Chapter 826: Open conspiracy
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Melody's blessing had undergone significant strengthening. The huge increase in resistance and probability effect aside,there was also an insane new ability - to reduce the damage received by 25%, then turn it into HP! Taking into account both the reduction and addition effects, they totalled up to a staggering difference of 50%.
Mysterious Elven runes rapidly formed around Melody. She started chanting another divine art. Every tree on the mountain seem to sing in resonance with Melody's chant.
Elrond's face turned pale. He's already on the path of no return. If he ran away now, he would still die once the effect of the Splitting Spell ended.
He would only have a chance to live if he stood his ground. Retreating meant death. If he stayed, even if he would be in a terribly disadvantageous position, there was still a chance for him to turn the situation around with his wits.
Elrond continued to target Melody. For Elrond, the Twilight Elf Melody remained the most useful and the most dangerous person there!
However, both Sheyan and Reef were in their peak conditions now. Under the protection of the both of them, the chance of Elrond directly harming Melody is very low. In addition to that, Elrond was also plagued by disease.
Elrond was still a famous legendary hero after all. He had stood tall amidst the history of Middle Earth and had even laid down his mark on it. He experienced countless battles throughout his life that spanned millenium. There's no way he would be that simple to handle. Even though the situation was dire, it wasn't enough to bring him down!
He actually made Melody lose her ability to battle, again!
Elrond's move shocked even someone as shrewd as Sheyan. That's because the price Elrond had to pay to do this was something that was second only to his life!
All divine equipments have a life of their own. After the Ring of Air Vilya was ripped away by Sheyan, it naturally returned to Elrond. But the current Elrond was (1) devoid of magic, and (2) had a human body. The Ring of Air was one of the Three Elven Rings of Power, so it naturally required an Elven bloodline to use it.
Strictly speaking, the powerful Ring of Air was nothing more than decoration to Elrond right now.
So, Elrond did something that Legolas, Glorfindel, and all other Elves could only dream of ever happening. He wiped away his own soul imprint on Vilya, then threw the ring into the air. The ring, Vilya, that was comparable to a divine equipment!
The powerful ring that was forged for the Elven race released a strong vibration in the air!
The vibration of the ring reached the heart of every Elf on Middle Earth. Even faraway Elves like Legolas, Glorfindel and Galadriel, the keeper of the Ring of Water, Nenya, could feel the strong sensation.
The same shocking thought crept into their minds.
"The soul imprint on the Ring of Air was removed? Has Elrond fallen?"
Out of all the Elves present, Melody was the strongest and had the purest soul. She was also a Twilight Elf who were naturally powerful. Naturally, she too could sense that Sire Vilya had lost its owner... Melody appeared very emotional. She absent-mindedly reached out her hand to infuse her own soul imprint on the ring out of instinct.
It must be emphasized that she was acting out of instinct without thinking. It was like how a person would retract their hand when they touched the flame, or how the author of this story would instinctively bend down to tie his shoelaces when a girl in short skirt walked by, or how Edison Chen would instinctively look for a camera whenever he saw a beautiful woman....
(T/N note: Edison Chen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Chen_photo_scandal)
(ED: THE GOLDEN ANALOGIES!! They just keep getting better…)
In the history of China, even a royal seal would cause royalties and nobles to scrabble madly, and that was only a symbol of status. The Ring of Air, Vilya was the central ring among the Three Elven Rings of Power. It's not only a symbol of status, it was also a source of power! Think of how important it was in the heart of every Elf.
With no one stopping her, Melody caught the Ring of Air and successfully engraved her soul imprint on it. Under her control, the ring flew onto her left ring finger.
However, once Melody put on the Ring of Air, her face instantly turned pale. She covered her head with her hands and slowly leaned against a stone beside her.She looked like a withering flower, slowly wilting away.
Sheyan's pupils shrunk while Elrond burst out in laughter.
"A newly awakened Twilight Elf like you dare to lay your dirty hands on my Vilya? Dream on! Even though it had expended almost all its energy, you could consider it a testament to your ability that you weren't immediately sucked dry. When the High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad gifted upon me the Ring of Air, it took me a whole month to master the ring even with his guidance."
"A weak Twilight Elf like you wished to understand how to control the ring without guidance? How long do you think it would take? Ten years? Twenty? Or a hundred? Oh, right. You're even a follower of the Sun God, Sin'dorei. Maybe in your next life then! Without the enlightenment bestowed by the Moon God, Luna, you will never find the correct path!"
As Sheyan looked at Melody whose face was pale and eyes were shut, he really hoped she would suddenly open her eyes and tell Elrond: 'I was Gil-galad in my previous life you garbage', then kicked Elrond to the edge of the world. But from the look of it, it would remain his fantasy.
Elrond now had the confidence to massacre everyone and take back his treasure. Such wit was a testament to his wisdom gained over thousands of years. His name wasn't sung without reason!
Even Sheyan himself couldn't help admiring Elrond's decisiveness in letting go of the ring. That was one of the Rings of Power, yet Elrond could just throw it out nonchalantly as bait. A plan like this could no longer be called a hidden conspiracy; it's an open conspiracy! You knew it was a trap, yet your body couldn't help but jump into it!
"Reef, something doesn't add up," Sheyan suddenly said in the party channel.
"Elrond was so strong after he regained his mind that anytime he got close to one of the Elves, he could instantly drag the Elf away without any resistance...but why didn't he finish you? Wouldn't things be a lot more convenient for him without someone like you in his way?"
Reef sounded perplexed as he replied.
"Maybe he couldn't kill me? No, that can't be. He killed Elder Desirese Roots who definitely had higher HP than I do!"
Sheyan said in a heavy tone.
"Then there's only one explanation. Elrond had prepared for this moment for a long time, so consuming the flesh essences of his own kin to rebuild his Elven bloodline was definitely within his plan. Therefore, he probably prepared a strong item or weapon for that purpose. But that item or weapon is only effective against the Elves, and not against us."
They positioned themselves in front of Melody and the remaining Elf as they communicated. Unfortunately, Reef hadn't advanced into an Awakener yet. If he had, be it the gravitational field of Zeus or Skull's metal armour, they could have displayed their might right now.
Elrond once again charged towards Sheyan and Reef like a ghost. Reef wasn't in a hurry to use 'Shattering Cardiac Roar' this time, choosing to closely observe Elrond instead.
This time, Elrond landed both his punches heavily on Reef's shield. Reef was instantly pushed away by the heavy force. Elrond then twisted his body in a weird way and grabbed Sheyan's right wrist just as Sheyan was about to throw out a curse-mix. Elrond then flicked his fingers lightly and robbed Sheyan of the curse-mix.
Sheyan immediately slashed back with determination. His blade firmly struck Elrond's body. Just as Sheyan was about to dish out another hit, an emblem on Elrond's chest suddenly radiated with a blinding white glow. Sheyan's vision was covered by the white light!
The body of a contestant is a lot stronger than the body of a normal human. A blind debuff like this would only last for 2-3 seconds on Sheyan. As soon as the glow appeared, he had immediately shifted his head to the side and lashed out with his blade. But his blade struck nothing but air!
His heart sank. If Reef and Sheyan were the gate protecting the people behind them, then the gate was wide open right now.
Reef's 'Shattering Cardiac Roar' sounded from behind Sheyan and washed over Elrond like a raging tide. A series of lights flashed on Elrond's body and once again negated the slowing effect from the roar. Elrond was now less than 3 meters away from Melody. She was within touching distance!