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Chapter 556: Matthew's Revenge
Faced with this sudden attack, Matthew revealed the crucial trump card of his illusory clone.
He believed that the Cole elves must have the means to determine his life or death.
Many kinds of spells could achieve this.
The next time they attacked, they would undoubtedly prepare against this aspect.
Thinking about the stronghold under heavy wyvern assault, Matthew resolutely said to Yaya:
"Do not pursue them, first secure the stronghold."
Yaya understood Matthew's intention. Her massive body remained motionless, emitting only a displeased hum before slowly closing her eyes, shifting her consciousness back to the clone.
After confirming the stronghold's safety, Matthew left the underground lab and returned to the lord's residence.
Before long, the Great Arcanist Cronorman appeared before Matthew.
Unlike his somewhat frustrated demeanor last time, today the Great Arcanist Cronorman wore a smile.
He was dressed in a resplendent bright purple robe, exuding an indescribable sense of mystery.
Several pale purple Ioun Stones hovered slowly around him, adding to his powerful and commanding presence.
It was evident that the Great Arcanist Cronorman was in a good mood today. Perhaps due to his cheerful disposition, he was casually toying with a piece of gray metal in his hand.
It was Mithril!
"How's the construction progress? Are the tools and workers satisfied?"
Matthew did not cut straight to the point. Instead, he appeared calm, as if he had not just endured an attack.
In contrast, the Great Arcanist Cronorman, already informed of the incident, had eyes filled with flickers of anger.
Regarding Matthew, his student, the Great Arcanist Cronorman initially did not invest much care.
However, as the Bay Territory rapidly developed—welcoming refugees, enduring blockades, defeating drow elves, exploring the underground world, seeking mithril veins, and forming alliances with gray dwarves—his view changed.
Having seen much elsewhere, his fondness for the Bay Territory naturally grew.
"Love for the house extends to the crow."
The Great Arcanist Cronorman's recognition of Matthew deepened as well.
He gradually regarded Matthew as a representative who embodied his ideas and philosophies within the Netheril Empire.
Of course, Matthew did not entirely "agree" with this, dismissing it as the old man trying to glorify himself through association.
Now, seeing Matthew nearly assassinated under his watch, the Great Arcanist Cronorman felt a fiery indignation that he couldn't suppress.
As a man of intense emotions, the Great Arcanist Cronorman nearly intervened directly.
He cared little for the agreements between the Netheril Empire's "appeasement faction" council and the Cole Elven Kingdom.
A legendary spellcaster cannot take action?
The Great Arcanist never feared any rule!
If rules could bind Great Arcanists, the two in the south wouldn't be on the verge of fighting each other to the death.
Looking at Matthew's composed face, the Great Arcanist Cronorman paused his fiddling, lightly raised an eyebrow, and asked:
"So, you already have a plan?"
Matthew nodded confidently, unfurling a map and drawing a circle around a 20-kilometer radius near the stronghold:
"What you need to do, Teacher, is make this area teleportation-prohibited."
Reflecting on the earlier battle scene, Matthew had realized the enemy's chain of killer moves.
Prohibiting teleportation + High-Level Spell Suppression + Adaptive Magic Armor + pinpoint teleportation of an extraordinary combat team!
Not to mention, there was also a legendary ranger wielding a dragon slayer, watching intently from the side.
This formidable chain of killer moves, Matthew was certain, could spell disaster for most legendary spellcasters if they weren't careful.
Precisely because of this, Matthew intended to give a strong response!
At the very least, the legendary ranger Qiye, who dared to attack Yaya, had to die!
The Great Arcanist Cronorman nodded, confirming that Matthew had not lost his composure from the attack, raising his evaluation of him. With a smile, he softly asked:
"Are you certain they won't leave immediately?"
Reflecting on his memories, Matthew nodded calmly and confidently said:
"Qiye won't leave. If he fails to complete his mission, the Cole Elven Kingdom will claim his life."
After giving Matthew a deep look, the Great Arcanist Cronorman didn't ask further questions. He didn't concern himself with the reasons, but was somewhat surprised internally.
Matthew's understanding of the enemy and the Cole Elven Kingdom seemed deeper than expected.
That was a good thing!
