Chapter 129 Chapter 129-Phoenix of Rebirth
Scrolls differ from skills; they require no channeling or guiding.
Once activated and thrown, their effects are triggered instantaneously.
Thus, before Howard and his companions could make their getaway, a series of brownish-yellow walls, wholly conjured from Geo energy, materialized before them.
Everyone except Athena and Wales was immediately blocked by the Geo-created barricade.
They collided head-on, left dizzy and almost toppling to the ground.
Howard, yanked forward by Wales, managed to shatter the Geo wall before him.
However, Athena was not about to abandon the group of archers and magi.
She swiftly turned around, her long sword dancing in her hands, unleashing a surge of roaring flames that sought to engulf the Geo walls.
Regrettably, Geo counters Pyro.
Furthermore, these Geo walls were the combined result of dozens of scrolls, each imbued with a power no less formidable than Athena's fiery blade.
Thus, instead of being incinerated to ashes, the walls only grew more solid.
"I've got this!"
Realizing that Athena's Pyro skills were ineffective, Wales stepped in without hesitation.
He stomped the ground, releasing a mysterious strength that swept through the area.
Purple light descended, bathing the entire vicinity.
In the next moment, everything — the lush trees, the brownish-yellow walls, even the monsters and the spectators in the sky — was enveloped in a purple glow.
Columns of light in various colors began to coalesce from within them, swiftly converging upon Wales himself.
The trees withered, the brownish-yellow walls crumbled, and numerous monsters — including the Dragonhawks in the sky and the pursuers riding them — had their flesh rapidly drained away, leaving them desiccated and shriveled.
In stark contrast, the aura within Wales surged frenetically.
"Death Devour!"
At Wales' cold shout, mysterious purple threads instantly wrapped around the Dragonhawks and the pursuers in the air.
In just two breaths' time, they all plummeted to the ground, devoid of any strength to resist.
When the purple threads finally dissipated, they revealed nothing but stark white skeletons.
Wales' aura subsided, yet his eyes sparkled with a bright intensity.
Seeing this spectacle, not just Howard, but also the group of archers and magi were struck by fear.
The power Wales displayed was excessively bizarre!
In just a few breaths, he had turned a group of living beings into bare bones, bringing about their direct demise.
He could wither trees and extract the life essence between heaven and earth, which was simply unbelievable.
This was certainly not a conventional way of fighting!
Only Athena, with her extensive knowledge and experience, was not frightened, though she too expressed her astonishment: "This... What a bizarre skill! You can actually absorb their flesh to enhance your physique and even boost your soul power! Such skills harm the natural order. I advise you to use them sparingly."
"I don't need your concern for that," Wales said, completely unconcerned by Athena's words, and turned to Howard with a chuckle, "Little guy, don't look at me with those eyes. In a world where the strong prey upon the weak, as long as you emerge as the ultimate victor, any method you use to win is acceptable."
Hearing Wales' words, Howard couldn't help but frown slightly.
He wondered whether the people inside the Holy Abyss Academy were aware that Wales possessed such means.
After all, Wales' method was eerily reminiscent of a villain, or even the final boss in a story!
Being treated kindly by such a person made Howard inherently anxious.
Is this guy being nice to me with some ulterior motive?
"Let's hurry up and go." Athena, realizing this wasn't the time for discussion, immediately signaled for the group to leave.
However, their pursuers had already caught up!
"Ha-ha-ha!"
With a hearty laughter resounding through the air, figures broke through the sky, floating in mid-air without any mounts, a clear sign of their formidable strength.
Behind them, thousands more surged forward from different directions, all armed with scrolls or some special artifacts.
Seeing this, Athena's gaze turned incredibly solemn.
"Shelley, this is as far as you go! You, who have abandoned your team, won't have a chance to escape this time!"
The leader of the pursuers was a burly man, bare-chested with gloves on his fists, and his body covered in dense hair.
With a beard and an explosive hairstyle, he looked like a bear.
Upon seeing him, Wales' face changed slightly as he exclaimed, "Raging Bear Nurbaski! A powerhouse from Glacier City, on the same level as Daniel! With such a high-level expert here... how can we possibly escape?"
