Chapter Forty-One: Silver Carol

When Andy, Commander Barton, and Grand Knight Allen rushed to the center of the square, the scene before their eyes stunned them.

In the middle of the plaza, corpses were piled thickly, a mix of the inner city guards and nearby residents. Andy could clearly see the little girl who had recently given him a flower garland lying among them.

Her innocent smile was gone forever. Now, only her shriveled body remained, with hollow eyes gazing up at the sky.

"Scum!" Knight Allen roared, charging straight toward the culprit at the square's center. Andy's fireball flew faster than Allen himself.

Sadly, they had arrived too late; Carol's sacrificial rite was already completed.

Now he was savoring the power surging into his body, his strength finally breaking through a bottleneck, reaching the level of a Silver-ranked Battle Maiden.

Though a Silver-ranked Battle Maiden's power still fell short of a wizard of the same rank, it was enough to match a Silver Knight, and surpassed a Bronze Wizard.

As Andy and his companions rushed forward, Carol didn't even bother to turn and look at them. Only when Andy's fireball was about to hit him did Carol raise his hand. A layer of silvery shield suddenly emerged from his body, the fireball striking it and causing it to waver slightly.

This was the Battle Dance "Guard".

Having reached Silver rank, Carol no longer needed to dance; a few simple gestures or movements could now invoke the effects of battle dances. Likewise, his battle songs required only a handful of syllables.

Carol still didn't turn around. Stretching one hand to the sky, he called out in a syrupy voice, "Power..."

Then he finally turned, stroking his chest with his left hand and continuing in the same saccharine tone, "Pleasure..."

"What a marvelous sensation," he sighed.

"What do you think, beautiful?" he said, directing this question to the charging Grand Knight Allen, and threw him a flirtatious wink.

Battle Dance "Charm" initiated.

Allen halted his charge, his expression becoming vacant and dazed, eyes fixed on Carol as he involuntarily walked toward him.

Enjoy my kiss of death! Carol sent Allen a flying kiss. The air rang with a sharp whistle.

"Watch out!" Knight Barton shouted, but he was too late to pull Allen back.

Andy had heard Katherine describe this move of Carol's before. Instinctively, he reacted at once—just as Carol puckered his lips, Andy snapped his fingers and cast "Ignite."

Target: Grand Knight Allen's backside.

Allen suddenly felt a searing heat on his rear and snapped back to his senses. Seeing the attack so close, he ignored the flames on his trousers and performed a backbend to dodge Carol's deadly kiss.

By then, Knight Barton had engaged Carol, preventing any follow-up attack on Allen.

Knight Barton, seasoned and at the pinnacle of Grand Knight strength, expertly entangled Carol alone.

Though Carol's every strike carried more force than Barton's, his close combat skills were far inferior, allowing Barton to disrupt Carol's attempt to unleash battle songs and dances at every critical moment.

Allen had now regained his combat stance; Andy's next fireball was already flying at Carol. Meanwhile, the battle between the Divine Wind Knight Order and Gillian's fanatics was drawing to a close nearby, and their comrades would soon arrive in support.

The scales of victory were tipping toward the Divine Wind Knight Order.

At last, the members finished off the fanatics and began encircling Carol's position. Some had even readied crossbows, aiming at Carol, waiting to strike…

"Aaaaaaaah!" Carol suddenly unleashed a high-pitched scream. The sound waves blasted across the plaza, making every member of the Divine Wind Knight Order feel as if their eardrums had burst. Their vision blurred, their heads throbbed with agony, and soon they collapsed one after another.

This was the battle song "Dolphin Tone," a power only Silver-ranked Battle Maidens could wield.

Even Grand Knights Barton and Allen faltered at the sound.

Andy fared somewhat better—he found the sound merely grating and irritating, unaware that as the sound wave washed over him, Katherine nearby made a swallowing gesture toward it.

Taking advantage of the knights' hesitation, Carol tore off his outer robe, revealing a dazzlingly tight garment beneath. He drew from his waist a purple long whip.

He flicked the whip into the air, then declared in a syrupy feminine voice, "It's time to show some real skill!"

Hearing that voice, Andy's heart quivered, though he forced himself to suppress it.

