Slaughter, the End of Death

Hidden in the shadows, Mina gripped her sword tightly, warily watching the building before her. Just moments ago, the mid-level mage had entered this tavern in the corner of the commercial district, clearly discussing something with someone. Although Mina had originally intended to get closer, Li Lin had warned her that mages would deploy other mages to prevent outsiders from approaching in such situations. Acting rashly might alert the enemy, and she didn't want the mission to fail, facing double punishment from Li Lin and Angela upon returning—something that would certainly not be pleasant.

Therefore, Mina could only wait quietly here for the time being. Although she had not received any formal assassin training, vampires' ways of acting were inherently strange and mysterious, not much different from those of assassins and thieves. Mina closed her eyes and began to use another ability that she had only recently awakened to investigate the movements inside.

A vampire's eyes can see through cold stone walls, "seeing" things that radiate warmth. This is quite similar to the Dark Elf who live in the Underdark, but unlike the Dark Elf, who adapt to the lightless underground environment, Vampire Species are driven solely by the need to feed. Since this isn't considered magic, it doesn't affect anyone else. Mina slowly moved her gaze, searching for her target.

Because the tavern was almost deserted, she quickly spotted the two figures who looked like they were burning flames. They were sitting in a corner, seemingly hiding, and were obviously discussing something. Mina watched them for a moment, then looked away and began to survey her surroundings. After all, fighting mages couldn't be done in large-scale locations; alleyways or densely populated areas were naturally more suitable for combat.

Of course, all this knowledge was taught to her by Li Lin. At that time, Mina had also thought, not without malice, how wonderful it would be if she could defeat Li Lin using this method someday. However, she soon realized that her idea was extremely foolish. The reason Li Lin taught her the weaknesses of these mages without reservation was because he no longer had such weaknesses. If she intended to attack him because of this, she would probably only end up in a miserable state.

So, on this point, Mina had already resigned herself to her fate.

About twenty minutes later, one of the figures said goodbye, got up, and left the tavern. Mina switched her vision back from "infrared" to normal mode, and after confirming that this was indeed her target, Mina immediately turned around and followed.

Clearly, perhaps because this mage had devoted so much energy to magical research, he was utterly incompetent in other areas. Even walking through the dark alley, he swaggered around with an air of nonchalance. It was unclear whether this was due to the safety of his magic or a lack of understanding of how to maintain secrecy. Mina followed behind him, increasingly convinced that his gait resembled that of a portly, slow-moving fat man. And as he turned another corner, intending to emerge from a hidden alley into the main street, Mina made her move.

Opportunity knocks but once, or it will never come again.

A flash of silver light.

The semi-transparent shield flickered slightly before vanishing completely under Mina's powerful Battōjutsu. The mage gasped and staggered backward, his right wrist utterly crippled, a deep bloody gash visible on the back of his hand, the bone barely discernible beneath.

In fact, he had sensed the danger the moment Mina attacked. Because he had already cast a protective spell, the mid-level mage hadn't taken this level of attack seriously. He didn't sense any magical fluctuations, naturally assuming that Mina was using a weapon rather than magic. This posed no threat to a mage, which is why he chose to cast an attack spell instead of retreating, ultimately leading to his defeat.

Although Mina wasn't confident she could kill the enemy with a single strike, she remembered Li Lin's teachings and attacked his wrist first, which allowed her to strike so quickly. Seeing the mage bleeding, Mina immediately moved forward like a ghost. She didn't sheath her sword but instead slashed downwards—if she succeeded, the unfortunate fellow would be split in two like a piece of wood.

This time, however, Mina's attack failed. A seemingly invisible barrier blocked her longsword, completely ignoring the impact of its powerful force. The mage, meanwhile, smiled confidently, reached into his robes, and pulled out a scroll. Just then, Mina dropped her sword, stepped forward, and gripped the mage's neck with her right hand without resistance. With a crisp "crack," the scroll fell to the ground, and his head slowly drooped, looking more like a ball hanging from his body without the support of his neck.

The "Protection from Blades" can indeed defend against all weapon attacks and ignore their power, but unfortunately, vampires don't need weapons to kill.

Picking up the longsword that had fallen to the ground, Mina let out a long sigh of relief. In fact, when she discovered that a spell had blocked her attack, Mina was momentarily panicked, but her body reacted much faster than her mind. By the time she regained her senses, the poor fellow's neck had already been broken.

