Chapter 224

: Courage (Part 1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
With a snapping sound, Saleen opened his fourth level-5 scroll. The spell he unleashed was a more manageable one – Icicle Attack. Saleen gathered more moisture in the air to form half a dozen huge ice blocks and sent them hurtling towards Fellett.
The young black metal grand swordmaster glared at Saleen with his bloodshot eyes as he realized that his end was near. No sooner had the ice blocks made contact with him did his body rapidly swell, blood vessels rupture, and blood spurted everywhere. It was a terrifying sight.
Using whatever sword aura and energy he had left in him, the black metal grand swordmaster inhaled his last dying breath and swung his sword for the final time. As soon as the weapon came down on Saleen’s ice blocks, the latter’s spell was neutralized. That impressive counterattack was what the grand swordmaster had been training for his entire life. Technically, Saleen had displayed poor control over the icicle attack he had unleashed earlier. The swordmaster could easily pinpoint its weakness and disperse Saleen’s spell before the latter even had a chance to do anything about it. Alas, this was going to be the last thing the swordmaster would ever do.
Saleen knew this as well. He understood that if he had released the icicle attack without the help of the scrolls, he would have been better able to control its powers and complete the spell. However, since he had cast the spell using these scrolls, he could no longer establish a strong connection with the magic that came out of them.
With a splat, the black metal grand swordmaster’s body exploded upon impact. His internal organs dripped down beneath him as blood and flesh flew everywhere. Saleen flew across the sea and landed gently on the back of the rock turtle’s shell. As he stared into the darkness, Saleen suddenly saw an extremely bright flash of golden light illuminate the entire landscape. It was someone else’s sword aura.
Fearing for his life, Saleen dived into the sea immediately. Without hesitation, he made his way towards the rock turtle’s abdominal shell and hid there. Back on the surface, the sword aura shone brilliantly, showing no signs of dissipating. Back on the ship’s rail where Lex stood, Fellett glared at the female standing in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot as his sword aura glowed even brighter than before. It was blinding, to say the least. Lex simply gave him a dull stare as he hovered in midair, preparing to strike.

All of you! Prepare. To. Die,
Fellett roared, spitting out each word venomously. The torn and tattered armor glowed a bright gold as magical patterns appeared on it, moving eerily. Those magic patterns, which appeared to be hand-sculpted, emanated yet another flash of bright gold light. It was so bright that Lex could see the ocean for miles.
The black metal grand swordmaster who had been battling Sika and Nailisi was momentarily distraught by the loss of his comrade. Taking the opportunity, Sika brought her wooden cudgel down. Hard. Her opponent, taken by surprise, tried to dodge the attack, but he was too slow. He was left with no choice but to use his sword in an attempt to alleviate the impact of Sika’s attacks.
Snap! That was the sound the sword made as it was smashed into pieces by Nailisi’s serrated cudgel. The dragon horn present on Sika’s cudgel struck the black metal grand swordmaster’s shoulders, cutting his skin so deep that a person could see bone. A ray of white light shot forth from Nailisi’s mouth and made contact with her opponent’s wounds.
Before his blood could even be shed, the black metal grand swordmaster’s wound, along with half of his body, was frozen into a giant block of ice which effectively left him immobile. Sika took that opportunity to strike once again. Just one hit from her wooden cudgel was enough to smash the frozen half of the swordmaster’s body into a million pieces. Not even god could save the black metal grand swordmaster now.
Sika did not stop there though. Turning around, she focused her energy on destroying the battlement instead. With a powerful grunt, she hit the foot of the battlement with everything that she had. With a creaking sound, the only remaining battlement crumbled into pieces. Satisfied, Sika scavenged through the rubble and retrieved the alchemy crossbows.
This crossbow was easily three meters wide. After grabbing a few spears that were strewn all over the ground, she stabbed them deep into the floor of the deck to create a simple stenting. She lifted the alchemy crossbow with ease and placed it gently on the stenting, before proceeding to draw the crossbow string with her hand. Alas, no matter how hard she tried, she did not succeed. Even a person as strong as Sika would be unable to pull the string of a magically enhanced crossbow.
Meanwhile, Fellett had flown towards the part of the ship that was currently making its way beneath the waves. As he did so, the golden flash of light trailed behind him. Lex’s face blanched slightly as she fought to recall the type of aura that Fellett was emitting. It seemed awfully familiar… That was it! Safilos! He was a golden grand swordmaster. Which would mean that Fellett was…
No! It could not be. Fellett did not exhibit enough skill to be considered one. His powers were derived from his armor. However, the body underneath the armor was unable to absorb all this power at once. Lex could distinctly hear the creaking of Fellett’s bones, as though they were about to shatter any moment.
Lex had originally planned to capture Fellett. Upon taking a closer look at Fellett, whose face was so distorted that it looked like the strips of metal that had been bent under the wrath of the winch, she decided to abort her plan. However, Fellett’s armor would not allow its host to die so easily. It was as if it controlled Fellett’s every move. Right now, Fellett was bringing his sword down towards Lex in an attempt to either kill or maim her.
As of this moment, Lex’s magic scrolls would be unable to block Fellett’s attack. Even releasing the most powerful spells she had stored in the level-7 scrolls could do little to help her situation right now. When faced with a powerful force equivalent to that of a golden grand swordmaster, any counterspell seemed petty and insignificant.
The eight bone puppets had scaled over the walls and were leaping towards Fellett. With just one swing of Fellett’s sword, everything within ten meters of him was grinded into dust by his golden sword aura.
Fellett had essentially lost control over his powers by now. However, he did not need to be in control. Just a few punches and kicks here and there would be sufficient to send Saleen and the others on a permanent trip to the ocean floor. As expected, the eight bone puppets disintegrated immediately. Still distraught by the loss of his ship and devoted followers, Fellett flew towards the tip of the ship and pointed his long sword at Lex. He let out a powerful roar of grief before screaming,
Why?


