Chapter 344: The Variable (Part 8)

  Gru made his move, clasping his palms together. Those hands, with distinct knuckles and long, slender fingers, once Lancelot, who had transformed into a white rainbow with man and sword as one, landed in them, he immediately became an immovable sword.

  No matter what kind of weapon, or what kind of person wielded it, it was impossible to break through these hands. These hands themselves were already the most terrifying weapon.

  Clang, the sword shattered. After all, this was a long sword casually picked up, unable to withstand the crushing force of the two men.

  The fragments of the sword scattered down, but a large, dark red blossom of blood had already bloomed on Gru's chest. And not just his chest; in an instant, his entire upper body was covered in countless small wounds, and blood was gushing out from his statue-like, perfect physique.

  The sword indeed stopped between Gru's palms, but the sword momentum and sword energy did not. In any case, his spirit, which had been tensed like a bowstring, had been released. Even if his body could still react, his will and spirit had already dissipated. Although Lancelot was affected, and his momentum and sword momentum were hindered, they were still there. If it had been anyone else's body, if the sword had not shattered, this overflowing sword momentum and sword intent would have been enough to cut any body into a pile of fragments.

  Gru grunted, his palms loosened, and then the hilt of Lancelot's sword jabbed into his chest. With a loud bang, Gru was sent flying backward.

  What stabbed his chest was just a hilt without an edge or a blade, a bare hilt. The hilt did not pierce his body, but a huge, blood-red sword appeared on his back. The sword intent and sword momentum had already pierced him through.

  Blood not only gushed wildly from his body and back but was also spat from his mouth, scattering into a red tail in the air along the path of his backward flight.

  Victory? Lancelot stood frozen in place, watching Gru being sent flying, wildly spitting blood from this one strike of his.

  Sword intent, sword momentum, and sword energy are not physical entities, yet their destructive power is far greater than any physical one. To receive such a strike to the chest, no one could possibly endure it.

  But the first thing Lancelot felt was not the joy of victory. It was anger. He turned and shouted loudly: "Who interfered recklessly?"

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  No one responded. The Cardinals who had launched the sneak attack didn't even leave their corpses behind.

  He had really won. After flying dozens of meters, Gru landed. The sword aura that had pierced through his body plowed a deep trench in the ground behind him. He could not get up again.

  No one could stand up after losing so much blood and being pierced through the chest by a sword. Even if he was the strongest person on the continent.

  And Lancelot, who had defeated the strongest person on the continent with a single strike, now only felt emptiness and loss.

  That Paralysis Spell had actually affected not just Gru; he was also within its influence. It was not as the Cardinals had imagined, that Gru's sudden pause would give Lancelot a perfect opportunity. The spirits of the two, in their standoff, were exerting all their strength in a mutual struggle, like two people pushing against each other; if one suddenly lost strength due to an external force, the other would also lose balance.

  This strike was, in fact, just a hasty one made because he sensed his opponent's lapse; it was not perfect. It couldn't even be called a full-power strike. And yet, with such a hasty and careless strike, he had defeated the person whom he had bet his entire soul and spirit on overcoming.

  "General Gru..." an orc who saw this scene let out a mournful cry. Then all the orcs looked over, stunned. He was the god of war in their hearts, but now he had been defeated. All the orcs who could break away swarmed towards the fallen Gru.

  The orcs were already at a disadvantage due to the huge difference in numbers, and now they began to show signs of a rout.

  He should have taken this opportunity to charge and kill. With Gru fallen, no one could be his match, but Lancelot sighed despondently. He turned and ran towards the Grand Hall of Light.

  Also running towards the Grand Hall of Light was Talise, with Inham chasing closely behind her.

  Talise carried Aimee, whom she had knocked unconscious, surrounded by a Divine Aegis shield. It was with this magic that she had withstood the sandstorm kicked up by Gru earlier, creating distance from Inham.

  She knew she was no match for Inham. And from the way this always-enigmatic Necromancer had gone all out against the obstructing orcs earlier, she also knew that for this leaf, this person would stop at nothing, even killing to seize it. And at the entrance of the Grand Hall of Light, a whole squad of elite swordsmen was guarding, along with a Cardinal and several high priests. With them added, it would be enough to deal with Inham.

  "Bishop Inham, what are you doing?"

  Lancelot saw the two chasing each other, suddenly accelerated, and inserted himself between them from the side, blocking Inham's path.

  Inham had to stop. He said coldly, "Knight Talise has taken my things, so naturally I have to chase her."

  Lancelot was a bit puzzled. This person, whose depth he had never been able to fathom, actually had a look of panic and impatience on his face now. What surprised him even more was that this person could barely control his killing intent and killing aura. If he weren't unsure of being able to kill him here in an instant, he probably would have made a move immediately.

  Whatever could make this person lose his composure like this, Lancelot, even without knowing exactly what it was, knew how it should be handled. He said lightly, "There is no need to be anxious, Bishop. Whatever it is, as long as it is confirmed to be yours, it will naturally be given to you."

  After saying this, Lancelot could feel something jump on the Cardinal before him, like a fierce beast lurking in the shadows, choosing a person to devour. But he didn't care. At this distance, even without a sword in his hand, it would still be no problem to kill a mage.

  "It seems this battle is almost over." Lancelot glanced lightly at the orc crowd gathering in the center of the square. It was less of a gathering and more of a herding. Gru's fall had been an almost fatal blow to the orcs. "Why don't we go see His Majesty together and let him judge whether that thing should be given to you."

  Just at this moment, a person rushed out of the Grand Hall of Light. It was Bishop Adela. He looked around and shouted mournfully to everyone: "Everyone, His Majesty has passed away."

  "What?" Everyone who heard, including Lancelot, was stunned. But before they could recover from this shock, Adela shouted something even more astonishing. He raised his right hand, holding a piece of paper: "The situation is critical. His Majesty left a final decree for me to act as the proxy Pope. Here is His Majesty's will."