Chapter 97: Untitled

“What’s going on? That… isn’t that His Highness the Prince? How…” “Blessed Phoenix, His Highness’s martial prowess is extraordinary… no, that’s not right…”

The crowd began to boil.

Up to this point, aside from the madly spinning treant, this grand and meticulous attack was nearly over. More people were now safe, allowing them spare attention to observe their surroundings. To everyone’s astonishment, His Highness the Prince, who had just valiantly slain three assassins alone, suddenly collapsed… When they rushed forward with cries of alarm, they saw a human form suddenly flashing with purple light all over. Then, that not-particularly-robust frame gradually shrank, becoming even smaller… Finally, as if an illusion, it transformed into an unfamiliar teenage boy. Only the scimitar in his hand, still bearing traces of blood, proved the results he had just achieved in battle.

For a moment, everyone felt a sense of relief. So, the one who fought with such ghostly precision and power was not the person they knew. But immediately, their hearts were filled with more and greater questions… Who was this person? It was that person from the Connallyvis Family, the Viscount of the Empire… But wasn’t he a sorcerer? Yet the dazzling offense and defense just witnessed was comparable to the most formidable warrior—in fact, among the witnesses, the few remaining individuals confident in combat skills were already marveling.

In the countless split-second moments, to execute so many complex maneuvers without a single mistake, moving with thunderous speed, actions though not textbook-perfect were exceptionally precise, fluid style laced with sharpness… such ferocious martial skill could only be achieved by sword masters from memory, and he had even cast a spell during it…

However, Constantine could no longer hear any of this chaotic noise. Familiar sensations were assaulting his body. His brain felt torn into millions of pieces, each throbbing with intense pain… But perhaps because this feeling was too familiar, he did not lose consciousness. Instead, he strangely began to understand—this situation was likely because the strain on his nerves had exceeded the limits his body could bear…

The battle just now was the first time he had used this ability granted by the deity for such an extended period. This peculiar sense of time allowed him to perfectly control every movement on such a dangerous battlefield. As long as the difference in strength and speed between opponents wasn’t too vast, someone with this sensation could easily defeat their foe. Moreover, control over strength greatly improved under these conditions. Tasks exceptionally difficult for ordinary people could be accurately completed using this ability.

To dodge the three interlocking assassination weapons, the time he experienced was nearly a hundred times longer than normal. Operating his muscles with minute adjustments achieved precise and spectacular effects. But clearly, this ability was a one-sided, forced use of his nervous system. The number of muscle bundles human nerves can control is limited. But to fully utilize them through nerves, from a physiological perspective, such uncompromising control over muscles and nerves placed a heavy burden on bodily tissues, especially internal organs.

Constantine couldn’t help but feel deep regret. If this ability truly caused irreparable harm to his body, all his previous training would have been for nothing.

“So it really is equivalent exchange…” the boy gritted his teeth, muttering to himself. “The power of darkness truly isn’t something one can bear easily.”

The world spun before his eyes. His limbs seemed to flail uncontrollably, yet also seemed not to have moved at all… Constantine felt as if a lump of coal was stuck in his throat, dry and painfully sore… Fortunately, someone timely brought a spoon to his lips. Sweet-scented liquid drove away the dryness… He didn’t know how long this sensation lasted. When the feeling of emptiness in his brain slowly receded, his thoughts cleared.

Where was this place? Letting out a few indistinct, groan-like sounds, the boy opened his eyes.

A noble-style luxurious room. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, the boy guessed this was probably somewhere in Prince Oriel’s manor, and he might have been unconscious for a while—the moon outside the window cast a clear light, draping the gauze curtains in a silvery-green hue. The night was deep.

Muscles all over his body still twitched with pain, but thankfully it was within bearable limits. The boy looked around, picked up his belt from the bedside, and took out the exquisite crystal bottle from it. He poured some of the potion he had taken from Archmage Nikolai into his mouth—this potion undoubtedly had excellent efficacy. The cool liquid seemed to evaporate on his tongue, while the residual stinging in his mind and body began to fade. In just a few seconds, the boy sprang up from the bed!

“You’re finally awake…” As he hung the amulet around his neck, the familiar voice of the lich’s book came.

“Did anything happen after I passed out?” Constantine asked.

