Chapter 184: We Arrived Just in Time
"Ah! Right! You're right!"
Fidel's suspicions vanished.
He slowly walked towards El's Light, then extended his hand, letting his finger trace the tip of the sword. Blood dripped steadily onto the blade.
As Fidel's blood continued to merge into El Country's holy sword, the repulsive force that Grausam sensed weakened considerably. Moreover, in his magical perception, the magic circle on the base of El's Light revealed its core as the seal lifted.
Next would come corruption.
"Lord Grausam, the seal has been lifted. What should I do next?"
Grausam suppressed his inner excitement and said, "Your Majesty, now you can temporarily look away and pray to the holy sword in your heart. My magic requires absolute silence and cannot be disturbed in any way, not even by a single glance."
Grausam had underestimated Fidel's willpower.
He hadn't expected that this Emperor could still harbor doubts about his own actions even under his mental manipulation.
To be safe, he simply made the Emperor turn his head away, lest he see the dark-aura-emitting crystal and become suspicious.
"Alright! I understand."
Emperor Fidel turned around without hesitation, lowered his head, and remained silent, seemingly truly praying to the holy sword.
Good opportunity!
Grausam moved swiftly. He approached El's Light and slammed the crystal onto the stone platform beneath the holy sword.
Although the first seal had been lifted, he did not dare touch the blade directly; instead, he targeted the critical node of the magic circle that channeled the power of faith into the sword.
"Reverse!"
Grausam roared, injecting all his magic into the crystal without reservation.
Hiss!!!
The dark purple crystal erupted with black light. Countless twisted black substances surged like living things, transforming into tendrils that wrapped around the entire holy sword base, then extended upward, attempting to reverse-corrode the blade through the magic circle.
Upon contact, corruption and holy energy collided violently.
The pure light on the sword's body was visibly tainted with dark color, and a blasphemous aura spread around it. El's Light seemed to sense this threat. Its sword body vibrated violently, letting out a mournful cry as it radiated brilliant light, attempting to dispel the filthy corruption.
But the crystal's power was relentless, like a bone-deep ulcer, stubbornly corroding its origin.
Seeing this, Grausam became ecstatic.
Success! Although he couldn't directly touch the holy sword, as long as he could pollute its energy core and reverse its attributes, the plan was largely successful. Now he just needed to wait.
No matter how powerful El's Light was, it was ultimately an inanimate object. How could it withstand the lingering power from a god?
However, just then, an unexpected change occurred.
Not far from Grausam's feet, on the empty stone slab, a magic circle about two meters in diameter formed without warning, erupting with dazzling white light!
In the next second, space tore apart.
A stable spatial passage opened instantly. Three figures emerged from the passage, standing precisely between Grausam, Emperor Fidel, and the holy sword.
It turned out that El Country's teleportation array was built in this basement, beside Holy Sword El's Light.
Seeing the three people who appeared out of thin air, Grausam was stunned.
In the basement, the power of the holy sword and the filthy corruption still fiercely contended, emitting sizzling sounds of erosion.
Even Fidel was startled by the sudden movement and turned around, lifting his head to see the newcomers.
Grausam stared fixedly at the figures before him, and when he clearly saw Serie among them, his eyes widened in shock. His brain crashed.
Serie!?
How could she be here!?
Wasn't Schlacht already holding her back!?
Kurtz and Serie, having experienced teleportation before, felt no discomfort.
Flamme steadied herself quickly, her gaze drawn to the bizarre scene: the holy sword was floating in mid-air, the intertwined auras of holiness and filth, and the mage radiating strong dark magic fluctuations.
Upon seeing Serie appear, all the blood in Grausam's body froze.
All demons knew of Serie's power. Over the past thousand years, she had killed many demons. Within the demon realm, she was known as Serie the Destroyer. With just the first glance, Grausam knew he was no match for her at all.
Moreover, the other party had already discovered his identity. He had no chance of triumph whatsoever.
He instinctively tried to withdraw his hand from the crystal, wanting to escape immediately.
But the corrosive magic and the holy sword's energy were in their most intense state of confrontation.
The powerful energy entanglement made it impossible for him to extricate himself for even a moment. If he delayed longer, the holy sword would be completely corrupted, then he wouldn't need to fear this elven mage in front of him at all.
The moment he stepped from the teleportation array, Kurtz fixed his gaze on Grausam.
The holy sword, the polluted base, the bewildered Emperor, and the mage whose demonic aura was completely undisguised, everything was crystal clear.
Serie also instantly locked onto Grausam. In her view, his unique demonic aura was fully revealed. There was no expression on her face, but in the depths of her eyes, killing intent had solidified into substance.
Even Flamme noticed the unusual expressions on her two teachers' faces. Both of them seemed to have simultaneously felt killing intent toward the black-haired man before them.
She didn't know why, but she raised her magic staff, ready to cast a spell at any moment.
There was a pin-drop dead silence.
Only the sizzling sound of energy confrontation and Grausam's heavy breathing remained in the cave.
Kurtz's gaze settled on Grausam's contorting face. His voice was calm but carried a hint of mockery: "It seems we arrived just in time."
[End of Chapter]