220: Chapter 218 Bloodbath

Based on the intelligence Mihe had gathered, Zhang Mu confirmed that the strength of the Kingdom's High-tier Professionals was roughly the same as what he and Soren had guessed.

Five High-tier Professionals: two at the Magister level—one Knight and one Magician—two other Magisters, and one Great Knight.

How should he put it? It was very troublesome.

The opponent not only crushed him in numbers, but their overall quality and professional composition were also very appropriate.

While leaving the Silent Forest and tracking the enemies to Gur City, Zhang Mu was pondering a way to deal with them.

Or rather, as early as the day he learned this battle was inevitable, he had been racking his brain in deep thought.

In truth, there wasn't much to overthink.

Blue Star's modern weapons had limited effect on High-tier Professionals; after all, a Sky Knight could run faster than a missile, and the various high-level shields of Magicians had terrifying defensive power.

Zhang Mu understood through a simple process of elimination that only by improving his own magical strength could he resolve the enemy.

Magical strength was determined by two factors: mana level and mastered magic.

After several months of full-effort practice with his Meditation Method, Zhang Mu successfully promoted to Magister.

Although he felt it wasn't enough, his speed had already reached the limit—enough to stun everyone on the Saul Continent.

Setting that aside, he could only start from the magic itself.

Checking through the magic books he had learned and those he hadn't yet, there weren't many that could actually be useful.

The several Apprentice Level spells he had been using had increased significantly in level, but they weren't enough to face a Magister.

Future upgrades might work, but for now, they wouldn't do.

As for high-level magic, the Transformation Technique and Shadow Technique counted, but they were special-type magic with no offensive power.

True Word Spell: God Said was a divine skill, but the conditions for casting it were insufficient.

After rummaging through his inventory for a long time, Zhang Mu finally found only three: Sandstorm Spell, Solar Storm, and Stras Falling Spirit.

Sandstorm Spell was a Magister-level spell; he became proficient as soon as he opened the book.

The latter two were more troublesome, but Zhang Mu found a shortcut.

Normally, if Mental Energy hadn't reached the corresponding level, one couldn't learn magic of that grade because they couldn't understand the meaning of the magical script.

Zhang Mu's panel helped him bypass this threshold—directly breaking down and crushing the essence of the magic to stuff it into his brain.

The rest was just a matter of the total amount of mana and Mental Energy.

Having become a Magister, Zhang Mu eventually solved this by consuming large quantities of potions.

To the native Magicians of the Saul Continent, this was a suicidal, insane act.

At low levels, forcibly increasing mana and Mental Energy by one or even two ranks was fine.

The difference between ranks wasn't that much, and the body could basically withstand the negative effects.

But at high tiers, it was a completely different story.

The gap between a Magister and a Magister was greater than the sum of everything from Apprentice Level to High-level Magician—much greater.

Therefore, using potions to temporarily cross from Magister to the higher Magister level meant that once that tyrannical mana and Mental Energy exceeded control, they would burst the body and brain.

Coincidentally, on the Saul Continent, Zhang Mu wasn't afraid of death.

After learning the power of Solar Storm and Stras Falling Spirit, he decided to use this approach to face the enemy.

Furthermore, unlike playing cards where one starts with the lowest pairs, he wouldn't hold back.

Zhang Mu was certain that once the enemy leader learned the main force of the legion had been ambushed, he would inevitably set off for the Silent Forest immediately.

As for whether he notified his companions to follow him midway, it didn't matter.

From the start, Zhang Mu didn't intend to fight him for three hundred rounds and wait until both sides exhausted their mana before unleashing an ultimate move to kill the enemy.

What he wanted was a quick resolution!

Thus, when the stranger, a blond man carrying Joey, flew into the high sky nearby, Zhang Mu directly mobilized all his mana and shouted:

"Stras Falling Spirit!"

Stras Falling Spirit, a top-tier Earth-element summoning Magister-level spell—it dropped a sentient rock warrior from the sky.

This spell could be called invincible among its rank, primarily due to two points.

First, "possessing self-awareness." This meant the Fallen Spirit didn't need a Magician's control and could fight independently.

Second, the Fallen Spirit was a magical creature; it not only possessed the tyrannical physique and exquisite combat skills of a Sky Knight but also had the mana-control capabilities of a Magister.

"Lord Brando!" Joey, held by the back of his collar, looked up in horror.

"Didn't you tell me he could use Solar Storm?!"

Brando, shrouded in shadow, didn't look much better than Joey.

The information he received said the fake City Lord could use Solar Storm, indicating he was a Fire Magician.

This left Brando completely unprepared to face the massive Fallen Spirit descending from the sky.

But he was a Magister after all, and having fought for the Third Prince for years, his combat experience was exceptionally rich.

Almost instinctively, he deployed a cyan light shield above his head while his body dove sharply toward the lower right.

A Magister could fly, but their mobility in the air would be significantly reduced.