His eyes darting around, Wales immediately whispered to Howard, "If things get impossible, use the item Daniel gave you and run. Don't even think about any other options!"
"..."
Hearing this, Howard nodded. He knew that facing an opponent of this caliber, he currently stood no chance at all.
Athena surveyed her surroundings, noting that the incoming people had completely surrounded them, and couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected that we would encounter such bizarre monsters on our way, drawing you all here."
She didn't blame Wales, recognizing that the route he had chosen was indeed perfect and had successfully avoided all pursuers.
Unfortunately, their luck was extraordinarily bad.
They ran into monsters immune to all but Pyro attacks, leaving them unable to flee and forced to resort to fire attacks.
Though there was still a glimmer of hope for escape, continuous encounters with monsters – albeit not particularly strong ones – slowed their pace significantly.
And so, they were caught.
"It seems that even God is on our side," Nurbaski said with a grin. "Shelley, hand over the item and I might spare your life. Otherwise... the Alliance might just lose a powerhouse today!"
Witnessing the exchange between Nurbaski and Athena, Wales quietly pulled Howard back, moving to the side to avoid getting caught up in the ensuing battle.
Indeed, the situation unfolded just as Wales had predicted.
Determined to protect the item, Athena paid a hefty price, and there was no way she would hand it over that easily.
A battle was inevitable.
With a single step forward, Athena's long sword burst into flames, transforming into a suit of fiery red armor that enveloped her body in an instant.
In just two breaths' time, Athena, as seen through Howard's eyes, had transformed into a valiant warrior.
The fiery red armor was adorned with patterns of several fire phoenixes, and an intense heat and formidable aura emanated from Athena's body.
Upon witnessing this spectacle, Wales finally confirmed Athena's identity and couldn't help but whisper, "No wonder she is so powerful, attracting so many formidable beings. Turns out she is Selley Chan, the Phoenix of Rebirth from fifty years ago!"
"Shelley Chan?"
Howard, caught off guard by this peculiar name, displayed a confused expression.
Wales immediately explained, "In the past, before the Alliance was fully integrated, people from each kingdom had their own distinctive naming conventions. Names in Crimson Dragon City, for instance, were rather straightforward, like the great general from before, Dragon Chan. However, as time has progressed, the customs, habits, and even the naming conventions of people from various cities have started to blend together."
Hearing this explanation, Howard came to understand.
Shelley Chan must be a descendant of Dragon Chan!
Dragon Chan was a figure of great renown throughout history, and it was clear that Shelley's status within Crimson Dragon City must be extraordinary as well.
This realization caused Howard's brows to furrow even more, as he became increasingly convinced that the item Shelley was escorting was of paramount importance.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Alliance to pursue a descendant of a meritorious figure with such relentless vigor across such vast distances—not just thousands, but tens of thousands of miles.
Wales and Howard recognized Shelley's identity, but the group of pursuers had already been well aware of it.
Seeing that Shelley had entered a combat stance, they didn't hesitate any longer, launching their attacks toward her in a flurry.
Boom—
Fiery flames erupted as Shelley Chan soared straight into the sky, engaging in an intense battle with Nurbaski, Solyes, and a host of other formidable fighters.
Skills imbued with various elemental lights burst forth, instantly shrouding the entire battlefield, rendering everything unclear.
Howard could only make out dozens of figures constantly intertwining and colliding with each other.
Every collision was accompanied by the resonant clanging of metal, and the burst of elemental properties released terrifying pressure, causing Howard's breathing to quicken.
Meanwhile, the pursuers who had converged from all directions also encircled Howard and the others, launching their offensive without holding back.
Leading the charge were shield bearers and warriors, clad in armor and wielding shields, advancing in a neat and orderly formation.
The archers were the first to react.
Seeing the shield bearers charging forward with their shields raised, they immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows.
As the light flickered, a multitude of feathered arrows whistled through the air, blanketing the sky.
However, even with the enhancement of skills, it was no easy task for the arrows to penetrate the shields or armor and inflict damage on the person beneath.
Only a few unlucky individuals, after being struck repeatedly in the same spot, would have their armor breached, allowing an arrow to pierce into their bodies and bring them crashing to the ground.
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