CHAPTER 735: ARRIVAL

Bridget, supporting Rhonin with one hand, wore an expression of unconcealed astonishment.

Surprise also etched the faces of Dathrohan, Turalyon, and Mograine.

Aside from a certain eccentric, the only one capable of contending with Master Antonidas was Master Antonidas himself! This was a consensus, more akin to common knowledge. If anyone in the Alliance could stand against the fallen Sun King Anasterian, that singular name was undeniably—Duke!

But wasn’t Duke still helping those long-eared folk deal with the Sunwell’s pollution? Had he already finished?

The three paladins spurred their horses, galloping towards the young figure who stepped out of a portal, suddenly appearing in the very heart of the battlefield. The corners of his white, blue-edged robe fluttered in the cold snowstorm, and his wide sleeves billowed unnaturally in the frigid wind.

Right beside him lay countless low-level undead creatures. However, with his mere presence, these undead vanished silently into the void, like sand figures swept away by the wind, revealing a large, clear space. There were no dramatic fluctuations of magical power, no thunderous arrival.

Duke stood quietly on the battlefield, as if strolling through his own private garden, radiating comfort and contentment. That demeanor, starkly contrasting with the brutality of war, made everyone look up to Duke in awe.

"Master... Father?" Rhonin’s eyes widened in disbelief, and his long red hair seemed to glow.

Duke smiled and nodded at Rhonin, then tilted his head slightly. "Colonel Abendis, please take Master Rhonin down to heal his wounds first."

"Yes." After a long sigh, Bridget took Rhonin’s arm and led him away.

At that moment, a burst of magical power erupted in the distance. A cold blue flame sliced Duke’s summoned golden hand into several pieces, and the golden light dissipated into the wind.

Anasterian scrambled to his feet in a panic. "You bastard! How dare you do this to me?"

"Scared? What did you say? What did I do to you? Is it like this? Like this? Or like this?" Every powerful warrior on the battlefield was stunned, watching in shock as one golden hand after another materialized out of thin air, slapping towards the once-noble and mighty Sun King.

Neither the black magic shield, nor the Ice Shield that resembled an eggshell coated in ice slag, nor the Ice Mage’s signature Ice Barrier—no defensive magic could withstand Duke’s mysterious golden hands. Although each slap from the golden hand seemed incapable of inflicting serious damage on the Sun King, it was undeniably a slap in the face.

These golden slaps felt like phantoms. They easily penetrated the Sun King’s defenses, striking his face and body. As a Lich, they were almost immune to physical attacks, and their decaying bodies harbored no fatal wounds. As long as the phylactery remained intact and the Lich’s soul undamaged, they could be resurrected indefinitely, returning to torment you without end.

Duke understood this principle, but he simply wanted to humiliate the Sun King.

A slap on the left!

A slap on the right!

Striking with both hands—it was utterly exhilarating!

"This is... impossible!?" Anasterian was completely bewildered. He had no idea how Duke was achieving this. It clearly appeared to be a holy attack, yet the dark magic in his body showed no reaction whatsoever. He had isolated all external magical power around him, but the ghostly, illusory hands continued to slap his face.

Compared to the insignificant physical injuries he sustained, the greater damage was to his mind, to his very soul. How could the Sun King, an elven hero who once held an exceptionally high status, with his explosive pride, endure such an insult?

He was nearly driven mad!

Finally unable to bear it, he pulled a very warrior-style helmet from his spatial bag and donned it. The small magic circle activated on it finally blocked Duke’s seemingly nonsensical magical assault. Even so, he had lost all dignity.

"Duke! Do you truly believe that all Sunshine Mages are equally powerful? You’ve just dealt with the Sunwell crisis; you must be exhausted. If we truly fight, how can you possibly be my opponent!?"

The Sun King’s cry made everyone’s hearts sink once more. Duke just came here after finishing the Sunwell?

Duke shrugged. "Dealing with the Sunwell’s pollution was a lot of work, but... I can still kill you!"

Anasterian had once thought that as long as Duke lost the magical support of the Sunwell, he would be able to beat him to a pulp under equal conditions. Clearly, he was wrong! He couldn’t fathom how Duke had struck him just now. All he knew was that it seemed to be something entirely unrelated to magic.

Gritting his teeth, Anasterian fell into deep hesitation. He didn’t know if he could defeat Duke, especially with Mograine waiting beside him, Ashbringer in hand. If he lost to Duke, the worst that could happen was the complete destruction of his physical form. Losing the original body was not fatal to a great Lich, but being struck by the terrifying Ashbringer was no trivial matter. Just moments ago, he had merely been grazed by the sword-light from Ashbringer, and the souls of two fingers on his hand had vanished.

Gone forever!

This proved that Ashbringer was exactly as mentioned in the Scourge’s last report from Quel’Danas Island—Ashbringer possessed the special effect of destroying evil souls.

The Sun King stared at Duke. He truly couldn’t discern Duke’s current condition. Simply feeling Duke’s overflowing elemental aura, it was definitely much lower than the last time he had seen him. But from his spiritual vision, Duke’s soul aura was more than twice as strong as before? It was basically impossible for a magician of the same level to perceive the operation of an opponent’s magic circuit. One could only judge the opponent’s general condition from their breath.

The Sun King saw nothing, yet he was certain that Duke’s circuit was in a very ideal operating state at the moment. There was no circuit damage whatsoever! In other words, Duke could generate a huge amount of magical power within his body normally!

"Hmph!" After gritting his teeth, the Sun King made a decision—there was no chance of winning if he fought Duke and Mograine simultaneously!

With a cold snort, the Sun King’s figure began to blur. Initially, his outline was still discernible, but then his entire form seemed to be separated by a curtain of water. In just two seconds, the Sun King’s figure completely vanished into the air.

Then, the dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate rapidly.

The sky—cleared up!