The man in black who suddenly appeared near Nicholas moved with lightning speed, like a ghost.
Under the insight of his spiritual power, Yun Wei clearly saw the four sword intents that seemed to appear like fleeting shadows.
Unlike the heavy greatsword, the sword in the hands of the Azure Beauty was much more agile.
Yet one sees a sword that is upright and honest, straightforward and benevolent; a sword that is free and ethereal, unreal and illusory; a sword that is majestic and authoritative, conquering the world; a sword that is skillful yet unpretentious, following the proper steps.
The four swords moved in perfect harmony, all striking out swiftly within a short distance, catching the cardinal off guard.
The glowing eggshell that surrounded Nicholas resembled a paper lantern, and with a "hiss," it dimmed and shattered.
The sacred scriptures, suspended in mid-air, were torn to pieces by the splashing sword winds, turning into countless fragments that scattered in all directions, like butterflies fluttering in a storm.
But the man in black did not lose momentum. He kicked in mid-air to gain momentum, stood upside down, and then swung his sword again, slicing off the tall horse's head.
The heavy horse head rolled to the ground, leaving a huge hole from which blood gushed. Nicholas, who was sitting upright on the horse, was thrown to the ground by the beast with its front hooves on their knees, landing on his back.
Nicholas is over ninety years old, and this fall was no joke.
While he was still seeing stars and feeling completely disoriented, he was horrified to see the black-clad man's sword again at his throat. The cardinal was so frightened that he fell backward and hastily cast a "Divine Protection" spell to parry.
Fortunately, the man in black did not seem to be in a hurry to take his life, but interrupted him with a very dangerous sword move every time he was about to unleash a divine spell.
Although the bishop was out of danger and rolled around on the ground in a sorry state, he no longer had the energy to care about anything else.
And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Yun Wei had long known that Xie Mulang was quite capable, but he never expected that the other party would be so exceptionally talented in swordsmanship.
But this was not the time to be stunned. Taking advantage of the moment when Xie Mulang suppressed Nicholas, Yun Wei spread his sleeves and used up all the magic power in his body to condense a level four necromancy spell called "Intimidation".
As the gray light intensified, a huge skull-shaped phantom formed in mid-air and pressed down on the still-dazed Knights of Light.
The Dead Man's Tale describes this spell as follows:
"The necromancer reveals his true form, using his mental power to intimidate creatures within a designated area. Creatures that fail to resist this mental attack will remain in a state of intimidation, lose their will to fight, and suffer more severe damage when attacked by any necromancy spells."
Indeed. After being hit by the spell, all the Knights of Light seemed to fall into a state of chaos. They had been in low spirits for the past two months, with countless comrades who had fought side by side dying inexplicably outside Moonflower City or in Red Moon City.
At that moment, as the pale phantom swallowed them up, they seemed to see the gates of purgatory open beneath their feet. Their dead comrades, already rotting, their flesh peeling off like mud, were beckoning them to descend.
The other party was enthusiastic and aggressive.
Knowing that he would never return, I bowed and mourned.
In this situation, even they themselves began to doubt whether they were still alive...
But this is completely contrary to their long-held beliefs! They were clearly knights of light who defended the Lord of Light, and after death they should have gone to the world of light, so how could they have fallen into the boundless hellfire?
Once a firm belief wavers, the weapon in one's hand suddenly feels heavier than ten thousand pounds. In an instant, the clatter of the silver sword hitting the ground resounded, becoming the most beautiful symphony of the night.
Yun Wei coldly raised his eyes, only one red-haired knight remaining between him and the two kneeling figures. He ignored Al, but struggled to support his nearly exhausted body, walking step by step toward Isaac.
It was really dark in front of me, like a slideshow with dropped frames.
This made him walk with trepidation every step of the way.
Yun Wei was afraid that he would suddenly lose consciousness. He breathed heavily, his breath rising and falling like a broken bagpipe.
Exhausted physical strength, depleted magical power, and mental strength suffering from the backlash of the inscription all began to wreak havoc. He was like a tattered rag doll torn to pieces, barely holding on with the last bit of warmth in his chest.
Step by step, he finally arrived before the knight whose chest was engraved with the Holy Cross.
He looked up expressionlessly, meeting the gaze of his former follower in the thick darkness of the night.
The other person's intense eyes seemed to flicker with light and shadow, cold yet fiery.
