A Blunder

Since he knew he could not escape at his own speed, Locke naturally would not waste any more stamina. He walked out of the cave and headed to an area where the trees were relatively dense, waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Judging by this pursuer's speed, Locke guessed that he was a Rank 7 Knight.

Before Rank 6, Mages were generally considered one rank higher than warriors.

This was because when Mages cast spells, they only needed to consume a small portion of Magic Power as a trigger. Then, under the guidance of that Magic Power, the vast elemental forces between heaven and earth would form powerful spells.

A Rank 1 spell could pose a fatal threat to a Rank 2 Warrior.

A Rank 3 spell could pose a fatal threat to a Rank 4 Warrior.

A Rank 5 spell could pose a fatal threat to a Rank 6 Warrior.

Only upon reaching Rank 7 could a warrior's battle qi barely rival a Great Mage's spells.

Of course, that was only in terms of power.

In terms of attack range, even a Saint Domain warrior could not compare to a Saint Magus.

Only after reaching the Divine Domain was there no real difference between Mages and warriors.

At most, their fighting styles differed.

Of course, this was Locke's first time fighting a Rank 7 Warrior, but he was not without confidence.

Unlike ordinary Rank 6 Mages, Locke had comprehended a trace of the Profound Mystery of "Illusionary Fog." That trace of profound mystery alone greatly enhanced the power of the spells he cast.

The moment he sensed the enemy rapidly approaching, Locke did not hesitate and instantly cast Water Mist.

Pop!

Among the Temple of Light's three pursuers, the knight walking at the front seemed to step on something, producing a faint popping sound.

"Not good. We've been discovered."

"This fellow has sharp instincts."

"He actually set up warning traps here."

The middle-aged knight in white armor glanced at the bubble beneath his foot, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

"Two Priests, it seems that fellow has discovered us."

"To prevent him from escaping again, I'll go meet him first. I ask the two Priests to follow after me."

After saying that, the middle-aged knight did not wait for the two Priests in mage robes to respond. He sprang forward and dashed rapidly ahead.

Along the way, the popping of bubbles was torn apart by the fierce wind whipped up by his mad sprint, never reaching the middle-aged knight's ears.

To increase his traveling speed, the knight leaped more than ten meters into the air, borrowing force from the treetops before flying dozens of meters farther...

Soon, a thick mass of fog appeared within the middle-aged knight's field of vision...

Boom!

Like a meteor striking the ground, the knight fell from above and smashed a huge crater into the earth.

Although the mist produced by Water Mist was dense enough, the physical constitution of a Rank 7 Warrior had already undergone a qualitative transformation compared to that of a Rank 6 Warrior.

Most notably, a Rank 6 Warrior who remained free of illness and injury had a maximum lifespan of one hundred and twenty years.

A Rank 7 Warrior's lifespan nearly doubled, allowing them to live up to two hundred years.

Empowered by battle qi, the middle-aged warrior immediately locked onto Locke's position. He drew the greatsword from his back and slowly walked toward Locke.

"Sir, I have some doubts. Might I ask you for guidance?"

Seeing the Rank 7 Warrior walk straight toward him, Locke knew that his Water Mist was nearly useless against someone of this level.

But before the battle began, Locke still had some doubts, so he directly questioned the knight.

"I am merely a humble high-level Mage. Yet during my escape, I have suffered seventeen pursuits—eighteen assassination attempts, including yours."

"Could it be that, in order to wipe out remnants like us, the Temple of Light would rather delay its occupation of the other regions under the Fifth Legion's control?"

This truly was Locke's doubt.

The Frost Snow Empire and the Temple of Light were fighting over the Power of Faith.

The Frost Snow Empire's Fifth Legion had been crippled. Logically, the Temple of Light should have quickly occupied this region, spread the name of the Light Lord God, and have the people change their faith to provide the Lord God with more Power of Faith.

Why were they so relentless in pursuing defeated soldiers like them?

Of course, Locke had not expected the other party to explain anything to him.

Yet to Locke's surprise, the knight actually answered him.

"No, Mage sir, I believe you have misunderstood something."

"It is not that we delayed our occupation of this region in order to hunt you down."

"Rather, in order to occupy this region, we dispatched seventeen teams in total. Yet every one of them was killed by you, Mage sir."

"In order to occupy this region as soon as possible, those above sent me to follow your trail and eliminate you, Mage sir, for attempting to delay the Temple of Light's spread of the Lord God's glory!"

"This..."

After hearing the Rank 7 Knight's answer, Locke did not know what to say for a moment.

It turned out that the seventeen pursuing troops he had encountered had not come to kill him at all. They had merely been forces sent by the Temple of Light to occupy Frost Snow Empire territory after defeating the Frost Snow Empire's Fifth Legion.

However, because his escape route happened to coincide with their advance route, Locke had assumed they were pursuers sent to kill him and annihilated all seventeen teams.

"Sigh..."

After understanding this, Locke let out a sigh.

He had still been too young.

If he had held back back then and not attacked those soldiers, would he have already escaped to somewhere safe within the Frost Snow Empire?

But regret was useless now.

The most important thing was to deal with this knight.

"Thank you for clearing up my confusion, sir."

"Since this was a misunderstanding, could you perhaps pretend you never saw me and let me leave?"

"Mage sir, are you joking?"

"Whether it is to seek justice for those seventeen teams or to prevent another powerful figure from emerging in the Frost Snow Empire, I cannot let you go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the longsword in the knight's hand suddenly erupted with white light.

Then, with a swing from the middle-aged knight, a Battle Qi Slash more than three meters long swept horizontally toward a point five meters to Locke's right.

The Temple of Light knight had not said so much merely to clear up Locke's confusion.

After tracking him for the past few days, the knight had long known that Locke was an exceptionally cautious Mage.

How could such a Mage stand so openly before him?

Thus, he judged that the Mage before him might not be the real Mage at all, but merely a false body created by that Mage.