Just how formidable was the founding emperor of Ryan?
Neither poems nor history books passed down through the world could explain it clearly. No living soul had witnessed his final battle against the Demonic Dragon Tyrant; all that was known was that he had walked alone into that splendid golden dragon palace, and later emerged drenched in blood, dragging a colossal dragon's head behind him.
According to historical records, half of the dragon palace had been reduced to ruins—a massive palace forged entirely from solid gold, melted by Holy Light and dragon breath into rivers that drenched the entire mountain peak.
Yet because no one had seen the actual battle, the details remained unknown, leaving people to boast and exaggerate to their hearts' content.
Now, however, Anbaixiu was witnessing it firsthand.
Aige manifested, a tidal wave of dark mana surging from her fingertips toward Arthur Ryan, only to be sliced cleanly apart by his translucent longsword.
The Holy Light parted the dark surge like a reef splitting waves, unwavering in the slightest.
The severed tidal wave of darkness rolled outward, turning an entire two-kilometer radius into a dead zone.
In the path washed over by the dark wave lay a dense forest, but it was now utterly reduced to deathly black ash, devoid of all life, even the soil contaminated by the aura of the undead.
Yet this attack was no waste of effort. Anbaixiu's senses swept across the ruins, and countless skeletons began crawling up from the ashes.
Who knew how many years this dense forest had stood, or how many dry bones of wild beasts lay buried within it? Some were completely intermingled with the dirt, but many were merely slumbering.
Under Anbaixiu's control, bone after withered bone knit together into bizarre shapes, assembling into an undead army that charged toward Arthur Ryan.
These ordinary skeletons were originally mere cannon fodder, but as Aige raised her right hand, the spectral silhouette of a colossal warship appeared in the sky above.
Beneath the looming phantom ship, a layer of pale flames flared over every undead creature, and Anbaixiu was no exception.
"Haste, fortified defense, flame imbue, regeneration..."
Anbaixiu could hardly keep count of the buffs washing over him. Those disposable fodder skeletons instantly transformed into elite undead, throwing themselves fearlessly at Arthur Ryan.
The paladin merely swung his longsword with calm composure, each strike shattering the undead before him to pieces. His swings were visibly not fast, yet every technique fell precisely in place. Even as hundreds upon thousands of undead lunged at once, they failed to pose the slightest threat.
Arthur Ryan simply maintained his rhythm, swinging his blade, and the undead under Anbaixiu's command began crumbling incessantly.
He was like the center of a funnel; no matter how turbulent the undead tide rushed in, the moment it converged on him, it vanished into thin air.
Even though the undead were imbued with regeneration, the moment his sword of Holy Light struck them, all their enhancements dispelled instantly.
Aige could not help marveling, "Such formidable Holy Light! Is this Arthur Ryan?"
Back when Arthur Ryan slew the Demonic Dragon, Aige was still just an ordinary ghost ship cruising the ocean depths, hunting schools of fish on pure instinct. By the time she developed self-awareness and learned to take human form, Arthur Ryan had already passed away long ago, leaving the two with no chance to clash.
Now, one had become a heroic spirit and the other was far from her true vessel, both weakened—and Aige's fighting spirit was thoroughly ignited.
Aige said to Anbaixiu, "Leave this to me. Go deal with those humans from the Raging Tide Kingdom."
With that, she transformed into a burst of gray light and plunged into the spectral warship in the sky.
The massive ship plummeted straight down, ramming its prow violently toward Arthur Ryan.
Being a ghost ship, Aige possessed few flashy abilities; aside from seafaring powers, all she had left were attacks of immense weight and momentum. Having come into existence in an era before magitech cannons were widespread, ramming, ramming, and ramming again was her way of fighting.
Holy Light and dark mana collided with an earth-shattering roar, sending shockwaves that blew even Anbaixiu back a hundred meters.
The site of their clash was completely obscured by dust as violent explosions rang out in rapid succession, the earth cracking open like a spiderweb.
'What absurd combat prowess. Is this a demigod? Any casual strike carries the destructive force of a ninth-tier spell.'
This was no place for a "frail wizard" like him to linger. Anbaixiu retreated completely from the battlefield, just in time to meet a troop of Raging Tide Kingdom soldiers hurrying over after hearing the commotion.
Wearing the guise of Mengge Grayriver, Anbaixiu strode toward them with an arrogant, swaggering expression.
From the memories Anbaixiu had witnessed, this was essentially how Mengge Grayriver treated those of lower station; acting this way fit the persona better.
Sure enough, at the sight of that arrogant, overbearing face approaching, the soldiers panicked and hastily began saluting, some even dropping to one knee.
Anbaixiu immediately seized the initiative. "What are you doing here?"
The lead soldier pointed toward the battlefield and replied, "Lord Grayriver, we heard explosions, over there..." In just a dozen-odd seconds, the two combatants had already clashed who knew how many times, plumes of smoke and dust billowing dozens of meters into the air, visible from far away.
