The Amber Sword

Chapter 797 v4c165

Time And Space

Brendel once again utilised the Flash strike sword art to circle around Korfa.

Milos’ daughter scoffed at his seemingly tactless actions as she anticipated his next move.

Her sleek arm shifted to the direction that he was in, she then opened her fingers which led a multitude of scorching bolts to intertwine with one another, forming a shield.

Only after it was done did she turn towards him, with an ice-cold look of scorn on her face her gaze was fixated at Brendel.

Brendel replied with nothing but a faint smile.

Dim Korfa was slightly startled as she frowned.

In Brendel’s arm, the blade of the Staff of Earth continued to drive deeper.

The pitch-black blade was supposed to be halted by the circular shield formed by the meshed lightning, and surely it did, as space began shaking and rumbling. Yet simultaneously there was another responding variable, the sable sword continued to breach deeper and deeper into her defense, and ultimately stabbed her on the shoulder!

Dim Korfa howled from pain before collapsing onto the platform like a comet at the end of its journey.

What seemed like individual events happening in parallel contexts somehow intercepted with one another, miraculously crossing paths as they merged into one.

In the barrel-shaped glacier, the sky full of lightning promptly vanished, and gone were the blinding stripes saturated in the air, the platform once again returned to its previous tranquil, all as if the preceding events never happened.

Dim Korfa crawled and staggered back into a standing position. Glaring furiously at Brendel, her left hand was clutching onto the wound by her pale shoulder as blood spurted out of the porous wound.

Brendel learnt a crucial truth from the situation, that his opponent was not just a complete body of energy, but instead a hybrid, similar to that of Scarlet.

One major difference was the source: Scarlet’s partial elementation came from the elemental powers, while Hati’s oldest daughter’s strength naturally came from Milos.

This explanation aligned perfectly with his deduction.

“What...just happened?” With a blade to his neck, Filas was not intimidated even the slightest, even brazenly whispering into the ear of his fiancee by his side.

“It’s...elemental,” Laurenna could feel her throat drying up.

“Count Trentheim, milord...the elements...”

Brendel covered his lips, still maintaining his position from when he managed to infiltrate Dim Korfa’s defenses and actually leave a dent on her.

Hovering in mid-air, watching Korfa in disarray, partly shrouded in mists as the remnants of the gold thread of Law flickered and vanished.

“Time...” Dim Korfa squeezed out several words piece by piece, “The...Top...Tier...Ele-ment!”

“Miss Korfa, if my guesses are right, you have no resistance against elemental power do you,” Brendel taunted with a smile.

Dim Korfa’s face promptly dulled. Biting on her lip, she then glared at Brendel, no words were said between the sides thereafter.

“You have yet fully recovered, thus you draw from Milos’ power. Regardless, under the laws of the gods, there is only one absolute gap.

This meant not only are you in god class, you now have access to the realms.

But all of those are just privileges, what matters is that you can now control lightning, even as far as wielding the shield of the Divine power.

Yet those are all just from Milos’ staff, not until you become a god yourself can you possess Divine law.”

“So what if I can’t?” Dim Korfa grunted, muffling her voice to hide her underlying emotions, Brendel could tell the anxiousness in her tone.

“If I am Milos, I wouldn’t mind as much, but Milos is not the father of the Giants. Being a part of order, he represents a law of his own. You, on the other hand, are of the Twilight race, the Chaos species does not possess any law.”

Brendel light-heartedly remarked, but it sounded all too sinister in the ears of Dim Korfa. He then continued, “What I’m trying to say, I’m guessing you should know by now.”

“Only Law...can defeat Law. Other powers...are just specks in this mortal world...”

Brendel and Korfa’s voice seemingly echoed through space, while Shido was still mumbling to herself.

“I think you might have made a mistake there,” Dim Korfa bitterly rebuked, clenching on her teeth, “There is more to the world than the power of Order, even Order itself is but a display of Chaos, and Chaos...Chaos is the pinnacle of the Law.”

Brendel nodded, “True, at your best, I would hardly even cross your mind. But for a person who has just begun her rejuvenation, you’re just a shadow in Milos’ clothing.

And this clothing, this shell I might say, does have a fatal weakness for you. I’m sure you must think of it as a pity, for if I were to overlook it for just a couple of moments more, your plan would be perfect.”

Dim Korfa at that point was beyond just rage, her platinum pupils began rapidly saturated by strokes over strokes of lightning!

This was already the second time Brendel exposed her facade, and it leaves her with no answers as to why this mere mortal could see through her critical weaknesses so quickly time and time again, and then proceeded to provoke her time and time again!

Enraged, she yelled out to him, “You fucking rascal!”

Knowing that she was in no position to retaliate, she knew it would be ideal for the endless flow of energy to continue imbuing into her physical body while the mortal boasted.

In a quarter of an hour, herself, with the borrowed body of Milos, shall awake from the Earth and be reborn once more!

And when the moment comes, this scum will be nothing more than a bug in the dirt!

Just then, she felt slightly queasy, that Brendel, gazing upon her from above might have already seen through her schemes.