Because I’m a Grukos,
Lex said calmly, even though she knew that any spells cast within five meters of a magical creature who possessed the strength of a golden grand swordmaster would be absolutely ineffective. She was not even scared that she was within that striking distance.

Hahaha! I see! Good, good! So, you’re Qin royalty. If I had known earlier, I would have struck a long time ago!
Fellett laughed maniacally. As he said this, he made his way towards the ship’s stern again. By now, more than half of the ship had sunk beneath the waves. He glared at Lex, before continuing,
I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to take you back to Shengfeng country as a gift to the emperor. But, before that, I’m going to have some fun. You look young for a mage. Want me to show you what a true man can do to that body? I could have you begging within seconds…

Fellett’s eyes glinted sadistically. Lex let out a cold sneer,
Oh yeah? Attack me now then! You can’t even control your powers, can you? If you strike, we’ll both die. You know that, right?


Yes, of course! But if I die, you’re going to purgatory with me, along with your little friends. Three mages as company in the afterlife sounds quite appealing, don’t you think?
Fellett said, laughing maniacally as soon as he saw Lex’s exasperated face.
At that moment, Fellett made the decision to fight Lex to the death. The two people who were going to restore him to his former glory, the black metal grand swordmasters, had been killed by Saleen, Sika, and Nailisi. Even if he made it to Shengfeng country in one piece, he would never be able to revive his family’s reputation, nor would he be able to seize back his territory.
Ping! The sounds of a huge alchemy crossbow being fired rang the air, interrupting Fellett’s crazed laughter.
Lex was taken aback, but nevertheless calm and composed. She knew that Fellett’s words had been meant to strike fear into her heart and disrupt her focus. She had been practicing psychological warfare tactics since she was little. She was not going to be intimidated by someone like Fellett.
As Saleen hid underneath the rock turtle shell, a sense of humiliation like never before came over him. He had been the first one to suspect Fellett. Now that his suspicions were confirmed, Saleen had chosen to run away, instead of facing his opponent like a true mage.
However, Fellett was too strong for him to beat. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am now. As an archmage who is no match for Fellett, should I run? Saleen thought. He had contemplated charging towards his opponent to see how things played out. However, Saleen stopped himself. It was absolutely pointless. No spell of his would be able to neutralize Fellett’s attacks.
I can’t just run away! Sika and Nailisi are still on the boat! Saleen thought frantically as he continued hiding beneath the turtle shell. It was normal for a person to cower in the presence of someone much stronger than themselves. However, now was not the time to be scared. Fellett was about to finish off the people that he held dear to his heart.
Saleen had never felt more conflicted. Attacking Fellett recklessly could land him in grave danger, especially since he knew that one swing of Fellett’s sword was all it would take to end his life. However, if he let the most important people in his life die just like that, he would have to carry these horrible mental images for as long as he lived. He would not be able to hone his magic skills if he kept grieving over them. And if he could not hone his magic, he would not be promoted to a higher-grade mage. If he could not be promoted, he could not gain access to more powerful spells. It was a vicious cycle that would not only cause him to remain stagnant, but also to deteriorate in the long term. How could he fulfill his dream then?
Saleen remembered Lex asking him about his ambitions in life. Right now, Saleen was unable to answer her question. I’ve come so far now. Surely my answer can’t be the same as my previous response –
to never go hungry
