Chapter 153: Turn (Part 1)

  "Unexpected to see a Drow here." Gru glanced somewhat surprisedly at Jessica on the ground, then gave a cold snort. "Get up and get out of the way. Don't be an obstacle. I have no time for you."

  Jessica stood up trembling and stepped aside. Hilton and the druid stared at her, completely bewildered. They had always assumed this dark-skinned companion was merely a desert nomad from the south. These two who had appeared so suddenly, along with that earlier lightning-fast, earth-shattering clash, left them utterly confused.

  "So this young man was waiting for you." Lancelot's gaze shifted between Gru and Ethan, nodding thoughtfully. "It seems this matter isn't as simple as it appears. But I won't pursue the details for now. Just hand that person over to me. His Majesty the Pope ordered me to bring him back. I must take him."

  "All nonsense." Gru stared at Lancelot, revealing a smile utterly devoid of goodwill. His voice grew colder, sharper. "Is something wrong with your head? Do you think I'd follow your orders?"

  "I never speak nonsense. This is telling you the best option." Lancelot countered Gru's smile with one that held a hint of goodwill. "I can see you're tired, and you were quite seriously injured in that exchange just now. Your full-strength strike failed to defeat Aldric. Another hard clash with me won't be pleasant."

  "You're not exactly fresh either. I can see you expended considerable effort dealing with this young man. And that sword of yours should be unusable for now, correct? Right now, it's two of us against three of you. Our chances of winning seem greater." Gru slowed his speech, enunciating each word deliberately. "Besides, we have reason to gamble. Killing you and two Temple Knights here is far easier to deal with than facing you leading an army against Oufu."

  Gru's voice seemed to solidify into something tangible, striking the air and everyone's heart. His gaze fixed on Lancelot felt like two cold, gleaming swords forming in his eyes, ready to kill at any moment.

  Sedros said nothing about Gru's proposal, merely coughing dryly twice. He gave the three Temple Knights a deep look, then reached out and cast a healing spell on Gru's injured hand. Unlike Gru, who voiced his intentions plainly, this ambiguous display was often more chilling than any naked threat.

  The wound on Gru's hand was visibly healing. But even if this flesh wound were ten times deeper or wider, it was utterly insignificant compared to the fighting spirit consumed by clashing directly with the Holy Cross Sword. And that consumed fighting spirit was something no high-level healing spell could possibly restore. However, the same was true for Lancelot.

  While casting the healing spell, Sedros's other hand wasn't idle. With a few casual waves, the light of various auxiliary spells continuously flared to life on himself and Gru.

  As the auxiliary spells flashed, the watching Hilton trio and the elves, not understanding much, didn't feel anything was amiss. But the faces of the two Temple Knights gradually changed, and even Lancelot frowned slightly. Though the rank of these spells wasn't particularly high, their sheer number and complex effects were staggering. Nearly every low and mid-level auxiliary spell from every school of magic was present. The two men became veritable exhibitions of auxiliary magic. The combined effect of these dozens of spells arguably surpassed even the "Divine Aegis of the Heavens" on the Radiant Battleplate. Moreover, these numerous, complex spells overlapped and influenced each other; even a Purification spell might not be able to dispel them from the opponents.

  More crucially, being able to silently cast so many spells from different schools in such a short time demonstrated the old man's exquisite control over magic, profound knowledge, and mastery of silent and instant casting. A caster who could unleash spells like a repeating crossbow was terrifyingly effective in close combat. Even with the Radiant Battleplate's superior protection, no flesh-and-blood body could withstand an uninterrupted barrage of low and mid-tier spells.

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  Lancelot sighed, nodding faintly. "I admit, the two of you are probably slightly stronger than the three of us. But we are not just three."

  As if to confirm his words, the elves gathered in the distance made way, and Cardinal Adela's group arrived.

  Seeing Gru and Sedros, Adela's face instantly showed the expected dawning realization and ferocity, then he laughed loudly: "Good, good, this is truly my Lord's grace. All units, attack, kill them all..."

  Adela didn't finish his sentence. Because the moment he started laughing, the battle had already begun.

  His laugh had barely begun when Wilskey's Golden Battle Bow was already drawn taut, an arrow nocked. Reaction on the battlefield isn't about laughing and talking after spotting the enemy.

