Night Raid, Melee

"What's the detailed intelligence?"

Morez turned to his subordinates.

"Sterling, a First-Level Wizard, specializes in fire sorcery and Potion Studies. The Intermediate Apprentices in the camp haven't been counted, but there are around ten Advanced Apprentices."

Although the enemy's numbers were roughly equal to theirs, every member of the Blood Bat squad was exceptionally strong. They did not take the other side seriously at all.

Their target this time was a shipment of supplies that Shadowmoon Tower had recently transported from the rear. It contained large quantities of various potions and magic stones.

Morez's lips curled into a cruel smile.

Magic stones and potions were exactly what they needed most.

Shadowmoon Tower had reinforced the defenses along its supply routes. Attacking a transport convoy directly would take them too deep in, and even if they succeeded, retreating would be difficult. The risk was too great.

A fixed border supply camp like this appeared perfectly safe, with a Formal Wizard stationed there.

In reality, its defensive forces were spread thin. As long as they broke through at one point, they could plunder the place.

Those Intermediate Apprentices are nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter, Morez sneered inwardly.

He had been an Advanced Apprentice for thirty years, stuck at the peak and unable to cross the threshold into becoming a Formal Wizard.

War was his best opportunity.

He could seize resources, trade them for higher-level knowledge, or even... seize the chance to earn great merit and receive rewards from the Crimson Court.

As for whether those Intermediate Apprentices lived or died?

In the world of wizards, the weak were meant to be sustenance for the strong!

"Remember!"

Morez raised his head, his dark-red eyes sweeping over his team.

"Our target is the warehouse. Destroy the defensive barrier immediately, rush in, and take every bit of supplies. Kill anyone who resists. Once we succeed, retreat at once into the depths of the canyon."

"Yes, Captain," the eight members answered in low voices, their eyes filled with greed and brutality.

They were all Advanced Apprentices. Since joining the Blood Bat squad, they had no idea how many people they had killed.

The team continued onward, drawing ever closer to the camp. They could already clearly see the rune patterns on the watchtowers.

Morez made a gesture, and the team stopped.

He removed a palm-sized black crystal and poured Magic Power into it.

Faint ripples emerged across the crystal's surface and swept toward the camp ahead. It was a sorcery device designed to interfere with detection.

It could temporarily block energy fluctuations within a certain range.

"Get ready..." Before he could finish.

Buzz!

On the watchtower on the camp's western side, a rune that had been dim suddenly erupted with dazzling silver light.

The light formed a pillar that shot into the sky, while a piercing alarm sounded at the same time.

"Damn it! We've been exposed." Morez's expression darkened.

"Captain, they're using Dual-Frequency Detection Runes," the skinny subordinate said in a trembling voice.

"Force our way in!" Morez ordered decisively, pointing his short staff forward.

"Bloodrot Rain."

Dark-red clouds rapidly gathered overhead, turning into countless foul-smelling dark-red raindrops that poured down upon the camp's western side and the watchtower.

Almost simultaneously, alarm bells rang wildly inside the camp.

"Enemy attack! Western wall! Everyone, defend!"

A hoarse roar exploded across the camp. It was Hank's voice.

Inside the potion lab, Ian was in deep meditation.

The "Focus" granted by the Limit Break version of the Awakening Potion had nearly cut him off from the outside world.

Nine Great Will Runes slowly revolved in his mind. Only beside a few scattered Great Will Runes had minor runes yet to emerge.

Suddenly, the shrill alarm pierced his mind like steel needles.

Ian's eyes snapped open, his gaze instantly shifting from profound to sharp.

Without hesitation, he flipped to his feet and swept his left hand.

"Vigilantia!"

An invisible eye of Magic Power gathered above the potion lab's roof, its field of vision rapidly expanding to encompass the entire camp.

Through the eye, he saw dark-red rain pouring down above the western wall, hissing as it corroded the stone.

He saw nine figures in dark-red robes charging toward the camp from different directions.

The leading man had the strongest aura and a sinister face.

Yet there was no sign of Wizard Sterling anywhere in the camp.

They've finally come...

Instead, an odd calm rose within Ian.

Hadn't two months of grueling cultivation been for dealing with a situation like this?

He did not rush out immediately, instead quickly checking his equipment.

A shield ring, several potions that restored Mental Power, and a proficient Rock Bear Potion...

He activated the ring first. A pale-red shield enveloped his entire body.

Then he cast a Crystal Energy Shield over himself. A translucent shield spread inside the pale-red one, creating two layers of protection.

