Chapter 22: Passing Away
"Ha!" The six special-grade executors stomped the ground almost simultaneously, and the entire area was pierced by a burst of light. 'Bebe,' who had just burrowed into the earth, collided with the white light and was sent rebounding back.
"Whoosh!"
The six special-grade executors retreated diagonally at high speed almost in unison, and the range of the white six-pointed star rapidly expanded. Linley could only leap tens or nearly a hundred meters at a time. He would eventually have to land.
As for flight magic...
Under the current circumstances, there simply wasn't enough time to chant the incantation for a flight spell.
"Ha!" The white light on the surface formed by the six violet-robed special-grade executors made Bebe dare not touch it, forcing him to leap up. At that moment, five of the special-grade executors suddenly stomped the ground and soared into the air. Among these five, four rose to a height matching Linley's, but the last one surpassed him.
"Whoosh!" One person was at the top, four surrounded Linley in midair, and one was at the bottom.
The six figures, with white light flowing over their bodies, formed a sealed three-dimensional octahedron, completely enclosing Linley and Bebe.
"What the hell is this?" Linley was stunned.
Dellinger's voice echoed in Linley's mind: "The special-grade executors of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal use this combined attack technique, which consumes a tremendous amount of holy aura. However, they might also be carrying some secret treasure from the Radiant Temple. Over five thousand years ago, the Radiant Temple didn't have such a miraculous and flexible combined attack method."
Even if they all cultivated the same type of battle qi...
Each person's battle qi had subtle differences. For these six special-grade executors to fully merge their battle qi, even causing a qualitative change that greatly enhanced its power, was almost impossible. Yet the Radiant Temple had achieved it.
"Whoosh."
The special-grade executors from all six directions—top, bottom, front, back, left, and right—flew toward Linley at high speed. Each of them produced a slender longsword in their hands.
Nowhere to hide!
"Boss." Bebe was also panicking. Linley directly transmitted his voice, shouting, "Bebe, the one below—let's go after him together. Kill one, and this combined formation will break."
"Got it."
Linley and Bebe, one human and one beast, accelerated downward, charging at the ninth-rank expert below. But instead of showing any fear, the ninth-rank expert below curled his lips slightly, revealing a hint of disdainful smile.
"Humm—"
The white light flowed rapidly, and the light on the other five's bodies began to dim. Meanwhile, the special-grade executor below became as dazzling as the sun. This executor stomped the ground, holding his longsword as he slashed at Linley and Bebe at high speed.
"Ah!" Linley suddenly swung his dragon tail, recklessly wrapping it around the special-grade executor without regard for anything else.
"Pfft." The longsword slashed directly across Linley's chest. Linley felt an excruciating pain, and the scales on his body shattered, as if a red-hot iron rod had been pressed against his skin. The pain made Linley's body convulse, but his dragon tail still held the opponent tightly. Blood began to seep from the wound.
The defensive scales inherited from the Spiked-Back Adamantine Dragon couldn't withstand this strike.
"This sword strike is only slightly weaker than a saint-level expert's attack." Dellinger was also shocked. After the combined attack of the six special-grade executors, their offensive power was unprecedentedly terrifying.
According to the Radiant Temple's view, against anyone below the saint level, this combined attack method was an absolute victory.
"Ah~~" The dragon tail binding the opponent's body was battered by the powerful holy aura. Linley felt intense pain in his tail, but he still struggled with all his might, trying to strangle the other. His dark golden pupils stared fixedly at the opponent.
"Hmph." The special-grade executor sneered coldly.
"Bang."
The white light on the executor's body suddenly expanded, and Linley's dragon tail was forced open uncontrollably. Linley's binding strength was far inferior to the opponent's resistance.
At that moment, the five special-grade executors above also charged at Linley.
"Boss." Bebe leaped off Linley's shoulder, charging straight at the five executors above. But with just one clash, Bebe was struck by five longswords almost simultaneously and was sent tumbling back down.
"Bebe." Linley said worriedly.
"Boss, I'm fine." Bebe rolled over and stood up, but even his tough skin had faint traces of blood seeping through. However, Bebe's defense was truly monstrous; his fur wasn't significantly damaged.
The six special-grade executors glanced at Bebe in surprise.
Even under their combined attack, they hadn't broken through the skin of this Shadowmouse—it was too monstrous. In their view, even a ninth-rank magical beast would have its defense breached.
Linley's defense was already freakish, yet his chest scales had been shattered by a single sword strike.
"The target is Linley!" The six understood that killing this monstrous Shadowmouse might take some effort, but killing Linley would be much simpler.
One strike broke through his defense; just a few more attacks would be enough to kill him.
"What's going on? Their holy aura never runs out!" Linley roared inwardly, his sharp claws madly striking at the attacking executors.
"Yow~~" Bebe also let out a sharp cry—
The six special-grade executors, shrouded in white light, converged on Linley and Bebe. Linley and Bebe fought back recklessly, ignoring defense.
"Bang—"
A chaotic clash ensued. Both sides attacked without regard for defense.
The six special-grade executors retreated.
Linley's black scales were mostly shattered, with wounds gaping open and blood seeping out continuously. Even the scales on his dragon tail were partially broken.
"Pfft." Linley couldn't suppress the blood rising to his throat and spat it out.
"Their defense." Linley was furious.
