Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Killing of the Grand Swordmaster (Part 1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Leaping into the air was the most foolish thing a person could do when fighting a mage. The third scroll that Saleen unleashed was a Grade 5 scroll. Instantly, six huge blocks of ice surrounded the middle aged man and started to close in on him.
The middle aged man was shocked that he had allowed himself to be caught in the center of the ice blocks. Judging from the humongous ice walls coming from all four directions, the man knew that it was not just a simple elemental attack. In fact, it was much more lethal than that. Even if he used his sword aura to break the ice, his body would not be able to withstand the violent impact. Before he knew it, he would be smashed into smithereens.
Had this magic been used on the ground, the middle aged man would have been able to avoid the attack. This was because the spell required moisture to be drawn from all of its surroundings, and that included the ground. Drawing moisture from the ground was not only a lengthy process, but it also changed the texture of the ground and would have alerted him that something was amiss.
Regardless of the medium of attack, Saleen had unleashed a very powerful Grade 5 spell – Icicle Blast.
As Saleen watched the grand swordmaster prepare to meet his doom, he decided that he was not going to waste another Grade 5 scroll. This was his first time battling a grand swordmaster. Until now, he had managed to keep his opponent a good fifty meters away from him. He had not always been this strong. In the past, his magic attacks would not have been able to reach such a far distance.
Looking at the ice blocks that had surrounded him, the middle aged man suddenly shivered. He was so cold that he felt as if his blood had stopped flowing. Indeed, magic spells cast with the help of Grade 5 scrolls were much stronger than a Frost Array spell. With his life on the line, the middle aged man made the decision to face the ice blocks head on. He spun in the air for a while before pulling out his sword and stabbing the ice block coming up from beneath him.
The bronze grand swordmaster’s offensive attacks rivalled that of a Grade 6 mage. However, to instantly obliterate a Grade 5 spell was still too difficult for him. The spell had been cast so that there was no way out. Since he was only able to destroy one ice block at a time, he would have to submit to the impacts of the other ice blocks crashing into him. The middle aged man was left shocked as well as angry. His opponent’s moves were calm and calculated. If he had not worried about the girl wearing the colorful robe, he would not have acted rashly and fallen into his opponent’s trap.
Crackle… boom!
The middle aged man used his sword aura to instantly crush the ice that was coming from beneath him. However, as expected, he did not have time to react before the other five ice blocks smashed heavily into him. The sword aura immediately dissipated from the force of impact. The middle aged man crashed onto the ground, his mouth dribbling with blood. If he wanted to be optimistic, at least he was out of range from Saleen’s ice block attacks.
If he had still been within range and had escaped unscathed, the six ice blocks would have continuously followed him like missiles until either the water evaporated or he died. He brandished his long sword in an attempt to protect his body. He just needed some time – three breaths worth to be exact – to recollect his sword aura and manage his injuries.
With the sound of a plop, the middle aged man suddenly discovered that his limbs were moving sluggishly. It was as if he had landed in a bucket of glue. Saleen’s new spell had slowed him down to a snail’s pace.
What Saleen had unleashed was a Grade 5 spell – Swamp Illusion. Unlike the Icicle Blast, this offensive attack operated on a smaller scale. If the grand swordmaster had not been injured, he would have been able to break the spell with the wave of his sword.
At this point in time, Sika walked up to the bronze grand swordmaster who was still floating in midair and unable to escape the clutches of Saleen’s Swamp Illusion spell. She brought down her club, hard. The way she executed the attack was simple, but effective. The club struck the middle aged man’s thigh and sent him flying backwards.
It happened so fast that he could not even stop to catch his breath. He choked on his blood as his eyes rolled backwards. He was in so much pain that he was nearly rendered unconscious. He felt as though his thigh bone had shattered. Even his muscles were destroyed beyond repair. The grand swordmaster was overcome with despair. He had lost a leg. Even if he miraculously survived, there would be no point in living. There were not many calls for one-legged swordmen, after all.
He had never battled anyone stronger than a Grade 3 mage. As a bronze grand swordmaster, junior mages were insignificant to him. Even if he were fighting an archmage, he would be able to kill them with just a single slash of his sword.
The middle aged man was shocked beyond belief; never in his wildest dreams had he thought that the archmage before him would be able to strike so viciously. His mighty sword aura looked pathetic compared to his opponent’s magic. Disheartened, he pointed his sword towards his throat in an attempt to end his life.
