Summoning the Holy Sword

The Holy Griffin expanded its wings and dove down with its extended razor-sharp claws. Clang! A sword emerged in Rhode’s hand and he struck off the Holy Griffin’s attack. It bellowed fiercely and sprung backward, at the same time, lashing its long tail forward. Rhode waved his sword and drew a mysterious arc in the air to sweep the attack away. Then, he brandished forward and a spiritual blade ray struck the Holy Griffin. The powerful impact propelled it to the ground, but it quickly flipped over and regained its stance.

“Not bad.” Rhode nodded in satisfaction.

Of course, he didn’t intend to pull out all the stops against the Holy Griffin. If he did that, the Holy Griffin would surely turn into worthless trash instantly. However, this didn’t mean that it wasn’t powerful. Instead, it was because Rhode was too strong. If the Holy Griffin was able to keep Rhode busy for a long time, it would mean that it possessed at least the strength of the Master Stage. However, even Lapis wasn’t capable of creating such a high standard Construct.

Rhode had figured out the basic functionalities of this Stone Construct. It had high defense and there weren’t any signs of damage from Rhode’s strikes. Not only that, but it also had high flexibility to climb to its feet instantly after collapsing to the ground. Although it had a body made of stone, it was as nimble as a living being. Alchemy was a truly mystical thing.

The Holy Griffin’s strength was between level 25 to 30 and it alone definitely couldn’t threaten the Undead Army at all. Low-level alchemic creatures like the Holy Griffin needed to form groups in order to pose a threat. Rhode compared this Holy Griffin to the air troops of the Country of Darkness. No matter if it was the Gargoyle of the Bone Falcon, they weren’t individually powerful and the Gargoyle was at most level 20. However, due to the unique Undead Alchemy of the Country of Darkness, they would have the upper hand against the Holy Griffins.

But there were also disadvantages. The material used to create these Gargoyles were ordinary and crude while the Holy Griffins that Lapis had created used first-rate rocks. Due to this reason, the Gargoyle had horrible defenses where Archers that had entered into the Elite Stage could easily eliminate them.

On the contrary, the Bone Falcon didn’t have physical bodies and were more of spiritual presences. The Bone Falcons were also the best scouts for the Undead Army where they could conceal themselves using their almost transparent bodies. Besides that, the unusual connection between the Undead Creatures and the Undead Mages could allow the Undead Mages to receive intelligence as though through a scanning radar. Not only that, but the Bone Falcons’ attribute could also allow them to ignore physical attacks where they would only be damaged by magical attacks and equipment.

Due to this unique feature, the Bone Falcon was considered one of the higher-tier troops in the Undead Army. As they weren’t as easy to create as the Gargoyle, only the Generals and Commanders held the rights to use them.

If Rhode were to compare them to airplanes, the Gargoyle would be a fighter plane while the Bone Falcon would be a spy plane. If the Holy Griffin could be mass-produced, Rhode wouldn’t have a problem against the Gargoyles. However, it was still too difficult for the Holy Griffin’s current attacking form to gain the upper hand against the Bone Falcons.

Rhode had always been the one headhunting and he didn’t expect that there would be people coming to his turf to snatch his precious men. They must be sick of living! After hearing Rhode’s question, Lapis hesitated for a moment and shook her head hopelessly. “Miss Bubble and Miss Canary have been busy and besides, those people only occasionally cause a fuss and didn’t do anything… So…”

Bam! A loud explosion boomed and Rhode swept a glance to Lapis and Christie before heading for the workshop exit. Shortly after, Rhode saw Anne furiously standing in the middle of the empty. She smashed her steel shield on the ground and created a large hole in the ground. Standing before her was a dozen men looking at her with disdain. Rhode narrowed his eyes. Those people weren’t wearing mercenary leather armor. Instead, they were clad in a red and white striped uniform.

Could it be that these guys…

Rhode walked toward Anne slowly. “Anne, what happened?”

“Ah, Leader, you’re finally here!” Anne turned to Rhode hurriedly and pointed angrily at the men before her. “Those people are so annoying! Anne has followed Leader’s instruction to stand guard at this place so nobody can enter. But these people forced their way through here. Anne didn’t allow them to enter and those bastards say that we’re a bunch of barbarians… Anne is furious!!”

Rhode turned to face the group of men. Then, he let out a snort and lifted his chin. “How interesting. When did the Alchemist Association learn to headhunt like a bunch of sneaky thieves?”

“You —!” Two of the men were about to point at Rhode with their fingers and suddenly, a skinny middle-aged man who appeared to be their leader extended his arm to stop them. He wore a golden-framed spectacle and his thin long face resembled that of a disgusting smirking wolf. The man let out a sneer and stepped forward leisurely with his hands behind his back. He lifted his chin and looked at Rhode in contempt. “So, you’re the leader of these mercenaries? Young man? You seem much easier to handle than your barbaric men. Since you’re aware of who we are, then I can tell you frankly… We, Alchemist Association, thinks that the Alchemist concocting potions for your guild is a wanted criminal who has escaped from our association. Therefore, I, in the name of the Alchemist Association, ask that you hand the person over immediately!”

Criminal?

Rhode squinted and scanned the man before him. “Alright then, you mentioned that my man has committed a crime. I do want to hear what crime was it exactly.”

“You don’t have the rights to know about this.” The man sulked instantly and let out a burst of strange laughter. “Anyway, we have sufficient evidence to prove it. Now, I request that you hand over the person immediately, Young Man. I guess you’re also clear of the consequences for going against us, the Alchemist Association. If you insisted on not handing the person over, we will find the overlord for assistance and they will dispatch garrisons to capture the criminal… I think, as a guild Leader, you don’t wish to end in that predicament, right?”

“Scram,” a deep voice echoed in his ears.

A shimmering radiance flashed before the man’s eyes and a roaring storm that rose from the ground struck his body like an iron hammer. He flung to the back like a ragdoll and crashed heavily on the ground. As he lifted his head miserably, a shadow flitted by and Rhode emerged beside him. Then, an ice-cold, pitch-black sword blade pressed against his neck. “I shall gracefully grant you three minutes to get out of my Fortress,” Rhode said with a calm expression and tone. “I don’t care who you are. You’re still nowhere near to behave atrociously in the Land of Atonement. Leave. Right now.”

The man gulped his saliva and glared at Rhode with gritted teeth. “… And what if we don’t?”

The corner of Rhode’s mouth twitched. “Then… all of you will stay here forever.”