Ambush

After entering Basil, Sessler led the two through several streets with practiced ease, arriving at a relatively remote district in the west of the city. Here, the residents were all commoners; the houses were low and dilapidated, and the alleys were narrow and crowded—a world apart from the aristocratic district in the east.

"This old man has been here before. The innkeeper is an acquaintance, tight-lipped and cheap," Sessler said as they walked. "We'll settle in there first, then figure out how to investigate Count Perry."

Linley nodded, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. This kind of place was indeed suitable for hiding; with so many people and such clutter, no one would pay any mind to a few strangers.

The inn was small, only two stories, with a small tavern on the ground floor. The owner was a short, stout man in his fifties. Upon seeing Sessler, he froze for a moment before greeting him warmly, shouting, "You old geezer, you're still alive!" Sessler laughed, cursed him in jest, and embraced him before introducing Linley and Akes as "friends" and requesting two rooms.

As they went upstairs, Sessler whispered, "This man used to be an adventurer and owes this old man his life. He's trustworthy."

The room was small but kept clean. Akes and Linley shared one, while Sessler took the room next door. As soon as Bebe entered, he jumped onto the bed, rolled around, and lay down comfortably.

"How do we investigate next?" Akes asked.

Sessler leaned against the doorframe, rubbing his chin in thought. "This old man has watched Count Perry's mansion before. I know their shipments always leave through the East Gate and head northeast. Based on the timing, the next batch should be within these few days. We can find a place to ambush them outside the city and strike as soon as they emerge."

"Are you sure it's these next few days?" Linley asked.

"It's a safe bet," Sessler said. "Before I was captured, I overheard them talking about 'sending them off before the end of the month.' Today is already the twenty-eighth; at the latest, it will be the day after tomorrow."

Linley looked at Akes.

Akes nodded. "We can try."

"Then it's settled," Sessler said. "Get some good rest tonight. We'll head out of the city early tomorrow morning to find a suitable spot for an ambush."

Night fell, and the lights of Basil gradually flickered to life.

Akes stood by the window, watching the street outside. Noisy voices drifted up from the tavern below; some were drinking and playing finger-guessing games, while others argued loudly. This city was no different from the ones he had visited before—just as prosperous, just as noisy, and just as full of hidden filth.

Linley sat on the edge of the bed, wiping down his heavy sword. Bebe was curled up on his lap, already fast asleep.

Early the next morning, the three left the inn and exited through the East Gate.

Outside the city lay a hilly region with undulating terrain and dense forests. Sessler led them along the main road for a while before turning into a patch of woods to find a small hill with a wide field of vision.

"Right here," he said, pointing to the main road below. "From here, we can see several miles in either direction. We'll spot them well in advance when they pass by. Plus, the forest provides cover, so we won't be easily detected."

Linley observed the terrain and nodded. The position was indeed excellent; it was about two hundred meters from the main road, offering a high vantage point that made both attacking and retreating convenient.

The three began to wait.

They waited for an entire day.

Day turned to dusk, and night fell. Aside from a few merchant caravans and sporadic travelers, there was no sign of any escort party on the main road.

"Could the intelligence be wrong?" Linley asked.

Sessler frowned. "That shouldn't be..."

"Let's wait one more night," Akes said. "If they don't show up tomorrow, we'll go back into the city and investigate directly."

Sessler nodded; there was no other choice.

The forest was quiet at night, save for the occasional chirping of insects. The three took turns keeping watch while the others rested. Akes took the second half of the night, sitting cross-legged under a tree, cultivating while keeping an eye on the main road.

Just as dawn approached, the sound of hooves echoed from afar.

Akes opened his eyes and looked toward the road. Through the morning mist, a procession was slowly approaching. At the front were a dozen mounted warriors, in the middle was a prisoner transport wagon, and behind them followed several more escorting soldiers.

He immediately woke Linley and Sessler.

The three crouched on the hillside, watching the procession draw closer.

Several figures were locked inside the wagon. It was impossible to tell if they were men or women, but judging by their silhouettes, there were both adults and children. The escorting warriors all wore uniform attire, with the emblem of the Radiant Church embroidered on their chests.

"It's the Church," Sessler whispered, his tone filled with excitement. "And this is a large shipment—at least seven or eight people in that wagon."

Linley's gaze fixed on the wagon, his eyes turning cold.

