novelraw Chapter 439: An, Long Time No See
Chapter 439: An, Long Time No See
The surging black tide overwhelmed everything—
Under the might of the War Beast, the flames of the Black Blood soldiers rapidly spread throughout the entire city-state.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The White Tower guards who had been ambushed frantically activated the defensive turrets of the Book Tower, pouring down dense artillery fire...
However, the civilians had not yet been evacuated, and the Black Blood soldiers had already boarded their ships, mingling with the White Tower Hunters...
More terrifyingly, most of the White Tower Hunters now had centipede-like writhing blood vessels appearing on their bodies.
Even the respected fourth-tier Tower Master of the White Tower Hunters, the Association President, was no exception.
Cannon fire filled the sky, panic spread rapidly, and the entire Book Tower found itself in a completely one-sided situation.
Advance, destroy, kill, conquer, plunder!
The Black Blood soldiers grabbed people by their necks, harvesting lives as efficiently as the Grim Reaper freely reaping wheat stalks.In the chaos, most White Tower Hunters could only pin their hopes on the Tower Master, An, and the Book Saint's actions...
The Blood Lion looked up, grinning widely.
And atop the clock tower, in the blood-soaked right eye of the Book Saint Aslina, a blurred reflection appeared—the Grim Reaper with black and gold flames burning on its head, holding a scythe...
The scorching flames gradually twisted into a smiling face, placing the scythe against her slender neck.
To think I'd dream of the Grim Reaper... Aslina opened her eyes, pulling her hands free from the shattered clock tower, releasing vast spiritual energy...
"You!"
A fifth-tier spiritual energy field erupted like a howling gale, overwhelming the city-state before her.
Aslina floated high in the air, looking down contemptuously at the presence below—
Her eyes were dyed red, her blood-red long hair flowing as she raised her hand, numerous magic books materializing behind her.
Due to her excessive contact with the special existence of the A-rank rift library, she had developed the Book Affinity mutation disease 'Knowledge Worms,' which made her extremely drowsy...
Coupled with her responsibility for the rarely war-torn coastal cities, she had seldom displayed her power except during the battle with the Deep Sea Hunters.
But whether in status, seniority, power, or age, she far surpassed this Saint of the new era Black Blood Empire!
"You shouldn't have woken me! Kitten!"
Aslina suspended high in the air resembled an angry angel.
She raised her hand, more and more books appearing behind her, a massive book magic formation coalescing—
"Perfect!!! I feel the Blade Energy churning wildly in my brain!!!"
The Blood Lion aimed his axe at Aslina.
"My personal guards! Fight!"
Behind him, one hundred Black Blood soldiers abruptly drank the Black God's Weapons potion developed by the Blackfin Crew—
Instantly, these Black Blood soldiers grew numerous twisted tentacles all over their bodies, their size swelling threefold as they uniformly stepped forward, blocking in front of General Blood Lion.
The War Beast itself was a fifth-tier Blade Affinity profession akin to a strategic player, its strength largely dependent on the power of the 'soldier pieces.'
However, the resources required to cultivate soldiers in bulk far exceeded imagination.
But the Black God's Weapons potion from the Blackfin Crew solved all this.
Just one sip could achieve effects comparable to the Great Sage's potion!
Plus, the perfect poison made from the Phantom Poison that the Whale Father alone obtained by clearing the hidden stage of the B-rank Phantom Affinity rift.
This was the miracle brought by the Dimensional Tide—
It was precisely relying on this miracle that the Blood Lion felt absolutely no fear facing this Saint who had enjoyed two centuries of fame in the White Tower Sea—
On the contrary, he felt unprecedented excitement.
Just as the Emperor said, when A-rank rifts emerge in large numbers, they would inevitably bring the fall of Saints, and certainly the fall of an angel!
He roared:
"Book Saint!
Do you know, with every second you and I confront each other, hundreds of your people will die, your treasures will be plundered by us, and ultimately, you will miss out on the entire A-rank Magic Net rift—"
He bellowed as the Black Blood Divine Soldiers entwined with Black Whale power charged into the sky, engaging in fierce combat with the Book Saint.
Aslina expressionlessly released her magic.
Clang—
The entire sky was stained by two massive spiritual energies, continuously erupting with shockwaves—
And within the aftermath of their battle, the war continued to spread.
"Teacher..."
An looked up, staring blankly at the scene in the sky.
The aftermath of a battle between two peak Saint-level combatants could affect the entire sea.
