The Ultimate Evolution

by Little Merger

I traverse along the pathway of darkness and imagination... Entering the realm born by human imaginations... Challenging Harry Potter’s magic, commanding the great Pirates of the Caribbean. Terminating the Terminator’s strength, tearing apart the Matrix’s Hallucination. Virus is my slave. Endurance my inheritance. Growing and hunting in the boundless universe. Breaking through boun

3. 805

The Ultimate Evolution #Chapter 805: Sheyan's true goal - Read The Ultimate Evolution Chapter 805: Sheyan's true goal Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 805: Sheyan's true goal

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

At this moment, grandmaster blacksmith Mcgonigal Firestove grabbed the mithril and ruby that Sheyan produced and immediately gasped in shock.

"Ah, this is magic mithril! Its market value is twice of ordinary mithril, hey old man, don't you find this ruby rather familiar?"

The old dwarf, Takelin Tinsilk, wagged his butt as he ran over. His white braided beard was nearly touching the ground as he spoke.

"Why do I feel that this is……Elendil's tears?"

The crowd broke into an uproar. Sheyan immediately felt something was amiss, it seems as though Saruman had done malicious deeds in the past to plunder these wealth. Even worse, the treasures seemed rather valuable and renowned. Nevertheless, he remained composed as he could easily blame everything on his high-god……thus, Sheyan calmly replied.

"If there aren't any issues, I'm willing to sell them at the lowest cost as a gift for Mister Segimli's friendship. Right, since I've verified that this matter is no scam, can I get the twilight elf's tiara back?"

"No problem at all." Dwarven chief Gimli replied happily. He didn't show any resistance towards purchasing stolen goods and first allowed Segimli to return the tiara to Sheyan. Then, he produced a wooden case and retrieved a ring for Sheyan inside.

Upon receiving the ring, Sheyan was instantly notified that it was a unique storyline equipment that only storyline characters could adorn. But that was only natural as the mithril and others were all taciturnly understood as Melody's possessions.

The ring was called Fissure, with the property of enhancing spatial magic by 10% and increase mana cost by 5%.

Dwarf chief Gimli then ordered his underling to fetch a seemingly broken staff, in hopes that Sheyan would accept this sacrificial ritual. Sheyan hesitated a little before calling Elder Desirese Roots over who was gazing at the staff intently. Noticing the elder gazing intently at the staff with a vacant expression, Sheyan instantly knew what he should do……

Ads by Pubfuture

In the end, Sheyan was left with eight pounds of mithril and one pound of adamantium. He also retained his rubies, cat's eyes and sapphires, in exchange for a total of six spatial magic type artifacts!

Theoretically speaking, Sheyan didn't exploit this transaction and in fact made losses. Nevertheless, all of the dwarf's spatial magic artifacts were wiped clean. The dwarves of the Gimli clan glanced at Sheyan with resentment but could only sigh deeply.

Honestly speaking, the amount of mithril and adamantium they traded was adequate for them to forge an incomparably exquisite artifact. It wouldn't be an issue for them to display outstanding results during the Skifz Asc?d festival.

However, worldly desires could never be satisfied. Filled with insatiable greed, the dwarves of the Gimli clan wouldn't stop there. Since they discovered Sheyan who could provide them large amounts of mithril and adamantium, the naturally wished to go further and audaciously set eyes on the throne!

Hence, Gimli immediately requested Sheyan not to trade with other parties during this period of time. To compensate him, the dwarves would bestow a delightful surprise unto Sheyan.

Sheyan purposely tarried for a long while before nodding his heads when the dwarves were on the verge of tears. The top echelons of the Gimii clan hastily left; probably rushing to the nearest dwarven city to gather more resources.

They left behind 30 elite dwarven warriors that would heed Sheyan's commands, hailing Sheyan as a 'human who earned the eternal friendship of the Gimlis' thus vowing to protect him.

Sheyan tested a little and realized the elite dwarven warriors indeed obeyed his commands faithfully, not slacking off even one bit. However, Sheyan knew that should other dwarven clans step into his tent, the elite Gimli dwarves would proceed with two actions - either smashing the heads of the infiltrators, or smashing the head of the 'supplier'.

After acquiring another six spatial magic artifacts, Sheyan summoned all the elves and declared with a solemn expression.

"The following matter is of utmost importance. It not only pertains to your personal life and death, but also the fate of our Lordess twilight elf! Therefore, I pray none will speak falsehood and deceive me………now, whoever that can perform spatial magic in your midst, step out now."

Without a doubt, elder Desirese Roots stepped forward. The situation was much better than what Sheyan envisioned. Apart from the elder, there were four other elves that leaned towards that aspect. One must admit that the elves' long lifespan was truly an advantage. They could nurture many skills and hobbies for themselves.

Sheyan called them together and announced.

"During my past endeavors dispatched by my high-god to other dimensions, I made an exceptionally mighty ally in one particular dimension. A gift he bestowed, carries a strand of his spirit aura. Through that strand of spirit aura, will you be able to link me to my ally?"

Sheyan quickly received an answer. A seemingly young elf replied.

"Sir Protector, this matter isn't difficult. In truth, some elven summoners summon their creatures from other dimensions. If they were incapable of establish a link beforehand, the success rate of summoning arts would plummet substantially."

Ads by Pubfuture

Sheyan coughed and continued.

"I need to emphasize this. My ally is exceptionally, supremely mighty."

"That is wonderful news, sir." The elf patiently praised. "A mighty creature normally possesses higher intellect. In this aspect, the mightier the creature, the more distinct its spirit glow will be when seeking it out. We will be able to easily locate the creature amongst the vast and obscure dimensions."

Sheyan stroked 'Ambition' and replied.

"I see. Then we will first locate a place with water. Only by interacting with a water source, can my friend's spirit aura be additionally distinct."

The group proceeded to advance and search, before arriving at the Orc's metropolis of the past.

This once grand metropolis was now a ruinous heap. One could still observe the aftermath of an incomparably vicious war through the destruction in this area.

Especially Saruman's wizard tower. It had completely crumbled into the ground, leaving a massive pit. The once sacred landmark of the orcs and uruk-hais, was now a common deep lake.

Sheyan surveyed the edge of the lake, discovering the pitch-black water that seemed to devour any sunlight into the deepest depth. Evidently, this lake was immeasurably deep.

Since he located a sufficiently large water source, Sheyan planned to immerse 'Ambition' into the water. By now, Elder Annenia Cyathea was pointing his magic staff at Sheyan. At beam shot out from his staff and onto the water surface on Sheyan's left.

A incomparably sharp silver beam shot out, resulting in a loud 'puchi' sound against the water surface. The resultant white splash towered several meters high as the murky green water was dyed mildly red. One could observe a strange creature, one that appeared like a hybrid between a fish and a lizard, rummaging within the waters and attempting to flee. A half-meter long horrifying wound could be seen across its left rib, as crimson red innards rolled out. The stench of blood permeated out, as similar species wrestled each other to feast. The once peaceful lake was now plunged into utter chaos; akin to a pot of boiling congee!

Witnessing this scene, the other elves wielded their longbows and took aim, before firing out. A congregation of arrows haled along rays of death as they drilled into the water and slew quite a number of these aquatic beasts.

"These aquatic beasts were created due to the leakage of dark magic and evil." Annenia Cyathea explained. "When we just begun seizing the dark tower in the past, the tower owner directly exploded the entire tower; resulting in this lake that we see now. All creatures that reside in this lake have been degraded by evil."

"The aquatic beasts were originally exceedingly avaricious and savage after the elves commenced their slaughter, each vying to fill their bellies. However, when Sheyan submerged 'Ambition' into the water, they dispersed without a trace. When a titanical phantom of Kraken Paul appeared in the lake, the lake became a pool of total silence. Only gasps and the heavy breathing of the surrounding elves could be heard.

Sheyan gazed at the overly confident elf wizard and ordered.

"You can begin. My time is precious."

The elf suddenly knelt to the ground with an embarrassed countenance.

"Forgive me, Sir Protector. I never expected that your ally's strength is so tremendous. To connect with such an invincible creature, I am truly unqualified. A forceful linking may lead to gravely wounding my own spirit!"

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 806: The agitated Brother Paul

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The elf said so because he could sense the dreadful terror of Sheyan's 'old friend'.

The creature hadn't even appeared and was merely a phantom residing beneath the forbidden terrain of the waters. Yet, it brought along an incredibly crushing pressure.

All hostilities would fade in the face of such a domineering beast! No wonder those savage aquatic beasts had fled in frenzy.

Therefore, attempting a spirit link would be extremely dangerous especially if the disparity of strength was tremendous. A wild beast may not be in the mood to care about one, yet if one purposefully disturbs it, it may fly into a rampage and devour one's spirit!

It was like an annoying mosquito bugging on. The beast would never endure such annoyance and the consequence may even be an internal rupture of one's mind.

"The three of you try and establish a spirit link together." Desirese Roots contemplated and issued. "Take utmost precautions. I request that protector observe by the side, once the spirit link is established, we must transmit protector's message as swiftly as possible. With the opposing party's cooperation, this will be much simpler."

The three elves each equipped one space artifact, where one could observe a gentle white blessing emanating out from them. It wasn't that they didn't wish to equip the rest, but that they couldn't………

The three elves stood in a '品' formation, and executed their magic towards the phantasmic Paul floating in the water. One could seemingly feel countless threads of space congealing towards that spot, as if space was freezing up.

This was the primary reason why the amount of space magic wizards were few.

Spatial magic is exceedingly powerful but incredibly rare. One would need to risk certain dangers in training this magic, but the formidability of the magic would only be noticeable at the later stages of one's training. It would minimally require several decades or even a century of hard work, but the dangers of training commences at the start; like a shadow that follows the trainee all the time.

The proportion of investment and gains was extremely steep, therefore, the amount of space magic wizards in all of Middle-earth was supremely rare. Possibly, only the elves with inexhaustible vitality could produce so many space magic wizards.

If not for the powerful space magic artifacts brought by the dwarves, the elves probably wouldn't dare to take the risk.

Sheyan stood by the side silently as he spectated. Honestly speaking, he couldn't understand the sequence of magic casting, but only felt that the atmosphere was incomparably tense. Only Franklin found this situation rather interesting as well.

Annenia Cyathea suddenly pressed his hand onto Sheyan's back. Instantly, the sceneries in Sheyan's view faded away. What remained were only the three space magic elf wizards and the phantasmal Kraken Paul in the waters.

The space magic from the three elves dyed the phantom of Paul with a layer of light blue brilliance. Then, the brilliance swiftly assembled and formed a distorted trace and dove into the infinitely deep darkness. This was probably the connection between spirit fragments and the real body. Though the link appeared weak, it was mysteriously firm that no physical barriers could break it.The three elves strove to be as gentle and amicable as possible, as they slowly approached the main consciousness of Brother Paul.

"Who dares to violate my sovereignty!!!"

All of a sudden, a sea of azure brilliance that could cover the heavens flooded in. The three elves immediately transmitted a clear message at once - "Beloved Paul, Seaman wishes to contact you!!"

The majestic azure brilliance halted for a moment. Though that was so, the three elves were trembling so violently like they had been struck by lightning. Blood oozed out from their nostrils.

In this instant, Sheyan sauntered forward and transferred his thoughts with Annenia Cyathea's assistance.

"Dear venerable Paul, I am Seaman Yan, that scum from the east; Captain of the Dingyuan, the comrade who served you fat delicious beef."

"Oh…I recall now. Are you at the caribbean sea?" Paul's voice carried no vigilance but a sense of delight. Friendly ties between creatures were more resolute than between humans.

The massive brute began complaining to Sheyan.

"My body is infested by barnacles, those darn shells scraping me with discomfort all day and night. I also miss the flavor of clean fat cow and the taste of rum."

"A minor matter my friend, my underlings will be glad to service you anytime. Providing you a comfortable and jovial life is the duty of a friend after all. However, I have something of grave importance that I seek you today."

Sheyan resembled a tiny devil, wagging his pointed tail as he slowly lured Paul in.

"There are matters more important that food and cleaning up barnacles?" Paul replied with a low muffled voice.

"I guess…there is." Sheyan's lips curled into a sinister smirk. His expression was akin to pimps inviting customers into a brothel. "My friend, I am in a place far far away from the caribbean sea, yet a place I encountered a gorgeous madam."

"Gorgeous……madam?" Kraken Paul answered in bafflement.

"Indeed." Sheyan smiled. "Her silky tentacles so slender, her eyes enchanting like a sea divinity. Her sucklers round and sexy. Worthy of praise are her superior genes that can breed a supreme generation."

Kraken Paul replied with hesitation.

"My friend, I've seen numerous gorgeous madams, but all feeble and tiny……before anything can happen, I would've smashed them by accident."

Sheyan laughed loudly and replied.

"My beloved friend, you are being too modest. This madam is not one bit inferior as an invincible existence like you. According to my estimation, her physique may not be smaller than yours! Most importantly, I even doubt you can settle her!"

"Woah woah woah! Impossible, no oceanic creature can be above me, Kraken Paul!" Paul howled agitatedly as though it had been insulted. One could imagine it beating the sea around frantically with its dozen meter long tentacles, sending gigantic waves soaring to the sky. The massive fluctuation of mood instantly caused the three elves wizard to turn pale and cough out blood.

"Calm down, my friend. How about this, I will exhibit one of the madam's egg. Although the egg is dead, I believe you will be able to sense out its might." After ingeniously inciting Paul's curiosity and fighting spirit, Sheyan chuckled in response.

"But you must agree to two things."

"Quick say. I can't wait to see her eggs."

"Firstly, I still have a use for that egg, you must return it to me. Secondly, the distance between us is exceedingly far, it won't be so easy transferring anything to you. Therefore, you must cooperate, otherwise, we can't transfer it over."

Paul hesitated a little before booming with a muffled voice.

"The fist is fine…but to cooperate with you. Davy Jones won't be very pleased with that."

"So don't let him know." Sheyan replied immediately. "Or……forget it then? Goodnight?"

"Nononono!!!" The intrigued Paul quickly and urgently refuted Sheyan's suggestion. "I swear on my tentacles and sucklers, if you dare terminate this conversation right now, I shall make you drink seawater for three days the next time we meet!"

"Fine fine, so will you cooperate with us?"

"Of course!"

"Then what about Captain Davy Jones?"

"You are right, it'll be fine if he doesn't know……"

Following that, Elder Desirese Roots created a magic array in order to transfer a 'Scorched Oceanfreak Moria's Egg' that Sheyan acquired previously. The three elves were not strong enough to undertake such a task.

Fortunately, with the cooperation of Kraken Paul, the difficulty of this task wasn't that difficult. Still, it was an arduous challenge for Elder Desirese Roots. Nevertheless, with the space magic artifacts acquired from the dwarves presenting their usefulness, no mishaps occurred during this dimension transportation process.

Hence, not even ten seconds later, Paul yelled out monstrously.

"My friend, your eyesight is truly impressive! Though this egg is devoid of life, I can vaguely sense how mighty its mother is! Such an intoxicating aroma, an energy source similar to mine! She can definitely endure my passion!"

Sheyan couldn't help but wipe his perspiration. As it turns out, the way Paul identified his spouse was having an adequate butt-size, ability of reproduction, and enduring durability. As long as one will not be squashed, one would be sufficient to satisfy the passion of the gigantic kraken.

"My friend! Where are you right now? I must travel there. For the sake of blissfulness, for the sake of future offspring!" Paul was no longer thinking straight as he shamelessly spilled his motive of propagation. One could fathom how excited the kraken was.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 807: Meeting of two hegemons

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Sheyan released a long sigh to Brother Paul's incomparably excited queries. After a long while of silence, he replied with a troubled tone.

"Where I'm at is a completely different dimension from the caribbean sea. For you to reach me, you must directly participate in a summoning rite. Yet if Davy Jones knows of this, he will abhor our deeds undoubtedly."

The ecstatic Paul answered hurriedly.

"He is presently sailing towards the west, don't worry about him knowing I was summoned here."

Sheyan continued resistantly.

"My friend, your indomitable might incites all of our envy. However, that exact might will become the biggest hurdle during the summoning process. To summon you absolutely isn't a simple matter!"

If it was another creature, it would certainly be at a loss to Sheyan's explanation. Instead, Kraken Paul was a heaven-defying monster. He was first an experiment of dark magic from Davy Jones and possessed exceptional abilities. Next, through a fortuitous encounter, the curse brought about by the contestants then had ultimately transformed him into a wise and farsighted colossus.

That was also because Paul suffered only half the effects of the curse due to Sheyan's disruption then. Hence, he was actually a semi-ghost-semi-physical creature; possessing certain characteristics of ghostly monstrosity. Still he retained a personal thirst for indulgence of his feelings. Most crucially, Kraken Paul was initially a summoned creature of Davy Jones and naturally possessed extensive experience and knowledge with regards to summons.

"I have a way, Seaman Yan!" "The sperm-driven Paul roared out anxiously.

"Just that magic transportation array you employed just now would be sufficient. The greatest mistake you committed, is discussing the mighty Paul in the same frequency as other pathetic creatures."

"……" Sheyan speechlessly replied. "Alright, Elder Desirese Roots, any questions?"

Desirese Roots bowed humbly and said.

"Respected Sir Protector, as long as it is maintaining the intensity of the transportation array, I will be fine even with two times the time with the assistance of those high-level magic artifacts."

The same event occurred as previously. Except, for a normal summoning, when a summoning bridge is established between two dimensions, even the lowest tier of summoned creatures would be arrogantly pampered. They would calmly allow the summoner to drag them to the summoner's dimension, thereby displaying their exceptional status. Instead, the tier-9 legendary Brother Paul was aloof and indifferent. Facing the terribly slow summoning speed, his tentacles flew into a dance without hesitation as he frantically climbed towards Sheyan's dimension……

"Sir Protector, is this your unrivalled ally?"

When the summoning rite concluded, the elves starred with utter astoundment…their gazes congregated towards Sheyan's left palm.

On his palm, was a miniature octopus with tentacles coiled around Sheyan's fingers, who swung around from time to time…

Following that, this miniature octopus appeared to be dissatisfied with the elves' expressions, as it widened its eyes menacingly before blatantly shooting out two thin water pillars.

The honest and thick-headed Segimli couldn't resist the urge to tease.

"My friend, are you sure you wish to challenge that monster of legends with this? The nightmare of the mines of Moria, predator of all adventurers, the raptor of the Misty Mountains, Oceanfreak Moria? If you really mean it, then this is such a cruel tragedy. Where is your conscience? Hais…"

The miniature Paul was finally enraged. He jetted out a shot of black ink into the face of Segimli.

Sheyan smiled wryly and replied.

"Segimli, you will regret infuriating my ally Paul. Once he recovers his strength, you best stay as far away as you can."

As it turns out, Paul facilitate the ease of summoning by spontaneously sealing his strength and shrinking his physique, which was an innate ability gifted by Davy Jones. It was primarily to store the kraken inside a fishbowl and nurture it. Yet Paul unexpectedly utilized this ability to facilitate his summoning, but at the cost of temporarily losing its strength.

Sheyan lifted his hand as he observed the mobile and miniature Paul crawling around his fingers. He suddenly thought of wasabi, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and the incredibly chewy taste in one's mouth……

Sheyan hastily discarded that thought and coughed, dispelling away such dangerous evil from his mind.

By now, Sheyan's forces had expanded powerfully. Apart from the faithful faction of Melody's elves, he had thirty elite dwarven warriors protecting him. This force was practically as reliable as a fortified wall.

Sheyan distinctly remembered a saying that was engraved at the bottom of a sculpture in Rivendell.

An army of dwarf resembles a profoundly indomitable chain vest. Each warrior an unbreakable chain. Sharing duty, honor and loyalty that interlocked each other like a chain vest; once locked together, nothing can penetrate the vest.

Thus, after examining the time, Sheyan blatantly traversed the ruins of the orc metropolis, venturing deeper for that icy valley before arriving before the poisonous pine forest.

The elves were worthy of being the blessed children of nature. Upon arriving here, they sensed that something was amiss and glanced around vigilantly. After a quick inspection, one warned.

"Sir Protector. There exists an unknown treachery here. We mustn't stay here for long."

Sheyan glanced at Reef and smiled faintly.

"No worries. The sun has set, we will be safe at least before it rises tomorrow."

The group that travelled through the pine forest and arrived by the river edge. By now, Brother Paul's cooldown duration had concluded and had long regained his strength.

Sheyan then earnestly said.

"Go my friend. I can guarantee that beautiful valiant madam can be reached via this river. Right, I should mention this. This river is linked to other underground rivers and you should probe around."

The miniature Paul then hopped off Sheyan's palm, before striding across the sand like an eight-legged ballerina. Paul then exclaimed emotionally.

"Ah! How intoxicating, I can already smell her alluring fragrance!"

Following that, he gradually crawled into the river.

Segimli grumbled to Sheyan.

"This is murder my friend. I sincerely feel tht Mister Paul should be spending his childhood in a pond, not taking an immense risk by exploring a remote river and being all boastful about this."

Just before Segimli could add on, a frighteningly gigantuous tentacle pierced out from the dark river without any warning. The tentacle was at least 7-8 meters long and could be seen to hold incredibly dreadful might. Just from gazing at its squirming sucklers, one's soul would shiver from panic!!

The tentacle proceeded to meander past several individuals like a winding serpent, and pursued Segimli with lightning pace. The poor Segimli, though alive for a century, was still considered a youth. He screamed sorrowfully with the words 'Oh my Mahal' before being forcefully dragged into the river!

Only when Segimli had been dragged into the river, did the elves and dwarves regain their senses. The thirty elite dwarves yelled frantically yet none of them dared to enter the water. To everyone's knowledge, the dwarves prided themselves as creations of impregnable rocks……hence, they would most likely drown in the water.

Yet soon after, the young dwarf emerged in everyone's sight again, yet not before he was hurled flying by the tentacle and landed.

The miserable Segimli coughed violently and lamented.

"Ahhhhh I rescind my earlier words, no ahhhhh!"

This soaking and tossing affair lasted for five times before Kraken Paul finished venting his anger, leaving the half-dead Segimli lying on the sand like a spineless scallion. Paul then finished with a wave slap of water, causing all elves and dwarves to appear like drowned rats.

Only after that, did Paul proceeded to search for the female octopus, Oceanfreak Moria.

The dry Sheyan and Reef released a dry cough and announced.

"It seems we forgot to mention……Mister Paul is one who loves keeping grudges, oh, wrong, a gentleman who separates gratitude and grievances very clearly!"

The river side was now a plain of silence, looking as though nothing abnormal was happening. The group constructed three large bonfires as they patiently awaited.

After half an hour, everyone felt a sudden tremor beneath their feet. This tremor felt similar to an earthquake.

Closely after, the river water started undulating intensely with massive tides. The waters churned turbulently and extinguished their bonfires. One could imagine how fierce the ongoing battle between two hegemons was!

At this moment, Elder Desirese Roots whispered to Sheyan.

"Respected Protector, I am not doubting your plans but…I feel that our main objective, should be placed on Lordess twilight elf's predicament. I acknowledge that Oceanfreak Moria of Misty Mountains is unparalleled in strength, but I can't see how slaying or convincing it can be of help to Lordless twilight elf."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 808: Devastating news

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Sheyan remained quiet and smiled faintly at the inquiry of Melody's loyal elder.

Sonorous splashes of water erupted from the river as a titanic dark-blue tentacle stretched out. Yet instantly, two other larger, black tentacles brutally tangled in and pressed the first tentacle back into the water.

This was a tremendously astonishing scene to the onlookers. The colossus Paul displayed such terrifying might the he could unexpectedly use two tentacles to tie down Oceanfreak Moria that was larger than him. The tentacles continued erupting from the water, as the tussle extended to over twenty meters in radius.

Ocreanfreak Moria's tentacle waved frantically in the air, but finally unleashed attraction strength from its meter long large sucklers; tightly adhering to a rocky cliff by the edge of the river. The contractions of her tentacles smashed devastatingly against the solid-like-iron walls, and caused fissures to form immediately. Its plight of having its tentacles tossed around was certainly miserable.

At this moment, one could observe a shade of fluster and wariness in the half-meter large eyes of Oceanfreak Moria, as she stared intensely at her abrupt but indomitable foe!

Instead, Brother Paul slapped the water surface excitedly, as he raised two thick tentacles to form a 'flexing' gesture like that of champion bodybuilders. It was as though he was rudely parading in front of his opponent, wanting to fully convince her before persuading the flesh of the opposite sex.

"What powerful magic ripples!" Annenia Cyathea gasped in surprise.

Battle Ent Ferrell trudged forward and shielded the elves behind him. His current tree body wasn't his original wood body and wouldn't matter much if it was destroyed.

Right in front of Oceanfreak Moria's five tentacles that were sticking out of the water, five incredibly sharp glacic pillars had strangely froze. The glacic pillars shone with deadly brilliance and hinted of an impending death.

Reef whispered to Sheyan.

"Seems like this damned female octopus didn't exhibit its deadliest form the previous time we entered this world. Otherwise, the balrog would've been destroyed without a fight last time."

Sheyan sighed and replied.

"The mother octopus who had just given birth naturally couldn't display her optimal strength. Eh? What's Paul doing? Is he trying to resist head on?"

While the duo chatted, those five terrifying glacic pillars rammed straight for Paul. Instead, Paul didn't attempt to evade but directly unleashed a tyrannical hydro pump towards Oceanfreak Moria.

When the glacic pillars struck Paul, it seemingly failed to damage him one bit but instantly dispersed into light blue mist that froze Paul into an ice sculpture.

Despite so, Paul's ice sculpture state only persisted for two seconds before he shook free, shattering the ice. His two tentacles whipped down like mountains crashing into the sea as water lotuses bloomed around. Once again, Paul grabbed Ocreanfreak Moria and hurled her ferociously away.

"Oh, Paul looks as if he can fight ten at one go, and seems like he is immune to water element abilities……"

"Such brute force suffices in subduing his foe but can he win her affection?"

"Can't say for winning her affection, but occupying her flesh would be a simple affair."

"Right boss, shouldn't another male octopus, Oceanfreak Moria's husband, be emerging soon? Otherwise, how would we even get Oceanfreak Moria's eggs?"

"According to online sources, the Misty Mountains are near Moria, and there is only one monstrous beast, which is Oceanfreak Moria. Octopi have similar reproduction habits to hens, laying eggs even without a male partner. However, the eggs cannot breed the next generation."

"…"

The situation heated up as Oceanfreak Moria was evidently one who wouldn't admit defeat. She displayed an entire act of grand water elemental techniques for all to peruse.

Sadly, almost all peak water elemental skills ended in failure. Apart from causing the environment temperature to plummet several degrees, nothing was too hard for Paul to handle. The only effective water elemental ability was a rank 6 summoning of waterloids; three towering waterloids of 5-6 meters in height swarmed Paul maliciously, but were effortlessly swiped into vapour by a single tentacle from Paul……

When the miserable Oceanfreak Moria was caught for the 'nth' time and violently slammed away, it released a melancholic hiss and wrapped itself with tentacles before curling up by the shore without moving; appearing as though it had resigned to the wonton wishes of its foe…

Paul slapped his tentacles against the water with ecstasy, before dragging this big-eyed octopus madam into the depths of the river. Once again, rhythmic ripples emerged onto the surface of the river……

In the interest of saving time, I request readers to simply imagine the passions involved between two octopus…oh, this really requires an intense form of imagination!

Roughly an hour later, Paul slapped the water while swimming towards them in high spirits, while Oceanfreak Moria followed behind it like a docile, abused mistress. For unknown reasons, as Sheyan observed this scene, he subconsciously thought of Pan Changjiang striding arrogantly with a teary Fan Bingbing following behind his trail……

Sheyan was all smiles when this affair concluded, it was akin to a boulder being removed from his shoulders. He strolled forward and greeted the passionate Paul by swimming to him. He even delivered a gift to Oceanfreak Moria afterwards - two fatty, clean, and alive male bulls purchased from Rivendell.

In lieu of the thoughtful gift and Brother Paul, Oceanfreak Moria's atittude towards Sheyan became evidently better. When Sheyan swam away, he managed to even shake 'hands' with the tip of Oceanfreak Moria's tentacle.

Since he created a favorable impression, Sheyan proceeded to call over Annenia and two other elves, who sneakily interacted with Oceanfreak Moria as well. With the children of nature beside him, interactions became fairly harmonious and smooth.

Brother Paul would soon automatically return to the caribbean sea world once the summoning effects wore off. Therefore, he wanted to seize the time to nurture this relationship with Oceanfreak Moria.

When the two gigantic octopuses once again tangled tentacles and submerged to the bottom of the river, Annenia and the two elves bowed humbly to Sheyan and left.

After everything settled down, Sheyan continued pondering by the river edge before abruptly asking Elder Desirese Roots.

"How many resources do we need to establish a permanent summoning array."

Elder Desirese Roots was slightly puzzled and dissatisfied with Sheyan acting so mysteriously. Still, he earnestly answered.

"We must see how frequent summonings will be, and what creature will be summoned."

Sheyan replied straightforwardly.

"Frequency……probably once every three hours for a duration of an hour each. The strength of the creature is roughly similar to Mister Paul."

Elder Desirese Roots contemplated a little and responded.

"If you insist on establish that summoning array, I can supply the resources. However, we lack the heart of a stone giant, half a pound of Mirkwood's Wicked Wishcrow's fresh blood, three white cow horns, and one ruby. The array will last for a decade and only requires a change of ruby afterwards."

"Segimli, can you help me record down the elder's words?" Sheyan politely asked.

Segimli was currently stroking his wet beard and asked in shock.

"Why? Can you even read in the dwarven language?"

"Those items will be one of the next criteria in my trade with the Gimli clan. Apart from that, I also wish purchase high level magic artifacts that are suited for twilight elves, especially a Sunstrider. I can fork out the materials, but I shall request for a master blacksmith."

Sheyan sincerely answered.

"You will get those items my friend! The Gimli clan is pleased to service you." An elite dwarf warrior excitedly interrupted. This was an aged, old, warrior with a white beard. Nevertheless, his robust muscles easily surpassed the thighs of a young man.

Sheyan nodded with satisfaction and smiled.

