Azure Scepter

Page 71

Upon realizing this, the barbarian woman giggled happily.

Suddenly, Jia Erbei's smile vanished as she recalled her recent encounter—it seemed that she had initially viewed that incredibly powerful paladin in the same way.

“That wasn’t my fault,” Jia Erbei muttered to herself. “Who would have thought that a paladin who seemed to rely on women could be so powerful? Radiance, I also want to use that dazzling Holy Slash, one strike at a time! Noble conduct! A true warrior!”

The earth gnome, Jorah, silently pursed his lips. He was already used to the barbarian woman's occasional incoherent mutterings—since reconciling with the old mage, he found himself becoming much more tolerant of many things he used to find objectionable.

Suddenly, the barbarian woman, Jia Erbei, fell silent. She vaguely sensed someone watching her. Following her intuition, she looked towards the carriage and, through the glass, vaguely saw a blurry figure.

She frowned. According to the customs of the Great Swamp, if a stranger stares at someone without greeting them, it is considered a provocation—because generally, uncontrolled undead would also stare at the living in the same way.

Jiaerbei let out a soft breath, suppressing her dissatisfaction. She knew that customs varied from region to region, and besides, it was better to avoid trouble. The nobles of the Kingdom of Orco were always arrogant and xenophobic, so it was best not to provoke them.

She shouted to herself in her heart, "Jalbee! Don't get angry at that weak pedophile, it's ridiculous! That skinny skeleton sitting in the car must be here to see the halfling dancer performance, that perverted pedophile!"

However, at that very moment, the carriage doors were opened.

A figure that looked very familiar jumped out of the carriage.

"Good evening." The man waved. "What a coincidence."

Jia Erbei was instantly stunned—the person sitting in the carriage seemed to be that powerful and noble paladin...

She instantly felt her face burning hot, as if a zombie had pressed a branding iron onto her face. At that moment, the intense shame made Jia Erbei wish she could find a hole in the ground and jump into the Dark Underworld.

Jia Erbei immediately blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

This was a direct hit to the heart of the matter. The barbarian woman's inexplicable apology interrupted Trier's prepared explanation, leaving the transmigrator momentarily bewildered. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the barbarian woman not far away, whose muscles were as bulging as ancient tree roots, nearly three meters tall, with a low nose bridge and a flushed face.

Chapter 142 Elves and Princesses (Part Two)

"Shut up!" The judge couldn't hold back any longer. He slapped the barbarian woman on the shoulder, raindrops splashing everywhere, and her bones creaked under the weight. "Stop fooling around."

Immediately, the barbarian woman clenched her teeth in pain, mumbled a couple of times, and then glared angrily at the judge.

"Noy, do you know why she suddenly apologized?" Trier couldn't understand the barbarian woman's strange behavior, so he asked Noy in his mind.

The nun chuckled inwardly, her ethereal voice carrying a hint of teasing: "She's definitely cursing you in her heart. She's blushing because she was caught red-handed."

Undoubtedly, Noy's speculation was malicious. But after a moment's thought, Trier had to admit that Noy's statement made a lot of sense. He shook his head, dispelling the irrelevant thoughts, and returned to his original statement.

He planned to ask the other person their destination.

However, just as Trier was about to speak, the judge preemptively said, "May the radiance shine on your blade. Your Excellency Trier, we need to go to the Upper City to find Granny Lor of the Survey Team. She is the Survey Team's court mage, but it is already late, and Dragon's Kiss Pass leading to the Upper City should be closed. I wonder if you could deign to lead us through?"

“Of course, no problem,” Trier replied casually.

Horses neighed and galloped, carriages sped by, wheels rolling over the gray stone pavement, splashing murky water, withered flowers floating in the water falling into the wheel hubs, and then being completely crushed by the spinning gears.

Trier sat on the soft cushions, the muffled sound of rain overhead and the warm, soft fur cushion beneath him bringing a sense of leisurely comfort. He rested his chin on his left hand and listened quietly to the conversation between the coachman and the judge outside the carriage.

Through the carved nanmu wood planks and the heavy black mink curtains, faint chatter drifted in.

The previously silent vampire coachman suddenly became talkative, engaging in a lively conversation with the judge. Despite the torrential rain, the raindrops seemed to have no effect on his enthusiasm for the conversation.

Trier quickly grasped the situation completely.

—The coachman was indeed a vampire, and he and the judge were transformed by the same elven vampire lord, so the two were acquainted.

