Sword of Night and Flame

Carian Manor, once the residence of Carian nobles.

But it had long since become unrecognizable. Most of the Carian Knights had lost consciousness and become killing machines.

Danger lurked throughout the manor. A massive finger-creature could spring out from anywhere and deal a fatal blow.

Lin Luo cast the Starlight spell. A small blue star hung above his head, illuminating the surroundings.

Gripping his famous blade, he headed deeper into the manor.

Blue mist flickered everywhere within Carian Manor. Even though it was broad daylight, sunlight could not penetrate this place.

Even the Starlight spell could only illuminate a small area around him.

Lin Luo remained alert to every movement around him as he slowly proceeded along the path.

Before he had taken more than a few steps, two enormous hands suddenly sprang from the grass. As if they possessed consciousness, they blocked Lin Luo from the left and right. Their palms were so broad that there seemed to be almost no route of escape.

Lin Luo reacted quickly. He slowly bent forward and activated Bloodhound Step, slipping straight through the gap between the fingers.

The hands missed and slammed heavily into the ground, kicking up thick clouds of dust.

"These finger-creatures are just as disgusting as ever!"

Lin Luo slowly straightened up, turned around, and looked at the two hands with clear disdain.

The hands seemed to hear Lin Luo's voice and only then realized that the enemy they had just pounced on had escaped.

These mindless monsters knew only instinctive slaughter. They would never consider that a man who could easily evade their attacks could just as easily kill them.

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised by the sudden attack of the hand-creatures.

He raised his staff, parted his lips, and recited two lines of incantation. A Carian Slicer formed atop the staff.

"Rip..."

Lin Luo swung the longsword in his hand. The several-meter-long blue greatsword instantly cleaved the foremost hand in two.

Severed fingers fell to the ground, twitching involuntarily.

As for the giant finger-creature behind it... well, how should one put it? It raised its middle finger at Lin Luo. It had no other meaning—the middle finger of the hand-creature wore a ruby-studded ring. A strand of purple magic began forming on the ring, growing larger with time.

Finally, with a sharp whoosh, it shot toward Lin Luo.

"What a nuisance."

Lin Luo muttered a small complaint and slightly tilted his head. The purple light grazed past his right ear.

It was not that Lin Luo was deliberately trying to look cool. The orb of light was simply too slow.

He raised his famous blade and cleanly finished off the remaining hand with one strike.

There had been a minor hiccup along the way, but it did not affect Lin Luo's progress.

He entered a building and arrived at a path beside the city wall.

As he continued onward, quite a few spectral Carian soldiers appeared around him.

Though they had no consciousness, their duty as guards still kept them standing here.

Lin Luo could not help but sigh. Thus, he sent them on their way with sword in hand.

Familiar with the route, Lin Luo wound past one city-wall pillar after another before finally stopping at a gap.

Out of habit, he leaned over and looked down. There was a platform below, with a square opening in its center.

Mm, the same familiar spot again.

Without hesitation, Lin Luo jumped down, climbed down the ladder beneath the opening, and arrived in a small room.

The small room was enclosed, with many books scattered around it. It looked much like a storage room.

One or two candles burned inside, brightly illuminating the cramped space.

A huge chest sat in the very center. The powerful aura leaking from within proved that the weapon inside was anything but ordinary.

"The Sword of Night and Flame..."

Lin Luo half-crouched and slowly opened the chest.

A straight sword lay quietly inside. Hollow patterns had been carved into its blade, while its crimson hilt felt solid and comfortable in the hand. Who knew how long it had been stored here, yet its tip remained sharp, gleaming with a cold light.

This was the Sword of Night and Flame, one of the "Legendary Armaments" kept by Caria Manor. The predecessors of sorcerers—the astrologers—served it atop a distant mountaintop closest to the sky. It was said that the Fire Giant lived nearby.

Speaking of that, this sword was undeniably gorgeous. Compared to the equally "Legendary Armaments," the Grafted Blade Greatsword and the Eclipse Shotel, the Sword of Night and Flame utterly outclassed them in appearance.

What was puzzling was that weapons like this were worshipped like treasures everywhere else. Take Edgar, for example. Even when he was among those Misbegotten, he had still wanted to reclaim the Grafted Blade Greatsword.

But Caria Manor...

It had simply tossed it into this storage room as a free handout for the Tarnished?

Who knew what Loretta's phantom would think when she saw the Tarnished beating her with her own family's divine artifact... She would probably curse up a storm...

Lin Luo shook his head, throwing out those strange thoughts, and turned his gaze back to the Sword of Night and Flame.

Why think so much about it... Just do it!

Lin Luo rubbed his chin, but he had no plans to fuse the Sword of Night and Flame just yet.

He sheathed the sword at his waist, climbed back up the ladder to the rooftop, returned to the city wall, and continued deeper inside.

Now that he had taken the Sword of Night and Flame, there was nothing else in Caria Manor worth lingering for.

Lin Luo avoided enemies along the way whenever he could. The occasional fool who got in his way only needed a single sword strike.

Lin Luo still remembered Caria Manor's routes quite well, so he reached his destination before long.

A stairway led to a gate above. A massive troll wearing a Carian helmet knelt on one knee in the middle of the stairs, with two soldiers standing ready beside it.

"Perfect. I'll use you lot to test my blade!"

Lin Luo smacked his lips. He had yet to test the power of the real Sword of Night and Flame!

Gripping the sword, he strode straight in without the slightest concern.

The enormous troll immediately noticed Lin Luo. Was he really acting this arrogantly? Was he not treating it with any respect at all?

The troll felt deeply insulted and immediately drew the troll knight's sword from its back. It would teach this little bug a lesson!

The two soldiers beside it also drew the swords at their waists. Their eyes contained not a trace of emotion. Their only remaining awareness was to eliminate anyone who dared invade Caria Manor!

Facing all this, Lin Luo merely kept a smile on his face.

Just as the troll and soldiers were about to charge, Lin Luo swung the sword in his hand.

Scorching flames burned at the tip of the blade, while magic power and Runes flowed across its body.

"Come on!"

Lin Luo laughed loudly and swung the Sword of Night and Flame. This was its Combat Art—Night-and-Flame Stance.

Endless flames poured forth with the sword's swing. These were absolutely no ordinary flames; their temperature could even burn Runes!

The troll only felt a wave of heat rush toward it, followed by a burning sensation across its body. But before long, the troll realized that feeling had vanished...

However, so had its life.