Chapter 323: Awakening (2-in-1 Chapter)

"Bang!"

As Nolan and Amber spotted "The Doctor," a gunshot rang out behind them, sparking a subtle sense of danger in Nolan's heart.

Almost instinctively, he pulled Amber behind him to shield her from the potential threat of the gunfire.

However, Nolan was a bit too cautious.

In that moment, a bullet infused with intense Pyro energy shot directly toward his forehead. Yet, the bullet's kinetic force and fiery energy vanished instantly upon contact.

Without even rebounding, the bullet simply dropped to the ground.

Nolan was entirely unharmed—not a scratch on him. None of his damage-sharing abilities were triggered, and even the energy stored in his "battery body" only increased slightly.

It seemed the shot had been aimed at him from the start.

Great, now this grudge was serious. If Amber had been targeted, the grudge would be even worse!

Nolan's golden eyes calmly scanned ahead.

As expected, it was the Fatui.

A Pyro Agent, Anemoboxer, Electrohammer Vanguard, Cryogunner, Hydrogunner, Cicin Mage, and the Pyroslinger who attacked him.

Almost every common type of Fatui soldier was present.

And they weren't weak, either.

The weakest among them, the Hydrogunner, was at level 60, while the highest was the Pyro Agent at level 70.

These were clearly the ambush forces "The Doctor" had arranged to deal with him and Amber.

For the Fatui, this level of force was elite. Quite the investment.

Were they not afraid of losing them all here?

Then again, someone like "The Doctor" would hardly care about that.

"Captain, the Pyroslinger's attack didn't work on him!" The Fatui Pyroslinger couldn't believe his eyes.

He wasn't just any rookie; he was an elite warrior of the Fatui, having completed countless dangerous missions.

Even a formidable Mitachurl would succumb to his firearm, so how could a mere human be unaffected?

"After all, he's someone even Lord 'The Doctor' finds troublesome. It won't be that easy. Everyone, attack together!"

The hooded Pyro Agent, also surprised, spoke with a hint of disbelief. Was this truly the kind of defense a human could possess?

Was "The Doctor" overestimating them by sending them to face such an opponent?

The Pyro Agent, the team's captain, activated his stealth mode and disappeared from Nolan and Amber's view.

The Pyroslinger gritted his teeth and aimed at Nolan again.

Meanwhile, the Anemoboxer and Electrohammer Vanguard charged in, their elemental weapons flaring with power.

Nolan glanced at the Fatui elite soldiers in front and the slow-moving "The Doctor" approaching from behind.

"Sword God" was inside helping Eula's group deal with the soon-to-awaken dragon. He would have to handle this himself.

Amber wasn't strong enough to safely participate in the fight, so she needed to be removed from the battlefield first.

With this in mind, Nolan unleashed Anemo energy, forming a protective barrier that temporarily kept the Fatui at bay.

He then spoke to the girl behind him: "Amber, it's getting dangerous here. Let me send you to a safe space I control."

"Huh, but you…"

Amber knew she couldn't help, but leaving Nolan to face so many powerful foes alone felt wrong to her, as a Knight of Favonius.

"Don't worry. If things go south, I can retreat easily. You saw earlier that they couldn't even scratch my defenses."

Nolan smiled reassuringly and opened a portal to his "Wonderland," gently pushing a reluctant Amber inside.

"Hey, what are you doing? I haven't even agreed yet!"

Amber puffed her fair cheeks in slight annoyance and protest.

But remembering how Nolan took a shot to the head earlier without injury, she felt more at ease and half-willingly stepped inside.

[Amber Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points, Current Affection Level Lv.7 (130/700).]

Nolan closed the portal and exhaled in relief. At least he didn't need to worry about Amber being caught in the crossfire.

That said, it was surprising to gain so much affection.

It seemed that Amber was genuinely moved by the fact that Nolan was staying behind to face the enemy alone.

This was definitely worth it; even a couple more enemies would be fine!

A slight smile appeared on Nolan's lips as he looked at the Fatui soldiers who couldn't breach his defense.

It was time to repay them for that attack.

Huge, translucent threads silently extended from behind the Fatui soldiers.

Even the stealthy Pyro Agent was no exception. With Nolan's current level of mental power, as long as someone hadn't truly vanished, locating them wasn't difficult.

