Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World, Chapter 337: The♂Battle

"Oh my gosh, let me see... You're the famous Revolutionary Army leader? You're much younger than I thought. Although your face looks mature, if you look closely, you're not even an adult yet."

Despite facing an army of tens of thousands, the man showed no sign of nervousness; instead, he stared intently at Nid with great interest.

"Tsk tsk, that's really going too far. Even a young man like you has to step into the limelight. This world... sigh~"

The man spread his hands and shrugged dramatically; some soldiers in the Revolutionary Army were already unable to contain themselves.

"Who are you? How dare you look down on me—"

"--Um?"

The man tilted his head slightly, and in that instant, an extremely terrifying killing intent erupted from his body without warning, like a blizzard carrying countless daggers; just being exposed to it was enough to make one's liver and gallbladder tremble!

All the soldiers at the front couldn't help but take a step back, some even collapsing to their knees. Even Uncle Brad shivered. It seemed that only Nid was completely unaffected.

But the murderous aura was only released for a moment before it was withdrawn, and the man returned to his usual cheerful demeanor.

"Haha, sorry, just kidding. I didn't mean to belittle anyone, I was just lamenting the cruelty of the world. To be honest, I don't dislike your Revolutionary Army at all; on the contrary, I have great respect for your spirit."

"Then, sir, could you please let us pass?"

Nid grew increasingly cautious; he was certain this strange man was an extremely troublesome individual, so troublesome that he would have to use his full power to deal with him!

"Let you pass? Ah... that's an option," the man scratched his head, looking troubled. "But I'm sorry, although I've always disliked those old bastards at the Vatican, well... firstly, I don't want to upset a certain young lady, and secondly, I have my own principles, so I have to stop you."

"... position?"

Unbeknownst to him, the veins on Nid's sword-wielding hand were already bulging.

"Oh dear, look at my brain, I forgot to introduce myself. Well... my name is Yang Yujie, a very ordinary name, very much in the style of a native of the East Emperor Continent, right? As for my identity—"

The man who called himself Yu Jie loosened his collar and pulled out a thin gold chain.

A small, exquisitely crafted cross hangs above, with the number "I" marked in the center.

"Seems to be the Chief of those idiots known as the Templar Knight? Oh well, don't worry about such trivial matters~"

A moment of deathly silence,

Then--

"Everyone! Prepare for battle!!!"

With a roar, Nid swung his Greatsword and cleaver in a cross pattern, unleashing a cross-shaped wave of energy that tore through the air and hurtled towards Yu Jie!

Chief Templar Knight.

In other words, they are the strongest fighting force in the entire Divine Law Cult, second only to the Heavenly Law.

Why would someone like that suddenly appear here? -- Nobody had time to think about that.

At least stop this guy's advance!!!

"Wow, that's interesting."

Suddenly, Yu Jie's hand overflowed with a liquid-like darkness, interspersed with faint pinkish-purple light patterns. With a gentle pat, the oncoming wave of energy vanished without a trace.

"Tsk!"

Nid readjusted his sword, his fingers twitching almost imperceptibly—a coded signal only his personal guard could decipher.

I'll hold the line; you can advance by taking a roundabout route.

The order was immediately relayed, and the Revolutionary Army's forces on both flanks accelerated their charge without warning, intending to bypass the Chief and head straight for the central church!

"Hey, hey, you can't sneak away like that! If you take over the church like this, I'll get a real dressing down—Assimilate, Earth!"

With a deafening boom, everyone had the illusion that the man had self-destructed. Liquid darkness burst forth from his body, like a black, turbid stream with no end in sight, interspersed with eerie pink and purple geometric patterns. A large amount of darkness surged into the ground, staining the earth pitch black, forming a huge ring that surrounded the cathedral at its center.

"Assimilation complete, then... rise!"

The earth, now stained black, suddenly rose up, forming a massive black wall that encircled the cathedral! The soldiers, who were advancing at breakneck speed, halted abruptly, hesitant to act in the face of this eerie sight. The lead soldier roared and slashed his longsword at the wall; the sword broke, but the wall remained undamaged. Starting with this, the soldiers launched a fierce attack on the wall, hurling countless cold and hot weapons and elemental powers at it, but to no avail. Those with flying abilities attempted to leap over the wall, but were blocked halfway by rising black smoke-like matter, leaving them helpless.

"..."

Nid continued to ponder and analyze the man's strength.

His special ability—he seemed to have mentioned something about "assimilation"—and the ability to create a very strong defense, strong enough to hold off an army of tens of thousands single-handedly.

"Nid ..." Brad called out softly to the silent Nid, his expression grave.

"Hmm... I know."

In this situation, there are only two options: fight or not fight?

It was impossible not to fight. After a long period of planning and fierce fighting, the Revolutionary Army could not possibly turn back because of a mere individual, so fighting was inevitable.

The most reasonable choice at this time is to mobilize all available forces to concentrate on attacking Yu Jie, using the deaths of a large number of henchmen to analyze and understand his combat capabilities. After all, as the leader, Nid cannot easily expose himself to unknown dangers. He should wait until he has fully grasped the enemy's combat data and has exhausted him to a near-death experience before using swift and decisive measures to annihilate him. Objectively speaking, this is the least risky approach.

However, Nid hated it.

I hate it when lofty principles lead to the deaths of my subordinates.

If possible, it's fine to fight alone. The meaning of being a leader is to protect others, not to be protected by others.

