Regarding the enemies of this hunt, Morgan had kept nothing hidden from Elvia and Lin Gui.
Including that negotiation where he had originally intended to submit.
In that negotiation, a young man had caught his attention from the very beginning, as well as the eyes of Hewlett and the other Legendaries.
That was Arthur.
With merely Low-tier High Rank strength, he sat at a negotiation table where everyone else was a Legendary.
Cass and Victor's attitude toward him was not like treating a junior who needed protection, but more like treating someone of higher status.
Morgan had been observing all along.
When Cass spoke, his eyes would unconsciously glance toward the young man.
Victor's conversations with him carried a subtle undertone of master and servant.
Why would a young man of Low-tier High Rank be treated like this by two Mid-tier Legendary assassins?
The only answer Morgan could think of was a Mage Disciple of the City of a Thousand Towers.
Yet the young man's strength was far too weak.
He appeared to be around twenty-three years old, with strength no greater than Low-tier High Rank.
To become a Mage Disciple of Thousand Towers, one had to reach Transcendent rank before the age of eighteen.
Furthermore, Morgan had seen all Twelve Mage Disciples of Thousand Towers, and he was not among them.
This doubt had lingered deep in his mind.
While arriving at Withered Wood Town and waiting for Lin Gui's return, Morgan had sought out Ian and Colin—
the two half-demon warriors who had been captured by the Thousand Towers forces while fetching grain.
Morgan hoped to pin down the young man's identity through them.
Ian and Colin provided little information, with only two points proving useful.
First, the young man's name was Arthur Julian.
Second, he was a soul mage—it was he who had traced the approximate location of the sanctuary through Ian's bloodline soul thread.
The surname Julian was utterly ordinary in the City of a Thousand Towers, not belonging to any prominent family.
A soul mage... indeed held an extraordinarily exalted status in Thousand Towers and throughout the Alliance.
Yet not to the extent of commanding such deference from two Legendaries.
Although soul mages were rare, Legendaries were equally rare.
Besides, the Mage Disciple of the Soul Tower did not carry the surname Julian either.
Morgan's misgivings deepened.
Though unable to determine the young man's identity, Morgan and the others clearly recognized his importance.
When Lia and Cedric struck previously, while outwardly targeting Edwin, their primary objective had actually been this young man.
They had hoped to capture this individual of unusual background, securing a bargaining chip to turn the tide.
Yet they had failed.
Now, the enemy was closing in.
Without Lin Gui, Morgan could not evacuate the more than five thousand half-demons.
And at the earliest, it would take Lin Gui half an hour to arrive at Withered Wood Town with Freeman.
If it were two against one, even if the opponents were assassins who naturally countered mages, Morgan was confident he could rely on his mastery of earth magic to turn himself into an impenetrable fortress.
Once his magic took full shape, holding them off for several hours was something he was certain he could achieve.
Yet this could not stop them from bypassing him and charging straight for Withered Wood Town.
With Legendary power and perception, locating the half-demon civilians hidden beneath the post office within a short time would not be difficult.
And once the half-demon civilians were controlled again, Morgan did not believe that he or Lin Gui would have the ability to rescue five thousand compatriots a second time under the guard of two Legendary assassins.
Therefore, Morgan could only resort to a Legendary spell with astronomical mana consumption to forcibly trap them.
Yet even a Legendary mage could not continuously maintain a Legendary spell for half an hour.
After many discussions, Elvia and Morgan had failed to find a good method to buy time.
Thus, their eyes fell upon Arthur once more.
Hoping to capture him to threaten Cass and Victor.
They knew something was fishy about him.
Cass and Victor had not overprotected this High Rank young man.
Yet they had no other choice.
However, no matter how Elvia and Morgan imagined his capabilities, they never anticipated—
—that a Low-tier High Rank could unleash an attack so powerful, inflicting damage that nearly rivaled the level of a Legendary spell.
Night fell.
Elvia darted rapidly through the woods, her footsteps never pausing.
Dead branches crossed overhead as moonlight was cut into scattered fragments across the ground.
She turned sideways to dodge a slanting dead branch, her toes touching the ground as she lowered her stance, sliding past the edge of a thicket without losing speed.
The mud on her skirt armor had not yet dried, and the cracks in the armor exposed her grazed skin beneath.
She kept her breathing low, but her pace never slowed.
Her golden eyes peered through the gaps in the foliage, checking the terrain ahead while scanning the path behind.
For now, there was nothing behind her.
Only the rustling of wind blowing through dead leaves.
Elvia rounded another bend, leaping off a low slope onto a rock, flexing her knees to absorb the impact before continuing her sprint.
