Chapter 2726: Chapter 2727: The Cost of Protection

On the other side of the arena.

The group of Grey Merchants had initially felt confident of victory when they saw Dox successfully cursed, with a blood spear piercing his chest. But the variables in the arena changed too quickly. No one expected that the seemingly dying Dox, who could be on the brink of death with just one more blow, would suddenly be fully resurrected.

Conversely, the shrew who had the upper hand suffered a backlash from the curse, and the transplanted malicious eye exploded instantly.

Everything happened so fast that their joyous mood hadn’t even ended before the next second turned into a head-on blow.

Flora covered her mouth, shaking her head while widening her eyes in disbelief at the changes happening before her. Many other apprentices felt the same, and even the Magic Elephant, whose expression was hidden behind a mask, kept sighing.

The Shepherd put away his lazy expression and muttered to himself, "Is this what a wizard’s battle is like?"

Reversal, inversion... then a counter-reversal.

The changes in the battle were so fast that it was hard to catch up.

The silent Grey Merchant finally spoke, "This battle, the shrew has lost."

There wasn’t a hint of uncertainty in Grey Merchant’s tone as he confidently stated the result... even though the duel hadn’t truly ended.

As Grey Merchant’s words fell, the spirits of the already downcast crowd were further dampened, becoming even more despondent.

Seeing this situation, Grey Merchant said, "However, the outcome of this battle has little to do with the shrew. Who could have imagined that a Wandering Wizard was hiding a Mysterious Parchment?"

"Currently, the effect of that Mysterious Parchment doesn’t seem to be directly offensive, more like a repair and defense ability. The shrew’s curse was backfired by the defensive nature, which is the key to her failure."

"So, we can only blame it on bad luck."

Grey Merchant’s words slightly soothed the crowd’s emotions.

However, the youngest, Flora, known for ruining the atmosphere, asked, "Then if it were swapped with your position, could you win?"

Though Flora’s question was what everyone thought, she was probably the only one bold enough to ask aloud.

Grey Merchant didn’t blame Flora for the inappropriate question, because if he were in her position, he might have the same doubts.

"If that Mysterious Parchment only showed purely defensive and restorative abilities, it’s not impossible to win."

Grey Merchant actually had confidence in his own strength. However, facing the Mysterious Parchment made him a bit nervous, so he didn’t give a definite answer.

To win against Dox under the protection of the Mysterious Parchment, two points needed to be confirmed: the effect of the Mysterious Parchment, and the duration of the Mysterious Parchment.

From the perspective of effects, which are non-offensive, Grey Merchant was confident he could stall a bit.

But if the Mysterious Parchment’s duration were quite long, Grey Merchant might not be able to stall till the end.

So, even if Grey Merchant’s bloodline completely restrained Dox, facing such unpredictable "variables" would make the battle intense and tricky.

Grey Merchant: "However, if I were in Dox’s position, I probably wouldn’t use the Mysterious Parchment."

With Grey Merchant’s insight, how could it not be apparent that the shrew hadn’t gone for the kill directly, leaving Dox a sliver of survival chance?

In this situation, if you lose, you just lose, and you can recover slowly.

But such a Mysterious Parchment, once used, becomes scarce.

Even if it’s a Mysterious Parchment that can be reused, once you reveal it, there will be endless troubles. Because... you are just a Wandering Wizard with no backing, holding such a rare treasure, especially one with restorative nature, even someone as powerful as Monty might become tempted.

So even if Grey Merchant were backed by the Birlos Family, he would never use such a Mysterious Parchment in a duel. Unless it was absolutely certain he wouldn’t survive, then he wouldn’t have to worry about the aftermath.

Dox’s bold use, even before a life-and-death crisis, though it might lead to victory, would certainly arouse covetousness.

Perhaps even the Black Hand hidden in the mirror might be tempted.

As Grey Merchant pondered, how could Dox, being involved, not understand the key points here?

His emotions right now were highly complicated, especially towards Angel, feeling both gratitude and resentment. He was thankful that Angel was willing to give him such a rare Magic Rune Scroll, bringing a sense of being trusted, showing that his "make a friend" strategy was highly successful.

But resentful because Angel surely knew the repercussions of using the Magic Rune Scroll, which is why when he handed it over at the time, he said this meaningful sentence:

— "This is my trump card lent to you. If you feel that victory is hopeless or you’re facing a life-and-death crisis, you can activate it. However, you must think carefully; once you use the trump card I’ve lent you, you’ll need to pay the corresponding price."