The elven vampire lord was extremely cruel and brutal. Because the Inquisitor refused to obey the lord's order to slaughter children and fill buckets with their blood, he was impaled on twelve silver-plated spikes and bound to the top of the fortress tower for thirteen years. The Inquisitor thought he was doomed, but after a long period of suffering and torment, one night, the terrifying vampire lord suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

That incredibly powerful elven vampire vanished completely, like thin ice under the warm early winter sun. Along with her, all the vampire offspring and vampires in the gloomy fortress also disappeared.

The judge, who was hanging at the top of the tower, escaped death by chance, while the coachman, who had already fled to the Church of Radiance, was also spared from being killed.

"We survived because of the radiance," the coachman said, his voice filled with fervor and unwavering conviction. "So, although the situation doesn't look good right now, as long as we hold firm to our beliefs..."

“The situation has nothing to do with me. I just want a decent job and to live a good life, that’s all,” the judge interrupted curtly.

A brief silence fell outside the carriage, when suddenly, an idea flashed through Trier's mind like lightning.

—It is known that the Elf Vampire Lord was very strong, and that he was killed by himself in his previous life; it is also known that creating a hanging corpse requires the deceased to have high combat power in life; and it is known that the Inquisitor's attitude towards the hanging corpse in the underground laboratory is very strange.

Trier tapped the armrest lightly with his index finger knuckle, revealing the hanged corpse's true identity: it was created by stitching together the remains and soul of an elven vampire lord.

"No wonder that hanging corpse was so fierce, its movements were so fast it was like a frame rate drop." Trier thought to himself, glancing sideways at the Star Tower that was faintly visible in the rain. "Anyway, it will still take some time to get to Dragon's Kiss Pass, so why not check on the hanging corpse and Futia first, take a short rest, and observe what the Princess is really like."

The transmigrator yawned, then closed his eyes and refocused his consciousness on the Mystic Eye.

The next moment, the transmigrator, who had intended to relax, suddenly straightened his back and unconsciously crushed the armrest with his fingers.

"Click."

"Crack!"

The blade flashed fiercely, and blood spurted out like a fountain as the severed neck was cut off. The head spun and crashed into the white marble pillar of the corridor!

"Crack!" The scarlet skin covered with whitish fascia burst open instantly, the withered, yellowed skull shattered in two, and the eyeballs connected to the optic nerve bundles were torn off. Thick red mucus mixed with turbid blood spurted out, and the stone pillar hissed as if it were being corroded by strong acid.

—It is the vanguard of evil, the terrifying demon.

The headless corpse crashed to the ground, and amidst the blood mist, Futia gracefully passed by, blood droplets splashing onto her fair cheeks and golden eyelashes. She squinted slightly, her azure eyes reflecting the demonic blasphemous mark on the beautiful boy's scalp.

The blasphemous mark was radiating an unclean crimson light. The beautiful boy's veins bulged and his eyes bulged out. He writhed and rolled in the blood and rain like a maggot, screaming in agony as if he were being tortured by branding.

After hesitating for a moment, Futia ultimately decided against killing him.

“Silence, ignore him, come with me to ring the alarm!” Futia shouted, turning her head.

The torrential rain had turned the once elegant noble courtyard into a scene of devastation. The golden irises in the flowerbeds had withered and fallen, and countless scarlet lights flickered in the darkness. Countless demons clashed with the soldiers and knights guarding the courtyard like a tidal wave.

Screams, roars, and the sounds of limbs being torn apart mingled together amidst the deafening thunder.

"Boom!"

In the center of the courtyard, the marble statue of the Duke still gazes intently, his scepter pointing directly at the pure white Star Tower.

Fytia's pointed ears perked up suddenly, and she instinctively bent over and rolled over. Then, the sharp, shrill sound of the whip breaking the sound barrier suddenly exploded in her ears.

The next moment, the towering statue of the duke, along with the knights and demons fighting below, exploded into countless fragments. Rocks, pieces of flesh, and the remaining flagpole flew out like exploding meteors, and scorching flames clung to all the fragments before crashing into the rain.

Heavy fragments fell to the ground, and the scorching, bewitching purple flames were embedded in the puddles, resembling the twisted and waving hands of the dead. Even as the rain rolled down, the clusters of flames burned even more fiercely.

As her gaze passed over the shattered Duke statue, Fythia's pupils contracted sharply, and all the muscles in her body tensed instantly.

She detected a pungent sulfurous odor in the blood.

In the darkness, a massive and twisted figure suddenly pierced through the rain. The rainwater boiled and evaporated before it even got close. Electromagnetic disturbances swirled around it, and space itself seemed to distort. Eerie purple flames, like a cloak, shot out from its rampant muscles, creating a beautiful yet terrifying sight.

