Chapter 352: Metamorphosis
Arno showed no fear. Gripping his longsword with both hands, he unleashed ripples of orange-yellow light, blocking Alex’s incoming greataxe. Alex’s four bat wings spread wide behind him, while Arno’s Holy Light wings unfurled. The two clashed fiercely in mid-air.
Empowered by the night and the partial Abyssal Projection, Alex was far stronger than he had been during the day. Every strike carried the might of a landslide. His greataxe attacks came like ocean waves, one after another, each heavier than the last.
Arno seemed to be gradually faltering, retreating little by little. A smile played on Alex’s lips. Shadow power gathered all over his body, and his greataxe suddenly sharpened, striking with a terrifying aura of shadow corrosion.
At that moment, the corners of Arno’s mouth suddenly turned up. The wings on his back expanded abruptly, shielding him like a dome. The longsword in his hands suddenly extended, instantly piercing through Alex’s heart.
Sizzle!
A smell like burning meat wafted out. Alex’s smile froze. He seemingly hadn’t expected his greataxe to lose its power, nor that he would be savagely impaled by Arno, his breath hitching in his throat.
Seeing a beam of orange light pierce through Alex, Xavier whispered excitedly to the others, “Maybe Arno really has advanced to Grand Knight, becoming the second strongest in our High Tower Territory after Lord Ace!”
Another Knight Squire murmured, “That’s a Great Demon of the Abyss. Fifteen years ago, just the shockwaves of battle sent us fleeing in panic. Can he really be dealt with so easily?”
A female Knight Squire shrieked, “Even if he can’t be finished off instantly, if he can hold out until Lord Ace arrives, the two powerhouses together will definitely drive back the Great Demon.”
Ancestar’s breathing gradually steadied. Watching Arno in the sky, he felt a sense of gratification. Perhaps having one’s disciple surpass oneself was the happiest thing.
“But we can’t be careless. A Shadow Great Demon in the night isn’t so easily dealt with. I need to recover quickly so I can help Arno!”
In mid-air, Alex’s head slowly lowered, his breathing growing weaker. Meanwhile, amidst the pitch darkness, a dense aura of darkness suddenly erupted, and countless black tentacles reached toward Arno.
While Arno and Alex were locked in fierce combat, Ace finally arrived at the High Tower Territory. After confirming the basic situation, he had Daina and Betty direct personnel to adjust the magic traps and oversee the evacuation of the magical population, while he quickly headed toward Mt. Baal.
Inside Ace’s Mental Imagery World, a person-sized, ancient-looking small city floated in mid-air. The Glazed Heart Fire burned violently, consuming massive amounts of mana as it refined the bloodline imprint left by Karim bit by bit.
“This is tricky. Bloodline is the key to a Quasi-Noble Phantasm. Even if I refine the imprint on it, to use the ‘City of Protection,’ I must possess the Guardian Bloodline.”
As the refining and analysis continued, Ace gradually encountered the biggest hurdle. A Quasi-Noble Phantasm was the shed husk of a Legendary Hero’s Mental Imagery Noble Phantasm. Only when a Legendary Hero fell or abandoned their path could a Quasi-Noble Phantasm be formed.
For example, the Quasi-Noble Phantasm “Hymn of Frost” was formed after the death of a Legendary Hero. Such level of wondrous item required Level 3 Mystery materials and Level 3 Rune Structures to be constructed together. It was a miraculous derivative of divine blood and the limit of what a Divine Descendant could create.
One step further would be Demigod, completely detaching from the concept of humanity.
Such husks were often deeply locked to a bloodline. Even if Ace completely cleared Karim’s bloodline imprint, he couldn’t make the Quasi-Noble Phantasm recognize him as its master.
“Maybe I can use some method to deceive the Quasi-Noble Phantasm, like Supernatural Polymorph? But time is limited; I can’t develop a 3-Ring Supernatural Polymorph in such a hurry.”
Ace thought of a possibility but immediately dismissed it.
Hearing Ace’s words echoing in the Mental Imagery World, Aleias, who was inside, spoke with reverence to the world around her, “Esteemed Lord Ace, I have a way. Although I cannot command it at will like a bloodline owner, the authority of the Artisan can dominate a Quasi-Noble Phantasm to a certain extent.”
“I didn’t expect you to have such ability, Aleias.”
Ace’s True Spirit descended. He sat high upon his divine throne, the Eye of Truth (Pseudo) spinning above his head, casting rays of scrutinizing light onto Aleias.
Aleias looked at Ace with honesty and reverence. The True Spirit Ace nodded, summoned the Glazed Heart Fire, and raised it high into the sky.
The person-sized “City of Protection” landed heavily. Aleias walked over quickly and pressed her right hand onto the spot where the imprint was gone. Hum!
Through the Eye of Truth, Ace clearly saw unique rune structures operating. It was the mystery hidden deep within Aleias’s bloodline, revealing itself to Ace bit by bit.
Aleias had a heroic yet beautiful appearance, a curvaceous figure, and bronzed skin as smooth as satin. As a powerful Divine Descendant Hero capable of forging Wondrous Items herself, she was extremely charming as a woman.
From her teenage years, she had never lacked suitors. Even enemies would be moved by her charm.
Even after being brainwashed by Ace to revere him immensely, she remained confident in her feminine charm, even desiring to serve her Lord.
But none of this aroused Ace’s interest. Instead, the bits of mystery inadvertently leaking from her bloodline were like a beauty unveiling herself, making Ace itch with curiosity.
“What a charming bloodline.” Ace’s eyes revealed deep longing. I really want to dissect her. At the very least, I need to take some blood and bone marrow slices for research.
…
On the other side, the Knight Squires protected by the Courage Holy Light exclaimed in surprise. The Great Demon Alex, whom Arno had impaled, burst into shadows with a bang. Arno was tightly bound by dozens of shadow tentacles. In an instant, the offense and defense shifted.
Alex dispersed like mist and reformed. He had consumed a lot of power, but the wound in his heart had healed. Looking at Arno, who was wrapped and swallowed by the mass of shadow tentacles, he didn’t gloat but remained very vigilant.
His halberd charged without hesitation, carrying powerful corrosion and piercing effects, stabbing ruthlessly into the center of the shadows.
There was no sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh. Instead, a somewhat clanging holy hymn seemed to rise. Beams of light bloomed from within the mass of shadow tentacles, blasting it open with a boom!
Enveloped in Courage Holy Light, Arno had actually transformed into an orange-yellow lion with wings on its back, majestic and roaring freely.
“Courage Metamorphosis… Holy Light can be used like this?”
Ancestar’s eyes fell into deep thought. He sensed the Courage Holy Light Arno had left in his body, feeling the difference between this Holy Light and his own Compassion Holy Light.
At Mt. Baal, Ollie arrived panting. The location of Mt. Baal had been covered by a pitch-black shadow, and ominous aura surged.
“What… is this thing?”
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