Chapter 409 The Dust Settled and Celebrated
At the refuge point of the maze, the defense line supported by the teaching assistants and magic apprentices was as thin as cicada wings.
Even if the legend of "The Brave of Light" boosted the morale of countless apprentices, it could not change the disparity in strength between the two sides.
There are too many of them!
The number of howlers emerging from the wall is endless, continuously consuming the little remaining magic power of the patrol assistants.
In the final analysis, they are not strong people, they are just leftovers in the tower, otherwise they would not be assigned to the drudgery of patrolling.
But it was these ordinary people who showed unprecedented courage and responsibility when faced with the folly caused by the arrogance of the man wearing the crown.
Even Coors, who took being clever as his life creed and was complacent, did not take a step back at this critical moment.
They have no retreat!
An assistant's magic shield shattered under the Howler's claws.
He was thrown away by the impact, hit the stone wall hard and passed out. The apprentices who had exhausted their mana screamed and scattered, fear spreading among the crowded crowd.
At this time, several skeleton soldiers suddenly rushed forward and blocked the gap in the defense line with their skeletal bodies!
In order to cover Coors behind him, one of them used his sternum to forcefully receive a claw strike that could tear apart steel, instantly shattering into pieces.
The defense line was instantly opened!
Seeing that the defensive formation was about to collapse, almost everyone had a look of despair on their faces.
However, the expected massacre did not come.
The ferocious movements of those howlers who rushed towards them suddenly froze in mid-air the moment they stepped into the refuge.
The twisted bodies were like ignited scrolls, silently turning into black ashes from the edges, and finally being blown away by an invisible wind.
Following that, there was the second one, the third one... In the blink of an eye, all the servants of Chaos disappeared in this bloody maze.
Along with the weird red mist!
The apprentices were stunned. The confusion of the aftermath was written on everyone's face, and they didn't understand what happened.
However, this deathly peace only lasted for a moment.
Almost at the moment when the red mist dissipated, the entire maze suddenly let out an overwhelming cry of pain, followed by a tremor that shook the earth!
On the dome, huge stones peeled off like broken beads, and the threat of death came suddenly in another way!
"Form up! Everyone, hold up the barrier!" An older assistant teacher was the first to react. He roared in a hoarse voice and injected the remaining magic power into the staff.
The apprentices who survived the disaster immediately responded. They endured the severe pain of mental exhaustion and gathered together weak magic. A hemispherical golden light curtain opened above everyone's heads, barely blocking the falling gravel.
「Boom——!」
Huge boulders hit the barrier like raindrops. Each impact caused the light curtain to shake violently, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly.
The apprentices' faces were pale, and some of them had begun to lose their support and were crumbling under the tidal bombardment.
Just when the barrier was about to break, a completely different loud noise came from directly above!
That was not the sound of the dome collapsing, but the sound of rocks being squeezed apart!
The vast sea of magic is like an invisible hand, grabbing the gravel falling from the sky and throwing them to an uninhabited corner!
Those who had their heads buried in fear subconsciously raised their heads at this moment.
I saw a dazzling beam of light piercing the thick rock formations and darkness, and a dusty cave entrance appeared above everyone's heads like a miracle.
Instructor Merck's always serious face was now covered with dust and tears.
He looked at the young faces below who were in a state of embarrassment but still alive, his voice choked with excitement.
"Sorry, kids..."
"I'm late!"
The ecstasy of being saved instantly turned into bursting tears and spread among the crowd.
The assistant teacher holding the staff slumped down on the ground in relief, the apprentices who had escaped embraced each other, and the devout believers knelt on the ground to pray.
People celebrated the hard-won victory in their own way and praised the sunny weather after the heavy rain.
They defeated Chaos!
Of course, the more important thing is——
They were saved!
Coors looked up at the entrance of the cave, feeling a little lost for a moment.
Tightening the blanket on his shoulders, he subconsciously came back to his senses and tried to find something in the chaos.
At this time, his eyes passed over the faces crying with joy, and finally landed on the corner where he had fought.
A skeleton soldier who had fought alongside him was still standing there.