But her spiritual energy could sense that her teacher's originally pure Book-Hammer Affinity spiritual energy had been mixed with a trace of Phantom-Shadow Affinity edge power.
This battle wouldn't end easily;
it would be a protracted war...
A protracted war...
For the current situation, every additional second it lasted would be a disaster.
I can't intervene in their battle... An stood at the banquet hall entrance, turning back to look toward the deck of the mobile city-state.
In less than three minutes, the prosperous streets had turned to ruins, crimson shockwaves danced, ear-piercing roars continuously sounded, and bloodied injured people clawed at the ground beneath collapsed stone slabs—
"Damn it!"
Her good friend Melanie was kicked in the abdomen by a Black Blood soldier, her right hand severed.
"Spare me! Spare us! Spare us!"
A laundry woman pressed her daughter's face into her blood-stained apron, crouching beside an overturned dining table.
Five heavily armored Black Blood soldiers, resembling black bulls, gripped long-handled axes with both hands, slowly approaching the two in their iron boots, raising their axes—
Wails, raging fires, destruction...
This was General Blood Lion's decree!
Whoosh!
An cast a levitation spell, rushing like a gust of wind toward the weakly defended area, blocking in front of the five Black Blood soldiers.
Without any hesitation, she unleashed her powerful fourth-tier spiritual energy.
Pungent steam black pillars erupted from the Black Blood soldiers' heavy armor as they looked at the Transcendent in a dress holding a magic book.
"Fourth-tier..."
"Interesting! This will be a nice achievement!"
The five Black Blood soldiers' eyes flashed with beast-like red light.
For ordinary third-tier Transcendents, fourth-tier legends were beings they had to look up to.
But unlike ordinary third-tiers, under the Blood Lion's power, the Black Blood soldiers acted collectively, winning countless battles—
In past wars, their legions had killed many legends.
And every fallen fourth-tier Transcendent meant one person in their army would gain enough merit to exchange for a fourth-tier profession card!
Not to mention they had just consumed the Black Blood Divine Soldiers' divine medicine.
Black energy surged as three Black Blood soldiers looked contemptuous, their shoulder armor spewing black smoke mixed with blood foam, their speed abruptly increasing to form afterimages as they swung their battle axes toward that petite head—
Magic Book. Shield!
The magic book in An's hands floated, casting a spell shield to block the strike.
Simultaneously, she took out the Flower Witch's staff, releasing a spiritual energy cannon downpour, bombarding the three Black Blood soldiers—
Then, she smoothly turned, striking with her staff behind her—
"Book. Magic Deluge!"
A dazzling white light flashed, severely injuring the two Black Blood heavy armor soldiers who had tried to ambush her!
Amid thick gunpowder smoke, the five Black Blood heavy armor soldiers lay on the ground with broken limbs.
"Huff..."
An bit her lip tightly, a drop of sweat falling from her temple.
These days, she had spent too much time handling documents given by the Book Saint, neglecting her spiritual energy practice.
However, the next moment, a horrifying scene occurred.
On the Black Blood soldiers' already shattered breastplates, endlessly writhing black blood emerged, their body bones continuously twisting—
"That hurts a bit!"
"The power of the lion and whale flows within us, little girl."
"Stronger! We can get even stronger!"
The five three-meter-tall heavy armor soldiers stood up again, gripping their blood-drenched axes once more.
The Black God's Weapons potion granted them regeneration comparable to monsters.
Simultaneously, behind her came the sound of steam iron boots again.
A Black Blood soldier twisted his neck, saying coldly from beneath his broken helmet:
"Area cleared ninety percent. Currently, remaining cleanup units: three women, five immobile men, one child. Only one resistant cleanup unit remains."
"Cleanup target: fourth-tier Book Affinity Transcendent. Spiritual energy field far stronger than ordinary fourth-tier Transcendents. Cleanup difficulty assessment: Dragon..."
"We need backup! Need to activate Release!"
An looked around.
In the smoke-filled ruins, tall Black Blood soldiers pulled blood-stained axes from White Tower Hunters' abdomens—
Then, pair after pair of glowing red eyes turned in her direction.
"Backup request received."
"Blade Release. Mad Lion Transformation, deploying."
Fifty Black Blood soldiers manifested five-meter-tall black lion silhouettes behind them, carrying two-meter war axes that scraped across the cold ground—
"Backup arrived. Current cleanup difficulty: insect—"
An looked around;
she was surrounded.
Boom! Boom!
"Wah wah wah! (I'm here!)"
