Chapter 342 - Father-Son Feud, Battle Of Faith
Vincent could not help but to think of everything that had been mottled black in the world. The darkness meant that the Elf Race had been invaded by the power of Gajero.
If all the elves believed in Gajero, the world would turn black completely and it would become a branch of the Demon Race!
"Where are the elves who still believe in the seven elf kings? Do they have the power to resist Gajero?" asked Vincent.
Conrad shook his head and sighed softly, "All the cities in the federation believe in Gajero. Most of the elves have become Dark Elves. There are only a small number of elves who still believe in the seven elf kings. They are hiding in every corner of the world. I don"t know their exact whereabouts! If every one of us gathered together to resist Gajero and we lost, the seven elf kings would lose their remaining few believers. This world will then be conquered by Gajero. Therefore, the believers chose to go into hiding quietly, hoping for this world to continue on!"
After listening to Conrad"s explanation, Vincent secretly calculated in his heart.
If he could gather the remaining elves, he might be able to form a reliable force and overthrow Gajero"s rule completely.
But at the same time, his idea was too risky. If they failed, they would implicate the entire Elf Race and become the subordinates of the Demon Race.
Conrad seemed to have seen through Vincent"s thoughts and asked, "Do you want to order the surviving elves to overthrow the rule of the Demon Race?"
Vincent nodded and said, "Yes! But I don"t know if this idea can be realized!"
Conrad suddenly lowered his head and laughed until he coughed repeatedly. He raised his head and said to Vincent, "Young man, do as you think! The elves will not lose hope, but they can not wait for opportunities to come. Opportunities often need to be created, and you outsiders may be the key to changing the current situation of the elves! Go and find the other elves. I believe that all the elves who are loyal to the seven great elf kings have been waiting for this day to come!"
After seeing that Conrad had placed all his hopes on Vincent, Vincent could not help but ask, "Aren"t you going to gather the other elves with us?"
Conrad did not answer him directly. Instead, he turned to look at the tightly shut stone door in the temple and murmured, "Since the invasion of the demons, the lights in the temple have not been lit for more than 800 years. Now that they have been lit by you, it means that you are here to help the elves under the guidance of G.o.d. But at the same time, the lights here will attract the Dark Elves. I must guard the temple of the seven G.o.ds and create an opportunity for you to leave!"
Vincent suddenly realized and said, "Are you saying that there are already Dark Elves chasing us from the outside?"
Conrad nodded and slowly turned to walk towards the stone door. He said in a deep voice, "Follow me!"
Vincent turned to look at Angelina and Avril. The three of them brought Ebenezer and followed behind Conrad to push open the stone door. They walked into the open s.p.a.ce outside the temple.
On a hillside not far away, there were countless torches flas.h.i.+ng. It seemed that a large group of creatures were rus.h.i.+ng over.
Conrad looked at the approaching lights; a hint of expectation and helplessness appeared in his eyes. He pointed to the mountains beside him and said, "Follow the dense jungle of the Tias Mountains. You can travel all the way to the center of the Elf World using this path. There, you may be able to find traces of other elves. Remember, as long as there is a temple, there must be true believers!"
Vincent nodded and raised his hand to hold down his Return Journey of the Dead. He said softly, "I will keep your advice in mind! But without your guidance, our next journey will be very difficult. Why don"t we defeat the opponents together, and then you can come with us to gather the other elves!"
Vincent felt a sense of entrustment from Conrad the moment he proposed to cover the rear. He believed that the old elf might have already thought of sacrificing his own life to cover the rear.
However, Vincent did not want to use a companion"s life in exchange for cover, so he would rather fight side by side with Conrad than leave without him.
Conrad replied softly, "The elves who have the same faith can build formations tacitly. This is the unique talent of the elves! Right now, we are not able to fight against so many Dark Elves. Preserving our strength is the best choice. You should just leave. Plus, I have a reason to stay. This has nothing to do with you!"
