Chapter 254: Chapter 242: Round Ring
"Damn that Undead!"
Jia Xiu cursed inwardly as he watched Van Buren’s defenses remain impenetrable, even while conversing with Roland.
He tightened his grip on the Short Blade in his hand, every detail of the fierce battle from moments ago seared into his mind.
After parting ways with Graham, the Assassin had ventured deep into this decaying Demon City alone, searching for any trace of the Witch Demon.
But no matter what means he employed—be it the Secret Techniques he prided himself on or his tracking-focused Combat Skills—he failed to detect the slightest hint of his target.
The entire city felt like a giant, empty shell. Aside from the cold Magical Guide Structures, there were no other living things.
Just as he was thinking of retreating to regroup with Graham, Van Buren’s figure had unexpectedly entered his line of sight.
He had followed him stealthily all the way here, finally discovering the mysterious Array inside the room.
But the moment he discerned the Array, his presence was also detected by Van Buren.
A battle erupted without a shred of suspense.
At first, Jia Xiu held the upper hand, relying on his ghostly, lightning-fast speed.
Van Buren was certainly experienced in combat, but his decaying body severely limited his performance.
He was forced into a defensive posture, struggling to keep up with Jia Xiu’s stormy assault. He was like a battered old doll being mercilessly ravaged.
Within just a few exchanges, his neck, heart, and abdomen had all suffered fatal wounds one after another.
If his opponent had been any ordinary living creature, such injuries would have sent it to Hell a thousand times over.
Unfortunately...
His enemy was an Undead with nearly limitless regenerative abilities.
Jia Xiu’s lips tightened as he recalled the horrifying Trait his opponent possessed—the ability to reassemble in an instant even after being sliced into several pieces.
As an Assassin, although he and a Knight were both Extraordinary Professionals, their specializations were completely different.
Stealth, speed, and one-hit-kill techniques were his Domain. But when it came to pure, destructive Power, an Assassin was far inferior to a Knight.
This made it impossible for him to use overwhelming destructive force to completely Annihilate Van Buren faster than he could regenerate.
What made things even trickier was that, unlike the Witch Demons he had encountered before, Van Buren’s close-quarters combat skills were sublime. Even Graham would likely fall short in comparison.
And so, the battle fell into a suffocating stalemate.
Unlike Van Buren, who was an Undead, Jia Xiu was ultimately a being of flesh and blood.
Maintaining such a high-intensity fighting pace for so long was draining his stamina and energy, and he was beginning to falter.
Realizing he couldn’t kill this enemy on the spot, he made a swift decision to retreat and regroup with Graham to discuss a new strategy.
However, the very instant his body twitched with the intent to withdraw from the fight, the seemingly sluggish living corpse before him caught that tiny, imperceptible opening with unbelievable acuity.
The result was...
Jia Xiu glanced down at his arm, now twisted at a grotesque angle. A bone-chilling killing intent mingled with a trace of lingering fear in his eyes.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, that arm would likely be gone by now.
Severely injured, he had considered fighting to the bitter end, but his opponent unexpectedly stopped his pursuit.
The fierce struggle abruptly cooled, turning into a cold standoff.
Van Buren’s goal seemed merely to prevent him from leaving the room, not to press the attack.
And so, the two remained at a standstill until Roland’s arrival.
"Kid..."
Jia Xiu coughed a few times, his voice hoarse.
He had heard every word of the conversation between Van Buren and Roland.
There were only moments left until the dusk Van Buren had spoken of, so he didn’t call for Roland to attack with him.
And in fact, despite having heard Graham praise the young man before him many times, the proud Assassin didn’t believe Roland’s involvement would make the fight against Van Buren any easier.
’On the contrary, he might even be a burden.’
So he simply asked.
"What’s the situation outside?"
As his voice fell, Roland didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Van Buren with an inquisitive gaze.
His thoughts were the same as Jia Xiu’s.
’Since the time he appointed is almost here, there’s no harm in waiting a bit longer.’
After all...
Jia Xiu’s battered appearance was the best proof of Van Buren’s strength.
If a fight could be avoided, Roland would be more than happy.
"Be my guest, Mr. Roland."
Noticing Roland’s glance, Van Buren simply gestured with a slight raise of his hand before turning back around and piously kneeling before the small statue.
Seeing this, Roland finally walked forward and told him everything that had happened outside in detail.
"It seems... the crisis is over..."
After quietly listening to Roland’s account, Jia Xiu let out a long sigh of relief.
His taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and an intense wave of dizziness from blood loss washed over him.
As the two were talking, the sunlight filtering through the roof had already turned orange-red, growing ever dimmer.
Van Buren silently rose from the ground.
"As promised, Mr. Roland..."
The resurrected Paladin spoke, slowly drawing the rust-spotted Longsword from his waist.
Before Roland or Jia Xiu could react, the blade had already fallen, plunging deep into the center of the Array.
"BOOM!"
With the blade as the epicenter, spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the ground until the entire area completely shattered.
The crimson markings on the Array, painted with Alchemy Materials, were all reduced to dust by the violent impact.
And as the last Array dissipated, Roland could clearly sense that the Magic Elements that had been gathered here were now released from their bonds, returning to their free, dispersed state in the air.
The immense Magic Power emanating from the distant High Tower also began to slowly recede.
"Finally... it’s over..."
Van Buren let out a low, long sigh, his tone a mixture of relief and deep loathing.
He sheathed his Longsword, turned, and gave Roland a slight bow.
"Mr. Roland, may I... ask a favor of you?"
Roland withdrew his dispersing Spiritual Power, confirmed that the revival of the Magic City Jiles was stopping, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and reply.
"Please, speak, Mr. Van Buren."
"I would like to ask you..."
Seeing that Roland didn’t refuse, the Soul Fire in Van Buren’s eye sockets flickered slightly.
With great effort, he reached out and pulled open the armor on his chest.
"To use the Sacred Artifact in your hand to pierce my heart... and let me return to eternal rest, to slumber in the embrace of the Moon Goddess..."
"The Moon Goddess?"
Roland’s brow twitched slightly.
"You’re a follower of Suren?"
"That is correct."
Van Buren nodded lightly, an imperceptible trace of remorse flashing across his withered face.
He glanced down at his own abhorrent shell and shook his head.
"As repayment..."
The Paladin slipped a silver Round Ring from his finger bone, placed it tremblingly in his palm, and slowly held it out.
"I do not know how Eli... that Desecrator, managed to drag me back to the mortal world from the Wall of Souls, but regardless... I am no longer worthy to wear this token bestowed by the Moon Goddess..."
Listening to the unconcealable grief and remorse in Van Buren’s hoarse voice, Roland said nothing more. He simply sighed softly and stepped forward.
He took the mottled Silver Ring from the other’s palm, lowered his eyes, and spoke with solemnity.
"May your soul return to the embrace of the Moon Goddess. May the silver light shine eternal and guide your way home."
The moment his voice fell, the Secret Silver Longsword shot forward.
"PSHHHT!"
A faint golden Holy Radiance, like a pure Flame, instantly engulfed Van Buren’s body.
In the blink of an eye, his massive body turned to scattering ash, leaving only a whisper echoing in the air.
"The silver light... shines eternal..."
Empowered by Spiritual Energy, Roland could observe a wisp of grayish-white spiritual matter slowly ascending.
He had just let out a sigh when he suddenly frowned and snapped his head up.
He saw the wisp of soul that had belonged to Van Buren suddenly change direction.
As if forcefully snatched away by some powerful force, it vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