“Those idiots made a fuss, then carried you back here. That Crown Prince and your fiancée came to visit during that time, but since you were still unconscious, nothing came of it.” The lich’s voice remained flat, but his next words made a fire ignite in the boy’s heart. “Also, that bastard who ambushed you, how do you plan to deal with him?”

The lich might be indifferent about many things, but anything endangering his life, he absolutely wouldn’t go easy on—based on an unequal treaty, if Constantine died unnaturally, he would also be annihilated. Therefore, this incident had touched his bottom line. Especially since the perpetrator was a spellcaster who didn’t seem all that formidable; this could almost be seen as a provocation.

“This scoundrel seems to have plotted this for a while… Hartdiel, would you like a new body?”

Constantine gritted his teeth. He hadn’t paid much attention to this Mage Purness initially, thinking he was just a disgraced mage at best. He didn’t expect the other’s underhanded move today to be so vicious. If it were anyone else, they probably would have died inexplicably in this chaos… Most eyewitnesses might not understand the intricacies. Even with his family’s influence, it was still somewhat tricky. And the Prince would, to some extent, owe him a life debt, likely intervening to cover up the details of this incident… Wouldn’t that mean his death would be in vain?

“I would naturally like one… but, for now, it seems you’ll need to put in some effort… Not to mention the Mage Tower, His Highness the Prince seems rather protective of him… Besides, there are many issues with handling the corpse.” Hartdiel’s voice showed no fluctuation, as if describing something as trivial as squashing an ant.

The unfortunate lich, though confined by Constantine in the gemstone and forced into an unequal pact, didn’t mean he couldn’t seize another body. However, the soul channel had now become his and the boy’s training ground. Finding a new body was much more troublesome—trouble didn’t mean hopeless. The lich had mentioned several times for Constantine to find him a corpse.

“That kind of thing, I’ll accomplish it soon.” The resentful boy had already sentenced that unfortunate mage to death in his heart. Whether influenced by the potion or not, Constantine felt a somewhat uncontrollable vitality.

Taking two deep breaths did nothing to ease the frustration in his heart. So he walked to the window, pushed open the thick gauze-covered window slightly, letting the crisp air fill his chest.

But at that moment, the boy suddenly noticed a familiar figure.

The place the boy rested in was likely a small courtyard within the Prince’s residence. The delicate two-story building had a small courtyard and some sparse trees. The blood elf Nirwen Venutiel was currently standing in the shadow of some trees. Opposite her, there seemed to be another person.

What was she doing?

Constantine’s brows furrowed. Prince Oriel’s residence was not a familiar place, especially during this highly tense moment. The blood elf lady’s random wandering was rather abnormal.

After a brief thought, Constantine gently raised his hand, chanting an indistinct incantation. A faint white light solidified into a feather shape in the air and vanished. Then the boy pushed open the window and floated lightly down into the courtyard.

This process went smoothly. The daytime commotion had increased patrols in the manor. The slightest movement would elicit verbal challenges. But this tension also made them prone to overlook real issues. Or perhaps it was because everyone was focused on defending against outsiders entering the residence, not considering someone leaving from within…

“Those bastards almost killed him! What exactly are you all plotting?”

As the distance closed, the elf’s suppressed roar reached the boy’s ears. He narrowed his eyes, noticing the blood elf was habitually waving her dagger, bursting with anger… And opposite her, a black figure was hidden within the tree shadows.

Cloaked entirely in a broad cloak, her hooded face also masked, even Constantine’s vision couldn’t make out her features. But that crisp tone with its peculiar trailing inflection was enough to judge it was a young woman.

“I already said, they are not our people, meow. Moreover, ordinary intelligence like Prince Oriel hosting a hunting party doesn’t need to be specially relayed from you! And even if that were the case, meow, you have no reason to be so furious…” She snorted coldly, completely ignoring the blade in the blood elf’s hand. “You seem quite worried about him… If this meow remembers correctly, you told meow he placed a curse on you… If he really died, wouldn’t you be happy?”

“You… nonsense! I already said it before, that curse has protection; if he dies, I won’t live either! Are you guys deliberately trying to get me killed?” the elf gritted her teeth, muttering curses in a low voice. Though trying to restrain her urge to attack, her trembling weapon betrayed her true intent!

“Meow meow! This drives meow crazy! It’s impossible to get through to an idiot like you! Why don’t you use meow’s brain and think properly? Big Sis has no interest in targeting a guy like the Crown Prince! What good would a chaotic Phoenix do for us, meow?” the black-clad figure snorted.