Vincent said firmly, "Your reason is my reason. If you don"t leave, we won"t leave either!"
"Hehe!"
Conrad laughed softly and did not say anything more. He did not continue to persuade Vincent and the others to leave.
After seeing that the pursuers were about to charge into the range of the temple, Vincent turned to look at the three people behind him and said, "Avril and Angelina are in charge of supporting the two wings. Ebenezer, you are injured, so you are not allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the frontal battlefield. Instead, you are in charge of hara.s.sing the periphery. You will also need to take the opportunity to find a safe route for us to leave!"
"Yes!"
The three of them accepted the orders and left, leaving behind Vincent and Conrad to face hundreds of Dark Elves who had rushed in front of them.
Their leader was Linus, who had stopped Vincent and the others in front of the city gate earlier that day!
Linus only saw the old Conrad. He could not help but clench his hand that was holding onto the bow and arrow. He then said in a deep voice, "I didn"t expect you to be alive!"
After hearing what Linus had said, Vincent turned to look at Conrad, who was beside him, with a somewhat surprised expression. Conrad and Linus seemed to know each other, but Conrad had only taken over the temple 100 years ago. How could he still be acquainted with a Dark Elf who looked much younger than him?
Conrad slowly raised his head to look at Linus, who was not far away. His gaze was very gentle as he sighed softly, "I didn"t expect that in the end, you still fell into the arms of Gajero and became a prisoner of the Demon Race!"
Linus shouted angrily in a deep voice, "Enough! You old-fas.h.i.+oned man who doesn"t know change. The faiths of the elves are free to begin with. We decided to choose stronger faiths. This is the only way for the elves to continue developing! Only a pedantic and backward elf like you will continue to believe in the so-called seven great elf kings. However, they have all been defeated by our G.o.d!"
Conrad looked at the angry and irascible Linus and no longer argued with him about faith. Instead, he said softly, "For so many years, we have parted on bad terms whenever we talked about faith, but faith aside, you are still my son! Could it be that blood is thicker than water and family love can"t be diluted by the contradiction in faith?"
Linus became even angrier and said, "I have told you this before. If you are not willing to change your faith then we don"t have to meet again in this life, and we are no longer father and son! When I think of our relations.h.i.+p, and see your earthy yellow eyes, it makes me incomparably humiliated!"
Vincent stood at the side, his gaze constantly moving back and forth between Linus and Conrad. He let out countless exclamations in his heart.
So these two were actually father and son!
Vincent finally understood why Conrad chose to take care of the rear alone. It seemed that this old man wanted to see his son again. Even if he died, it would be worth it!
However, Linus gave Vincent the feeling that he was a rebellious son who had gone astray. He only knew how to challenge his old father, and could not understand his father"s deep concern for him.
"Conrad, I didn"t expect you to live until now! But your awareness is not as good as your son"s. If you continue to be stubborn, I"m afraid that the father and son duo will turn on each other today!"
A mocking voice came from behind the group of Dark Elves. The Dark Elves behind Linus made way for him to walk in front.
The high priest who was wearing a black robe slowly walked over with a staff in hand. He stood beside Linus and looked at Conrad with disdain.
When Conrad saw the high priest in front of him, he lost his temper and became as angry as his son. He said in a deep voice, "How can a traitor like you still have the face to live? How can an old man like me bear to die? If it weren"t for your betrayal, this temple in the valley wouldn"t be in this state now!"
The high priest sneered, "You idiots who still believe in the elf king until now are simply tras.h.!.+ For the sake of the great G.o.d, Gajero, and for the sake of the entire Elf Race, I sneaked into your midst and waited for an opportunity to capture all of you. What"s wrong with that? I just did what an elf should do! Of course, if it weren"t for my contributions in the past, I wouldn"t have become the high priest of Dark Yuan City!"
Conrad"s hand that was holding onto his walking stick had turned pale due to overexertion. After meeting his old acquaintance, he could not help but hate him. This hatred had been buried in his heart for many years.
