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**Chapter 121: Rebirth Seal**
Duke Lantilus was hot on Su Yu's trail, unleashing a relentless series of attacks to try and slow him down.
But with Su Yu's agile assassin skills, the gap between them only grew. For a massive fighter like Lantilus, catching up to a nimble assassin was simply wishful thinking.
The [Shadow Step] skill enabled Su Yu to instantly teleport up to 40 meters behind a chosen target, and with Tier 6 mastery, it came with almost no cooldown. Relying on this skill, Su Yu darted from one opponent to the next, leaving the Duke with nothing but dust to swallow.
However, Lantilus wasn't a fool. After a few moments of chasing, he halted, a look of realization crossing his face. "Why am I running after this outsider?" he muttered. "My purpose here is to capture Princess Elize. Why should I waste time competing with this adventurer?"
A suspicion crept into his mind—had Antonidas deliberately led him astray? Could that man be a mole, planted by the enemy? But he pushed the thought aside for now and redirected his focus, taking to the skies and flying straight toward the princess.
Now it was Su Yu's turn to feel the pressure. No one strong enough remained near the princess to shield her. If Lantilus captured her, the battle would be lost.
Realizing this, Su Yu abandoned his strategy of harvesting experience points and used [Shadow Step] to teleport directly behind Lantilus. Without hesitation, he swung a thick wooden stick at the back of the Duke's head, employing the assassin's signature skill, [Sap], to stun him.
Yet, as the blow connected, Lantilus bellowed, and a powerful blood-red aura flared around him. A new buff appeared in his status:
**[Unstoppable (Legendary)]:** For one minute, immune to all control effects. Time remaining: 00:59.
Su Yu's [Sap] landed solidly but had no effect whatsoever.
Lantilus retaliated instantly, drawing his sword and slicing it across Su Yu's abdomen. The strike cleaved through his defenses, draining nearly two-thirds of his health.
Fortunately, Su Yu reacted quickly, using [Shadow Step] to teleport to safety, though his severely injured body felt the sting of the close call.
"Foolish move," Lantilus sneered, shooting a menacing glare at Su Yu before flying onward, heading straight for the princess.
Princess Elize stood near the overturned warship, her face pale as her remaining guards were held at bay by the enemy. With Lantilus closing in, escape seemed impossible.
Despair washed over her as she recalled Nemesis's promise that she would prevail in the end. "What a liar," she thought, closing her eyes in resignation.
Just then, a figure in dark leather armor, bleeding from his abdomen, appeared beside her.
"It's Nemesis!" Elize's eyes filled with hope as Su Yu, wounded but resolute, stood beside her.
"Nemesis, are you alright?" she asked, turning to support him.
Su Yu gently pushed her hand aside, forcing a weak smile. "Your Highness, stand behind me. I'll protect you."
*Ding! [Queen Elize]'s favorability rating for you has increased by +3. Her favorability rating has reached 'Attention.'*
*Ding! Congratulations! You've gained 5 points of world reputation.*
Ignoring the game notifications, Su Yu knew this was no time for distractions. In a swift motion, he switched outfits, equipping a priest's robe and wielding a golden staff.
**"[Desperate Prayer]!**
**[Mind Control]!**
Transformed into a priest, Su Yu immediately cast the priest's ultimate healing spell, [Desperate Prayer], restoring himself to full health. He then pointed his staff at Lantilus, who was only thirty meters away from Elize, and cast the priest's infamous control skill, [Mind Control].
Unlike typical control skills, [Mind Control] infiltrated the enemy's mind, bending their will. It bypassed Lantilus's [Unstoppable] immunity.
Under Su Yu's intense concentration, Lantilus staggered to a halt. His thoughts grew clouded, and pain seared through his mind as his muscles trembled, struggling against the mental invasion.
Frustrated, he closed his eyes, attempting to expel Su Yu from his consciousness.
---
Lantilus was level 77, while Su Yu's transformed state placed him at level 75. Su Yu knew he couldn't maintain control for long—at most, ten seconds before his spell would break.
Seeing his limits approaching, Su Yu called to Morningstar, the celestial cat circling above. "Morningstar, help! I can't hold him much longer!"
General Shuhe, a muscular warrior, was too far away to assist, and Sivan had blended into the shadows, invisible to even the keenest eye. With no other options, Su Yu prayed that Morningstar would intervene in time to protect the princess.
Thankfully, Morningstar responded immediately.
With a mighty dragon roar, the celestial cat materialized beside Elize in a flash of radiant starlight.
Morningstar's powerful skill, [Astral Transfer], allowed her to teleport directly to Elize, carrying the princess on her back and swiftly taking flight to escape the battlefield.
Morningstar had held back, waiting for the right moment to use this skill, and now it was finally her time to act.
---
In a trail of glistening starlight, Morningstar soared through the sky, whisking the princess away across several kilometers in mere moments.
But Walnut, her opponent, was not one to be easily shaken.
Chanting in a steady rhythm, Walnut's hands flashed through a series of intricate seals. "Yin and Yang in harmony, fate ever-changing. Let the flame of rebirth be your guide."
A cloud of gray mist shot from her fingertips, homing in on Morningstar with terrifying speed and burrowing into her.
**"[Rebirth Seal]?! Not good!"** Morningstar cried out, recognizing the signature spell of high-level Taoists.
Though she had no personal grievance with Walnut, it was clear Walnut was determined to bring her down.
Su Yu's expression changed as he heard Morningstar's distress. He knew all too well the terrifying effects of the **[Rebirth Seal]**.
He had heard of it in his previous life—this spell was feared among players, capable of reducing a player's level to zero, wiping their backpack, and leaving them in an utterly reset state. It was, quite literally, a forced rebirth.
While its impact on NPCs was less certain, the consequences would undoubtedly be severe.
After releasing the [Rebirth Seal], Walnut's energy was visibly drained. Her strength dropped dramatically, leaving her barely able to stand as her power fell from the seventh rank to the fifth.
Morningstar was faring no better. Within seconds of the [Rebirth Seal] taking effect, her majestic dragon form began to waver, struggling to maintain her flight. After another few heartbeats, the transformation broke entirely.
Now just a small blue-and-white kitten, Morningstar fell unconscious, plummeting from the sky.
*(End of Chapter)*