Chapter 172 Enemies on All Sides
"So what are you going to do now, Legend of the West."
Alatar stood beside the throne and said condescendingly: "Kill me for your 'justice'?"
"If you want to try it, come on over."
"But I want to remind you that even if you defeat me and awaken the King of Khan, it will only make things worse."
"Right now we only have two enemies: Mordor and Easterling. When you finish what you have done, we will have three. No one will be able to escape then."
The king slumped on his throne, showing no reaction to these remarks.
Levi held the sword in his hand, and it was hard to tell what his mood was.
"You guys are really taught by the same teacher."
Of the five wizards who came to Middle-earth, only Alatar and Saruman asked to come, while the other three were either invited or forcibly sent here.
"Do you think you can succeed by doing this?"
"No, I never expected this small ethnic group caught in the middle to achieve anything."
Alatar said expressionlessly: "But Khand also has its uses. It can help us consume the power of our great enemy - together with the Dongyi rebels who have surrendered to them."
"Worthless." Levi shook his head.
"No beliefs, no ideals, no goals, just some people you control and deceive... There is no point in doing this."
"How can you say it's meaningless?"
Alatar said sternly, "You don't know how difficult this land is. The people are ignorant and inflexible. They shout the name of the Demon Eye all day long. It's the same everywhere."
"How many people have torn their families apart just to worship the Demon Eye."
"Don't you see that after I came, the residents here no longer have to endure the oppression of the enemy, nor do they have to transport their wealth and resources to Mordor in batches?"
"The enemy will suck their blood and flesh, but I - I want nothing. Who is more noble and who is despicable, isn't it possible to see it as long as you open your eyes?"
"The Demon Eye's faith is deeply rooted. If the means are not strong enough, how can we fight against him?"
Levi looked deeply at the blue-robed wizard.
"You have been too deeply influenced by that power."
"Drink some milk and wake up."
"I will never touch that thing again in my life."
Alatar refused decisively.
"Then I'll just have to force you to drink."
“You can try.”
The atmosphere in the hall gradually became tense.
Farodan clenched the ancient tomb sword in his hand, took a step forward, but was pushed back by Levi.
"Leave this to me. You go guard the door. If anyone asks, just say there's a party going on inside."
"Holding a party?"
Farodan glanced at Alatar, who had a rather gloomy expression, and then at Levi, who had a calm expression.
"Okay, I'll be security for a while then."
He shrugged and went out.
"Foolish, I thought you would be a sensible person."
Alatar walked slowly down the steps, staff in hand.
“When a person is overconfident, he will think that everyone except himself is stupid.”
Levi answered, drawing his sword.
Boom!
Without any warning, a loud thunderclap came out of nowhere from Alatar's hand, instantly crossing half the hall and landing at Levi's feet, blasting a big hole in the floor.
"I don't wish to be your enemy. This is my final warning."
Alatar stared at Levi.
Levi just stepped over the big pit and said calmly: "Before coming here, I have seen three wizards. They all use some spells, but you are the first one to use spells against me."
"You don't want to know what it tastes like."
"No, actually, I'd like to try it."
As he spoke, Levi took a step forward.
Alatar's expression turned even darker.
"Mortals always try to challenge what they don't understand."
The wizard knocked his staff on the ground, and his sea-blue robe moved without wind. His figure gradually rose taller, as if he had turned into a giant. Levi suddenly came to his senses and realized that it was just an illusion caused by the huge pressure on his soul.
Whether they are wizards or elves, the most essential difference between them and mortals is their souls.
Those with strong souls can use their will to influence the outside world and trigger all kinds of magical powers.
People usually call it magic.
Different from magic disguised as technology, their magic is truly based on the heart, using consciousness to interfere with reality.
For wizards or some powerful elves, magic is just a natural creation that comes at will, and they can achieve any effect they want.
Flames rose from the hall. They gathered around the blue-robed man and surrounded him, turning him into a giant surrounded by flames.
"Are you imitating the Balrog?"
Levi drank a bottle of fireproof potion.
However, the expected flame eruption like that of a fire demon did not come. The next moment, lightning appeared around the huge flame phantom, and the two entangled and surrounded it, and smashed over with a loud bang.
Levi's pupils shrank and he immediately cut out a wooden shield.
Boom! The wooden shield was broken and cooled down. The rune ring, necklace, and belt flashed golden light, blocking the huge impact. The lightning and fire seemed to hit an indestructible shield, and seemed to be cut by a black blade, spreading to both sides behind him.
With one blow, all the hall was filled with flames except for a small area under Levi's feet and behind him.
The rune shield is broken and the emergency shield is activated.
“Unexpected.”
Levi looked up and saw that the figure in blue robe was still thin. The so-called "giant" he saw just now was just an illusion caused by the oppression of the soul.
“It was indeed unexpected.”
The sword slashed at Alatar without mercy.
Ding! A crisp collision sound was heard.
Alataar raised his staff high, and immediately a solid white barrier surrounded his body, blocking his nemesis out.
