Chapter 455: Two Kelins?

Two Kelins?

Few Platinum-tier knights can drag a Purple Crystal-tier powerhouse for so long.

Even if this Purple Crystal-tier powerhouse has just broken through not long ago, even if he is a "mental-type professional" who is not good at head-on combat.

On the battlefield in the distance, the Campbell citizen cavalry fought bravely, charging into the enemy lines as if they were in an empty land under Theresa's leadership!

And those Campbell soldiers advancing orderly, they were also fighting bravely under the encouragement of the re-sounding artillery fire.

The mountain bandits wearing green turbans and the slave rats waving slings launched one round after another of fearless attacks, but eventually failed under the sound of platoon firing one round after another.

Without a doubt, this was exchanged by Ailin with her own sacrifice.

The holder of this generation of "light of transmission," like her predecessor, is worthy of the name of hero, just like the epic passed down from generation to generation by the Campbell people—

The Grand Dukes of Campbell will always stand up when their subjects need them most, practicing the creed and bravery of knights!

Relying on this heroic deed, she has already achieved her own legend! Even if she passes away at this moment, her soul will achieve eternity in the name of legend.

As long as there is one Campbell person left in this world, she will not truly "die" from this world...

The brave knight finally exhausted her last bit of strength and fell, while a magic wand shining with golden light was raised at the same time.

Just when the latter was shocked that the "light of transmission" could not only call upon the power of ancestors to possess her, but also drag the old ancestors out of the coffin, the "Kelin" bathed in holy light had already chanted the first spell.

"Prairie Fire—"

The short chanting was completed in an instant, and the boiling fire rushed into the pitch-black forest like a mountain torrent.

Rolandar didn't have time to think about what happened, his index finger quickly plucking the strings, and a semi-transparent ripple swung forward with a "Clang!" sound!

Mental-type spells are not only able to act on people, but can also be used to break up spells that have already taken shape.

Only seeing that prairie fire disintegrate like broken colored glaze the moment it touched that semi-transparent ripple!

"A mere Platinum-tier spell also wants to win against me, even if you call out all your ancestors—"

His voice hadn't fallen yet when his pupils shrank suddenly, and his body turned into a phantom.

And at the same time, in the fire that disintegrated like colored glaze, golden sharp swords rushed forward like fire phoenixes breaking out of their shells!

That unfathomable magician didn't just chant one spell, but used the fire as a cover to hide the Holy Spear in the boiling firelight!

This is also a kind of illusion.

It's just that it's not an illusion woven by mental spells, but a scheme set by human wisdom.

However, he was still a step behind after all, and was dodged by the cunning Rolandar.

If this blow could hit, even if it couldn't kill this Chaos Chosen, it would inevitably cause heavy damage.

Purple Crystal-tier is just a stronger transcendent, it doesn't mean they won't die.

Not to mention Purple Crystal-tier, even demigods have fallen into the hands of mortals, it's just that after that, that person became a new demigod.

Rolandar obviously also knew the danger of the previous move, and the originally arrogant smile was twisted again because of his embarrassment.

"A mere bug also dares to stretch its claws toward me..."

He, who had retreated more than ten meters, quickly plucked the strings with his index finger, and sharp mental ripples turned into blades that existed like reality, flying toward that mysterious magician.

Kelin didn't even look at it, the corners of his tight mouth curling up in a playful smile, and then he wove the third spell.

"Holy Verdict!"

Just as his voice fell, mental ripples like reality had already hit his chest, and then passed through without any obstruction.

Rolandar's eyes were almost bulging out, obviously not expecting that his mental attack didn't have any effect at all, actually passing through directly!

Even if that guy wasn't a living person, but a summon or mirror image summoned by magic, it was absolutely impossible not to be affected at all!

Before he could think about what was going on, majestic holy light descended from the sky like a heavy punch, smashing heavily into the deep pit where he had been standing half a second ago!

"Boom—!"

A scorched deep pit was left on the flat ground!

Rolandar looked at the figure standing in the holy light, motionless, while quickly playing the strings.

It was very clear that although this Chaos Chosen had tested the depth of the "light of transmission," he was still completely confused about the essence of its power.

