Chapter 598 - Only One will Walk Out of Here Alive (1/2)

Chapter 598: Only One will Walk Out of Here Alive

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There was a slight breeze blowing through the path between the ice walls. The breeze dispersed the white mist floating across the path as it blew towards Link.

A lone figure appeared from the mist. The man was wearing a flowing grey-white robe. His hair and beard were also a pristine white. It was Halino. He was holding a crystal magic wand in his right hand and a stone tablet which shone with an erratic light in his left hand. It was the fragment of the Book of Creation which had appeared on the platform at the ice cap of the mountain back then.

He had managed to retrieve it before anyone else.

“I didn’t think you would be able to make quick work of Eugene,” said Halino in a low voice.

“So you two formed an alliance?” Link lightly placed a hand on the handle of the Ode of the Full Moon sword, ready to strike out at the first opportunity.

Halino had the same idea as well. His power pulsated at the crystal tip of his magic wand, ready to conjure magical constructs around him at the first sign of trouble.

At that moment, both Halino and Link remained wary of each other. Neither one of them dared make the first move while the opportunity had yet to present itself to them.

“It wasn’t an alliance exactly, just an agreement that had benefited both sides under the current circumstances. I handle Gretel, Eugene handles you. Once I have the fragment, I’ll fight it out with him. I’ve figured out what the Guardian has in mind for all of us. Only one of us will walk out of this valley alive. There’s no point in reaching the fragment first while someone else is still alive.”

Saying this, Halino threw the glowing fragment to the ground. “I’ll just put this here. Now let us battle. Whoever wins will have it.”

Link chuckled coldly. “That sounds nice and all, but why would you pick this place as our battleground? Why didn’t you just kill Gretel immediately? Is leaving her barely alive your way of trying to distract me?”

Halino smiled faintly. “Eugene was clearly outmatched by you. There’s little to no difference in power level between me and him. Our methods are also the same. Our duels have always ended in a stalemate for years, so there’s no way to tell who’s stronger. I knew I needed to resort to less conventional means to defeat you. For the sake of all of Firuman, I will not let the High Elves destroy this world. I need the tablet, and this is the only way to make sure that I have it in the end.”

His words sounded righteous and filled with a sense of justice. Link could not find the words to rebuke him. He would have done the same thing if he was in Halino’s shoes.

To a true Magician, the ends always justified the means. For example, in order to further his own nefarious goals, a notorious Dark Magician like Eugene did not shy away from staining his hands with the blood of hundreds of thousands of lives. Link too had the blood of thousands on his hands. In order to aid Orida Fortress’ resistance against the Dark Army, he had conceived the Sunlight Seed through experiments using live subjects. Ordinary Magicians might not be able to stomach his actions, but Legendary Magicians like Halino would have understood why he had to do the things he did.

Link took a long breath. “Well, it worked. I was indeed worried about Gretel’s well-being. You were able to throw me off balance by torturing her.”

Link’s feelings for Gretel were complicated. They used to be close friends with something of a history behind them. Though their paths had split, Link’s heart was still haunted by Gretel’s shadow. He would never want her to die, not in front of him anyway.

More importantly, as the queen of the dragon race, she was more useful to Link and Ferde alive.

The Red Dragon Queen might have been stubborn and old-fashioned, but she was also a reliable person. Her personality was a constant. You never needed to guess when she would turn on you. Having her by your side was a boon in itself.

The dragon race was also incredibly powerful. Whenever something or someone threatened to throw the world out of balance, the dragon race would rise up as self-proclaimed peacekeepers to tip the world back into balance.

Right now, the High Elves planned on merging the two realms. This would have far-reaching effects on the world. Though Halino and the others had been working desperately to stop the High Elves, things might not work in their favor.

As a lord, Link needed to devise a series of countermeasures for all possible contingencies. If they were unable to stop the realm reunification, the world would descend into chaos. The High Elves would be a common enemy shared by all other races in Firuman, and the dragons would naturally become allies of Ferde as a result.

Evidently, a dragon race with the stabilizing presence of the dragon queen was a hundred times better than one without her.

Whatever the case might be, Link needed Gretel alive.

Halino was surprised to hear Link’s words. “You actually told me what your weakness is. You should know that I could send my Spear of Light flying through Gretel with a mere thought!”

“So it would seem,” said Link, nodding in acknowledgment. He then continued, “However, this will leave you completely unguarded. You’ll be risking your own life just to end hers.”

If Halino were to be distracted for even a hundredth of a second, Link would not hesitate to kill him as he had killed Eugene.

Halino glared at Link.

This human stood quietly before him, his black battle robe billowing around him. He looked more like a hardened Warrior than a Magician with that magic sword he was holding in his hand. The human before Halino gave him the impression of a volcano that was about to erupt at any moment.