READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 673
“Everywhere you look, it’s a bunch of mages.”
The trees stood majestically towards the sky, while enormous moss-covered rocks were scattered haphazardly around.
Amidst them, there were traces of people constantly passing through, forming a narrow path. In the distance, someone appeared to be standing at the end of that path.
The 6th Circle Black Mage, Basilrud.
His face was lined with wrinkles and his hair was white. Just as Dark had seen, his attire could only be described as rags.
If someone unfamiliar with him laid eyes on him, they might mistake him for a beggar lost in the mountains.
But upon seeing his gaze, they would quickly change their mind.
That glimpse of madness in his eyes told anyone that Basilrud was not an ordinary person.
“Heh heh… Looks like my apprentice is already dead…”
Basilrud had taken Zico as his servant and apprentice through a pact of Black Magic.
Connected to Zico mentally, he could feel each other’s presence even at a distance, but recently that connection had been severed.
“Seems like that fool made a mistake… getting caught like that…”
Basilrud didn’t think much of it. No matter how ridiculous it seemed, it was a territory with knights. After attempting Mind Control twice already, it wasn’t surprising if he got discovered.
From the moment the connection broke, he had been surveying the area beneath the mountain with his magical sight every day. And he realized that an army was coming back.
“Since it has come to this… I’ll have to find another way.”
Of course, the ones coming would end up dying pitifully. They would become sacrifices for his own benefit.
“So… I’m right here. Come on!”
Basilrud waited with a sinister smile for the soldiers of Nordhill.
Before long, Ghislaine and the Nordhill troops discovered Basilrud, who was waiting for them.
“Is that him? He really seems confident.”
Ghislaine chuckled as he looked at Basilrud.
Standing there so boldly with hundreds of soldiers around him was quite the gall for a mage.
Though Basilrud was likely prepared in his own way.
“It’s a Black Mage.”
“I’ve never seen his face before.”
“What’s he doing out here?”
The ones who had participated in the last purge gripped their weapons, tense.
Last time, they hadn’t had the chance to fight properly before retreating. This was their first encounter with a Black Mage.
When Ghislaine raised his hand, all the troops halted in place.
Having heard there might be traps, everyone was scanning their surroundings cautiously.
Ghislaine stepped forward and shouted.
“Are you Basilrud, who has targeted the territory of Nordhill?”
Basilrud smiled again. Knowing his name meant Zico had spilled everything.
“Yes… I am Basilrud. You came here bravely, knowing about me… I commend you for your courage.”
Basilrud’s voice was low, too quiet to be heard from a distance like that.
But thanks to magic, every word of the Black Mage echoed clearly in everyone’s ears, filling the tense soldiers with dread.
“I can already see you’re scared… I will collect your souls.”
At that, the soldiers trembled little by little. Though the knights shouted for them not to be afraid, they were quite tense themselves.
Ghislaine, seeing this, had a look of disbelief on his face.
“A 6th Circle mage shouldn’t be taking things so seriously?”
To Ghislaine, who had even fought dragons, this seemed utterly laughable.
But it was understandable why others were scared. For the soldiers of this territory, a 6th Circle Black Mage truly was a disaster.
Ghislaine shouted again.
“Don’t act so tough. If you’re going to fight, come at us quickly!”
Basilrud was a bit taken aback. He looked like a mage with that robe and staff, yet here he was, yelling at him.
He seemed a tad out of his mind.
Watching quietly, he decided to confirm.
“Are you a mage?”
“Yes.”
“What Circle are you?”
“5th Circle.”
“Hee hee hee… You truly don’t know your place…”
Basilrud couldn’t help but laugh.
It’s extremely difficult for lower-ranked mages to defeat higher-ranked ones. And it only gets worse the higher the circle, thanks to the nature of mana suppression.
“How foolish of you to think you can fight me at the 5th Circle… Did you think you could count on the knights and soldiers around you?”
That made some sense. No matter how powerful a 6th Circle magician was, it would be dangerous if they allowed knights to get close.
But Basilrud didn’t just show himself without reason.
“So… you’re not coming closer. Seems you’ve already heard about me from Zico… Well then, let’s begin.”
Basilrud raised his hand, and dark mana began to pour out from him, filling the area around.
Thud thud thud…
The ground trembled. The Nordhill troops gripped their shields tighter, even more tense.
Soon, the events they had all dreaded began to unfold.
Uuuaaaah…
Graaaahhh…
Kaahhh…
Sounds echoed as if from hell itself. The ground shook, and corpses began to crawl out.
Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and all sorts of undead emerged, even the bodies of beasts.
Their numbers exceeded five hundred. An undead army that wouldn’t die.
This was the very reason Basilrud could boldly appear alone.
Having collected corpses for a long time, he had amassed enough power to intimidate even a typical army.
“Heh heh heh… All of you will die here and become my servants.”
The soldiers stepped back in fear upon seeing the undead legion. They had heard the stories, but seeing them in person was truly terrifying.
Uuuaaaah…
The eerie cries of the undead echoed from all directions. Everyone was frozen, just watching in fear.
At that moment, Ghislaine strode forward and raised his staff.
Then, he swung at the heads of the undead crawling out of the ground.
Bang!
Uuuaaaah…
One zombie, with only its waist out, had its head smashed instantly. Although it was a magic-animated zombie, it could only flail its arms without a head.
Ghislaine didn’t stop there and kept smashing the nearby undead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Uuuaaaah….
In an instant, dozens of undead were stuck in the ground, their heads crushed.
Ghislaine’s movements sped up. Soon, dozens of fireballs were swirling around him.
Each time he smashed the heads of the corpses, the fireballs dispersed to attack the undead.
