Chapter 770: Act 123 – Eternal XXIV
In the ice and snow, a long sigh echoed.
“It’s—like—this—”
The bone-chilling voice was like a cold wind sweeping through the maze of ice caverns, swirling with flickering ice dust, making a soft rustling sound. It seemed to blow through everyone, dropping the already frigid temperature several degrees more. In that instant, alarms rang in the hearts of the Erluin people, Crusian, mountain dwellers, the Gray Saint, and the two dragons. The lines of laws beside the few who had entered the realm of elements shone brightly—Brendel and the Young Female Dragon radiated gold, Shi Ta silver, Veronika azure, the Gray Saint grey, and Xi flickered like lightning in a shade of azure, while Medisa shone pale.
But all of this was meaningless.
The cold wind surged forward, and in an instant, all the lines of laws completely collapsed. “What is this!” Brendel heard Veronika’s voice filled with disbelief and a hint of awe from the Gray Saint—indeed, it was astonishing—the laws of Martha had actually collapsed in the face of seemingly the shallowest force of nature, overwhelming and destructive, a spectacle not seen since ancient times. The howling wind engulfed the ice dust, forming a flowing white cold tide that rushed past everyone. Each person felt their movements slow down a hundredfold, as if time was nearing a halt, even the speed of thought stretched, becoming heavy.
Brendel’s pupils widened slightly, his eyelids grew unbearably heavy, yet in that moment, he felt an incredibly familiar power—this was the breath of bronze, a return to the origin, stemming from the most primal and immense power of nature.
Then everything around him was wiped away, and amidst the infinite storm, he could only see the Frost Knight King as a silent statue, standing not far from him. Between the two, everything seemed to freeze, and the figures of Medisa, Peiya, and Veronika scattered like dust in the wind.
Time—time had become meaningless here; he could even see the ancient glaciers beginning to melt. The passage of time seemed stretched a hundredfold; centered around the two, mountains shifted, the earth sank, rifts rose, forming forests and lakes, land and sea eroded one another. In the blink of an eye, the scenery had transformed into a landscape of great change, while from the barren land, dense vegetation sprouted and formed an endless plain—
In an instant, it was already eternity.
The glaciers appeared as mere remnants of the past, yet before Brendel now was the distant horizon, gradually tinged with fire-like hues from east to west, and on the horizon hung a solitary setting sun. This golden sunset, warm yet faintly burning, swayed gently over the grassland.
This was twilight—
As the wind brushed over the grassland, the blades rustled softly.
“It’s—like—this.” Sibers’s sigh finally morphed into a seemingly meaningless light exhale.
Brendel only felt his body relax, regaining control over himself. However, he still stood there momentarily dazed, recalling the magnificent scene from before. He knew where this was—this scene was certainly not the true transformation of the lands or the rewind of time back to a thousand years past. This was the Extreme Plain, and the lost magical aura in the wind confirmed his answer. In the blink of an eye, Sibers had pulled him into his domain before everyone’s eyes. This was his second visit in this life, and counting the last life, it was countless times. Yet the game couldn’t present the same real shock experienced before, as if he had truly lived through ten thousand years in an instant.
An eye blink to eternity; no matter how realistic a game was, it could not simulate such a scene.
But the power of eternity could.
“The beauty of a sunset in my era, even a thousand years later, is still so enchanting. It’s a pity that even if time is frozen, mortals must still move forward. You must have never stopped to admire the scenery along the way, right? Mortals, fighting and killing, it becomes wearisome.” Sibers, seeing the calm on Brendel’s face, revealed a trace of appreciation. He did not know that Brendel had long since grown accustomed to it, assuming it was a rare quality.
However, the expression on Sibers’s face remained cold. For the undead, memories of the past were only left with the torment and regrets of the soul.
Brendel did not rush to respond; other questions lingered in his mind: “You said he only has the peak level of laws, Lord Saint Ausoor. I don’t think that the peak power of laws is sufficient to pull someone into the Extreme Plain.”
“I also said that is not his true strength.” Saint Ausoor naturally responded.
Brendel immediately chose to remain silent, for he had a deep understanding of the elf sister’s obstinacy. As long as our Lady Queen Wind had her reasons, then she must be right. Even without reasons, that didn’t necessarily make her wrong. Attempting to argue with a lady who could come up with two hundred historical examples from both sides was likely a sign of insanity; she was an existence whom mortals called a sage with a thousand years of insight. Even if a third of that time was spent sleeping, there were still three hundred years’ worth of knowledge, fifteen times what Brendel had experienced in this life, and three times that of his previous life.
In other words, it was three times the slap to the face.
