Chapter 62: Assassination

The Kalendor Basin is located in the southwest of the Empire. To the west of the basin lies a vast expanse of deep mountains, and to the north is Bracada, and the border between the Empire and the Savage Highlands.

The mountains surrounding the basin were originally part of the open territory of the Dwarf Empire's Stone City. Over three hundred years ago, some humans fled the war by crossing the mountains and settled here. In the past century, with the development of trade, a mountain road was carved out, officially bringing it under the domain of the Einfast Empire. However, strictly speaking, this area is still the territory of the dwarves, so the humans in the Kalendor Basin actually have complete autonomy. The long history of closed-off living has maintained a dull and rigid atmosphere and lifestyle within the basin, much like a veil formed by coal dust mixed with clouds hanging in the sky, casting a gloomy haze.

However, the situation here has greatly improved over the past year. After the establishment of the orc city of Orford in the Savage Highlands, a road was immediately carved out in the northwestern mountains of the basin. The finest ore from the entire continent and the dwarves' exquisite weapons and tools can now be traded directly through Orford, no longer limited to exports to the Empire. Trade has quickly made the basin vibrant and prosperous. With the newly established shortcut to Orford, merchant caravans traveling into the basin from within the Empire have increased daily, and several small towns at the entrances of the outer mountain ranges have also flourished.

At noon, a merchant caravan arrived at the small town at the foot of the mountain. Merchants and hired mercenaries were either riding horses or sitting in horse-drawn carriages, cheerfully discussing the orc city they were about to visit. Only the last carriage had two people, both completely wrapped in tattered cloaks, leaning against each other in apparent exhaustion. These were two vagrants the caravan had encountered along the way, reportedly injured while fleeing from bandit pursuers. After pleading with the merchants and offering a few silver coins, the caravan agreed to take them to Orford.

As the caravan approached the town, a cry echoed through the clouds and mountains overhead. In the distance, a dark figure soared out of the depths of the basin, flapping its wings. The massive shadow landed on a platform in front of a cave on a distant mountain—an entrance to the dwarven underground city. It seemed that two or three figures were riding on it.

Most members of the caravan were seeing such a creature for the first time and gasped in surprise. A merchant who had been to Orford explained that it was a peculiar, giant beast domesticated by the orcs. The caravan slowly entered the small town, intending to rest a bit before heading into the Kalendor Basin and taking the northern mountain path to Orford.

Just as the caravan entered the town, it came to a halt. The road was blocked.

What blocked the way was peculiar—not an object, but a tea table with two individuals seated beside it.

From their shapes and hair colors, one appeared to be an old man and the other a middle-aged man. Both were dressed very ordinarily, but their faces were concealed by exquisitely crafted silver skull masks that completely covered the upper part of their faces, leaving only their mouths visible.

Since early morning, these strange individuals had been sitting there. The town's constable had come to inquire and intervene, but upon merely waving his hand, the old man had sent him flying into the air like a beach ball, crashing down and landing in a heap, severely injured. No one dared to approach them again after that. The townsfolk kept their distance.

The caravan hesitated before these peculiar individuals. The leader was an elderly merchant who did not want to cause trouble. He glanced at the strange masks and the imposing demeanor of the two men and decided to take a detour.

Just as the caravan was preparing to turn away, the old man sighed and spoke in an extraordinarily peculiar voice, "If you don't come out now, do you wish to drag more people down with you? It's a pity that even if everyone in this town willingly becomes your human shield, you still won't escape."

His cold voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone.

In response, a clear female voice rang out from the caravan: "Great God of All Things, grant me the blessing of your life to drive away evil and darkness."

Three beams of green light shot from the caravan, illuminating three trees by the roadside. The trees emitted strange cracking sounds and visibly thickened, quaking as if coming to life. The stout, distorted roots broke through the ground, and the three trees stood upright like humans, moving towards the two men.

Yet the two individuals remained seated. A thick white lightning bolt sprang from the old man's hand, instantly extending between the three transformed trees. The air crackled with a mix of electric bursts and the sound of splintering wood as the trees exploded into a pile of sawdust.

At that moment, a slender figure suddenly leaped from the caravan. With a short bow in his left hand, he held not an arrow in his right, but rather a long wooden stick seemingly broken off from the wagon. Mid-air, he nocked the stick onto the bowstring, and as his feet touched the ground, the wooden stick shot forth with the speed of a released arrow. The whole motion was as smooth as silk, like a fish twisting and turning in water, uninterrupted and fluid.

The bow wasn't powerful, and the seemingly ordinary wooden stick lacked any lethal force. However, as it flew through the air, it began to twist violently. Branches rapidly sprouted from it, and even green leaves and sharp thorns appeared, transforming into a writhing vine resembling a living snake, lunging toward the old man.

