Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 160 Was it the wolf that died in the fire, or was it your cowardice?
The phantom of the hero wielded the holy sword, releasing surging light blades and endless rain of fire that lasted for more than a minute. During this time, Olvera could only see the chaotic sword light and the numbers symbolizing combos that kept jumping out of the light.

145HIT!

258HIT!

336HIT!

450HIT!

……

The numbers became more and more exaggerated, and in the end, when the momentum of the light blade fire rain gradually weakened and even completely extinguished, the last combo number jumped out. Unlike the previous combo numbers, it was several times larger and attached with a golden special effect, which looked particularly cool: 999HIT!!!

It is exactly the maximum combo number of the hero's joint skill [Blue Flame Dance·Unparalleled Combo].

The hero's phantom still maintained the posture of swinging the sword, but her eyes were slightly closed, as if she didn't need to confirm the final result of the battle, and her heart was already certain of her victory. After the last golden combo number popped up and gradually became transparent and disappeared, she slowly straightened up, swung the sword gracefully, and made a gesture of putting the sword back into the sheath - although in fact the holy sword - Broken Steel Oath did not come with a matching sheath.

She turned around and handed the holy sword back to Olvera, who was still shocked by the scene just now and took it hesitantly. Then, the phantom gradually faded and disappeared in the still echoing afterglow.

She looked very sad. After all, as a talented player, since she had already experienced the exhilaration of 999 combos, how could she continue to endure the frustration and pain of just stopping at that point?

[Memory of the Brave: When holding the item "Reverberation of Courage", attack power is permanently increased by 10%.]

Then he sighed with some regret: "Unfortunately, I guess there won't be such an opportunity in the future."

[The power of "surpassing oneself" has disappeared, but the true courage still remains in your heart, and you have gained the "memory of the brave." ]

After hearing what Alice said, Ovilla couldn't help but take a look at her attribute panel. Coincidentally, the BUFF that helped her turn the tide of the battle and lay the foundation for victory had just finished its last second and disappeared from her status bar.

At the same time, Alice's excited voice came to my mind: "It's awesome, it's awesome. I didn't expect that I could actually hit the maximum combo of the special move directly. 999 HITs, this damage is almost a super kill, right?"

Although the power drawn from past memories quietly left after taking effect, it still left some traces in the girl's heart, and the new state "Memory of the Brave" was proof of this. The blessing it gave was far less than "surpassing oneself", but it made the girl feel very relieved, because this was the first time she realized so clearly that something would never leave her again.

Avella blinked in confusion when she heard this: "Why?"

"call!"

The sacred armor she was wearing broke into pieces, turning into countless fragments of light, flying to the place where she came from, fluttering like snowflakes; the huge wings woven by the lines of light behind her gradually faded away, as if they were hidden in a hazy mist, and disappeared. When it existed, it was as light as a feather, and when it disappeared, it was silent. If it weren't for the narration of the game system, Olvera would not even realize that she had lost the ability to fly.

"Because the combo number of [Blue Flame Dance: Unparalleled Combo] is tied to the character's basic ability value. Just now, there was a BUFF bonus of 'Surpass Yourself', which tripled the basic ability value, and also made the boss's body circle into a dangerous area, so that the maximum upper limit of 999 combos can be achieved. But this BUFF is obviously a one-time bonus given by the plot. After this part of the plot, there will be no chance to get it again. So, next time you use this special move, I don't know how many combos you can get."

But what kind of prop is this "Reverberation of Courage"?

Olvera had no time to think about this question, because Alice in her mind suddenly let out a soft "hmm" as if she had discovered something surprising, and reminded her: "Olvera... go to the boss's body and take a look. Is he still alive?"

"Not dead?" Olvera was also shocked, and couldn't believe that the other party could survive 999 attacks of [Blue Flame Dance·Unparalleled Combo]. But since Alice said so, she raised her guard for the time being, holding the hilt of the holy sword tightly with both hands, and walked step by step towards the area that had just been baptized by the light blade fire rain.

