Chapter 681: Between Light & Light (XIX)

The tense situation on the battlefield left the crowd breathless. Only about a minute had passed but the situation on the battlefield had taken earth-shaking changes. The Magician Knights were indeed the elites of elites. They didn't panic to the heavy damage at all. On the contrary, they followed orders strictly to encircle Rhode's group. But this time, Rhode's group finally launched their attacks!

The knights hurled their pikes twinkling with magical radiance across the air. But shortly after, the pale blue, chilly air dispersed and ice walls rose abruptly from the ground, forming a solid defensive barrier.

The little mermaid suspended behind Rhode shed off her former pure, innocent image. Under the effects of the Taboo Halo, her strength had transcended to the Intermediate Master Stage. At this moment, she appeared as though an 18 years old lady in the prime of youth. The water ball wrapped around her had grown twice in size while her dewy skin left the crowd dazzled. Her azure, crystal-like long hair swam in the clear water and also concealed her chest. The fish tail below her had grown much larger. She extended her hands forward with a stern expression. The whizzing storm gusted with her in the middle, forming transparent and crystal-clear ice walls.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The pikes collided on the ice wall helplessly. In an instant, ice fragments splattered everywhere, but they weren't able to penetrate the little mermaid's defensive barrier. No matter what, as a water elemental creature, she was much more powerful than Humans in terms of manipulating elemental forces.

The Magician Knights unsheathed their swords with silver-whitish blades. The magic gems embedded on the edge of their heavy armor emanated a bright radiance. Shortly after, the radiance responded with one another, forming a layer of transparent magical brilliance over their armor. Not only that, but the magical radiance also formed various ovals that drifted on the surface of their armors like circles of oil floating above water.

At this moment, a scarlet magical radiance emerged behind the crystal-clear barrier and... Boom! The ice wall that had been scraped down by the impact of the hurling pikes finally broke. The razor-sharp ice fragments splattered in all directions like sharp arrows and what came next was a flood of scarlet flames!

Grrrr—!

The tri-headed Hell Hound leaped out of the splattering ice fragments. It glared at the knights who had surrounded it with its three pairs of fiery eyes and spurted dark flames from its mouth. The saliva that dripped from its mouth fell to the ground paved by sturdy slate, and black smoke instantly emerged from the melted slate.

"Oh my goodness..."

Almost everyone shrieked in terror.

Most of them had investigated on Rhode and they knew that apart from his beautiful appearance and incredible movement speed, he was popular for summoning all sorts of strange creatures during battles. However, the crowd didn't feel like there was anything too unusual about this as there were all kinds of presences on this continent. It was possible for noble families to possess some family treasures or magical artifacts to protect their family members. Moreover, Elves and Rangers could also summon wild animals to battle on their stead, so it wasn't too conspicuous that Rhode could summon creatures.

But they were stunned to realize that Rhode's summons were totally unlike what they had imagined after witnessing for themselves!

Hell Hound, Battle Angel, Mermaid, and Elves—these mysterious beings definitely weren't summonable from ordinary summoning spells or family treasures. Besides, one could sense the pure, formidable strength in the beings beside Rhode as long as one possessed some strength. Most of them were in the Master Stage and some had even entered the Basic Legendary Stage!

This is too unusual!

Most summoned creatures couldn't possibly possess such powerful strength. If all the summoned creatures on this continent possessed strength of the Master or Legendary Stage, everyone would be focusing wholeheartedly on studying the summoned creatures, summoning spells, or perhaps disband the military and use a group of summoned creatures in wars, but the truth was otherwise.

The levels of the summoned creatures from Mages were linked in levels. Even a Mage who was an expert in summoning creatures could only summon creatures that were weaker in strength than him. No matter how powerful the creatures were, there was still a limit to their strength. Besides, there would be more load on the Mage the more powerful the summoned creature became. As for family treasures, even though they possessed powerful strength, it was extremely tough to utilize them as they might require years of cooling down after one usage or might be simply destroyed after one use.

But...

Many of them sensed the imposing aura emanating from Rhode. Anne held her shield before him while the Hell Hound rocked its heads by his feet. The Battle Angel behind him expanded its spotlessly white wings and clasped the sword burning with silver-whitish flames. The two Elf girls wrapped in robes and cloaks lowered their heads and gazed at the ground silently beside him. A two meters wide water ball and Mermaid hovered above him while he looked forward with an ice-cold smile. Facing such a powerful group with diverse races, no one wouldn't be nervous.

At this moment, they finally understood why the reports regarding Rhode would often mention his mysterious battle style.

And what left the crowd dubious was: How did Rhode do that?

But now, Andre had no time to consider this question. It wasn't important to him as to how Rhode managed to do it. Most importantly, Rhode did it! And his threat had greatly increased!

