Chapter 1781 - 1049: Still a Bad Ending

Adventurers are a kind of sensory creature that really cares about ritual, spectacle, epic vibes and anything that feels like that.

They’re more than happy to sacrifice quite a bit for a scene that looks epic enough—for example, the tens of thousands of adventurers who eagerly sign up for every Battle Festival, or the adventurers who grind hard pushing maps just to see how different regions look.

As long as an area’s spectacle is on point and the rewards are at least decent, that’s enough for it to be hailed as a treasure among this crowd.

And right now, Luluwo and the people around her are all convinced that Ulashiro has the potential to be rated at the very highest tier.

Who wouldn’t want to rush in all crazy and fight side by side with Artorias!

"Boom—"

The Horse Boxing Emperor’s huge hand slammed onto the Barrier Shield; the Abyss Magic exploding out in all directions was neutralized by the Barrier that comes with the Barrier Shield, but the force of that punch still landed solidly on the face of the Shield.

Under that massive impact Artorias slid back several meters, pushed away but not showing the slightest bit of a sorry sight—seems like taking that punch wasn’t easy for him, but it wasn’t some crushing burden either.

The Barrier Shield let out a humming sound, and the Barrier spreading from it flickered several times in quick succession, looking like some kind of ominous sign.

"I knew he’d come!" Luluwo pumped a fist in excitement, then immediately retreated, putting Artorias between herself and the front line.

"He really showed up..." Tami’s mouth dropped open wide enough to fit a few eggs, then he instantly switched into praising-his-own-captain mode; he and the other Skyrim Strategy Group members started spitting out compliments in a rapid-fire chain, making Luluwo so giddy she practically had an out-of-body experience.

Chaos sucked in a sharp breath, then shook his head. No one knew what he was thinking just then, but his gaze definitely turned sharper.

As Luluwo backed up she flicked out a few chains to try and yank Dal back as well—not to force him to hide, at least get him healed up first. With such a big guy planted in front, their battle could be a lot more relaxed.

But Dal slapped the chains aside and charged forward, face flushed with excitement.

He was as thrilled as a hungry grey wolf spotting prey; whether it was the Wolf Blood kicking in or he’d just been marinated too long by the Fran Undead Team, who knows.

But honestly, who could look at this scene and not get fired up?

In the Sain Dungeon they’ve had plenty of residual shadow units come in as support—some residual shadows might turn into friendly big bros after the fight, or become invading bad seeds, or end up as functional NPCs.

But someone like Artorias—who was previously a powerful Boss Monster and suddenly flips sides to become a trustworthy ally and support—that really is a first.

It instantly stirs up a special kind of freshness, and...

And a whole bunch of feelings you can’t quite put into words.

So many deaths and rebirths, and finally you manage to earn a teammate—that sense of achievement; fighting shoulder to shoulder with a legendary figure from history—that honor; and teaming up to battle the evil Master of the Abyss—that epic rush. There are so many emotions you can’t even count them; they’re basically the best combat catalysts you could ask for.

They make you start bursting seed without even realizing it.

For Dal, the Wolf Blood in his body felt like it was burning even hotter because of the current situation, filling him up with far more strength than he knew what to do with.

This actually wasn’t an illusion, because Artorias’s appearance really did bring a series of buffs to everyone’s constitution—that’s the entry effect that comes with a Hero Unit stepping onto the field.

By the way, among all these buffs, the one with the biggest impact is the Group Excitement Technique.

I clearly came here as a spy, so why do I suddenly feel my blood boiling and want to charge in and fight too? Chaos could clearly tell he was catching extra feelings he shouldn’t have.

Even with his self-control, he was starting to think about fighting; Tami, Luluwo and the rest were already completely infected by the thrill of battle and had begun launching attacks at Manus.

Manus’s heavy fist smashed onto the Barrier Shield again; the Power of the Abyss, wrapped around pure physical impact, exploded outward. Black Mud splashed like waves, shattering the surrounding stone walls, but this time there was no corrosion effect.

Because the corrosive nature of the Abyss was purified by the Barrier Shield, its threat level drastically reduced!

So the Barrier Shield and the Silver Necklace really are counter-cards against the Abyss!

"Go go go!" Luluwo shouted as she advanced cautiously. Her chains whipped out at the same time, wrapping around Tami’s waist and giving him a yank. Tami’s eyes were still glued to Artorias and wouldn’t come off, but the tug was like flipping some switch—he reacted instantly.

He immediately pulled out the Sun Holy Bell from his waist pouch; golden lightning gathered at the mouth of the bell, and a Giant Thunder Spear formed in an instant and shot from his hand, slamming precisely into Manus’s thick, arm-that-many-people-would-kill-for.

Lightning exploded across the Master of the Abyss’s body, arcs jumping wildly all over, but they didn’t slow his movements in the slightest. At most, at most, they just grabbed his attention for a single instant—and by the time Artorias’s Great Sword swung in to capitalize on that instant, Manus’s gaze had already snapped back to his enemy.

The tip of the sword pierced through the carapace on Manus’s chest, that shell made of Hardened Abyss. Whether it reached flesh and blood was unclear, because Artorias’s Great Sword had already been seized in Manus’s huge hand, and the Scepter was swinging down at him.