The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 128: The Dangerous Autumn Manor

Vol 2 Chapter 128: The Dangerous Autumn Manor

Inside the cavern, the two of them cleaned up the battlefield.

Lucas's primary target was naturally the incomplete dragon bone embedded in the stone wall. Although its quality was poor, for him, it was still a rare and precious find.

On the other side, Sylutia walked among the skeletal remains, searching for any potentially useful items left behind.

Most of the bones here were from beasts. Sylutia guessed that this place might have been a dragon's nest in the past, and these skeletal remains were the leftover food scraps after the True Dragons had feasted.

Apart from the mostly decayed animal bones, Sylutia occasionally saw some broken weapons, but unfortunately, most were rusted and ruined.

Wait, she seemed to see something special. A shimmering light flowed within Sylutia's eyes.

'Discernment Eyes' combined with Nature Perception gave her insight beyond ordinary people. She used a wooden stick to push aside the fragmented bones and dust, fishing out a small, unique metal plaque from within.

Shaking it off and cleaning the dust from its surface, Sylutia discovered its intricate and beautiful patterns. They seemed to depict the trajectory and laws governing the operation of something.

Carefully feeling the silver metal plaque in her palm, Sylutia suddenly had an epiphany. She quietly shifted her own Aspect, slowly channeling the power of the 'alien star' into it.The patterns on the metal plaque emitted a faint glow, and then several points within it lit up, beginning to slowly drift and move.

【Star Track Engraving (Griffin Lion)】(Third Tier · Rare): A metal plaque engraved with the track lines of the Star Palace (Griffin Lion), usable for channeling the power of the Star Palace.

What was a Star Palace, and what did 'Griffin Lion' represent? Sylutia had never heard of them before. She could only guess that this should be an item related to the 'alien star' Aspect.

Putting away this metal plaque, Sylutia looked to the side. Lucas was still busy collecting the incomplete dragon bones.

Sylutia then took out another 'Corpse-Seeking Vine' seed, catalyzed it, planted it, and began sensing the surrounding environment.

The 'Corpse-Seeking Vine' could detect the aura of the 'Dead Embers' Aspect in the soil, often used to search for corpses. Now, it could also be used to probe for dragon bones.

Synchronizing her perception with the 'Corpse-Seeking Vine,' Sylutia extended her perception deep underground with the help of the vine's power. Sure enough, she made more discoveries.

There should be another dragon bone over there, but it was buried even deeper, still hundreds of meters underground, with no passages leading to it.

Digging it out would probably require long-term planning. At this moment, Sylutia already heard faint footsteps coming from the mine entrance. The Anty people were probably coming down.

Gathering their things, Lucas and Sylutia began heading back, discussing how to deal with the enemy.

"If the number of knights on the other side doesn't exceed five, we should still be able to hold them off. But if it exceeds five, we need to retreat as quickly as possible," Lucas suggested.

"Most of the bone creatures I'm controlling now have strength around the Second Tier. Although they are relatively strong among Second Tier beings, it's still difficult for them to inflict damage against Third Tier knights."

The defensive power of the knight progression path is the highest among common types of Transcendents. They are the cornerstone of royal authority's stability.

"I understand," Sylutia nodded.

After thinking for a moment, she took out an 'Iron Thorn Vine' seed, held it in her palm, and continuously infused it with the power of the 'Verdant Nectar' Aspect, causing it to grow into a tough vine whip bearing hard black thorns.

With her ability enhancement, even a knight would be unable to break free from such a vine whip in a short time. Whether used for obstruction, trapping enemies, or engaging in combat, it would be very useful.

On the other side, Lucas once again took out that pale skull. He poured some of the recently collected waste dragon bone powder into it and began operating the skull, slowly absorbing the power within.

Several minutes later, the two arrived not far from the mine exit and encountered the Anty soldiers guarding the area.

"Who goes there!?" Before these soldiers could clearly see the two, they saw ghostly white mist-like specters rushing towards them, piercing through their bodies and causing them to slowly collapse.

Afterwards, these white mist specters rushed out of the mine, beginning to scout the surroundings. At that moment, after two gunshots rang out, many specters were blown into dissipating smoke by the erupting flames.

Outside the mine, Anty soldiers formed neat ranks, surrounding the exit, and set up crossbows, aiming them at the opening.

At the rear, Somerlin was on a recliner under a parasol, guarded by two Anty knights.

"They've finally come out, these Regas rats," Somerlin said upon hearing the noise, slowly sitting up while holding a wine glass.

The first to rush out of the mine was a white-boned monster. Its body was as large as an ox, with three long white horns on its head. This bone creature had immense strength. As soon as it emerged, it smashed through two layers of the Anty soldiers' shield wall before being cleaved apart by a captain-level figure wielding a great axe.

However, it still accomplished its mission of attracting attention. While the Anty people were slaying this ox-type monster, Sylutia and Lucas quickly rushed out of the mine, following behind several bone creatures.

"Loose arrows!" The officer commanding from the rear immediately ordered.

The twanging of crossbow strings vibrated incessantly. Within seconds, about 100 arrows shot towards the two.

"White Bone Stitching!"

Lucas swung the bone staff in his hand. The bone creature in front of him instantly transformed, its bones gathering and arranging to form a thick, dense bone wall, blocking the incoming arrows.

On the other side, Sylutia brandished her Glittergold blade, her body turning as if performing a light dance, severing and deflecting the incoming arrows.

