Chapter 005: The Shaman

Du Fan ran frantically, not daring to stop even for a moment. He knew full well he was no match for that barbarian warrior. Against such a strange-looking close-combat expert, that mysterious Oscar might still have a way, but what about him? He’d just be a target for them, and they’d probably complain his meat was too little.

Halfway through his run, Du Fan suddenly heard the sound of a bowstring snapping again. Terrified, he glanced back and saw the barbarian warrior slowly following him, having already taken down the oddly shaped giant bow from his back. He held the bow in his right hand, while placing his other hand on the bowstring with his strangely shaped sword. Although the warrior kept moving, it was clear his target was definitely Du Fan.

Du Fan inwardly sighed in despair. If that guy swung his sword, he’d probably be shot through without any chance of defense!

Panicked, he cursed Feri, Carol, Tasia, and the others. He had held on this long, yet they still hadn’t arrived. Were they really going to wait until he died before coming to rescue him?

As he grew angry, the barbarian warrior smirked coldly and slowly lowered his bow. Confused, Du Fan suddenly turned around and found that, due to his distraction, he was now just a few meters away from Oscar. The warrior must have been afraid of accidentally killing one of his own, so he hadn’t attacked yet.

Du Fan was secretly relieved that the warriors and archers surrounding Oscar hadn’t noticed him yet. Quickly waving his magic wand, he unleashed a wind blade technique, while also slashing with his Silver Moon Sword in his right hand, knocking several unprepared warriors to the ground.

The warriors immediately realized these people were skilled killers who were extremely adept at attacking in groups. Without any orders, a few of them rushed at Du Fan.

With a wave of his right hand, Du Fan unleashed several Holy Light Cross Cuts. Instantly, the garden was filled with holy light, forcing everyone to squint. Seizing the opportunity, Du Fan knocked down two more warriors before, without hesitation, flipping over to Oscar’s side.

Though shocked by Du Fan’s sudden appearance, Oscar remained calm. With a wry smile, he said, “Young Master Du Fan, it’s been a long time…”

Du Fan whispered, “I can’t see you, you big-headed guy, Oscar. Now isn’t the time for nonsense. That strong opponent over there is extremely dangerous—I can’t handle him. Are you interested in stepping in to fight them? At most, I can help you deal with the surrounding scum.”

Oscar snorted and said, “Deal with my own problems. What kind of skill is it to drag me into this?”

Though they spoke like that, both knew clearly that in this situation, it was absolutely impossible for either of them to escape. Since they were together now, the only option was to work together to fight those attackers. Every extra moment counted.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Du Fan’s expression darkened. “Oh right, Lord Oscar, don’t forget—there’s also a powerful magician on their side!”

Hearing this, Oscar’s face changed. “Damn it!”

Du Fan gave a bitter smile. “Stop cursing. You take care of that strong guy with those two weird swords—I believe you can handle him. As for that magician, though I’m not very skilled, I should be able to hold out for a while. As long as my men arrive in time, we’ll be fine. Otherwise, the two of us will surely die here!”

As they spoke, the two slowly took a few steps back, standing back to back in a defensive stance. The remaining warriors gradually retreated, but the tips of the archers’ arrows remained fixed on them.

Just then, a sharp flute sound suddenly rang out. Du Fan and Oscar felt an indescribable discomfort all over their bodies. But the masked men, hearing this sound, stopped what they were doing and disappeared into the darkness moments later.

Du Fan and Oscar exchanged glances, finding it extremely strange. At such a critical moment, when their opponent could easily end their lives, why would they leave?

Oscar frowned and asked, “Could it be that your men have arrived?”

Du Fan frowned too. He sent out his mental energy to sense around for a moment before sighing bitterly. “If only my men had arrived. If I’m not wrong, it’s their strong opponent who’s about to act. This time, things are going to get really troublesome…”

Before he could finish speaking, a figure slowly approached from the direction of the hall. He held two strange swords in his hands—it was the barbarian warrior from earlier. His expression was eerily strange as he stared at Du Fan and grinned, saying in a bizarre voice, “Run… why aren’t you running…?”
Du Fan frowned and was about to reply when Oscar suddenly tapped his hand, signaling him to look up at the sky.
Du Fan raised his head and couldn’t help but smile bitterly. In the air, a figure entirely clad in black was floating there. He hovered silently, his black robes drifting motionless. He seemed to be wearing a strange mask that covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression. His hands were slightly behind his back, as if doing nothing, but Du Fan felt uneasy just by taking one look. After all, ordinary warriors couldn’t float in the air—only high-level magicians could use wind magic to do so.
But this guy didn’t resemble any mage on the continent, and yet he could float silently, making it unclear how he was doing it.
The figure floating in the air gave off a sinister aura. It was astonishing that Du Fan hadn’t noticed him without Oscar’s warning. If that guy had attacked him earlier, he might have…
At the thought, Du Fan felt a chill run down his spine and secretly thanked his good luck.
Seeing this figure, Oscar couldn’t help but take a deep breath. After observing him several times and seeing that he didn’t seem to intend to attack right away, he smiled bitterly and said, “Young Master Du Fan… something seems off tonight…”
Du Fan asked softly, “How so?”
Oscar pointed at the barbarian warrior on the ground and said, “Young Master Du Fan, you must have noticed that this is a strong warrior from the barbarians, right? But as for that one in the sky, if I’m not mistaken… he’s probably a shaman priest from the Manchu tribe. These guys are said to be very powerful; even the average one has the strength of a high-level magician… They’re really tough to deal with!”
Du Fan nodded slightly. Hearing the term “shaman priest” made him shiver slightly.

When Du Fan was in the Holy See, he had read a vast number of texts and knew the history of its rise extremely well. By now, the Holy See had expanded its influence across most of Roland Continent, with only a few areas remaining outside its control—these were said to have been conquered as well.

Those areas not under the Holy See’s control included the homes of the northern barbarians. It was said that although these barbarians lived in poor conditions with a low standard of living, every man among them was a formidable warrior. Under the Holy See’s plans, the Gavin Empire had also sent troops to join the Templars in campaigns against the barbarians, but all attempts ended in failure.

Yet, these repeated failures allowed the Holy See to learn more about the barbarians: though their soldiers were strong, their numbers were limited. If the Holy See chose to act, it was not impossible to deal with them. But those soldiers were merely a minor issue—the real trouble came from the shaman priests within their tribes.

These so-called shaman priests were somewhat similar to the Holy See’s magic masters. The barbarians seemed to worship a malevolent god known as the Great God, and the shaman priests were said to gain immense power from this faith. As proven in several wars, these powers were comparable to the legitimate magic of Roland Continent. The shaman priests called their magic “witchcraft,” a truly mysterious art.

It was said that when this witchcraft was unleashed, it could bring about earth-shattering changes. Even the Holy See’s magic masters and archmages suffered heavy losses when facing these shaman priests. Otherwise, given the Holy See’s methods, how could there still be areas on Roland Continent that did not worship the God of Light?

A barbarian warrior with unpredictable strength, and a barbarian shaman priest who seemed eerily sinister and likely skilled in witchcraft…

Du Fan glanced at Oscar, and both of them sighed bitterly.

“Lord Oscar, it’s rare to see you still able to smile,” Du Fan said with a sigh. “I suppose you must still have some backup plan? If you, like me, have none, then we should be glad that we got to share that Last Supper together, with a rather attractive woman as company.”

Oscar shook his head slightly with a bitter smile and said, “Young Master Du Fan, that shaman priest will likely have to be dealt with by you. As for that warrior, I’ll stop him even at the cost of my life. If we can hold on a little longer, your men should be here soon, right?”