the Knight of Azure? Not to mention the people present now, even in his time, what player would dare claim they could defeat the Knight of Azure?
Or looking further ahead, if one couldn’t master existential power, there would be no possibility of victory.
He suddenly realized the catch.
He raised his head and saw a pair of eyes looking back at him. They were black with a hint of violet sheen, nestled beneath long brows, highlighting a handsome face framed by beautiful black hair.
The Lady Knight was staring at him, her meaning in her gaze was already very clear.
Yet she still mouthed, “Word trap.”
Brendel instantly understood. He didn’t have time to think about why Nemeses had suddenly brought this up. Instead, he lifted his head and asked Avina, “Lady Knight, are you saying that as long as you’re in this hall, your strength is equivalent to that of your peak period?”
The Lightning Maiden was taken aback, gazing at him.
Brendel understood: “Lady Knight, as long as we defeat you, we can gain the approval of the Azure Spear?”
“Yes,” Avina nodded.
“Then that’s good.” Brendel suddenly leaped back, shouting at Charles beside him, “Charles, Dragon Strike!”
The young wizard attendant understood his lord’s meaning the moment he spoke. Since Avina was unbeatable in this hall, they would change the battlefield. He extended his hand toward the ground, and the halo of law magic instantly gathered in his palm, brilliant—
“What are you trying to do!”
Avina raised her eyebrows sculpted from lightning, and a surge of anger flashed across her face. “I detest opportunistic scoundrels the most!”
As soon as her words fell, her figure completely vanished from everyone’s sight, followed by Romaine’s scream, “Brendel, behind you!”
Brendel’s heart froze; typically, one would first attack the one casting a spell to interrupt them. But Avina had evidently seen through his relationship with Charles—she knew he was a traveling mage.
Brendel felt a chill along his spine; he had no chance to resist as a cold, icy hand—seemingly not made of lightning—had already seized the back of his neck.
“Command him to stop!” Avina’s voice was chilling.
“No, Charles, unleash the spell! There are no laws binding here; she can’t harm anyone!” Brendel shouted immediately.
Avina paused slightly. “…How do you know?”
Brendel smiled smugly. “Because you just stabbed me with a lance, remember?”
“You noticed?” The surprise in Avina’s almost platinum eyes was unmistakable. “You’re a bit clever, but do you think this will leave me at a loss?”
Realizing that a look of smugness crossed Avina’s face, Brendel knew something was amiss. He followed her gaze and saw that in the direction she was looking, the beam of Dragon Strike from Charles’ hand had already been released, striking the ground. This hall had already become fragile after countless years; with this one hit, the ground began to crack, and it was about to collapse.
But at that moment, Avina coldly stated, “Force of fate, reversal of history.”
Just eight words.
Then the miracle happened.
……(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
