Chapter 7: Decisive Victory
Newman watched nervously as the situation on the battlefield changed. The three Tier-1 Knights had turned the tide from an initial disadvantage. Their long-term cooperation made it easy for them to work together. In particular, Trajan managed to shake off the Metal Puppet’s ambushes and boldly took on the simultaneous challenges from Shatima and Vladkov. The other two Tier-1 Knights shifted from defense to offense, using Trajan’s ability to neutralize their opponents’ main attacking forces to launch counterattacks against Vladkov and Shatima. Without Shatima and Vladkov’s cover, the Metal Puppet’s ambush capabilities were greatly reduced, forcing it to face direct attacks from the two Tier-1 Knights on many occasions.
Newman had received a message from Komer via magic despite his busy schedule. The situation could only be resolved by focusing on the three Tier-1 Knights—breaking through this line was key to breaking the deadlock. The star magic array he had assembled was also ideal for attacking in such a confined area.
The entire warrior group fought fiercely around Trajan as the core of their attacks and defenses. Vladkov had pushed his dark combat energy to its limit, frequently using dark magic in conjunction with his Knight Lance attacks to launch surprise assaults. Shatima, relying on her innate dragon power, tried to withstand Trajan’s attacks head-on. Yet Trajan was too strong. His Knight Lance formed a solid defensive barrier, absorbing all of their attacks, including those from the Metal Puppet. Though it seemed strenuous, he managed to do it.
Without such pressure, the other two Tier-1 Knights could freely unleash their deadly attacks. Especially when they combined forces against a single target, their strikes were always precise. Shatima’s magic-resistant iron armor was damaged in several places, and her outer garments were covered in blood. Vladkov’s condition was even worse—deep red wounds on his forehead oozed blood constantly, and he had suffered severe internal injuries from an opponent’s Light Piercing Cone attack. If not for the Metal Puppet’s timely support, Vladkov might have collapsed. The Metal Puppet wasn’t faring much better either. Two direct collisions with the Knight Lance left deep scars on its once flawless surface. Although these didn’t directly affect its combat effectiveness, the intense vibrations still made the intelligent puppet realize the severity of its opponents.
Newman observed quietly, searching for the right moment. Comer advised him to find the most suitable opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the three Tier-1 Knights, completely destroying their combat strength—only then could Vladkov and Shatima free themselves to assist in the battlefield still locked in fierce combat. The two Tier-1 Knights were extremely agile, but to maximize their offensive power, they often relied on Trajan’s defensive circle to launch attacks. Newman aimed to identify a pattern within this to land that fatal strike.
Another brilliant Double Swallow-style combined attack—Shatima couldn’t help but scream in pain as Trajan firmly blocked her dragon spear attacks, while the attacks from the metal golem missed their mark. Vladkov’s rescue came a bit too late; the knight’s spear pierced through her shoulder, tearing away pieces of her iron plate armor and spraying blood.
Combined attack?! Newman’s eyes turned slightly red. These guys had succeeded repeatedly by using this tactic. At the moment of the attack, all three figures overlapped—though only for an extremely brief instant, it was worth taking the risk.
He gave a discreet signal to Flamenco and Solka behind him. The two dark mages, already unable to contain themselves due to the frenzied atmosphere on the battlefield, immediately activated their dark magic to help Newman control the starry magic array, which was ready to fire.
It was an offensive magic matrix that utilized the immense destructive power of the stars to cause spatial fission across the entire attack area. It was somewhat similar to the situation when Comer was sucked into a spatial rift by Lorenzo and Nuoyao La—except that Comer was passively drawn in, and the rift wasn’t intentionally created. This time, Newman intended to use the massive power of the starry magic array to concentrate it in a tiny space, forcing spatial fission and crushing objects or sucking them into spatial gaps.
The dark power of the stars gradually gathered as Newman activated the starry magic array. The powerful stellar energy converged and rolled across the sky, even making it slightly gloomy. Faint hexagonal patterns of dark light appeared and disappeared behind the haze—a precursor to the formation of the magic array. To unleash its full power and capture everything at once, the perfect moment still had to be waited for.
Having used up three magic scrolls, Newman had no choice but to pour the star mercury hidden in his chest into the last magic scroll. Only in this way could he unleash the full power of the starry magic array. Flamenco and Solka also realized it was a critical moment and focused intensely on channeling their dark magic to help Newman overcome the difficulty. If things got out of control at this stage, the direction would be misaligned; a slight mistake wouldn’t just fail to harm the enemy but could also pull their own allies into the spatial rift—a fatal blow!
Once again, Vladkov and Shatima’s attacks were deflected by Trajan. The intense rebound force of his combat energy caused Vladkov and Shatima to feel severe impacts on their meridians, forcing them to retreat while gritting their teeth. The metal puppet’s surprise attack was easily blocked by Trajan with his knight’s spear. When it came to head-on one-on-one fights, none of them could match Trajan, let alone the metal puppet.
Opportunity knocks but once!
As soon as the knight of the highest rank wielding a knight’s sword gave a subtle signal to the chubby knight armed with an axe spear, Newman’s heart skipped a beat—they were going to use their combined attack technique again! His chest tightened suddenly, and his entire body’s magic surged forth as the star mercury was slowly poured into the magic scroll. The magic scroll, empowered by the star mercury, finally expanded, and the starry magic array was activated.
