Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 99 The Riverbank Under the Storm (Third Update, 11,000 Votes Requested)

Mosodirka, meaning "riverbank that bears the torrential rain" in the Dark Elf language, is a city that has carried a special meaning since its inception.

Generally speaking, two cities don't live so close together, partly due to functional overlap and partly due to resource conflicts.

Escalating conflicts can easily turn into various forms of internal friction and struggle, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction.

If so-called twin cities still emerge, there are often special reasons, such as their interdependence and complementary positioning, or that they were born for the same reason and are essentially brothers in misfortune.

"The birth and rise of Menzoberranzan are actually similar to those of Radiant City, except that their history is longer because they are actually closer to the seal, and the underworld needs this barrier more."

Radiant City, the underground ruins that seal the "beast", and Mosodirka are roughly in a straight line.

The orcs' Radiant City is at the top, while the dark elves' city is at the bottom; they are essentially two stoppers in a bottle.

"In the underground ruins, the monsters spawned by the 'beasts' not only hunt upwards but also dig downwards. Due to the vastness of the underground world, the inhabitants of the underground world have always been under greater pressure."

Menzobern's City is a fortified city "sponsored" by a deeper underground world, serving as a buffer zone between the vast underground world and the "beasts".

In fact, many people in Radiant City had known of its existence for a long time, but there was no official contact between them, only occasional exchanges between caravans.

"So, our goal this time is to go to that city and ask them what they really mean?"

Rean felt that this was almost like deliberately courting death.

Are we really going to expect them to follow some kind of "no killing of envoys in war" principle?
"Don't worry, even if they really did it, I can take you back."

Purple Rose patted her chest, assuring everyone that everything was fine.

This is not just confidence in her personal abilities, but also because her identity is truly special.

Even the Dark Elves had to give face to the "Beasts" and the Seven Beasts Alliance. More importantly, in the eyes of most alien races, "magical girls" were not beastmen, so targeting them was meaningless.

Actually, they aren't.

This seemingly lively girl, though born a snake woman, has two legs, but in reality, she can also transform into a real snake woman or a giant snake.

Perhaps, the contract snake on her staff, which always remains silent in front of outsiders, is her true nature.

"Magical girls, seemingly possessing human form, are ultimately just human-shaped beasts."

The same words were being spoken in the temple tower of Menzoderka, the destination of Rean and his party.

The crowned, ornately dressed dark elf is the city's theoretical supreme ruler.

As the city's owner and a countess, she stood atop the tower, watching the "young girl" who had just left the hall.

Her polite smile contained too many complex emotions, but absolutely no friendliness or trust.

"She's finally gone."

In that smile, there was unease, anticipation, even fear and relief. As the master of this city, she would still feel unease and fear when facing that monster in human skin.

"Hi!"

Even though they were hundreds of meters apart, the girl suddenly turned around and waved to the countess city lord she had just parted ways with in gratitude.

She is beautiful and pure.

This is an almost pure white girl, dressed in white with white hair, her innocent and childlike face expressionless, with a small, cute white "doll" floating beside her.

She held a staff made of withered wood in one hand, and the two smooth antlers on her forehead shone with pure white light.

The city lord looked uneasy about the "monster," but still managed a smile, muttering the truth to himself.

However, the pure white girl in the distance suddenly puffed out her cheeks, seemingly very angry.

Did she hear that?
She seemed to raise her staff, as if to do something. Fortunately, her "mascot" stopped her.

However, the floating little beast, the deer that was entirely white except for its pitch-black pupils, looked even more terrifying when it looked over.

Beneath the calm exterior of the city lord's face, however, lay a deep-seated unease about these monsters.

"The lord of Mosodirka will give me face."

At the same time, the magical girl "Snake" Purple Rose was also speaking smugly.

Although Rean didn't know why she was so confident, he figured she was a big shot, so he would just believe her.

In theory, this journey shouldn't take much time, since geographically it's just a roundabout trip.

But after spending half a day in the underground world, everyone knew that the original plan had failed and that the time required had to be reassessed.

"How many attacks has this been?" The mercenary who spoke was utterly exhausted; he had only been here for half a day and felt like he hadn't had a single rest.

"The seventeenth time, the sixth time for someone with intelligence."

The attackers had already begun to surround them, and the convoy stopped again, but the soldiers' fighting did not cease.

Rean took his fighting position and, seeing the silent gray dwarves surrounding him, gave up on one last attempt at communication.

"Evil!"

After a soft chant, holy power gathered on the hero's sword.

Rean may not be a true mage yet, but his learning of spellcasting and his mastery of energy have certainly improved him in another aspect.

He is trying to rewrite the model of the Evil-Slaying Slash.

".Destroy evil."