Although the Fatui soldiers were experienced and instinctively sensed the danger, the threads, now stronger and faster due to Nolan's power, were impossible for them to dodge despite their awareness.

Just then, several dark purple energy waves, coiling like giant serpents, slammed into Nolan's mental threads, deflecting them and lifting the Fatui soldiers, tossing them aside.

"Oh? I thought you wouldn't bother saving them," Nolan said, looking at "The Doctor" with some surprise.

"Heh, as much as I'd like to be so carefree, training usable soldiers isn't easy," "The Doctor" responded with a casual smile.

It seemed that this young man was indeed the main body behind the golden avatar. As expected, he wasn't weak, and it might take serious effort to bring him down.

"Thank you, Lord 'The Doctor'!"

Realizing they'd narrowly avoided death, the Fatui soldiers knew they were more hindrance than help and quickly retreated behind "The Doctor."

"Hurry and prepare the portal, or we won't be able to escape when the dragon awakens," "The Doctor" instructed the soldiers.

The dragon's power far exceeded his own, so to avoid being caught in its emergence, he had to make sure the soldiers prepared an escape route in time.

"I didn't expect the renowned 'Doctor' to plan an escape in advance."

Nolan did not hold back, taunting him while stealthily extending mental threads behind the distracted Fatui soldiers, hoping to catch them off guard.

You think you can just leave? That would be embarrassing for me!

In most cases, stopping the enemy from achieving their objectives is always a good rule.

"Heh."

"The Doctor" chuckled lightly.

Without any obvious action from him, a green elemental shield suddenly appeared, enveloping and protecting the Fatui soldiers.

The translucent threads struck the barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

But it was clearly "The Doctor's" handiwork, and the barrier wasn't easy to break.

It seemed "The Doctor" did genuinely need the soldiers to set up the portal. That made sense; being powerful didn't necessarily mean possessing spatial manipulation abilities.

Perhaps this version of "The Doctor" couldn't perform such feats.

However, Nolan possessed the "North Wind" specialty, allowing attacks to penetrate shields. Unluckily for the Pyroslinger, this rare occurrence happened to him.

The mental threads seeped through the barrier, transforming into a freezing northern wind that invaded the Pyroslinger's body!

In moments, he collapsed to his knees, unable to withstand the assault.

Yet, Nolan hadn't heard the system sound indicating Adventure EXP gained, meaning his attack hadn't been enough to defeat the Pyroslinger outright.

Since the move had fallen short, Nolan didn't waste more time.

He shifted his target to "The Doctor," the true threat. If he could take him down, half the battle would be won.

The "Moonlight Greatsword" appeared in his hand.

Using the sword techniques he had once mastered at the highest level, he infused the blade with Anemo energy and struck alongside his mental threads toward "The Doctor."

Although he had passed much of his swordsmanship to the "Sword God," the experience and knowledge of these techniques remained, functioning as if they were fully integrated. Only their extraordinary attributes had transferred to "Lumine's Sword God."

Thus, in terms of pure sword skill, Nolan was still formidable.

"The Doctor" remained unfazed by the sudden assault.

He raised his hand slightly, and Cryo and Hydro elements converged before him, surging forward as a combined blizzard and tidal wave toward Nolan!

"What the—!"

Nolan quickly halted and slashed his sword, unleashing a wind-laden invisible blade that sliced through the oncoming storm and wave.

Getting hit by that would have turned him into an ice statue!

However, with his "Elemental Immunity" specialty, even though "The Doctor" was stronger, his elemental attacks would barely hurt him.

Still, he had just used a green Dendro shield, and now Cryo and Hydro elements—could this man control all seven elements?

Was even this segment version of "The Doctor" so powerful?

Wait, he had even wielded the power of the dragon Durin earlier. Nolan was momentarily speechless. Could it be that he was the true protagonist?

Seeing Nolan's perplexed expression, "The Doctor" thought for a moment and said:

"With enough Delusions, one can master any element. Why not join me? You could wield as many elemental powers as you wish."

"The Doctor," realizing the difficulty of subduing this formidable opponent in a short time, tried to recruit Nolan with a casual offer.

If Nolan sought power, this would be an irresistible temptation.