Yet the images in her mind refused to fade.
Those magic circles covering the sky, that barrage that had uprooted the entire dead forest.
That level of power was simply impossible for a Low-tier High Rank to possess.
“What on earth was that?”
She muttered under her breath as she ran.
“Didn't you say he was a Low-tier High Rank?!”
In her mind, Shadow Blade Lynn's voice rang out, her tone earnest and contemplative.
“He is indeed a Low-tier High Rank.”
“The soul does not lie.”
Elvia bounded over a fallen dead tree, her boots thudding softly against the damp, loose leaves.
“Then what was with that destructive force just now?”
“And what was up with that magic?”
“That destructive force was at least Transcendent!”
Shadow Blade Lynn fell silent for a moment.
Elvia kept running, barging through a low shrubbery, leaves and twigs scraping against her skirt armor with rustling friction.
She dared not stop; stopping meant death.
A few breaths later, Shadow Blade Lynn's voice spoke again.
“It's magic tools.”
“Divine artifacts?”
Elvia gasped, her voice laced with disbelief.
In her memory, only divine artifacts could bridge such a massive gap in rank to achieve such an effect.
In her mind, Shadow Blade Lynn's voice remained calm.
“If they were divine artifacts, you wouldn't have escaped, my little disciple.”
Elvia leaped over another fallen trunk and asked, “Then what on earth were they?”
Shadow Blade Lynn paused, as if sifting through a dusty corner deep within her memories.
After a few breaths, she spoke.
“If I remember correctly, what enabled that brat to unleash power approaching the Legendary rank should be... demi-artifact grade magic tools.”
“Demi-artifact grade magic tools are far more precious than demigod-grade weapons or staves.”
“In all my years, I've only ever seen six of them.”
“And that brat has three on his person.”
Elvia's pupils contracted slightly.
Lynn's voice carried a hint of admiration she herself hadn't noticed.
“One of them I recognize.”
“It's that blue crystal hanging around his neck.”
“If I recall, its effect is... as long as sufficient mana is provided, it can block fatal attacks below High-tier Legendary.”
Elvia nearly stumbled in her stride.
Block fatal attacks below High-tier Legendary?
Didn't that mean nobody present could harm him?
How could something be this absurdly overpowered?!
“It seems to be a prized artifact of the Thousand Towers Magic Equipment Academy.”
Shadow Blade Lynn continued reminiscing.
“I remember it was called...”
Her voice came to an abrupt halt.
Elvia hurriedly probed, “Called what?”
Shadow Blade Lynn went silent.
“I forgot.”
Elvia nearly choked on that answer.
Her foot slipped, and she nearly tumbled to the ground, taking two faltering steps before barely stabilizing her posture.
“How the hell could you forget something so damn insane?!”
Shadow Blade Lynn's voice remained calm, carrying an almost matter-of-fact tone.
“Insane?”
“Could it withstand a single blade strike from me?”
Elvia opened her mouth, unable to utter a single word.
Left entirely speechless.
Gritting her teeth, she continued running.
“As for the other two...”
Shadow Blade Lynn's voice sounded again.
“Though I haven't seen them, I can roughly guess their effects.”
“One siphons magical energy from the environment for that Low-tier High Rank brat, similar to the wind pressure cannon on that ridiculous flying vessel.”
“That tool is necessary for him to activate the other two demi-artifacts.”
She paused briefly.
“As for the other one...”
“Its effect is likely extending the duration of magic scrolls.”
“Those Transcendent spells were cast by that brat using magic scrolls.”
“As a High Rank mage, it's impossible for him to reveal so many Transcendent magic circles without chant casting.”
“The only thing that could create such a spectacle all at once is magic scrolls.”
“Yet Transcendent magic scrolls cannot maintain such power for this long.”
“Not to mention that among Transcendent spells, the ones he cast just now are all top-tier spells.”
“Their duration would only be even shorter, lasting at most an hour.”
Shadow Blade Lynn chuckled softly.
“How interesting.”
“Accompanied by three demi-artifacts?”
“Even that old geezer's bastard son wouldn't get such treatment.”
“I'm starting to get curious about his identity.”
Elvia retorted grumpily,
“Stop being so damn curious!”
“Right now, what you should care about most is the life of your cute little disciple!”
“That bastard is a soul mage, so I can't shake him off.”
“Hurry the hell up and check what Legendary demon lairs are nearby!”
“Damn it, lead me to the strongest one available!”
“I refuse to believe he'd dare chase me in there!”
Shadow Blade Lynn sighed helplessly.
Yet she did as asked nonetheless.
