Chapter 164: The Choice
A gentle breeze brushed across Luther's face, allowing the mage apprentice, whose life had left no ripples in history, to peacefully close his eyes, bringing a halt to the battle between genius and ordinary man.
Garros stood in silence before Luther's corpse for several seconds, and after a brief moment of mourning, he slowly walked past him, smiling at Prince Konda, who was still struggling under Ji Xiaodao's barrage: "It's over, Your Highness."
The latter was utterly exhausted at this point. Although Luther's final infusion of magic temporarily prevented his defenses from being breached, the several High-Rank defensive spells were not even noticed by Garros, who now faced no obstacles. In fact, it wouldn't have mattered even if he hadn't made a move; Ji Xiaodao's black threads had already accumulated to a threshold. Daggers and short swords, appearing and disappearing like ghosts, would weaken those defensive spells with each appearance, and the pseudo-elements on the two long swords, night rain and silent return, were gradually deepening…
"Fighting the Sin King's aide for a long time in a confined environment is tantamount to suicide!"
Although this saying had not yet widely circulated, its truth was already becoming apparent at this very moment.
Because the few of them had deliberately avoided expanding the battle's scope, the wooden house, though riddled with holes, miraculously remained intact. In such a situation, Ji Xiaodao's core skill, Shadow Weaving, could undoubtedly play a huge role. And having already established her combat style, she had brought dozens of short-bladed weapons with her this time. With almost perfect awareness and combat intuition, the Dark Elf girl was, at this very moment, simultaneously controlling at least thirty weapons connected by shadow threads, in addition to the twin swords of Silent Night in her hands!
Even Garros couldn't imagine how this Dark Elf girl, who had been incredibly weak not long ago, managed to do this. To simultaneously control a large number of objects with countless fine threads was not easy at all. It required not only rigorous, almost insane micro-management but also extremely keen combat intelligence and the talent for multitasking. Otherwise, let alone launching an offensive, even ensuring she wouldn't harm herself would be difficult.
In simpler terms, even controlling a small number of weapons simultaneously was as difficult as a beginner wildly swinging four or five nunchaku at once.
If she didn't possess such miraculous talent, then such an action would clearly be no different from suicide!
At least Garros admitted he couldn't do it…
"Do you know what you're doing?!" Konda dodged the blades, which sometimes bounced, sometimes spun wildly, and sometimes provided alternating cover, all while shouting frantically at the Grand Duke: "Garros… Ugh!"
A pitch-black long sword slammed into his shield. Ji Xiaodao's puppet sword cut a straight trajectory through the shadows, aiming directly for Konda's back. Unfortunately, Luther's final magic infusion had amplified those several defensive spells by at least several times, so even though she seized the opportunity and gave it her all, Ji Xiaodao still failed to land a decisive blow.
"Leave the rest to me, Ms. Jidao." Garros smiled at the Dark Elf girl, who was once again preparing to melt into the shadows, and slowly raised his staff: "With me, a noble, doing the deed, His Highness the Prince should at least have a more dignified death."
Ji Xiaodao stopped her skill, emerging from the shadows she had partially merged into, and coldly glanced at Garros: "Suit yourself."
"Garros!" Konda clutched his re-bleeding severed arm, glaring grimly at the Grand Duke who had been loyal to the royal family for decades: "I ask you one last time, do you really know what you are doing?"
"I have never been so clear about what I am doing, Your Highness."
The latter shrugged, and a circle of magic arrays gradually appeared before the staff pointed at Konda. They slowly overlapped amidst humming and trembling, outlining the prototype of a giant lance. Countless deep green air currents rapidly swirled around it, ethereal and beautiful.
This was Garros's self-created magic that he hadn't used during his previous battle with Luther, and it was also the strongest magic he could wield — Sir Pale Mist.
Whether it was for concentrated attacks on a single target or for executing quick and painless executions for others, this was an extremely practical spell.
Extreme speed, excellent penetration, super long range, almost zero casting time, unparalleled sharpness—this 'lance' rapidly forming before Garros combined all the advantages of wind element magic. Although its tendency to dissipate prevented it from having a larger volume, this very characteristic gave it terrifying 'point' killing power, capable of piercing through a dozen stacked sets of enchanted heavy armor even during the experimental stage.
