Chapter 5: Total War

With a slight surprise, Komer glanced at Conti. He hadn’t expected this guy to also take an interest in this opponent. Even Michelangelo’s toughness was evident, so if Mr. Conti was interested in him, it must be for some reason. Yet Komer didn’t think Conti could handle this man—mental mages were even more difficult to deal with than ordinary mages, as they targeted one’s mind. Just because one had deep and refined magical power didn’t mean they could overcome a mental mage. The best way to deal with such mages was still with mental magic; only experts could truly handle this type of specialized mage.
“Mr. Conti, I’m sorry. I took an interest in Mr. Michelangelo first, so I’m disappointed to let you down. But I suggest you choose one of the other three mages as your opponent—they’re no worse than Mr. Michelangelo. As for Mr. Schiller, being the interim head of the Inquisition, I’m sure you two will have a lot in common.” Komer expressed his intentions tactfully, avoiding hurting the other party’s pride while allowing them to accept his arrangement gladly.
With a hint of regret, Conti finally turned his gaze away from Michelangelo. “Since the Dark Lord has taken a liking to him, it’s his honor. I’ll have to settle for second best. I hope I can be carried away like Sorenberg this time, rather than winning easily in a meaningless way—that’s not what I want to see.”
At that moment, Vladkov’s black iron spear was already engaged in battle with the second-ranked Heavenly Knight. The performance of the metal golem scared the three Heavenly Knights. Being targeted by such a creature in battle was truly terrifying. Especially if this guy appeared as an assassin, his power would multiply even further. Meanwhile, Shatima was already shouting furiously, locked in another struggle with the chubby knight. With howling winds and swirling energy, the four long spears intertwined, creating towering waves.

A series of head-on battles caught everyone’s attention. With the support of the metal puppet, especially its unpredictable ambush tactics, the three magicians felt a great threat. Just because Trajan could dodge the puppet’s full-force attacks thanks to his extraordinary reflexes didn’t mean the other two high-ranking knights could avoid its sneaky strikes when facing the relentless attacks of a Dark Knight and a Dragon Warrior. Those shovel-shaped spikes were like hidden weapons in the darkness, ready to erupt at any moment, forcing the two knights to divert their focus from dealing with Vladkov and Shatima’s attacks.

Trajan was truly angered. Even though the Ice Battle Aura from the Dark Knight Sorenberg had injured him, he had remained calm. But this asymmetric combat style made him feel mocked. The metal puppet was clearly controlled by that puppet mage, deliberately avoiding direct confrontation and instead launching ambushes on his two allies. Just two attacks had already put his allies in a difficult position. The situation, which had once been overwhelmingly in their favor, had suddenly been turned around by this metal puppet—something utterly unbearable.

Trajan admitted that this metal puppet was one of the most remarkable things he had ever encountered, but he didn’t think it could dictate the course of the entire battle. It was just a puppet. No matter how sophisticated, sharp, or even intelligent it was, its intelligence could only rely on imitation, not innovation or adaptability. If he couldn’t even handle such a thing, he certainly didn’t deserve to be called a high-ranking knight.

The Knight’s Spear created a whirlwind, chasing after the flexible metal puppet like a meteor chasing the moon. The puppet seemed to sense the approaching crisis as well, constantly changing its posture and moving between the two combat teams while still recklessly launching ambushes.

Neuman observed the high-ranking knight’s actions carefully. The fury in his eyes revealed his eagerness to eliminate the metal puppet. The light at the tip of the Knight’s Spear had surged to over four feet in length, emitting a buzzing sound as it flickered—this was the result of Light Battle Aura being pushed to its extreme. In such a situation, any object that came too close to those electric sparks would be destroyed instantly.

With the help of the two other dark mages, Flamenco and Solka, Newman now possessed sufficient magical power within his body. He had repeated the incantation in his mind several times, waiting only for the final words to be spoken. Yet the time was not right yet. Komer had warned him not to underestimate these celestial knights—either strike them down instantly or endure temporarily and wait for a better opportunity. This small magic circle was Newman’s only asset, but the immense magical power required was difficult to sustain even with magic scrolls. Fortunately, he now had many new companions—these dark mages had a strong foundation in magic. With their help, anything became possible.

