Chapter 29: Art Of Combat
The energy dissipated, the Armored Monster, Zahir, and Flame Fist Elite either sprawled or curled up on the ground, motionless, with shell fragments and armor pieces falling off, their skin dark purple, emitting wisps of black smoke.
The people around had horrified expressions, their bodies stiff, not a single one daring to step forward; the fall of two mid-level pillars was too great a blow to morale.
Elite Professionals like Zahir, there weren’t even five across the entire battlefield.
The Kuo-Toa High Priest leaned on his scepter, hunched over, blood flowing from his five facial features, in very poor status.
Clearly, the Magic Net disruption had a great influence on him; even though spell-like abilities didn’t rely on the Magic Net, they couldn’t completely detach from the influence and interference of the mana environment.
Anse’s face was tense, hesitating several times, but he still didn’t act. He admitted he was afraid; if the Kuo-Toa High Priest still had strength left, wouldn’t that be suicide?
He needed to wait for an opportunity.
“Ah—”
Land rushed over like a madman, knocking over countless monsters along the way.
At this moment, his heart was filled with regret; he clearly had a chance to come help, but seeing the battle stabilize, he went to support elsewhere first, not arriving immediately.
The Kuo-Toa High Priest grinned and laughed hoarsely, revealing a mouth of sharp teeth, his voice strange and raspy, filled with madness.
Hadn’t he also been waiting for an opportunity, though he only tricked two.
Seeing Land charging over, he shook the whiskers on his chin, jumped down from the Armored Monster, and ran toward the riverbank with his short legs, apparently wanting to leave.
As an amphibious creature, jumping into the Chongsa River was like going home, placing him in an invincible position from the start.
A Kuo-Toa Monitor riding a Giant Crab ran up, guarding in front of him, baring its teeth at the charging Land.
【Kuo-Toa Monitor, Kuo-Toa, Challenge Rating 3】
“Go save them.” Anse also threw his bottle of Healing Potion to Brat.
Then he took a deep breath, activating「Metamagic」, mana surging around him, his cloak billowing and flapping loudly.
He concentrated intensely, remotely locking onto the purple-skinned dwarf priest, while constantly calculating Land’s position.
“
「Metamagic」+「Metamagic: Twinned Spell」+「Hold Person」!
Passionate Dragon Speech echoed, the staff feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, and as it swung, two barely perceptible mana spiritual lights appeared out of thin air on the heads of the Kuo-Toa High Priest and Kuo-Toa Monitor.
The two merfolk bodies stiffened, muscles paralyzed, even their dead-fish eyes unable to move.
At that moment, Land arrived, his berserk charge splashing up water, breaking through the cold wind and drizzle, trailing a long dragon of mist.
The next moment, the Kuo-Toa High Priest’s eyelids twitched, his limbs slowly extending, the paralysis fading; even in his poor status, Hold Person could only affect him for less than a second.
Just one second was enough!
The tough longsword slashed down with dazzling light, the Kuo-Toa High Priest instinctively raised his staff to block his neck, a faint energy field glowing on his body, but he faced the Paladin’s proud Holy Slash!
“Bang—”
The energy field shattered, the clash of metal and blade cutting flesh resounding simultaneously; half the High Priest’s arm and scepter detached from his body, his dwarf body flying sideways, neck half-severed, blue-green blood spraying a gorgeous blood mist.
Cure Wounds light glowed on the Kuo-Toa High Priest; he wasn’t dead yet!
“Hah—”
Land tensed his body, swung his arm in a full circle, the longsword in his hand turning into a white rainbow, whistling through the air to catch up with the falling merfolk, piercing from the abdomen and out the neck, tilting the ugly fish head, exposing bloody tissue and windpipe.
【Target Death, gained 385 combat experience】
‘This is an Elite Professional!’
Anse was greatly shocked; this art-like combat skill, flowing like water, could only be felt by seeing it with one’s own eyes—cold numerical levels couldn’t convey this suffocating sense of oppression.
‘Hmm, I’m not bad either!’
The Kuo-Toa High Priest landed, Land caught up in a few steps, pulled out his longsword, and chopped off the fish head in a few strikes before stopping.
