Action (Part 2)

[Brothers, you've all been great, but Old Moon is still getting smashed chapter after chapter. An uncle can bear it, but an aunt cannot! Everyone push a bit harder, collect more, recommend more, and Old Moon will still unleash three chapters today!]

Angus finally made his move. He moved with great speed, a white radiance flashing over his greatsword as it zipped straight toward Old Wilson like a venomous viper.

Clack.

A streak of white light ruthlessly slashed across Old Wilson's black armor, cutting right through it and leaving a split from which a trace of crimson blood welled out.

Old Wilson took a few steps back, reached out to touch his wound, and narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared fixedly at Angus. This suit of armor of his had been forged from the sturdiest materials over three years, capable of blocking almost any blade or spear. Even an ordinary Third-Level Elemental Swordsman would find it somewhat difficult to cleave through the armor he wore.

It was precisely because of this that he had previously been able to trade blows with Qu Luo and Lei Luo evenly, fighting to a dead-even standstill against the two Third-Level Light Swordsmen. The armor had played no small part in that.

Yet now, this armor could no longer effectively help Old Wilson fend off enemy attacks. The moment Angus struck, Old Wilson felt a powerful threat—the very same kind he had once witnessed in the slaughterhouse among those terrifying existences infinitely close to the Fourth-Level Elemental Swordsman.

Elemental Swordsmen also had distinct tiers. First to third levels belonged to low-level elemental swordsmen, fourth to sixth levels were intermediate elemental swordsmen, and seventh to ninth levels were high-level elemental swordsmen.

Therefore, the third and fourth levels represented a massive realm boundary despite being only a single level apart, with an immense gap in between.

Angus stood right in that chasm between the third and fourth levels, coming infinitely close to the fourth level and proving exceptionally formidable. Even Old Wilson, relying on his innate endowment alongside his astonishingly defensive armor, found it very difficult to contend with Angus.

"It seems today is inescapable... Tell me, why is the Church moving against me?"

Old Wilson stuck out his tongue and lightly licked his dry lips, asking with a somewhat grim expression. By this point, Old Wilson had long since guessed that these people were no mere bandits; they were clearly agents dispatched by the Light Church!

Angus raised the greatsword in his hands, gripping the hilt with both hands, and said flatly, "Even if I told you now, it would be meaningless... Qu Luo, Lei Luo, strike!"

Even though Angus possessed greater strength than Old Wilson, he still did not underestimate him. Instead, he called upon Qu Luo and Lei Luo at his side to strike together, ensuring nothing could go wrong!

Boom.

A violent explosion suddenly rang out, and countless fiery red flames scattered in all directions, drifting away on the wind accompanied by a wave of scorched stench.

"What's going on?"

Angus frowned slightly, shifting his gaze toward the source of the commotion.

*****

"Explode."

Following the low bark from Merlin's lips, two fireballs zipped rapidly forward, detonating when they were a mere half-meter away from the nearest bandit.

The fireballs Merlin released contained a terrifyingly high temperature. Do not let their modest fist-sized appearance fool you; they were formed from countless fire elements undergoing compression after compression after continuous compression, ultimately condensing into that fist-sized state.

A fist-sized fireball could directly melt armor crafted from refined iron. Once it detonated, the scattering flames possessed enough power to inflict terrifying carnage on everyone nearby.

What was more, two fireballs were detonating simultaneously at that very moment. Those charging bandits failed to react in time and were directly blasted flying by the twin fireballs. Even the two leading Second-Level Light Swordsmen were sent hurtling by the heat wave due to a lack of preparation, crashing heavily onto the ground with their fates hanging by a thread.

This abrupt turn of events shocked many people. Meanwhile, Merlin cast his gaze toward Old Wilson's location; Old Wilson was facing a joint assault from three Third-Level Light Swordsmen, and his situation had turned grim, prompting Merlin to walk straight toward him.

"Heretic! It's a heretic, an evil heretic of the Black Moon Kingdom!"

At last, someone recognized Merlin's identity, and they began to scream in terror.

"An evil heretic who blasphemes the gods!"

A Second-Level Light Swordsman let out a roar, his entire body instantly suffused with a dense white radiance as he gripped a greatsword and charged at Merlin from behind.

"Fireball!"

Merlin did not even turn his head. His mental power allowed him to clearly sense the movements around him, so he directly released a fireball that streaked swiftly toward his rear.

Clack.

The fireball moved with blinding speed, appearing almost as nothing more than a faint, reddish-fiery afterimage as it ruthlessly slammed into the chest of that light swordsman.

The chest plate on the light swordsman offered zero resistance to the fireball, melting instantly as the fireball burned straight through his chest to create a bloody hole.

Thud.

That light swordsman collapsed straight to the ground before he could even draw close to Merlin, wisps of black smoke still drifting from his chest.

"I can cast Greater Fireball!"

Merlin noticed that the gray horizontal bar representing Greater Fireball within his Sea of Consciousness had turned red, signifying that he was now capable of casting Greater Fireball.

Thanks to Merlin's recent continuous meditation, his mental power had made tremendous strides, bringing his control over fireballs to a state of mastery. A fireball like the one he had just cast traveled far faster than the ones back in Blackwater City, leaving opponents completely defenseless.

Such were the benefits of heightened mental power; his degree of control over spells grew stronger and stronger by the day.

Having slain that Second-Level Light Swordsman, Merlin raised his head to look at the surrounding bandits. Fear filled every face, and none dared to step forward again.

Heretics represented evil, cruelty, and those who wielded bizarre powers! Now that they had witnessed with their own eyes the spell Merlin unleashed, they felt it all the more unfathomable. Paralyzed by fear, they dared not advance.

Thousands of bandits were actually cowed into submission by Merlin alone. As Merlin glanced around, a growing confidence blossomed within his heart. For the first time, he experienced the sensation of being "powerful."

"Spellcasters are truly the entities wielding the strongest power in this world!"

Merlin recalled a line describing spellcasters from Aita's old man's spell notes. Thinking of it now, it truly felt fitting.

With no one stepping forward to block his path, Merlin quickly reached Old Wilson's side. He gently supported the injured Old Wilson with one hand, his gaze shifting to the three golden-masked figures surrounding them.

"Father, leave this to me."

Merlin said softly to Old Wilson.

"A spellcaster. I never expected to encounter a spellcaster here. Even if you are merely an entry-level spellcaster, you are still beyond what we can handle. What a pity we didn't bring any archers this time; otherwise, dealing with an entry-level spellcaster wouldn't have been a problem at all."

Angus, wearing a mask, let out a long sigh of lament, his tone carrying a faint trace of lingering unwillingness.