Chapter 99: The Dam Beneath the Storm (Third Watch, 11,000 Words, Please Vote)

Mosodilka, meaning "the dam that bears the torrent" in Dark Elven, is a city that has carried a special significance since its birth.

Generally, two cities do not stand so close; on one hand, their functions overlap, and on the other, their resources clash.

When contradictions escalate, they easily turn into internal friction and struggle in every sense, leaving both sides devastated.

If so-called twin cities still arise, there is often a special reason: perhaps they depend on each other and complement each other's roles, or perhaps both were born from the same cause, making them de facto brothers in misfortune.

"The birth and prosperity of Mosodilka are actually the same as those of Radiant City, except their history is far more ancient, because they are actually closer to the Seal, and the Underworld needs this barrier even more."

Radiant City, the underground ruins sealing the "Beasts," and Mosodilka lie roughly on a straight line.

The Orcish Radiant City is at the very top, while the Dark Elven city is at the very bottom; the two sides have essentially become the two stoppers of a bottle.

"The underground ruins: the monsters spawned by the 'Beasts' not only hunt upward but also burrow downward. Due to the vastness of the Underworld, the pressure on its inhabitants has always been greater."

Mosodilka is a fortress city sponsored by the deeper layers of the Underworld, a quarantine zone standing between the vast Underworld and the "Beasts."

In fact, many people in Radiant City have long known of its existence, but there has been no official contact between them, only occasional caravans passing through.

"Then, our target this time is to go to that city and ask them what they mean?"

Li En felt this was a bit like seeking death voluntarily.

Could they possibly expect the enemy to spare envoys in a battle between two armies?

"Rest assured; even if they truly did this, I can take you back."

Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei patted her chest, promising that everything would be fine.

This was not merely confidence in personal strength, but also the fact that her identity was truly unique.

Even the Dark Elves must give face to the "Beasts" and to the Seven Beasts Alliance; more importantly, in the eyes of most alien races, "Magical Girls" are not Beast-Touched, so targeting them makes no sense.

In fact, they truly are not.

This seemingly lively girl, though of Serpent-Woman origin, possesses two legs, yet she can actually transform into a true Serpent-Woman or a Great Serpent.

Perhaps the Contract Serpent on her staff, which remains silent before outsiders, is her true essence.

"Magical Girls: they appear to possess human forms, yet they are merely human-shaped beasts."

The same words were being spoken in the Hall Tower of Mosodilka, the destination of Li En's party.

The Dark Elf in splendid robes wearing a crown is the theoretical supreme ruler of this city.

As the city's owner, the Countess, she stood atop the Gao Ta, watching the "maiden" who had just left the hall.

Yet within her ceremonial smile lay too many complex emotions, with absolutely no friendliness or trust.

"She has finally left."

Within that smile were unease, expectation, even fear and relief. As the master of this city, she still felt unease and fear toward that monster wearing human skin.

"Hi!"

Though hundreds of meters away, the maiden suddenly turned around and waved a thank-you to the Countess-Mayor who had just departed.

She was very beautiful, very pure.

She was an almost pure-white maiden, her white clothes and white hair framing a face of innocent childishness devoid of expression, with a small, cute white "doll" floating beside her.

She held a staff made of dead wood in one hand, and the two smooth antlers on her forehead also shimmered with pure white light.

"This monster," the Mayor said, revealing unease yet still forcing a smile, murmuring the truth as if to herself.

But that distant pure-white girl suddenly puffed out her cheeks, seeming very angry.

Did she hear?

She seemed to raise her staff, wanting to do something. Fortunately, her "mascot" stopped her.

However, that floating small beast, a small deer entirely white with only its eyes pitch black, looked over and appeared even more terrifying.

"These monsters." Beneath the Mayor's calm expression lay heartfelt unease.

"The Mayor of Mosodilka will give me face."

At the same time, Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei, the "Serpent" Magical Girl, was also speaking with great pride.

Although Li En did not know why she was so confident, since the other party was a big shot, he would simply believe her.

Theoretically, this journey should not take much time; after all, geographically, it was just a detour in a circle.

But having walked half a day in the Underworld just now, everyone knew the original plan had failed and the required time needed to be re-evaluated.

"How many times has this been attacked?" The mercenary speaking sounded exhausted from the bottom of his heart; it had been only half a day since entering, yet he felt he had not rested once.

"The seventeenth time; the sixth time with intelligence."

The attackers had already vaguely surrounded them; the convoy's vehicles stopped once more, and the warriors' fighting did not cease.

Li En moved into his combat position, looking at the silent Grey Dwarves closing in before him, and he abandoned the last attempt at communication.

"Evil..."

After a low chant, holy power gathered on the Heroine's sword.

Perhaps Li En still could not be called a mage, but his learning of spellcasting and his application of energy had indeed improved him in another aspect.

He was attempting to rewrite the model of the Evil-Cleaving Slash.

"... Evil-Cleaving."

In the next instant, the holy sword ran wild in his hand.