"Should our cooperation be a success, I will bless the Gimli clan with another surprise."

"Oh?" Segimly asked curiously. "What surprise?"

Sheyan smiled without answering and turned to the elves.

"It is time we return. Lordess Twilight Elf is expecting our swift return."

The battle ent Ferrell intruded with a muffled voice.

"But Annenia and the two elves haven't returned."

"They are very safe, I needed them to leave." Sheyan laughed in response. "Don't worry, they are busy with something of paramount importance to Lordess Twilight Elf and us."

No mishaps occurred during the journey back. After numerous bitter defeats, the orcs no longer dispatched minions to give their lives in vain.

Three days after from departing Rivendell, the group once again entered this majestic elven kingdom. Yet before they could even rest for a drink, they received devastating news!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 809: Betrayed

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Decree of Holy Nature:

Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, Shelterer of the Misty Mountains, noble son of E?rendil, and Keeper of Vilya, shall depart for the Undying Lands within the shortest time in search of a way to restore his life.

He will be escorted by the most excellent Melody Sunstrider, and Elven Elders, Sindelwyn Yellowpage and Botehan Youngbud. This delegation of twenty will traverse the thousand leagues as elvish representatives of Middle-earth, to pay respects to the most illustrious Illuvatar. We bid Lord Elrond best fortunes in reaching the Undying Lands as soon as possible.

Noble Twilight Elf Glorfindel will assume command as Lord of Rivendell.

The Ring of Air, Vilya, shall be rescinded from Elrond and safeguarded by Elven King Thranduil and Lady Galadriel against the Dark Lord.

This decree is signed with the supreme authority of Elven King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, and the noble Glorfindel.

Any intention to alter this decree will be deemed as challenging the authority of all elves of Middle-earth, and the perpetrator will be subjected to the retaliation of elvish might.

Upon viewing the decree posted on the boards of Rivendell, the elves of Melody became shell-shocked.

Evidently, this decree was introduced after numerous contentions and negotiations by underlying factions, where each received personal benefits upon taking this ultimate step. Elrond would gain the opportunity to travel to the Undying Lands, but losing his authority as head of the elves.

Glorfindel gained the lordship of Rivendell that he so desired and even his elves get to remain. Nevertheless, he lost the opportunity to acquire the Vilya.

Elven King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm and Lady Galadriel did not partake in pointing out the successor of Rivendell, but they acquired the using rights of the Vilya.

Everyone received respect except the newly promoted twilight elf Melody, whose wishes………were utterly neglected without any hint of hesitation.

Such tyrannical conduct caused even the neutral elves to be enraged, each expressing their respective objections. Nevertheless, if mere objections were useful, why would there be a need to battle with might in this world?

Meanwhile, the various races expressed satisfaction with this outcome. Their fears of Elrond bringing away a tremendous multitude of Rivendell Elves were allayed, and the elvish might in Middle-earth would not weaken. Therefore, they could still contest evil should the Dark Lord rise again.

Faced with this sudden twist, Sheyan was the only one who could remain calm. It seemed as though this outcome was already within his predictions.

As he perused the words of the decree, Sheyan's lips curled into a cold smirk.

"As expected, you guys can't refrain from acting………except, I wonder if you knew? Regardless of how well the fox tail is hidden, it has been revealed too early, all according to my expectations."

Time swiftly trickled away. During this period, Sheyan didn't meet up with Melody nor did he communicate with her through the sacred tree. Sheyan didn't wish for his foes to seize any handle they could use against him.

In his plans, secrecy and timing were of utmost importance. Nevertheless, he was a little worried about offending Elder Desirese Roots.

Fortunately, Sheyan held utmost faith and hope in Melody. In truth, she was the most important piece of his schemes.

To his present perspective, Melody displayed such unwavering faith in him even when he was absent. Therefore, now that she knew of his presence, her courage would be bolstered further! He believed her confidence in him was now unshakable.

"I will never disappoint you." Sheyan observed Melody's elvish residence as he mused to himself.

The fourth night following the decree.

Most of the merchant caravan groups around Rivendell had long departed. A hazy drizzle enshrouded Rivendell as trees and plants regained their emerald-like luster from the water. However, a sliver of withering yellow could be seen at the tip of some leaves. A widespread withering seemed to be impending the month; the cost of organizing this rare century celebration of Rivendell.

The white pebble path was longer pristine and free from mud. Filth and mud could be seen everywhere, and the immortal mountain-like cleanliness of Rivendell had reverted to its original form. Ants manipulated by nature's magic had perished, leaving behind shells of carcassess that solidified with the mud.

Half-elf Elrond was wearing a black cloak with golden lines. A falling leaf drifted past his eyes, as he stooped to cough lightly before mounting a carriage. Two vigorous and mighty uni-horn stallions were positioned to haul along the carriage.

After two of Elrond's close confidants supported him up the carriage, they proceeded to keep guard by the side.

The expressionless Melody was escorted by two female elves up the carriage behind. This carriage exhibited an ivy exterior with edges beaming with hazy green radiance, creating a comfortable and honored impression. One could observe that the green radiance would cause the ivy to continuously grow, before curling around Melody's spotless and slender wrists. Her wrists were also bound by a maple leaves that appeared blazing red.

Witnessing this scene, Elder Desirese Roots immediately displayed an angry expression and fumed.

"Those withered-up elves! They dare constrict Lordess Melody with the "Nature Restraining Leaves' and use such a despicable energy absorption array!!"

As it turns out, the carriage was also infused with an energy absorption array. It could endlessly absorb one's nature magic prowess which would be converted to vitality. This was the greenish radiance that constantly grew the ivy.

The blazing red maple leaves on her wrists appeared like ordinary ornaments, but were, in fact, substantial restrictions, preventing external spirit energies from infusing into her body.

With both absorption and prevention of her nature energy, one could be surel that Melody would not be up to no good along the way. Yet this treatment was akin to an exceedingly painful torture to her. Seeing how gentle and peaceful Melody looked, it was hard to imagine that she could endure such agonizing torture.

No farewells, no embraces, no handshakes, no tears. Elrond's delegation directly departed.

After traveling down the mountain, Elrond jumped off the carriage and gazed deeply back at the majestic city enshrouded with hazy drizzle. Then, he mounted the carriage again. No one could fathom his unfazed expression or his thoughts.

The drizzle slowly crescendoed to a heavy downpour. Unbeknownst when, dark clouds gathered as lightning bolt streaked through the empty air. The place was now engulfed with showering whiteness as visibly plummeted.

It had been two days since Elrond's delegation departed Rivendell. The vile weather failed to halt their advance but effectively slowed their advancing pace. Howling winds tore against trees and plants, like an invisible and brutal giant hand viciously ripping apart the hair of a feeble maiden.

One's vision failed to connect with any end, only a vast and ghastly whiteness. The path collecting the downpour emanated an air of overwhelming dread. This path followed a steep precipice that could easily lead to the demise of all.

The carriage eventually halted at the peak of this mountain ridge. Nobody dared to continue advancing, because such a torrential rain could easily lead to mountain floods or landslides.

Once disaster struck at the bottom, only a few measly travellers would be able to escape. The revered Elrond was now accustomed to being serviced by others, regardless of personal interest or not, he wasn't willing for such an outcome to happen.

An elf jumped down while risking being drenched from the rain. He nimbly marched to the front of the fidgety uni-horn stallion and calmed them down. Then, he marched to Elrond's carriage and bowed before alerting.

"Lord Elrond, I'm afraid we can no longer proceed.The journey of a dozen leagues through the valley will be too treacherous in this tempest."

Elrond quickly replied with a low voice.

"Alright."

Moments later, several elves leapt down the rear-most carriage, and begun constructing a large and marvellous pointed-tip tent. They were meticulous and speedily efficient. Hence, they failed to discover a strange change happening beneath the crystal clear water collecting at the bottom of one elf.

The accumulated water seemed to possess its own life. The water slowly congealed into a thick hand with crystal like joints, even cyan veins could be seen clearly. Slowly, it abruptly seized the ankle of that elf and pulled!

The elf instantly yelled in vigilance. After all, the feeling of slipping and being pulled was completely different. Yet when his comrade glanced over, the comrade failed to notice any strange happenings. The rainwater-congealed hand had long disappeared after pulling the elf.

When that elf fell heavily to the ground with his back touching the floor, he exhibited an incomparably strange expression while turning stiff.

The other elves didn't make much of this issue. Nothing abnormal could be vividly observed, and the elves carried on with their duties. Only one bent down to assist the elf.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 810: Ambush or murder?

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

To most elves, falling down while laboring amidst a raging storm was a common affair.

Furthermore, when the elf that was assaulted released a yelp, it sounded similar to one accidentally slipping due to the howling winds.

Hence, most of the elves glanced over nonchalantly as they continued toiling after affirming nothing was up.

The only one that felt something awry was the assisting elf. He immediately felt something was amiss upon pulling his comrade. The arm of his comrade felt exceedingly peculiar, as though it was devoid of strength like he was pulling a corpse.

He hastily bent down and flipped his elf comrade around. Instantly, a shocking deep wound across the comrade's back right near the heart area greeted him. Then, he noticed the lifelessness in the elf's eye coupled with his ghastly pale complexion.

Strangely, the periphery around the wound appeared deathly white as though the body had been soaked in water for a long time. There wasn't a single droplet of blood, and forcefully squeezing the wound resulted in turbid rainwater flowing out instead. Evidently, the aura of life had long escaped this physical body.

While the baffled elf was inspecting his comrade's wound, he suddenly noticed the rainwater strangely congealing together. Then, it morphed into a shaftless transparent blade that sliced in with indescribable speed.

This elf wasn't very strong and could be considered extremely weak. In fact, he was only a quarter elf due to his grandpa, and was mostly human. Otherwise, he wouldn't be tasked with such servant-like chores. Moreover, he definitely wouldn't choose to spend his best years attempting a trip to the Undying Lands with Elrond.

Thus, the transparent blade sliced in for the kill. The elf only felt a comfortable chill across his throat before feeling nothing; not even agony. Only, he saw something gushing out from his neck. It was a queer yet somewhat nice sensation, however, his consciousness gradually dimmed as his soul floated to the sky.

The spurting blood from the collapsed elf instantly incited the attention of everyone. A person slipping may be an accident, but two collapsing was undoubtedly uncealable.

"An ambush by enemies!"

The elves howled out in panic. These laborious elf servants were wonderful in chores but a travesty with regards to fighting. The situation fell into a messy upheaval as the elves tried to look for the hidden enemy.

All of a sudden, a strange transparent half gripped the ankle of another elf. The elf who was still trying to find a foe fell and moved no more.

This attack was witnessed by a half-elf beside. That elf instinctively glanced at his own feet and released a terrified scream. He too discovered the rainwater congealing into a transparent and enormous hand that viciously gripped his ankle

In this instant, the elven bloodline in this elf exhibited its superior might as the elf darted away at once.

In spite of that, the transparent liquid hand was displeased with the failed assault. It immediately swept in with another malicious strike.

What was on the ground? With the pouring rain, only puddles of rainwater apart from solid mountain rocks. When the transparent liquid hand swiped in, the hand merely struck more rainwater. Yet in that instance, the hand abruptly transformed into an incredibly incisive dagger!

The dagger was transparent and brimming with deadly sharpness, seemingly guaranteeing the chances of puncturing its foe.

The liquid hand seized the water dagger and thrust it ferociously. Fortunately, the elf was pretty agile, possibly due to his superior elven bloodline. The elf continued to dodge repeatedly.

Still, the transparent hand struck with astonishing speed, jabbing in blades immediately after retracting. Moreover, the terrifying hand seemed to be able to conduct form displacement. The hand abruptly melted into the puddles, and reappeared behind the elf a second later!

Nobody could fathom the strange positioning of the transparent hand. After a single thrust, the hand then proceeded to stab unceasingly like a windmill without pause.

Fortunately, the exceedingly wretched elf managed to scramble for a tent plank on the ground, and blocked off several blows.

All of a sudden, the transparent liquid hand executed a ghostly flash movement with its water blade. The ghostly flash was actually due to a sudden unparalleled accelerated thrust! It thrust straight for the same spot on the wooden tent plank.

As the saying goes, dripping water penetrates the stone and ropes saw off timber. The solid wooden plank, though extremely sturdy, ultimately couldn't handle the endless stabs of the overwhelmingly strong water blade.

Kacha! The wooden plank finally snapped.

Following that, the transparent hand executed a throwing action. Soon after, the hand unexpectedly turned into a sharp blade itself and penetrated deep into the chest of the half-elf.

The half-elf screamed miserably as his skinny body staggered backward before slumping to the ground. The life in his ravishing blue pupils swiftly faded, as the savage transparent liquid hand dissolved into a puddle after committing murder.

Meanwhile, it wasn't only these half elf servants that were being assaulted. Eyes were similarly set on the few carriages.

In truth, this meticulously plotted sneak attack was definitely for assassination.

Before the transparent liquid hand was discovered previously, the falling rain water above Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage's carriage was suddenly ignited. Queer light-blue flames emerged where the flames swiftly upgraded into an incinerating light-blue fireball. This fireball blazed down from above.

Yet at this moment, a layer of green radiance floated up from the carriage's exterior, shielding the carriage from the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of explosions occurred. The air became polluted with fiery smoke and a charred stench. A fine horse was caught in the wave of flames and neighed sorrowfully before perishing.

The light-blue flames churned with greater intensity upon interacting with more rain water. Afar, the uni-horn stallions were edging back in fear. Not only that, the blue flames landed on mountain rocks and caused them to fizzle. The rain water landed on the flames, they seemed to offer the effect of adding oil to a fire.

The green radiating barrier protecting this carriage turned evidently diluted, repeatedly unleashing greenish brilliance against the crudely splashing fire flames. The flames appeared to be extinguishable at any second, but the pouring rain continued to fuel the flames; seemingly engulfing the carriage with an inferno, threatening to burn everything to a crisp within a split second.

The decorations of the carriage fell in successions, releasing 'ding dang' sounds amidst the loud rain, and complementing the sizzling sounds of a burning horse nearby. The scene was exceedingly strange to describe.

A moment later, Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage charged out from the ruined carriage.

Of course, he wasn't the only one to surface. In front of the grim looking elder, a shocking and massive earth elemental appeared. The earth elemental was like a threatening great bear that blasted the carriage into smithereens upon emerging from it.

Although the blue flames ravaged the earth elemental's body wantonly, the elemental seemed to be unbothered. Yet at this time, within the vast whiteness of the pouring rain, an incredibly fierce and deadly glint flashed in.

This glint created an impression of frying one's eyes. Not only that, it seemed to bring a searing agony that would cause one's heart to distort. This was an arrow specifically utilized to invade one's heart.

Not many characters could fire such an arrow throughout the entire Lord of the Rings world. This could be said amongst the elves renowned from rangership as well!

The reality was that it wasn't an elf that fired this arrow. Instead, it was the most hated and reviled enemy of the elves.

Uruk-hai Lurtz!

The arrow directly penetrated the core of the earth element. Being an elemental creature, the earth elemental didn't perish but lost the energy to continue residing in this world. Thus, it instantly degenerated into a heap of rocks that crumbled down.

Yet more terrifying was that the arrow gravely wounded Elf Elder Sindelwyn Yellowpage as well. A frightening puncture wound could be seen at his chest, as fresh blood dyed his robe red.

Concurrently, as the billowing winds howled, a lightning bolt whistled in for the other carriage of Elf Elder Botehan Youngbud.

The two uni-horn stallions that pulled Lord Elrond's carriage simultaneously raised their front hooves while issuing a furious neigh. A golden brilliance glittered at the tip of their horns. The brilliant resplendent wasn't a good sign, but an indication that powerful evil loomed nearby.

Amidst the hazy rain, an unfathomable shadow seemed to be approaching.

Be it the majestic and herculean stallions or the unwavering chauffeur, it seemed as though the source of darkness had enveloped their bodies.

The shadow halted. It was as though the shadow was covered in black ink; nefarious, ghostly, and carrying an unrivalled nature of invasion!

Even the falling rain water, once landed on the shadow's periphery, would be polluted with overflowing evil!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 811: Trap in a trap

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

A knight emerged from the shadow. His aura of invasion wasn't merely polluting the ground, but assimilating and corrupting the environment itself. Even the falling rainwater that fell on him was infused with evil!

Be it knight or mount, a pair of crimson glints that could frighten the soul flickered in the darkness. All who looked into those eyes would have their souls sucked into the darkness.

Indeed, the most fearsome dark beings of the Lord of the Rings; eternally formless due to the rings they wielded, and traveling between the realms of reality and shadows.

The most terrifying slaves of Sauron. Darkness followed after them, and the hummings of death sung from their mouths. The Nazg?l, also known as Ringwraiths!

During this period, every single carriage was under siege by unknown forces. All except Melody's carriage, it was as though the assaulters were clear on the awkward predicament this newly promoted twilight elf was in. Therefore, not doing anything was the best move, yet foiling the imprisonment mechanisms of her carriage would, in turn, cause the situation to sour.

Amidst the rain and mist, a somber and desolate battlefield brimming with evil. The line of stagnant carriages trapped along a mountain path like a dead serpent. Even the mystical uni-horn stallions neighed in fear and glanced around nervously, stomping repeatedly around with their hooves. Evidently, they would've galloped faraway if not for being straddled to the carriage.

"We, meet, again." The Nazg?l spoke with a heartless tone to Elrond's carriage. His voice seemed to be reverberating in from a hollow space, resonating deep into one's heart.

"Today, I, Kham?l, Seventh Grand Duke of Númenor, Shadow of the East, loyal servant of Lord Sauron, and Lord of Rh?n, hereby declare; my sword shall taste the blood of half-elf Elrond, his heart sacrificed to the dark one!"

(ED: Kham?l is actually not of Númenorean descent, and is the only Wraith whose name was given by Tolkien, the rest of the titles are accurate.)

Elrond finally emerged from the carriage, yet was unexpectedly holding a female's hand.

This female elf appeared exceptionally noble and graceful. In her hands, was a divine staff that seemed like a tree branch. However, the process of budding seedlings, blooming flowers, ripening fruits, and even withering plants were endlessly occurring on this 'branch'.

Upon viewing this elf maiden, Nazg?l Kham?l flickered with a crimson glow.

"Galadriel?? Why are you here?"

Indeed, this elf maiden was Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien!! A pure blooded elf that didn't suffer even after wearing one of the rings of power! One could fathom her impregnable will.

Concurrently, a fair hand reached out to welcome the streak of lightning headed for Elder Botehan. Afterwards, the lightning's might was completely exhausted.

A lofty elf with splendid gold hair then trudged out from that carriage and announced.

"How can I be absent from such an event?"

Unexpectedly, twilight elf Glorfindel who should be in Rivendell had surfaced as well!

In this instant, Uruk-hai Lurtz fired off another arrow from his bow.

This was a great bow soaked with fresh blood!

A cold arrowtip whistled in towards Glorfindel like the feasting eyes of a demon.

Though the number of enemies was unexpected, everyone that appeared were all formidable wizards.

As for Uruk-hai Lurtz, an archer who lurked in the shadows while targeting his enemy's weakness, he could stealthily terrorize the entire field.

This was because the most powerful abilities would require incantation casting time. The incantation process would be the optimal moment for Lurtz to strike fatally.

Lurtz loosed his bowstring with a piercing 'twang' that shook everyone. His arrow carried a dreadfully savage aura as it whizzed in. Once the arrow collided in, it would explode with a potent misma that covered the surroundings. Regardless of being capable of blocking or not, his opponent would be forced to retreat, thereby winning the advantage for Ringwraith that specialized in assassination.

Yet at this moment, amidst the elven corpses on the ground, a certain corpse rolled and suddenly climbed up. The elf corpse didn't make any unnecessary movements, yet his left arm strummed gracefully as if he was playing a guitar. A green glow then shot out and blocked the incoming 'Miasma Arrow'.

Obstructed after merely whizzing in for twenty plus meters, the arrow exploded with a muffled boom before diffusing a hazy, gloomy green miasma that resembled the poisonous fog of Sheyan's 'Curse-mix'. Instead, this miasma ushered in a more intensified threat. Yet the miasma floating around in the empty air offered no effects at all.

The 'corpse' wiped its face……revealing the dashing face of Prince Legolas like that of the morning sun. He smiled and announced.

"My father has returned to his kingdom, yet how could his son miss out on such an interesting event?"

All of a sudden, several figures emerged from the falling rain and enshrouding mist. The few figures were extremely familiar. They were none other than the contestants who entered this world with Sheyan and Reef.

The reserve-duty Growth-Hunter MT named Mo Yi and his confidant Shuren. The two plus Yerna who suffered under Sheyan before. They barely managed to assemble a party, yet from the looks of it, their hand in this matter didn't seem miniscule.

Deducing from the current situation, this so call Elrond's expedition to the Undying Lands was actually a decoy.

The culprits who plotted against Elrond previously probably knew of his injuries as well; knowing that if he couldn't return to the Undying Lands within a short period of time, he would undoubtedly perish in Middle-earth. Hence, the optimal time to strike was during Elrond's journey to the Undying Lands after leaving Rivendell.

Evidently, Elrond had noticed that point too. Hence, his original intent was to bring along most of the elves of Rivendell along with him. However, Sheyan's stirring with regards to Melody had unintentionally greatly aided the culprits who assaulted Elrond.

Forced into such desperation, Elrond could only bring a few elves to meet the embrace of his enemies. Yet it seems like Mo Yi's group was pretty talented as well. They managed to convince Elrond to set up a trap in a trap, using himself as bait to lure out his foes. From the looks of it now, this plan was quite an exceptional success.

Prince Legolas, the two Elf Elders, Galadriel, and Glorfindel. This was an incredibly frightening combination. Without a doubt, this assembly would still occupy crushing superiority against Nazg?l Kham?l, Lurtz, and a few other dark wizards.

Still, Nazg?l Kham?l and Lurtz didn't appear to harbour intentions of fleeing. Especially Lurtz, whose eyes flashed with cruelty and coldness. He fished out a leather wine pouch from his waist, and gulped down the contents. Dark-red alcohol leaked out from the corner of his lips and trickled down onto his hairy chest.

Nazg?l Kham?l abruptly released a wild and conceited laughter.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful. You have all arrived, yet today, all shall perish, none shall bar the way of Dark Lord Sauron when he sweeps through all of Middle-earth. Come now, for the Witch-King of Angmar!"

Galadriel scoffed in response.

"Shameless boasting! Should the Witch-King of Angmar reveal abnormal movements, then Gandalf and Saruman would've notified us at first notice. I just received the whispers of the wind three hours ago, one of the human kingdoms was assaulted by the other seven Nazg?l. The shadows of the Nazg?l covered that glorious city. Even the fastest Silver Unicorn would require 15 days to gallop to the Misty Mountain."

Yet at this moment, roars of laughter erupted from Nazg?l Kham?l; sounding like a rusted blade scratching against a whetstone.

"Indeed, nothing you said is wrong. My fellow Nazg?l are indeed offering the honor and darkness of our lord to the human kingdom. Alas for you, faithful ones of a high-god are on our lord's side. A deliberate plot to create seven dark dimension arrays. With the aid of a high-god, yes, my fellow Nazg?l shall come. Your flesh will return to dust!"

At this moment, seven terrifying pillars of darkness shattered the haziness of the foggy rain, soaring straight up to the sky!

Those seven terrifying pillars of darkness formed a perfect circle with Nazg?l Kham?l. Moments later, the seven pillars of darkness gradually concentrated together, as the eight nefarious ringwraiths assembled as one!

A sinister yet abstruse voice whispered through the atmosphere from all corners, seemingly carrying vile diabolical curses from hell.

"I am Dwar of Waw, my sword desires to sever your breath."

"I am Dawndeath Jí Ind?r, lover of elf blood."

"I am Akh?rahil. Galadriel, your hair will become ornament for my saddle."

"King H?arm?rath will bring terror to your souls."

"Your skulls will become a part of me, Ad?naphel the Quiet Avenger!"

"……"

(TL: The names and inspiration of the Nazgul came from the Middle-earth role playing game)

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 812: Regain confidence

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"Such a grand affair…this completely eclipses my expectation."

Approximately three kilometers away from the battlefield, a concealed cave could be seen. The cavern entrance was covered with vines. Upon entering the entrance and making a ninety degree turn, one could observe a group of individuals sitting together. In front of them, was a puddle of clear water that was roughly 5-6 square meters wide. Nevertheless, this puddle of clear water resembled a mirror, displaying the battle scene occuring at the distant mountain path with great clarity; not a single movement was overlooked.

The one who spoke was indeed Sheyan. His brows were tightly knitted together. The present Sheyan finally realized that all along, he who deemed himself as the dark hand behind the curtains who manipulated battles to his victory, had actually been pitifully used as a chess piece for someone else's plan!

Furthermore, the current situation wasn't merely involving the assembly of eight invincible Nazguls. There was still Uruk-hai Lurtz. Such a battle on this scale…honestly speaking, it wasn't something the current Sheyan could conjure up with his own hands.

This battle situation was akin to a endlessly deep whirlpool. Without possessing adequate strength, don't mention participating, even being nearby would cause one to be swallowed up and torn asunder!

"Although this sounds pathetic, but towards this situation……I have lost all control. There is no loophole that I can exploit." Sheyan mumbled out such words with great bitterness. This was one of the rare times he admitted his miscalculation.

Reef watched the puddle intently for a while before he spoke.

"The mastermind behind this is truly impressive. Making a great sacrifice of achievement points to create a one-time-use teleportation array for those seven Nazguls. The total expense of seven teleportation arrays amount to over a hundred achievement points!"

Sheyan asked curiously.

"Storyline characters can also employ items exchanged with achievement points?"

Reef answered.

"That item can only be exchanged after promoting to a certain military rank. It is called 'Point Dimensionfold Tech-device'. If a contestant employs it, he will return to the realm instantly, but will result in lowering all basic attributes of the contestant. Moreover, all rewards and items gain in the world would be forfeited."

"However, storyline characters can likewise employ that tool, which will create a truly formidable one-time teleportation array. I heard of a case recently. In one of the Terminator 1 storylines, storyline character Reese (John Connor's father) was supposed to die. However, a contestant utilized the item to immediately teleport the gravely wounded Reese to a hospital, who was saved after an operation. That is how I am quite familiar with such an item. Looking at it right now, I suddenly thought of it."

Sheyan frowned and spoke worriedly.

"Let's not talk about that. Those guys have already managed to gain the trust of existences like the Nazgul. Their entrenchment in the foundations of this world is simply unimaginable."

Reef pondered and replied.

"Boss, I feel that you are overthinking things. The nightmare world is a crazy place but one filled with countless opportunities. Still remember our performance in the Avatar world? It was also our first time entering that accursed world, yet your answer to it caused the sovereign of that planet, fine, one of the sovereigns of the world, Eywa, to reach a compromise. They managed to acquire friendship with those Ringwraiths? Do those rotting creatures still possess brains?"

After listening to Reef, Sheyan's eyes abruptly flickered brightly. After a brief silence, he replied.

"You are right! My friend, friendship with both Ringwraiths and an Uruk-hai leader is an incredibly foolish idea, perhaps……my starting point is wrong. Those guys aren't totally invulnerable. Let us consider this from a different angle! The perspective of cost!"

"Perspective of cost? I don't understand." Reef asked in puzzlement.

Sheyan paused a little and answered.

"Let's be more direct, bypassing the process and to the outcome. After tossing aside whatever damn schemes they possess, let's consider the expense they poured into this wonderful deed."

"Firstly, they must've persuaded the Witch-King of Angmar. Apart from that Nazgul boss, nobody can command the other eight Ringwraiths to assemble. Next, based on your data, they wasted over a hundred achievement points, a tremendous fortune, in conjuring out seven 'Point Dimensionfold Tech-device'. No contestant would partake in a losing business. Hence, we can fundamentally affirm their profits would be multiplied that of the costs…now, should we guess where is the source of these profits?"

"Reputation. Slaying those prominent figures would undoubtedly inflate their reputation, providing them with bountiful rewards. They may have an exceedingly arduous mission to take the heads of elite elves of the Middle-earth alliance. Of course, the battle loots in this process as well."

Reef confidently laid out the options.

Sheyan took a hurried breath before replying.

"Yes, spot on. Battle loots……I now know their motive! The ambitions of our contestant opponents are truly frighteningly unimaginable. Their ultimate goal is definitely the rings of power bestowed upon the elves!"

"The Elvish rings of powers, crafted with the same treasures as the One Ring, bestowed to the elven rulers. Now of the three rings, the Narya in the hands of Gandalf, Vilya with Elrond, and the Ring of Water, Nenya, adorned by the great Galadriel. If they succeed in this ambush, two rings of power, near the might of the One Ring, will be acquired by them!"

Reef inhaled a breath of chilling air.

"They dare to conspire so audaciously?! Simply inconceivable. Even if they manage to slay Elrond and Galadriel, the eight Nazgul will definitely not allow them to plunder the two divine-tier rings!"

Sheyan earnestly continued.

"Therefore, them falling out with the Ringwraiths is inevitable, that will be our chance!"

Speaking till here, Sheyan took a deep breath before resuming.

"This deduction won't be wrong. Reef, though it sounds far-fetched, you just need to consider carefully. If presented with this chance, what will be your choice?"

Reef hesitated a little and shook his head with a wry smile.

"I too will scheme for such divine equipments."

Sheyan sat up straight and pressed his hand on the ground. He carefully spectated the ongoing battle through the aquatic mirror. Meanwhile, his eyes slowly regained a luster of confidence, which burn with increasing passion.

"We still have an opportunity in this battle, a marvellous chance of fishing in muddled waters!"

Reef sighed with depression.

"Boss, but wanting to join a fight of this level, our combined might…is truly too weak."

Sheyan sneered and answered.

"Indeed, both parties are akin to massive boulders, exceptionally solid granite boulders. Yet we are an insignificant brittle egg. However, the boulders are about to collide! The elves won't be so easily defeated with two invincible divine rings protecting them. When the scales hit a deadlock, a simple egg can decide victory or defeat!"

With the eight synchronized Nazguls working alongside a terrifying archer, Lurtz, fleeing would not be a bright idea.