That was not an existence summoned by magic, and it was even different from all transcendent powers, but reached the essence of all miracles—

That is, the power of faith!

Standing in front of him at this moment was not anyone on the Campbell family tree, but the incarnation of the spiritual totem of thousands of Campbell people!

Although his strength was determined by Ailin's strength, the artifact "light of transmission" itself harbored the seed of legend representing "Master's Power"!

In other words, he was not fighting one person, but fighting the legend in the hearts of all Campbell people!

It cannot be killed!

However, Rolandar was a smart man after all; he gradually realized that this body condensed by the light of transmission was likely an invincible existence, and wanting to destroy it required

Yet that "ancestor" was quite clever, seeing through his intentions at a single glance.

The moment Luo Landar manipulated a shadow to project toward Ailin, that poised magic wand flicked quietly, summoning a hurricane that lifted Ailin's body and carried her a hundred meters away.

Luo Landar wanted to pursue, but dozens of spears formed from holy light descended from the sky, locking his path forward like a cage.

Although the attack did not seem fierce to him, it still caused him tremendous trouble.

Not only that—

That annoying little imp did not just watch from the sidelines either, but kept throwing seven-inch daggers to harass his offensive; while the lethality was limited, the insult was extreme.

Especially since this fellow's movement technique was extremely agile, darting about in hiding. And every time he wanted to use mental magic to strike it down, that golden wand would weave treacherous and unpredictable spells at the critical moment, forcing him to divert his mental energy to defend!

Luo Landar's expression grew increasingly ferocious; he could no longer concern himself with the living sacrifice for Urgos.

He wanted them all to die right now!

"... I originally intended to send you to the eternal kingdom of heaven, but it seems you do not belong there; it was I who was being unreasonable."

"So be it—"

"Let your filthy blood be used to compose the movement for my Lord's kingdom of heaven!"

His index finger and thumb pinched the thickest string, suddenly pulling it taut, then abruptly releasing it!

The low-pitched zither sound, after merging with his mental energy, slammed into the ground beneath his feet like a hundred-meter-wide heavy hammer.

"Boom—!"

The invisible hammer blow transformed into a tangible heavy pressure; the hundred-meter-square forest was like being struck by a giant palm, every tree snapping inch by inch and collapsing along with the sinking ground!

Facing this indiscriminate area-of-effect attack, Cici, unable to dodge in time, took a hit to her back; her eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, falling from the sky like a kite with a broken string.

She felt as if her internal organs had been churned together, the pain so intense she nearly lost her breath.

Is this the power of an Amethyst-tier powerhouse?

Truly terrifyingly strong!

With her peak Platinum-tier strength, she couldn't even take a single hit...

A flash of smug satisfaction crossed Luo Landar's face; he had finally gotten rid of this annoying bat.

However, before he could be happy for two seconds, that smug smile froze on his face.

There, amidst the swirling dust, a familiar figure stood, holding the bat he had just struck down in their arms.

Wait—

He turned his head abruptly, glancing at the figure standing in the holy light not far away, then quickly twisted his head to look at the figure standing in the rolling dust ahead.

The two faces were identical!

How could there be two... ancestors of the Campbell people?!

It wasn't just Luo Landar who was surprised; honestly, Luo Yan was quite surprised too. He had just operated the Myriad Image Butterfly to fly over when he saw another version of himself.

That two Kelins would appear in the same place was truly... intriguing.

But with his intelligence, he guessed the gist of it in an instant; it must have been the work of the ever-changing Light of Eulogy.

It was just that he truly hadn't expected Ailin's miracle to be himself.

This was truly... too sinful.

"Lord Demon King..."

Feeling a warm current merge into her body, the dazed Cici gradually regained consciousness.

Upon seeing that calm and majestic face, her wine-red eyes instantly filled with mist, no longer able to maintain the dignity belonging to the Queen of the Nightmare Realm.

It was just too painful.

If there hadn't been a fellow around who cared for her, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold back her tears.

Although the little imp was small in stature, the neurons in her body were no fewer than a human's, and she was even more sensitive than them, which was why they excelled in mental energy.

