Horn Baron put down the dagger and stepped back.
Kairui suddenly stood up and swung his magic staff, casting another long-prepared Fireball Spell.
As the fireball began to gather at the tip of the staff, a figure shrouded in Black Mist flashed by at extreme speed.
A fingertip sparkled, and the delicate magic staff embedded with a Positioning Crystal was snapped in half.
The forming fireball scattered like a burst of sparks, its magic dissipating.
Horn grabbed Kairui’s shoulder, pulling him back with all his strength.
The razor-sharp fingertip failed to cut Kairui’s throat by just a hair.
The two of them rolled to the side.
Kemel drew his sword and shielded them behind him.
A group of guards unsheathed their swords, protecting the lord and civilians at their backs.
Kemel did not order the soldiers to attack Aescher directly; without magic, their intervention would only cause chaos.
Aescher was about to strike again.
Kaili’s sword, wrapped in golden Holy Light, had already slashed toward him.
He blinked away, putting distance between them, and at the same time turned to throw a Fireball Spell back.
Three fireballs shot rapidly at Kaili.
Kaili was airborne, with nowhere to brace herself, but her reflexes were sharp.
She swung repeatedly, sword energy weaving a net before her, slicing all three fireballs apart.
She landed safely on the dining table.
“Give me another Blue Crystal.”
Li Qiuchen shouted toward Wright.
Without turning, Kaili pulled a crystal from her pocket and tossed it to Li Qiuchen.
The moment it touched his hand, the rich magic inside made Li Qiuchen tremble.
He looked down.
Yellow Crystal?
How generous.
On the market, most circulating crystals were Blue Crystal or the higher-quality Violet Crystal, while Yellow Crystal was classified as a magical artifact.
It was inscribed with spell patterns by Goblins, raising the internal magic concentration to extreme levels, and could slowly recharge itself after being depleted.
“I’ll help you restrain him.”
Li Qiuchen promised immediately.
“Big words.”
Aescher floated into the air, his figure hidden within the Black Mist.
Kaili advanced with her sword.
Wright raised his silver-white magic staff again.
“Ma’nis·Defende·Nos!”
Third-tier group spell—Blessing of the War Light.
Everyone felt their stamina recover, their minds clear, and their hearts fearless.
Li Qiuchen felt it most strongly.
His previously depleted strength was rapidly restored, and even the residents nearby, who had been about to flee, were filled with courage.
However, Wright’s accent was terribly off, yet the magic still took effect.
This meant the Goddess had answered his prayer.
Even Kaili, who was facing the enemy, couldn’t help but glance back at him.
“I learned it from the Legion Priest.”
Wright explained to her.
Kaili didn’t respond.
She charged with her sword again.
Under the double blessings, her once-ordinary thrust now brimmed with power.
Aescher could feel it.
The moment he was targeted by this Valkyrie candidate, there was no way to dodge.
He raised his hand, casting magic again.
Far away, the boy hiding behind Black Iron Armor moved with him.
Before his Fireball Spell even formed, the opponent’s Dispel Spell had already counteracted it.
The chaotic flow of elements easily disrupted his magic structure.
The longsword, wrapped in golden light, was about to pierce in.
From within the Black Mist, two massive bone claws enveloped in demonic energy shot out.
“Clang——!”
Both bone claws shattered instantly, and the remaining arm bones barely managed to block Kaili’s sword.
“I didn’t send the assassin, but I did provide some information—guiding the situation.”
Aescher’s voice came from within the Black Mist.
“Are you begging for mercy?”
Kaili struck again, the sword’s golden light flashing, shattering the right arm bone and stabbing straight into the Black Mist.
A pale hand within the darkness caught the razor-sharp tip easily.
“No, I just wanted you to know—if I were trying to kill you, I wouldn’t have failed.”
“Potestatis·Inferi……”
As the incantation sounded from within the Black Mist, waves of black energy swept toward Kaili.
It was the Demon King Army’s Corruption Spell!
Kaili realized it instantly, but before she could chant the God of War’s spell to save herself, a white Smoke shot out from Li Qiuchen, colliding with the black energy.
The darkness dissipated before it could even reach her.
She quickly stepped back, retracting her Knight’s Longsword.
“Hahaha, another Dispel Spell! So, a Disciple of Allen after all.”
Aescher laughed softly.
His hands reached from the Black Mist, spinning magic through the air as his rapid chants formed spell after spell.
Li Qiuchen moved as well.
His technique was not forgotten.
In [Discern] state, he had confidence to dispel every elemental magic his opponent cast, but his inner source of magic was too feeble—his constitution too weak.
He was like a top-level driver behind the wheel of a battered old car.
All the cornering skills were in his mind, but the car’s performance was so poor that stepping on the gas made the engine wail.
He could only rely on exquisite technique to barely hold on.
“Another counter.
Precise dispels, one after another—so it’s not just luck.
Your spell judgment is too accurate, nearly predictive.”
Aescher hovered, nimbly evading Kaili’s strikes.
He stared at Li Qiuchen, greed glinting in his eyes.
“Since I started learning magic, I’ve trained like an ascetic.