Placed in such a situation, Galadriel raised her left arm without hesitation. A dazzling twinkle flickered atop a finger like the morning star. Indeed, she activated a protection ability of the RIng of Water, Nenya.

Instantly, an incorporeal barrier surged out from her and developed a squarish area of a few dozen square meters around her. The barrier fluctuated with a warm but resolute glow, as it pressured towards the nearby Nazguls.

Naturally, the Nazguls wasn't willing to be repelled away. They immediately issued ghostly whispers and drew blazing swords to engage the barrier.

Dark nefarious weapons clashed against the barrier of Nenya, instantly inciting out waves of ripples. Although the barrier appeared impregnable, the offences of the Nazguls seemed to be effective; indicating that the shield would break one day.

Galadriel turned to the ashen-faced Elrond and coldly admonished.

"Are you still hiding your strength now? The strongest of the three rings, Vilya. Let those abominations of darkness receive Vilya's wrath."

Instead, Elrond offered a strange expression, which was an emotionless look. He shook his head slowly and replied.

"I can't."

Galadriel paused for a brief while. As she was about to rage out, Elrond suddenly removed the gown he wore, which caused Galadriel to be utter speechless.

On his left chest, was a terrible devastating wound, caused by the impalation of a large sword. It was deep and long. The periphery of his wound was charred black, as though flames had carbonized the edges. Cracks could be seen and the wound repeatedly diffused out a piercing moisty stench. It was as though the wound possessed its own sentience as it continued drilling deep into Elrond's body!

A sparkle abruptly flashed in the depths of his wound. With the terribly deteriorated state of his wound, he had to bury the Vilya inside his wound; borrowing its might to resist the powers of corruption!

Evidently, if Elrond dared to move the Vilya, he would perish!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 813: Arrival of opportunity

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Witnessing Elrond's horrifying wound, Elder Desirese Roots, who was hidden with Sheyan, blurted out subconsciously.

"That wound……shows the special characteristics of a strike by the Witch-King of Angmar! Even a mere scratch or any wound cursed by the Witch-King, will allow him to rapidly devour one's vitality to strengthen himself. The longer the wound persists, the deadlier the wound becomes! Incurable by medicine or treatment, only death awaits!"

"However, the Witch-King of Angmar rarely uses this frightening ability on foes, because the price of executing it is cruel - the sufferings of the inflicted will come back to haunt the Witch-King of Angmar!"

Another elf carefully surveyed and added.

"The wound on Lord Elrond is rather weird. It seems to be done by the Witch-king, but also not so. I have a certain understanding of that event. That time when Elrond was adventuring, he was suddenly ambushed by mysterious men; believers of a high-god……"

This elf was called Annil Yusu. Despite his weak combat prowess, he was one of the two rare elves in Rivendell who possessed unrivaled healing arts. He too followed Melody and came along this time, for fear that Melody would sustain injuries and he could administer emergency aid in time.

The elf glanced at Sheyan at this point. Evidently, he was slightly uncomfortable with 'believers of a high-god' like Sheyan.

Sheyan chuckled and assured him.

"There are numerous believers of the high-god. Although we possess the same faith, our doctrine differs. Mutual warfare is a common thing, just like the humans of Middle-earth; believing in the same god yet pointing swords to settle disputes."

The elf nodded with assurance and continued.

"A powerful magic scroll was used by those believers of the high-god right from the start. Sealed within the scroll, was a single terrifying strike by the Witch-King of Angmar; thereby successfully inflicting hurt on the unguarded Elrond. Nevertheless, the furious Elrond immediately unleashed the might of the exalted Vilya, cutting them down like a raging tempest brewing through a mountain forest. Due to the intense battle, Elrond failed to heal himself with Vilya's divine might, leading to the Witch-King of Angmar's strike slowly but resolutely nibbling away at his health."

Elder Desirese Roots then inquired.

"Then how do you explain Lord Elrond's display of power during the banquet of Rivendell?"

Annil Yusu sighed and replied.

"Prior to that, Lord Elrond could still sustain his condition for three years. Yet after displaying his power, his vitality waned to a single year. However, he had no choice but to demonstrate his capable might then, otherwise, Glorfindel may suspect and terminate their collaboration."

Galadriel naturally understood what Elrond's wound signified. Her expression was exceedingly unpleasant as she sunk into a momentary silence.

"Since you are completely relying on the Vilya to live, why use it as a negotiating condition?"

Elrond directly replied.

"To deceive you all."

Galadriel was choked with speechlessness. After a brief while, she admonished.

"Where is your honor O elf? Where is your dignity?"

Elrond's gaze abruptly sharpened as he lashed back slowly.

"Compared to you pure-blooded elves, discriminated half-elves like me; you talk about honor and dignity now? Where was your honor when the arrogant ones undermined my bloodline? Where is your dignity?"

Meanwhile, Legolas released a vicious arrow out. Every arrow he shot carried an emerald brilliance that pierced into the dark Nazg?l; knocking the Nazg?l 5-6 meters back as distinct cracks emerged on their hazy shadow armour.

The elven prince could grasp the situation clearly and hastily issued after releasing an arrow.

"Now isn't the time to discuss this. Elrond, you forsook your dignity and prestige to live. Since your desire to live is so great, you wouldn't wish to perish here right."

Elrond replied with a grim expression.

"Yes."

Legolas wiped his perspiration and sincerely said after releasing another arrow.

"Therefore, hasten up with any methods that can resist those dark lackeys! Also, release Melody Sunstrider, we need to strike back with full force. Should we die here, she won't escape either."

Naturally, Legolas's words were extremely sensible. The gold-haired Glorfindel hurriedly pointed towards Melody's carriage. Instantly, the wood of the carriage seemed to be infused with new life. The wood begun expanding as shoots sprouted out from it. Finally, roots drilled into the ground as the carriage became a large tree.

In a flash, the carriage used to imprisoned the pale-looking Melody was transformed into luxurious tree.

Glorfindel was the culprit who created this carriage with a spirit-absorbing array. However, the 'Nature's Restraining Leaves' on her wrists were locked by Elrond and only he could release her.

Elrond flicked his wrists towards Melody, causing the gorgeous 'Nature's Restraining Leaves' to fly out which dissipated into speckles of red light. Then, the red lights wafted towards the exterior foes.

The Ringwraiths darted away but were incapable of resisting the tremendous might of those red powdery lights. Cyan fumes emerged when the lights adhered onto their shadowy nature, as they emitted ghastly and agonizing bellows. One could notice their movements turning distinctly slower.

Melody finally stood up and walked out. Her expression remained unchanged. At present, all her magic powers had been drained and she couldn't join the battle for the time being. She could only wait until she recovered some magic power.

Yet at this moment, Galadriel yelled out sternly.

"I have to retract the barrier for a while, to allow time for Nenya to accumulate strength. Otherwise, I won't be able to sustain for long! Elrond, it's up to you if you still wish to conserve your strength, I will at most forsake this physical flesh and rebuild it back in the Undying Lands. As for you, you will plunge into everlasting slumber!"

Galadriel then retracted her incorporeal barrier. Elrond's expression sank drastically as his facial muscles twitched. He took a deep breath and finally fished out a large golden seed.

This seed was the size of an egg and it was coated with cracks. It appeared to be rooted amidst space and time. Elrond then bent down and dug a hole with his feet before placing the seed into the ground. He then cut his own middle finger, and allowed his blood to drip into the soil.

The mix of blood and rainwater permeated the shell of the seed. Instantly, the earth trembled faintly and following that, a monumental golden tree swiftly sprouted from the ground and reached high for the sky.

Legolas inhaled a breath of chilling air and exclaimed.

"Could that be………the seed of a Gold Evergreen!! You actually managed to acquire such a mythical creature?"

Elrond didn't reply but clutched his chest and coughed. He then marched towards the golden tree. His complexion was additionally pale as he appeared to be tottering.

Meanwhile, Galadriel's incorporeal barrier was fully retracted, as she allowed the Nenya to replenish its spirit energy from nature.

The Nazg?l flew into a frenzied assault. However, the Gold Evergreen fanned out like an umbrella that guarded the elves. Its branches resembled weapons that whipped around berserkly, leaving behind cauterizing gold marks on the shadowy bodies of the Nazg?ls; causing them roar agonizingly in retreat.

The Ringwraith's assault was hindered while Lurtz was being contained by Legolas. Moreover, Glorfindel was similarly demonstrating his extravagant nature's divine arts. Humongous logs were colliding forward that repelled out incoming Nazg?l away.

Galadriel was also executing her nature's divine arts. Innumerable earth hands repeatedly bore out from the ground and curled around the Nazg?l's feet like roots, causing them to strive with great difficulty to maneuver around.

When the eight Ringwraiths finally managed to deal a substantial amount of damage to the Gold Evergreen, Galadriel once again activated the unparalleled guardian barrier of the Nenya. The Ringwraiths could only be excluded outside.

The situation gradually plummeted into a deadlock. The Nazg?ls couldn't infiltrate in while the elves couldn't escape.

Nevertheless, the elves were disadvantaged. After all, magic powers would be exhausted eventually. Still, this battlefield took place amidst the Misty Mountains. Therefore, this was a place near the patrol of the elves, and new deviations may occur.

Hence, the pressure on both sides was equal. If the elven army could rush here in time, some of the Nazg?ls may fall today.

"Our chance is here." Sheyan stood up at this instant. His lips curled into an ominous smirk.

"Now, the crux of this aspect has been revealed. I don't believe our opponents won't notice, and when they make a move, they won't be expecting lurkers in the rear spying on them. Therefore, this is our best opportunity!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 814: Sudden clash

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

This proverb accurately describes the essential factors of warfare.

Timing, geography, and people to win the war.

Evidently, the Dark Lord's side was well prepared for this fight. Hence, they had spent quite some efforts in choosing the location of battle.

The elves were presently trapped along a bare mountain path near the peak. Even without rain, the land here was pretty barren. Harsh winds swept through the area and falling off the precipitous cliff would mean certain death. It was extremely difficult to escape.

The forces of darkness naturally occupied the terrain advantage.

Furthermore, the barren land here meant that the favored children of nature, the elves, were considerably weakened when fighting in this terrain.

The golden seed planted by Lord Elrond depended solely on its own internal nutrients and energy to grow. Thus, it managed to deeply root itself and extend out its massive obstructing branches. Looking from a bird's eye view, the Gold Evergreen resembled a mountain demon that stubbornly ruled over this mountain peak.

Yet the cruel reality was this. This incomparably precious Gold Evergreen required an exceptionally high rate of maintenance. Elrond planted the tree here and even employed a secret technique to expedite its growth. However, with the lack in spirit nutrients, the Gold Evergreen would wither and die within two days.

Galadriel activated Nenya as she worked in tandem with the Gold Evergreen. When Nenya needed to replenish energies, the Gold Evergreen would branch out to block. After the Gold Evergreen sustained a certain amount of damage, Nenya would release the guardian barrier again and encapsulate the Gold Evergreen in. Healing and replenishing, both worked together in perfect harmony.

However, should one pillar of the support crumble, doomsday would descend on the elves.

Adorning Nenya, one of the three Elven Rings of Power, Galadriel was absolutely no weakling. Any contestant would face an insurmountable challenge in contesting her. Alas, the Gold Evergreen couldn't be spoken in the same light!

It was prematurely grown and its owner, Elrond, was inflicted with grave injuries. Moreover, its physical area was astronomical, and a spectator could easily discover its greatest flaw - the ground where it took root!

The Dark Lord chose this battlefield wisely. A barren mountain ridge. The Gold Evergreen's roots would find it extremely difficult to grow and absorb sufficient spirit energies. More crucially, this mountain ridge was more than 20 meters wide, where craggy cliffs could be found on both sides. Should a massive explosion happen beneath, it may cause a violently enormous landslide to occur.

Of course, a landslide may be a calamity for ordinary mortals, but to the twilight elves and Nazgul, it would merely be a hassle. However, the foundation of the Gold Evergreen would be destroyed should a landslide happen. This would naturally sever one of the supporting arms of the elves.

Beneath the battle on the ridge, was a deep mountain valley. The pouring rain fell endlessly as streams for all directions congregated at this point. The river flow of this valley was reaching its maximum, the rapid flows rumbling like thunder. One could foresee a turbulent flash flood on the verge of erupting.

Right now, three individuals was standing here. One of them wore a safety helmet and held a flashlight that miners normally possessed. Another was carried a large bag. The last one was round but strong, wearing a beige and elastic sleeveless shirt. His muscles were leaking out.

Looking at the three of them, one appeared to be a miner, one a backpacker, and one a robust instructor. This combination was rather perplexing.

The closest guess would be that these three individuals didn't belong to the Lord of the Rings world. They seem to be a small scale party. It was as though they had just ended work, and rushed out to have some fun.

The miner raised his head and gaze towards a protruding cliff rock at the top. Even from here, he could clearly observe enormous golden tree roots that had effortlessly drilled through the cliff rocks. The roots continued penetrating deep into more rocks, as they held the frame of the golden tree firmly. The scene exhibited a beautiful resilience of life.

The miner approached a rock ahead. He tapped the rock with his finger before licking his finger for a taste.

"Hey Venus, excavate an evenly deep hole here. At least 51 centimeters deep and get Warehouse to deliver 11.3 pounds of explosives to insert. Remember, not too much. It is hard for me to manufacture explosives, otherwise, I will deduct from your merits."

Being dubbed as 'Warehouse', was the brat carrying the backpack. Venus was naturally the strong male. It seems that the miner was a detonation specialist.

Under his guidance, the explosives were quickly installed.

Miner strolled forward and gently tapped the rock, while listening closely with his ears for a brief while. Finally, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Splendid. Venus, although you underestimated your strength and dug 10 centimeters deeper, but this will make the explosion better. Next up is time for my bomb. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks, let the mountains and rocks tumble. This darn weather though, seems like we must settle this within ten minutes. Otherwise, we'll be downed by the flood."

Following that, the miner hooked out a device from his pocket. It appeared like a detonator. He then strode over.

Yet in this instant, he suddenly felt his feet adhering to the ground like glue, causing him great difficulties in even lifting his feet. Yet he hadn't stepped into mud at all, this sensation was just like something was fastening him down.

He glanced down before his body instantly felt a bone-piercing chill. The miner could clearly see several acute brown roots abruptly piercing up from the ground, and ruthlessly coiling round his shoe!

A split second later, Venus zipped past Miner while guarding his head with both arms. His flying speed was so fast, even the miner couldn't glance his head fast enough. Venus then smashed against the rock behind.

Upon falling down, he coughed out several mouthfuls of blood as his complexion paled. One could notice a remnant of mild greenish glow at Venus's chest. The glow looked just like boiling oil that was actually emitting sizzles at Venus's chest.

After crashing down, Venus immediately raised both hands and pounded them together. His gloves suddenly erupted and revealed a pair of steel fists! The steel fists pounded together once more, and instantly sparked countless threads of current jolting throughout his body!

Yet in this very instant, a green beam flashed in from afar. An elven wizard waved his staff which conjured out a multitude of magic fantasy patterns. Following that, a streak of boiling green beam whistled in through the void and smashed against Venus!

Elven Divine Art: 'Nature's Wrath'!

All of a sudden, a blinding radiance in the shape of a wolf's head emerged on Venus's right shoulder. Evidently, he was a Growth-Hunter.

The currents continued lingering around his steel fists. Venus speared forward like there was nothing before him, as he emenated a bearing of desperation.

His fist ferociously pounded against the 'Nature's Wrath' ability, leaving a blinding aftermath of radiance and currents scattering in all directions.

Although Venus sustained heavy injuries as well, he didn't suffer any negative effects as though he was a man of steel. On the contrary, he continued barrelling towards the elf without placing any obstacles in his eyes.

This was Venus's ability - 'Usurper's Armor'

Normal individuals would display reactions toward any kind of attack. For example, a human body would shrink instinctively before a collision. Or a fist to one's nose, would leave the person teary and blood leaking out profusely from the person's nose.

Yet Venus's ability, though unable to cancel out damages, could eliminate all negative bodily reactions. Once his ability upgrades to a higher level, it would be able to lower incoming damages, and be immune to repelling effects.

At present, jolts of electricity flashed through Venus's fists. He lunged towards the Elven wizard amidst the pouring rain, as his twin fists carried a long lightning afterimage while emitting a crackling boom.

Once he could get near the Elven Wizard, the elf would be plunged into an awkward predicament.

Alas, at this moment, a scorching golden sun emerged before him! Venus roared angrily as he unleashed a ruthless punch against the sun shield. Sparks scattered everywhere but his rival was utterly unmoved.

Reef surfaced!

Right at this moment, the backpacker's expression changed drastically. He retreated first as the zip of his bag's front compartment automatically opened. From within, a metallic ball that was roughly the size of a football was produced.

The metallic ball split opened rapidly, folded, and distorted before rooting to the ground. In a flash, it transformed into a Weapon Firing System found in the Hell's Gate base of the Avatar world. Black barrels spat out flaming tongues in a flash.

Warehouse then retreated a second step. Within a second, three Spider Mines slipped out from his bag and was buried into the ground!

Warehouse retreated the third step……however, a figure came out from nowhere, and viciously collided him into a stunned state. This figure endured the rain of bullets and stepped onto the Spider Mines without hesitation.

Then, came a long blade of glittering oceanic blue that rose above Warehouse.

Sheyan was now in action!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 815: Sanitary Pad friend

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"The enemy will definitely be monitoring the battle closely, and aim to operate beneath this mountain ridge. However, their main focus will be undisputedly gathered on the fighting. The eight Ringwraiths and Lurtz clashing against the heroic elves, such a deadlock can be broken at any moment. Sudden unexpected deviations may just occur."

"More importantly, our rival contestants are aiming for the Elven Rings of Power. Their top priority is absolutely to acquire those precious rings, for once the Ringwraiths lay hands on the rings, they would never be able to wrestle it from them."

"Therefore, although it looks like we have adequate time, we must swiftly settle this under-cliff operation. According to my conjecture, reinforcements for that contestant party will definitely arrive quickly, and we have at most five minutes. Otherwise, we'll be pincered and our lives forfeited."

The aforementioned were the words Sheyan used to rally his allies before the assault. Fortunately, the battle went exceedingly smooth and no unexpected mishaps occurred.

Constrained by Reef, Venus was soon struck into near-death state by the two Elven Wizards. However, after entering near-death state, he simply vanished into thin air!

This was an ability that Sheyan had investigated on before, a supremely useful party skill. Upon entering near-death state, they will be randomly teleported to a safe area within a kilometer; (excluding domains like water or infernos). Nevertheless, the near-death state would persist for 10 minutes after teleportation.

It seems like the party the duo was facing was extremely valiant. That was obvious if one thought about it. To dare to conspire such heaven-shocking methods and scheme to steal the Elven Rings of Power, how could such a party be trifled with easily?

Time was tight. Honestly speaking, there was no chance to search for Venus and throw in a blade. Hence, Venus luckily escaped a fatal fate.

However, Warehouse was not that lucky.

Ever since Sheyan realized their nightmare imprints were engraved on the shoulders, Sheyan immediately added this mechanic/summoner/resource-master contestant into his 'must-kill' list. Sheyan had no choice but to kill him!

Although Warehouse was a Growth-Hunter, under the pressing and frenzied barrages of Sheyan's saber, he could only retreat pathetically in straitened circumstances. In truth, he wasn't adept at such close combat. If only he had ten seconds, no, just five seconds of buffer time! He would surely escape this miserably state, and even turn the tides and bombard his aggressor into smithereens. Sadly, there was no ifs in this world………

Sheyan grimaced as Warehouse howled and stabbed a screwdriver in this belly. Instead, his '7 West' maliciously hacked against Warehouse's neck.

This ruthless slash instantly caused Warehouse to tremble violently, because that single blade had surpassed his limits and dragged him into near-death state.

Even worse, when Warehouse's party skill activated, it actually teleported him short of 300 meters away. He was still revealed to the line of sight of his opponent. Still kneeling in his near-death state, he could only witness as his opponent chased up. His foe maintained a resolute expression as he raised his long saber, before slashing down.

"Darn it!" Warehouse screamed as his eyes almost popped from its sockets. He clenched his teeth and shouted. "I will return this ten folds, just you wait!!"

Then, he immediately activated a life-preserving item. It was indeed the same 'Point Dimensionfold Tech-device'. Although the cost of it was tremendous, he could travel to another location, through a dimension where he would not be damaged.

Hence, Sheyan's '7 West' was resisted by an irresistible force, completely unable to slash in.

Yet a moment later, Warehouse was abruptly overwhelmed with a chain of heart-rendering coughs. Yet even worse, either his physique was extremely weak or his luck was terrible, during the few minutes of his battle with Sheyan before this, he had already coughed violently for four times……

Thus, Warehouse could only glare at Sheyan with eyes of panic and hate. Though he couldn't speak, he was definitely screaming 'But no attacks can reach me now, why is my life plundered by a damned cough'……

At the same instant that Warehouse coughed to death, Sheyan and Reef received the notifications.

[ You killed Growth-Hunter (no. unknown). Growth-Hunter was the vice-party leader, therefore, the reward will be 6 achievement points or 6 free attribute points ]

[ Please choose only one as your reward ]

[ Your party is still in combat, party leader please allocate the rewards at your own time ]

[ The limit of slayer achievement points/free attribute points that can be acquired in this world is 10 points. Anything exceeding that will be ineffective and nonrefundable. Please allocate wisely. ]

[ Random equipments will be randomly drawn from the slain contestant as slayer reward. It will then be randomly allocated to party members ]

[ Drawing process will take some time. Calculating data of enemy slain…please wait ]

[ Note: Three contestants have now died to your 'Bronchitis' breakout by coughing blood. Condition met to trigger relevant milestone ]

[ Hidden Milestone: Sanitary Pad Friend ]

[ Condition: Five contestants must die to your 'Bronchitis' breakout and cough blood ]

"Eh? Wasn't it only achievement points? Where is there an option to select free attribute points?" Sheyan was stunned. In his plans, he just needed 3 achievement points to once again raise a level of his 'Bronchitis' ability.

Never did he expect there would be a free attribute option as well. Moreover, killing a Growth-Hunter should reward four points, but a vice-party leader offered additional bonus to become 6 points.

"Achievement points or free attribute points?" A thousand notions seemingly passed through Sheyan's mind in a flash.

"Slaughtering the party's vice party leader. That is not fanning flames beneath their butts, but directly impaling their arse with a spear. Their retaliation will absolutely be ferocious. I guess the success rate of my plan will minimally decline by 10%."

"Ah…fine then. This matter involves Melody and failure is not permitted. There is no choice, it seems like I need to modify the plan a little. Still, it doesn't matter, we've already attained 80% of our objective. This is a pretty remarkable feat."

Reflecting on that, Sheyan decisively chose free attribute points. Following that, he noticed the absurd 'Sanitary Pad Friend' milestone and sighed. The name of this milestone was too suggestive.

At this moment, Reef slapped his shoulder with a queer expression, and gestured to the miner with his mouth. Sheyan drew in a breath of chilling air. The miner was covered with an ethereal layer of yellow screen that resembled an eggshell protecting him.

Sheyan wasn't foreign to this yellow screen, because back when he entered this world, he too enjoyed such a treatment.

An incredibly perverse ability!

Domain: Absolute Defence!

Previously, he too enjoyed a domain barrier that absorbed all damages. However, it only lasted for ten seconds. It seems that the miner's one was more outrageous than his. His domain defence had already persisted for at least 5 minutes, and seemed like it was going to carry on!

Nevertheless, this ability came at a price. He could not move nor attack, but merely stood still while others fail to harm him. He was a harmless sitting duck.

Watching as Sheyan sauntered over, the miner smiled faintly and waved at him.

"I know what you are thinking, my friend. This is indeed an exceptionally freakish ability. However, this came at a price of me forsaking all direct combat moves. Speaking bluntly, my close combat and long-range combat capabilities does not differ to even ordinary mortals."

Sheyan laughed and replied.

"That isn't important. What is important, is the two achievement points or two free attribute points that you can offer us. I will patiently wait for your unrivaled protection to vanish."

"You're wrong." The miner shrugged his shoulders.

"Kill me, and you gain nothing. In contrast, you will be penalized of basic attributes, for I am someone who belongs to a neutral faction. I was merely hired by the Stockholm party."

In order to gain Sheyan's trust, the miner revealed a bare and shiny shoulder for him to see.

"Look, my nightmare imprint isn't at the same position as them. All imprints of a neutral faction will be engraved in the internal intestines of our body. Hence, our nightmare imprint radiance exudes out from internally instead."

Sheyan glared at the miner and questioned.

"Even if what you said is true, what good does this information do for me?"

The miner smiled and answered.

"I service all contestants of combat factions. I assisted the Stockholm party with the construction of the teleportation arrays for those Ringwraiths. Most importantly, as long as you have adequate funds, I can provide the same service as well, eighty percent discount moreover. This means you only need to pay a little utility points or achievement points."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 816: Hunter or hunted?

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Sheyan was not the least bit amused by the miner's outstanding offer. He coldly declared.

"What a sheetty and deception reason. It sounds so perfect, just like drawing out heavenly delicacies with a pen. I can't verify your words at all, but more importantly, my patience is running dry. To prevent you from successfully stalling for time, I will give you another 10 seconds."

The miner offered a bleam smile and inquired.

"Then what do you want?"

Sheyan replied without hesitation.

"Pass me the detonator for the explosives you buried. Can you do that?"

The miner straightforwardly answered.

"No problem. The Stockholm Party promised to guarantee my safety but they failed to deliver. Therefore, for my own safety, I will agree to your request."

After speaking, the absolute defence barrier around him vanished. It would be as easy as turning over his palm if Sheyan wanted to kill him. Nevertheless, seeing how cooperative the miner was, he didn't. The miner swiftly prepared the detonated and handed it over.

Sheyan then activated the probing ability of his helmet and received a nightmare imprint notification.

[ Scanning a Neutral…neutral will be notified and may lead to unknown consequences ]

This notification affirmed Sheyan's choice not to kill him. He then carefully inspected the detonator in his hand. After confirming there weren't any traps or flaws, he bluntly waved for the miner to depart.

At this point, the miner took a deep gaze at Sheyan and laughed before speaking.

"Good luck, Major Sir…frankly speaking, you are the first official Major who is just a basic realm contestant."

"Therefore, do consider investing in me." Sheyan answered casually.

The miner laughed heartily and replied.

"I will, certainly, only within the scope of the realm's regulation."

Following that, Sheyan waited…accurately speaking, he waited for a minute and 18 seconds. When he noticed a figure rushing through the hazy and dispersing mist from afar, he could clearly sense this - a tremendous killing intent surging in from a hidden distant!

Thus, Sheyan boldly triggered the detonator. A muffled sound followed that resembled this comical mountain releasing a sinister fart.

This fumes from this light explosion drifted into the rain and quickly dissipated.

Then, one could observe an indiscernible fissure cracking out. This fissure appeared like a normal crack that was totally insignificant. It was like a minute crack along a bowl.

Soon after, the fissure split into two slightly larger fissures. The two fissures split into four, then eight………

Within a short time, fissures covered this mountain wall like a cobweb. Finally, "Kalei' sound erupted as numerous rock fragments fell down.

Instantly, half of this mountain body begun trembling faintly. Then, a landslide. The cliff rocks around the golden tree's roots begun rolling and tumbling down.

After the explosion, a dispute arose amongst the members of the other part of the Stockholm Party. This was because they were clear that the landslide was in action, meaning the members on this side had succeeded. Therefore, their lives were temporarily unimportant……it was more crucial to steal the two Elven Rings of Power! Yet at this point, they hadn't positioned themselves properly.

Sheyan's goal was fairly simple. To rescue Melody amidst the chaos. The biggest hurdles thus far were the elves, but with them being stalled right now, they could at most drag her down a little.

However, the members of Stockholm Party were definitely formidable foes. Sheyan was still clueless about their party constitution, but he knew they definitely possessed outstanding might.

Furthermore, noting that their nightmare imprints were engraved on the shoulder, this signified that killing Sheyan and company would supply them with generous profits as well. The achievement points gained from slaying a single was equivalent to the amount gain from a main mission.

Evaluating the capabilities of the elves, apart from the gravely wounded Lord Elrond, the next weakest would be Melody. Ever since she had been imprisoned, it meant that she would receive less aid from the elves. In the end, she may even become an easy kill for the enemy.

Sheyan questioned himself. If he was the enemy party leader, he would never let go of such a golden opportunity.

Thus, although the three cannon fodder, Mo Yi, Shuren, and Yerna would attract the opponent's attention as well, Sheyan still felt an immense risk towards this.

Hence, he seized the chance to ravage the mountain solely to catch the Stockholm Party unguarded with such an abrupt change of events.

In this circumstance, they will have to select from two options. First, scramble to steal the two Elven Rings of Power, or fall back and seek vengeance for their vice party leader. Of course, there was the choice of splitting up and pursuing different objectives.

In that case, the threat to Melody would be reduced once again, while Sheyan would assume some of the risk that was initially directed to her. Sheyan was well aware of the dangers involved but this was something inevitable.

This was because if he didn't do this, then Reef would have to do it. Yet without an MT like Reef shielding Melody, she wouldn't be able to exhibit even 50% of her capabilities. This would be disadvantageous to the big picture.

Mild tremors swept throughout the mountains as a disastrously massive landslide begun. Amidst the torrential rain, clouds of rolling dust could still be seen spiralling up and covering the sky.

Without hesitating, Sheyan turned to flee. The further he could flee would directly determine if Sheyan's ploy would be a success or failure, resulting in even life or death!

After Sheyan hurled a flask of 'Curse-Mix' behind and begun to sprint frantically, he suddenly felt a strange sensation overcoming him. Instantly, his nightmare imprint transmitted clear notifications.

[ You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill 'Predator's Tracer' by an unknown Growth-Hunter. If successfully imprinted, caster will be able to lock onto your position. You will also receive additional 5% of damages for a duration of 30 minutes. This effect takes precedence ]

You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill 'Predator's Tracer' by an unknown Growth-Hunter. Your party prestige is higher, suppressing other party's skill… ]

[ You have been struck with Black-Iron Party skill 'Predator's Tracer' by an unknown Growth-Hunter, suppressing other party's skill… ]

"……"

After a conflicting list of notifications, Sheyan was finally presented with a red notice.