After Cronorman left, Matthew turned around to face the silent Sera and spoke in a calm tone:
"You will lead a 30-man Thunder Squad to that area and deal with this enemy."
"He's a formidable attacker, so remember to bring more spell scrolls."
Having understood the full context, Sera nodded without hesitation. As she turned away, her silvery eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
The Bay Territory was not only the place of her rebirth but also another homeland she had found for the gray elves.
Indeed, she identified herself as a gray elf and hoped all willing drow elves would transform into gray elves.
As for those unwilling, Sera didn't mind sending them to the lab.
Becoming experimental material to advance the territory was better than being useless, murderous wastrels.
Perhaps, someday in the future, gray elves would fully replace the drow elves, helping the Bay Territory rule the underground world.
Of course, everyone in the Bay Territory had a singular designation: Bay Territorians.
Now, seeing someone daring to attack the Lord, it was an irreconcilable hatred.
Sera was immensely grateful to the Lord for entrusting her with this mission.
Although it had been a long time since she practiced, she remembered those skills deep in her heart.
She would make that person regret ever coming into this world!
...…
Whoosh!
The teleportation array's glow faded, returning to calm.
Feeling uneasy, Qiye's pupils involuntarily narrowed.
As a legendary ranger, he was aging and approaching the end of his life.
However, decades of adventuring experience and countless encounters with spellcasters were clearly telling him.
A legendary-level spellcaster had cast a legendary-level spell, sealing the nearby space.
The effect was incredibly strong, rendering even the teleportation array useless.
This indicated that whoever acted spent a tremendous amount of effort and resources.
They had come to kill him!
Taking a deep breath, even though the enemy might already be closing in, Qiye remained unflustered.
He had survived countless life-and-death trials, including once killing his enemies with a broken leg.
If not for his will to keep living, he wouldn't have chosen to serve the Cole Elven Kingdom as their lackey.
Over the years, he had killed many human prodigies, his heart long hardened and numb.
Now, his sole desire was survival. Everything else meant nothing to him.
He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he carefully retrieved a magical item, casting multiple Cleansing Spells to remove his scent and tracks.
He didn't flee towards the perimeter of the encirclement. Instead, he headed south.
A gray-green cloak gradually blended him into the surroundings, making him seem to vanish completely.
He never abandoned a mission, as that would mean abandoning his own life.
A faint chill wind blew gently.
Yet it didn't bring the garrison commander the slightest chill. He fixed his gaze on the diving wyverns, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Fire!!"
A volley of crossbow bolts flew out, engulfing the three wyverns at the forefront.
The modified and enhanced enchanted crossbows were designed specifically for these wyverns.
The bolts easily pierced through their scales and leather, sinking deep into their organs.
The massive wyverns immediately lost strength, fluttering down like falling leaves.
Seeing this, the garrison commander breathed a sigh of relief, caressing the enchanted crossbow and muttering:
"What a treasure this is!"
He completely forgot that two hours ago he had complained about the enchanted crossbows being too weak.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Another round of arrow volleys flew upward, this time bringing down four wyverns, which crashed into the ground in front of the stronghold, leaving small craters.
"Roar…!"
A thunderous dragon roar echoed from the sky, scattering the diving wyverns.
Yaya's enormous figure dove into the wyvern flock like lightning, her wings causing instant chaos.
Wyverns only four or five meters long seemed like sparrows before Yaya. Touching her meant injury; colliding with her meant death.
Within a few minutes, Yaya had dealt with over 30 wyverns.
The remaining wyverns were in utter disarray, completely forgetting their assault on the stronghold.
The defending soldiers seized the opportunity, taking down more than ten wyverns.
The adventurers inside the stronghold didn't remain idle, climbing the walls to help.
None of them were fools. This was the perfect time to hunt these dangerous yet valuable creatures.
Moreover, doing so wasn't just for others; it was for themselves.
If the stronghold were breached, the wyverns wouldn't spare anyone.
Perched on a treetop hundreds of meters away, Qiye watched Yaya flaunting her might in the sky, restraining the urge to attack.
He couldn't find a single scratch on Yaya. The wyverns that swarmed her didn't cause her any trouble.
This strange scenario left Qiye incredulous.
He had hunted many drakes and dragon beasts, including legendary land dragons.