"Oh, there's also a woman with exquisite skills," Somerlin watched this scene from the rear, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, this young woman's inadvertent movements revealed a supple, well-coordinated figure and a unique, beautiful temperament—things Somerlin rarely saw in the military.

"Aru, you go deal with that bone-playing fellow. Let Bulian and the others handle this woman."

"Yes, boss."

Upon hearing Somerlin's command, a giant as massive as a small mountain stood up from the rear ranks. He was about three meters tall, with a sturdy and somewhat fat build. He wore a silver breastplate, with circular armor plates protecting key areas like his elbows, while the rest of his body was directly exposed to the air.

This warrior named Aru held the rank of 'Third Tier · Bloodline.' He carried a double-headed axe forged from bright silver steel on his shoulder. Just looking at the axe, it probably weighed 100 Jin.

The burly man gripped the axe handle with both hands, leapt directly from the rear, landing on the front line like a mountain. He then let out a roar, the explosive sound wave nearly deafening the soldiers in front. He then swung the great axe, directly cleaving a bone creature in front of him and crushing its skull and key parts underfoot.

Seeing this, Lucas's eyes nearly burst with fury. He directly raised the pale skull in his hand, and dense grayish-white mist drifted out, surging towards the burly man.

"This kind of move, huh." Aru shook his head disdainfully, then tightened his grip on the axe handle. As if holding his breath, his face quickly turned red, and the exposed muscles on his body bulged menacingly.

Then, with a stomp of his foot, he charged directly towards Lucas's location. During the charge, the great axe was raised high, then swung down with a fierce, sideways pressure, cutting through the air with a sharp, explosive whistle. It shattered the bone creatures originally beside Lucas, and the residual force continued to fracture the mine, the constantly falling rocks temporarily sealing off this part of the mine.

Both being Third Tier, the immense physical enhancement and explosive power brought by the 'Bloodline' Aspect were incomparable to what the 'Castle' Aspect could offer. With such powerful offensive capabilities, they often brought greater pressure and danger to enemies.

On the other side, Sylutia also encountered two knights specifically assigned to surround her.

Both knights wore fully enclosed knight armor. Their heads resembled enlarged ship prows, with ventilation holes on the lower sides and two horizontal observation slits on the upper sides. They held shields and specially made clubs. They looked more like slave hunters than knights.

Facing Sylutia, the two raised their shields and quickly approached from both sides. If Sylutia were slightly inattentive at this moment, she would be struck by one of them. The heavy force attached to those clubs could easily break a person's bones, making escape difficult.

How despicable. Sylutia instantly saw through their intentions and secretly shook her head in her mind.

She no longer stayed put but directly charged towards one of the knights, initiating combat ahead of time.

The young woman gripped her blade with both hands, slashing down in a pale golden arc, directly tearing open a gash on the knight's shoulder and arm.

If it were any other ordinary Third Tier creature, such a wound would be serious, but the defensive power of the knight progression path was indeed formidable. Cutting into it felt like cutting into steel. Sylutia only managed to inflict a shallow gash.

At that moment, the opponent countered with a shield bash, which Sylutia dodged by sidestepping. Then, her blade nimbly flipped, and as she passed by the opponent, she executed a blind backhand slash, tearing another gash on the knight's back.

After suffering two consecutive blows, this knight became cautious. The other knight who was surrounding Sylutia also arrived to join his comrade, attempting to work with his teammate to compress the young woman's range of movement.

However, Sylutia's footwork was agile and skilled, allowing her to easily escape the hunting circle the two tried to establish. Then began another round of pursuit and counterattack.

During the process, relying on her keen observation and speed, Sylutia could always escape the two's encirclement. But she also lacked that kind of powerful explosive means, only able to inflict light injuries on the two, unable to deliver a decisive blow.

I need to think about improving my attack methods later, Sylutia thought to herself. It was probably because she left the Hidden Grove as soon as she advanced. She was far from being a stable Third Tier Transcendent now, and hadn't even had time to master some of the intermediate abilities of the 'Verdant Nectar' Aspect.

In the midst of battle, Sylutia was initially somewhat flustered, but the more she fought, the more proficient she became. She began consciously adjusting her fighting style, eliminating unnecessary and useless movements, and focusing on certain techniques that could yield results.

Indeed, actual combat is the best classroom. She could now slowly sort out her own advantages and the areas where she was still incomplete.

Several minutes later, Sylutia felt it was about time. She directly pulled out a handful of special grass seeds and scattered them with the wind.

Before the two knights in front of her and the surrounding Anty soldiers could guess, a faint golden light appeared in the young woman's eyes. Then, a strange autumn scene manifested around her body, with numerous trees, flowers, and plants spreading and growing outward.

The two knights who were surrounding her instantly found themselves amidst dense autumn flora.

The grass leaves under their feet gradually turned yellow, winding up their ankles and calves, trying to grip and immobilize them.

Initially, they could break free with their formidable strength, but at this moment, it was as if they were in a maze. No matter where they went, they would be entangled by the withered yellow weeds underfoot.

From deep within the grove, spiraling emerald spear blades shot out. The first few could still be blocked by their shields, but when spiraling spear blades shot from all directions, the two gradually became overwhelmed.

At this point, the two could only defend with all their might, unable to attend to everything. The withered yellow weeds under their feet continued to spread and grow. By the time the two realized something was wrong, it was too late to break free completely. Subsequently, several emerald spiraling spear blades, carrying electric light, shot out, piercing through the immobilized knights and pinning them to death within this autumn manor.