[ Unknown Growth-Hunter's Black-Iron Party skill 'Predator's Tracer' has successfully imprinted. You are now the prey ]

"Prey??" Sheyan's lips curled into a malevolent sneer. "Fine then, catch up if you have the balls."

Sheyan left deep footprints on the muddy ground during this intense chase off. He didn't look back once to prevent his speed from dropping by even a millisecond. After sprinting for a kilometer, the sounds of rushing water roared in from ahead. A rapid stream of turbid water was crashing down the mountain, with fragments of wood and leaves flowing along the current.

A broad wooden raft was floating on this rapid stream that was caught between rocks… It was a strange wooden raft that not crafted or bundled with any vines. Instead, the logs adhered to each other naturally and were incredibly perfect and queer. Evidently, this was a masterpiece by an elf.

Sheyan directly jumped onto the wooden raft and smashed the rocks. Immediately, the turbulent steam propelled the wooden raft forward at maximum speed.

Upon glancing back, Sheyan spectated three contestants halting as they cursed aloud. Nevertheless, he couldn't hear them clearly.

If it was Reef or Brother Black, they would probably be at a loss right now. However, for Sheyan who even dared to challenge typhoons, manipulating the wooden raft along this mountain flood was practically as simply as navigating through a little canal. What more, with a wooden raft, constructed by elven magic, that was firm and reliable?

After being flushed by the rapid stream for a few kilometers, Sheyan finally sighed and relaxed a little.

All of a sudden, through the gaps of this wooden raft, a peculiar gush of water shot up which congealed together into a massive yellow liquified hand. This massive hand grabbed Sheyan and viciously pulled him, causing him to fall backward

To his horror, while falling backwards onto the raft, another gush of turbid water shot up and morphed into an acute aquatic spike in a flash. The spike was positioned behind and if Sheyan fell, the spike would undoubtedly puncture his heart from the back!

Such a weird style of attacking was completely unexpected by Sheyan. After losing his balance, he immediately pressed his hands backward was was coincidentally on the aquatic spike.

Blood spurted out and a large mangled flesh hole was punctured through on his left hand. One could clearly see his white bones.

Still, Sheyan steadied himself to receive the next move from his opponent.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 817: Invincible Awakener

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Although he suffered such an abrupt sneak attack, the vigilant Sheyan still managed to sweep out his '7 West' in retaliation, managing to slash the retracting liquified hand. The hand exploded into water droplets, but the next notification caused Sheyan to inhale a breath of chilling air.

[ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ]

"Hohoho, foolish piece, obediently accept your fate of death! How can a basic realm contestant contest an Awakener? Know this, you died by the hands of Devil King Drubal!"

A deep and wretched voice resonated out of nowhere.

Amidst the four directions of torrential rain, stretching towards the far ends of the hazy downpour; yet apart from Sheyan, none other was in sight.

The fallen Sheyan slowly climbed back up on the wooden raft.

His movements were firm but gradual. His muscles slowly contracting, chunk by chunk, as they supported his vigor.

He chose silence in response to his opponent's provocation, wholeheartedly focused on sensing his enemy's movement.

All of a sudden, that large liquified hand emerged behind him again. This time, the liquified hand congealed near his shoulder, and shockingly wielded an frost spike. The hand then plunged the spike down onto Sheyan's body!

Sheyan hastily spun round, yet the frost spike was simply too swift. The outcome of him spinning round was a vicious frost weapon stabbing in his underbelly.

Sheyan's facial muscle spasm from the pain but his action exhibited his fearlessness. He immediately hacked towards the liquified hand with his saber.

Sadly, a merciless notification greeted him again.

[ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ]

Facing such a disheartening notification, Sheyan's bit his lips forcefully and swallowed blood back down his throat. He quickly arced his body down as his eyes flashed with a glint that resembled a famished wolf!

"Awakener?! What a freaking big shot eh? Come, bring it on!"

A short three minutes later, Sheyan's body was riddled with wounds. He tottered around the raft as blood trickled down his body and formed a puddle of red beneath his feet.

To sustain till now, he had consumed an 'Honorary Medicine Dosage', and even activated his party skill 'Gloryheal'.

Noteworthily, the opposing party actually attempted to disrupt Sheyan's party skill. Yet the disruption failed where Sheyan even received a notification.

[ The enemy's attempt to disrupt and suppress your party skill has failed ]

[ 15 party experience points will be deducted from enemy's party, and transferred to your party ]

Despite that, such a tiny victory did little to conceal the despairing state of reality Sheyan's was in.

This invisible foe was consistently dealing grave damages to Sheyan. In truth, his offensive might was exceedingly deadly. One could infer this from how he took down the half-elf storyline characters. To him, they were as good as dead from the start.

A liquified hand once again appeared with its frost spike. Although Sheyan strove to dodge, the opponent's speed was seriously unrivalled. Dodging completely was out of the question, and he could only hope to retaliate after being stabbed.

Yet once again, Sheyan swept his saber forth after being stabbed. But this time, the notification wasn't [ Enemy ??? is immune to your attack! ]. Instead, blood gushed out from the severed wrist of the liquified hand!

Moments later, the water fell onto the raft and back into the rapid currents.

"Ah it is like that." Sheyan's complexion was deathly pale from losing excessive blood. Blood stained his lips but a faint smile was displayed across his face.

"Your combat style is truly bizarre and weird. Such supreme damage yet capable of assaulting foes without a physical self. If this water elemental hand can attack unceasingly without repercussions to the main body, such an ability would be too perfect! What a pity, nothing is absolutely perfect in the realm. From the looks of it, I've won!"

As it turns out, Drubal possessed an incomparably indomitable defensive ability. 'Aquafract' was an ability that could be employed only once every hour. After activating it, one's body will be covered with three layers of lightless defensive barrier.

After sustaining a certain amount of damage, the first layer of lightless barrier will shatter. The user will be immune to all attacks. In contrast, when receiving damage from a storyline character, the lightless barrier would absorb a large portion of damage rather than offering full immunity.

The lightless barrier would last for only half an hour.

Those were the notifications of attack immunity that Sheyan received.

Sheyan didn't wait for Drubal's response nor was he expecting one from his opponent. Instead, he leisurely issued.

"Most crucially, I pondered over this right from the start. Under such circumstances, you were actually able to chase me down from the shadows. Moreover, your abilities are related to water, hence from a logical standpoint, shoving me into the flood waters would undoubtedly enhance the killing potential of your liquified hands. Assassinating me discreetly in such an environment would remove the risk of my retaliation. After all, flipping over this wooden raft would be as easy as overturning your palm. Yet till now, five minutes have passed since our fight has commenced, why do you still battle with me on this raft willingly?"

As Sheyan spoke with blood streaming from his lips, he roared in laughter as he raised his long saber while hacking down ferociously against the wooden raft beneath.

"The only explanation is that you are unwilling to engage me in the water! Piecing in the fact that my virus seems to be utterly ineffective on you, I can roughly deduce that you are employing a special method to exist here!"

Moments later, a massive splash occurred as a ruined wooden raft submerged into the water.

At present, Sheyan's location was already out of the scope of the torrential storm, that spanned several kilometers including the battle of the elves and Nazgul. His location merely experienced normal rain and the water flow was no longer that rapid.

Sheyan was a great swimmer and one could say there was little difference between him being on land or in water. Upon submerging, he immediately discovered, just roughly ten meters away from him, a crystal-clear body swaying in great contrast to the flowing muddy waters.

If one inspected closely, one would notice this crystal clear body had the shape of a human, with a head, hands and feet!

Indeed, this was the reason why Drubal was perfectly immune to Sheyan's virus. The reason why he wasn't willing to wreck the wooden raft.

Right now, his 'Elemental Form' was in play, making his body into an aquaform existence. Not only was he invulnerable to the viruses, he had a 33% chance of negating damages when suffering a physical attack. Moreover, his lightless barrier would only be triggered upon receiving an attack!

No wonder Sheyan required six to seven slashes to utterly destroy Drubal's 'Lightless Barrier', and finally manage to deal some damage.

Nevertheless, Sheyan maintained a resolute calmness. If it was others, they would probably have been shaken by the unknown whereabouts of the enemy, and fall into despair from the enemy's invulnerability. This would cause they to misjudge and fall into the hands of the mystifying Drubal.

"Ah truly, an Awakener…lives up to his name!"

Although Sheyan sounded pretty calm, great ripples were jolting through his heart.

Bear this in mind, from the commencement of battle, Sheyan had only inflicted real damage once. To figure out his opponent, Sheyan had paid a grievous price; seemingly dishing out most of his aces!

The most frightening thought was that the 'Pestilence Monarch' ability that Sheyan relied on the most, had been marginalized. The 'Influenza' and 'Bronchitis' viruses were totally negated by Drubal's elemental body!!

At this moment, what could Sheyan do? What else was he left to do?

Without a doubt, Drubal was bent on maintaining his secret. For the sake of safety, he persisted in not wrecking Sheyan's wooden raft. This was the same logic as a sniper not willing to reveal his location just for a simple attack. It didn't mean that he wasn't adept in water combat.

Truthfully speaking, one would have to be mentally lapsed to duel with a water elemental in the floodwaters. Just by noting how Drubal was able to tail the wooden raft and unleash repeated assaults at Sheyan, one could tell he wasn't weak in a water fight.

Therefore, the first thing Sheyan did was to immediately swim for the shore. Fortunately, this river was merely a bit more than 20 meters wide.

Sheyan suffered another attack from Drubal after stepping onto shore. Nevertheless, the terrain assisted him greatly from here. He hastily jumped on different rocks, where the surprising skirmishes of the liquified elemental hands failed to land on him.

As Sheyan fled pathetically, Drubal continued to chase persistently beneath the mild drizzle. His aquaform body appeared to be strangely sliding across the road, looking just like a watery phantom.

In the midst of fleeing, Sheyan suffered two more attacks. Drubal's attacking method was extremely simple. He first placed his right hand onto the ground, which dissolved completely into thin air. Following that, a liquified hand wielding a glacic spear would materialize out of nowhere, and strike at Sheyan from the side.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 818: Breakthrough! Boundary's wall!

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Drubal's first strike was dodged by a miserable roll from Sheyan, but his next strike successfully left a deep wound on Sheyan's thigh.

Before Drubal attempted his third strike, Sheyan halted unexpectedly. This wasn't because he was too exhausted, but there was nowhere to retreat due to the incredibly steep cliff ahead!

"You have 10 seconds to consider my suggestion." Drubal slowed down as his gloomy voice echoed through the valley. This was followed by clutching his mouth as he squeezed out a voice amidst the coughing.

"A sitting duck waiting to be captured, but I won't kill you. Display all your possessions, and you can scram after I select three pieces. If you dare resist, your blood and flesh, mince by mince, will coat my blade. Now, tell me your decision."

Sheyan panted wretchedly. His thigh wound was severe and revealed his eerie white bone. He couldn't even stand straight as he miserably leaned to the side.

Yet Sheyan stared into Drubal's eyes with a fiery passion. Such a glare caused Drubal to feel uneasy, as though all his defences were being brutally torn apart. All secrets were laid bare before this man!

"You're but an arrow at the end of its flight! A despairing loser. If you truly have such confidence, come finish me off? Why bother with such superfluous words?"

Sheyan glared at Drubal and continued word by word.

"Only one possibility - to kill me, you must pay a price! An immense price!"

Drubal's expression appeared fuzzy in his aquaform state. However, Sheyan could observe a layer of azure blue ripple fluctuating from his body, as though Drubal's emotions were chaotic.

Sheyan then declared.

"Sustaining your aquaform will sure require loads of MP. Employing water to conjure up limbs and indestructible weapons will similarly exhaust MP. For you to chase me till now, although you vitality remains well in the green, your MP is surely drying up!"

"Continue to fight on and I bet you will soon be utilizing a precious MP replenishment item. Perhaps an honorary level medicine. Sadly, you plan to backstab the Nazgul and make the elite elves your rivals. Yet with your plans going awry, who knows if something unexpected were to occur again and you employed an honorary medicine here, you would be forsaking an additional lifeline! That is the reason for your suggestion, aren't I right?"

Drubal shut his eyes as the radiance of consuming an honorary medicine shone from his body. He then callously answered.

"A pity. You've personally ruined your only chance at surviving. To let such an intelligent contestant mature is to make a terrifying foe for the future. Therefore, die."

"Oh really?" Sheyan smirked. "Can you really block me if I wish to leave?"

Sheyan then produced the object he acquired in the Avatar World, the 'Unmodeled Amniotank'. He chuckled blatantly.

"After all, I'm still a contestant. A tiny loss won't amount to much. To be able to drag you here and waste your honorary medicine, I am already satisfied. Goodbye, moron!"

"Sorry but forget about going anywhere!" Drubal roared. "Can a basic contestant like you fathom the terror of a peak Awakener? Come out, 'Misty Jailhouse!"

Instantly, countless transparent liquid strands jetted out from Drubal's side. These fine strands intertwined together and evaporated into a dense mass of mist that encompassed an expansive space around Sheyan and Drubal.

Following that, Sheyan immediately received a notification.

[ Sealed by opponent's high rank halo ability - Misty Jailhouse ]

[ Within the 'Misty Jailhouse', all abilities have a 15% chance of failing. Attacks dealt to opponents will have a 25% of missing. These effects are perfectly stackable with other similar effects ]

[ The mist has perfectly obstructed your tracking coordination from the realm. Within the 'Misty Jailhouse', various realm returning items will be rendered ineffective ]

[ Within the 'Misty Jailhouse', all lifeforms will receive additional HP regeneration speed ]

[ Any attempt to leave the 'Misty Jailhouse' will bear consequences. The glutinous water elements will bind your limbs, causing your movement speed to decline by 80%. Unless you can deal 20,000 damage to break through this jailhouse ]

After Drubal executed this ability, Sheyan discovered the water element covering his body thinning out. If one deemed Drubal's weight to be 180 kg previously, then it should be just 150 kg right now.

Drubal glared at Sheyan and issued one by word.

"Now, can you still run?"

Sheyan scoffed in response.

"I casually displayed an item to scare you, and you reacted with such an excessive move. Didn't that drain more MP? Although your MP had been replenished fully with the honorary medicine, how long can you sustain it? Three minutes? Four?"

Drubal roared fanatically and smashed a fist into the ground.

"Even an entire minute will be too long to finish you!"

Drubal's roar echoed into Sheyan's ears.

Shuala! Sheyan suddenly felt an immense terror flooding in, as a glacici spear drilled out from the ground and stabbed in maliciously! The speed of this liquified hand far exceeded Sheyan's agility. Although Sheyan attempted to dodge, his back tasted sad blood once again.

"I will honor my words." Drubal gritted his teeth and proclaimed. "Your blood and flesh, mince by mince, will coat my blade!"

Sheyan suffered another stab where his HP plunged to the periphery of crisis. Just another stab and he would fall into near-death state!

Falling into near-death state in a solo fight, even if he had 'Life-link', it would just delay his death for a few minutes.

At this moment, Sheyan sighed. His sigh was not without regret but it carried a strange aura. It was as though he finally received liberation.

"Mister Drubal. I originally planned to sacrifice an elven wizard on my side, letting him detonator only once you guys reach the bottom of the cliff. Yet I did not do so, do you know why?"

Drubal was already accumulating strength to unleash his next strike. He ignored Sheyan, but Sheyan continued.

"The first reason is my fear that the elven wizard will fail to grasp the correct timing. If you succeed in escaping, then you wouldn't pursue me with all your strength and lessen the pressure for my comrade."

"Yet another important reason, is I wish to understand the dreadfulness of a party; one who dare to arrange such a daring and massive scheme."

"Of course, the main reason was that I accidentally killed your vice party leader, that backpack male. The reward I acquired from his death, allowed me another choice. A new ace, an unthinkable one!"

Drubal sneered and mocked.

"Still boasting when you're about to perish?"

Sheyan ignored him and continued.

"On hindsight, for a basic realm contestant to challenge an Awakener is truly forcing it."

"Therefore." Sheyan lifted his head and stared into Drubal's eyes. In his eyes, Drubal was akin to a bewildered prey that had fallen into his trap!

"Mister Drubal, you ought to feel honored, for you are the first prey to witness my breakthrough to a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter!"

"A powerful, fertile, and sumptuous prey!"

While declaring, Sheyan frenziedly poured his free attribute points into physique. This pure physique attribute which had been left untouched for a long while suddenly soared frantically, all the way till the 50 points boundary!!!

Presently, the impression Sheyan released was akin to a millenium old wild dragon that laid dormant in a prison. In a flash, the chains were shattered. A howling roar erupted into the skies, the seas and the cosmos.

If not for today's affair, Sheyan will probably continue accumulating free attribute points, and ambitiously raise two attributes to the pure 50 points boundary. However, after experiencing the recent worlds, he felt that dream was too unrealistic.

Hence, he changed his mind. With the despairing impasse, Sheyan ultimately laid down his own aspirations and charged to the boundary!

In that instant when he touched the pure 50 points attribute boundary, Sheyan immediately felt as though time stopped flowing. His surroundings turned fuzzy like he was in a maelstrom. A dazzling brilliance emerged from his nightmare imprint on the chest followed by a list of notifications.

[ Congratulations! Your basic attribute, Physique, has broken through the pure 50 points boundary!!! ]

[ You are the first person to breakthrough the pure physique 50 points boundary in this realm! ]

[ You receive a bonus 30 achievement points. Please claim this award of honor back in the realm ]

[ You receive additional basic attribute awards. Please select within 10 seconds ]

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 819: More perverse than an honorary medicine

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Thee options from the realm emerged before Sheyan's eyes. Each option glittered with incredible splendour. One could tell they were absolutely extraordinary.

[ A: Basic attribute ability reward I (passive): Alloy Build - raises HP by 300 points, defence by 35%, and resistance towards negative buffs (includes virus, true damages, elemental damages) by 15%. This effect takes 'Domain Precedence' ]

[ B: Basic attribute ability reward II (passive): Steel Build - raises HP by 500 points, all defence and resistance bonus from equipments increase by 50% ]

[ C: Basic attribute ability reward III (passive): Flesh Build - increase HP by 1,000 points and 25% of maximum HP value. However, user will permanently lose the capability of wielding shields, and abilities that enhance Shield capabilities would be forgotten ]

[ Detail: calculating 25% increase of user's maximum HP does not factor in the 1,000 HP increase first ]

Facing the three options, Sheyan couldn't help but hesitate a little. Each option was incredibly powerful, but strictly speaking, option 'A' provided a slight pit of advantage. By decreasing damages, the damage absorbing effect of 'Stronghold' would be refined.

When Sheyan was about to select 'A', he suddenly remembered his present predicament.

The predicament of being pursued and forced into a miserable mess by an invincible Awakener.

The reason Drubal was such an enormous problem to Sheyan, was because he was an opponent that Sheyan hated the most. One with low attack frequency but incredibly astounding single damage output. A complete bane of Sheyan's 'Stronghold' innate.

More importantly, Sheyan also suffered the tremendous suppression of an Awakener on all sides of attributes.

Drubal's glacic spears and liquified hands unleashed tyrannical deadliness with each attack. Moreover, each attack was incredibly fast. Even though Sheyan could sense with his perceptive sense, his body could not follow his mind in time to dodge. Along the way, he only managed to rely on luck to dodge a single strike.

With Sheyan breaking through to become a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, his main attribute focus was definitely physique. Right now, he could choose a secondary attribute to receive additional attribute bonus.

Sheyan was well aware of all these and thus decided to select agility this time - increasing movement speed by 30 points and evasion by 10%.

From the looks of it, Awakener Drubal's main attributes was probably spirit and intelligence. His agility didn't seem that impressive but merely reach the edge of being able to completely suppress Sheyan. Thus, with this new bonus, Sheyan had confidence of destroying this total suppression and overcoming his miserable state.

"Drubal's weakness should be his high consumption of MP. Meaning he cannot last for long in a battle!"

"In my original plan, the bonus from promoting to Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, and the bonus of a pure 50 points boundary, in addition to bonus HP and movement speed, should be sufficient in draining Drubal's MP to the fringe. If any derivations occur, I can still employ my dark-gold 'Unbeatable Titan Leech'……a full retreat wouldn't be an issue."

"Yet I never expect the bonuses from a pure 50 points physique boundary breakthrough to be so generous!! With this, why can't I eliminate this brat? Anyway, I still have a mission to accomplish in this world, and this guy's attacks poses a true threat to me."

"With the Stockholm Party low on manpower today and Drubal pursuing me alone, if I don't eliminate him here, this threat would amplify terribly with his comrades around. The difficulty of killing him would multiply manifold then. Hence, slaying him here would mean shaving off a great deal of trouble in the future!"

These notions flashed through Sheyan's mind and instantly stirred his heart. However, for him to accomplish this deed, he needed to choose the option that would provide the most upgrade in this instant. Without a doubt, that was option C!

Furthermore, Sheyan didn't employ a shield in the first place. This meant that potential of options 'A' and 'B' would be limited somewhat. He could only enjoy the fullest potential of option 'C'.

More importantly, Sheyan considered his party skill - 'Gloryheal'. A skill that could restore all his health. Thus, if he selected option C, his maximum HP value would soar to the most. Without a doubt, 'Gloryheal' would have the greatest effect which meant he wouldn't lose out that much in the long run as well.

Thinking of that, Sheyan affirmed himself to select option C!

His current HP value was 155 / 1,300 points. Instantly, it swelled by 1,425 points (1,000 425)!!

Now, his total HP skyrocketed to 2,725 points. From his original danger state of 155 points, it now exploded to 1,580 points. This was even more perverse than him consuming an 'Honorary medicine dosage' from his previous state!

Simultaneously, Sheyan received an extremely important notification from his nightmare imprint.

[ Warning! Warning! Contestant no.1018, your basic physique attribute has reached the 50 points boundary! ]

[ You are now an official Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter ]

[ You are now qualified to challenge the boundary trial and ascend to be a Growth-Hunter! You can check relevant information at any time. Please only undertake the trial when you are sufficiently and mentally prepared ]

[ Awakening your Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter form can only be done 5 times. You can only receive additional rewards after awakening, do you wish to awake now? After expiring all 5 times, you must then challenge the boundary trial ]

[ Warning: Contestant no.1018, these information you have received is classified as top secrecy by the realm. You cannot reveal this to basic realm contestants or others outside the realm. If revealed, you will be subjected to severe punishment ]

Sheyan naturally selected to awaken now. The radiance from his nightmare imprint dazzled vigorously on his chest. The striking blindness was comparable to the nightmare imprint glow of an official Growth-Hunter!

[ Physique boundary breakthrough: Physique is now your primary attribute. Choose from two options from the following as your bonus. This bonus will be temporarily terminated after awakening ends, unless you officially promote as a Growth-Hunter ]

[ A: Defence increase of 15 points ]

[ B: Physique increase of 15 points ]

[ C: HP increase of 300 points ]

Sheyan very resolutely selected option B and C. Since he chose the path of 'Flesh Build', then he would go all in. His HP now swelled by another 450 points and his defence by 7.5 points, bringing to a total of 2,030 / 3,175 HP!!!

Following that, Sheyan decided on agility as the secondary attribute and selected the options to increase movement speed by 30 points and evasion by 10%.

According to vague hints from Reef, the secondary attribute selection can be retaken after one promotes as an official Growth-Hunter. Therefore, Sheyan still had the time to slowly ponder over it.

If Drubal could witness Sheyan's HP now, he would immediately flee with all his armies……

During that instance of boundary breakthrough, Sheyan entered a state of time contraction, allowing him at least several minutes to select and ponder. Instead to Drubal, all he saw was Sheyan slowly climbing back up after rolling on the ground. Instantly after, was the dazzling brilliance from his nightmare imprint!

Drubal noticed Sheyan's change. He was initially surprised because the advancement of a basic realm contestant to a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter was extremely easy to differentiate out. It was like even though one didn't know the brand models of cars or trucks, one could still easily differentiate between a car and a truck.

Still, Drubal's astonishment quickly faded with the wind, before he sneered sinisterly.

"You actually advanced as a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter now? But so what? A swine is always a swine! Counterfeits are eternally counterfeits! No need to struggle any longer, you will die by my hands today!"

Before he even concluded, Drubal bent and pressed both arms on the ground.

Instantly, two liquified hands with glacic spears materialized on Sheyan's left and right. The spears then thrust in unanimously! Obviously, Drubal's ability was magnified powerfully in his 'Misty Jailhouse'.

Even though Sheyan strived to evade, it was futile. He groaned miserably as he rolled on the ground. Nevertheless, he no longer retreated but charged at Drubal, resembling that of a frantic fish in a web.

Drubal's lips curled into a malevolent smirk. He took a deep breath. On this muddy ground, he could easily draw out liquid with his elemental body. He was essentially as nimble as flowing water, and more critically, his agility was higher than Sheyan. Hence, after drifting 20 meters away effortlessly, Drubal's right arm abruptly vanished into thin air.

A second later, a liquified hand seized Sheyan's ankle and fiercely pulled, causing Sheyan to pathetically kiss the ground.

Drubal laughed hysterically while treating Sheyan as a little clown. This act of slowly torturing one to death gave him immense pleasure and satisfaction.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 820: Reversal

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Sheyan's body stiffened after crashing onto the bud. A second later, an icy spike smeared with blood pierced out from his back.

As it turns out, the sneaky Drubal had conjured out an icy spike while Sheyan was falling. When Sheyan fell, the icy spike directly pierced through his belly. A chilling frost directly permeated through his innards and dispersed throughout his body.

This would be fatal for any normal human. Even for contestants, it would be a severe injury.

Sheyan groaned in agony but released a counter slash in response, hacking against the crystal-clear liquified wrist holding his ankle. Sadly, he unfortunately encountered the 33% chance of the elemental form's invulnerability to physical damage.

Under this circumstance, Sheyan clutched his belly as blood seeped through the gaps of his fingers. Still, he maintained a tragic posture while attempting to flee.

Soon after, he noticed a indistinct pitch-black cavern hole at the bent of this cliff, where he immediately fled in.

The 'Misty Jailhouse' still encompassed Sheyan at present. As for Drubal, he needed to keep sight of Sheyan for him to unleash assaults. Any delay in time would cost him more MP, which led to the prospect of future success walking further away.

Hence, Drubal dashed for Sheyan without hesitation. He wasn't afraid of a counterattack. Honestly speaking, he didn't need to fear close combat due to his elemental form. What more a trifling Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter?

The cavern path was slightly slanted upwards, causing the air here to be stale and dry. If Drubal unleashed his liquified hand here, its magic prowess would definitely be significantly impaired.

The cave was filled with algae unique to the Lord of the Rings world. Stubborn reddish-brown lifeforms that stretched out gradually over death, occasionally emitting twinkles of dull phosphorescent. Thus, the cave wasn't fully dark but exceedingly dim. Still, visibility was manageable.

The atmosphere was stifling and filled with a dense dryness. Sadly, Drubal couldn't distinguish this due to his elemental body losing all sense of smell and touch.

Thus, just as Drubal was about to round a corner, a massive and menacing dark figure pressured in like Mount Tai. It was shockingly a large bear!

Joy, anger, sorrow or fear couldn't be seen clearly on Drubal's sparkling blue face. Nevertheless, a veteran of battles knew he had to be cautious at this moment. An enemy on the brink of despair would retaliate with everything to bring him down together. The enemy would erupt with the most fearsome strength!

Therefore, Drubal immediately raised his left arm which morphed into a mirror-like ice shield. Before the large bear slammed into the ice shield, hundreds of incredibly fine and sharp ice shards sprouted from the surface of the shield, impaling holes throughout the body of the bear.

Ice shards broke clamorously and lodged within the bear's flesh, tearing out countless chunks of bloodied flesh.

Knowing that his enemy could ambush him anytime, Drubal materialized a halberd of ice and snow before hurling it straight ahead. If anyone dared to mount a sneak assault, they would be penetrated with chilling death.

However, his expectation wasn't met. Apart from killing this bear of the Lord of the Rings world, his foe's retaliation did not arrive.

Drubal's facial muscles twitched a little as he panted lightly. Every second of his mana consumption was tremendous. To sustain both his 'Misty Jailhouse' and his elemental form required MP……furthermore, using his elemental form in this dry cave required an additional 10% MP consumption!

At this moment, an ominous sensation overcame Drubal.

"Could this be that brat's ploy? Intentionally wasting my MP……impossible! He's just a stray dog! Moreover, he already consumed his honorary medicine, and his ace ability that restored all his HP. How can he reverse this? Killing him should be as easy as a pinch."

After rounding another corner, a large cavern space 20 meters appeared before Drubal. He could observe as a wounded Sheyan was dressing his wounds.

This was the end of the cave. It was a dead end for his foe. Wounds covered Sheyan's body as he leaned against a stalactite of this bear's den. Blood drenched him like a pouring rain. One could observe distinct blood footprints around.

At this moment, Sheyan heard a sound and spun around. He noticed Drubal and chuckled without energy.

"I just knew a wild beast wouldn't delay you for long……but you just reached?"

His words were gentle and light, unlike how a despairing prey that Drubal thought him to be. Instead, he sounded as though Drubal was here to save him.

Observing Sheyan's expression, Drubal couldn't help but feel perplexed. He originally harbored a hundred percent confidence of hunting Sheyan down. Instead, he felt a ridiculous sense of loss at present, and couldn't help but reply Sheyan.

"Indeed. Where can you run off to now?"

Sheyan sighed and replied listlessly.

"I'll agree to your conditions just now. My most valuable items for you to choose three? And you'll spare my dog life?"

Drubal didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Sheyan's words. He wanted to strike Sheyan down immediately. Yet at this instant, Sheyan actually displayed his attributes. Moreover, the first thing he exhibited was shockingly the properties of 'Pestilence Monarch', an evolvable rank 9 hidden ability!

As a contestant, Drubal was instantly allured by the words 'evolvable', 'hidden', and 'rank 9'. It was like how the descriptions of 'big breasts and butt', 'erotic', 'wretched prom queen' would entice a reader……thus, he couldn't help but look and gasped with shock.

