Chapter 229: The Flame Archangel Appears, Brain's Blood Boils
The faint green glow faded.
The Green Leaf Witch dispelled the [Plant Growth] magic, preventing the flames from spreading along the plants and causing secondary damage.
Without the plants as fuel, the flames were completely extinguished by a blast of cold wind, revealing the three figures on the carriage.
"They blocked it?"
On the hill to the left, a magic chanter's expression changed when he saw that the [Fireball] he had cast didn't cause the destruction he had imagined.
"Is it the effect of a magic item?"
"Fireball!"
A burning, orange-red ball of flame was cast once more, while at the same time, blue lightning burst forth from the hillside on the right.
[Lightning Strike]!
The two third-tier attribute magic spells once again attacked the positions of the Evil Spirit Hound and the carriage respectively. Although the magic was simple, the clearly targeted attacks instantly suppressed Tang Zheng's side.
[Lightning Strike] was an extremely fast piercing magic, capable of suppressing the Evil Spirit Hound, while [Fireball] would explode upon contact with its target.
With an ordinary person like Enri on the carriage, an area-of-effect explosion could also restrict the movements of Tang Zheng's group of three.
"Kill them!"
"Slaughter these guys."
"We'll be rich!"
"Hahahaha!"
At the same time, a full forty members of the mercenary group, under the suppressive magic of two magic chanters from the Death Spreading Sword Corps, had already charged down from the hillsides.
Faced with such a scene, even Enri snapped out of her daze, her knuckles white as she tightly gripped her short sword, warily watching the charging mercenaries.
"Roar!"
The Evil Spirit Hound roared and leaped away, its fierce beastly pupils fixed on the incoming blue lightning as it violently shook its head.
*Swoosh—*
The bone chain coiled around its body shot out like a slithering snake.
*Boom!*
The bone chain collided with the lightning strike in mid-air, creating a deafening roar. The blue lightning exploded, momentarily dimming the surroundings.
The "bone chain" looked like a black metal chain, but it was actually made of an extremely lightweight, hard bone, so it was not conductive.
*Pfft—*
Wisps of white steam rose from the red-hot tip of the bone chain!
The Evil Spirit Hound's four limbs landed, sliding for about two meters. It retracted the bone chain and re-coiled it around its body.
The magic chanter who had cast [Lightning Strike] stared wide-eyed. "How can this be!"
That was third-tier magic.
It was just a mere Evil Spirit Hound! It would have been one thing if it had dodged, but to think it could take it head-on!
"[Corrosive Destruction]!"
*Rumble!*
A corrosive glob of liquid collided with the fireball and exploded, the two forces canceling each other out.
On the other side, Brain and Captain Fikampa, who had been watching the battle intently, both fixed their gazes on the Evil Spirit Hound.
It was not surprising that the green-haired girl, a magic chanter, could easily block the [Fireball] attack.
But the fact that the Evil Spirit Hound could block third-tier magic left them both astonished.
"I remember the difficulty level of a monster like the Evil Spirit Hound is only between '40-45', right?"
Captain Fikampa was first astonished, then his expression turned ugly. "Third-tier magic should have been enough to kill it, yet it blocked it!"
The plan had gone wrong again and again.
This made Captain Fikampa's expression even more ferocious, his body radiating a malevolent aura.
First, the trap they had set failed. Then, the plan to kill the Evil Spirit Hound pulling the carriage to prevent Tang Zheng's group from leaving easily had also failed.
"Heh."
"In the face of true power, so-called plans and setups are nothing but trash."
Brain rested one hand on the sword hilt at his waist and spoke lazily. His brown eyes lingered briefly on the Evil Spirit Hound and the Green Leaf Witch before shifting to his real target.
Even from a distance, he couldn't make out the expression on Tang Zheng's face, but Brain could still sense an air of composure from his figure.
"Haha, your words are as harsh as ever," Captain Fikampa grinned and laughed, not the least bit angry.
Because the true trump card of the Death Spreading Sword Corps was Brain himself.
On the road below, screams and agonized wails began to rise.
The magic chanters on the small hills on either side managed to temporarily suppress the Evil Spirit Hound and the Green Leaf Witch by continuously casting magic.
But the extent of their suppression was clearly limited!