Konda sighed deeply, the hand resting on his shoulder wound slowly slipping away powerlessly.
"I assure you, you will feel no pain whatsoever." Garros bowed gracefully to Konda, then raised his staff.
The distance of less than three meters between them was almost non-existent for Sir Pale Mist. It would pierce Konda's heart in an instant, and the seemingly stable and solid spear shaft would transform into countless raging gales upon impact, tearing his entire body apart. This would not only ensure that no remnant larger than two centimeters in diameter would be left, but also completely end everything before the concept of 'pain' could be registered in his brain.
However, at that moment, Mo, who had been observing coldly from the doorway, suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Don't move, make them stop."
The next second, a sharp 'weapon' was already pressed against the Sin Duke's neck—it was a broken piece of a wooden table from inside the house.
Konda, Garros, and Ji Xiaodao simultaneously looked towards the doorway, only to see a simply dressed Dark Elf girl with short silver hair standing behind Mo, the wooden shard held steadily against his neck. Her serene and elegant face showed no emotion.
"Gawen!" Prince Konda's ashen face instantly lit up with wild joy. He looked at Ji Xiaodao and Garros, who were clearly somewhat startled and uncertain, and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Excellent! This is truly…"
Bang!!
A dark trail of fire violently struck the defensive magic in front of Konda, abruptly cutting short his unfinished exclamation.
"You'd best calm down, Your Highness." Ji Xiaodao expressionlessly sheathed silent return, warning him flatly.
Garros sighed. Sir Pale Mist in front of him did not pierce Konda as expected, but it also did not dissipate.
For a moment, no one spoke, until…
"Gawen, is it?" Mo leaned lazily on the armrest, his abyss-like eyes behind the mask observing the Dark Elf girl for a long time, then a subtle smile appeared on his face: "Is that your name?"
The latter nodded gently, pushing the sharp wooden shard forward slightly: "This is the second time. Make your people stop."
"Alright, it seems you've successfully checkmated me." Mo casually waved his hand at Ji Xiaodao and Garros, chuckling: "Do as she says, I've been captured."
Ji Xiaodao shrugged, dispelling the countless faintly trembling shadow threads in her hands, and symbolically retreated two steps.
Garros also dispersed the poised Sir Pale Mist, lowered his staff slightly, and after a noble's bow to Konda, retreated to his companion's side.
"Alright, then what do you want to do next?" Mo turned to Gawen, speaking softly with a hint of playfulness: "You seem to be troubled by something…"
Gawen was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"No, I am no longer troubled now."
…
One minute ago, the moment High-Rank Archmage Luther King stopped breathing.
Gawen, still observing from the shadows, suddenly heard a system prompt sound in her ear.
"Side Quest: Receive Prince Konda and his party, completed. Completion: 45%. Optional XP Reward: 90 points. Additional Reward: None."
"Guidance Quest: Embark on the Journey, changed. You have received a new Guidance Quest: The Choice."
She subconsciously glanced at her inexplicably changed novice guidance quest and was slightly stunned.
"Guidance Quest: The Choice"
"Branch 1: Successfully help Konda Bohe escape (0/1), ???, ???. Quest Reward: Faction changes to 【Lawful Neutral】, gain 100,000 optional XP, unlock class: Contention-Free, world collapse degree reduced to 0%. Failure Penalty: Death."
"Branch 2: Face yourself. Quest Reward: ???"
"Note: Your worries are meaningless, your confusion is worthless, your proof is absurdly laughable. Come, two dead ends have been laid before you. Choose one to step upon, and then leave everything to fate."
A hint of fear flashed in the Dark Elf girl's eyes. At this moment, she finally realized that this 'game' was probably not so simple…
But the next second, Gawen inexplicably began to get excited. Her brain worked rapidly, a smile bloomed on the corners of her mouth, her hands trembled slightly, and a hint of unrestrained madness ignited in her eyes.