"Join you? And become an experiment subject?" Nolan responded dryly, while extending the whirlwind surrounding his sword until it grew into a massive blade over ten meters long.

With his current power, even hardened crystals could be easily shredded by an Anemo-induced storm.

If that blade hit "The Doctor," he'd learn firsthand what a meat grinder felt like!

"What a pity."

Wearing his black mask, "The Doctor" shook his head as a Geo-element barrier materialized to shield him.

The teal Anemo energy began to swirl around him, accompanied by the crimson Pyro energy. They merged and expanded, forming a fiery tornado.

Finally, "The Doctor" flung the fiery tornado forward, colliding with Nolan's storm-infused greatsword, which stretched over ten meters long.

"Boom!"

The colliding Anemo energies clashed and disrupted each other, lifting the snow on the ground and exposing the dark, water-soaked earth beneath.

Sparks of Pyro energy scattered in all directions, melting the surrounding snow.

Sigh, if only the "Sword God" were here. With the avatar and the main body working together, 'The Doctor' would be soundly defeated. Now, it's only an even match.

For the moment, neither of them could gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled heartbeat echoed from within the mountain crevices, momentarily disorienting both Nolan and "The Doctor."

Their elemental attacks dissipated as the flow of elemental energy was abruptly cut off.

Nolan shook his head and stepped back.

It seemed that the dragon Durin was awakening. Otherwise, how could the heartbeat, previously confined to the interior, be audible outside?

"Heh, this is going to be troublesome. I'll have to find you next time," "The Doctor" remarked. He was certain this was the precursor to the dragon's awakening. He cast a regretful glance at Nolan; it was a pity he hadn't managed to subdue him.

A test subject of this strength would surely endure more extensive experiments.

Shaking his head, "The Doctor" started toward his stronghold in the snowy mountains, hoping the Fatui soldiers had completed the portal setup.

Nolan watched "The Doctor" leave but made no move to stop him; he wouldn't have been able to, anyway.

For now, assessing the situation inside was more pressing.

Of course, he didn't enter immediately. If "The Doctor" pulled a trick and ambushed the entrance, it would be problematic.

"So strange!"

Through the golden barrier, Eula raised an eyebrow as she stared at the dragon's heart.

The massive heart had begun to move in a wave-like motion, as if something inside was struggling to break free.

It was a truly unsettling sight.

While Nolan had been battling outside, he'd multitasked, controlling the "Sword God" to aid Eula and Albedo in defeating the corrupted Cryo Hypostasis and the Frostarm Lawachurl.

The mental attack embedded in the dragon's heartbeat had severely affected the two monsters, who lacked protection from the golden barrier.

Their movements became sluggish, and their spirits visibly weakened. Ultimately, under the combined assault of the trio, the "Sword God" delivered the final blow, piercing their hearts and cores, killing them.

This effort netted Nolan a reward of 50,000 Adventure EXP from one and 20,000 from the other, totaling 70,000 EXP.

A decent haul.

Nolan refrained from spending the accumulated 131,000 Adventure EXP on his character panel just yet. Through the "Sword God's" perspective, he also saw the eerie changes occurring in the dragon's heart.

"It looks like the dragon is inside the heart. Should we attack it and see what happens?"

The "Sword God" formed words from sword intent for Albedo and Eula to read.

"No, with the dragon struggling inside, attacking might only hasten its emergence."

Albedo shook his head.

"Hmph, I'll freeze the heart and whatever's inside. That way, it might not come out at all!" Eula declared, gripping the hilt of her greatsword planted in the ground.

"It's worth a try," Albedo nodded gently. Although Durin's revival wouldn't be so easily halted, it was better than doing nothing. "I'll help seal it with Geo energy."

"It's too late; we need to move to an open area!"

The "Sword God" formed more words with sword intent. During their discussion, cracks had appeared on the dragon's heart, and a black claw had burst through, dripping with red blood.

Seeing this, Albedo and Eula didn't hesitate. They retreated alongside the "Sword God" to the outside. The confined space would make it difficult to escape if they couldn't handle the fight.

Just as they reached the cave entrance—

"ROAR!!"

A deafening roar followed, and the ground around them began to tremble.

(End of Chapter)

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