CH127 - CH128

CH127

A gust of wind blew past, and in the next second, Helag stood tall, his arms crossed, blocking the view of the second-level apprentice like a mountain.

He looked down at the apprentice with a cold, emotionless gaze and dispelled the Dark Imprisonment.

As soon as the spell was lifted, the apprentice's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

"Spare… spare me…" he stammered, his voice shaking with fear.

"Name, origin, and purpose," Helag demanded, his tone devoid of any warmth.

The man continued to tremble, barely managing to speak. "I… I'm Benick, from Green Cottage. We came to steal valuable potion materials to sell."

Fred finally approached, looking at Helag with a mix of fear and awe.

From the hill, Fred had witnessed Helag's swift and lethal actions. He had used Shadow Corner to close in on the three men unnoticed, then killed two third-level apprentices with a single punch each.

The speed and power Helag displayed were beyond Fred's comprehension. Even a Great Knight, known for their physical prowess, couldn't match such overwhelming strength.

In the face of such terrifying power, all shields were like paper.

The two third-level apprentices might have had more tricks up their sleeves, but they had no chance to react once Helag got close.

Fred imagined himself facing Helag and broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

"Are there any others?" Helag continued his interrogation.

Benick quickly shook his head. "No, no, it's just the three of us."

"Isn't it a ceasefire period? Are you trying to provoke a new conflict?" Helag questioned.

"No, it's because the war just ended, and both sides are short on manpower. We thought there would be fewer patrols in the Western Mountains during this time…" Benick explained.

Seeing Fred arrive, Helag said, "Let's take him back to Mr. Barty."

Their patrol could end early today due to this unexpected situation. They needed to report to Barty and bring Benick back.

Benick's fate wouldn't be better than the two dead apprentices. He would be subjected to various methods to extract his deepest memories and, once his usefulness was exhausted, likely executed or used as material for necromancy potions.

Thinking of necromancy reminded Helag that he hadn't yet studied necromancy knowledge.

Necromancy required comprehensive knowledge, not just learning a few spells from the spell shop. It needed a complete knowledge inheritance.

However, necromancy courses were rare, and he would need to contact a formal necromancer in Moonlight Forest to buy the knowledge inheritance.

Helag had planned to finish learning the spells he had bought before considering necromancy, but the patrol task brought him to the Western Mountains first.

Fred took out a pair of anti-magic cuffs and secured Benick's hands behind his back.

The cuffs extended several tendrils that pierced into Benick's flesh, completely sealing his mana flow.

Now, Benick was no different from an ordinary person, unable to use magic.

With Benick secured, Helag approached the injured Mountain Fire Bear.

Seeing him approach, the bear warily backed away.

Helag spoke in the common language of magical creatures, "We are wizards from Moonlight Forest. If you trust me, I can heal your wounds."

The bear hesitated, a human-like uncertainty in her eyes. After glancing at the two human corpses, she decided to trust Helag and nodded.

Helag took out three bottles of White Fresh Healing Potion and slowly approached the bear, keeping his Absolute Defense shield active.

He poured one bottle on the bear's belly, where the wound was most severe.

The potion caused visible pain, but the bear endured, knowing Helag was helping her.

The wound began to stop bleeding and heal visibly. As a magical creature, the bear had strong regenerative abilities, and the potion accelerated the process.

Helag treated the other wounds with the remaining potions and bandaged the bear's belly.

"You're good to go now," Helag said in the bear language.

The bear nodded and roared towards the hilltop.

The cub soon emerged from the bushes, running to hide behind the mother bear, peeking at Helag and Fred.

Helag waved at them and headed back up the hill.

The bears turned and disappeared into the forest.

On the way back, Helag reflected on the battle.

If he could approach enemies using Shadow Corner after casting enhancement spells, even third-level apprentices couldn't match him.

If enemies were on guard, Shadow Corner wouldn't work.

But Helag had Blink and Fleet Foot. Blink could teleport him close, and Fleet Foot could boost his speed, enhancing his close combat abilities.

The battle reinforced Helag's resolve to make Great Dark Heaven his innate spell.

"True strength comes from within," Helag thought.

Great Dark Heaven could infinitely enhance his bloodline and physical body, aligning perfectly with his goals.

Upon returning to the station, Helag and Fred reported to Barty, omitting the details of Helag's fight. Barty assumed they had teamed up to defeat the enemies.

Barty glanced at Benick. "Lock him up. I've notified the forest. Someone will come to take him tomorrow."

The station had cells made of anti-magic materials, specifically for holding wizards.

With the matter resolved, Helag resumed his patrol duties.

The following days were uneventful, passing peacefully for half a month.

CH128

As the morning sun rose, its light bathed the entire Western Mountains in a golden glow.