Eighty years ago, this high priest in front of him had pretended to be a follower of the elf king and deceived Conrad"s trust. At that time, there were still many followers of the seven elf kings in the temple, and they did not dare to light the lamps in the temple. They could only hide in the valley to secretly wors.h.i.+p the elf kings.
However, they later died because of the betrayal of the high priest, and the entire temple was destroyed. At the same time, Conrad"s son was kidnapped and turned into a follower of Gajero!
Conrad stared at the high priest and said in a deep voice, "It"s time to put an end to the grudges of the past!"
The high priest raised his head and laughed loudly. He then patted Linus on the shoulder and said proudly, "Your opponent today is not me, but your own son. He is now the number one master of Dark Yuan City. As long as he kills you with his own hands, he will be qualified to inherit my position in the future and become the believer closest to Gajero in Dark Yuan City!"
Conrad could not help but turn his head to look at Linus. He found Linus staring at him fiercely, without the slightest bit of care for their father-son relations.h.i.+p.
For a moment, Conrad could not tell if he felt disappointed, helpless, or extremely angry. However, he still said calmly to Linus, "It seems that you want to kill me today. In that case, do it! Let me see how powerful your so-called belief is!"
Linus narrowed his eyes and looked at the old man whom he once called father. He was the one who gave him life, and he was also the one who led him to become a believer of the Fire Elf King.
At that time, they were still a father and son who talked about everything. But later, Linus found out that his father had lied to him. The Fire Elf King that he believed in was just a joke because he had actually lost to Gajero many years ago!
How could he still have faith in a defeated G.o.d?
Linus thought that it was absolutely impossible. Therefore, he chose to believe in Gajero and obtained power that was several times stronger than before. Not only did it satisfy his desire for power, but it also made him believe that his choice was correct.
Only by believing in a truly powerful G.o.d could the Elf Race become stronger!
Thus, Linus became an apostle of Gajero. He was extremely loyal to Gajero and was even willing to sacrifice his own life for him.
However, Linus"s background in Dark Yuan City had always been very awkward. This was because the high priest and the elders knew that he had a father who firmly believed in the Earth Elf King. Thus, they had many suspicions about him. No one wanted to be friends with him.
For this reason, Linus always sneaked back to the temple to persuade Conrad to believe in Gajero with him. However, the father and son always parted on bad terms.
Therefore, Linus could only train hard. At the same time, he hated his father, who had only brought him shame. He was waiting for the day when he could personally prove to everyone that he had nothing to do with his father!
The high priest walked behind Linus and whispered into his ear, "With your strength, you could have become an elder in Dark Yuan City a long time ago. However, it is because of this person in front of you that you can not gain the trust of everyone. Now, go and prove to everyone that you are the most loyal believer of Gajero!"
Linus nodded with a determined gaze. He drew his bow and arrow and strode forward. He aimed it at Conrad"s heart and shouted, "I will give you a chance to attack!"
Vincent looked at the treacherous son who was about to kill his father. He wanted to draw his weapon and step forward, but he was stopped by Conrad with a wave of his hand.
Conrad said with a heavy tone, "This is between him and me alone. You don"t need to interfere! Even if you didn"t come today, I know that I don"t have much time left. I will take the initiative to end it with my own child. So don"t worry about me later. As soon as you have the chance, break out of the encirclement and do what you should do! I"m old, and I want to rest here!"
Vincent could only release his hand that was holding onto the Return Journey of the Dead. He had to respect the wishes of the old warrior.
Every warrior had the right to choose how they wanted to die!
Conrad then raised the cane in his hand high and slammed it heavily on the ground. The ground under his feet began to shake violently in an instant. Eight large snakes made of soil suddenly appeared from the surrounding jungle. They looked like eight pillars that were supporting the sky. He bowed his head and looked at the altar in front of the temple.