"Gawen"
"Race: Dark Elf"
"Gender: Female"
"Level: Juggler Level 4"
"Faction: chaotic evil"
"HP: 40 / 40"
"Stamina: 120 / 120"
"Talents: Elegant, Holiday Time"
"Basic Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Wisdom 10, Constitution 2"
"Civilization Attributes: Eloquence 30, Charm 30, Knowledge 3, Leadership 15"
"Combat Attributes: None"
"Skills: Telekinesis (Pseudo), Shadow Play, Sleight of Hand, Survival Instinct"
Her character panel was unremarkable, with almost no highlights except for her civilization attributes, and 'Juggler' didn't sound like a serious combat class…
However, Gawen didn't care about these. She quickly scanned her information, then refocused her attention on the people nearby, until the moment Garros was about to send Konda on his way!
The Dark Elf girl's figure instantly appeared behind Mo, pressing the wooden shard she had just casually picked up against his neck.
"Survival Instinct"
"Active Skill"
"Mastery Condition: Possess the 'Juggler' class"
"Cost/Restriction: None"
"Usage: After activation, there is a 50% chance to increase your movement speed by 50% for three seconds; there is a 50% chance to increase your all resistances by +1 and prevent any movement for three seconds. Cooldown: 120 minutes."
"Note: In situations where a performance fails and cannot be salvaged, do not hesitate; take the tips those idiots gave you and run! Of course, if your psychological quality is too poor or there are too many onlookers, it's more reliable to just concede and take a beating."
In every aspect, this was not an easy-to-use skill. Not only were its effects extremely poor, its cooldown extremely long, and it involved an element of luck, but compared to acceleration skills like the Warrior's Charge or the Thief's Swift Travel, it was so rudimentary it was hard to look at.
However, Gawen had no other choice. After all, she only had the Juggler class, which she had acquired from frequently taking side quests involving children. So, at this moment, there was naturally no room for pickiness.
Of course, she didn't think she would fail. After all, the slightly cheeky skill note had clearly indicated that the immobilization effect would only occur in situations of 'poor psychological quality' or 'too many onlookers.' While the former concept was somewhat ambiguous, at least no one was currently paying attention to Gawen in the corner, so she felt she could take a gamble.
Gawen won her gamble.
The person called 'Sin Duke' was already under her control. Although she didn't know how poor his physical condition truly was, judging from him sitting in a wheelchair and his extremely pale complexion, he was clearly not very healthy.
"This should be enough…"
Gawen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although her understanding of this world wasn't extensive, the course of events still hadn't exceeded her expectations. This mysterious Sin Duke, whom she had coerced, seemed quite cooperative.
To be honest, this made Gawen a little disappointed.
And at that moment, Prince Konda, temporarily freed from the trap, sternly shouted at Gawen: "Kill him! Gawen, kill that Sin Duke immediately!"
"Kill him?" The Dark Elf girl frowned slightly and shook her head: "If we kill him, none of us will be able to leave, Your Highness."
A shadow flashed in Konda's eyes, and he angrily said: "He is the culprit of everything! He carries the blood debt of tens of thousands of lives in Banse City, he Bewitched the loyal Grand Duke Bart Gallos, and killed our God of Law! No matter what, he cannot be allowed to live!"
"I don't think the word 'Bewitch' is used very precisely." Mo, however, casually interjected, then glanced at Garros, who stood nearby: "Right?"
The latter smiled slightly: "Yes, my lord, quite inaccurate."
But Gawen just looked calmly at Prince Konda and said softly: "Your Highness, I think it would be best to resolve the problem through negotiation now, so we can all survive. So, would you like to reconsider?"
"I don't want to consider anything!" Konda shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Kill him. I, as a Prince, am willing to die here with you."
Gawen sighed softly: "Your Highness, I remember suggesting you leave earlier, and it proved I was right. So this time, would you consider…"
"No need!" Konda roared, his eyes bloodshot: "Perhaps if he is killed, Garros will regain his sanity! I have no interest in your suggestions, hurry up and act!"
"Alright." Gawen nodded decisively, then leaned over and opened her other hand to Mo, revealing a delicately crafted small golden pendant: "You have ten seconds."
The latter leisurely snapped his fingers: "Do it, Garros."
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One: The End