Helag emerged from his tent, breathing in the fresh mountain air.

A drop of dew fell from the branches above, landing coolly on his face.

The campfire outside the tent had died down, with only a few embers still emitting heat.

Helag tossed a few dry sticks into the fire, using fire-element particles to reignite it.

A pot hung over the fire, containing leftovers from last night's meal, which he planned to reheat for breakfast.

Fred, awakened by the noise, groggily opened his eyes.

Not every wizard replaced sleep with meditation daily; many couldn't maintain Helag's level of discipline and effort.

For someone like Fred, who had little chance of becoming a formal wizard, it was even harder to keep up. He preferred a comfortable night's sleep.

As Helag stirred the pot, he suddenly froze, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Absolute Defense!"

A multicolored shield appeared around him instantly, confusing Fred, who didn't understand what was happening.

The next second, an overwhelming presence descended from the sky, pinning Fred to the ground.

A bloody hand fell from above, aiming directly at Helag.

His shield held for a few seconds before cracking like a spider web and shattering.

Helag was thrown into the air, spitting blood.

Seizing the moment, he pulled out the Whispering Water Ball to notify Barty.

"Formal wizard!" The thought flashed through Helag's mind. Only a formal wizard could break his Absolute Defense with a single strike.

"Deep Blue, how strong was that attack?"

[Analysis complete. 

Attack strength: approximately 21 du.] 

Helag's expression grew serious. A single spell with a strength of 21 du indicated a first-level spell, far beyond the power of zero-level spells.

As he landed, he activated all his enhancement spells.

The problem was, he didn't know who the enemy was or where they were.

While cooking, Deep Blue detected a strong mana fluctuation, prompting Helag to use Absolute Defense immediately.

Had he hesitated, he would have been crushed.

Without enhancement spells, his body couldn't withstand a 21-du attack.

Soon, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice reached him: "You survived? I intended to kill you with one strike and then slowly interrogate your soul."

A man in a black robe, riding a night steed, appeared in the air before Helag.

The man had brown hair, a freckled face, and a seemingly harmless smile.

"Malcolm," Helag muttered instinctively.

Before becoming a wizard, Helag had witnessed Malcolm curse and kill Baron Buck at Melissa's wedding.

Back then, Helag was nothing more than an ant to Malcolm, unworthy of even a glance.

Malcolm's expression showed he didn't recognize Helag, having no memory of their previous encounter.

Years later, Helag still felt powerless against Malcolm, the vast difference in their strength making him just a slightly stronger ant.

"Luen's death is connected to you," Malcolm said slowly.

"Luen? The third-level apprentice killed by Shivara?" Helag recalled.

Malcolm's tone turned cold. "So it is connected to you. For some reason, his soul seemed to have left this world, making it difficult for me to summon it back. After much effort, I managed to retrieve fragments of his soul, which included you."

"Besides Shivara, you were the only unfamiliar face in those fragments. After some investigation, I found out who you are. Helag Merlin, a third-level apprentice of Moonlight Forest. Divination revealed you were in the Western Mountains."

"This is a stroke of luck. If you stayed in Moonlight Forest, I couldn't touch you. But here, I can take your soul and interrogate it at my leisure."

Helag took a deep breath. "Luen's death had nothing to do with me. Shivara killed him."

Malcolm smiled. "I never believe anyone's words. I trust only the truth seen in the depths of a soul. Luen's soul was fragmented, but you're alive. Your soul holds the complete story, and I'll see it all."

Helag clenched his fists, hoping Barty would arrive soon.

He couldn't let Malcolm capture him. Too many secrets were at stake.

If Malcolm discovered the Deep Blue chip, he would go mad, trying every method to extract it.

Helag also had memories of his past life and the meditation techniques of the Six-Ring Tower, secrets that couldn't be revealed.

More importantly, being captured would mean a fate worse than death. Malcolm's methods would ensure Helag's suffering.

"What is that shield spell? It's not a first-level spell, yet it withstood my attack. Strange," Malcolm mused, puzzled.

Helag ignored him, muscles tense, ready for any move.

He cast Absolute Defense again, checking his mana: 24% remaining, with 74% stored in the array.

Malcolm, finding no answers, said, "I'll find out from your soul."

He smiled, conjuring another bloody hand to grab Helag.

As the hand neared, Helag's form twisted and vanished, reappearing several meters away in the forest.

Malcolm's eyes widened. "You can teleport? Interesting."

His interest in Helag grew, a hint of excitement on his face. "You'll make an excellent test subject."

"I had another fascinating subject, but he escaped. You'll replace him," Malcolm said slowly.

Helag realized he was talking about Fegar.

[Remaining mana: 11%.]

Each teleport used 13% mana. Helag could only teleport three more times, and Malcolm was already conjuring another bloody hand.