  In fact, among the arriving group, Wilskey's reaction upon seeing Oufu's two masters was the fastest and most intense. His eyes locked onto Gru, his thin face instantly boiling with angry fighting spirit and killing intent. The pair of eyes, originally deep-set, blazed with a terrifying light. In the blink of an eye, he had already braced himself, drawn the bow, and nocked the arrow. Just as the Cardinal's words left his mouth, the meter-long steel magic-breaking arrow was already loosed like a thunderbolt, shooting straight towards... Sedros.

  Though Wilskey's gaze and killing intent were entirely fixed on Gru, his arrow targeted the old man beside him. He saw at a glance that this was the most critical element. A caster is always the strongest and weakest link in battle.

  However, though his reaction was fast enough, Sedros's was even faster. The moment he saw Cardinal Adela's group, his expression changed, and he immediately pulled out a teleportation scroll, whispering to Gru at the same time: "Go."

  But Gru hesitated slightly, glancing at Ethan on the ground. In that instant, Wilskey's arrow was already loosed. In that same instant, both Wilskey's body and the massive war bow in his hands simultaneously emitted a dazzling golden light. Man and bow became one; it was impossible to tell if the bow's radiance stained the man or the man's fighting spirit flowed into the bow.

  The moment the arrow left the string, the ears of everyone within a hundred-meter radius were filled with a sharp whistle. But this sound wasn't from the arrow itself; the arrow was faster than sound. The sound came from the air within a hundred meters being disturbed. The arrow, barely off the string, had already stirred all the air in the surrounding area.

  The over-meter-long, thumb-thick steel magic-breaking arrow, carrying a dazzling light like a golden bolt of thunder, possessed momentum comparable to a battering ram. Even if the arrowhead wasn't armor-piercing but a large ball of cotton, such an arrow might not kill by piercing but would certainly kill by impact.

  Sedros's reaction was undeniably fast. The moment he saw Wilskey draw the bow, he immediately understood he was the target. But he didn't dodge. Even with dozens of auxiliary spells active, he couldn't possibly evade such an incomparably swift arrow. He didn't even use magic to defend against arrows. Though he could cast such spells almost as fast as blinking, whether it was a Whirlwind Shield or a Force Field Shield, against an arrow like this, they would be little better than paper. So, he didn't defend; he attacked.

  But his target wasn't Wilskey, who was attacking him, but the nearest Lancelot and the other two Temple Knights. His left hand flung out a small-area Slow Spell, then his right hand unleashed two Thunder Frost spells in rapid succession, followed by a Chain Lightning with his left hand. In the blink of an eye, he had cast four spells from three different schools. This display alone was enough to astonish the three Temple Knights.

  But though they were astonished, the effect of these spells was limited to just that. The Slow Spell was instantly nullified by the Radiant Battleplate and the Temple Knights' own powerful fighting spirit. The two Thunder Frost spells disintegrated into nothingness under Christine's silver greatsword. The Chain Lightning did strike Lancelot squarely in the chest, but the white light mixed with his fighting spirit and magic only brightened slightly; the lightning vanished like it had struck the vast ocean, not even a spark flying.

  However, these four spells did slightly hinder the three Temple Knights' movements, buying Gru precious time. Because they too moved almost simultaneously with Wilskey, but their target was Gru.

  In that brief instant, the mutual understanding and trust between these two groups were displayed perfectly. The moment Wilskey acted, Lancelot and the others knew his target was Sedros. Therefore, they also acted simultaneously, their target being the only one who could possibly save Sedros: Gru. But Sedros's well-timed attack created just enough opportunity for Gru to intercept the arrow.

  If there was one person in this world who could catch Wilskey's arrow, swift as light, with bare hands, it was Gru. The instant the Golden Battle Bow was fully drawn, he was already alert. He stepped forward, his hand infused with white light already grasping the golden radiance that had stirred and torn the surrounding air, transforming it back into the steel magic-breaking arrow.

  Thud, thud, thud. Everyone could feel the ground tremble. Gru, having caught the magic-breaking arrow, stepped back once, twice, three times before steadying himself. The ground where each foot landed sank deeply.

  Even after retreating three steps, Gru's body swayed. The light of fighting spirit on his hand dimmed slightly, and even his expression changed subtly. But in the next instant, his dissipated fighting spirit and killing intent surged back a thousandfold, crazily. He roared in fury and hurled the magic-breaking arrow back towards Wilskey.

  Only at this moment did Cardinal's nonsensical pronouncement get drowned out by the tenfold more ferocious and piercing shriek of the magic-breaking arrow's renewed flight.