"Apologies, Your Majesty... for letting you see such a shameful side of me; please forget what just happened." Forcing back the urge to cry, Cici bit her trembling lips tightly, stubbornly lowering her gaze.

Having healed the internal injuries on Cici's body, Luo Yan dissipated the nether energy in his palm, soothing the wounds in her heart with an approving tone.

"I do not consider that a shameful side; on the contrary... your loyalty and bravery are deeply imprinted in my mind, and I fear it will be very difficult for me to forget them in this lifetime."

That face, pale from blood loss, instantly flushed with a crimson hue, like clouds burning at dusk.

"Do, do you really think so? Not just to comfort me..."

Listening to that suddenly faltering voice, Luo Yan smiled gently, his index finger brushing Cici's feverish forehead.

"Of course, I never lie."

The moment his words fell, a transparent ripple passed through his body.

However, what was pierced was merely an afterimage.

In that very instant, Luo Landar discovered to his astonishment that his mental energy could no longer perceive that fellow's existence!

It was as if he had completely vanished from this world, leaving only a butterfly dancing gracefully as it flew past the tree shadows.

He raised a hand and tore the brilliantly colored butterfly to shreds, yet that person's figure did not reappear.

Not only that—

The shattered butterfly was like a bursting soap bubble, leaving not even a fragment behind, as if everything had been his hallucination.

What kind of magic is this?!

A whisper from the void suddenly surged into his sea of consciousness.

Under normal circumstances, He would not appear, unless even He felt surprised.

"... Ether, actually?!"

"Ether?!" Having never heard this term, Luo Landar froze for half a second, hurriedly asking, "What is that?"

"The power of the Mist of Deception... perhaps he is a Mad Speaker, perhaps it is a coincidence, but regardless of what it is, you had better resolve the trouble before you first."

The whisper from the void threw out a flat, indifferent sentence, then vanished from his sea of consciousness once more.

Urgos rarely spoke directly to believers, because they were all His sacrifices; He didn't even care about their victory or defeat, only about what kind of delightful offerings they could bring Him.

Luo Landar dared not be negligent, because in the time he was stunned, that "replica" standing in the holy light had already released a spell at him.

Whistling light shot toward him like lightning; although it was quickly intercepted by the zither music he played, immediately afterward, bone spears descended from the sky toward his spine.

"Whoosh—!"

The flying bone spears were like cannonballs, crashing into the shield he had erected and sending ripples outward!

The "replica" standing in the holy light showed a flash of surprise on his face, but did not think much of it, still viewing Luo Landar as the priority target to be eliminated, and continued to weave sacred spells to attack him.

"I really dislike it when others strike before I have finished speaking, Mr. Luo Landar."

"Who exactly are you? Your Majesty? Which Majesty?" Luo Landar searched for the source of the voice while freeing up a hand to defend, his eyes darting rapidly in all directions.

The voice that seemed to come from the void laughed softly.

"That has nothing to do with you; you only need to know my name is Kelin, and remember to carry this name down for me."

"Arrogant!"

Luo Landar's expression twisted in an instant, roaring at the bottomless forest.

"Don't think that just because you're hiding in the shadows I can't do anything to you! Those few bone spears just now have already exposed your depth; if I'm not mistaken, you should be Diamond-tier? Heh, mere Diamond... daring to run wild in front of me!"

The voice that seemed to come from the void paused for two seconds, then threw out a faint remark.

"It is true that I am Diamond... but you, this Amethyst-tier, don't seem to be much stronger."

Luo Landar froze for a moment, his face still filled with uncontrollable rage, but his heart grew alert.

His strength indeed had elements of being picked up for free, and this sentence truly hit his sore spot.

Although the Chosen of the Claw of Eternal Hunger and the Chosen of the Flame of Destruction both exchanged slaughter for power from Chaos, the sacrificial rituals of the two were fundamentally different.

The former valued the results of slaughter and the actual plundering more, while the latter emphasized the process of fighting and the results of destruction.

To use an inappropriate but sufficiently vivid metaphor, the former was more like an extortionate lord, while the latter was more like a gladiator in an arena.

In the sacrifices of the Claw of Eternal Hunger, the brave but reckless fellows were often the first to die; only fellows like Luo Landar, who were treacherous and cunning to the extreme, hiding behind friendly forces to preserve themselves and devour the fruits of their allies' labor, would enter the final round to compete for the true Chosen.

