Because of recent lavish spending, Jirga, now even more radiant with golden light, brandished a golden longsword to confront Thorne and his group.
Among the dozen or so people, the most formidable were clearly the magic swordsman Thorne, the summoner Bilis, and the old swordsman wielding a shortsword. Their strength dominated the group, while the others could only assist from the sidelines. The battle quickly escalated into a fierce clash, with dazzling golden sword light spreading in all directions.
It was an absolutely thrilling fight, but Ye Chui only glanced at it before shifting his attention to Debbie. He wasn’t overly concerned about whether Jirga could defeat them. Debbie had once said that even if the entire town of Stan banded together, they probably wouldn’t be a match for Jirga. Ye Chui trusted her judgement. Right now, he was more curious about what Debbie was doing.
“Are you planning to turn her into a heroic spirit?” Ye Chui realised, understanding the method Debbie had mentioned.
“Afu can’t heal the wounds of non-human creatures. In times like this, the best option is to turn her into a heroic spirit,” Debbie said quickly. Waves of magical energy surged from her hands, slowly enveloping the Valkyrie’s entire body. She continued, “Not everyone can become a heroic spirit. It requires many conditions. They must be exceptionally powerful in certain areas and have achieved great deeds that people will sing about. As a Valkyrie who has guarded this place for five thousand years, she qualifies.”
At this point, the little girl seemed to be encouraging herself, “She can definitely become a heroic spirit!”
Debbie was a summoner, a highly promising one, but she was still young and not yet powerful enough. Signing a contract with the Platinum Knight Jirga was already incredibly fortunate. The Valkyrie, in terms of status or power, was no less than Jirga. So, turning the gravely injured Valkyrie into her heroic spirit was something Debbie wasn’t entirely confident about. The chances of success were slim.
Still, she had to try. Seeing the Valkyrie struggling weakly, it was clear she was at her final moments.
“Jiji? Jiji…” The Valkyrie’s eyes fell on Debbie, as if responding to her earlier question about whether she was willing to become a heroic spirit.
“It seems you’ve agreed,” Debbie nodded.
Green, somewhat uncertain, said, “I feel like she’s trying to say, maybe I can still be saved?”
“Don’t mess around. How can she be saved in this state? And how could you understand her? Hurry up and let me perform the heroic spirit contract ritual,” Debbie said, her magical energy already enveloping the Valkyrie. Green was about to explain that he might actually understand her, but Debbie had already begun chanting softly, so he gave up. In truth, he didn’t believe the Valkyrie could be saved in her current condition, with many of her internal organs damaged.
Debbie continued her chant:
“The traces of the sun and the guidance of the moon illuminate a brilliant golden path through the darkest roads.
O ceaselessly flowing spring, O endless white silk.
Answer my call, gather into the form of a heroic spirit, traverse the silent dark kingdom, and return to the battlefield of the mortal world.
Let the flames of battle burn in the promised land!
Grow into an unyielding tree of a warrior, bear valiant fruit, scatter pure white wings, and ignite the eternal, undying flame.
Transform into endless red lotuses, weaving our contract.
Sprinkle the burning oath to awaken the sleeping earth.
O, my mighty heroic warrior…”
Debbie’s clear chanting voice carried a captivating melody, like a beautiful symphony against the backdrop of Jirga’s battle with Thorne and the others. But when she reached “O, my mighty heroic warrior,” her voice suddenly stopped. It was clearly a critical moment.
Green immediately grew worried. He noticed the little girl tilting her head slightly, her brows furrowed tightly, her small face filled with hesitation and deep thought.
“What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?” Green asked, his voice trembling, looking to Ye Chui for help.
“Oh, it’s fine. She just forgot the words,” Ye Chui said calmly, experienced with such situations.
“?” Green was utterly confused.
Having forgotten her lines, Debbie shook her head and decisively stopped chanting, continuing the ritual. After all, the chant was just for effect and not strictly necessary.
At that moment, Ye Chui sensed something and turned his head. He saw the fire mage Riken approaching with a grim expression. Riken’s green-covered magic book floated in the air, its pages flipping rapidly. This boy, who harboured an inexplicable hostility toward Ye Chui, seemed intent on attacking him at this moment.
“Damn it, again?” Ye Chui muttered, exasperated. Would this ever end?
Riken had already activated his spell. Flames began to burn around him, turning him into a figure of fire. It was clear Riken was a highly talented mage, progressing quickly. After being engulfed by Ye Chui’s water snake previously, he had learned to envelop his body in flames, mastering a new combat technique.
It was a good idea, but unfortunately…
He had barely taken a few steps when, with a splash, a massive torrent of water poured from above, dousing him completely. With a hiss, the flames on his body were extinguished. The water quickly coalesced, forming a water snake. Ye Chui’s fingers swiped across his iPad-like magic book as if unlocking it, and with a whoosh, the water snake surged forward, slamming into Riken from the side.
Riken let out a cry and collapsed, unconscious.
Riken had made progress in recent days, but compared to Ye Chui, he was still far behind. Despite his grand entrance, he was once again reduced to a minor role.
Ye Chui glanced at Riken, shaking his head helplessly. “What’s your problem with me? Didn’t we once say we’d be companions and go on adventures together?”
As he spoke, Ye Chui suddenly looked up, his expression darkening. He saw a group approaching. Among those with Thorne and Bilis, some were entangled with Jirga, while others were preparing to attack Ye Chui’s side. Debbie was Jirga’s summoner, and if she died, Jirga would vanish. Among them, Ye Chui spotted Ryan, Meri, and Tatak, leading the charge.
“You piece of trash, I should’ve killed you from the start…” Ryan wasted no time, wind swirling around him as he prepared to unleash his strongest attack spell.
The other mages and swordsmen sprang into action, while Edel, lurking in the shadows, waited for an opportunity.
Yet Ye Chui remained calm, a faint smile even playing on his lips.
His hand rested lightly on his magic book as he looked at the approaching Ryan. “Are you sure you want to attack us?”
“You’re done for!” Ryan roared.
“Then you’re already dead,” Ye Chui said, shaking his head, calm as ever.
Green was tense, and the mayor of Cass, seeing Ryan and the others’ actions, moved to help. But Ye Chui’s words stunned them. Ryan’s group, enraged by Ye Chui’s bold statement, prepared to strike. Tatak, the explosive mage, let out a scream, ready to cast his spell, but blood suddenly spurted from his mouth. A flash of invisible golden light seemed to pass over him, then Meri, then Ryan.
No one noticed the golden light emanating from their money pouches, nor did they realise that after revealing their hostility toward Ye Chui and Debbie, a hidden force in their bodies had surged into the gold coins in their pouches.
The Golden Oath.
They had sworn on those coins not to attack Debbie or her companions, but they hadn’t taken the Golden Oath seriously. After days of feeling no ill effects, they dismissed it. Now, by breaking their oath, they awakened the power Jirga had left in their bodies, summoning the dragon’s breath within the coins, transforming it into unparalleled sword energy.
The sword energy swept through.
Before they could even scream, blood sprayed from their bodies. In an instant, the three became bloodied figures, collapsing in a gory heap.
Green, Cass, and the others stared wide-eyed.
Edel, poised to strike, melted into the shadows and fled.
Those who had planned to attack Ye Chui and Debbie screamed in terror, retreating. One stumbled and fell, scrambling to escape.
Ye Chui sighed with a “why bother” expression, gently wiping a drop of blood that had splattered on his sleeve before turning away.
His inner thought: “Oh man, that was just too cool, wasn’t it?”
