119-126

Chapter 119: Hidden Nightmare

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Under the dark night, the girl was blankly looking at the world.

There was no one in that bleak, withered ground. There only seemed to be a 'tsktsk' sound echoing through the air, giving people goosebumps.

"Mr. Rhode? Marlene?"

Lize hesitantly took a step forward. She called on her comrade names in low voice, but she didn't hear any reply. Where was this? Why was she here? Lize didn't know the answer. She could only feel her heart beating fast and her breath getting unstable...

A drop of icy raindrops fell from the sky and onto her face.

It was raining?

Lize subconsciously touched the icy raindrops on her face. When she spread her hands, she found that her finger was covered with a bright red color. When she lifted her head to look up at the sky, she was stunned.

Above her, Marlene was looking at her with her wide eyes. Her body was being torn apart. Countless Wind Snakes were tearing her body apart with their sharp fangs. Marlene was hanging up in the sky like a broken puppet. Her hands were dangling and blood was flowing down from her fingertips, slowly dripping to the ground. Beside her, only Rhode's head was left. His head was pierced by the Wind Snake's sharp fangs and the light in his eyes were long gone. At that moment, Lize found out that the things that were blocking the sky weren't clouds, but a pile of Wind Snakes. They didn't stop fluttering their wings while greed and desire glittered in their green eyes. The darkness before her seemed endless.

The sound of the fluttering wings gave off a heavy pressure.

"Marlene!! Mr. Rhode!!"

Lize shouted out loud. The feelings of fear and sadness pierced through her heart. Her body trembled, even the scene before her became blurry. The Wind Snakes that were enjoying their meal seemed to hear her shouts. They screamed and rushed toward her like a locust. It was too late for her to lift her right hand. In the next moments, she felt their sharp fangs pierce through her throat...

She opened her eyes.

She was blankly staring at the tent in front of her and finally recovered. She turned around and saw Marlene was sleeping beside her. From her smile, it could be seen that she had a good dream.

"It's a nightmare... It's only a nightmare..."

Lize was relieved. She finally realized that both of her hands couldn't stop trembling. The things that happened in her dream were too real; even now, she could still remember the faces, the blood. It was really disgusting...

"Ugh...!!"

Thinking until here, Lize felt an irreducible nausea. She quickly covered her mouth and went outside the tent. She crawled next to the gully and vomited.

"Uaghh..."

Crawling on top of the stones, her body felt weak. She couldn't stop trembling. The cold wind blew and made her shiver like a rabbit feeling cold. Even so, she was still unable to forget the nightmare from before. It seemed so real. She subconsciously touched her throat and the scene of her throat being pierced by the sharp fangs once again flashed through her mind.

"Ugh..."

Lize looked down.

Why did it turn out to be like this? Didn't I get over it? I should feel okay, Mr. Rhode also said that I'll be okay. But I also don't know why... It's only a dream, Lize, cheer up. That kind of thing won't happen again. You must remember, don't be afraid, don't be afraid...

Lize tightly held her hands and didn't stop talking to herself. However, her body was trembling even more; the coldness had pierced through her body. Her body that was breaking in cold sweat at first had completely turned numb, no longer listening to her command. At the same time, she felt really tired. She closed her eyes and fell into sleep...

At this time, a voice suddenly pulled her back to reality.

"Sister Lize, what happened?"

Lize lifted her head. She saw that Lapis was pulling her cloak, carefully walking out of the tent while looking at her. When she saw her, she seemed surprised, so she quickly got out from the tent and ran towards Lize.

"Sister Lize, what happened? Are you okay? Should I call..."

Halfway, Lapis paused. The one who was responsible for healing in the group was Lize, but now that Lize was the one sick, Lapis didn't know who should she look for... She couldn't ask Lize to take care of Lize, right?

"There's no need," Lize said, pulling Lapis's hand. She bitterly smiled and shook her head.

"I had a nightmare and felt a bit tired... Can I sleep with you?"

Originally Lize planned to sleep in her own tent, but when she thought about Marlene, she immediately changed her mind. She wouldn't be able to forget her nightmare after seeing Marlene again. She also didn't want to wake Marlene up and make her worry, since this was Lize's problem.

"Of course, there's no problem!"

After hearing Lize's request, Lapis agreed without hesitation. After that she carried Lize and carefully brought her into her tent.

Unlike the others, Lapis's tent only had one resident. It wasn't because she wanted to be special like Rhode, but as an alchemist, a quiet environment was very important to her. At this moment, a pile of alchemical tools were neatly placed next to the wooden plate in Lapis's tent. There was a dark, green liquid rolling inside and it emitted a strange, pungent taste.

"Why haven't you slept yet?"

"Leader told me that I must finish these things."

Hearing Lize's question, Lapis's expression turned bitter and she helplessly answered. Hearing her answer, Lize smiled. Of course, she also knew why Lapis had such a tragedy. During the daytime, Rhode brought Shauna and others to find magical herbs in the forest. After that, he gave all the herbs and a certain formula to Lapis. Rhode wanted her to make a potion based on the formula. Although Lapis still wanted to argue some more with Rhode, he coldly told her to "stop blabbering and do what I told you to" and scared her back. At this moment, she could only do what Rhode told her to, and she didn't even know what that was. Rhode didn't want to explain it to her and only wanted her to do what he asked for. As for the rest, he didn't seem to care.

Although Lapis felt that the leader was a little bit tyrannical, she has no other option, right?

She could only bite the bullet and agree. Since no matter what, the others already contributed to the mercenary group. Only she didn't do anything. This made her feel a little bit guilty. Naturally, Lapis felt happy that she could finally contribute something to the group now.

"Come, Sister Lize. This is an herbal tea; it should make you feel better."

Lapis handed a cup of tea to Lize. Lize took the tea while looking at the warm tent before her. It made her body and mind felt a lot better now.

"Thank you, Lapis. But... do you also look like this when you're in the tent?"

Looking at the girl before her, Lize couldn't help but feel curious. Although it was in the tent, Lapis kept her cloak on. It seemed that she didn't plan to take it off; and not only her, her brother also did the same. Frankly, Lize had been curious about it for a long time.

"I have long since been used to this kind of appearance. Anyway, Sister Lize, are you really okay?"

Seeing Lize drink the warm hot tea cozily, Lapis uneasily asked once again. However, this time Lize bitterly smiled and shook her head.

"It's really nothing, Lapis. I had a nightmare... It's a nightmare that I don't want to remember and talk about anymore."

"Oh..."

After hearing what Lize said, Lapis seemed to understand and nodded. She didn't clearly understand what Lize meant, but she knew since Lize didn't want to talk about it, then it was better for her not to ask again. After that, she no longer said anything and turned around to sit in front of the wooden plate and continued to make her potion.

That's right, it's only a dream...

Sitting beside her, looking at Lapis's figure, Lize gradually closed her eyes and felt extremely drowsy. After that, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Lize didn't realize that when she was asleep, Lapis, who was busy making a potion, turned around and secretly glanced at her. She carefully walked towards Lize and covered her with a blanket. After that, looking at Lize's pale and calm face, Lapis hesitated for a moment, reached into her pocket, and took out a greenish-white magic badge and put it on Lize's forehead.

A green, comfortable light quickly emitted from the badge and warped around Lize's body. After a moment, the light gradually faded. Lize's originally stiff expression became a lot calmer. On the contrary, it was Lapis who frowned. She tightly clenched both of her hands, timidly and secretly glanced at Lize, then she looked outside the tent.

"It's better if I tell leader about this..."

Lapis said to herself. She turned around and walked out from the tent.

Chapter 120: Saving Hiller's Soldiers (1)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"There's such a thing?"

Rhode thought for a moment, then he lifted his head to look at Lapis, who kept pulling her hood and wrapped her whole body inside her cloak. Whenever he looked at Lapis, he really wanted to complain as to why she was afraid of him: did she think that he might eat her?

But now was not the time to complain.

"I got it. You can go back now. Remember, don't forget to finish your task."

"Yes, leader."

After hearing Rhode's words, Lapis sighed deeply. She ran away from Rhode's tent like a criminal. Looking at her panicked figure, Rhode helplessly sighed but said nothing. He had nothing to say.

