Chapter 881
Surprisingly Cooperative When Raiding
“I knew you could heal me, but I didn’t know the healing would be this fast!” the Vagrant exclaimed in surprise.
The priests he had encountered all offered touch-based healing. After combat, priests would perform sacred rituals and touch the wounds, which would then slowly close amidst a tingling, slightly itchy, and warm sensation. While this was already excellent compared to the treatments offered by Apothe caries and Alchemists, he had far underestimated the caliber of this Fifth Tier healer.
His incapacitating wound had instantly healed without him even feeling any pain!
“If that’s the case, could he reattach my head if it were chopped off?!”
The Vagrant had felt the danger and realized the target must have been his heart. If he hadn’t retreated in time, that blow would have sliced him in half, cutting his heart. In such a situation, he might not have been saved. After all, reattaching limbs and stitching organs were vastly different levels of surgery.
However, the Vagrant’s mission was essentially complete now that he had lured the enemy out. His teammates had reacted and followed him in the first instance. Miss “Puppet” extended her slender fingers and pointed into the air. The “darkness” permeating the narrow, pitch-black corridor was drawn into a vortex and swallowed by the void. The corridor then revealed its true form.
Contrary to its dilapidated appearance from the outside, the interior was brightly lit. The narrow corridor glimpsed through the open doorway suddenly widened. It was like a royal garden, covered in various strangely shaped but aesthetically pleasing green plants. They seemed to have endured the long passage of time, merely ceasing to grow. The corridor, originally appearing to be less than ten meters wide, suddenly expanded to over forty meters.
However, on both sides of the original ten-meter-wide “illusory corridor,” there were two rows of glowing gem panels. They resembled Star Antinomy’s glowing GG plates but seemed to be light fixtures. They also possessed the ability to induce illusions, making people believe the walls were on either side.
The invisible guards also manifested—they were composed of gemstones, numbering four: red, green, blue, and yellow. Broadly speaking, they resembled human figures. They appeared as human guards clad in magnificent armor and wearing fully enclosed helmets. However, their joints were suspended—a glowing sphere etched with runes floated in the joints of their arms and legs, its radiance merging with their gemstone bodies, outlining a faint silhouette like transparent ice submerged in water. They were some kind of Construct! Unknown puppet guards!
The one that had attacked the Vagrant was the red guard. Its left arm was a sharp claw with four prongs. Its arm was fitted with an intricate and ornate small shield, while its right arm was composed of a glowing crystal—a searing, sharp light blade could be shot from its forearm. This was what had nearly cleaved the Vagrant in half!
Generally, invisibility would only last until “interference with others” or “others clearly became aware of someone’s presence.” However, the invisible guard did not reveal itself even after cutting off the Vagrant’s arm. If not for “Puppet” dispelling the illusion, they would still be unable to track the invisible guards! They could also enter “walls” at any time, hiding behind the light panels to launch attacks. Their attacks, however, could not penetrate the “walls” that didn’t actually exist.
While the Vagrant was lost in thought, Mr. Mu, the Temple Guard Monk, charged forward instead of retreating! His speed was incredibly swift. In an instant, he crossed the distance of over ten meters in a single step! Yet, such rapid movement did not stir up a storm or emit ear-piercing sonic booms. Instead, it was like a gentle breeze, leaving no trace and making no sound!
Mr. Mu strode to the forefront of the group and then opened his mouth. The Lion’s Roar, enhanced by the “Silent Zen,” was instantly unleashed.
“Roar—!”
A thunderous roar, like that of a lion’s, struck with immense force, and tangible sound waves surged forward. Those behind Mr. Mu merely felt the heart-stopping vibration of the thunderous roar, their minds and actions momentarily frozen. In front of Mr. Mu, a tangible golden surge of Buddhist power formed—the bodies of the four invisible guards were heavily suppressed, as if trying to move forward in a typhoon. The invisible pressure caused their bodies to vibrate and recoil continuously, their limbs twisting and emitting faint cracking sounds.
At this moment, the spells of two casters were ready. Sin’s staff had a blue magic circle gradually forming in front of it. He lightly pointed his staff forward, and the magic circle dissipated like ripples. The crimson puppet guard suddenly froze without warning, then shattered under the sustained vibrations of the Lion’s Roar!
Zhu Tang took out a small wooden puppet in each hand. He gradually pressed a long nail into the chest and abdomen of the puppets with his thumbs. Although they were hollow mortise joints, they seemed to possess immense resistance. He muttered incantations, suppressing their actions. Even so, his thumbs trembled uncontrollably and with increasing intensity. But he held on until his fingertips turned white. The green and blue puppet guards also froze in place as if nailed down, completely immobile. Only the blue-green radiance on their bodies flickered intensely.