Levi swung his sword again, and Alatar no longer defended himself. His staff burst out with dazzling light and became as fast as lightning. He swung it and used his staff to collide head-on with Levi's sword. The force was so great that it made people feel as if they were facing a sledgehammer.
If it were an ordinary human or orc, they would probably be knocked away.
However, Levi stood there like a nail, not moving a step. He locked onto the wizard in front of him and slashed at him with sword after sword, each time with greater force and more damage than the previous one.
When the damage is stacked several times——
Boom! Alatar finally realized something was wrong. He pulled out a sword from his waist. Suddenly, a blazing flame wrapped around it, and the sword instantly became scorching hot and red.
With a lightning staff in one hand and a flaming sword in the other, plus the combat skills honed over thousands of years, Levi was actually suppressed by this skill for a moment and could not stop retreating.
Swoosh——
Levi dodged and jumped back, swinging out a white sword energy to force Alataar back.
"If this is all you are capable of, then I'm afraid you will never be able to defeat me."
Alatar took a step forward.
“But there is more.”
Levi took out the Maolong staff, on which the 'Nine Hells' core was installed.
Now both of them hold a staff in one hand and a sword in the other.
As Levi waved the Maolong magic wand in his hand, a group of red bats appeared out of thin air. Hundreds of Nine Hells Flame Bats gathered together and rushed towards Alataar quickly.
“How evil!”
Looking at these hideous little fiery red bats, even Alataar, who had been deeply corrupted, couldn't help but say this.
Bang! A bat was burned by the blazing flames and exploded on the spot, shocking Alathar so much that he took a step back.
However, this is just the beginning.
After scratching the barrier created by Alataar, the Nine Hells Flame Bats revealed their unstable nature and exploded on the spot. For a moment, it was as if they were setting off firecrackers, except that the ropes tied to these firecrackers were all large-sized firecrackers.
When the elements in one staff were cleared, Levi cut out the second staff...
A moment later, hundreds of bats were wreaking havoc in the sky. Alataal had to devote some of his energy to dealing with these abominable little creatures. Gradually, he became more and more annoyed.
Just at this moment, the Western legend who summoned the evil bat came over again and chopped down fiercely with his sword.
Boom! Alatar was knocked back several steps.
What a powerful force! Even stronger than before!
A bottle of level 2 strength potion was taken.
"If this is all you have, then I'm afraid you will never be able to defeat me."
Levi returned the words exactly as they were.
Alataal was sweating profusely as he had to deal with the suicide attacks of hundreds of Nine Hells Flame Bats while also having to deal with Levi's growing power.
Finally, when Levi's combo reached its peak and he was even planning to do a jump slash, Alataar took a deep breath and shouted, "Enough!!!"
boom--
The staff was slammed hard on the ground, and a huge circle of light burst out from it. The huge impact directly cleared all the bats at once. Levi was blown backwards and almost fell out of the door.
"What's going on?"
The two guards outside the door turned around quickly.
"There's a party going on inside."
Farodan stopped the two men.
The guard took up his weapon with a stern look on his face, and Farodan put his hand on his sword.
So a new battle began.
——
A strong white light flashed in the hall, and everything lost its color for a moment.
When the light disappeared, Levi quickly bit into a golden apple to replenish his lost blood.
Looking again, Alatar was gasping for breath, his staff still standing on the ground in front of him, but the flames surrounding the sword had disappeared.
Seeing Levi approaching again and even waving the elven sword in his hand, he hurriedly picked up his cane.
Snap! The moment the sword and the staff touched, the staff broke in the middle and turned into a pile of sawdust.
And the longsword passed over the staff, actually striking its enemy for the first time in the battle.
Wait, this feels...
Levi was slightly confused.
He looked forward and found that the wizard's health bar had not moved at all.
This is not right, I must have hit it just now, right ?
Alatar fell straight to the ground, but his body was not on fire.
At this moment, his eyes suddenly became much clearer, no longer as dark and cold as before.
Something disappeared under that sword.
"You win," he said.
His tone was more relaxed than ever before, as if he had been freed from something.
Levi put away his sword in silence.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but the speed of falling seems unnatural.
This battle was quite dangerous.
Wizards - or Maiar, even if they are trapped in mortal bodies and have their divine powers tightly locked up, their abilities are so powerful.
If it's an unrestricted, all-out battle... I might get killed in the first fight.
"Well…"
The moment the cane completely turned into pieces, the Khan king on the throne groaned.
The paleness on his face gradually faded away, and the king slowly stood up. He opened his eyes with difficulty and looked around at the hall full of flames.
The wizard fell to the ground. A strong-looking warrior in black armor was standing silently in the hall. His own guards were knocked down outside the door. Next to them was a tall stranger.
The king took a deep breath, his body gradually straightened, and his face became rosy.
He said slowly, "My memory is vague, as if I had a very long dream, in which many phantoms walked in front of me..."
"Wise wizard, tell me, what happened?"
Alatar responded: "As you can see, King of the Khan, I am defeated."
