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Chapter 51: Fishing in Troubled Waters Part 3
Finding the Elemental Revelation Scroll.
In truth, activating the Elemental Pool with the scroll wouldn’t take much time at all. The first activation would infuse the caster’s nascent, formless “pool” with abundant elemental energy—four types of elements surging to fill it.
With those elements, he could afford the cost of summoning the Holy Sword. And with the Holy Sword? Well, defeating this monstrosity might still be a stretch, but self-preservation would no longer be an issue.
This was why Brandon had released the Wind Spirit Spiders earlier. He reasoned that creatures born of both elemental and magical energy would excel far better than he could in locating such an item—or its bearer.
The entire plan crystallized in his mind within moments. Turning back, he called out, “Chael.”
“I understand, my lord.”
The young apprentice mage smiled faintly. “Good luck, my lord. I hope to see you again soon—”
Brandon nodded solemnly. His squire had already raised the ruby ring on his finger. Instantly, countless white threads extended from the gemstone between his thumb and forefinger. These threads, drawn from the 130 million rules governing Marsha’s world, represented protection, obstruction, and counterforce. They shimmered brightly, intertwining as the solid wall glowed golden before fading into invisibility.
The crimson-armored skeleton swung its axe, striking the barrier. Ripples spread outward, and the gemstone in Chael’s hand cracked visibly. Yet, the young apprentice persisted, overloading his medium to maintain the spell.
“Go,” he urged through gritted teeth.
Brandon glanced back once, then pushed open the door on the opposite side and bolted through. The Elemental Revelation Scroll was now in unknown hands, but while underground auctions often allowed immediate delivery, nobles preferred to preserve their dignity by having items delivered to their estates after the event.
Thus, there was still a chance.
He hurried down the corridor, heading toward the exhibition room where Barthom and the others had exited earlier. Buildings like this typically had emergency exits—if he could find one, his escape would be far easier. But as he flung open door after door, disappointment mounted, fueling his growing frustration.
Soon, a thunderous crash echoed behind him—the unmistakable sound of the Crusader Executioner closing in. It hadn’t given up the chase.
Chael was dead.
Brandon couldn’t help but check his status. The Highland Squire card now displayed a rare, ashen hue, positioned prominently among his deck. The Wind Spirit Spider card was similarly affected; half of it had grayed out due to previous losses. Summon-based cards faced risks akin to being sent to a graveyard.
For a moment, Brandon hesitated before deciding against recalling the remaining Wind Spirit Spiders. Alone, navigating the auction house to locate the scroll would prove nearly impossible. However, the element-born spiders were better suited for the task. If they found the scroll or its holder, they’d lead him straight to it.
As if on cue, one of the small green spiders darted out of a nearby room, landing at his feet. It paused briefly before scurrying off in another direction. Had it found something? Brandon’s heart leapt as he gave chase. His agility far surpassed that of the spider, so keeping up wasn’t difficult—but the heavy footsteps behind him grew louder with each passing second. His pulse quickened.
How far was it? Would he be caught? Was it truly the Elemental Revelation Scroll?
Too many uncertainties plagued him, yet Brandon steeled himself to gamble everything. Together with the tiny creature, he rounded a corner and spotted several bodies strewn haphazardly along a hallway—staff members of the auction house, judging by their attire.
And enemies. Brandon tensed immediately, but relief washed over him as skeletal soldiers clad in dark chainmail emerged shakily from doors on either side. Activating his Charge skill, Brandon moved like a blur past these low-tier undead. Once formidable foes mere weeks ago, they now amounted to little more than cannon fodder.
The first skeleton lunged with deliberate slowness—at least, relative to Brandon’s perception. His response was tenfold faster. Before the skeleton’s sword reached mid-air, its bony hand separated from its joint, erupting in white flames. These flames quickly spread across its body, igniting it entirely.
In seconds, Brandon dispatched seven skeletons. As he sheathed his blade, their remains collapsed behind him.
Yet, there was no time to celebrate. The blood-red figure of the Crusader Executioner appeared around the corner.
