Breaking Free

For the next while, everyone used their strongest abilities, but to no avail. Not only did they fail to break free, they were left with numerous bruises and welts. 🌷🍧 🐊♨

I struggled for a while, but it was all an act, just for Elise's benefit, hoping she would lower her guard.

After most of the day had passed, she finally decided to leave. "You've all become powerful enough to force me to use the Empress Silk. Now, so that you can enjoy the pleasures here in the future, I'm going to rebuild the labyrinth."

As Elise slowly disappeared from sight, we discussed our next move. Besides me, Nasus also suggested that we break free from her restraints.

There are two main problems now: first, we don't know what the situation is like outside, and second, whether Shaco has kept everyone in check.

Secondly, they don't know what Elise's weaknesses are or how to defeat her.

I do have a powerful attack technique, which is the Wind Slash I learned from Janna. It can condense Wind Force into Gale Sword, achieving a transparent air-cutting state.

However, that move requires careful charging and can only hit some clumsy enemies; it's very difficult to hit someone like Elise.

I once teamed up with Varus to slay Void Burrower near Naremajet, and he has a lot of confidence in me:

"Yasuo, I don't think you necessarily have to use your strongest power. You can sacrifice some of your power and convert it into speed. Give it a try!"

Nasus also offered his suggestion. "If you have any more powerful moves, I can work with you to reduce her speed."

"Alright, since everyone trusts me, I'll give it a try!"

I used my strong body to fight against the tough spider web, and then slowly mustered my strength. Pain inevitably came, but it was nothing compared to the injuries I had suffered before.

When I felt the spider web lose its elasticity, I knew it had reached its limit, so I used a sudden burst of force to shatter it.

Having just broken free of her restraints, Elise rushed back. I thought she had gone far away, but I didn't expect she could still sense what was happening here.

"To my surprise, you were able to break free from my Empress Silk with your strength. It seems..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Nasus also used magic to break free of his restraints, brandishing his battle axe and charging straight at Elise.

Nasus struggled against eight spider legs with only a battle axe.

I quickly used this precious time to gather my strength, and soon the Gale Sword turned pure white, and after a while it finally disappeared from sight!

Elise also sensed the energy fluctuations on my side. She suddenly spat out a mouthful of venom and then turned and ran.

Ignoring the stinging pain of the venom, Nasus forcibly cast the Wither Magic. As streaks of eerie blue light wrapped around Elise's legs, her speed slowed considerably!

You can't escape!

Following Varus's advice, I didn't increase the Wind Force intensity further to ensure sufficient speed. Judging from Nasus's struggle, this was probably my only chance.

But once is enough. Cheng Ren once called the Sword Saint's full-force attack "One Slash Thousand Machines," so I'll just copy it!

Elise ran slower and slower. I knew Nasus's magic had reached its limit, so I chased after her and chopped down on her head.

At the last moment, she managed to take a step forward to avoid being headbutted, but her lower back took a solid blow and she was immediately severed in two!

Four front legs supported its chest, abdomen, and head, while four hind legs supported a large belly, from which thick liquid oozed out. Because it was black, it wasn't too disgusting.

Elise howled in agony, her sharp, piercing cries vibrating my eardrums. Soon she had no strength left to struggle and transformed back into human form.

In this situation, she usually reveals her true form, so it seems she was a human before, not a spider monster.

"You wretched humans, I curse you to live in darkness forever!"

"I declare your curse invalid!"

I didn't want to hear her say any more, so I stabbed her in the throat and then chopped off her head.

I thought the maze would disappear after I killed Elise, but it still exists, and the spider web is still unsolvable.

Nasus was curled up on the ground, his expression showing great pain, having been poisoned.

What should I do? They don't have a body like mine; if I try to break free, I'll tear my flesh apart.

Suddenly, Kayle's body lit up, several more golden feathers sprouted from her wings, and the spider silk miraculously fell off on its own!

Kayle had been growing one or two feathers every now and then, but now he's grown several at once, covering the base of his wings.

"Let me try!"

Kayle conjured a Light Sword using the method I had taught her before, and wherever the blade sliced through, spider silk fell to the ground!

Whether it was because the Angel Power was too strong or because everything has its counter, everyone was saved, and Renekton and Oken regained their strength after coming into contact with this power!

Only Nasus remained trembling in pain; the venom had had a profound effect on him, leaving his limbs somewhat stiff.

I tucked the Life Rune into his pocket, which eased some of the pain, but he quickly returned it to me.

"I can no longer go on. Please allow me to retreat and rest. I cannot waste such an important thing Life Rune on myself!"

"Alright, then let Varus take you to a cleaned-up area to rest. The sun there is very bright!"

I was deeply moved by Nasus's sacrifice. He had been languishing in the Imperial Library for over a thousand years, lacking the robust physique of other Ascended, yet he still joined a group that charged forward fearlessly. He deserves a good rest.

Before leaving, Nasus reminded Renekton and Oken to listen to him, fearing they might make a mistake due to recklessness.

The two nodded repeatedly; this lesson had been learned the hard way!

After Elise died, the labyrinth lost its magical support, and people walked out of it casually. Surprisingly, despite the intense battle that took place inside, it was completely invisible from the outside!

We returned to the fountain and found Varus still there. He said the gate was locked and the only way to leave was to defeat Karthus!

Except for Varus, who stayed behind to take care of Nasus, we all rushed to the plaza on the right. According to Elise, Talon and the others should be fighting Shaco.

As they moved forward, many gray-clad figures emerged from within, some injured, apparently caught in the crossfire of the battle.

Following the crowd, we quickly found everyone. They were extremely busy, with a bunch of clowns running around the square. Although they weren't very powerful, they would explode if you bumped into them, leaving everyone covered in dust and dirt.

Upon seeing our arrival, Shaco knew that Elise had failed. All the clowns stopped moving and said in unison:

"It seems Elise couldn't stop you, so I won't meddle anymore, hehe."

After saying that, he disappeared, leaving behind a pile of fragments of his clone.