The three formidable foes before Fars seemed to underestimate him verbally, yet their actions reflected the cautious nature typical of adventurers. Upon seeing Fars retreat to the center of the cold pond, they immediately spread out, each guarding a side of the pond to prevent his escape.
This situation was clearly different from Fars's first encounter with the high-level magical beast in the cold pond. Although none of these three could fly or engage in underwater combat, it didn't mean they were incapable of attacking Fars. The high-level archer across from him was no pushover; while Fars's magnificent wings granted him an aerial advantage, they also made him a prime target for the archer. Furthermore, the thief had initially used a crossbow to ambush Fars, and the small size of the pond allowed for a sufficient range to shoot him down. As for the swordsman, while he lacked effective ranged attacks, Fars would have to contend with his ability to unleash several energy slashes to keep him from escaping in that direction.
However, Fars wasn't in a position to simply take hits. If the three of them had remained together, he might have hesitated to engage, but their separation provided him with the opportunity to pick them off one by one. Moreover, Fars's ranged attack capabilities far surpassed theirs. Thanks to the six runes, even with a limited understanding of them, Fars had significantly increased his casting speed for mid- to low-level spells, with some spells even becoming instinctive. He was confident that if they underestimated his greatest asset—his strength as a high-level mage—he could eliminate one of them unexpectedly, after which he could face the remaining two high-level professionals, albeit with some pressure.
Clearly, they had set up their positions and didn't intend to let the situation drag on until nightfall. The archer removed his longbow, casually nocking an arrow to aim at Fars. Perhaps too casual, the vampire didn't even attempt to dodge, and the arrow whizzed past him, causing the confident archer to question his own aim. Upon closer inspection, Fars remained calmly floating at the center of the cold pond, not having moved at all. His two companions seemed equally incredulous; while it was reasonable for Fars to dodge the arrow, the current situation was that he hadn't moved and was still standing there.
This led the swordsman to unleash a frustrated roar at the archer, "Damn it, Bauf! Did you weaken your legs from hunting magical beasts last night? That vampire is just standing there, and you still can't hit him!"
The insult from his companion confirmed that Fars hadn't moved at all, and it was Bauf who had missed. Regardless of the reason, Bauf prepared to shoot again. The result was equally disheartening. Not only did his arrow miss again, but the thief, taking advantage of Bauf's distraction, also fired a crossbow bolt at Fars from behind, which also went astray. Clearly, the issue lay with Fars; this bizarre situation left everyone present struggling to accept it. The swordsman, now devoid of the will to insult, knew his companions' skills well; drawing and shooting had become second nature, and it was impossible for them to miss consecutively. The fact that both of his companions had missed was a hard pill to swallow.
The problem indeed lay with Fars. His choice to confront them over the cold pond was not only to limit their melee capabilities but also because Fars's power thrived in a humid environment, just as it did in the dark of night. Just moments ago, Fars had employed a small trick to confuse them. The archer hadn't actually missed; he had aimed accurately at the Fars he saw, but the problem was that Fars wasn't where he appeared to be. By manipulating the water vapor, Fars caused a slight refraction of light, and once the arrows were shot, he negated that alteration. Thus, the result they observed was that their shots had gone astray.
The situation had reached a stalemate, largely due to the limited ranged capabilities of the intruders. If a mage had been present, they would have easily seen through Fars's trick. Another method would have been to shoot blindly, relying on instinct and breath to lock onto Fars, thus preventing him from using visual misdirection. However, such advanced techniques were not something every archer could master. Fars was uncertain whether this stalemate would lead to his discovery. If they wished to remain there, he would gladly wait, as he was biding his time for nightfall.
Of course, Fars couldn't remain idle. He continuously manipulated the water vapor in the air and drew a significant amount of cold air from the pond. Danis, perched on his shoulder, seemed to understand Fars's intentions instinctively and began to assist him without any visible action, causing the cold air in the water to rapidly gather upwards. Initially, a layer of cold mist formed around Fars, gradually spreading across the entire surface of the pond and encroaching upon the shore.
The three adversaries quickly sensed something was amiss; the cold mist obscured their view of Fars, and the sky was growing darker. These unfavorable factors forced them to regroup, abandoning their plan to surround Fars. Although they were aware that this vampire was peculiar—missing shots and conjuring smoke and mist—leaving them somewhat helpless, they still didn't fear any threat from him. If he dared to approach, they were confident they could handle him.
