Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Bennett "lightly" flicked Victor's sword aside, then lifted his leg and kicked him in the stomach.
Victor flew backward towards Paul like a thrown toy doll.
The soldiers who came with the Chief Guard exchanged a glance at each other, understanding without words, and raised their swords together, slashing at Bennett.
To Bennett, the strength of an ordinary adult man might be negligible, but the combined attack of many cannot be underestimated.
With extremely agile movements, he evaded most of the attacks but still received two or three cuts.
The soldiers who struck Bennett felt like they were chopping at a large stone, their hands numb from the impact.
"Oh, Lord of Light! What kind of monster is he?" someone exclaimed in horror.
"He's a wizard, using magic to enhance his strength and defense!" suddenly shouted the female advisor beside Paul. "You can't confront him up close; keep your distance and surround him."
"A wizard? Magic?!" The words of the female advisor left everyone bewildered. Was this monster in front of them an evil wizard?
Although tales of wizards and magic have long circulated among the people, encountering such legendary beings firsthand left them at a loss.
The "monster" who took a few swords without any apparent harm suddenly rushed towards the nearest soldier, throwing punches with lightning speed.
The soldier's head felt as though it had been struck by a giant hammer, instantly collapsing unconscious on the ground.
Bennett continued to strike in rapid succession, almost one punch per soldier, knocking down a large number of them within seconds.
During this brief moment, he also dodged several arrows shot by the female advisor.
However, he gradually sensed something amiss. The archery accuracy of the female archer was too terrifying; almost every arrow aimed at his eyes. Without "Danger Sense," he would have long been pierced through the eye by now.
It's impossible for ordinary humans to achieve such precision unless...
...
From the sudden attack by the cloaked man to now, barely a minute had passed, and the situation had drastically changed.
People's preparedness for unknown dangers cannot surpass their accustomed cognition, much like how in "The Three-Body Problem," Earthlings never imagined they would face a strike from the Two-Dimensional Warships.
Despite the warning from the female advisor, prior to this, whether it was Paul, Victor, or the soldiers, they either didn't believe in the existence of wizards and magic, or they were stuck in the image of wizards from folklore, unprepared for the current scene.
In folklore, wizards are depicted as:
They wear tall pointed hats, tattered gray-white robes, and carry wooden sticks called wands. Their faces are covered with a bushy beard, some hunched over.
Wizards generally avoid direct conflict with people, preferring to scheme in the shadows, using spells, curses, and potions to control minds, disrupt fates, or even murder others.
When forced to confront enemies directly, wizards use illusions to confuse opponents, cast fireballs from afar with wands, or summon animals like wolves and bats to aid in battle.
But wizards also have fatal weaknesses. Though they manipulate powerful magic, their bodies are frail. Once engaged in close combat with skilled warriors, it spells their doom.
However, how does this muscular, invincible, and reckless madman in front of them fit any of these wizardly traits in reverse?
At no previous time would anyone have imagined their large group would be blocked on the road in broad daylight by a wizard.
---
Even after the hostility from the other side surfaced, everyone still thought this was just a bold madman. Barehanded and without any armor, even with unparalleled martial skills, he would be no match against their dozens.
Even Ladia, the female advisor, didn't anticipate that the danger she foresaw was brought by a wizard until she sensed a familiar aura emanating from him.
After a brief moment of confusion, Paul's mind cleared. Despite feeling absurd about the advisor's reminder, he couldn't afford to think too much. Whether he was a wizard from legend or not, the fact remained that he aimed to take his life.
"Firearms! Shoot that bastard dead!" he urgently commanded the guards beside him, ten of whom carried arquebuses.
Due to limited production of firearms and gunpowder, they were primarily provided to defend against external enemies by both the land and naval forces. The internal security forces had only a small amount of firearms, mainly equipped with cold weapons like swords and knives.
Therefore, unlike soldiers of the land and naval forces who frequently practiced shooting, they only occasionally fired a few shots to avoid forgetting the operational steps.
Because of this, they didn't immediately think to grab their firearms. Faced with such a tense situation, they subconsciously relied on their more familiar swords or knives.
After Paul gave the order to use firearms, their actions to load ammunition lacked the smoothness of dedicated arquebusiers.
Loading arquebuses was quite troublesome, worsened by having to ignite the match cord in the chilling wind, which easily extinguished.
By this time, most of the soldiers who had charged with Victor were knocked down by the wizard. They lay on the ground, either unconscious or groaning from their injuries.
The wizard's cloak was also tattered by the soldiers' slashes as he strode purposefully towards Paul.
Seeing the enemy approaching, Ladia said in a deep voice, "I'll buy you time. Hurry up and get those firearms ready!"
She didn't know if the guards' firearms could breach the cloaked man's defense, but at this point, it was their only hope since her arrows were either intercepted or dodged, relying on the faster speed of bullets.
Having observed the soldiers' shooting training, even with "Complete Focus," she had never captured the trajectory of bullets, a speed that deeply impressed her.
The female advisor concentrated her mind, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and exclaimed, "Barrier Spell!"
Before her words even finished, visible ripples spread through the air around the female advisor. Soon, Paul and the soldiers were surprised to find themselves enveloped in a semi-transparent "shield."
"As expected..." Bennett's eyes burned with rage at seeing all this. "My previous suspicions were correct!"
He suddenly exerted force, almost instantly rushing up to the "shield" and then fiercely punching it.
The semi-transparent "shield" rippled, and the sand-pot-sized fist burst through it. However, the wizard's body remained outside the "shield," tightly "stuck" against it and unable to move forward.
"Faster!" Paul was so anxious tears were almost streaming down his face, urging the soldiers beside him.
"Hmph!" Bennett withdrew his fist. "Let's see how long you can hold out!"
Continuously swinging his arms, he relentlessly punched the "shield."
"Traitor!"
"You're no different from us!"
"Helping these lowly creatures against your own kind, you're really doing your best!"
Bennett continued to curse loudly, his dirty words pouring out one after another, directed entirely at the female advisor who had completely drawn his hatred.
Despite Bennett's verbal abuse, Ladia remained unfazed. However, as the "shield" was repeatedly attacked by his fists, her complexion grew increasingly pale. Despite the cold weather, beads of sweat formed on her face.
"Everyone! Aim!"
With Paul's command, ten soldiers holding firearms all aimed at Bennett.
Finally, all the firearms were prepared. The reason those who finished loading first didn't fire immediately was that they noticed Captain Victor had attacked the wizard alone, who not only didn't dodge but also resisted, and later when several soldiers attacked together, he actually dodged.
Therefore, to inflict maximum damage, they decided to fire together.
The moment that would decide the final outcome had arrived...
(End of the Chapter)