Chapter 243: Still a Great Battle (Part 4)

  This person's entire body was still wrapped in the electric light from being struck by a Lightning Bolt, but by the time he was halfway down, the electric light had dissipated, transforming into the glow of white magic. With a dull thud, the person landed on a sky-reaching ancient tree, actually snapping a branch as thick as a water bucket. Then, with a series of cracking and snapping sounds, he fell along with a large pile of branches and leaves right in front of Ethan.

  To be able to fall from a height of over a hundred meters and not die, this person's skill was quite impressive. He swayed as he stood up. Seeing the rapidly approaching Ethan, he froze, opening his mouth but unable to make a sound.

  Ethan had already seen that the person falling from mid-air was Yabin, and could also tell that although he seemed to have noticed something from Ethan's form and movements, he didn't seem to have recognized him yet, likely because Ethan had changed his mask. But he didn't speak, and his steps didn't stop; he continued to sweep towards the War Ancient Tree. Without needing to look back, he could hear the footsteps behind him. This was not the time to greet an acquaintance.

  Colorful points of light suddenly flared up around Ethan. The fluctuation of white magic instantly paralyzed the muscles throughout his body, and his charging figure came to a halt.

  "Ha!" With a loud shout, the moment his figure paused, a dazzling Battle Qi light flared up around Ethan. The Paralysis Spell was only effective for the blink of an eye.

  But that single blink of paralysis was enough to make him lose his balance, his charging figure stumbling. The pursuing Knight Tamika had already transformed into a gray figure, charging towards his back. The black, fang-like longsword at the forefront of the gray figure whistled like a thousand-year-old evil spirit howling.

  The paralysis scroll personally made by His Majesty the Pope could only buy half a blink of paralysis time. Knight Tamika had to admit this opponent's strength. But that half a blink was already enough. He had put his full force into this strike. Except for Lancelot, there had been no one in the last ten years who could take his full-power strike.

  Now, with his steps unsteady and the distance closed, to expose his back to the other was to court death. Ethan barely steadied himself, turned, and gathered his strength, just barely managing to block Knight Tamika's full-power strike.

  When the two blades met, there was only a soft, wet thud, like two noodles striking. Then, Knight Tamika staggered back a few steps, while Ethan was sent flying.

  Yabin swayed, feeling nauseous. He wanted to vomit. He wasn't standing too close, and there was no astonishing leakage of energy from their exchange, but the two black swords had struck each other, and the strange, soft, muffled sound seemed to drill directly into one's brain and churn in their organs.

  Within a radius of over ten meters centered on their clash, the leaves and branches of the trees rained down. Moreover, the branches that were normal green on the tree had withered by the time they hit the ground, and the grass on the ground had already rotted to dregs.

  Although Ethan was sent flying, he had completely no ability to use the momentum to turn and escape. It wasn't until his back slammed into a large tree with a dull thud, snapping the one-person-embracing tree in half, that his figure came to a stop. He opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood—black as ink. His face, however, was as white as paper.

  "Good! Go die!" Knight Tamika steadied himself. There was also a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and a ferocious look appeared on his wooden face.

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  His "good" was said with genuine conviction. Except for Lancelot, it had been at least ten years since he had met someone who could injure him.

  But the "go die" that followed was a venting of a fighting spirit that had long been forgotten. This rare person was about to die now. He himself was already injured, which meant the other would only be more gravely injured. The Necromancy curse attached to this blade, mixed with his Battle Qi and killing intent, was powerful enough to kill a Behemoth with a single strike. He lunged forward. The black blade this time became a sky-covering shadow, surging towards his opponent, ready to cleave him from head to toe.

  Ethan took a deep breath. There was still black blood, forced out by the Necromancy, at the corner of his mouth. But with just this deep breath, his listless expression seemed to improve significantly. By the time Tamika's sky-covering black blade light surged towards him, he took another breath, and even his complexion had become much ruddier. He swung his own blade to counter.

  This time, there was a loud, clear clang. Ethan was shaken and flipped over the severed tree stump.

  Knight Tamika retreated two more steps, a look of surprise appearing on his face again. He truly could not believe that this person still had the strength to counter-attack, to force him back two more steps.

