Chapter 333: A Black Cat with No Integrity
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Beastmen truly gave it their all in this fight against a terrifying dragon.
Two warlords were sent to the battlefield. They were the Sky Shattering Warlord, Holun and Glorious Warlord, Avatar respectively. Five great shamans also arrived. It was rumored that the Beastman race sent half of their great shamans for this mission.
Apart from these powerful individuals, over two thousand Elite Knights appeared as well. Their main purpose was to defend against the berserk Beastmen and not to fight against the Legendary dragon.
Quickly, Link saw Glorious Warlord, Avatar.
He was about the same age as Holun, around thirty-five years of age. He braided his hair neatly and seemed a lot more reserved than Holun. He did not seem to possess jarring trademark fangs, and he carried a war hammer around. A red flare would sparkle ever so often around the war hammer. This was the force of the fire elementals.
Avatar was a man of few words. He would not be as active and dramatic as Holun. He merely bowed slightly when he saw Link and said, "Lord of the Ferde Wilderness."
He had clearly done his research and knew Link's identity. This was a lot better than Holun.
To show his courtesy, Link respectfully gave a Beastman greeting in return, saying, "It is an honor to meet you, Avatar."
Avatar was the strongest person in the Beastman race. He displayed a sense of maturity not found in other Beastmen. In the game, Avatar was the one who unified the fractured Beastman race and became the king of the new Beastman Empire.
Following which, he went against the will of his people and changed their perception of other races. He then led the Beastmen to join the allied forces to fight against the Demon Army.
He was also the first Beastman to attain the rank of Legendary and at the same time, the strongest Warrior in the Camp of Light.
When Holun died, Avatar was already the lead commander of the allied army. He led a 70000 strong army to fight against a 60000 strong Demon Army, resulting in huge losses on both sides.
He also lost his life in the fight against Nozama, though Nozama paid a heavy price in order to kill him. Nozama's left arm was broken, and his ribs suffered the full blow of the War Hammer's attack. This forced him to retreat into his Demonic Fortress.
It was only after this incident that some players managed to take on the Demon Fortress mission and fight against Nozama.
It could be said that Link did not kill the Lord of the Deep while he was at his full strength. The reason why his team could succeed was due to the sacrifices of many powerful individuals before them.
Therefore, Link had the utmost respect for this Beastman.
Following which, Link met with the great shamans. After they had gotten to know one another, they set off immediately.
The Beastmen did not know Isendilan's exact location; they could only return to the battlefield to search for clues.
However, although they had no idea, Link knew exactly where Isendilan's hiding spot was. Specifically, it was the black cat who gave him the information.
Elodim whispered in Link's ears as they moved forward, "Go towards the Crystal Blue Lake. Isendilan should be recovering somewhere around there. There are two dragons beside him and over 20 dragon beasts. There are also 1000 berserk Beastmen guarding him."
"How do you know all this?" Link asked softly.
"I have met him a few times. I am extremely clear about his strength. Furthermore, I had just met him a few days ago. He is in serious trouble. His chest was split open completely. I predict that he needs at least half a month to recover," Elodim seemed to have abandoned all his principles for delicious food. He had sold off Isendilan completely.
"Alright then," Link had a new impression of this black cat. He had to observe Elodim's every action more carefully from now onwards.
Link could not convey these messages directly. He then thought for a moment before he approached Avatar. This Glorious Warlord had a good reputation and naturally became the commander for this mission.
"Lord of the human race, for what reason have you come?" Avatar spoke in a Shakespearean manner. He was extremely cautious this entire journey as well. After every road, he would send a few Beastmen to scout the surrounding area, only proceeding after making sure it was safe.
There were neither Warrior schools in the Beastman community nor were there people with such knowledge to impart. It was merely his talent that allowed Avatar to reach this level of skillfulness with war tactics.
"My magic has told me that Isendilan is just at Crystal Blue Lake. We simply have to head there."
"Are you sure?" Avatar asked skeptically.
"I am sure."
Holun, who was standing by the side, nodded as he said, "Master is extremely powerful. If not for his appearance, all my brothers would have been dead."
After a short moment of silence, Avatar chose to believe in Link. He raised his volume and shouted, "We will go this way."
Upon hearing those words, an in-game message appeared in Link's field of vision.