No arrow could match the lethality of this venomous, man-eating vine. It didn't even need to hit; as long as the vine sensed the vitality emanating from nearby flesh, it would instinctively lunge at it, desperately seeking to burrow into the body and penetrate the organs. The paralyzing venom it carried was something even a robust ogre could not withstand.

The middle-aged man let out a strange sigh, tilting his teacup so that the tea splashed out and quickly transformed into a small blue fireball that soared toward the air-bound vine.

This fireball was no larger than a fist, but merely approaching it caused the vine to turn into a cloud of black ash before it could even ignite. The fireball flew past the ash left in the air, continuing its trajectory toward the archer.

As the archer released his peculiar shot, another figure leaped down from the caravan. Immediately following the middle-aged man's release of the fireball, he extended his hand, unleashing a fireball the size of a person from before him, roaring fiercely as it hurtled toward the pitiful little blue flame.

A deafening explosion echoed across the surrounding mountains. These two fireballs, vastly different in size and force, collided with equal ferocity. Nearby buildings crumbled, and flames scattered in all directions. Yet the two seated individuals remained undisturbed by the chaos, not even a teacup on the table was toppled.

The caravan was in disarray, with merchants and mercenaries scrambling to their feet, hurriedly turning to flee while cursing the unfortunate pair they had picked up along the way. They hadn't expected to have drawn the attention of powerful sorcerers.

The two figures that had jumped from the caravan did not run. The gusting winds blew away their tattered cloaks, revealing their true appearances. One was a young human male, and the other a breathtakingly beautiful elven maiden. The elven girl tightly clutched a piece of emerald-green leaves, which radiated a green light that slowly enveloped her.

"Is this the true power of the World Tree Leaf in the hands of an elf? The nature magic borrowed from it is surprisingly high-level. No wonder Master Aiden can't handle them alone," the middle-aged man observed, nodding at the pile of sawdust while glancing at the man who had cast the fireball. His voice also held an odd tone, reminiscent of Master Aiden, as if he were struggling to express his thoughts. "So, this is that kid? Just a fool who can't use magic after all. Such a shame about the effects of the Sunwell and the World Tree Leaf."

Ten days prior, Master Aiden had finally found Asa and his companion, who were quietly heading to Orford. Without saying a word, he immediately attacked, intending to kill. Without the magical enhancement of the Sunwell, Asa's combat prowess was vastly inferior to that of Master Aiden, who was exceptionally skilled in air magic. However, neither Asa nor his companion had anticipated that the elven girl, Ruya, would use the World Tree Leaf to perform astonishing nature magic. Although Master Aiden severely injured the two, he was bitten by a magically mutated venomous spider in the process. Seizing the opportunity, Asa employed a mutually destructive tactic to drive Aiden back, taking Ruya into the forest. Wounded and poisoned, Master Aiden dared not pursue and had to retreat, calling for his companion, Aisri, who was searching in another direction.

Now that the target had been found, Master Aiden slowly stood up.

"Wait!" Asa suddenly shouted.

Master Aiden didn't wait. The electric light in his hand flickered ominously. He was here to kill, not to negotiate. Even if the two top sorcerers on the continent joined forces, there would be no room for struggle against an opponent with divine artifacts, let alone discussing terms.

"If you don't stop, I'll tear this thing apart." Asa suddenly snatched the World Tree Leaf from Ruya's hands. "I've heard that if this thing is torn, it'll be useless."

Master Aiden's movements abruptly halted. The eyes behind the mask shone with a fierce light like his lightning, but his tone remained as calm as ever. "If you dare tear that thing, I have ways to make you regret it."

"Either way, it seems I'm going to die, so what's there to regret?" Asa's veins bulged.

"No, you won't die." The veins behind Master Aiden's mask also twitched, though Asa couldn't see them. "I will gather all your family and friends, those you know and are familiar with, before you, and make you watch as their flesh is sliced away piece by piece. Finally, I'll turn you into a living corpse."

"Shall we make a bet?" Asa's gaze locked onto the eyes behind the silver mask, his tone equally flat. "Will you bet on whether I'll tear it?"

After a long pause, Master Aiden replied calmly, "What do you want me to wait for?" His peculiar voice sounded as if he were sniffling.

Asa could tell that the two necromancers were using magical items to alter their voices. Each member of the Necromancer Guild was notorious in human society; not only did they require masks, but they also needed to disguise their voices. He asked leisurely, "I just have a few questions. After I ask, we can discuss anything."

"Go ahead."

"Aren't you inviting me to join your Necromancer Guild?"

"Oh, so Vadenina has already told you?" Master Aiden chuckled coldly. "But it's not us; it's just Lady Vadenina's wishful thinking."