(ED: Them analogies! They just get better…)

Yet with this delay, Sheyan abruptly leapt up and brandished his '7 West'. He then furiously hacked down onto Drubal's head!

Drubal couldn't dodge in time but scoffed at his attempt.

"Overestimating yourself!"

He immediately raised his left arm that had morphed into an icy shield, while his right hand morphed into a long ice halberd.

Yet before Sheyan's blade struck against the icy shield, he unexpectedly twisted his body and allowed his shoulder to slam into the shield!

At least eight ice shards pierced his shoulder, sending blood gushing out. Nevertheless, Sheyan successfully knocked the ice shield aside, as he released a spinning slash to parry aside the incoming ice halberd.

Triggered with 'Zergling Rush' beforehand, Sheyan hacked down three slashes onto Drubal's elemental body. Instantly, a few deep splits tore through the crystalline water body.

The two was now engaged in close combat.

Two minutes later. The heavily panting Drubal scanned the ghastly Sheyan who was covered in wounds.

Right now, his once utterly crystalline elemental body had became like a semi-shattered porcelain. Terrifying splits extended throughout his body.

Drubal couldn't help but exclaim.

"You……what kind of freak are you?"

Right now, Sheyan looked as though he could breath his last at any second, but he just wouldn't take that last breath. After hearing Drubal's question, his eyes shone with craftiness. He inhaled and replied.

"Guess."

Drubal was about to speak but the mist enshrouding the atmosphere suddenly dissipated. The 'Misty Jailhouse' was signalling the soon conclusion of its ability with the lack of mana.

Drubal's expression sank drastically. Yet before he could react, a humongous titan leech erupted from his side. Squirming its tail and head, the leech smashed in with sticky sludge.

Eventually, Drubal managed to escape the demonic grip of the leech, but realized, unbeknownst when, Sheyan turned from passive to active and blocked off the only cavern exit!

Observing the exhausted Sheyan ahead and a frightening titanic leech squirming to him from behind, Drubal too a deep breath. He clenched his teeth and questioned.

"This was all part of your plan, wasn't it?"

Sheyan didn't answer his question but indifferently replied.

"If you possess any realm returning tool, then please use it. If not, please tell me your dying words."

Drubal released a frantic howl as a strange transformation occurred. He returned to human form but his body was guarded with a layer of azure liquid armour. He then barreled toward Sheyan with indescribable pace like a steam train.

One could observe Drubal's liquified armor boiling up amidst the speedy charge, before igniting into flames that pushed Sheyan aside.

Drubal succeeded in charging out and when his charging state ended, the azure liquid armour around him was utterly depleted. Nevertheless, he had pulled open a gap of minimally 200 meters from Sheyan!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 821: Another Golden Side Mission

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

From afar, Drubal, who had successfully distanced himself, told Sheyan seriously.

"You're a fearsome opponent, but…next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!"

Drubal's tone was heavy and even carried a hint of respect which wasn't there before. Right after he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and ran away without any care for his pride. His action displayed no hesitation!

He knew that his speed, at least, was faster than his opponent. He might have fallen into the trap of the insane MT today, but he could still have his revenge in the future.

In this world, anything is possible as long as one survived. Only a living person could display pride! The dead could only rot within the embrace of flies and maggots.

Drubal thought that someone as shrewd as Sheyan wouldn't waste his time on the inevitable. But contrary to his expectation, as soon as he moved, Sheyan immediately chased after him like a mad dog!

Nevertheless, it only took a while for Drubal to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though Sheyan's speed had increased, it wasn't by much. Their speed now were about the same. Sheyan will never be able to close in on him.

More importantly, even though they were now outside the range of the party communication channel, Drubal had earlier requested for help via a 'Floating Magic Snake' made from water element when he felt something was wrong. On a rainy day like today, a 'Floating Magic Snake' can easily travel for over 5 kilometers.

If Sheyan dared to chase after him for 8 minutes…no, not even that, just 5 minutes! He would be able to regroup with his allies and they could gang up on Sheyan.

Alas, there were always unexpected factors when theories were put into practice. Drubal suddenly sneezed. And it happened when he was trying to jump over a boulder. Drubal crashed to the ground, resulting in the distance between the two to be shortened by over 30 meters.

Not even 20 seconds afterwards, Drubal felt an inexplicable chill all over his body. The chill seemed to emanate from deep within his bones, making him shiver uncontrollably for a few seconds. His movement speed plummeted in those few seconds. As a consequence, his pursuer caught up by another 30 meters.

A short while after, Drubal was overcome by a fit of coughing so severe that he was bent at the waist. Under a series of abnormal conditions that he found extremely perplexing, his initially confident flight only lasted for a mere 37 seconds before he was forced to the ground by Sheyan's 'Hornrage'.

Even if he is an Awakener, what could a magic-based class who ran out of MP do? (For details, please refer to scenes of Warriors vs. Mages that ran out of mana in WoW or LoL.)

Sheyan showed no mercy and unleashed a flurry of slashes with '7 West' while Drubal's cries reverberated on this corner of Middle Earth. Every dog has its day; Drubal's actions a moment ago were fully paid back in kind by Sheyan. The difference was, Sheyan had thousands of HP that he could use to expend Drubal's MP, while Drubal could use nothing to waste Sheyan's strength.

As he saw Sheyan once again raise that weapon which was merely of a dark blue grade but was very lethal, Drubal, whose voice had gone hoarse from howling, took a breath and said, "You've already chopped off one of my arms and one of my legs. That should be enough to vent your anger. Can we talk business now?"

Sheyan, upon hearing Drubal's words, suddenly laughed and said, "Interesting. Really interesting. It's been a while since I've met such an interesting person. What kind of business?"

Drubal spat out the blood in his throat and replied with a wry smile, "The business of ransoming my life, of course."

Sheyan placed '7 West' on Drubal neck to let him feel the bone-chilling sensation of the blade.

"Then why do I feel like you're stalling for time?"

Drubal sincerely replied, "You can injure me to a point close to death, then take me to a place you deem safe. We can talk there."

Sheyan merely laughed and said, "You're playing this kind of game with me? I happen to know that your party has a skill that can transport a near-death contestant out. Do you truly believe I would fall for your tricks? However, it's rare to meet an interesting person like you. I will therefore give you 60 seconds - not to persuade me, oh no - you have to complete the deal within the 60 seconds. Because as soon as time is up, I will immediately kill you without hesitation."

Drubal's heart sank. He realized that the person in front of him was a bold risk-taker, yet he also paid careful attention to details, in addition to being extremely confident. In front of this kind of people, it's better to show his hands instead of playing tricks.

Sheyan added, "Killing you will net me at least 6 achievement points or 6 free attribute points alongside a random equipment. More importantly, you previously forced me into a corner and now you've seen all my cards. If I let you live, I risk my information being revealed. Unless you offer something a few times more valuable than usual, I will never agree to a deal."

Drubal gritted his teeth and said, "I will offer you a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of 'Golden Side Mission'! Is that enough to ransom my life?"

As he said that, Drubal uncurled his fingers. On his palm sat an extremely ordinary metal nut. He set the status of the nut to 'Display'. The description of the nut read:

[This item marks the beginning of a magnificent mission. After using it, you will obtain a mission with an E difficulty rating, that has a Realm evaluation of 'Golden Side Mission'! What are you waiting for?]

For some unknown reason, the nut gave off an extraordinary feeling. Sheyan said, "You have 33 seconds left. Why didn't you use it yourself?"

Drubal smiled and replied, "When I chanced upon this nut, there was an electrical wire beside it which can activate the same mission. Therefore, the reason I didn't use the nut myself was because I've already completed the mission."

Sheyan couldn't help feeling some admiration for the mental fortitude and ability displayed by Drubal under the current situation. As expected of the core member of a team that could devise a plan to wipe out the Elven heroes in one fell swoop. Despite that, he coldly said, "Not enough. This thing can at most compensate me for the leak of my information. You will need to offer more for your life."

Drubal fished out 5 strange-looking stones without a word. The outer layers of the stones were semi-transparent and a lava-like substance could be seen in them. Their description read:

[Unknown strange object: The Tear Stone of a Balrog]

[The merciless Balrogs are creatures that do not love; they will never shed tears out of grief. Yet, this object is definitely the tear of a Balrog wrapped in stone. The circumstance of its origin is unknown.]

[Note: The dimensional researchers are very interested in these kind of things. Each Tear Stone of a Balrog can be exchanged for 3 achievement points.]

After thinking for a while, Sheyan said, "Share your missions with me. Let me take a look."

Drubal appeared very cooperative and did as he was told. Sheyan saw that Drubal's main mission was to heavily injure or kill a core member of the Middle Earth Alliance. There was only 7 hours left until the time limit was up. His branch mission was actually to stop Elrond from reaching the Undying Lands, and he had 6 hours left to do so. They obviously couldn't stay in this world for much longer. After a bit of consideration, Sheyan said,

"Deal."

They completed the transaction. Of course, Drubal bound Sheyan with a contract to prevent Sheyan from killing him after receiving the goods. However, after the transaction, it was Sheyan who ran for his life.

Looking at Sheyan's disappearing silhouette, Drubal laughed out loud. But after a while, his laughter gradually turned bitter. It was the first time he suffered such a loss since entering the realm!

Sheyan didn't dare to linger. Not that he was afraid of reinforcements, but Melody's safety was currently in question. In fact, he didn't know what the situation was on that side at all. That's why he had to immediately obtain relevant information so that he could make corresponding plans.

On the way to the meeting place, Sheyan couldn't run at full speed because he was continuously using medicine to treat himself. After all, a heavily injured Sheyan is a useless Sheyan. Now that he had time to think, he kept pondering on a few questions that he had after his boundary breakthrough.

His first doubt was regarding the 50-point boundary breakthrough. There was no way he was the first to achieve that. After inquiring, it turned that what he obtained was the perfect reward because he was the first to break through the pure 50-point Physique boundary as a basic realm contestant.

If he broke through the pure attribute boundary after becoming a Growth-Hunter, he will still get a reward, but it will be very ordinary.

Sheyan actually wanted to break through the boundaries of both Strength and Physique at the same time, but he was in a tight situation. Besides, the notifications came right after his Physique broke through 50 points. He wasn't given the time to break through the Strength boundary at all.

Sheyan only found out after enquiring that it was impossible for a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter to have Dual Specialty. Only before completing the official advancement mission for the boundary breakthrough would a contestant be asked if they would like to take the breakthrough test for a Dual Specialty Growth-Hunter. The difficulty would naturally double.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 822: Formidable Enemy

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The solemn rain fell upon the dark mountains.

The geographical layout here was a bit similar to the Alps mountain range. It felt like the mountains encompassed all 4 seasons by themselves - summer under the mountains, spring at the foot of the mountains, autumn at the slope, and winter at the peak.

The foot of the Misty Mountains displayed a scene full of lush greenery and springs, bursting with life.

An abundance of flowers were blooming. Irises, jasmines and many other flowers filled the air with a mild fragrance. A deep breath here would rejuvenate the spirit.

The beautiful flora exclusive to the world of The Lord of the Rings aside, even the edges of the mountain slopes were soft and tender - like the curves of a woman's chest, greatly pleasing to the eye.

However, the large amount of dead bodies scattered on the grassy slope defaced the beautiful scenery, as if someone pissed on a masterpiece.

The faces of these bodies were all scrunched up as though they were grimacing in pain. Their skins were all sickly pale. On each of their throat was a bloody hole. It seems like their killers weren't only after their blood but also their meat. The deep marks of tooth bites were still visible. The whole scene gave off an indescribable eeriness.

They were all elves. Even though their terrifying facial expressions were far removed from the elegant facial features one would normally associate with the elven race, their pointy ears gave away their identities.

Sheyan examined the corpse in front of him one more time. His heart kept getting heavier. Even though the body was shriveled up to only about a meter in length, but Sheyan could still identify him as the elf who leisurely talked with him not long ago - the firm but kind Elder Desirese Roots. Amongst the other corpses, he also found the remains of the Great Annil Yusu. From this, it could be seen that the Melody's followers had almost been completely annihilated!

More importantly, the escape route that Sheyan arranged before was not in this direction. Even Sheyan had to search for the hidden signs that they agreed on beforehand in order to find this place. This showed that the group of elves were forced to flee here, and they weren't even given the chance to turn back.

There were no signs of any struggle. This could only mean one thing - the enemy was so strong that they completely overwhelmed the elves!

In front of the enemy, the elves couldn't even fight back! The reason the bodies appeared one by one was because, once the elves knew they were no match, they used their lives to stall for time out of their loyalty to Melody.

'Based on the way they died, could they have met a Vampire? But there were never any Vampires in the Lord of the Rings!' thought Sheyan as he rushed to catch up.

'Of course, it could also be the special flesh-devouring ability of the Nazg?l… If that's the case, then Reef is in huge trouble. However, The Lord of the Nazg?l, the Witch-king of Angmar, most probably wouldn't appear here. On the other side, Galadriel, Glorfindel and Legolas could all gain the upper hand if they 1v1 a Nazg?l. They even have Elrond with them, whose strength remains a mystery.'

'It might not be hard to amass enough strength to defeat the four of them, but to kill them would require the cooperation of all 8 Nazg?ls. It's unlikely that one of the Nazg?ls would pursue Melody. She's not as important.'

As various thoughts ran through Sheyan's mind, he suddenly saw that the party communication channel had been connected. This showed that Reef was now within a kilometer from him. Sheyan immediately shouted at him.

"Reef! Where are you?!"

Reef shouted back, sounding out of breath.

"Do not come here! Run! If you come here you will only die a pointless death! The strength of the enemy is beyond your imagination!"

Sheyan was stunned.

"But I'm already a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter! I still can't help?!"

Reef coughed and helplessly said.

"You have no idea who the enemy is! He's someone you can't even imagine!"

Sheyan seriously asked.

"Who?"

Reef gasped out.

"Elrond."

Sheyan was absolutely shocked.

"How could it be Elrond? Why is Elrond killing you guys? I saw a lot of corpses on the way here and they all belong to people from our side. Was all of that Elrond's doing?"

Reef was heavily gasping for air. From the sound of it, it almost sounded like each gulp of air could be his last.

"That's right, it was him. The Elrond in front of us is no longer the Lord of Rivendell that we knew. He's now a terrifying monster."

"Location," Sheyan's voice was cold.

Reef could hear the determination in Sheyan's words. He finally gave in and disclosed their location. They weren't far; the place was in a forest on a hill to Sheyan's right.

Sheyan immediately rushed over. As he got close, his whole body suddenly jolted. Glimmers of gold appeared on the surface of his body. That was the sign of 'Life-Link' being activated, which means that Reef was currently on the brink of death!

Realizing this, Sheyan rushed wildly across the dense forest. After over a hundred meters, he was abruptly assaulted by the smell of blood. The tall figure of Elrond appeared within his sight. Elrond was currently closing in on Melody step by step. He had a peculiar gait, as if all his joints were stiff.

Melody was leaning on a big tree and looked like she did not have an ounce of energy left in her body. However, she still held her head high! Even under such dire circumstances, she refused to back down! Reef on the other hand was in an extremely terrible condition even though he was protected by the 'Life-Link'.

Seeing this, Sheyan unleashed the full force of the Pestilence Monarch!

The elves had an unusual sensation towards the strong Pestilence Monarch ability. Melody and two other surviving elves immediately lifted their heads, their eyes full of disbelief. Elrond, however, showed no reaction at all. Sheyan could already make a rough guess of what happened. When he was 20 meters behind Elrond, he pulled out Ambition, activated Rum and Songs, and pulled the trigger!

BANG!

Amidst a loud boom and green smoke, the lethal lead bullet crashed into Elrond and caused him to stagger! It seemed like the dizziness effect was even effective on him!

Sheyan rushed to Reef's side and used a 3000 utility points bandage on him. The bandage can heal 1000 HP within a minute, under the condition that he wasn't interrupted.

At this time, Elrond turned around and stared at Sheyan with a ferocious glint, before unleashing a series of shrill howls at Sheyan. Sheyan's heart trembled at the sight of Elrond.

The Elrond that Sheyan knew used to be tall, magnificent and naturally awe-inspiring. Even when he was severely ill, he had the bearing of a great hero.

But the only feeling Elrond gave out now was ferociousness! A ferociousness mixed with the greed and hunger of wild animals!

His skin right now was pale purple in color. It was covered in spots, each one the size of a fingernail. At first glance they looked like age spots, but upon closer inspection one would see that they were actually clusters of bruises.

The biggest change on him was his ears. Gone were the signature pointy ears of the elves; in their place were two round, rotting ears. Not only that, his mouth, his nose, his eyes and his face were starting to rot as well. His sharp teeth were blindingly white and were utterly intimidating. Two trails of dried blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth.

Sheyan sucked in a deep breath. His chest once again radiated with light. After his duel with Drubal, Sheyan's Awakened state could still last for 3 hours. On his way here, he had already recovered to his optimum condition!

Sheyan saw a blur and Elrond was suddenly in front of him. The fingernails of Elrond's right hand were as sharp as animal claws and carried a dense black glitter. Those fingernails were mercilessly thrust at Sheyan. Sheyan remained firm and took the blow with his body. Then, he immediately countered with a slash at Elrond's shoulder.

The sensation transmitted through the blade made Sheyan feel like he was slashing at thick leather instead of a living body; even the sound emitted was a dull thud. Meanwhile, Elrond's claw gave Sheyan more than 140 points in damage. If it was the old Sheyan, this attack alone would have shaved off over 10% of his HP! It would only take about 8 attacks from Elrond to force him into a critical state.

No wonder Reef tried to stop Sheyan from coming over. Reef knew that Sheyan's job of being the bait wasn't easy, so Sheyan must have used up all his cards in the process, including the 'Honorary Recovery Dosage's and Party Skills. Even if Sheyan rushed here, he would only be like an arrow at the end of its flight. For the old Sheyan, any enemy that can cause over 100 points of damage to him was highly dangerous.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 823: The Truth Behind The Split

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Elrond stared at the blood left on his right hand. Greed and excitement filled his eyes. He howled, stuck his hand into his mouth and started sucking attentively.

But the next instant, his expression changed. He started vomiting out a black substance. When his vomit sprayed onto the earth, it corroded the soil with a loud hissing noise.

Sheyan's blood contained a large amount of A-Viruses. Despite Pestilence Monarch not being that strong and being unable to infect enemies yet, if the enemy drank Sheyan's blood, it could still give the enemy stomach ulcers or even gastric perforation.

Taking advantage of this, Sheyan dashed in front of Melody to shield her from Elrond. Sheyan wasn't in a rush to attack. Reef was still recovering, so the best move right now was to stall for time.

Melody stared at Sheyan's strong body with a dazed expression. Her eyes were once again filled with tears.

"I knew you would come, my protector. Whenever I was in danger, you would always appear in front of me!"

Elrond, who was done throwing up, once again emitted a weird cry. He surged towards Sheyan with his arms outstretched, looking just like a demon from hell.

Sheyan felt something was weird looking at Elrond totally abandoning his strength in magic and initiating a physical fight instead. Since Elrond had lost all rationality and was merely relying on his primal instinct to fight, why did Reef look like he had totally given up and had even forbade Sheyan from coming?

Honestly speaking, the way Elrond fought right now posed no threat to Sheyan. His moves were made without any underlying intent or order to them. It wasn't hard for a battle-hardened person like Sheyan to parry Elrond's attacks. Coupled with a formidable HP of 3000, he could persist for a long time.

It didn't take long for Reef to escape his critical condition under Sheyan's deliberate attempt to buy time. After Sheyan signalled to him to show that he could still hang on, he started to slowly consume some food to further recover his HP. Reef took a deep breath and sighed.

"Boss, you shouldn't have come here."

Sheyan lifted his brows and said.

"Why do you say that? This guy isn't that strong. I feel that even if I'm not a Reserve-duty Growth-Hunter, we could still take him down if we gang up on him."

Reef's facial muscles twitched and indignantly exclaimed.

"That's what I thought at first. But when Elrond's HP dropped to a certain level, he became really terrifying."

One of the lucky surviving Elven mage added in a shaky voice.

"That's right. In order to survive, the dastardly Elrond casted a Splitting Spell on himself."

"A Splitting Spell? What is that?" asked Sheyan curiously. After hearing what they said, Sheyan started focusing entirely on evading and parrying Elrond's attack without attacking back.

The mage replied in anger.

"You should know that Elrond is a 'messy-skinned' (a derogatory term for Peredhil, the half elves of LOTR). When he realized that he had no hope of reaching the Undying Lands, he used a Splitting Spell to split himself in half, separating into a part with Elven blood and another part with human blood. The Elrond with Elven blood inherited the magic power that he had cultivated for thousands of years, along with the horrifying injury caused by the Witch-king of Angmar. It violently self-destructed when it was in a critical condition. The force from the destruction was so devastating that it heavily injured 3 Nazg?ls and killed 5 followers of the high-god."

This piece of news was a pleasant surprise for Sheyan. He had already killed off a few people from the Stockholm Party. Add Elrond's kamikaze on top of that and the damage to the Stockholm Party was staggering. Considering the time they had left, they wouldn't be able to mess with him anymore.

He deflected a blow from Elrond and said.

"What happened afterwards? Does that mean that the Elrond in front of us is a pure-blooded human?"

The Elven mage said.

"He is, but this Elrond is in a heavily deformed state. He was originally a 'messy-skinned', so his body has a natural tendency to maintain the balance between the Elven blood and the human blood in him. After his Elven bloodline was eliminated, it was impossible for his half-elven body to become purely human. The only reason he is still alive is due to the immense power of the divine art of Splitting Spell, but he is reduced to a strange, berserked state and he won't have long to live. If he wants to continue staying alive, he will need to re-construct the other half of his Elven bloodline within his body!"

Sheyan now vaguely understood the truth of the matter. When he could no longer avoid Elrond's attack, he hacked down on Elrond's chest to force him back and said.

"Is that why he was chasing after your group and consuming your flesh?!"

"That's right," answered the Elven mage with a wild, painful expression. "His ultimate target is Lady Melody. Only with the flesh essence of a Twilight Elf can his newly constructed Elven bloodline maintain a balance with his human bloodline. But don't worry; he will not touch Lady Melody before consuming us. Consuming the flesh essence of Lady Melody is not a simple matter. He needs to absorb as much flesh essence of other elves as possible to lay down the foundation, in order to increase his success rate."

"I understand." Sheyan kicked back the charging Elrond, and asked another question. "This garbage is pretty weak. How did he incur such heavy casualties before?"

This time, it was Reef who replied.

"Due to Elrond's inner workings losing its balance and the human bloodline taking complete control, his soul has to cooperate with the Splitting Spell and suppress the Elven side. If not, he will lose control of his energy and his physical body will collapse. Therefore, his body is merely fighting out of instinct. He sees us as nothing but prey."

"However, when his HP drops, it would mean his human bloodline is weakened. After dropping to about 50%, the Splitting Spell can already suppress the body by itself and no longer requires the soul's help. Elrond will then regain the clarity of his mind. An Elrond with a clear mind full of battle experience is simply a nightmare. He would then burst forth with terrifying strength, showcasing astonishing battle techniques, and drag away an elf to absorb the elf's flesh essence. A few minutes later, he would repeat the cycle!"

"More importantly, the first time we met Elrond, he only regained control of his body when his HP dropped below 30%. But after absorbing all these flesh essences, his soul can already take control of his body at 55% HP."

"Why don't we just drag the fight on without injuring him further, and maintain the situation at a standstill?" asked Sheyan.

Reef could only force a bitter smile as he answered.

"First of all, we can't afford to. The Elrond who is relying on primal instinct would only attack without defending. His damage is really high. Even if both of us cooperate, how long can we hold out for? Half an hour at most! While the duration of the Splitting Spell is 24 hours! Secondly, Elrond's body is in a terrible condition. His HP will drop even if we don't attack him."

"I understand," replied Sheyan with a nod of his head. "Wasn't the seal on Melody released? Why hasn't she made a move?"

The Elven mage dejectedly said.

"Elrond has apparently planned this for a long time. He marked Lady Melody's body with a spell. More importantly, he even borrowed the power of the Elven Ring, Vilya to directly seal Lady Melody this time. The seal is a hundred times stronger than the double seal from before!"

Sheyan released a groan. Because he looked away for a moment to steal a glance of the ring on Melody's finger, he suffered a heavy blow to his head. Even though he had various abilities suppressing the explosive hit rate he receives, he still suffered an explosive damage. His head was instantly covered in blood.

Melody immediately cried out in alarm with tears streaming down her face. Sheyan gritted his teeth and asked.

"Is there no way to break the seal?"

The other surviving Elven mage replied in a tearful voice.

"My lover, Saya Redmarks, is the most proficient sorcerer in Rivendell in breaking seals. He tried to unravel the seal but unfortunately, he failed. Even though Vilya had expended almost all its energy in continuously healing Elrond, the backlash was still extremely terrifying. When Saya had removed Vilya up to the 2nd joint of Lady Melody's finger, he was instantly frozen into an ice statue."

Sheyan suddenly squinted and asked.

"Does that mean that all I have to do is remove the ring from Melody's finger?"

The Elven mage wiped away her tears and replied.

"Yes, theoretically speaking, that is all that needs to be done. But as soon as you exert force on the ring to remove it, you will be instantly frozen solid!"

Sheyan took a deep breath and glanced at the two surviving elves with guilt-ridden eyes. He stepped aside to avoid Elrond's strike, stabbed his blade into Elrond's abdomen, and twisted ruthlessly!

Elrond released a painful groan. He was about to counter attack, but right at that moment, he inexplicably sneezed. Sheyan immediately took a step forward and headbutted Elrond's nose with his forehead, followed by knees and kicks. Sheyan took an attack from Elrond, then activated 'Zergling Rush' to land 3 consecutive slashes on Elrond's neck. The blade emitted a terrifying sound as it cut into muscles and bones!

Elrond's clothes were instantly soaked in blood. He bellowed out in pain and rolled away. After reaching a safer place, he appeared to be stunned for half a second before slowly reaching out to his neck and lifting his eyes up. In this moment, the feeling of madness, greed and brutality that enveloped his body only a moment ago disappeared without a trace. His eyes were firm and cold; filled with the confidence of having victory within his grasp!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 824: To take by force!

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"Wow, my fellow clansmen. You've really hurt me this time. My head was almost decapitated."

Elrond produced a piece of handkerchief, gently wiped on the blood on his neck, and said with a slow elegance.

"Oh, it seems we even have a follower of the high-god here. The high-god is almighty, yet why does he bother with weaklings? Fine, I don't like wasting time. Please offer your flesh to me to pay me back for the protection I provided in Rivendell throughout all these years."

As soon as he finished speaking, Elrond immediately pounced on an Elven mage beside Melody. The mage was ready for him. He emitted a cry and burst into flame. He was preparing the AoE spell, Ring of Inferno.

At the same time, Sheyan also leaped over to help. He threw a bottle of curse-mix to the ground. The curse-mix is a weapon of mass destruction that can cause an AoE stun for 1.5 seconds. Sheyan believed that the current Elrond should still be susceptible to stun.

Under the reminder of Reef and the Elves, Sheyan had already highly estimated the level of Elrond's ability after he regained his mind. Even so, Sheyan quickly realized that his estimation was still not high enough!

The difference between the Elrond who fought on instinct and the Elrond who fought with awareness was like the difference between heaven and earth!

When Elrond pounced, both his feet had visibly left the ground. Yet after successfully luring out the attacks from Sheyan and the mage, he gave a cold sneer. A gold-plated button on his coat suddenly emitted a faint green glow. That's right, even if all his magical power was left with his Elven half that self-destructed, he could still use magic items!

The spell stored in the button was merely a 2nd-rank minor divine art of the Druids: Vine Spell.

A thick vine grew out from the ground with a 'swoosh' amidst a scattering of soil. Usually, the vine was used to bind cavalries and the likes in order to buy time for spellcasters.

But Elrond used it to grab his own waist and jerk himself away, narrowly avoiding the shockwave produced by Sheyan's curse-mix. He curved in the air and was flung towards the other mage instead!

Right now, Sheyan was situated quite a distance away from the mage. The other Elven mage couldn't control his magic and released the Ring of Inferno. He was also helpless to save his compatriot.

Sheyan's eyes flickered as he hesitated for a moment but he quickly regained his determination. He could have caught up to Elrond but his plan required a sacrifice.

The next moment, the long wail of the captured Elf reverberated through the forest.

Elrond laughed while he carried away his prey. He took a huge bite on the elf's neck and sprinted away while chewing huge mouthfuls. Melody was currently sealed by the Ring of Air, Vilya and was as good as useless. She even had a magic mark on her body. Elrond would only need a couple of minutes and wasn't worried that his remaining preys could run anywhere.

As soon as Elrond left, Sheyan instantly dashed towards Melody as if he had been waiting for this moment all along! Reef rolled his eyes and thought, 'Are you really that thirsty?' The strange thing was, Sheyan seemed to be chewing on something in his mouth!

Melody's gaze on Sheyan was full of sadness and longing. She pouted her pale lips slightly, hoping for her loved one to give her a final farewell kiss. Her only wish right now was for Sheyan to leave immediately after the kiss, run away to safety and live happily ever after.

Sheyan rushed in front of Melody like a gust of wind. He had no intention of indulging in intimacy. He grabbed Melody's slim hand roughly and stared at the ring that was exuding a crisp cold on her finger. The Ring of Air, Vilya!

Under the perplexed gaze of everyone around him, Sheyan's mouth formed into a smirk. He directly used his thumb and forefinger to pinch the ring that could be considered a divine artifact, and attempted to pull it out!

"NO!" Melody cried out in dismay.

Yet as Sheyan's fingers touched the Ring of Air and started to pull, an illusionary image of a stern looking middle-aged Elf appeared above his head. The Elf shouted with an angry expression.

"How dare a lowly ant like you defile the dignity of Sire Vilya!!!"

The illusionary image then raised the precious looking staff on his hand. A cold lightning struck Sheyan head on! This was precisely the same move that took care of the previous Elf who tried to remove the ring.