"Phew... God bless us."

Looking at the corpse lying on the ground, Mina let out a strange sigh of relief. She knew very well that if she had been completely terrified, the mage would likely have either fled or sent a signal, either way signifying her failure. At that point, she would definitely not have a good time. Although Mina had now abandoned her faith in the God of Justice as Vampire Species, her habits as a priest were not so easily changed.

It's unclear which deity she was praying to for protection.

"Very good."

Angela, with a smug smile, watched the slightly trembling and uneasy Fina. Nia's battle was almost faster than Angela's; she barely made a move, simply casting a Silence, followed by an instant Greater Dispel Magic, and then five powerful attack spells, led by Finger of Death, in quick succession, instantly killing the high-level mage. He didn't even have time to react to who was attacking him before he was dead. For Nia, her spell slots were almost extravagant, so even consuming some for Maximize Spell and Quicken Spell wasn't a waste. After replenishing her Magic Power with Li Lin's help, Nia had become one of the most feared enemies of mages. After all, aside from Magic Power consumption, she had nothing to worry about.

While Fina couldn't defeat the enemy as gracefully and quickly as Nia, the Dimensional Anchor Li Lin gave her did come in handy. After using her body to forcibly resist the mage's spell, Fina ended the battle with a single Thunder Spear.

"Well done, you look like a proper mage..."

"Thank you... thank you, Miss Angela..."

Fina was visibly uneasy in the face of Angela's praise.

"In fact, Miss Fina was quite lucky this time."

Nia spoke with a smile.

"I didn't expect that mage to specialize in necromancy; no wonder it had no effect on Miss Fina."

It would be a miracle if Negative Energy Ray had any effect on a race that is already undead.

"It seems that Mina's situation is also over."

Angela gazed into the distance, but it was unclear what she was looking at.

"I wonder how things are with Master?"

"Li Lin's words are definitely not a problem."

Nia gently touched her staff and answered calmly and firmly.

The cold wind was like a knife.

Standing on the balcony, Isabel gazed mesmerized at the wilderness before her, her gaze fixed on the fence carved from the hard rock, as if she were savoring the most delicious food. She was currently standing on a lookout tower that even the locals avoided; after all, going there to see the scenery at this time of year was considered a bit crazy.

The Pearl of the Northlands sounds enchanting, but it's nothing more than a gathering place for a bunch of mixed-race bastards.

She frowned in displeasure. Isabel had known about the Mages' Association's plan to exile her for a long time, but given her considerable power within the Red Robe Association, Mages' Association couldn't openly do anything to her. Now, to make matters worse, they'd banished her to this godforsaken place, where she had nothing. But so what? As long as she gained enough strength, she could rise again. Abandoning this city wasn't her wish; of course, it would be even better if she could develop it into a residence for Red Robe Mage ... One must forge one's own path; she had to rely on her own efforts. This was a principle Isabel had learned since childhood. Li still vividly remembers the night she spent with that red-robed old mage when she was twelve. His body odor and everything else nearly killed her, a young girl at the time. But so what? Now, she possesses power, authority, and control over everything. Even powerful entities like the Mages' Association and the Temple dare not confront her directly. Otherwise, she would likely have died inexplicably in those meaningless trials as a "once-in-a-century magical genius." To avoid harm, one must seek a powerful backer; to seek a backer, one must pay a price... Now, she is powerful enough that she no longer needs to pay such a price.

Hello, beautiful lady.

Li Lin's voice came from behind Isabel, causing the female mage to frown and a hint of surprise flashed across her face. But when she turned around to face Li Lin, she became as graceful and noble as a noblewoman.

Hello, sir.

She stared at the man before her. His strange attire made him seem unlike a local. How had he gotten here? How had he evaded her magical surveillance? What was his purpose in coming here?

Countless thoughts raced through Isabel's mind in an instant, but on the surface, she maintained a kind and gentle smile.

"It's very impolite to bother a lady, isn't it? What can I do for you?"

I just want one thing.

Li Lin stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the woman before him. He realized that his charm spell had not worked at all, which made the red-robed female mage somewhat flustered.

"What do you desire, sir? As you can see, I am a monk; perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"In fact, I do need your help, because only you can give me what I want."

Li Lin nodded, then he stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers.

Please spare your life.

In an instant, countless Dimensional Lock appeared, firmly enveloping the entire area and space.