With his death, the noisy battlefield suddenly quieted a lot, then all the merfolk dropped their opponents and fled in panic, jumping into the water one by one, vanishing in moments.
Only dozens of hobgoblins and duergar remained, despairingly watching the hundreds of humans closing in.
The paralyzed Kuo-Toa Monitor was also carried by the Giant Crab into the Chongsa River, escaping control.
“It’s over!” Anse sighed, quickly running toward Zahir.
The result wasn’t perfect, but at least they won.
A crowd had already gathered ahead; seeing Anse and Land arrive, they parted.
The Flame Fist Barbarian and Zahir remained motionless, their skin covered in purple-black corruption marks, with a fishy stench, hard to look at directly.
Quite a few Flame Fist soldiers surrounded that Flame Fist Barbarian; his breathing was steady, he could probably be saved.
Zahir’s chest was no longer rising and falling, two chunks of flesh missing from his chin—marks from Brat force-feeding the potion.
At this point, Brat inverted the Healing Potion, thumb plugging the bottle mouth, carefully sprinkling it on his skin, but there was no improvement.
Zahir was dead; vitalism and Healing Potions only worked on the living.
An old priest with white hair and beard knelt beside Zahir, his chest emblazoned with “Journey in the Sunrise,” clearly a Priest of Lathander.
He gently placed one hand on Zahir’s chest, gripped the Holy Symbol tightly with the other, holy magic with blessing power surrounding them.
Accompanied by a chant, holy mana fell but quietly dissipated midway, having no effect.
“Lord of Dawn, why? Why!”
The old priest broke down instantly, hands cradling the Holy Symbol, body curled up, tears streaming, like a child who made a mistake—helpless, alone.
‘This is the third ring Divine Spell Resurrection.’ Anse understood the incantation and felt the old priest’s despair.
He was both grieving the Paladin’s death and lamenting the Lord’s abandonment.
Land didn’t give up, squatting nearby, Lay on Hands power flowing bit by bit into Zahir’s body, but this power soon cut off.
His Healing Energy Pool was empty.
Anse turned his head, chest tight and uncomfortable.
“Priest Moody, you still have one third ring spell slot, right? You have one more chance!” Land grabbed the old priest’s hand, eyes bloodshot.
The old priest looked up at the man, words on the tip of his tongue swallowed back, only nodding heavily, but only he knew that after the Magic Net issue, he had never successfully cast a third ring Divine Spell.
He steadied his emotions slightly, gripped the Holy Symbol, preparing to cast again.
Anse’s heart stirred, leaning close and kneeling beside the old priest: “I’ll help you stabilize the mana.”
He closed his eyes, faint light glowing on his Soft Scales, the chaotic mana stabilizing, becoming gentle and obedient, forming soft mana vortices swirling around.
The essence of the Magic Net is mana, but it weaves and utilizes hard-to-control primal mana in some way; a damaged Magic Net can’t constrain primal mana, and primal mana in turn makes the Magic Net harder to sense and draw.
He didn’t know if this would work, but it was worth trying.
The old priest sensed the stabilizing mana environment around him, a spark of hope reigniting in his heart.
He gripped the Holy Symbol, perceiving and guiding the holy magic with far greater focus than usual; still difficult, but much smoother than before.
Seconds later, song-like chanting resonated quietly with the holy magic, condensed Holy Light falling from the Void, like the gaze of the Gods, enveloping Zahir completely.
Everyone’s breathing slowed, eyes fixed unblinking on the scene.
Until at one moment, a barely audible exhalation sounded, Zahir’s chest beginning to rise and fall gently, the amplitude growing larger.
“He’s alive, he’s alive!”
“I have half a Greater Healing Potion here…”
“…”
Thanks to Maozao, Rensheng Buyu, and Book Friend 20220602025759276 for the rewards.
Thanks to all Reader Lords for your support and suggestions!
1. Metamagic
Some past event left an indelible mark on you, infusing you with surging, hard-to-control mana. You can release this mana, lasting 1 minute. During this 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
Your Sorcerer spell saving throw DC +1.
You have advantage on attack rolls for Sorcerer spells you cast.
You can use this feature twice, regaining all expended uses upon completing a long rest.
