Chapter 850 Stalactite Fluid <TOC> Chapter 852 The Underground Palace
Translator: SumTLMan
In that fleeting moment, Angel felt energy ripples tearing through the space near the coast outside the large encampment.
Without a doubt, this was the trick of summoning the Heart Eater.
As Angel rose to his feet, Shannon’s attention was immediately drawn to him. With anxiety etched on her face, she looked at Angel, “Lord, is the beast coming?”
“Quite likely,” Angel replied, pulling up the tent curtain and heading out. Shannon promptly followed him, continuously asking for further information.
As Shannon emerged, General Aaron at the entrance was oblivious to what was going on. Seeing that the princess seemed to want to converse with a young nobleman, he hastily raised his broadsword, blocking Angel’s way.
Shannon immediately reprimanded, “General Aaron, lower your weapon. Show respect to the Lord!”
Respect? Aaron scrutinized Angel carefully, failing to comprehend where this man had come from. Initially, he thought Angel was a secret guard of Princess Shannon. However, to his surprise, the princess was actually addressing him as Lord? What was this man’s identity, warranting such a respectful address from the princess herself?
Before Aaron could fully grasp who this “Lord” was, Angel had already stopped and gently beckoned. A small gray bird dressed in a black and white outfit appeared on the back of his hand.
“Protect the people here. Don’t let them die. I’m going out to scout,” Angel whispered to Toby. Toby nodded, flew in a low-altitude circle, and finally perched on a tree.
Angel turned back to Shannon, “I’ll protect you. Don’t worry.”
With those words, under the astonished gazes of the duo, black and golden runes flickered on Angel’s shoes. With a few light taps, he soared into the depths of the night sky, disappearing from sight.
It was only then that Aaron’s mouth fell open. He trembled as he voiced his realization, “Princess, could he be…”
Shannon nodded, her expression filled with hope, “The only ones who can deal with the transcendents are their own kind.”
Upon hearing this, although somewhat reassured, Aaron glanced back, only to find the one tasked with their protection was an unassuming gray seabird. This filled him with a sense of uncertainty about what lay ahead.
Aaron took a fleeting look at the tree. The darkness of the night was so thick that the gray bird had completely blended into it.
“Can it really protect us?” Aaron murmured, his tone a mix of anxiety and absurdity.
Shannon, however, bit her lip and remained silent. But from the shadowy look in her eyes, it was clear that her inner conviction wasn’t as solid as it seemed.
While they were worried, a sudden outcry came from outside.
As they turned their heads, a terrifying monstrosity, of an enormous size, leapt into the sky and descended from the heavens, landing heavily at the entrance of the grand tent. Accompanied by a booming sound, a cloud of dust rose, and the wind brought by the creature caused the torches outside the camp to flutter violently.
Amongst the swirling dust, Shannon and Aaron sported expressions of shock, squinting as they unsheathed their swords, swiftly preparing themselves for combat.
“Roar!” Before the dust could settle, a horrifying howl echoed from the location of the grand tent, reverberating through the entire military camp. Every soul trembled in fear at this outcry, even the most burning fighting spirit was doused like ice water at this moment.
The Heart Eater’s cry was designed to instill terror. As such, when the Heart Eater made its appearance, morale plummeted, sinking to rock bottom. How could they possibly emerge victorious against the Sea Wave army in such a state?
While the camp was overwhelmed by a wave of fear, Shannon and Aaron, closest to the Heart Eater, managed to suppress their inner dread.
Aaron’s hatred, fueled by his desire for vengeance for Etienne, overpowered his fear. His eyes turned a fiery red the moment he caught sight of the Heart Eater. Shannon, too, carried the weight of national and personal vendettas, and she knew she couldn’t lose to the Heart Eater mentally. If even she were to cower, even if they could defeat the Heart Eater, the odds of rallying their morale would be slim to none.
Both Shannon and Aaron stood firm, their swords drawn, facing the massive creature that stood three meters tall, without an ounce of fear.
The Heart Eater advanced step by step, its single eye began to identify the identities of the two people before it. Eventually, it locked its gaze on Shannon, who was clenching her lips in determination.
With the rush of the wind, the creature extended its massive claw, aiming a ferocious swipe at Shannon’s chest.
Shannon rolled away, dodging the Heart Eater’s attack, and using the momentum of her roll, she swung her knight’s sword fiercely towards the Heart Eater’s muscular leg.
With a metallic ring, the knight’s sword shattered into two, while the Heart Eater’s leg remained unscathed.
On the other side, Aaron took advantage of the Heart Eater’s distraction with Shannon, sprinted, and using the tent’s poles, he leapt into the air. Bloodshot eyes glaring, he roared and aimed a fierce strike at the Heart Eater’s single eye.
If its skin is impervious to weapons, then I’ll aim for its eye!
Yet, the Heart Eater simply closed its eye. The contact between the eyelid and the blade resulted in a metallic clanging sound. The blade shattered, but not even a mark was left on the Heart Eater’s eyelid.
While Aaron was stunned, the Heart Eater swatted him away as if swatting a mosquito. Aaron was sent flying, crashing into a tree trunk in the distance like a cannonball.
This particular tree happened to be where Toby was perched. The massive impact caused the tree trunk to break, leaves fell like rain, and Toby squawked, fluttering into mid-air.
Aaron, spitting out a mouthful of blood, happened to catch sight of Toby’s silhouette. Toby was flapping its wings, in front of it hovered a glass, filled with a light golden liquid, and Toby was sipping on this liquid through a straw.