At that time, Dox noticed familiar patterns on the parchment, instantly thinking of the "Sunlight Garden" Angel used in Princess Town. At that time, Angel used the Sunlight Garden Magic Rune Scroll to ensure that the Talented One of Barbarian Cave, Amisha, wasn’t affected in potential.

At that time, Dox felt a bit heartache, thinking it unnecessary to use such a valuable Magic Rune Scroll on the Talented One.

Therefore, Dox had seen the Sunlight Garden before.

So when Angel handed this parchment to him, Dox quickly determined the "truth" of this parchment.

At that time, Dox thought, although this Sunlight Garden parchment was indeed very valuable, even containing faint Mysterious Aura, if truth be told, he could scrape together something equivalent to its price.

Thus, he heard Angel’s words, but didn’t take them seriously, not even imagining he would have to use this parchment.

When he activated the parchment and felt the thick, pervasive Mysterious Aura, he realized Angel had set him up.

Even though now Dox felt extremely refreshed, his state incredibly high, even the stubborn ailments in his body and unnoticed internal injuries were soothed. His mood, however, was extremely complicated, even contemplating kneeling on the ground to beg Angel to spare him... the price for this Mysterious Parchment, how could he possibly afford it?!

Why couldn’t he see it clearly, using this parchment prematurely before the ultimate moment?!

Right now, Dox had lost even the mindset to fight.

Just then, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of something not far away, the center of the Holy Temple’s phantom shadow, simulated by the light shield, with a parchment suspended motionless.

Dox’s eyes suddenly lit up, ignoring the ongoing duel, directly turned and asked Angel, "This parchment can be used an unlimited number of times, right? Right? It must be!"

As Dox’s words fell, all eyes in the room turned toward Angel.

Even The Sage in the sky cast a curious glance at Angel.

The Sage had witnessed how Dox had transformed from an extremely bad state to one brimming with vitality. Even on the mental level, The Sage detected a groundbreaking change, feeling like a new dawn had arrived.

Such an extremely powerful recovery capability was something The Sage knew was hard to achieve with spell techniques. Even if barely possible, the price paid would be terrifying.

Thus, this Mysterious Parchment with restorative power was something even The Sage envied.

While The Sage envied, so did Black Earl. When he previously saw Angel giving something to Dox, he hadn’t expected it to be such a treasure.

Black Earl didn’t say anything, but in his heart, he already regretted not snatching it at the time.

Did Dox go up to fight an ostrich egg? He should have gone!

On the other side, the Merchant’s gaze also looked toward the red-haired, golden-eyed Wizard opposite. Previously, he had thought that Dox actually possessed a Mysterious Parchment, but now it seemed that the true owner of the parchment was someone else.

To speak of it, the Merchant had already been paying attention to this peculiar Wizard, because at that time, the Wicked Woman was battling Dox, so it was highly likely that her opponent was this Wizard.

The result of the Merchant’s analysis was ambiguity and mystery. Now, after Dox finished speaking, this person became even more mysterious, and his identity was by no means ordinary.

As everyone focused their gaze on Angel, Angel appeared somewhat slow to warm up and sluggish. It took him quite some time to raise his head, looking confused at Dox.

"What did you say? ... Oh, I remember now. Just now I was thinking about what price you would have to pay to match the value of this Magic Rune Scroll, so I got a little distracted, don’t mind me."

Listening to Angel’s self-questioning and self-answering, no matter what the others thought for the time being, Dox was truly at a loss for words.

Just as he had suspected, Angel had been calculating against him all along! How hateful!

Angel: "You were asking about the number of times, right?"

In the eager anticipation of Dox’s gaze, as well as the crowd’s attentive listening, Angel delivered an answer that left Dox in despair.

"There’s only one use left." Angel: "From the extent of the parchment’s damage, you can actually judge that. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

"Satisfied my..." Dox forcibly swallowed back a curse from the tip of his tongue.

No matter what, this parchment did save him, that’s true. Moreover, it was indeed his own voluntary use.

"As long as you’re satisfied, I also hope that in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be satisfied as well." After speaking, Angel smiled slightly.

Dox was like being struck by lightning, retreating several steps, the suffocating air in his chest almost making him want to spit blood. — However, he didn’t spit it out. Because the holy light was still descending, all negative states dissipated from Dox. Even the emotions stirred by Angel seemed to be gradually improving...?

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Do you think you’ve won? I’ll make you experience what true pain is!" a shrill voice came from the mouth of the Wicked Woman.