Epic Series Quest Step 3: Persuasion Completed
Player Omni Points +50
Step 4: Slay the Dragon!
Mission 1: Destroy Isendilan's pawns and prevent him from reviving them.
Mission 2: Destroy Isendilan
Reward 1: Player will obtain 100 Omni Points for every pawn destroyed.
Reward 2: Upon killing Isendilan, player will obtain the fourth Bryant's Scroll of Enlightenment.
Link chose to accept the quest.
He had one Scroll of Enlightenment in his hands which he had already understood to the very core. It could double his Mana Recovery Speed. While it sounded powerful, it was actually the weakest of all the scrolls. The other scrolls were much stronger than this. If not for the fact that he had no time, he would have already set off on a mission to find them.
To think that the in-game system would offer him one as a reward.
After a while, Link said, "My magic is telling me that Isendilan has many pawns protecting him. There are red dragons, dragon beast and even a large number of berserk Beastmen. Be careful."
"Thank you for your warnings," Avatar said and nodded as he proceeded with great caution.
Two hours later, a scout suddenly pointed to the sky and said, "Look, there is a dragon in the sky!"
Everyone stared into the sky and saw a blurry figure hovering above. Felina was the only one who got a clear view of the figure. She said, "That is a dragon beast. It is level-6 in strength. From the looks of it, he should be a scout that Isendilan sent."
Avatar immediately frowned and said, "Is this to say that he has noticed us?"
Link nodded and said, "Dragons have better eyesight than eagles. There is no way he could have missed us."
Avatar immediately brandished the War Hammer he was carrying on his back and hollered, "Prepare for battle!"
The Elite Knights were originally traveling in a sparse formation. However, upon the command, they went into neat rows and stood at alert. It was evident that they had been trained well. As they were all Avatar's underlings, it also clearly displayed his efficacy as a commander.
Although such a neat and clustered formation would be effective in dealing with ordinary enemies, it was not wise against a dragon who could use a wide-area dragon breath attack. Link then whispered, "The dragon breath attack is destructive and wide. If we continue in this formation…"
Before Link completed his sentence, Avatar had already understood what he meant.
He raised his War Hammer and hollered, "Spread out!"
The Elite Knights then spread out in an orderly manner. Each of them was exactly 45 feet apart. They had clearly trained for this as well.
It didn't take long for Isendilan to appear with his pawns. The one leading the way was Theron with over 20 dragon beasts behind him. Olisa was well-protected in the center of the dragon beasts. Isendilan then trailed behind the entire group.
A large group of berserk Beastmen then traveled on the ground. There were around 1000 of them.
Previously, Isendilan had suffered great damage when dealing with the Beastman army. This time, he chose a strategic position. One would have to get past all his underlings in order to even reach him.
Isendilan truly possessed a formidable army, at least on the surface. The strength of his army looked like it could dominate the Beastman army anytime, especially the group of flying dragons in the air. They had completely dominated the sky, giving them the aerial advantage.
Avatar's expression changed slightly upon seeing the huge army and hollered, "Defensive formation! Shamans, Windwalker spell!"
A skeletal, old shaman came forward with a human-faced totem in his hands. He then plunged the six-foot-long staff in his hands into the ground and started dancing fanatically around this staff while muttering some peculiar chants. Following which, he released a ferocious howl, causing a white light to envelop every comrade on the battlefield, even Link.
Link found himself surrounded by a defensive whirlwind spell. At the same time, he felt extremely light. He then took a step forward and realized that he could cover nine feet with an effortless step.
"What convenient strength." Link could tell that the Elite Knights had become extremely fast. As they ran, phantoms of their shadows could be seen lingering at their previous location.
Sky Shattering Warlord Holun then grabbed his new axe and hollered enthusiastically, "Haha, I will kill you oversized lizards with my weapon!"
Avatar then began to make arrangements systematically, "Holun, bring the Elite Knights to fight with the berserk Beastmen. I need you to eliminate them within ten minutes!"
They had an advantage with 2000 Knights and one Level-9 Warlord against 1000 berserk Beastmen.
"Leave it to me!"
"Haler, Mursa, Delta, you will help me deal with the dragons in the sky."
"Understood," the five shamans nodded as they replied.
