On the other side, Liuna returned to the hunting lodge near dawn. This lodge was used by the Earl’s family to prepare before the Hunting Festival.
Liuna sat on a chair, carefully crafting arrows for the hunt.
“Hmm…! Just one more bundle and I can rest!”
Beside her, Luo Sha slowly wiped her weapon.
“Lady, you could have asked someone else to polish it. The Lord also said there’s no need to work so hard—you’re a noble.”
Liuna looked at Luo Sha with slight annoyance. “Doing it myself gives me a sense of accomplishment!”
But just after she said that, a strong wind blew the window open without warning.
Liuna wondered why there was wind. The moment she leaned out, a black fireball shot straight toward her face.
Luo Sha tackled Liuna to the ground. The black flame ball hit the wall, and the room burst into flames.
“Ah…! What is that… an assassin?!”
Luo Sha glanced at the black flame ball, then rushed to the door, grabbed her tower shield, and ran out.
“A dual-element mage? Troublesome… Lady, stay as close to me as possible.”
The moment they stepped out, light began flashing outside, followed by a hail of crossbow bolts.
“?!”
Luo Sha grabbed Liuna by the collar and pulled her behind cover, then raised her tower shield to block the first volley.
After the sound stopped, she quickly led Liuna behind a tree and cautiously observed.
Luo Sha saw a mage wielding a greatsword appear.
“Why is there a close-range mage?! Did someone hire a mercenary company as assassins…”
The mage noticed Luo Sha from the corner of his eye and charged, stomping his right foot, then swung his greatsword fiercely.
Luo Sha’s shield blocked the attack, but the massive impact made her arm numb.
After the mage’s attack, Liuna caught the opening when he retracted his sword, raised her gun, and fired.
A scorching bullet shot from the chamber, the powerful recoil propelling a flaming round.
The bullet was extremely fast. The mage simply held his greatsword horizontally in front of him. The slug struck the blade, and the explosion kicked up dust and smoke.
Luo Sha quickly retreated, thinking her young lady was too reckless—firing at an enemy less than ten steps away.
She immediately raised her shield to guard against a counterattack while swiftly scanning the surroundings to ensure no one else was lurking with an ambush.
Confirming it was safe, she grabbed Liuna’s right shoulder.
“Time to go. The view here isn’t good.”
She stared at the smoke ahead but still didn’t see anyone.
But as they moved back, a magic array appeared on the ground.
The array grew larger, and the ground began to tremble. Cracks spread rapidly, extending to the outer edge and forming a ring of rock.
Those rocks directly blocked their escape route. Then, an earth mage slashed horizontally and cut through the stone wall behind them.
He bowed—a strange gesture—making it hard to guess what he intended.
But a moment later, a sniper crossbow bolt grazed past the top of his head. Luo Sha and Liuna were startled.
Luo Sha quickly raised her shield to block the bolt. She was surprised at how fast it was, but then assumed it was enhanced by wind magic.
The tower shield was dented. After the first bolt was deflected, dozens more flashes appeared in the distance.
Then came explosions, accompanied by a rain of bolts hammering the tower shield.
Luo Sha dropped her longsword, grabbed the tower shield with both hands, and dug her feet into the ground to resist.
When the crossbow volley stopped, Liuna poked her head out and saw a human face right in front of her. That split second of hesitation caused Luo Sha to be distracted and get hit.
Feeling the warmth of blood splattering across her face, Liuna calmed down and seized the opportunity to fire.
Her bullet struck the earth mage’s sword. While his arm was numbed by the shock, she quickly pulled out an explosive round, aimed behind her, and fired, blasting a hole.
“Go!” Liuna shouted.
Luo Sha and Liuna fled quickly.
Liuna couldn’t understand. Tomorrow was the Hunting Festival. Why would these mages dare to do this? Luo Sha believed they had to inform the Lord Earl immediately.
“It doesn’t make sense. Tomorrow is the Hunting Season. Why would someone strike now…”
“First priority is to report to the Lord Earl, Lady,” Luo Sha said as she ran, tearing off a piece of her clothes to bandage the wound.
“I know that much.”
“But I don’t get it—security is especially tight before the Hunting Season. How dare these mages come here?” Liuna felt frustrated. Nothing good seemed to happen today.
“Either they’re reckless fools, or it was long premeditated,” Luo Sha said matter-of-factly. “Make contact quickly, Lady. I cannot confirm whether we’ve fully shaken them off.”
Hearing Luo Sha’s words, Liuna suddenly noticed there were no guards around at all.
