บท 178: Irregularity in the wilderness (4)
First came the light. In slow motion, a strange sphere of white light emerged from the ground. Like the rising of the suns, the night was forcefully scattered and brightened up. All color melted away as the entire sky became a searing white! Soon, the Lannisail estate was engulfed in its embrace and crumbled apart before being disintegrated into dust. Everything was systematically destroyed down to the smallest speck! Nothing remained! Its power was so absolute that it seemed transcendental. It was far stronger than what Elizabeth unveiled during the battle with the emperor. The light was so blinding that everyone, no matter how far they were, whether they were next the estate or several cities away, everyone had to close their eyes!
Instantly, the massive Lannisail estate, which spanned several city blocks, was obliterated. The Second Hand, soldiers, and guards were turned to ash. Everyone was treated equally as their body, mind, and soul were directly erased from existence! That sphere of light stopped spreading, but the shockwave was just as deadly. The nearby earth was upturned and blasted in all directions. Boulders as large as carriages flew high in the sky. Fully-grown trees were thrown around like twigs. They travelled so fast that almost no one could see them. Moreover, the force they carried was equivalent to a siege weapon! The sky became covered in thousands, if not tens of thousands, of debris! A humongous dust cloud rose into the air.
Sword King Sin was the closest. Because he escaped from the Lannisail estate a few seconds earlier, he was spared from direct annihilation. Nevertheless, the shockwave reached him as soon as the blinding light did. He immediately channeled his Martial Energy to cover his body to the highest level he could handle. A layer of blue fire shrouded him like a shield. Using Martial Energy, he could imitate barrier-type Arcania! Then, he slashed out at the incoming shockwave with his strongest flying strike! The Sword King's movements blurred as he attacked over thirty times. A massive cascade of sword light flooded the space in front of him! The two walls of wind pressure met and collided, causing an enormous invisible explosion. A nearby boulder the size of a house was sliced clean through like butter from the collateral sword light! That was how strong his attacks were!
But the shockwave was too strong, and he was too close to the epicenter. When the shockwave blasted through him, his organs were churned, his breath was knocked out, his bones were rattled, and his eardrums were ruptured! He was nearly blown away by the shockwave alone! His attacks reduced the shockwave's power and his barrier mitigated most of the damage already. Yet, this was the result. How terrifying was that? If he did nothing, he might be reduced to dust as well! When the shockwave passed him, he was a hundred steps away from his original position. Two long trenches were carved up in the dirt in front of him. Although he remained rooted, he was dragged so far!
It passed him and reached the Royal Guards a heartbeat later. They were further away, but not out of harm's way. Moreover, they could not use flying strikes like the Sword King. They had no way of weakening the shockwave! Left without a choice, the Perception Realms used their strongest defensive means, unleashing every trump card they had. Sir Winstin slashed with his glaive, Sir Sebastian hacked down with his claymore, and Lady Valentina attacked a dozen times. The area became filled with dazzling flashes of light from over forty Perception Realms! Their auras merged into one and soared to unimaginable heights! As they braced themselves, the shockwave rampaged over them. It looked like the world was coming to an end! It was apocalyptic!
The weaker Grand Knights spurted out mouthfuls of blood as their bodies were reduced to paste. The wind pressure was enough to obliterate them. Some were sent flying away and their fate was obvious. Other unlucky fellows were hit by debris and they died instantly. Their numbers plummeted quickly. It no longer became a matter of skill or potential. It was simply luck. That was all! Against the true power of a peak Rank 3, they were nothing more than bugs. There was no chance to resist! Thankfully, they were not facing the true brunt of the attack. It weakened greatly after travelling so far. Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, Lady Valentina, and a handful of Royal Guards managed to persevere. They survived!