Akes was observing as well. Among those warriors, the ones at the front possessed auras that were not weak—at least the eighth rank. There were others behind them who were even stronger, likely ninth rank.

"Six ninth-rankers," he said in a low voice. "The rest are eighth and seventh rank."

Sessler gasped. "So many?"

Linley stood up, already beginning to channel the Dragonblood within him.

The dragon transformation was complete.

His skin was covered in cyan-black dragon scales, a thick, powerful dragon tail lashed behind him, his hands transformed into dragon claws, and his eyes became vertical slits. A violent aura radiated from him, causing the surrounding trees to tremble slightly.

Sessler's eyes widened, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Although he knew Linley was a Dragonblood Warrior, seeing the transformation process with his own eyes was still shocking.

"Don't just stand there," Akes's voice pulled him back to reality. "It's your turn."

Sessler snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and began to chant an incantation.

Obscure syllables spilled from his lips, and the temperature plummeted. Black magic circles appeared on the ground, from which thick death energy surged. Skeletons crawled out from the earth, followed by zombies, ghosts, and several massive undead creatures.

An undead legion.

The escort party quickly discovered the anomaly; their warhorses began to neigh, and the warriors drew their swords.

But it was too late.

Linley was the first to charge out.

He moved with incredible speed, reaching the front of the formation in the blink of an eye. As his dragon claw swept down, an eighth-rank warrior didn't even have time to react before being swatted away, slamming into a tree by the roadside and falling silent.

The remaining warriors finally snapped to their senses, immediately forming a battle array. Three ninth-rank warriors charged at Linley simultaneously, sword light flashing and battle qi erupting.

Linley fought three against one without losing any ground. His dragon-transformed body possessed astonishing defense; the swords of the ninth-rank warriors left only shallow white marks upon his skin. His own attacks, however, were incomparably domineering, each claw strike forcing his opponents into desperate, clumsy dodges.

On the other side, the undead legion had also begun its assault.

Hundreds of skeletons and zombies swarmed toward the escort team. Though individually weak, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, seemingly endless. The seventh and eighth-rank warriors were entangled, struggling to defend themselves and unable to break free. Several ninth-rank mages attempted to clear the field with magic, but wraiths drifted silently behind them, disrupting their incantations.

Sessler stood on the hillside, his hands constantly shifting through hand seals as he commanded the undead legion. His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes burned bright—this was his first time summoning so many undead in actual combat, and the results were unexpectedly good.

Akes did not rush to join the fray, choosing instead to stand on the hillside and observe the battlefield.

Linley had already stabilized his position, pressing the three ninth-rank warriors back step by step. Although the undead legion was suffering heavy losses, Sessler kept replenishing them, preventing the Church forces from breaking out for the time being.

His gaze swept across the entire battlefield, finally landing on three figures at the very rear of the convoy.

Those three had not moved at all, standing quietly and watching the battle ahead. Judging by their aura, all three were ninth-rank, and clearly the strongest among them—likely the leaders of this escort mission.

One of them wore a red robe with intricate golden patterns embroidered on the chest. A Cardinal.

Akes moved.

He did not charge down the hillside but instead activated Teleportation. His figure flickered, reappearing ten meters behind the trio.

All three sensed him instantly and spun around.

The Fallen Heart Flame had already condensed into a flaming spear in Akes's hand. The spear was deep crimson, and the surrounding air twisted and warped from the intense heat.

"You court death!" the Cardinal roared, raising his hand to unleash a bolt of holy light.

Akes did not meet it head-on; his figure flickered again, dodging the holy light while appearing on the other side. The flaming spear flew from his hand, aimed directly at one of the ninth-rank warriors.

The warrior reacted with lightning speed, swinging his sword to parry. The moment the blade collided with the flaming spear, his expression shifted violently—this was no ordinary fire; the temperature was absurdly high. His sword turned red-hot in an instant, and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger went numb from the impact.

The flaming spear dissipated, but Akes's second strike was already upon them.

This time he held nothing back, pushing the Fallen Heart Flame to its limit. The flaming spear was twice as thick as before, its shaft wreathed in eerie, crimson light.

The warrior had no time to dodge and could only raise his sword to block once more.

BOOM!

The flames exploded, swallowing the warrior whole. He only had time to let out a single scream before being burned to a crisp.

The Cardinal and the other ninth-rank warrior turned pale. They finally realized that the young man before them was far more dangerous than they had imagined.

