Could someone like that really be just a witch hunter?
And he was used to capture frail Wizard Apprentices like him?
Lynn found it hard to believe, but reality was not a Combat Skill arena. It would not match you against an opponent of equal strength. Begging for mercy and admitting defeat meant nothing. There was only a fight to the death!
[Blade of Ice]
Lynn raised his left hand toward Blainey. He had grown increasingly adept at using Water Condensation, and in an instant, another ice blade materialized in midair.
However, the water elements in the surrounding area, within the reach of his Mental Power, had been completely exhausted. The ice blade he created simply could not pose enough of a threat to his enemy.
Lynn knew this very well, yet there was nothing he could do to change it. A powerful desire surged within him.
He needed more water...
The instant that thought surfaced, Lynn felt as if someone had struck his brain with a heavy blow. Pain like countless silver needles pierced through his head, and then the magic power within him rapidly drained away, transforming into vast quantities of hydrogen and oxygen before being combined into water.
At the same time, a strange rune was deeply imprinted in his mind.
First-circle superior spell—[Multiple Ice Blades]
In less than a second, several sharp ice blades appeared before him and scattered like a rain of arrows!
Lynn's sudden outburst exceeded Blainey's expectations. In his haste, he turned his sword from offense to defense. Though his reaction was extremely swift, one [Blade of Ice] still slipped past his sword's guard and stabbed into his abdomen.
Blainey immediately felt a bone-chilling cold as translucent ice crystals rapidly spread upward from his abdomen.
Fully aware of magic's strange and treacherous nature, Blainey did not dare slack off in the slightest. He gripped the ice blade with his right hand and yanked it out with all his strength!
Due to the special structure of the [Blade of Ice], its barbs had embedded themselves deep in his flesh. When he forcibly tore it free, bright red blood immediately gushed out.
The intense pain made Blainey's entire body tremble. The wound in his abdomen was already a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Worse still, the cold was spreading rapidly, and in an instant, the wounded area had gone numb.
Yet Blainey's ruthlessness surpassed Lynn's expectations. Once he realized that the abdominal wound would affect the coming battle, he grabbed the flaming cabinet door handle and pressed it directly against his abdomen!
"Aaargh!" Blazing flames mixed with torn, bloody flesh. Veins bulged across Blainey's forehead as furious roars poured from his mouth.
Wisps of smoke rose from the point of contact. The mangled flesh was nearly half-cooked; blood no longer flowed from it, and the piercing cold vanished beneath the heat of the flames...
The horrifying sight made Lynn's heart shudder. Whether it was Blainey coldly using his companion's corpse to block a blade or cauterizing his wound with fire, it all made Lynn understand that this was no easy opponent!
While Blainey was distracted, Lynn slammed open the door and fled without hesitation. Having lost his protective dagger, he had no chance of winning in such a cramped room.
Blainey glanced at Andre's charred corpse, then gripped his longsword in his right hand and gave chase.
At dusk, in the Slums outside Nordland Territory, two figures raced through the narrow, dilapidated streets—one pursuing, the other fleeing.
The sky was growing darker. One [Blade of Ice] after another whistled past, striking the ground and walls without any pattern.
Every time he cast a spell, pain stabbed through Lynn's brain, but he could no longer worry about that. The moment he stopped casting, his opponent would rush forward and pierce his head with a sword!
In contrast, Blainey, chasing close behind, appeared completely at ease. His sharp eyes tracked the incoming ice blades, and from time to time he leaped aside to evade them, maintaining neither too great nor too small a distance behind Lynn.
Blainey was being so cautious because the cunning of this Wizard Apprentice was unlike anything he had ever seen. The misleading notes filling the room, the sudden eruption of ice blades and fireballs that had injured him, and the bizarre witchcraft Lynn had used to feign weakness and kill Andre had all left a deep impression on him.
Thus, even though his opponent appeared utterly exhausted, Blainey did not dare act rashly. Like the most patient hunter, he steadily wore down Lynn's strength, bit by bit, until his prey collapsed and died!
As the chase continued, the two of them moved farther and farther from the city. A foul stench filled the air, and only then did Blainey realize that Lynn, fleeing in panic, had run into the Lower City, abandoned for many years.
Nordland Territory was low in the south and high in the north, with the main city built along the banks of the Yin River in the north.
More than ten years ago, after Duke Nordland returned from the Holy City, he had been dissatisfied with the main city's chaotic, foul-smelling state. He ordered craftsmen to dig a small canal and discharge all the city's waste downstream into the Yin River.
That caused misery for the poor who lived in the Lower City and relied on the Yin River for water.
But Duke Nordland had no concern for the lives of such lowly people. Over time, the entire Lower City gradually fell into ruin, and only a handful of scavengers chose to linger there.
Blainey could not help worrying that other Wizard Apprentices might be hiding here. Just as he made up his mind to end the fight quickly, Lynn, who had been running all this time, suddenly stopped in an uneven alleyway.
The concentration should be enough...
After one final confirmation, Lynn instantly activated the strange rune in his mind. A full seven [Blade of Ice] materialized out of thin air, glittering beneath the fading light of the setting sun...
The aftereffects of forcibly converting a great deal of magic power into hydrogen and oxygen were becoming increasingly severe. Lynn felt as though his brain were about to explode.
His magic power had also been squeezed to its limit. This was his last spell!
The next moment, the ice blades split into two groups and shot out in erratic trajectories, sealing off every possible route Blainey could take to evade them.
Blainey's expression grew solemn as he stared straight ahead.
Even he could not block so many blades completely, unless he was willing to take some injuries...
Fortunately, these ice blades seemed to have lost their accuracy. Most merely swept past him, and only three were aimed directly at him...
A trapped beast's final struggle?
A mocking smile appeared on Blainey's face. During the earlier pursuit, he had discovered that Lynn's spellcasting was not truly something from nothing. At the very least, it imposed an enormous burden on his mind...
Clearly, the other side was already nearing his limit.
The corner of Blainey's lips curled upward. His longsword swept horizontally, striking each incoming [Blade of Ice] with precision, but he failed to notice a crimson sphere flying toward him amid the ice blades.
Clang—
The sword's edge collided with the sphere, scraping out an incomparably dazzling shower of sparks.
The strange, unusual sensation of impact made Blainey freeze for a moment. Then he realized that he had struck a piece of flint...
(PS: Breathing in a low-oxygen area and holding your breath normally are two different concepts. Also, please support the new book in every way. There will be two updates every day, scheduled for 12:30 p.m.)
Thanks to reader Yu De You Dian Meng for the 200 Qidian Coins, and to Susan Naiman, Xue Ran Ming Fu Yang Guang, Mo Ran Qian Qiu Shui Xuan Han Xia, and Suicune for the 100 Qidian Coins.
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