The enemy’s chief mage scrutinized the masked figure beside William, a man dressed in a different type of armor than most of the opposing group. Though this was peculiar, he addressed the question first.

  “The roads hold many dangers,” he deflected smoothly. “Perhaps this village is dangerous enough to justify our contingent. Perhaps not. But our merchant employer’s ventures demand… particular precautions.”

  William and Jonn exchanged knowing glances, recognizing the transparent deception.

  There is nothing for this group to carry that is of such value to justify level 3 mages among them... Jonn took a deep breath, coming to the only likely conclusion. I don’t know why, but they want to deal with the village. The only explanation for their presence can only be to deal with us!

  Jonn felt his blood pressure spike, a headache starting at the back of his skull, as if someone were pressing down. He sweated more significantly, shifting his gaze between the two mages assembled 10 meters in front of him and the rest of Acelin’s group, just over 120 meters ahead. Uranius sent them here. If I don’t deal with him, I’ll end up in the same situation as with the Dayflare Family!

  The idea of handling these enemies in the same manner as the Dayflare Family fleetingly crossed Jonn’s mind before he dismissed it. Unlike William’s family, Uranius’ group proved to be more ruthless and challenging to comprehend. The Dayflare Family sought dominance over the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, which necessitated the cooperation of the people living in the Eternal Village. As for Uranius, Jonn was uncertain of his intentions.

  What Jonn knew was that Uranius was likely linked to the unjustified enslavement of travelers in present-day Lost Treasures.

  Between the two adversaries, Uranius possessed more malicious intent, making it preferable for Jonn to keep the man away from the village.

  Jonn, once again, opened his mouth, this time with a harsher tone, and asked, “What exactly brings you to this village?”

  William sensed Jonn’s animosity and intuitively braced himself. Meanwhile, the two mages in front of them shifted their gazes, identifying the masked youth as the strongest one there. The level 3 mage from Eldoria was clearly letting the masked young man take over the conversation, a very clear signal to the two men.

  The troop commander cut through the tension. “I don’t know about that. My contractor hasn’t told us exactly what he wants.” He changed the subject, pointing in William and Jonn’s direction. “But what about you? What are you looking for?”

  Tense silence blanketed the area as both groups shifted into combat stances—mages sizing up their counterparts and the surrounding beasts, while common soldiers exchanged wary glances. Acelin’s heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst from his chest.

  After what felt like an eternity, Jonn broke the silence, “What do we want? Nothing but the sovereignty of the Dayflare Family!” His voice rose to a challenge, deliberately marking the Eldorian force as targets.

  But words weren’t his only weapon. Mid-sentence, a black chain materialized from his spatial ring. With a flick of his dominant hand, he infused the metal links with orange mana, sending them cutting through the air like a striking serpent.

  [Living Chains]!

  For the first time outside of training, Jonn unleashed the {Spell} he had seen near Littlewood. Using his newly acquired [Corrupted Chains], he initiated combat against Uranius’s forces in the gathering dusk.

  The chain, blazing with his fire mana, shot toward the throats of the two mages before him. Despite their experience, the level 3 mages were caught off guard by the sudden assault. Though they shielded their flesh from the elemental flames coursing through the chains, the enchanted metal still wrapped around their necks. They were forced to redirect their mana to their necks and hands, desperately trying to break free.

  William reacted instantly, drawing his sword and advancing. He didn’t wait to see if the enemies would break free or what Jonn’s next move would be. Sword and {Spells} at the ready, he moved to eliminate—or at least severely wound—his opponents.

  Jonn paid his ally no mind as he materialized a wand. Following his initial strike, he raised the weapon skyward—the signal his men had been waiting for to join the fray.

  [Meteor]!

  Considering the enemy's mage contingent and his increased [Mana] reserves—compared to the last battle—Jonn conjured a more formidable array of fireballs than previously. In one extravagant yet efficient burst, he spent over 1,100 mana points.

  As he completed casting the {Spell}, 14 ominous meteors materialized in the sky, plummeting diagonally toward Acelin’s encampment.

  The six enemy mages—those under direct assault from Jonn and William, and the four by the battalion—sensed a sudden change in the air. Their already tense expressions darkened further as they looked skyward.

  They were level 3 mages, just like Jonn. Yet, such a destructive, long-range {Spell} was far from ordinary!

  As the 14 fireballs hurtled toward them with terrifying speed, some men blanched. Abandoning thoughts of allies, they frantically deployed defensive and movement {Spells} and {Skills}.

  Horses bolted instinctively while common warriors panicked beneath the imminent meteor shower.

  “Scatter!” a man bellowed, flinging aside his shield and fleeing in desperation.

  Before Jonn could unleash another {Spell}, [Meteor] hammered the enemy camp!

  The fiery projectiles struck with such speed that Jonn saw the devastation in real time without time for more attacks.

  The 14 stone and fire orbs slammed into the ground, causing the entire area of undulating terrain to shake as if an earthquake were taking place. Explosions of shattering rock drowned out all other sounds, as fragments became deadly shrapnel.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Flames engulfed the terrain of the camp and Acelin’s group formation, with a long curtain of black dust spreading from the focus of the explosion in every direction.

  At this moment of calamity for an uncertain number of victims, the Eternal Village cavalry sprang into action. Petyr raised his weapon in the air and went ahead with Roulf and Ice, leading the village’s warriors and beasts against the enemies.

  The Eternal Village guards held their spears tightly, riding their special mounts, unable to see their enemies for the moment, but nevertheless moving forward with purpose. Several of them had fought against the men of the Dayflare Family and knew what it was like to fight under the effects of Jonn’s powers. But some of them were in this situation for the first time, while even the most experienced were sweating with worry, aware that four mages were among the group they were about to confront.