  Just at that moment, the final miserable shriek of the War Mantis came from above, and its two-sectioned giant body fell. Following it was Master Aiden's shout: "Seize the female Elf on top, the Leaves of the World Tree are in her hand!"

  Master Aiden's words were a roar for the mages in the sky, but the two people who heard it below were both shaken at the same time. They both glanced at the two sections of the mantis's remains that had fallen, and also saw the figure of the female Elf who had just jumped off the mantis's back. She had landed not far from here; with their speed, either of them could easily rush over and seize her.

  Then, in the next moment, they both seemed to resume the same action, stepping forward and raising their blades to strike at each other again. Their figures intertwined several times at extreme speed before separating. This time, there was no sound of weapons clashing. A wound on Ethan's shoulder, deep enough to show bone, and a piece of Knight Tamika's scalp flew off along with a few strands of hair.

  The wound wasn't very deep, but both of their bodies swayed, as if neither could stand firm, and neither struck again. Ethan felt as if someone had poured a dose of poison-tainted iron juice into the wound on his shoulder. Several curses frantically eroded in all directions within his body. He fully unleashed his Battle Qi and white magic to disperse those curses. Knight Tamika, however, felt a wave of dizziness. When that blade had cut into his flesh and blood, he felt as if his blood was viciously sucked by the blade, and even his brain marrow seemed to move in that direction.

  This time, both of them had attacked as if their lives depended on it, without parrying or blocking. They both knew what the other wanted, and they both knew that the biggest obstacle right now was the opponent.

  But there was a slight difference: Tamika only needed the leaf, while Ethan also needed to save that person. The only one who could wield the Leaves of the World Tree to control such a monster and fight in the sky could be Luya. And with Luya's own skill, it was absolutely impossible for her to land safely from a height of over a hundred meters, not to mention with Master Aiden, whose air magic had reached the point of perfection, also up there.

  Pfft! Ethan spat out another large mouthful of blood. But this time it wasn't the black blood; it was fresh red. He had bitten his own tongue and spat it out onto the blade in his hand.

  The moment the fresh blood touched the black blade, it vanished. The blade began to glow red. With this mouthful of blood, Ethan turned his blade into a dazzling ball of blood light. Then, he swung his blade down towards Knight Tamika again.

  Amidst the loud crash, blood flowers flew and a blood mist filled the air. This time, the explosion from their clash was a true, fierce, head-on collision of Battle Qi, power, and momentum. In the exploding wave of iridescent energy, it was Knight Tamika who was sent flying backward, while Ethan took the opportunity to pounce towards Luya in mid-air.

  Knight Tamika spat out a large mouthful of blood as he flew back, almost dropping his blade. He was truly, properly injured. The power, weight, speed, and sufficiency of killing intent in this strike made him almost suspect it was a slash from a Behemoth-like giant beast. He landed on the ground, trying to adjust his rampaging internal organs and muscles that had been shaken by the impact, but he could no longer catch up to Ethan.

  Ethan, who had taken the lead in running, didn't seem to be much better off than Tamika. If not for the faint fluctuation of the Sunwell, he could barely even run. When he spat that mouthful of blood onto his blade, the attraction transmitted through the blood had pulled away a considerable portion of his energy and magical power. But even so, a strike like that could only injure, not defeat, his opponent.

  "Who are you?" Seeing that it was too late to catch up to Ethan, Tamika suddenly turned his head to look at Yabin not far away. He had naturally seen this strange bystander earlier, but had just been ignoring him.

  Yabin froze. The back-and-forth exchange between the two, as swift as a rabbit bolting and a falcon swooping, made his eyes dazzle, and he even forgot what he was supposed to do. Although he could see that it was Ethan, he could also tell that he had no room to intervene. And now, he could see even more clearly that the situation didn't look good.

  This knight's expression still seemed rather wooden, but the blood at the corner of his mouth and the ferocious, savage killing intent that had been aroused in his eyes would make even wood shiver. Yabin knew that even though he was injured, perhaps not lightly, killing him would be no different from killing a chicken.

  "Spare me. I don't know him." Yabin knelt, raising his hands.