A moment later, her voice echoed in Elvia's mind, pointing out a direction.
Without a word, Elvia sprinted desperately in that direction.
Dead branches whipped against her armor with sharp, crackling snaps, but she didn't even bother dodging anymore.
And in a place invisible to her...
...a petite figure sat perched upon her shoulder.
Shadow Blade Lynn crossed her legs, looking at Elvia before glancing back at Arthur, who was rapidly closing in within her soul vision.
The corner of her lips curled into a subtle smirk.
“Are you... just going to run away like this?”
Elvia's steps paused for a fraction of a second, but she did not stop.
Shadow Blade Lynn continued,
“If he realizes he can't catch you, he will inevitably head back.”
“Do you think that Legendary half-demon mage can withstand his attacks?”
“To pin down those two assassins, almost all of his mana and energy are tied up in maintaining that rather impressive binding Legendary spell.”
“A single powerful attack would be enough to break his spellcasting.”
“When that happens, all your and your man's efforts will go down the drain.”
Elvia shot back grumpily,
“Do you think I don't damn well want to fight him?”
“You said it yourself—that damn shield can block attacks from Legendaries!”
“How am I supposed to fight that?!”
“Get minced into meat paste by him?”
“I'm not a half-demon, so I don't have that hostage value. He won't show me any mercy!”
Shadow Blade Lynn gave a soft laugh.
“That demi-artifact shield can indeed block Legendary attacks.”
“However...”
She paused slightly.
“...it cannot block High Rank attacks.”
Elvia's pace slowed down.
“Because that item was originally custom-made for Legendary mages to compensate for their lack of defensive capabilities.”
“Power at the High Rank level isn't supposed to be capable of harming someone at the Legendary level.”
“Therefore, that tool won't trigger at all for force at a High Rank power level.”
Elvia came to a complete halt.
Her expression flickered under the moonlight, her golden eyes wide with sheer bewilderment.
It can defend against Legendaries, but can't defend against High Ranks??
What kind of absurd bullshit is this?
“Can't he just actively trigger the tool and keep the shield up continuously?”
Elvia's voice carried heavy suspicion.
Shadow Blade Lynn chuckled, a tone of mockery laced in her laughter.
“Actively?”
“If a magic tool capable of defending against Legendary attacks required a mage to actively trigger it, it wouldn't be a demi-artifact.”
“A Legendary assassin's speed is fast enough to pierce his heart in the split second he takes to activate the shield.”
“Its greatest strength isn't the shield's power.”
“It is the near-chantless, instantaneous passive activation.”
“All-weather protection, leaving no openings for the enemy.”
Elvia bit her lip.
“Even if I could attack him...”
Her voice trailed off.
“...a single Transcendent spell from him is enough to blast me to death.”
Shadow Blade Lynn laughed once more.
The laugh was light, yet pregnant with meaning.
“Just like earlier?”
Elvia froze.
Shadow Blade Lynn continued,
“Earlier, I didn't warn you about the incoming attack.”
Elvia's feet stopped moving entirely.
She stood in a relatively clear clearing within the woods, moonlight cascading from above and illuminating her figure vividly.
That was true.
During that volley of Transcendent magic earlier, Shadow Blade Lynn hadn't warned her at all.
Had Shadow Blade Lynn warned her, she probably wouldn't have sustained any injuries at all.
Yet Shadow Blade Lynn hadn't warned her.
And yet, relying solely on herself, she had dodged it??
She had actually dodged a Transcendent attack that leveled the ground??
“Because that brat's spell casting speed and spell travel speed...”
Shadow Blade Lynn spoke unhurriedly.
“...are nothing compared to your man's absurd wind blades.”
“You managed to weave through those truly instantaneous wind blade swarms and grab hold of your man's lapel...”
“...so you can also slice through a barrage of Transcendent magic riddled with flaws, and take his head.”
Elvia stood beneath the moonlight, her golden ponytail fluttering gently in the evening breeze.
She admitted that Shadow Blade Lynn's words made sense, but...
Recalling the terrifying destruction caused by the opponent earlier,
her expression wavered in struggle.
Shadow Blade Lynn sat perched on her shoulder, watching her with keen interest.
Not rushing her, nor encouraging her—simply watching.
Like watching a fledgeling spreading its wings for the first time, waiting to see if it would fly.
After a long moment,
Elvia took a deep breath.
“What do you think...”
Her voice sounded somewhat raspy.
“...given my current abilities, what are my chances of winning?”
Shadow Blade Lynn gave a light chuckle.
“You can lack confidence in yourself, but you must remember: your master is me.”
“Shadow Blade Lynn.”
Rate on N.U.