But, but--

"Hey, what are you worrying about, kid?"

The man's impatient shout interrupted his thoughts; Yu Jie was looking at him with an impatient expression.

"If you're going to fight, then fight quickly. If not, then go home and find your mother. A young boy like you shouldn't be on the battlefield, let alone becoming a leader!"

"... It would be foolish of me to rush up and chop you down without saying a word."

"What are you saying? You were just debating whether to send these cannon fodder or go into battle yourself, right?"

"--!"

Nid felt a chill run down his spine, while Yu Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, his previously frivolous gaze unconsciously becoming profound.

"Why are you getting hung up on this? You're acting like a woman! Aren't you the leader? What's wrong with letting hundreds of your men die for you?"

"What a joke! The Revolutionary Army will only sacrifice for noble goals, not for any individual!"

"Wow, how impressive! You're just a teenager and you're already spouting these impressive-sounding lines. But... can your young shoulders bear the weight of all the living beings on this continent?"

"You..."

"Alright, enough with the banter, it'll be a bit bullying. It's strange, I'm not usually this talkative... Well, to avoid making you conflicted, I'll choose for you! Hahaha!!"

Yu Jie laughed loudly and stomped his foot on the ground. A thick darkness spread rapidly across the ground, like a black sword that pierced towards Nid! The moment it approached Nid, the blackened ground bulged up and turned into tough stone blades that pressed down on Nid!

--So they still came!

Complete the mission and protect your subordinates.

Which one to choose?

The man used his actions to reduce the time he had to hesitate to zero.

At least, when facing a formidable enemy.

Just follow your own wishes!

"--Everyone, listen up! Retreat to at least 1,000 meters away! Do not approach without my order!!!"

At the last moment, Nid gave the order, simultaneously crossing his Greatsword and cleaver to forcefully block the oncoming stone blade from the front!

"Gurgle!"

Despite the protection of his divine weapon, the explosive power still made Nid's arm tremble violently, but he didn't dodge because he didn't want his comrades behind him to suffer!

"Commander-in-Chief!!!!!"

Nid gritted his teeth, forcing himself to ignore the countless concerned shouts behind him, and roared—

"This is no match for you! Hear my order, retreat! Now!!!"

The soldiers, who had been hesitant, finally broke free of their limbs, tears welling in their eyes, and retreated like a receding tide, leaving the vast Central Park deserted. Almost all the soldiers wanted to fight alongside the Grand Master, but the Grand Master's orders were absolute; if he was determined to duel the Chief Templar Knight, no one had the right to interfere!

"Tsk!"

After confirming that everyone had left Central Park, Nid finally relaxed his grip, using the momentum to roll sideways and avoid the sharp rock.

"Hmm~ That's more like it, one-on-one is definitely a man's romance!"

A lazy voice suddenly rang out, and when Nid looked up again, Yu Jie's large hand was already inches from his! His left hand, wielding a cleaver, slashed at him almost instinctively, while his right hand thrust out Greatsword like lightning! In that instant, Yu Jie leaped up, leaning back to avoid the double attack! However—

"It's useless!"

Nid's supernatural ability allows his attacks to be transmitted through any medium.

His attacks are impossible to defend against or dodge!

Not to mention, this man is clearly not a space-type ability user!

Therefore, it is certain that --

"Huh!?"

Expectations were not met.

He had expected to see the man's blood splatter, but in reality, his "slash," transmitted through the air, didn't even reach him.

It stopped.

His strike stopped in the pitch-black air surrounding Yu Jie, as if frozen in place.

"To allow one's own slash to travel through the air... that's dangerous."

Yu Jie leaped away to create some distance, watching Nid's sword with great interest.

"If it weren't me, but those other idiots from the Templar Knight, they'd probably be dead by now, tsk tsk tsk."

"How... how did you do that!?"

"How did you do that? It's very simple. You just 'assimilated' the air around me into part of my body. Since it's part of my body, the control is naturally in my hands. Whether to 'transmit your attack' is also up to me!"

Nid's eyes widened.

I initially thought this man had used some kind of method to create a vacuum around himself to block the transmission path, but it turns out he actually controlled the path directly! Such an ability is practically my nemesis!

In that case, wouldn't my attacks be completely ineffective at reaching him?

His long-held superpower failed him for the first time, and failed so completely that it instilled fear in him, as if his lifeline had been snatched away.

--No, there is nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of.

I am not Nid, not the weak and immature Nid.

Remember, the one standing here is not yourself, but a powerful figure Nid Bradwich.

I am Nid Bradwich, Blood Blade Knights, revered by all.

Alright.

The switch had been pressed, and my unease vanished instantly.

Less than half a second later, Nid was back in battle mode.

Yu Jie then whistled softly.

"Whoosh~~~~ So that's how it is. By using self-suggestion to cut through the confusion and keep fighting, I almost don't recognize who you are anymore~ Are you the real you? Or just a warlike puppet?"

"Enough with the nonsense!"

At this moment, Nid's eyes were already icy cold; this level of provocation could no longer faze him.

"While it's up to you whether or not the ball can be passed, is it also up to you whether or not it can withstand the strain?"

"Heh, quick reaction."

Yu Jie grinned.

"Then... let's start the war, young man!"

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Men's flesh bumping against each other (laughs)

Oh ho ho ho, all for the Party♂

Ultimate Skill ♂ Very Cool God's Relief

Ah, so big!