A faint hexagonal star pattern emitted a strange glow, converging precisely in midair before releasing it. At the same time, the two knights of the highest rank performed an exquisitely intricate aerial maneuver, combining their forces through the collision of their knight’s spear and axe spear to launch even more fierce attacks. But what they didn’t expect was that this very convergence above Trajan’s body provided Newman with the perfect opportunity to activate the starry magic array.
Like a double funnel, the hexagonal star pattern of the starry magic array plunged downward, converging into a single point before releasing again. A funnel-shaped beam of light spread out, instantly enveloping the two knights exchanging positions in midair as well as Trajan below.
An extraordinarily powerful glow of star magic erupted at that moment, like a burst of brilliant stars. A silver-white mist tightly surrounded the three Knight of the Heavens positioned on the same vertical line. The fierce force of the attack knocked down two of them instantly, causing them to writhen in pain on the ground. Blood streamed from their mouths, eyes, and nostrils, turning their distorted faces into something grotesque and terrifying.
Trajan, clearly more cunning, quickly retracted his combat energy shield the moment he sensed the abnormal changes in the surrounding force field, shielding his body firmly. Yet he also underestimated the power of star magic. The violent impact crushed one-third of his shield, forcing him to kneel and raise his knight’s spear to resist the sudden force. This seemingly difficult maneuver suddenly reminded Komer of a famous sculpture by a renowned artist—a strongman displaying his muscular physique.
The sudden attack on the three Knight of the Heavens disrupted the Light Faction’s formation. Even though Michelangelo knew that distraction at this moment could lead to severe consequences, he still had to launch a mental assault to break free from Komer’s interference and rescue the three knights in dire straits as quickly as possible.
A sinister smile appeared on Komer’s lips. This Mr. Michelangelo was indeed extremely skilled, but such self-sacrificing behavior would only harm himself. He believed it would be very difficult to defeat him in mental magic, and even if he won, he would likely suffer significant losses in his own mental energy. That’s why he had adopted a strategy of confrontation to delay the opponent and find the best opportunity. And Newman and the others hadn’t disappointed him.
Under Michelangelo’s fierce mental assault, Komer retreated, making it seem entirely natural. Though Michelangelo was somewhat puzzled—his opponent didn’t seem like someone who would give up so easily—his own attack was fierce, yet the opponent shouldn’t have appeared so weak, unless they truly feared injury. But Michelangelo no longer had much time to think. He needed to save Trajan and the others immediately, or he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
Bloodstains also began to appear at Trajan’s eyes and nostrils. His once calm demeanor had vanished entirely; his lips were tightly pressed together, and his face turned ashen under the immense pressure, completely losing his usual elegance. His magnificent knight’s armor was tattered like a fishing net, and his sword, tightly gripped, swayed unsteadily like a small boat in a storm under the overwhelming power of the starry magic. Only his sharp eyes remained steady and bright, showing that this top-ranked knight leader of the Light Church had not lost his fighting spirit.
As for those two high-ranking knights, they had completely lost consciousness, lying motionless on the ground. The powerful strike from above left them defenseless and instantly incapacitated, while the continuous mental pressure drove them into a coma.
As Michelangelo effortlessly dodged Comer’s pursuit, he quickly called for the other three companions who were still engaged in a fierce battle with Giovanni. In an instant, the four of them formed a remarkable formation. Both Comer and Giovanni realized immediately that the other side was also about to activate a magic array.
It was clear that Michelangelo and his team had undergone many rounds of coordinated training. Giovanni’s dark attacks had little effect in blocking them. As soon as the four of them took up their positions, a massive light magic array was activated immediately. They clearly hoped to use this light array to counter the power of the starry magic array and save those three high-ranking knights. But would Comer allow them to succeed?
The sinister smile on Comer’s lips finally turned into one of satisfaction. Everything was under control. “Michelangelo, you really think you’re omnipotent? That you can come and go as you please? Nothing in this world is that easy!”
He bit the tip of his lip sharply, spewing streams of blood. In a self-destructive act, Comer unleashed his most powerful mental magic, using psychic tracking techniques to target the thread that held Michelangelo’s mind, and launched the fiercest and most violent dark invasion of his life.
When the light from the light magic array collided with the mist from the starry magic array, the entire square seemed to shake. A large area of the floor turned into dust in an instant, and a crack appeared in the beam of light from the starry magic array. Even the prison tower’s seals showed fissures. Strong winds swept through the space—magical winds from another realm. It was hard to say what kind of changes they would cause to anyone caught in their path.
And this was precisely a rare opportunity. Komer waved his hand sharply, and Vladkov and Shatima immediately moved away from the area where the two magic arrays would collide—this was the most dangerous zone, as even a slight carelessness could lead to being sucked into another dimension. Komer no longer had time to worry about the ultimate fate of Michelangelo and Trajan. He believed that his Dark Infiltration would strike at the weakest moment, right after Michelangelo suddenly activated his light magic array. Once Dark Infiltration entered the cracks in his mind, it would stay with him for life. As for those three celestial knights, well, even if Trajan managed to escape, his severe injuries would likely keep him bedridden for a year or half. The combined power of the Starry Magic Array was something even a true holy knight might not be able to withstand. It had cost him four magic scrolls plus a bottle of star mercury, which was practically priceless. If not for the fact that this kind of array was too dependent on timing, Komer would have considered using it as a protective talisman. A beautiful dark cross-shaped glow appeared in front of the prison tower’s door. The seal there had already begun to crack and could no longer withstand the impact of this extreme dark forbidden spell, causing it to collapse in a thunderous crash. Komer stood proudly in front of the still dazed Rebus.