Chapter 141: Those Who Break the Contract Shall Suffer the Wrath of the Rock

On the other two fronts of the battlefield, the tide of battle had completely turned.

Eldara’s sword fell. The power of death, clinging like a maggot to bone, tore a wound so deep in the chest of the Frost Troll Korlak that his very ribs were exposed. A moment ago, such a terrifying injury would have wriggled and sealed itself in seconds. Now, a layer of pale golden radiance pinned the wound open, stubbornly refusing to let it close.

His vaunted flesh regeneration had been completely stripped away.

Korlak roared in agony. His giant, ice-crystal spiked club, carrying the force of a world-ending blizzard, smashed down with violent fury.

Eldara neither dodged nor retreated. She simply raised her left arm in a calm, almost dismissive gesture.

“Clang—!”

A deafening shriek of metal on magic echoed through the cavern.

The spiked club crashed against the Jade Shield. The thick, golden barrier only rippled slightly, remaining as steadfast and unmovable as a mountain. Eldara herself didn’t even take half a step back.

A flash of realization crossed her crimson eyes. ‘This shield… it not only defends but also weakens the enemy.’

She hesitated no longer. Her longsword drew an arc of cold, deadly light as her offensive became several times more ferocious than before. With the enemy’s greatest strength nullified, there was no reason to drag this out.

On the other side, Paladin Baroque’s situation was a world apart from what it had been moments ago.

Previously, facing the mountain-like form of the Yeti Noinam, he could only struggle to hold on, relying on his exquisite shield techniques to survive with no room to fight back.

But now, he felt like a completely different person.

Noinam’s heavy punch slammed into the Jade Shield, and the force that transferred to his arm was reduced by more than ninety percent. He even found the strength during the brief gaps in his parries to swing his longsword, carving deep scars into the Yeti’s thick ice armor.

“Divine grace is vast!” Baroque bellowed, his voice ringing with fanatical joy. “The Knights of the Faith never retreat!”

As the main elven army began to push back the monstrous tide, several Elf Rangers and mages also broke free from their own skirmishes. They immediately began to focus their fire on Noinam.

Ice spikes, fire arrows, and magically enchanted shafts poured onto the Yeti’s massive body like a torrential downpour. Attacks that could previously only cause minor irritation now easily blasted away huge chunks of ice and snow, revealing the churning, dark core of the creature beneath.

The grim situation of being passively beaten was instantly reversed into a one-sided group beatdown.

Celeste took it all in, nodding with a quiet satisfaction.

Her gaze swept across the cavern ceiling, where rubble and dust were raining down from the aftershocks of the ongoing battles.

‘Guess I’ll forget about Planet Befall,’she thought.’If I cause a cave-in and bury everyone, that’d be a real mess.’

The thought flashed through her mind and was gone. She turned, her golden eyes, steeped in a dark yellow radiance, holding not a trace of warmth as they locked coldly onto the green-skinned goblin who was still hopping and dodging under the siege of her sister and teammates.

It was time to put an end to this farce.

Celeste began to walk toward the center of the battlefield.

She didn’t move quickly. Her steps were steady, each one seeming to connect with the very earth beneath her feet, drawing out an invisible, powerful pulse. The black and dark gold-interwoven robe she wore flowed with an internal glow, the cloud patterns on its hem shimmering as she moved.

“Sis! You’re here!”

Selene slapped away a shadow bolt hastily summoned by Girousse with her shield. She took a moment to look back and shout, her tone brimming with excitement.

“This guy is as slippery as an eel, and he just keeps popping one magic shield after another. It’s so annoying! Come on, let’s pin him down together! I’ll slap his face, and you can kick his butt!”

Su Wan and Xia Lian also looked over, their eyes filled with expectation.

Although the three of them had been running Girousse in circles, they truly had no effective way to deal with the goblin king. The level suppression was a major factor, and the creature was just too damn durable. They had been fighting for a long time, but aside from looking a bit disheveled, Girousse didn’t have a single decent wound on him.

“Leave it to me,” Celeste’s voice was still flat and devoid of emotion.

She stretched out her right hand, palm up.

An ancient long spear, composed entirely of Geo energy, condensed from thin air into her palm. The shaft had the warm, smooth texture of jade, wrapped in complex, golden dragon-shaped patterns. The spear tip’s cold light was restrained, yet it contained a terrifying power, as if it could pierce through entire mountain ranges.

Vortex Vanquisher.

The moment Celeste’s fingers closed around the spear, a feeling of deep connection, as if it were an extension of her own body, surged through her. The weapon felt heavy, yet perfectly balanced in her grip. She could feel the majestic Geo energy within the spear surging in response to her will.

Countless fragments of knowledge, techniques, and insights regarding spearmanship surfaced in her mind, as natural and intuitive as breathing.

There were no flashy moves, no complicated routines.

Only the simplest, most direct, and most effective actions—thrust, chop, sweep, and flick.

True mastery conceals itself.

“You think you can defeat me just by switching to a new toy?” Girousse shrieked, his voice a transparent attempt at bravado.

Though he tried to act tough, he had already quietly taken two steps back, trying to put some distance between himself and this woman who had suddenly become terrifyingly dangerous.

Celeste didn’t reply.

She simply thrust the Vortex Vanquisher forward.

It was the most basic of straight thrusts. The movement looked ordinary, even a little slow.

However, the instant the spear tip moved, the clamor of the entire cavern seemed to be choked by an invisible giant hand. Even the floating dust in the air froze in place.

Girousse felt an unspeakable, terrifying pressure lock him down. It wasn’t a mental assault, but pure, physical ‘momentum’! He felt as if he weren’t facing a spear, but an entire, towering mountain range collapsing down upon him!

There was no way to retreat.

