The water arrows were astonishingly fast, leaving only transparent trails in the air, and closed in on the throne in the blink of an eye.
Clack—
However, right at the instant the water arrows were about to pierce their target, a crisp sound of a piece being placed rang out.
A chess piece carved with a "Bishop" pattern landed steadily on the chessboard.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Following that, two tall, burly figures clad in heavy armor stepped out from the void, instantly blocking in front of Cerydra.
Their skin was black as ink, and in their hands they held giant tower shields that were almost as tall as they were. A thick, earthy yellow halo flowed across the surface of the shields.
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—!
Dense sounds of impact exploded instantly! Countless water arrows crashed fiercely against the tower shields, stirring up a sky full of fine water splashes and expanding ripples of energy.
The light on the shields flowed unceasingly, completely neutralizing the violent impact force.
The shattered water arrows turned into ordinary water streams, flowing weakly down the edges of the shields, unable to shake the shields in the slightest, let alone touch the figure sitting safely on the throne behind them.
"Oh? 'Bishop' pieces?" Seeing this, the corners of the blue-haired youth's lips lifted slightly, and a trace of understanding laughter flashed in his eyes. "I thought you would choose to swap places with a piece to take the hit."
"No need." Cerydra's voice was flat and unrippled.
"Then I want to see how long your two turtle shells can last!" Before the youth's voice faded, the water vapor around him gathered frantically again. New water arrows began to generate continuously, and then shot in a volley towards Cerydra once more!
However, right at this moment, the light in Cerydra's hands flashed, and a short scepter and an ancient brass book silently emerged.
Immediately after, a majestic voice cut through the noise, echoing clearly within the church.
"In this place, manipulating the water element is forbidden."
"Violators shall be judged by the [Law]!"
The instant her voice fell, an invisible power of rules descended abruptly.
Those water arrows currently shooting through the air, as well as the surging water elements around the youth, lost control in an instant. They fell uncontrollably onto the ground, turning into puddles of ordinary water stains.
The blue-haired youth, meanwhile, let out a low groan of pain and violently clutched his forehead.
On the battlefield, upon seeing this scene, the eight soldiers didn't hesitate at all. They charged towards the blue-haired youth, who was stiff from the intense pain, intending to capture him in one fell swoop.
However, the dozens of well-trained armored warriors around the blue-haired youth also reacted extremely quickly. They immediately formed a human wall, firmly blocking the soldiers' path.
But right at this moment, an inconspicuous necklace around the blue-haired youth's neck suddenly lit up with a faint glow. A soft light flowed through his body, and the painful expression on his face vanished rapidly.
"Phew..." He let out a long breath, then opened his eyes. "To be honest, I was mentally prepared, but I still didn't expect it to hurt that much."
Then, his gaze turned towards the soldiers who were engaged in combat with the armored warriors, his tone carrying a hint of teasing. "Since you have such a big temper, how about I play with these little pawns of yours first?"
While speaking, he ignored the faint stinging pain caused by the mental lashing weakened by the necklace. The water vapor permeating the air was once again forcefully condensed around him.
This time, it was no longer sharp arrows, but tough bands of water.
Following that, these water bands nimbly coiled towards the limbs and weapons of the eight soldiers.
The soldiers, who originally held the upper hand despite fighting out-numbered, immediately fell into a passive state.
Every time they thrust their spears forcefully at the armored warriors, the water bands wrapped around the spear shafts would tug violently, forcefully deflecting the trajectory of the attacks!
The armored warriors seized these fleeting openings to hack at the soldiers, leaving marks on their armor.
Clack—
Seeing the soldiers fall into a disadvantage, another crisp sound of a piece being placed rang out. A chess piece symbolizing a "Rook" landed on the chessboard.
Two figures of knights appeared out of thin air on the battlefield. Riding warhorses formed of energy, they charged towards the direction of the blue-haired youth.
"Ho! The 'Rook' pieces have also shown up!" Upon seeing these two imposing knights, the blue-haired youth showed no panic on his face; instead, he revealed a teasing smile as if he had expected it all along.
Subsequently, he raised his arms fiercely upwards. Outside the church, the pouring rain filling the sky seemed to have found its monarch!
They swirled and gathered frantically. A violent waterspout nearly ten meters in diameter formed instantly. Carrying a heaven-destroying and earth-shattering momentum, it roared as it boldly crashed towards the two charging cavalrymen!
At the same time, a layer of faint blue water film also instantly covered the surfaces of all the armored warriors' bodies.
Boom—!!!
The waterspout and the cavalrymen collided with a deafening crash! The terrifying suction force tore at the air, frantically drawing in the broken stones and accumulated water on the ground!
However, to the blue-haired youth's surprise, this immense force, enough to uproot heavy trucks, failed to cause the slightest delay in the cavalrymen's charge.
The two knights directly smashed through the violent water curtain. Their massive lances pierced through two armored warriors with unparalleled precision.
Then, the cavalry's momentum didn't wane. The horses' hooves trampled over the mud and wreckage, the cold gleam of the lance tips firmly locking onto the blue-haired youth!
"Hiss! Even this doesn't work?" Genuine astonishment appeared on the youth's face for the first time. "This rule judgment for the charge is too unreasonable, isn't it?!"
"Scatter! Everyone, scatter immediately! Pay attention to dodging the cavalry!"
As the waterspout dissipated, he hurriedly yelled at the remaining armored warriors.
