volume 3 - Chapter 195 (1/2)
Chapter 195 – The final moment (13)
Brendel turned his head back in alert at Scarlett’s warning, and he immediately saw a beam of Dark Energy shooting at his face. The youth did not have the time to think, but his experienced mind reacted subconsciously and his body lurched forward towards the ground. However, the beam streaked across his back and dealt a glancing blow.
“f.u.c.k!” A blast of pain spread across his body and he cursed loudly.
[That direction could only mean that it’s Amman. I slashed him hard enough to reach his bones. He got impaled by Veronica next, and I even struck him with the Arrow of Stone, and he still lives?]
“d.a.m.n it, is that b.a.s.t.a.r.d an undying c.o.c.kroach?” The youth muttered as he scrambled to get up. A bishop was a light-armored profession. Getting struck by three fatal attacks should have killed him, even if he was an undead.
He looked back again.
Amman was getting up as well, with dust and rubble from the Andesha’s battle with the others falling off his body. The bishop’s face had a surprised look as well. He probably did not expect Brendel to avoid his attack.
“How?” He mumbled to himself before he spoke aloud: “Even the knights in the Holy Cathedral are not capable of matching your reactions. It seems like you’re not just a simple n.o.ble from Aouine.”
Amman even projected his voice over to Brendel by magic, afraid that the latter could not hear him because of the considerable distance.
Brendel rolled his eyes. If he were really a simple n.o.ble, would he appear in this place? He quickly brought up the Stats Window and looked at the Life Bar. It did not reach ten percent of his HP bar.
[Hmm. But the Vitality stats is an unhealthy yellow from feeding too much blood to the plants. My limbs feel weak and the fatigue is slowing setting in my body. I really feel like dropping onto the ground to sleep. I need to end this quickly.]
He shook his head vigorously, trying to keep himself awake.
Mephisto was fighting with Andesha in mid-air. The latter wanted to flee the area urgently, while the former was waiting patiently to find a weak spot, making the battle at an impa.s.se.
Veronica had heard Scarlett’s cry and was rus.h.i.+ng over to the youth.
[The disruption towards the Mana from the surroundings will increase as the corrupted plants continue to grow. Andesha knows that she’s at a disadvantage as time pa.s.ses by and will definitely seek an opportunity to break this stalemate. The Tree Shepherds are a bunch of fanatics who will do desperate things if push comes to shove, so the conclusion of Mephisto versus Andesha will be here soon enough. As for Amman…..]
Brendel’s mind was working quickly. The bishop had most like predicted that he could not get away despite using a teleportation spell and therefore feigned death. The youth believed that even Andesha fell for Amman’s trick.
[Still, he chose to ‘revive’ himself at this moment. Did he do so because he saw that Andesha was in trouble, or is it due to another reason? If it’s the latter, that would mean that he has the confidence to take on all of us. At least…… It would be something that I would do. But if it’s this reason, just what exactly is giving him the confidence to do so?]
Brendel’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Veronica’s boots stepping on the rubble. She was frowning as well, most likely having the same thoughts as Brendel. She disliked Amman even before he was an Undead as she felt that he was always scheming something.
There was the scent of a trap.
Amman was smiling as though he had seen through what the two people in front of him were pondering over.
“You must be wondering why I’m choosing to reveal the fact that I still live.” Amman took out a book that was smoking at its edges. One glance at it and anyone could tell that it was some kind of evil object. “What an incredible surprise. Valhalla truly exists! Regardless of your transgressions against me, I must thank you.”
“Amman, what are you talking about?” Veronica asked with a frown.
“You don’t understand my goals? Valhalla has stabilized the Loop of Trade Winds for thousands of years. If I destroy the Fire Seed in this place completely, not only Aouine will be affected, but even Kirrlutz too! It is my pleasure to destroy the Empire with my own hands. Ah, but there is another myth about Valhalla. A secret about the ancient past; perhaps I will even let you see it before I kill you.”
“You are truly insane!” Even though Veronica thought he was spewing nonsense, hearing that he wanted to destroy a Fire Seed left her stunned with shock.
“Indeed, you keep calling us crazed fools,” Amman shook his head with a sanctimonious expression: “and yet we’re not that different. The Kirrlutz Empire had ma.s.sacred people in order to conquer them. If we are to compare each other’s deeds, are we not more refined in comparison to your hypocrisy?”
“You’re just resorting to sophistry!” Veronica’s eyebrows were knitted together so much that they pointed upwards, and her last word was dragged in tone as she dashed towards Amman. Her sword seemed like an extension of herself, clad in blurry green light.