Hmph. Is that all you can do?

Rhode perked up the corner of his mouth. He couldn't get clearer on the strength of the Magician Knights. If he were to evaluate them using a player's perspective, the average level of the Magician Knights was only about level 40. Their levels as a Human army wasn't considered high, but their strength was stronger than average. For example, if the average strength of the Undead Army from Country of Darkness was level 30 in normal standard, then the average strength of the elite troops in Human countries would be level 30 in elite standard. Normal and elite standard. This was the biggest difference. And this applied to this team of Magician Knights. They were only about level 40 elite standard. Of course, they were much stronger than 'ordinary' NPCs with the same level. But the army fought collectively, after all, unlike players and beings in the Legendary Stage who could take on a whole group by themselves. Andre was the only one in the Magician Knights who could take Rhode on alone, and this was still under the circumstance where Rhode didn't summon his spirits and use his swordsmanship. Andre would surely be doomed if Rhode were to deal with him using his summoned spirits.

Not only that, but even in terms of average level, Rhode wouldn't face any difficulties dealing with the Magician Knights with the strength of his group.

Anne's strength was among the best in Rhode's subordinates and it was especially so after she had awakened the high-class Demonic Beast bloodline and grown under the influence of the Sphere of Mystery. If Rhode didn't instruct Canary and Mini Bubble Gum to restrain Anne in not leveling up too quickly and figure out her potential meanwhile, perhaps Anne would have entered the Legendary Stage much earlier than Rhode. After all, it wasn't as logical in the NPC's leveling system. Players had to rely on gaining experience and improving their mastery bit by bit while the growth of NPCs was basically like how one good-for-nothing in a typical novel breaks out into a formidable being after facing a stimulating situation. This was especially so for Anne and Lize. Sometimes, their growth in levels wasn't reliant on the amount of EXP they had gained through battles. Instead, it depended on the purity of their bloodlines. As long as one possessed bloodlines that were pure enough, one could unleash incredible potential that would leave players dumbfounded and envious as soon as one fought their first battle.

If Anne were to be assessed based on levels, she would be in the standard of a level 50 Intermediate Master Stage and only five levels lower than Rhode. With the enhancement from her pure wind elemental Demonic Beast bloodline, the Magician Knights wouldn't stand a chance against her pure elemental powers even if they were equipped in great Mage Equipment.

Under the enhancement of the Taboo Halo, the ladies in the Holy Sword Card Deck had entered the Legendary Stage, where the Magician Knights wouldn't stand a chance against them even if they wore legendary armor, not to mention slightly more exquisite magical armor. On the other hand, even though Hell Hound and Snow couldn't enter the Legendary Stage yet, they possessed unignorable strength under the influence of the Taboo Halo.

Rhode was confident in facing this team of Magician Knights. After all, the Spirit Swordsman was recognized as one of the three best solo classes in the Dragon Soul Continent by players and not any Spirit Swordsman could get their hands on a set of cards that possessed legendary strength.

Rhode lifted his head and gave a funny look to the Magician Knights who had surrounded him. His eyes glinted with an ice-cold murderous intent.

"..."

The atmosphere had as though frozen to the lowest point and it crumbled entirely at its peak.

"Attack!"

"Got it, Leader!"

Rhode's voice was almost inaudible. On the contrary, Anne responded excitedly and the group positioned around Rhode instantly launched their attacks!

The forever energetic Anne had as though found her target to work off her remaining strength. She raised her shield high and darted forward like an enormous boulder rolling off the cliff. On the other hand, the Hell Hound let out scary roars and followed closely. Both of them charged forward like a pair of beauty and beast.

Anne gave no heed to the situation before her as she darted into the group of knights with her shield positioned in front. She crashed heavily on the leading warhorse and sent it flying upon the explosive impact. She instantly created a large opening in the Magician Knights' formation. But before the knights could push up to fill the deficit, the Hell Hound had seized the opportunity and made its way in. It widened its mouths and spurted three scarlet beams of flames. In the blink of an eye, dark billows of smoke rose into the sky with flares splattering in all directions.

"Don't panic. Maintain your formation. Defend!"

The flames from hell weren't effective against the Magician Knights. The knights had raised their shields flickering with faint magical radiance and resisted the dark flames that were capable of melting rocks. It seemed that their equipment was rather decent—to a certain extent.

"Surround it. Attack!"

The knights swiftly shifted their spots and limited the Hell Hound's movements. At the same time, a team of knights rushed out from the side and headed for Anne. But this time, Anne strangely held back her attack and displayed a proud smile. Then, she sprung up and retreated.

Because, at this moment, the knights' razor-sharp blades had penetrated the Hell Hound. who reached a dead end.