The shockwave rippled through the earth and air, destroying nearby villas and estates. Nothing was spared! When it reached Castle Reinhard, Queen Bethnal and Prince Dannark were shaken in the throne room like a pair of ragdolls. Chandeliers, paintings, and everything else fell as the beautiful glass window shattered. Cracks formed across the timeless tapestry on the ceiling. Queen Bethnal and Prince Dannark might be experienced and wise people, but this went beyond their understanding. Against the unknown, they could truly feel fear! And now, they were terrified! The shockwave continued into Algard and Corasen. Many houses crumbled, while people screamed and panicked. It was a state of pure pandemonium!
Further and further, it went. The force continued to wind down once it reached a quarter of the province. That said, the white fireball could be seen from several provinces away! It was as conspicuous as the rising suns in the distance, heralding a new dawn. Several hours away from Corasen, a large fleet of ships were cruising through the South Crown Channel. On every sail was the proud flag of the Zino Kingdom: an azure-golden dragon! At the front was a flagship with bizarre engravings etched into the hull and three figures were standing at the prow. It was First Sage Pannark Winhelm, Ten Dawn Iris Cisvernia, and Ten Dawn Krogan Jermon. They looked at the distant fireball in Algard and grimaced. Even from here, the waves were ferociously splashing against them.
The First Sage ordered, "Speed up toward Algard!"
After a minute, both the explosion and shockwave receded. The world gradually returned to night. However, everything was but normal. Sword King Sin was in an extremely bedraggled state. His hair was a mess, his clothes were ripped and torn, and he had horrible injuries. His sword was on the verge of snapping as well! One had to know, while this sword looked average, it was a unique treasure! Moreover, he was the Sword King! To nearly break his sword revealed the sheer force he had to endure. Although he protected Benedict, he was almost too weak to remain standing. He stumbled several steps in a listless manner. He was so close to death that it was no joke. His remaining Martial Energy began charging up and stabilizing his wounds. Only then, did he regain his clarity.
He was so scared that he ditched healing his wounds and used his energy to flee! He grabbed Benedict with one hand like a pile of garbage and used his Martial Energy wantonly. Light flashed underneath every step as he flickered across massive distances in an instant. If people looked up, they would see nothing! That was how fast he moved! In less than a minute, he exited the countryside and entered the city center of Algard. Yet, he did not feel safe at all. Against an explosion of that scale, it seemed as if all resistance was futile! If it was controlled by a person… He shivered uncontrollably and accelerated. He travelled through the city easily and reached the cliffside.
The Sword King was not dumb. He heard about how the Alzar Kingdom set up blockades on the True Heart Bridge, which connected Algard and Corasen. His former vice-captain once prattled on and on about it. Normally, that was the sole passage between the two cities. Algard was built on an island with tall cliffs, making it nearly impossible to scale. It was an impenetrable natural defense! This was why control over the bridge was paramount! While many soldiers swarmed the bridge, he could technically go through. He was not wanted by the kingdom as they did not know his relation to the Whispering Shadow. But that would be slow, too slow for him. He wanted to get away as fast as possible! He would rather not tangle with the Alzar Kingdom.
With one step, he jumped off the cliffside of Algard. Far below him were raging waves and sharp rocks. If anyone landed on them, they would be killed in seconds. Yet, he did not panic. He channeled his Martial Energy again as a faint glimmer of light emerged on his feet. Then… He seemed to step on the air! Like an immortal, he descended this mysterious staircase. Although it was far from being called flying and he could merely descend, he displayed an ability that no human could imagine was possible. He was walking through the sky! Of course, he had neither the patience nor time to saunter. Just performing this technique consumed a huge amount of Martial Energy! He rushed across the water and reached Corasen. From then on, he disappeared to who knows where…
The Royal Guards were not much better. Their bodies were broken beyond belief. Although some survived the initial shockwave, their body was in too poor of a state. More died from the aftereffects than the shockwave. Sir Winstin coughed up blood and flesh. His arm was mangled awkwardly, and his glaive was snapped in half. Sir Sebastian's chest was caved in and his claymore broke as well. Lady Valentina's legs were twisted painfully, and her rapier disappeared. It turned to ash in her hands! No one had the strength to move as they fell unconscious to the tremendous pain. It would take some time for the Alzar Kingdom to rescue them…
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