Azure Scepter

Page 77

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the princess, who was now kneeling on her sword after being struck hard by the Flame Demon.

The fierce wind blew her gray braids apart, and cold rain mixed with hot blood rolled down from the cut on her forehead. Behind the rough steel hilt, Edith's cold eyes remained fixed on the decapitation sword coming straight at her, without the slightest intention to back down.

“Although she is neither an excellent commander nor a qualified crown princess,” a hint of admiration flashed through Trier’s mind, “it must be admitted that she is a paladin who dares to face evil and take risks—she has not yet used any paladin abilities, so her current actions should just be a trap.”

The next moment, Edith suddenly drew her gun, the tip shattering the ground like lightning.

The ground caved in under the heavy blow, sending rubble flying. A barrage of flying stones shot straight into the sky as if defying gravity. The massive fire demon suddenly lost its balance; its black wings trembled weakly a few times before it plummeted straight to the ground.

Suddenly, a silver beam of light shattered the sky, and even lightning paled in comparison to the holy radiance. Edith thrust her holy-light-shining spear straight into the fire demon's chest.

"Look, what's that?!" the barbarian woman's surprised voice rang in Trier's ears. "Is that witchcraft?"

Trier turned his head to the side.

“That’s the Holy Slash.” Aurelius’s voice was low as he touched the worm-like scar on his face. “The Holy Slash of a legendary paladin, ha.”

Trier remained silent, but he deeply sympathized with the sentiment.

During the God's Descent version of the game, he plotted to obtain a certain artifact in order to become a god. In order to obtain the artifact, he directly used legendary magic to destroy a holy site of the Radiant Church. Although he ran away after taking the artifact, the paladin guarding the holy site still clung to him like a leech.

Although he had become a demigod and was well-prepared, he was ultimately no match for a god in sainthood, five nearly berserk legendary paladins, and a large horde of celestial creatures who were relentlessly attacking him. After taking at least ten blows with the Advancement to Sainthood Slash, he could only abandon the artifact and slink back to his life casket to count down his time.

—If the life box hadn't been hidden so well, he would have used up his last life in the game.

Enraged at not being able to find his phylactery, the large group of paladins, relying on divine prophecy, pinpointed the approximate location of his phylactery and built a massive fortress nearby, stationing a large group of paladins there. This outrageous act resulted in Trier being unable to revive after his countdown ended.

During the game, Trier waited a full 20 years before finally managing to corrupt several guards and escape successfully through years of planning, whispering, and the help of his guild friends.

In short, the legendary paladin's slash damage is indeed astonishingly high, and the pillar of light that almost shatters the sky is just a normal special effect.

Trier took a deep breath, dispelling the memories of the past—he was the one who was cleaved by the Holy Blade in the past, and now it was his turn to cleave others with the Holy Blade.

The battle proceeded smoothly and without any mishaps, like the most precise and accurate clockwork. With the Balrog defeated by Idis, everything seemed to have settled down, and even the flames stirred up by the demon gradually died down under the pouring rain.

The barbarian woman couldn't help but yawn, while the judge and the earth goblin, who had been tense, also breathed a sigh of relief.

“It seems the demons really have no backup plan. They do things on a whim, harming others without benefiting themselves. Perhaps I was overthinking it,” Trier thought to himself, shaking his head. “Hopefully, Noy can snatch the Balrog’s head, so I can save a magic storage stone.”

However, just as he was about to erase the "counter-magic" circle and go down to find Feudia and Noy—

"boom!"

A blinding green light suddenly burst open before his eyes like a tidal wave, then swept everything away!

The chain reaction of unexpected events has been triggered!

Time Stop, Hero's Prayer, Water Curtain!

PS: There will be another chapter later

Chapter 154 Spell Counter

Time Stop, Hero's Prayer, Water Curtain!

In an instant, Trier felt the surrounding space distort, and the next moment, his body exploded with various magical lights like fireworks. He was shocked to find that everything around him was frozen, like a specimen made of amber.

Someone released a time stop! This triggered the time stop stored within his own Chain Accident Spell, and with the two-way acceleration, he also gained the ability to move.

In a flash of inspiration, Trier looked up at the night sky illuminated by lightning.