Lize's condition was just as he had expected. There were some things that one couldn't easily get over. Although Lize had tried her best, in the end, she still couldn't walk out from the shadow of her heart. It was not strange, since even though Lize thought she had tried her best, she was still subconsciously was avoiding everything. Now, when she could no longer avoid it, she could no longer suppress the problem in her heart. Although Marlene said that she could help her, Rhode didn't think Marlene could because Marlene had never experienced it before. So of course she wouldn't understand how Lize felt. Rhode thought that one of the worst things in the world was when someone who had never experienced the same thing said "I understand your feeling" to another person with a sympathetic tone. It was basically b*llsh*t since they never experienced it. How could they still say that they understood?

But the help that Rhode could give her was also very limited. He knew that this kind of thing couldn't be solved by relying on others. If Lize herself couldn't pass this ridge, then no one would be able to help her. Rhode also understand that it was extremely difficult to make Lize pass the ridge by herself.

However to him, there was still a very good opportunity before him.

After knowing that the Burning Blade mercenary group had encountered a danger, Rhode quickly decided to help them. Although it was dangerous, but it was a good opportunity to train his subordinates. Moreover, after the floating ship incident, Rhode had been suspicious that the Wind Snakes were being controlled. It was too unusual for the Burning Blade to be attacked at this kind of time. Probably, they encountered the person who controlled the Wind Snake and got encircled in it. Or else, an ordinary Wind Snake group wouldn't reach thousands or millions. If that was the case, then to Rhode, it was the best opportunity for revenge. He wouldn't let go of someone that had injured him that easily.

When Rhode had just transmigrated to this world and was heavily injured, he could still break through the opponent encirclement and had escaped. Now, Rhode was no longer as "weak" as before. He would level up soon, and he was confident that he has enough strength to finish those guys. In addition, he still had a trump card...

After resting for a day, Lapis finally finished the task Rhode gave to her. With two dark circles under her eyes, she handed a bag full of potions to Rhode. Originally, the pitiful Lapis had planned to sleep after that, but she didn't expect that immediately after Rhode took the potions, he told them to depart. Facing this tragedy, Lapis couldn't help but follow the others and bitterly continue the journey.

On the other hand, Lize seemed to have forgotten about what happened last night. At this moment, she was walking beside Lapis while restoring her energy and comforting her. It seemed that she was no different than usual.

"I never thought that Uncle would be in trouble..."

Following Rhode from behind, Anne was still as carefree as usual. She was munching on an apple that she plucked out from nowhere and said, "You knew him?"

Hearing Anne's words, Marlene curiously asked while holding the magic wand in her hand.

"I'm not sure how to say it. I met him a few times before with the old leader. He was a very taciturn fellow; he had a flat expression and didn't even speak for the entire day. I remember when I first met him, he only said 'Ehn' to answer his subordinates. Honestly, at that time, I thought that he was a mute."

Anne laughed.

"It just that Uncle is very amazing. I think he's almost the same as the leader? He's also very very strong, especially his sword. Yes, it's really too much. Moreover, he's the type that won't show any mercy to women just like leader... Yes, I think leader will be very compatible with him?"

"Haa..." Hearing Anne's answer, Marlene glanced at Rhode with a complicated look in her eyes but said nothing.

After that, Rhode rejected the request that mercenary had asked of him. The mercenary wanted him to ask for the Mercenary Association for help. But in Rhode's opinion, it would just be a waste of time. When they got out of the Twilight Forest and went to look for reinforcements from the Mercenary Association, perhaps the Burning Blade mercenary group would already become history. Since Wind Snakes were a low level monster and a lot easier to deal with than undead creatures, Rhode quickly decided to let that mercenary to lead them to the Burning Blade mercenary group's location and try to save them.

Although the mercenary doubted and hesitated for a while, he also knew that if he went back to look for the Mercenary Association's help, it would definitely be too late. It was better to let them try it. Since Rhode had also saved "Victorious Wine" in Silent Highland, he was supposed to be strong.

After hurrying up for the whole day, Rhode and others finally arrived at the location.

"It's, it's here."

Pointing to the forest not far before him, the mercenary wiped his sweat and helplessly said.

"Leader and others are trapped inside, if we don't hurry then..."

In fact, even without him mentioning it, everyone else also noticed the strange scene in the forest.

Numerous Wine Snakes formed a neat formation and shrouded the sky above the forest like a cloud. They were circling around from time to time, then flew up again. From the surroundings, it could be seen that a lot of Wind Snakes were spreading around and watching.

As expected, they were being controlled by someone.

Looking at this scene, Rhode could fully affirm that it wasn't a natural disaster but a man-made one. This was done by a contracted mage who could manipulate a group of monsters by controlling the leader's soul. It was almost the same as a Summoning Swordsman, since they also relied on numbers to win. What differentiated them from the Summoning Swordsman was that they couldn't use their ability freely. Controlling tens of thousands of Wind Snakes like this could only be done in the wild, and they also had to ensure that the contracted monster didn't die. Else, not only the monster would no longer obey the contracted mage, but might also hurt the mage back.

"It's a contracted mage."

Marlene quickly noticed. She frowned slightly and look a little bit troubled.

"Can we find him? Since he can control such a huge number of monsters, maybe he has reached the third middle circle, and the monster he controlled was probably at the commander level."

"It's useless even if we found him. It won't do us any good."

Rhode shook his head and rejected Marlene's idea. Although there was an iron law—before shooting people, first shoot the horse and before capturing the thief, capture the King—it still depends on the situation. Since there were so many Wind Snakes, if they couldn't attack first, then they would be cornered by the Wind Snakes, and Rhode didn't want that to happen.

"Our main goal is to assemble with the Burning Blade first. With Hiller's help, it will be easier to deal with those guys. We must also get ready; when it gets dark, we'll start to move."

It had to be said that Hiller was really a very wise person. Being surrounded by such a large number of snakes, he could actually still think calmly and brought his subordinates to the thick bushes to resist the enemy's attack. It was a difficult decision because once people saw the number of Wind Snakes, they would usually be too afraid to do anything.

It seemed like the number 1 mercenary group in the Paphield area really lived up to its name.

As soon as he gave the command, Rhode glanced at Lize. At this time, she was expressionless and only quietly sitting next to him. There was a complicated look in her eyes while looking at the Wind Snakes not far from her. Rhode didn't specifically go to comfort her; he understood that if Lize could rely on herself to get over it, then it would be better,

The night fell.

Under Rhode's command, the mercenaries that were prepared long ago set out immediately. They were lurking in the forest and slowly moving forward with the help of the bushes and leaves to block the Wind Snakes from seeing them. At the beginning, things went pretty smoothly. The Wind Snakes that were floating in the air never thought of going into the forest to inspect. In their opinion, those narrow spaces were very dangerous and made it difficult to move. That was why they always move in the plains. Forests full of leaves and bushes definitely weren't the best choice for them.

However, very soon. everyone encountered danger.

As they went deeper, the number of Wind Snakes also increased. They didn't come to attack Rhode; on the contrary, they were here to attack the enemies that they should have destroyed.

"Things cannot go on like this Mr. Rhode."

Marlene held the wand and frowned. Hearing the fluttering wings and roaring sound not far from the forest, Marlene uneasily said, "Although according to the book, Wind Snakes have very poor sight in the dark, they are still very sensitive to sound. In such a big forest, we..."

"Don't worry, I have already made the preparation."

Rhode took four bottles of potion out from his pocket. After that he handed it to Shauna, Anne, and Randolf.

"Open it."

After hearing Rhode's command, the three of them quickly opened the bottles. Soon, an unpleasant and pungent stench filled their surroundings.

Chapter 121: Saving Hiller's Soldiers (2)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The pungent stench from the bottle quickly spread to the surroundings, which made many people frown and cover their nose. After all, the smell was really too strong; even Anne who was usually laughing leisurely was currently fanning her face with bitter expression. Apparently even she couldn't stand this kind of smell.

On the opposite, Lapis, the "culprit," looked indifferent. The smell didn't seem to have any impact on her. After all, she was an alchemist; she made potions all day long. She could even bear smells more horrible than this. In her opinion, this had only reached an the appetizer level.

Marlene was a bit pale at this moment. However, the reason wasn't because of this pungent stench. She reached out with her finger and closed her eyes. After a moment, she frowned. She glanced at Rhode with surprised and uneasy expression.

"This is a gas element precipitation!"

As a mage, and a talented one, Marlene could easily feel the elemental wave in the surroundings. From the moment that strange smell spread, she could already feel the original active gas element precipitate and sink. It was just like children who were suddenly getting scolded by the adult while originally playing and having fun—they would sit down on the ground, quiet and motionlessly in a disconsolate manner.

