City of Sin

Book 4, 51B

Child Of The Forest(2)

Agamemnon leapt into the sky, the giant sword in his hands slicing at the elven youth. It was a simple move, using pure speed and power, but it only caused the elf to light up. He spread his legs in mid-air to land on the heads of two royal soldiers, the spear in his grasp swatting the attack away and countering with a stab of its own.

Agamemnon didn’t make a peep as he dodged, sword moving like the wind to shower the enemy with attacks that seemed to hold no technique to speak of. This was sheer violence supplemented by pure power, a mad barrage that would leave even a saint on the back foot.

The elf brightened up further, eyes filled with praise. His spear was quick as lightning, not yielding in the slightest as he matched Agamemnon blow for blow. It took a mere three attacks before Agamemnon was pushed into a disadvantage, forced off his offence until all he could do was try to save himself.

The spear suddenly pressed close, a simple shake of the elf’s wrist causing it to circle the larger weapon thrice before sending the giant sword flying into the sky. Agamemnon was unwilling to let go, but that only meant his entire body was thrown away.

The elf still had the leisure to raise his hand and pull back the dishevelled hair on his forehead, revealing a dazzling smile. Another flash of green and eight royal soldiers nearby were left with bloody holes in their heads, stiffening before they collapsed outward with him at the centre. Crisp sounds could be heard under his feet as the skulls of his stepping stones shattered, but they still did not fall.

The youth’s eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield in search of another target.

Time seemed to be distorted in this place. The young elf’s movements were easy and unhurried, almost every minuscule action resulting in death and destruction, but it hadn’t been more than a few seconds since he showed himself. Olar still hadn’t crumpled to the ground, Agamemnon still soaring upwards, and Richard himself was ashen-faced after forcing out a grade 6 spell boosted by Sacrifice to save the bard. He felt as though his body had been set on fire, his hand still pulling open the Book of Holding.

A divine glow landed on Olar, immediately stopping the fountain of blood erupting from his chest. The greater heal had come barely in time, likely having saved the bard’s life. The young elf’s eyes immediately locked onto Flowsand whose hands were still glowing from the spell. His eyes brightened at the sight, but he then shook his head at the thought of having to kill such a beauty.

When his eyes finally landed on Scherr, they stopped moving. The saint was like a frog noticed by a snake, completely on guard yet not daring to move.

However, just as the elf was about to attack, Nyris soared into the sky with axe in hand, attacking with full strength. Despite his noble status and delicate face, this prince had never been afraid of battle. Still, the elf only looked at him and nonchalantly thrust his spear a few times, sending the axe flying. The polearm then smacked into Nyris’ chest, blood spurting from the prince’s mouth as he was thrown away with broken ribs.

The young elf no longer bothered with Nyris, wandering towards Scherr with his spear flashing in and out of sight. The naked eye couldn’t even see the main body of his weapon anymore as an unknown number of attacks were made with every strike.

Scherr’s twin swords danced dazzlingly as he was forced into retreat, expression completely distorted. It wasn’t long before his swords suddenly flew into the sky, the elf’s spear taking the chance to point between his brows. The tip barely touched the head, leaving a tiny red dot.

The saint’s body went stiff, hands lolling by the side as his gaze lost all life. A look of disbelief froze on his face as he swayed, head suddenly exploding into a bloody mist. The headless body still stood in place for a while, refusing to fall down.

The elven youth smiled, spear spiralling to create countless afterimages with seemingly great ease. However, his gaze suddenly froze. He looked up at the sky, just in time to see a bolt of lightning surrounded by a crimson aura strike his forehead.

The chain lightning spell caused the elf to groan, the green light around him growing darker as his eyes flashed with savagery for the first time. His gaze landed on Richard once more, and he started charging towards him.

Richard was sternly flipping through the Book of Holding, dropping yet another bolt on the elf’s head to completely break his barrier. At the same time his own body was surrounded by the sparks from Mana Armament, his speed abruptly increasing as he dodged to the side.

