Catch a Mage

The evening sun was exceptionally red today, even the clouds in the sky and the road on the ground were draped in a veil of crimson.

However, compared to the color of flowing human blood, this shade of red was utterly insignificant.

On this wilderness road, a bloody battle was underway. The accompanying carriage had been sliced in two, and the bodies of horses and guards lay scattered across the ground, blood flowing freely.

On one side of the road, three sturdy knights were locked in combat. A knight with a blue lake emblem tattooed on his right arm was holding his own against two opponents, barely managing to endure, but it wouldn't last much longer.

"Miss, take the Young Master and flee, go now!" the knight bellowed.

Behind one of the carriages, a pale-faced young man lay on the ground, his arm bleeding. Beside him, a girl was pulling at him, struggling to escape.

But it was clear the girl had twisted her ankle; relying on her strength alone to drag the young man away was obviously impossible.

Just then, another figure walked over slowly, holding a longsword dripping with blood.

"Heh, trying to run?"

The man's voice was hoarse. "Let me send you running straight to hell!"

With a death sentence, the man raised his longsword.

The girl's face turned deathly pale, frozen in place.

"Damn it, you dare to assassinate the bloodline of the Green Family!" the embattled knight roared, but his fury was impotent.

He couldn't break free, and once the girl and the young master were dead, he would be next.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the man raised his sword, a Poor Quality Longsword shot through the air like an arrow, aimed straight at his throat.

"Someone?" The man startled, abandoning his attack on the girl and sidestepping to dodge the strike.

"Whoosh!"

Another longsword flew through the air, forcing the man to widen the distance between himself and the girl.

Clop, clop, clop...

Two warhorses arrived one after the other. The newcomers were none other than Luo Ning and his knight, Macken.

Luo Ning hadn't wanted to meddle at first, but he figured that on a road like this, even if there were enemies, they wouldn't be anything too powerful.

So after having Macken scout ahead and confirm the basic situation, they had come over.

Saving people and befriending nobles—Luo Ning naturally couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

"Your Excellencies, two knights, please lend a hand! The Green Family will reward you handsomely!"

The engaged knight shouted, but as his attention wavered, a sword grazed his arm.

"Macken, save that knight first," Luo Ning ordered.

"Understood, my lord!"

Macken dismounted, drew his longsword, and charged forward with his shield raised.

But at that moment, the man who had just raised his sword dropped it, clasped his hands together, and quickly pulled them apart.

Luo Ning saw elemental energy gathering between his palms, forming a wind blade in the blink of an eye.

"Careful, he's a mage!" the girl managed to call out in warning.

"Whoosh!"

The Wind Blade shot forth with such speed that it sent chills down Luo Ning's spine.

"Macken, watch out!"

Before his warning could even reach him, Macken halted, drove his sword into the ground, and channeled Battle Qi through the blade into the earth.

In front of him, an Earth Wall rose up.

"Boom!"

The Wind Blade slammed into the Earth Wall, slicing it cleanly in two, and carried its Lingering Force toward Macken!

Macken raised his shield in time to take the blow.

Fortunately, the Wind Blade had been weakened; the Lingering Force lacked lethal power. After striking the shield, Macken only stepped back a pace before blocking it.

"An Intermediate Knight?"

The mage's expression shifted. "Retreat!"

Seeing the situation change, he didn't hesitate and fled directly, abandoning even the two knights still locked in combat.

But Luo Ning had no intention of letting this man escape.

A mage—such a rare existence, and a Wind Attribute mage at that, perfectly aligned with his own affinity.

"Macken, you handle this mage. Don't let him get away!"

"And take him alive!"

"Your will is my sword!"

Macken showed no fear at all and charged forward without a second thought.

Luo Ning, meanwhile, spurred his warhorse and galloped toward the knights locked in combat.

"Assassinating a noble in Wushan Territory—which force do you belong to?"

His long sword swept out, carrying the momentum of his charging steed. Only one of the two knights could leap forward to block this blow.

But under the immense collision of force, the sword in the opponent's hand was sent flying.

Luo Ning was now a late-stage Beginner Knight, his progress at 95/100, and his strength far surpassed that of the Beginner Knight before him.

Coupled with the boost from his warhorse, the enemy simply couldn't withstand it.

He reined in his horse, turned it around, and charged again. The knight who had lost his sword had no will to resist left and tried to flee into the mountain forest to escape pursuit.

But fast as he was, he couldn't outpace the Excellent Quality warhorse beneath Luo Ning.

"Pfft!"

Luo Ning caught up from behind, swept his sword in an arc, and sliced through the enemy's arm and the artery in his neck. Blood sprayed.

["King of Slaughter" Achievement Unlocked: Attribute Points +30, Energy Essence +60]

With this battle concluded, the knight who had been suppressed moments ago also completed his counter-kill.

Now, only the fight between Macken and the mage remained unfinished.

Luo Ning sat on his horse, watching from a distance.

At this moment, cyan energy swirled around the mage's feet, which made Luo Ning realize that a mage's speed could match that of an Intermediate Knight.

Unfortunately, after fleeing for a stretch, perhaps due to insufficient Magic Power, the energy at his feet vanished, and his speed plummeted.

Even after charging into the forest, he was quickly Caught Up by Macken, who kicked him from behind and knocked him to the ground.

"I advise you not to struggle—it'll save you some pain!"

Macken caught up and delivered two solid punches, directly snapping two of the mage's Ribs. Then, grabbing the collar at the back of the mage's head, he dragged him back down the mountain.

He tossed the mage in front of Luo Ning like a kitten, then placed his long sword against the man's neck.

Luo Ning sheathed his sword and reined in his horse. "Who are you people? Why are you assassinating members of the Green Family?"

"Hmph!"

The mage snorted coldly. "If the initial Engaged in Combat hadn't drained so much of my Magic Power, you wouldn't have caught me now!"

Macken shifted his blade and barked, "Mind your attitude, prisoner!"

"They Should Be assassins from the 'Skull Society.'"

The injured knight walked over and bowed to Luo Ning and Macken.

"Thank you both for the rescue. The Green Family will remember your kindness!"

Luo Ning nodded slightly. "Go check on your Young Master and young lady. They Should Be injured."

Hearing this, the knight didn't dare delay and walked toward the carriage.

"By the Seven Gods, Young Master, you only have flesh wounds from the Wind Blade—no damage to the bones. Young lady, your ankle is sprained; you can't move for now."

Luo Ning withdrew his gaze from the Green Family members. This prisoner would be the greatest gain of his operation this time.

"Chahar, bring a few guards over!"

Chahar, who had been watching from a distance, heard Luo Ning's call and summoned five guards, jogging over.

"Master, your orders!"

Luo Ning pointed at the mage on the ground. "Go see if the Young Master and young lady over there need any help."

"Guards, take control of this man. Macken, search him—see if he has any important intelligence on him."

Searching for intelligence was, of course, a pretext. Luo Ning mainly wanted to know if the man had a Magic Book on him, or at the very least, some money.

Thanks to "Cangtian Yisi" and several other Masters for their votes. The book goes into its first round of recommendations at midnight tonight. Follow-through reading is incredibly important for a New People's new book, so I'm begging everyone to flip through it every day (reading to the end of the latest chapter counts as effective follow-through). Only then will there be a chance to be Promoted to the next round. I bow in thanks!