Chapter 772: Act 126 – Eternity XXVII
Less than an inch away from the sharp ice spikes, a network composed of silver lines extending from the ice surface suddenly appeared behind Brendel. In the definition of the laws, a wall is a barrier that separates the inner and outer realms, also implying a stop. Brendel heavily landed on the equidistant grid made of those silver lines, and corresponding power was transmitted back from the wall of laws. Taking advantage of this power, he rolled backwards, at least avoiding falling into the frozen earth domain.
At the same time, the silver lines bent downwards, absorbing the tremendous impact force as he landed. Then, a clear and bright voice emerged in the biting cold wind: “In the name of the laws, fortifications, tension, protection, the staff held by Tyra, lightning counterattack—”
A five-foot tall, five-foot wide shield made of a force field emanating brilliant blue light appeared before Brendel, as a bolt of lightning tore through the frost-covered mist with a crackling sound, like a golden long snake, winding its way towards Sibers, who stood at the center of the frozen earth domain. Although this Frost Knight King was unfazed, he casually pulled and shattered the lightning beam. He raised his head, and the frost mist dissipated, revealing the young wizard floating in mid-air—Charles.
Ever since the battle with Ampere Seale, Brendel had been researching methods to combat the extreme domain. Once the Traveler Mage’s card was displayed, it established a connection with the Traveler Mage according to the rules. Once blocked, aside from the daily reset time, there was almost no other way to summon it back. Therefore, the idea of creating Traveler Mage cards was conceived at that time, as a secondary authority separated from Brendel. In the laws, there was no doubt that the Traveler Mage cards were regarded as part of his essence, allowing Brendel to summon any deck from the cards at any time, ignoring distance or domain limitations. Conversely, if Brendel wished, he could even leave the extreme plains at any moment.
However, that was meaningless; he understood that he could only obtain the reward for the mission by defeating Sibers here.
He was very clear about what that might entail.
A hint of surprise indeed appeared in the silver-white eyes of the Frost Knight King. After the mist cleared, what he saw was not the traveler mage card—silver-robed wizard Charles holding a silver staff and draped in patterned white robes, but a man crowned with the title of World Dragon: Darkness from a thousand years before, facing him and turning his back on him, both speaking at the same time:
“Sibers, can you see the tomorrow of this land?”
“Frost Knight King, thank you for your hospitality, but it is now my turn to attack—”
The two voices intertwined and echoed in his ears, and Sibers narrowed his eyes, with teal flames quietly burning in them. Different responses, but the same ability and aura, the same fate and pursuit. He could even tremble in memory of that terrifying power—the scene of the thirteen supreme overseers battling unknown enemies on the ancient battlefield still vivid, as if it were yesterday’s memory. However, the aura of the young man before him was different from anyone he had ever seen, neither the Grand Commander Odin nor the Arbitrator’s Sword Ginting, different from anyone. Could there be other supreme overseers in this world?
But time did not allow him to think—
Brendel charged at him, leveraging the power from the silver equidistant net and lines. At the same time, the summoned Charles floating in the air was chanting a new spell, a resounding draconic language filled with magical words, with pressure that felt like sharp claws piercing the restless space. Sibers took in all this, and after millions of battles, these in his eyes were just insignificant tricks.
He felt as if he could easily dissolve them with a mere lift of his hand, yet he still watched this scene with keen interest, as if appreciating the budding process of something intriguing.
“Perhaps this is that person,” he thought.
In the gaps of electric light, sparks flew, and Brendel’s Earth Sword struck heavily against the sword ridge of the Frost Song Witch Xina. He was taken aback, as he hadn’t even seen when Sibers moved; it was faster than he had imagined. The next moment, five fiery golden-red lines had circled around him, striking towards the back of Sibers like sharp daggers. This was not fire formed by elemental convergence, but pure high-temperature golden lines of the law—
“Heat, high temperature, and motion—” Charles’ voice was still sharp and straight like the edge of a sword.
