Chapter 826: Truly Awakened
Fortunately, although Lin Li was a little tempted, he decided not to rashly acquire Polar Snow and Raging Flames, because he was worried about Rodhart who had been in deep slumber. However, it was mostly also because he couldn’t bear to let go of the Natural Magical Domain formed by Polar Snow and Raging Flames. It seemed that there were also benefits to being greedy at times. Had Lin Li not been so greedy at the time, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.
Of course, even with Lin Li’s current strength, which was several times stronger than before, he didn’t find the current situation any better. Rodhart’s Eternal Frost Blade would make Lin Li feel like he was on the brink of death and break out in a cold sweat whenever he swung it.
Lin Li’s hair was drenched in sweat, and although there were no wounds on his body, he still looked rather disheveled. Every stab of Rodhart’s sword was aimed at a fatal spot. If Lin Li were to get stabbed, he would probably be close to death.
Although Lin Li managed to dodge all of Rodhart’s attacks, there were no emotions on Rodhart’s pale face. Instead, the soul fire in his eyes seemed to have solidified without any fluctuations. Rodhart did not pause in his movements at all, and he tried to stab Lin Li again after he missed. He was as quick as the flash.
It was not an exaggeration to say that his sword was as quick as lightning, and it really looked like lightning had flashed through the air in the cave. Lin Li was already tense and worried in the first place, and now he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He quickly pointed the Helios’ Scepter and put up more than 10 layers of defense in front of him. At the same time, he infused mental strength into his Domain Robe and tried to stimulate the Space Power in the robe in a bid to manipulate the space around him with all his might.
Buzz! A ray of light from the sword flashed past Lin Li’s cheeks and cut off a strand of sweat-drenched hair, after which it hit the rock wall of the cave behind. The distance between the outside world and the underground palace was unknown, but after the light penetrated the rock wall, it seemed to have formed a window in the wall, and Lin Li broke out in a cold sweat uncontrollably. He even wondered if he would become dehydrated because of the constant perspiration before he got killed by Rodhart.
Fortunately, Lin Li had the Domain Robe that was infused with the Immortal King’s Space Power. Otherwise, he would have died a long time ago. However, Lin Li knew clearly that it was impossible to guarantee his safety with the Domain Robe alone. Lin Li didn’t have much control over Space Power, and was now just trying his best to stimulate the power in the Domain Robe. He still couldn’t control the Space Power as and when he pleased. That would provide Rodhart with opportunities to attack whenever he was manipulating and warping the space within. Once Rodhart detected the Rules, Lin Li would probably be on the brink of death.
After Rodhart launched the attack, he didn’t look at the results at all, and continued to wave his Eternal Frost Blade casually. The black flames on his body that his death aura condensed into did not move at all, and there was another arc-shaped ray of light from the sword that seemed to be more than 10 meters long sweeping towards Lin Li instead.
Fortunately, Lin Li had made preparations a long time ago. He was not complacent just because he managed to dodge the sword just now. At the instant that the portion of his hair was sliced off, he had already activated the power in the Domain Robe again. Upon sight of the sword that was more than 10 meters long, Lin Li’s figure twisted before disappearing again as if he were a reflection in the water. There were now several more holes that were more than 10 meters deep in the wall.
Faced with Rodhart’s effortless attacks, Lin Li would have to try his best to deal with them, without bothering to counterattack at all. Putting aside the fact that Lin Li did not have the ability to counterattack, he wouldn’t be able to pose the slightest threat to Rodhart even if he had the chance to launch a few Legendary magic attacks.
However, in the process of dodging, Lin Li also gradually sensed that something was amiss. He had seen a Sanctuary powerhouse attacking, and although Rodhart exhibited Sanctuary-level powers, his attacks were still a little stiff and he seemed to be attacking out of instinct. That was not the point, though. The most important thing was that Lin Li, who was being attacked, had clearly felt that Rodhart’s condition was gradually changing.