As a mage, of course Marlene knew what that meant. For the gas element to suddenly precipitate, it means that the associated spells would be difficult to cast. Her favorite storm shield's power would be greatly reduced, even assuming she could cast it. The relationship between magic and elements was like workers and factory. If the workers worked in full swing, the factory would naturally be able to generate a powerful energy. But if the workers worked swinging one by one, then it would naturally be impossible to create any threat.

However, at that moment, Marlene was exceptionally surprised because element precipitation was a very rare potion effect and most alchemists simply couldn't made it. However, Rhode seemed very familiar with it. After all, it was him who gave Lapis the recipe. Marlene wrote the recipe according to what Rhode had said; the quantities of the recipe's ingredients were so detailed—even to its gram. Even a potion master like Marlene didn't know the exact effect of this potion even after getting the recipe. She could only vaguely judge that based on the magical herbs in it, the potion would create a wide-range smoke.

But right now, Marlene was really surprised. She couldn't understand how Rhode got this recipe and how he could remember it so well. He was not an alchemist; he shouldn't be able to understand these kinds of things. Moreover, this element precipitation potion was very rare.

Is he really...

Marlene clenched her fist and placed it on her chest. She could feel her heart beating really fast.

At this time, the strange smell gradually filled the air and a strange scene suddenly appeared before them.

The Wind Snakes that were originally flying around in the forest suddenly wailed and fell to the ground as if they were hit by a huge boulder. Some Wind Snakes that were lucky enough to escape that catastrophe were running around as if they saw a ghost. They were screaming and desperately flew away. They didn't even care if their wings and body were scratched by sharp branches. They just kept flapping their wings swiftly to get away from the forest in fear.

In a blink of an eye, the forest became empty; beside the Wind Snakes that fell to the ground and kept crying out in despair, there was no other sound.

"Hmph!" Looking at the scene before him, Rhode coldly snorted.

He was familiar with this scene. In the game, many part-time alchemists killed the monster like that. Wind Snakes weren't like birds that were born with a body suitable for flying in the sky. The reason why they could fly in the air wasn't because they had wings; it was because they had a special ability as a gas elemental creature. They could use their skill to fly freely in the sky. If the sky was the ocean, then the Wind Snakes were like the boats that were floating on it.

But now, after completely suppressing the gas element by using a precipitation potion, the ocean had turned into a dry pond. Without water, fish could only helplessly struggle. This was the exact portrayal of what happened to the Wind Snakes before them right now.

They were just a group of stupid monsters that hadn't even reached level 5, and before, they actually made me look so pitiful. If I don't take my revenge, then my name isn't Rhode!

Rhode stomped on a Wind Snake that was still struggling. Below, the Wind Snake kept screaming and making shrill sound, but Rhode didn't seem to be bothered by it. He used his full force and crushed the Wind Snake into meatloaf. After that, he turned around and issued a command.

"The potion effect won't last too long! Speed up and get going!"

Hearing Rhode's order, the mercenaries wore a different expression on their faces and quickly began to get going. They followed Rhode and continued to walk into the forest under the Burning Blade mercenary group's survivor's lead.

No one noticed that Lize's face had turned pale while looking at the sky.

The dense leaves were blocking the starry sky, and sharp, hoarse cry of the Wind Snakes could be heard everywhere. It made her immediately remember the nightmare she had last night. The darkness-shrouded everything, the endless group of Wind Snakes, and...

Lize couldn't help but shiver.

That was just a nightmare, that's right, it was just a nightmare...

Just then, a hand patted her shoulder.

"Sister Lize."

"Ah!!"

Lize, who was frightened, subconsciously jumped up and turned around. Only then, she saw that Anne was standing beside her. The girl who only knew how to eat and sleep everyday curiously looked at her. Her pair of clear, emerald eyes reflected Lize's frightened and uneasy expression.

"Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, I just... dozed off a little..."

Lize also didn't know how to explain. In the end, she only said so.

"Hmm..."

After she listened to Lize's answer, Anne carefully looked at her for a while then revealed her usual lively smile once again.

"When we fight, Sister must stand behind Anne, alright? Anne will definitely protect Sister!"

"Ah... Hm, I know, thank you, Anne."

Facing Lize's panicked answer, Anne no longer said anything. She only smiled and patted Lize's shoulder. After that, she energetically jumped forward. Looking at Anne's figure, Lize couldn't help but sigh. Then, she stretched out her hand and slapped her cheeks forcefully.

That's right, now is not the time to doze off. I need to work hard!

Thinking until here, she took a deep breath. After that, she clenched both of her hands and looked at the front with a serious expression. The originally chaotic pace had become steadier.

Swoosh!!

A red light flashed through and broke the darkness like a fire dragon. The poor Wind Snakes that rushed towards the front didn't manage to dodge in time. They were swept into the beam and turned into ashes in a blink of an eye.

"How's the situation?"

Hiller looked at the dark forest and asked without turning his head.

"Very bad, Leader. Two-thirds of the people are heavily injured, five people among them are in bad condition and seem to be poisoned. Although we have tried our best... the number of survivors will be difficult to say."

"Is that so."

Hearing his subordinate's reply, Hiller's expression didn't change. He held a giant, burning swords in each of his hands while coldly watching the surroundings. The Wind Snakes that lost their companions were no longer as aggressive as before. This also gave an opportunity for Hiller to rest. But clearly, this experienced mercenary leader didn't take things lightly because he knew that the situation wasn't very good.

Hiller's mercenary group was attacked by Wind Snakes on their second day in the Twilight Forest. At first, they didn't really think highly of those Wind Snakes, since the Burning Blade was a first-class mercenary group, and those kind of monsters simply weren't even qualified to threaten them.

However, as time passed, the number of Wind Snakes also increased. Hiller finally noticed that the situation wasn't the same as he had imagined and how unusual it seemed. He made the decision and led his men to the forest. After that, the situation that developed was even more strange. In general, after entering into the forest, the Wind Snakes would choose to retreat. However, this time they didn't leave as usual. On the contrary, the Wind Snakes completely surrounded the forest, encircled them, and kept attacking them day and night.

Since Hiller was no fool, he also realized that the Wind Snakes were being controlled and manipulated by someone.

The next battle has validated his speculation.

"Tell everyone to prepare; we will try it one more time."

Hiller lifted the giant swords in his hands. The burning flame followed his movement and once again began raging up.

"We have to broke the encirclement as soon as possible!"

"... Yes, leader."

After receiving Hiller's order, his men didn't feel the slightest hesitation. Although they were being attacked and some of them were injured, as long as it was the leader's order, they would follow it without hesitation. That's why after hearing Hiller's command, his subordinate didn't hesitate the slightest and directly told his companion about the order.

At the same time, a scream sounded.

What happened? Did those Wind Snakes start to attack?

The sudden changes immediately aroused Hiller's attention. He quickly looked at the surroundings in vigilance, but to his surprise, what he saw wasn't a scene of Wind Snakes rushing towards him. On the contrary, the Wind Snakes were retreating in panic and rushing to leave the forest.

What happened?

Hiller hadn't yet grasped the situation when he smelled a pungent stench. After that, he saw some people walk out of the forest before him.

"I'm happy to see that you guys are still alive," the young man who stood at the front said.

Chapter 122: Saving Hiller's Soldiers (3)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Hiller put down the weapon in his hand because he had identified the two men who were walking in front of the group. The first man was the one that he had dispatched to seek the Mercenary Association's assistance and the other was the Starlight mercenary group leader, Rhode.

Why was he here?

Hiller's first thought was that Mercenary Association had received their reinforcement request and sent Starlight over. However, he quickly erased that speculation because the time was too short. He has sent his people a day ago; no matter how fast, it was still impossible for them to arrive at Deep Stone City and ask for reinforcements. But Hiller didn't say anything and put down his sword while looking at his subordinates with interrogating face. He knew that his mercenary would definitely gave him a complete answer.

"It's like this, leader." After looking at Hiller, the mercenary hastily said. "When we left, we were attacked by a group of Wind Snake. We didn't have the time to escape, including me... Fortunately, Mr. Rhode's Starlight mercenary group happened to be there and saved me. After hearing our circumstances, they volunteered to help us..."

After listening to his subordinate explanation, Hiller slowly looked toward Rhode. He extended his hand and heavily patted his shoulder. "Thank you."

These two words completely explained Hiller's feelings in this moment.