"Is that so?"
The king picked up the sword in front of the throne and walked down the steps.
"You are a foreigner and a stranger. You broke into my hall, knocked down my guards, and knocked down the wise wizard who assisted me..."
That seems to be the case.
But the many vague and illusory memories in his mind reminded the king that something seemed to be wrong.
However, no matter what is wrong, there is only one clear thing to do now: kill!
"Alatar, I have something to ask you later."
He passed over the blue robe lying on the ground and pointed his sword at Levi: "But now! I want to let these two foreigners know the price of intruding here!"
Li Wei's eyes were slightly helpless: "I said I'm here to help you regain consciousness, do you believe me?"
"You mentioned sobriety..."
The king stopped moving and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Yes, I am awake. I am more awake than ever before. The dark voice that was hovering in my head has finally disappeared. It was like a poisonous sore attached to my bones, which has always made me live in a daze..."
"And when all this faded away, I finally figured out the answer to that question - I knew what our country was missing!"
"Oh? What is it?" Levi asked with interest.
"That's a true king!"
He shouted: "In the past, the people who sat on the throne were always incompetent and cowardly. The people followed such a cowardly king and believed in a hypocritical so-called 'Dark Lord' and let him drive them. This led to our country becoming weak."
"I have come to understand that only a truly powerful king can lead the people to resist this undignified slavery."
"Now, I will first use you, the outsiders who have entered the hall without permission, to verify my power, and then restore our past glory!"
"Feel honored, you are about to become the first stepping stone on the road to the great Khan's revival!"
Boom! Levi kicked the Khan to the ground and lifted him to the side to lie down.
"You still don't look awake."
"He's been corrupted for too long."
Alatar got up and kindly carried the king back to his throne so that he could at least sleep on his seat.
"Give him some time to calm down. Maybe we can still talk."
"What about you?" Levi asked.
"Not very good, can you give me a glass of milk?"
Gulp. Gulp.
After a moment, Alatar handed the cup back.
"Thank you. At least my mind will be clearer for a short while."
"I still have a lot of milk, would you like a few more cups?"
"I've said it before, it can temporarily dispel the haze in my heart, but it can't solve its root cause."
Alatar shook his head.
"Then keep drinking."
“Ahem…”
Alatar coughed.
"No, no, don't worry, I can hold on."
"I still have to thank you very much. The sword you just struck didn't hit me, but someone else."
"Would you like to talk a little longer?"
A voice floated from outside the door.
Farodan stood at the door, looking at the flames in the hall, and said helplessly: "My suggestion is to put out the fire first, otherwise this hall will burn down in a short time."
Wow——
After several buckets of water were poured in, the flames were completely extinguished.
"Much better."
Finally, Farodan was able to enter.
The three of them gathered in the hall.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Alatar asked Levi: "The armies of Mordor and Dongyi are already on their way. Their pace will not be much slower than ours. It may take a few days."
"And now..."
He looked at the still sleeping Khan.
"We might even lose our only ally."
"It doesn't matter."
Levi comforted him: "You are here."
"Are you going to help Khand fight against that army, a possible future enemy?" Farodan asked.
Even though he had always been detached from this matter, he could still understand the current situation.
The king of Khand had only temporarily escaped from the alternating control of Sauron and Alatar. Although he was awake, it did not mean that he was on their side.
After the departure of the Wizard and Levi, the region may still be under the control of Sauron, marching westwards with the Easterlings or Haradrim.
This is the general trend, and it cannot be changed by one or two people - unless they stay here forever.
"I need to remind you."
Alatar said: "The people here still believe in the enemy, but they believe in him, not being controlled."
"I originally intended to eliminate this blind belief through more violent means, but now it seems that even if I use more violent means, these rumors and beliefs that have lasted for thousands of years cannot be eliminated in a short period of time."
“Don’t assume that everyone here is your friend just because everything went smoothly when we got here.”
"They are just standing by and watching because of the king's order. Once he wakes up and cancels the order, the street vendors and passers-by will immediately take out their daggers and machetes and swing them at us fiercely."
"Especially you, Farodan. You would not want to know what the attitude of the Eastern Men is towards the Dunedain."
"Don't expose yourself, or even the king's orders will not be able to protect you."
"I know." Farodan responded calmly.
The two looked to Levi, seeking final advice.
The survival of a country and the immediate development trend of the entire East may be determined in one or two sentences.
Alatar finally reminded:
"We may face a large number of enemies from all directions. Even the city we are in now is an enemy city."
“There is no way out and no way out.”
He sighed and instinctively wanted to pick up the staff, but when he stretched out his hand, he only picked up a pile of debris.
"oh…"
As a wizard, it is quite unusual to not have a staff in hand.
Never mind, bow and sword are also useful.
"No."
The voice of rejection was heard.
Levi shook his head and said calmly: "There is no real dead end in this world, only people who can't find the way."
"If there is no road, then dig it up."
"If everyone here is an enemy—"
"Then I'll face everyone."
(End of this chapter)
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