Magus

"I see you!"

Screech—

Li Ye spun around, and the instant the invisible touch vanished, he shot out like an arrow released from a bow!

Crimson Lightning surged, covering hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye!

Boom!

The belated air explosion echoed like a ring across the vast expanse of yellow sand.

"What?!"

With a startled cry, he was forcefully interrupted before he could say more.

Li Ye, a savage grin plastered across his face, gave the Magus no chance to speak. He slammed his palm onto the Magus's face and smashed him heavily into the ground. The momentum carried them sliding dozens of meters before stopping!

As he stopped, Li Ye immediately sensed a faint magical fluctuation. He grabbed the Magus like he was throwing out trash and hurled him forward with all his might!

The Magus flew through the air like a broken puppet, plunging headfirst into the yellow sand. By the time the Magus crawled out of the sand, he was already dozens of meters away.

Li Ye stretched his muscles and strode forward.

"So that's why I couldn't find you, hiding here!"

As he closed the distance to the Magus, Li Ye simultaneously observed his surroundings.

He could confirm there were no strange things like barriers, and it seemed no other magic was set up to avoid creating obvious magical fluctuations.

'It's a remote operation type of magic, then. Been following behind those Crusaders all along?'

'So, someone must have brought Nitocris into the barrier. Otherwise, how could she have disappeared so suddenly—could it be a Reality Marble?'

Thinking of this, Li Ye couldn't help but click his tongue.

The enemy's numbers were still unknown. How could so many Magus be ambushing them here?

He hadn't even spread the news about obtaining the Holy Grail.

A few breaths later, Li Ye had closed the distance to the Magus again.

However, because the Magus's face was hidden by a hood, Li Ye couldn't see his features.

The only thing he could confirm was a pair of narrow, phoenix-like eyes.

As he got closer, Li Ye noticed the Magus's gaze filled with hostility. Although he didn't understand the meaning behind it, Li Ye still sensed the magic the Magus was gathering.

He was undoubtedly preparing to cast a spell.

Zing—

The sword was drawn, and wisps of electric arcs danced along its edge.

Li Ye's eyes, which had somehow transformed into vertical pupils, met the Magus's coldly. "I'll give you one chance. Die now."

Faced with Li Ye's chilling words, the Magus's choice was—

Screech.

"Magic Bullet, loading!"

With a sharp cry, complex polygonal light patterns instantly appeared before the Magus.

Dozens of formed Magic Bullets whistled towards Li Ye!

'Yin Qi Bullets? Nordic magic with curses!'

Seeing the magic bullets imbued with an ominous aura flying towards him, Li Ye's mind immediately went to the famous Yin Qi Bullets.

Assuming it was a cursed attack, Li Ye didn't choose to confront it head-on. He moved swiftly, creating distance.

When Li Ye turned his gaze back to the Magus, he saw a surprising sight.

The Magus, who was only about 1.6 meters tall, pulled a massive greatsword, at least two meters long, from thin air.

'A sword?'

Li Ye held his own sword in one hand, looking at the Magus in confusion as to why he would pull out a Western-style greatsword.

But the Magus's next action almost made Li Ye burst out laughing.

The Magus assumed a stance, clearly intending to engage Li Ye in a head-on battle!

Laughter aside, Li Ye's vigilance never wavered.

Li Ye was certain the Magus possessed extremely powerful reinforcement magic to significantly boost his physical abilities like strength.

With the first strike he made, Li Ye wasn't aiming to kill the Magus, but at least to incapacitate him.

Yet, upon contact, Li Ye could feel the Magus's body was incredibly strong, like that of a seasoned warrior.

The magical fluctuation he sensed then was likely not the activation of magic, but the result of magic being forcibly dispelled.

"Should I wait for you to cast a few more spells before we begin?"

Li Ye asked politely.

The Magus obviously wouldn't answer Li Ye's question, merely charging towards him silently.

The two figures vanished from their positions in an instant, the icy sword glints erupting with crisp clangs like a storm of wind and rain.

Splashes of blood streaked across the sky.

It wasn't until Li Ye's unharmed figure reappeared a hundred meters away that the Magus stood not far off, tattered and covered in blood.

"Are you sure you want to fight me up close?"

Li Ye shouldered his sword, appraising the Magus with interest.

Initially, Li Ye had harbored significant apprehension towards this Magus, who had remained hidden in the shadows, undiscovered until now.

After all, the Magus's unknown nature and threat level were impossible to gauge. Unlike Lancelot and the others, if he couldn't win, he couldn't win; Li Ye wouldn't even consider the possibility of victory.

But Li Ye never expected this guy, after using a feint with a Yin Qi Bullet, would directly choose to engage him in close combat.

The biggest problem was that this guy's swordsmanship was even worse than Li Ye's before he'd received Lancelot's "little lessons."

"Next time, I'm going to cut off your hand—" Li Ye swung his sword, pointing at the Magus's sword-wielding right arm.

The Magus stared at Li Ye, panting, his gaze filled with indignation.

This baffled Li Ye: "No, I'm about to kill you, you should at least give me a reason, right? You've always been like this, not even willing to say a word?"

The Magus's eyes actually made Li Ye feel like he had done something wrong.

It was utterly ridiculous.

"Heretic!"

The Magus finally spoke. The voice, like a lone orchid in a secluded valley, made Li Ye raise an eyebrow: "You really are one of the Crusaders!"

In this Singularity, Li Ye hadn't encountered anyone other than the Crusaders who would call him a Heretic.

"Why are you attacking me?"

Li Ye, who had been keeping an eye on their surroundings, continued to press when no other Magus appeared.

"You Heretic have plundered the Sacred Artifact, what is wrong with us Saints taking it back!"

The Magus questioned loudly, his angry gaze seeming to ask Li Ye why he had betrayed them.

So, these remnants of the Crusaders actually have a way to track the Holy Grail. It seems they discovered it as soon as I took it away from the Holy City!

Li Ye's expression turned serious. This meant that if these remnants weren't completely annihilated, there would always be a group of people after his precious Holy Grail.

As long as Li Ye couldn't use the Holy Grail's power, he would remain at risk.

There's only a thousand days to be a thief, but not a thousand days to guard against one, right?

Li Ye asked himself, if he had learned that a Holy Grail was lost, he would definitely try to retrieve it by any means necessary.

They're too dangerous!

At this moment, Li Ye no longer cared about the Magus's exquisite Life Magic, his sole focus was on eliminating this potential threat!

"Renegade! One who has fallen into heresy, what face do you have to see My Lord!" The Magus, seeing Li Ye's attitude, immediately began to curse.

"How do you know I was in the Crusaders?"

Li Ye's expression turned cold. When he woke up, he had encountered the Lion King, and all the Crusaders allied with him were dead. His identity as a Crusader had vanished with their deaths; no one should have known.

But this Magus actually knew that Li Ye had once been a member of the Crusaders.

This forced Li Ye to become extremely alert.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew, and the hood on the Magus's head was dramatically blown off.

Revealing a small face with a hint of childishness.

A messy gray ponytail stuffed into the cloak, exquisite features that could be seen even through her anger.

Undoubtedly, she was a girl on the verge of blooming.