Inside the palace, deafening collisions echoed incessantly, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air. Saen and Nightblade's figures flashed like lightning, each collision unleashing powerful energy fluctuations that exerted immense pressure on the onlookers. Morning Song's squad remained on high alert, ready to respond to any sudden counterattack from Nightblade or any unexpected developments.
Mela subtly adjusted her position on the bowstring, ensuring she could deliver a fatal blow should the opportunity arise. "Get ready, everyone," she whispered to her companions, "this may be our only chance."
Visker gripped the dagger tightly, his eyes fixed intently on Nightblade's figure. "This guy is definitely not simple," he muttered to himself, but outwardly remained calm, waiting for his opportunity, his body poised for action.
At this moment, a timid passerby exclaimed in a trembling voice, "My God, this scene is a hundred times more thrilling than anything in an adventure storybook!" A young woman next to him bit her lip, her eyes filled with admiration. "I can't believe we're experiencing something like this; these people are incredible!"
As the battle continued, the light emanating from Wright grew ever brighter. "Keep going! Just a little longer, you'll win!" a little boy shouted from behind the crowd, clearly filled with admiration and longing for these brave warriors.
Just as the situation seemed to be easing slightly, a clear and decisive voice suddenly came from the direction of the palace gate. "You so-called righteous people are nothing but a rabble." The speaker was a new face—a young man dressed in magnificent armor and holding a longsword that gleamed with a cold light.
Chen Ge frowned; clearly, this stranger was not friendly. "Friend? Or enemy?" he asked directly, making no attempt to hide his wariness.
The young knight sneered and replied, "Never mind who I am, just know that I don't want to see evil forces like Nightblade easily wiped out." With that, he swiftly swung his sword, heading straight for Mela. This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard, especially those who had been focused on monitoring Nightblade's movements, who were now scattered to deal with this unexpected and powerful enemy.
Meanwhile, Saen continued his relentless pursuit of the fleeing Nightblade. Their duel had reached its climax, both desperately unleashing the full power accumulated within them to defeat their opponent. "You can't escape," Saen said in a cold yet resolute voice, increasing his speed once more to close the gap. But even so, the distance between them didn't narrow significantly; instead, the various obstacles they encountered along the way made the journey even more treacherous and complex.
Just as Chen Ge and his group were in trouble, they suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath their feet. "Could it be... another ambush?" His heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "Everyone on alert! Who knows what unknown factors might join the fray!" Before he finished speaking, a pillar not far away began to slowly rotate, eventually revealing a hidden crack in a door. A middle-aged man with a fluttering cloak and a cold, stern face emerged from the crack. "It seems today is destined to be anything but uneventful," he said, his tone calm yet sending a chill down everyone's spine.
"Are you all here to cause trouble?" Hag roared defiantly, raising his axe in a fighting stance. "Whoever you are, if you want to hurt our friends, you'll have to ask me first!"
The newly appeared middle-aged man did not respond immediately, but quietly observed the situation for a while before slowly speaking: "It's not that I want to create more conflict, I just happened to be passing by... oh no, I should say I tracked some strange auras and came here. As for my identity... perhaps you can call me a guardian."
Upon hearing this, gasps of surprise rippled through the surrounding crowd:
"Wow! Another expert has appeared!"
"This is so exciting! What kind of world is this?!"
"That man called 'Guardian' seems pretty powerful."
Just as everyone was captivated by this sudden turn of events, Saen finally managed to corner Nightblade, who was pushing himself to the limit and attempting to escape. "It's over," Saen said in a low, powerful voice, before transforming into a blur and charging towards his target…
"Boom—!" With a loud bang and a shockwave of energy spreading outwards, everything seemed to come to an abrupt end... But as the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, there was no victorious smile on anyone's face as expected—because what appeared in front of them were two motionless human silhouettes lying on the ground: one of them was none other than Nightblade, who had been so aggressive just moments before; and on the other side was... the equally fallen Saen!
"What... what exactly happened?" Chen Ge murmured to himself in shock.
Before everyone could recover from their shock, the mysterious figure who had just introduced himself as the "Guardian" slowly walked over and looked at the two unconscious people. "Perhaps now is not the time to discuss this issue, but I believe the answer is nearby. We just need to wait and see."
At this moment, the old man, who had been silent all along, suddenly broke the brief silence, "Then, where will it appear? And why do I feel an even more dangerous feeling creeping closer..."
Faced with the old man's question, even the man who had previously claimed to be the "guardian" fell into thought. Meanwhile, outside the palace, a blood-red crescent moon had quietly risen on the edge of the sky…
Under the cover of night, the palace was utterly silent. Only the soft sound of breathing broke the deathly stillness, and everyone awaited what was to come.
The Guardian crouched down gently, checking on Saen and Nightblade's condition. He closed his eyes, seemingly using some kind of secret technique to sense their state. "Their vital signs are weak but stable." After a moment, the Guardian opened his eyes. "However, they need treatment as soon as possible, otherwise I'm afraid..."
"How is this possible?" Vesker couldn't help but exclaim, his voice filled with disbelief. "How could Lord Sarn possibly... What do we do? Who will lead us?"
The little girl beside her clenched her fists and looked at the two people lying on the ground. "You are all bad guys! Give me back my brother!" Tears were already welling up in her eyes.
Mela patted the little girl's shoulder to try and calm her down, while also turning to the old man and asking, "You said there's an even stronger threat coming soon, what exactly are you referring to?"
Before the old man could answer, Chen Ge suddenly noticed something amiss: "Everyone be careful... there should have been more than one exit through that crack in the door." He quickly scanned the surroundings, as if searching for any potential new enemies. "And it shouldn't be this quiet—where have all those lurking underlings gone? Could it really be something far more terrifying than all of us combined, as you say?"
Upon hearing this, everyone tensed up, especially the onlookers who were so frightened they took several steps back: "My God! What kind of magical continent is this?!"
Just then, the ground trembled again. The Guardian immediately went on high alert. "They're here! Everyone, prepare for defense immediately!"
"Is it a dragon or a giant? Or some other more incredible being?" A series of voices filled with speculation and fear rose from the crowd.
Immediately afterwards, a deep, powerful, and unmistakably intimidating voice came from the newly opened hidden entrance, and with the approaching footsteps, everyone's attention was once again drawn to it.
A colossal figure clad in strange armor slowly came into view, holding a long staff that emitted an eerie light; clearly, he was no ordinary being.
"Gentlemen, please hear me out," the man said, stopping in his tracks. His tone was gentle yet carried an imposing aura. "My name is Tyran, and I am the true guardian of this place. I am deeply saddened by what just happened, but I can assure you that no evil force can act with impunity in this territory."
"Lord Tylan? Are you serious? What exactly do these unknown forces want to do?" someone asked impatiently, voicing their doubts.
The man who called himself Tyran revealed a complex and meaningful expression. "This is not as simple as it seems on the surface. In fact, a far greater conspiracy lies behind it than we can imagine." His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on the two men lying on the ground. "And now, the most important thing is to bring these two heroes back safely for treatment and to uncover the truth behind it all—I believe that only by solving all the mysteries can true peace truly come to this land."
Just as everyone was lost in thought, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly rang out in the distance...
Tyran frowned. "It seems our guests have arrived. Everyone, let's face the new challenge together!"
As the sound of horses' hooves grew closer, the atmosphere became increasingly tense. No one knew what would happen next; the only certainty was that this battle was far from over…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com