Insufficient balance

  "How about we make a bet?"

  "What's the bet?" He clearly didn't take me seriously.

  I pretended to think for a moment, "Let's bet you can't beat me." My words instantly made all the thieves laugh uncontrollably, except for one quiet-looking thief next to the leader.

  The bandit chief didn't think for a moment before responding: "Alright, I'll bet with you. However, we're not just betting on these goods, but also the lives of all your people. Do you dare to bet?" Looks like he's not stupid either, and has turned the tables on me.

  This has put me in a difficult position, I cannot ignore the fate of these hundreds of people. "Then let's discuss it."

  I walked back to our team, "Everyone heard my conversation with the thief leader, what do you think."

  "Long Meng excitedly said: 'I'm putting my life in your hands, great magician, I believe you can definitely win against him, brothers, what do you say?' All the mercenary members under Long Meng's command shouted in unison: 'We're all in.' What a fine bunch of hot-blooded men."

  I turned my head and asked Mr. Meng, the leader of the merchant group: "What about you? Are you willing to entrust your lives to me?"

  Mr. Meng hesitated, "Can I discuss with the thief leader?" Everyone has the right to choose their own life, although Long Meng and others glared at me angrily, but I didn't show any expression, "Okay, you go try."

  I accompanied Mr. Meng to the front of the thieves, and Mr. Meng politely asked the leader of the thieves: "If we merchants do not participate in this gamble, can we just hand over our goods without dying?"

  The bandit leader said impatiently, "Alright, are you bothering or not? Hurry up and decide. Originally, we could have taken you down easily, but just to make you submit, we agreed to your request. If you don't hurry up and decide, I won't be polite anymore."

  Mr. Meng thought for a moment, first saying to me with a helpless tone: "I must ensure everyone's safety, I hope you can understand." Then he turned to the bandit leader: "We are willing to hand over all our goods."

  I sighed inwardly, originally having the chance to retreat unscathed, but now it's not even worth trying, there's no meaning left. But words spoken are like spilled water, they can't be taken back.

  Looking at the thief's complacent appearance, I, who rarely get angry, felt a surge of emotions in my heart. I first spoke to Mr. Meng in a cold tone: "Since you don't believe me, from now on, the employment relationship between me and the Long Meng Mercenary Corps is over." Mr. Meng shook his head, sighed, and went back, seemingly to pack up and prepare for delivery.

  "I represent myself and the more than twenty brothers here, let's have a match with you. If I win, release us. If I lose, our lives are yours." I gritted my teeth and said fiercely, I don't believe it, with my strength, I can't beat a Heavenly Sky Knight?

  "Alright, kid, you've got guts, come on then."

  All the thieves cleared a large area, it seems that the people of Shuda Kingdom still attach great importance to the fairness of the trial. Long Meng and others also surrounded me on the periphery to cheer me up, those businessmen looked at us from afar, just waiting for us to finish the competition and hand over the goods.

  I gave a confident smile to the brothers of the Dragon Warriors Mercenary Group and said loudly, "Brothers, believe me, I will definitely lead everyone out of this difficult situation."

  Bandit leader stood face to face in the center of the arena, emitting a powerful aura from his body. I calmly took off my jacket and swung my right hand, "Come, Next Dimension Bag."

  "Little kid, you're a magician, so you won't ride horses anymore. I won't either. Let's have a good fight." It seems this bandit leader is indeed worthy of being a Sky Knight, truly having the demeanor of a knight.

  I took out the Holy Robe from my dimensional bag and put it on, after all, it was related to dozens of lives, I had to be cautious. With the Holy Robe on, I immediately felt a lot more spirited, I added several defensive magic spells to myself. "Come on, let me see what you're capable of, Sky Knight."

  The bandit leader let out a maniacal laugh, drew his long sword and charged towards me at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before me, his residual shadow slashing towards my shoulder.

  It was too fast, so fast that I didn't even have time to use Instant Transmission. I swung my right hand upwards, and a white light burst out from my palm, blocking the afterimage.

  The bandit leader stopped in his tracks, "Are you a magician or a warrior? How can you possess the Heavenly Fighting Qi?"

  "This isn't aura, it's a way of using magic." This is my true strength, I can now use some lower-level magic without incantations, as long as I gather the light elements into the desired effect. It took me nearly three years to comprehend this, although there's still a gap between me and Teacher Di, but suddenly using it really does resemble aura. The bandit leader not attacking me is great, earlier that one attack, although I blocked it, my entire right half of my body was numb, close combat isn't a magician's strong point, I won't give him another chance."

  I teleported a short distance away from him using Instant Transfer, it seems I'll have to use a bigger spell. His aura is really powerful, the exploratory attack just now almost injured me, if he had used his full strength, I definitely wouldn't have been able to block it. I kept changing my position with Instant Transfer, but his speed was too fast, not much slower than my magical teleportation. If I stop for even a moment, I'll probably be done for. This won't do.

  I flashed and started chanting the incantation, my hands began to emit a faint white glow, the light grew stronger and stronger. This was different from the magic intent attack I used earlier, this was my improved Light Slashing Sword, which could directly control the magical force to attack with hand movements, it's a 6th level magic, single target attack power is very strong, more suitable for the current situation. If I use Radiant Nine States, his speed may not be able to hit him, the attack area is too large and can't cause any harm to him, now I can only use Light Slashing Sword to fight it out.

  I suddenly stopped, turned around and a white light appeared. He hastily mobilized his Qi, his knight sword emitted the same dazzling white light, blocking my magic, "Right, don't always run away, it's more enjoyable this way."

  "Alright, I'll give you a taste of my skills." I rapidly fired off slash after slash of light sword energy, his knight's sword dancing up and down, unable to cause him harm but also preventing him from attacking me. Now it was just a matter of whose magical strength lasted longer or whose fighting spirit was more abundant.