Chapter 488, Section 47: The Broken Cycle 7
There are indeed many misunderstandings.
What Ian just said was truly just a simple warning based on facts.
This is the edge of the path leading to the sleeping core of the Great Old Ones. Even for him now, caution is necessary. For these three adventurers, none of whom are even Legend, and one of whom is a deeply corrupted burden, following them in is no different than jumping directly into the Star Core.
It's not just a physical danger, but a desperate situation where the mind and existence are completely polluted, distorted, and assimilated. Ian's warning was absolutely well-intentioned.
However.
Perhaps because his deliberately profound gaze was misinterpreted as coldness, Ian's image became somewhat distorted in the eyes of Saruman and his group.
Who at Hogwarts doesn't know that Ian Prince is a great guy? Ian's comment, "You really shouldn't have come in," was really just a literal remark and a warning.
In his own whimsical inner monologue, the lines at this moment should be. "Guys, are you guys in the wrong movie set? This is the entrance to the final dungeon boss room, not the exit of the newbie village! And you're dragging along a teammate who's about to mutate, isn't this like delivering packages? Or delivering three packages at once!"
However, because he had traveled through many eras and suffered from chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), he was used to maintaining that cold, aloof, and unapproachable Legend persona in front of outsiders. Therefore, he could only keep these complaints to himself, while his face remained perpetually icy. Mainly, he felt that this was more convenient and could scare away most trouble.
However, some of these actions have now become the cause of misunderstandings.
His habitually cold expression was immediately met with the sight of the silver-robed young man opposite him, whose soul seemed to have just undergone an upgrade. His face turned as pale as a vampire's, the fear in his eyes almost solidifying and overflowing, his lips trembling as if he had been electrocuted. The burly warrior beside him also looked as if facing a formidable enemy.
They looked ready to bravely sacrifice themselves at any moment.
Ian: "----?"
No, I just spoke the truth, is it really that big of a deal? Did you learn this facial expression control from those drama school Troll? He was a little annoyed by their prejudiced gaze.
Is it just because I have white skin?
Were you discriminated against by people in Africa?
Ian thought to himself that he was trying to warn them that it was dangerous here and to tell them to hurry back through the portal, but it seemed like they interpreted it as, "You saw something you shouldn't have seen, and now I'm going to kill you." Tsk, sure enough, different skin colors easily lead to misunderstandings. Ian inwardly pursed his lips in exasperation.
He had clearly misunderstood as well.
Of course, even if he hadn't misunderstood, he didn't intend to explain. Firstly, he felt it would be too troublesome to explain to these two terrified guys, and secondly—he hadn't actually figured out how to explain "I was just kindly reminding you that it's dangerous here" in a way that fit his "cold Legend " persona.
Should we say, "This place is dangerous, retreat immediately"?
That's so low-class!
This doesn't fit the character Ian Prince created in ancient times!
Thus, in Saruman and Karg's eyes, the mysterious young Legend fell silent after uttering that "death declaration," merely watching them "indifferently" with his cold eyes, as if admiring the prey's struggle before death, or perhaps contemplating the most "appropriate" way to deal with them.
The pressure from that silence was more terrifying than any words. Saruman's mind raced, frantically trying to figure out how to survive, how to negotiate, even contemplating offering all his knowledge treasures for a way out. As for Karg, as a warrior, his nerves were stretched to the brink of breaking under the extreme fear and pressure.
He couldn't take it anymore! He couldn't bear this silent oppression, the despairing paleness on his companion's face, or Lina's increasingly faint breathing behind him!
"Aaaaaah!! We're all going to die anyway!!!" Karg suddenly roared like a wild beast, shattering the silence, "A warrior's destiny is the battlefield! Rather than cowardly waiting to die, it's better to die gloriously in battle!!"
" Karg! No!!" Saruman's cry came a beat too late.
Karg was like a cannonball, his muscles bulging, and all the remaining Battle Qi in his body was burning wildly without regard for the consequences, forming a layer of blazing, crimson flames on his body!
Although the greatsword in his hand was damaged, it emitted a deep hum as it was infused with surging Battle Qi. With an indomitable and devastating momentum, it slashed fiercely at Ian! This strike embodied all his combat skills, all his Battle Qi, and his will to die!
Its power far exceeded his usual peak strength!
