"Water Mist Technique!"
A dense fog erupted, centered on Locke, instantly enveloping the forest within a hundred meters in a thick, impenetrable haze.
In the distance, over thirty soldiers clad in white armor halted at the sight of the sudden mist. Their leader turned to the two mages accompanying the group.
"Lord Angelo, Lord Buffy, that mage ahead just cast a spell. What should we do?"
"Don't worry, Captain Frank."
The younger of the two mages, dressed in white robes trimmed with gold, glanced at the fog with a faint sneer.
"It's just a first-level Water Magic spell—Water Mist Technique."
"This spell poses no real threat. It merely obscures vision."
"No real threat, huh?"
"I see."
Captain Frank, hearing Buffy's assessment, realized there was no hope of making the two mages intervene.
The fog shrouding the forest ahead was indeed a first-level Water Mist Technique, Frank knew. But he had only ever seen such spells cover a radius of ten meters at most.
The mist before him now stretched over a hundred meters. Clearly, the mage they were chasing was no ordinary foe.
Frank didn't know whether Buffy and Angelo truly didn't care or were merely feigning ignorance to let them walk into a trap. Either way, until they confronted the mage from the Frost Snow Empire, these two mages had no intention of acting.
Frank drew the massive greatsword on his back and swung it toward the fog.
"Brothers, charge!"
With that, he stomped the ground with immense force, leaving a small crater beneath him, and propelled himself forward. In mere breaths, Frank leapt over ten meters, covering more than a hundred meters to the fogged forest.
"Charge!"
His men, though slower, sprinted in bursts of over ten meters per second. Within moments, all thirty soldiers had plunged into the mist.
"Here they come?"
Locke cast a glance at the two stationary Light Mages and felt a twinge of regret.
If they had joined the charge, it would've made his task far easier.
For now, he would have to deal with the soldiers first.
Closing his eyes, Locke let his soul force expand, merging seamlessly with the swirling mist.
In an instant, everything within the hundred-meter radius was under his complete control. The fog became a conduit for his soul power.
Locke's voice echoed in his mind:
"Celestial Dance of the Treasure Wheel!"
"Visual—Deprivation!"
Through the fog, Locke's soul force assaulted the souls of the thirty-four soldiers who had entered the mist.
"Who—?"
"Captain Frank! Where are you?"
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"I… I can't see! Everyone, where are you? Am I blind?"
"Stay calm! Everyone, gather near me!"
Suddenly stripped of their vision, the soldiers were engulfed in darkness. Even a sixth-level warrior like Frank felt a spike of dread.
But he was a battle-hardened veteran, having survived countless fights. Hearing the panicked shouts of his men, he roared and began gathering them around himself.
Though blind, Frank's other senses were keen. He quickly adapted, using his hearing to navigate the immediate danger.
Then his expression changed sharply.
"Everyone, watch out! That mage has made his move. Don't head toward me—just pick a direction and run straight ahead!"
"This fog is only two hundred meters wide. It'll take just a few breaths to get out."
"Once you leave the mist, you'll be safe!"
Inside the fog, Locke's technique deprived the soldiers of sight while he silently chanted his next spell:
"Blades of Ice!"
Ice Magic was the most potent form of physical offense among Water Spells. Even the lowest-level Ice Blade was a third-level spell.
Three crescent-shaped ice blades, each about a foot long, manifested around Locke. At his command, they arced through the fog, slicing at the necks of soldiers groping blindly through the mist.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Their screams of death only deepened the terror of those still struggling in darkness.
Captain Frank roared again, rallying his men. Despite the fear clawing at them, the soldiers charged with all their strength, desperate to escape the forest as quickly as possible.
But why had Locke chosen this place for an ambush? Because of the forest itself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blinded, the soldiers collided with trees almost immediately. The strongest could smash through trunks as thick as a bowl, only to crash into another. The weaker ones flailed, lost and turning in circles, some trapped in place entirely.
Under Locke's control, the crescent ice blades moved like grim reapers, reaping life indiscriminately.
"Damn it!"
Frank, hearing his men's agonized cries, swung his greatsword, clearing a ten-meter-wide area around himself to maximize his hearing.
Within moments, the forest fell silent.
Frank gripped his greatsword tightly, rotating his head, every sound around him absorbed by his ears.
"Swish… swish… swish…"
An ice blade spun through the air, arcing toward Frank from behind.
"Hah!"
The whoosh of the blade didn't escape Frank. With his battle-hardened instincts, he spun and struck it with his greatsword, shattering the third-level spell with raw strength.
Another ice blade followed, perfectly filling the gap left by the previous one…
(End of Chapter 1)