Even if the Chosen selected through this method was just a bloated giant, unworthy of the power in their hands and unable to contend with true heroes.

But what did that have to do with the great Urgos?

The "Claw of Eternal Hunger" is iron-clad, while the "Yearners" are fluid; His terror did not lie in His strength, but in the fact that His servants were like cockroaches, impossible to kill off using traditional methods.

Luo Landar was such an existence, a giant rat pushed onto the altar by believers.

Luo Yan could clearly see that while the twisted soul fire was massive, it lacked the slightest quality to match it, not even as good as Mixi's.

He was able to become stronger purely because of Urgos's twisted "aesthetic."

By comparison, Elder Zakro's strength was inferior to this fellow's, but the pressure he brought was far greater than this.

Of course—

It might also just be that he himself had become stronger, no longer the weak self he once was.

The dense forest several kilometers away.

Luo Yan, having just finished a round of spells, handed the flushed Cici to Youxi and Mixi, to be supported by those two worried little fellows.

Although they had also suffered some injuries, they were not very serious, just a shock to their mental energy; a rest would suffice.

But honestly—

Youxi and Mixi were also seeing such a bird-like, dependent Queen Cici for the first time, and almost thought Lord Demon King had grabbed the wrong person.

Looking at this group of disheveled little imps, Luo Yan said in a voice tinged with apology.

"Apologies, I arrived a step late, leaving you to face that terrifying fellow alone."

Youxi and Mixi kept their mouths tightly shut, trembling, trying hard to minimize their presence, not daring to answer Lord Demon King.

This wasn't because they were worried about overstepping, but purely because they were afraid that when Queen Cici kept ruminating on this memory, she would remember they were present at the time and had seen her "shameful" appearance.

That would be truly terrifying.

To maintain her dignity, their Queen was capable of anything.

Including but not limited to personally searching for various colorful mushrooms in caves and then inviting them to drink mushroom soup, just to make them forget what she did after getting drunk and throwing a tantrum...

Fortunately, little imps had a superb tolerance for poisonous mushrooms, so no one was poisoned to death.

Mixi still remembered that the entire Nightmare Realm was immersed in a "wondrous dream" that day, which finally ended only when they all declared in unison that they had lost their memories.

That was truly a disaster.

Completely unaware of the strange looks from her subordinates, Cici coughed lightly and said in a soft, delicate voice.

"No... you arrived just in time; please teach that annoying bug a harsh lesson on my behalf, and stomp flat that fellow who dared to offend your majesty!"

Aside from the arrogant wording, that was simply not her usual voice.

Youxi and Mixi had goosebumps all over, but for the sake of their own lives, they still tried hard to keep their mouths shut, not daring to breathe.

"Rest assured, no one can escape unscathed after harming my loyal subordinates."

Luo Yan left a comforting sentence with a smile, then his figure flashed, turning into a brilliantly colored butterfly in Cici's heart-fluttering gaze, and flew away gracefully.

Meanwhile, several kilometers away.

The furious Luo Landar finally broke through the layers of spells woven by "Kelin" with the magic wand and was about to take down the unconscious Ailin when a ghostly green light suddenly flashed, intercepting his spell precisely.

"Spirit of the Curse!"

It was thousands of twisted faces. They were like souls entangled with one another, compressed into a giant wall shimmering with ghostly light.

The moment the two spells collided, the ghostly green light shattered instantly, and thousands of vengeful spirits were released, roaring like mad dogs and tearing at everything around them!

Feeling the mental backlash rushing toward him, Luo Landar hurriedly dispelled his spell and dodged backward.

Although taking this spell head-on wouldn't have been difficult, he didn't dare to gamble on whether there was anything else hidden behind that spell.

The black light rushing toward Ailin turned into green smoke and dissipated, just before it touched her armor.

It was also at this moment that Luo Landar finally saw the figure standing beneath the tree shadows!

His pupils shrank slightly.

When did this fellow return?!

He hadn't perceived it at all!

Without giving Luo Landar time to catch his breath, the magic wand in Luo Yan's hand continued to wave, casting a second spell at him.

