Ch. 289 Since You Want to Play

It was evident that the guards of the lord's mansion had no intention of showing any courtesy to Russell, the intruder.

Seeing these guards advancing towards him step by step, wielding spears, Russell couldn't help but sigh in resignation.

Originally, he had planned to minimize any physical confrontation and leave the Windrest Fortress lord with some dignity.

When these guards were just one meter away from him, Russell decided to take action.

With a slight exertion of his legs, he seemed to teleport away from the approaching guards in an instant.

Simultaneously, the guard in front of him experienced an indescribable and powerful impact, sending him flying backward.

In the blink of an eye, a significant gap appeared in the previously tight encirclement.

Russell hadn't employed any overly flashy abilities; he had merely used the super speed of his Kryptonian physiology to push aside the guard blocking his way.

After effortlessly creating an opening, Russell's figure appeared in the courtyard outside the grand hall.

Without waiting for the guards inside the hall to react, he disappeared again.

Although he didn't know Windrest Fortress lord, nor what the man looked like, he knew how to quickly locate him.

The method was simple: the Windrest Fortress lord was likely one of the most powerful individuals within the mansion, if not the most powerful.

Similar to Asgard, Vanaheimr was a society structured by bloodline and strength. Bloodline and strength were often interconnected.

The Lord of Windrest Fortress might not necessarily be the strongest within the castle, but he was undoubtedly one of the most formidable.

Using magical means to sense the auras within the lord's mansion, Russell effortlessly pinpointed the location of the Windrest Fortress lord.

Like the other guards, Windrest Fortress lord was on his way to the grand hall.

Russell had no intention of waiting for Windrest Fortress lord to arrive in the courtyard. He intended to approach him directly.

After activating his super speed, he reached Windrest Fortress lord in no time.

The Lord of Windrest Fortress, judging from appearances, was a middle-aged man with a somewhat stern expression. His features weren't particularly outstanding, but he exuded an air of authority.

What caught one's attention the most was his light blue, seaweed-like long hair.

As Russell instantly appeared in front of him, Windrest Fortress lord raised his silver trident in hand, ready to strike at any moment.

Likewise, his attendants, armed and vigilant, raised their weapons and scrutinized Russell with serious expressions.

"Are you the assassin who intruded into my mansion?" Windrest Fortress lord asked, his tone icy.

"Let me correct you; I'm not an assassin. Otherwise, you wouldn't have the chance to talk to me right now," Russell responded calmly.

"Arrogant!" Windrest Fortress lord snorted disdainfully.

"Whether I'm arrogant or not, you'll find out in due time."

"Enough of the idle talk; let's get to the point!"

"Thor, Crown Prince of Asgard, asked me to deliver a message to you. Asgard never fears war. If Vanir wish for war, Asgard will gladly oblige!"

Russell paid no heed to Windrest Fortress lord's disdainful attitude, proceeding to speak in a nonchalant manner.

"You're one of Thor's people?" Windrest Fortress lord furrowed his brows slightly, continuing the conversation.

"Strictly speaking, no."

"However, from your perspective, you can consider me aligned with them."

Russell corrected Windrest Fortress lord once again.

"You intruded into my mansion just to deliver this message on behalf of Thor?" Windrest Fortress lord clearly had some doubts about Russell's words.

"Otherwise?"

"Others might have assassination in mind, but I don't. At least, not for now."

"Whether you believe it or not, I've delivered the message. Whether you choose to believe it is your business, and it doesn't concern me."

After saying this, Russell had no intention of continuing the conversation with Windrest Fortress lord. He began casting a teleportation spell right in front of them.

Although he had no intention of taking action tonight, it was regrettable that it was just his intention.

Seeing him start to cast the spell, Windrest Fortress lord, who had already prepared for battle, did not hesitate. He thrust his silver trident toward Russell.

In an instant, Windrest Fortress lord was in front of him, and the sharp trident was aimed directly at his chest.

Why bother?

Although the Windrest Fortress lord approached with a fierce attack, Russell didn't take his assault seriously at all.

