Spellcasters (Part Two)

"Mr. Aita, how could it be Mr. Aita?"

Kailisi seemed almost in disbelief. The figure that appeared outside the cabin was none other than old Aita, who had vanished for more than ten days, and the evil heretics these Guardian Swordsmen spoke of were none other than him.

Merlin also stared fixedly at old Aita. Although he knew old Aita was mysterious and seemed to harbor some unknown secrets, he had never suspected the old man to be such a powerful expert.

Those few Elemental Swordsmen had died at old Aita's hands, and even that battered Second-Level Light Swordsman had been defeated by him.

Yet what concerned Merlin more was what kind of power the seemingly ordinary old Aita had used to defeat so many experts.

"Silence, heretic! Your soul has utterly fallen. If you do not believe in God, you shall suffer God's punishment!"

The robed man's voice was sharp. Immediately, he gave a fierce wave of his hand, signaling Borg to step forward.

Borg took a deep breath and raised his greatsword with both hands. In an instant, the greatsword radiated an incomparably dazzling light.

"Light Sword!"

Borg swung his sword downward, and a fierce surge of Qi rippled outward in all directions. Even Merlin could feel the overwhelming power, as though it were about to shove him aside.

"A Second-Level Swordsman! How powerful!"

Merlin could not help a slight inward jolt. Relying on the mysterious postures of the relief carvings, his physical fitness had been raised to barely match that of a First-Level Elemental Swordsman.

Yet if he were forced to face a Second-Level Swordsman, Merlin knew he would stand no chance at all.

Yet facing Borg's ferocious assault, old Aita acted as though he did not see it, even giving a slight shake of his head as he said, "Sending ordinary people to their deaths—your Light Church truly is hypocritical to the extreme!"

Old Aita made a casual pointing gesture. Along the direction of his finger, a fireball the size of a fist appeared out of thin air. The fireball hovered in the void, spinning violently.

"Go."

The moment old Aita's voice fell, the fireball hurtled toward Borg, slamming fiercely into the blinding radiance of Borg's greatsword.

Borg was a Light Swordsman, capable of channeling and bursting forth with the formidable power of light elements.

Yet the moment his greatsword met the fireball, the sturdy blade was melted by the fireball on contact, and the fierce flames even leaped directly onto Borg himself. With split-second decisiveness, Borg instantly discarded the greatsword in his hand, his body flashing with light once more as he retreated swiftly.

The greatsword Borg had dropped to the ground turned into a pool of molten iron in the blink of an eye, demonstrating just how terrifying the temperature of that small fireball had been. The three Guardian Swordsmen who had died earlier had undoubtedly been scorched to death by it.

Old Aita narrowed his eyes slightly, casting his gaze toward the robed man and sneering with a hoarse voice, "Heh heh, a First-Level Spellcaster—are you still going to send these ordinary people to their deaths?"

Stared at by old Aita, the robed man's face turned livid as he said, "Evil heretic, you are courting death!"

The robed man's voice was exceedingly sharp, stinging the ears with a dull pain, evidently driven to extreme anger. He remained mounted on his horse, pressing his hands against his chest and chanting in a low, heavy voice, "Merciful Lord, omnipotent Lord, your devout follower requires your power to eradicate the evil heretic! Holy Light Judgment!"

Instantly, even the sun in the sky seemed to dim. Above the cabin, massive shafts of white light converged one after another, roaring directly down toward old Aita with immense shockwaves.

Old Aita had originally worn a round black felt hat, but under the spell unleashed by the robed man, the whipped-up gale blew his hat clean away, exposing a head of sparse hair.

Old Aita's expression gradually grew solemn, and then his withered hand pointed toward the empty space before him. Instantly, fireball after fireball appeared, spinning continuously.

This time, four or five fireballs floated in the void, and old Aita's face turned pale as well. Four or five fireballs seemed to be his limit.

"First-Level Spell—Holy Light Judgment?"

Beneath old Aita's solemn expression lurked a hint of madness. With a gesture of both hands, all four or five fireballs sped forward to meet the oncoming holy light.

Sizzle, sizzle.

Those four or five fireballs were like objects dropped into water, instantly swallowed up by the immense white holy light. After merely emitting some strange noises, they fell dead silent.

Seeing that the fireballs seemed ineffective, old Aita hurriedly retreated a few steps, though his footing stumbled slightly and he almost fell to the ground. He had already retreated to the steps of the cabin, with the building right behind him—he had nowhere left to run.

"Whirlwind!"