This unexpected turn of events instantly cheered Ian up, who was initially feeling down about being misunderstood again!
"Oh?" A barely perceptible glint flashed across Ian's cold eyes.
It wasn't because of the strength of the attack, but because of the form of energy erupting from Karg — Battle Qi!
He'd never seen anything like this at Hogwarts! The Restricted Section of the library did mention that some ancient knights and warriors could cultivate something similar, but the descriptions were very vague. The last time he'd seen a similar power was on that talkative, armored guy who called himself the " Eternal King."
However, that guy's Battle Qi Winky, like a giant light bulb, quite different from the crimson battle Battle Qi in front of us, which was full of a fierce and brutal fighting spirit.
"A superhuman warrior? Interesting!" Ian's inner voice was already rubbing its hands together in anticipation. "That old bastard King Arthur really did hold back some tricks up his sleeve!"
"Saying the Way of the Knight isn't suitable for me is just a way of saying they're afraid I'll learn it and beat them up!" Seeing this "novel" power system, Ian's research fanatic and combat enthusiast interests were instantly piqued. He couldn't resist the urge to fight and no longer cared about maintaining the single-minded image of a " Legendary Wizard."
certainly.
Deep down.
Perhaps Ian was more arrogant than most Legend.
He didn't consider whether this was a time-space rift, Cthulhu's doorstep, or a suitable place for fighting—to him, anywhere was a training ground, as long as he was interested. So, amidst Saruman's horrified gaze and Karg, self-sacrificing stare, Ian did something that left them speechless. "Come on, show me."
He neither cast the terrifying " Avada " spells nor used any flashy magic.
He casually raised his hand, and out of thin air appeared a seemingly ordinary longsword—one that appeared unremarkable, devoid of any magical energy, and even somewhat resembling the standard training swords carried by the armored warriors in the Hogwarts corridors.
Then, holding the ordinary longsword, he slightly shifted his body, flicked his wrist, and the tip of the sword drew a simple yet precise arc, meeting Karg's imposing crimson greatsword that seemed capable of splitting mountains!
"Clang--!!!"
A crisp yet exceptionally loud clang of metal rang out in this distorted, crevice-like space!
The anticipated scene of an ordinary longsword being instantly shattered and Ian being sent flying did not occur.
On the contrary, Ian's seemingly casual sword strike landed precisely on the core of the power flow of the Karg Greatsword, at that delicate "node" where the old power had just been exhausted and the new power had not yet been generated!
Instead of a direct confrontation, he used an incredibly skillful and subtle approach, like using minimal force to deflect a powerful blow, gently shifting Karg's ferocious downward strike to the side!
Karg felt a strange force flowing through the sword, causing his full-force strike to involuntarily deflect. The greatsword, glowing with crimson Battle Qi aura, grazed Ian's side and crashed down, striking empty air and creating a chaotic energy ripple. Kag himself staggered due to the excessive force and the misdirection.
"What?!"
Karg's eyes were filled with disbelief. His desperate attack had been so easily neutralized by his opponent using an ordinary longsword!
How is that possible?!
"Again!"
Ian didn't care whether he was shocked or not. With a flick of his wrist, the ordinary longsword seemed to come alive, drawing a series of swift and fluid sword flowers, sometimes striking like a viper's tongue, aiming straight for Karg's vitals.
Of course, the best course of action is to avoid fatal blows.
He would sometimes deflect Karg's furious counterattacks with the grace of willow catkins.
His footwork seemed casual, yet he always managed to dodge the range of Karg's Battle Qi bursts at the last second, or step into the gaps in the flow of energy.
Ian's swordsmanship doesn't belong to any particular school in this world. It's a set of "Ian-style practical Ian-Style Practical Swordsmanship " that he tinkered up while idly at Hogwarts, combining the basic knightly swordsmanship he'd relentlessly learned from King Arthur with his own understanding of various human biomechanics and energy flows.
It may not be particularly elegant, but it's definitely efficient, precise, and effortless, targeting weaknesses and critical points. Right now, it's perfect for dealing with a strong but relatively clumsy warrior like Karg.
Ian's figure flickered, and an ordinary longsword in his hand seemed like a divine weapon. He could always cut in from the most unexpected angles, interrupting Karg's attacks and forcing him to scramble for his feet. Karg's crimson battle Battle Qi was indeed powerful, but it seemed clumsy and sluggish in the face of Ian's exquisite swordsmanship and terrifying physical strength.
