Chapter 4: The Bohemian Knight
As the screeching sound generated by the Wind Blade magic array erupted, over a dozen assassins, as if receiving a unified command, instantly transformed in midair—drawing their swords, rebounding, throwing attacks—their actions rapid as lightning. Countless dense beams of energy were hurled forth, glowing silverly amidst the magical wind currents.
Unexpectingly, these guys still tried to poison him at the last moment, which filled Komer with extreme anger. Yet their wind-based magic array was far too powerful; no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t devise a way to break it. His only option was to temporarily avoid its onslaught and wait for its power to weaken before striking. But if he did that, the assassins would escape, and he wouldn’t know where to find them again. The only solution might be to take a risky gamble. However, he wasn’t sure if the enemies knew land magic, nor if his own magical strength could sustain him over such a long distance.
As if sharing his thoughts, Lome seemed to sense Komer’s inner intentions at that moment. She dipped her body slightly downward, as if taking on the weight at that instant, her expression turning suddenly grave. She raised her left index and middle fingers high toward the sky, placing her right hand over her heart, while murmuring a series of indistinct words. Seeing Lome’s actions, Komer was slightly shocked. This was “Light Angel’s Wings,” the most powerful defensive spell in light magic. Generally, mages wouldn’t use such an advanced spell that consumed a great deal of magical energy unless it was a critical moment. “Light Angel’s Wings” had a very limited range, only protecting a narrow semicircular area—just enough to shield one person from external attacks—and required close-range casting. Thus, it was usually used to enhance the mage’s own defense. Yet Lome channeled this spell into Komer. Meanwhile, she had to step back slowly and hide behind Eve to protect herself from the wind-bladed attacks.
A wing-like shield of light finally appeared in front of Komer. Though surprised by Lome’s risky spellcasting, Komer realized it was his best chance. He swiftly waved his hand, performing a complex gesture to cast a blessing spell on himself, making his movements more agile amidst the wind magic. With a light leap, he used a spatial magic technique to shorten the distance—something that still worked even within the Wind Blade magic array.
By this point, Komer had already noticed that the three magicians were ready to leave. The closer he got to them, the stronger the effect of the Wind Blade magic array became. The whistling wind blades kept striking the surface of Komer’s shield, emitting strange sounds. He could even clearly feel a peculiar distortion in the air in front of him each time a wind blade passed by the shield—this was the clash between wind magic and light magic, with neither side able to completely overpower the other. Yet Komer knew that with Lomei’s current magical strength, casting such a powerful defensive spell was already a great effort.
Driven by the Wind Blade magic array, which relied on three giant magic scrolls and the enhancements of the three magicians, almost every wind blade caused ripples in the Light Angel’s shield. Especially near the center of the array, when more than a dozen wind blades struck at once, the Light Angel’s shield was put to its absolute limit. Under such circumstances, the light-based protective magic Lomei unleashed could not last long. Once the shield failed, Komer would have to face relentless magical attacks.
Moving against the wind, Komer knew this was his last chance. If he couldn’t land a fatal blow now, the enemy might escape, and he would face even more dangerous wind magic attacks. The magic incantation he had repeated in his mind several times was finally spoken out in a series of mumbled, hurried words, as his fingers continuously changed shapes. Earth magic was inherently characterized by its solidity and stability, and since it wasn’t Komer’s strongest spell, he had to rely on complex gestures to speed up its activation. Relying solely on the incantation, he feared the enemy might escape the attack range before the magic even took effect.
After a surprised “Huh?” sound, a huge sand vortex trap formed beneath the three magicians just as they prepared to take off. The vortex’s immense pull immediately sucked in their bodies below the waist, dragging them downward step by step, slowly but firmly, despite their desperate struggles. Earth magic wasn’t unfamiliar to the magicians, but using it at such a moment was completely unexpected for them.
