Chapter 323 - 323 Swing

323 Swing

The first thought that came to William’s mind after regaining his senses was, So falling damage can be considered an attack similar to a blunt strike?

However, this seemed quite reasonable. At the very least, it wasn’t like in the game, where falling from a particular height resulted in death despite having a full HP bar. It was worth noting that even in the main plot, powerful players who were sent flying hundreds of meters away by a slap from the King of Deathblood would only have dust and scratches on their faces when they returned.

And yet, such a person could fall from nine meters without a scratch, only to die immediately from falling ten meters… Wasn’t this ridiculous?

William glanced at the dimming oval-shaped pitch-black gem on his left pinky, waved his hand, and removed the soft membrane between him and the massive rock. Then, he rubbed the bump on his forehead and gritted his teeth.

Despite the protection of protective gear and accessories, William felt as if he had been punched in the head when he fell straight onto the rock.

He gathered himself and shook his head vigorously like a dog fresh out of water. He began to reflect on what had happened.

Initially, it felt like someone had pressed the mute button halfway through his flight. Then, his spells went haywire, and he lost control.

There were various ways to disrupt others’ spells, but in William’s mind, only two beings could completely hinder him from casting spells—Steelheart Widow Aiur when activating Ironstone Oath, and the Demon General, Silence when activating the Silence Domain.

The former was to freeze the laws of Currere, causing all Creatons to rapidly dry up and solidify. The latter was to silence all sounds, halting the chanting of magic.

William brushed the dust off his body and stood up. He surveyed his surroundings—trees had snapped, rocks had shattered, and the flames from his rough landing had ignited the surrounding withered branches. Nonetheless, all was still silent…

Wonderful. The mastermind behind his fall was quite clear.

William gazed up at the collapsed remains of the Astral Lighthouse not far away… Indeed, Valk wasn’t the only one who had placed landmines beneath the lighthouse’s foundation when the Astral Laws were established.

God knew how many of the 24 Astral Lighthouses on the continent harbored similar time bombs buried under them.

However… what puzzled William the most was that he was in another timeline within Ravenwood.

Why didn’t Ms. Keikaku bury Silence in the Astral Lighthouse in a regular timeline but position it below the one under Camilla’s control?

Before William could contemplate this question, a figure attempting to conceal themselves behind the smoke curtain caught his attention.

Although he couldn’t hear anything, his superior perception granted him keen vision akin to a top hunter.

(Who’s there?)

“—?”

The person subconsciously opened their mouth, but their throat produced no sound.

After realizing that what they were doing was pointless, William opted to take action and rush over.

“!”

William easily halted the individual who was bent over and attempting to flee. However, when he saw who this familiar yet unfamiliar person was, William couldn’t help but feel stunned.

The person in front of him was 80% similar to Floral from another timeline—the main difference being her pale, bluish skin and the various indications of decay and festering all over her body.

Although Floral was also undead on the other side, she was significantly more concerned with keeping her body fresh than the individual before him.

The other party also gazed back at him in shock—her mouth, which had exposed her gums due to the festering, kept opening and closing as if attempting to say something.

William couldn’t help but inquire about the question he was most curious about.

As a result, the two of them opened their mouths at each other for a few seconds… They both came to the realization of the issue at the same time, causing them to stop simultaneously.

The ambiance descended into an awkward silence.

It was also at this moment that a figure flew over and broke the awkwardness between the two.

A tall male Forest Elf was sent flying by a pitch-black spear filled with serrated teeth. He crashed into several twisted withered trees before finally being impaled on the same rock William had collided with.

Black blood oozed from the corner of the man’s mouth, and the translucent outline of the beast that enveloped him gradually blurred and dissipated like sand in the face of a strong wind. He gritted his teeth and tightly grasped the serrated spear embedded in his abdomen, causing the muscles in his hand to bulge as he attempted to pull it out.

William hurried over and pinned him down.

