Zane's group of 60 high-level Blood Warriors was sprinting down the streets of Capricia. They had passed the Nobles' houses. As Zane had predicted, the arson and murder were still rampant. Soon, his group reached a destroyed castle. The castle wasn't as big as they had thought, but its walls exuded a domineering presence.
As everyone stood close to the walls, Zane signaled for everyone to be on high alert as they drew their weapons. One by one, they ran to the drawbridge and entered the broken castle gate. Once inside the castle gates, they arrived at the castle courtyard.
They found themselves in a small battlefield, strewn with the bodies of dead warriors and guards. A fierce battle had raged through the castle courtyard. Meanwhile, Zane gripped his sword and moved closer to another massive door that was partially destroyed.
Meanwhile, Zane gripped his sword and started moving closer to another huge door that was half destroyed.
Zane could feel his heart racing too fast. There was no doubt that a monster was inside the castle. Despite his efforts to calm his nerves, he couldn't shake the feeling that this might be the last time he saw the sun. Furthermore, he sensed that his group was feeling even worse than he was. As Blood Warriors, they could sense the threat as soon as they entered the drawbridge.
Finally, as they entered the keep, they were welcomed into a large room with a throne in the center. There, a middle-aged man sat forward in an expensive chair with a stern expression. Although the man appeared ordinary with his dark grey hair, an unmistakably menacing aura emanated from him.
Zane looked around and saw hundreds of scorched marks on the ground. Throughout the keep, burnt remnants were everywhere, with melted swords and spears mixed into the ground. Soon, he spotted a figure lying unconscious and alone against a wall. The person was supposed to deactivate the runes of the castle, but now he lay there, his face no longer handsome but marred by burnt skin. His body was worse, covered in third-degree burns with some bones even visible.
Finally, once they were inside keep, they were welcome inside a large room where there was a throne in the middle. Finally, they can see an middle age man sitting forward in an expensive chair with his stern face.
Although the the man looks ordinary with his dark grey hair, everyone can feel a menacing aura coming out from him.
Zane looked around and saw hundreds of scorched ground. Furthermore, throughout the keep burnt marks were everywhere while melted swords and spears were mixed to the ground.
Soon he found a person who was supposed to turn off the runes of the castle, unconscious and alone laying on his back on a wall. His face was no longer as handsome as before but replaced with burnt skin. His body was worst, throughout his body he had full third degree burns and while some part part of the bone were visible.
When Zane's group saw the situation, they were stricken of fear.
The man, stared the group for a minute and opened his mouth.
"So you came to die here as well?"
When Zane looked at the middle age man, immediate he checked the stats.
Name: ???
Level: 21
Status: Critically Wounded, Internal Bleeding, Burnt Status
Strength:
Agility: 78/121
Perception: 43/156
Constitution: 65/120
Spirit: 165/189
Skills: Flame Dash, Flame Conjuration, Fire Ball
Flame Dash: A spell for moving that makes the person travel to a chosen spot. It creates a path of burning ground. as well.
Flame Conjuration: A spell that creates a fire structure according to the caster' imagination. The larger the object the weaker the effects.
Fire Ball: A spell that unleashes a spiral of fireballs revolving around the caster.
Ever since Zane leveled up his Identification, he was able to see more information about the target. Meanwhile, the old man stood up from his chair.
Meanwhile, the Old Man stood up from his chair.
"Zane, wake up! I think he is talking to you," a shout from Cecilia brought back Zane.
Zane look in front and hardened his determination. "We will continue as plan! Ready your positions!"
Then, he looked at the old man. "Ascendant Ezio, we know that you are wounded and dying. How about this: turn off the Runes, let us leave, and you won't need to worry about us anymore."
Upon hearing Zane's words, Ezio was shocked to the core. Nobody understood his condition better than himself.
When he went to deal with the south, he encountered a very heavy fog. When they inspect inside the fog, there he saw a scene that made his skin crawl. An army of dead were looking at them, seemingly waiting for their arrival. Behind the army was an even thicker fog mixed with red mist, that even he himself couldn't see, but he knew that the true horrors were behind the fog. He could sense it with just the aura it emits, there are more disturbing monsters waiting for them.
Soon, all hell broke lose. Fifteen Ascendants were with him initially, but only four survived the encounter. He can say that he was lucky or perhaps because of his cowardice, the moment the leading dwarf died being pierced in his eye by a grotesque monster. He started to run back as fast as he can burning his mana and blood, even at the cost some of his life force.