  William tried not to pay attention to the group moving behind him and Jonn, nor even to the impressive destruction of Jonn’s {Spell}. He struck the first of the enemies, reaching the man who had remained silent in the conversation earlier.

  Both William’s target and the other nearby level 3 mage still struggled against Jonn’s [Corrupted Chains]. Both were getting weaker, pale with horror at the enemy’s destructive power and the nefarious weapon around their necks.

  The [Corrupted Chains] were no ordinary weapon. While they could hurt and restrict movement, they also had a fascinating feature when in contact with targets. They could devour enemy mana, making it difficult for targets to easily detach from them and even weakening such targets!

  Being set on fire by Jonn’s innate powers, the chains binding the two mages were also hurting them, making them groan between their teeth pressed tightly together.

  Caught in the simultaneous assault from William and Jonn, the previously silent mage found himself in a dire predicament. As he struggled to free himself from the constricting chain around his neck, a blade of air and mana sliced through the space between him and his attacker, now merely 5 meters away. His desperate attempt to break free proved to be a critical error.

  The magical blade found its mark on his torso, striking with such force that it catapulted him from his mount. The impact slashed across his chest at nipple level, the sheer power behind the attack sending him airborne.

  While William’s strike wasn’t fatal, it was far from harmless. The blow dented his opponent’s chest plate, causing bruised ribs beneath and carving a shallow gash across the mage’s pectoral muscles.

  With laser focus, William honed in on this weakened foe, leaving the other adversary to Jonn. The young leader, for his part, was in the final stages of weaving his next {Spell}, ready to unleash another attack on their enemies.

  [Prisms of the Imperial Seal]!

  Three luminous boxes materialized above Jonn, each inscribed with intricate golden lines and arcane symbols. Within a mere three seconds, the formation was complete. With a deft motion of his wand, Jonn sent these constructs hurtling through the air toward the strongest opponent.

  The mage who had spoken in the conversation moments ago had just wrenched the blazing chain from his throat when he found himself under assault once more. His face was a mask of agony, darkened by the lingering sensation of simultaneous strangulation and immolation. His saving grace lay in his mana reserves, nearly matching Jonn’s, and his arsenal of defensive and offensive artifacts.

  Most crucial among these was a silver gauntlet, adorned with a black gem atop the hand. This item had eroded Jonn’s magical bindings, allowing the mage to break free of the chain’s deadly embrace.

  Though free, angry burn marks marred his skin as he gasped for air. Yet even as he struggled to breathe, his mind raced. Recognizing the new threat bearing down on him, the mage abandoned all pretense of defense and launched a counterattack.

  Raising both hands skyward, he channeled mana into his palms. With a hoarse cry, he invoked his {Spell}, “Corrupted Petals!”

  Dark silver beams erupted from the mage’s hands, flowing upward like liquid mercury. They coalesced into a massive flower of the same hue. As its formation completed, the blossom’s many petals unfurled, spinning gracefully in the air like an ethereal ballerina.

  The petals scattered in seemingly chaotic directions, a bewildering display to the untrained eye. Jonn’s expression hardened as he sensed the true nature of the attack homing in on him. He leaped from Windy’s back, maneuvering alone across the black terrain. Each movement was calculated, driven by the awareness that these projectiles threatened not just physical harm, but spiritual corruption.

  That’s quite a {Spell} or {Skill}!

  With [Arcane Sight] constantly active, Jonn’s [Analysis] worked overtime, dissecting his opponents’ abilities mid-combat. Quickly grasping the deadly potential of the enemy’s power, he planned a counterattack strategy to minimize his exposure.

  [Aegis of the Bronze Dragon]!

  Jonn maintained his evasive movements, granting himself a crucial three seconds as a bronze-hued aura enveloped his entire body.

  Dragon-like scales of burnished bronze materialized over his skin. Simultaneously, he felt a surge of strength course through his muscles, enhancing his flexibility and agility while bolstering his regenerative capabilities.

  [Aegis of the Bronze Dragon], while primarily a defensive {Spell}, also enhanced Jonn’s strength and physical endurance.

  Jonn braced himself for the incoming assault, aware that his armor only protected him where it covered his skin. The enemy seemed to know this too, and his petals flew with uncanny precision, targeting Jonn’s vulnerable areas.

  With his defense in place but surrounded by the swift, elusive petals, Jonn unleashed his final countermeasure before impact.

  [Scorching Whirlwind]!

  Sparks erupted around him as the temperature spiked dramatically. A cyclone of orange flames burst into life, illuminating the dark night of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow with its fierce glow.

  Just as Jonn’s previous {Spell} reached its peak, the petals closed the remaining distance. They battled through the inferno, their trajectory altered, but their purpose remained unchanged.

  Some petals struck his armored areas, forced into unintended paths by the swirling flames. The majority found their mark on Jonn’s unprotected zones—his joints, hands, neck, and head.

  Jonn’s expression contorted behind his mask as four petal-blades, as hard and sharp as swords, struck his face. The protective item concealing his identity clattered to the ground, leaving him exposed.

  The impact felt like a barrage of kicks across his body, momentarily sapping his strength to the point where he feared collapse. Though the attacks didn’t break his skin, they left a constellation of bruises before disintegrating.

  Never had he sustained such damage in a single assault. It pushed him to his limits, giving him a taste of an attack that, at full force, could have inflicted triple the harm.

  Yet Jonn held his ground, fighting against the urge to fall and striving to mask his condition. His gaze locked onto his assailant, the source of this near-mortal peril—a few more such attacks could prove fatal. Steeling himself, Jonn summoned his most costly {Spell}.

  [Flame Avatar]!

  Twin figures of orange flame materialized on Jonn’s sides, their fiery gazes fixed on the enemy just 12 meters away!