Chapter 964: A Shifting Blame, Windstorm Ultimate Style
As Ranazera became lost in her thoughts and Aurelius celebrated his victory, a tiny crack formed in the earth under the Prime Eques' feet.
In the blink of an eye, the crack expanded as a sinkhole a little more than one meter in diameter opened.
Although he was caught off guard, Aurelius reacted quickly and jumped away from the sinkhole just before it could drag him in.
Woosh! Woosh!
Just as Aurelius' feet were about to touch the ground, several sharp spikes of earth rose up.
Aurelius slashed forward with his sword and destroyed the earth spikes. But it did not end there as the earth around the Prime Eques turned restless.
The following moment, the earth engulfed Aurelius in a sphere-like structure that was roughly three meters tall.
Crrrack!
All of a sudden, a hole opened in the earth a few steps away from the sphere that trapped Aurelius.
Not long after its appearance, a figure emerged as the hole closed behind him upon exit. This person was, of course, Izroth.
'The sword intent behind that last attack wasn't too bad. But, as I thought—it's still not enough.'
A few moments ago, when Aurelius used the Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, right before the attacks could reach him, Izroth used the Molding Earth skill to burrow underground.
He also launched a series of attacks against Aurelius, such as the sinkhole, earth spikes, and the sphere of earth.
'Real combat application of magic is indeed different from simply digging tunnels. The flow of mana is more chaotic whenever I attempt to go outside the skill's parameters that are set by the system. It also explains a few other things I've found a bit unusual. Interesting...'
In RML, Izroth found that magic worked on a similar yet vastly different principle from techniques that originated from the Seven Realms. It would certainly explain why sometimes, when he created skills in RML, while similar to their Seven Realms counterpart, would differ in some areas.
Initially, Izroth thought it was just the system's unique way of balancing things. However, it turned out that the system was using the standards of magic and working backward from there to decipher the skills he created. Or, at least, this was the theory that Izroth had managed to come up with.
BOOM!
The sphere of earth Izroth used to confine Aurelius was split apart before being blown into every direction by a power explosive-like force.
Aurelius' expression darkened as he stared at Izroth with a cold gaze.
A few moments ago, he was confident that person's presence had completely vanished from this place. So then, how could they be standing before him without a single scratch?!
What Aurelius did not know was that his own senses did not fail him. Rather, it had to do with an item Izroth utilized, the Obsconis Hunting Dagger.
Izroth used the Obsconis Hunting Dagger's active skill, Dark Ambush. This significantly reduced his presence for one minute and made it impossible for Aurelius to detect him after the aftermath of such a large-scale attack.
Aurelius tightened his grip on the sword in his hands. No one had ever survived the combination of his Storming Bulwark, Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser, and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, let alone escaped unharmed.
No, that was not quite accurate. There was one other person who managed to do so every year for the past four years at the Tempest annual tournament. But, whenever he was reminded of that person, Aurelius felt like razing the earth to the ground out of sheer rage.
There was already one person who humiliated him and the Windstorm family every year. How could he stand to allow another such person to exist? What pride would he have left as the young lord of the Windstorm family?!
"This time, I'll make sure you stay buried!" Aurelius threatened in a cold voice as the aura around him exploded, unlike anything he'd previously displayed.
'Oh? That's...'
Izroth carefully observed the change in Aurelius' aura and immediately discovered something out of the ordinary.
At the same time, those who watched the events unfold could not believe their eyes. That guy—how could he still be alive after receiving an attack like that?!
"Hey... Is it really okay...? Shouldn't we help the Prime Eques?" One of the soldiers said nervously.
Aurelius was a member of the Windstorm family. If anything happened to him while they were present, would not the Windstorm family seek answers from them and their families? Or, perhaps even worse, they would end up buried alongside Aurelius!
But, they were also well aware of Aurelius' character. Since he had given the order not to interfere, if they made a move, they would undoubtedly be punished for disobeying his command. And, more likely than not, that punishment would lead to their death. It was a situation where, either way, they lost!
That's when the gaze of the soldiers fell on Vincent.
That's right! If it were Vincent, who had been with Aurelius the longest, perhaps the Prime Eques would listen to his words.
"Hey, Vincent, shouldn't we step in to help the young lord? All you have to do is give the order." One of the soldiers stated eagerly.
"Y-yeah, that's right. Just give us the order, and we'll help the young lord immediately." Another soldier chimed in.
It did not take long for almost all the soldiers present to urge Vincent to take action.
However, the more they spoke, the darker Vincent's expression became as a look of disgust appeared in his eyes.
Naturally, Vincent saw through their intentions. They only wanted him to give the orders so that if anything went wrong, all the blame could be shifted to him.
Now, whether he gave the order or not, depending on the end result, those soldiers would say how they urged him to take action, yet he failed or ignored their advice.
But Vincent could only inwardly sigh. No matter how two-faced these soldiers were, they came from esteemed families in the Tempest kingdom.
Even though he hated to admit it, they were right.
"A big incident cannot afford to take place here in the midst of a great war. If the young lord chooses to punish me for my actions... So be it. As long as the princess and the young lord can return home safely, the price does not matter." Vincent thought to himself.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves for battle! We are going to assist the young lord!" Vincent commanded as he drew his weapon with a stern look on his face.
After Vincent gave the order, the soldiers also followed his actions and unsheathed their weapons as they readied themselves to join the battle.
Meanwhile, as those under Aurelius prepared to throw themselves into the fray, Ranazera was currently in a state of shock.
The destruction caused by that last attack was not something a Captain from any unit of the Amaharpe forces could survive, let alone one from the General Support Unit.
"I thought he was someone who specializes in speed. Then, he uses earth magic like a trained earth magic caster. Following that, he also performed a set of sword skills that were strong enough to overwhelm the Windstorm Sword Styles—a sword set that ranks among the top 25 sword techniques in the world. This person... Second brother, just what kind of person did you place your trust in when your final moment arrived?" Ranazera thought to herself.
At this point, the sixth princess did not know what to think of Izroth. Needless to say, she had not forgiven him for capturing her; however, the actions he took weighed heavily on her mind.
Ranazera's gaze locked onto Izroth and Aurelius in the distance.
The results of this fight would determine whether or not she could return home to Tempest. But, for some reason, all Ranazera could think about was the fate that awaited her upon her return.
Meanwhile, the conflict between Izroth and Aurelius seemed to escalate to another level.
In a flash, the energy around Aurelius had increased severalfold and reached a frightening degree.
"Originally, I was planning to save this for that bastard at the annual tournament. But... I decided to make an exception and test it out on you first. You should feel honored." Aurelius proclaimed proudly.
He then continued, "This is the ultimate technique that I have developed and shall be passed down to future generations of the Windstorm family. It will be a mark permanently left in the history books of the Tempest kingdom!"
Zeeeut!
Without warning, Aurelius vanished from where he stood as the energy around him materialized and took the shape of a mighty ancient roc!
Shrieeeeeek!
The ancient roc released a shrilling cry and seemed to reach into the depths of one's soul as it towered overhead.
"Windstorm Ultimate Style: Great Roc Wing Beat."
Shrieeeeek! Woosh!
The moment Aurelius uttered those words, the ancient roc flapped its massive wings as an incredible amount of sword intent poured forth!