Raging fire dance, the world of the strong

The slaughter wrought by the terrifying mount and its master ignited the battle completely, extinguishing the mercenaries' last shred of hope.

"Bastard! Fight it to the death!" Kailai, the burly, red-haired, scar-faced mercenary commander, had bloodshot eyes. Watching his comrades torn apart in an instant, his fury overwhelmed his fear. He knew fleeing across open ground meant certain death. This monster was far too fast.

"Form up! Defensive formation! Draw it into the obstacles!" Kailai roared, his voice hoarse with grief and resolve. The six remaining mercenaries were all seasoned veterans. Frightened but not panicked, they immediately gathered around Leike.

Two burly men carrying heavy tower shields grunted and slammed their shields into the ground. Leaning forward, they concentrated the faint glow of battle energy rising from their bodies onto their shields, forming the first line of defense. They were the team's strongest defensive fighters. Three other warriors carrying longswords and battle-axes swiftly guarded the flanks, their eyes fixed on the Velociraptor's movements. The only female archer had already climbed a large tree like a nimble cat, claiming the high ground and aiming her cold arrowhead at the mage on the dragon's back.

They chose a hollow where the trees grew relatively close together, hoping to restrict the Velociraptor's massive body and charges.

"Naive." Mage Harris sneered. Did they think he was doing nothing up there? He had already gathered his magic.

Fire elements in the air instantly gathered in a frenzy. Three long serpents, each as thick as the mouth of a bowl and made entirely of crimson flames, appeared out of thin air. Hissing as they burned, they twisted toward the mercenaries' defensive line.

"It's Dance of the Fire Serpent! Watch out!" Kailai shouted.

This man was actually an eighth-rank mage!

The fire serpents struck the tower shields and exploded! Searing flames licked the metal shields with a sizzling hiss. The two shield bearers paled. Although their battle energy and refined-steel shields blocked most of the fire damage, the heat still passed through the shields, scorching their arms and making every breath burn.

At the very instant the fire serpents exploded, scattering sparks that obscured their vision, the Velociraptor moved!

Rather than charge straight into the solid shield formation, it displayed cunning and agility that belied its size. Its powerful hind legs kicked off the ground, sending its enormous body leaping sideways in an arc. Its tail, covered in vicious bone spurs, swept toward a swordsman on the flank like a steel whip, carrying the momentum of its charge with a shrill whistle that tore through the air.

"Damn!" The swordsman barely managed to raise his sword to block.

Bang!

The refined-steel longsword bent on impact. The tremendous force sent him flying, sword and all, into a tree. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was plainly out of the fight. The Velociraptor's tail followed bizarre, shifting trajectories, and its speed was outrageous.

"Aide!" Leike's eyes strained with fury.

The archer in the tree seized that fleeting opportunity-while the Velociraptor attacked, the mage on its back seemed focused on controlling it, leaving his defenses slightly lax. Her gaze sharp as an eagle's, she released the bowstring with a clear twang. An armor-piercing arrow shot like a meteor straight toward Mage Harris's back, aimed at his heart!

Yet Harris did not even turn around.

As though sharing its master's thoughts, the Velociraptor whipped its tail-which had just finished its sweep and still bore streaks of blood-upward from below with agility and speed that defied reason. As if it had eyes, the tail struck with a sharp crack, precisely shattering the arrow capable of piercing iron armor in midair!

"What?!" The archer's pupils contracted sharply.

"Your opponent is my darling little pet." Harris smiled coldly and tapped his short staff again.

The Velociraptor growled excitedly, its crimson eyes fixed on the archer in the tree. It moved again, charging straight ahead this time! Trees as thick as the mouth of a bowl snapped under its shoulder, while its terrifying foreclaws sliced through thinner ones as easily as tearing paper.

"Lina! Get down!" Leike shouted anxiously. He tried to rush over to help, but another newly formed fire serpent entangled him.

The archer Lina went pale but remained exceptionally calm. She leaped from the tree and rolled upon landing to absorb the impact, simultaneously firing three arrows in rapid succession. They flew in a triangular formation toward the Velociraptor's eyes and open mouth-the few potentially vulnerable places she could find.

The Velociraptor merely tilted its head slightly. The arrows struck the thick hide and bony armor around its eye sockets with sharp clinks and bounced harmlessly away. This slight harassment did nothing to stop its charge. The distance between them rapidly closed, and its enormous mouth, reeking of blood, opened again. This time, raging flames surged out, reaching the archer in an instant!