Just then, a ten-meter-tall giant mecha leaped down from the sky, slamming its steam fists into the dense crowd of Black Blood soldiers—
Heaven-sent justice!
The overwhelming punch directly created a deep crater in the ground, forcing back the Black Blood soldiers.
"Finally here..."
An looked up, a smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
The steam mecha before her had a simple appearance—just a large elliptical spherical body with steel limbs.
On the sphere were two huge red eye patterns.
This was the White Tower's self-developed steam mecha—Sphere Number. Although somewhat ugly in appearance, its combat power rivaled the White Tower Federation's general-class mechas.
During these days, she wasn't the only one who had grown stronger!
An had fed all her excess spiritual energy replenishment potions and spiritual energy enhancement skill cards to Water Spirit Number Three.
Miraculously, Water Spirit Number Three digested these materials.
This steam mecha's internal operator was Water Spirit Number Three!
"Wah wah wah (Don't hurt master's teacher!!!)"
Water Spirit Number Three inside the mecha manipulated it with small fists, blocking behind An.
The two relied on each other, one facing the enemy head-on, the other guarding the rear—
An smiled slightly, looking at the Black Blood soldiers before her.
The Water Spirit Number Three steam mecha could just buy her precious time for Release.
With the Black God's Weapons potion enhancement, these fifty Black Blood soldiers' strength and speed were already comparable to fourth-tier.
At this moment, she must use Release to finish them!
"Huff! Water Spirit, ready?"
"Book Release—"
An gripped her staff with both hands, spiritual energy erupting.
The Black Blood heavy armor soldiers distanced themselves, the mad lion silhouettes behind them making vigilant expressions!
"Magic Meteor Shower—"
Squelch!
Suddenly, An's eyes widened. Before her spiritual energy could fully activate, a meat-grinding sensation spread through her body—
This feeling was like thousands of ants tearing apart her flesh—
Black blood vessels bulged, appearing on her fair skin.
Before her eyes, a black wormhole covering the entire sky appeared.
Black Whale illusion... An gritted her teeth, struggling to break free from the illusion.
The Black Blood poison had already seeped into her spiritual energy.
However, just this one second of hesitation—
"Looking at what?"
A sharp Black Blood Empire heavy axe struck her chest, sending her flying through the air—
An stared blankly at the blood splashing through the air.
That massive amount of blood was all her blood—
But before she could react.
Dense attacks descended again!
The lion silhouettes behind the other forty-nine Black Blood soldiers charged out, pinning her against the steel wall of the tall tower—
"Cleanup begins!"
Without any time to catch breath, dense axe strikes followed one after another.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fifty Black Blood soldiers charged forward like beasts.
According to General Blood Lion's orders, killing a fourth-tier would earn the highest merit.
"Merit! Merit! Merit!"
"Cleanup! Cleanup! Cleanup!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
An blocked with both hands.
Her spell shield shattered instantly under the dense slashes!
Then, she turned with the momentum, striking with her staff behind her—
Under this heavy axe strike, her head was directly smashed into the steel wall of the tall tower.
Next, as a mage, she could only use her fourth-tier mage's weak body to resist the Black Blood soldiers' concentrated attacks.
The Water Spirit Number Three steam mecha attempting to rescue her was firmly blocked before the crowd.
An's tied-up high ponytail came loose, completely soaked in blood.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The efficiency-seeking Black Blood soldiers showed no hesitation.
An could no longer make sounds.
Ribs shattered, skull concussed, breathing rapid, vision blurred—
And the Magic Net rift on her right hand continuously tore open—
The Book Saint had instructed her that no matter what, she must never use the power of the A-rank rift Magic Net in her hand again—
Otherwise, it would inevitably mutate, and simultaneously, a rift would instantly devour everything!
If an A-rank rift entrance opened here, then everyone present, whether herself or her friend Melanie, would die—
Clang, clang—
An endured all this.
However, her body transmitted an unprecedented pain, and a premonition of death.
If she didn't use this power now...
Her consciousness blurred, but she vaguely saw the Magic Net calling to her.
Because the Black Whale poison affected her blood, her own spiritual energy could no longer activate Release.
"Final three strikes, cleanup complete!"
The Black Blood soldiers raised their battle axes—
Boom!
Suddenly, the entire mobile city-state shook violently!
Clang!
The axe struck An's shoulder, slicing off a piece of flesh—
Despair flashed in An's eyes, her right hand trembling uncontrollably.
"So tough—"
This person, as a fourth-tier mage, could actually generate a spiritual energy shield under this Black Blood poison.
