The Amber Sword

Chapter 174 – Escape

Andesha’s expression distorted greatly at the incoming flames. The terrifying heat could be felt even before it reached her. The painful lesson of touching the crystal was still fresh in her mind, and she instinctively dodged to the side without a second thought.

However, though she escaped from the flames, they burned up the vines that held onto Scarlett. At that moment, she realized who was behind her.

The Mistress of Withering Decay screamed. She tolerated the painful feedback transmitted by the vines and tried to grab Scarlett who had fallen to the ground, but a longsword with a wide blade covered in flames swung downwards to her hands, and she was forced to withdraw them.

A few seconds later, the flames died down and a human figure appeared in its midst.

It was indeed Brendel.

The youth’s clothes were in tatters, but the injuries on him were completely healed. He slowly turned his head to Andesha’s direction, before he reached out to the crystal embedded in his chest with his hand and pulled it out. Flames erupted from his chest and abruptly dissipated, with his skin perfectly intact.

“This thing, belongs to you?” Brendel’s voice was almost mechanical. He crushed the crystal into dust with his bare hand and it was gone with the wind. “Andesha, or perhaps you wish to be addressed as the Mistress of Withering Decay?”

The wooden spike crashed into the sturdy barrier, and it was shattered into countless fragments. However, that was only the start of the spell. The fragments were turned into vines that grew at a rapid rate, seeking for its target. Brendel could only increase pour his Mana into it and made the barrier into a shockwave that destroyed all the fragments, turned them into black dust.

The youth felt a little dazed from exerting his mind. He sensed that his Will had grown tremendously and was capable of resisting powerful magic spells, but it took a lot of concentration from him. Seeing that the black powder was about to fall over him, he coated Halran Gaia with golden flames once again and swung it around him once, burning away the powder.

The magic that Andesha used was a three-prong attack. It first did piercing damage, then cast a Binding spell, and the final stage of the attack was a powder that had lethal poison. Anyone who did not know the magic spell would easily fall for it, but Brendel had seen enough in the game to identify it.

His final act was to jump away from Andesha’s attack range.

“Lady Veronica, Lady Faena has been rescued. We should leave in two directions!” He shouted.

In order to force Veronica to stop her foolhardy actions, he had to rescue Faena. If he simply tried to leave with Scarlett, then Andesha would put all her attention on him, and Veronica might attempt to rescue Faena with the opening. The only ideal situation was to get Veronica to cover for him instead, then the possibility of him escaping would be greatly increased.

His words apparently angered Andesha. She made an ear-piercing shriek and spread out her palms. Countless vines swarmed out from the ground, completed with poisonous thorns, and they towered over Brendel like a tidal wave, blocking all paths of retreat.

Brendel gritted his teeth upon seeing this outcome, realizing he underestimated this Poison-Ivy woman. At that critical juncture, a green flash of light passed through the mist and sliced the vines into halves, then split up into a flock of birds that exploded onto the remaining brambles, causing large holes to appear on them.

Brendel’s eyes lit up and leaped into one of the holes while carrying Faena to escape from the vines. He glanced back to see Veronica blocking Andesha’s path. Violent gales swirled around the female Sword Saint, causing her hair to dance in the wind, giving an impression of a green aurora forming before his eyes.

“Escape with Faena and the red-haired girl. Leave this woman to me.” Veronica said without turning her head back.

Brendel sighed with relief. Things were moving in the way he predicted. Even though Veronica was not Andesha’s match, she still made a choice to stall her in order to increase the possibility of rescuing Faena.

It was just a transaction after all.

The youth did not waste any more time and went straight for Scarlett, while Andesha screamed with rage:

“Damn you, boy, you had better not let me catch you!”

But her tone sounded more like frustration in his ears.