“Strange, not a single guard nearby?” Liuna’s body trembled slightly. Her foot slipped, and she stumbled forward.
“It seems premeditated, Lady. This place is not safe to stay,” Luo Sha caught Liuna, preventing her from tumbling.
The two hurried toward the castle.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the crisis.
“…Dear, it looks like… the Merchant Guild,” Shalin remarked as she observed the guard’s wounds.
The guard of the Hunting Forest was already dead.
Dante simply drew his twin swords. Seeing his action, Shalin melted into the shadows. She gestured with her fingers, signaling with hand signs for them to split up.
Dante sprinted deep into the area. Firelight flickered ahead; he saw the tents had been set ablaze.
The guards had been pierced through by some sharp weapon, their bodies strewn across the ground in a haphazard pile, as if in defiance.
A black scepter came from nowhere and struck Dante’s left arm. A wave of pain surged through his body.
A cloaked figure stepped out. His face was completely hidden.
Dante recognized the cloak: it was made of eagle feathers, a material usually used to accelerate with wind magic formations.
Dante struck first, thrusting forward like a bullet, both hands hitting the old man.
The old man let out a sneer, easily deflecting the strike with his eagle beak staff.
Then, using the momentum, he punched Dante in the chest, making him spit blood. Dante looked down and saw his armor had been dented.
Another punch came. Dante barely blocked it with his sword… but this time he saw clearly: the old man wasn’t just using the eagle beak staff—he also used a set of brass knuckles.
While he was thinking, the eagle beak staff pierced his right hand. Pain shot through Dante’s entire body. He immediately slashed at the old man’s arm.
The old man released the staff, pulled out a recurve knife from his clothes to block, then took the chance to kick Dante in the chest, worsening his injuries. He pulled the staff back and distanced himself.
When Dante refocused, three recurve knives were already flying at him. He had no choice but to spin and roll to dodge.
Upon rising, he saw three more special daggers with green tips.
Dante punched the ground, using wind magic to create distance. He slashed and deflected two daggers, then crossed his swords to block the third.
But the old man didn’t give Dante a breather. As soon as Dante stabilized, he kicked the twin swords and thrust the eagle beak staff toward his chest.
Dante twisted left, avoiding the fatal blow. But the next instant, the old man’s attacks came like rain, the clash of metal unending.
Dante was heavily exhausted. The old man revealed a sinister smile, abandoned the staff, and performed a spinning kick. A blade extended from his shoe, striking Dante’s sword. The Damascus sword in his left hand was knocked away by the unexpected blow.
The old man kicked the staff, caught it midair, and slammed it down hard. Dante used the recoil’s inertia, propelled himself away with wind magic, and dodged.
Unable to stop his momentum, the old man’s staff tip embedded itself in a tree. Dante quickly swung his left-hand Damascus sword at the old man’s face.
The old man let go, but realized Dante’s swing was a feint. Dante hurled the Damascus sword, and the old man had no time to dodge—he raised his hand and used magic to block the thrown weapon.
But Dante’s real killing move wasn’t the thrown Damascus sword or the standard guards’ weapon. It was the noble lance that the archmage had thrown the day before yesterday.
The lance sliced through the old man’s shield, and the sharp tip slashed deeply across his chest. He spat out a mouthful of old blood and quickly retreated. Dante pressed forward, using the lance’s reach to aim for the old man’s forehead.
But in the next moment, the old man grabbed the lance tip with his bare hand. Blood flowed as the tip cut his hand. Without hesitation, he pressed the lance down, drew a firearm with his left hand, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Dante’s pupils contracted sharply. The bullet pierced his waist. In his momentary daze, the old man drew a dagger and slashed at his carotid artery.
Dante blocked with his left arm guard. A grating metallic screech came as the guard was sliced clean through, leaving a deep wound on his left arm.
Dante was now all in—even if it cost him an arm, he’d kill the old man. He activated earth magic, stomping his right foot on the ground. The shockwave lifted the lance. Dante grabbed it, enchanted it with fire magic, pulled it back, and thrust immediately, gripping the lance four inches behind the head.
The old man was startled by the thrust and stepped back, but still got his shoulder impaled. Knowing that prolonging the fight would be his death, he pulled a black potion bottle from his pocket and threw it.
Dante thought it was some new hidden weapon and dodged. The black powder ignited by the fire magic caused a massive explosion.
Dante realized it was gunpowder. He used wind magic to clear the smoke, but the old man was gone.
“Damn it!!! He got away…!”