Faced with the armed members of the mercenary group closing in from all directions, the Evil Spirit Hound and the Green Leaf Witch were still able to mount a certain degree of counterattack.
However, with the advantage in numbers, a portion of the numerous mercenaries soon broke through the defenses of the Evil Spirit Hound and the Green Leaf Witch, gradually approaching the carriage.
"Lord." The Green Leaf Witch's gaze was ice-cold, her green hair shifting slightly.
She could no longer resist the urge to slaughter all the humans before her, but her repertoire of magic didn't include any area-of-effect attack spells.
"There are quite a few of them. The advantage of numbers does have its uses," Tang Zheng said, glancing around and holding up a hand toward the Green Leaf Witch.
He knew the Green Leaf Witch wanted to let the Dense Fog Witch hidden within her take action, but Tang Zheng waved his hand to stop her.
"The real protagonist hasn't shown up yet. Are they trying to test me? Fine by me."
Tang Zheng mused, his eyelids lifting slightly.
"Second-Tier Magic: [Shockwave]!"
"Quick Stab!"
Among the approaching mercenaries, there was clearly no shortage of skilled fighters. A magic chanter, deliberately dressed in black leather armor to look like a warrior, came around to Tang Zheng's flank under the protection of several mercenaries and raised a hand to cast a spell.
At the same time, a rogue also leaped out from behind, a dagger in hand, and stabbed forward.
The two of them launched a pincer attack from front and back. No matter which one he dealt with, he would inevitably be hit by the other.
Enri's pupils contracted. She charged forward without hesitation, shielding Tang Zheng. "Lord Captain!"
*Bang! Bang!*
Suddenly, two dazzling beams of white light appeared on the field, coalescing in mid-air into two holy figures.
Flame Archangel!
One Flame Archangel swung its flame sword, slashing down at the [Shockwave] and blocking the attack.
*Crack!*
The other Flame Archangel easily blocked the rogue. The dagger struck the Flame Archangel's silver-white armor, not even leaving a white mark.
The rogue stared in terror at the Flame Archangel that had appeared out of thin air.
*Psh!*
The flame sword thrust out, piercing through the rogue's chest.
"Ahhh!!" The rogue let out a bloodcurdling scream that was abruptly cut short.
The Flame Archangel lifted its arm, and the flame-covered sword blade sliced the rogue in two as easily as cutting tofu.
Two Flame Archangels, each glowing with a faint white light, hovered beside Tang Zheng, causing the previously excited mercenaries to freeze.
The air fell silent.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
The two Flame Archangels beat their wings and instantly shot forward like wolves into a flock of sheep. With every swing of their flame swords, a mercenary's life was taken.
Terrified screams shattered the brief silence!
The Level 21 Flame Archangels were simply not something these ordinary mercenaries could handle.
At the very top of the nearby small hill, *Thud!*
Captain Fikampa took a step back, his foot landing on a loose stone. His previously ferocious and savage face now showed terror. "That's... an Angel... a summoned monster. He can actually summon two at once."
"Re-retreat..."
No wonder the Mithril-rank adventurer team, Rainbow, was completely wiped out.
Dammit!
To think that genius alchemist possessed such a method, such a team...
Damn that Adventurer's Guild!
"Bastard."
Captain Fikampa took another step back, the thought of retreat blooming on his face. The strength displayed by those two Flame Archangels was truly terrifying.
He had just noticed that even when five or six men ganged up on it, they couldn't inflict any effective damage on that Flame Archangel monster; instead, they were easily killed.
These mercenary members were no slouches.
Even if Captain Fikampa didn't care about his subordinates' casualties, he understood that against such a powerful enemy, numbers no longer held any advantage.
An Evil Spirit Hound far stronger than a normal one! A green-haired girl who was a third-tier magic chanter. A genius alchemist who could summon two third-tier angel monsters.
A team of such strong individuals... unless they had an equal number of strong individuals of the same level, it was impossible to fight them with the advantage of ordinary numbers.
Even if they ultimately achieved victory, few from the entire Death Spreading Sword Corps would survive, let alone secure the Empire's Bounty.
After a brief analysis of the pros and cons, Captain Fikampa made the most correct choice at the moment, roaring with a twisted face, "Everyone, retre—"
*Slap!*
A large, rough hand clamped down on Captain Fikampa's shoulder, forcibly cutting him off.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Captain."