With 22 units of agility versus less than 10, the Executioner swung its axe like a shadow slicing diagonally through the air. The ceiling crumbled before it, but such resistance barely slowed its advance. Brandon had no choice but to brace himself, raising his sword in a desperate vertical slash to meet the blow.
The clash of elven blade and massive axe emitted a piercing screech that set teeth on edge. The sword bent unnaturally backward, and Brandon felt his right arm fracture inch by inch, losing sensation entirely. Both he and his weapon were flung backward, slamming painfully into the wall.
The only stroke of luck was landing near the door where the Wind Spirit Spider had stopped. Gritting his teeth, Brandon scrambled to his feet, ordering the spider to attack while rolling into the room. He prayed fervently to Marsha, hoping beyond hope that the Elemental Revelation Scroll lay within.
But as he rolled inside and looked up expectantly, what greeted him was the last thing he wanted to see.
A Soul Puppet turned its head from beside a mercenary’s corpse. Clearly unprepared for intruders, the undead creature gripped a blood-dripping scythe in one hand, its hollow eyes glowing with eerie green fire. In its other hand, it clutched something unmistakable—a translucent crystal orb, burning with fierce internal flames.
The Ember.
Instinctively, the Soul Puppet raised its scythe, but Brandon reacted faster. Using his left hand to steady his numb right—pain nearly making him tremble—he growled through clenched teeth, “Oss.”
A colossal surge of wind pressure compressed the air in the room momentarily before exploding outward. Lines of roaring wind tore forward, instantly collapsing the Soul Puppet’s armor. Its upper body disintegrated, crashing backward into the wall, which itself crumbled inward, creating a massive void.
The shockwave obliterated everything in its path. A mere upper-tier iron-rank entity, the Soul Puppet lacked the defensive resilience of creatures like gargoyles. Like the swordsman in Usson Castle, it shattered instantly under the assault.
With a final crack, the torso-less Soul Puppet collapsed to its knees.
Without hesitation, Brandon lunged forward, snatching the Ember from its grasp. Whether it would work remained uncertain, but there was no time for doubt. Turning back, he saw the Crusader Executioner standing in the doorway, clutching a crushed Wind Spirit Spider oozing greenish liquid.
The monstrous undead grinned—not out of intelligence, but primal hunger for slaughter.
“Laugh it up,” Brandon muttered, raising the Ember in his left hand. Clenching his teeth, he crushed the crystal orb. A fiery red halo erupted outward, passing over Brandon and expanding tenfold within a heartbeat. It swept over the Crusader Executioner, freezing the behemoth mid-motion as though ensnared by paralysis.
At that exact moment, dozens of miles around Braggs, every wizard and elementalist attuned to magic energy paused their tasks, turning instinctively toward the city.
The red halo expanded further, crossing the auction house, Hood District, Braggs itself, and even the outskirts. Only after reaching several miles did it gradually dissipate.
Though brief, the effect was profound. Within every Silver Wing Cavalry camp in Braggs, soldiers watched in stunned silence as their Shadowhounds vaporized and vanished.
Such was the power of order.
Undead revered Marsha just as humans did—they existed within the framework of order. Normally, reigniting the Ember shouldn’t disrupt entities aligned with order. But the Crusader Executioner was different.
It was a lair creature.
Whether artificial or natural, all lairs except the singular Guardian Lair embodied chaotic forces. When the Ember ignited, they bore the brunt of the impact. Lesser beings like Shadowhounds couldn’t withstand it, vanishing entirely.
Even the Crusader Executioner succumbed to the overwhelming force, immobilized momentarily.
From Brandon’s perspective, the creature suffered nearly 110 points of damage in that instant. Exhaling deeply, he realized his gamble had paid off. Though no one had ever tested such a trivial theory using the priceless Ember, certain fundamental rules of the world remained immutable.
For instance:
The absolute opposition between chaos and order.
Taking a deep breath, Brandon scrambled to his feet and sprinted outward. Time was running short—the Crusader Executioner wouldn’t remain frozen forever.
He needed to find the Elemental Revelation Scroll—and fast.
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