Perhaps it was clear that the beam of light did not belong to itself, so it did not raise its head to look at the hole where the light of hope was cast, but just turned its gaze to Coors.
Seeing Coors looking at him, he raised his knuckled hand and tapped it lightly on his empty chest. The corners of his grinned mouth seemed to say——
"It was really a hearty battle. 』
Leaving this silent farewell, the green soul fire in its skull extinguished quietly like a candle in the wind.
The not-so-tall skeleton also scattered, turning into a pile of ordinary white bones, no different from the surrounding gravel.
Coors' lips moved, and he put his fist against his chest and knocked it.
Just when everyone was immersed in the joy of surviving the disaster, two huge magical powers suddenly appeared above everyone's heads.
A figure, accompanied by the soft green light like the dawn of spring, quietly landed in the center of the ruins.
He has long silver hair like moonlight, emerald green eyes full of concern for life, and his pointed ears reveal his identity as an elf.
Filion Dusk, the Sage of Life.
His arrival caused the smell of burning smoke in the air to be replaced by a breath of fresh grass, as if he had arrived in the pure land in the middle of the whirlpool sea.
On the other side, an extremely precise teleportation circle flashed past Merk, and the figure of the Sage of Law Porphyry Sai stepped out of it.
The black uniform he was wearing was ironed without a trace of wrinkles, which formed a sharp contrast with the mess around him. Pushing up the gold-rimmed square glasses on the bridge of his nose, he scanned the scene with cold eyes, with undisguised disgust on his face.
"Merk!"
Porphyry's voice was like a cold ruler, hitting Merck's body, but it also fell on everyone's heart.
"This aura of decadent chaos... I need an explanation! Has the majesty of Xuebang been tarnished because of your ridiculous negligence?!"
Although he was the last to arrive, he had the biggest temper.
Merk shivered. Under the sage's mountainous pressure, he didn't even dare to raise his head and look at those cold eyes.
The introduction of the undead went through strict declaration and approval. Although it was done a bit sloppily, there were no major mistakes in the procedure.
But now the corruption of Chaos has appeared in the maze, and he can't get rid of this black pot that can crush his entire academic career!
"I...I don't know, Sage Porphyry," he lowered his head in shame, his voice hoarse, "Yes...it was my dereliction of duty, but I..."
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Porphyry interrupted him coldly, "When the Great Sage comes back from the Brass Gate, I will personally report your malfeasance to him!"
Merck's body trembled again.
Hence Saint Sis...
I am a mentor, how can I make the great sage remember my name? !
At this moment, Fillion’s gentle voice intervened.
"Porphyry, calm down first. You and I both know that the Apostle of Chaos will not stand arrogantly in front of us... He will only watch our jokes in the dark. Your anger plays into his hands."
Porphyry's face was stiff, but he didn't say much. He just took out the comb wordlessly and combed his wig that was messed up because of his anger.
Filion didn't say anything else to him, he just walked to a collapsed wall and stretched out his slender fingers.
Several green vines sprouted from his fingertips, swimming forward like docile green snakes, and then rolled up a handful of dark red crystal powder from the cracks in the stone and sent it to him.
Filion frowned slightly, sniffing lightly with the tip of his nose, and a trace of confusion flashed in his deep eyes.
"...This breath is so familiar."
He whispered to himself softly, as if he was retrieving something from the long memory.
Just when Porphyry was about to laugh at Fillion's "dog nose" for not picking up any clues, a sound of footsteps came from the corridor not far away.
Immediately afterwards, in everyone's surprised eyes, a slender figure slowly walked out of the messy ruins.
The visitor is none other than Prince Colin. The neat and elegant magic robe he wore was not stained with a trace of dust.
The female guard in a cloak held the unconscious Rastina under her arms and followed the prince silently.
As for Rastina's two followers, they were carried by Harder and Bain.
He looked like he had been beaten badly enough. Even after receiving magic treatment, the swelling and bruises on his face were still vaguely visible.
However, this is not the point.
"I think perhaps this should be added to Mr. Porphyry's report."