In a combat situation, unless one was crushing the enemy, the solid earth was better for dodging.

His reaction was swift and correct, but the Fallen Spirit's attack was not so easily avoided.

It was high noon, and the sky was cloudless.

The huge block of rock that flew out of a pitch-black rift torn in the sky suddenly shuddered.

As rubble fell away, the rock block extended arms and legs, then lifted its head.

With no mouth or nose, its empty, black-hole eye sockets lit up with two flickering sparks of ghostly blue upon receiving Zhang Mu's command, looking down at the two people below.

It opened its right hand, palm facing up, and then closed its fingers.

At this moment, Brando and Joey were about to land.

Rumble—

Just as they were about to step on the ground, a massive rock palm abruptly rose from the earth beneath them, catching the two off guard in a firm grip.

Boom—

The Fallen Spirit crashed down beside Zhang Mu. Taking advantage of the spreading dust, Zhang Mu quickly released the suppressed mana within his body, letting it burst his body.

Resurrecting a second later, Zhang Mu looked up to size it up.

Its size was incredibly vast; at one meter eight, he wasn't even as tall as its instep.

Tsk, it really does have self-awareness, landing right next to me without any regard for its master's safety. If I were a bit weaker, I'd probably have been vibrated to death.

What is this? A test? 'Trash has no right to command me'?

Zhang Mu really wanted to chat with it, but the Fallen Spirit simply lifted its foot. Its mountain-like body charged toward the nearby fist planted in the ground.

The order it received was to eliminate the enemies.

The enemies weren't dead yet, so it naturally couldn't stop its movements.

A giant stone fist was raised and smashed down toward the other fist.

"Kill the blond one, leave the other one alive."

The voice came from behind. The ghostly blue in the Fallen Spirit's eye sockets flickered twice, and the stone fist continued downward.

Boom—

The conjured fist shattered, creating a cloud of dust even larger than before.

When it cleared...

Zhang Mu saw Joey lying unconscious on the ground, and the cyan oval light shield protecting Brando was shattering like glass.

One punch didn't kill him; the Fallen Spirit pulled its stone fist back and swung again.

Crimson spilled from the corner of his mouth, and Brando's dazed eyes showed he was clearly heavily injured, but Zhang Mu didn't feel the slightest joy.

"Lord Brando!"

An exclamation fell from the sky. A knight in ornate armor plunged down in front of Brando, swinging a knight's sword as wide as a door, slashing horizontally at the stone fist that was whipping up a hurricane.

Clang—

The only Sky Knight from the Kingdom used the recoil to fly backward, grabbing Brando's arm and retreating over ten meters away.

"Hmm?"

The stone fist, now with a notch cut into it, was held up to its face. The ghostly blue in the Fallen Spirit's eyes flickered incessantly, seemingly quite interested in the arriving enemy.

Zhang Mu exhaled deeply.

Still a step too late; Sky Knights really run fast.

"Go!"

Urging the Fallen Spirit to attack, Zhang Mu also raised his staff and joined the battle.

It had to be fast, otherwise the remaining Magisters and Great Knight would arrive soon.

Mana surged into the crystal at the tip of the staff. He glared at the two ahead: Sandstorm Spell!

Countless yellow light specks appeared around Brando and the Sky Knight. These specks weren't gentle; they were like being whipped by the wind, scouring the two back and forth.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the Sky Knight showed no fear of the Sandstorm Spell. He carefully laid Brando on the ground, gripped the hilt with both hands, and held the greatsword vertically above his head: "Mountain Breaker!"

Dark red light surged from the door-wide blade and extended rapidly, instantly turning into a light sword over ten meters long.

Slash!

The dark red light sword, with a posture that could split mountains, dispersed the surrounding Sandstorm Spell and simultaneously pushed back the Fallen Spirit charging at him.

Holy crap!

Zhang Mu, busy chugging potions, was dumbfounded.

He knew Sky Knights were tough, but he didn't expect them to be this tough.

Fortunately, he had a backup plan.

Tossing the empty crystal bottle aside, he held the staff in his right hand and extended his left palm: "O shining sun, bloom!"

Solar Storm and Stras Falling Spirit were both Magister-level spells. In terms of power, the former was slightly weaker than the latter.

But the difficulty of learning it was the opposite, to the point that even with the boost from potions, Zhang Mu had to chant nine syllables to release it.

This time, the composure on the Sky Knight's face vanished.

While staying wary of the Fallen Spirit punching at him, he suddenly felt the top of his head become exceptionally scorching.

Fearing it was a trick to distract him, he restrained the urge to look up.

Soon, he realized the anomaly above his head wasn't meant to distract his attention.

Blinding light shot down, making his hair stand on end. The Sky Knight finally gave up on the enemy, grabbed Brando, and retreated while glancing at the sky.

There seemed to be two suns hanging in the sky, one of them a bit smaller.

