Chapter 2: Continuous Fierce Battles

The two puppet skeletons he had painstakingly trained were shattered in an instant by two devastating sword auras from his opponent, with even the slightest remnants of souls attached to them swept away. Apart from the sounds of their unwilling screams still echoing in Komer’s ears, not a trace of them remained. The powerful strikes from such a skilled martial artist were beyond the resistance of the puppet skeletons Komer had just created. Although he had invested considerable effort into these skeletons, even using holy light from magic to strengthen them and grant them power to counteract that magic, he never expected that their first encounter would be with physical attacks from a master martial artist. Clearly, he hadn’t trained them enough in this regard. Even if he had tried, it would have been difficult for them to develop the strength to withstand such combat energy in such a short time. Their only fate was to be reduced to dust by the sword auras.

Komer was heartbroken beyond measure. These were the finest specimens he had selected from countless skeletons, to which he had poured so much effort. Yet they were reduced to ashes under just two blows of the sword auras. Though their presence had helped him and the priestess behind him survive this ordeal, it still filled Komer with rage. He wanted revenge! He would make those two damned fools pay with their lives to honor his beloved skeleton pets!

Although the two skeletons, carefully trained by Komer, exploded and shattered under the unstoppable combat energy, the necrotic aura carried by their scythe-like weapons did not vanish. These dark weapons, forged from countless skeleton bones and refined through Komer’s repeated use of dark magic, had become formidable necrotic weapons. Even a casual touch from an ordinary person would allow the necrotic aura inside to drain their life force. These essentially manifested killing tools could undoubtedly be considered among the best magical weapons. However, such weapons could not be used by ordinary beings—they could only be wielded by the undead to fully unleash their power.

The Scythe of Death also dealt massive damage to the two assassins the moment the two puppet skeletons disappeared, its potent necrotic energy piercing into their bodies. Though protected by their combat qi, this necrotic energy from the depths of the underworld could not be completely repelled by combat qi. Mixed with elements of slaughter, destruction, and coldness, it penetrated their bodies. Although most of the necrotic energy was neutralized by combat qi, even the remaining amount was enough to send them to hell.

The bodies of the two assassins began to mutate mid-air, as if their vitality had been drained by the necrotic energy. Their eyes instantly lost their luster, and their bodies stiffened. Their sharp daggers suddenly lost their shine, and their once agile bodies plummeted straight down. Apart from kicking up dust on the ground, there was no further effect.

Komer’s turn in the situation did not mean the others were in a better position. Bayezid had clearly expended too much energy with that wild axe strike—killing an enemy at once came at a cost. His Azure Demon Axe, regarded as one of the greatest weapons among the dwarves, contained a special ice magic seal. It was said to have been forged using the sealed magic crystal of an ancient ice dragon, the king of the oceans. The wielder could activate this seal using their strong physical strength, and the ice magic released by the axe was sufficient to freeze anyone solid.

To unleash the magic in the axe, Bayezid poured all his strength into his first attack. The extreme exhaustion left him unable to dodge the thrust from the second assassin. The sharp sawblade pierced through Bayezid’s leather armor, and Komer’s enhanced defense techniques could only slightly reduce the damage from that attack. The sawblade cut deep across Bayezid’s thick waist, leaving bloody wounds, with splashes of blood glowing crimson in the sunset light.

Fortunately, the female priest hiding behind Komer was finally able to use her powers. Her continuous chanting not only freed Bayezid from exhaustion but also stopped the bleeding, allowing him to barely deal with the assassins leaping around him.

Grace was finally able to clash with her kind. Two equally sharp and swift daggers collided countless times in the air in the blink of an eye, sparks flying everywhere. Amidst the harsh crashing sounds and sword fights, the two figures struggled in the air, refusing to yield, until both were injured.

