Chapter 1149: Arch-Knights, Who Is Her Mommy?
Chapter 1149: Arch-Knights, Who Is Her Mommy?
The sound of the wind whistling echoed in the hall as various figures shot through the swirling debris. While others could barely perceive their movements, Brane and Zara could see them clearly.
In an instant, eight figures tightly surrounded Brane and Zara.
Brane and Zara glanced at them, frowning.
The eight individuals were tall, and their bodies were engulfed in blazing black, inky flames similar to those they had seen Knight Darian use in battle.
They also possessed enlarged limbs-arms, legs, or torsos-disfigured in a way resembling the tainted beings they had encountered. Dressed in fully plated bulky Vylkr-forged armour, their appearances were concealed, making it difficult to discern who they were.
However, it was clear that these were not ordinary humans. They each wielded finely crafted weapons.
[ Energy Level - 4,300 BEM ]
[ Energy Level - 4,700 BEM]
[ Energy Level - 4,212 BEM]
[ Energy Level - 4,596 BEM ]
...
The highest energy level was 4,800 BEM, and the lowest was 4,200 BEM. All eight were four- star warriors, the strongest individuals Brane and Zara had encountered since entering the pocket dimension.
"Something's not right," Brane muttered, scrutinizing them. He could sense an
overwhelming amount of Vylkr energy emanating from their bodies. They weren't trying to hide it, making it easy to detect.
"Can you sense it too, husband?" Zara asked, her expression solemn.
"Yes, there's something weird about them," Brane responded.
It was remarkable to reach such strength without the aid of a Vylkr Fusion Armlet or the Devourer's Bracelet. But Brane was more puzzled by how they could effortlessly control such an enormous amount of Vylkr energy without a Vylkr container.
He even suspected that this might be the reason for their disfigured bodies.
Unfortunately, the group had decided to share the information they gathered only after collecting everything from the various forces to compare and verify it. The exception had been the nymphs, so Brane and Zara were unaware of the information that Orion and Fifi had discovered about the Void Heart and the residents' ability to produce Vylkr energy naturally.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
With Brane's attention diverted, Gaverick and the others stood up, one by one, and distanced themselves from the unfolding situation.
Brane turned his gaze toward them. "Who are they?" he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"They are the commanders of the Arch-Knights corps," Gaverick responded with a smile. "Warriors who have entered the Mirror Realm and returned successfully, escaping the fate of becoming tainted. They are the foundation of strength in the Bastion of Ashen Hope Territory."
Brane and Zara frowned at his words. They understood that these individuals were the commanders of the strongest forces within the Bastion, but they couldn't grasp the whole meaning of what Gaverick had said.
"I heard you were powerful individuals who had just arrived in this ocean, so I decided to take precautions before the meeting in case something unexpected happened. Fortunately, I was a step ahead. I don't know how strong you are, but before the power of the void flame, your strength is meaningless," Gaverick said confidently, his gaze sweeping over them.
He then turned to the Arch-Knight Commanders and commanded, "Restrain them! If they prove too difficult, you have permission to eliminate them!"
"Understood, Emperor," came a hoarse voice from the Arch-Knight Commander with the highest BEM level.
In an instant, all eight vanished from their positions, reappearing beside Brane and Zara with their weapons raised, ready to incapacitate them.
Their shadows rippled, and two headless, winged Vylkr spawns emerged from within, halting the knights' attacks-four for each-and binding them with their tendrils.
"What is this?" one of the heavily armoured Arch-Knights asked in a hoarse voice tinged with surprise. The remaining seven shared the same astonishment.
Surprisingly, their attacks were effortlessly blocked by the strange creatures.
Without hesitation, the intensity of the inky black flames on the Arch-Knights' bodies surged, spreading toward the headless, winged spawns and their tendrils.
However, before the fire could spread further, they were instantly quenched.
Witnessing this, the Arch-Knights' gazes trembled, their hearts turning cold. They tried to break free from the restraints but found themselves unable to do so. In the next moment, something unexpected happened.
The black flames extinguished on the bodies of the headless, winged spawns reignited with an intensity far surpassing the Arch-Knights' own. Before they could comprehend what was happening, the tendrils that had restrained them transformed into sharp blades, slicing through their armour and attacking various parts of their bodies, incapacitating them.
"ARGHH!!"
"ARGHH!!"