Using this serrated black mist weapon was one of the characteristics of the Whispering Empress’s spawn. In-game, if one treated wounds caused by such a weapon immediately, they would be inflicted with an extremely prolonged bleeding effect.

Therefore, it had to be dispelled before treatment could commence.

Although William had the other party pinned down for the time being, when he was about to chant dispel spells, the spells he created in his ether domain were activated only to lose their effect due to the Silent domain.

Furthermore, the man in front of him, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Ebony, saw William prevent him from treating his wound. Perhaps he believed that William was taking advantage of the situation? In any case, he immediately began to struggle and resist fiercely.

With the augmentation of the Beast Spirits, the unnatural strength unleashed by the other party made William, who lacked the appropriate spells, feel as though he couldn’t restrain him.

Damn… This is so troublesome…

William couldn’t employ spells to pacify or explain to the other party. In frustration, he let go.

Of course, the primary reason why he released the man was that he spotted the culprit for all of this floating over from the corner of his eye.

In any case, if he dealt with that individual, more than half of these vexing matters could be resolved, right?

Come to think of it, he and Blake had previously utilized Judgment 4 to completely obliterate Silence. As a result, the new Silence shouldn’t recognize him.

In other words, the other party wouldn’t retreat or attempt to flee upon seeing him, at the very least.

If that were the case, it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to banish the other party.

…

The moment she saw the man, Floral felt as though her head had split in two.

Half of her consciousness ascended outside of her body, and she gazed down at her skin—decayed, festering, pale, blue skin, and the surrounding forest that was not verdant but filled with twisted withered trees.

This was no different from the foreign scene that Ebony had described to her—a dead world of the deceased.

The other half of her consciousness remained within her body. She was still surrounded by a lush forest, and she was still the daughter chosen by the Holy Tree Matriarch since she was young.

It was as if two similar yet entirely different histories were perceived from two different perspectives. As for which would ultimately become reality, she had to make a decision.

The consciousness drifting outside of the mortal coil gradually became clear upon seeing who the man was.

Presiding Judge?!

She attempted to yell.

However, her call elicited no response.

Transmitting voices with the soul was an ability reserved for only powerful Storm mages who were skilled in the essence of the soul.

Furthermore, that peculiar entity had plunged the entire domain into silence. Her conscious thoughts couldn’t transform into words.

The sensation of schizophrenia only lasted for a brief moment before Floral’s floating consciousness was rapidly yanked back into her mortal coil. It was akin to jolting awake from a dream in the middle of the night before swiftly grasping the dream’s tail and falling back asleep. Her consciousness once again plunged into a dream-like state.

However, Floral was certain that she was dreaming.

Her mortal coil must have been manipulated by a powerful entity, causing her to be ensnared by her body’s memories.

Floral, who had regained consciousness, happened to observe the man holding the magical medium in his hand and slowly advancing toward the thin, mouthless woman hovering in midair.

“—”

Although Floral couldn’t recall the other party’s precise identity, her vague impression was that he was an exceedingly powerful magic chanter.

He was very potent, even more potent than her.

However, regardless of how powerful his magical achievements were, the opponent he faced was an outright magic chanter slayer…

In the face of an entity that could negate all chanting, even the mightiest magic chanter was no match for her.

However, it was too late for any reminders.

Or rather, she couldn’t remind him at all.

The man strolled leisurely in front of the peculiar woman. As he walked, he drew out a lead-colored magical medium that appeared heavy and coarse. When the woman saw this, she landed softly. Black smoke transformed into several barbed weapons around her.

Her eyes, deeper than the darkness, were fixed on the pitiable magic chanter who had sauntered before her. Although the other party lacked a mouth, Floral could sense that she was grinning.

Floral could only watch as the man raised the magical medium in his hand and began to chant fruitlessly…

“—!”

Things unfolded ten times faster than they could be described. The other party swung the thick lead-colored magical medium in his hand and smashed the woman’s head as if he were wielding a staff, causing five-colored lights to erupt in silence.