In his view, the Windrest Fortress lord's attack unfolded like slow-motion frames playing.

When Windrest Fortress lord's trident was about to hit him, Russell calmly raised his right hand.

Then, he grabbed the trident, forcibly stopping it in its tracks.

"Don't force me to take action. You definitely won't want to see the consequences."

After effortlessly neutralizing Windrest Fortress lord's attack, Russell said in a relaxed tone.

While he had already displayed enough restraint, the current Windrest Fortress lord clearly hadn't accepted his goodwill.

Upon hearing his words, Windrest Fortress lord initially sneered disdainfully. Then, he continued to exert force with his hands, attempting to make the trident continue its thrust toward Russell.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the trident that Russell had grabbed remained unmoved, as if it had been completely frozen in space.

After discovering that Russell's physical strength far exceeded his expectations, Windrest Fortress lord couldn't help but furrow his brows.

His decision to attack Russell hadn't been impulsive; he had thought it through carefully.

When Russell had first appeared, Windrest Fortress lord couldn't quite gauge his strength and wasn't even certain whether he was a mage or a warrior.

However, aside from witnessing Russell casting magic right in front of him, there was another crucial reason for his judgment: he hadn't sensed a very strong life force from Russell.

It was well-known that the stronger the life force of a flesh-and-blood creature, the higher their physical strength tended to be. Unless they were an extraordinary life form like an elemental being, life force and physical strength were usually closely correlated.

Of course, in the vast universe, there were exceptions—creatures with strong life force but relatively weak physical strength. However, such cases were isolated and not representative.

Given Russell's relatively weak life force and the fact that he was visibly casting magic, Windrest Fortress lord naturally assumed Russell was a mage.

Yet, he overlooked an essential factor: the information Russell wanted him to perceive or sense was precisely the information Russell didn't mind sharing.

For example, the life force Windrest Fortress lord currently sensed from him.

"Seems like you don't intend to let me leave peacefully."

While speaking, Russell began applying slight pressure with his right hand.

The next moment, Windrest Fortress lord, who was standing in front of him, was pushed back five or six meters.

Witnessing Windrest Fortress lord being pushed aside by Russell, the attendants surrounding them wasted no time and rushed toward Russell.

"Since you want to play, then I'll play along!"

While Russell had initially planned to avoid physical confrontation as much as possible, it didn't mean he wouldn't fight back under any circumstances.

He wasn't so noble as to let others attack him without defending himself.

When Windrest Fortress lord's attendants charged at him, Russell no longer hesitated. His eyes shone with a crimson light.

Heat vision!

Before these Windrest Fortress lord's attendants reached him, beams of high-temperature energy shot from his eyes like lasers.

Sneer!

Only to see him casually twist his neck, and most of the lord's personal guards who attacked him were repelled by the heat rays.

The astonishingly hot rays passed through the armor on these personal guards, instantly melting their relatively decent defensive armor.

Without the armor blocking them, the heat rays emitted from Russell's eyes unerringly struck their bodies.

Then, he heard the miserable screams.

Although the physiques of Vanir were far superior to Earthlings, they were by no means immune to flames.

Furthermore, what hit them now were heat rays that could easily melt even steel.

Except for a few personal guards who reacted quickly and agilely evaded Russell's heat ray attacks, the others were now lying on the ground, moaning in agony.

Russell paid no attention to their cries; with a sudden force in his legs, the floor beneath him shattered, creating a visible circular pit.

The next second, he appeared in front of Windrest Fortress lord like a flash.

Without any hesitation, his right fist struck directly at Windrest Fortress lord's abdomen.

Windrest Fortress lord's strength wasn't bad, but it was clear that speed wasn't his advantage.

Not to mention comparing him to Russell, even Quicksilver, who was slightly inferior in speed, could easily toy with Windrest Fortress lord in terms of speed.

However, this was a common characteristic of many Asgardians and Vanir.

Compared to speed, they prioritized physical attributes like strength and endurance.

As for speed, in their eyes, it was about as significant as magical power.