The golden-red flames hit the Frost Knight King’s back directly. Brendel could even see the explosive flames rising and the scattered sparks, but to his great disappointment, Sibers showed no reaction, the pale damage numbers faintly projected on his retina were a huge zero: unbroken defenses?! How could this guy’s defense suddenly rise so much! Sibers turned his head, the pale phosphorus fire in his eyes almost reflecting the unease in his heart, making Brendel almost choke for a moment.
“Lord, I feel the laws being frozen by him!” Charles urgently reminded via mental communication.
The Frost Knight King has this ability too? A chill ran down Brendel’s spine, and he quickly avoided Sibers’ line of sight. He tried to find an appropriate moment to strike using Queen Wind’s Nine Dao, but at this moment, Sibers appeared to be a battle-hardened swordsman, leisurely waiting for Brendel’s final strike, which made him somewhat discouraged. In fact, at this moment, Brendel had already begun to think about retreating. He had experienced many battles and understood that some had a glimmer of opportunity, while others were utterly hopeless. As a wise player, or rather a swordsman at this moment, one should understand when to withdraw completely.
He decided to make one last desperate attempt. The shielding spell that Charles cast was still on him, and if this strike failed, he would let Himelam (Faith card, Ximirud the Priest card) pull him and Charles out of the extreme plains.
Unexpectedly, at just that moment, Sibers suddenly spoke again, and as a light sound rang out, he used his soul-binding weapon Fingus to block another strike from Brendel. Then, in a heavy and hoarse voice, he asked: “Young man, I am curious about the purpose of your pursuit of power?”
Brendel was slightly taken aback but instinctively thought this was merely a distraction tactic from his opponent. After a brief silence, he chose not to respond.
In the blink of an eye, there were two or three more exchanges of blades—
“You may not understand this. Only when you comprehend what Odin’s legacy entails, can I consider entrusting it to you…”
This time Brendel finally felt moved. He deflected the sword blade thrust by Sibers and quickly asked, “What do you want to say, esteemed Frost Knight King?”
“I mean, the power behind it contains the secret of an iceberg’s tip. You may have been vaguely aware, but only those who truly accept it are perhaps qualified to inherit the ultimate legacy of the Dark Dragon.”
While the two conversed, their hands did not slow down at all; three long swords crossed like lightning. On the surface, Brendel was retreating continuously, unable to suppress his grit his teeth. At least in swordsmanship, he found he could gain no advantage over Sibers. The sword in Sibers’ hand was becoming increasingly proficient, as if the Frost Knight King had merely been toying with him before. Finally, he managed to catch a gap and opened his mouth: “Secret—are you saying the truth behind the Holy War is concealed?”
The fire of the soul in Sibers’ eyes suddenly brightened. He abruptly withdrew his sword, allowing Brendel to catch his breath: “You are smarter than I expected, young man.”
This had nothing to do with cleverness, for Brendel’s understanding of the Holy War was certainly on par with the two present—Sibers and Queen Saint Ausoor. As an observer, he might even see things more clearly; although there were many puzzles in the Holy War, he believed there might not be any profound reason behind them. The Minren’s arrogance and tyranny day by day, their endless exploitation of the People of Silver ultimately ignited the flames of war. The fire of this war swept across the entire continent, ‘the Sages let the people forge ahead in the dark wilderness, while the silver people scattered on the ground’ speaks to this history, but the Budga people and the Fog Spirits ultimately claimed victory, establishing the order post-Sacred War, with the Black Iron humans rising to power.
This was the official narrative, not to be overturned.
As Brendel took advantage of Sibers withdrawing his sword, he propped the Earth Sword against the silver grid, breathing heavily. He raised his head and couldn’t help but ask: “Are you implying that the Four Sages concealed the truth, and that during the Holy War, the Dark Dragon Odin was actually the righteous side?” His tone expressed skepticism, which drew some curiosity from Queen Saint Ausoor, who quietly observed the battle. In her impression, Brendel was different from the other people under the rule of the Flame Temple. When he spoke of her and the others, though tinged with admiration, there was no sense of fear, vastly different from those brainwashed believers. However, at this moment, Brendel’s tone unequivocally leaned towards their side.