“We’re fighting, and it’s enjoying the show?!” At this moment, Aaron felt like he was about to explode in frustration, the bird had utterly disappointed him.
Just then, the Heart Eater turned its gaze back to Shannon. After her knight’s sword had shattered previously, Shannon had narrowly escaped the Heart Eater’s claw swipes time and again. But having recently given birth, she wasn’t as robust as before, and her energy was now entirely depleted. She was in grave danger.
Aaron, despite his exhaustion, tried to divert the Heart Eater’s attention.
Soldiers emerged from the surrounding tents. They dared not approach but watched from a distance. Upon seeing the Heart Eater’s claw stretching towards Shannon, who was sprawled on the ground, a sense of despair flooded their eyes.
Everyone thought that Princess Shannon was destined to meet her end. Even Shannon herself felt this way, envisioning her life flashing before her eyes.
However, at that moment, a grey mist enveloped Shannon. Before she could react, she found herself forcefully flung next to Aaron.
The hard fall elicited a pained groan from Shannon.
Suddenly, an eerie tranquility pervaded the surroundings. Even the whispers of the wind seemed to vanish.
She opened her eyes curiously.
The only scene before her eyes was the Heart Eater, stupefied, looking down at its chest, where a large hole was visible. Its heart had mysteriously disappeared.
The next second, the Heart Eater collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.
Everyone had witnessed this scene, but it had unfolded so rapidly that they hardly had time to rejoice or express surprise. One moment they were mourning the “fall of the princess”, and the next, they stood with gaping mouths in stunned silence.
As the dust settled, Aaron pointed tremulously towards the sky.
Shannon also looked up and saw a massive heart falling from mid-air. As the heart fell, a small bird dressed in a bizarre black-and-white outfit appeared, sipping an unknown pale golden liquid through a straw, looking entirely harmless.
Yet, everyone knew that it was this tiny bird that had slain the Heart Eater.
Remarkably, there was not a single drop of blood on it.
And, it had watched the entire scene unfold from mid-air.
Shannon swallowed, her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. She stuttered, “Indeed, the wizard’s methods are… unfathomable…”
Despite its small size, it had managed to obliterate such a formidable Heart Eater in an instant.
While Shannon was still marveling at Toby’s combat power, the whole camp suddenly erupted into a frenzy. Everyone rushed out, crying, laughing, shouting, jumping… It was as if they were releasing all the pent-up emotions that had been suppressed by their previous fear.
The collective morale suddenly ignited, crackling back to life like a dormant volcano suddenly awakened.
Shannon’s lips quivered for a moment, caught in the delicate balance between tears and laughter, like a bird uncertain of its flight path.
She gradually rose to her feet, navigating her way to the center of the crowd as if crossing a challenging battlefield. Drawing the officer’s sword from its scabbard, she raised it skywards, her declaration resounding, “Today, the monsters have been vanquished, Sea Wave has lost its pawns, it’s time for our counterattack!”
The sword descended from the heavens, pointing towards the open sea, where Sea Wave’s forces were stationed, a silent promise of impending conflict.
Shannon’s voice rang out in the air, “Sea Wave shall fall!”
In that moment, the crowd echoed her cry, their voices melding into a thunderous chant of “Sea Wave shall fall!”
The rallying cry shook the heavens, the odds of war had been redefined, the balance slowly beginning to tip in their favor.
At that moment, Aaron charged out, his sword targeting the still-open eyes of the Heart Eater. As he ruthlessly thrust the blade down, his eyes met Toby’s in the sky, and a silent thank you passed between them.
……
Some time later, Angel returned to the camp.
The camp was now stable, each soldier performing their duties, their faces alight with an excitement that was nearly tangible.
Sea Wave had its monsters, but they had their trump card. A deep-seated belief stirred within them that they would triumph in any confrontation with Sea Wave. Their conviction swelled with each passing moment, an inflating balloon of confidence.
Upon witnessing this scene, Angel quickly deduced the reason behind it.
When Angel returned, he also brought with him a filthy child. The child was hoisted by the collar of his shirt, his face turning a painful shade of red as he repeatedly cried out in discomfort.
Angel tossed the child onto the ground. The child’s cries of pain ceased, and he attempted to scuttle out of the tent. However, Angel summoned his magic hand and gave the boy a slight push, causing him to pass out on the spot.
Shannon rose to her feet, “Lord, who is he…”
Before Shannon could get an answer, Angel’s gaze swept over the interior of the tent. Shannon, Aaron, and Toby were all present. Shannon and Aaron smelled faintly of blood, indicating they were injured. However, their spirits were undeniably high.
Aaron approached Angel, performing the knight’s salute, his eyes reflecting respect.
“Thank you, Lord, for helping us slay the monster,” Aaron performed the knight’s pledge, “From this point forward, if you have any orders, I, Aaron, will fulfill them even at the cost of my life!”
However, Angel replied indifferently, “I merely made a deal with Shannon.”
Aaron attempted to speak, but Shannon interrupted him. She couldn’t let others know about her deal with Angel, “General Aaron, please step out. We’ll soon face Sea Wave in battle, and we need you to coordinate our forces. We must win this battle!”
Aaron hesitated for a moment, thanked Angel again, and then slowly retreated.
Chapter 850 Stalactite Fluid <TOC> Chapter 852 The Underground Palace