Unless they were specialized assassins or killers pursuing speed, they basically wouldn't focus on improving their speed, let alone surpassing the limit of the naked eye's perception.

Although Windrest Fortress lord saw Russell's move, he had no chance to evade or resist Russell's attack.

Boom!

When Russell's right fist hit Windrest Fortress lord's abdomen, there was an instantly muffled impact sound.

Along with the dull impact sound, there was also a visible shockwave.

Under the cover of the muffled impact sound and the visible shockwave, Windrest Fortress lord, dressed in exquisite armor, was unambiguously sent flying.

In the blink of an eye, Windrest Fortress lord was thrown dozens of meters away, breaking through several stone walls in succession, and finally landing in a small garden dozens of meters away.

No one had expected that Russell, whose physique didn't seem particularly strong and gave the impression of a mage rather than a warrior, could erupt with such astonishing power.

This punch not only made Windrest Fortress lord reveal a painful expression but also left the remaining personal guards dumbfounded.

Who on earth is this guy?

After finally stabilizing his posture, Windrest Fortress lord, with a serious expression, looked at Russell, who was still some distance away.

He was not unfamiliar with Asgard, and he had some understanding of the famous strong individuals in Asgard, such as the Three Warriors, Sif, Heimdall, and others.

But he had never heard of someone like Russell from Asgard.

Although he had only taken one punch from Russell, that punch made Windrest Fortress lord realize that Russell's strength was by no means inferior to Thor's.

Windrest Fortress lord's residence was one of the nearest main cities to Asgard's frontline camp and had the most personnel to deal with the frontline camp.

As the Lord of Windrest Fortress, he had sparred with Thor many times before.

But the pressure Russell was now giving him far exceeded that of Thor.

When Windrest Fortress lord, with a serious expression, observed Russell, Russell, who had just moved toward him, showed no signs of leaving.

Since he had already taken action, he didn't intend to leave like this.

Regardless of anything else, he was not planning to leave until he figured out Windrest Fortress lord's true strength.

As Russell approached Windrest Fortress lord, the other guards in the lord's residence also rushed toward this location.

However, for him, as long as there was no high-level combatant to restrain him, the number of these guards was irrelevant.

But soon, he saw some familiar figures.

How could they be here?

The personal guards of the lord's residence in black armor did not arouse his interest at all. His gaze was now fixed on the three figures in cloaks.

Although these three figures in cloaks hadn't lowered the hoods they were wearing, Russell had already recognized their identities.

Ebony Maw, Gamora, Nebula!

Seeing them three, Russell quickly recalled the scene he had seen in the Hall of Lilian's Whisper.

Sure enough, next to Ebony Maw and the others, he saw that noble young lady with her high temperament, outstanding appearance, and pale blue long hair.

After arriving at this small garden, this noble young lady first came to Windrest Fortresss lord and looked worriedly at the armor in the abdominal area of Windrest Fortress lord that had already caved in.

Then, with a gloomy expression and a murderous look on her face, she looked at Russell.

"Capture him alive; don't let him die so easily!"

The noble young lady ordered her guards.

She had a strong killing intent!

First, Russell glanced at this noble young lady, who seemed to be Windrest Fortress lord's daughter. Then, he shifted his gaze to the guards who were rushing toward him.

Elemental Magic Level 4 spell!

Stormwall!

He stood still without making any movements and silently chanted. A lightning spear composed of electric screens appeared before him.

The silvery stormwall instantly took shape, and then, facing Windrest Fortress lord and the others, it shot out numerous small and large silvery lightning bolts.

Although Russell wasn't a full-time mage, his magical proficiency was by no means inferior to those full-time mages.

For him, spells up to the 7th level could be cast instantaneously.

Just a moment ago, Russell was fighting in a warrior's style, but now, he had transformed into a formidable mage.

Under his control, the silvery lightning bolts shot out from the stormwall rapidly toward the guards rushing at him.

Sizzle!

Amidst the not-so-loud crackling of electricity, all these guards were instantly hit, and they were all sent flying.