At this moment, the silver lightning, like the freehand brushstrokes of a painter, lingered in the night sky. The layers of lightning, like a net, were completely still, while the round raindrops were like insects trapped in the net, unable to move.

Trier narrowed his eyes slightly.

In the absurd scene brought about by the standstill of time, a tall and slender figure moving at high speed stands out from the crowd, like a striking splash of color in a black and white photograph.

It was a succubus holding a spellbook and wearing black leather boots. At this moment, it was raising the spellbook high and silently chanting a spell.

Staring intently at the opening and closing of the other's lips, Trier instantly deciphered the spell the other intended to cast—a ninth-circle spell, Meteor Explosion.

Instead of retaliating, he chose to maintain his original posture and stand quietly in place.

In a sense, magical counterspelling is similar to a master strike in swordsmanship. Both require the right timing, the right position, and the right application to maximize their effectiveness. The best time for magical counterspelling is when the spell has been completed and the magical energy is about halfway in.

—Based on Trier's experience, the best time to activate the magic counter is 2.5 seconds after the duration of Time Stop ends.

As the succubus chanted, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly turned fiery red, and a golden vortex appeared out of thin air. Four meteor-shaped fireballs with dazzling trails of flame slowly emerged from the vortex, but as soon as they appeared, the four meteor-shaped fireballs suddenly stopped.

“The first spell, there should be 1-3 more spells, the exact number depends on the opponent’s spellcasting ability.” Trier silently watched the succubus’s swift movements, a smile involuntarily appearing on his lips. “The more you cast, the greater the backlash will be.”

The succubus's second spell is the classic crowd control spell "Divine Might as a Mountain." An invisible wave surges from the succubus's fingertips, but the wave freezes the moment it is cast.

“Two.” Trier’s smile deepened.

Because Trier was standing on high ground, he could see all over the collapsed mountainside.

The succubus's third spell is "Bigby Grappling Palm," which is cast inside the mountain where the Balrog lies.

A gigantic hand, composed entirely of magical winds, suddenly appeared, its target the shaft of the Crimson Banner Spear embedded in the Balrog's body.

Like other spells, the giant magical hand froze the moment it appeared.

"This succubus is quite skilled at casting spells; she can probably cast four more. It seems our time stop and end times are synchronized, so I only need to calculate the start time of the ritual and don't need to consider the time difference anymore."

Trier placed his palm on the blade, roughly calculated the height at which the blood would fall onto the magic circle in exactly 2.5 seconds, then slowly adjusted the height of his hand before pulling hard!

The sword blade sliced ​​through the palm, and fine beads of blood gushed from the wound, but the blood froze the moment it left the body—2.5 seconds after the time-stop effect ended, the blood would drip onto the ritual, and the magic counterspell would automatically activate.

Trill followed the same procedure, dripping blood above the other ritual circles to activate them, before quietly looking at the succubus who was casting her final spell.

"It seems to be an otherworldly creature's banishment?" Trier thought absentmindedly. In his eyes, this succubus who suddenly appeared was already a dead man. The backlash from the four perfectly timed magical counters was enough to destroy any spellcaster. "But speaking of which, it's really interesting that a succubus can become a high-level mage."

"I've done everything I can. I just need to wait for the time-stop effect to end so I can get the experience points."

Generally speaking, the acceleration effect brought about by time stop can only last for a maximum of 30 seconds, and now the acceleration effect is about to end.

However, just as he was silently counting down the countdown to the end of time, something unexpected happened.

Within the collapsed mountain, the light of holy flames flashed by, and a cold sword light suddenly slashed towards the succubus who had walked to the side of the fire demon!

Edith, who had been pretending to be frozen in place, was actually able to move!

Trillton, who had been thinking he had everything under control, was suddenly stunned. Edith's choice of the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack was simply too good, because—

The instant the extreme acceleration ended, a searing pain suddenly exploded in Trier's brain. He felt as if he had been directly hit by a speeding dump truck. The synapses of his nerve cells felt like they were filled with blades, and everything around him seemed to be swirling and boiling like paint melting in water!

Trill was very experienced in releasing time stop, so he recovered from the dizziness brought on by the extreme acceleration in half a breath, while the succubus stood there in a daze.

The next moment, the Holy Slash sliced ​​through the succubus's neck as swiftly as a hot knife through butter.