Grace tumbled lightly through the air, panting heavily. Deep sword marks appeared on her breastplate as her chest rose and fell rapidly, and even the bright red undergarments beneath the breastplate could be faintly seen. Her opponent was incredibly strong—evident from the cold, merciless eyes visible beneath their face cover. Their sharp, narrow swords were deadly weapons designed to take lives. No matter how hard Grace tried to break through and inflict damage, her opponent always found a way to counter her attacks. Of course, Grace wasn’t willing to trade her life for theirs.

Revealing her undergarments didn’t come without a cost. Grace’s fierce slash took a large chunk of flesh from her opponent’s thigh, who wanted to take a peek at her. But behind her opponent, there was also a magician. In just an instant, the wound began to heal rapidly, clearly thanks to powerful magic casting in the background. The assassin’s combat strength wasn’t greatly affected; instead, they became even more frenzied, rolling and lunging through the air, their swords leaving trails of icy light as they tightly surrounded Grace.

Javier’s wind magic came in handy at this moment. Faced with two assassins attacking from different angles, although his combat energy wasn’t as strong as theirs, he could use wind magic to grant his body agility, allowing him to avoid direct collisions. As his combat energy howled, his long sword flew through the air, creating waves of sword energy. The massive shockwaves from his combat energy made his full knight’s armor rustle loudly, while his beautiful metal accessories trembled in the wind, emitting clear, pleasant sounds.

At this point, the only one who truly stood out was the giant Briarnos. His massive iron rod stirred up layers of dark clouds in the air. The shrill screeching sound came from the strong wind generated by the rod colliding with the two waves of combat energy, creating intense noise. At that moment, it seemed even the air around them was sucked away by the rod, making the environment oppressive and suffocating. Hot and cold air currents kept colliding and striking against each other in the confined space. The two assassins spinning around Briarnos like tops saw their icy sword strikes vanish instantly in the face of Briarnos’s unyielding rod. The strong winds generated by the rod suppressed the combat energy unleashed by the assassins, forcing the red-colored combat energy to retreat under the heavy darkness cast by the rod.

Komer knew the situation was not as optimistic as it seemed. They were all exposed to the enemy, but it was clear the enemy had far more strength than what was visible. Although these assassins were highly combative, what was more concerning was that their stamina could be restored almost immediately, and their injuries could be healed right away. Unless they could deliver a fatal blow, they would face endless attacks from the enemy. This meant only one thing: powerful magicians were hiding behind these assassins, providing them with constant support.

Freeing up his hands, Komer signaled Lome to keep casting blessings from the light magic on their teammates to enhance their reaction and recovery abilities. Eve’s white magic behind him was no longer sufficient to meet their needs. Just as he managed to heal Grace’s arm wound, another assassin joined the battle, clearly using water-based invisibility magic. He only appeared when he was close to Grace’s side, delivering a vicious thrust that nearly pierced her chest. If Komer hadn’t quickly noticed the enemy using invisibility magic and cast a simple fireball to disrupt the attack, Grace would have died on the spot. Even so, the assassin’s dagger still left deep gashes in Grace’s chest and abdomen.

Komer’s psychic senses had reached their peak, spreading rapidly around him. He needed to find those damned magicians immediately. Though the assassins were skilled, they couldn’t cause such heavy damage on their own. It was the enemy’s magicians who were putting immense pressure on them. And for now, the enemy’s magicians were only providing support—they might be hesitant to cast offensive spells in this place for fear of consequences. If things went wrong, they might resort to extreme measures, causing real casualties on their side. Komer would not tolerate such a situation.

The fluctuating magical auras in the northwest corner quickly helped Komer locate the enemy’s hiding place. Different types of magical auras were swirling there, indicating that there were at least two magicians. Komer wondered why the enemy was hiding there instead of showing themselves openly. Perhaps other concerns forced them to resort to ambush tactics.

With a clear target in mind, Komer grew even more confident. He gently released the arrow, which exploded in midair, completely blocking the assassin entangled with Grace from finding an escape route. Faced with Komer’s obstruction, Grace’s sword immediately showed its power, piercing lightly into the opponent’s chest. Komer could even see huge blood bubbles bursting as the opponent’s lungs pushed out blood droplets as the sword was pulled out.