Anbaixiu gave a cold snort and snapped in a stern tone, "Don't ask about what you shouldn't ask! That's a military secret, not something low-ranking grunts like you are supposed to know."
Startled, the soldiers quickly bowed their heads. "Understood!"
"Pass on my orders: this square is temporarily cordoned off... No, evacuate a ten-kilometer radius entirely. No one is permitted to approach! Understood?"
"Ten kilometers? But this area..." The lead soldier tried to explain, but Anbaixiu cut him off sharply: "Cut the chatter! Ten kilometers is already cutting it close. If you don't want to die, get moving and evacuate everyone!"
Daring not disobey his orders, the soldiers hastily acknowledged and set off to carry out the command.
Anbaixiu was not idling either. With such a massive disturbance, there was no hiding it from the Raging Tide Kingdom anymore. He had to find a way to buy more time for Aige.
In the entire Raging Tide Kingdom, only the King and the Princess held authority above Mengge Grayriver. So long as he could keep those two in check, he should be able to designate the combat zone as a restricted area for the time being.
Without hesitation, Anbaixiu dashed toward the royal palace.
As the kingdom's supreme military commander, it was not difficult for Mengge Grayriver to see the King, but upon entering the palace, he saw a scene of frantic bustle.
Snatching a passing maid to ask, Anbaixiu learned that the King was about to duel the Princess, and if the Princess won, she would inherit the throne.
What kind of mess was this? Anbaixiu simply could not comprehend the train of thought of this father and daughter. Was this really the time for a royal succession?
With bewildered feelings, Anbaixiu soon met with the King.
Much to Anbaixiu's surprise, however, the King was not pumping iron or training to prepare for the duel. Instead, he sat grim-faced upon the throne, flanked by three robed wizards.
Anbaixiu quickly sifted through Mengge Grayriver's memories and recalled that these three were court wizards employed by the Raging Tide Kingdom, essentially magical consultants—though vastly more expensive than the magical consultants hired by nobles.
Judging by the atmosphere, however, the King seemed to have gotten into an argument with them.
Paying no mind to whatever quarrel the three court wizards were having with the King, Anbaixiu stepped forward at once and said, "Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to report."
The King asked in a deep voice, "Is it about the battle outside?"
The roar of fierce combat could be heard clearly even inside the palace, so Anbaixiu had no way of concealing it; what he had in mind was another excuse altogether.
Anbaixiu quickly replied, "Your Majesty is correct. One of the figures currently fighting in East Square is none other than the captain of the Silent Night Pirates, a tremendously powerful undead."
"What did you say?!"
The King instantly grew agitated and demanded loudly, "The Silent Night Pirates have invaded?!"
"No, Your Majesty, please calm down. Everything is according to my plan." Anbaixiu put on an air of supreme confidence.
The King, bursting with impatience, roared, "What in the world is going on?! Tell me at once!"
Anbaixiu hurried to explain: "I lured out the captain of the Silent Night Pirates. It isn't a full-scale pirate invasion—only the captain alone. What's more, I laid a trap, and she has already fallen into it. Your Majesty, we now have the opportunity to prepare. Just as planned before, have the Raging Tide Legion make ready. That undead will be trapped there by my trap for days."
Hearing this, the King brightened up immediately. "Really? How did you manage it? To actually lure out their captain alone!"
"Very simple. I gathered intelligence on the true purpose behind the undead invasion: it was actually for an ancient seal containing a treasure of paramount importance to them. There's no time to go into the specific details right now, but the gist is that the captain of the Silent Night Pirates is currently pinned down by the guardians of the seal. Your Majesty, we have much to do. Priority must be given to evacuating nearby residents, and then having the Raging Tide Legion prepare for battle. Once that undead has exhausted most of her strength, we can eliminate this thorn in our side once and for all."
How could Anbaixiu have any real details? He could only spin a rough fabrication and gloss over the specifics.
For the Raging Tide Legion to prepare for battle, they would first need to reconstruct a massive magic array, which would take a day or two. That amount of time should be more than enough for Aige and Arthur Ryan to decide a victor, right?
If Aige won, she would likely have long departed with the artifact, and Anbaixiu could simply find a way to rendezvous with her. If Aige lost, Anbaixiu could use the Raging Tide Kingdom's strength to let Arthur Ryan taste the collective magic developed seventeen hundred years later, and then leverage his identity to claim the artifact for himself.
The plan was flawless—provided nobody dug too deep into the details.
Yet whatever one feared most was bound to happen. Hearing Anbaixiu's words, the court wizards standing nearby changed expressions. One of them spoke up: "This sounds very strange, Lord Grayriver. All your previous plans were submitted in advance, and every voyage out to sea required us to supply you with magic items. How is it that this time, your plan suddenly bypassed everyone, leaving you as the sole person privy to the details?"
Hearing this, the King also turned a suspicious gaze toward Anbaixiu.
Chapter 183