The expected spurt of blood did not occur. Instead, the succubus abruptly turned her head, a twisted and gleeful smile appearing on her pale face.

"boom!"

The succubus burst into a blur like white foam in the ocean, its low laughter echoing in the air.

"cute."

—This succubus is an illusion!

"It'll probably be another second before my counterspell triggers," Trier thought. "Noy's here too, looks like I can save a Disintegration spell storage stone."

The next instant, a purple bolt of lightning from above the grave streaked across the sky.

Trier turned his head and saw an old woman wearing a gray wizard's hat and dressed in a way that perfectly matched the stereotypical image of a wizard, casting a counterspell.

Sensing the surprisingly weak magical energy swirling in the air, Trier couldn't help but recall a mage proverb: "The court mage of the Ork"...

Purple lightning struck the fire demon's chest, and the succubus, which had been hiding, slowly emerged, now gripping the shaft of the flag spear.

Fythia reacted quickly, immediately nocking her bow and aiming, but she was a step too slow; Edith, on the other hand, leaped and slashed at the succubus without hesitation, but the distance was simply too great, and it seemed inevitable that the succubus would complete her spell.

"Counter-magic?" The succubus scoffed, then declared victoriously, "A good idea, but unfortunately, you are far too weak as a mortal."

The meteor burst was gradually taking shape, and the Divine Might Like a Prison was poised to erupt like a storm compressed to its limit, while the Bigby Grappling Palm was sucking up the surrounding rubble like a vortex, emitting an unsettling glow.

The raging magical winds proclaimed their power, and the Balrog pinned to the ground laughed loudly: "My lord protects me, mortal. See you next time, hehehehe... What kind of paladin can teleport? They're nothing special."

Suddenly, three hidden, thread-like flashes of light silently streaked across the succubus's head. Then, like light scattered by a prism, the thin lines shot straight towards the vortex created by the meteor burst, the heel of Bigby's Grappling Palm, and the point of fluctuation that condensed like a vortex of divine power.

The expressions of both the Balrog and the Succubus changed instantly. The Succubus's eyes widened, and a look of terror appeared on her bloodshot eyes.

"What a joke!? This is... magic?" the succubus muttered resignedly to herself.

The next moment, she froze on the spot like a puppet.

As soon as a spark from the Balrog hit her, her shapely, full body seemed to fall apart, collapsing with a loud crash like a crumbling building. Pale, milky sweat instantly covered her skin, and murky, wine-like tears filled her eyes. Then, her bones seemed to let out a mournful sigh, and the beautiful and learned succubus melted into a pool of scarlet blood.

[XP+30000!]

Chapter 155 Burning Body Explosion

Cold, round raindrops pounded on the floor of the underground tomb, splashing up a scattering of water droplets.

The high-level spell cast by the succubus vanished silently. The magical winds and the spell's form were extinguished like sparks casually extinguished, and the terrifying spell's effect, which should have been earth-shattering, disappeared quietly, like the shattered reflection of the moon in a lake or the phantom of withered flowers in a mirror.

"Clang." The succubus's mithril glasses fell to the ground, and a putrid smell like mud wafted through the air. The baloramot Rosat fell into complete silence, and even its powerful consciousness momentarily wavered.

The dead succubus was no nobody.

She is Orianna, the most beloved handmaiden of the Bloodthorn Lady, and also the High Priestess of the entire Thorn Order in the mortal world. Her magical prowess has even been acknowledged by the Lady herself. She has been active on the material plane for hundreds of years, and in her centuries of wandering the mortal realm, she has killed and seduced countless souls. Even though the followers of various false gods hate her to the core, they are still powerless against her.

However, now, this powerful spellcaster has turned into a pool of blood, his death as clean and swift as a fly being swatted dead.

"Could the lady herself have done this without using divine power?" Rosat thought rather blasphemously, and it couldn't help but shudder—it could vaguely sense the lady's own power within the magic released by the succubus.

At this moment, the endless anger and arrogance in Rosat's heart had been completely extinguished. It might still be furious when facing the paladin who looked a lot like Loseweg who had nailed it to the floor, but it had no reason to be angry or arrogant in the face of something that was completely beyond its comprehension.