Boom!

In an instant, a dazzling radiance blinded everyone and swallowed the sky. Darkness hiding in every corner of the world had as though been devoured by the brightness. A gigantic, scarlet column of flame burst into the sky and through the fluffy clouds while the surging waves of dust rolled and the crowd on the platform had no choice but to crouch for safety. Not only that, but the flags hung on the high walls also fluttered in the violent gust.

But this was only the start.

"..."

A petite figure flitted by with her white cloak fluttering in the wind. The knight before her maintained a perfect posture: sword in his right hand, shield in his other. However, his eyes had lost the radiance of life and showed no signs of the enemy. The figure drifted above him elegantly like a leaf that had fallen from its branch. Then, the knight fell from his warhorse in a splash of crimson blood that splattered into the air. He widened his mouth; the fresh wound on his neck had explained everything.

The shield and sword collided.

Silver-whitish sacred flames exploded on the surface of the shields and were ineffective to the knights.

"Damn you, Angel. Don't even think of defeating me!"

The knight riding on his warhorse snarled and brandished his shield forward. Celia flapped her wings to dodge his aggression nimbly. At the same time, she beat her wings abruptly to raise a powerful whirlwind from the ground that instantly blew off the arrows that were shot at her.

Shortly after, the little mermaid beside her raised her arms slightly and suddenly, hundreds of sharp, ice crystallized blades emerged out of thin air. She raised her even higher and clenched her fists.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The ice blades shot forward and enveloped the Magician Knights like a violent storm, clashing into their solid armor and breaking into fragments. However, this sudden eruption of storm slowed the knights' attack, which gave Celia an opportunity to raise her sword with both hands. The sacred flames spread down swiftly and shrouded her entirely. Then, she brandished her silver-whitish sword.

The rolling silver-whitish flames devoured everything mercilessly.

"Arghhh!"

Andre raised his azure sword with bloodshot eyes. Cold air in the blustering gale materialized into wind blades that dispersed the thick smoke that had engulfed everything. He had lost his imposing aura. His face was full of black smoke stain and his cape was badly tattered. Not only that, but his magical armor had also lost its brilliance, only emanating weak, intermittent radiance.

Rhode struck through the thick billow of smoke with Succubus and aimed for Andre. Andre snarled with widened eyes and laid his sword horizontally before him.

Clang!

The swords clashed. A combination of pitch-black and scarlet flares and sparks splattered. Andre witnessed Rhode's face clearly before him. Under the engulf of smoke and shadow, Rhode's beautiful face was as though the menacing smile of the Grim Reaper. His black eyes were glinting with the chilliness of death.

At this moment, a gentle, ice-cold voice sounded in Andre's ears.

"This is the end, Mr. Andre."

"Go to hell!"

"Hmph!"

Rhode let out a snort in disdain. Then, he retreated swiftly while Succubus in his hand instantly transformed into a sky full of stars that shrouded the entire world!

Fantasy Daybreak!

The endless dazzling stars shrunk and coalesced in the blink of an eye to form a dazzling meteor that struck at him!

"Heyah!"

Andre clutched his azure sword and unleashed a burst of mighty sword aura that materialized into a raging tempest. At the same time, layers of ice crystals emerged and rapidly shrouded his entire body. Then, he swung his sword down with all his might.

"...!"

The razor-sharp ice blade ripped apart everything in its path and danced its way to the meteor. Both attacks crashed into each other heavily. Andre seized the chance and sprung up from his warhorse, transforming into a lightning bolt together with his sword to breakthrough Rhode's sword aura and strike toward him!

Clang!

The ear-piercing collision and immense vibration in the sword left Andre pleased. He lifted his head, but all he saw was Rhode's emotionless face, and that was only for an instant.

Rhode vanished into thin air like a collapsed sand sculpture. Andre was dazed, but he instinctively turned around and his sword erupted to form a solid defensive barrier before him.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

A series of sword clashing filled the air. Andre's hair stood on end at the sight of the closely approaching black sword. He witnessed Rhode's ice-cold eyes and smile as though Rhode was looking at a corpse.

Suddenly, Andre caught a glimpse of a dazzling radiance from the corner of his eyes. Then, he felt a razor-sharp, violent sword aura bombarding his back.

Bam!

Even though Andre was clad in magic armor, this ambush had almost sent him to his death. The impact blasted him into the sky before crashing to the ground heavily. Then, Rhode emerged beside him like a ghost. He aimed for Andre's throat and struck out the pitch-black sword in a twisted trajectory!

This shall seal the deal!

"Stop!"

Suddenly, along with this old, hoarse voice, Rhode sensed an incredible force breaking through the smoke and aiming for him!