Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 460 The Situation of Being Flanked from Both Sides
The dark light arrived in an instant, enveloping the mage and his surrounding guards. A cold, dark power filled the area, and an aura of lifelessness permeated every inch of space. In just one glance, the mage knew he had been too arrogant.

The sudden surge of negative energy, like a tide of dark energy, crashes against the bodies of all living things, attempting to erode and strip away all vitality and warmth.

Zhang Yuan mustered his inner strength, using the last warmth within his body to resist the deadly chill.

It was indeed effective at first, as the life energy derived from the biological essence suppressed the invasion of negative energy from the outside. Although the extreme contrast between internal heat and external cold was truly agonizing, his constitution made him fearless.

However, one of life's great illusions is misjudging one's own endurance. When faced with the negative energy impact of the Shadowsteel Golem, the mage realized that the situation before him was far more ferocious than the negative energy explosion of a similar spell.

Being on the home turf of the Shadow Plane, and with its Negative Energy Impact designed to quickly and extensively reap lives, its energy level surpasses that of a third-circle arcane spell. The Shadowsteel Golem's ultimate attack is not so easy to withstand.

The mage's internal energy was rapidly depleted as if being pumped out by a water pump. Zhang Yuan, who barely managed to withstand the subsequent damage with his body and willpower, felt numb and sore all over his body, as if he had run a marathon and then been thrown into an ice hole for winter swimming. His nose stung, and two streams of hot liquid flowed into the corners of his lips. The taste of blood filled his mouth and nose.

The pressure was so great that he even had a nosebleed.

But the mage had no time to worry about such trivial matters. From his side and rear, another Shadowsteel Golem emerged, shedding its shadowy disguise and charging straight at him.

The current situation is somewhat unfavorable. The Soulbreaker is leading the Word Bearers to explore and clear the way. After traversing a long tunnel, they have already moved a bit too far ahead. The Shadow Demon is responsible for bringing up the rear and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the golem from before. Although the group as a whole has not broken apart, it is temporarily unable to take care of both the front and the rear.

The timing of the second golem's entry was perfect. In its eyes, these small figures in the middle of the invading group, corrupted by negative energy, were now like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of the invaders.

The Shadowsteel Golem's judgment was indeed correct. Whether it was the mages, the berserk half-ogres, or the dwarves, after enduring the impact of negative energy, although they were not in mortal danger, their bodies were temporarily numb and weak due to the rapid depletion of their strength and physical energy.

Although they were not paralyzed or unable to move, the group, who were already fundamentally inferior to the enemy in strength and physique, were now given a major debuff. How could they possibly fight against this golem in close combat?
In this critical moment, people's hearts are divided. Facing the seemingly invincible steel killer, the half-ogres still widened their blood-red eyes and bravely raised their weapons to guard the mage.

The captured and transformed grey dwarves, on the other hand, kept a rather ambiguous distance and position from the mage in the center of the formation, their eyes darting around uncertainly.

They didn't immediately desert and scatter like birds and beasts, after all, who dared to say that the outcome was already decided? Leaving aside the subsequent punishment, retaliation, and contractual penalties from the sorcerers, just figuring out how to get out of this damned tomb and back to the prime material plane was a huge problem.

But to expect them to sacrifice themselves to protect the Dharma is just wishful thinking.

Fortunately, the mage did not entrust his safety to these guys who only knew how to win when things were going well. He fixed his gaze on the front, where the tall and agile Shadowsteel Golem broke through the shadows and charged straight at him, like a hunting eagle piercing through the clouds and descending from the sky.

The entire process remained silent, creating a stark contrast with the rapidly changing visuals, much like an extremely intense and exciting action movie that was actually a silent film, which was unsettling.

What truly surprised the mage was Viconia's actions.

At this critical moment, the female priest, far from losing heart, drew her main weapon, the flail, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the mage. Her face revealed not only barely suppressed tension but also a resolute determination and unwillingness to give up. "Lady Night is with me!"

"You damned Rosa Beasts, you incompetent slugs, do you think you can escape back to the Prime Material Plane on your own? Just wait to rot to death in this tomb passage!"

After hastily casting a buff on the mage, the drow drew her round shield and, while keeping an eye on the enemy's position, rebuked the wavering grey dwarf.

Strangely enough, the dwarves, who were initially unsettled, became more alert after being harshly scolded. Perhaps "relaxed" is not the right word, but they instinctively snapped to attention and quickly formed a respectable shield formation, looking almost like magic.

"That's somewhat interesting," the mage thought, feeling the meager warmth brought by the aid spell. Without hesitation, he revealed one of his trump cards.

A flash of emerald light enveloped the mage's entire body in an instant, and the mage felt completely relaxed, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, experiencing indescribable comfort.

In the blink of an eye, the divine power from the Leaf of Beven flowed throughout his eight extraordinary meridians, and all the pain and negative effects of the injury vanished like snow melting in the blazing sun under the effect of the advanced restoration spell.

Vicania, who caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of her eye, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that she had finally won her gamble.

Come to think of it, Chanem is a man of many tricks and schemes, how could he be so easily driven into a corner? The fact that he dares to face the enemy head-on instead of running away shows that he must have some confidence.

Risks certainly exist, but they are worth taking. What better way to demonstrate our stance than by fighting side by side?

"I'm afraid I'll have a chair in the Round Table Council when I get back," the female drow thought to herself.

In the blink of an eye, the Shadowsteel Golem had already closed in on the shield formation. The oppressive feeling brought by the nearly four-meter-tall metal monster's charge was indescribable. The morale of the gray dwarves, which had been boosted by the impromptu spurs, plummeted. But when the moment came, it was difficult to run away. They could only grit their teeth and curl up behind the shields, preparing to let go and roll away to avoid the onslaught if they were hit.

Nothing happened!
Perhaps the prayers of the grey dwarves had been answered, for Moradin heard the cries of these unfortunate souls. The terrifying collision he had imagined did not come. Instead, the rapidly charging Shadowsteel Golem leaped over the shield formation formed by the dwarves as if hurdling, charging straight into the enemy chieftain's presence.

Unlike Viconia's rage and curses at the gray dwarves' ostrich-like behavior, the "enemy chieftain" remained calm and composed, completing his incantation without a ripple.

"For the glory of Almighty God."

A flash of light, and the Omniknight stepped onto the battlefield, standing shoulder to shoulder with the ogre brothers to guard the mage.

The one-star Omnipotent Knight's physique was far inferior to that of the three-star powerhouses, causing Viconia to mutter to herself in disbelief.
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(End of this chapter)