No way to avoid it.

“Shadow Barrier! Bone Wall! Defiling Forcefield!”

Under the imminent threat of death, Girousse exploded with his full potential, instantly stacking three layers of defensive spells in front of himself.

Yet, that seemingly slow spear tip ignored the distance of space and arrived in an instant.

There was no world-shaking explosion, no dazzling display of light.

The spear tip lightly tapped against the outermost Shadow Barrier.

With a soft pop, the tough, shadowy shield instantly dissipated.

Next was the Bone Wall.

The spear tip touched it, and the thick wall of bone disintegrated on impact, turning into fine powder that scattered in the air.

Finally, there was the foul-smelling Defiling Forcefield.

The golden Geo energy flowing along the spear tip brightened slightly. Like snow under a scorching sun, the forcefield made a sizzling sound and was completely vaporized in an instant.

Three layers of defense, broken.

Girousse’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks as the golden spear tip grew ever larger in his vision.

He let out a desperate scream.

The Vortex Vanquisher precisely pierced his right shoulder, pinning him firmly to the ground. A strand of highly condensed Geo energy was channeled into his body through the spear, instantly obliterating all the tissue in his shoulder and sealing away his self-healing abilities.

“Arghhhhh—!”

The intense pain caused Girousse’s features to twist into a grotesque mask as he let out a shrill, agonized wail.

“See? It’s quite simple.”

Celeste retracted the spear; not a single drop of blood stained its tip. She calmly looked down at the goblin rolling and wailing on the ground, as if she had just performed some trivial, insignificant act.

Selene, Su Wan, and Xia Lian were all completely stunned.

“Is… is that it?” Selene rubbed her eyes, finding it hard to believe what she had just seen. The three of them had fought for ages and had barely managed to graze the goblin’s skin.

And her sister comes up and… one thrust? Just one thrust, and this infuriatingly slippery green-skinned goblin was crippled?

“So… so strong…” Xia Lian murmured to herself. She hadn’t even been able to clearly see how Celeste had struck with the spear.

Su Wan stared intently at the long spear in Celeste’s hand, then glanced down at the staff in her own. ‘So, a physical class… can be this elegant and stylish? Perhaps I should… branch out a little…’

“No… impossible… my magic…” Girousse clutched his bleeding shoulder, his face a mask of disbelief. The magic shields he was so proud of, his majestic mental power—all of it had been as fragile as paper before her.

“Your power is a chaotic mix, like rootless duckweed,” Celeste spoke slowly, her tone that of someone stating simple facts. As she spoke, she stepped forward, once again walking toward Girousse.

“You stole authority that doesn’t belong to you, yet you have no idea how to wield it.”

“Like a child swinging a giant’s axe, you look intimidating, but you are actually full of openings.”

With every sentence she spoke, she took another step forward.

With every step, the Vortex Vanquisher in her hand emitted a low hum, connecting with the earth. That invisible ‘momentum’ grew heavier and heavier, making it difficult for even Girousse to breathe.

“Shut up! What do you know! I am the king destined by heaven! I am the incarnation of art!” Girousse shrieked, struggling to stand. But he was pinned firmly to the ground by that heavy pressure, unable to move an inch.

“Heaven rewards diligence. This is the world’s first contract,” Celeste said, now standing directly over him, looking down from her superior height. “And you are just a thief who stole the fruit, hoping to skip the labor of cultivation.”

She raised the Vortex Vanquisher again.

“No! Don’t kill me! I… I am willing to submit! I am willing to offer all my collections to you! I still have many gems! Many gold coins!”

Girousse was completely terrified, his words tumbling out in an incoherent plea for mercy.

Celeste’s movement paused, the spear tip stopping just inches from his forehead. A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of her mouth, her voice as calm and still as deep water.

“The contract is set. Those who break the contract shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock.”

Girousse was stunned, not understanding her words. But seeing her stop, a flash of cunning and madness suddenly ignited in his fear-filled little eyes.

An opportunity!

“With my blood as a sacrifice! With my soul as a guide! Space… Teleportation!”

In a final, desperate act, he used a self-harming ritual to forcefully activate a spatial spell he had not yet mastered.

The space on the ground beneath him suddenly distorted.

In the next second, his figure vanished from the spot.

“Violating the contract warrants punishment,” Celeste spoke indifferently, her tone showing no surprise at all, as if she were merely reading a verdict that had already been decided.

She didn’t even move, but deep within her golden eyes, an ancient contract rune quietly lit up and then faded back into silence.

Almost at the same instant, Girousse’s figure reappeared dozens of meters away—directly behind Elaniel!

A crazed, triumphant smile stretched across his face. One of his hands was already reaching for the defenseless Queen!

“Hahahaha! My future queen, you’re more useful to me after all!”

His goal from the very beginning wasn’t to escape, but to take a hostage!

However, his laughter and his lunge stopped abruptly.

At the very moment he appeared, the magnificent Geo Throne, along with the Queen sitting upon it, vanished into thin air with a silent shimmer of gold!

Meanwhile, by Celeste’s side, Elaniel was ‘delivered’ along with her throne in an identical shimmer of light.

“Hmm?” Her Majesty the Queen sat bolt upright, looking at Celeste in a daze, completely failing to understand what had just happened.

The entire cavern fell silent.

Everyone’s gaze focused on the green-skinned goblin, standing alone in the open space, frozen in a standard ‘pouncing tiger’ posture.

His hand hung awkwardly in mid-air, grabbing at nothing but empty air.

The wild laughter on Girousse’s face froze solid.

He slowly lowered his head, looking at his empty hand, then looked up at the empty space in front of him, his mind a complete and utter blank.

‘Where is she?”Where did my huge queen go?!’

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]