Conrad straightened his old back, looked directly at his son, and said in a deep voice, "Come! Let me see what kind of power Gajero has brought you!"
"I will let you see what kind of power that you have been missing!" shouted Linus in a deep voice.
A black-purple aura instantly enveloped his entire body. He then released his hand that was holding onto the bowstring. An arrow wrapped with the aura of the Demon Race shot rapidly toward Conrad.
"Great Elf King of the Earth, please grant me the power of the earth!"
Conrad chanted loudly. At the same time, his body lit up with a yellowish-brown light. Suddenly, his old face began to turn young, and his skinny body slowly bulged up with strong muscles. He became a G.o.d of war in an instant.
Conrad raised his left hand and punched the arrow that was shot at him into the soil under his feet.
"Bang!"
The ground instantly exploded leaving behind a big pit, in which laid a bent arrow. The arrow had been bent into a circle.
Then, without any hesitation, Conrad raised his foot and stepped lightly on the ground. His whole body was like an arrow that had left the bow; he rushed straight towards Linus.
Linus was not willing to be outdone. He threw away the longbow in his hand and struggled with Conrad using his own demonic energy.
After seeing this, Vincent pulled out the Return Journey of the Dead and looked up at the high priest opposite him. He shouted in a deep voice, "Move out!"
As soon as Vincent finished speaking, a burst of golden light suddenly appeared in the forest on the left side of the temple. Avril, who was more than two meters tall, rushed towards the Dark Elves with a huge ax in her hand.
After cultivating the G.o.d of war body to the fourth level, not only did it give Avril powerful strength and speed, but it also strengthened her physical body. As her body grew larger, her strength would also further enhance!
Although Avril"s level was far lower than the Dark Elves, her sudden attack, coupled with her terrifying strength, sent dozens of Dark Elves flying in an instant.
Almost at the same time, the forest on the right suddenly emitted a grayish-blue aura. Angelina, whose hair had turned grayish-white, slowly rose up from within the forest and shouted loudly, "Confine your strength!"
The Dark Elves, who had been emitting the aura of the Demon Race and were prepared to counterattack, suddenly realized that the demonic aura that they condensed had started to dissipate the moment they came into contact with the grayish-blue aura that had spread to their bodies. They hurriedly retreated in shock.
Angelina had activated the Netherspirit Body from the Spirit Race. It was a divine body technique belonging to the G.o.d of Death. It had the effects of corruption, destruction, and absorption. After cultivating it to the fourth layer, it would have the effect of dispelling the powers of others.
However, Angelina"s strength was also far below that of the Dark Elves. Therefore, she could only disperse the aura of the Demon Race. She could not completely imprison the dark elves" abilities.
Nevertheless, Angelina and Avril had succeeded in creating chaos for the Dark Elves, thus creating an opportunity for Vincent, who was about to attack!
Vincent suddenly flashed and charged straight towards his only target, the Dark Elves" High Priest!
When the High Priest saw Vincent rus.h.i.+ng toward him, he wanted to raise his staff to block him. However, just as he was about to raise his staff, Vincent suddenly shouted loudly, "Purgatory of Nature!"
The Return Journey of the Dead in Vincent"s hands was not used to slash at the High Priest, but to summon the domain that belonged to Vincent!
A dark-green and gloomy s.p.a.ce instantly appeared. Gravestones shot out from the ground, blocking the Dark Elves who were trying to rush over to protect the High Priest who was in the sky.
At that moment, the High Priest was the only one standing in front of Vincent. There were no more obstacles!
"The one who deserves to die the most is you!" shouted Vincent in a deep voice.
He swung his blade toward the High Priest"s head, preparing to behead him.
"Great G.o.d, please give me your majesty!"
The high priest who had nowhere to retreat to suddenly raised his staff and chanted loudly. Following that, an aura that made Vincent extremely frightened and annoyed surged out.
Vincent"s eyes widened in shock because he knew that this power was G.o.d"s might!