But when the lightning hit Sheyan, a layer of hazy glow enveloped his body. The lightning divided itself into into countless cold, snake-like electrical current, which traversed along the surface of Sheyan's body to freeze an area of 8 meters around Sheyan into solid ice. Amidst all this stood Sheyan with the same smirk on his face, looking perfectly fine!

"A lowly ant like me loves to defile the dignity and purity of those above me - but only if the person above me is a young and beautiful woman."

That's right, the moment Sheyan's fingers touched the ring, he used an item from his interspatial region. An item that he never thought would be useful!

The Scorched Ocean-freak Moria's Egg! After consumption, one would be immune to all fire element and water element damage for 100 seconds. Not effective against the damage caused by contestants.

After using it as a medium to summon the Octopus Paul, it only had 3 uses remaining. For Sheyan, he only needed 1 use of the egg. He knew that, even though Vilya is called the "Ring of Air", but in the movie, it's claim to fame was when Elrond used it to control the river and swept away the chief of the Nazg?l! Besides, someone already tried to remove the ring so he already had an idea of the effect. He naturally had to take this gamble!

To Sheyan's surprise, there seemed to be a huge might opposing him from removing the ring by force. Someone probably casted a certain kind of divine art on the ring.

The purpose of the divine art should be to prevent the ring from falling off due to gravity. When Elrond casted the spell, he could never have imagined that someone could break the seal with such a crude and barbaric method! Therefore, as Sheyan pulled with all his might, the Ring of Air was still slowly forced out.

So crude, so barbaric!

To take by force!

The situation was as crude and as barbaric as a goddess being forced upon by a hooligan!

Needless to say, the illusionary image above Sheyan got even angrier. He furiously hurled down attacks on Sheyan. With Sheyan at the center, an area of almost 30 meters square was already covered in a thick layer of ice. The surrounding temperature dropped by at least 20 Celcius (68 F). Even Reef and the remaining Elf had ran away to the side in fear of being dragged into the mess.

A stream of notifications that read "The enemy inflicted 13112 points of ice damage on you; you are immune to this type of damage" appeared on Sheyan's battle log. Sheyan couldn't help but shudder. Even with his insane amount of HP, he would still be killed in 1 hit without the Scorched Ocean-freak Moria's Egg!

Under such duress, with a mix of sweat and blood flowing down his face, Sheyan could still smile at Melody. He gently told her.

"There, there. Don't be scared. Before Elrond consumes your flesh essence, he is the last person in the world who wants to see you hurt. Therefore, when he was making the seal, he would have designed it so that you wouldn't be harmed by the backlash when someone tries to remove the seal."

Melody stared at Sheyan with watery eyes and didn't know what to say. She could only nod. After Sheyan left, this pure Elven maiden had fantasized multiple times of how they would meet again. Never could she have thought that they would reunite in a situation of life and death!

Sheyan kept smiling and said.

"Don't worry, I can save you! This is the protection bestowed upon me by my god. Even something as strong as Vilya can't harm me."

Tears once again streaked down Melody's face. Sheyan's words were almost exactly the same as the time he rescued her from the arrow of the Uruk-hai, Lurtz!

Under constant effort from Sheyan, the miserable Ring of Air had already been moved from the base of the middle finger to the top joint. There was only about 1 centimeter left!

But right at that moment, a sorrowful shout resounded from far away! It was the voice of Elrond! He had finally realized the irregularities regarding the seal and had immediately rushed back.

He recklessly charged forward with everything he had, leaving behind him a trail of fallen trees. If gods stood in his way, he would slay gods! He charged like a demonic dragon!

A sharp edge entered Sheyan's eyes as if a switch was flicked. Reef resolutely lifted his shield and stood in Elrond's path even though he hadn't fully recovered. Sheyan was currently suffering the backlash of the seal. The terrifying power of the backlash was something no one wanted to try. Even being on the perimeter was difficult enough.

Elrond reached Reef almost in the blink of an eye. Reef roared with all his might but Elrond completely ignored him! When the debuff was inflicted on Elrond, the surface of a ring on the littlefinger of his right hand suddenly cracked. The magic item instantly dispelled the slowing effect on Elrond!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 825: Finger Arrow

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Even though Elrond had lost his magic power, he still retained his understanding and knowledge of magic.

It was akin to how a bankrupt ex-billionaire would still know the most efficient way to get a female star into his bed.

It's obvious that he had made preparations to handle any unexpected situations he would encounter. He should have quite a few magical items on his body. These items were all disguised as normal, everyday objects, but they were all just waiting to be activated.

That's why Elrond was still a monster. A monster who had lost all his magic power, but could still be a physical/magic dual-type through the use of tools!

Alas, man proposes but god disposes. Even with all the preparations he had made, he's almost at his wit's end. It's the time for both sides to lay down their cards on the table.

As soon as Melody regained her freedom, she would be able to display the strength of a twilight Elf. There would also be 2 formidable MT's protecting her in Reef and Sheyan. Defeat would almost be a certainty for Elrond.

But if Elrond managed to rush over and interfere with Sheyan's removal of the ring, then Elrond would have the overwhelming advantage!

However, when the charging Elrond was only 10 meters away from Sheyan, he started shivering and coughing violently! The terrible coughing noise echoed throughout the forest. The whole ordeal was really ridiculous, and extremely bizarre. Even the Elven mage at the side couldn't believe it.

The terrible power of the Pestilence Monarch was showing its might at this critical juncture!

Elrond possessed a wealth of battle experience and he had maintain a high awareness. As soon as he felt something was wrong, he immediately activated the magic items on his body without hesitation.

At least five items on him exploded and burst into sparks of light, including his belt, his hairpiece and the accessories he wore on his waist. He was instantly surrounded by multiple rays of light that circulated around his body. But none of them could dispel the debuffs caused by Pestilence Monarch!

As the Lord of Rivendell, every magic item he brought was a rare object of high quality. Especially because he knew that these items would determine his life or death, he couldn't be careless. The items cost him a fortune.

But harsh reality hit him right in the face.

Ineffective!

They were all ineffective!

The power of a 9th rank, mutated, hidden S-grade ability was showcased in its full glory!

If Elrond was still the Elven king from before, he would have instantly noticed the irregularities from the Pestilence Monarch aura as soon as he stepped into its area of effect due to the natural affinity that the Elves had towards plants. Unfortunately, he's a human now…

That's right, in a human body, Elrond couldn't withstand the weird and terrifying might of the Pestilence Monarch!

Sheyan didn't want to alert Elrond, so he merely let the viruses in Elrond's body to remain dormant before this. He only activated them now, and they turned out to be a great help.

At the same time, the Ring of Air, Vilya had been continuously releasing a series of noises which sounded rather similar to radio static. It sounded as if was really unwilling yet really helpless. In the end, it was forcefully pulled off Melody's finger by Sheyan.

But a few strains of light remained on the surface of the ring. They stuck themselves to Melody's finger like thick and tenacious glue and refused to let go.

It's obvious from the strenuous look on Sheyan's face that as soon as he was forced to defend himself, the ring would snap back into place. All his previous effort would be wasted.

A cold glint flashed across Elrond's eyes. He definitely couldn't give up! He released a roar in anger, and his body emitted the sound of something breaking apart. He then held his right hand with his left and took aim at Sheyan.

It's common knowledge that the Elves were exceptional, natural-born archers. There was a saying that all Elves could be divided into 2 categories: those that can hit the target with a bow a hundred times out of a hundred, and those that can hit the target ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

Within Elrond's long life, he spent a large portion of it on magical studies, but he had also dabbled in archery before. His mother, Elwing was even someone who left her name in Elven history by relying on her strength in archery.

The technique that Elrond was using now was the strongest archery skill his mother left behind!

The Arrow of Death!

(T/N note: The word used for 'arrow' here could also mean 'vow'.)

With his body as the bow, his limb as the arrow; to direct with his flesh, and draw with his soul!

Elrond's whole body looked like fully-drawn bow that is about to release a terrifying arrow!

With a crack, the index finger of Elrond's right hand shot out with force, like a bloody arrow full of malice. The force of the finger was so great that it produced a series of exploding noises from the compression of the air. A feeling of dread filled the entire battlefield!

The surrounding trees and grass rapidly withered away. A gigantic whirlpool formed within the clouds above them. This skill completely absorbed the living breath of all lives around Elrond. It's a double-edged sword that harmed himself first before damaging the enemy!

The strike was projected like an arrow, yet no arrows in the world could traverse with such speed.

The strike was as quick as lightning, yet no lightning in the world could produce such a thunderous roar.

The strike was as sudden as light, yet no light in the world could contain such murderous intent!

Faced with such an attack, Sheyan's expression instantly stiffened. He could clearly feel the threat of death! Even if he had 'Life-Link' on him, he wasn't invincible. As long as the attack of the enemy was strong enough, it could take out both Sheyan and Reef at the same time!

What would Sheyan do now? Would he stay or would he go?

At that moment, a strange feeling enveloped Sheyan. Someone unexpected appeared a distance away diagonally behind him. The person was Franklin, who had almost no sense of existence since the beginning of the battle.

He pointed his staff at Sheyan and a light burst forth. He seemed to have planned this for a while. An illusionary image which looked exactly like Sheyan was projected out from Sheyan's body!

This was Franklin's special ability - Complete Copy! The doppelganger produced would completely inherit the target's HP and defense. However, it couldn't use any skills and only had 33% of the target's attack power.

The doppelganger produced by Franklin materialized in front of Sheyan and blocked Elrond's last ditch attempt!

Sheyan was only affected by the resulting aftershock, but even so, he felt as if heaven and earth lost their original colors and turned into a world of black and red. The only sight he could see was the eerie white bone, and the only sound left in his ears were the howls of distressed souls.

From an outside perspective, after Elrond's Finger Arrow hit Sheyan's doppelganger, the dimension itself shook. The finger and the doppelganger both exploded into a large cloud of bloody mist!

Throughout all this, Sheyan hadn't forgotten what he had to do. With a shout, he forcibly tore Vilya completely free from Melody's finger!

The shrill sound of the seal breaking rang out in the ears of everyone present. A large clutter of light dispersed helplessly across the forest.

Sheyan's crazy method of breaking the seal by force had actually foiled Elrond's intricately woven plan!

The weak-looking Melody stood up at once. A soft green glow covered her completely. She opened her mouth, and a voice as sweet as an angel's echoed through the dense wood. Her song breathed life back into the dead trees around them.

The injuries of Sheyan and the others there were healing at a surprising speed. Franklin's MP that had bottomed out was also filling up like the rising tide. The life in her song calmed their hearts. Next, Melody casted the Twilight Elf's blessing on both Sheyan and Reed. Small globes of green lights from the surrounding congregated themselves around them both.

Sheyan and Reef instantly felt refreshed, as if they were born anew. A feeling of coolness filled their bodies and washed away all impurities. But the most surprising thing was that when the Stairway of the Sun within Sheyan was touched by this gust of energy, it felt as if it jumped in joy. Sheyan was filled with an indescribable bliss.

The Melody now was no longer the Melody from before. Her Twilight Elf's blessing was a lot stronger. When Reef and Sheyan read the notification, they instantly turned speechless.

[You have received the Twilight Elf's blessing: You receive a strong Rejuvenation spell. All the debuffs on you are dispelled. Your HP will recover by 5% per second until it is full. All resistances increased by 45%. All beneficial effects determined by probability will have their percentages increased by 15% (including, but not limited to: hit rate, explosive hit rate, assimilation success rate, etc.) For every damage you receive, 25% of the damage will be converted into your HP. Duration: 48 hours.]

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 826: Open conspiracy

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Melody's blessing had undergone significant strengthening. The huge increase in resistance and probability effect aside,there was also an insane new ability - to reduce the damage received by 25%, then turn it into HP! Taking into account both the reduction and addition effects, they totalled up to a staggering difference of 50%.

Mysterious Elven runes rapidly formed around Melody. She started chanting another divine art. Every tree on the mountain seem to sing in resonance with Melody's chant.

Elrond's face turned pale. He's already on the path of no return. If he ran away now, he would still die once the effect of the Splitting Spell ended.

He would only have a chance to live if he stood his ground. Retreating meant death. If he stayed, even if he would be in a terribly disadvantageous position, there was still a chance for him to turn the situation around with his wits.

Elrond continued to target Melody. For Elrond, the Twilight Elf Melody remained the most useful and the most dangerous person there!

However, both Sheyan and Reef were in their peak conditions now. Under the protection of the both of them, the chance of Elrond directly harming Melody is very low. In addition to that, Elrond was also plagued by disease.

Elrond was still a famous legendary hero after all. He had stood tall amidst the history of Middle Earth and had even laid down his mark on it. He experienced countless battles throughout his life that spanned millenium. There's no way he would be that simple to handle. Even though the situation was dire, it wasn't enough to bring him down!

He actually made Melody lose her ability to battle, again!

Elrond's move shocked even someone as shrewd as Sheyan. That's because the price Elrond had to pay to do this was something that was second only to his life!

All divine equipments have a life of their own. After the Ring of Air Vilya was ripped away by Sheyan, it naturally returned to Elrond. But the current Elrond was (1) devoid of magic, and (2) had a human body. The Ring of Air was one of the Three Elven Rings of Power, so it naturally required an Elven bloodline to use it.

Strictly speaking, the powerful Ring of Air was nothing more than decoration to Elrond right now.

So, Elrond did something that Legolas, Glorfindel, and all other Elves could only dream of ever happening. He wiped away his own soul imprint on Vilya, then threw the ring into the air. The ring, Vilya, that was comparable to a divine equipment!

The powerful ring that was forged for the Elven race released a strong vibration in the air!

The vibration of the ring reached the heart of every Elf on Middle Earth. Even faraway Elves like Legolas, Glorfindel and Galadriel, the keeper of the Ring of Water, Nenya, could feel the strong sensation.

The same shocking thought crept into their minds.

"The soul imprint on the Ring of Air was removed? Has Elrond fallen?"

Out of all the Elves present, Melody was the strongest and had the purest soul. She was also a Twilight Elf who were naturally powerful. Naturally, she too could sense that Sire Vilya had lost its owner… Melody appeared very emotional. She absent-mindedly reached out her hand to infuse her own soul imprint on the ring out of instinct.

It must be emphasized that she was acting out of instinct without thinking. It was like how a person would retract their hand when they touched the flame, or how the author of this story would instinctively bend down to tie his shoelaces when a girl in short skirt walked by, or how Edison Chen would instinctively look for a camera whenever he saw a beautiful woman…

(T/N note: Edison Chen - https/en./wiki/Edison_Chen_photo_scandal)

(ED: THE GOLDEN ANALOGIES!! They just keep getting better…)

In the history of China, even a royal seal would cause royalties and nobles to scrabble madly, and that was only a symbol of status. The Ring of Air, Vilya was the central ring among the Three Elven Rings of Power. It's not only a symbol of status, it was also a source of power! Think of how important it was in the heart of every Elf.

With no one stopping her, Melody caught the Ring of Air and successfully engraved her soul imprint on it. Under her control, the ring flew onto her left ring finger.

However, once Melody put on the Ring of Air, her face instantly turned pale. She covered her head with her hands and slowly leaned against a stone beside her.She looked like a withering flower, slowly wilting away.

Sheyan's pupils shrunk while Elrond burst out in laughter.

"A newly awakened Twilight Elf like you dare to lay your dirty hands on my Vilya? Dream on! Even though it had expended almost all its energy, you could consider it a testament to your ability that you weren't immediately sucked dry. When the High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad gifted upon me the Ring of Air, it took me a whole month to master the ring even with his guidance."

"A weak Twilight Elf like you wished to understand how to control the ring without guidance? How long do you think it would take? Ten years? Twenty? Or a hundred? Oh, right. You're even a follower of the Sun God, Sin'dorei. Maybe in your next life then! Without the enlightenment bestowed by the Moon God, Luna, you will never find the correct path!"

As Sheyan looked at Melody whose face was pale and eyes were shut, he really hoped she would suddenly open her eyes and tell Elrond: 'I was Gil-galad in my previous life you garbage', then kicked Elrond to the edge of the world. But from the look of it, it would remain his fantasy.

Elrond now had the confidence to massacre everyone and take back his treasure. Such wit was a testament to his wisdom gained over thousands of years. His name wasn't sung without reason!

Even Sheyan himself couldn't help admiring Elrond's decisiveness in letting go of the ring. That was one of the Rings of Power, yet Elrond could just throw it out nonchalantly as bait. A plan like this could no longer be called a hidden conspiracy; it's an open conspiracy! You knew it was a trap, yet your body couldn't help but jump into it!

"Reef, something doesn't add up," Sheyan suddenly said in the party channel.

"Elrond was so strong after he regained his mind that anytime he got close to one of the Elves, he could instantly drag the Elf away without any resistance…but why didn't he finish you? Wouldn't things be a lot more convenient for him without someone like you in his way?"

Reef sounded perplexed as he replied.

"Maybe he couldn't kill me? No, that can't be. He killed Elder Desirese Roots who definitely had higher HP than I do!"

Sheyan said in a heavy tone.

"Then there's only one explanation. Elrond had prepared for this moment for a long time, so consuming the flesh essences of his own kin to rebuild his Elven bloodline was definitely within his plan. Therefore, he probably prepared a strong item or weapon for that purpose. But that item or weapon is only effective against the Elves, and not against us."

They positioned themselves in front of Melody and the remaining Elf as they communicated. Unfortunately, Reef hadn't advanced into an Awakener yet. If he had, be it the gravitational field of Zeus or Skull's metal armour, they could have displayed their might right now.

Elrond once again charged towards Sheyan and Reef like a ghost. Reef wasn't in a hurry to use 'Shattering Cardiac Roar' this time, choosing to closely observe Elrond instead.

This time, Elrond landed both his punches heavily on Reef's shield. Reef was instantly pushed away by the heavy force. Elrond then twisted his body in a weird way and grabbed Sheyan's right wrist just as Sheyan was about to throw out a curse-mix. Elrond then flicked his fingers lightly and robbed Sheyan of the curse-mix.

Sheyan immediately slashed back with determination. His blade firmly struck Elrond's body. Just as Sheyan was about to dish out another hit, an emblem on Elrond's chest suddenly radiated with a blinding white glow. Sheyan's vision was covered by the white light!

The body of a contestant is a lot stronger than the body of a normal human. A blind debuff like this would only last for 2-3 seconds on Sheyan. As soon as the glow appeared, he had immediately shifted his head to the side and lashed out with his blade. But his blade struck nothing but air!

His heart sank. If Reef and Sheyan were the gate protecting the people behind them, then the gate was wide open right now.

Reef's 'Shattering Cardiac Roar' sounded from behind Sheyan and washed over Elrond like a raging tide. A series of lights flashed on Elrond's body and once again negated the slowing effect from the roar. Elrond was now less than 3 meters away from Melody. She was within touching distance!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 827: The Final Gamble

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

In this critical moment, Elrond sneezed despite himself.

Even if he was one of the strongest people on the continent, even if he was the Lord of Rivendell, even if he was the son of the human sailor, E?rendil and the Elf, Elwing who were sung in songs.

(T/N: Unlike what the author claimed, Earendil and Elwing were actually both half-elves)

But right now, he's a human!

Any human that could fall sick would not escape from the terrifying effect of the Pestilence Monarch!

Not only was the dreadful ability bugging Elrond as inevitable as fate itself, it was also as cruel as fate itself!

Elrond had already been hit by the effect once. He even used up to 6 magical accessories amidst his coughing fit but to no avail. At the time, Elrond already had a bad premonition. However, there weren't any outbursts afterwards, so Elrond put it down as a one-time use magic spell. He didn't know that it was a ticking time bomb that was merely lying dormant in his body.

The shuddering of his body caused his movement speed to fall sharply. Reef immediately blocked his path and unleashed the formidable Steelclaw upon Elrond. Simultaneously, the surviving Elven mage hugged the unconscious Melody and rolled behind Reef.

Elrond's last-minute failure caused his face to turn ashen. He unsheathed a longsword that had a notable Elven style and easily parried Reef's attack. At the same time, he used the sheath to execute a block to his side. Sheyan's '7 West' immediately met with the sheath, causing sparks to fly. Sheyan even managed to hack off a gemstone. However, the force from the block forced Sheyan back a few steps.

Sheyan threw out a curse-mix in passing. Elrond wasn't able to stop him this time. He used another magic item to recover from the 1.5 second stun effect from the curse-mix shockwave, but he couldn't do anything about the 25% reduction in movement speed from being inside the resulting green smoke.

At the same time, a malicious ray of light shot towards Elrond. It was the sly Franklin! Franklin used his staff to draw a circle in the air, and a sizzling ray of light shot out from the circle to burn Elrond's back.

Sheyan and Reef finally gained the upper hand in this battle full of unpredictable difficulties. They were visibly shaken still.

It must be noted that, technically speaking, Elrond was a magic user, which meant that they were in fact engaging in a melee fight with a mage who had no magic power. The mage had even been injured to a certain extent and was far from his peak condition. Yet the battle was still so unbelievably difficult!

After he saw the strange green smoke envelope an area of several hundred meters square, Elrond did not look happy at all. He gritted his teeth and forced out his words.

"This is the concocting method of Saruman the White! Why would he pass his teachings *achoo* to a foolish human?"

Honestly speaking, even if Elrond had brandished his weapon, it was still really troublesome to fight both Sheyan and Reef in the curse-mix smoke. Plus, he still had to be careful of the sickness that might erupt anytime. However, he was still the great Elrond. The Elrond who left his name in the history of Middle Earth!

Even after being forced into a corner, he still relied on his devilish speed, practiced battle technique and surprising fighting methods to firmly suppress Sheyan and Reef. The two of them brushed shoulders with death multiple times in the short span of a few minutes.

Which is why Sheyan chose to once again unleash the dark gold giant leech!

Sheyan had already used the leech once in his fight with Drubal, but Drubal was too busy running away to attack the leech. After his extortion of Drubal, the leech was kept back in Sheyans possession in one piece. Thus, the leech could still be used at the moment. Sheyan unhesitatingly let it out.

The 25% drop in movement speed from the curse-mix smoke might not have affected Elrond much, but the 50% drop from the giant leech is another matter. Even though it's attack was weak, it had a sturdy body and its attack had a large area of effect. Its debuffs were also really annoying for the enemy.

Elrond got careless for a moment, and Sheyan and Reef latched on to the chance to land their attacks. Sheyan's blade was strong, but Reef's claw was also pretty fierce. The claw struck Elrond's right thigh heavily and tore open a large wound!

If Elrond had coincidentally coughed or shivered at the moment of impact, he might have lost his leg.

More importantly, when Elrond ran away with the Elven mage before this, he was alerted by the changes on Vilya's seal on Melody before he could absorb the life essence of the Elf. He forcefully broke off the ritual and hadn't managed to recover any of his HP.

After the series of fierce battle, Elrond now had less than 50% of his HP remaining. On the other hand, Reef and Sheyan could share the damage sustained and had the strong Twilight Elf's blessings on them. Their HPs were sustained above 80% the whole time. Besides that, there were also Franklin and the sole remaining Elven mage. They were both forces to be reckoned with!

As soon as the dark gold leech appeared, it became the straw that broke the camel's back. The scale of victory started to tip towards Sheyan's side.

Under such circumstances, Elrond quickly retreated outside the poisonous smoke. Determination flashed in his eyes as he produced a scroll from his chest.

The scroll looked old but was shining with a bright lustre, giving it the luxurious feel of an antique treasure. Elrond looked at the group in front of him with venom in eyes. If it wasn't for Sheyan's interference, he would have already started the rebuilding process of his Elven bloodline by now. Instead, he's still struggling for his life here.

Sheyan and Reef's hearts both tightened when they saw Elrond's action. A scroll that he had kept up to now would definitely be his last measure in case of emergency. It would be his final gamble!

Elrond obviously believed that the scroll would let him make a comeback. If Sheyan and co. could overcome this final hurdle, they would be grabbing victory by the throat. If they couldn't, then all their efforts will go to waste!

With a solemn face, Elrond held the scroll in both hands and chanted earnestly:

"O power of the sprout. Please awaken. Honour the agreement from ancient times!"

"Clear all obstructions blocking my way."

"Your freedom awaits after completing my wish."

"Wake up, the ruler of all trees, the tyrant of roots. Man-Eating Devil Tree, Harlech!"

"Refuse me my wish, and your soul shall agonise within the fire of hell for a thousand years!"

Throughout the whole chanting process, both Franklin and the Elven mage had continuously released a torrent of offensive spells towards Elrond. However, every time a spell was about to connect, an image of a yellow leaf would appear to block the spell.

Elrond had no magic power left in him; the terrifying defensive ability must come from the scroll!

When Elrond concluded his chanting, an indescribable pressure leisurely spread out from the scroll towards the surrounding forest. The trees it touched released mournful howls and shook their roots. Then, they stood up from the ground and hugged each other.

The trees in the Misty Mountains were at least 50 years old. Even if they did grow slower in cold climate, all of them required at least 2 people to join fingers to hug them.

Their branches firmly intertwined together; the sounds of branches snapping could occasionally be heard. The biggest change came in the leaves of these trees. The surface of the leaves started transforming into a pattern that looked like the scales of snakes!

Finally, hundreds of trees wove themselves together to form a magnificent Ent. The Ent was covered in a snake-like pattern. Tentacle-like vines formed into a pair of hands. The Ent gave out an indescribably evil feeling.

The Ent was a devastating Devil Tree killed by Elrond's mother while she was wandering the continent. She sealed its soul inside a scroll and gave it to Elrond for him to use in times of need.

Just looking at the size of the Ent made Sheyan and Reef feel helpless. They were further intimidated by the sinister aura it emitted. Ents were huge to begin with - Ferrell, for example, was an enormous thing - but compared to Harlech, Ferrell was like a kid that could only reach Harlech's thigh!

Suddenly, Reef and Sheyan felt a warm sensation on the skin on their back. They turned around and saw a whirlpool-shaped hole within the clouds. A ray of sunlight shined down from the hole to envelope Melody. The whole scene looked incomparably sacred and glorious. The Elven mage couldn't help kneeling down in tears, looking extremely emotional.

Melody floated up into the air with her eyes still closed. The strong sunlight produced bits of glimmer that wrapped themselves protectively around her body. Sheyan noticed that the Ring of Air, Vilya was glowing brilliantly on her finger.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 828: The Fall of Elrond

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

"The eternal sun will guide our way, to keep us from getting lost in the dark."

"The eternal sun will guide our way, to keep our future bright."

"The eternal sun will guide our way, let its light cleanse away all evil."

"The eternal sun will guide our way, to keep our morale forever high."

Melody's voice got louder with each verse she chanted, and the sunlight shone brighter. The sunlight looked as if it was converging around her!

With each chant, the body of the terrifying Devil Tree, Harlech would shake violently, and a burst of flame would explode on him!

Elrond looked on in grief as the hidden card left by his mother howled and shuddered. With Melody's 4th verse, Harlech was turned into what was probably the world's largest torch, burning fiercely!

Even Elrond himself started showing burn marks and letting out smoke. Soon, a few tiny embers even appeared on his body!

Melody dropped back to the ground soon after, looking rather pale. Blood dripped out of her lips. However, the persistent sunlight still pierced the clouds to blanket her protectively.

Melody's actions had completely destroyed Elrond's sense of rationality! Elrond wailed in despair. He didn't even wait to extinguish the flames on his body before charging straight at Sheyan's group. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked to be totally devoid of reason. Facing an Elrond who had completely given up on defence and gave everything he had in attack put Sheyan and Reef under immense pressure.

As the fight neared its conclusion, Elrond managed to kill the dark gold leech. That was a testament to how wildly he attacked! Even more surprising was that he still had quite a few magic items on his body that would activate themselves throughout the battle. The faint green glow of Rejuvenation spells would occasionally appear on his body. Sheyan and Reef could only persistently hang on.

Fortunately, they both had the Twilight Elf's blessing on them. In addition to that, the Elven mage stopped attacking once she saw that the situation was dire with the two, and used her MP to relentlessly cast healing spells on them.

After 15 minutes, Reef's life once fell into a critical state and the 'Life-Link' was activated. Sheyan risked a stab by Elrond on his chest and grabbed onto Elrond's weapon with both hands!

Seizing this opportunity, Melody once again stood up with difficulty!

She had barely recovered some of her divine power. Under the illumination of the sunlight, the green glow emitted from her body turned into golden characters. They were divine ancient Elven runes! 3 divine characters combined into a flaming javelin, and abruptly shot forward!

That was Melody's advanced ability:

Scorching Dictum!

The javelin did not look like it possess a lot of speed, but as it tore through the air, it left behind a blinding trail of flame. The fire on the javelin itself looked even more intimidating and would occasionally form the illusion of a roaring beast!

Everyone there held their breath as if the surrounding air had been sucked away. A scorching heat wave assaulted them like a tsunami!

The Scorching Dictum stabbed into Elrond's chest, and melted away into his body as if it was absorbed by him.

Elrond was frozen in place. He looked down at his chest in disbelief as the defensive magic items on his body went off one after another like fireworks. Next, his whole body lit up into a conflagration with him at the centre.

The next second, Elrond floated up into the air. He released a long wail that contained sadness, pain, despair, relief… in short, all kinds of emotions mixed together. He then started to crumble into ashes bit by bit, which dispersed into the surrounding. This marked the moment Elrond disappeared from this world!

A few rainbow-coloured crystals dropped down from the ashes.

Melody fell hard to the ground after unleashing the Scorching Dictum. She fell into unconsciousness while blood continuously flowed out from every orifice on her face, soaking up her clothes. The Elven mage immediately rushed forward to take care of her.

At the same time, the trio of Sheyan, Reef and Franklin received a series of notifications:

[You have killed a famous storyline hero of Middle Earth, Elrond Idril.]

(ED: Idril was the daughter of Turgon, King of Gondolin, and the mother of E?rendil, making her Elrond's grandmother, it isn't Elrond's actual family name in the LOTR world)

[You obtained 2311 Fate points of the Dark Lord faction.]

[You obtained the mysterious item : Elven Illusion Bone Crystals.]

[You have obtained the relevant qualification. Please remember to visit the outpost of the Gray Dwarves at the outer border of Angmar on time.]

