Volume 12: Flaming Magic at Its Peak
Chapter 1: Crisis Abound
The magnificent Mosnas Tomb Complex had turned into a sea of people. Various magic item and material sellers set up stalls around the complex to promote their wares. As the capital of magic, this place was always a favorite among all magic practitioners, and even tourists could pick out a few magical decorations as gifts for their loved ones.
The bustling crowd gathered in front of each tomb to watch the competitions they were interested in. A three-meter-wide barrier was set up around the square-shaped tombs, with magic scrolls hung on tall poles at each corner to create a protective magical barrier. This prevented the competitors from losing control of their magic and harming the audience below.
Although the arbitrators had repeatedly warned the competitors not to release too much magic before the matches—using their experience and intuition to predict the skill and magic level differences between them and determine the winner—this was only forecasting. Every competitor wanted to show their best performance, so the Mage Guild had to prepare numerous protective magic scrolls in advance and place them three meters around each tomb. If the magic fluctuations exceeded a certain level, the scrolls’ protective barriers would activate to shield the audience.
On this day, the entire Mosnas Tomb Complex became a stage of celebration. The people of Prague, as well as magic enthusiasts and tourists from all over the continent, flocked here. The complex, capable of holding tens of thousands of people, was still packed to the brim, with the excitement far exceeding the expectations of the kingdom and the Mage Guild.
Watching the group emerge from the Sofara Inn, two middle-aged men hiding in the shadows at a distance waited until their backs disappeared into the crowd on the street before quietly stepping out.
“What do we do? Prague is under strict surveillance now. The Bohemian Court Knights are patrolling the streets, and the Mosnas Tomb Complex is a priority area, with their court mages stationed there. I’m worried that acting there might backfire,” said one of the men, his face tightly covered by a white headscarf, in a deep voice.
“Of course not there. The Bohemian court mages are no joke—each of them is extremely powerful. Once they get involved, there’s no way you’ll be able to escape. If we’re to act, it has to be either on the road from this inn to the Mausoleum District or we have to wait until they leave Prague in a few days.” Another man clad in a black robe, covering his entire body, appeared hunched, yet his words carried a sinister chill.
“Leave Prague? Who knows when they’ll leave? Besides, it seems they’re still recruiting more people. Those two newcomers are probably the ones they’ve recruited these past few days, adding two more problems. We need to act now—no more delay,” the man with the white headscarf decided firmly.
“Hmm, you’re right. Those guys must have found these two helpers somewhere. It seems they anticipated we’d try to find them, so they’re desperately recruiting more allies. I’ve always felt something’s off about these two newcomers—so young, a man acting sneaky, and the woman never speaking to anyone, like a mute,” the man in black said thoughtfully. “It’s better if we’re careful. Let them bring more people; the two of us can hold them off at both ends and try to strike at once. It’s also easier for us to act if they’re traveling together.”
“Then when do you plan to act?” the man with the white headscarf asked.
“Let’s set it for their return in the afternoon. We can go choose an ambush location now,” the man in black replied softly.
The cheerful group continued discussing today’s competitions in the Mausoleum District. Although it was only the first day and the real strong contenders hadn’t shown up yet, the endless array of magic displays was still astonishing. Even Komer and Lomei praised them highly. The magic competitions were divided into several categories: elemental magic, mental magic, star magic, light magic, healing magic, and other types of magic. The individual magic shows were mainly for entertainment, while the comprehensive competitions took place around the central mausoleum and the other mausoleums—these were the focus of the event, where thorough contests would determine the ultimate winner.
None of them, including Komer, realized that the enemy’s attack would come so fiercely and swiftly. When Komer’s keen senses detected a distortion in the spatial forces around them, he knew his group had stepped into an attack magic array set up by the enemy. Countless shifting illusions flew through the air, taking on various forms as they lunged at them. This was “Void Illusion,” a light magic technique that disrupted the vision of the targets to cover up the actual attacks.
Almost immediately, Komer recited a spell to enhance the defensive abilities of all his companions. However, this general protective effect was quite limited. The enemy chose this moment to launch an illusion attack clearly to conceal a physical assault—a tactic that mages feared the most. Komer could even sense the murderous intent emanating from the assassins behind those illusions.
At this moment, Lome also demonstrated her adaptability skillfully. A series of small light holy shields spread out around the group. Although it was impossible to determine exactly where the enemy’s attacks would come from, these fragmented shields could still disrupt and hinder the enemy’s attack efficiency.
Bayezid watched with a cruel smile as assassins leaped out from the illusions before him. With two mage companions backing him up, his confidence soared. His massive axe, swirling with fierce wind, faced down the approaching swords without fear. He swung wildly at the enemy, forcing them to change shape mid-air to avoid this life-or-death strike. The blue blade suddenly emitted a dark, star-like glow with strange trailing shadows, shooting swiftly toward the enemy’s figure. The assassin, who thought he had escaped, never expected such a blue projectile to emerge from the dwarf warrior’s axe. It penetrated his body unimpeded—the tight leather armor couldn’t stop this seemingly spiritual dark light. His agile body suddenly stiffened in mid-air before plummeting straight down like a frozen glass object. As he fell, the assassin’s body shattered into pieces, scattering everywhere. It was hard to believe this was the same vibrant assassin just moments ago.
In a flash, Komer stepped in front of the two assassin priestess attackers. The dark tips of their stabbing swords emitted a eerie glow, and a layer of white mist indicated that both assassins had reached a high level in martial arts. Surprised by their strength, Komer didn’t hesitate. With a few taps of his fingers, two massive wooden shields appeared before him. The swords plunged into the shields, generating such intense friction that it produced a shrill noise.
At this moment, Komer once again demonstrated his powerful wood magic. Two vines appeared out of thin air, resembling agile pythons, and swiftly shot upward toward the two figures in the air. Caught off guard, the assassins hadn’t expected a mage to be among their targets. The thick vines immediately wrapped around them and dragged them to the ground. Komer showed no mercy. With quick taps of his fingers, countless sparks collided in the air, forming a dense web of fire that enveloped the struggling assassins. The scorching flames were even felt by the priestess hiding behind Komer.
The two assassins also displayed their extraordinary skills at this point. A crimson aura of combat energy surged from them, causing the thick vines to snap apart instantly. The dark corrosive sap that erupted failed to penetrate their bodies, shattered by the combat energy. Their agile figures darted through the air, their stabbing swords clashing together with a metallic sound, sparks flying as two lightning-like beams were sent toward Komer.
Komer realized he had underestimated these two assassins. They were already at a high level in martial arts, even masters of magic, far from being ordinary assassins as he had initially thought. The unimpeded surge of combat energy pierced through the protective shield Luo Mei had created for him. It seemed these two intended to cut him and the priestess behind him in two.
He suddenly stepped back, and a scream from behind him was cut off abruptly. Komer could clearly feel the comfort brought by the pressure of those two soft masses against his back. It was Eve who had screamed—unexpectedly, this seemingly pure and graceful girl had incredibly full breasts, hardly any less voluminous than Grace’s almost bursting breasts. That thought flashed through Komer’s mind in an instant as two sword-like beams of energy, as solid as reality, rushed toward him at lightning speed. If he wasn’t careful, the girl-priest with such a strange identity behind him would end up as a bloody mess. Two giant skeletons appeared out of nowhere in front of the slashing lightsabers, their massive scythes stirring up swirling darkness. A fierce mist swept in, leaving little room for maneuver. As the lightsabers and scythes collided, the entire space seemed to distort violently, and Komer could even clearly see the painful and desperate expressions in the eyes of the two assassins.