In the next instant, the holy sword went berserk in his hand. The radiant holy power on the blade did not spread out of nowhere, but instead condensed into a stable sword shape, suddenly expanding into a light sword that became his fatal nail.

He exerted all his strength and threw it.

"Whoosh!"

The light easily pierced the gray dwarf's shield, pinning him to the ground.

"Ahhh!" The next moment, he suddenly roared, and his other two-handed sword completed its charging.

The knight whirled around, his lightsaber spinning like a top, once again cleaving through all living things around him.

This is not a blind retaliation.

"Aaaaah!" Screams echoed through the darkness as the shadowy figures were driven out one by one.

It was too fast. Rean deliberately exposed his weakness (losing his weapon), and the grey dwarves who were trying to surround and ambush him had no way to avoid it.

Some were seriously injured, and some unlucky ones were even cleaved in two.

Rean didn't stop, continuing to swing his sword and steadily finish off the attacker.

"Hoo." Rean took another deep breath. There were only dead people around him, but he did not let his guard down.

These cunning "dwarfs" had already caused him trouble before.

"Boom!"

The sudden airburst about three meters away from Rean prompted him to take action again.

"Die!"

In an instant, Rean completed another stride.

As the sword fell again, the kill count increased by one.

"There shouldn't be any more, right?" Rean continued to wait, but after a dozen seconds, the Holy Flame Aura did not find a new opponent.

Everyone says the Holy Flame Aura is useless, but Rean actually finds it quite useful, especially here.

After all, the creatures of the underworld are all similar to the gray dwarves and dark elves in that they all possess similar racial talents; stealth and ambushes are their standard attack methods.

Rean finished the battle on this side, and the battles on other sides, with even more defenders, were also nearly over.

He also realized that with the improvement of his spellcasting training, his "Evil-Slaying Slash" became more controllable and adjustable.

Ultimately, these insights stemmed not only from Kuku's statement that "Evil Slash is also a type of Evocation," but also from the fact that Rean was different from other divine spell users. He did not believe in gods, nor did he feel that divine spells were anything sacred.

In Kuku and Rean's understanding, divine magic often comes from divine revelation, or rather, divine grace.

"It's somewhat similar to a toolkit sent from a superior via QQ."

If a mage's spells are like the result of programming, then most divine spells are like compressed files that can be used with a click.

Priests and paladins may use a certain divine spell their whole lives, but they don't understand its specific operating mechanism. Devout people do not question the power given by God, let alone improve it. But when Rean really observed the Evil Slash with the eyes of a spellcaster, he found that it was not complete and perfect.

It is just the most standard and universal template. How much radiant power to allocate, where to cover the sword, and how to unleash it upon collision are all predetermined.

You can certainly adjust it, but only within the selectable range; maxing it out completely is only considered a minor adjustment.

Switching from automatic to manual isn't impossible, but if you lack the skill, you'll definitely mess it up. Experts even customize their own basic toolkits; the strength of a master is built from countless details.

Suer's Evil-Slaying Slash is clearly not a standard feature.

By paladin standards, Rean is still far from being able to reconstruct his Demon-Slaying Slash like Sul.
However, if viewed as a shaping spell, and the energy output is fine-tuned within the caster's field of vision to make it more suitable for Rean, there is much that can be done.

"The power has been significantly reduced, but it is now easier to use." The output of holy power per unit of time is limited, so adjusting the state of the Radiant Energy naturally reduces the damage.

Rean didn't really want to reject the classic model, but rather to modify it to better suit his own needs.

Sometimes, the key isn't whether you can kill someone, but whether you can even land a hit.

Rean's many ability components mean that he doesn't need to pursue power too much; instead, he needs agility, attack range, and the suddenness of his attacks.

"Perhaps learning energy manipulation spells can also enhance the power of the Evil Slash." Improving spellcasting skills and controlling energy enhances the power of all spells in another way.

Rean hadn't thought of this before, but as soon as he recalled that Kuku could learn shamanic magic and sorcery, it seemed that these supernatural abilities were not fundamentally different.

This idea flashed through my mind, but it was confirmed by Kuku.

However, normal paladins don't need to go to books to learn spells just for a little increase in control and damage; they have other ways to improve.

Conversely, if we consider the Evil Slash and the Holy Flame Aura as spellcasting exercises, Rean seems to have already gained a lot of spellcasting experience.

"It seems like I can do it."

Controlling energy and elements may not be that difficult; it's an instinct, at least for Rean, the Dragonborn—an instinct that can be built upon talent.

Rean subconsciously recalled the feeling of controlling the elements as if it were an instinct when he used dragon language magic before.

If I want it to come, it must come.

"Snapped!"

Rean closed the book; it was almost time.

Although the time and place were both subtle, he felt that he had indeed mastered his first first-level spell and was now able to become a true mage.

(End of this chapter)