Link was speechless at this arrangement. Although he was a Level-9 Warlord, it was simply too brazen to deal with all the dragons in the sky with just six people. There was even a legendary dragon in the mix. He must be really confident in his abilities.
However, Link also knew that Avatar had no choice but to delegate it as such. Before Avatar asked him for help, Link said, "I will help you deal with the dragon beasts. You only have to focus on the red dragons."
There were around 20 dragon beasts in the air, and they have spread out far apart from one another. They were Level-6 in strength and were extremely agile. It would reduce a great deal of pressure if Link were to help deal with these troublesome little creatures. Avatar then nodded at him with gratitude.
Taking advantage of the tie before the battle began, Link turned to Felina and said, "You will deal with the dragon beasts later on. Stay far away from Isendilan."
"I understand."
"Nana, bring the cat with you and help Holun with the berserk Beastmen. Try to defeat all of them in five minutes so that Holun can help deal with Isendilan!"
"Understood," Nana stared at the black cat in her hands. After thinking for a moment, she stuffed the black cat into the cleavage before she tightened her leather armor.
"Hey, let me go! I will die from the speed you are traveling at!" The black cat struggled constantly, clearly trying to break free from Nana.
"Good little kitty, I will take note of it. Don't worry," Nana patted Elodim's head lightly to comfort him before stuffing him back into her armor.
The black cat then reluctantly yielded.
On the other hand, Isendilan did not have any plans to begin with. His gaze had been set only on one person this whole time. He stared at Link as he said, "Little guy, I have searched high and low for you!"
This human Magician not only destroyed his revival spell but also caused him to suffer serious injuries. He was now the number one target.
He only had eyes for Link.
As for the black cat? Elodim was simply too far away and too insignificant. Furthermore, Nana had stuffed Elodim into her armor, making him even more inconspicuous. Due to all these factors, Isendilan seemed to have left out this important detail.
Chapter 376 – Don't Think, Just Do It!
"Charge!" Glorious Warlord Avatar yelled.
He pointed his battle axe at the Wild Beastmen. The Elite Wolf Knights immediately began waving their weapons and charging towards the Wild Beastmen while yelling.
The Sky Shattering Warlord Holun rode a white wolf. He was at the front, and his voice was the loudest. "Come fight! You cockroaches, take my Divine Gear!"
Argh! The dragons in the sky separated. They rushed down, targeting the Wolf Knights below.
These elite soldiers were at Level-4 on average with a few at Level-5. To regular people, this was extremely powerful. Even Wild Beastmen were only a bit stronger than them. However, they couldn't put up a fight against the powerful dragons who were at least Level-6.
Link also rode a wolf, following the Wolf Knights. Seeing that the dragons were about to charge into them, he pointed his wand at the sky. "Demon Slayer!"
Whoosh! A crystal-red whip formed in the air before him. Like a fiery snake, it extended dozens of feet in an instant, charging towards a dragon at the speed of light.
Light flashed in the sky. Then there was a terrifying crack. The dragon was hit square in the chest. This was Level-8. How could a Level-6 dragon take it? It actually exploded in the air!
Bloody rain began to fall. This was only the start.
The red whip was like the call of the god of death. It moved at will within the 300-foot range. There were four dragons in the proximity. They all exploded within three seconds.
Link didn't stay in place. He urged the wolf left and right, rushing to wherever dragons were about to attack the Wolf Knights. Before he arrived, the fatal whip would already be there.
Boom, boom, boom! Three more dragons burst apart.
The dragons cried out. They hovered in the sky without daring to descend anymore. The Magician down there was too frightening! Only a few seconds had passed, but half of them had died while the Wolf Knights were unharmed. They couldn't keep doing this!
Avatar had his eyes on Isendilan and two other giant dragons. He spared a glance at the battlefield. Seeing this, he was relieved.
The flying dragons weren't a threat, and fewer of his soldiers would die. The human Magician lived up to his reputation. This was very good.
On the other hand, Isendilan grew impatient. "You two," he muttered, "distract that Magician. I am going to cast spells."
The situation was to his disadvantage. The enemy included two Level-9 fighters, five grand shamans, a Level-8 Dragon Warrior, and an impossibly fast magic puppet.