I recited spells in a tree hole for three years.
By the time I emerged, my hair was tangled all over my body.”
He dodged another attack from Kaili, then blinked to stand before Li Qiuchen.
An iron fist encased in Iron Armor and a silver-white magic staff struck together.
He blinked away again.
Jocelyn and Wright stood like twin guardians, flanking Li Qiuchen as he cast.
Now, he was facing a well-coordinated squad with solid offense and defense.
Aescher’s tone remained self-satisfied.
“And every opponent I’ve faced since leaving the tree hole was slower than me at casting—none could outpace me. This is the first time in my life…”
He was interrupted as Kaili’s longsword, covered in golden light, stabbed into his back.
He looked down and struck the sword tip with his palm.
A wave of thick demonic energy exploded, sending both the sword and the sword-wielding Kaili flying.
Kaili shot backward like a cannonball but twisted in the air.
Her legs planted on the wall, body forming a strange ninety-degree angle with the surface.
She crouched, then kicked off, her form turning into a bolt of golden lightning, charging at Aescher again.
Sensing the threat behind him, Aescher blinked away from the sword’s thrust.
He now hung upside down from the ceiling of the banquet hall, eyes still fixed on Li Qiuchen.
“Still the first time anyone has confronted me head-on as a mage! Come, try this too.”
Black magic surged in Aescher’s palm.
“Inperium·Daemonis……”
Again, it was a black magic spell involving demonic energy.
But this time, Li Qiuchen didn’t respond.
Instead, he shouted toward Kemel.
“Watch out!”
Kemel glanced warily at Aescher in the air, not expecting a fist to slam into his temple from behind.
His vision spun as his long blade was snatched away.
Horn’s eyes were pitch black.
Gripping the blade, he slashed with a ferocious horizontal strike, decapitating two nearby guards.
Without hesitation, he turned and slashed at the unconscious Kemel.
But Kairui grabbed his wrist tightly.
“Father…what’s wrong with you?”
“It’s high-tier Demon King Army control—get back!”
Li Qiuchen urged.
Unlike the Corruption Spell, this was absolute suppression from within the Demon King Army.
Those with strong demonic energy could completely dominate those lower in rank.
Kairui’s magic was weak, so she remained unaffected for now.
Horn paused briefly, then broke free of her grip.
His blade slashed diagonally at Kairui.
Naili gripped her Silver Dagger with both hands to block, but the blade’s arc in the air bypassed her defense, swinging directly at both their necks.
At point-blank range, a longsword blocked the strike.
Clang——!
Kaili leaped in, finally saving the two.
Tide, the tavern owner, pulled Kairui and Naili into the corner.
Horn’s blade slid in his hand.
Their swords and blades sparked brightly in the air.
Blades and shadows wove together, clashing with ringing force.
Horn Baron, enveloped in demonic energy and honed by battlefield instincts, fought the battle-hardened Kaili to a standstill.
“The nuisance is blocked, but I’m still outnumbered, it seems.”
Aescher’s eyes never left Li Qiuchen.
He cast another control spell.
A roar suddenly echoed from the direction of the dungeon.
Everyone exchanged looks.
It was the infected one who’d been captured!
***
Taya Culture Notes
Spell Name: Blessing of the War Light
Level: Third-tier group divine spell
Spell School: God Arts School / Magical Ritual System
Primary Element: Light
Secondary Elements: Fire, Wind
Skill Difficulty: 1
Incantation Difficulty: 1
Casting Material: Faith recognized by the Goddess
Spell Overview:
“Blessing of the War Light” is one of the core divine arts of the Temple of the God of War’s legion priests.
By channeling the power of the Goddess of War, it ignites the fire of courage in the hearts of its targets, dispelling fear and confusion and unlocking physical potential.
Effects:
Morale Boost: Negates the effects of low- and mid-tier fear spells, filling recipients with battle spirit.
Fatigue Relief: Significantly eases physical and mental exhaustion.
Mental Clarity: Heightens focus and reaction speed for quicker decisions amid battlefield chaos.
Synergy Enhancement: In group use, increases team coordination and trust.
[History and Trivia]
The spell originated from ancient battlefield war cries and songs, later formalized in the Temple of the God of War.
Fun fact: The modern standard incantation template for “Blessing of the War Light” was optimized with the help of an elven mage.
This mage felt the old human chants were “full of vowel-deficient guttural sounds—crude and inefficient,” and adjusted them to better suit elemental resonance principles.
However, many human veterans still believe that a war cry with a heavy accent—even with grammatical errors—has more ‘force’ on the battlefield.
Key to Casting: Unlike Arcane arts that rely on intricate mana models, this divine spell focuses on “faith” and “intent.”
[Comments]
A scholar from the Osses School, who studies War Magic, wrote in their treatise:
“The wonder of ‘Blessing of the War Light’ is that it perfectly explains why, on the battlefield, a passionate, cursing company commander can inspire more than a by-the-book academy priest.”
“The Goddess seems to favor a pure, burning heart over a rigid spellbook. Of course, that’s no excuse for magic apprentices to learn foul language.”