A thin mist of sorrow slowly rose in Roset's heart. He realized that he still didn't know who had killed the succubus with counter-magic—was it Losevie, who had remained indifferent to the demon cult? Or was it the deity within the Radiant pantheon who had a tacit understanding with the lady? Or perhaps some other powerful being that had been lurking in the shadows all along?

But what were their reasons for doing this?

Rosat knew fear was pointless, but at this moment, a feeling it hadn't experienced since becoming a demon returned. Anxiety and unease brewed and surged like a raging storm on the sea. Now, it was pinned to the floor, unable even to use its incinerating explosion to escape. If it truly died at the hands of that unknown being, its chances of resurrection in the abyss were uncertain.

The monotonous sound of rain, embellished by imagination, became bloody and terrifying. The terrifying being, whose behavior and thoughts were completely unknown, pressed against Rosat's heart like a cold holy sword. Although it had long been a madman, Rosat still felt that he was going crazy.

As arrogance and anger were extinguished by fear, the raging flames on the Balrog also died down. It felt as if it had returned to the agonizing time before it was reborn as a demon—when it was just a weak mortal. Although it had some reputation as a serial killer who liked to eat the hearts of its victims alive, when it was caught by the law enforcement, it could only helplessly wait for the final judgment.

The Flame Demon twisted its head and looked around—this seemed to be a family cemetery, a decent place to be buried.

—However, just as Rosat was in despair, the flag spear embedded in its chest suddenly and inexplicably loosened, and the spear tip that was preventing it from self-destructing moved directly away from its heart.

Before Rosate could think any further, he immediately activated his Incineration Explosion!

In the instant before it lost consciousness, Rosat vaguely glimpsed an ice coffin standing at the deepest part of the cemetery, and the corpse with long, dark blue hair inside seemed to smile at it faintly.

"boom!!!"

12 seconds ago——

Although the Orcos are known for their lack of magical prowess, Edith Lorinman, as the crown princess, had received highly professional advanced magical education, so she was well aware of just how exaggerated the power to silently annihilate succubi was.

The magical countermeasure was silent, yet it possessed a strange beauty and rhythm.

Before Edith could even process what was happening, she heard Faudia's slightly surprised voice: "It must be Trier!"

Trill? The hero who saved Beaver Town?

Uh, why is Futia being so blunt this time? Shouldn't she have used a more "tactful" approach, given her usual style?

The princess turned her head to look at the injured elf.

Fyodor's deep blue eyes were filled with longing, and her delicate, beautiful lips curved into a bright, spring-like smile, as if the name Trier itself possessed some kind of magical power to make her feel happy.

Edith felt a strange pang of jealousy; this was the first time she had ever seen Futia behave this way.

"You are a paladin, the crown prince of the kingdom—Edith, you must not harbor any strange jealousy. Trier's magic counterspell just now saved many lives," Edith warned herself. "Wait a minute, isn't Trier a paladin? Why can he use magic counterspells?"

Before she could think it through, the temperature around her suddenly rose, and at the same time, Futia's warning "Be careful" suddenly reached her ears—Edith abruptly raised her head, and then was shocked to see that black flames had once again burst into flames on the Balrog! The black flames were extremely compressed, and the space itself seemed to be deformed under the heat of the flames!

How is that possible?! The Flame Demon was clearly nailed to the ground, so why could it still unleash its Incineration Explosion?

Edith's pupils suddenly contracted, and in an instant, countless thoughts flooded into her mind like a tide.

"If I roll to the left, I should be able to use the mountain to offset some of the damage. No, that's not right. Futia is seriously injured. She definitely can't avoid the burning explosion. I can't dodge it."

"But this Balrog is definitely not an ordinary Balrog. Can I really withstand its incinerating explosion? If only I had a Dragonfire Shield right now..."

Despite a multitude of thoughts, Edith made a decision in a flash.

"Edith, you are a paladin, you must not back down, you must protect your dearest friend!"

She took a deep breath, grabbed Fythia's arm, and flung the elf behind her.

The Fiery Demon convulsed like an unstable alchemical compound, and the hellish heat continued to increase every second. The black flames on the Fiery Demon's body began to shrink rapidly into a single point, as if they were being sucked into a vortex.

Instead of waiting for the Flame Demon's incineration explosion to reach its peak, it's better to jump and attack the Flame Demon directly to bring about the self-destruction sooner!