Chapter 207 Duel Invitation
Mist swirled, dust billowed wildly, and the dark moonlight shone across the bone-white dunes. The first camp had long been left behind by thousands of meters, and the group continued on an endless march.
After Wen Yao joined, resting in camp became a nonsensical topic. The two centaurs were chattering non-stop, and instead of resting, they might as well hurry up and march. Qingye, also in the female group, naturally joined the conversation, asking curious questions along with Qingxia.
"Where was Miss Wen Yao active before? I heard that the area north of the settlement is completely a battlefield..."
"So it's so dangerous?" Wen Yao was surprised. "Little sister, thank you for reminding me. I've only been here for half a day. I only know that there are foreign auras everywhere, but I don't know what this place is like."
"No wonder Miss Wen Yao is also a newcomer." Qing Ye clapped his hands, "Did she encounter an accident as well?"
"I saw a black 'door' while on a mission..."
Qingye pleaded with her, and Wen Yao's answers were flawless. While combating the Black Moon pollution on Xiaochen Island, she stumbled upon the black door and, upon regaining consciousness, found herself in the Despair Wilderness. The process she described resonated closely with everyone else's own experiences, presumably a similar process shared by all the "newcomers" from the outside world.
I can't find any faults, and I can't find any reason to doubt it. So I have to think of other ways.
Chu Hengkong threw a leaf to Silar on horseback: "Is there any material for making a fire nearby?"
Without waiting for the old man to respond, Qingxia said cheerfully, "Use the flying centipede! Its oil is excellent fuel. If you catch two, you can make a big torch~"
"Don't take any risks!" Silar frowned. "If you light a fire on the battlefield and attract the messenger..."
"We can attack together and take them down," Chu Hengkong said. "Our combat effectiveness is far superior to what it was before. An envoy of Luohun's caliber wouldn't survive a single encounter. If another envoy of Waklo's level comes, we can at least deal with him."
"But if we attract the army led by Ran Jin..." Silar hesitated.
"It's a good opportunity to help Gulibo out, killing two birds with one stone." Chu Hengkong looked at Wen Yao, "Miss Wen Yao, we also have a mission. I'm sorry I don't have much time to explain the situation to you. The journey ahead will be very dangerous. I suggest you rest in the camp."
"You and I are allies, and it's our duty to fight against the outsiders." Wen Yao said without hesitation, "Please leave the vanguard to me. I'd like to take this opportunity to let Sister Qingxia see the orthodox methods of my immortal clan!"
"Is that method really better than what I know?" Qingxia was curious.
"That's hard to say..." Wen Yao looked embarrassed, "I've never seen a Blood Knight as strong as you before..."
Wen Yao, including his horse, stood approximately three meters tall, a considerable leviathan compared to the average human. Yet, next to Qing Xia, who stood four meters one meter tall, he seemed almost petite. The contrast between the two was like that between a pampered pet and a wild beast; the difference in their upbringing could be seen simply by looking at their appearance.
"Yeah, Sister Wen Yao is showing her fear~"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Wen Yao made a move to strike, but Qing Xia dodged it easily by turning her head. They happily ran forward, volunteering to explore the way first.
Something is wrong, Chu Hengkong thought.
Qingxia occasionally showed a childish side, but she was always clear-headed. Back in Jinye City, she was able to endure deep hatred and make the right decisions, always leading others by the nose. Why did Qingxia become a follower of Wen Yaofang when he showed up?
How could a "fellow tribe member" who had only appeared for less than half a day become a real sister so naturally...
At this moment, he saw Qingye sneeze. "The dust is too heavy..." Qingye wiped his nose and lowered his head in embarrassment.
Chu Hengkong realized something and concentrated on distinguishing the smell. Amidst the ubiquitous dust, there was a faint scent of flowers.
Chu Hengkong took note of it and said no more. Not long after, they caught two centipedes. Deep yellow flames ignited, and smoke rose straight into the sky.
·
On the other side of the ancient battlefield, there is a burning fortress.
Burning Ember lowered the gate, blocking the attacking beasts back into the city. The Greedy Demon's lieutenant, who was about to beat the drum to call out the troops, was startled and quickly lowered his frozen drumstick.