[Because Elrond Idril died under a special circumstance and an event character participated in the attack, the grade of the key dropped by Elrond will be lowered correspondingly.]

[Contestant no. 1018, your Elven lover, Melody Sunstrider also participated in the attack on Elrond and even obtained an extremely important divine equipment of this world - The Ring of Air, Vilya. Therefore, Elrond will not drop a key unless you cut all ties with Melody Sunstrider.]

[Contestant no. 1018, due to your party prestige being Silver, you will obtain some compensation. You and your party members will each get 3 chances to randomly draw from the things Elrond left behind. The scope of the draw will be limited to the contents in Elrond's bag. If you add contestant no. 90 to your party, he will also obtain the chance to draw.]

Seeing the notifications, Sheyan could understand why the realm made that kind of decisions. Melody, who was his Elven lover, had already obtained the biggest reward - becoming the master of the Ring of Air! That was why the reward of the party was limited, or else the key dropped by Elrond would have a chance of drawing another Ring of Air. That's just way too much.

Sheyan took a look at the unknown mysterious items - the Elven Illusion Bone Crystals. The item description was pretty decent:

[This is the bone crystal left by High Elves after their deaths. A lot of people from the Dark Lord's side are interested in this item.]

Seems to be a trade item then.

Of course there's no way Sheyan would be so short sighted and cut all ties with Melody. It's not like he could bear to do it anyway. He could only sigh and throw out a party invitation to Franklin. Next, he went to check on Melody's condition. After confirming that her injuries weren't fatal and she was merely unconscious, he finally prepared himself to loot Elrond.

Franklin was honestly not that happy after receiving the party invitation. That's because Sheyan only gave him a reserve party member spot. The calculative fella was hurt at the way Sheyan treated a comrade who went through life and death together with him just a moment ago. But when he saw the changes in his HP and MP, he was shocked speechless. Next, he was washed over by a feeling of immense joy! He stared at the party skill 'Glory Heal' that the reserve members couldn't use in anticipation.

Now it was time for a contest of luck. Based on the generosity of the realm in allowing each party member 3 draws, 'abundant' would be an understatement to describe the number of things contained in Elrond's bag. There should be some good stuff in there…but there would definitely be a lot more useless things.

Sheyan looked at the first thing he drew, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. They were a pair of socks. The socks were woven in an intricate pattern and had a grand and luxurious Elvish feel.

But that's not the point. The point was, this thing that was marked as a miscellaneous item had a really long description:

[This is a pair of socks woven with Ice Cicada threads. The complex handicraft was the work of the grandmaster Siclair. They are a work of art. This series of socks had remained the sole choice for Elrond for 300 years……]

In the end, the hint given was: worth 150 utility points.

When he saw the last sentence, Sheyan who had been forcing himself to read every word of the description coughed up blood. It's fortunate there wasn't a (Dirty) behind the socks' name or he really would have broken down.

Under Sheyan's prior example, Franklin wasn't expecting much from his draw. He only hoped he wouldn't get Elrond's underwear. He certainly didn't expect to draw a black cloak.

[The Lost Cloak]

[Grade: Black]

[World Origin: Lord of the Rings]

[Requirements: 20 Physique, 15 Agility]

[Durability: 55/55]

[Material: Silk, Mithril thread, strong spider thread]

[Effect 1: Physique 3, Agility 2]

[Effect 2: Alchemists imbued a spell within the Mithril to increase your dodge rate by 15%]

[Effect 3: The cloak contains a magical enchantment. Whenever you receive an attack, there is a small chance of producing a magical barrier that can absorb 30 points of damage.]

[Properties: The Lost Cloak will lower your accuracy by 10%.]

[Description: This is an item that belonged to a person who used to be the most famous Alchemist. It disappeared a long time ago.]

Franklin shrugged and handed the cloak to Reef without saying anything. That was the rule of almost every party with an MT. The MT had absolute priority over any equipment with defensive properties. Only after the MT passed on the equipment could it land in the hands of other party members.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 829: The Scary Allies

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

In the next few minutes, the three of them each witnessed the absurd amount of luggage that Elven nobilities brought with them when they depart on a journey. For 8 draws, all they got besides the black cloak was a whole bunch of garbage that had a distinct Elvish flavour. In total, they were worth less than 10,000 utility points.

Sheyan calmed himself before taking the final draw. He went over to the unconscious Melody and stole a kiss for luck. The kiss seemed to have brought him good fortune indeed, as his last draw produced an emerald leaf that let out a soft silver glow. The glow gave off a cool feeling and made one feel very comfortable.

After significant effort from the surviving Elven mage, they managed to identify the leaf. It was a magic item that had a tiny magic seal on it. The seal needed to be removed before they can observe the leaf's properties.

The seal wasn't a strong one; it was only put in place to prevent accidental use of the leaf. However, the MP of the mage had been completely expended, so it would have to wait.

Melody was still unconscious, so Sheyan carried her. The group moved towards the designated rendezvous point under the guidance of the Elven mage who was familiar with the geography of the place. Segimli and Elder Annenia Cyathea should be anxiously waiting for them there.

It wasn't the first time Sheyan had Melody in his embrace; they've had some pretty intimate encounters after all. Melody was quite slim and her body was actually pretty small except for her chest.

But when Sheyan carried her this time, he found that it took all his strength and he was even sweating. He was already out of breath after climbing over 2 hills.

Sheyan felt as if he wasn't carrying Melody, but was carrying a metal statue! Something told Sheyan that it must be due to the ring, Vilya. But despite being tired, his legs never stopped moving and they managed to maintain a decent pace.

The journey was pretty uneventful so Sheyan once again enquired about the situation on the battlefield.

The Elven mage told them what happened after Sheyan detonated the bomb below the cliff to create an avalanche. The Gold Evergreen that was forcefully matured had an unstable foundation, so the defense of the Elven heroes naturally collapsed too. But Galadriel managed to force 3 Nazg?l into the avalanche with her spell.

Galadriel, Glorfindel and Legolas seized the chance to spread out and escape. The remaining Nazg?l had no choice but to break up to chase after each of them. Elrond was prepared for this moment. After his other half self-destructed, he tore a valuable scroll to turn invisible and vanished into thin air.

Reef and the rest of the Elves rushed towards Melody with Elder Desirese Roots leading the way. Ferrell fell while holding a Nazg?l back. Fortunately, the destroyed Ferrell wasn't Ferrell's real body. It took a huge toll on him, but he could still be reborn under the Sacred Oak.

They fled for a short distance after rescuing Melody, but Elrond caught up to them and activated the seal that he had prepared beforehand. The killings ensued.

After Sheyan heard all this, he hastened his pace. That's because he knew that even if Galadriel, Glorfindel and Legolas were chased by 2 Nazg?l each, the encirclement of the Nazg?l had been broken. Escaping wouldn't be a problem at all for these Elven heroes. The Nazg?l had no chance to kill them.

And this was exactly what Sheyan was afraid of! Sometimes, your "allies" are scarier than your enemies!

Suddenly, Franklin spoke out.

"Erm…Mr. Reef, there's something that I need to tell you about."

It seemed like Franklin wasn't that observant. He's already a reserve member of the party, yet he still hadn't figured out who the real decision maker was in the party. It wasn't entirely his fault though. It was almost a universal truth that the highest authority in a party would be the one holding the shield. Furthermore, Reef's dark gold shield really stood out.

Reef release an abashed cough and asked.

"What is it?"

Franklin replied.

"When we left the place where Elrond was killed, I laid down some magic traps. They weren't the type of traps that will cause damage, but the type used for sensing and investigation. A moment ago, my trap was destroyed."

Reef asked in a heavy tone.

"Do you know who did it?"

Franklin replied.

"I couldn't see his face, but I have an image of his back."

Franklin then took out his staff and drew a circle in the air. The circle then projected an image in the air. That's the advantage of having an Illusionist - information can be directly portrayed.

All of them had a solemn look on their face when they saw the image. The figure was tall and muscular. Unlike the breath of death on Elrond, every inch of the person's body exuded life. The most telling sign was his shining blonde hair!

"It's Glorfindel," said the Elven mage solemnly.

The name itself caused everyone's breath to become heavy.

This guy wouldn't be as easy to deal with as Elrond!

Honestly speaking, even if Melody returned to her peak condition and all the Elves Elrond killed were revived, they still wouldn't be a match for the powerful and ambitious Glorfindel. Think back to the extreme difficulty Elrond posed them even after his bloodline was split in half, and he had to fight physically despite being a mage! They had almost lost to that Elrond!

How could they handle Glorfindel when he was at full strength?

Franklin tried to lighten the mood by saying.

"Hey, at least we left some false trails before we left. He definitely can't find us."

However, the Elven mage said dejectedly.

"As early as 140 years ago, after the fall of the top hunter of Rivendell, Jose Caca, a lot of people already felt that Glorfindel should inherit this title. I recall that one time when Lord Elrond's beloved flower lark flew away from her cage. After Glorfindel heard about this the next day, he caught the lark, and brought it back, within 2 hours. I was the one who forgot to lock the cage after feeding the bird, so I clearly remember it."

The whole party was blanketed by a heavy atmosphere, but Sheyan who had reached the top of a hill smiled instead. That's because, after trekking for one and a half hours, he could finally see the rendezvous point. The terrain of the place was rather unique and looked like the two humps on a camel's back.

When the group found that their destination was within sight, they burst forward with renewed vigor. The thought of their terrifying pursuer spurred them on.

Sheyan then saw Segimli and Elder Annenia Cyathea. They indeed looked very anxious. They were pacing back and forth like ants on a frying pan.

After discovering the group, Segimli immediately ran over to give Sheyan a warm hug. The elite Dwarven warriors he led also tossed their caps into the air. That was the highest show of respect a Dwarf could give.

On the other hand, Elder Annenia Cyathea was absolutely shocked. He was stunned for a moment, looked around, and asked.

"Is… is this all that's left of your group?"

Sheyan nodded.

"That's right."

Elder Annenia Cyathea couldn't believe it.

"What about Desirese Roots and Annil Yusu? They're both dead?"

The female Elven mage was already in tears, and told him.

"They were consumed by Lord Elrond."

Elder Annenia Cyathea was shocked speechless. His eyes fell on Melody - more precisely, on Melody's finger! He stammered out in a strange voice.

"Sin'dorei above!!! Are my eyes deceiving me? Why does the ring on Lady Melody's finger look so familiar?"

Sheyan simply said.

"Of course it would look familiar to you. You must have seen it before on Elrond's hand."

Elder Annenia Cyathea helplessly spread his hands and said with a shaky voice:

"That's impossible! Even if Lord Elrond had passed away, his soul imprint will still remain on the Ring of Air for a hundred years! Is Sire Vilya being used to seal and curse Lady Melody's power? No, that's not right. The feeling it gave out was in harmony with Lady Melody, as if they were one!"

Sheyan couldn't be bothered explaining too much and simply told him.

"The eternal sun guides our way, so there is nothing we couldn't do. By the way, my Dwarven friends, have you done the favour I asked of you?"

Segimli seriously replied.

"It was already done 4 hours ago. Please do not doubt the reputation of the Dwarves. It is as reliable as a boulder!"

Following Segimli's words, the Dwarves parted to both sides to reveal a large piece of flatland behind them. This would be another trump card prepared by Sheyan!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 830: Planning

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

As if the setting sun in the western sky wanted to display its last bit of glory for the day before falling into slumber, the sunlight that fell on the skin carried a penetrating heat.

The flatland looked as if it shone with a metallic silver glow under the bright setting sun. A total of 67 expensive gemstones were imbued into the ground in a circle. Within an area of 10 square meters lied an assortment of valuable materials including Mithril threads, Firegold fragments, magical-rune satin, Blackfang stones, hydromicas and Silver Crystals. These materials were banded together into a mystical, inter-linking diagram via mysterious means. Various dimensional spells were casted on the diagram. When a person looked at it, they would find their vision being distorted.

One must admit that the Dwarves truly had a natural talent in construction. If it were the humans or the Elves building this magical formation, they would need at least 6 months and double the amount of material.

But it only took Segimli and less than 40 Dwarves a total of 5 hours to complete the teleportation formation. Of course, Elder Annenia Cyathea and the other 4 Elven mages played a huge part in this too with their continuous infusion of magical energy.

"What a waste," sighed Segimli as he inspected the one-way teleportation formation at Sheyan's side. "The treasures that lie here are enough to buy a whole human city. Yet you used them to build a one-way teleportation circle that can only be used once! My dear Seaman, even if you're so rich that the devils would be jealous of you, I must say it again - this is a huge waste!"

Sheyan looked back at the dense forest covering the mountains behind them, and smiled.

"Oh, my friend. Believe me, this isn't a waste at all. These things are valuable, yes, but that means that their values can be measured. To use these materials in exchange for the invaluable lives of everyone here, that's great business in my book!"

As Sheyan said this, he could already feel a strong presence from afar which exuded tremendous pressure. Feelings of unease, greed and domination were mixed in the pressure. Sheyan pulled Segimli close and asked.

"You did make this a one-time use formation, right?"

Segimli unhappily replied.

"You are doubting the skills of the Dwarves!"

Sheyan laughingly said.

"If that's the case, can you disguise the formation so that after we've used it, it would appear to be usable still? Then, the person who sees this will step into the formation and will activate it. Of course, that's not going to be a smart move. The space-time distortion will give him a lesson to remember."

Segimli frowned and said.

"That's not hard, but it will increase the cost."

Sheyan decisively said.

"Leave that for me to worry about, my friend. Also, it's important that you finish the job within a short period of time."

Segimli still frowned and said.

"I'll need to add another energy stone, and I also need the help from our pointy-eared friends here to slightly change the magic pattern. Are you sure there's a need to do this?"

"Do it. We don't have much time left," said Sheyan firmly. Then, he turned to Franklin and said, "Mr. Franklin, I believe you must have laid down some detection traps along the way. Tell me, how far away is he?"

Franklin honestly told Sheyan.

"At his current pace, he will reach us in about 30 minutes. That is, if he hadn't messed with my magical detection traps to mislead me."

Sheyan turned back to Segimli and said.

"My friend, I can give you only 20 minutes then. I look forward to your work."

While they were waiting for the remodelling, Elder Annenia Cyathea walked over to Melody to inspect her condition. He could feel that the energies inside Melody were in a very complicated situation right now. The energy of the Twilight Elf, the energy of Sin'dorei, and the energy from the Ring of Air formed a chaotic mess.

Trying to unravel a bunched up ball of thread is enough to make one go crazy. Imagine if there were 3 balls of threads bunched up together!

The main cause of this was still due to Melody forcefully used her power twice after signing the soul contract with Vilya.

Signing a soul contract with Vilya was a matter that should be handled with care. Even a genius like Elrond had to recuperate for a period of time after he did it. Besides that, he also had the guidance of the previous master of Vilya. And it still took him a whole month to control the power within the ring!

Melody was a follower of the Sun God Sin'dorei to begin with, and secondly, she used her power recklessly right after obtaining the ring. Even if Elrond and the High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad both came back to life, they wouldn't be able to help her now.

The only good news was that, according to Elder Annenia Cyathea, Melody's life was in no danger. Something like going insane due to the in-fighting between the powers in her wouldn't happen. The powers in her body might repel each other and cancel each other out, thus weakening her strength, but they wouldn't devour her.

Sheyan then took out the leaf from his bag and asked an Elven mage to identify it. The mage instantly asked in surprise.

"Isn't this the leaf of the Sacred Oak that Lord Elrond's mother brought back from across the sea?"

She easily dispelled the seal on the leaf with a wave of the hand. A fresh aroma instantly filled the air. She then placed the leaf back in Sheyan's hand.

[Evergreen Leaf of the Sacred Oak]

[Grade: Silver storyline]

[Equipment slot: Bag]

[Materials: Chlorophyll, mitochondrion, Golgi body, Endoplasmic reticulum, lysosome, divine energy, permanent enchantment]

[ Additional installations: None ]

[ Weight: 4g ]

[After charging: Enable you to continuously receive the blessing of the forest. In battle, HP regeneration 3pt/5 seconds. Outside battle, HP regeneration 6pt/5 seconds]

[Every charge will cost 10,000 utility points. Lasts for 1 week.]

[Oak Recovery: The energy of the Sacred Oak is contained in the leaf. Use this ability on a target to cast a level 5 Rejuvenation spell which will heal the target over a duration of 12 seconds, for the total healing amount of 450 - 600 points.]

[Every use of Oak Recovery will cost you 3000 utility points/1 potential point. After using Oak Recovery, there will be a cooldown period of 1 hour. When Oak Recovery is in cooldown, you can still use it for a maximum of 2 times, but must pay double the previous cost (2nd use : 6000 utility points/2 potential points. 3rd use : 12,000 utility points/4 potential points. 4th use not permitted).]

[Description: This is a leaf plucked by Elwing from the foundation of the world, the great tree of Teldrassil. She gave it to her son as a birthday present. It was something very important to Elrond.]

(ED: Teldrassil is the home of the Night Elves in WoW.)

Sheyan felt that the leaf was very useful indeed. It gave Sheyan an active healing ability. 450 - 600 points of HP might not be much for Sheyan, but it's quite significant for magic users like Franklin. Of course,the price for using the ability was pretty high. Sheyan must be careful or it might make him go bankrupt.

By this time, the Dwarves had finished the remodelling work. The size of the teleport formation had doubled and it now shined with a brighter glow. In order to make it look more convincing, the Dwarves had even built some resting benches to the side.

Franklin told Sheyan that Glorfindel was already pretty close at the moment. Ironically, Glorfindel might have found his way here by following the traps left by Franklin. In other words, if Franklin hadn't left those traps as a precaution, Glorfindel might have been delayed for a bit longer.

But that's no longer important. He asked Segimli to activate the teleport formation and they started to step into the white light in the centre one after another. Each of them were transported to the predetermined destination after 2-3 seconds.

Sheyan was the last to step into the formation. His hand held a gemstone. Segimli had previously told him that if he crushed the gemstone before he was transported out, energy will continue being provided to the formation.

To make sure Glorfindel would fall for the trick, they actually perfected the weaknesses and gaps in this magic formation. Instead, they mainly altered the receiving point at the destination. That was the change that would be the hardest for him to notice.

Sheyan crushed the gemstone and stepped into the formation. Amidst the bright white glow of the teleportation magic, he saw a golden radiance on the faraway mountain range. A large number of birds were flying around the radiance in circles. That's right, the golden glow came from the hair of the Great Elder Glorfindel, a Twilight Elf. He had indeed chased them all the way here. His target was obvious - the symbol of authority, the source of power, the Ring of Air, Vilya!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 831: Counter Attack

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

No doubt, Glorfindel had also seen the brilliant light from when Sheyan was teleported out. His expression turned dark. Without so much as lifting a finger, he appeared to vanish into thin air. When he reappeared, he had already moved forward by more than 200 meters. It took him less than 10 seconds to reach the teleportation formation.

The veteran Twilight Elf was indeed experienced. He first took a look at the surrounding area, then shouted.

"Your eyes shall be mine; your ears shall be mine!"

"Heed my wish, faeries of the forest! Use your wings to follow the trail of the enemy."

Glorfindel shined with a faint green glimmer. The glimmer then dispersed into the bodies of the surrounding birds.

All the birds surrounding Glorfindel scattered in different directions at a wave of his hand.

Everything that the birds see and hear will be instantly transmitted back to Glorfindel. Stealth and camouflage were useless in front of this spell.

The sly old fox was obviously wary of being tricked. He suspected that Sheyan might have left through the teleportation formation to bait him to give chase, while the rest of them ran away.

He didn't believe that a teleportation formation of such scale would suddenly spring up here for no reason. The cost to build this formation was staggering. This spot wasn't on an important trade route, nor was it a strategic defensive location. There were no forts, mage towers or any famous products nearby. The existence of the formation was definitely suspicious.

"This teleportation formation must be a smokescreen. It's merely a counterfeit."

That was Glorfindel's first thought when he saw the formation. His second thought was that the formation was actually built pretty well.

Glorfindel believed that the faeries of the forest will sent back a satisfactory response within the next few minutes. He will definitely get his hands on those fleeing ants this time. He couldn't help but burn with anticipation.

However, as the birds sent their feedback one after another, the more enraged Glorfindel got. This was the first time he made a misjudgement when he was tracking something down.

Glorfindel once again focused his attention of the teleportation formation. To his surprise, he found that the all the expensive materials that made up the formation looked very authentic. More importantly, after expending a large amount of magic power, he could detect the clear traces of dimensional magic!

Glorfindel was filled with complicated and conflicting emotions. This was the closest he ever got to the Ring of Air, Vilya! He wasn't worried about those ants running away; he was more wary of Galadriel and Legolas!

It was exactly because of how weak the ants were that he was worried. If either of those two found them first, then it's almost a foregone conclusion that the Ring of Air would fall into their hands. Even though Glorfindel was strong, there was still no way he could snatch the ring from the possession of Galadriel or Legolas.

Glorfindel stared at the magic formation for a while before taking out a gemstone from his shirt. He engraved the gemstone at the core of the formation. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. Little did he know that somewhere a few hundred kilometers away, a few Dwarves and a human were sinisterly laughing.

"It lit up! Glorfindel activated the magic formation!"

"Would he let an animal test the formation first?"

"It didn't matter, let the animal be sacrificed then. After the formation was used once, its internal structure will malfunction and explode. Glorfindel won't be able to use the formation either."

As they speak, the receiving teleportation formation in front of them shone brightly. A blurry image of Glorfindel appeared within the formation. His signature golden hair was truly eye-catching.

Segimli pounded his warhammer hard on a certain mechanism on the formation with a shout. The receiving teleportation formation immediately started shaking violently. Then, the whole formation shattered and broke down into dust. Glorfindel's image within the formation disappeared without a trace.

"Woohoo! Bon voyage, Mr. Glorfindel. I hope you like the taste of of the water in Lake Salgar!" Segimli was so excited he started whistling.

The young Dwarf had put his outstanding talent in construction on display. What he did was simple; after Glorfindel activated the magic formation, Segimli changed the coordinates of the destination to Lake Salgar thousands of miles away. Lake Salgar was a horrible place. In the local language, Salgar actually meant rotten smell. It was a place that was similar to the Great Ndipaya Swamp.

Of course, suddenly altering the teleportation coordinate like this might result in space-time distortion, messed-up coordinate, getting lost in time and other risks, but that's Glorfindel's problem.

Segimli proudly exclaimed.

"My dear friend, I have completed your request. I swear upon the name of the God of Stones, even if he is one of the Twilight Elves, Glorfindel will still have to experience hunger, cold and a rotten environment for 10 days before he can catch up to us. At least."

Sheyan smiled and said.

"To show my appreciation, I will increase the fee we agreed upon by 10%."

Sheyan reached into his pocket and took out a simple looking leather pouch. Segimli was all smiles as he received it. He was about to keep the pouch when an old but strong-looking Dwarf took the pouch away from him and carefully weighed it in his hands. In the end, he let out a satisfied smile.

"The God of Stones above, we finally have enough Adamantium and Mithril to produce some quality goods. At least we won't be left too far behind at the Skifz Asc?d now."

After the elite Dwarven warriors heard the old Dwarf's words, they erupted in joy. They once again threw their hats in the air.

The old Dwarf looked at Sheyan and said in a booming voice.

"My friend, you have won the good will of the Gimli tribe. Why not come take refugee in our tribe? As soon as news of Elrond's demise spread, it will no longer be so easy for you to find a welcoming place on Middle Earth."

Sheyan, though, smiled and said.

"Since Glorfindel has left us with so much time to prepare, it would be a waste not to use it to its fullest. I sincerely thank you for your invitation. However, our destination now shouldn't be the welcoming Gimli tribe…but Rivendell."

"WHAT!!"

All of them were extremely shocked to hear Sheyan's words.

Elder Annenia Cyathea was the first to voice out his doubt.

"Lord Protector, this might not be the best time to go to Rivendell."

Sheyan simply shook his head. A peculiar glint flashed across his eyes.

"I disagree, Elder. This is the perfect time to go to Rivendell. Please take a look at the map. With Rivendell as the centre, the place that was attacked by the coalition of 8 Nazg?ls…yup, that's right, the Noorie Ridges is about 900 km to the west of Rivendell. Thanks to the teleportation formation, we've travelled over 800 km in the blink of an eye. We've already reached the Nos Hills west of Rivendell. If we pick up the pace, we can reach Rivendell by midnight!"

Sheyan continued.

"Galadriel and Legolas are both being chased by Nazg?ls. Glorfindel is on vacation at the beautiful Lake Salgar. Elrond has returned to the embrace of Mother Nature. Under such circumstances, none of these formidable Elves can reach Rivendell before us. That means, when our very own Melody Sunstrider walk into Rivendell with The Ring of Air raised high, she would be the one holding the highest position! No one currently in Rivendell has enough power to contest her authority! More Elves will bathe in the glory of Sin'dorei!"

Elder Annenia Cyathea sucked in a cold breath despite himself.

"So what you're saying is…"

Sheyan said pointedly.

"We're simply too weak right now. Only by becoming stronger can we stand on an even footing with those powerhouses. There's a saying in my hometown - the things that you don't have the power to obtain on the battlefield, don't expect to get them on the negotiation table."

"I agree with you, my Protector."

Melody suddenly spoke out in a soft but resolute voice. No one noticed when she regained her consciousness. She looked weak, but her eyes showed a strong determination. When the setting sun shined on her long hair, it glowed brilliantly.

"During my days of confinement, I've thought of many things. I still had hope and faith in my kin at that time. Fortunately, Galadriel, Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindel and Prince Legolas taught me a valuable lesson. I now know the other meaning of justice. I now know what the true elegance of the Elves look like."

Melody's voice choked with emotions and tears dropped from her eyes as she spoke, but she resolutely continued.

"When I heard of their decision, I finally understood the truth regarding the world. So be it then. I will survive with my own way. I will take destiny into my own hands!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 832: Strengthened Pestilence Monarch

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The sun gradually fell below the horizon and took back its warmth. Something unexpected happened after that. Melody's condition worsened after the sun set, and fell into a semi-conscious state.

She leaned on Sheyan with her eyes closed, her pale skin looking soft and gentle.She tightly held onto her Protector's arm with a smile on her face. Only the occasional creases that appeared between her brows betrayed the pain she was in.

The others exchanged meaningful glances. There were definitely some followers of Elrond and Glorfindel in Rivendell still. Without Melody leading them in with the Ring of Air, all their plans were meaningless. They know that casually striding into Rivendell would only result in their capture.

They concentrated their gazes on Sheyan as Sheyan had unknowingly become the centre of the group. He thought for a moment and said.

"Sire Vilya was created for the purpose of protecting the Elves. Even though Lady Sunstrider has to go through some growing pains to assimilate herself with the ring, it definitely wouldn't curse her or harm her life."

Sheyan continued.

"Let us depart first and find a place near Rivendell to rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will send someone into Rivendell to scout. After making sure the coast is clear, we'll escort Lady Melody in. Our biggest worries now should be Legolas and Galadriel, but they surely hadn't received any news yet, so they wouldn't suddenly travel 800 km back to Rivendell overnight. Our plans might have been delayed but there's still not much risk of things going wrong."

Sheyan's words were reasonable. The rest nodded their heads in agreement. About 3 hours later, they reached the foot of a hill that was situated less than 10 km away from Rivendell. Any further and they might be found by Rivendell's scouting party.

Under the spells of the Elves, the proud trees bent down their bodies and weaved themselves into wooden houses. The fishes in the river voluntarily jumped onto the bank. The bushes parted themselves to reveal a piece of dry land. A short while later, bonfires rose on the clearing.

They knew Melody would want to spend some time with Sheyan, so they built a separate house for the both of them. The house was situated a bit of a distance away from the other houses, but close enough that they can still rush over if anything were to happen.

The dancing fire spread a comfortable warmth to the embracing couple. For Melody's comfort, Sheyan actually lit 2 fires around them. The dry pine twigs crackled while they burned. The smoke they produced carried a faint aroma.

The warmth gave rise to hints of blushes on Melody, accentuating her beauty. Her thin body felt so frail in Sheyan's arms.

Before this, Melody gave off a gentle fragrance, but now she emitted a strong aroma. The aroma was akin to the crisp smell of clean, dry clothes under a bright sky. Hugging Melody gave Sheyan the feeling of basking in an early summer sun. It made him feel clean. Comfortable. Happy.

Sheyan tightened his embrace, buried his face in Melody's thin shoulder, and took a deep breath. He then said.

"It's a nice feeling, hugging you."

Melody smiled. She indulged herself in the strong body of her Protector, breathing in the distinct smell of her man. It made her happy, made her forget all her worries and pain. She slowly rested her head on his shoulder, and sang.

The noises in the surrounding somehow dimmed out as soon as the song started. The voices of conversations, the crackling of the twigs in the fires, the boiling noises from the pot - they were all silenced.

The only sounds that answered the song back were the cries of insects in the forest, the rustling of branches as they swayed in the wind, and the burbling of rivers as they flow. The song had no name, but anyone who heard it would only think of one word - nature.

"That's the voice of an angel," exclaimed Franklin who was hearing Melody's song for the first time. He was baking a kind of root that looked like sweet potato in the fire, but lost himself in Melody's voice and had burned the root before he realised it. The burn was so bad that end of the stick he was using to hold the root lit up in flames.

The rest of the Elves, including Elder Annenia Cyathea, closed their eyes and listened to the song attentively. The song seemed to hold a special significance for them.

The Dwarves showed an even stronger reaction. Some laughed and gulped down large mouthfuls of beer, while others planted their faces in the ground and wailed. The most extreme reaction belonged to Segimli. He tried hard to hold himself back initially, but eventually gave in. He stood up, grabbed his battle axe, and screamed.

"Aunt Ufraydin! My love for you will never change!"

Sheyan couldn't help himself and laughed loudly.

"Such unique taste! His puppy love was for his aunt!"

But Sheyan quickly shut his mouth. He suddenly recalled that 99% of young Dwarfs would fume in rage when they found out that their infatuations were exposed.

