Free Web NovelChapter 443: Chapter 51: Then Didn’t I Come Here for Nothing?
"No matter what, let’s deal with the current offensive first. Xiao Ai, once the battle begins, I’m counting on you to resist the Demon’s corruption."
Westheid slowly unsheathed [Shadow-Born] from his waist. Its crimson blade looked as if it were dripping blood, emitting a sinister, baleful light.
The signature weapon had seen countless campaigns with Duke Qinghui. As his understanding of and closeness with Wan Qi grew, it gradually began to regain its original color.
It was a Divine Artifact forged in the image of the first Ascender’s weapon. At the mere sight of its naked blade, the surrounding Royal Court Warriors paled, desperately averting their eyes from its soul-stealing edge.
"Just like before, use the highest authority granted by [Ten Thousand Wind Melodies] to suppress—or rather, resist—the Demon’s corruption. As long as you can distract it, that’ll be enough."
Westheid had wanted to say "suppress," but when he considered the Master of Armor Tomb’s Demigod-level strength, he changed his wording.
Duke Qinghui stepped forward, waved his hand, and shouted:
"That’s enough! Cease the bombardment! All troops, on alert!"
"Switch Techniques! Change them all to buffs!"
"All Transcendents at Tier [Exemplar] or above who have served for over fifty years, step forward!"
Following this series of commands, the entire front line sprang into action. The White-haired Dragon Lady and the Wolf-eared Maiden, who had been defending another position, appeared at Westheid’s side.
"West, are we charging in directly?"
Mivana tilted her head and said, gripping her Knight’s Silver Sword in a reverse hold.
"Not yet. We’ll go in the moment the forest makes contact with the Barrier. Only Powerhouses at [Legend] Tier or above are allowed to advance deep into the forest. Everyone else will fight at the boundary."
Westheid said, his eyes fixed on the dense forest with complete concentration.
"Why don’t we rely on the Barrier to hold our ground? If we go into the Forest of Serenity, our Techniques will be useless."
Amithren asked, confused.
Westheid laughed. "Are you suggesting we get into an endurance contest with a Demigod Demon?"
Ailorus might not be able to hold out that long. When clashing with a Demigod, even with supreme authority over [Ten Thousand Wind Melodies], she couldn’t be expected to contend with an opponent whose power vastly exceeded her own.
Therefore, Westheid planned to assist the Wind Law Queen... After all, he also shared access to [Ten Thousand Wind Melodies]; it just wasn’t appropriate to act in front of so many Tuners.
"We have to take the initiative and attack so the enemy can’t corrupt the nodes of the Grand Ensemble."
After the bombardment stopped, the Forest of Serenity’s expansion indeed became rampant and unstoppable. Trees and vines spread out at an incredible speed, reaching the outer regions of the City in the Lake within a few breaths.
And when the vines extending from the Forest of Serenity lashed against the Barrier, all the Tuners, as well as any Transcendents sensitive to the Melody, could feel an invisible impact.
"Ngh..."
Ailorus’s expression immediately grew grave. She pressed her lips together tightly and, along with the Tuners, began to erect a bulwark to protect the nodes.
This was a clash on the level of the Melody itself. The song of the Grand Ensemble was twisted into harsh static—an incredibly bad sign for the Elves.
"Ha, so this is a Demigod. Its presence alone has such oppressive power."
As someone who shared [Ten Thousand Wind Melodies], Westheid could naturally feel the same impact. A vast, boundless presence surged from all directions, bearing down on his spirit. If an ordinary Transcendent were to perceive such might, they would probably collapse to their knees in an instant.
However, he could still laugh out loud. Faced with an enemy just barely stronger than himself, Westheid’s battle spirit didn’t just rise—it surged! It erupted! It exploded!
There was no chance of him being intimidated, because Westheid had long ago experienced just how terrifying and majestic the descent of true Divinity could be.
"Nothing compared to the Divine Ancestor."
Reiya commented sharply. Compared to the will of the descending [Radiant Holy Tree], the [Master of Armor Tomb] seemed far too gentle, like a light breeze on the cheek.