Luo Yan's voice was calm and clear. He waved his hand casually, and a body as black as coke was thrown into the open space in front of the two sages.
The corpse was curled up, retaining the extremely painful posture before death.
The dark blue mage robe that had long been unrecognizable, and the face distorted by fear and flames, made Merk and Porphyry's pupils shrink suddenly.
"Alister?!" Merck exclaimed, his knees weakened and he knelt on the ground.
The apprentices around him were whispering and exchanging astonished expressions on each other's faces. They seemed to be unable to accept that Professor Alister, who was always approachable, would reappear in front of them in such a disgraceful manner.
What happened? !
Is there something wrong? !
Luo Yan's mouth curved in a vague way, and his eyes calmly swept over the two sages.
"I found the 'mastermind' behind this accident for you."
Porphyry's lips trembled, staring at the charred corpse, he stretched out his right hand and released the "Eye of Truth".
Traces of magic appeared on the charred corpse, and the floating light particles seemed to be reproducing the battle that had happened before.
"There can be no mistake... I saw traces of chaos and source power jointly casting spells on him! But... how could this happen! Alister? Why?" Porphyry muttered to himself, and finally shouted out almost out of control.
He looked up at Colin in shock, and then at Fillion, as if he wanted to get an answer from this long-lived colleague.
He couldn't understand why Alister did this. He had always had a good impression of that modest and polite middle-aged man!
Hand, Alister is the most proud disciple of the Great Sage, and almost everyone regards him as the next sage of the Source Law School!
Maybe even the next great sage!
The surrounding apprentices and teaching assistants were also talking a lot, especially the former who didn't know much about Alister and couldn't accept this fact at all.
Filion frowned slightly, looked at Alister's body, and then at Colin, his eyes became sharp.
Luo Yan's mouth corners were slightly raised, but he did not give in at all because the opponent had a suspected amethyst-level strength.
"Are you interrogating the prince of the empire?"
Just kidding.
When he was still an Indomitable Silver, he didn't take the Amethyst level powerhouse seriously. Now that he is at the same level as Professor Lilith, he will only become crazier.
Filion was slightly startled, and the sharpness in his eyes narrowed a little, but the suspicion did not lessen.
"No, I'm just curious... After all, Alister is dead. I can't ask him many things, I can only ask you."
Seeing the softening of Sage Philion's attitude, Luo Yan also curbed his sharp aura and returned to his usual elegant and easy-going attitude.
"The thing is actually very simple. My dear Professor Alister thought I was an eyesore and wanted me to get out, so he cleverly took advantage of the maze trial to set up a trap and set his sights on Miss Castellon behind me. An anonymous apprentice wrote a letter and secretly told me about this matter, so I followed into the maze out of worry."
"Of course, I originally planned to solve this matter secretly, and I even hoped that everything was just a malicious speculation by a certain apprentice. But what I didn't expect was that someone would be so vicious and shameless. Not only did he personally direct this farce, but he also ended up personally when he saw that the plan was about to fail... So I didn't hide it anymore."
Fillion nodded, seeming to agree with this statement, but still lowered his voice and said.
"I have a question, aren't you worried that the letter itself is a trap?"
"So what?" Luo Yan shrugged slightly and said in a matter-of-fact voice, "I am her mentor, and this is my responsibility."
This sentence seemed to touch the softness of Philion's heart, and also touched most of the magic apprentices and assistants present.
Including Merck, who was kneeling on the ground with a blank look in his eyes, and Sage Porphyry, who was standing silently.
Responsibility.
This word is really too strong.
Filian was silent for a while, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, looking at Prince Colin standing in front of him, he suddenly put his palms on his chest and nodded slightly.
"You are an admirable mentor, I apologize to you for my doubts."
"I dare not take it seriously."
Luo Yan smiled faintly, his eyes fell on the corpse on the ground, and he said in a complicated tone.
"Speaking of which, I always thought that his dislike of me was due to conflicting academic views, but now it seems that I am too naive... His hatred of me and Miss Castellon is entirely out of arrogance and instinct, because she is the daughter of an imperial duke, and I am a prince from the empire."
"Perhaps."