The Sky Knight felt that the one causing the inexplicable panic in his heart was the smaller one.

The "sun" was still heating up, and the "sunlight" continued to brighten.

The retreating Sky Knight felt like he was about to be roasted, yet the "sun" hadn't fully formed.

Stopping his steps, he glanced at the still-dazed Brando, hesitated for a second, and then gritted his teeth fiercely.

He threw Brando away like a javelin and charged with his greatsword against the rumbling Fallen Spirit.

He had to stop the Fallen Spirit, or Brando would surely die.

The moment the stone fist and greatsword collided, the "sun" in the high sky erupted with a dazzling light, swallowing them both.

On this side, Zhang Mu's vision went white. Knowing Mihe in the woods would be the same, he quickly let the mana in his body burst him, then resurrected.

Opening his eyes, his vision had already recovered.

In the clearing ahead, the Sky Knight had been reduced to ashes, not a single hair left.

The Fallen Spirit's condition wasn't great either.

Its entire body was covered in craters like the moon's surface, and the ghostly blue in its eye sockets was much dimmer.

Kill him!

Delays lead to trouble; Zhang Mu immediately charged toward Brando, who had fallen on the grass to the side.

"You dare! Die!"

It wasn't Zhang Mu who shouted.

Three figures, one in front and two behind in a triangular formation, came racing madly.

The one shouting was the Great Knight in the lead, wearing armor.

He was extremely fast, reaching Brando's side before Zhang Mu, then leaping into the air, swinging his knight's sword down with one hand.

Under the sunlight, he looked like a god of war.

His entrance was quite flashy, and the momentum of his slash was powerful, but the Fallen Spirit's right hook was clearly superior.

The Great Knight was struck from the right by the stone fist, exploding into a cloud of blood in an instant.

This seemed to be the Fallen Spirit's final strike. After swinging the punch, its body became like sand, drifting away as the wind blew.

Two left.

Zhang Mu breathed a sigh of relief, raised his staff, and a sky full of yellow light specks enveloped the two Magisters who had picked up Brando.

The wind and sand scoured their light shields.

One of them stepped forward, and as the crystal at the tip of his staff glowed, a wind wall blocked the Sandstorm Spell.

Behind him, the Magister supporting Brando with one hand gripped his staff and began to counterattack.

Firelight flashed, and three wolves condensed from flames jumped out of the Sandstorm Spell, fanning out and pouncing on Zhang Mu together.

Having found a gap to signal the woods, he didn't let the fire wolves tear into him. He mobilized mana to raise a blue oval light shield around his body while focusing energy on maintaining the Sandstorm Spell.

As he expected, Mihe had arrived.

The space beside him suddenly distorted, and a silver-white light blade in the shape of a crescent moon condensed.

It didn't shoot out; the trail of it flying through the air was like a blink, vanishing from its original position and reappearing right in front of the two Magisters' faces.

This was the advantage of a Space-element Magician.

Their attack methods were unpredictable and mysterious, making it impossible to foresee the landing point or the timing.

Especially in an ambush, it was simply invincible.

The Magister in front was caught off guard and hit head-on.

His light shield shattered, and his body was sent flying.

Seeing this, Zhang Mu, whose mana was nearly exhausted, controlled the remaining time of the Sandstorm Spell to disperse the three fire wolves, then pursued the Magister who was fleeing with Brando.

"Sacrifice!"

Just as Zhang Mu took a step in pursuit, the fallen Magister screamed, and his entire person rapidly withered.

Meanwhile, the mana fluctuations around the Magister fleeing with Brando surged.

He used his staff to make a vertical slash in front of him, and a pitch-black rift abruptly opened in mid-air. The two stepped inside, and the rift immediately closed.

"What the hell was that?" Zhang Mu kicked the Magister lying on the grass, who had turned into a dried corpse, and asked Mihe behind him.

"Teleportation, a Magister-level Space-element spell."

After saying that, Mihe frowned: "That guy... was actually a dual-element Magician.

He's very talented to be able to use Teleportation at the Magister level."

Even with a companion sacrificing their life to help, being able to do it without chanting assistance still qualified him as a genius.

"Speaking of which," Mihe looked toward Zhang Mu, "Stras Falling Spirit and Solar Storm are both Magister-level spells, you..."

"Let's talk about that later."

Zhang Mu looked around: "I couldn't hold back during the fight and ended up roasting Joey to death too."

"What did you want him for anyway?"

"The guy's gone, so what's there to say?" He scratched his face. "A pity, letting a Magister escape."

"One Sky Knight, one Great Knight, and one Magister—the results are already very fruitful."

Zhang Mu waved his hand dismissively: "If even one runs away, I consider it a loss."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Mu asked, "How far does Teleportation usually go?"

"That Magister can teleport fifty kilometers at most."

"What about the direction? Is it controllable?"

"Roughly, yes."

"They must have teleported toward the Silent Forest. Let's pursue!"