"Return of Ten Thousand Bones—"

The moment his last syllable fell, the wandering ghosts scattered in all directions were like being grabbed by an invisible giant hand, flying back around Luo Landar like birds returning to their nests.

Having never seen such a bizarre spell, Luo Landar's heart felt a sudden warning, and he hurriedly plucked the zither strings to construct a mental barrier for defense.

Seeing this fellow's defensive stance as if facing a great enemy, the corners of Luo Yan's mouth curled into a smile.

Just as he had expected, although this fellow had risen to Amethyst-tier, the strongest opponent he had encountered was probably only Platinum.

But he was different—

Back when he was still Silver-tier, he had already fought against an Amethyst-tier powerhouse!

The returning souls did not rush at the mental barrier Luo Landar had constructed, but instead plunged into the earth beneath his feet!

Before Luo Landar could react to what was happening, the earth beneath his feet became as if boiled, suddenly surging with thousands of skeleton arms, swallowing the entire forest!

"Creak—"

The clattering of bones was like the beating of war drums; skeleton warriors exuding death energy stood up one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The legion of the undead was waking from their long slumber; they would follow the King from Hell and wage war on the lands of the mortal world!

Watching the sea of skeletons surging like a tide, Luo Landar was truly stunned for a few seconds, but soon laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! Is this what you were planning? You expect to deal with me using these scraps?"

A group of skeleton soldiers at most Steel-tier, what could they do besides giving him a fright?

Luo Yan smiled slightly, his figure flashing to land beside Ailin, hoisting her onto his shoulder.

This fellow's armor was quite heavy.

If he hadn't cast a dozen buff spells on himself in advance, he probably wouldn't have been able to carry her.

That would have been too embarrassing.

The "Kelin" standing in the holy light watched him, seemingly not sensing any hostility from him, so he did not obstruct him, but confidently left everything to him.

Honestly, this feeling was strange; after all, that handsome, striking face clearly belonged to himself, yet at this moment, it was saying to him with its eyes—

'It's up to you.'

Luo Yan did not answer, because there was no time to do so.

Every one of his spells was pre-designed, linked to one another, collectively forming a whole game of chess.

At the same time the two completed the handover, he raised his magic wand and swung it downward again, mobilizing all his magic power, and softly spat out the final spell.

"Corpse Explosion—"

Watching the soul fire shrinking violently within those skulls, Luo Landar's complexion changed instantly.

However—

It was already too late.

The moment Luo Yan's figure vanished again, the explosive firelight instantly swallowed nearly a kilometer radius of the forest!

The explosive shockwave and bone fragments wiped swathes of the forest off the map in an instant, and simultaneously pierced through the defense Luo Landar had constructed to resist mental attacks!

After all, that wasn't a mental attack at all, but a physical attack superimposed with fire-attribute magic!

If Luo Landar had been in his prime, he might have been able to barely parry this sudden explosion, but the previous battle had already consumed too much of his magic power.

Before he could let out a scream, the explosive firelight had already blown his body to pieces.

Before he could cast a spell to save himself, bone spears condensed from the sky-filling bone powder had already pierced his broken body with the force of a thousand cuts.

With his pupils widened like blood holes, Luo Landar, held in the air by thousands of bone spears, finally breathed his last, his soul returning to the Hive City far from this land.

The deafening explosion reached the battlefield several kilometers away; both armies, deep in the heat of battle, were startled by the firelight shooting into the sky, and many soldiers even stopped their actions, staring blankly in that direction.

What happened?

No one knew.

Except for Theresa, who had watched Ailin rush into the forest and vaguely guessed something, most people wore blank expressions on their faces.

Including the ratmen who had been startled.

Although anxious, Theresa knew now was not the time to worry about Princess Ailin.

She gritted her teeth, raised the blood-stained cavalry lance in her hand, and shouted loudly at the citizen cavalry behind her.

"It is the magic of Saint Xisi! The holy light is on our side! For glory, for faith! Charge with me! Drive these devils from the abyss back into the abyss!"

No matter who the victory in the forest belonged to, she had to do the only thing she could do now!

That was to secure victory on the main battlefield!

