Neither Jacob nor Vincenzo and the other knights had ever imagined that the mage who killed Warren and Reyal would still be hiding at the scene of the murder four or five hours later, rather than fleeing far away or seeking shelter with other factions in the Eastern Exile Lands like any sane person. So when they searched the sitting room, they were merely examining tracks and looking for clues — they never once considered that there might still be an enemy present.
Lucian had cunningly exploited their subconscious blind spot! This was the "magic of psychology"!
After Jacob was wrapped head to toe in those ashen-white spider webs and then saw the mage across from him fade out of invisibility, he immediately grasped what he was planning. Fury blazed in his heart, and his muscles bulged beneath his scales as he strained toward Lucian. But the spider silk was thick and tenacious — even under Jacob's tremendous strength it refused to snap, firmly restraining his movements and robbing him of his prized speed. He couldn't even draw the "Ice-Rend Sword" from his waist.
Second-circle Arcane Magic — Web!
Jacob, a seasoned combatant, knew perfectly well that a stationary target was the ideal victim for magical bombardment. He had to keep disrupting Lucian's spellcasting if he wanted any chance of breaking free alive, so he threw open his massive jaws, his white wolf fangs elongating, ready to unleash a "Howl" to stun and daze Lucian.
But the instant his mouth opened wide, Lucian's mottled coral staff leveled and pointed at him. A crackling lightning ball shot forward at blinding speed, flying straight into his open maw!
The coral staff's built-in second-circle Arcane Magic — Arcane Lightning Orb.
If Jacob could move freely, even a mage of equal rank would struggle to hit him precisely where he intended, even with equipment-assisted targeting, given his exceptional speed among his kind. But rooted in place and tangled in spider webs, he was nothing more than a practice dummy for Lucian's spellwork!
Countless silver-white electric serpents danced inside Jacob's fang-strewn maw, blooming like a flower of thunder. The shock numbed his brain and stole his voice, slamming the "Staggering Howl" back down his throat.
However, the werewolf bloodline granted strong physical defense and powerful regeneration. After a brief bout of paralysis, Jacob shook off the effects of the Arcane Lightning Orb.
Arcane Magic from magical items did not grow in power as the mage's own strength increased, so this lightning orb was a straightforward second-circle spell cast by a second-circle mage. Aside from interrupting Jacob's Staggering Howl, it was hard-pressed to do him any real harm.
While Jacob was stunned by the lightning, a series of impossibly convoluted, eerie incantations rang out in staccato bursts. A grayish-white beam shot from the index finger of Lucian's white-gloved right hand and struck Jacob's body in an instant.
Third-circle necromantic Arcane Magic — Withering Ray, capable of draining a target's strength. Even one who resisted through sheer physical toughness would be left in a state of exhaustion.
And if Jacob's strength were drained completely, he would never break free of the spider webs — he'd be entirely at Lucian's mercy!
Black light pulsed from the dark scales covering Jacob's body, attempting to block the grayish-white beam from penetrating him. Unfortunately, while his scales offered excellent defense against fire, acid, and physical attacks, they were virtually useless against this kind of necromantic magic that affected the body directly. The black glow was easily pierced by the grayish-white ray, which sank straight into his flesh.
A sudden shiver gripped him without warning. Jacob felt exhaustion wash over his body, though thankfully full strength-drain did not set in.
His werewolf bloodline made him physically robust, granting him strong resistance to magic of this nature!
Exhausted, Jacob found himself straining against the spider webs with diminishing power. His right-hand ring flashed, and a massive bolt of silver-white lightning materialized out of thin air, lashing savagely toward Lucian.
To compensate for his lack of ranged attacks, Jacob had spent a fortune purchasing this magical ring called "Punishment," inscribed with the third-circle Arcane Magic — Lightning Strike.
At the same time, his once-handsome face contorted as his cheekbones jutted outward, his eyes turned blood-red, and tufts of ashen-gray wolf fur sprouted all over his body. Encased in black scales, his frame swelled to half again its size. His finger joints thickened and his nails elongated, gleaming with cold light. In the span of two seconds, he had transformed into something far more beast than man.
This was the "Frenzy" ability of the werewolf bloodline. Once frenzy took hold, his strength, speed, and other attributes surged dramatically, and he became immune to the vast majority of magic that affected the mind and spirit — a werewolf in frenzy had no mind or spirit to speak of. As a consequence, he could no longer use magical items either.
Jacob surged forward with ragged, heaving breaths. The thick, tough spider strands snapped one after another, unable to halt his advance.
Meanwhile, a layer of golden-white flame ignited around Lucian, forming a shield that deflected the massive lightning bolt. Once the spellcasting cooldown had passed, the crystal sphere flew out and settled above his head, blazing with brilliant radiance.
As Lucian clenched his fist, the dazzling light swept down onto Jacob. In that moment, Jacob felt as though the earth beneath him had turned to quicksand — his feet sank deep with every step, and each time he tried to lift a leg he had to expend enormous effort to pull it free. His speed in breaking through the spider webs slowed drastically!
Second-circle stellar Arcane Magic — Earthbind, pinning Jacob in place once again!
Jacob's hunched wolf-back snapped straight. A dark wolf-shadow separated from his body — unaffected by the webs or Earthbind alike — and lunged toward Lucian shrouded in an aura of darkness.
Werewolf bloodline ability — Shadow Strike!
A solemn, sacred ripple materialized before Lucian's chest, and a beam of light resembling descending flames fell from above, striking the shadow Jacob had split off and annihilating it in a puff of ash.
Fifth-circle Divine Arts — Flame Strike.