Faced with this, even Isendilan could be defeated from a slight mishap if he tried to fight directly. Thankfully, he had another solution. When Theron and Olisan charged towards Link, Isendilan flapped his wings and flew higher. A few seconds later, he was 3000 feet in the air. Legendary Dragon Power began to surge inside him.
Rings of crystal-red light wrapped around him, forming a 300-foot-long ring. Terrifying waves of power continuously streamed from the ring of light. Streaks of red mist appeared like lightning. They increased and spread in all directions.
The entire sky started changing color. The dark red halo spread, darkening dozens of miles. The white clouds turned red as if they were set on fire.
The ball of fire and light was like the end of the world. A voice came from within. "Mortals, tremble in fear! Have a taste of world-ending Dragon Fire!"
That was his battle technique. It was very simple and violent!
No matter how many enemies or powerful fighters he faced, he only needed to take advantage of his flying abilities and cast this super divine spell. Then the world would turn silent.
On the ground, everyone stopped fighting and looked up in a daze.
Theron was about to pounce on Link. Seeing the spell, he froze and asked Olisan, "We'll die from the duke's spell too, right?"
Olisan nodded. "After this spell, other than him, no one else will survive… but he'll definitely resurrect us."
Hearing that, Theron wasn't afraid anymore. He continued charging at Link. But even though he wasn't afraid, the Wild Beastmen and flying dragons were panicking. They didn't get the resurrection treatment. If they died, then they died. The duke was clearly ready to kill them all so why should they keep fighting?
They turned and ran.
On Avatar's side, a grand shaman's voice trembled as he said, "The situation is bad. That dragon has gone crazy. His divine spell is really, really scary. It can destroy everything!"
As a Level-9 fighter, Avatar also felt the immense danger. It almost felt hopeless; even more hopeless was that the opponent was thousands of feet in the air. He couldn't even fight back.
He could only wait for death!
Holun also stopped killing. Furious, he pointed his axe at Isendilan in the air and roared, "You coward! You ugly cockroach! Come down and fight me!"
"Mortals, tremble! Despair!" Isendilan obviously wouldn't come down. He loved the feeling of peace right before the attack.
On the ground, Nana had stopped chasing the Wild Beastmen too. She returned to Link. Taking out a dagger, she pointed at the black cat's head and asked, "Master, should I kill it?"
The black cat struggled and finally poked its head out of Nana's collar. Looking at Link, it pleaded, "Stop waiting. If you keep waiting, the divine spell will come. Destroy it!"
Link had no other chance. Glancing at Nana, he said, "Do it if it goes wrong."
"Hurry! I'm not lying!" The black cat truly felt wronged now. It really didn't lie this time. Why didn't the human trust it?
Ignoring it, Link took out his wand. He raised it to the dragon in the sky and said, "Poirotson Axina Thacca Morata, unlock!"
The first half was a name. More specifically, it was the black cat's true name.
A god's true name was not merely a name. It contained a great amount of ancient contracts and laws. Saying the true name was summoning that power. The last word—unlock—was to summon the specific type of power.
Link's sentence was like a curse. It meant, In the name of the god's true name, summon the ancient contract to unlock all power of distortion in the world.
Isendilan's divine spell used the power of distortion.
As soon as Link finished, a fist-sized ball of white light appeared at the tip of his wand. It stayed for half a second before a thin white beam of light shot out. It was extremely fast. In a flash, it snaked into the thick red halo around Isendilan.
At this time, the red lightning-like fog inside the halo had stretched more than 1000 feet in all directions. The entire sky was dark red as if the end of the world was about to come.
But as soon as the white light dug into it, everything changed.
Boom, boom!
Thunder cracked amongst the red fog instantly. At the same time, countless bits of frost-white lightning spread along the red lightning-fog, quickly dissipating it. After three seconds, all red fog disappeared. Similarly, the redness in the sky disappeared too. The sky became clear again.
Finally, the protective red shield around Isendilan disappeared too. Within it, layers of frost-white lightning enveloped Isendilan. Under the lightning, Isendilan was as still as a statue.
This only lasted for a moment. Then his body started dropping.
Holun was dumbfounded. This was the first time he'd seen a dragon fall for no reason. What exactly happened?
