The entire Wolf Valley had descended into a whirlpool of slaughter. The once-dominant Blue Wolf King, which had initially confined the battlefield to the center, was forced to change its tactics after Master Perugino joined the fray. Utilizing its intimate knowledge of the terrain, it resorted to guerrilla warfare. Its form became a streak of blue light, deftly dodging magical attacks from above. When faced with Perugino's widespread magical onslaught, it would seek refuge among the rocks and trees, leveraging the environment to mitigate some of the damage.
Durl found himself at a loss against the constantly fleeing Blue Wolf King. Initially, the wolf king had launched fierce assaults, and thanks to the exceptional defensive capabilities of his Golden Lion Armor, Durl had been able to hold his ground effectively. However, the wolf king had now taken to evasion, rarely attacking directly. While the Golden Lion Armor had indeed protected Durl from countless strikes of the wolf king's claws, it also restricted his mobility. As a top-tier magical beast of the wind element, the armored knight's attempts to pursue it were laughable. Yet, he still had to remain vigilant against the cunning wolf king's potential ambushes. Recklessly dropping his Golden Lion transformation would only leave him in a more passive position.
The saying that a wise and powerful mage can create miracles to turn the tide of battle was no exaggeration. Throughout the countless wars that erupted between the great human empires, the absence of these mysterious mages from one side was akin to a flock of lambs awaiting slaughter. Scouts in the army could indeed gather relatively accurate intelligence, but no one could guarantee that what they saw was the enemy's reality and not an illusion conjured by a mage. Mages could summon winds and rains, create smoke and fog, crafting environments favorable to their side, or even summon torrents of fire to crush the enemy in the midst of battle. Every imperial fortress would invariably have a number of mages stationed there. These mages, loyal to the crown or various lords, were meticulously trained; otherwise, their pride would prevent them from obeying commands. Without a sufficiently powerful mage to oversee them, morale could waver. On a smaller scale, within a team, the mage's position was equally crucial. Their vast knowledge ensured that the team would not miss out on rare treasures during their adventures. Their formidable strength, when combined with good teamwork, could significantly enhance the overall power of a group. In the face of various unexpected events, mages, equipped with a multitude of countermeasures, could lead their companions out of peril with their wisdom. Of course, without the protection of countless strong backs, they could not freely wield the mysterious forces of the world to create one miracle after another.
With a mage overseeing the battlefield from above, Durl felt reassured. Having executed numerous missions alongside this master, he had faced foes far more dangerous than the current situation, even confronting legendary threats. A mere top-tier Blue Wolf was not enough to stump this master.
As expected, Master Perugino was unwilling to let the clever and evasive Blue Wolf King prolong the battle. On this side, the collaboration between an eighth-level knight and a mage against a top-tier Blue Wolf King held a significant advantage. However, the situation for the young nobles was far more dire. The pack of wolves surrounding them showed no signs of retreating, even as their companions fell. Instead, with the return of the main hunting Blue Wolves, their numbers surged dramatically. The wolves encircling them were no longer just the weak and young; the ones at the innermost circle were all adult Blue Wolves of intermediate magical beast strength, mixed with several high-ranking Blue Wolf leaders.
Master Perugino did not believe that these Blue Wolves could harm Miss Joanna and the others anytime soon. Being well aware of their capabilities, the mage coveted the high-level magical scrolls they carried. As long as the situation had not deteriorated to the point of needing to use these precious consumables, even they, as high-ranking nobles, would hesitate to casually discard items worth thousands of gold coins.
However, Perugino could not afford to delay any longer. Their mission was to ensure the safety of these young nobles, and allowing them to be surrounded by the wolf pack was a serious dereliction of duty. He reached for his precious wand, a tool that could instantly cast various minor spells. Nowadays, mages rarely used wands to assist their spellcasting, but the spells he was about to employ were among the most complex he had mastered, requiring the wand's effects to shorten the casting time.
To ensure his spellcasting went undisturbed, Master Perugino ascended to nearly two hundred meters in the air. At this height, the non-flying Blue Wolf King could not reach the old mage. Its innate spellcasting range was also limited, barely affecting the area within a hundred meters. The once spacious Wolf Valley appeared small in Perugino's eyes, as he surveyed the entire situation below. Frustrated by the loss of an aerial target, the Blue Wolf King was unwilling to sit idly by and launched another attack on Knight Durl, hoping to eliminate the damned human before the mage's assault arrived. Reluctantly, it tossed a few precious gems downwards, which, drawn by Perugino's magical field, formed a simple magical array in the air. This array was designed to extend the range of his spells. The typical maximum casting distance for an ordinary mage was just over a hundred meters; even when attacking from the air, accurately striking a target from two hundred meters was challenging. However, with the array constructed from several emeralds and a few precious star diamonds, Master Perugino's mental acuity was heightened enough to firmly lock onto the Blue Wolf King.