Sheyan, too, gradually indulged himself in Melody's voice and fell into a trance. He only woke up from the daze after Melody had finished her last note. Sheyan was about to say something when pain struck his chest. He felt as if there was a small file running back and forth. He let out a groan despite himself and grabbed his chest.

Melody looked at him with a soft gaze and suddenly gave him a kiss. From the tip of Melody's tongue, a warm ball of light travelled down Sheyan's throat. The ball of light left an indescribable trail of heat all the way to Sheyan's chest.

Sheyan suddenly felt an itch in his throat. He instantly pushed Melody away and vomited out a few mouthfuls of blood. The blood was black in colour and had some solid substance mixed in it. Even though Sheyan's body felt weak after throwing up, he felt relieved and his mind felt clear, as if he had slept for 24 hours.

Sheyan was about to comfort Melody, who looked really worried, when he received notifications from the nightmare imprint:

[You have listened to the song of a Twilight Elf. Due to the affinity of the Twilight Elves with plants, the Stairway of the Sun grew lively. All the activated abilities of the Pestilence Monarch will have their levels temporarily increased. There will not be any crucial options accompanying this boost. Duration: 120 minutes.]

[You have absorbed the Sunlight Love from Melody Sunstrider. The Stairway of the Sun in your body basked in the glory of the scorching sun. The hidden negative effects were removed. The duration of the temporary boost to the Pestilence Monarch is prolonged to a week.]

[Hint: If you can repeatedly get help from Melody Sunstrider, the boost may become permanent.]

The tyrannical 'Pestilence Monarch' was melted by Melody's gentleness!

Of course, Sheyan wouldn't immediately ask Melody to give him more, more! But he already had a mind to stay in this world for a bit longer. He was even prepared to give up on some gains in order to do so.

As time passed, Melody's body gradually recovered. Sheyan guessed right. Vilya was created to protect the Elves, not to curse the Elves. Despite there being some friction with the powers in her, it wouldn't cause her bodily harm.

When the first ray of dusk touched upon Melody's body, she could already stand up by herself. She still couldn't use any strong spells but at least she's not half unconscious anymore.

Melody's long hair swayed under the sun. She raised her hand high, with Vilya glowing brightly on her finger, and pointed to the east towards Rivendell!

"Let's go! The light of Sin'dorei shall shine upon Rivendell!"

But first, they took a detour to the Sacred Oak, Sindalor. She asked everyone else to stay put, then approached the tree with Sheyan.

Sindalor was as lush with life as usual and cut an imposing figure, as if he was holding the sky up. Before they got near, he already spoke in a low muffled voice.

"I could sense that your aura is unusually weak. It was almost as weak as the first time I met you. What befell you, follower of Sin'dorei?"

Despite what he said, Melody was in high spirit. She extended her hand with smile, like a queen offering her hand for her subject to kiss.

"Through the guidance of Sin'dorei and the help of my Protector, Sire Vilya is now by my side. Which is why, grandpa Sindalor, I need your help."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 833: New City

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The afternoon sun shined bright as Melody strode forward slowly with a smile; looking so pure, so elegant. The Ring of Air, Vilya glowed with life on her slim, fair hand. Her steps had a unique rhythm to them that was in harmony with the wind blowing from the mountains, and the sway of the trees.

As a Sunstrider, Melody was naturally absorbing the light and energy from the sunlight all the time. However, the Ring of Air, Vilya didn't seem used to this kind of ability yet. It kept reflecting back sunlight like a mirror.

This wasn't actually a desirable effect, but for Melody who was about to make a grand appearance, the blinding radiance would draw attention to the Ring of Air on her hand!

Even the aged and wise Sacred Oak was stunned. Its leaves rustled loudly in the wind, and it spoke in a shocked tone.

"That's…that's impossible! Even if Lord Elrond perished, The Ring of Air should not have signed a soul contract with you!"

No one could have imagined the series of events that led to Melody obtaining Vilya. Not Sheyan, not even Melody herself! But that's fate. Fate was great, fate was mysterious, and fate was awe-inspiring, all because of its unpredictability.

Melody merely closed her eyes and lifted her finger in response to Sindalor's questioning. Suddenly, the surface of Vilya emitted a continuous stream of shapeless ripples. When the ripples touched the air, they created wind. When the ripples touched water, they created waves. When the ripples touched the earth, they created thunder!

Sindalor watched all this with a sigh. Only he knew whether he was sighing at his manners earlier, or sighing at the cruelness of fate. He remained silent for a long time before he spoke again.

"Fine, great Twilight Elf. What can I do for you?"

Melody secretly heaved a sigh of relief. The performance just now took everything she had!

The 2 previous masters of the Ring of Air were both followers of the Moon Goddess Elune. Naturally, they used the divine power of the Moon Goddess to activate the power of the ring. Melody, however, was a follower of the Sun God. Using the power of Sin'dorei to activate Vilya was a first for her and for the whole Elven race.

Fortunately, perhaps due to there being few followers of Sin'dorei, the Sun God seemed very willing to help. It was akin to how each student in a class of 10 would get more attention from their teacher compared to the students in a class of 100.

Take the ability Melody just showed for example. That was the only move Melody can currently perform with the Ring of Air, called 'Natural Resonance'. It was similar to a starting pose in martial arts, and can only be used in sunlight.

But, so what? The important thing was that others would notice Melody wearing Vilya, the foremost among the Three Elven Rings of Power, and she could even resonate with nature. They don't have to know that it was the only thing she could do with the ring!

Melody smiled and answered the great Oak.

"I cannot just walk into Rivendell nonchalantly. I hope I can walk in with glory."

Sindalor said in that low muffled voice of his.

"Is having Sire Vilya in your possession not glorious enough?"

Sheyan chose to answer instead.

"It is a great glory, but the glory is too thin. Mortals care more about outward appearances. Vanity is a deadly sin, but a lot of times, it's necessary to put up the right appearance."

Sindalor gave it some thought and said.

"I understand. My nephew, Ferrell has somewhat recovered. He can't fight yet, but he could let little miss Melody ride on him. "

Sheyan instead asked sharply.

"Respected Lord Sindalor, can you tell me why you would stay here on this cliff looking over Rivendell, instead of staying inside the city itself to receive the adoration and care of the Elves there?"

The Sacred Oak turned silent. Seemed like Sheyan hit a sore spot. There was already a sacred tree called Noelier in Rivendell. Each city could only have one Mother Tree, that was the truth. The reason Sindalor moved here in the past was because Noelier was close to wilting at the time. Sindalor thought that it would be the chance to take Noelier's place.

Unfortunately, Lord Elrond invited his father over to save Noelier, and he did. Sindalor could only keep waiting in disappointment. It had waited for over 400 years!

Even for a Sacred Oak, 400 years is a long time. In order to grow bigger, in order to surpass the shackles of the lifeform of a tree, it had to become a Mother Tree.

The reason Teldrassil was called the foundation of the world was because it was the Mother Tree of the Undying Lands! It received the care of numerous great Elves everyday!

Sheyan told Sindalor honestly.

"We need Melody to make a grand entrance. If we only wanted Ferrell, we wouldn't have put in all this effort."

Sindalor kept his silence so Sheyan threw out his ultimate bait.

"Rivendell can no longer accommodate Lady Melody Sunstrider now that she has the Ring of Air. But, who cares? Rivendell has existed for way too long in the Misty Mountains. A new city belonging to Lady Melody Sunstrider will rise!"

"As for you, the great Sacred Oak Sindalor, you will take root at the centre of that city. The number of Elves that will bask in the glorious light of Sin'dorei in Rivendell today depends on your decision. You must know, the more Elves there are in a city, the more they can provide to the Mother Tree!"

It was all left on the table. Sindalor heaved out a long sigh, then the ground started shaking! Sindalor's long roots plucked themselves out from the earth. Its leaves folded themselves before glowing with a holy light. Next, white flowers with red inner petals bloomed on the tree, spreading a nice fragrance to the surrounding area.

The Sacred Oak, Sindalor completely turned itself into a large Ent. On its shoulder was a seat made of flowers. It held out its long branch-like arm to grab Melody before gently putting her on the seat.

Melody insisted on having Sheyan sitting next to her but Sheyan refused. He followed after Sindalor with large steps while looking upon Melody's back. Melody cut a holy figure on the Sacred Oak. It made Sheyan breathe a sigh of relief.

There were a lot of complications along the way, some of them Sheyan could never have expected. Despite that, things returned within his control in the end. In fact, it turned out even better than what he had hoped for.

When the great battle Ent carried Melody into Rivendell, it gave everyone there a scare!

Some Elves wanted to voice out their objections, but they were silenced by the sight of the Ring of Air on Melody's finger. The light it reflected pained their eyes!

Melody called for a massive gathering on the plaza. During the gathering, she told everyone of all the injustice and hardships she suffered.

On the day the Elves came to an agreement, Melody, being the one sold out, had garnered sympathy from some of the Elves who had a neutral stance. Now that she told the Elves her story while Franklin created a perfect reproduction with his illusions, it won her even more sympathy votes!

Towards the end of the meeting, Melody shouted the slogan for the glory of Sin'dorei. At first, only a few answered her call, but in the end, the shouts from the Elves pierced the heavens. The Elves were a race full of emotions, and their actions were easily influenced by their feelings.

More crucially, for most of the Elves in Rivendell, Vilya was a symbol of authority. They recognised the master of the ring as the leader, and they recognised her justice!

The result was unbelievable. At least half of Rivendell were willing to follow the Sun God! Under the lead of Melody, they charged into Elrond's and Glorfindel's residences, and collected all the wealth amassed by Rivendell over thousands of years! Sheyan's explanation was that the wealth originally belonged to them anyway.

The Elves then packed their belongings and left Rivendell under the lead of Melody, full of hope and unease for the unknown future.

The procession moved in the direction of the orc city deserted by Saruman!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 834: Counterstrike

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

Glorfindel returned much earlier than expected.

Segimli claimed that Glorfindel would have to experience hunger, cold and a rotten environment for at least 10 days before he could catch up, but he forgot that all Elves were clean freaks. There was just no way Glorfindel could rest in that kind of environment.

Glorfindel forced himself to stay awake for 4 days straight until he walked out of the territory of Lake Salgar. He then slept for a whole day before rushing back.

He was in such a hurry, not because he could predict that Melody would seduce away a large number of Elves from Rivendell, but because he was afraid that Legolas and Galadriel would seize the opportunity of Elrond's death to persuade the stronger Elders in Rivendell to leave.

He knew that's what Galadriel and Legolas would do because if he was in their shoes, he would do the same thing. The Ring of Air, Vilya had protected Rivendell for millenia. As soon as the Elves found out that they had lost Vilya, it would become a huge crisis. But chaos is a ladder; the crisis would present a great opportunity to rope in some strong personnel.

Glorfindel was not prepared at all for the Twilight Elf called Melody Sunstrider to stick her nose into the power struggle. Imagine his surprise when he returned to a half-deserted Rivendell which was in a complete mess!

Glorfindel had always been a sharp one. He was right about Legolas and Galadriel.

Legolas and Galadriel did come to Rivendell 3 days after Melody left.

Both of them were worn out and covered in wounds after escaping the pursuit of the Nazg?l. Naturally, they chose to return to Rivendell to recuperate. At the same time, both of them wanted to bring back news of Elrond's death to shake up Rivendell, in order to secretly pull some people to their side.

When they returned to Rivendell, they were shocked to discover a city that was half-deserted and enveloped in a distressed atmosphere. After asking around, they found out that Melody had done the exact things they wanted to do, and she did it more thoroughly than they would have!

Since someone already started it, then they might as well go with the flow and do it too. Legolas and Galadriel hadn't actually planned to go all out before because they're both famous people within the Elven race. If they poached too boldly, it would be hard to explain themselves to Glorfindel.

But it didn't matter how far they go now because Glorfindel's number one target would definitely be Melody, who not only started the poaching, but had even ransacked the place. Knowing this, Legolas and Galadriel executed their plans without restraint!

Can you imagine the Rivendell that Glorfindel returned to? First, Melody lead away half the population and took with her more than 4/5 of the wealth and resources in the city.

Next, it was Galadriel and Legolas' turn. They didn't pillage the place for resources, but their words persuaded another batch of Elves - about a quarter of those who were left - to leave Rivendell. Above all, the Elves that they persuaded were elites in various fields!

In conclusion, the Rivendell inherited by Glorfindel only had about 1/3 of its original population, 1/5 of its original wealth, and 30% of its elite fighting force remaining.

Facing such a tragic sight, the hungry and exhausted Glorfindel blacked out and almost had a heart attack. He only recovered after resting for some time under a tree at the side. His shaking finger pointed at a trusted confidant of his and he said.

"Why did you let that wretched follower of Sin'dorei incite the crowd, and did nothing when they ransack the place?"

The Elven Elder helplessly replied.

"She was wearing the Ring of Air! We couldn't protest her actions when she had Sire Vilya on her, let alone attack her!"

Glorfindel could only take deep breaths to calm himself down. He knew that it was difficult for Rivendell Elves to go against Vilya which had protected them for thousands of year. In addition to that, Melody also had Sindalor as her mount, adding on to her intimidation factor.

After thinking it through for one night, a sinister expression crept onto Glorfindel's face. He already received news that Melody's new city will be built close to the orc city. Glorfindel was planning on a visit to get some explanation from Melody.

He didn't dare to brazenly kill her. All that would accomplish was to make all the deserting Elves his enemies. However, Glorfindel was confident that he had the advantage in personal strength over the newly awakened Twilight Elf. He knew that anyone who obtained the Ring of Air would not be able to control its power in such a short amount of time.

Therefore, Glorfindel's game plan was to damage! He would destroy as many of the newly built buildings as possible to create widespread terror among the people. Then, he would appear in front of the Elves and rally them back to his side. He would be able to reverse the situation.

Glorfindel thought for a bit more and devised a complete strategy. He would focus on causing disturbance and unrest, while sending his underlings to comfort the people. This way, he would gradually win back their goodwill and could slowly carry out the plan of returning them to Rivendell.

As for the little girl called Melody, even though she surprised him a few times, he didn't consider her a huge threat. Of course, she still had to die. Glorfindel could only get his hands on Vilya when Melody's soul imprint on the ring disappeared after she died.

As for how she would die, Glorfindel could think of a hundred ways. He would make her death a tragic and glorious one. He would then attend her funeral and shed his tears to mourn over the death of the heroic Twilight Elf who made significant contributions to Rivendell.

Glorfindel suddenly felt that things weren't as bad as he initially thought. At least Vilya didn't fall into the hands of Legolas or Galadriel. It would truly be over if that was the case.

For it to fall into the hands of Melody…Glorfindel smiled with malicious glee. He believed that he had at least a 70% chance of obtaining the ring.

When the time comes, the Elves and the resources taken by Melody will all return to him. There were still the Elves that departed with Legolas and Galadriel, but they're nothing compared to the Ring of Air…

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that things weren't actually that bad. Fortune had played a prank on him, but it was still on his side.

He ordered for a feast of fruits to be brought to him. After he'd had his fill, he retreated to his chamber to rest. The things he was about to do would require his full concentration.

A dark silhouette traveled through the forest at an unbelievable speed. Even though the ground was littered with fallen leaves and branches, the silhouette made no sound as it moved. Its movement was as natural as a fish in water.

The silhouette suddenly stopped. Its body was shrouded by a strange black mist which completely hid its appearance. The only part that was visible was the pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

The place was the outer region of the old orc city. No traces of living animals could be felt from the snow covered forest. The silhouette opened its mouth wide and emitted a series of invisible soundwaves.

Not long afterwards, a great eagle flew down from the sky to perch in front of the silhouette. Based on its appearance, this great eagle should be from the same tribe as the one that Sheyan encountered the last time he came here.

The silhouette spoke with the eagle. After a short conversation, the silhouette exclaimed.

"You don't know what the situation is with that place? You feel a great danger there?"

The voice belonged to Glorfindel. The great eagle screeched a few times in response, looking aggrieved. Glorfindel said bitterly.

"It's just an old Ent! Sindalor had received your kind before, so it can simulate an aura that can cause fear in you. There's no way the girl can take control of Sire Vilya within such a short amount of time. Go back and scout properly."

The great eagle wouldn't stop shaking its head. If Glorfindel kept forcing it, it looked like it would immediately fly away.

Glorfindel took a deep breath and angrily said.

"Fine. Tell me the location of the new city."

The great eagle nodded its head and flew up. It lead Glorfindel to the location of the pine forest that once emitted poisonous gas during the day.

However, what appeared in front of Glorfindel wasn't a pine forest, but a swamp! A great swamp filled with giant reeds, rushes and algae!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 835: The Living Swamp

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The great eagle was shocked and started screeching at Glorfindel again.

"This is impossible! I was here not even half a month ago. I clearly remember this place being full of sick and dying pines, and it was covered in snow!"

Glorfindel carefully observed around and said.

"You weren't wrong, my old partner. This place was a pine forest not too long ago. But the pines were all taken down…to become food."

He picked up a rock and threw it into the water. The water bubbled and dirt started evaporating. A reed lifted itself to reveal the rotting trunk of a pine tree half-submerged in the water. The roots from multiple reeds extended themselves like tentacles to firmly grab the pine trunk, absorbing the nutrients within.

Glorfindel walked to the edge of the swamp and extended his hand to touch the surface of the water. The water did not give off the cold sensation of molten snow; in fact, it was even a little warm. The warmth must be the cause of a swamp appearing at the foot of a snowy mountain.

What perplexed Glorfindel was, the impression a swamp give should be that of a decaying and smelly environment. It should be full of swamp vines, rotten thorns and other such plants. When one took a step in a swamp, one's foot would submerge into the dirt with a disgusting splash.

However, the new swamp in front of him gave off a clean and fragrant impression, and was brimming with life!

The water of the swamp wasn't crystal clear. From afar, it looked a mysterious azure blue, stopping one from seeing the bottom. Water lily-like plants floated at some places where the water was deep. Some of them had even absorbed enough nutrients to produce flower buds. Those should be the source of the aroma in the air.

But at some parts where the water was shallow, one could actually see the tender white roots of the green-coloured plants that floated above the water. Some brown-striped snails and mussels could even be seen digging into the mud at the bottom. There were also some yellow- and black-striped fishes swimming around.

The swamp was so full of life that it was terrifying! It gave the impression that with every passing second, the swamp would grow a bit bigger.

Glorfindel snorted and walked into the water. Maybe it was due to the refraction of light, but the part of the water that only seemed knee-deep actually reached his waist! Soaking in the warm water actually felt pretty comfortable.

The water splashed and a strange fish was caught between thumb and index finger of Glorfindel's left hand!

The fish was camouflaged quite well. From afar, it looked like a floating leaf. The fish struggled for its life in Glorfindel's hand.

Glorfindel exerted some pressure with his fingers to force open the fish's mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The fish gave Glorfindel a menacing look and actually started to hiss like a poisonous snake.

As the hissing sound spread, a strange phenomenon occured. All the animals and plants nearby started swiftly moving away at the same time!

The water lilies raised their leaves and sailed in the wind like yachts. The giant reeds plucked out their tender white roots and used them to run away. The snails and mussels furiously dug deeper into the mud.

In an instant, the world that was brimming with life around Glorfindel a moment ago disappeared. The only thing that remained was the water. The water that looked clear from close, but from afar or in places where the water ran deep, looked a proud azure blue!

Glorfindel's hand emitted a faint green glow. The camouflaged fish had left his hand but was now encased in the glow. It struggled violently inside as if it was being fried in a pan.

The fish distorted its body in pain and took a bite out of its own tail. It chewed down forcefully. In the end, it broke down into multiple orbs of lights and dispersed into the air.

Glorfindel's expression turned dark. He started to feel that this trip might not be as smooth as he initially thought it would be. However, he was a still a formidable Twilight Elf! In addition, he had a firm grasp on Melody's ability. He still felt confident of coming out victorious.

Next, Glorfindel chanted a long Elven incantation. He had used this spell not long ago to great effect. He could feel natural elements congregating into his body from the surrounding.

But to Glorfindel's surprise, the spell took 3 times longer than usual to chant. This meant that there was very little natural element that he could control in the vicinity. There wasn't time for him to think too much about it; he completed the incantation and extended a finger out. From the finger, a single drop of golden blood dripped into the water.

The drop of blood made ripples on the surface of the water. The ripples radiated a faint green glow and spread for close to a hundred meters!

Anywhere the ripples passed through boiled like a pot of porridge!

The mussels buried in the mud were forced out and helplessly spread their shells open, revealing the white meat within. A grey prawn that curled like a rock was ejected out of the surface. It lost its life while it was still airborne and started decaying when it fell back into the water.

A water snake suddenly slithered out of a rotting tree trunk towards Glorfindel. However, it went limp halfway and exploded into a bloody mess. A few rock-like aquatic insects ran away in fear, but when the ripples went through them, they slowly floated up to the surface…

"You lowly creatures. How dare you attack me."

Said Glorfindel in disdain.

Even so, he felt rather astonished. His original plan was simply to come here and destroy, but now he had no choice but to investigate the situation first.

Facing the 'Blood Ripples' of Glorfindel, all living creatures within a hundred metres either died or ran away.

Glorfindel seemed to be able to swim pretty well. He moved in the water with a quite grace, like a fish.

The deeper he advanced into the swamp, the more pinewoods he discovered at the bottom. These pines looked like they were artificially placed there. A layer of algae grew on the pines. Through the water, they looked very elegant. Of course, Glorfindel wouldn't know that the scenery was plagiarised by Sheyan from Jiuzhaigou Valley.

(T/N note: https//search?q=Jiuzhaigoutbm=isch)

After a while, Glorfindel found that he was leaving the shallow water area. The water ahead turned deep and its color turned into an ocean blue. He didn't know that he'd reached the end of the pinewood area and was about to enter the lake area that Sheyan traveled through during his first visit here.

Glorfindel couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. He felt a bad premonition, as if something was exerting pressure on his chest.

But he can't just leave without even seeing Melody's new city. It wouldn't sit right with him, and he wouldn't be able to explain himself to his followers. What would he tell them? That he was already at the doorstep of Melody's city, but came back because he had a bad feeling? Even his remaining followers might leave him.

He contemplated for a bit and pushed down the feeling of unease in his heart. He continued to swim forward. But every time he laid eyes on the indescribable shade of blue of the water, the feeling of unease would somehow grow heavier.

Suddenly, something happened that made Glorfindel's eyes go wide. He could feel a quake sending ripples through the whole lake. He immediately casted a few buffs and defensive spells like Barkskin, Detect Evil, Bull's Strength and Haste on himself. While he was still casting spells, an enormous ship made its appearance. Wait, no, it wasn't a ship - it was a colossal wooden fortress shaped like a pyramid!

The fortress was at least one square kilometer in size. Countless giant logs combined together into a huge raft to make up its base and enabled it to float. Numerous roots grew from the bottom of these logs to absorb nutrients from the water.

On the first layer of the raft, in each of the four directions of the compass, grew a giant tree. Their roots grabbed onto the bottom of the raft to hold it together firmly. The branches of these trees spread like umbrellas to form the platform for the 2nd level! The 2nd level was filled with buildings that displayed the characteristics of Elven architecture, but had a rough edge to them, perhaps due to the influence of the Dwarves.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 836: Witness

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

On the 2nd level were railings, ballistae, and even embrasures for the Elves to shoot or cast spells from, as well as some decorative engravings. A large amount of vines intertwined together to form the structures. A lot of Elves were standing on the terrace, looking over.

In the middle of the 3rd level was a Sacred Battle Oak. The oak was the true body of Ferrell, the Ent who battled alongside Sheyan.

He might not be as old and as powerful as the Sacred Oak Sindalor, but he's more than powerful enough to be the core tree protecting this water fortress. He transformed his legs into 7 thick roots which held together the whole water fortress into a single unit. On Ferrell's sides were piles of rocks that weighed hundreds of kilograms. Ferrell's arms were left free so that he can throw the rocks as projectiles. With his terrifying strength, his range was frightening.

A fortified railing encircled Ferrell. The Elves standing on the 3rd level were all Elves of high statuses. They grouped around Melody like stars congregating around the moon.

Melody was no longer the Melody from before. She wore a bright red robe which brought out a more mature side of hers. In her hand was a fine staff made by the Dwarves. Dazzling spots of lights of emerald green floated around the staff. Occasionally, the staff would project images of sprouts, leaves and flowers.

Melody was also wearing a flame shaped accessory on her ear. On it was engraved a dazzling gemstone that had 3 colours - red, yellow and blue. The accessory was an exquisite piece of work made especially to counter Melody's lack of MP. Melody could store her spiritual power in it when she meditates, and use it later. Sindalor also bestowed a permanent flame shield spell on the accessory.

According to Segimli, this accessory named [The Attention of the Sun God] would definitely rank top 3 in the coming Skifz Asc?d. It even had a chance of coming in first.

Glorfindel's heart tightened at such a formidable sight. He was still floating in the water while Melody and the rest of the Elves were all standing on the battle fortress at least 5 meters above water level. It formed a psychological pressure on Glorfindel because he had to look up at everyone else, while they looked down on him.

As the battle fortress drew near, Glorfindel realised that powering such a behemoth should be a major problem. He carefully observed the water below the fortress and could instantly feel a summoning formation engraved into the bottom of the floating platform carrying the fortress.

The thing that the formation summoned was a 3rd rank legendary creature that only existed in the ocean - a whale shark. It was extremely uncomfortable in fresh water, but was still diligently pulling the fortress along with a vine rope. This should be the result from the combined effort of Paul the Dwarves Elven magic the magical materials collected by Rivendell over thousands of years.

The water fortress stopped a kilometer away from Glorfindel. His face looked ashen. He didn't expect Melody to be strong enough to detect his presence so quickly.

He could've ran away if he was in the forest, but he was in water! Plus, there's no way he could just run away the moment he was found. His ego wouldn't allow it!

Melody casted a voice amplifying spell on herself and called out to Glorfindel.

"Welcome to Dawn City, Lord Glorfindel."

Since he was found, Glorfindel naturally couldn't keep up the pretense. He dispersed his disguise and casted a divine art to float above the water. The divine art consumed a significant amount of MP, but at least he wouldn't be looked down upon by everyone. He was really unhappy about that.

"Did you bring them here to welcome me, Melody? I'm afraid the ceremony isn't grand enough for my liking."

Glorfindel still spoke in a condescending tone. Well, he was powerful enough to be condescending.

A human male beside Melody suddenly laughed and said.

"You guessed wrong, Glorfindel. No one's here to welcome you. We brought the whole population of Dawn City here to let them witness a historic moment. We want them to see for themselves the might of the Holy Beast protecting us. We want them to know that, even without the protection of Sire Vilya, a cruel fate still awaits the foolish creatures that try to invade the city!"

"Foolish creatures?" Glorfindel couldn't help but laugh in anger when he heard that. He stared at the man and spoke sinisterly, "I remember your name should be Seaman, right? Melody's Protector? Since you're no kin of mine, I don't need to hold back. You will hang from a tree!"

Sheyan laughed and replied.

"Such bad manners. But don't worry, I will be lenient when I deal with you, to show respect to your Elven bloodline."

Glorfindel was about to say more when he felt an indescribable pressure from the deep water below his feet. The next instant, a giant tentacle emerged and whipped at his waist. Glorfindel only had the time to block and was sent flying by the force.

Glorfindel glided above the lake for 30 meters like a surfer before he could steady himself and flew back up. The tentacle kept itself upright on the water and bent its tip towards Glorfindel like a finger. A long, thin piece of frostbolt instantly shot towards Glorfindel.

Glorfindel's right palm emitted a faint green glow. He used the palm to casually deflect away the frostbolt, and said mockingly.

"Petty tricks."

As soon as he said that, another tentacle appeared. Both tentacles instantly cast frostbolts together. It put some pressure on Glorfindel, but he could still handle it.

However, everyone knew an octopus normally had 8 tentacles!

If things kept developing in this manner, he would eventually have to deal with 8 tentacles and 8 frostbolts at the same time! For Glorfindel, he could deal with 2 pretty easily. 3 was his limit. 4 or more, he would have to take a beating!

Therefore, Glorfindel laughed and said.

"I know your plan, Melody! This place is close to the Mines of Moria. You think that you can win just because you persuaded the Ocean-freak of Moria to help you? Dream on!"

Glorfindel's body wouldn't stop flashing as he activated the spells on his equipment and accessories. His golden hair rose like a burning fire. The power of nature around his body was so thick it could be seen with naked eyes.

He raised both hands towards the sky, crossing them at the wrists. Then, he vanished all of a sudden and reappeared in front of the Ocean-freak of Moria. He pulled his hands apart with force. A crossmark over 10 meters long appeared in the air and slashed towards the Ocean-freak of Moria!

The cross looked like a mark that was forcefully ripped apart in the atmosphere, as if space and time were cut open!

The cross hit the Ocean-freak of Moria with a blast that sent tremors across the whole lake. The Ocean-freak emitted a long howl as one of its tentacles was severed at the middle. The severed tentacle was at least 6 meters long. It spurted out blue-coloured blood, flipped a few times in the air, and dropped into the water heavily. The waves it cause was mixed with a strong smell of blood.

"HAHAHAHA!" Glorfindel stood tall and laughed menacingly. "Is this the Holy Beast you were so proud of, Melody? For you to depend on something like this is a disgrace to the Elven race."

Glorfindel once again thanked Fate. He was racking his brain for a way to display his might to the Elves, and here came Melody bringing along with her all the Elves to watch his performance. He was having a headache because he couldn't injure the Elves directly, and here came Melody again sending out a "Holy Beast" for him to trample on!

But for some reason, he couldn't see any trace of disappointment from the faces of the Elves. All he could see in their eyes were surprise!

"This is bad!" Glorfindel abruptly turned around and found another giant tentacle behind him. The tentacle was dark black in colour and the suckers on it continuously wiggled. It gave off the terrifying feeling of having unlimited strength. It looked as if it had been waiting there for a long time.

If the tentacle had wished to attack Glorfindel, he wouldn't even know what hit him!

It wasn't until Glorfindel turned around that the tentacle whipped at him. It was just an ordinary lash that looked rather slow, but to Glorfindel's horror, none of the 9 magic spells and 8 secret arts he threw out could help him avoid being hit!

Report chapter Comments