Ryan wasn't surprised. Although Quillin had never mentioned his family, the aristocratic aura he exuded and the slight arrogance in his eyes made it clear to Ryan that he was from a prominent noble family. On the Twin Star Continent, many noble families had a history that spanned millennia. Families that had survived for such long periods of time wielded tremendous power. If the influence of a family lasting a few centuries on Earth could permeate various industries worldwide, then the depth of these long-standing families on the Twin Star Continent was unimaginable. So, Ryan didn't believe for a second that Quillin's two ninth-tier guards would be left to handle everything on their own. That's why Ryan wasn't surprised by the appearance of the mercenary; what caught his attention was that Alice and Delis were shocked by it. The giant crossbow was certainly dangerous, but it had a predictable trajectory. Higher-tier professionals could dodge or avoid it, but the stones from the trebuchet were a different matter—those could be deadly.
Ryan didn't pay attention to Quillin's two guards or the two leaders of the Church's trial team. He kept his focus on the situation, feeling like something was off. If these bandits were able to kill the crew, they would definitely know who else was on board. Moreover, the ship belonged to the Red Thorn Merchants, one of the ten largest merchant guilds on the continent. The fact that these people were openly killing crew members without fear of retaliation from the guild meant that there was more at play than just the group of bandits in front of them. The river here was narrow and desolate, and since they had intercepted the ship here, it meant they likely had a plan to resolve the situation before nightfall. Ryan was uneasy—every night, ships docked at designated ports, and each port had a magical communication system. Something didn't sit right.
Ryan noticed Holian, the Silver Priest from the Church of Light, and Cort were discussing something, while another guard stood near Quillin. On the shore, the small trebuchet had been assembled, and a group of people were unloading black clay pots and bright torches.
Ryan was growing increasingly anxious. If it were just him, he could escape to the opposite shore using his excellent swimming skills, but he couldn't leave Alice and Delis behind. He also didn't know if there were people waiting on the opposite side, and these mysterious enemies made Ryan suspicious—could this be the work of the Dark Empire?
"By my name, I call upon my Lord... Holy Light Shield!" Amid Ryan's swirling thoughts, he suddenly heard a melodious chant. The chanting lasted for a full minute, and then, centered on Holian, a luminous shield enveloped the entire ship. This was an eighth-tier dual-element Light Shield, capable of defending against both magical and physical attacks. Normally, an eighth-tier mage would take at least a minute and a half to cast such a spell, but Holian managed it in just one minute. This was due to his divine magic; divine mages could cast spells 30% faster and with 30% more power than normal mages. Although divine magic had many advantages, the Light and Dark element talents were incredibly rare. Holian was leading a trial team with only thirty members, and such trials were held once every three years by the Church of Light. This meant that in the Light Empire, a single church district only produced about ten Light mages per year. Given that a district was as large as a principality in the Alliance Empire, it was no wonder the Light Empire could dominate the other two empires.
"Boom!" Just as the shield activated, a massive stone slammed into it. The shield shimmered briefly, but the stone, weighing hundreds of pounds, slowly slid off.
Ryan was dumbfounded, his excitement barely contained as he muttered, "This is like something out of a magical blockbuster!" He couldn't help but pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The pain confirmed it, and Ryan laughed quietly. He was completely captivated by this world.
"My dear companion, come, fight by my side!" Cort called out as he saw that Quillin was protected. Golden energy swirled around him, and wings of battle aura manifested on his back. With a quick flash, Cort leapt into the air, and began chanting a spell to summon his magical pet.
"Haha, haha, it's me, Yuris! Oh! My dear Cort, what's going on? Ugh, ugh, ugh! You guys, interrupting the great Yuris's sweet dreams!" As Cort finished his chant, a winged serpent appeared in the air. This was an eighth-tier Wind Element magical beast, a Wind Serpent. Fast and cunning, the Wind Serpent had six pairs of wings. Although the last pair was only half the size of the others, it was still a formidable creature, measuring about 15 meters in length. With sharp fangs and a body brimming with wind magic, the serpent looked both powerful and graceful. Its pale-blue scales and blood-red eyes exuded an intimidating beauty.
"Oh my god... This..." Ryan knew that higher-level magical beasts could speak, but he had never paid much attention to Niuniu and hadn't realized that she could speak. Now, hearing Yuris speak so fluently, Ryan was astonished. His jaw nearly hit the ground.