Since they were in the middle of escaping, naturally they wouldn't have the time to drink and talk to get to know more about each other. Soon, Lize and Lapis were sent to help heal the injured and disinfect the poisoned. At this kind of time, the benefit of having spirit masters could clearly be seen. Although huge mercenary groups like the Burning Blade also had spirit masters, Hiller usually didn't bring them on a mission, given their characteristics. It was both to protect the mercenary group's valuable assets and prevent danger in these kinds of emergency situations.

While Lize and others were treating the wounded, Rhode began to discuss the problem with Hiller. Or to be exact, Rhode was discussing with Hiller's adjutant because in many cases, Hiller rarely spoke. His adjutant would have to help to convey his meaning. Except saying yes, Hiller would only occasionally shake his head to say no, and didn't seem to be planning to talk at all.

If Rhode's expression was like an iceberg that couldn't be melted, then Hiller's silence was like a-thousand-year-old rock. He only stood quietly while aging and almost never expressed his own opinion. But even so, people still couldn't ignore his existence.

"We also tried to break the Wind Snake's encirclement and did succeeded several times, but ultimately still failed in the end. The Wind Snakes were not that difficult to deal with, but they have a commander-level lord, which is really troublesome."

"Was there many commander-level lords?" Rhode asked sharply.

"Yes." The adjutant nodded.

"There were a total three Wind Snake Lords. No matter where we went, they would block us and... We were occasionally attacked by magic. I think there is someone manipulating the Wind Snakes from behind... No matter what, his purpose is to trap us here. Although we don't know who exactly the opponent is, but he seems to be a very dangerous guy." Having said those words, the adjutant looked up at Hiller, to which Hiller slightly nodded.

"By using a gas element precipitation potion, ordinary Wind Snakes shouldn't be able to get close to us. The abnormal changes in the Wind Snakes must be caused by the Wind Snake Lords. I think those guys should be on their way here at this moment. That's why we must immediately move and leave this place."

Rhode opened his bag and took out four bottles of potion. "These are for you. To use it, just open the cap and hold it in your hand. The element precipitation will make ordinary Wind Snakes unable to come close. As for the Wind Snake Lords, although they are a little bit trickier, without help from groups of Wind Snake group, it shouldn't be too hard to finish them with our ability. The only trouble is that mage..."

Rhode frowned. It's not like he didn't think of the possibility that the opponent had noticed them and was trying to kill all of them here. Although the idea was very commendable, it didn't mean that he would willingly became the sacrifice of this conspiracy.

"Do you have information regarding his level?"

"This..."

The adjutant glanced at Hiller and uneasily said.

"We are not mages, so we don't really understand these things. But I can only say that the first time, we were sent back by a tornado, and the second time, there was a lightning bolt barrier that spread to the surroundings. These two times made us very terrified. We also tried again several times, but we never encountered any magic after that since we were already exhausted and blocked by the Wind Snake Lords."

"We don't have much time now." Hearing this, Rhode thought for a moment.

"Get ready to fight, we will move on right away. What do you think, Mr. Hiller?"

"Sure."

Hearing Rhode's inquiry, Hiller stood up and replied shortly, though with a determined tone. After that, he patted Rhode's shoulder, then pointed toward the mercenaries behind him and made a hand gesture.

"... What leader mean is, we'll all listen to you." Have to say, translating was really tiring.

"I hope we won't need this messy communication during the battle."

Faced with Hiller's attitude, Rhode helplessly rolled his eyes.

Soon, under the crowd's urge, the Burning Blade mercenary group quickly packed their luggage and dragged their weary bodies to follow Rhode on the way back.

The black-robed mage opened his eyes. "Interesting."

He quietly floating in the night sky, looking at the forest from afar. As a mage, it was basic to not expose himself to danger. It was especially for a contracted mage because contracted mages mostly only learned how to tame boss-level monster, so their magic level was a lot lower than that of average mages. Although the black-robed mage was considered strong, he was still reluctant to take the risk. He relied more on his skill in commanding rather than brute force—that was kind of thing better left to his subordinates. In his opinion, if a mage was already forced to the point that he couldn't help but face the opponent up front, then it meant that he had already completely lost.

That was why unless it was the last resort, he definitely wouldn't expose himself.

At this moment, with the power of his magic spell, the black-cloaked mage could clearly see what happened from afar.

"Those barbaric idiots actually didn't lose. It's really beyond my expectations. And uninvited guests has broke in... Hm?"

Through the manipulated object's eyes, the black-cloaked mage carefully looked at Rhode, then he closed his eyes and pondered.

"Speaking of it, that guy looks a little familiar. Ah, that's right, yesterday Frank asked me to... the target seemed to be that guy. Really unexpected that he actually take the initiative and come here by himself!"

The mage talked to himself, madly laughing, and lifted his right hand. He seemed to be muttering something. After hearing the spell he had casted, the surrounding Wind Snakes once again issued sharp cries, then rushed forward in union!

"Get ready, go!!"

The group of Wind Snakes didn't seem to affect Rhode. On the contrary, facing these terrifying monster, he was rather calm. After that, he took the potion from before and threw it aside. Soon, a pungent stench spread around and made people wanted to throw up,

The original advancing Wind Snake completely lost their previous demeanor. They fell to the ground one by one like a meteor. The Wind Snakes that lost their gas elemental support were unable to control themselves. They rushed towards sharp branches and splitted into two without mercy.

"Marlene!"

Upon hearing Rhode's order, Marlene was already prepared and immediately raised her wand. Soon, a brilliant lightning bolt flew out from her wand and swiftly flew toward the group of Wind Snakes. Followed by the continuous sound of explosions, the stench of blood from the Wind Snakes also spread around the forest. Mixed with the pungent stench from before, it was really disgusting.

"Oh?"

Noticing that his attack failed, the black-cloaked mage frowned. He closed his eyes, then revealed a trace of joy on his face.

"I didn't see that coming; there's actually a person who could think of such tactics. Not bad, it seems that this kid is smarter than those barbaric idiots. Then next... how will you deal with this?"

After mumbling by himself, the black cloak mage put his finger inside his mouth and whistled. Then...

"———!!"

Sharp, loud roar echoed. Three huge, six to seven meter-long white Wind Snakes suddenly appeared from the clouds. Their red eyes were full of killing intent and anger. They quickly fluttered their wings and rushed forward.

"They're lords! Be careful!"

Hearing the sharp and loud roar, Rhode hurriedly raised his sword and quickly reminded others. At the same time, the three huge figure hovered down and blocked the path in front of them.

Boom!!

The powerful force overwhelmed even the oldest trees. With a gentle toss of a Wind Snake Lord's tails, dozens of trees were sheared off. They hissed, then lower their heads, preparing to attack their prey.

At this moment, Rhode finally issued an order.

"Attack!"

Chapter 123: Saving Hiller's Soldiers (4)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Hiss——!!"

Followed by the hissing sound, the Wind Snake Lord lurked in the forest like a fish. Although the gas element precipitation potion had affected them to a certain degree, but it didn't reach a lethal effect like it did to ordinary Wind Snakes. On the contrary, after they noticed the precipitation of the surrounding gas element, the Wind Snake Lords became furious and tossed their tails while roaring. In a blink of an eye, a huge tree was cut down and sent rolling toward the crowd. However, before it hit them, a fire dragon fell from the sky, transforming the tree into ashes.

Hiller held a giant sword and stood beside Rhode.

"What should I do?"

"Just focus on the attack."

Rhode answered without hesitation and quickly signalled the crowd behind him.

The first one to move was Anne.

She leapt to the front of other mercenaries like a cheetah. Her step was very light, as if the heavy golden shield in her hand didn't seem to exist. In the next moment, Anne stretched the shield on her hand and sharp blades emerged out and rotated around. But this time, she didn't throw it out. Instead, she grabbed the handle and pulled it open. The intricate gold shield was divided into two layers, inside and outside. It suddenly slid to two sides, like a blooming flowers slowly stretching out its petals. The Rock Heart that was embedded in the center of the shield expanded and rotated rapidly. When everything was over, the shield in Anne's hand already turned into a giant the size of a round dining table that could envelope two Annes.

After that, Anne crouched down and swung the shield with force.

The rotating shield flew across the dark forest, occasionally reflecting a cold light. The Wind Snake Lords noticed the threat and quickly stopped. They moved to the side to dodge the shield blade that had torn through countless leaves and branches, leaving them looking like broken bamboo.

However, Rhode had already started to attack.

A little star-shaped light condensed from the Broken Blade and flew across the night sky. After Rhode has leveled up, the Broken Blade became more powerful and more threatening. If the previous Broken Blade was like a laser beam, then now the rotating light made it look more like a meteor shower that pierced through the night.

