Shirley twirled her halberd around her and charged ahead. She had no time to think about anything else. No words needed to be said. She was extremely straightforward. If attacked, she would not hesitate to retaliate! The girl hacked down with her halberd toward her enemies. Although her technique was unrefined as usual, she was not the same as several months ago. Shirley had continuously strengthened her physique and strength ever since she returned home. Her training regime was simple and straightforward like her! As a result, she pushed ever higher in the Fundamental Realm. In terms of pure physical mastery, she was hovering around Fundamental Realm Adept, one step below Expert. This was approximately equivalent to a High Knight of the Realm.
She sliced through the wind like a death scythe, intent on slicing her enemies like vegetables in a field. Facing the menacing attack, her enemies were momentarily startled. Although they were here to attack her, was this not too sudden? She was practically attacking on first sight! However, they were not completely helpless. Although they were unwilling to prey on citizens, orders were orders. They would not defy their superior. As soldiers, it was do first, ask later! These thoughts passed in the blink of an eye and the soldiers reacted to Shirley's attack. By working together, they negated her attack entirely. Her first strike hit nothing!
Freon was not idling by either. He whipped his wand out and began coordinating with Shirley. He had been training diligently as well, fuelled by the insecurities brought by his weaknesses. Despite remaining at Low Gaseous Fog, he had further deepened his understanding of Arcania through meticulous research and thought. Indeed, if training the Core was like sharpening the sword, then deepening his knowledge was like learning how to swing the sword. Even a dull rock could be turned into a weapon in the hands of a master! Freon had experimented with many different spells, focusing on fire-types. Although there were nearly infinite fields of spells to invest in, he preferred fire!
He immediately began casting a spell. Instinctively, he felt that they were after him, so he could not help but frown. While Shirley exchanged another attack, his spell activated. His energy coalesced into several razor-thin red needles. While the intimidation factor was lacking, every needle packed explosive energy. Rather than flashy and over-the-top spells, he compressed the energy into deadly projectiles! He willed in his mind as they shot forth. They were easily comparable to crossbow bolts at close range with lethal potential!
All together, there were six enemies: three armed swordsmen and three Arcanists behind. With the enemies that Avin killed, that totalled to nearly twenty! The Arcanists in the back raised their wands and activated their spells at the same time. Freon felt alarm bells ringing in his mind as he saw black needles coalescing. They easily outnumbered his projectiles by several times! The two spells clashed mid-air above everyone as the black needles easily pierced through Freon's spell and shattered it. It was like a bull ramming through glass. There was not a single bit of resistance! He was forcefully overpowered!
Freon was frozen stiff before he was pierced by two, narrowly dodging another three. One pierced deep into his arm, while the second was in his calf. It sliced straight through his muscles and tendons, creating small gory holes in his skin. The damage was minimized, and the blood flow was low. However, it was extremely painful! All his pain receptors cried out in agony and veins bulged on his forehead. Sweat laced his body as he gritted his teeth. His eyes glimmered with fury. Little did he know, the thin cloud of Magic Energy in his Core grew agitated as well, swirling with increasing momentum…
Some distance away, in the upper districts of Firecast, an illustrious carriage was travelling down the street. It was painted in blue and gold, the colors of the Zino Kingdom. A beautiful crest was etched on the side, depicting the symbol of the Celestial Council of Magic! People would inevitably catch sight of this iconic carriage and lower their heads out of respect. Ten Dawn Nassandra Adnire was sitting inside with a look of fatigue. She rested her head on her palm while ignoring the scenery outside as it rolled by. Being a potential seed for the next Protector of the Zino Kingdom brought its own share of troubles and problems. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed into slits as goosebumps formed on her arm. She raised her head and glanced in the direction of her home. While she was still a distance away, her Magic Perception could easily cross that distance. Magic Perception was very similar to Martial Perception. Both meant that their fundamental senses had been enhanced to a supernatural level. Even without consciously using it, her body could sense the disturbance. Her expression changed dramatically. She could tell it was her brother!
Every Arcanist had a different aura. Much like a fingerprint, in theory, any Arcanist could be identified purely through Magic Perception. It could change and morph over time, but since Nassandra lived with Freon, she had long since memorized his aura. Her situation was entirely different compared to Avin. Avin had tried sensing for the two siblings dozens of times using a Magic Perception that was far stronger than Nassandra. At his peak, it could even reach as far as the edges of Firecast! Yet, without being familiar with either sibling's aura, it was pointless.
A bad feeling swelled in Nassandra's head. Without hesitation, she urged for the carriage to speed up! She hoped her feeling was wrong…
Back at Freon's home, Freon was bleeding from his wounds. The swordsmen facing Shirley did not delay either. One of them brushed away Shirley's halberd easily while the other two advanced! In the face of overwhelming skill and numbers, was there a need for complicated plans? Just advance and kill! The faster they were done, the less problems would arise. Shirley grimaced and decisively let her halberd go before unsheathing her sword. However, her actions were a tad too slow. She blocked one attack, but the second sliced through her clothes and skin like paper. Thankfully, she retreated at the same time, avoiding a near-fatal blow!
On the side, Yuna was too scared to intervene. She was shivering from head-to-toe on the ground like a lost child. Although she was a top ranker in the university, boasting the second strongest combat potential present, her personality was simply unsuited for combat. In fact, she had served in the military before in the Second Great Kingdom War. Every student was required to serve for a year. Freon did the same, which was why he was sent to Port Silic and met Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley. The rest was history. As for Yuna, her immense potential was perfect for the battlefield as a trump legion. Unfortunately, she was selected to administrative duties instead. Anyone could tell she was mentally too weak to fight. Handing her responsibilities on a battlefield was akin to suicide!
Avin was also having a tough time. His opponent seemed to have noticed that Avin was a tough nut to crack. Coupled with that mysterious armor, it made his enemy even wearier. It was obvious that Avin's strength was outside of their predictions. Avin realized this quickly. He hid his tracks well, and never exposed his identity until now. Therefore, no one should have known that he was Lord Avin Arcellius, the Protector of the Arcellius Family! If they knew, they would never have sent such a stupid attack on him. In that case, their information was incomplete, and they acted without thorough planning. That meant that… His eyes gleamed with ruthlessness. They must be the pawns of a higher power!
While he was thinking this, another flurry of spells slammed into his magic shield. The shield flickered for a second but ultimately withstood the fearsome barrage. The spells packed enough destructive power to easily pulverize the brick wall and dismantle the house. If anyone else dared to face this attack head-on, there was no doubt they would be slaughtered. Only Avin could resist the repeated spells. He alone protected everyone else from his opponent. But this meant that he could not assist Freon. He felt really aggrieved.
Normally, an Arcanist could create and sustain a single spell at once. Double-casting was a rare ability, whereas triple-casting was legendary. No one under Condensed Drop could double-cast, so his opponent was rather carefree initially. As long as the pressure was maintained, he felt he could toy with Avin infinitely. However, the more the fight continued, the more he became shocked. At the beginning, he held the upper hand. However, Avin was unflustered and defended against his attacks. From time to time, Avin had even used double-casting to retaliate simultaneously. That revealed that Avin was at least on the Ten Dawn-level! But his opponent could not back away now. The die was already cast! The fight between these two was far more intense than the others!