A Brief Clash

The person on the Black Horse earlier was not Fran, but an old acquaintance of Fran's —a cyborg.

If someone knew Fran, they would recognize her immediately. Apart from the face being somewhat similar, her height and weight are not those of the real Fran.

Fran had long known that these knights would ambush her in this valley, so how could she not make any preparations?

She deliberately picked up a corpse from the roadside, used her modification skills to transform it into a cyborg that could mimic her movements, and carved Flame Trap inside it, waiting for the knights to approach so she could deliver a vicious blow.

Fran's methods were actually quite crude, and the resulting cyborgs moved very unnaturally, their faces not really resembling her own. But those knights didn't recognize her!

Furthermore, since those knights had been frozen for so long, they were immediately enraged upon seeing her, and had no reason to discern whether she was a cyborg.

Fran followed this plan, and with the addition of her Dragon Flame, burned the three knights to death.

Connor looked at Fran, who was dressed in a mage's robe and holding a sword, which puzzled him.

You're not from the Sword Chant School, so why are you using a longsword? Besides, didn't you just set up an ingenious trap? How do you know how to use a longsword?

The knights were still awaiting their captain's orders; according to the rules they had learned in previous battles, they were required to obey their captain's commands when launching an attack.

Now, these knights are impatient, not only because they have been frozen for so long, but also because they harbor a lot of resentment towards Fran.

They stared at the three charred corpses on the ground, their anger rising, their eyes wide as if they wanted to devour Fran.

This was their companion, someone they'd spent every day with, killed by this mage. They almost wanted to rush at him...

However, the training they received taught each of them to stay calm.

So they suppressed their anger and awaited Connor's orders.

Seeing that the other side was not attacking for a long time, Fran was about to cast a spell when a strange power surged up.

Fran had experienced this many times before, so she knew this was the moment she had predicted.

However, Connor was not like the people Fran had encountered before; Connor noticed some inexplicable changes in Fran.

He was also very familiar with this change; it was the most famous prophetic spell of the Astrology School, and Connor could recognize it even if he turned to ashes.

Because his father was a third-tier Astrology School mage who often performed Prophecy Spell for his brothers.

Even his brother might not have recognized it, but Connor, who has a high affinity for astrology, recognized it immediately—it was Prophecy Spell or related magic.

A terrifying thought flashed through his mind: the mage opposite him had already foreseen this scene through Prophecy Spell and knew all along that he would encounter the Blood Wolf Knights.

What does this mean? Even if the sorcerer before them had foreseen his own death, it was still a bad thing for them.

Prophecies are not easily changed; attempting to alter them comes at a great cost.

This was a point his father often emphasized to him, and he kept it firmly in mind.

Even if the mage on the other side has now accepted that she will die, it doesn't mean she won't make any arrangements for what happens after she dies.

That's how prophecy works. Although most of the time the scenarios we see are difficult to change, information from the future is enough to make a lot of arrangements.

For example, Fran had already foreseen that she would die at the hands of the Blood Wolf Knights, which was obviously difficult to change, but she could make various arrangements to put the Blood Wolf Knights in a deadly situation.

For example, she arranged for Battle Mage Corps to happen to pass by and witness a mage being brutally murdered by the knights...

That's quite possible, after all, Fran has been dawdling for so long, and only now has she arrived at the Northern Territory Pass, which clearly means she's made ample preparations.

Connor felt a chill in his heart. He felt that he might not die today, but the knightly order he had painstakingly built was likely to be destroyed.

Why is that? Fran's records don't indicate she's a member of the Astrology School, so why does she possess such prophetic magic?

Moreover, the vast majority of Prophecy Spell only predict trivial matters. Why was the Blood Wolf Knights so unlucky as to fall for the opponent's prophecy?

Just as Connor's thoughts were racing and he was still pondering, Fran cast a spell.

It was the Earth Uplift that she had used in her prophecy.

To Fran, who possessed spellcasting expertise in the Elemental School, she only sensed the rapid activity of Earth Element within the valley.

The entire valley was filled with Earth Element, so Fran's spell was greatly amplified in power, in addition to the traits she obtained from the Earth Dragon.

The entire valley's terrain changed; spikes began to emerge from the ground, and the knights, who were assuming their positions, felt as if their bodies had become heavier, as sand and dust flew and covered their armor.

The earth began to shake, drawing the attention of all the knights to their captain, who remained lost in thought, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

This was too much for one of the knights in silver armor to bear. He took a step forward, flew to Fran's side, and raised his greatsword, intending to strike Fran.

Only then did Connor realize what was happening. Seeing the knight leap away, his eyes widened, and he tried to stop him.

However, he found himself seemingly restrained by a mysterious force, his thoughts still racing, unable to control his body immediately.

He watched as Fran used the Sword Chant School's Sword Dance to block a heavy blow, then a special rune flashed on her longsword, flattening the knight's head.

At this point, Connor suddenly realized that the pressure from the prophecy had ended.

Seeing this, the knights behind him wanted to rush forward and fight Fran regardless of the consequences.

But Connor stretched out a hand, blocking their path.

"Don't move, stay here, I'll do it myself."

Then he stared intently at Fran, as if he wanted to devour her.

He knew that these knights were no match for Fran; judging from their recent exchange, Fran's physical abilities far surpassed those of the knights.

It was absurd that a mage could have a higher physique than a knight, but it was an undeniable fact that Connor had to accept.

Furthermore, Fran has now demonstrated the abilities of several School, each of which far exceeds Connor's expectations.

This forced him to take the mage, who was still at the First Order, very seriously.