It was followed by Marlene, who was indeed a rare magical genius. Although she had only experienced a few missions with Rhode, her performance was like that of someone who had been cooperating with him for few years. After casting the spell with dragon language, the red ruby on her wand turned into a transparent white color. The temperature in the air had also decreased. The wand passed through the sky and brought about a faint white mist. After the fog dissipated, hundreds of icicles condensed into long swords and floated beside her. With a light step, Marlene jumped forward.

The others also didn't stop moving, and the Burning Blade mercenary group quickly went onwards. The rangers raised their longbow and aimed at the eyes of the Wind Snake Lord. Thieves who were skilled in poisoned flying knives threw their flying knives toward their targets. The swordsmen went around the perilous spot and arrived at the monster's side and began attacking. They were stopping another Wind Snake Lord from approaching.

The Burning Blade mercenary group finally demonstrated their strength as a strong mercenary group. Even if the leader didn't give them a clear command, they still could perform they own duty clearly, without the slightest hesitation.

The Wind Snake that had just escaped from Anne's flying shield attack didn't expect that the following attacks would be so violent. The shining meteor easily penetrated its thin wings and relentlessly tore them apart, creating bloody wounds after bloody wounds.

The injured Wind Snake Lord immediately crashed to the ground. Originally, it was relying on its wings to compensate for the lack of a gas element and support its own body. However, now that its wings was injured, it was just like a damaged aircraft. Since there was no way for it to land, its only choice was to fall down.

The Wind Snake Lord was struggling to lift its head up, but it had not yet expressed its anger when hundreds of swords floated into the air and quickly flew towards it in three different directions. In a blink of an eye, the ice swords tire the Wind Snake Lord's body apart.

As an elemental creature, the Wind Snake Lord's resistance to magic wasn't low, but it still depended on the attributes. If Marlene used the wind element, then the situation would already have turned into chaos. As a mage, naturally Marlene knew the most important thing when facing an elemental creature. Although ice swords weren't the best option for restraining a Wind Snake Lord, but it was still enough to limit its action.

As expected, the Wind Snake Lord was unable to move in time and the continuous explosion was enough to stagger it. Since it had a resistance to magic, Marlene's ice swords were only like mosquito bites. However, no one could stand being bitten by hundreds of mosquito at the same time.

At this moment, Hiller rushed forward and lifted the Fire Blade in his hand up high. The flame on the blade became more and more exuberant—as if it were a small sun—and then he swung it down.

"———!!"

The scorching flame on the blade easily cut through the Wind Snake Lord's proud scales. Blood sprayed out and the Wind Snake Lord screamed in pain. It immediately looked up and opened its mouth to reveal sharp fangs, immediately rushing down. This was the Wind Snake Lord's best move. It could move extremely fast by suppressing its muscles. Many people would neglect this part after they almost succeeded in defeating the Wind Snake Lord and turned into its delicious dinner.

Of course, it was impossible for Hiller to neglect this part.

His action could be considered very fast. After the sword hit the Wind Snake Lord, Hiller immediately jumped back to block the attack with his sword. However, even if he had calculated the movement in advance, the Wind Snake Lord's sharp fangs still stabbed into Hiller's giant blade. The red flame started burning, followed by a pungent smell.

Hiller's body shook slightly the moment the Wind Snake Lord's fangs collided with his blade and the Wind Snake Lord sprayed out its venom. Fortunately, the Fire Blade vaporized the venom in time, but that didn't mean that no harm was done.

A strange, black fog wrapped Hiller inside, and the deadly gas that emerged out was so disgusting and it could even kill a frail person. At this time, the Wind Snake Lord repeated its attack, since the previous attack had succeeded. It shrank its neck once again and rushed down.

However, at this moment, the Wind Snake Lord lifted its head quickly, its force so immense that it toppled many of the surrounding firm branches. But it didn't seem to care about it, and instead turned its head to angrily look to the side in pain.

Rhode, who didn't know what had arrived beside the Wind Snake Lord, withdrew his sword. The attack almost cut off the Wind Snake Lord's wing and left a shocking wound on it. The Wind Snake Lord that was attacking furiously glared at him. Soon, the air around the Wind Snake Lord rapidly rotated and turned into sharp sword aimed at Rhode. Waiting for the moment while Rhode jumped to dodge its attack, the Wind Snake Lord once again shrunk its head as if he wanted to tear this damned prey into pieces.

It didn't see that when Rhode was jumping, he threw something with his right hand. It could only see that Rhode's figure flashed before him. Following its instinct, the Wind Snake Lord quickly chomped down and the feeling of blood and minced meat in its mouth made it feel joyous.

But this joy lasted less than half a minute.

An intense pain broke out in his mouth, and the intense air tore at its mouth and tongue. Currently, its teeth was breaking apart, and when it opened its mouth, the Wind Snake Lord was no longer as fierce as before. After being fatally injured, it began to desperately retreat, trying to escape the godforsaken place. Although an invisible force was still holding onto its body firmly, the force was still powerless in the face of survival instinct.

The Wind Snake Lord was retreating while using its natural force to create a wind barrier. The only thing it wanted to do now was to leave this place. Even it had forgotten that the sound that echoed in its brain couldn't be easily ignored.

Precisely because of that, the Wind Snake Lord didn't notice a small uplift on the ground that was aimed toward it and easily broke through the wind barrier toward the Wind Snake Lord.

When it finally realized the changing in the ground, it was already too late.

The sharp rock already pierced through the ground and penetrated through the Wind Snake Lord's body like a skewer. The element opposition had reached its limit, and the Wind Snake Lord's struggles and screams still wouldn't change its fate. Its tail swept around and toppled the surrounding trees. Blood sprayed out from its wounds. Following the Wind Snake Lord's intense movement, it left a trail of white smoke on the ground. A moment later, the exhausted Wind Snake Lord finally stopped moving. Its body was pierced just like that and it was no longer breathing.

"Sigh..."

Marlene was relieved. She put down her wand and immediately turned around to look at the other side.

The battle with the Wind Snake Lords was easier than they expected because Rhode and Hiller's collaboration compensated for each other's weaknesses. Rhode's Starlight mercenary group was stronger in one-on-one combat, but weak in group combat, while Hiller's Burning Blade mercenary group was exactly the opposite. Although among them, there was no one besides Hiller that was particularly outstanding in combat ability, neither of the two wished to face two Wind Snake Lords at the same time even if they were in a different environment. Rhode was worried about being overwhelmed by the opponent's number because he only had a few people, and Hiller was afraid of collapsing because of his group's weak average strength.

But now, the collaboration between the Starlight and Burning Blade mercenary groups made up for each other's disadvantage. When Anne, Marlene, and Rhode joined, their strength could no longer could be contested by Level 25 Wind Snake Lords. On the other hand, the increase in the number of the mercenaries also made Lize's group healing spell more useful. While Rhode was focused on attacking his target, Lize kept casting her spell so that the mercenaries facing the other Wind Snake Lord wouldn't collapse. When Rhode assembled with the other mercenaries, the outcome of the battle was already tilted to the extreme.

The black-cloaked mage opened his eyes.

He knew what was going on. To the caster, the moment the soul connection broke off wasn't just like seeing his first girlfriend embracing another rich man without hesitation, but also led to an unimaginable anger. However, as a powerful mage, he calmed down and gently stroked the Wind Snake Lord below him, expressionless.

He knew the reason why the Wind Snake Lords he sent lost. In a gas precipitation environment, they were unable to react effectively, which was very deadly to a Wind Snake Lord. Now, he had to wait.

He believed that a suitable time would soon come.

Chapter 124: Saving Hiller's Soldiers (5)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Hiller put down his sword and looked at Rhode, who was standing not far from him. Rhode was looking at the Wind Snake Lord corpse below him, thinking about something Hiller didn't know.

Frankly, he didn't really have a good or bad impression of the Starlight mercenary group.

When he first found out about its existence, he only thought that it was unbelievable. But it was only to that extent, and he didn't really care about them anymore. It had been so many years since he first became a mercenary; he had seen a lot of things and so he didn't really feel strange about it. This kind of thing could happen anywhere. New mercenary, new leader; no matter what, it wasn't his problem.

After meeting Rhode for the first time in the Mercenary Joint Meeting, Hiller became quite curious about the handsome young man. It wasn't because of his appearance, but rather because of his attitude. During the Mercenary Joint Meeting, Rhode said that he wanted to destroy the Jade Tears mercenary group, but the way he said it didn't make it seem like he held a deep hatred toward them. It was purely because of contemp, just like a person standing high above and looking at the ants below him. He just felt angry because those ants were blocking the way.

