in2ebook Chapter 371: Mercy Of Death
Chapter 371: Mercy Of Death
In all her years, WaterLord Freya has always been at the very top, above her peers. It rubbed her the wrong way when she heard Vale say that. "You...!"
Her eyes glowed a bright blue; they appeared almost white. She took a step forward and gestured sharply.
All around Vale, ice spears bloomed into existence, and they flew at him with sharp intent, but he didn’t even move and only flexed his power, letting heat roll off him, melting away the ice easily.
"I don’t think I can improve my sword overnight. Let’s finish this." Even though Vale wouldn’t have actually minded continuing the fight, he knew there was no time.
Freya sneered, and then she shot forward toward him, her speed fast. All around her, ice surged, seemingly coming alive as it coiled around her. The air around her froze, and the ground below was covered in spreading frost.
Even Vale felt it as the cold pressed around him like a mountain, trying to suppress him. He was shocked. If he was an ordinary knight, then he was sure that his body would have been frozen or at least his movements turned sluggish.
"Hellfire Moon!"
A ball of Hellfire appeared in her way. A ball of black fire and red light that had a weight of its own. The moon smashed down on her, but she was nimble and avoided it, just in time to get smashed in the face by Dominion Slash!
The air rippled and shook from the shockwave, driving her back. A line went from the side of her neck and down her abdomen. And since her body seemed made of ice now, the line appeared like a crack in a mountain, the surface blackened and weeping with melted water.
The sight of it made her fly into a rage, and she howled in pain. "This cursed place, this is the second time!"
The first time she was wounded, her right hand was cut away, and it was done by that artifact brought by High Chief Eamon. And now Vale had inflicted another wound on her. Although the wound appeared dangerous, she wasn’t really in serious trouble because as long as her body remained ice, she could freely heal her wounds; only severe ones couldn’t be dealt with.
Her left hand pressed against her chest, blue glow spreading from it, and yet the cracks did not heal, the fire continuing to melt and burn her. A look of horror flashed on her face as she realized the situation she was in.
Quickly, she created distance between them, trying frantically to heal, but it wasn’t working as it used to. "Wh...what have you done!"
Vale did not say anything more as he flew towards her, his sword at the ready. There was no time for small talk anymore, better to finish up!
WaterLord Freya gritted her teeth and abandoned the thought of healing herself right then. Instead, she flew to meet him, and their swords clashed. Ice and fire.
As their swords clashed and held, she was able to hold against him until Vale pushed down mightily, sending her spinning away from him, and followed behind her, his sword sweeping forward.
She blocked him, and the fight fell into swordplay. They clashed above the ground, a flash of blue and red. Her stance was nimble and quick while Vale’s was heavy. Each swing of his sword that she blocked sent painful vibrations down her body, and soon, she was forced to disengage, creating distance between them once again.
Vale let her go and did another sweep of the battlefield with his eyes to measure how things were moving. The Matsumoto still held the upper hand, and it seemed most of the Knights of Akatsuki had been killed. Only Eirikr and his strongest were still fighting.
He sighed. ’...that’s not good. At this rate, the Matsumoto will not be seriously weakened, and that will cause serious harm..’
"I’ll kill you!" WaterLord Freya howled, creating a Silver Fall on her palm. The technique seemed to take almost all of her power.
Vale frowned. "I’m tired of this."
"Hellfire Moon! Hellfire Moon! Hellfire Moon! Hellfire Moon! Hellfire Moon!"
Instantly, five techniques burst into existence around him and rotated casually. They radiated with intense heat that even WaterLord Freya flew back to avoid them. It made the palace and the surroundings hazy with heat, as if the sun was now much closer.
What’s the use of having massive essence reserves if he did not get to use them?
It was the first time Vale would be casting so many high-level techniques at once and holding them. His head felt swollen and his brain sore just from the mental power of holding the formation stable. But he held it and sent them at WaterLord Freya.
Freya panicked. She released her own technique and turned to flee, but how could Vale let her off so easily? With his soul power, he could easily lock onto a target as long as they were not at a great distance.
There was no escaping for the WaterLord.
The fire moons flew after her as if they had personal vengeance against her, crowding together like a swarm. The ground boiled from the heat of their passing.
When she realized there was no escaping them, she was almost away from the palace and turned back to make her stand. She covered herself with ice, curling into an egg made of ice and pouring all of her power into it, making it glow with bluish-silver light.
The five Hellfire Moons reached her and hit at the same time, turning the sky ablaze and causing a shockwave that destroyed the surrounding buildings, depressing the ground into a crater.
Vale marveled at his own power as he turned away from her. Even her ashes had been burned away.
"Now then..." Vale murmured. With the platform on his feet, he flew toward the palace and to the throne room, the ground shaking from the force of those fighting.
The Warden was covered in coiling snakes made of ice. They covered him, coiling around his limbs and weighing him down from advancing. Each time he destroyed a snake, another appeared to take its place.
Vale gestured and dissolved the Warden. His eyes were on the Commander.
Garran wasn’t in good shape. His face was covered in sweat and blood, and his side seemed injured. He gritted his teeth when he saw Vale. "You should be dead!"
"And yet I am not," he replied calmly. "Why did you betray me? What’s the interest you want to gain?"
Commander Garran just shook his head. "What do you know? Your ancestors took what they took with blood. Did they care about the families they destroyed and the lives they doomed? And you...you are no better! The land is only just returning into the hands of those who held it years ago!"
Vale saw the bitterness in him and in his words. "My ancestors took what they did in blood. Are you any different? What you took and planned to hold, won’t it be through blood? Maybe you have a moral high ground, so what? You’ll still kill and destroy families. At least my ancestors were brave enough to call it conquest and say they did it for personal interests."
Vale smiled. "They removed the hypocrisy and called it what it is. When I begin my conquest, it will be known that I do it because I want to. And because I will be strong enough to do it."
"Raise your sword, Commander Garran. This is the last mercy I will give you."
And there were no more words to be said. He raised his sword, and Vale raised his own. And killed him.
He stood above the body for a while, and then he burned him to ashes before he took to the air once more.
He immediately zeroed in on Eirikr’s fight. The man was fighting three Master Knights, and he was holding his own, even attacking now and then.
Although the three’s appearances had greatly changed and they were now covered in insect shells, their bodies changing into different types, he could tell that they were Vaelros, Kaelthorn, and Duskryn.
Vale studied the battle and immediately knew what he must do. If he should take one of them, then Eirikr would have an easier time and at the same time wouldn’t have an overwhelming victory, thereby sustaining some injuries, making it easier for him to kill.
And if the Matsumoto Master Knights won, all the better. After all, what he wanted was to cut down the numbers of Master Knights since he couldn’t deal with them all by himself.
With his platform, he instantly flew directly above the fighting Knights. He flared his aura, and then he fell like an arrow, his sweeping aura like a hammer.
The Knights paused as they detected his aura, and then they broke apart just before he landed. The ground cracked and fire rippled as he appeared, a slight grin on his face.