Filion replied noncommittally, looking down at Alister lying on the ground, and then looking at Colin again.
"I will report this matter to the Great Sage truthfully... And if you don't mind, we may have to ask you not to have contact with these students for the next few days."
"Why?!" Bain's voice was filled with anger, and he almost blurted out, but was stopped by Hader on the side.
"Keep your voice down! This is for everyone's good..." Hader scolded him in a low voice, and then secretly glanced at Miss Ophia.
The princess was very sensible and was not displeased at all by the unfounded suspicion.
As for Ilana.
She seems to be very bad at such occasions.
I don’t know if it was his misunderstanding, but he always felt that this seemingly calm junior sister seemed a little...socially afraid?
"I have no objection. I happen to still have some research work to finish, and I may stay in Corinta during this period." Luo Yan nodded happily, and then looked at Miss Castellon, "What about you?"
"This is the best, I don't want to be under strange suspicions for no reason, but I hope it won't be too long,"
Hand lightly shook her dusty blond hair, Ophelia raised her chin and looked at the elf, and said with an aggressive look.
“However, I will write a letter to my father and truthfully tell him the unpleasantness that happened here!”
So far, only two sages have arrived.
Are the other sages dead?
She did not have to ask the sages to come one by one like a funeral, but she could not feel their urgency at all.
Of course, she still didn't get angry.
First of all, the two sages who dared to appear here are a bit responsible. Secondly, she is only the daughter of the Duke, not the Duke himself.
She only has the stance of complaining, not losing her temper.
"I assure you, it won't be long, a week at most..." Fillian nodded as a gentleman as always, and explained in a gentle tone, "There are no restrictions on the activities of you, His Royal Highness and others, just to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. We need you to avoid contact with other persons under investigation during the investigation. Please believe me, my suggestion is entirely out of goodwill, not a forced order."
He paused and continued.
"In addition, of course you can write a letter to your father, and we will also submit a written report to the empire. After all, the invasion of Chaos is not a small matter, especially when it occurs during such an important celebration. Fortunately... we had His Royal Highness the Prince to come to the rescue in time, so that it did not cause a catastrophe."
This sentence made Ophia very satisfied.
But she did not answer immediately, but subconsciously looked at His Highness Colin next to her, asking for his opinion with her eyes.
Luo Yan smiled and nodded. Only then did Ophia look at Fillion with relief and nodded her head in a generous manner.
"I'm sure!"
Filion smiled slightly and nodded again.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Castellon."
Luo Yan suddenly felt that a certain line sounded familiar.
Have you ever said something similar?
But looking at Ophea puffing up her chest triumphantly, he smiled and forgot about this little incident.
Forget it.
It’s not an important thing anyway.
…
At the same time, in the Resurrection Square of the necropolis, there was a "dance of demons" at the moment.
The players who have finished the "All Souls' Day Labyrinth Trial" have returned to their familiar homes, and are bragging about their "heroic deeds" to the unlucky ones who failed to get a place in the event.
The apprentices who were rescued did not see this scene.
Otherwise, a young man who was immersed in a tragic atmosphere just a second ago might be so angry that he fainted on the spot.
"You didn't see it!" The player [Go to the pier to spot seagulls] stepped on the wooden box and waved a rib that was accidentally removed from [Good Citizen of Gotham] in the moment of excitement, " I used a piece of rotten wood to get a gold coin from a naked fool! He really thought I was a "hidden businessman" sent by Master Merck! 」
6666!
"Damn it! Then you've made a lot of money!"
The surrounding players burst into laughter, and they all looked at him with admiration of "You're such a dog".
But it didn’t take long before [the chemical pool was stuffed with one gulp] and he was the first to come back to his senses.
"Wait, you guy with a bare butt? Then you can obviously grab it directly! Why do you have to hand over the money and deliver the goods with one hand?"
[Good Citizen of Gotham] was stunned for a long time, and after a moment he gave a thumbs up in admiration.
What! I was a hero for a minute! I used my fragile frame to create a way for the future of mankind! You didn’t see the admiration and admiration in the eyes of those elementary school girls! It’s a pity that I am a skeleton soldier, if only I were a goblin!