He didn't even seem to think about them as a human beings.

Hiller didn't know why did he felt like that. In general, he thought he was supposed to feel that Rhode was a cruel guy—his heart already distorted and a man without common sense. However, he didn't feel like that toward Rhode. Rhode was smart, rational, calm, and composed. Rhode had also chosen to save him, which meant that he didn't lack any positive characteristic that a human was supposed to have.

But his attitude was still the same.

Hiller could feel the way that Rhode look at him. Beside calmness, there was a trace of admiration in his eyes. But it wasn't an admiration toward a human being. To the contrary, the way Rhode looked at Hiller was like someone looking at a painting or a legendary sculpture.

Who is this young man?

Rhode didn't know what Hiller was thinking about right now. After fighting hand in hand with Hiller, it had reminisce him about his previous life as a player. During those times, he would also accept this kind of quest, battle together with an NPC, gain EXP points, level up, complete quest, obtain equipment, and receive rewards. It really never got old.

Now, it seemed like he had gone back to those days.

"Two Wind Snake Lords."

Rhode looked at the battlefield, and there was a slight disappointment in his calmness.

"It's one less that what they said, and the mage didn't appear either."

"I think he's going to show up soon." Holding the wand on her hand, Marlene's face turned gloomy. "Although it's only a little, I can feel the magic wave. He should be monitoring us... This is clearly not a good sign, Mr. Rhode. Even though I cannot make an accurate judgement, I think the opponent's magic level is higher than mine. It's going to be troublesome."

"How many bottles of the precipitation potion do we have left?"

"Eight bottles; they can only support us for an hour at most." Lize quickly checked the inventory and answered.

One hour.

Rhode lifted his head to look at the sky. The Wind Snake group was still surrounding them from afar and didn't seem like it was planning to retreat. That meant that even though they still could persevere for one hour, it would still be useless.

"What should we do next? Leader?"

Anne held the gold shield in her hand, her face covered in blood and overwhelmed with fright. But she looked like her energetic self and stared at the other mercenaries who sat on the ground in silence. During the battle, Randolf and others didn't instantly use the skills they learned from training with Rhode. When facing this kind of enemy, they seemed to have just forgotten about the skills they learned and reverted back to their usual fighting style. Naturally, the outcome was just as he has expected. If not for Shauna's command and management, the current strength of Starlight members would have decreased.

Lapis's performance was even worse. At first, she gathered her courage to fight, but when a Wind Snake Lord's tail passed by above her, the pitiful girl immediately screamed and squatted down while protecting her head. She stayed in that position until the battle ended. Although this form of self defense seemed extremely weak, it did still managed to hold. While mercenaries were lying on the ground because they were injured by the Wind Snake Lord's counterattack, she actually lasted until the end of the battle without injury.

However, that didn't mean it cost her nothing. Because she squatted for too long, right now she was unable to stand up...

"Call Hiller here, we have to discuss about the next battle." After thinking for a while, Rhode made a decision.

"What, lure him out?"

Hearing Rhode's words, Hiller's adjutant immediately blurted out. Hiller also frowned. Although he didn't say anything, the way he looked at Rhode clearly showed his bewilderment.

"That's right." Rhode nodded and quickly explained. "There's isn't much precipitation potion left. To protect this many people, it will only last for one hour. Within one hour, it's impossible for us to get away from here. But, if we wait until we used up the precipitation potion, things will get very troublesome. During that time, the mage who was hiding from us will use the same tactic to trap us here. That's why we must lure him out and force him to confront us. If we can finish him, then we will be done."

"But mage rarely fight upfront." The adjutant said while looking at Marlene, whose eyes were closed.

"Moreover, since there are only eight precipitation potion left, then couldn't we leave before we used them up? Or, we can make more of it..."

"The material has been used up." Rhode shrugged. "And there's no time to make these potion anymore, but... This is exactly what I'm going to say."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hearing Rhode's words, the adjutant was surprised.

"Very easy, even though we know that we only have eight bottles of precipitation potion left, the opponent doesn't know about it. We could pretend to keep using the potion to face the Wind Snakes. At that time he will inevitably come out himself. My idea is very simple. First, we will be using the potion's effect to keep moving forward to show him that we're not in any panic. Then, we will rest to show that we have the power to make that potion anytime. By doing so, he will inevitably came out personally since Wind Snakes are afraid of gas element precipitation. But as a contracted mage, it's not a big deal for him. As long as we can successfully lure him out to fight us, it means we have succeeded halfway. Next, we will just have to finish him."

"But... What if..."

"Then we will inevitably die." Rhode of course knew what he meant.

"But if we use up the precipitation potion, our fate will be almost the same. That's why at least, we need take the initiative since many mages are..." Speaking until here, Rhode looked at Marlene and then continued talking. "Conceited and think that their intelligence can see through any scheme. I think... we can do something about this."

"But, but..."

Hearing until here, the adjutant stood up, but he didn't manage to finish his words and was stopped by Hiller. This serious and calm man looked at Rhode for a moment then nodded. "... Let's do it."

It really was a dejected translation and helpless explanation.

The black-cloaked mage quickly noticed his target began to move.

However, it was different from what he had expected. They didn't try to leave the forest in rush. To the contrary, their movement was strict and disciplined, but also not too fast. It seemed like they were walking toward the Twilight Forest outer border. What happened? Weren't they afraid of being surrounded by Wind Snakes?

Seeing this scene, the black-cloaked mage frowned. He began to regret underestimating the opponen, which caused him to lose two Wind Snake Lords. But since he still had his trump card, there was no problem in losing some small fries: at least he was able to see their strength. Among them, there should be no one with enough ability to threaten him. The same with the mage girl that he noticed before. Although the girl had entered a middle circle at such a young age, which made him quite surprised, she was still lacking a lot compared to him.

However...

Thinking until here, the black-cloaked mage narrowed his eyes. The girl was very talented and made him felt quite threatened. He spent almost 50 years to finally achieve his current strength; that girl was only about 17 or 18, but has already in the middle circle. If he didn't finish her now, there might be another strong warrior in this country in the future. To him, it was definitely not good news.

He needed finish her now before she grew up.

Thinking until here, the black-cloaked mage clenched both of his fists and gradually condensed his magic.

The mercenaries carefully moved forward under the two leaders' command.

Although they were puzzled as to why they didn't leave this ghostly place immediately, they didn't ask and only quietly followed from behind, carefully looking at the surroundings while recovering their energy.

At this moment, Rhode was walking beside Marlene. "Are you really unable to find out the opponent level?"

"It's very difficult, Mr. Rhode. I can only be sure that the opponent is a lot stronger than me. His control toward elemental magic is also higher than mine. I'm unable to accurately pinpoint his strength. Except in an upfront battle, it's going to be a very difficult thing to do."

It was going to be troublesome.

Rhode frowned. He was not afraid of the opponent since if he couldn't finish the mage, he could just summon Qilian to solve the problem. It was just that Rhode didn't want to use this method because summoning the card require too much sacrifice; it would be better to save it for later.

At first Rhode still hoped that he could solve the problem by relying on his own strength, but it seemed that the current situation wasn't too good.

Although they defeated the Death Knight, which was a strong opponent, it was an upfront battle, so as long as they had enough people and enough strength, it wasn't difficult. However, mages was different—they were sly and feared. They have many methods to keep their life; except in the case of a deadly strike, they would still be able to completely escape. The only subordinate that Rhode could set for battle was Marlene. But although she was a genius, but she wasn't ultimately a warrior. Marlene was still lacking experience in this kind of confrontation.

Then what should he do? Should he use Qilian?

Let see how the situation turns out.

Thinking until here, Rhode lifted his head to look at the sky once more. His expression suddenly turned serious. He quickly held onto Marlene and rolled to the side.

"Be careful!"

At the same time, a thunderbolt hit straight down from the gloomy dark clouds, to the spot where Marlene stood just now.

Chapter 125: Red Lotus Feast (1)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rhode. I can't do this..."

Marlene clenched her hands while looking at the man beside her who was listening to her reply with a pained expression. She could feel a trace of unwillingness in her heart. She was not a self-centered person; although she had been called as a genius for more than ten years, she learned the fact that there was always someone else better than her. Indeed, she was talented and capable. However, they were different compared with strength. Perhaps it was because of her age, so there was no one who could surpass level. But if it was the entire continent, there were a lot of mages who were still stronger than her. There was no way she could request having an opponent the same age as her; it was just not being realistic.