No, it’s impossible, but why is he not doing anything? With one hand supporting her wounded shoulder, her eyes filled with complex yet murked thoughts she contemplated and was ready to pry into his intentions before being promptly interrupted by Brendel, still with a smile on his face, “I’m sure you must be wondering why I hadn’t struck while the iron is hot?”

Dim Korfa was dumbfounded, watching her thoughts exactly proclaimed by her enemy.

“Well, the truth is pretty simple. With my power I can only strike with this one sword,” Brendel continued, “Good thing I’m not alone.”

Brendel’s words drove deep into Dim Korfa’s heart, feeling a harrowing chill through her spine as she frantically turned to the back, only to see an Ashen sword charging right at her!

The blade was silent as it encroached, bringing along the ash realm as it seeped in, seeming to draw all noise into its ashen void!

The Ash elemental, one she could identify almost immediately, the sword art style of a certain mortal sword saint, one that subjectively was less threatening as that of Brendel’s “time”, but his individual skill, the Ultimate realm, was one she would prefer to avoid.

Just like Brendel had mentioned ever so precisely, she had no way of repelling Elemental power. Under much frustration, she could only frantically roll over the ground to evade the Ash sword saint’s attack.

Yet with that dogged dodge, she had evidently proven Brendel’s point, one that Korfa herself was clear of.

As she made her way back on the platform, her face was as gloomy and dull as a dustpan.

Once he found his opportunity, Mephisto quickly followed with a series of successive attacks, so rapid the attacks Dim Korfa couldn’t even summon lightning to come for her defense.

Without the Milos’ privilege as a shield in her possession, for a recently rejuvenated person she was nowhere near a formidable opponent to the Ash saint. If it were not for her stellar fighting experience, more so than anyone present, she would have been pinned dead on the platform a long while ago.

“How did you guess it?” Watching the scene as it played out from a distance, Veronica turned around, with an explosion of curiosity she enquired.

The truth was far simpler than one would expect. When this copy was first launched, the players had no knowledge of Elemental activation. If the boss could manipulate the elements, then there was no possible way the players could win.

“Only the Law could defeat the Law, other powers are but the dust of the mortal world...” was the exact title from the Elemental activation chapter, the concept of the Law of Tiamat.

Brendel could recall all of it by heart.

By taking the initiative to identify the result then deducing the process, whilst silently watching Dim Korfa’s every move, it was hardly challenging to find the solution he needed.

“Early on when Master’s Ash realm effortlessly broke through her lightning barrier I had my suspicions. The Ash realm is not a Top tier law, at least not on par with Lightning as her Elemental law.

And with Master’s ability, in contrast to her current condition, it should be a fair fight, which led to my assumptions,” Brendel replied.

“That’s it?” Veronica was rather skeptical, not on his explanation but the fact that the cheeky brat would so wholeheartedly explain it to her.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Brendel decisively nodded.

Veronica kept her silence for a moment, before awkwardly shaking her head, “You little brat, you make me question myself time and time again if it was right to keep you around after the Loop of Trade Winds. Even if she is still not yet a true god, but as False god she is closing in on god status, yet here she is being messed around by the likes of you, not too sure what more can I say of this situation...”

Brendel shook his head with a grin on his face, “The battle is not yet won, milady. Korfa is Hati’s oldest daughter, she’s not going to give in like this.”

“But what more could she have done?” Veronica doubtingly winced her eyes, “She’s not a god, and only Law could defeat Law.”

“Besides Priesthood, she does have another privilege from Milos,” Brendel explained while gazing towards Korfa, who then was still stuck in a heated battle with Mephisto.

“His realm.”

As if she was eavesdropping, once his words dropped Dim Korfa let out time a fit of rage, and in a split second, sky blue static electricity rapidly engulfed the entire valley.

Just like prints with ever-expanding bandwidth, the light waves ultimately weaved through everyone in attendance, and right then, their connection with the original world was broken.

The feeling as if they never left their original position, and everything around were exactly where they were, but somehow they were transported to a completely foreign world.

Brendel, Mephisto, Ciel, Veronica and Hipamila, who was still lying in the shelter of the tunnels, felt it most evidently.

“This...” Ciel was amazed.

“So this is the world created from the Law of Lightning,” Veronica held her eyes tight, relishing the shifting surroundings, “Even though it isn’t part of Korfa’s law, this still resembles it...”

“She attempted to use Milos’ law to negate our elemental advantage,” Brendel saw through Korfa’s schemes, or more so her schemes were within his expectations.

“The third stage has begun, I will have to leave the rest to you, Madame Veronica.”

“What’s the Third stage?” The female squad leader of the Kirrlutzians blurted out.

“Not much, under current circumstances your speed should be the fastest, so Madame we will require you to help with the tunnels,” Brendel shook his head, “I need to back my master up,”

“You?” Veronica followed up with a question doubtfully, “Are you sure about that?”

Brendel was rather taken aback.

“We should all hope so don’t we.”

......

The entire valley seemed like a prison cell, engulfed in a cage of static shock, as the air was complemented by bands of sky blue. On the platform, it was a drastically different sight.

