The twin moons cast a pale glow at the clearing inside the forest, and in that ethereal light, Ballard saw death approaching.

Dozens of arrows rained down on him and his men, and due to their not having put up any timely defenses, the consequences were gonna be catastrophic. One Magus had already died as a result, and now… many more would follow.

Ballard's heart was gripped by fear. It wasn't the fear of the arrows descending upon him. No, it was the fear of the unknown.

The elderly Magus's eyes darted around the clearing at a quick speed, trying to ascertain just how many people had been lying in ambush. He could see some shadowy figures hiding themselves behind the trees, but he couldn't tell just how many.

By the time, the rain of arrows had already descended.

Ballard's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he immediately conjured a rectangular shield before him. It was made of blue iron ore and carved with mysterious runes. The next moment, he imbued the shield with mana, activating it just as the arrows drowned him.

At once, the forest was drowned in the blood-curdling and miserable screams of the Magi, their bodies pierced through with arrows. In a single volley, half of them had met their deaths!

Ballard remained unscathed. The shield in his hand had transformed into a vast curtain of ice that protected him and the handful of men around him. From thirteen, the group's number had instantly dwindled to seven.

Had these men been well rested, perhaps they might have been vigilant enough to recognize that the clearing inside the forest was a very optimal location for an ambush. Now, more than ever, these men couldn't help but harbor great resentment towards their patriarch. But it was too late for them.

Ballard, on the other hand, was utterly enraged. For months, he and his men had been the hunters, relentlessly pursuing their targets. Yet now, in an instant, the roles had reversed. It was now their turn to become prey.

"Come out, cowards!!" Ballard screamed in rage.

His men, on the other hand, drew their weapons and quickly formed a defensive formation. These men were extremely nervous. Just like their patriarch, the fear of the unknown gripped their hearts with dread.

In the next heartbeat, before the men could even get into a proper formation, the ground beneath them rippled. A brilliant magic circle lit up beneath the ground, its glow penetrating the earth and reflecting in the terrified eyes of these Magi.

And before they knew it… the ground beneath their feet shifted, softening into mire that swallowed their footing and sent them stumbling off balance.

Right at that moment, two thick slabs of earth rose on either side of the clearing, trapping the Magi between them. Then, magic circles spread across the slabs, and in the next instant, dozens of earthen spikes shot out from them, until nothing remained of the slab.

Ballard gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with desperation. The next moment, he willed the thick curtain of ice above them to split in two, each half anchoring to a side of the group to shield his men from the incoming earthen projectiles.

As the earthen spikes smashed against the ice walls, Ballard roared to his men, "What the hell are you doing?! Get away from here! Exit the clearing!"

Panic was etched across these men's faces as they struggled to free themselves from the mire. While their patriarch held back their enemy's attack, they turned to flee, attempting to escape through the rear of the clearing and organizing a counterattack.

But unlike them… their enemies were fully prepared.

With the earthen spikes being hurled in from the sides, a sudden volley of ice shards zoomed towards the Magi from the rear, effectively cutting off thier escape. At the same time, a brilliant Fireball attacked them from the front, aimed straight at Ballard!

The world around them lit up in a blinding light for a brief moment, and then, a terrifying explosion engulfed Ballard and his Magi. The shockwaves resulting from the explosion were so intense that they made the trees at the edge of the clearing thrash and bend under the violent gusts.

As the arcane explosion of fire and ice gradually subsided, four figures emerged from the woods. Each took position at the edge of the clearing, surrounding its center with grim and vigilant expressions.

And when the smoke finally cleared, only one man remained standing inside the clearing. Ballard was bruised and battered, yet still in decent fighting shape. As for his men… all of them lay dead.

A single, well-planned ambush had effectively wiped out a dozen Mana Liquefaction Magi!

Kaspar York stood before Ballard with an extremely solemn look on his face. Despite their concentrated efforts, they were still unable to take out this Mana Vortex Magus. It would appear that at the last moment, the man had used some kind of artifact to protect himself.

"Councilor Ballard," said the elderly Magus with a cold smile. "What a surprise it is to see you here."

Ballard ignored him completely. Blood trickled down his lips as he coldly scanned his surroundings. In front of him stood a Mana Vortex Magus, no weaker than himself, and perhaps even stronger.

An auburn-haired man at the peak of Mana Liquefaction Rank stood to his right. He held an enchanted bow in his hands, and a quiver full of arrows was strapped to his back. Ballard's eyes narrowed as he recognized this person to be the one to trigger the ambush.

To his left, a silver-haired woman, also at the peak of the Mana Liquefaction Rank, stood with twin daggers gleaming in her hands. From the chill in the air around her, Ballard could tell that she was a practitioner of ice magic.

And finally, behind him stood a crimson-haired woman with scarlet eyes, with a sword in hand. Her face was exquisite, almost otherworldly, yet in the depths of her cold, indifferent gaze, flames dance and flickered.

And when the wisp inside the Soulmark Lantern turned in the direction of that woman, Ballard's heart was flooded with hatred, rage, and a murderous frenzy.

In that instant, he ignored the greatest threat before him—Kaspar York—and spun around, lunging straight at Anna.

He conjured a long sword from his storage artifact and swung it at the woman, screaming in fury, "I'll fucking kill you!"

Yet, despite facing a Magus one entire arcane rank above her, Anna showed not a trace of fear. Her lips parted, and she coldly spat a single word:

"Fool."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.