"Please give me your instructions." The greedy demon stared at the burning tip of the messenger's beard and spoke tremblingly.
It couldn't help but be afraid. Burning Ember was once the formidable Rainbow Evil Master, and it was merely one of the assistants employed by Burning Ember's apprentices. If the apprentices hadn't all died and the other assistants hadn't been executed, how could this little greedy demon have been promoted to adjutant?
“No battle today,” said Burning Ember. “Bring me my bow.”
"Sir, I, I can't get it..." Greedy Demon's deputy clenched his icy hands and burst into tears on the spot, "I will melt..."
Burning Embers looked at the useless ice lump and wanted to burn it to ashes with a fireball. But if the assistant died, there would be no one to use him. So he only burned half of the other's body, shouldered the burning longbow, and stepped out of the fortress.
The border, hastily erected on the first day of the battle, effectively destroyed material bullets. By then, Burning Embers had finally forced the new recruit out of hiding, intending to have his men teach the coward a lesson. However, the lone remaining apprentice perished in the blink of an eye, and the remaining assistants fell from the walls one by one, like chickens being lined up for execution. It realized its carelessness, and when the cabbage appeared, it was too late to say anything.
These executed warriors could show their prowess in the next great battle with the rebels. They could destroy the soldiers in the settlement, delay the newcomers, and create opportunities for it to shoot...
"Fuck it!" Burning Embers cursed inwardly. "This is meaningless. These armies, these people, this battlefield—their meaning burned out long ago. The Demon King's army is long dead. Only souls forcibly resurrected by higher powers linger here, languishing in this ridiculous prison. He understood Lord Vansalar, he even understood the funeral procession. When life has fallen to this point, the only hope is death. A death imbued with meaning."
Who could have imagined that a peaceful war would turn out like that? Before their deaths, everything was simple, everyone fighting to the death for their own pursuits and meaning. Perhaps it should be thankful that it died early enough, not having time to get involved in the terrible mess that followed...
The sound of gunfire interrupted Ran Jin's thoughts as the bullet reached him. The gray, deadly bullet, the sniper's signature power, practically the nemesis of the Scourge. Ran Jin walked toward the bullet, his head transforming into an elemental form, dodging the fatal blow.
Enveloping himself in a shield of solid material might seem like a safer solution, but such a tactic would be too shameless and would provide the enemy with more vulnerabilities. Burning Ember could easily imagine a scene where specially crafted bullets would transform the shield into a cage or barrier, followed by a fatal bullet that would kill him. Such a death would be rather ridiculous, and Lord Vansalar would probably laugh out loud.
The ember flew to the center of the battlefield, unhooking its longbow before the second bullet arrived and throwing its weapon far away. It used magic to vibrate the air, creating amplified sound.
"My weapon is a level five relic. In its current state, it's equivalent to half my strength," Burning Embers shouted. "I threw it away to talk to you, Unknown Sniper!"
Two seconds later, a bullet landed at Ranjin's feet, and a hoarse sound was heard from it.
"explain."
"You are fighting an unwinnable war of attrition," said Ember. "Your resources will eventually run out, while my forces are limitless."
The voice cut off. The sniper ignored him. Burning Embers realized his words sounded like a threat and quickly added, "But I don't want to fight a war like this! You're a man of integrity. Even if I just outnumber you, it's meaningless!"
"So?" the sniper laughed.
"A one-on-one duel," Burning Embers said. "We'll meet where the fire is burning. Leave immediately after meeting. The duel will begin in ten minutes. There will be no fortress and no soldiers, just you and me. Life and death are determined by fate."
"Interesting," the man said. "Shax ibn Ould, a mercenary."
"Ember, bringer of fear."
Shax threw away the sound transmission bullet and drank what he couldn't tell was either air or coffee. He couldn't hold on any longer and slept lightly in the first half of the night. He felt worse now than before going to bed.
Gulibo had two big dark circles under his eyes and said in a weak voice, "Don't be impulsive! You'll die if you go there!"
