Badge in Azure Chapter 125

Chapter 125: The Free Wind (Part 2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Saleen did not try to dodge it. Even though he was travelling at a high speed, he was fortunately under the protection of the water shield so he would not be injured even if he crashed into a mountain. He manipulated the air flow such that he slid past the giant fossilized tree just before he came into contact with it. That slide came about so naturally and was so instinctive that it was just like how a grand swordmaster controlled their sword aura.
Saleen was completely at ease. He was not as nervous as he had once been whenever he faced a crisis. He could clearly see that the other fossilized branches had been broken to pieces and there were tentacles coming out from them, attempting to grab him.
The Haste spell was different from the Flying spell. The slide that Saleen executed was easy, but it would be difficult for him to avoid these tentacles now. The slender tentacles held onto Saleen’s shield and the fuchsia suckers on them slid past the mist on the shield. These restrained Saleen for less than one second, after which he managed to break free from the tentacles’ grip and fell towards the ground.
Ga la ga la! The sound of branches being broken filled the air as the fossilized branches broke apart. Then, over ten tentacles appeared in midair and intercepted Saleen. Saleen did not look at them, only sensing the vaporization magic flowing on the exterior of the water shield. Saleen could not really move, so he could only allow the disgusting tentacles to touch him before they were deflected by the magic.
The wind could not be caught. Saleen understood this concept during this period of time. If he had been protected solely by the water shield, the suckers on the tentacles would have easily been able to capture him. However, with the mist on the surface of the shield, the tentacles could not grip him so Saleen continued to fall.
Lex and the others who arrived later saw Saleen being attacked by the numerous tentacles. The swordmaster named Holzer immediately drew his sword and leapt up, sticking to Saleen before charging upwards. Then, he used his Qin eight-sided sword, which bore a frosty sword aura, to sever the tentacle closest to him.
Pu! The tentacle was chopped apart and dark green liquid spurted out from it. Not a single drop of the liquid landed on Holzer as his agitated sword aura blocked it all. In a swift succession of moves, Holzer bent down, lashed out with his sword, and severed another tentacle which had been pursuing him. The sticky liquid sprayed in all directions, producing creaking noises in the canopy.
Saleen landed on the ground but stood there blankly. The experience of those feelings of freedom were still lingering in his heart. The feelings that Saleen had felt like he had been taking a leisurely swim, and by the end of it, he had forgotten about the existence of the water around him.
Sika was a little worried. Lex waved her hand and looked up at the tentacles near the forest canopy. An icicle condensed onto her hand, and Lex fired it towards the tree trunk.
It was very difficult to aim the icicle at a target and it could only travel a short distance, but the Icicle spell was a good method of destroying armor. Lex’s icicle was about one feet long, and it easily pierced the fossilized trunk after leaving her hand.
A sharp creaking noise came from within the huge tree. The fossilized skin began to break down, exposing the monster’s true appearance.
It was a giant tentacle with scales and was as thick as two people hugging each other. Lex inhaled a mouthful of cold air. Along the way, she had seen many of these fossilized trees, but she had never thought much of them. However, if all of these trees were alive, then…
The Icicle spell was a Grade 1 spell. It could pierce the scales on the tentacle, but it would not cause any real damage to the monster.
Baimeng and Holzer gripped their swords and attacked from the left and right sides of the tentacle. The gigantic tentacle bent over forcefully, hundreds of branches displayed at its top like a giant net coming down.
Sword auras exploded ferociously from the swords of the swordmasters. The blinding sword auras formed two huge spheres as they followed the dances of the swords, strangling the tentacle.
The swordmasters possessed the same offensive capabilities of Grade 4 magic. As the tentacles were fractured, Lex cast the Wild Wind spell, blowing away the liquid which spurted from the tentacles. She then calmly watched the swordmasters’ attacks on the monster.
The chopped tentacles twisted and turned on the ground. Lex noticed that these tentacles were trying very hard to drill underground.
Nailisi stretched out her hand and grabbed a tentacle that was about two feet long, observing it with a great deal of curiosity. Indeed, the tip of the tentacle had a mouth, and its razor sharp teeth were as small as the tips of needles.
But the tentacle was not a magic insect, so Nailisi was a little disappointed. No matter how delicious the food on the Myers Mainland was, it would never taste as good as the magic insects from the demonic dimension. Just as Nailisi was about to toss the tentacle aside, the mouth on the tentacle opened ferociously and tried to bite Nailisi’s face.
Nailisi was overjoyed. With an eye for an eye, Nailisi bit off the end of the tentacle and caused the dark green liquid to flow out. She licked the liquid off of the side of her lips, and felt that its taste was far more appetizing than that of the giant mosquitoes. That tentacle twisted in Nailisi’s hand and tried to break free from her grip after losing its mouth. Nailisi had no desire to eat it, so she simply tossed it aside and spat out the piece of tentacle in her mouth.
There was only a faint taste of magic insects. This meant that there were no demons in this interdimensional space. Nailisi was disappointed and happy at the same time. Even though it was regrettable that there was nothing delicious here, they would not encounter any powerful demons as enemies either.
