Chapter 827: The Final Gamble
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
In this critical moment, Elrond sneezed despite himself.
Even if he was one of the strongest people on the continent, even if he was the Lord of Rivendell, even if he was the son of the human sailor, Eärendil and the Elf, Elwing who were sung in songs.
(T/N: Unlike what the author claimed, Earendil and Elwing were actually both half-elves)
But right now, he's a human!
Any human that could fall sick would not escape from the terrifying effect of the Pestilence Monarch!
Not only was the dreadful ability bugging Elrond as inevitable as fate itself, it was also as cruel as fate itself!
Elrond had already been hit by the effect once. He even used up to 6 magical accessories amidst his coughing fit but to no avail. At the time, Elrond already had a bad premonition. However, there weren't any outbursts afterwards, so Elrond put it down as a one-time use magic spell. He didn't know that it was a ticking time bomb that was merely lying dormant in his body.
The shuddering of his body caused his movement speed to fall sharply. Reef immediately blocked his path and unleashed the formidable Steelclaw upon Elrond. Simultaneously, the surviving Elven mage hugged the unconscious Melody and rolled behind Reef.
Elrond's last-minute failure caused his face to turn ashen. He unsheathed a longsword that had a notable Elven style and easily parried Reef's attack. At the same time, he used the sheath to execute a block to his side. Sheyan's '+7 West' immediately met with the sheath, causing sparks to fly. Sheyan even managed to hack off a gemstone. However, the force from the block forced Sheyan back a few steps.
Sheyan threw out a curse-mix in passing. Elrond wasn't able to stop him this time. He used another magic item to recover from the 1.5 second stun effect from the curse-mix shockwave, but he couldn't do anything about the 25% reduction in movement speed from being inside the resulting green smoke.
At the same time, a malicious ray of light shot towards Elrond. It was the sly Franklin! Franklin used his staff to draw a circle in the air, and a sizzling ray of light shot out from the circle to burn Elrond's back.
Sheyan and Reef finally gained the upper hand in this battle full of unpredictable difficulties. They were visibly shaken still.
It must be noted that, technically speaking, Elrond was a magic user, which meant that they were in fact engaging in a melee fight with a mage who had no magic power. The mage had even been injured to a certain extent and was far from his peak condition. Yet the battle was still so unbelievably difficult!
After he saw the strange green smoke envelope an area of several hundred meters square, Elrond did not look happy at all. He gritted his teeth and forced out his words.
"This is the concocting method of Saruman the White! Why would he pass his teachings *achoo* to a foolish human?"
Honestly speaking, even if Elrond had brandished his weapon, it was still really troublesome to fight both Sheyan and Reef in the curse-mix smoke. Plus, he still had to be careful of the sickness that might erupt anytime. However, he was still the great Elrond. The Elrond who left his name in the history of Middle Earth!
Even after being forced into a corner, he still relied on his devilish speed, practiced battle technique and surprising fighting methods to firmly suppress Sheyan and Reef. The two of them brushed shoulders with death multiple times in the short span of a few minutes.
Which is why Sheyan chose to once again unleash the dark gold giant leech!
Sheyan had already used the leech once in his fight with Drubal, but Drubal was too busy running away to attack the leech. After his extortion of Drubal, the leech was kept back in Sheyans possession in one piece. Thus, the leech could still be used at the moment. Sheyan unhesitatingly let it out.
The 25% drop in movement speed from the curse-mix smoke might not have affected Elrond much, but the 50% drop from the giant leech is another matter. Even though it's attack was weak, it had a sturdy body and its attack had a large area of effect. Its debuffs were also really annoying for the enemy.
Elrond got careless for a moment, and Sheyan and Reef latched on to the chance to land their attacks. Sheyan's blade was strong, but Reef's claw was also pretty fierce. The claw struck Elrond's right thigh heavily and tore open a large wound!
If Elrond had coincidentally coughed or shivered at the moment of impact, he might have lost his leg.