The Arch-Knights fell one by one, bleeding profusely, their crimson-black blood staining the shattered tiled floor. Within minutes of their arrival, the entire commanders of the Arch-
Knights' corps had been incapacitated.
Observing the stunning scene from across the hall, Gaverick and the others were at a loss for words. The Bastion of Ashen Hope's strongest forces had been unable to retaliate from the moment the attack began until they were incapacitated by the headless, winged spawns that had emerged from the shadows.
Based on what they had heard from Knight Darian, they had thought the headless, winged creatures weren't that powerful and had only repelled the hordes of tainted with their numbers. But that clearly wasn't the case. Even the void flames had been absorbed and used against them.
Everyone present knew the Arch-Knights' capabilities, especially their commanders, so seeing them defeated so quickly was something they still hadn't fully processed.
Suddenly, Brane and Zara's shadows rippled like water again, and more headless Vylkr spawns emerged, subduing Gaverick and the rest before spreading across the hall to block the
entrance.
The captives were then brought back to their seats and restrained while the guards were placed back at the four pillars and before the entrance door. Before they could comprehend what was happening, they realized they were sealed inside the meeting hall and at Brane and
Zara's mercy.
Gaverick and the others began to sweat profusely.
"Can you explain what they are and about this Mirror Realm?" Brane asked, gesturing toward the fallen Arch-Knight commanders.
Instead of responding, Gaverick asked, "Who are you? What are they? This isn't the kind of power a mortal should be capable of possessing!"
CRACK!
Gaverick's right shoulder was crushed instantly. He bit his lip, suppressing the scream that threatened to escape, his body trembling with pain.
"I have already introduced our identities truthfully to you. And you're right," Brane nodded, "this kind of power isn't something a mortal should possess."
Gaverick's trembling gaze widened in astoundment, not expecting Brane to confirm his
words.
"There are many things I want to learn about this ocean and the Bastion of Ashen Hope, so let's continue with the meeting," Brane said.
Gaverick attempted to ask another question, but feeling a tremendous force emerging on his leg and hand, he held back his words and nodded, "Let's continue. I will tell you everything
you want to know."
"That's good. Let's restart from the beginning," Brane responded.
...
Paradise
"Ahh!" Nadia clutched her head in pain as she rose from her slumber. She sat upright, looking around the unfamiliar bed and wooden walls in confusion before a flood of memories crashed into her mind, forcing her to remember what had transpired earlier that day.
She had found her sisters, the ones she had only heard about from the elders at the Bastion of Walling Gnarled. They welcomed her warmly even though she was an unfamiliar figure. Even though it seemed like it was only her three nymph sisters, it didn't matter-they were
still her sisters.
Nadia realized that everything Orion had said was true. The tree nymphs weren't being used as slaves to run orchards but were doing so out of their free will to provide Paradise with their
fruits.
Nadia's lips curved into a smile. She couldn't wait to return to the Bastion of Wailling Gnarled and inform the others about everything that had transpired.
"I'll need to take care of a few things first and inform him about some important details,"
Nadia muttered.
After all, she didn't want to cause problems for the tree nymphs in Paradise.
Suddenly, the entrance door opened, and a small golden figure dressed in a casual flowering
dress entered the room. However, she halted, her eyes widening in shock and surprise as they locked gazes. Soon, her shocked expression turned to curiosity.
At first, Nadia was stunned as she looked at the golden little figure. But the longer she scrutinized her, her eyes widened in shock and astonishment.
Before she could speak, the little figure rushed out of the room.
"Mommy, the strange woman is awake!" a loud voice pierced through the building.
"Mommy...," Nadia muttered to herself in confusion. She was frozen in place, unable to understand what had just happened.
Nadia could sense a faint aura of Anara from the little girl and would have mistaken her for Anara if she hadn't looked closely. Most of all, the girl's skin tone was bizarre for a nymph,
making her question her racial identity.
Suddenly, Anara walked through the door, holding the little girl in her arms.
Anara smiled as her eyes fell on Nadia.
"It's good that you're finally awake. If you had slept for another hour, I would have called for the healers to check on your health," Anara said as she arrived beside the bed. Then she asked, "So, how are you feeling? You scared us when you fainted so abruptly."
Instead of answering, Nadia looked at Anara and the girl, her gaze shifting between the two
before focusing on Anara and asking, "Who is her mommy?"
.....
Author's Note: I'm sorry for the late chapter. I've been stressed about work, so the chapters came a little late. This is 1,605 words. I will still release another before the end of the day.