Fars hadn't anticipated that with Danis's help, he would achieve such an impressive effect, creating a high-level mist that encompassed a vast area, extending dozens of meters around the pond. Unfortunately, the three had huddled together, denying him the chance to take them out one by one. Finally, the night had arrived. With the timing and conditions now in his favor, Fars, not one to be overly cautious, decided that dragging things out further wasn't wise. If he couldn't eliminate them, he would simply retreat deeper into the forest and shake them off.
The surrounding cold mist posed no hindrance to Fars's movements. He retrieved the thief's dagger from earlier and advanced. His first target was the thief; while he might not be able to finish him off quickly due to the thief's agility and stealth, Fars was determined to take him down. After all, having a thief around to harass him made it impossible to go all out against the others. It was like having a mage and a priest in a party; they had to be dealt with first.
The thief, underestimating Fars's audacity, seemed to take his approach lightly. Although he couldn't see Fars, he could discern his direction from the sound of air being disturbed.
Blades clashed, and cold light flashed. Utilizing the mist to his advantage, Fars managed to hold his ground against the professional thief for several exchanges, despite being outmatched in speed and skill. Meanwhile, the thief's teammates seized the opportunity to attack Fars while he was engaged. The archer had switched to a longsword, as arrows were difficult to use in this environment. Faced with three opponents who excelled in close combat, Fars wasn't foolish; he quickly retreated. Changing direction, he launched an attack on the archer. This time, Fars held nothing back, employing blood control techniques and spells. As the archer raised his sword to defend, Fars activated the blood control spell, causing a sudden disruption in his blood flow that slowed his movements, making it impossible for him to block Fars's dagger. A long gash appeared on his chest, and just as Fars intended to finish him off, he was forced to redirect the explosive fire spell he had prepared for the archer toward the other two.
To his surprise, Fars turned out to be a mage. The sudden explosion not only illuminated the surrounding area but also revealed the shock on their faces. They barely managed to dodge and quickly shielded the injured archer.
"Not good, the dagger is poisoned." The thief glanced at his injured companion and realized that the dagger Fars had used was coated with poison.
As soon as he spoke, the archer, who had been able to stand with his sword, began to wobble, clearly affected by the spreading toxin. This was thanks to Fars's considerate action of loosening his blood flow. Fars was quite satisfied with the results of this ambush; the wormwood poison on the dagger acted quickly, and at least one of them had temporarily lost the ability to fight.
In truth, Fars's earlier actions had been quite risky. Had his two companions reacted a moment sooner, they could have surrounded him, and facing three high-level professionals, Fars would have had no choice but to concede. Fortunately, the cold mist had impaired their perception and movements.
Now that Fars's identity as a spellcaster had been revealed, he fully embraced his role as a genuine mage, launching spells at them like rain.
Fars didn't use overly powerful spells; instead, he unleashed ice arrows, shadow arrows, and occasionally explosive fire and bone spears. His casting speed for these spells was faster than that of most high-level mages, and he didn't need to worry about exhausting his mana, as the array in his sea of consciousness allowed for an absurdly rapid mana recovery.
While Fars was enjoying his barrage, the three adversaries found themselves in a dire situation. They finally realized that the vampire before them was indeed just a viscount; although his wings were nearly the size of a count's, he was still just a viscount, and they felt little pressure. However, they soon discovered they were gravely mistaken. This bizarre vampire was actually a high-level mage, or perhaps even more terrifying than that. While he hadn't used any particularly powerful spells aside from the large area cold mist, his absurd casting speed forced them into a defensive struggle.
Danis seemed to find the situation amusing as well, beginning to gather the surrounding cold air to form ice arrows, shooting them at the three unfortunate souls. Although Danis, being newly born, lacked sufficient mana, her innate control over ice was unparalleled. Her first attempt at casting ice arrows was a success, and gradually, she became increasingly proficient, firing one arrow after another.
Fars hadn't expected that with Danis's power, he would completely dominate the fight. Danis's speed in casting ice arrows even surpassed his own, allowing Fars to focus solely on using shadow arrows against the enemies.
Now, arrows fell like rain, a dense barrage of shadow arrows mixed with ice arrows, prompting the swordsman to curse again, "Who spread the word that this was a vampire count? This is clearly a garbage vampire with dual proficiency in magic!"
Hearing his companion's words, the thief felt somewhat embarrassed, as he had gathered that information through his own channels and hadn't anticipated its inaccuracy. Now, he found it difficult to extricate himself; each arrow's attack power wasn't particularly damaging, but the sheer density meant that any lapse in defense could result in being hit by several. Moreover, Bauf had already fallen to the ground, and if the two of them didn't work hard to block the incoming magical arrows, their unfortunate teammate might end up full of arrows.