Ivis took a step back and said, "Now it's my turn."
He took a deep breath, and his body emitted a sound before he turned into a shadow and charged forward.
Karim reacted quickly, instinctively moving his greatsword, but a splash of blood still erupted.
In the next moment, Ivis appeared beside Karim, his sword spotless.
Karim looked down to see a bloody hole in his ribs, blood pouring out.
His heavy armor had been pierced, and he hadn't even seen Ivis's strike.
Clutching his wound, Karim moved away and leaned against a carriage.
Ivis praised him, "Good reflexes, or rather, your instincts are good. Your eyes couldn't see my strike, but your body sensed the danger, avoiding a fatal blow and barely surviving."
Karim spat blood, gripping his sword with both hands and lunged at Ivis again.
His wound bled more as he leaped, making his attack even more powerful. Ivis had to use both hands to block it.
In the next second, Ivis disappeared, and Karim's left wrist was slashed, his armor pierced again.
Ivis seemed in no hurry to kill him, laughing as he said, "Killing you with one strike would be a waste. I never get a chance to deal with someone as important as you."
He struck again, wounding Karim's knee.
Karim fell to one knee, using his greatsword to support himself.
Ivis, displeased with his defiance, slashed Karim's other leg, making him collapse completely.
Karim panted heavily but remained silent.
"If you had invested in my project, you wouldn't be dying now, and you'd have a share of these goods," Ivis said casually as if chatting with a friend.
Meanwhile, the battle between the army and the caravan continued.
The caravan guards were struggling, with some defenses already breached. Soldiers poured in, killing everyone in sight.
"I won't join your corruption. Did Duke Theodore participate in this?" Karim asked, leaning on his sword.
Ivis shook his head. "Of course not. He wouldn't bother with such small matters."
"Spare those…" Karim began, but his eyes widened as a sword blade pierced his chest.
Ivis withdrew his sword, watching as Karim fell, his eyes losing their light.
He sneered and shouted to his soldiers, "Hurry up! Leave no one alive!"
Helag stood calmly behind a carriage, wearing light armor and chewing on smoked fish.
Ed crouched in fear. "Sir, we need to escape!"
"Escape?" Helag laughed. "Look around. We're surrounded by archers. If you run, you'll get an arrow through your head. A skilled archer might even shoot it into your eye, turning your brain to mush."
He tore another piece of fish and ate it.
"What… what do we do then?" Ed was panicking, while Helag seemed relaxed.
Helag wasn't worried. These people posed no threat to him, and he could leave anytime.
He had watched Karim's fight with Ivis and saw Karim's death.
Helag hadn't intervened. If not for Karim's foolishness, the caravan wouldn't have suffered so many casualties. He had no reason to save him.
Roque, as a seasoned merchant, knew the rules of the trade.
If they left the goods, they would lose a lot of money but keep their lives. The caravan members could survive.
As long as they lived, they could earn back the money.
But Karim, recognizing Ivis and revealing it, forced Ivis to kill everyone to cover his tracks.
Ivis's initial plan was just to rob them, not kill everyone, as that would cause him more trouble.
But now, thanks to Karim, he had no choice but to massacre everyone.
Some adventurers tried to escape, but a volley of arrows turned them into pincushions.
Ivis was determined to kill everyone, leaving no witnesses.
If Duke Theodore found out, he would publicly execute Ivis to protect his reputation.
Helag continued eating his fish as soldiers breached the rear defenses, rushing in.
They spotted Helag and, puzzled by his calmness, charged at him with weapons.
Helag sighed. "Ice Shield! Mana Shield! Dark Energy Shield!"
Three shields enveloped him in blue, white, and black, fully protecting him.
Helag drew his sword, ready to face the soldiers.
He didn't plan to use magic, preferring to conserve his mana and use his sword.
The soldiers hesitated, unsure how to deal with Helag's shields.
Helag didn't wait for them, charging forward and cutting down a swath of soldiers.
The soldiers fought back, but their weapons couldn't penetrate his shields.
Arrows bounced off his shields, doing no harm.
In seconds, the area was littered with dead soldiers.
The remaining soldiers, seeing Helag's invincibility, were terrified.
Most had never seen a wizard or witnessed magic.
Realizing their attacks were useless, they felt despair and began to retreat.