Breaking this earth magic isn’t very difficult, but it requires a considerable amount of mana. This poses a challenge for magicians who have already spent a lot of mana helping the wind magic array reach its full strength. Yet, since it’s a matter of life and death, they must try despite the difficulties. Almost at the same time, the three of them each unleashed their ultimate defensive techniques. The tall magician immediately cast spells on himself repeatedly, using two powerful slaps in the mud vortex to boost his already formidable physical strength, then leaping upward with his body, allowing his legs to break free from the mud. However, the strong suction of the mud pulled him back down violently. Panicked, he quickly changed his posture in mid-air to a horizontal position, no longer caring to help his two companions. He swiftly activated his flight spell, and with a graceful wing-like gliding motion, he flew ten meters away in an instant. Before leaving, he still cast a spell to boost his two struggling companions’ stamina. Whether they could survive this ordeal depended on their own luck.
The magician with a white cloth covering his head also suddenly erupted at that moment. After struggling uselessly for a while, he gave up the idea of breaking free from the mud vortex with his own strength. As a master of light magic, although he didn’t have any special countermeasures against this earth magic, it didn’t mean he was powerless. In this situation, he realized he might have to sacrifice some of his vital energy to force his way through the enemy’s earth magic constraints. If he didn’t make up his mind quickly, he would likely end up trapped in the mud as a prisoner or become a target for the approaching Bohemian knights, which he certainly didn’t want.
A massive beam of light burst forth from his entire body almost instantly. This light magic was similar to the Light Angel Wings used by Lome earlier—it was a high-level defensive spell that consumed a great deal of mana but was extremely powerful. The advanced spell “Anger of the Sun God” used by the magician with the white cloth was even more powerful but had a shorter duration, almost resembling the release of combat energy. The intense light radiated from his body, instantly shattering the mud that had frozen his lower body. The mud that had tightly wrapped around the magician with the white cloth flew apart at that moment. Taking advantage of the loosened mud, he didn’t hesitate and soared into the air, performing a graceful hovering maneuver before flying away smoothly and disappearing ten meters away in the blink of an eye.
The black-robed magician and the white-bandaged magician launched their attacks almost at the same time. He used “Wind Dragon Spin,” a wind magic technique that combined his body with wind elements to create a spinning effect for escape. It could be said that his method was superior to those of the other two magicians. By simply activating the magic, he effortlessly leaped out of the mud. However, he was unlucky. When Komer realized that the magicians had immediately tried to escape, he added wood magic. Magic vines suddenly emerged from the mud and quickly wrapped around the black-robed magician, pulling him back into the abyss. By the time he used light magic to erode the vines and free himself, a column of mud had transformed into a strip that tightly entangled him. Although this didn’t make the magician surrender, his “Wind Dragon Spin” allowed him to break free from the mud strip once again, but it was a little too late.
As several magic knights flew in, Komer wisely showed a cooperative attitude. He stood motionless within the Wind Blade magic array, continuously casting defensive spells to protect himself from the already weakened wind blades. All attack spells disappeared when Komer stopped chanting. The magic knights, clad in splendid armor and helmets, were awe-inspiring both in their graceful appearance and their formidable strength.
Two beautiful pure silver knight lances exploded in midair, turning into two huge gleaming silver flowers. As the lances moved through the air, they produced a piercing wind sound that was chilling. Two knights who leaped from low altitude transformed the shadows of their lances into two solid doors, blocking the path of the black-robed magician who had suddenly fallen from the sky and attempted to use a powerful attack. The intense combat energy emitted by the lances made the magician dare not confront them and forced him to retreat. But this retreat cost him his chance of escape.
“Everyone, do not move! The court knights of the Bohemian Kingdom are here. Obey orders immediately! Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!” A stern voice with a strong nasal accent came from behind. Clearly, this person was the leader of these knights. Waves of sound spread in all directions, indicating that he had used magic to amplify his voice, aiming to intimidate everyone present.