Uuuaaaah…
Over a hundred undead were obliterated in no time. The remaining bodies and chunks wriggled, but they were in no state to fight.
Basilrud, stunned by this sight, shouted.
“S-Stop!”
Ghislaine chuckled.
“Are you an idiot? Who’s gonna stop just because you say so? Did you think I’d wait for all these things to come out?”
Bang!
While he spoke, several more corpses were smashed. Basilrud reached out desperately.
“You brat!”
Boom!
After a quick casting, a beam of darkness shot from his hand. A powerful spell that could instantly kill even a knight if hit directly.
Zziinnnn—!
A blue light flashed in Ghislaine’s eyes. Soon, a simple shield materialized in front of him.
Basilrud grinned.
“You foolish fool! Do you think a lowly Circler can block my magic?”
Having a low Circle means having less mana. There was no way he could block high-tier magic.
Soon, the dark beam collided with Ghislaine’s shield.
Boom!
Basilrud’s smile slowly faded.
The opponent stood there without a scratch. It was an incomprehensible situation.
“How… ? A 5th Circle preventing 6th Circle magic…?”
He had unleashed the strongest and fastest magic for direct attack. It should be impossible for a 5th Circle shield to withstand it.
Yet the opponent only staggered back slightly, appearing completely unharmed.
Ghislaine smiled as he twirled his staff.
“Not bad, huh? Ready to get serious?”
“How dare you!”
Basilrud gathered his mana. The darkness beneath him spread widely.
In this land of darkness, Divine Power weakens while the undead’s strength amplifies.
At the same time, Ghislaine darted forward, leaving the undead behind. Yulien followed in behind.
As he ran, Ghislaine shouted.
“Everyone, focus on defense! Trust the ‘Saint Candidate’!”
The front-line soldiers gripped their massive shields with both hands, bracing themselves.
Behind them, a dozen soldiers thrust their long spears forward. The spears had a structure that curved into a crescent shape, meant to push the enemy back.
Both shields and weapons had been hastily made according to Ghislaine’s orders.
Deneb, referred to as the ‘Saint Candidate,’ blushed with embarrassment as she imbued her mace with Divine Power.
Woosh!
A white light shone on the mace. It couldn’t be considered strong, but the soldiers were oblivious. They looked at the shining mace with hope.
And Ghislaine didn’t betray that expectation.
Charging towards Basilrud, he unleashed a surge of mana behind him.
Bang bang bang bang!
Soon, numerous orbs of light appeared around Deneb. It was the 1st Circle spell, ‘Light.’
It wouldn’t have any benefit in combat, but it looked visually impressive. Deneb exuded a divine presence, radiating light.
“Wooooaah!”
The soldiers erupted in cheers. It felt as if divine light descended where darkness had begun to gather.
Deneb squinted her eyes at the sudden brightness. She heard the surrounding cheers clearer than before.
‘It’s nonsense, but it works too well!’
Ghislaine’s ploy was nearly a cheat, but it had sufficiently raised the soldiers’ morale.
Uuuaaaah…
The undead immediately swarmed towards Deneb.
Even a little Divine Power was still Divine Power. They instinctively sought to eliminate it first, sensing the opposing force.
“Hik!”
Deneb swung her mace vigorously. Although her Divine Power was weak, the bludgeoning technique she had learned was top-notch.
Bang!
As soon as she hit it with her mace filled with Divine Power, the ghoul’s head burst instantly.
Deneb showcased all the skills she had learned, smashing in the heads of the oncoming undead.
The problem lay elsewhere.
‘I can’t see well! It’s too bright!’
Ghislaine had overdone the light. While it looked dazzling to everyone else, Deneb was squinting to the point of tears.
Fortunately, she was fighting hard alongside Kyle, so she didn’t fall into great danger.
Woosh!
Kyle’s sword sliced through the air, decapitating the undead swiftly. His movements were nimble and deadly, like a wolf.
Dark kept chiming in from the side.
“Jeez, you really suck. Can’t you just take them all out at once? One day, someone will swing a sword and cut the castle gate.”
Having seen countless strong Penris warriors, Dark was unimpressed by Kyle’s skills.
“I got it! Just shut up!”
Kyle was tired of Dark’s nagging. He was sick of being compared to others, feeling an inferiority complex rising.
Anyway, thanks to the efforts of the two, dozens of undead had fallen. But still, there were hundreds remaining.
Uuuaaaah…
They flailed their limbs as they approached the soldiers. Being in the mountains, many of them stumbled over the terrain.
The soldiers cautiously widened their spacing, enclosing the undead in a broad circle.
Kaahhh…
Kaah! Kaah! Kaah!
Despite the undead flailing their arms, the soldiers in front held their shields tightly, standing firm. The rear soldiers pushed the undead back with long poles.
Their role wasn’t to eliminate the undead, but rather to minimize damage and drive them towards a single point.
“Keep it up! We can do this!”
“Just a bit more push!”
“Aim for the center!”
The knights continued to shout as they protected the soldiers. Andrew watched from behind, trying to steady his anxious heart.
Everyone was following Ghislaine’s orders. They weren’t the best-trained soldiers, but it wasn’t hard for them to follow simple commands.
Uuuaaaah…
With everyone focusing on defense, the undead couldn’t inflict much damage. They were gradually being herded into one spot.
And in the place where the undead gathered, Deneb and Kyle were fighting like crazy.
“Aaaah! Damn it! Why do we have to fight like this!”
Kyle grumbled as he hacked away at the undead. Deneb kept blinking her teary eyes, swinging her mace.
Yes. The soldiers’ goal was to pass all the undead to Deneb and Kyle.