At the thought of the solidified soul fire in Rodhart’s eyes, a terrifying conjecture suddenly appeared in Lin L’s mind. Could it be that Rodhart, who has forced me into desperation, has not really awakened from his sleep? The changes in Rodhart’s body that appear as the battle progresses are actually the signs of his body awakening?
Lin Li was frightened by his own thoughts. If Rodhart had yet to awaken at this moment, what would it be like once he truly woke up? In order to avoid Rodhart’s attacks, Lin Li could be considered to have given it his all. If those attacks weren’t launched with Rodhart’s fullest strength…
As the battle progressed, the terrible conjecture that Lin Li had was gradually verified too. There were obvious changes in Rodhart’s fighting style. His initial power was gradually increasing, making it harder for Lin Li to deal with them. The most obvious sign was the fact that the Domain Robe that had been helping Lin Li escape gradually became weaker at warding off Rodhart’s attacks.
At the same time, the situation in several other battles was also changing with Rodhart’s awakening. Besieging Lin Li’s subordinates, the Death Knights were no longer relying on their seamless cooperation, but had begun to use more ingenious battle tactics which caused the already disadvantaged Lin Li’s group to fall into a tougher predicament.
However, that was not the worst situation possible. Lin Li was well aware that he would truly be in a hopeless predicament once Rodhart really woke up. Besides, he could tell from the changes in Rodhart and the Death Knights that Rodhart was not far from his actual awakening. Despite knowing that the situation was getting worse, Lin Li couldn’t do anything at all at this moment. He could only hope that he and his subordinates would be able to persist on for a while.
Finally, Rodhart suddenly stopped attacking Lin Li, and instead lowered his head a little to conceal his face. He stood quietly in midair with the Eternal Frost Blade, which he was pointing diagonally toward the ground, in his hand. The red cloak on his back slowly stopped flapping in the wind, while the black flame that the death aura had condensed into gradually stopped rolling as if it had been solidified by an invisible force.
On the various areas of the battlefield, the Death Knights that were besieging Lin Li’s subordinates suddenly stopped attacking, and they raised their lances high in the air one by one and looked up at Rodhart who was in midair, seemingly paying tribute to their king with their greatest chivalry.
The battlefield fell silent in an instant, and even Lin Li and his subordinates did not take advantage of the stoppage to retaliate against the Death Knights. Of course, they didn’t do that out of respect for Rodhart or honor, but rather because they were afraid to act rashly because of the somber atmosphere.
“Hehe.” Rodhart chuckled, though it was unknown if he had done it out of contempt or self-deprecation. He hung his head low and said in a deep voice, “I’ve finally woken up. How should I thank you, anonymous kid?”
Rodhart’s voice was very soft, but it seemed to be exceptionally clear in this silent battlefield. Although Lin Li already knew what was happening, he still felt a little freaked out when he heard it straight from Rodhart’s mouth, and cold chills were sent from his feet to the top of his head uncontrollably.
Lin Li did not answer Rodhart, because he knew that Rodhart was just asking a rhetorical question. Instead, he paid attention to Rodhart’s actions.
“Hahahaha!” Rodhart raised his head and guffawed loudly all of a sudden while the solidified black flames around him also seemed to have come alive all of a sudden and become 100 times more violent.
Lin Li, who was the closest to Rodhart, almost fell from the air at the instant that he felt the violent aura. Lin Li then regained his balance and held the Helios’ Scepter tightly while looking at Rodhart who was going mad. However, he dared not let his guard down.
After laughing maniacally for a long time, Rodhart gradually stopped, but he loudly sneered, “What a joke. My dearest Brother, were you so silly to think that I would feel guilty and remorseful for the lives of those insignificant figures!?! Ever since I stepped onto this path, those tiny ants could only become the stepping stones for me to reach the top. That’s all that their lives are worth!”