Just as Lina was about to share her former companion's fate, Commander Leike, who had remained the heavily protected core of the team, suddenly unleashed an inhuman roar. His muscles bulged, his already imposing frame seemed to swell another size, his skin turned an unnatural red, and his eyes filled with blood. His battle-axe erupted with dazzling earthen-yellow battle energy.

"Berserk!" Loa, watching from concealment in the distance, was startled. It was a desperate combat technique that exhausted the body's latent life potential to greatly increase strength and defense for a short time, with severe aftereffects.

After going Berserk, Leike's speed soared. Like a maddened rhinoceros, he barreled across and hacked his battle-axe viciously at the joint of the Velociraptor's advancing foreleg, with enough force to split mountains and shatter stone. At the same time, the team's mage encased the archer in ice armor just in time!

The axe strike was exquisitely timed, landing precisely when the Velociraptor's weight shifted forward, its previous exertion spent before it could muster fresh strength. Mage Harris frowned slightly, seemingly not expecting this pack of beaten dogs to launch such a desperate counterattack.

"Roar!"

Sensing the threat, the Velociraptor abruptly halted its attack. But instead of dodging, it raised its right foreclaw like a reaper's scythe and swung it into the battle-axe! Its upturned talon gleamed with a cold, metallic light.

Clang-!!!

An unbearably piercing clash of metal exploded, making everyone's eardrums ache. The Velociraptor actually blocked Leike's seemingly certain axe strike with a single claw! Sparks flew where the axe blade met the talon. The Velociraptor's body sank slightly, its feet pressing shallow pits into the ground, while the recoil numbed Leike's arms and drove him several steps backward. The skin between his thumbs and forefingers split, streaming blood.

What terrifying strength! What hard claws! Loa watched in horror. This beast's body was simply a natural-born killing weapon.

"Commander!" Seeing this, the other mercenaries' eyes reddened too. They charged recklessly, hacking at the Velociraptor's legs and belly with their blades. Another shield-bearing warrior roared and rammed his body into the Velociraptor, trying to buy Leike and Lina a moment to breathe.

The battle instantly reached its most brutal, feverish stage. Relying on raw courage and experienced teamwork, the mercenaries actually managed to tie down the terrifying magical beast for a time. Blades flashed, battle energy blazed, and claws slashed. Blood continually splashed across the spring grass-both the mercenaries' blood and the dark red blood flowing from cuts through the Velociraptor's armored hide.

Mage Harris's expression finally darkened. These mercenaries were more tenacious than he had expected.

"Time to end this game." His icy voice carried a trace of impatience.

He held nothing back. Seven raging fire serpents surged forth again. "Dance of the Fire Serpent!" Their light made his sinister face resemble a demon's. The surrounding temperature rose sharply, and even Loa in the distance felt waves of heat strike his face.

A heart-stopping aura of destruction surged through the surroundings.

"Run!" Kailai coughed blood and shouted hoarsely. He tried to charge over, but the Velociraptor blocked his path, each swipe of its claws forcing him into desperate danger.

The archer Lina gritted her teeth and drew her last three enchanted armor-piercing arrows. She poured all her scant remaining battle energy into them and drew her bow to a full crescent-

Harris

He swung his short staff down sharply.

The ground within several dozen meters of the Velociraptor even showed faint signs of melting! This time, the fire serpents were no longer made of ordinary flames, but dark red fire as thick as liquid, so hot that it distorted the air!

Flames instantly engulfed the center of the battlefield.

"Aah-!" The screams cut off abruptly.

The two nearest shield bearers were swallowed by the flames, shields and all. Their refined-steel shields rapidly reddened and warped in the extreme heat. The battle-energy barriers covering their bodies burst like bubbles, and they were instantly reduced to charred remains. The mage, protected within the team's layers of defense, screamed, "Kailai! Save..."

"No! Luisa!" Kailai roared.

Kailai's earthen-yellow battle energy flickered violently in his Berserk state as he desperately resisted the burning flames. Even so, his skin split and his flesh burned, drawing muffled groans of pain. When another fire serpent joined in, Kailai could hold out no longer and turned to ash amid a furious, defiant roar.