Avatar saw it clearly though. He was shocked and happy. "The human Magician did it. He's falling, and this is the best chance to kill him! Follow me!"
Theron and Olisan were also dumbfounded.
"Why isn't the duke moving?"
"The Magician did it. I don't know what spell he used!" All Olisan felt was disbelief. The duke's power had been strong enough to destroy everything within dozens of miles. How could it be defeated by a white strand?
What spell was this?
Boom! Isendilan crashed straight into the ground from thousands of feet in the air.
He fell at around 500 feet per second. He crashed into the soft grassland, and this obviously wasn't enough to hurt the impossibly strong dragon. However, the lightning restricting his movements didn't disappear completely after the fall. He was still numb.
"I knew it! I knew that Magician would ruin things! Dammit!" Isendilan yelled. He flapped his wings, trying to fly again. However, his wings were sore and weak. Try as he might, he could only hover slightly.
Avatar reached him now. With the shaman's spell on him, Avatar dazzled. Five colorful elemental balls spun quickly around him. His battle axe slammed down on Isendilan's leg without hesitation. "You can't escape!"
The Sky Shattering Warlord Holun arrived at almost the same time. When he saw Isendilan fall, he knew this was a rare chance to kill the dragon. He immediately gave up on the Wild Beastmen and rushed over.
"Ah, cockroach, have a taste of my Divine Gear!"
Before he arrived, there was buzzing. His body started flashing. This was the sound of the shaman casting spells on him.
The God of Fire's Wrath!
The God of Wind's Power!
Wild Tide of Thunder!
The Shield of Earth!
The Barrier of Metal!
When Holun got closer to Isendilan, he was glowing just as brilliantly as Avatar. Under the grand shaman's reinforcement, his power had increased by 50 percent!
"Die!" He slammed his axe at Isendilan's other leg, almost simultaneous with Avatar's attack.
Faced with the full force of two Beastmen Warlords, Isendilan couldn't try to block it. Even worse, he was still numb. He tried to retreat with all his might. While retreating, he activated shields. As expected of a Legendary fighter, he instantaneously activated a Level-9 spell.
The crystal-red power enveloped him, forming a two-foot-thick shield of Dragon Power.
The next moment, there was an explosive sound. Holun's axe first hit the shield. Light burst and the power of different elements clashed with the shield. Finally, it exploded like beautiful fireworks.
Holun's power was terrifying too; even Avatar wasn't his match. He'd also received Link's battle axe. It had absorbed a great amount of vitality from killing the Beastmen earlier. Now, Holun felt vigorous to the max. The axe had reached a level he could never reach before.
With the additional elemental aid, Isendilan's spell couldn't stop the axe. It shattered immediately.
On the other hand, Avatar saw this and realized that the axe could destroy the shield. He purposely slowed down and attacked the moment the shield broke. This hit met no resistance. It landed squarely on Isendilan.
Boom! With the muffled thud, Isendilan's twelve-foot-wide leg was crushed. Flesh and blood splattered. A shockwave visible to the naked eye went through the leg. It instantly distorted and became crippled.
Isendilan cried out in pain. The lightning around him finally disappeared. The numbness became faint under the immense pain as well.
"Go away!" He flapped his wings furiously. A violent gust of wind blew by.
Avatar immediately flipped over. He sprawled on the ground, clutching the dirt, so he didn't get blown away. Holun didn't dodge the hit though. Rather than reacting slower than Avatar, it was because he wasn't as skilled in predicting.
He was blown into the air from this hit. In mid-air, Isendilan opened his mouth wide. Dragon Breath came spewing out, going straight to Holun.
The moment between life and death, Holun instantly activated his Battle Aura at full force to stop the Dragon Breath. However, Legendary Dragon Breath was too powerful. His Battle Aura was being consumed at an impossible speed. If this kept going on, he would be baked alive in two seconds.
Am I going to die? The thought flashed past his mind.
Just then, white light lit up around him and disappeared. An instant later, Holun's surroundings changed drastically. The scalding Dragon Breath was gone, and he was under Isendilan. He was right in front of the dragon's belly. Under it, two six-foot lumps of flesh dangled. It was the dragon's balls.
A great opportunity!
Holun's mind was simple. He didn't wonder why he suddenly arrived here. He just thought that he had to do it!