Saleen snapped out of his thoughts when Lex cast the Wild Wind spell. He widened his eyes and saw that the two swordmasters had chopped the monster into hundreds of pieces.
Such violence! The sword aura was used less than magic, so the swordmasters could fight for a longer duration. A mid-level swordmaster could already control the usage of their sword aura, and also would not use it when it was unnecessary. The swordmaster only needed to use the weapon in their hands to attack, and this was an aspect that was far superior to mages who needed to use their magic chords with each and every strike.
The Qin eight-sided swords that Holzer and Baimeng wielded were rare and potent weapons. As the fight progressed, the two of them managed to limit the usage of their sword auras to the lowest level. They only needed to use their swords to sever the weak tentacles.
The thickest tentacle of them all twisted and turned vigorously, as it could not escape after losing the smaller tentacles with their mouths. The monster’s body was buried underground, so it was helpless and could do nothing to stop the swordmasters’ onslaught.
More dark green liquid sprayed out from the tentacle, and a faint fishy smell began to fill the air. Then, Lex said, “I think we should leave. This will attract trouble.”
At least half of the chopped tentacles had drilled into the ground. The tentacles did not initiate attacks, they only drilled into the ground stubbornly like seeds awaiting germination.
“Let’s go. This place is unsafe,” Saleen agreed. He felt disgusted at the sight of the tentacles. If it had not been for his new magic, these tentacles would have devoured him already.
“Do you need my help?” Lex noticed that Saleen’s spell had not disappeared and was worried that Saleen did not know the duration of control forl his new magic.
“No need. Let’s go.”
Saleen looked into the distance. Under the grey skies and hot earth, there were countless branches which had been left behind by the withered and fossilized plants. It appeared as though there were giant magic claws extending from the ground, portraying a horrifying sight.
They were still in the volcanic region. They did not know how big the volcano was for it to affect such a large area.
Using the air flow that had been formed by the eruption, Lex deduced their new direction of travel, which was to continue advancing north. Saleen followed Lex’s deductions and began to quicken his pace, managing to reach his maximum speed in no time.
This time around, Saleen did not try to provoke the fossilized plants. He maintained his speed and avoided the plants from a distance. Sika and Nailisi followed behind Saleen. Sika readied her boomerang. She was not going to let Saleen face danger alone if another accident happened.
Very soon, Saleen felt that the magic was going to disappear. More than an hour had passed, and the water shield had disappeared while the layer of mist was thinning, causing Saleen to slow down.
Maintaining his balance, Saleen cast the water shield and the Grade 2 spell at the same time. When the new water shield appeared, it was already of Saleen’s height. In addition, the mist began to thicken.
Saleen felt carefree. He made sure that he was not too far from the people behind him. However, his magic chords were nearly fully drained. The demonic bracelet had nine magic nuclei inlaid, and as long as Saleen stopped to meditate, he would be able to regain all of his magic chords within half an hour.
After a distance of fifty miles, the number of fossilized plants they saw decreased in number. The group was leaving the area that had been affected by the volcano, but it also meant that there would be dangerous creatures around here. For the third time, Saleen chanted his spell. Under the rhythm of his chants, his obscure magic chords vibrated and suddenly split before expanding.
Saleen’s remaining magic chords were only sufficient for casting a Grade 2 spell, but he had cast a Grade 3 spell instead. Since he was so close to a promotion, Saleen did not want to waste this chance despite being in a dangerous environment. Sika and Nailisi knew how to protect themselves, and Lex would not allow herself to die. That feeling Saleen experienced whenever he was going to be promoted had now reappeared, only this time, his magic chords had expanded quickly and the magic nuclei on the bracelet had abruptly been reduced to ashes.
Nine pieces of Grade 6 magic nuclei were destroyed simultaneously, and all of the magic power entered Saleen’s body to rebuild his magic chords. Saleen continued running. He could not stop, because the moment he stopped, he would lose control over his magic, the water shield would break, and there was a chance that the elements would be thrown into a state of chaos.
Such excruciating pain! Saleen did not know how other mages advanced, but the pain he was experiencing this time around had exceeded the pain caused by his clan badge. Also, this pain was not in his soul, it was physical, so Nailisi would not be able to feel it.
His magic chords expanded slowly, and the layer of mist outside had grown extremely thick, causing Saleen to be unable to see his surroundings clearly. His face twisted in pain, but he persevered and maintained his speed. If his mental power was not strong enough, he would not be able to see the road ahead.
The wind magic formed by the vapor carried Saleen forward. The ground was not smooth, but Saleen went past it like the wind. He did not need to adjust his pace anymore.
There was a roar in his head. Saleen felt that his mental power was increasing, only it was too dense so it was not increasing by much. Following the roar, Saleen gradually lost his five senses, so he could only rely on the magic ball to bring him forward. Two water shields also appeared on his left hand and circled around his body.
It was as if the two water shields were alive as they helped Saleen achieve stability in his magic. The fist-sized water shields grew darker in color and now had a light blue hue. The magic patterns on the surface were pulsating as though they were breathing.