Brendel did not feel the need to endure it all; people could make mistakes, but one must avoid repeating the same mistake again and again. The former was a matter of meticulousness, while the latter was a matter of intelligence.
He lifted his head. This Frost Knight King of the Minren had pulled him into the Extreme Plain for something more than just discussing views of scenery. Memories for the undead were fraught with the agony and torment of the soul. Each recollection was a torment for them, lingering in these memories, awaiting liberation. Sibers’s release was anchored to the oath he guarded.
He brought him here surely because of the divine blood from the dark dragon flowing within his body.
That was the legacy of a fool.
The King of the Minren.
“Young boy, let me ask you, are you the one chosen by that guy?” Sibers paused and slowly spoke.
“If by that guy you mean your king, the dark dragon Odin, then I would nod.” Brendel answered.
“Kind of,” Sibers replied slowly. “But do you think that possessing one of the seven seals in your body grants you the qualification to negotiate with me on equal terms?”
Brendel shook his head: “That’s your view. I don’t need any reason to stand on equal ground with anyone; to me, everyone is equal.”
“Interesting,” Sibers pondered and asked quietly: “Then what qualifications do you have to save those people? You are not a savior; some are destined to struggle in fire, yet you changed their fate.”
Brendel was slightly taken aback: “What do you mean?”
“You see, history always presents a striking resemblance.” The Frost Knight King drew a circle in the air with his fingertip: “Empires or kingdoms, from rise to zenith, then to become a wisp of dust. History faithfully follows its rules. You struggle to seize its reins, trying to pull it back on track, unaware that this itself is a deviation from history’s original intent—going against the heavens, the folly of fools—”
“You can see my memories!?” Brendel finally showed a surprised expression. The words Sibers spoke clearly evaluated his actions, and throughout their brief meeting, he hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort. How did this guy know about his past?
The only possibility was mind reading.
But this was both non-existent and a prohibited dark magic in the game.
“No,” Sibers grinned, revealing a silent smile. At that moment, Brendel could finally see the flickering fire of the soul in the other’s eyes: “Just a recollection of legends, a simple trick. You should be happy, for under this law, at least Martha acknowledges you as a hero.”
“That spell…” Brendel suddenly recalled it, and couldn’t help but be dumbfounded: “Isn’t it forbidden to be used on players?”
“Players?”
“Ha…” Brendel suddenly realized he had made a mistake and quickly shook his head: “It’s nothing… Can you see all of my past?” He suddenly grew cautious, for everything about the previous world was undoubtedly his greatest secret. Those things could not be disclosed; once revealed, all that awaited him was a fate of heresy.
Everything in the game was simply too difficult to explain.
“No, just a small part; no one is born a legend. But you are quite special; your life before the age of nineteen is completely a blank, which is rather strange. It seems something blocked the effect of this spell. Was it Martha? You don’t seem like the chosen one.” Sibers muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Brendel sighed in relief: “Alright, but what exactly are you trying to say? Knight Sir, you didn’t bring me here just to ask me these nonsensical questions, did you?”
“Nonsensical? Is that how you see it?” The Frost Knight King glanced at him: “It’s just that these indeed are my questions. Don’t you find your actions rather laughable? Attempting to change the rules of history, who can you save? You are not a saint, young boy; you cannot grant others the fates they desire, nor can you know what they truly want.”
He raised his head: “Let me ask you, how can you be sure that everything you do is right?”
“Perhaps for a time, you can save this kingdom, but eventually, it will still fall into flames. There is no eternity in this world, and perhaps it may even lose the opportunity for self-redemption because of your unauthorized changes. You think you saved everyone, but you have harmed them; inevitably, there will be a time when they blame you.”
“Everything you strive for is ultimately in vain. Do you not think your actions are superficial and laughable?”
The tone of the Frost Knight King grew a bit agitated, leading Brendel to feel as though the other was hinting at something. He frowned slightly, looking at him: “Regarding your question, I have no answer. No one can determine what is right or wrong, but at least my conscience is clear.”
“Clear conscience?”
“How foolish.”
Sibers suddenly drew his sword—he held the blood-red Soulbinder—the eyes of the Frost Knight King suddenly glinted coldly, transforming from a gentle questioner to a butcher with a menacing stance in the next moment. He coldly replied: “Then let me tell you, young boy, I am quite dissatisfied with your answer to this question. Because of your superficial response, I have decided to strike you down here to prevent shaming that noble bloodline. When you die by my sword, I will ask you if you are clear of conscience.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the flash of the sword was upon him.
Brendel hardly had time to react when he saw a streak of red in his vision. At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind:
Damn, is this guy a madman? Why does he start fighting all of a sudden!
……