More importantly, when Elrond ran away with the Elven mage before this, he was alerted by the changes on Vilya's seal on Melody before he could absorb the life essence of the Elf. He forcefully broke off the ritual and hadn't managed to recover any of his HP.
After the series of fierce battle, Elrond now had less than 50% of his HP remaining. On the other hand, Reef and Sheyan could share the damage sustained and had the strong Twilight Elf's blessings on them. Their HPs were sustained above 80% the whole time. Besides that, there were also Franklin and the sole remaining Elven mage. They were both forces to be reckoned with!
As soon as the dark gold leech appeared, it became the straw that broke the camel's back. The scale of victory started to tip towards Sheyan's side.
Under such circumstances, Elrond quickly retreated outside the poisonous smoke. Determination flashed in his eyes as he produced a scroll from his chest.
The scroll looked old but was shining with a bright lustre, giving it the luxurious feel of an antique treasure. Elrond looked at the group in front of him with venom in eyes. If it wasn't for Sheyan's interference, he would have already started the rebuilding process of his Elven bloodline by now. Instead, he's still struggling for his life here.
Sheyan and Reef's hearts both tightened when they saw Elrond's action. A scroll that he had kept up to now would definitely be his last measure in case of emergency. It would be his final gamble!
Elrond obviously believed that the scroll would let him make a comeback. If Sheyan and co. could overcome this final hurdle, they would be grabbing victory by the throat. If they couldn't, then all their efforts will go to waste!
With a solemn face, Elrond held the scroll in both hands and chanted earnestly:
"O power of the sprout. Please awaken. Honour the agreement from ancient times!"
"Clear all obstructions blocking my way."
"Your freedom awaits after completing my wish."
"Wake up, the ruler of all trees, the tyrant of roots. Man-Eating Devil Tree, Harlech!"
"Refuse me my wish, and your soul shall agonise within the fire of hell for a thousand years!"
Throughout the whole chanting process, both Franklin and the Elven mage had continuously released a torrent of offensive spells towards Elrond. However, every time a spell was about to connect, an image of a yellow leaf would appear to block the spell.
Elrond had no magic power left in him; the terrifying defensive ability must come from the scroll!
When Elrond concluded his chanting, an indescribable pressure leisurely spread out from the scroll towards the surrounding forest. The trees it touched released mournful howls and shook their roots. Then, they stood up from the ground and hugged each other.
The trees in the Misty Mountains were at least 50 years old. Even if they did grow slower in cold climate, all of them required at least 2 people to join fingers to hug them.
Their branches firmly intertwined together; the sounds of branches snapping could occasionally be heard. The biggest change came in the leaves of these trees. The surface of the leaves started transforming into a pattern that looked like the scales of snakes!
Finally, hundreds of trees wove themselves together to form a magnificent Ent. The Ent was covered in a snake-like pattern. Tentacle-like vines formed into a pair of hands. The Ent gave out an indescribably evil feeling.
The Ent was a devastating Devil Tree killed by Elrond's mother while she was wandering the continent. She sealed its soul inside a scroll and gave it to Elrond for him to use in times of need.
Just looking at the size of the Ent made Sheyan and Reef feel helpless. They were further intimidated by the sinister aura it emitted. Ents were huge to begin with - Ferrell, for example, was an enormous thing - but compared to Harlech, Ferrell was like a kid that could only reach Harlech's thigh!
Suddenly, Reef and Sheyan felt a warm sensation on the skin on their back. They turned around and saw a whirlpool-shaped hole within the clouds. A ray of sunlight shined down from the hole to envelope Melody. The whole scene looked incomparably sacred and glorious. The Elven mage couldn't help kneeling down in tears, looking extremely emotional.
Melody floated up into the air with her eyes still closed. The strong sunlight produced bits of glimmer that wrapped themselves protectively around her body. Sheyan noticed that the Ring of Air, Vilya was glowing brilliantly on her finger.