CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER61-WAR ARRAY

"Attack!"

shouted Chrisman, and the paladin guards, elite among elites, executed the order decisively.

The cry of battle rose to the heavens, echoing through the entire temple.

They raised their longswords, their faces stern.

The arcanergy fluctuated in a strange frequency, and the red cloud above their heads started to roll wildly.

Waves of murderous aura surged from the paladins, converging in the air to form a massive red serpent.

This serpent exuded a terrifying aura, its eyes gleaming ferociously, as if it sought to devour all enemies.

Owen’s pupils contracted slightly: "Is this the war array?"

Diana nodded lightly,

"Yes, Chrisman’s paladin unit is very capable. They were notorious for their prowess on the borders. Now, even though there are only thirty paladins, the power of their war array has surpassed the master-tier."

"How many of them are there in total?"

"Three thousand."

"Three thousand?" Owen repeated heavily, murmuring, "Doesn’t that mean they could almost rival a sage-tier?"

Diana gave Owen a glance, "Almost, yes. If they fight desperately, they could seriously injure a sage-tier."

Owen squinted slightly, pondering, "In the future, I should also form a war array for dragons. This is a killing machine on the battlefield."

"But there’s a fatal flaw in the war array," added Diana.

"What is it?"

"The speed of the war array is too slow. The speed of a grandmaster-tier is beyond ordinary imagination."

"So, unless a grandmaster-tier fighter wants a desperate fight, a war array can’t kill a grandmaster-tier."

"That makes sense..."

Watching the red serpent, almost tangible with its murderous aura, Finn panicked and roared,

"Chrisman, do you really dare to attack me? How will you explain this to Father when you return?"

"Explain?"

Chrisman’s face was engulfed in red light.

"Getting the Dreamscape Stone is the only explanation needed. No one can stop me."

With a wave of his hand, the paladins pointed their swords at Finn.

The serpent of murderous intent, like a bolt of black lightning, lunged towards Finn.

Its eyes flickered with a ruthless gleam, the very embodiment of murderous aura, almost suffocating in its intensity.

Finn, undeterred, drew his sword with a clang:

"Form up, face the enemy!"

His guard, unaccustomed to such a scene, fell in large numbers as the red serpent rampaged through them.

Many moaned in pain on the ground.

"So powerful, worthy of the paladin battalion."

"We are no match for them at all."

"This overwhelming murderous intent is irresistible."

Seeing this, Hughes’ eyes nearly popped out of his sockets:

"Stand up, stand up, face the enemy..."

But the guards, merely ornamental to the prince, lacking any real battle experience, showed no fighting spirit.

Finn, aware of his guard’s disposition, nervously approached Owen:

"Sir, can you still make a move?"

Owen glanced at Chrisman and then at the hooded figure beside Oliver.

"I can act, but keep an eye on that hooded person next to Oliver at all times."

"Understood."

Without hesitation, Owen stepped towards the serpent of murderous intent.

Mid-air, his hands transformed into dragon claws, colliding head-on with the serpent.

"It actually has a body," he remarked in surprise.

The serpent, despite its blood-red appearance, was no different from a real serpent.

The serpent of murderous intent seemed to sense Owen’s threat, and the two, as if by mutual understanding, halted their confrontation.

Owen stared intently at the serpent, his ears twitching slightly, and a flash of emerald light in his eyes - he was using his Emerald Eye to capture the serpent’s next move.

The serpent, with its head held high, had eyes like red jewels, filled with a chilling murderous intent that was intimidating just to witness.

Owen understood that the serpent was waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Suddenly, the serpent lunged, its body like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for Owen.

Owen, seeing the ferocious attack, leaped up, narrowly dodging the lethal strike.

The serpent of murderous intent didn’t give up; it quickly turned around and lunged at Owen again.

Owen and the serpent of murderous intent engaged in a fierce battle in the air.

A golden and a red arcanergy intertwined in the sky.

If it weren’t for Owen’s chest wound, the fight wouldn’t have been so arduous.

Chrisman, watching Owen holding his own against the serpent of murderous intent, couldn’t help but remark,

"Finn is lucky, isn’t he? Where did he find such a formidable character?"