As for whose miracle that deafening explosion belonged to, it didn't matter to them at all.

All they could do was believe!

And unite as one!

"Kill—!"

The exhausted citizen cavalry let out another roar of charge, threw away their broken lances, drew their longswords, and charged aggressively toward the flank of the Green Forest Army.

Watching this group of cavalry who seemed to have divine help, the Green Forest Army, whose morale was already teetering, finally began to collapse, their crooked lines shattering backward like an avalanche.

Just like the fleeing ratmen.

"Charge!!"

The frontline commanders also drew their sabers, let out roars of charge, and led the Campbell infantry, who had been fighting bloody battles for a long time, to fix bayonets and pursue the fleeing Green Forest Army.

They could not give the enemy a chance to regroup their remnants!

If they let them escape back into the rat holes, it wouldn't be long before these apostles of Chaos returned with weapons supported by the ratmen!

The outcome of the main battlefield had been decided; Theresa, covered in blood, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, even if Luo Landar were still alive, he would certainly have no way to deal with the situation of a total collapse.

What was urgent now was Princess Ailin!

"Follow me!"

Shouting loudly at the cavalry beside her, Theresa kicked her horse's belly hard and led two hundred cavalrymen into the dust-filled forest.

The dwarf lord fighting side-by-side with the Campbells nearby saw this, flipped onto his goat, and shouted as he pursued.

"I'm going with you!"

Although he felt a bit guilty facing a Chosen of Chaos, he couldn't just watch his allies go to their deaths.

At least he had Platinum-tier strength, and he also had the protection bestowed by the Book of Hatred and the artifact bestowed by the Dwarf King.

As long as the opponent wasn't a demigod powerhouse, he still had a chance to trade a few blows.

Theresa did not refuse; once the dwarf lord caught up, they merged their forces and killed their way into the forest.

However, when she killed her way into the forest, she did not see her respected Princess, only bones covering the ground and traces of burning.

"Princess—!" she shouted loudly, looking around, her face full of anxiety.

"... At least our enemies aren't here either; perhaps she won, but fainted from overexertion." The dwarf lord muttered, although he felt this sentence couldn't convince himself either.

Wielding the Light of Eulogy was not without a price, and what kind of price would be enough for a Platinum-tier knight to defeat a Chaos Chosen suspected of having Amethyst-tier strength?

It was hard to say who was stronger between him and Grand Duke Aaron's old rival—Demon King Lei Ji Dragon.

To defeat Lei Ji Dragon, the Grand Duke had burned his own life as the price.

Theresa bit her lip, her face turning slightly pale, and turned to shout at her subordinates.

"Spread out! The Princess should be nearby; find her!"

"Yes!"

The cavalrymen acknowledged the order, spurred their horses toward the surroundings, and went to search for Ailin's tracks.

"I'll have my people help too." The dwarf lord left a sentence, rode his goat mount back to the battlefield, and called for his men to come and help search for people.

Although dwarves had short legs, they excelled in keen sense of smell; at least they could smell rat scent, preventing the ratmen from intercepting the Princess of the Campbell Principality.

In the forest, a pitch-black figure stood on a tree branch, silently overlooking those busy figures.

Although he didn't understand why Lord Demon King cared about the lives of these humans, the current Thanos had completely become shaped by Lord Demon King and would no longer question any order issued by Lord Demon King.

Of course, he could swear to the Demon God that he hadn't questioned them before either, at most just grumbling a few words in his heart.

"The Campbell cavalry seem very anxious... considering they are about to die of exhaustion, do you need me to let them take a nap? My Majesty."

Thanos whispered to the butterfly resting on his wrist, his expression as respectful as a loyal dog.

The butterfly flapped its wings; he remembered Lord Demon King had instructed that this meant shaking his head.

'Do not do anything unnecessary.'

Thanos nodded slightly, while silently regretting for a second that his trump card hadn't been able to make an appearance.

What a pity.

To think that noisy old woman, Blansia, reached Diamond-tier first, even though he himself was just a little bit away from breaking through.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Leaving this sentence behind, Thanos retreated into the shadows, withdrew from the explosion site, and continued to monitor the Campbell positions...

(End of chapter)