? Saleen thought. If his response now was truly to
never go hungry
, Saleen felt as if he might as well just die along with the others.
With that, Saleen easily made his decision. If running away was not an option, then he needed to stand with Lex and fight Fellett to the end. Furthermore, once Fellett was done with Lex, he would not spare Nailisi and Sika either.
Once he had composed himself, Saleen rummaged through the items available in the Ring of Gifts. Demon magic books, five level-5 scrolls, family badge… to a mage, these items were even more valuable than gold.
Fellett is weakening. Maybe I do have a chance to defeat him after all, Saleen thought.
Saleen released two mutating water shields and allowed them to hover beside him. He stuffed his family badge between the pages of the demon spellbook before making his way out of the rock turtle’s shell and above the ocean waters.
Scanning his surroundings, Saleen realized that the rock turtle’s shell had drifted from the sinking ship, and was currently moving further and further away from it. Flashes of lightning illuminated the landscape. The only light more striking than the lightning itself was Fellett’s armor, which was still glowing a bright gold.
Saleen activated his icy sight and analyzed Fellett’s vitals.
Fellett won’t be in control of his body much longer! Saleen thought in alarm.
Just as Saleen was about to use magic to speed towards the sinking ship, he saw something that he would never forget for the rest of his life. A metallic crossbow bolt had been shot towards Fellett’s skull. It was the type that was used to crumble city walls. This lethal object was now lodged in the back of Fellett’s unprotected head. The golden light surrounding Fellett dimmed for a brief moment. All of a sudden, Saleen heard Lex’s angry roar.
Saleen knew that the roar was part of the secret battle techniques of Lex’s family, and were exclusively for the purpose of weakening and destroying sword auras.
Although the huge crossbow bolt was sticking out of Fellett’s skull, upon taking a closer look, Saleen realized that the weapon had not penetrated it. The golden light seemed to have blocked the crossbow bolt from penetrating Fellett’s skin.
Unfortunately for Fellett, his armor was not full body armor, which meant that his head was his weak point because it was unprotected. Lex’s roar had shaken up the life force that was inside of the armor, effectively preventing it from protecting its host for the time being.
Within seconds, the crossbow bolt was deflected. Fellett’s neck made a sickening creaking sound as his body flew in the opposite direction of the bolt. Seizing the opportunity, Lex pounced towards Fellett. As she did so, her magic robe emanated a brilliant orange-red.
Saleen had never seen a brighter color in his life. Without hesitation, Saleen lifted himself into the air and started releasing the six magic spells kept inside the demon spellbook one at a time, all the while preparing to launch more magic attacks from the magic scrolls.
Saleen had to admit, Lex was definitely a lot braver than him when it came to fighting creatures as powerful as a golden grand swordmaster. However, he was not going to be a sitting duck any longer. Lex had utilized an unorthodox method to deal with Fellett. Saleen was shocked that he was not the only one who possessed such creative problem-solving skills. Then again, mages that excelled in their field were probably more than capable of using their magic in unexpected ways.
Lex had cast a Fire Washing spell. This spell functioned more as a dispersing spell used to dispel the enemy’s attacks. This basic level-0 spell, in Lex’s hands, had instantly turned into a level-7 one. Lex was only a level-6 mage, yet she had been able to achieve this feat. Clearly this attack would be more powerful than Saleen’s mutated Water Shield spell.
Not only was Lex wise, but she was also courageous. Saleen, now feeling deeply inspired, pounced towards Fellett, who was now falling from the sky. As he did so, he released all the spells from his five scrolls before speeding towards his opponent.