Chapter 003: Chaos

By this time, Rui Gen City was in complete chaos. It was unclear whether the barbarians had breached the city gates, but everyone was convinced of it. People didn’t know where to run and flocked instead toward the lord’s mansion. Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, only the elite troops guarding the lord’s mansion could save their lives.

Inside Rui Gen City, at the inn where Du Fan had temporarily taken shelter, the cavalry of the Northern Legion kept the inn tightly secured. Anyone who dared approach even a step closer would be killed without hesitation.

A cavalryman who seemed to be a squad leader stood at the inn’s entrance, listening to his subordinates report on the situation around them. After a moment, he frowned and entered the inn, saying in a grave tone, “Spies report that Rui Gen City is in chaos. The imperial defense forces have retreated to their camps and refuse to come out. We don’t know what’s happening with the city defenses now. Also, although some say the barbarians have invaded, our men haven’t seen a single barbarian. Most critically, the lord’s mansion is completely dark—there’s no news of Young Master Du Fan… nor Lord Carol… Sir, what should we do in such a situation?”

Sitting in the inn’s hall was none other than Ferre. Before Carol left, he had instructed his subordinates to seek advice from this Templar knight, Ferre, in his absence.

As a Templar knight, Ferre was undoubtedly skilled in military strategy. With a sixth-level knight’s emblem hanging on his chest, the cavalrymen of the Northern Legion, though fearless, respected this Templar knight who clearly seemed to be a close companion of their young master. That’s why they obeyed him so readily.

Ferre cleared his throat and said, “That… oh, Young Master Du Fan’s… woman… said that although he’s in trouble now, he’s not in danger. The flames all over the sky were probably caused by him. What we need to do now is assign half of our troops to defend this place, while the rest should rush to the lord’s mansion at full speed. I doubt I need to tell you what to do.”

The cavalryman was stunned and asked, “Sir Ferre, will half of our troops be enough?”

Feyren said, “We’re going to rescue people, not fight. Half of us is enough, and the other half can serve as backup. If something goes wrong, someone can go rescue us so we won’t be at a loss. You’re more familiar with the people from the Northern Legion, so send half of them there. As for this place, with me here, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

The cavalry officer retreated at once. He naturally knew that his eccentric third young master had not only brought a few Temple Knights but also two women who seemed far from ordinary. Even if it weren’t the barbarians, he doubted he could break through this place even with five hundred cavalry at his disposal.

So, instead of worrying about this place, he began to worry about the situation in the city lord’s mansion. Lord Carol was fine—he knew of his abilities, so he wasn’t concerned. But… the third young master used to know nothing. Although he had heard he had practiced Divine Combat Energy now, who knew if he actually had the ability to protect himself?

May the Light God bless us and keep our Young Master Du Fan safe!!!

…

Du Fan was, of course, unharmed at the moment. He had already heard all the noises in the city, but at such a time, he was fully focused and dared not get distracted. Otherwise, with just a moment of careful listening, he would realize he had probably misunderstood City Lord Gabriel.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to be distracted under these circumstances.

The only thing that could be concluded from what had just happened was—there were also magicians on the other side!

And the fire magic they used was clearly from the storage room, yet it managed to block his attack. After all, his attack had been powered by the special properties of the Phantom Wand, combined with the precise mental energy of the Divine Origin. Yet they effortlessly blocked it, which meant their magic power and rank were definitely not inferior to his.

Add to that someone who used that Meteor Strike from hiding… His situation… was truly desperate…

Given Du Fan’s solitary nature, he would have already thought of retreating by now. But in this situation, there was no turning back. If he turned and ran, he would be exposing his back, which was the same as seeking death. Moreover, if he ran, they would immediately know he recognized his own inferiority. By then, if they went all out, he might not even have a chance to survive.

Under these circumstances, the only option was to engage in a chaotic fight. Relying on his mastery of both magic and martial arts, along with those one-on-one magic scrolls, even if he couldn’t take these guys’ lives, making it difficult for them to take his would certainly not be easy either. Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, but in reality, Du Fan had already taken swift action. His combat energy surged as he rushed toward the hall, and to guard against sudden attacks, he quickly cast several wind shield spells. Although these spells seemed obvious in purpose, they were necessary to defend against those sudden strikes. Meanwhile, Du Fan glanced back at Oscar, his eyes twitching slightly. Oscar was now in a tough fight. Although his combat energy had erupted earlier, allowing him to defeat a few of his opponents, he had since been trapped by them. Despite his strength, dealing with so many enemies was extremely difficult for him. He could kill one of them with a single sword strike, but before he could do so, countless swords were already aimed at him. The blue tint on the blades suggested they were coated with some deadly poison; even a slight cut might cost him his life. As the saying goes, it’s hard to fight against four people with just two fists—no matter how skilled one is, they can’t overcome the odds, especially since Oscar wasn’t even a true hero. Added to this were the dozen or so archers around him, ready to shoot him at any moment, which truly terrified Oscar. Though he gave his best effort, he felt extremely frustrated. If these people wanted his life, then fighting to the death wasn’t a bad option. But clearly, he was being framed, and the more complicated the situation became, the more depressed he felt. Retreating step by step, Oscar eventually reached a vine covered in ivy—there was nowhere left to go. If he jumped into the air to avoid the vines, wouldn’t he become an easy target? Gritting his teeth, Oscar unleashed his full strength. His black long sword was filled with combat energy, and with each swing, it turned the moisture in the air into ice crystals. If he used this skill to its fullest, those warriors would likely turn into ice blocks. But under these circumstances, his combat energy could at most blow them a cold breeze—perhaps they would even think of him as a portable air conditioner.

Those masked men surged forward in waves, like a tide, with occasional arrows flying in as well. Oscar fought with all his might but couldn’t break through the encirclement…
Du Fan glanced at Oscar’s situation and felt relieved. After all, Oscar was a high-ranking warrior with astonishing sword skills, which allowed him to hold his ground for so long. If it were Du Fan taking on them, he would likely be torn to pieces in moments—after all, mastering combat skills required long-term practice. Although Du Fan knew a few moves, using them wasn’t as effortless as when he was practicing…
He was more familiar with long-range combat using magic, and he usually resorted to cunning tactics. If forced to describe himself, he could be considered something like an assassin—direct combat was definitely not his forte.
As for long-range combat, that also didn’t work well for him, but maybe fighting alone…
By now, Du Fan had reached the edge of the garden. This time, he didn’t wave his wand but pretended to chant spells with one hand while slipping several magic scrolls into his sleeve with the other.
Just as Du Fan was about to leave the garden, several warriors armed with long swords rushed out from hiding. Clearly, the person who had orchestrated this had thought carefully, anticipating that someone might try to escape through here and had prepared accordingly.
Du Fan’s expression changed. If he rushed in like this, he would immediately be surrounded by enemies on all sides—pure suicide. But he wasn’t willing to stop. With a wave of his hand, he threw the magic scrolls he had in his sleeve.
These scrolls contained fire magic. As soon as they were thrown, flames erupted. The warriors who had planned to attack Du Fan had never seen such a tactic. Before they could react, they were engulfed in a wave of heat and quickly turned to ashes.
Du Fan had already passed over their corpses. Though he appeared calm on the surface, his back was drenched in cold sweat. If those attacks hadn’t taken care of those men, he would have had to stop and deal with them, which would have caused even bigger trouble.
If the powerful enemy hiding in the shadows tried to attack him, he wouldn’t even have a chance to dodge!