And so it was with him.
Nicholas's hysterical shouts came from the side: "Al! What are you standing there for? Useless idiot! Kill him on the spot! Kill him—ouch!"
The aged voice abruptly stopped, only to be replaced by a series of "ouch" sounds, indicating that Xie Mulang had intensified his offensive.
Neither of them wavered during the standoff. In the end, Yun Wei gave Al a deep look.
He hadn't looked at his former followers so intently in a long time.
Or rather, this was the first time he had ever looked so closely at the deceased who had been completely resurrected from the brink of death.
Under the silent gaze, the righteous knight finally knelt down slowly. He knelt on one knee, offering the stone key to unlock the divine chains with both hands.
"Feel sorry."
In the deep darkness, the red-haired knight spoke in a deep voice, it was unclear whether he was addressing Yun Wei or Bishop Nicholas.
"Thank you..."
Yun Wei gently took the warm stone key. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, and even he himself could hardly recognize it.
As the mechanism on the stone key was activated, the divine chains binding Richard and his companion receded like snakes, gradually fading and dimming.
The silver-haired youth, unusually silent, was the first to stand up. He then ripped the runic cross from the collarbone of his dying companion. Amidst the splattering of blood, his ten fingers flew, intertwining like lotus blossoms, and he directly cast a high-level light-based healing spell.
This is a level 5 light magic spell, "Healing Rain".
A massive magical rune appeared in mid-air, like a low-lying dome. Brilliant light dispelled the boundless darkness, and soft, warm light elements were released as the magic circle slowly rotated.
In an instant, the light fell like rain.
Whether it was the wound on Isaac's right arm or collarbone, or the bloody scar on Yun Wei's palm, they all gradually healed under this loving light.
But before the spell ended, Richard supported Isaac, who was having difficulty even standing, and in a few steps walked to Yun Wei's side, handing him over.
Richard called out anxiously, "Little one, get on my back! Let's hurry, lest something unexpected happens!"
He heard increasingly close footsteps coming from the inside of the city gate behind him, their movements orderly and disciplined.
It seems the royal palace has finally noticed the unusual situation outside the city and dispatched the king's royal guards, intending to reap the benefits.
Before Yun Wei could reply, Richard ran towards the open field, but suddenly accelerated, leaped up, and soared into the air.
A dazzling silver light flashed, and a silver dragon more than ten meters long suddenly appeared in front of everyone, even the villagers who had been silent for a long time exclaimed in amazement.
This is a remarkably beautiful creature, possessing both the power of a Western dragon and the elegance of an Eastern dragon.
Its long neck and graceful shape were perfectly proportioned, and each silver scale emitted a faint halo, which was not just a monotonous silver light, but more like silver lacquer mother-of-pearl inlay, which was still dazzling and gorgeous even in the darkest night.
"Hurry up, little guy!" the silver dragon urged softly, and a voice appeared in Yun Wei's mind.
The silver dragon summoned a wisp of nimble breeze, like a large blue hand.
With Richard's help, Yun Wei laboriously pushed the semi-conscious Isaac onto his back. Then he climbed up the silver dragon's broad, flat back, following the way Isaac lay prostrate on the ground.
He staggered and lunged to Isaac's side, kneeling down and embracing the icy-cold servant.
A loud dragon roar rang out, and the folded dragon wings spread out like the canopy of a tree. With just a few flaps, they rose up and soared into the air, dozens of meters high.
The treasures atop St. Lucy's Church seemed to be right beside them, within easy reach.
Yun Wei looked down at the ground, where Xie Mulang was watching them. As they flew higher and higher, Xie Mulang nodded to him, then casually twirled his sword, bypassing the dense chains of divine magic, and vanished from the spot.
A barrage of magical orbs rained down from below, seemingly from the royal court's mage corps. But these orbs, laboriously launched high into the sky, were all mercilessly deflected by the elemental shield summoned by the silver dragon.
Clusters of magic orbs exploded around them, the colorful elemental orbs illuminating the sky of Moonflower City like a farewell fireworks display.
In the intermittent light, Yun Wei trembled as he touched Isaac's cheek, which was also icy cold, unlike the previous coldness. This chill was mercilessly devouring all warmth.
A chill ran from his palm to his heart. Yun Wei's lips trembled, and he hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter, "Isaac?"