When he reached the city, he heaved a sigh of relief. He planned to directly back to his room to write a report letter explaining what happened.
However, when he was in the courtyard, he found out that there were hundreds of unfamiliar potteries neatly arranged forming an equisite design. As he was about to inspect the pottery, a terrible premonition washed over him. Then, multiple explosion occurred at once.
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"WHO ARE YOU?!" Ezio roared.
Zane disregarded the question and roared, "Cecilia, bring everything you have!"
Zane then activated his Blood Berserk immediately, prepared to respond to any attacks.
"FOOLS! YOU WILL ALL DIE THE SAME WAY!" Ezio raged, and swirls of fire began manifesting behind him.
Despite his critical condition, Ezio's speed surpassed even Zane's expectations. His swiftness was twice that of the squinted guy Zane had faced before. Before Zane could react, a claw was about to rim his neck. However, just in the nick of time, Cecilia's sword slashed towards the direction of the claw.
The claw hand was retracted but soon a swath of flame was coming in their way.
Both quickly jump to both directions. Soon a swarm of flames burned the ground they were on a moment ago.
Others were not idle either; they unleashed a barrage of arrows towards Ezio, providing Zane and Cecilia with some breathing room. Before the battle, Zane had sternly warned them not to approach the fight but rather provide backup from a distance. They knew that, despite their level, they weren't qualified to engage in the fight.
Ezio manipulated his fires into a wall of flames, incinerating the oncoming arrows.
"Wretched ants!" Ezio fumed. He wouldn't even break a sweat eradicating these people if he were at his peak. What was worse, he was still affected when he burned his life force fleeing back to the city. Furthermore, the blast from the potteries also managed to exhaust some of his mana just block it.
To add insult to injury, he surprisingly found Gerax and his group inside the castle before he can rest everything that happened.
Now, another group had come to challenge him again. He was utterly exhausted from the constant onslaught of events. He conjured flames in his right hand and dashed to the group of Blood Warriors. The Blood Warriors barely saw a blur before a sea of flames engulfed them. Before they could even scream, they were reduced to ash.
Witnessing this, the rest of the group was bewildered by what had transpired. Twelve of the sixty high-level Blood Warriors who had come perished in the blink of an eye. Another nine fell to their deaths when they failed to evade the fireballs.
Cecilia and Zane attempted to engage Ezio, but they soon realized that he was far too fast.
Goz shouted to Zane, "We need a new plan, or we'll all be wiped out!"
Cecilia's eyes blazed with a sword aura as she brandished two red blades she has gotten from her previous battle. Even Ezio couldn't believe his eyes. A Master Swordsman within the Blood Warriors? If other countries found out, they would vie to recruit her for training.
"How did you manage to reach the Master's level?"
Then he noticed the two swords Cecilia held. "So that guy met his end at your hands? No matter, you'll meet the same fate!"
Ezio employed his movement spell and closed in on Cecilia, but she suddenly closed her eyes, focusing her sword aura on the edge of her blade.
Cecilia looked at the zooming Ezio, she closed her eyes and tried to feel both of her swords in her hands. She tried to imagine condensing the image of the aura blade from her body towards the the tip of the swords. Subconsciously, she slanted her swords and made a horizontal swing with all her might accompanying with a roar.
Suddenly, a grey crescent arc formed flying towards Ezio. The condensed aura was extremely fast. Ezio's eyes buldged and he found himself not being able dodge in time. So, he gritted his teeth and use his two hand to block the incoming arc.
Sparks flew as his hand made contact with the sword.
When the dust settled, his arm was bleeding, and his right hand was mangled.
"Arghhh..." Ascendant Ezio screamed in agony.
Meanwhile, Cecilia collapsed to her knees on the ground, exhausted to the point of almost fainting.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Ezio roared at Cecilia.
Seeing the heavily wounded Ezio, the rest of the group sprang into action, showering him with a hail of arrows.
With no other option, Ezio retreated hundreds of steps, conjuring a flame wall to intercept the arrows. He formed a swirling sphere of fireballs around him and launched them at high speed towards the Blood Warriors.
As the arrows ceased, Ezio created a wall of flame and pushed it toward Cecilia.
She screamed on top of her head to make her legs and arms move but they were without energy.
Suddenly, a hand pushed her out of harm's way, but in return, the man was incinerated, sacrificing himself in the process.