Just as he finished, the potion lab door was slammed open.

"Ian, enemy attack! Go to the eastern assembly point!"

The one calling him was a camp guard Ian had seen a few times during the day.

"Coming!" Ian grabbed the wooden case and followed the apprentice out of the potion lab.

By then, the camp had already descended into chaos.

The dark-red blood rain was still falling, and a section of the western wall had already been breached.

Inside the camp, the surviving apprentices had barely managed to organize a defensive line under Hank's command.

Shields of various colors flared to life, while sorcery lights clashed and intertwined continuously in the night.

"Don't panic! Advanced Apprentices, hold the front! Intermediate Apprentices, provide ranged support!"

Hank stood atop a rooftop, his voice still clear amid the noisy battlefield.

He held a broad-bladed war saber. Scorching flames danced along its edge, a combination of his bloodline sorcery and fire sorcery.

But the Crimson Court team was more experienced. Relying on their advantage in Advanced Apprentice combat strength, they launched attacks from all sides.

Morez did not personally assault the breach. Instead, he directed the battle from the rear, repeatedly pointing with his short staff.

"Weakness!"

"Bloodvine Entanglement!"

The ground suddenly split open, and countless dark-red vines covered in barbs burst from the earth, twisting toward Hank and Big Guy.

"Flame Slash!" Hank roared.

His war blade came down in a fiery arc, severing a swath of vines.

But even more vines continued winding toward him.

To the side, a Crimson apprentice formed hand seals with both hands, chanting without pause.

"Venomous Poison Nova!"

A dark-green glow gathered in his palm. With a sharp motion, he sent it flying over the wall and into the camp.

It burst with a pop, transforming into a thick poisonous mist that spread everywhere.

Wherever the poisonous mist passed, trees and stones hissed.

Several Intermediate Apprentices who failed to dodge in time screamed and collapsed. After twitching for a while, they gradually fell silent.

As for the attendants and Knights, they could not even hold out for a moment before silently falling in droves.

Ian arrived at the eastern assembly point. It was close to the warehouse and was one of the camp's most heavily defended areas.

There were more than a dozen Intermediate Apprentices at the assembly point. Leading them was a red-robed female apprentice Ian had never seen before.

"The newcomer? A Potion Master?" The female apprentice glanced at Ian, speaking extremely quickly.

"Go to the rear. We don't need you on the front line."

Ian did not argue and quickly retreated behind the barricade.

He set down the wooden case and cast Eye of Vigilance again. This time, he raised the eye even higher, gaining a broader view.

Through the eye, he clearly saw the state of the entire battlefield, and his brow furrowed.

At the western breach, Hank and Big Guy were tightly pinned down and locked in a bitter struggle.

Near the watchtower, Lina was entangled with another Crimson Advanced Apprentice, unable to use her strengths as a ranged fighter to support her companions.

Old Tobacco Pipe's repair work had been interrupted, and the guards around him were already barely holding on.

Poison Fang was constantly pursuing and assassinating another curse wizard in the darkness. Danger lurked at every turn.

Within the camp, the spreading mist continued to expand, and screams kept ringing out as people fell.

"This can't go on..." Ian analyzed the situation rapidly.

His gaze locked onto the Crimson Advanced Apprentice who had cast Venomous Poison Nova.

That man was positioned toward the rear of the battlefield, protected by others as he continuously guided the poisonous mist's spread.

He could not expose his Instant-Cast Sorcery yet, but he could reveal some of his other abilities.

"I'm also quite skilled in Potion Studies. Given the current situation, it's time to put it to use."

With a thought from Ian, two glass bottles were lifted by invisible force and shot toward the thick mist at high speed.

They contained Silverleaf and Hemostatic Moss mixed at a specific ratio, then added to two different potions.

This was not normal potion brewing, and the loss was considerable, but it could create a powerful Purification Mist.

When the glass bottles flew thirty meters away, they seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and violently hurled into the center of the poisonous mist.

Pop! Pop!

As the bottles shattered, the mixed liquids and powders inside rapidly vaporized, forming two clouds of pale-green and pale-gold mist.

A hissing sound rose up as the poisonous mist rapidly dispersed, a large section of it visibly neutralized.

"It worked!" The apprentices behind the barricade were instantly invigorated.

The Crimson apprentice releasing the poisonous mist suddenly raised his head, his dark-green eyes locking onto Ian's direction.

"You're courting death!"

Just as he was about to cast sorcery and kill Ian.

A thunderous roar erupted from within the camp!