Was she really a mage?
Why did she have so many defensive skills?
But it didn't matter, with these injuries, she was finished.
The Black Blood soldier's combat instinct made him stop the final two strikes, turning to look at the source of the commotion.
"What happened? Why is the mobile city-state shaking?"
He spat on the ground, asking the other soldiers.
Another soldier looked toward the sea around the mobile city-state:
"Don't worry, it's the mammoth!
The Blackfin Crew said they would dispatch their Black Sea Mammoths to attack from the outside, supporting us!"
"Everyone, reinforcements have arrived!!"
Amid the gunpowder smoke, the vague silhouette of a giant beast faintly appeared on the sea surface.
Mammoth... An struggled to move her blurry eyes, staring blankly at this scene.
The Black Blood Empire had planned this for a long time.
Given the current situation, even if she borrowed the Magic Net's power, could she really win?
Ultimately, her body and spiritual energy source were only fourth-tier.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
And just then, from the sea mist came a loud noise—
The massive mobile city-state experienced an unprecedented earthquake!
A huge tentacle with blood-red eyes abruptly emerged from the deep sea, breaking through the thick defensive barrier, climbing onto the Book Tower's ground of the mobile city-state—
Each one was a hundred meters long, thick enough to occupy an entire street.
On them, blood-red eyes stared fixedly at them.
One—
Two—
Six massive thick tentacles climbed onto the ground, twisting and entwining to form a winding tentacle mountain.
The enormous blood-eyed tentacle was only ten meters away from An and the Black Blood soldiers.
Except for the fiercely battling Blood Lion and Aslina, everyone present couldn't help but be drawn to this sight!
What exactly happened?
The barrier was breached!
White Tower Hunters looked toward the blood-eyed tentacles at the edge of the mobile city-state, faces filled with despair.
However, the Black Blood soldiers' eyes were also full of confusion.
According to the plan, wasn't it supposed to be the Black Sea Mammoths breaching the barrier?
What the hell were these bloated blood-eyed tentacles?
This wasn't right!
Did the Black Sea Mammoths drink too much alchemical wastewater? Mutated?
Where did their fifty siege-specialized Black Sea Mammoths go?
Most importantly, on the tentacle mountain, above the hazy gunpowder smoke, sat two figures.
And beside the figures, storms continuously surged, making it impossible to clearly see the tentacle mountain's specific situation—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"You all fall back! I'll scout the situation."
The Black Blood heavy armor soldier pulled the axe from An's shoulder, striding toward the tentacle mountain, aiming at the people on the tentacle mountain:
"Hey! Answer me, what happened, otherwise..."
Whoosh!
The Black Blood soldier couldn't finish his sentence.
In an instant, a tentacle descended from the sky, directly flattening him along with the thick black armor, smashing him into bloody pulp!
Whoosh!
Five three-meter-tall Black Blood heavy armor soldiers instantly vanished.
In that moment, the Black Blood soldiers didn't hesitate, rapidly retreating.
An's eyes widened, staring up blankly.
The tentacle was still moving—
She had to run quickly! Otherwise, she would be next!
However, her thigh joints were already shattered, and her spiritual energy was difficult to mobilize—
But besides that, An was more curious about the people on the tentacle mountain.
Her spiritual energy perception far exceeded ordinary people;
even through the storm, she could still sense that the people on the tentacle mountain had spiritual energy fields far surpassing normal!
In the White Tower Sea, she had never encountered such a special spiritual energy field.
It wasn't a fourth-tier legend's spiritual energy field;
it more resembled an A-rank rift special boss's spiritual energy field!
What exactly was that? An swallowed, looking despairingly as the blood-eyed tentacles swelled and wriggled, continuously extending into the Book Tower's interior, reaching toward her—
Thump!
And the next moment, the tip of the blood-eyed tentacle gently touched An's heavily scarred thigh—
An stared blankly upward, no longer showing any expression, slowly opening her right hand.
The wind gently blew, the storm and gunpowder smoke around the tentacle mountain gradually dispersing.
Now, An finally clearly saw the figures on the tentacle mountain.
How could this be!
The Water Spirit Number Three steam mecha could just buy her precious time for Release.
She recognized both figures on the tentacle mountain!
Recognized them!
"Still came too late..."
The figure on the tentacle mountain sighed, looking at the Book Tower that had been ravaged by Black Blood soldiers and turned to ruins.
Then, An's appearance reflected in his pupils.
Seeing that An was okay, Chen Qi breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"An, long time no see..."