"How so!"
Karg was completely baffled.
He certainly wouldn't know, after all, he had never seen a true Legend, a body nourished by Legend Magic Power. Legend was no longer within the realm of normal humans.
His Legend physical abilities far surpassed those of most warriors.
This is a more advanced form of life.
He cultivates both magic and martial arts! He cultivates both magic and martial arts!
It's no wonder Karg was so horrified.
Often, just as Karg's greatsword is raised, Ian's sword tip is already aimed at the joints through which he must exert force or the weak points in the flow of his Battle Qi, forcing him to change his move to defend.
For a moment, the two of them actually started fighting back and forth in this strange space-time rift!
Of course, this "back and forth" is based on the premise that Ian uses only swordsmanship and suppresses his strength and speed to a level similar to Karg's.
This scene made Saruman's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets!
A Wizard! A terrifying Wizard who can casually unleash Legend Death Magic, manipulate the power of heaven and earth, and ignore the corruption of R'lyeh! And now he's actually using swordsmanship to fight a top warrior in close combat?! And he's doing it with such skill?! With such effortless ease?!
This completely overturned Saruman's understanding of " Wizard "! In his mind, powerful Wizard might learn some self-defense techniques, but they would never devote so much energy to close combat, much less reach such a high level of swordsmanship! What astonishing body control, combat instincts, and judgment of timing and distance required!
What alarmed Saruman even more was that, during a lull in the fighting, Ian seemed to offer a few comments with considerable interest. "His strength is decent, his explosiveness is good, but he's too straightforward."
"The flow of Battle Qi qi is sluggish; the area three inches below the left shoulder is a weak point."
"His footwork can't keep up with the sword's momentum, and his lower body is unstable."
Every comment pinpointed Karg's problem at that moment, as if he were not a combat opponent, but an apprentice having his movements corrected by his mentor!
Saruman's back was soaked with cold sweat. Just how many more incredible abilities did this Legend still possess?
What kind of person is he exactly?
Just then, after easily parrying Karg's horizontal slash, Ian, seemingly caught up in the excitement of the fight, muttered something under his breath, his voice not loud.
But the words clearly reached Saruman's ears, whose senses were heightened by extreme shock. "Tsk, the technique for generating power is even better than what King Arthur taught me. Damn, I knew King Arthur was holding back—" Ian was just complaining about his old friend in the Misty Illusion.
but.
He did not realize the significance of the Eternal King.
King Arthur!!!
These three words struck Saruman like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in his mind!
He suddenly grasped at this keyword, and his heart almost stopped beating!
King Arthur! The almost mythical king from Britain British legends, the symbol of chivalry, and a Legend figure who, along with Merlin, is said to have ushered in an era!
According to the hidden records in many magical books, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table did indeed seem to possess a unique and powerful "supernatural power," which was very different from the current magical system, but was mostly regarded as legend or exaggeration by later generations!
This mysterious young Legend actually knew King Arthur?!
And to call someone "old bastard" so casually?
So, the other party even seemed to have—fought with King Arthur and had a relationship with him?! A terrible, dizzying association, like a maddening vine.
This thought instantly gripped Saruman's mind. Could it be that this Ian Prince wasn't from some lost Ancient Magic civilization—that he was actually—a contemporary of King Arthur and Merlin, perhaps even closely related—an ancient being who had lived from that mythical era to the present?!
Is that why he possesses terrifying power and knowledge far beyond his time, despite his young age?
That's how he came to know King Arthur and possess such amazing swordsmanship?
That's why he became interested in Karg's " Battle Qi "?
This conjecture is far more shocking and closer to some buried epic truth than any previous hypothesis about "ancient Legend " or "time-space distortion"!
Saruman felt as if his breath was about to stop.
Various ideas kept popping into my head.
Wizard are all like that.
They come up with more and more ideas, and the smarter the Wizard, the more they tend to overthink things.
That's why.
In his gaze toward Ian, besides fear, there was an indescribable sense of horror and bewilderment, as if he had glimpsed a corner of the truth beneath the dust of history.
"Could he... could he be Merlin?" Saruman couldn't help but overthink it. If it were true—
What level of vortex have they been drawn into?!