But the other party did not react at all.
The other person lay limply in his arms, head drooping and resting on his arm, their resolute face now relaxed, as if they were sleeping peacefully.
"Isaac..." Yun Wei blinked his dry eyes, then called out again, unwillingly, "Isaac!"
This cry, however, was different from the previous two; it became even more mournful, carrying a dry, tearful tone, yet it sounded like a wild crane crying out in despair on a mountaintop.
But the tall knight still did not respond.
Yun Wei closed his eyes in pain.
Stay calm. He told himself that he must remain calm at this moment.
Ignoring the mess in his mental sea, he hurriedly kneaded and softened his chaotic mental energy, finally drawing out a thread as thin as a cow's hair, and carefully inserted it into Isaac's body along the other's head.
Isaac's internal condition was many times worse than anything they had seen before.
On the already devastated battlefield, two opposing forces fought fiercely, their melee turning the warriors' meridians and internal organs upside down.
One power was pure white and holy, the divine power of the Lord of Radiance; the other power was wild and bloody. Although he didn't know what it was, Yun Wei guessed that it should be the curse that Isaac had mentioned.
Eight hundred years ago, during the glorious war, Isaac was ambushed by someone and, after being afflicted with this bloodthirsty curse, became a half-dead undead, and was sealed by Dilis in the 'Coffin of Immortality'.
Yun Wei tried to mediate between the two forces. He carefully tried various methods, including elemental power, mental power, and the medium between the elements, but none of them worked.
Both forces were trying to devour each other, and in doing so, they even rushed to devour the remaining half of Isaac's life force.
Yun Wei tried every possible method, but it was all in vain, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or a drop in the ocean.
Exhausted, he had no choice but to return to reality in a disheveled state.
"Isaac".
Strangely enough, after realizing the reality that he was powerless, Yun Wei's mood calmed down, but he still called out Isaac's name with reluctance.
Their escape from Moonflower City was hardly a success; it was more like a desperate journey.
Riding on the back of the silver dragon, they flew westward toward the Golden Cloud Kingdom. The distant Durane River, its winding outline like a string of shimmering necklace, loomed faintly at the horizon.
Yun Wei turned around and saw that behind him, the sky was gradually turning a fish-belly white. The receding Moonflower City still looked like a shining pearl, inlaid on the ravaged land.
In the hazy morning mist, rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds rarely seen on the continent of Zhuyuan, like the silent mercy of the gods upon the earth.
The ominous day has finally passed.
"Isaac, it's dawn," Yun Wei murmured.
His left hand clasped the other person's right hand, which was placed in front of his chest, but he silently lowered his head and buried his face in the other person's chest, rubbing his cheek against the back of the other person's hand again and again.
Yun Wei thought she would burst into tears, but her tears seemed to have dried up and disappeared without a trace.
The glow behind us suddenly intensified, blinding us.
On this day, countless farmers and herdsmen on the continent of Zhuyuan saw the legendary dragon.
Amidst the layers of clouds and peaks, accompanied by the resounding dragon's roar, they seemed to hear a faint, almost imperceptible call.
"Isaac".
"Oh, Isaac..."
...
Centuries later, every autumn harvest season, a pair of jet-black birds would fly over the vast fields of the Zhuyuan Continent, reminding the hardworking farmers to harvest the wheat in time.
Behind their eyes is a tuft of pretty red feathers, as if they are filled with tears of blood.
This bird is called "Isaac," and it was first recorded in the "Chronicle of the Spirits," a book written during the first year of the Magic Era. The original text is as follows:
"From Moonflower City to Golden Clouds, and up to the Durand River, there are thousands of acres of fertile land."
There is a bird called "Isaac," with black feathers and indigo eyes, and a crimson feather remaining behind its eye, resembling a blood-red spirit. It calls its own name. This bird is first seen in September, calling people to harvest, benefiting agriculture, and promoting marriage; encountering it is auspicious.
This bird is utterly loyal, following its mate through life and death. Whenever it flies, it always pairs wings; whenever it roosts, it intertwines its necks. If it loses its mate at dawn, it leaps and leaps without leaving, abandoning food and water, until it dies at dusk. People revered it, feeding it a hundred grains and auspicious crops, praying for blessings and protection, and their prayers were always answered. This custom flourished and continues to this day.
—End of Volume One, "Outlaws"—
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