A blood-stained, blazing bladed whip; a heavy, ancient decapitation sword; fiery crimson eyes; and flickering purple flames that shimmered across the sky.

Fatiah was completely speechless. It was Balor the Fire Demon!

Before she could recover from the shock, she suddenly heard the sound of flesh writhing and cracking behind her. Futia instinctively turned her head and saw six dazzling, long sparks suddenly slashing towards her!

—The Six-Armed Serpent Demon!

Chapter 143 Elves and Princesses (Part 3)

The six-armed serpent demons are born from the souls of powerful mortals consumed by pride and arrogance. They are among the most dangerous demons, protected by tough, slippery scales that are even more effective than plate armor. Warriors who are not strong enough will find it difficult to break through their defenses even with a full-force attack.

The six-armed serpent demon has a serpentine lower body, but its upper body is that of a woman, with a woman's head and six extremely powerful arms.

—Where did this six-armed snake demon come from?!

There's no way to dodge it, we have to launch a preemptive strike!

In a flash, Futia moved forward instead of retreating. She suddenly pushed off the ground with her left foot and lunged forward, throwing her left-hand scimitar fiercely at the eyeball of the six-armed serpent demon.

The six dazzling sparks suddenly went out, and the six-armed serpent demon seemed to have no intention of trading injury for life. It writhed and snaked like a giant, muscular dragon, and in an instant, the six-armed serpent demon went from stillness to motion. It suddenly turned and swept its tail, the thick tail sweeping away the scimitar with a vicious wind, and then crushing towards the tiny Futia.

Futia hastily deflected with her remaining scimitar, but the moment it made contact, a tremendous force surged into her. She quickly let go and stepped back to dissipate the force, but was blasted into the face of the six-armed serpent demon.

"Pfft!"

The heavy scimitar flew out of his hand, swept away by the snake's tail with lightning speed. The scimitar was blown away as soon as the monstrous demon turned its head to the side, and it exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Futia hurriedly pushed herself up, but before she could even stand up straight, a cold, heavy sword blade suddenly slashed towards her shoulder. She instinctively turned her head and barely dodged it, but then another sharp thrust came straight at her face.

The six-armed serpent possesses immense magical power and is a true master swordsman. All its attacks are fierce and deadly; if it even grazes the edge, Futia will be instantly reduced to a pile of elven flesh.

The elf lunged forward, dodging the thrust once again in an extremely sloppy manner.

At this moment, she was very close to the upper body of the six-armed serpent demon. Although she had no weapon in her hand, Futia still managed to quickly glance at the six-armed serpent demon by the light of the fire.

The six-armed serpent demon narrowed its vertical pupils, and the bewitching purple flames reflected on its naked, voluptuous, milky-white body like a graceful veil. In stark contrast were its well-defined muscles and distinct muscle groups in its arms, each of which held an ultimate greatsword as large as a person.

Each greatsword exuded a chilling stench of blood and sulfur, and each sharp blade reflected Fythia's pale face.

The next moment, the six-armed serpent demon swiftly raised its three left hands, while the three greatswords on its right hung low to the ground—it seemed to intend to use the three greatswords on its left to sweep the outer circle, while its right hand used the hilt of the sword covered with ferocious spikes to sweep the inner circle.

Once it's launched, Futia will have no way to avoid it.

"Crench!"

The grotesque muscles of the snake's body writhed and moved, its bones creaking. The six-armed snake demon suddenly straightened its body, and an invisible sword aura gathered like thunder brewing in a storm, as if it would shred Futia into pieces in the next moment.

The power traveled along the spine and instantly reached the blade, causing the air to seem to subtly distort.

The next moment, Futia charged forward again, grabbing her right hand and slamming her fair and slender fingers onto one of the six-armed serpent demon's right wrists. Then, she sharply tapped her fingers inward.

With a crisp crack, the six-armed serpent demon's hand bones broke instantly.

The elven ranger took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. She stomped her feet and twisted her waist, the force reaching her heels. Instantly, a shocking crack appeared in the corridor floor, marble shards flying everywhere, tearing through Futia's deerskin boots and leaving deep, bone-revealing bloodstains.

The six-armed serpent demon's sword momentum, which had reached its limit, suddenly stopped. Its massive, heavy serpentine body suddenly rose uncontrollably into the air and crashed straight into the center of the courtyard where the fierce battle was taking place.

It was thrown away by the equally powerful Futia!

