Chapter 3: The Blade of the Wind
“Grace, the target is under the eaves 30 meters to the northwest—take them out! Lomei, give Grace some support!” Without hesitation, Komer silently recited spells. A small cluster of dark clouds formed in the northwest corner, accompanied by thunderous roars as if Thor were descending from the sky. Bright lightning bolts quickly tore through the clouds and struck the shadows under the eaves in that direction.
“Damn it! This guy is deliberately trying to lure the Bohemian magic knights here!” One of the three magicians hiding under an eave in the northwest corner, a tall man, roared in anger. “What’s going on? Weren’t there only one priest among them? How did so many magicians appear? The guy across from us is at least on the verge of becoming a grand mage.”
Another companion, clad in black robes, was equally surprised. They thought the task would be easy, but the illusion spell didn’t work as expected—it only gave them a temporary advantage before the opponent quickly countered it. That icy-looking female mage seemed very familiar with light magic, effortlessly rendering ineffective a spell that had required so much mana. This left the man in black robes puzzled. While light magic was widespread on the continent, the intricacies of “Void Radiance” were beyond even ordinary magicians. Even if they understood its principles, they might not know how to counter it. Yet this woman could easily dismantle this once-hopeful spell. This meant the assassins were now fighting on equal terms with them in broad daylight, which was unfair to the assassins. After this battle, they wouldn’t know how to explain themselves to their organization.
The man with a white cloth covering his head snapped impatiently, “What time is it? Stop talking nonsense! Hit them hard—don’t hold back! If we delay any longer, the Bohemians will arrive!”
Furious, he waved his hands in the air, his lips moving rapidly, his face even twisting. A series of magical fluctuations spread through the space above him, distorting everything around. Wherever his gaze fell, the air turned cold and oppressive. “King of Ice Winds, grant strength to your followers! Rapid freezing, ice explosion—now!”
The entire battlefield was instantly plunged into extreme cold. The white mist in the air immediately transformed into ice crystals. Grace, who had just managed to reach the highest point, fell downward like a flying sculpture, maintaining its perfect shape. Comer was certain that if she continued to fall at that angle, her perfect body would instantly turn into countless shattered ice fragments.
“Snake Dance of the Netherworld, my heart remains unchanged; Fire Phantom, illuminate the lands! Go!” The massive fire dragon expanded in the air, becoming a dragon several dozen feet long, rolling and circling continuously, even encircling Grace’s falling body. The intense heat immediately revived the unconscious assassin, who then adjusted her flight posture skillfully before flying straight toward the northwest like a long sword.
Since he had already taken action, Comer had no intention of letting go so easily. If the enemy dared to use powerful ice magic here, why should he hold back? “Dance of the Golden Snake,” Comer’s most skilled fire magic, had been refined to perfection over more than a year. As his intent shifted, the massive fire dragon suddenly rolled forward, swiftly crossing the space between the two mages and heading straight for the enemy mage hiding in the shadows in the corner.
Before the fire dragon could strike, Grace’s agile figure had already landed in the shadows of the northwest corner. The sharp dagger emitted a silver-white glow the moment it touched the ground. Even Grace was surprised by the sudden surge in her combat energy—the brilliance on the blade was even more dazzling than usual. But then she remembered the warm energy flowing into her body from behind and realized it was her mage companion providing her with strong support.
“Duh!” The three mages almost simultaneously cast defensive magic, creating a powerful shield barrier. The sword shadows, flashing like countless stars, plunged downward with force. The collision of immense magic energy and combat energy produced a screeching sound like tearing silk. Grace’s tightly closed lips suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which quickly spilled from the corners of her mouth. The recoil from the powerful shield sent her flying high, though her movements were somewhat unsteady.