"Come on," his teammate [Wangchuan Neiku] ruthlessly broke down the situation, "Don't think I don't know, you just want to lie down and see what he is wearing under the mage's robe."
"You're talking nonsense!!!"
"...%￥#@!"
The square was filled with joyful air. The master tactician [Yiye Zhiqiu] was reviewing the final battle with the [Tauren Warrior], while the [Pig-Headed Knight] was complaining on the side why all the people he met were male apprentices.
He managed to get so many acid slimes into the trap, but it was completely wasted!
Just when the players were overjoyed, a pop-up window that all participants were extremely familiar with and expected to pop up simultaneously in their consciousness.
【System prompt: "All Souls' Day Labyrinth Trial" event is settled! 】
【Main mission: Prevent the magic apprentice from entering the lower level of the maze! (Failed)]
【Hidden mission: Cooperate with Xuebang magic apprentices to fight against chaos together! (Perfectly accomplished!)]
【Overall evaluation: S+ (Your performance exceeded the devil's expectations.)】
"Failed?!"
"Damn! What do you mean! Why did you lose?!"
"Wait! The hidden mission was completed perfectly! S+ rating! Damn it!"
The players were stunned for a moment, and then they burst into even louder cheers than before. The frustration of failure was instantly replaced by the great joy of an S+ evaluation.
Although the main mission has not been completed, the hidden mission has been completed, which is obviously a good thing!
The next step is the exciting reward settlement interface.
【According to the contribution of each player, the following activity rewards are now distributed:】
【Title: "Officially certified profiteer of Merck" (after equipped, the success rate of fraud skills is slightly increased) - Limited to players "go to the pier for hourly seagulls", "Good Citizen of Gotham", and "Knowledge Explosion". 】
【Title: "Chaos Terminator" (after equipped, slightly improves the morale of chaotic creatures) - Limited to players "One Leaf Knows Autumn", "Sudden Night", "Tauren Warrior", and "Pig Knight". 】
【Title: "Apprentice's Shield"...]
【Special rewards distributed: "Ilana's Letter of Thank you" x1, "Ophelia's Token of Friendship" x1, "Maze Trial Medal" x1...]
Looking at the various titles and rewards, the whole square was boiling again... even though most of the rewards were actually useless.
Morale?
Does this crappy game have this setting?
Success rate?
What the hell is that?
It’s just a game, the important thing is to participate!
And besides these insignificant names, the official gifts of ghost coins, contribution points and limited equipment are still very generous.
Including the prizes they picked up themselves.
Most players are quite satisfied to be able to experience the new map in advance and bring back a bunch of benefits.
"My God, there are even thank-you letters from NPCs! This game is too real!"
"The Dog Planner has finally become a real person this time! I love this reward!"
"Wait, where is the love letter from the elementary school girl?! No? This is unreasonable!!"
"At least give me a magic scroll that explodes thermobaric bombs..."
Amidst the commotion, [One Leaf Zhiqiu] looked at "Ophelia's Friendship Token" in the reward column, and a faint smile appeared in his heart.
"It seems that a lot of things happened in the maze after we left..."
Although it was only a short-term cooperation, he could feel that the four young apprentices were all good people, even if they belonged to different camps.
It would be great if there is still a chance to see you again.
I hope that after they leave, the stories of those young people will continue as always, instead of turning into cold data archives.
While thinking about it, he suddenly realized that he was thinking too far.
"Whatever!" The tauren warrior waved his hand and roared heartily, "Brothers, let's have a feast! Celebrate that we have saved the world again!" "Grave Dilao" hot pot is here!"
Huwan: "Damn, it's too far, right? Go to hell just to eat that thing?!"
Yiye Zhiqiu: "+1, let alone We are still skeletons."
The pig-headed knight chuckled and said: "Then please change the place!"
Hush Wan: "………………"
Yiye Zhiqiu: "Just fish it out from the grave, I'm sure to eat this meal."
tauren warrior: "+1"
pig head knight: "Holy crap! Are you serious?!"