With a faint grit of his teeth and a wave of his hand, a roaring gale materialized in the garden before the cabin, uprooting the already listing flowers, plants, and trees. Countless amounts of soil mixed into the whirlwind, carrying immense destructive force.

The massive whirlwind also roared forward to meet the rapidly approaching holy light. Instantly, two formidable forces collided; sand and stones flew through the air as the earth shook. The cabin seemed barely able to withstand such violent tremors, as though it were about to fall apart and collapse.

In the end, the holy light still overwhelmed the whirlwind unleashed by old Aita. The massive holy light descended like a giant net, shrouding him fiercely.

At this moment, old Aita appeared quite calm, a faint smile gradually blooming at the corners of his mouth.

Boom.

A cluster of flames burst forth from old Aita's body, swiftly consuming him entirely. In the blink of an eye, he was burned to ashes by the fire. The holy light slammed fiercely into the ground, shattering the steps before the cabin into powder as tiny shards of stone flew in all directions.

Old Aita was dead, his body directly reduced to ashes by the flames.

The robed man's mouth twitched, his expression dark and gloomy as he stared fixedly at the spot where old Aita had just stood. After a long silence, he instructed Borg, "The evil heretic is dead. Borg, take men inside and search the room where the heretic lived. Leave nothing behind—remove everything and carry it all out."

Borg nodded and immediately led the remaining Guardian Swordsmen rushing into the cabin.

After a long while, having witnessed such a dreamlike battle from the sidelines, everyone's faces flushed with excitement. Perhaps everything that happened today would become an unforgettable memory for the rest of their lives.

"Lord Priest, please bless us and cleanse the filth of the evil heretic!"

The ordinary people around bowed slightly to the robed man, expressing their respect for this priest. These people did not know the robed man's true identity; among the church personnel they had encountered, only the priests who specifically guided people in prayer seemed to match his description.

Their thoughts were pure. Unbeknownst to them, an evil heretic had somehow slipped into their midst, and perhaps their own bodies had been tainted by his filth. Thus, they begged the priest who had vanquished the heretic to cleanse the impurity from them.

A faint smile also appeared on the robed man's face. A priest was the most basic and lowest-ranking member of the clergy in the Church, whereas he was a mage of the Inquisition. In terms of status, he was naturally higher than a priest.

Yet at this moment, he was quite happy to play the role of a priest, so he spoke in a loud voice, "Rest assured, the evil heretic deluded you with wicked spells, but as long as you sincerely believe in God, God will not forsake you."

With that, the robed man spread his hands wide, chanting loudly in a booming voice. A faint trace of white radiance seemed to envelop everyone present, bringing a deep sense of peace to their hearts.

Many people remained in place, murmuring prayers to the God of Light. Only Merlin and Kailisi stood somewhat at a loss. Kailisi's face was slightly pale, and her lips had turned a purplish-blue, clearly reflecting intense inner fear.

Anyone living within the Bright Kingdom and under the prolonged influence of the Light Church was filled with terror toward evil heretics, and Kailisi was no exception. She could never have imagined that old Aita—that knowledgeable, ordinary-looking old man—was actually a terrifying and evil heretic.

Merlin's expression was also grim, though he was much steadier than Kailisi. He felt no fear regarding old Aita's identity as a heretic; instead, he felt that this matter might bring him trouble.

"Miss Kailisi, let's go."

Merlin reached out and grabbed Kailisi's hand. Her palm was drenched in sweat, revealing her inner tension and fright.

Fortunately, many people here were busy praying, and no one paid much attention to Merlin and Kailisi. The two of them quietly boarded their carriage and departed without a sound.

Returning to Wilson Castle, Merlin hurried upstairs and back to his room.

Huu...

Once inside his room, Merlin finally let out a long breath, feeling much more relaxed. Recalling everything he had witnessed just moments before, he still found it somewhat surreal.

The battle between old Aita and the robed man had practically opened a brand-new door for him. Previously, he had believed that Elemental Swordsmen were already exceptionally powerful entities in this world, and that a First-Level Elemental Swordsman unleashing their full might was practically terrifying.

Yet the power wielded by old Aita and the robed churchman completely surpassed Merlin's imagination. Those usually lofty Elemental Swordsmen had possessed zero resistance before old Aita, appearing utterly fragile.

Old Aita and the robed man—they commanded true, formidable power!

"That's right, old Aita once gave me a ring."

At this moment, Merlin finally remembered the ring old Aita had given him. He had originally thought it was just a common craft item, but having just witnessed old Aita's extraordinary nature, Merlin naturally would no longer view the ring as ordinary.

Thus, Merlin hurriedly began searching through his room.