Although regarding history, Saint Ausoor believed she could act with a clear conscience, she was nonetheless pleased by Brendel’s current trust.
“No, not entirely. I do not wish to discuss history in terms of success or failure, that is merely a shallow perspective of you mortals. I do not intend to speak carelessly. Young man, I just want to show you something.” Sibers smiled slightly as he answered, his expression clearly indicating that he found it very interesting.
Brendel furrowed his brow.
He had secretly been communicating with the elven senior sister Saint Ausoor, but even her response bore a hint of curiosity: “No, let him continue speaking, Brendel. Perhaps he hasn’t said anything wrong—remember, Sibers is not one of those sycophants around that guy; he is a true warrior!”
Brendel nodded, looking at the Frost Knight King. Once he put away his sword, their battle came to a temporary halt. Although this fight left Brendel quite dissatisfied—this was purely a suppression of strength—he felt that had he maintained his peak strength, he might not have been incapable of challenging this Frost Knight King: “What do you wish to show me?” he asked.
“Only a battlefield.”
Sibers responded faintly, raising his hand as the scenery of the extreme plains dramatically changed once again—
“Our world is in an eternal battle.”
Brendel was pondering the meaning of his words, but the image that appeared in his pupils astonished him—an endless expanse of wilderness, but the plains held more than just the grassy swells rolling like waves in the wind. In the distance, two massive armies were advancing. Even Queen Saint Ausoor let out a soft gasp. Brendel could understand what she was exclaiming about because the army on the horizon was the Minren’s Dark Wing Legion, known for being the right wing of the Dark Dragon, the elite of the Minren.
“Dark Wing Legion, we defeated this army in the Great Marsh at the cost of many lives. Erlandta forever lost an eye in that battle.”
Brendel nodded, even knowing the backstory of what transpired, including Otales’ sacrifice. This battle had been poetically rendered in later years as a magnificent ode, celebrating the sacrifices and contributions of the ancestors.
“So where is this place? Did you have another war with them?”
Saint Ausoor shook her head in confusion.
Clearly, she too found this scene strange.
Brendel focused on the other side of the horizon, curious as to who these proud Minren’s enemies were—the other similarly large army, like a black cloud pressing down on the city.
Meanwhile, Sibers seemed immersed in his own memories, narrating a story: “In this war, I belonged to the seventh brigade of the Earth Legion. I was honored to become a commander under Lord Odin—”
“Earth Legion? Isn’t it the Dark Wing?” Brendel seemed to be hearing this name for the first time, yet felt it was vaguely familiar.
The Frost Knight King glanced at him and replied off-topic: “Unlike what you might imagine, this legion is inherited from an era even older than you can fathom. Even we cannot know the origins of its system. It seems that this legion structure already existed long before the Minren were born. Some say it even dates back to the era of the Divine People, before the destruction of Babel Fortress. But warriors like us, it’s as if we are born into this legion, imprinted in our blood, inheriting this memory from our souls, allowing us to understand our position within this vast hierarchy. Everyone bears this responsibility.”
“Can you imagine—”
Brendel slightly parted his lips, completely unable to grasp what the other was saying.
An innate legion? What situation was this? But suddenly he felt as though he had heard this name in the game before.
“I mentioned earlier that this is an eternal battle, seemingly without a beginning or an end, while the Earth Legion exists eternally, seemingly only to fight against their fated enemies.” The Frost Knight King answered quietly.
“Fated enemies?”
“Brendel…” Queen Ausoor’s voice suddenly came through: “Look over there!”
Brendel rarely heard her speak in such an urgent tone. He furrowed his brows and instinctively turned around, but what he saw was a flash of light on the horizon. It wasn’t the brilliance of magic, but some peculiar refraction. Was it armor reflection? No, it didn’t seem that way. Brendel narrowed his eyes, and at that moment, he finally saw where the refracted light came from.
It was a spectrum of crystals.
Crystal Mass.
No, one should say it was an army of Crystal Mass—
Brendel couldn’t help but instinctively hold his breath. By Martha, he had never seen, nor imagined, so many Crystal Masses, whether here or in the game.
What on earth was that?
……(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