Brain cracked his tight neck, his previous laziness completely gone, his gaze burning as he looked down below.
So his ability is to summon angels.
I've finally figured out the intelligence!
The reason for this genius alchemist's great reputation, aside from the high bounty from the Empire, was that he had created a unique method of brewing potions using demi-human blood.
Brain had no interest whatsoever in making potions or anything of the sort.
But he knew that being able to brew potions with demi-human blood required not only superb alchemical skill but also a certain level of strength.
Otherwise, demi-human blood wouldn't be so easy to obtain.
A warrior's sharp intuition allowed him to sense the strength of those two Flame Archangels; they were at a level that even he would have to take seriously.
A specialized summoning-type magic chanter... this was the first time he'd encountered one!
Brain's blood was already boiling.
After his defeat at the hands of Gazef, he craved battle with any type of strong individual. Only by satisfying his ravenous will to fight could he become stronger.
"I don't care about the rest. Just keep that green-haired magic chanter busy," Brain said calmly, his brown eyes fixed on Captain Fikampa.
Captain Fikampa felt a chill run down his spine and hastily replied, "Alright!"
"Pah."
Brain spat out the toothpick in his mouth and started walking step-by-step down the slope of the small hill toward the road below.
Though he looked sloppy and lazy, as he walked, his entire demeanor began to change distinctly.
Like a beast that had finally awoken and begun to hunt its prey!
On the empty road, the corpses of numerous mercenary group members lay scattered about. Of the more than forty men, only a dozen or so remained, huddled together and barely holding on.
The screams and the bloody scent wafting through the air were crystal clear to Brain's senses.
And yet, at this moment, as Brain gazed at the scene before him, a random, idle thought popped into his head: "The gap is so obvious, it's almost jarring."
They were the ones who launched the surprise attack, and they had the superior numbers, yet they were the ones being steadily beaten back, looking as if they could be routed at any moment.
For most people, this would indeed be a jarring scene, but in Brain's eyes, it couldn't be more normal.
Because this was reality!
The reason it felt jarring and unbelievable was that ordinary people simply couldn't comprehend such power.
Most people have no talent. Even adventurers and masters who seem amazing in the eyes of ordinary people were, in Brain's view, just regular people who knew how to throw a punch.
Only when one reached his level would they understand the gap between them.
"It's Mr. Brain!"
"We're saved!"
With Brain's appearance, the eyes of the despairing mercenary group members began to shine with renewed hope.
Brain?
On the carriage, a glint appeared in Tang Zheng's eyes as he noticed the sloppy, blue-haired figure.
"So, these people are from the Death Spreading Sword Corps."
Tang Zheng finally understood the origin of these attackers. "To meet again so unexpectedly."
He sighed with a strange sense of emotion.
Tang Zheng still remembered the last time he had seen him, on the combat stage of the Royal Audience Combat Trial.
Back then, he had been sitting at the very edge of the viewing platform, marveling at the combat skills of Gazef and Brain, unable to even clearly see their movements.
Now—
"Let's see how much you've grown in the past half-year."
*Thump! Thump!*
Seeing the mercenaries start to gather around him upon his arrival, Brain frowned and said coldly, "All of you, get lost!"
Hmm!
The moment Brain finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow and his hand, which was gripping the hilt, instantly drew the sword.
*CLANG—*
A heavy impact sound exploded in mid-air.
"Hey, hey, has no one ever told you not to interrupt when someone is speaking?"
Brain pressed down on his sword hilt with one hand, his sharp gaze fixed ahead. "Ah, I forgot. You're just a beast."
The gleaming sword blade continuously scraped against the bone chain, producing a harsh, grating sound.
"Roar!"
The Evil Spirit Hound roared, maneuvering the bone chain to bend in mid-air, bypassing the sword blade to whip viciously forward.
Faced with the bone chain, which shifted and whipped about in mid-air, making its attack route difficult to track.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Brain merely flicked his eyes, and with a single-handed swing, his longsword and the bone chain clashed repeatedly!
The dazzling exchange of blows made the surviving mercenaries cry out in amazement and roar with excitement.
(end of chapter)