A mocking smile appeared on the young elf’s face as he sped up further, approaching Richard in a near instant. Richard dodged once more, having a third bolt smash into the enemy’s head. The elf finally let loose a miserable howl, but his spear was now extremely close as well. Still Richard did not give in, determination flashing in his eyes as he continued to flip through the book.

This fourth bolt wouldn’t be enough to kill the elf, but the attack from his spear was definitely lethal! However, Richard had used all his might in the last dodge. With the devilish speed of this opponent, it was nigh impossible to stave off the next attack. In that case, it would be better to go all out and throw another spell onto this damned enemy! Even if he didn’t die, at least he would be injured enough for Agamemnon, Nyris, and the rest to exact their vengeance!

However, the elf’s movements suddenly grew a little sluggish as he stopped for an instant mid-strike. Nyris had run over at some point, barely managing to put a hand on the enemy’s heels and pull him back. The fellow had gone mad!

The lightning struck the young elf, but even so his attack only paused for a moment before he continued towards Richard. His momentum was so great that Nyris was just dragged along.

*Schlick!*

The spear entered flesh, but not of its intended target. Agamemnon had knocked Richard aside in the most critical moment, taking the strike with his abdomen instead. The reticent youth seemed to have expected the pain, not caring for the grievous wound as he countered with the giant sword in his hands.

The young elf was greatly surprised, his movements growing so quick his figure seemed to blur as his left hand grasped the edge of Agamemnon’s blade, preventing it from moving forward. In the meanwhile, he viciously kicked Agamemnon away.

The two-sided spear spiralled once more, preparing to pierce into Agamemnon’s chest before stabbing the repulsive fellow who had cast five bolts of lightning in succession. However, the elf suddenly found his attack slowing down, the world around him moving at a speed he could not believe. He wanted to quicken his attack with a flourish of his fingers, but his movements had grown so slow he couldn’t believe his eyes. Even his thoughts seemed to be frozen, leaving him with goosebumps slowly rising all over his body.

Elsewhere in the battlefield, Flowsand tumbled backwards in with her back ramrod straight, streams of blood seeping out from the corner of her eyes. The Lens of Time had turned this maelstrom of an enemy into someone no faster than an ordinary powerhouse.

Richard turned around to look at the collapsing Flowsand, before looking back at Agamemnon and Nyris who could no longer stand. An abnormal flush rose on his face as electric flames leapt around him once more. This time, they were tinted a blood red.

His movements suddenly no inferior to the elf’s, he flashed to the side of the unicorn and drew his sword off its back. Another flash and he appeared next to the enemy, blade piercing towards his chest!

A scream of rage thundered through the battlefield as the spear struck back like lightning. Even restrained by Flowsand, the enemy had somehow sped up enough to match Richard in his empowered state. He had evidently activated some sort of secret skill.

Richard didn’t so much as make a peep, lips pursed tightly as stab after stab targeted the elf’s body. Each move was simple yet merciless, aiming for lethal points. He seemed to ignore any attacks that were not fatal, focusing on injuring the enemy as they traded blow for blow.

The nameless sword and the two-sided spear had turned into bundles of sparks that covered Richard and the elf. A crimson mist wafted out from between the two, a mix of their blood. It seemed like there was a meat grinder flying around within, fervently grinding at their flesh until one of them could hold on no longer. Countless injuries started to litter their bodies.

Richard grew calmer and calmer as the melee continued, eventually even showing a peaceful smile! The elf roared madly, but it contained an unconcealable fear. This opponent wouldn’t mind giving up his own life to kill him!

The elf suddenly tossed his spear towards Richard, using the moment of respite when he dodged to turn and flee into the depths of the forest!

The elven warriors and druids were all left stupefied. The child of the forest, the personification of god... Was fleeing?

It had been but a scant few minutes from the child’s arrival until he left with grievous injuries. A draconic roar cemented the failure of this ambush— Kaloh had been summoned!

Seeing the rapidly disappearing figure of the child of the forest, a trace of hesitation flashed in the eyes of grand mage Pamir. However, even as he put away his staff a graceful red figure appeared behind the enemy. Lina had teleported over!