Meanwhile, Lynn and his team were winding their way through the underground passage on their way to the castle.
Everyone knew how urgent time was. The injured Barton directly refused Buck's helping hand, tied his clothes around his wound for simple bandaging, and then endured the pain in his back to follow behind the group.
At the moment, Lynn's mind was still recalling the details of the spellcasting earlier.
The "Magic Missiles" spell, being a basic zero-ring spell, was not difficult to learn and use. The real trouble lay in pre-setting the trajectories of each missile.
Lynn had not participated in the first wave of joint attacks with Johnny and the others because he was preparing to cast the spell.
Unless he had 071 assist him with positioning, controlling twelve "Magic Missiles" simultaneously was his limit, equating to the power of an upper-level one-ring spell.
"Are you really Carl?" In the silence, Buck couldn't help but ask.
"Of course!" Lynn nodded.
"But when did you master the Helram formula?" Johnny asked curiously. She had handed over the "Basic Magic General Knowledge" book to Lynn just over an hour ago. Could he have learned it just by reading it a few times?
"Just now..." Lynn responded casually, then remembered that his original self had only been learning magic for half a year. Realizing it sounded too high-profile, he quickly explained, "The teacher had previously explained the principle of this formula to me. It didn't seem very difficult."
Not difficult? Johnny's delicate face showed a look of confusion. Why had she been unable to master it after researching for several months?
Buck and Barton unanimously thought that it must have been Tutor Kro giving Carl some private lessons.
"Bai Ge, report the enemy's position and distance!" Lynn changed the topic, looking at the silent girl beside him.
Although her act of killing Will was highly suspicious, in such a crisis, they had to rely on her abilities.
"Enemies are everywhere. They are preparing to surround us." Bai Ge's body trembled incessantly as she spoke timidly.
"What about Archbishop Anluoke? Where is he?" Johnny suddenly asked.
"I don't know. My Spiritual Sense can't detect him..." Bai Ge was almost in tears.
"If that's the case, let's find a place, gather as many enemies together as possible, and deal with some of them first!" Lynn analyzed calmly.
Besides the archbishop who had not yet acted, the greatest threat to them now was the crossbowmen's arrow rain. If they fought in an open area, several rounds of volleys would at least kill half of them.
"Are you serious, Carl?" Buck's eyes almost popped out in astonishment.
They were already too late to run, yet Lynn wanted to gather the enemies for a counterattack. It was simply impossible.
Lynn did not reply but looked at Barton, who was bleeding from his back and gritting his teeth to endure.
Buck realized that they had a wounded man with limited mobility. Before long, the enemies would catch up from all directions. Once surrounded, they wouldn't even be able to escape.
"How confident are you?" Johnny asked bluntly.
"That depends on how many spells you guys have mastered!" Lynn answered firmly.
...
With Bai Ge's sensing and Lynn's coordination, the soldiers blocking them from several directions almost simultaneously arrived, trapping the Wizard Apprentices in the side hall on the first floor of the castle.
Six full squads, excluding the elusive Archbishop Anluoke, the personnel guarding the exits, and those treating the wounded, all had arrived.
Despite their numbers, Aaron, who had suffered a great loss at Lynn's hands earlier, did not dare to be careless. He ordered the soldiers to advance with shield walls and crossbow arrays while casting auxiliary Divine Arts with the other priests.
"Fear Removal," "Holy Blessing"!
Two successive flashes of white light infused the shield soldiers with courage and vitality, who then marched forward with a shield wall stacked up high and wide.
In front, Buck stood alone, blocking the numerous shield soldiers. He lifted a heavy counter weighing hundreds of pounds that had fallen on the ground. His already strong arms swelled again, showcasing a colossal strength beyond human limits. He hurled the heavy counter forward with great effort.
"Die, all of you!"
The heavy counter collided with the dense shield wall, producing a massive thud.
Immediately after, the solid stone floor beneath their feet suddenly caved in.
This was the one-ring spell "Turn Stone to Mud," jointly cast by Johnny and Barton hiding in the darkness!
The sturdy armor, instead of offering protection, became their greatest burden. Losing their balance upon impact, the shield soldiers staggered and fell in disarray on the fine sandy soil…
Even though it was a cooperative spellcasting by two Wizard Apprentices, the affected area was limited. The crossbowmen at the rear had already raised their crossbows, with more than forty sharp crossbow arrows gleaming as they aimed at Buck...
"Please, hurry, Bai Ge!"
A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead as Buck continuously prayed in his heart. This second was a matter of life and death!
Fortunately, this time Bai Ge did not let him down. Just as the crossbows were about to be fired, a piercing shriek echoed throughout the castle.
"Soul Scream"
Everyone present felt as if their brains had been hit with a heavy hammer, completely losing control of their bodies for a moment.
Enemy and ally alike, the eerie nature of the Spiritual Magic was evident!
The range of Soul Scream's influence was vast, and the magic power consumption was extremely intense. It was forced to stop after just two seconds.
Bai Ge wobbled and almost fell to the ground.
Johnny and the others were seized with anxiety. They had done everything they could, totaling five seconds and gathering all the enemies together.
This was enough for Lynn. Pale yellow phosphorus powder floated in his palm, quickly forming into a giant fireball half a meter high.
The yellowish-white flames seemed nothing special, but every Wizard Apprentice and Priest present felt an internal shiver.
However, this giant fireball did not aim at Aaron and others but flew into the air, bursting into sparks that trailed white smoke like splendid fireworks.
Buck's face turned pale. He began to doubt whether Bai Ge's "Soul Scream" interference had disrupted Lynn's spellcasting.
Everyone knew that fire magic was always focused and concentrated!
(PS: New book seeking recommendations, collections, continued reading, and monthly tickets.)