THUD THUD THUD—
After approaching the City in the Lake, the Magic Armors extended their hands and summoned their weapons from within the Forest of Serenity: longswords, lances, heavy hammers, twin axes, bows and arrows... Some, the Heroic Spirits buried in more recent times, even brought out handheld firearms.
They might not possess their own consciousness, but they had absolutely inherited all the combat experience and styles of their former masters, reaching a new peak under the enhancement of the Demigod Demon.
What the Royal Court had to face was not just the Domain invasion of a Demigod Demon, but also an army of immortal, undying replicas of every Hero from every race in the history of the Land of Thousand Lakes!
The Armors, which had been like puppets just moments before, were instantly infused with immense energy upon summoning their weapons. Each one became incredibly agile, its aura magnificent, and launched an attack with lightning speed.
Magic, sniper shots, charges, surprise attacks... The style and movements of each Armor were completely different, but all were exquisitely skilled. The sight of them all attacking at once was magnificent.
The constructs and watchtowers on the outermost layer crumbled the instant they made contact with the enemy, more fragile than sandcastles in a tsunami.
"Most of them are at the [Hero] Tier, with a rare few at [Legend]..."
Analyzing the enemy’s composition at a glance, Westheid remarked with a smile:
"What a... grand gesture."
"Hahaha! My Lord! They’re all the Heroes from this kingdom’s past millennia! I can’t wait to cross swords with them! The Heroes of this foreign land!"
Mephit laughed excitedly. The wild and beautiful blue-haired Knight immediately drew her Dragon Sword and stood behind Westheid.
It wasn’t just her. In the Knight Army Westheid had brought, every one of the Yonglan People at [Hero] Tier or higher was eager for a fight, wishing they could charge into the slaughter at once.
"Give the order, Your Majesty!"
"Of course... Go on, do as you please. Just don’t stray too far."
Westheid himself was a model "Yonglan Person" and fully understood his subordinates’ feelings. After tossing out that casual line, he was the first to leap out.
SHIING—
The crimson blade seemed to be seared into everyone’s retinas as a flying Armor at the very front was cut down on the spot, torn in two.
Reiya and Mivana followed, fighting alongside Westheid. The Yonglan Knights and Royal Court Swordsmen charged into the enemy ranks, beginning their fierce battle with the Heroic Armors.
Fighting the Heroic Armors was a completely different experience. Westheid felt as if he were facing a hundred different Powerhouses at once, each with a unique, chaotic, and completely distinct fighting style.
For the battle-hungry Yonglan Knights, this was a heavenly pleasure. But for the other Powerhouses, it was an out-and-out bitter struggle. These Armors were no blank slates! They had also inherited the traits of their former masters.
Westheid, Reiya, and Mivana faced the most numerous and powerful of the Heroic Armors. Still, even multiple Legendary Armors and countless Heroic Armors were cut down like chopping vegetables before these T0-level Powerhouses.
Piercing, crushing, tearing, smashing...
But no matter how grievous the damage they suffered, the destroyed Armors would dissipate into streams of light, only to emerge from the Forest of Serenity moments later, completely unscathed, and return to the battlefield.
’Maybe I should use [Ten Thousand Wind Melodies]...’
Seeing the astonishing immortality of these Armors, even Duke Qinghui, who had limitless stamina, didn’t want to get bogged down.
Immersing himself in battle was a fine idea, but Ailorus and the others couldn’t hold out for too long.
’The Demigod Demon has all the stamina in the world to wear us down!’
With this in mind, Westheid took a deep breath and, using his reasonably proficient Tuning Techniques, began to silently chant...
"[Sever Contact]... [Obstructing Repair]... [Abolish Effectiveness]..."
One by one, these properties were woven into Shadow-Born’s blade. When Westheid next pierced an Armor, the faint, glowing patterns on the surface of the lightly damaged Armor dimmed, and it simply collapsed, unable to move.
’Whoa! It worked!’
Just as Westheid was pleasantly surprised by the remarkable effect of the Ten Thousand Wind Melodies, a voice suddenly reverberated in his mind:
[Foreigner... Heh. Have the kin of the Thousand Laws truly fallen so low as to bring more discordant ones into the Thousand Lakes? And His Melody... even outsiders now have the authority to freely toy with the Law?]