Perhaps because she felt ignored by Dox, and seeing him in conversation with Angel, the Wicked Woman felt an intense sense of humiliation.

In this situation, the Wicked Woman activated all her bloodline!

With waves of visible energy rippling across the arena, the Wicked Woman’s body began to twist, swell, and transform.

A few seconds later, the image presented to everyone could no longer be called "human."

She could even be classified alongside the void magical creatures outside the arena.

Her form had transformed into a pure mountain of flesh, with her dense hair becoming tentacle-like and each tip of the tentacles ending with mouths and sharp teeth.

Her entire being looked twisted and terrifying.

The Wicked Woman raised her head, no longer resembling a human face, and asked in a buzzing voice: "Do you know what pain truly is?"

Dox swallowed nervously: "I don’t want to find out."

The Wicked Woman, with her mouth full of sharp teeth, didn’t respond with words but transformed into a predator, rushing toward Dox.

The terrifying wind pressure from the air strike even lifted the stone slabs on the ground.

In a timely manner, the Wise Sovereign remarked: "Damage the ring, compensate after the duel."

But the Wicked Woman could no longer hear external voices; her target was solely Dox!

...

Meanwhile, Angel spoke: "I think perhaps you should end this match as soon as possible. The effect of the Sunlight Sanctuary will gradually weaken, and it’s rather indulgent for just you to enjoy it. Of course, this Sunlight Sanctuary belongs to you, so it’s fine if you want to enjoy it alone."

Upon hearing Angel’s words, Dox first grumbled indignantly.

Sunlight Sanctuary, Sunlight Garden! So similar, this is clearly a deceptive tactic!

But quickly, Dox suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up.

Indeed, now that the Sunlight Sanctuary has been activated, it completely belongs to me. What Angel was actually doing was indirectly reminding him, he could let others enjoy the effect of the "Sunlight Sanctuary" as well and even charge a fee!? Perhaps this way, he could gather the price to pay Angel?

Though this possibility was obviously slim, Dox was already desperate, trying to profit as much as he could!

Thinking of this, Dox dared not waste any more time, fueling his fighting spirit and facing the furious Wicked Woman head-on!

...

Now that the Wicked Woman has activated her bloodline, even her form is no longer human-like. Such a terrifying bloodline boost, paired with her full-blown assault, is something any Wizard of the same rank would shy away from confronting directly. Even Wizards of True Knowledge might face life-and-death crises when resisting.

It’s safe to say, the Wicked Woman has forsaken defense to concentrate all her firepower in a challenge.

And her target isn’t just Dox, but also that solemnly imposing sanctuary phantom!

The Wicked Woman’s ferocious assault had Dox avoiding the front lines, retreating dozens of meters, trailing with a red glow.

However, the Wicked Woman’s powerful assault didn’t breach the defense of the Sunlight Sanctuary.

It didn’t even stir a ripple.

Dox stared in astonishment at the layer of holy light that seemed to descend from the heavens, muttering: "Could this be Absolute Defense?"

Dox’s soft murmur turned the Merchant and his group rather stern. If it truly was Absolute Defense, they had no means to contend against Dox at all.

However, just then, Angel’s time to cut in arrived again: "I can’t give you a definite answer on whether it’s Absolute Defense. However, the Sunlight Sanctuary, after enduring a considerable amount of attacks, will wear down... After all, it’s not primarily used for combat."

The purpose of the Sunlight Garden is to provide a refuge of tranquility in places of dark despair.

The role of the Sunlight Sanctuary, on the other hand, is to ignite the flame of civilization during the age of ignorance, based on the foundation of the Sunlight Garden.

The most significant aspect of the Sunlight Sanctuary is spiritual cleansing; it can be said that it allows all life to be reborn. Because of this, Feng deemed it the holy light of the ignorant era, a torch of civilization for unawakened lands.

After Angel finished speaking, Dox suddenly turned his head: "How can you just reveal such a weakness?!"

Angel: "If I don’t tell you, wouldn’t you just use it as a shield? A sanctuary is always the tower behind the faithful, not a barricade pushed to the forefront."

"By the way, even if the Sunlight Sanctuary doesn’t get damaged after many attacks, its effectiveness will still diminish."

Hearing this, Dox understood what Angel meant.

Hiding behind the safe haven of the Sunlight Sanctuary, even if he ultimately expended the Wicked Woman’s energy to win, it would be a pity and shameful. If he wanted to win and maximize profits from the Sunlight Sanctuary, there’s only one way:

Take the initiative!

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