By then, Allen and Barton had shaken off the effects of the "Dolphin Tone." Barton shouted, "Wake up!" and charged Carol once more, Allen following closely behind.

Barton's shout carried the Grand Knight battle technique "Rousing Roar," but unfortunately, its effect paled compared to Carol's battle song.

Most members remained unconscious; only a handful of the stronger knights staggered awake and joined the fight.

Carol wielded the whip in a seamless, impenetrable dance. Whatever its material, both Allen's and Barton's attacks were rebuffed, sparks flying each time their blades struck it. Carol not only defended against their assault, but had enough composure to lash Andy's incoming fireballs out of the air.

Even with the knights joining the fray, Carol still held his ground.

With a soft hum, Carol suddenly accelerated the whip's movements, catching a knight's throat. A flick of his wrist, and the knight was decapitated, the body twined in the whip and used to block Barton's attack.

Barton hesitated at the sight of his fallen comrade, and Carol seized the opening, hurling the corpse at him, then wrapped the whip toward Grand Knight Allen.

Allen blocked with his sword, but the force numbed his grip. Unexpectedly, the tip of the whip curled like a viper and struck at Allen's head.

Allen had no doubt that, should he be struck, his fate would be no better than the unfortunate knight before him. He dodged with all his strength, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but the whip grazed his face, leaving a long, bloody gash.

Allen was enraged; he prided himself on three things: his illustrious lineage, his precocious mastery of Grand Knight skills, and above all, his handsome face.

Now, with his visage marred, Allen's fury ignited. He resolved to unleash his newly mastered ultimate technique and teach this androgynous foe a lesson.

With Barton and Andy restraining Carol, Allen began to gather his strength.

But immediately, Allen sensed something was wrong. The wounded side of his face was numb, his sword arm tingled, and the paralysis spread relentlessly through his body.

"Careful, his whip is coated with paralytic poison!" Allen tried to warn his comrades, but his legs soon gave way.

Allen finally lost the ability to fight and was escorted to the rear by two knight comrades, left to watch the battle anxiously from behind.

Nearby, Katherine caught a whiff of a sweet fragrance wafting from Allen, and with elegant steps, she drew closer, sniffing as she approached…

With the loss of a Grand Knight, the pressure on the Order increased. Soon, two more members were killed and three injured, all forced to withdraw by the paralytic poison.

After a close call nearly struck Barton, Carol exploited the gap in his defense to eliminate the last knight-level combatant.

As the battle wore on, Carol grew more familiar and adept with his Silver-ranked power, now dominating the field with unmatched arrogance.

Carol felt exhilarated. Yet the fireballs fired at him from behind became increasingly irksome.

With another crack of his whip, Carol shattered a fireball, then looked at Andy in the distance and sneered, "Annoying little bug…"

Carol smiled slightly, tossed Andy a flirtatious wink.

Battle Dance "Charm."

Andy had been performing terribly throughout the fight, distracted as he supported his comrades while struggling to suppress waves of desire rising within him. His mind felt clouded, and he fired his spells mechanically at the target.

His body grew hotter and hotter, the urge to tear off his clothes and run naked overwhelming him. Thankfully, he possessed a strong will, suppressing and repressing these urges again and again…

Now, Carol's Battle Dance "Charm" swept over him.

Andy's mind exploded.

The battlefield vanished; the world became a vast, dark expanse. In this space, only he and a graceful beauty before him remained.

"Meow, meow!"

Urgent cat cries snapped Andy back to himself.

He sensed the chaos within his body and was alarmed. His magic was completely disordered, boiling like water inside him. Fire elemental energy from all around surged into his body, and his desire, now uncontainable, burned fiercely, making him desperate to strip and scratch at himself.

Forcing himself to focus, he cast the spell "Flame Baptism." He hoped that, since it could heal injuries and restore stamina, it might also relieve abnormal states.

But this time, Flame Baptism was nothing like before.

The flames were no longer a light layer on his skin. Upon casting it, Andy's raging magic, the influx of elemental fire, and his unbridled desire found an outlet at last…

Boom! A storm of fire erupted within ten meters around Andy, flames shooting a dozen meters high and lighting the plaza before the wizard tower in brilliant glare.

Andy was utterly ignited!