Before he could bury the sword in his neck, a white, slender palm reached out to grab his long sword. The same hand then pinched down on it. The eight-sided sword, an object that could withstand even the most explosive of sword auras, shattered immediately. As he looked up, he stared into a pair of azure green eyes. They were filled with lust. Bloodlust, to be exact. At that moment, the grand swordmaster felt like prey, circled and eyed by a lethal predator just before it swooped in.
“So now you wanna die? Well, it’s a little too late for that,” the green-eyed woman sneered before grabbing the swordmaster’s shoulder and applying pressure. Almost instantly, the crunching sounds of his shoulder blades being crushed could be heard.
The mercenaries who had hid behind the carriages watched intently, their eyes following every move Saleen made. Saleen had displayed exemplary skill and executed his moves gracefully. His movements seemed so fluid, natural, and graceful. First, he had used Wind Magic to provoke the enemy. Then, he had used quicksand to trap the war horses before distracting the enemy using a warrior’s boomerang. Once he had tricked the grand swordmaster into jumping towards him, he immediately unleashed the more powerful spells he had kept hidden.
Just one Icicle Blast alone had dashed the bronze grand swordmaster’s hopes of leaving the battlefield alive. He should not even have been riding a horse, much less jumped from it. If he had chosen to travel by foot instead, he would not have gotten himself into this situation. He had placed so much faith in his sword that he had forgotten that one should never leave any room for a mage to attack.
Even a golden grand swordmaster would not fight mages of equal caliber in the sky. They would much rather prefer for the fight to be on the ground. Alas, it was too late for regrets. Nailisi carried the now immobile swordmaster and placed him in front of Saleen. As Saleen eyed his heavily wounded opponent, he chuckled before saying, “Ooh, a swordmaster. I’m so scared now.”
The middle aged man, hearing Saleen’s mocking words, became so angry that he literally spat up blood. Saleen faintly nodded as he said coldly, “Now, tell me what you were after. If you do as I say, I will grant you a less painful death. If you make me force it out of you, let’s just say that you’ll wish you had died during my Icicle Blast.”
A person could literally see the anger flaring in the middle aged man’s eyes. He stared at Saleen with a dull glare, before whispering in defeat, “Does it matter how I go? When I was your age, I was not even afraid of death. So if you think you can get any information from me, think again. Do your worst.”
Nailisi let out a small laugh before whispering softly into the swordmaster’s ears, “I was hoping you’d say that. At least my master won’t scold me for what I’m about to do to you.”
As Nailisi spoke, she simply set up a tent before slipping into it while carrying the middle aged man with her.
Lex finally stood up after watching the battle unfold before her. As she looked at Nailisi, who had made her way into the tent, she turned to Saleen and asked, “Is this really necessary?”
“Well, we’ve already captured him. It wouldn’t hurt to ask him a few questions. Even if we don’t, his accomplices will have assumed we did,” Saleen replied cheekily. Lex mulled over what Saleen had said for a little while before deciding that Saleen was right. Even if they did not interrogate the swordmaster, his partners, who were disguised as bandits, would become paranoid and thought that they knew their secrets.
Lex already knew that the secret they were trying to keep under wraps was that they were smuggling goods. She was not too invested in finding out what the goods were. However, she knew that the bandits would not subscribe to the same train of thought, and that they would be plotting to kill her, along with Saleen, Nailisi, and Sika, in order to ensure that their secrets remained safe.
“Argh!”
The golden grand swordmaster let out a howl of pain. In response, Lex immediately cast a Mute Enchantment spell to block out his screams. She sighed as she thought: Well, since Nailisi has already started torturing him, there’s no point in stopping her now. She believed that Nailisi would be able to torture the answer out of him. Nailisi had proven to be an effective “interrogator”, since the silver grand swordmaster had previously sung like a canary after spending some “quality time” with Nailisi.
Sika calmly walked towards the six carriages that had been assembled together in a shield-like formation. Behind them, the merchants and mercenaries trembled as they saw Sika pick up the boomerang that had fallen beside the vehicles before returning to Saleen’s side.
The mercenaries had become unnerved after witnessing Saleen’s immense display of power. It was perfectly normal for weaker people to feel uneasy around their stronger counterparts, even if the latter were trying to protect them.