The radiant holy power on the blade did not scatter aimlessly; instead, it condensed into a stable sword shape. The light-sword, suddenly swelling a circle larger, became his fatal nail.

He exerted force suddenly and threw it.

"Whoosh!"

The light strike easily pierced the Grey Dwarf's shield, pinning him to the ground.

"Aaaah!" In the next moment, he roared fiercely as a second two-handed sword completed its charge.

The knight spun around sharply; the raised light-sword, spinning like a top, cleaved through all living things around him once more.

And this was not a blind counterattack.

"Aaaah!" Screams echoed through the night as shadowy lurkers were beaten out one by one.

Too fast. The gray dwarves, attempting a siege and ambush after Li En had deliberately exposed his weakness (losing his weapon), could not evade at all.

Some were severely wounded; some unlucky souls were directly cleaved in half by a horizontal slash.

Li En did not stop. He continued to swing the sword in his hand, delivering steady finishing blows.

"Hah." Li En took another deep breath. Only corpses surrounded him, yet he did not relax his guard.

These "dwarves" skilled in lurking had already caused him trouble before.

"Boom!"

A sudden air explosion about three meters from Li En made him move again.

"Die!"

In an instant, Li En had completed another stride.

When the sword fell again, the kill count increased by one.

"There shouldn't be any more left..." Li En continued to wait, but after more than ten seconds, the Holy Fire Halo found no next opponent.

Everyone says the Holy Fire Halo is useless, but when actually used, Li En found it quite handy, especially here.

After all, creatures of the Underworld average out to gray dwarves and dark elves, both possessing similar racial talents; lurking and ambushing are their standard attack methods.

Li En had finished the battle on this side; the defenders in other places were more numerous, and they were about finished as well.

He also realized that with the improvement of his spellcasting training, his "Banish Evil Slash" had become more controllable and adjustable.

Ultimately, these insights came not only from Lord Lord Kuku's remark that "Banish Evil Slash is also an Evocation spell," but also because Li En differed from other divine spellcasters: he did not believe in gods, nor did he consider divine magic to be holy.

In the understanding of both Lord Lord Kuku and Li En, divine magic often comes from divine revelation, or rather, a gift.

"It's somewhat like a toolkit transmitted from QQ by a superior."

If a wizard's spells are like the result of programming, then divine magic mostly resembles a compressed archive; click and it can be used.

A priest or paladin might use a certain divine spell their entire life yet remain unclear about its specific operating mechanism; the devout do not question the power granted by gods, let alone improve it. But when Li En truly observed the Banish Evil Slash with a spellcaster's eye, he discovered it was not complete or perfect.

It is merely the most standard, most universal template: how much radiant power to allocate, where to cover it on the sword, and how to explode upon collision—all predetermined in advance.

You can certainly adjust it, but only within the selectable range; even maxing everything out counts as mere fine-tuning.

Switching from automatic to manual is not impossible, but if your ability is insufficient, you will surely mess it up. Yet masters even customize their basic toolkits; the strength of the powerful is composed of countless details.

Su Er's Banish Evil Slash was clearly not the standard issue.

By paladin standards, Li En still had a long way to go before he could reconstruct his own Banish Evil Slash like Su Er.

But if regarded as an Evocation spell, and fine-tuned in terms of energy output within a spellcaster's perspective to better suit Li En as an individual, there was much that could be done.

"The power has obviously decreased, but it is easier to use..." The holy power output per unit of time is limited; adjusting the state of the radiant energy naturally reduces the damage dealt.

Li En did not truly intend to deny the classic model, but rather to modify it to better suit himself.

Sometimes, the point is not whether you can kill by slashing, but whether you can land the slash.

Many of Li En's ability components meant he did not need to pursue raw power excessively; instead, he required more flexibility, attack range, and the suddenness of his attacks.

"Perhaps learning Evocation spells can also increase the power of Banish Evil Slash." Improvement in spellcasting techniques and control over energy, in another way, boosts the power of all spells.

Before, Li En would not have thought to this level, but recalling that Lord Lord Kuku could learn even shamanistic witchcraft and demon arts, it seemed these supernatural abilities actually had no essential difference.

This thought flashed through his mind, yet it was verified by Lord Lord Kuku.

However, a normal paladin has no need to run and read books to learn spells for that slight increase in control ability and killing power; they have other ways to improve.

But conversely, if Banish Evil Slash and the Holy Fire Halo are also treated as spellcasting practice, Li En seems to have already accumulated much spellcasting experience.

"It seems I can do it."

Controlling energy, controlling elements—perhaps it really is not that difficult. This is instinct in itself; at least for the dragonborn Li En, it is an instinct that can be eaten as talent.

Li En subconsciously recalled using the Dragon Tongue spell before, that feeling of mastering elements as if by instinct.

If I want it to come, it must come.

"Snap!"

Li En closed the book; the time was about right.

Although the time and place were quite subtle, he felt he had indeed mastered his first first-level spell and could become a true wizard.

(End of this chapter)