"MindsinsjiczhiLinghoznjihaignizhinqingjisn~~" The ancient Neith language flowed continuously from Master Perugino's lips. In fact, most spells used in this era were simplified versions of Neith. However, many complex high-level spells, particularly those above a certain tier, still relied on other advanced languages, deeply intertwined with the fundamental laws of this world. Ancient Neith, divine tongues, demonic languages, and others were more closely aligned with the primordial runes of creation, making them more effective when channeling the forces of nature. Yet, these languages were not easy to learn, and only those truly on the path to eternity would delve into their study.
The dark night sky was no longer calm; something seemed to be rising and swirling, and this change grew increasingly intense. The people on the ground and the wolf pack felt an unprecedented pressure from the forces of nature. Fars couldn't help but look up as the horizon began to turn red, resembling boiling magma. Now a high-level mage, he had a deeper understanding of this mysterious power; such a display could only be the work of Master Perugino.
As the red glow intensified, it became increasingly blinding, even causing the bright moon hanging in the sky to dim momentarily. Several red beams descended from the heavens, directly locking onto the Blue Wolf King below. This was the effect of the spell, a manifestation of the power of the laws that restricted the target's movements. Only those who also wielded the power of the laws could hope to break free from this temporary confinement and evade the impending attack.
However, magical beasts evolved step by step based on instinct, and their understanding of the laws came from their innate bloodlines. The Blue Wolf King might have some comprehension of the wind element's laws, but when ensnared by an unfamiliar force, its intelligence alone could not decipher a way out. After attempting to break free, the Blue Wolf King reluctantly abandoned the idea and braced itself to endure the forthcoming attack. Naturally, it could not allow the spell to strike directly; it concentrated all its magical energy, rapidly gathering the wind elements within a radius of several miles to form a massive pale green wind shield. The previously dim moonlight brightened again, casting countless beams upon the wind shield formed by the Blue Wolf, bestowing it with a layer of ethereal glow. This was a talent inherited through its bloodline; the Blue Wolf King could gather moonlight to enhance itself or its attacks. This time, the wolf king poured all its magical power into the wind shield without reservation. Its survival against the impending attack depended entirely on this shield.
Master Perugino's spellcasting preparations continued. The time required for this ancient incantation, far exceeding that of high-level spells, felt interminable amidst the fierce battle below. Fortunately, the spell's effect of restraining the enemy's movements meant that, had it not been for this, the Blue Wolf King could have easily fled dozens of miles away before Perugino's spell was ready. Even legendary mages found it challenging to attack targets from such a distance.
Finally, the preparations were complete, and Master Perugino's incantation echoed throughout the vast valley. "Searing Death Ray," a top-tier spell combining the effects of both spatial and energy manipulation laws, was ready. Although Fars had limited knowledge of ancient Neith, he had heard of some famous spells, and the Searing Death Ray, known for its unavoidable effects, was renowned among mages.
The ray, imbued with an instant-death effect, descended from the sky like a curtain of pearls onto the wind shield enveloped in ethereal glow. The glow was rapidly consumed, and the searing rays struck the surface of the pale green wind shield, causing ripples to spread like water. The relentless onslaught of the Searing Death Ray continued to rain down, while the wind shield that the Blue Wolf King desperately maintained showed signs of strain. In truth, the magical energy expended to form this wind shield was not less than that of Master Perugino. However, Perugino wielded a wand that reduced spellcasting costs and accelerated casting speed, and his understanding of the laws far surpassed that of a top-tier magical beast relying solely on innate talent.
The nearly collapsing wind shield could no longer withstand the pressure and shattered into the air under another wave of Searing Death Ray's impact. The Blue Wolf King let out a helpless cry, bracing its body against the dissipating rays.
Perhaps a spell with an instant-death effect could be resisted through sheer willpower, but the sustained Searing Death Ray quickly drained the Blue Wolf King's mental energy. Ultimately, before the spell dissipated, it took away the ruler that had dominated the Wolf Valley for an unknown length of time.