Quillin had been watching Ryan secretly, and when he saw Ryan's surprised reaction, he couldn't help but smile slightly. "Seems like this guy really hasn't seen much of the world. He couldn't possibly be someone else's soul."
What Ryan didn't know was that soul possession was a specialty of necromancers, and the Magic Guild was cautious about such matters. Quillin had taken on this task because of Ryan's good luck. Had it been a couple of months earlier, any high-level mage would have immediately detected that Ryan's soul didn't match his body. In a world that heavily studied human anatomy and magic, a millennium of knowledge was more than enough to figure out these kinds of discrepancies.
Cort, seeing his magical pet appear, turned pale, but there was nothing he could do. He had signed an equal contract with Yuris, and the creature had to obey. Cort didn't immediately charge into battle but instead stayed in the air with Yuris, looking at the opposite shore. He removed his white silk glove and tossed it far across the river. "Knight Cort is here. Who dares to face me?"
Ryan was on the verge of collapsing when he saw Cort's reaction. In his mind, he screamed, "Boss, are we being robbed? And you're still talking about chivalry?"
"A golden knight of the Alliance Empire? Such great arrogance?" A mocking voice came from a distance. With the voice, two swordsmen, exuding golden battle aura, appeared. Shortly after, three powerful mages also emerged, their auras just as strong as Cort's. What was strange, however, was that all of them wore masks, presumably to protect their identities. After all, eighth-tier or higher experts weren't common, and seeing their faces could leave behind clues.
"What about me, Lucan?" A holy knight, Lucan, appeared, radiating white light. His full plate armor shimmered with a strong aura of light magic. What was unsettling was the seven-meter-long lance in his hand— the Dragon Lance, a weapon exclusive to Dragon Knights. There were many kinds of dragons, such as Earth Dragons and Two-Headed Flying Dragons, but only magical pets of the ninth tier were qualified to wield the Dragon Lance. The most terrifying thing about it, however, was the ominous aura emanating from the lance, which unsettled the soul.
"Here comes the Inquisitor of the Church. Heh, today is your death day," one of the masked figures said. Still, they made no move. Their tone, however, was laced with hostility.
"Humph! You hiding rats have no right to speak to me," Lucan retorted scornfully. But what happened next stunned everyone. In mid-sentence, Lucan shouted loudly, and a brilliant white light shot out from his body.
"Damn!" Ryan was taken aback, unable to open his eyes for a moment. When he did, he realized that everyone around him had been temporarily blinded by the blinding light. He was astonished— it seemed the tactics of the Church of Light were quite effective.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Ryan heard a series of sounds, only to realize that Lucan and Cort had already charged forward. Cort had engaged two of the swordsmen, using his Dragon Lance to entangle them. These swordsmen also had golden battle auras but dared not clash directly with the Dragon Lance. As a holy knight, Lucan's endurance and combat ability were formidable. He hadn't summoned a mount, while Cort and his magical pet, Yuris, faced off against the three mages. These three mages were incredibly experienced in combat. They had already activated their shields and were covering each other. One was an Earth mage, while the other two were Fire mages.
"Hey!" Lucan swung his Dragon Lance with a mighty tremor. A white glow surged from the tip of the lance. The two swordsmen on the right tried to block his attack, but as Lucan's lance swept toward them, the swordsman on the left charged, attempting to distract Lucan. Instead of turning to face the new attacker, Lucan swiftly jabbed the lance backward. It shot toward the left swordsman at lightning speed. The swordsman, caught off guard by such a brilliant move, had a look of shock in his eyes. He raised his massive sword, which was engulfed in orange flames. The Dragon Lance, glowing white, collided with the flaming sword in a violent clash, resembling two meteors colliding.
"Ah! Boom!" The swordsman struck by Lucan's lance was sent flying, as though hit by a speeding train. He crashed to the ground with a loud thud, sending dust flying everywhere.
"You bastard!" The other swordsman, seeing his comrade struck down, yelled and his sword ignited with thick black flames. He charged at Lucan, and it was clear he was from the Dark Church.
"Heh, so the rats of the Dark Church can't hide any longer," Lucan sneered, then swung his Dragon Lance again, meeting the swordsman head-on. The previous feint was no longer possible, and the battle was now in full force.
"Quick, get these mercenaries under the ship, row the boat quickly. This is a Dark Empire conspiracy—there must be more to it!" Ryan shouted, still watching the battle with great interest. He had been puzzled about why the three mages hadn't summoned any magical pets, but now he saw the appearance of Dark battle aura, and it immediately clicked in his mind. These were people from the Dark Empire, and there had to be an ambush waiting on their side. Realizing this, he urged everyone into action.