Fatiya gritted her teeth, ignoring the excruciating pain in her calves, and quickly pulled out a longbow and enchanted arrows from behind her back. Without even looking, she relied solely on her instincts as a ranger to draw the longbow to its full extent and then fired an arrow.

"boom!"

The sound of the sonic boom instantly drowned out the noise of the battlefield.

The blind-fired arrow was headed straight for the six-armed serpent demon's face, but at the last moment, the six-armed serpent demon twisted with difficulty. The violent wind and waves, like dull blades, tore up a piece of flesh and blood, but it managed to dodge it.

The arrow that unleashed the sonic boom cloud flew straight into the distant darkness. In the distance, a bewitching demon had just reached out and grabbed a fleeing maid, intending to feast on her, but was instantly blown apart by an arrow.

Futia suddenly raised her head, her azure eyes fixed on the six-armed serpent demon's vertical pupils. She abruptly reached behind her, and in the next instant, three arrows appeared between her fingers. Then, Futia suddenly crouched forward, nocked the arrow, and aimed.

In a flash, Fythia drew her bow and released an arrow, her fingers moving so fast they were almost a blur.

"Bang!" The first arrow struck the hilt of the greatsword, shattering it and causing it to slip from his hand.

"Crack!" The second arrow struck the arm that was not protected by the greatsword, and the arm, covered with tough scales, exploded in two.

The six-armed serpent demon's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, and it tried to turn its other greatswords to protect its vitals, but it was too late.

"Boom!" The third arrow followed closely, piercing the chest directly. Flesh and blood spurted backward, the spine was broken, and the six-armed serpent demon's head, filled with shock, spiraled up with a pillar of blood.

Futia was not satisfied. Her gaze sharpened like a hawk's, and she drew a fourth arrow, blasting the head apart mid-air. After doing all this, the elf gracefully stepped back to the left, gently dodging the three greatswords thrown by the six-armed serpent demon before its death.

"Clang clang clang!" The pillars of the connecting corridor were smashed by the giant sword, and a sudden downpour poured into the corridor.

Fythia breathed heavily, relieved. Only then did she notice that the cultist boy had vanished—where he should have been was now just a pool of bursting flesh and ribs, as if the six-armed snake demon had crawled out of the boy's body.

"Why are there so many demons here?" Futia shook her groggy head, trying to recall what had just happened.

At first, she simply followed the guards of Dragon's Kiss Pass through the fortress and into the Upper City, which was built on a steep cliff. She wanted to go to the Star Tower at the top of the mountain to find Princess Edith, so she climbed the Emerald Wheel Stairs and arrived at the Earl's Courtyard.

Everything was normal until suddenly a gaunt knight on guard shouted, "Seize that elf! She carries the scent of my lord, the vessel of his offspring!" Then, countless demons seemed to appear out of thin air and, together with the defecting knights, launched a surprise attack on the other unsuspecting guards.

Fythia shook her head. She knew this wasn't the time to let her imagination run wild; she should sound the alarm as soon as possible.

"Fodia, well done." She tried to find joy in her predicament, praising herself in her heart. "After so much training, your abilities have improved. As long as you can survive, you can become even better."

Futia couldn't help but smile, but the next moment her eyes widened suddenly, and she gasped in pain.

Pain, excruciating pain—her injured left calf felt as if it were being slowly sawed off with a blade, and she couldn't exert any strength at all.

"The tendon is ruptured, and the bone is probably broken too. Let's stop the bleeding first," Futia muttered to herself.

But the next moment, she suddenly heard Trier shouting in her ear: "Fodia, get down! Get down!"

Fythia was startled, but she did as she was told. Ignoring the excruciating pain, she lunged forward, glancing ahead out of the corner of her eye.

The incredibly powerful Balrog had somehow already set its sights on him, its cold yet fiery eyes staring straight at him! Moreover, a tiny yet extremely bright fireball was condensing in its left hand, which held the whip.

The elf's hair stood on end.

Fythia was very familiar with that kind of fireball—her mother used it all the time! It was a genuine high-level spell, enough to vaporize everything within its range with just one shot!

The next instant, Balor the Balrog lashed out with his whip, unleashing a fireball.

The fireball seemed to fly by lightly, but in reality, it was extremely fast, and with her leg severely torn, she had no way to avoid it!

"Perhaps I shouldn't be so stubborn anymore; I should take the initiative." Looking at the rapidly approaching fireball, Fythia felt despair, but the elf did not give up. She picked up her scimitar and hurled it at the fireball, then struggled to climb behind the rubble of the corridor pillars.