Chapter 148 Chapter 148: How Could There Be No Surprises?
Chapter 148: How Could There Be No Surprises?
"Caster squad!"
Spells rained down upon the Lord of the Foul, yet he merely waved his staff with a casual flick, the cloth strips wrapped around his arm gently swaying.
Under the illumination of the decaying halo, those spells rapidly dissipated. Only one pitch-black spell managed to break through to his front. The Lord of the Foul simply tilted his head, and the spell brushed past him.
"No need to waste any more time."
Although those Victoria Dukes were nothing but a motley crew, to ensure absolute certainty, his presence was still needed on the front lines.
The Lord of the Foul shook his scepter, and clusters of grayish-green trees rapidly grew forth—"Sapping Branches"!
"Chaotic Blossoms [Peony]!"
A sense of foreboding rose in FrostNova's heart. She raised her blade and swung it down, the arc of the blade sweeping around her like a delicate flower blooming from within.
The sharp Edge of Frost Prison easily severed one Sapping Branch after another, but it was already too late.
Foul Apostles, standing over three meters tall, emerged from the ground, their sharp taproots serving as their best weapons.
"Defender operators, push outwards to establish a safe perimeter. Don't let them near the Caster and Sniper squads..."
"Abandon covering the civilians on the periphery."
The Doctor's orders were issued swiftly, especially the last one, which she uttered in a lowered voice.
Every operator on Rhodes Island was precious enough. In the Doctor's view, compared to them, the value of civilians was not on the same level at all.
"It seems you can no longer use that power."
The Bloodfiend Lord "understood." The power FrostNova had used earlier to "kill" him was not without cost.
A tide composed of blood surged. The last trace of apprehension in his heart gradually faded. With the Bloodfiend Lord joining the fray, the pressure on Rhodes Island's front line increased sharply.
Even the Doctor placed her hand on the button at the edge of her hood. She was considering whether to take the risk and activate Blank Key once more.
At the very least, she needed to ensure that everyone from Rhodes Island could break through the remaining twenty kilometers and rendezvous with Duke Windermere.
"Doctor, Dr. Kal'tsit said that thing cannot be used again within a short period."
Amiya saw through the Doctor's thoughts at a glance and hurriedly stopped her action.
"Hmm, but we need a force to break this deadlock."
The Doctor was very calm, scanning her surroundings. Foul Apostles and Bloodfiend creations had almost completely blocked off the surrounding streets.
Two Lords of the Court—this was already more than enough to contend with a large legion lacking specific countermeasures.
"Let me give it a try."
Amiya extended her hand and removed one of the suppressors from her finger. The entire process was surprisingly smooth.
Pitch-black magic, like living imprints, overflowed, eventually forming a peculiar pattern behind her head. The benefits gained from experiencing Adam's illusion and witnessing Sarkaz history were far from simple on the surface.
"Huh."
Her condition isn't bad? Amiya, having initially unleashed the power of the Demon King within her, was surprised to discover.
If she only removed one suppressor, the power leaking from within did not exceed her control.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Blades, spears, swords, and halberds shot out in all directions. Mimetic weapons formed by pitch-black magic instantly pierced through dozens of Foul Beasts.
Amiya, completely immersed in her mental outburst state, stood at the center of the battlefield, utterly transformed into a magical artillery platform.
Various forms of pitch-black magic swept across the ground like cleansing rain, wiping away patches of "stains."
But for the vast number of creations, losses of this scale were entirely within controllable limits.
"Miss 'Sakura,' could I trouble you once more?"
FrostNova shook her Edge of Frost Prison in her hand; it was already stained with viscous blood and some decaying branches and leaves carrying a putrid aura.
Swish! Thud!
The Edge of Frost Prison was blocked by a withered wooden staff. The Lord of the Foul's movements seemed slow and unhurried, yet each time he managed to block attacks perfectly, even able to spare attention for Ascalon lurking in the shadows.
Often, what seemed like casual attacks from him forced both of them into perilous situations.
"I would be happy to assist you, but your body and consciousness cannot withstand multiple descents of Stigmata will within a short period. For your safety, I cannot do that.
No matter how harmless a descending personality may be, they are still complete 'foreign objects' to both body and will. Multiple descents in a short time can easily lead to mental contamination.
Ensuring the safety of Stigmata bearers while promoting their growth as much as possible—this is 'Adam's' responsibility. No matter which personality model data is loaded, that part belonging to Kevin's directive will never change."
"Is that so?"
"But there are other methods."
"What methods?"
FrostNova agilely flipped and spun, her blade striking the same spot on the withered wooden staff three times in succession.
Crack—
Under the slightly surprised gaze of the Lord of the Foul, obvious cracks appeared on the upper part of the withered wooden staff. Just as she wanted to press her advantage—
The earth shook. Decaying and grayish-green trees broke through the soil; dense thickets crowded out entire blocks of streets.
"Foreign Amiya, this is an ultimatum. Surrender your crown and your life."
Rhodes Island's tenacity had exceeded his expectations. The Lord of the Foul had lost his last shred of patience.
Pitch-black blades and spears pierced towards his head. Amiya chose to answer him with action!
The Forest of Decay erupted in turmoil; even blood pools on the ground were drained dry. Sapping Branches that had absorbed power grew wildly; countless painless Foul Apostles crawled out from among the roots.
"FrostNova, prepare yourself. This method may consume a large amount of power from within the Stigmata in a short time."
"Sakura" reminded her; personality conversion loading was already prepared.
Given her combat style, she wasn't particularly adept at large-scale battles like this. In single-target assassinations or small-scale combat, her time-freezing sword strike placed her in an almost invincible position.
Compared to her rather clumsy area-of-effect methods, one of her "teammates" might better suit FrostNova's current needs.
"Alright."
A Rhodes Island operator was knocked down by a vine; it looked like he was about to be dragged into those menacing thickets. FrostNova acted swiftly, severing the vine with a single slash.
After being grabbed for just one minute, countless wrinkles appeared on that operator's face as if he had aged ten years instantly. Yet, an expression of relief after surviving a disaster still showed on his face.
"Actually, before activating 'him,' it would be best for you to have your teammates move far away. Then, if there is a path to survival, leave immediately without looking back!"
After giving this final reminder, 'Sakura,' whose virtual personality was generated based on data, quickly faded away, returning to Adam's original state.
"Bloodfiend, this farce should come to an end now."
The Lord of the Foul looked down from high above. Surrounded by decayed beings, Rhodes Island had no choice but annihilation.
"Heh heh."
The Bloodfiend Lord chuckled coldly a few times. Once upon a time, he had thought so too.
Come to think of it, calculating the time... shouldn't an accident be happening around now...
Whoosh!
Blazing heat surged upwards.
You see? An accident—it's here now.
KALPAS GOATTTTTTT