“Saleen, do not become too obsessed with power…” Lex warned when she saw the smug look on Saleen’s face. She was worried that this one victory might ruin the talented mage forever.
“Lex, I only used up two Grade 4 scrolls and one Grade 5 scroll. Did you see the amount of distance I managed to keep between me and the swordmaster? I’m happy because I don’t seem like a useless person anymore!” Saleen gushed, letting out the feelings that he had kept inside for years. In previous battles, he had only been able to hide in a corner and wait until the fight was over. In fact, he had only been able to put up some sort of fight against stronger opponents when his life was on the line.
Ever since Saleen had left Ceylon City, he had felt like an absolutely useless, worthless, colossal failure. While Aini had been able to think quickly on his feet when the baron had formed intentions of killing them, he had been the exact opposite – not only had he been indecisive, but he had also been naive. At that time, he had actually thought that he would be able to negotiate a peaceful ending for both parties.
If it had not been for the fact that he had been thrown into desperate situations, he probably would not even have been promoted to a Grade 2 mage.
Becoming obsessed with power was a tragedy in itself. But lacking even the most basic skills to defend himself with was something that Saleen could not accept. Despite Lex being only two years older than him, her powers were so strong that they rivalled those of a sorcerer. Saleen, who had wanted to become a sorcerer for the longest time, did not even know how long it would take him to reach that level of power.
This time, however, he had managed to defeat a swordmaster. Even if that swordmaster had only been a bronze grand swordmaster, defeating him was already one of Saleen’s biggest achievements. The victory had allowed Saleen to understand the importance of power. If he had remained a Grade 2 junior mage, the bronze grand swordmaster would have been able to break his defenses with just one swipe of his sword. He would not even have had a chance to escape with his life.
Lex was right. Losing yourself in the quest for power was not exactly desirable. But without power, Saleen knew he would have died a long time ago.
Lex did not bother trying to give Saleen further advice. Instead, she released a Grade 4 spell – Black Fog. Instantly, black mist appeared and covered the entire area in complete darkness. Lex and Saleen had different reasons for wanting to hone their powers. The former did it to expose the harsh truths of the world, while the latter did it in an attempt to defy fate and escape his destiny without relying on help from other people.
“You need to be more cautious. Those large carriages could come back at anytime. They’re loaded with crossbows,” Lex cautioned.
Saleen nodded. The black fog that Lex had released covered much more ground than any other Grade 1 spell. Plus, since Lex was so powerful, even if she was standing at the very center of her own Grade 4 spell, her vision would not be hindered. This was what distinguished intermediate mages from junior mages. If the latter had executed the spell, it was highly likely that he or she would have been unable to see through the fog that they had created.
At that moment, Nailisi lifted a corner of the tent flap, revealing half of her face as she beckoned Saleen to come over. She shouted, “Master!”
“Yes?” Saleen asked.
“Come in, quick!” Nailisi replied, her lips curling upwards to form a cunning smile.
Knowing that Nailisi would not harm him, Saleen decided that it would not hurt to see what she had been up to. Upon entering the tent, he saw that all of the bronze grand swordmaster’s limbs had been cut off. Pointing at the captive, who was now left with only the top half of his body, Nailisi turned towards Saleen and quipped, “Master, I think he’s in shock. The only thing he has to offer now is his sword aura. Perhaps you can experiment on him.”
Oh, so he’s in shock? Saleen thought.
Being a mage, Saleen had learned that humans used their brains for everything, including thought. However, even if the brain was damaged, some parts of the body would continue to function in an attempt to keep that person alive. Similarly, although this bronze grand swordmaster had lost control over his body, his sword aura was still present and was ready to defend him from any threat. This would be the perfect time to use him as an experiment.
“Good job, Nailisi,” Saleen praised her as he looked at his captive, his eyes shining a brilliant blue. Saleen could tell that the sword aura, which was circulating in the swordmaster’s body around his lower abdomen, was very weak. In fact, it was circulating in his body at a very slow speed. This would be a great time to observe the workings of the sword aura.
For some time, Saleen had been hung up on the fact that the Figaro formula that he had learned was not applicable in the battlefield. Now that he was presented with a chance to use the swordmaster as target practice, he was not about to pass it up. After all, who could resist the opportunity to study a method for defeating the sword aura?