That was why Marlene was never ashamed to admit her deficiencies. However, this time she felt unwilling. Based on her sensitivity toward elemental reaction, she seemed to be able to catch the magic residual that the opponent left. With just one more step, she could already determine just how strong the opponent was. After going through many battles, she clearly understood just how important it was to find out about the enemy's strength beforehand. If she did it after the battle started, there wouldn't be enough time and it would be too late already.

But she just couldn't do it; that mage's controlling magic level was below hers, but he had more experience than her. She tried many times, but she was unable to figure anything out. She knew that the opponent's level was higher than hers, but she couldn't find out to what extent. It was just like looking at the moon in a foggy sky.

If I'm just a little bit stronger...

Thinking until here, Marlene dozed off.

Because of that, she didn't notice the huge magic wave that quietly condensed above her.

Boom!!

An earth-wrecking sound echoed in her ears.

The cold touch behind her back brought Marlene back to reality. The first thing he saw was Rhode who was tightly clinging to her, which made her flushed. However, at the next moment, after looking at the circling dark clouds in the sky, Marlene's expression changed.

She hurriedly extended her hand and the wand in her hand flashed. Soon, a polygonal barrier appeared and completely covered her.

"Everyone scatter! Rangers and thieves stay in place, everyone else is responsible for defense!"

Rhode had no time to ask anything; he quickly rolled and climbed up. At the same time, he gave commands to the others: what happened completely beyond his expectations. He didn't think that the mage would actually be so impatient as to immediately attack himself. Originally, Rhode thought that he would patiently lurk in the dark. But, he actually attacked so quickly and...

Thinking until here, Rhode was puzzled and glanced towards Marlene.

Instead of walking in front of the group, they were walking near the center of the group. They weren't supposed to be attacked. Rhode was aware of a mage's weaknesses: they were good at large scale attacks, but it would be more difficult for them facing a group attack. That was why, in general, before a mage launched an attack, they would usually cast a protection spell for themselves. They would attack the main lead after finishing the small fries. This was also the reason why Rhode didn't expect that the mage to attack him in the first place. He thought that the mage would choose to launch attack from the middle or the rear, then launched an attack on a large scale and leisurely finish the others. He didn't expect that he would actually attack Marlene.

Although taking into account that there was only one mage in his group, and if the enemy was able to finish her first, then the next move would be easier, Rhode still found it strange. A mage that could control a group of Wind Snakes and encircle the Burning Blade mercenary group for a few days actually lost his patience just because of their sudden appearance?

It seemed that the matter wasn't that simple.

At this moment, a thunderbolt heavily hit the ground. Apparently, the mercenaries had already prepared well. After they heard Rhode's command, they quickly scattered and hid themselves in the terrain. Although this might gave them some pressure when facing the Wind Snakes, if they assembled together, there might be a chance to catch the mage. There were only a few newbies here, so most of them knew these theories.

Rhode pulled Marlene and Anne brought Lize to hide behind two boulders. Thunderbolts kept falling beside them, mixed with an earth-wrecking sound and shining light that almost completely blinded everyone's eyes. The soil on the ground had collapsed under the impact of the thunderbolt, the trees fell to the ground, and the remains were covered with flames and smoke.

For some times, it was as if the end of the world was about to come.

This was the true strength of a mage.

Luckily, this thunderstorm didn't last long and ended in about two to three minutes. However, Rhode and others didn't have time to relax when they suddenly heard a bursting sound from the air getting closer!

"Mr. Hiller, follow the original plan!"

Through the forest barrier, Rhode immediately could see the figure who was floating in the sky. A mage could only cast a magic spell in a place that he could see and the distance between them was Rhode's only advantage. But even after the culprit showed himself, it still didn't mean that he was easy to deal with. Looking at the Wind Snake that he sat on, it could clearly be seen that things weren't quite so simple.

After hearing Rhode's words, Hiller also ordered the others to quickly make a defensive preparation to face the upcoming Wind Snakes. This time, they didn't immediately use the gas element precipitation potion. This was what Rhode had planned: if they used it from the beginning, then the mage would likely retreat and defeating him afterwards would be more difficult. The plan was to use their own strength first to withstand the Wind Snake's attack; after the mage realized that they could no longer use the power of the potion, he would likely to take further action. If they could take advantage of the sudden outbreak at that time, maybe there was a possibility of defeating him.

This was a war between mages.

Marlene was wrapped in the protection spell. She stood up and solemnly look at the sky. She was muttering an ancient spell; at the same time, the mage who was sitting on top of the Wind Snake also clenched his fists. Now, the magic once again condensed and turned into a roaring Thunder Snake.

Then, the black-cloaked mage pressed down his hands. At the same time, Marlene heavily pressed her wand to the ground.

The condensed Thunder Snake opened its mouth and aimed towards her. At the same time, the ice crystal on Marlene's wand also began to surge and condensed into an Ice Eagle that spread its wings.

Two sides once again collided.

An explosive sound echoed in the air. For some times, even space seemed to be distorted because of the different elements in their magics. The ice crystals scattered around, turned into snow, and fell to the ground. It somehow looked beautiful.

However, both sides didn't stop attacking.

Marlene lightly muttered and a few flame-burning tornadoes came to the surface. They pierced the clouds and roared toward the black-cloaked mage. However, this time, he didn't wait for her to react; the Wind Snake suddenly opened its mouth and screamed. The next moment, the whistling storm turned into a surging wave, forming a barrier that was several meters tall.

Both sides instantly met each other.

But this time, Marlene's expression changed.

When the storm barrier which stood upright like a wall came in contact with the flame tornado, it completely engulfed its power. The terrible force was enough to conquer a city, dissolve it by an intangible energy, and then reintegrated the energy into a barrier. Marlene could feel a surging wave reverse towards her; she couldn't help but back down a few steps to stabilize her stature. However, the originally shining gem had already turned dull; clearly, that mysterious force has caused quite a huge damage.

It was master level lord!

This thought flashed through Marlene's mind. She couldn't help but be surprised. Of course she knew what it meant to face a master level Wind Snake Lord: the opponent could freely control anything that was related to the wind element. Which meant that she could no longer use wind magic to injure the opponent, or else who knew what might happen to her if she casted that spell.

Facing the enemy that was floating in the air, if she didn't use wind element magic, then how was she supposed to deal with it?

The mage didn't wait until Marlene thought of the answer, and a thunderbolt emerged from that wind barrier once again and flew toward Marlene. Although she quickly reacted, she only managed to lift her wand when the thunderbolt arrived in front of her. The protective shield was broken, finally reaching its limit this and getting crushed like porcelain. It completely collapsed and the thunderbolt was rushing forward in a flash. It almost succeeded until a golden barrier appeared and blocked it.

Boom!!

Regardless of whether the enemy was successfully destroyed or not, even though the thunderbolt was blocked, it still created a violent explosion. Among the flames, Marlene's figure flew back and fell heavily on the ground. Soon, one hand held her shoulder, and then warm light wrapped around her body and healed her wound.

Lize squatted down beside Marlene. Her expression was very serious; in front of her, Anne was lifting the shield up high while focusing on looking at the person that was floating in the air.

"This really is unexpected..."

Looking at the four girls before him, the black-cloaked mage snorted. He glanced toward the Wind Snakes that followed his order and began to attack, but those vermin were blocking the snakes' advancement. But this was nothing; they'll be dead sooner or later—it was just a matter of time. However, the most important thing right now was to kill this mage.

Although they only have fought for a few strikes, the black-cloaked mage had already seen through Marlene's strength. Based on her current age, it was really unexpected for her controlling and reacting ability to reach that kind of extent. The black-cloaked mage had never seen such a frightening kid. Right now, he had completely given up the idea of bringing her back to become a servant. He was planning to kill all of them. After all, with such a talented kid like her, even if he controlled her sometimes, it would still difficult to ensure that no problem would arise in the future.

It was clearly an unwise decision to plant the seeds of a future calamity when women were abundant in the world.

Thinking until here, the black-cloaked mage narrowed his eyes. He patted the Wind Snake Lord's head and carefully looking at the people blocking the path in front of him.

Wait. Where did the man dressed in all black go?

Suddenly, a light piercing sound echoed from his back.

In the next moment, Rhode held onto a red sword aimed at the black cloaked mage's heart.