Mephisto’s Ash realm no longer had its absolute superiority as the blue lights continuously restricted its radius into only a tiny scope. Korfa meanwhile seemingly had regained her footing as she retaliated, her bloody left hand pointed towards him, a loud ‘pop’ was then heard as a new ring of light waves was released!

The Ash Sword saint appeared once again to have found his sword caught within the shield of Divine power, hovering in mid-air.

Mephisto frowned ever so slightly. Korfa’s retaliation sure doesn’t seem like a shield spell, but instead causing my sword to stop in mid-air, even when I am still wielding it! This is strange!

Right then, Brendel lightly propelled himself next to him, ready to battle at his aide.

“What’s going on?” Mephisto asked.

Brendel shook his head, he knew they were now within Milos’ territory, but he had never once entered the realm of the Divine folk, the closest he had ever got to experience such levels of power was when he underwent Elemental activation, at the Ultimate realm, deep within the holdings of Law.

In the Ultimate realm, Elemental power of allies will be heightened hundreds of times, while enemy Elemental power will greatly decrease. If possible, no side would want a fight in enemy territory.

Korfa naturally chose this realm because she was certain it would drastically restrict Mephisto’s ash realm. At least that was what Brendel deduced.

But what he found strange was that Korfa chose to expand Milos’ realm instead. Since her power before the complete merging was Chaos, it meant in this realm, her own power would be repressed.

Nevertheless, from what they were seeing with their own two eyes, her power was hardly restricted as she once again hovered herself into midair. With vengeful eyes she glared at her adversaries.

“What is happening?” Brendel was baffled, because from what he felt, Dim Korfa was now impeccably merged into this realm.

But Dim Korfa no longer had the patience or temperament to allow them contemplation, given how it nearly led to her demise just moments ago.

Raising her arm, she tapped onto the air before her.

“When the Giant dragons of Alga took to the skies, after the Northern winds blew, Jubius strapped chains onto their wings, and from then on, the skies and these pathetic organisms no longer intercept.”

“The Pale poem?” Brendel was slightly taken aback. Not knowing what Korfa meant by that, he turned around and to his surprise, found Ciel, Veronica, Mephisto and the others standing motionlessly at their spot, seemingly frozen in time.

Brendel’s expression promptly shifted for the worst, quickly identifying this trick that Dim Korfa had pulled on him, Truth magic. Regardless, Truth magic alone would not be able to bring forth an Ultimate realm on a whim unless the summoner was a sword saint, and it was only a moment of showcase.

Theoretically speaking, once someone achieves Elemental Activation, this spell is no longer of any use.

But Korfa once again broadened Brendel’s horizons, lest in the ways he was not comfortable with.

“Truth magic?”

“How are you still moving?!” Both took to questioning at shockingly matching timing.

Korfa’s eyes then lit up as she deduced, “I knew it, you are a Divine folk after all! I know who you are...” She hesitated for a moment, before making a smart guess, “Odin, aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid you gotta guess again,” Brendel unamusedly replied. There’s no way I can admit to that with all these people watching on the sidelines!

“Doesn’t matter if you admit,” Korfa scoffed, “But you can no longer cover up your ability. What you possess is a level belonging to the Divine folk, no, miles ahead of the Divine folk! Such a pity though, that bastard Odin as the representative of the last descendant of that wretched bloodline could surely be used to bully the pathetic mortals, but in a battle of this calibre, all your efforts are futile. You’ll know soon enough, that in my world, only my rules apply...”

Brendel was startled ever so slightly as the being before him had already started pointing fingers as she taunted, “Alphonso has already witnessed everything at the final battle with his own two eyes. On the battlefield of Babel, watching as legions of ten thousand came swarming towards him at once, he knew well enough that an era had officially ended.”

It was the Pale poem once again.

But Brendel was well alert and far more prepared this time around. He took a quick step back and held firmly onto the staff of Earth, just then, what akin to a miracle that happened right before his eyes!

One second he stood his ground on the platform, the next he found his distance with Dim Korfa exponentially increased, and what came in between them was a vast, rapidly expanding grassland.

Over on the edges of the horizon was a cliff, hovering hundreds of meters above ground level where he stood, and right there from the top, was Dim Korfa, gazing down at him from the towering heights above.

Right at the edge of the expansive fields, where it ended and the cliff began, were tightly packed rows of flags.

Brendel could identify the flags by their emblems, the Winter Wolves, Frost Leaf, Ice Blade, these were all legendary affiliations of the Frost giants. It didn’t take him long to come into realisation on what was about to happen. At the far side of his vision, the Frost giant army was armed and ready for battle.

At this moment, however, there just wasn’t a word that he could use to describe the circumstance he was in. The two of them were on the platform just moments ago, and it sure felt that way, but what Brendel saw before himself right then was Dim Korfa far and high above himself, while an army legion lined the horizon.

This scene sure was bizarre, to say the least, but Brendel knew well enough that his ominous visions were now not an illusion, but an actual occurrence in this lightning-plague world.

This is the nation of Milos, the Storm Plains, the heartland of the Frost giants!

But how did Korfa manipulate Milos’ realm? Is her law not impure to begin with?

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