Chapter 009: There’s a Reward!

Bruce’s displayed strength was truly astonishing. Though his words were arrogant, no one would accuse him of overclaiming under such circumstances.
Tasia supported Nicholas, whispering, “How are you?”
Nicholas was pale, on the verge of passing out from blood loss, yet he still nodded firmly, struggling to stand. He glared at Bruce and said, “Lord Bruce, your skills are truly remarkable… It seems the title of a ninth-level powerhouse, the closest to the Saint rank, isn’t just an exaggeration.”
Bruce smiled calmly, not at all like someone trapped in a siege—rather, it seemed as though he were the one surrounding those three. With a faint smile, he said, “Lord Nicholas, if the three of you attack together, you might just be able to take me on. But since you’re being too arrogant and now severely injured, it’s absolutely impossible for those two women to deal with me. So, what do you plan to do next? Run away quickly, or continue?”
Nicholas took a deep breath and said, “Under normal circumstances, we should leave right away. Unfortunately, before coming here, Du Fan gave strict orders—no matter if all three of us die, we must bring back a hostage. So, Lord Bruce, we have no choice but to offend you!”
Bruce frowned and snorted, “At present, the relationship between Roland Academy and the Holy Church is still good. I don’t want to create any conflicts over such a trivial matter. Although I dislike killing, it doesn’t mean I won’t do it. With your skills as Saint Nicholas, if you practice diligently for a few years, you might even break through to the Saint rank and become a top expert. But if you die here today, you’ll lose everything… Is that Du Fan really worth sacrificing yourself for, Lord Nicholas…”
Nicholas shook his head firmly. “It’s not worth it, not at all. But I only know one thing: if I want to seek justice for Alfred, my only option is to work with him… So, Lord Bruce, go ahead. We won’t hold back either.”
With that, a beam of holy light flashed across Nicholas’s palm. He slapped it hard on his injured arm, stopping the bleeding. Then, he staggered to stand upright. Yet that move had left him severely injured—after standing for just a few seconds, he coughed and spat out several mouthfuls of blood.

Bruce shook his head repeatedly and said, “What a pity! What a pity! In that case, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to see you off on your journey!” With that, Bruce grabbed the long sword hanging at his waist and gently removed it from its sheath. A flash of combat energy illuminated him, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Ringo. Ringo’s expression changed as she tried to react, but Bruce sneered and said, “No, no! Too slow! Didn’t your teacher tell you that if a shaman priest gets too close to a warrior, they have no chance of surviving?” As soon as he finished speaking, the sword sheath in his hand swung toward Ringo’s back. Though Ringo was skilled, she had no chance to dodge against such an unparalleled expert like Bruce. She felt a sharp pain in her back, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Bruce smiled and said, “Good. That’s the first one. So, that means two are left?” Nicholas could only smile bitterly at these words. Tasia stepped forward and said coldly, “Do you think I, Tasia, am that easy to deal with?” As she spoke, she turned her right hand, recited a rapid magic spell, and with a slight wave of her hand, a wave of cold air surged toward Bruce like water. Bruce showed slight surprise and said, “You can cast an eighth-level spell so quickly? It seems Miss Tasia really does have some skills! But it’s useless! None of this works on me!” With that, Bruce stepped back a few steps. Then, he lifted his sword, and a blue flame emerged from the sheath. As he moved, the flame grew larger and larger, eventually becoming as big as a giant tulip! Bruce held up this blue tulip and sighed lightly, saying, “Well then, Miss Tasia, let me see you off on your journey!” The blue tulip exploded violently, and the blue powder rushed forward like a storm to counter the incoming cold air. With a series of “screeching” sounds, Tasia’s cold air was completely dissipated. At that moment, the entire world lost all its colors, leaving only black and white swirling in the air.

Tasia, who was casting magic, suddenly saw darkness before her eyes. Though she tried to hold on, she couldn’t resist and collapsed to the ground, losing all her strength. It was only then that the world regained its normal colors. Everything returned to as it was, but the level-8 mage lay unconscious on the ground. Bruce’s voice became even more peculiar as he smiled faintly and said, “This is the second one. Is that all that’s left? Lord Nicholas?”
“I won’t kill these two women, because I’ve never had any interest in killing women. Besides, they’re both rare beauties. It would be a shame to kill them like this,” Bruce said coldly. “But you’re different, Lord Nicholas. Since you told me not to hold back, then I certainly won’t!”
With a slight lift of his sword hilt, Bruce sent Nicholas flying into the air before he could even react. When he fell back down, he let out a scream as thin streams of blood flowed from his body. Bruce shook his head and said, “I really don’t understand why Du Fan sent you here. If it’s just to die, then this is quite an ambitious plan!”
Nicholas forced a bitter smile but couldn’t speak. Even if he could, he wouldn’t know what to say. Who would have thought that two level-8 grand mages would have no chance of fighting back against Bruce?
Seeing Nicholas’s expression, Bruce sneered. He grasped the hilt of his sword and pulled it lightly, causing the gleaming blade to slowly appear before everyone’s eyes. His gaze was filled with strangeness as he looked at his sword and murmured, “This sword is named Blood Drinker. Whenever it leaves its sheath, blood must be shed. I imagine it must be extremely anxious these days. Who would have thought it would drink the blood of a divine mage this time?”
As the sword was half drawn, there was a clang, and for some reason, it returned to its sheath. Bruce’s expression changed, and he shouted, “Who’s there?”
A lazy yet tempting voice came from afar, “Bruce, it’s better if you don’t draw your sword. If you dare, I guarantee that next time your Blood Drinker drinks, it will be your own blood!”
As soon as those words were spoken, the giant door of the bell tower suddenly collapsed silently. When it hit the ground, it turned into a cloud of dust, as if it had never existed at all.

A tall figure slowly walked in from outside the door. She was wearing a very ordinary robe, with her long hair cascading down her back, while she casually fiddled with a small flower picked from the roadside. The simple robe couldn’t hide her alluring curves, and beneath her loosely tied hair lay a stunning face. Although Ringtone and Tasia were also considered beautiful, in front of her, they suddenly seemed like ugly ducklings compared to swans. The woman seemed to be smiling as she casually tossed the flower aside, glanced at the ground, and then sighed softly, saying, “Oh dear… I was only a little late, and you already lost so miserably? It seems Du Fan wasn’t wrong after all… This Lady Bruce is definitely not someone easy to deal with!” With that, her gaze fell on Bruce’s face as she said lightly, “Don’t you think?” Bruce was stunned, but as an extremely powerful warrior with a strong will, he wasn’t about to be defeated by the beauty before him. Yet even so, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, “My God of Light, how can there be such a woman in the world?” The person who came was naturally Chenchen. Seeing that Bruce still remained silent, she couldn’t help but sigh and say, “What’s the matter, Lady Bruce? Weren’t you quite arrogant just now? Why are you silent now?” These words instantly snapped Bruce out of his daze. He took a deep breath, yet he couldn’t help but wonder—this woman wasn’t only stunningly beautiful but also seemed to lack any trace of power, as if she were just an ordinary person standing before him. But how could an ordinary person remain so calm under the pressure of a ninth-level powerhouse like him? Full of confusion, Bruce still said coldly, “Who are you again!?” Chenchen giggled, covered her mouth, and said softly, “Lady Bruce, why don’t you try to guess who I am? If you get it right, I have a reward for you!”