Asa let out a long breath. Although he had suspected this after his confrontation with the necromancer in the Whispering Forest, he only now dared to confirm it. He silently rejoiced that he hadn't used the teleportation scroll to walk into a trap. Yet he also felt a bit disappointed; the escape he had imagined turned out to be just a fantasy. He paused before asking, "How could you know we would come this way and wait for us here?"

"Do you dare run around with the World Tree Leaf? If you're not heading back to the Magic Academy to find Ronis, then you must be going to the Turaleone Forest to the west. And this is the nearest road to the west; we've been waiting here for you. As for the World Tree Leaf, I can sense it as long as it's within ten miles, so we just needed to sit here drinking tea and wait for you to deliver it."

"Do you want to kill me? Does Vadenina know?"

"Whether she knows or not is irrelevant; this is the collective decision of all members aside from her."

Asa took a deep breath, his expression twitching. He continued to look into the eyes behind Master Aiden's silver skull mask and asked, "What do you want to do with this thing…"

"Enough talking. He's just stalling for time." The other necromancer, who had remained silent, slowly stood up. "His breathing is steady, and his heartbeat is normal. He's calm, as if he's already prepared. But the difference in our power is obvious. The only explanation is that he seems to be waiting for reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Master Aiden seemed to find this amusing, even his mask moving with a smile beneath. He glanced down at the town as if it were just a pile of ant mounds beneath him. "Dear friend Aisri, what kind of reinforcements could possibly come here? Are the dwarves sending an army? What kind of army or sorcerers could deal with two necromancers like us?"

Aisri didn't answer but instead looked at Asa and said, "If you're going to tear it, then go ahead. The World Tree Leaf, when broken, will return as the essence of life to the Sunwell. We can just wait a few more years to retrieve it." As he spoke, the magical fluctuations around him grew increasingly intense.

Asa's expression darkened. He returned the World Tree Leaf to Ruya and then faced the two men, stopping in his tracks. The light of fighting spirit began to shine around him.

Master Aiden's eyes behind the mask regained their electric sharpness.

Aisri bit his finger until it bled, and droplets fell to the ground, automatically forming a magic circle on the bluestone floor. Then he chanted, "Flames of destruction hidden in the abyss of hell…"

Suddenly, Asa lunged toward the two necromancers, a trail of fighting spirit light following him.

Ruya pressed her hands together over the World Tree Leaf, and a wave of green light instantly enveloped her.

Countless small branches and leaves began to emerge from the ground beneath the necromancers' feet.

A ring of electric light spread out from Master Aiden, tearing apart the small branches and leaves before they had the chance to grow. However, he didn't pay attention to that; his eyes remained locked on Asa, who was charging at him. At that moment, he suddenly heard a crisp sound from beside him and caught a glimpse of his fallen companion.

Aisri's worm-like lips were still moving, continuing to chant the powerful spell but without producing any sound. His neck had completely twisted around. While focusing on casting magic, he suddenly saw his own back. His mouth opened wide, but his scream, like his spell, got caught in his throat, and he collapsed like a snake that had its spine broken.

Master Aiden's surprise lasted only a moment before he quickly transformed the magical power he had originally prepared to defend against Asa into a flight spell, shooting upward like a startled vulture. Asa's punch only brushed against his pant leg.

As he soared into the air, he looked down but saw nothing. All he could see was the table he had been drinking tea at, rapidly growing larger in his view.

That wasn't magic; no magic could turn a table into a cannonball. It was pure force. The wind generated by the table was more terrifying than any magical fluctuation. At that speed and force, even wood that wasn't particularly hard would be enough to completely shatter his old bones. He hurriedly waved his hand, and a blade of wind formed from a vacuum struck at the table.

The table shattered with a loud crash, wooden shards exploding like fireworks in the sky.

However, the sound of the crash and breakage couldn't hide a sharper noise. Even the swiftest crossbow bolt wouldn't create such a fierce sound. After the table broke, Master Aiden finally saw a table leg approaching him, this smaller piece of wood advancing faster, more violently, and with ten times the force than the table had before, aimed directly at him. This was the piece of wood meant to hit him.

The momentum of the instant flight spell could not be altered, and even the most advanced sorcerer couldn't cast a third spell in such a short moment. Watching that piece of wood that was about to pierce him through and create a transparent hole in his body, Master Aiden desperately used the air magic he had perfected throughout his life to move his body just a fraction to the side in that brief moment.

With a soft sound, Master Aiden's entire arm disintegrated into fragments like paper. He screamed, but his body didn't stop; it continued to ascend at an angle, leaving a trail of blood as he vanished into the dark, low-hanging clouds.

In the blink of an eye, these two top sorcerers had one heavily injured and fleeing, while the other lay dead.

Asa turned to the person beside him, sincerely admiring, "You're still so impressive."