The arrows Lina fired vaporized the instant they entered the flames. Taking advantage of Kailai drawing attention, the archer leaped onto a griffin and fled the range of Dance of the Fire Serpent at top speed, crying as she retreated, "Kailai, Luisa, I swear I'll avenge you!"

Crack! A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, charring both the archer and her griffin mount.

"Hmph! Did I say you could leave?" Harris snorted coldly.

With just two spells, the mercenary squad's remaining resistance was utterly destroyed!

The flames slowly dispersed, revealing blackened ground trailing wisps of smoke and several horribly charred, unrecognizable corpses. In the distance, Hillman felt a chill. "An eighth-rank dual-element mage."

The Velociraptor stood in the middle of the scorched earth. Its dark green armored hide had been blackened further by smoke, but it did not seem seriously injured. It merely shook its head irritably and exhaled several mouthfuls of black smoke carrying sparks. Mage Harris remained completely unharmed on its back. His gaze fell upon the purple diamond with its dazzling halo, conspicuous against the blackened earth, and greed flared in his eyes. He leaped down from the magical beast's back and approached the spot where Kailai had died. With a sweep of his sleeve, wind sprang up and blew away the ashes.

"The Depelo Shadow Diamond!"

"Now it's mine. I searched for ten years, ten years! With this, Haimans, let's see what you have left to fight me with! Hahahahaha... hahahaha!" Harris laughed maniacally.

Hiding in the distance, Loa's back was soaked with cold sweat. The power of that high-level magic had seared itself deep into his mind. Was this a mage's power? So terrifying, so... enticing. But at this moment, he felt more of an icy chill. This mage was powerful and overbearing, treating human lives like dirt. To him, Wushan Town probably differed little from the scorched earth beneath his feet.

I hope nothing happens.

Watching this, Linley could hardly believe that such powerful attacks had come from the man before him, who looked so much frailer than Uncle Hillman. Those raging fire serpents and their world-destroying might imprinted themselves on the boy's heart. If only, if only I could have power like that. Linley felt his blood boiling. He sensed what he wanted to pursue: to reach the pinnacle, to become strong.

On this blackened ground thick with the smell of sulfur, the same aspiration arose in both boys.

"Wushan Town. Who is the lord of Wushan Town?" The wildly laughing mage began to regain his composure. Having obtained the diamond, even his formerly sinister face began to show a few smiles.

"Father." Linley called out to Hogg.

Hogg gestured for Linley to remain silent. An eighth-rank dual-element mage would be a notable powerhouse even in the Fenlai Kingdom. With him coming to my little domain, this is trouble. I hope nothing happens, Hogg thought worriedly.

"I am the lord here, great mage. What are your orders?" Hogg replied with a bow.

Harris was in a good mood now. "Oh, your Wushan Town suffered considerable losses this time too. Although my fire serpents reduced those damned fellows to ash, some of their ironware and gold coins melted into lumps. They should still fetch some money. Consider it compensation for my fighting here."

Hogg sighed in relief. "Thank you, merciful mage." I need to send this scourge on his way quickly, while he's still in a good mood.

The mage nodded in satisfaction, then turned and leaped onto the head of the Velociraptor, which had lowered itself to the ground.

The Velociraptor stood and gave a loud, sulfurous snort, sending two streams of white vapor from its nostrils.

With heavy steps, it carried Harris gradually out of Wushan Town. As Harris receded into the distance, the townspeople's anxious hearts finally settled.

Hogg told old Hiri to arrange for people to clean up the battlefield. The lumps of iron, gold, and mixed material could be refined again and still fetch a good price, making up for at least some of their losses. They would have to find another way to cover the rest. Everything had happened too suddenly, and right in the town center.

After giving his instructions, Hogg went over to Hillman and asked with a smile, "Well? How did that feel?"

"Terrifying. A seventh-rank magical beast and an eighth-rank mage-we couldn't have resisted at all. Luckily, he was only passing through," Hillman said with a sigh.

"By the way, where's Linley?"

"He was right here just a moment ago, my lord," Hillman said, puzzled.

Old Hiri spoke up then. "My lord, young master Linley left a little earlier with that boy from the smithy."

Hogg nodded thoughtfully.

By then, the two boys had already reached the vicinity of the training grounds. Calming his excitement, Loa resumed his original training plan. After witnessing greater power, his determination to grow stronger had increased. Linley sat cross-legged to one side, feeling somewhat distracted.