The scorching yellow sand rolled, and the sand dunes stretched endlessly, the dust connecting the sky and the earth as the breeze blew.
Watching the approaching knights, who were removing their armor, Lyra's exquisitely beautiful face twisted in pain, showing a hint of panic.
Instinctively, she wanted to retreat, but then she thought of her unborn child.
If she didn't satisfy these men's desires, her child would undoubtedly die.
The last bloodline of the snakefolk would also be wiped out!
Her heart ached, but in the end, she didn't retreat.
"Given up, have you? Good, no need to waste time."
"I hear the snakefolk taste quite good!"
Several knights laughed lewdly, pouncing on Lyra.
...
"The mighty Kyrik cavalry has fallen to the point of gang-attacking a woman?"
Suddenly, a voice called out.
Though not loud, it thundered in their ears, making the knights' heads buzz as they stopped in their tracks.
"Who!"
Bada and the other knights frowned, looking in the direction of the voice.
On a distant sand dune, a handsome young man moved like lightning, arriving in an instant.
It was Owen, who was on his way to the capital.
Owen looked at the pitiful Lyra lying in the sand dune and sighed slightly.
He had noticed the situation here ever since the knights started shooting arrows at her.
Snakefolk, being hunted.
These keywords connected in his mind, bringing back a distant memory.
The Kyrik prophecy — the kingdom would be destroyed by the snakefolk.
Thus, the order was given to massacre the snakefolk.
The snakefolk were slaughtered until rivers of blood flowed, almost completely exterminating them.
The Kyrik priests thought they could rest easy, but years later, a snakefolk who had escaped the massacre trained diligently and eventually destroyed Kyrik.
The prophecy came true.
This event was quite significant in the original story.
Thinking of the terrifyingly powerful snakefolk in the future and the immense goodwill he could earn with such a simple act, Owen naturally couldn't miss this opportunity!
Moreover, the methods of these knights were too cruel!
If it was merely to break the prophecy, the massacre of the snakefolk could be somewhat understood.
But such brutal killing? It was purely to satisfy their perverse desires!
As Owen suddenly appeared, Bada and the others frowned slightly.
They didn't recognize Owen, but from his ordinary gray robe, he must be a lowly commoner.
Such a person dared to bark in front of them?
Cold glares immediately focused on Owen, eyes filled with icy killing intent.
"A silver-tier level 7 mage, so eager to meddle in others' affairs?"
"Kill him too. Anyone friendly to the snakefolk is an enemy of Kyrik Kingdom!"
Bada stared at Owen, thinking how insignificant and laughable Owen's silver-tier level 7 status was compared to his own gold-tier level 3 and the surrounding knights, all above silver-tier level 5.
Upon Bada's command, the furious knights, their silver-tier strength fully unleashed, stirred the yellow sand, then an elemental spear formed and flew towards Owen.
Lyra, seeing the spear locked onto Owen, showed deep concern on her pained face.
When Owen arrived, she had a glimmer of hope, but sensing he was only silver-tier level 7, she now hoped he would leave quickly.
These knights were too ruthless; if Owen got involved, his life could be in grave danger.
In Lyra's worried gaze, the elemental spear shot through the air like a black streak of light, instantly arriving before Owen.
The sharp tip of the spear seemed to pierce through the air, ready to penetrate everything in its path.
The knight who launched the attack chuckled; this spear was extremely powerful.
Any cultivator below silver-tier level 5 would be instantly obliterated if hit!
But just as a smile appeared on his face, he suddenly saw thumb-thick arcs of lightning dancing on Owen's body, precisely striking the elemental spear.
Crackle~
A destructive aura spread.
The elemental spear was instantly annihilated!
The dozen knights who were ready to look back at Lyra suddenly froze, their faces showing astonishment.
What just happened?
The elemental spear was actually blocked!
Bada, the highest-ranking and most ruthless among them, narrowed his eyes. Although the thunder on Owen's body flashed briefly, he clearly sensed it.
The terrifying power that erupted in that instant even made him feel a twinge of fear.
"Kyrik people are truly as shameless as ever," Owen said, surrounded by arcs of lightning.
His figure flickered as he appeared in front of Lyra, coldly eyeing the dozen knights.
Kyrik was notorious for enslaving spellbeasts and being the most ferocious and warlike among the kingdoms.
The moment he appeared, they attacked to kill him without any justification.
"Who are you?" Bada demanded, staring at Owen.
As he spoke, the other knights surrounded Owen and Lyra, encircling them.
"The one who will take your lives!"
Seeing the knights closing in with killing intent, Owen's voice grew colder.
As he spoke, he formed a sword with his fingers and pointed at a nearby silver-tier level 8 knight.
The air rippled like water as a thumb-thick bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips, spreading forward to form a large web of electricity that struck the knight.
The lightning struck with unimaginable speed.
The knight's pupils contracted, but soon his face showed a sneer.
He thrust his spear forward, its momentum powerful and surrounded by golden mana, exuding an aura of breaking through all defenses.
However, just as he thrust his spear, the lightning struck.
The moment his spear made contact with the lightning, it was instantly shrouded in black smoke, beginning to crack like porcelain.
At the same time, the lightning spread from the spear along his body, causing him to feel a numbing sensation.
His vision blurred, and then he collapsed, his body charred, as his breath gradually ceased.
"Brandon is dead?"
Seeing Brandon, who had endured the lightning strike, fall instantly, Bada and the others' pupils contracted in disbelief.
Brandon was a silver-tier level 8, a full level higher than Owen.
Yet now he had been killed in one strike by the lightning Owen controlled!
Even seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn't believe it.
Lyra, who had been ready to close her eyes, saw Brandon killed by the young man in front of her with a single move and felt a shock in her heart.
This young man, who seemed not to be of a high tier, possessed such terrifying strength!
She had fought Brandon and the others before.
They were battle-hardened knights, stronger than mages of the same level.
She couldn't handle even one of them, and if it weren't for her speed, she would have been killed long ago.
Yet with just a casual strike, Brandon was killed!
What terrifying power!
But in the next moment, her face turned pale again.
Although this young man could kill Brandon, he was just one of the more than a dozen pursuers, including the gold-tier leader.
Owen couldn't possibly be a match for them.
"This kid is tricky, attack together!"
Bada, after a brief moment of shock, showed even stronger killing intent.
Brandon was a subordinate as close as a brother, having fought many battles together and survived countless life-and-death situations.
Now, he was killed by this kid; blood must be repaid with blood!
"Kill, Kyrik knights, cannot be insulted!!"
The other knights roared, their aura becoming even more terrifying, exuding a thick smell of blood.
"Sir, their strength is too great, you should escape, I'll hold them off!" Lyra's magic surged, ready to fight to the death.
"They don't have the strength to make me run, just watch," Owen said confidently.
Immediately, lightning appeared on his forehead, sending a strange wave straight into the sky!
In the clear sky, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and flickering lightning illuminated the heavens and earth!
The next moment, Owen waved his hand downwards, and thick bolts of lightning, as dense as rain, struck down, illuminating the area in a blinding white, engulfing all the knights in its fury!