Chapter 006: Master Ampere

A shrill screech rang out, prolonged and agonizing, as if countless needles were piercing one’s eardrums. The steeds of Du Fan and Prince Fischer stiffened at the sound and immediately stopped uncontrollably. Du Fan and Prince Fischer tumbled off their horses. Fortunately, Du Fan had been prepared—he released his combat energy to surround them, so although they ended up tangled together, they weren’t seriously injured. As for the horse, Du Fan glanced back and saw blood flowing from its nostrils; clearly, the screech had killed it on the spot.

Du Fan helped Prince Fischer to their feet, both of them disheveled. They looked around. Ahead, less than ten meters away, a magician clad in a black robe floated silently in midair. His face and figure were hidden so well that it was impossible to tell what he looked like. Yet the magic and murderous intent radiating from him were unmistakable. The moment Du Fan’s gaze met his, he felt that murderous aura spread through him like a bucket of cold water dumped on his head.

This magician floating in the air must be the one who had been acting in the shadows all along, the one who had mocked him and Prince Fischer earlier. Now, he floated there silently, giving Du Fan a deliberate glance before speaking in a deep voice, “Judging by his attire, he must be the famous Du Fan these days… I heard even Aldas and Bruce fell at your hands. I thought he was some kind of great figure, but after seeing him today, he seems no different…”

His voice was unbearably cold and strange, like two ice cubes rubbing against each other, causing extreme discomfort. Without waiting for Du Fan to respond, he glanced at Prince Fischer again and said, “Honorable Prince Fischer, you surely aren’t planning to wait for this young Master Du Fan to save your life… Though Master Du Fan has a great reputation, if it comes to actual combat, he probably isn’t that impressive. Relying all your hopes on him might not be a good idea.”

Prince Fischer calmed down at this moment. He brushed the dust off his clothes, adjusted his attire, and gave Du Fan a subtle look to urge him to stay calm before turning to the mage floating in mid-air and saying indifferently, “Esteemed mage… Do you truly believe that you alone can keep me here?”
“If it were in the past, perhaps not,” the mage replied calmly, his voice devoid of emotion, as if discussing something utterly ordinary. “If there were a court mage by your side, then I admit I might be able to injure you, but it would be very difficult to take your life… But Prince Fischer, please do not forget… Right now, you only have this young master Du Fan by your side. Leaving aside whether he’s willing to risk his life for you, even if he is, how long can he hold out? Your court mage will take at least half an hour to arrive here. Do you think this young master Du Fan can last half an hour?”
At that point, the mage glanced at Du Fan and suddenly sneered, saying, “Choose, young master Du Fan… I have no grudges against you, so I don’t want to take your life. If you choose to leave now, I swear on my honor that you won’t suffer the slightest harm. But if you stay, I also swear on my honor that I won’t kill you. Instead, I’ll slowly drain your mental energy from your body. It’s my favorite game… So, choose—leave alive or stay and wait for death?”
Du Fan snorted but remained silent. Though the mage said this, Du Fan wasn’t a three-year-old child; of course, he wouldn’t believe him. If he left now, he’d likely end up separated from his body… After all, these people dared to kill a prince—would they not dare touch a third son from a noble family? It was absurd.
The only option now was to hold on together with Prince Fischer until the court mage arrived. He still had plenty of magic scrolls in his storage ring, along with some hidden cards. If a fight broke out, he wasn’t afraid of this great mage…
Thinking this, Du Fan snorted again and looked at the mage with a cold smile, saying, “A coward hiding behind pretenses—what honor does that even entail?”
The mage was stunned and snapped, “How dare you!”
No sooner had he spoken than he raised his hand, sending a wave of cold energy toward Du Fan.

But Du Fan didn’t even make a sound; with a wave of his hand, he threw a magic scroll, and instantly a fire dragon flew out to confront the cold energy, causing the two spells to explode in midair!
The magician seemed unprepared for Du Fan to have such a trick. With an “eh?” he said, “Well done, Du Fan. You actually have such a valuable thing. I thought you had lost so many magic scrolls—how come you still have some left? It seems Edward really values you… giving you so many things!”
When mentioning Edward, the magician spoke with a hint of gritted teeth. Du Fan thought for a moment and decided not to argue.
Prince Fischer, on the other hand, heard the magician’s words and his expression changed. After a moment, he calmly said, “Master Ampere, I never expected that after all these years, you’d become so secretive. Has spending time with my brother made you so timid? As a great master like you, dealing with us two youngsters and still resorting to such secrecy—don’t you find it funny? Back in the day, you hated those who hid their true identities the most…”
The magician floating in midair seemed stunned for a moment before calmly asking, “How did you figure out my identity?”
Prince Fischer smiled and said, “I already knew Master Ampere had been recruited by my brother. My brother also has several magicians under him, so I thought someone else would act tonight. I never expected it to be you personally… It seems my brother can’t wait to get my head!”
The magician, called Master Ampere, sized up Prince Fischer and said, “Prince Fischer, you’re still as clever as ever… I thought I could hide it, but it seems I failed. But since you’ve figured out my identity… then I’m sorry, Prince Fischer. Today, I won’t let you leave alive under any circumstances.”
Prince Fischer smiled faintly and said, “So you were planning to let me leave alive before?”
Master Ampere didn’t answer. He simply waved his hand, lifted his robe, revealing a man who appeared to be in his fifties, with completely gray hair. Yet his face was extremely strange, as if divided down the middle by his nose—half looking like a baby, while the other half already resembled an old man…

His bone-thin arms held a magnificent magic wand, its glow flickering constantly, as if countless colors were flashing across it… Du Fan took just one look at the wand and his heart skipped a beat. Although the magical aura surrounding it wasn’t strong, it carried a hint of mystery, seeming ready to unleash magic at any moment. Compared to the aura of this wand, Du Fan’s fairly decent Phantom Wand seemed like trash!
Comparing people by standards is truly infuriating!
The wand in this master planner’s hands was most likely already a sacred artifact, or even at the level of a divine artifact. Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh bitterly. Fighting against a great mage wielding a divine artifact meant his good luck had run out!
Before Du Fan could say anything, Prince Fischer glanced at the wand and showed a hint of surprise, exclaiming, “So my elder brother gave you the Sacred Seal Wand… No wonder Master Ampere is willing to die for him!”
Ampere snorted and said, “Just a wand makes you willing to die? Prince Fischer, you really underestimate me…”
Prince Fischer smiled and said, “If Master Ampere says so, then my elder brother must have given you more than just that… But Master Ampere… do you really think you can kill me alone?”
Ampere grinned viciously and said, “Prince Fischer, you haven’t forgotten my nickname, have you? Asking such a childish question… If you had surrendered when you realized it was me blocking your path, I might have left you alive… But now, it’s too late…”
As he spoke, Master Ampere waved his wand slightly, and immediately a howling north wind arose, with snowflakes falling from the sky…
Damn it! It’s the South Country now! It’s spring!