"Attack together!" the Cardinal hissed, and both men struck at once.

Holy light and battle qi wove into a massive net, descending upon Akes.

Akes did not force a confrontation, activating Teleportation again to instantly escape the encirclement. Simultaneously, he waved his hands, firing a dozen flame arrows at the pair, forcing them to dodge.

In that brief window, Linley had already finished his fight.

The three ninth-rank warriors lay on the ground; two were dead, and one was unconscious with severe injuries. Linley was covered in blood, though it was all from his enemies. He turned his head toward Akes's position and charged over.

Seeing Linley charging, the Cardinal's expression grew even uglier. One Akes was already troublesome enough, and now this dragon-transformed monster—

"Retreat!" he decided instantly.

The two turned and fled.

But they hadn't run more than a few steps when a massive Black-Striped Cloud Leopard suddenly lunged from the woods, blocking their path. Halu opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs as a low growl rumbled in his throat.

Behind them, Linley and Akes were already closing in.

With Halu in front and pursuers behind, the Cardinal gritted his teeth, pulled a scroll from his robes, and prepared to tear it open.

Sessler's voice suddenly rang out: "Trying to run?"

The ground suddenly split open, and a massive bone hand reached out from beneath the earth, grabbing the Cardinal by the calf. The strength of the bone hand was immense, jerking the Cardinal so hard he stumbled, and the scroll flew from his hand.

Linley seized the opportunity, slamming a claw into the man's back.

The Cardinal spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

The remaining ninth-rank warrior fell into total despair. Surrounded by Halu, Linley, and Akes, there was nowhere left to run.

"I surrender!" he threw down his weapon and raised his hands.

Linley ignored him, crushing his skull with a single claw strike.

The battle ended.

On the hillside, Sessler slumped onto the ground, gasping for air. Summoning so many undead and casting that bone hand had nearly exhausted his magic. Yet, a smile played on his face—a truly satisfied smile.

"Exhilarating, simply exhilarating!" he panted. "It's been so long since I've had this much fun!"

Linley reverted from his dragon-transformed state, his face somewhat pale. While the transformation was powerful, it placed a heavy burden on his body, especially after such a prolonged fight. He walked to the prisoner carriage and opened the door.

Inside were eight people: four adults and four children. The adults were all quite young, the oldest appearing to be under thirty. The children were even younger, the smallest looking only five or six years old. They huddled in the corner of the carriage, their eyes filled with terror.

Linley looked at them, remained silent for a moment, and said softly, "You're safe now."

A young woman asked tremblingly, "Who... who are you?"

"The people who came to save you," Linley said, then turned and walked away.

Akes walked up to the cardinal and crouched down to examine him. The man was still alive, but he had been severely wounded by Linley's claw; at least three of his ribs were broken, and his internal injuries were not light.

Sessler walked over, kicked the cardinal, and sneered, "Lampson, I never expected you to see a day like this, did you?"

The cardinal struggled to lift his head. Upon seeing Sessler, a flicker of venomous hatred flashed in his eyes: "It's you... you necromancer..."

"That's right, it is this old man." Sessler crouched down and patted his face. "When you were hunting this old man down, you never thought you'd end up in my hands, did you?"

Lampson gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Sessler was in no rush. He stood up and said to Linley and Akes, "This fellow is a cardinal; he certainly knows quite a lot. Let this old man question him slowly; whatever we find out will be useful to us all."

Linley nodded.

Akes stood to the side, watching as Sessler signaled for the undead to drag Lampson away to begin the interrogation. The people who had been rescued were untying each other's ropes; some were weeping softly, while others were whispering prayers.

He withdrew his gaze and walked over to Linley's side.

"Are you alright?"

Linley shook his head. "I expended quite a bit of energy. I'll be fine after a short rest."

In the distance, Sessler had already begun the interrogation. The torture methods of necromancy were far more brutal than ordinary punishments. Lampson's screams echoed throughout the valley, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Akes took a small bell from his robe. It was made of bronze and engraved with dense, intricate runes. This was the reward from the sign-in prompt that had echoed in his mind when the battle ended—the Gate of Eternal Life's Cleansing Bell.

He gave it a gentle shake, and a crisp, clear chime rang out. The sound seemed to pierce through the soul, leaving one's mind feeling refreshed and clear.