Constantine quietly drew his scimitar from his waist. The conversation between the two made the nameless fire in his heart flare up. An unknown killing intent seemed to surge through his nerves!

“Who’s there, meow!”

Whether sensing this killing intent or not, the figure with the peculiar trailing inflection let out a sharp cry! Then a black shadow flew towards Constantine!

The figure shrouded in shadow instantly let out a beast-like snarl. Three flashes of cold light flickered at the boy’s neck. But the next second, with a crisp clang, the assailant’s move was blocked. Between the three sharp hand claws and the sorcerer’s neck, a layer of adamantine obstruction had appeared out of nowhere. Constantine simply twisted the hilt of his scimitar lightly, deflecting this swift assault!

Nirwen Venutiel! You betrayed me? the black-clad figure shrieked, but this sound was soon drowned out by the clash of weapons!

The black-clad figure’s hands almost became a blur of grey afterimages. Combined with the large black cloak, her weapons were hidden in shadow! Speed advantage doesn’t require much physical strength; swinging an axe might need two hundred pounds of arm strength, but with enough speed, a three-pound adamantine scimitar lightly touching a vital point could achieve the same effect. Continuous metallic clangs filled the air like fine rain!

But this series of attacks ultimately proved futile. Constantine was like a shadow, carefully rotating around. With the aid of those thin black gloves, the boy’s speed now matched the blood elf’s. The scimitar’s not-so-broad surface became Constantine’s shield. Sharp hand claws tore through the air with a hissing, eerie whistle, but the scimitar always blocked them by a hair’s breadth! After a few such exchanges, this lightning-fast figure finally ran out of patience. She let out a long meow, and the air instantly filled with lines of cold light!

Yet this move still failed. A crisp clang flashed and vanished. The boy remained calmly in place, squinting at the sudden shadow before him.

The black light arcs flashing in those eyes instilled fear in the opponent. She involuntarily retreated two steps, hiding herself in darkness again… But she didn’t know, for this boy, the surrounding environment now was no different from a bright afternoon. Her action, however, created an opening for herself!

In that moment of retreat, the opponent struck!

His left hand drew an invisible symbol in the air. In the instant the other’s movements stiffened, Constantine swung his scimitar!

The adamantine blade, finely honed, shredded the cloak into countless rags. But this sure-kill attack didn’t succeed… As the cloak shattered, the figure beneath used the chance to crouch low, darting out like a giant feline!

“No wonder that silly bird was led around by you, meow. You little brat do have some skill! Meow hahahaha…” The beautiful escape made this individual let out a wild, overjoyed laugh… seemingly completely unconcerned that this sound had drawn the attention of distant guards.

“This… Orc lady. If possible, could you reveal your identity?”

His breathing hitched slightly. Constantine carefully examined this somewhat neurotic character—he… oh, or perhaps she… no, possibly it—it possessed a human form resembling a teenage girl, slightly short in stature, slightly hunched. Drooping arms and bent knees made her look like a cat.

In fact, she seemed to indeed be a cat.

Between locks of hair protruded a pair of black, softly furred anomalies—two large feline ears that rose and fell gently with her breathing. Though her face was masked, it made her exposed jade-green eyes even more striking. The corners of her eyes slanted upwards; deep, bright pupils surrounded by beautiful jade-green color. A long tail proudly traced S-shapes in the air. Especially the tips of her hands, where something like keratin formed sharp, curved claws, yet they shimmered with a metallic luster.

But what made the boy’s breath catch was her current attire. Except for a strip of fabric tied around her waist, almost like a rope, she had no other covering. Brown skin under the moonlight gleamed like crystalline jade, sparkling with points of radiance!

“Dream on, meow. Why would this meow tell you who I am… you should know I’m a gold badge… meow!”

The excited laughter abruptly turned into a sharp cry! Because formless energy in the air suddenly solidified! A hand-shaped force field swept before her eyes! Though she leaned back desperately in shock, the shadow still snatched away one of the few coverings she had left… Constantine had no interest in small talk with an enemy. This suddenly formed mage hand might only cause damage like a finger flick, but if aimed right, even the smallest harm could be fatal—for example, those beautiful eyes.

Not successful, but it was enough!

In that instant, the boy’s figure shifted from extreme stillness to rapid motion! Reaching out, he aimed to grab the other’s neck!