Oliver, standing beside him with his arms crossed, chuckled, "But still no match for our brother."

Chrisman, dissatisfied with Oliver’s inaction, grumbled, "Why don’t you send your followers into the fight?"

Oliver’s eyes shifted towards Finn, nudging his chin in Finn’s direction:

"See, I need to keep an eye on Finn. You wouldn’t want him joining the battle while we’re distracted, right?"

"Pfft – afraid, are you?" Chrisman scoffed.

Oliver didn’t respond.

Chrisman, seeing the serpent of murderous intent unable to overpower Owen, bellowed, "Full assault, speed up and get rid of this nuisance!"

The paladins, hearing the command, roared in unison.

Their arcanergy surged more violently, and waves of murderous intent seeped out from their bodies.

The serpent of murderous intent, as if receiving divine assistance, suddenly gained the upper hand in the evenly matched battle with Owen.

Owen began to falter.

"What do we do?" Finn muttered in panic, watching Owen getting overwhelmed.

Charlie, who had luckily escaped the brunt of the battle, sought to reassure Finn, "Don’t worry, Prince Finn. Owen will surely win."

Finn gritted his teeth at Charlie’s words, thinking, Do you not realize Owen is seriously injured? He might not win this!

Owen’s battle with the serpent of murderous intent was intensifying.

He knew if the battle dragged on, he would likely lose.

"Is there really no way out?" he thought, glancing at the mysterious hooded figure beside Oliver.

The serpent of murderous intent wasn’t his main concern – it was the enigmatic presence of the hooded figure that unsettled him.

His gaze flickered, "Well, first I need to deal with the serpent of murderous intent. If things get worse, I might have to ask Diana to step in."

Diana might not intervene in the royal family’s strife, but she hadn’t said she wouldn’t help the saint of dragons.

Owen took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and began chanting a mysterious incantation.

The air around him seemed to be drained, as a formidable power of thunder and lightning gathered within him.

His body started to emit a dazzling blue light, with arcs of electricity continuously flashing over him.

His hair seemed to be tinged with thunder, making Owen appear like a shimmering blue star in the night sky.

He was casting advanced thunder-based magic, Radiant Light – the most powerful single-target burst spell in advanced thunder-based magic.

Using it could severely injure a master-tier fighter, but the cost was the instantaneous depletion of his arcanergy.

Suddenly, Owen spread his arms wide, releasing a massive bolt of lightning.

The speed of the thunderbolt was so fast it was almost imperceptible to the eye.

The serpent of murderous intent had no chance to evade and was directly struck by Radiant Light.

It writhed under the impact of the lightning strike, emitting mournful wails.

It didn’t struggle for long before dissipating into a cloud of red mist.

The war array shattered, and the paladins were equally affected by the force of the lightning.

They were blown away, their bodies tracing beautiful arcs through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Arcs of electricity danced on their bodies, crackling loudly.

Their clothes were scorched, and their hair was singed and curled by the electricity.

Pain was etched on their faces, yet they uttered no sound, biting down on their teeth, enduring the overwhelming power of the lightning.

Owen gazed at the fallen fighters, a touch of surprise in his heart:

"Such tenacity of spirit, not even a cry of pain!"

Finn, with arms raised high, ran to Owen’s side:

"Sir, you won! And so effortlessly, you truly are the strongest. Your thunder magic was incredibly cool, it’s awe-inspiring!"

Owen, pale-faced and gasping for breath, replied:

"Stop the flattery, it’s not over yet."

Finn’s expression shifted at those words.

Chrisman, witnessing his elite troops incapacitated, glared at Owen with a cold intensity that seemed almost tangible, like blades scraping across Owen’s skin:

"Owen? Impressive, I didn’t expect such prowess from you."

Before Owen could respond, Finn interjected with a laugh, puffing out his chest:

"Hahaha, only now you realize? Owen is invincible, the Dreamscape Stone is mine!"

To an onlooker, it might seem as if Finn had defeated the paladin troop.

Chrisman’s face turned a mix of red and white as he looked at Finn:

"Oliver, go and take the Dreamscape Stone."