Upon hearing this, these armored warriors also reacted swiftly. They immediately abandoned their entanglement with the soldiers and began scattering towards various corners of the church hall.
The blue-haired youth himself also exerted force under his feet, attempting to use agile footwork to evade the cavalry's charge route.
But he quickly discovered that no matter how he changed his route, the tips of the two cavalrymen's lances remained firmly locked onto him, containing lethal killing intent.
"Tsk, it seems they're coming after me, endlessly, huh?"
Seeing this, the blue-haired youth spat in annoyance.
Before long, the cavalry arrived in front of the blue-haired youth. The lethal lances thrust viciously towards his chest!
"Splash~"
At the critical moment, the blue-haired youth's body exploded outwards violently, turning into a puddle of clear water, causing the knights' thrust to completely miss.
Amidst the splashing water, the current gathered anew a short distance away, condensing back into the shape of the youth.
"Interesting..." Cerydra, sitting properly on the throne, had a flash of interest in her eyes upon seeing this scene. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. "Let me see if your strength is enough to let you witness the appearance of this chess piece."
Saying that, she slowly raised her right hand, her five fingers spread open, palm facing upwards.
Following that, an elegantly shaped chess piece, its top carved with a majestic queen's crown and its entire body flowing with a deep and dangerous blue eerie light, condensed into shape in her hand.
"Phew, thankfully I have plenty of life-saving methods, otherwise I really would have planted face-first just now."
The blue-haired youth, who had just evaded the cavalry charge, didn't notice Cerydra's actions. He just slowly patted his chest, looking like he had lingering fears.
Subsequently, just as his breathing settled slightly and he was preparing to manipulate the water bands to pressure those eight soldiers again—
Pfft!
A sharp dagger, without any warning, pierced in from the youth's back, passed right through his heart, and then protruded out from his front chest!
"Ho, finally couldn't hold back anymore?" However, the youth whose heart was pierced showed no pain on his face. Instead, a smile signifying a successful scheme instantly bloomed on his face. "I've been waiting for you to show your head!"
Before his voice faded, the "body" pierced by the dagger suddenly liquefied.
This time it wasn't the autonomous form change from before, but rather like a water prison with stickiness and binding force, instantly enveloping the materialized Cleaner!
"Thinking of running after being tainted by my water flow? Get over here!"
At this time, the real blue-haired youth had already reassembled from the water flow several meters away. Sneering, he viciously clenched the five fingers of his right hand towards the direction of the water prison!
The bound Cleaner's body stiffened, and then he was instantly dragged forcefully out of his spot by that powerful water current, completely exposed before the youth.
Immediately after, countless water arrows flashing with cold gleams instantly formed around the youth. Without any hesitation, carrying ear-piercing shrieks, they shot violently towards the immobilized Cleaner!
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—!
The muffled sound of dense water arrows hitting a metal shield resounded through the hall once again. The smugness on the blue-haired youth's face froze instantly as he violently raised his head to look towards the throne.
He saw that the burly man with the tower shield who was originally standing on Cerydra's left side had vanished, replaced by the Cleaner who was bound by his water prison.
Meanwhile, that vanished burly man with the tower shield had now impressively arrived at the Cleaner's position. His giant tower shield steadily caught all the incoming water arrows.
"Tsk! I should have thought of this earlier!" The blue-haired youth smacked his forehead in frustration, his eyes becoming incredibly solemn. "Since you, as the 'King' on the chessboard, can swap places with other pieces, naturally you can also manipulate pieces to swap places with each other! Troublesome... too troublesome..."
Whoosh—!
The sharp sound of tearing through the air interrupted his frustration. Those two cavalrymen, like tireless war machines, had already turned their spearheads again and launched their third round of charges towards him!
Seeing this, the blue-haired youth had no choice but to repeat his old trick. His body exploded into water once again, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike, and re-condensed in a puddle a short distance away.
Clack, clack.
At this time, Cerydra, sitting on the throne, tapped the armrest of the throne lightly twice. Looking at the monotonous scene of one chasing and the other dodging, she sighed softly.
Then, she casually waved the scepter in her hand.
Following this action, all the pieces on the chessboard turned into faint blue light dust in an instant and dissipated into the air.
And the eight soldiers who were originally fighting, as well as the cavalrymen, tower shield bearers, and Cleaners, all vanished from the battlefield at this moment, as if they had never appeared.
"Huh?" The blue-haired youth looked around alertly at the suddenly much emptier hall, his eyebrows furrowed tightly, his eyes filled with incomprehension. "Why did you withdraw... all your pawns?"
Then, he looked suspiciously at the throne. "What? Do you feel you can't take me down anytime soon, so you plan to give up resisting?"
"No." Cerydra shook her head slowly. Not the slightest waver could be seen in her icy blue eyes, only a profound calmness.
She gracefully raised her right hand. That deep blue "Queen" piece, which symbolized absolute power in chess, flickered with profound light and hovered above her palm once more.
"It's just..." Her gaze landed on the youth, carrying the indifference of scrutinizing prey. "I've gotten a bit bored of watching your way of dodging."
As she spoke, Cerydra's slender fingers steadily pinched that "Queen" piece, and then hovered it right above the chessboard.
"Therefore, this boring probing should come to an end."
Clack—
Accompanied by the sound of placing a piece, the "Queen" piece landed steadily on the chessboard.