Grace’s fierce strike was not in vain. Though her physical attack failed to break through the opponent’s barrier, it did cause some strain in their magical field. The fire dragon that surged in followed was suddenly detonated by Komer’s spell, turning into countless sparks and fireballs that filled the entire area. They drifted down like if they had a will of their own, sticking to the light barriers erected by the magicians. The combination of magical light and fiery elements immediately triggered a violent reaction, with continuous crackling sounds as fireballs collided with the barrier’s protective magic, sending numerous flame-like beams of magic soaring into the sky.
The three pale-faced magicians never expected such a swift counterattack. If that initial spell of minor lightning was merely an appetizer, then this fire spell was a true feast. The female assassin’s attack hadn’t caused much damage, but the opponent’s “Dance of the Golden Snake” was a top-tier fire spell—its immense power being unleashed at the last moment, proving that the magician was highly skilled in manipulating elemental magic, especially fire magic.
Although the light barrier successfully withstood the impact of “Dance of the Golden Snake,” it didn’t mean they could relax. It seemed the opponent hadn’t yet exerted their full strength, but the sheer number of complex spells was already enough to be daunting. Yet that wasn’t the most worrying thing. If the Bohemian magic knights arrived any sooner, it was likely everyone would be in trouble. At this thought, the three magicians felt regret—setting up such a hasty ambush had only brought trouble, failing to achieve their goal and even putting themselves in peril. The fate of those assassins didn’t matter much, but if they fell into the hands of the Bohemians, it would surely bring endless problems.
Exchanging glances, the three almost simultaneously recited spells. Three magic scrolls unfurled in the wind at that moment, darkening half of the sky instantly. A shrill howling wind filled the air—“Blades of the Wind”! The most powerful wind-based attack magic array! It had been compressed into these three scrolls by these guys. Released at this moment, it forced anyone to take cover, not to mention that they also cast numerous auxiliary spells to amplify its power!
Wind blades as sharp as solid objects swept through the air, their force no less devastating than that of real blades. Both Grace and the giant Briaros, as well as Javier, who claimed to be an expert in wind magic, had to struggle to dodge or defend against these onslaughts. The dwarf warrior Bayezid simply bent down, curling his body into a ball, while his dark blue magic axe formed a glowing circle to protect his entire body from any ambush attempts by the assassins.
In fact, the moment the enemy’s wind magic array was activated, Komer knew they intended to flee. The deployment of such a massive magic array usually meant they had lost confidence and were resorting to a desperate move. From the current situation, it was clear the enemy couldn’t inflict any real damage on them—the assassins could only maintain a slight advantage. If Komer joined the battle at full strength, he was confident he could quickly reverse this disadvantage.
The wind blades, carrying biting cold, poured down on Komer and his group. With the help of Lomei and Eve, Grace had managed to suppress her injuries and fly back to their base, landing behind Komer and gasping for breath. Eve kept chanting magic spells to stabilize Grace’s condition. The counterforce from the enemy’s magic barrier was indeed powerful, almost reflecting all of Grace’s energy back into her own body, causing severe damage. Added to this was the massive wound left by the assassins on Grace’s chest and abdomen, which hadn’t fully healed yet and now reopened from the impact, with blood soaking her entire lower body.
Faced with such a powerful wind magic array, Komer realized it would be difficult to rely on his own strength to hold off those magicians. It seemed these guys were well-prepared—especially since they used a wind magic array derived from magic scrolls. This was almost unbelievable, as magicians rarely used scrolls unless they knew they had to accomplish tasks beyond their capabilities. But these guys clearly weren’t like that; from the start, they had planned to flee at any moment. This proved there was something seriously wrong with their identities. If they could capture one or two of them, it might help unravel the mystery behind the destruction of the Black Rose Mercenaries.
It’s a pity that the sound of horse hooves in the distance was still at least several hundred meters away. This distance was more than enough for the magicians who wanted to escape calmly; they could leave unhurriedly, especially since the power of the “Blade of Wind” magic array was at its peak, making it even impossible for Komer to break through its attack range for the time being.