Only the yellow guard could still act normally. It was the only guard not equipped with a shield, its heavy fists capable of immense force. When Mr. Mu’s Lion’s Roar ceased, the radiance on these puppet guards had dimmed considerably, but they had not lost power—the guard clad in yellow armor leaped forward, and Mr. Mu met it with a punch.
One punch, two punches—stones shattered, and metal groaned. The puppet guard’s body seemed to have been corroded and shattered by the power of the Lion’s Roar, its defense greatly reduced. In their brief exchange, just a few punches turned its body into slag. On the other hand, Mr. Mu’s body was as sturdy as gold. Even when struck by those heavy fists, emitting a dull boom like a heavy object hitting the ground, he remained silent and unmoved, his footing unwavering.
However, the ground beneath him cracked open on its own. As the earthy yellow puppet guard landed punches on Mr. Mu, several meters away, floor tiles cracked and shattered out of nowhere, large pieces flying up over half a meter and smaller pieces soaring three to four meters high.
The man and the puppet slugged it out in place, not dodging or blocking. Each punch was thrown with full force—the difference being that the puppet guard’s body was constantly shedding fragments, while Mr. Mu’s worn-out burlap robe on his upper body grew thinner with each blow. Approximately every four to five seconds, a flash of radiance would emanate from Mr. Mu, maintaining his condition at its peak.
When the healing radiance illuminated for the third time, the incredibly sturdy ancient puppet had been reduced to scrap metal. Although its movements had slowed considerably, it still attacked Mr. Mu without hesitation, never changing its target or stepping back.
Meanwhile, the green puppet had been dismantled into pieces by Little Cat. She held an olive-shaped green gem, larger than her fist, and was examining it intently. Sin had prepared his second spell—he seemed to have grasped the general composition of these puppets, as his second spell, judging by the magic circle alone, was much simpler and faster to prepare than the first. Several azure light fragments materialized in the air and were inserted into the blue puppet, which was fixed in place by the ritual. They then gradually shrank, as if melting into it. Immediately, the puppet erupted in a burst of flame and disintegrated.
After the other three puppets were dismantled by his teammates, Mr. Mu suddenly took a deep breath and stepped back. At this moment, the tattered earthy yellow puppet did not continue its pursuit. It seemed to have become sober, its eyes flashing with azure light, as if analyzing something.
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out, and a bolt of electricity accompanied by an enchanted bullet flew from the Vagrant’s right hand and exploded on the puppet guard! Mr. Mu seized the opportunity and thrust his hand out horizontally in the void. A golden beam of light extended from both ends, forming a staff as transparent as glass. He gripped it with both hands and unleashed three swift, ferocious, and skillful blows, repelling the earthy yellow puppet consecutively.
Another gunshot interrupted the puppet guard’s counterattack! At this point, one end of the staff condensed into a flat light wheel like the sun—resembling a halberd or an axe, it looked even more imposing and fierce. It rotated like a chainsaw, and with Mr. Mu’s downward slash, three increasingly heavy chops finally turned the last puppet guard into mere scrap metal!
Mr. Mu slightly loosened his grip, and the weapon in his hand dissipated into light spots in the air. He turned back, clasped his hands together, and bowed silently to Eivass. He had clearly resumed his meditation, gathering strength for his next Lion’s Roar. Although he said nothing, Eivass understood his meaning—it was gratitude for Eivass’s healing.
While Mr. Mu appeared incredibly heroic, showing no cracks or broken bones under the “demolition crew’s” assault, within Eivass’s right eye’s vision, his life force was violently flickering. Clearly, every attack had inflicted considerable damage on Mr. Mu’s body, but he had “endured” the attacks.
Yes, Eivass’s right eye still possessed a special field of vision. His two eyes currently appeared to be the same color, a suggestion and help from Cardinal Galatea—she had used illusions to blur Eivass’s appearance into someone similar yet different, and adjusted his mismatched eyes to match. After all, Eivass’s appearance was too famous and easily recognizable. Furthermore, Eivass’s right eye lacked vision, which could be a point of concern for some. His missing portion of normal vision meant Eivass had a blind spot on his right side. For safety reasons, Cardinal Galatea did not want Eivass to expose this secret. She herself always stood to Eivass’s right for protection.
Eivass’s right eye could see Apostles, souls, and residual Path Power, indicating their specific origins. However, its most useful function was its ability to see a person’s life force. In other words, it could see their “health bar.” This was, after all, a healer’s most useful ability!
Eivass looked at the others and said, “Don’t worry when we’re fighting. If you get injured, just leave it to me.”
He was quite satisfied with these Temporary Teammates. Despite it being their first cooperation and their relationships not being particularly strong, they had surprisingly good synergy in combat!
(End of Chapter)