After Rodhart became the Retribution Knight, he led the Death Knights on a massacre in the Breezy Plains, which reduced the population of the region by a third. Although there wasn’t a huge population in the Breezy Plains at that time, there were still more than 100,000 casualties. That was probably the number of people Rodhart had killed. With the souls of those people, he entered the Sanctuary-realm and became the first Sanctuary-level Retribution Knight in the history of Anril.
Lin Li could tell from Rodhart’s words that Willen did not completely purify Rodhart at the beginning, probably because he was blinded by his false repentance. In fact, Willen was not to blame, since they were brothers after all, and since he saw a glimmer of hope, he definitely wouldn’t be willing to kill his brother with his own hands.
However, the problem was that Rodhart didn’t care about brotherhood at all, unlike Willen. How unfair! Although Lin Li could understand the prophet Willen’s plight and reasons, he still felt resentful towards him.
After venting his frustration, Rodhart seemed to have returned to normal. After uttering something in an inaudible voice, he finally shifted his gaze back onto Lin Li and said, “How should I thank you? Why don’t you let your soul live forever with my soul fire?”
Lin Li had long known that it was impossible for there to be harmony and kindness between him and Retribution Knight. Hence, he was not surprised by Rodhart’s words at all. Although Rodhart’s murmurs were in the language of the High Elves and were almost inaudible, Lin Li was still greatly taken aback. The Retribution Knight who had yet to experience the Dark Age was actually cursing the Immortal King!
Before Lin Li could figure out what was going on, Rodhart had already raised the Eternal Frost Blade in his hand, and his figure flashed a little before he pierced Lin Li’s heart with his sword. At the same time that Rodhart stabbed Lin Li, the Death Knights on the battlefield also put down their lances and bombarded Lin Li and company vigorously.
This time, it was very different from before. After Rodhart really awakened, those Death Knights seemed to have become several times stronger. Their battle formations were more flexible, their tactics were smarter, and even the strength of each individual Death Knight improved tremendously. Under the siege of the Death Knights, everyone slipped into actual desperation while struggling painstakingly. It was as if they were constantly having a close shave with death.
There were more and more obvious wounds on the large body of the red Humerus Wyrm, and even its strong defense could not stop the sharp lances of the Death Knights. The red Humerus Wyrm immediately spat out some blazing dragon breath, but the two Death Knights who were the first to bear the brunt of it immediately emanated a thick cloud of black fog. They then rushed out of the black fog with their lances and pierced straight at the eye sockets of the red Humerus Wyrm, which were burning with soul fire.
The dragon breath of red Humerus Wyrm was actually not inferior to Legendary magic, but its attacks were blocked by the two Death Knights. Actually, it was not just the dragon breath.The red Humerus Wyrm was also not inferior to the real wyrms. Be it its highly destructive claws that could rip the earth apart, or its tail that could destroy mountains, they were less powerful when facing the Death Knights.
It was undeniable that the Death Knights were extremely good at defending against offensive spells, especially with the support from the Retribution Knight, Rodhart. They could have used some strong attacks to force the Death Knights to retreat in exchange for a chance to catch their breath. However, after Rodhart really woke up, the attacks had almost lost all their effects. They could not break the enemy’s defense at all. One could only imagine their predicament.
Ujfalusi’s Tide of Death would be able to summon an infinite army of Undead creatures as long as his mana was not exhausted. With his current strength, the huge amount of mana would be enough to support the Tide of Death for several days and nights without any reduction at all. However, the terrifying army of Undead creatures was simply weak and pathetic. The three Death Knights formed a simple triangular battle formation and bulldozed their way through while launching their attacks. They actually arrived in front of the vortex in the blink of an eye, and stirred up the Tide of Death.
Seeing the Tide of Death’s state, Ujfalusi was helpless and at a loss for what to do even though he was extremely anxious. Riding the red Humerus Wyrm, he focused all of his energy on dealing with the Death Knights’ attacks. The Humerus Wyrm was also covered in welts and wounds caused by the erosion of Darkness and the lances.