"Swish!"
A black lightning bolt shot straight at Kinsley, almost hitting his face. However, just half a feet away from him, it suddenly vanished into thin air, like snowflakes melting into water. If one looked closely, they could see a faint ripple in the air in front of Kinsley.
"Petty tricks," Lucas snorted. He glanced to either side and noted that Bryce was performing acceptably. The cavalry attacking from both flanks were held back about a hundred feets away, unable to break through.
For some reason, these soldiers seemed to prefer charging into close combat, risking their lives, rather than using ranged weapons or magic. It was as if they were wary of something.
"Yee-haw! This is awesome!" Bryce paid no mind to any of this. With great excitement, he fired shots left and right, not worrying about accuracy. Whenever a bullet hit an obstacle, it exploded with the force of a hand grenade. Even with their enhanced physical abilities and magical boosts, the knights were forced to find cover, unable to do anything for the moment.
"Is this even fair? With this weapon, my revenge against those monsters is within reach!" Bryce thought eagerly.
As explosive rounds rained down, Bryce saw that any knight at the center of an explosion had their health bar instantly drained, while those caught in the blast lost varying amounts of health and gained debuffs like "Bleeding" and "Slowness."
The battlefield was a chaotic mess of dust, severed limbs, blood, and fire. Bryce had fired dozens of rounds, with his pistol's durability down to thirty points. Ammo kept coming, and he stood there, hands on hips, surveying the defeated enemies scattered around, feeling quite invincible.
Meanwhile, Kinsley seemed indifferent to the chaos, as if he had anticipated the knights' fate. He continued his approach, his face flushed and tense but moving forward steadily, as if waiting for his anger to peak. He seemed confident that nothing could harm him—indeed, the spells from Lucas's magic book, though impressive and colorful, dissipated harmlessly upon reaching him. Even Bryce 's explosive rounds, which devastated ordinary knights, had no effect on Kinsley.
When Kinsley was about fifty feets from the carriage, he dismounted slowly. Bryce quickly checked Kinsley's stats.
[Kinsley]
[HP: 30/30]
[Armor: 20]
[Status: Regeneration III, Magic Shield IV]
"A Magic Shield? Such a high-level buff?" Bryce then noticed the amulet around Kinsley's neck and understood.
[New module detected: Ars Nouveau]
[Item: Glyph of Shield (Advanced)]
[Description: Grants the wearer a magic shield effect and reduces incoming damage based on the amulet's level.]
"So it's the Glyph of Shield. He probably also drank a shield potion and ate a barrier fruit. No wonder his defense is so high, even without armor."
Bryce was unsure how Lucas would respond. He hadn't directly interacted with the magic book and couldn't see its details, but he doubted it contained spells dealing over 20 damage.
"Stop your futile struggle. Surrender now, and I might spare your life," Kinsley coldly issued his final warning.
"So calm? Do you have some big move saved up? Time to play your trump card!" Bryce silently urged Lucas.
He glanced around, seeing the remaining dozen soldiers hiding behind trees and Hippogryphks, forming a loose encirclement thirty feets away.
Lucas stopped attacking, and Bryce also ceased firing. There was no point in wasting bullets on these minor foes; he might as well see how this part of the story played out.
"Sigh, it seems all plans come to naught," Lucas sighed, putting the magic book back against his chest. He appeared to give up resistance and said to Kinsley, "I'm curious—how did you track me down?"
"Hahaha!" Kinsley laughed heartily. "It's fate, Lucas, divine fate! We had given up the search when the Grand Magister sent word. One of his eagles, grazing in the western grasslands, returned with a man-made wound. In such a desolate place, who else could harm an eagle but you? Naturally, even if it wasn't you, we had to investigate. Following this insignificant clue, we traveled across the plains and finally tracked you down."
Kinsley wore a triumphant expression, feeling all the hardships of the journey were worth it.
"So I'm the culprit?" Bryce thought, cursing the eagle that led them to Lucas.
"Uh..." Bryce glanced apologetically at Lucas. He didn't mind dying, but he felt guilty for causing the downfall of the kind man who had accompanied him these past days.
The forty-something Lucas waved dismissively, not seeming to care. Little did Bryce know that Lucas might feel differently if he realized Bryce had considered him a middle-aged man.
"So that's how it is," Lucas sighed. "In that case, Kinsley, let me show you my final gift."
"Hm?" Kinsley felt something was off but couldn't figure out what. He was certain Lucas couldn't escape his grasp, especially since he didn't want to risk harming the precious cargo in the carriage.
A hum filled the air as the gems embedded in the carriage walls began to glow and hum, the mysterious energy converging around Lucas.
"Hmph, let's see what you can do," Kinsley thought confidently. His defensive buffs were formidable, thanks to the efforts of several Grand Magisters. Physically and magically, no one within a thousand miles could harm him, except perhaps himself. Besides, he was certain Lucas wouldn't risk harming the carriage's contents, no matter what.
The energy around Lucas coalesced into a blinding white light.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion. Though the blast radius was small, its intensity was immense. The carriage was obliterated, wooden shards flying everywhere. Under the pale moonlight, nothing remained where the carriage had been, except for the floating remnants of energy.
Oh, and Bryce, standing dumbfounded next to where the carriage used to be.