Quillin, equally surprised, looked at Ryan and then gestured to his guard. The guard quickly relayed the order to the mercenaries, who rushed to carry out the task. Quillin, for the moment, was in a safe position. Not only did he have a white-robed priest and a ninth-tier golden knight with him, but there were also over a dozen mercenary-style guards. However, in the sudden attack, two of the Church of Light's knights had been killed by a crossbow bolt, leaving them with two fewer knights. One of the priests had been injured by flying splinters but was treated immediately, though his face remained pale, and his legs were shaking. Clearly, he was inexperienced in combat.
"Lucan, I won't let you off!" The swordsman who had been struck by Lucan's Dragon Lance leaped into the air and shouted angrily, charging at Lucan. This time, Lucan was pressed by two opponents, and their coordination was becoming increasingly skilled. However, as a holy knight, Lucan's combat ability, recovery, and endurance were second to none on the continent. Despite being at a disadvantage, he still managed to retaliate from time to time. The Dragon Lance, being much longer than their greatswords, gave him an edge.
Cort and his magical pet were faring much better. The Wind Serpent, Yuris, was incredibly fast, with top-tier defense and endurance. As a flying beast of the Wind element, Yuris kept the three mages busy. Every time one of the mages tried to assist the two swordsmen, Yuris would dash forward to intercept them, forcing the mages to retreat. The mages were growing more and more frustrated. Even though they could clearly see Yuris, by the time they completed their spells, the Wind Serpent would already be gone. As for Cort, his black leather armor seemed unaffected by the attacks—when struck by a level-six magic, it was as if nothing had happened. The armor remained dark and intact. Cort wielded two greatswords, one in each hand, both glowing with a golden light that emanated a sharp aura. He was a rare Gold element warrior, and his skin had taken on a golden hue.
The battle between the top-tier fighters raged on, while below, the crossbow bolts flew back and forth. Meanwhile, the ship slowly approached the Alliance Empire. From the Dark Empire's perspective, it seemed safe, but the shore was teeming with enemies. They had positioned five high-tier professionals to force the ship toward the Dark Empire.
As the ship drew closer, the enemy's catapults and giant crossbows intensified. Stones were hurled at the ship, but fortunately, a magic shield protected it. Still, the ship's rear was already ablaze, and black smoke billowed as the ship slowly made its way toward the shore.
The ship had already begun to tilt. With only half the distance remaining to the shore, the ship could barely move. Fortunately, there was a level-six Wind Mage in the hold, constantly casting a level-six Hurricane spell to blow the thick smoke outside. However, this also accelerated the rate at which the ship was burning.
On the shore, the enemy realized too late that they had made a mistake. If they had focused on the ship's rear earlier, where there was no shield, it would have sunk long ago.
"Die, you trash! How dare you mess with me!" one of the warriors shouted.
"You bunch of idiots, if I don't smash your asses, then I'm not Richard!" Another voice echoed.
As the ship neared the shore, warriors around level six and Wind Mages were the first to jump ashore. The ship had over 200 mercenaries, and those capable of adventuring in the Beast Forest were no weaklings. Over 20 mercenaries were the first to jump ashore, and as the ship grew closer to the shore, more and more began to follow. While the warriors easily jumped to the shore, it was more difficult for the mages.
"It's no use." With a loud cry, the rowers in the ship's hold began to jump out. At this point, the ship was only 10 meters from the shore, and the water was shallow enough that the ship could go no further. The lower-tier warriors each paired up with a mage to wade ashore. Ryan and his group had the most warriors. Ryan was escorted by a level-five warrior to the shore, while Alice and Delis were also safely brought ashore. Quillin's swordsmen made several trips, and even the ship's cook was brought down.
"Ryan, look!" Quillin pointed toward the ship, screaming. The ship was filled with lower-tier mercenaries and some members of the Church of Light, while the battle on the shore was nearly over. The enemy only had a few dozen people left, while their side had over 100. Although the enemy had more mid-tier warriors, numbers prevailed in the end. The most powerful warrior on the enemy side was swiftly dealt with by another of Quillin's guards. This guard's primary goal was clearly to protect Quillin, but Ryan, still puzzled about why their opponents hadn't summoned their magical pets to fight, was startled by Quillin's scream. When he looked, he couldn't help but smile wryly.