With three against one and all at the same level, the black-clad men should have been able to kill their opponent quickly.
But even with all three of them fighting together, they could barely hold Lantan to a draw. They were still being pushed onto the back foot!
Lei Lin abruptly stopped and retreated from the battle, his mind racing.
He had no idea what this assassination was about. All he knew was that, without realizing it, he had been caught up in a struggle between the Radiant Church and the Dark Church.
As thoughts flashed through his mind, Lei Lin quickly made up his mind. I don't know what the two churches are planning, but this is Holy Alliance territory—and deep in the heart of the Royal Capital.
Besides, three Level 9 fighters can't even beat Lantan, a "weak woman." That doesn't mean the Dark Church's people are incompetent. It can only mean the Radiant Church's preparations are more thorough.
So right now, the Radiant Church... has the upper hand!
Realizing the situation, a sharp gleam flashed in Lei Lin's eyes. He immediately made his decision. Without a word, he cast all kinds of spells to disrupt the three black-clad men or buff Lantan.
As long as a mage was familiar enough with magic and had enough experience, they could generally cast spells two levels below their own instantly.
But Lei Lin could cast even Level 7 Magic instantly.
He wasn't foolish enough to actually instant-cast Level 6 or 7 Magic right now. Instead, he kept disrupting the black-clad men with various Level 5 spells, occasionally throwing in a Level 6 spell.
Normally, as Level 9 experts, they could be distracted by these Level 5 and 6 spells, but they shouldn't pose any serious threat.
But Lei Lin was the one casting them—and they were lightning spells. That made all the difference!
His Level 5 spells had the power of Level 6 spells, and his Level 6 spells could reach Level 7. With so many spells raining down on them, even three Level 9 experts couldn't ignore them.
The three men, already so thoroughly suppressed by Lantan that they could barely lift their heads, felt the pressure mount!
They watched Lei Lin disrupt them with spells while drinking potions and absorbing magic crystals to replenish his mana. He clearly had no intention of stopping.
Their morale crumbled. They could only curse themselves for not killing Lei Lin the moment they saw him!
If they had killed Lei Lin right away, they would have completed their mission. Even if they died, their sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain.
The three exchanged glances. In perfect sync, they immediately understood what the others meant.
Two of the black-clad men unleashed everything they had to hold Lantan back.
The remaining one was willing to take a hit if that was what it took to break away from the battle and kill Lei Lin.
"Bang!"
Just as he was about to break away, the black-clad man was struck by Lei Lin's Electromagnetic Cannon!
This time, unlike the first shot, its power didn't merely scrape the threshold of Level 9.
Lei Lin had charged it to full power. It hit hard enough to halt the black-clad man in his tracks.
The man's back was now completely exposed, and the blast had even left him momentarily stunned.
The moment was brief!
But in a battle between experts, a single instant could mean the difference between life and death—enough time for an enemy to strike a hundred times.
Lantan had excellent battle instincts and didn't let the opportunity pass. As the other two Level 9 experts unleashed their power, she struck the black-clad man with a fierce thrust of her sword, running him straight through.
Radiant Holy Fire scorched his wound, making him scream in agony!
But the black-clad man was ruthless. He used dark battle qi to suppress his injuries and, without a word, charged at Lei Lin again.
Watching the man disregard everything to kill him, Lei Lin grinned. He used Lightning Step and circled around Lantan and the other two black-clad men, playing cat and mouse with the one pursuing him.
His offense and defense weren't weak, but speed was his greatest strength.
As the saying went, you had to stay alive to deal damage!
Even if he charged his strongest attack, the Electromagnetic Cannon, to full power, it could only reach Level 9. That was all.
But when it came to speed, unless he was facing a Level 9 expert with Wind or Light affinity, he had nothing to fear.
That was why he had been confident from the start that he could escape even a Level 9 expert!
Lantan, radiant light battle qi coursing through her, watched Lei Lin keep the black-clad man at a distance while still finding chances to cast supporting spells. Her eyes shone with admiration.
It had already surprised and shocked her that Lei Lin could unleash attacks comparable to those of a Level 9 expert. She had never expected his speed to be fully on par with one, too.
Wind, lightning, and light were all exceptionally suited to speed. Even so, for a Level 7 mage to have speed comparable to a Level 9 expert was beyond anything she had expected!
"He really is the greatest genius in history!"
"His elemental affinity may be a little lacking, but with this kind of performance already, once he reaches the Saint Realm, he'll surely become a pillar of the church."
"No wonder the church sent me to protect him!"
"Hmm, this still isn't enough. The church knew he was exceptionally talented and worth cultivating, but even they hadn't expected him to be this outstanding!"
"We'll have to invest more in him. I should suggest that His Holiness the Pope assign a Saint Realm expert to be his master. A teacher-student bond would make things more secure."
The wounded black-clad man gradually realized that Lei Lin was exceptionally fast. Even if he weren't injured, he might not be able to catch up.
He glanced at the battle between Lantan and his two companions, then at his own injuries. A look of grim resolve flickered in his eyes.
He withdrew the battle qi suppressing his injuries, letting the Radiant Holy Fire burn his body, and used a secret technique that unleashed his power at the cost of his life.
In an instant, his body grew twice as large. His skin turned crimson, blood vessels stood out in his eyes, and his aura surged until he looked like a demon.
His strength increased, and his speed surged by thirty percent!
Seeing this, Lei Lin, who had been keeping the man at a distance, immediately realized he couldn't escape. But he wasn't afraid in the least.
A faint smile curled his lips. Then...
He took off!
In one breath, he flew straight up to an altitude of 300 meters!
Below the Saint Realm, no one other than Wind mages could fly—until Lei Lin developed Electromagnetic Flight Magic.
That was one of the reasons the Dark Church had sent Level 9 experts—three of them—to carry out the assassination.
Under normal circumstances, a Level 7 mage like Lei Lin wouldn't have had a chance to use flight magic against a Level 9 expert.
But they hadn't expected Lei Lin to be protected by a powerful Lantan. Nor had they expected him to have hidden so much strength and be so fast.
He was so strong that even without Lantan, they couldn't take him down right away!
He was so fast that even if they could take him down at once, they couldn't stop him from flying away!
The black-clad man chasing Lei Lin saw him take to the sky, and his eyes reddened!
At an altitude of 300 meters, even a Level 9 expert could do nothing to Lei Lin!
Even if he had a way to attack someone 300 meters away, that distance was enough to weaken his attack to a level Lei Lin could withstand.
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