“Lord Michelangelo, seeing them fight so joyfully, don’t you feel a bit eager to join in?” Komer finally stepped forward, smiling and challenging him, “How about I accompany you? I’ve long been looking forward to testing your mental magic.”

“Hehe, Lord Komer, I’ve long heard of your fame. Since you’re so eager, how could I refuse? It’s better to obey than to refuse. I’m equally eager for this battle. I hope Lord Komer won’t disappoint me.” Michelangelo also laughed heartily, calmly accepting Komer’s challenge.

“Good, very decisive. Then let’s begin.” Komer nodded, his eyes fixed on his opponent in an instant. A series of incantations and gestures were quickly unleashed.

Everyone in the space seemed to feel a sudden oppressive atmosphere filling the air. It seemed as though the entire sky darkened and froze. In everyone’s eyes, Komer’s body suddenly transformed into a nine-headed demon king, spewing flames from all over his body. Countless thick arms emitted lightning. Whether it was the pairs of knights fighting or the other members still on guard, everyone was filled with terror at Komer’s sudden transformation—it was an unimaginable change!

However, in Michelangelo’s eyes, though Komer’s mental intimidation technique was clever, it wasn’t enough to have a significant impact on him. As a mental mage, his mental strength had long reached a state of utter calm. From the fear on his companions’ faces, Michelangelo could tell that Komer’s mental magic had a great effect on others, especially his own side. Some mages and apprentices behind Schiller were clearly terrified and began to dance nervously, activating their defensive magic.

Once again, intricate gestures were paired with spells, but this time Michelangelo’s incantations suddenly became clear and melodious, spreading slowly as if like boiling water melting snow. The mental magic that Komer had just unleashed vanished in an instant under Michelangelo’s counter-spell.
“Hehe, Lord Michelangelo, you’re truly impressive. It’s quite interesting. It seems I really can’t pull off anything without adding a bit more flair. Note that this time it’s not just plain mental magic—we can now begin a real contest.” By the time Komer said these last words, his tone had turned extremely vicious and ferocious.
A series of dark bindings transformed into countless faint black ripples that surged toward Michelangelo. At the same time, as Komer’s black crystal staff snapped sharply, the ultimate dark spell, “Devil’s Soul Devourer,” was created. With drops of blood from bitten fingers offered as sacrifices, this dark spell was no longer just “Devil’s Soul Devourer” alone; the modified version combined it with the curse powers of orcish witchcraft.
This was the first time Komer had combined the witchcraft he was experimenting with into his magic. There weren’t many records of orcish witchcraft in the books and memories left by Kenifer III, and blood sacrifice was one of them. It could greatly enhance the power of the spell being cast and also add erosion abilities such as infiltration. However, this auxiliary blood sacrifice was mostly recorded for use in witchcraft spells, and it was Komer’s first time using it in magic—even in experiments. If he hadn’t seen Michelangelo effortlessly counter his mental magic, he wouldn’t have taken this risk.
As soon as Komer took action, Conti could no longer hold back. Challenging experts to improve himself had been his primary goal upon coming to the north. The strongest person here had already been taken care of by the Dark Lord, and even Conti had been affected by the Dark Lord’s mental magic earlier. Yet Michelangelo could counter it with ease, making Conti realize the huge gap between him and Michelangelo. Since he had no chance to challenge Michelangelo, Schiller was the best opponent.
Conti moved lightly forward, unleashing a series of gestures accompanied by spells, which instantly created dense black clouds and mist. Terrifying howls echoed from within the clouds, piercing the eardrums—haunting and ethereal, reverberating through space like an echo chamber.

“O God of the Dead, please grant strength to your most loyal disciple; he needs your help to defeat all who dare desecrate you. O paths to hell, please send forth my revered messengers of the God of the Dead, so that they may witness the return of the great darkness!”