At this time, the crescent moon hanging in the sky had long disappeared, and the cold and silver moonlight also faded away. Everything returned to silence, and the light was dim and uncertain, setting off the decadent and lonely atmosphere after the fierce battle. The lantern on the girl's waist swayed gently with her footsteps, opening up a bright island in the black ocean. Within the range of the lantern, you can see that the ground of the arena is full of scars. The ancient stone bricks have been ravaged by the claws of the wolf and the edge of the sword. At this moment, they are all broken and have sunk several inches down. The exposed gaps are full of cold and lingering moisture.

Walking a little further, you can see the broken remains of twelve round arched stone pillars. These magnificent buildings rising from the underground abyss are actually more fragile than the century-old dead trees in the forest. They collapsed with a loud bang just by being swept by the edge of the light blade. Some of them still retain half of the cross-section, but the surface is scarred; while some have completely collapsed, turning into piles of heavy bricks, stones and gravel, which are either scattered everywhere or filling the abyss under your feet.

The defeated giant wolf leaned against the base of a stone pillar. Its huge body cast a shadow as thick as a mountain in the darkness, but its breath was very weak, as if it was about to reach the end of its life.

In fact, he should have died long ago, because both Olvera and Alice could see that the health bar above his head was completely blank, and the number displayed was also: HP 0/2000.

HP is zero, doesn't that mean death?
But he was not dead yet, still breathing with difficulty, his chest rising and falling slightly. After hearing Olvera's footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes. His scarlet eyes reflected the girl's surprised expression and the blade of the holy sword she raised subconsciously. The pale blue luster, as pure and beautiful as crystal, had turned into countless surging blades of light and an endless rain of fire in the battle that had just passed, which washed away all its power.

But the giant wolf knew very well that what really defeated him was not the swift and fierce attack that was difficult to resist, but Olvera's courage.

She wouldn't have been able to do this if she hadn't understood what true courage was.

and so--

"I'm very happy." He said in a steady and generous voice that a dying person shouldn't have, staring at Olvera's face: "I'm also relieved that in the end, you still found the long-lost strength through your own efforts, and also found the courage he wanted to give you."

"Him?" After confirming that he no longer had any intention of attacking, Olvera relaxed her guard, but still kept a safe distance and asked curiously, "Are you talking about my father?"

"Expectations and hopes are all like this." The other party answered with obscure words, but did not deny it.

Avella recalled the scene she saw in her memory and couldn't help feeling confused. She asked hesitantly, "You...what on earth are you? Why do you know what my father said to me? Why did you repeat those words to me? And why..."

Why are you so nice to me?
This is what the girl didn't finish saying, but everyone could guess what she wanted to express.

In the past battles, the giant wolf had more than one chance to completely defeat Olvera, but he never attacked with all his strength, always leaving room for the girl to give up. It can even be said that the words he said to Olvera were both verbal oppression and psychological guidance. If he hadn't kept repeating the concept of "courage", Olvera might not have recalled that memory until she was defeated.

He didn't act like an enemy, but rather like a guide who wanted to lead lost people through fighting. But he was clearly created to guard Olvera, right? There was no possibility of coordination between the two sides' positions.

"why?"

Facing this question, the giant wolf smiled in a low voice: "Perhaps it's because I am a memory from the past. Princess of Beman, we are all phantoms split from the original ruler. We each inherited a kind of power from her, and perhaps, inherited her emotions at the same time. That is real and exists in our mission. Maybe this will surprise you, but all the guardians, including me, have no intention of hurting you. We just hope that you can stay in this castle until the day when our Lord's great cause is completed... Maybe it's a very distant wait, but we all have hope and look forward to its arrival."

His voice gradually faded. "I am only the first guardian. The guardians on the lower levels are no weaker than me. Besides, they may not be as willing to communicate with you as I am. If they use strong means to repel you, please understand that the will of the phantom is not controlled by oneself. Only victory can allow your path to continue."

"You have a very strong power. Courage will help you gain the faith to fight against the darkness, but courage alone is definitely not enough. Therefore, please try to draw more strength from the memories of the past. This is the only thing I can give you. Those who inherit the memories will also inherit the fate that was once separated. Princess Belman, are you ready?"

A hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. All the memories of his existence finally turned into a sigh and a last word: "When I die, please light a flame in my bones and light up the light here. I will be here and continue to watch your future."

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)