Vrummm...
"Who are you people!"
Caiman shouted into the air, but because space itself was stagnant, every syllable he uttered was drawn out into a long, distorted drone.
A spatial magic item... it's even slowing down my voice!
With his wealth of combat experience, Caiman quickly deduced the nature of the elves' magical artifact.
When facing an opponent with a magic item, the first priority was to determine its capabilities.
And yet...
Caiman felt a strange sense of bloodline attraction coming from this group.
The figure in the gray robe did not respond to Caiman's interrogation, launching an attack without hesitation instead.
Vines coiled toward Caiman like giant jungle pythons emerging from a forest.
Dammit!
Caiman could only activate the special ability of the Forgotten Hero, summoning a layer of defensive Sword Qi to block the onslaught.
"Do you really intend to defy the Grey family!"
Caiman shouted a threat.
However, hearing the name of the Grey family did not make the attackers stop; if anything, they struck even harder and more ruthlessly.
Did these people have a grudge against the Grey family?
Damn it, when did such a team appear in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment? There was no intelligence on them at all!
The vines tightly constricted Caiman's body, leaving him with no choice but to manifest his Sword Qi to slowly saw through them.
However, his slowed movements posed no threat to the elves whatsoever.
Though both were greater magic grade magical artifacts, the Forgotten Hero was geared toward bursts of speed and sneak attacks.
In contrast, the Air Iron Tail relied on spatial suppression.
In a direct confrontation, the Forgotten Hero was being completely overwhelmed.
Curse it!
While cursing inwardly, Caiman could only watch helplessly as the vines continuously crushed his protective barrier.
On the other side, Manfred watched the scene unfold. He did not rashly greet the elves, instead trying to take the opportunity to flee the area.
"Nephalian!"
Eomer, the third-rank elven priest, called out. A second-rank swordsman from the team dashed forward to intercept Manfred.
These elves had no affection for treacherous humans. They would not assume Manfred was an ally just because he was an enemy of the Grey family.
Manfred was not naive enough to think that these elves were his friends either.
Relationships between dungeon adventurers were never that simple, especially since Manfred was currently carrying the Candelabra—the only Forbidden Fire container discovered in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment so far.
The elf's rapier was like a sharp spear, wrapped in Sword Qi as it lunged straight for Manfred.
A rapier?
Compared to broadswords, the number of adventurers who used rapiers was extremely small.
Rapiers were difficult to master and required long periods of training. For adventurers and warriors who valued practicality, they almost never chose a rapier as their primary weapon.
But the rapier had its advantages; it was more penetrative, faster, and the Sword Qi it produced was thin yet lethal.
Manfred swung his longsword to parry the incoming thrust.
Sharp Sword Qi collided with heavy Sword Qi. Manfred was forced back several steps, yet the agile and piercing Sword Qi still broke through his guard, carving several bloody gashes into his arm.
This person had not only mastered Sword Qi, but her technique was also unbelievably refined.
Realizing he was outmatched, Manfred summoned his Sword Qi for defense while continuously retreating.
Blade sparked against slender blade.
"Hand over the Candelabra. Since you have rebelled against the Grey family, I will spare your life."
The elf did not continue her pursuit, speaking only in a cold, stern tone.
There was no way Manfred would just hand over the Candelabra.
He had to obtain the Forbidden Fire. Only its power could protect his family against a titan like the Grey family.
His gaze became sharp and determined as he gripped his sword with both hands, the Forbidden Fire Mark on the back of his hand beginning to glow.
Scorching orange-yellow flames coated the blade, dyeing his Sword Qi in the same fiery hue.
Though he had not received the Forbidden Fire Blessing for long and had not yet adapted to the flame power it granted him...
Time was a luxury he no longer had.
"The power of flames... is that the effect of a Forbidden Fire Blessing?"
Nephalian tightened her grip on her rapier and charged at Manfred once more.
"But it is just raw flame power, barely forced into the Sword Qi."
Nephalian was right.
Currently, Manfred was only mixing fire into his Sword Qi; it could hardly be called the legendary elemental Sword Qi.
Elemental Sword Qi was achieved when a swordsman with an elemental blessing refined their skills to perfectly integrate that power into their Sword Qi.
This granted the Sword Qi the properties of that element.
It was just like Olorine, the fifth-rank mage, who had perfectly fused the power of wind into her Sword Qi, giving it the characteristics of the gale.
"As a fellow second-rank swordsman, this is enough to deal with you."
Manfred held his sword with both hands and swung down heavily. Fire surged within the Sword Qi as he delivered a wide, sweeping strike consistent with his sword skills.
Nephalian gripped her rapier and nimbly dodged Manfred's heavy blow.
Then she thrust her blade, aiming ruthlessly for Manfred's shoulder.
Manfred stepped forward and twisted his waist, following through with a horizontal slash.
Whoosh!
The burning flames tore through the air, slashing toward Nephalian.
Nephalian was cleaved in two by the flaming Sword Qi. However, no blood flowed from her severed body; instead, it dissipated into mist.
Manfred's eyes widened, and he quickly reversed his grip to block behind him.
Sure enough, from within the exploding mist, Nephalian's body emerged like a graceful butterfly, lunging downward from above.
The tip of her rapier, wrapped in sharp Sword Qi, pierced right through Manfred's defensive Sword Qi.
The penetrative power of a rapier was simply not something Manfred's Sword Qi could compare to.
The tip of the blade, having bypassed his defenses, plunged directly into Manfred's arm.
Enduring the pain, Manfred let his flaming Sword Qi explode into a curtain of fire, rolling away to escape Nephalian's follow-up.
What was that just now? A magic item?
But I clearly didn't feel the aura of any magic item on her.
Nephalian landed lightly on the ground, flicking her rapier.
Sharp Sword Qi coiled around the blade like shifting mist, flickering unpredictably.
"This is a perfect fusion of element and Sword Qi. This is true elemental Sword Qi."
"An elemental blessing is not a privilege unique to you."
Nephalian pulled back her sleeve, revealing a shimmering, twisted water-wave pattern on her arm.
It was the Blessing Mark of Water Mist Power.
It was not a pure water element mark, but a mark of water mist power.
When fused into Sword Qi, it allowed the energy to change as fluidly as mist, granting it the properties of a vapor.
Combined with her own sword skills, the Water Mist Sword Qi allowed her to produce effects akin to illusions.
At the same time, it made her body lighter and more elusive.
Rate on N.U.