He had finally encountered opponents with defenses even more monstrous than his own. These six executors used their holy aura as if it were inexhaustible. With their combined holy aura, not only was their attack power terrifying, but their defense was also astonishingly strong. Linley's attacks couldn't harm them at all.
"Boss, how are you?" Bebe asked in panic, his small, jet-black eyes looking at Linley with worry.
Bebe was in much better shape than Linley. The six executors had focused mainly on Linley, and Bebe's defense was even more monstrous than Linley's. Bebe only had faint traces of blood seeping through his fur.
"No, I'm fine." Linley wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"This is the first time."
A violet-robed special-grade executor standing on a distant rooftop said calmly, "Not bad defense. I wonder how many of our combined attacks you can withstand."
"Vittes, don't waste time." Another executor on a different rooftop said coldly.
"Move." An executor in a small alley shouted.
By now, many surrounding buildings had collapsed. The commotion of the battle had drawn some powerful warriors to watch from a distance, but seeing such a scale of destruction, they dared not approach.
The sheer aura of the terrifying holy aura alone made them tremble.
"Swish!" The six special-grade executors transformed into six streaks of white light, charging at Linley almost simultaneously. Enclosed within the sealed three-dimensional octahedron, Linley had nowhere to escape.
Linley gritted his teeth.
"Roar~~" Linley let out a furious roar, pulling the heavy black mithril sword from his back and swinging it madly at the six executors.
"Clang." Linley's heavy black mithril sword struck a violet-robed executor who didn't even dodge. The executor felt a tremendous force transmitted through him.
"Huh?" This executor was sent flying back by the blow. But protected by his holy aura, he wasn't seriously injured.
Only such a heavy sword could unleash the astonishing brute strength of a Dragonblood Warrior.
"Pfft!"
The other five longswords struck Linley again. Linley's dragon claws, spikes, and tail lashed out wildly in all directions. The five executors retreated once more.
Linley fell to one knee.
At this point, most of Linley's black scales were shattered. The wound on his chest had been reopened, and a deep gash that exposed the bone oozed blood continuously.
But the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline gave Linley exceptional regenerative abilities.
His muscles twitched and contracted, trying to heal, but the wound was too large. It only shrank slowly. However, the massive blood loss made Linley feel dizzy.
"Next time, you die."
One of the six executors declared arrogantly. Bebe pressed close to Linley, worried. Both Linley and Bebe felt a sense of despair.
"Hmph." Linley shook his head violently, trying to stay alert.
But due to excessive blood loss, his vision blurred. At that moment, a dreamlike white light flew out, eventually materializing into an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a moon-white robe.
"Grandpa Dellinger." Linley was stunned. He didn't understand why Grandpa Dellinger would show up now.
Dellinger looked exactly as he had when Linley first met him. Dellinger smiled and gently stroked Linley's head.
"Linley, you'll have to rely on yourself from now on." Dellinger said with a doting smile.
"Grandpa Dellinger, you're going to..." Linley froze.
Dellinger's soul suddenly floated up, hovering about a meter above the ground, then spread his arms. A terrifying spiritual energy radiated from Dellinger.
Dellinger's heart was calm.
"Back in the Pruen Empire, I only focused on cultivation, combat, and killing. I was very proud and kept others at a distance. I had no descendants. After spending over five thousand years in the Ring of Dragon's Might, my nature changed. Then I met you, Linley."
The hovering Dellinger still looked at Linley.
"Grandpa Dellinger, what are you going to do?" Linley had a bad feeling.
"I watched you grow up, step by step. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I even came to see you as my grandson." The spiritual energy Dellinger emitted grew even more terrifying.
This level of terror wasn't just felt by Linley and the executors; even the warriors in the distance sensed it. The six executors began to show alarm.
"Linley, don't be sad. Staying in the Ring of Dragon's Might held no future for me. This time, let me show my power one last time." Dellinger's smile was radiant.
But Linley began to tremble.
"What's happening?" The six executors were terrified. The spiritual energy was so strong it made them tremble.
The spiritual energy of a peak saint-level expert burning their soul was far beyond that of an ordinary peak saint-level expert.
"Whoosh!" The earth-elemental energy around Hesse City surged toward Dellinger. Under Dellinger's terrifying spiritual energy, all the earth-elemental energy gathered madly.
No magical power—just spiritual energy controlling the earth-elemental energy to cast magic!
Under normal circumstances, earth magic would be very weak. But the magic Dellinger was casting now was terrifyingly powerful.
"Meteor Shower!"
Dellinger's soul began to blur, but his voice remained as cold as a god's. Six massive, earth-yellow meteors shot toward the six executors.
"Yow—" The six meteors, each the size of a house and made entirely of earth-elemental energy, tore through space at incredible speed, hurtling toward the six.
The executors cried out and fled, but the six meteors followed them.
"Linley." Dellinger looked at Linley. "Goodbye."
Linley looked up at Grandpa Dellinger, with his moon-white robe, white hair, and white beard.
"Remember, live well." Dellinger showed his signature smile, and then his already ethereal soul, like smoke scattered by the wind, vanished directly.
Linley opened his mouth but felt as if he were mute, unable to make a sound. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.
"Ah, ah—" Linley roared like a mute, tears flowing endlessly.
(Chapter two is here!)