But never had a draconic creature like Yaya shown such extraordinary resilience and regeneration.
It was even more exaggerated than a troll's supernatural healing!
In truth, what Qiye didn't know was that…
Matthew had spent over 20 million Destiny Points and nearly 300 Phase Four experimental subjects to perfect the fifth operation's results.
This was Yaya's greatest asset for close combat—the legendary feat: Minor Undying Body!
Legendary Feat, Minor Undying Body LV1.
+100 max health, +6 Constitution, +10 health regeneration, rapidly heals all injuries, and once every 24 hours, negates a fatal blow!
Prerequisites for activation: Supernatural Regeneration LV5, 25 Constitution.
Thanks to the ability to negate a fatal blow, Yaya successfully faked her death and turned the tables.
Of course, the Minor Undying Body wasn't solely due to the fifth surgery's results.
It was essentially the culmination of the effects of previous surgeries.
It represented the current limit of Matthew's physical foundation modifications.
For a long time to come, the goal of surgical modification would be to activate this in ordinary modified soldiers.
Yes, even though it wasn't fully activated, it was effectively a strengthened version of Supernatural Regeneration.
Only once fully activated would it truly become the Minor Undying Body!
The more Qiye watched, the less confident he felt. He had a remarkable intuition, allowing him to roughly gauge the effectiveness of his every strike.
That was why he had been so confident in his previous attacks.
But now, Qiye could clearly sense Yaya's guarded posture.
Even if he attacked, it was highly likely he would achieve nothing!
Waiting like this wouldn't work!
Gritting his teeth, Qiye prepared to move closer, but a cold wind suddenly shot straight at his back.
Danger!
Qiye let out a startled cry, instinctively shrinking his body to minimize his target area.
Although the posture wasn't elegant, it was highly effective, narrowly dodging the unexpected arrow.
But before he could tumble from the treetop, a sudden whoosh of piercing sounds filled the air.
Mid-roll, Qiye caught a glimpse of woven metallic nets closing in on his position, sinking his heart instantly.
Not one net, but seven or eight!
Gritting his teeth, Qiye activated his boots before the nets reached him.
His entire body vanished, reappearing 20 meters away.
Blink Boots!
A specialized tool for enemy mage elite warriors!
But his assailants had anticipated his move. Several arcs of lightning converged into a surging electrical net, descending upon him as soon as he stabilized his footing.
Qiye finally saw his enemies—figures shrouded in electric light.
Before he could observe them closely, his hairs stood on end as a rapidly approaching arc filled his vision. He let out a sharp cry.
His once frail and withered body suddenly inflated as if filled with air, his previously hunched limbs becoming agile and powerful.
Greenish rotating battle energy enveloped him, creating a flickering afterimage as he narrowly avoided the electric net.
As he sprinted and dodged, he twisted his body sideways, nocked an arrow, and shot three rapid arrows in succession.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The leading three lightning warriors were sent flying.
Their raised adamantine shields each showed a noticeable dent.
The impact was so great it left them drenched in cold sweat.
Yet Qiye, who initiated the attack, felt even more frustrated.
He had unleashed a lethal strike, aiming to take down three opponents as a show of force, but underestimated the lightning warriors' equipment.
While the Dragon Slayer was indeed powerful, a rushed shot couldn't instantly destroy the extraordinary adamantine shields.
But Qiye wasn't the only one with equipment!
As he landed and tried to catch his breath, a sharp, icy blade was already slicing toward him.
This slash was swift and fierce, perfectly timed as Qiye lost his balance.
He twisted his body in an awkward yet incredibly coordinated manner, barely evading the blade, then shot backward like an arrow.
But before he could cover a few meters, Sera emerged from behind a tree, hurling a whip crackling with electricity straight at him.
Zzzap!
The lethal whip struck a tree trunk, smashing it to splinters and leaving a massive crater.
The flying wood chips were charred black by the flashing electricity. Qiye's afterimage dissipated as he used his shadow step to retreat 10 meters away.
Sera, her attack failing, let out a cold chuckle and pursued without hesitation.
Frustrated, Qiye noticed the encircling figures closing in from all sides.
He observed that they all ran extremely fast. A thought, which he considered absurd, crossed his mind:
"Could these people all be extraordinary?"