"We'll die if we keep wasting time," Shax judged. "We're running low on materials, and the seeds in the fortress are all gone. The enemy has basically figured out our tactics. If Burning Embers leads a charge, your fortress will fall."
"But, but if that messenger sets a trap..."
"We'll have to adapt to the situation." Shaxx shouldered the Holy Lance. "You'll have to take a risk this time too."
Gulibo stood up nervously: "We besiege it, Bo?"
"I don't think a piece of barbecue will be effective in combat." Shax threw a special bullet to it. "This is a flare. Pick a few seeds, and after I leave..."
After Shax finished his detailed instructions, Gulbo nodded repeatedly. Holding the bullet in his hand, he said pitifully, "Please stay alive, Bo!"
"Same here."
Shakes slid down the fortress, dragging Tengsu down with him. On the way, he saw the old priest's phantom again. On his way out, he wanted to smoke a cigarette to refresh himself, but it was already gone, leaving only the half-smoked cigarette butt that he remembered.
He searched his pockets but couldn't find a cigarette butt, so he gave up the idea. There was a red pillar of fire on the west side of the fortress, which was the battlefield he was about to rush to.
·
Deep in the mountains, the Limb Spider put away the Farsight Crystal. Burning Embers' amplification magic allowed its voice to travel far, and with the help of the relic, it could even pick up information from within the mountains.
"Do you understand, Curse Thunder?" It rubbed its palms nervously. "They will meet where the flames are burning. If you sense the source of fire and life, take me there."
"Is he a brave man? Is he a warrior?" The thunder formed vague sentences. "Is he a man of integrity who can fight?"
"Yes, of course, yes," Limb Spider lied without a care in the world. After all, Curse Thunder wasn't an old acquaintance, or even a living being. "This time, the heroes are too strong. You, me, and Burning Embers, the three of us together can fight. So we have to sneak attack... You understand, right? It's a sneak attack. Only the heroes can handle underhanded tactics."
"Indeed. Indeed. You and I are the messengers of fear, so we should test the brave!" Zhu Lei became excited after hearing this, "Then I will take the lead—"
"No. No. My plan is for me to lead the way." Limb Spider had already made plans. "Since we're going to take on this trial, we must give it our all. Wait for me to activate my magic, and then you can attack. Let's set off now, to where there are heroes and flames."
Curse Thunder approved. A moment later, a flash of purple lightning struck, engulfing the limbed spider's misshapen form. Like lightning, it rushed towards the battlefield. Using its multiple hands, the limbed spider wove its signature Dark Moon magic. Vansalar would be displeased by this; it disliked the Cradle's methods, but since it would be punished anyway, it might as well proceed with caution.
The spider knew what was happening. Even if it was punished by the Nightmare King, it had to put an end to this dire situation. No one wanted to see the Nightmare King in joy. That was the realm of Hell, the bottom of nirvana, a hell where all beings screamed in agony. The situation was different from the last counterattack. This time, even Waklo was dead. The Nightmare King would be serious... really serious!
It shuddered, its fear transforming into strength as it continued to infuse the spell. In an instant, the cursed thunder brought it to its destination. A fierce fire blazed through the mist, and the faint presence of life was palpable. The spider grew excited; its gamble had paid off; the Burning Embers hadn't yet reached this point.
It broke free from the lightning and rushed into the mist. There were still 2,000 meters to go, and no sign of Burning Embers' magical reaction. At 1,000 meters, there were no traps around. At 500 meters, the man's back could be seen, walking towards the flames...
It's going perfectly. It's happening on time! It's happening now!
The limb spider opened its mouth like a giant snake hunting, and its many limbs turned into sharp needles, and the dark moon magic gathered at the tips of the needles formed a terrifying shape!
It landed behind the man with a crashing sound, screaming, "Terror is coming!"
Then, the spider saw the green hem and the silver arms.
It saw the expressionless killer, the brokenhearted, the forest people, and a familiar centaur holding a torch. They all stared at it with rather strange eyes.
The spider tried its best to put on a kind smile. It slowly backed away with a smile that was uglier than crying.
"Fear retreat!"
(On New Year's Eve, I wish you all a happy new year!)
(End of this chapter)
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