Chapter 126: Red Lotus Feast (2)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The black-cloaked mage couldn't react in time, but that didn't mean that was he going to die. When Rhode's sharp sword almost reached him, the Wind Snake Lord under the black-cloaked mage swung its tail violently aimed it toward Rhode!

Facing the Wind Snake Lord's counterattack, Rhode quickly reacted. Without hesitation, he had given up on the "first blood" attack that had almost succeeded and managed to dodge the Wind Snake's tail. If the tail hit him, then the "first blood" would be him.

At this moment, the black-cloaked mage turned around and coldly glared at Rhode.

This was not strange. After all, the black-cloaked mage was floating in the air. In this kind of situation, it was very unlikely for anyone to attack him from behind. That was why he only casted a protection arrow and a magic protection spell and didn't really make any preparation for a direct confrontation. Since a mage's soul power was very precious, it was better to save it up. If it's a battle on the ground, he definitely wouldn't do that. However, he was floating in the air, which was why the black cloaked mage didn't think about it.

But it seemed like he should change his mind.

The black-cloaked mage quickly retreated, and the Wind Snake Lord blocked Rhode. A mage wouldn't choose to fight a swordsman in an upfront battle. It definitely wasn't a good choice at anytime.

How did he fly here?

The black-cloaked mage narrowed his eyes and carefully look at Rhode. After that, he quickly turned his gaze on the transparent wings behind him.

What's that?

This sudden find made the black cloaked mage felt a little bit strange. Angel? Angels aren't supposed to have transparent wings? And the wings were a little bit too small; it didn't seem like an angel's, more like a bird's. It seemed to be a magic equipment, but he couldn't trace any magic wave when he used it.

"Tch!"

Just when the black-cloaked mage cautiously and carefully looked at Rhode, Rhode was still holding the sword on his hand and secretly cried in his heart. By relying on the Shadow Follower skill on Soul Messenger, he combined himself with the Spirit Bird and gained the ability to fly in the air.

Originally, Rhode intended to take advantage of the time when the black-cloaked mage fought with Marlene and deal him a fatal blow. Since mages weren't good at close combat and they were also lacking in resistance—in the game terms, it could be said that they had low HP. That was why in Rhode's opinion, if he could finish the mage now, then he would be greatly injured and easier to deal with later.

However, it was a pity that even a wise man could make mistake.

Rhode glared at the Wind Serpent Lord before him and clenched his teeth. That Wind Serpent was on a totally different level with the other two Wind Serpents from before. A Master Level Wind Serpent Lord, it's really troublesome and...Thinking until here, Rhode couldn't help but look at Marlene who was lying on the ground not far from him. He didn't know her situation right now, but it seemed that he could no longer depend on her.

"Marlene! Cheer up!!"

"I..."

Marlene forced herself to sit down, but her whole body felt powerless and weak. On the surface, the collision didn't look serious, but in truth, the collision between powerful magics at that moment turned the soul power inside her body into confused state. Right now, she couldn't even use any magic to adjust the power inside her, let alone consider attacking.

"Damn, that guy is pretty though, I have to help him."

Marlene held her wand and felt a trace of disappointment in her heart. She looked at the sky and saw three fuzzy figures was confronting each other. Of course she knew Rhode's plan and knew what her position was supposed to be in his plan, but now it seemed that his plan has failed... Then does he still have another way?

Marlene also didn't know.

But soon, she noticed that a hand was holding onto her body.

"Don't move first, Marlene. Your current condition is not too good."

Lize shook her head and stopped Marlene's action. Then she also looked up towards the sky.

"I think, I can try to do it."

"You?"

Hearing Lize's words, Marlene was surprised. As if she suddenly thought of something, her eyes widened.

"You want to use that? But you still can't control it properly! Lize, you can't do that; you're also a caster, you must also understand the risk of using a skill that you are still unable to control! If Mr. Rhode is here, he will definitely stop you from doing so!"

"But now he's not here, and we have no other choice." Lize said while turning her head to look at the forest not far from them.

There, under Hiller and Shauna's command, the mercenaries were fighting against the Wind Serpents. The gas precipitation potion effect had begun to weaken and some of the Wind Serpents also began to come near them. It was still unknown for how long that they could resist.

"I will never let my nightmare come true; I will protect everyone. I definitely can do it!"

"You can't! Anne, stop her!"

"Anne, I need your help. I hope you can protect us when I'm casting the spell."

"No, Anne! Stop her, it's suicidal!"

"Eh?"

Anne looked at Marlene's worried expression and Lize's serious expression. She showed some hesitation. Since it was her first time facing this kind of thing, Anne didn't know who should she listen to.

"Anne, believe in me."

Lize placed both of her hands in front of her chest and her expression was very serious.

"Do you still remember the battle between you and the Death Knight in Silent Highland? I'm also the same; I just want to protect everyone. I don't want anyone to get hurt and I can do this. Believe in me, I'm not risking my life—I'm sure that I can do this. Now is the best opportunity to do so, or else, it's hard to say what's going to happen next."

"... Alright, Sister Lize."

Hearing until here, Anne finally nodded and lifted her shield.

"I will protect the both of you. Hang in there!"

At this moment, Rhode once again fought with the Wind Serpent Lord.

The Wind Serpent's tail swung pass through Rhode. Violent airflow made him lose his balance and the Wind Serpent Lord's sharp teeth suddenly appeared beside him. Just a bite was enough to turn his body into pieces. At this moment, the Spirit Bird "agile" characteristic finally came into use. When the Wind Serpent Lord was biting down, Rhode's figure suddenly turned into a green straight line and quickly flew back, escaping from the Death God. However, that was not the end; after noticing that its attack has failed, the Wind Serpent suddenly widened its eyes and glared at Rhode. After that Rhode suddenly felt his body became heavy. The Spirit Bird that was originally attached to himself was being mercilessly forced to get out from his body by a powerful force. Then, it transformed back into a card and disappeared in the air.

Not good!

Rhode's heart sank; he had looked out for this move since the very beginning. Since the opponent was a Master Level Lord, this meant that it had an absolute control over the wind element. The Spirit Bird itself was an wind element creature; it was impossible for it defy a Master Level Lord. Originally, he intended to retreat immediately once his attack had failed and wait, but it seemed that the opponent's movement was even faster that what he had imagined. According to the previous attack, Rhode had also almost figured out the level of the black-cloaked mage controlling the Wind Serpent.

A contracted mage that was able to make a contract with Master Level Wind Serpent Lord meant that he was at least a Level 50 Grand Mage!

Thinking until here, Rhode couldn't help but secretly curse at heart. Those b*stards from the Country of Light really are generous; they actually brought a Level 50 middle circle mage that could become a Magic Association agent in small city to become a thief here. It seemed like the Country of Light really want to finish their lives!

But now was not the time for him to complain. After he lost the Spirit Bird's help, Rhode no longer had the ability to fly and immediately turned back to his human form. He landed down, following the gravity; at the same time, Rhode caught a trace of bright light in his eyes and countless thunderbolts appeared from the sky, aiming toward him.

That guy sure is fast. Ah, I don't care anymore!

Thinking until here, Rhode quickly made up his mind. He instantly stretched his left hand and a summoning circle appeared in the air; the Holy Sword card once again appeared in his hand, and he took it and clenched it with force.

After that, a white, soft hand caught him.

Celia fluttered her wings and slowed down Rhode's fall. She didn't look up and quickly stretched out her wings. She leaned to protect Rhode by shielding him with her body. After that, a thunderbolt struck down and hit her body.

Boom boom boom!!

Followed by the earth-wrecking sound, sparks were igniting and broke her white wings. Her body seemed to tremble like a small boat struck by a stormy sea, but she still clenched her teeth and suffered the thunderbolt's continuous attack.

"Angel?!"

Looking at this scene, the black-cloaked mage was taken aback and his movement became slower. He didn't know where did the angel suddenly came from. As a Country of Light's inhabitant, he naturally knew that angels had a noble position in the mainland. If others knew that he did killed an angel, he would definitely be finished!

The black-cloaked man shook his head and put aside his hesitation. There was no use regretting it now. Since he started it, it would be just fine as long as he could kill the people here so he wouldn't have to be afraid of being exposed! This angel also didn't look strong; it didn't seem like it'd be difficult to get her!

This matter couldn't be delayed, so the mage moved immediately.

Thinking until here, the black-cloaked mage immediately raised his hand, once again wanting to control his power and deal a fatal blow on the target.

At this moment, a dazzling gold light suddenly appeared and caught his attention.

When the black-cloaked mage turned his head around, he saw a gorgeous, dazzling light beam.