Neatly divided pastoral fields stretched across the landscape, with a massive mill standing at their center.
Not far away, there was a small farmstead, and seemingly a stone castle in the distance—though it was very small and had no moat.
At first glance, this was an entirely ordinary minor noble's domain.
"My Lord! I'm certain this is one of the Green Water Garden School's secret bases, and the Second-rank
From a nearby patch of darkness, Osni bowed respectfully and reported to Lombarton.
"Mm! This is their lair, so there won't be a shortage of various defensive magical arrays. Moreover, the opponent is a Second-rank Wizard—even if he has temporarily fallen in rank, he's not something an ordinary peak First-rank can compare with!"
Lombarton pondered, then glanced at the subordinates who had followed him.
He had successively recruited a batch of official wizards, but unfortunately, barely any had achieved semi-elementalization. Even if they still had potential to develop, they needed time.
The reason he had brought them along was merely to have them truly commit to this operation alongside him, drawing a clear line between themselves and the wizard world from that point on.
The real main force still had to rely on himself and them!
Lombarton glanced at the several black-robed figures to one side.
These individuals were slender in build, and had completely concealed themselves beneath their cloaks, making it impossible to discern their original appearances. Due to the overly large cloaks, it was even difficult to tell whether they were male or female.
These were the reinforcements the Dark Elves had assigned to him for this mission—all peak First-rank elites.
As for a Second-rank level Matriarch? Such a figure's every movement was under heavy surveillance—it was essentially impossible for one to sneak across the border.
Moreover, penetrating deep behind enemy lines made one vulnerable to ambushes.
The Dark Elves didn't care about the casualties of First-rank wizards, but a Second-rank Matriarch was a family's pillar! Even their spiritual totem and faith! The fall of even one would cause enormous impact.
For precisely this reason, Fontix—who was the first to slay an opposing Matriarch—had not only received enormous rewards from the Dark Extreme Domain but also a massive hidden bounty from the
Honestly, the bounty those fanatical Dark Elves offered was enough to make even Leilin Farell feel slightly tempted.
As for Fontix himself, he had been so frightened that he cowered in the sect headquarters day after day, and naturally had not come to participate in the aid to the Central Domain this time.
"Attack!"
At Lombarton's command, fire and death instantly descended upon this tranquil pastoral landscape.
Boom!
Countless balls of energy fire rained down like a meteor shower, splashing enormous bursts of flame.
"What's happening?" A knight in noble attire rushed out from the castle, his face filled with shock.
"Is this… a wizard's assault? Why? Could it be the Dark Elves?"
Swoosh! After assessing the situation, he immediately turned and retreated without hesitation, abandoning his territory, his subjects, his retainers, and even his family behind him.
As a knight who had been to war, he understood all too well how terrifying wizards were! He knew that once they made their move, there was nothing that could be done about this place!
"Don't let a single one escape!"
Lombarton watched the knight fleeing in the distance as if observing an ant, and casually pointed a finger!
A beam of death sliced through the sky, reaching the knight's back, piercing through his Life Energy defense as easily as puncturing cotton, and detonating within.
Bang! A hole the size of a basketball blew open in the knight's back, revealing white bones and pitch-black blood.
The knight's eyes held terror, but more than that, astonishment. Tremendous inertia still carried him forward a few steps before he crashed to the ground.
Under the covering bombardment of countless spells, the small village was instantly turned into a sea of fire. Not a single commoner survived, and the area quickly became barren ground.
But Lombarton was still not satisfied, ordering the wizards to hasten their actions.
Large swaths of earth were peeled away, revealing a smooth rock cliff face, upon which were faintly inscribed energy runes.
"Heh! Hiding beneath mortals like moles, and specifically carving runes to conceal their aura! This Wizard Rosby is truly timid…"
Lombarton mocked, then pointed a spell at the rock wall.
"Tear it open!"
Boom! Before the numerous spells could even strike the rock layer, they were intercepted by several beams of light.
Rumble! The rock split apart, revealing a massive gateway.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Accompanied by heavy footsteps, four enormous Mithril Puppets strode out from within.
The Mithril Puppets were clad in heavy armor, their faces expressionless statues. Searchlight-like beams of light emanated from their eyes.
"Rosby is careful and cautious. He never told a single wizard about his hiding place, and the guards are all arranged by him personally—he uses only Mithril Puppets! So there's only him alone in there! We must prevent his escape!"
Osni immediately stepped forward and said. As for how he had discovered this place, he kept that to himself.
"These four Mithril Puppets working together have the strength of two peak First-rank wizards! Two of you, go and hold them down! The Revolutionary Army will provide support from the perimeter!"
Lombarton quickly issued his orders.
The two black-robed figures said nothing and charged straight in.
"ROAR!" The Mithril Puppets let out enormous roars, swinging their silver greatswords as they entangled with the black-robed figures.
Tremendous waves of energy swept through the area like a storm.
The Revolutionary Army wizards Lombarton had brought along only dared to watch from a safe distance, occasionally launching a few long-range spells to provide support and harassment.
"As for you and Osni, come with me!"
Lombarton flicked his robes, and the remaining Dark Elves and Osni immediately followed.
Only after they had moved well beyond everyone's sight did Lombarton give Osni his orders: "Quickly! Find Rosby's possible escape routes!"
"At once, my Lord!"
Osni bowed, and when he straightened up, his eyes had turned completely white.
"Follow me!" After a brief moment, Osni immediately took the lead.
"Move!" Lombarton watched Osni's back as the latter led the way, his eyes darting about as his thoughts churned.
More than ten li from the small farmstead earlier.
Crack! The earth split open, revealing a dark passage.
A middle-aged man with silver hair, wearing a deep crimson wizard's robe, emerged with a grim expression.
After briefly surveying the surroundings, he immediately unfurled a scroll. A violent azure gale surged, forming enormous wing shapes on his back.
"I can't stay here! How was I exposed?"
This wizard was none other than the Green Water Garden's Second-rank Wizard, Rosby.
His mood was extremely foul. His location—one known only to himself—had been leaked, and someone had come knocking during his Rebirth Period. He could smell the scent of conspiracy.
But a question nagged at him: "I never told anyone about this place. How did they know?"
He quickly dismissed the thought. "It's dangerous here—leave first, think later!"
However, the instant Rosby was about to spread his wings, an overwhelming sense of danger enveloped his entire body from seemingly nowhere.
He immediately retreated, his form leaving afterimages behind.
Boom! A massive explosion detonated in the air precisely where he had been standing, with rampaging energy particles scattering in all directions, carving grievous wounds into the ground.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two streaks of black light tore through the sky, crossing each other in midair before striking Rosby's wings at a precise arc.
"This trajectory? Dark Elf Arc Shot! You're Dark Elves!"
The wings crumbled, and Rosby's face turned pale, but he still cried out in alarm.
Whoosh! The black light flashed, and the void twisted. Several figures materialized.
Lombarton led the charge, and the two black-robed figures behind him had shed their cloaks, revealing fair, handsome faces with pointed ears. In their hands, they held strange black greatbows inscribed with twisted magical runes that were now glowing.
"Humans and Dark Elves! It seems you're the Revolutionary Army that's been causing quite a stir lately. And you must be Lombarton, the Army Lord of the Revolutionary Army?"
Rosby had actually grown calm.
"Indeed!" Lombarton bowed slightly. "As a Second-rank Wizard, you are my senior. But for the sake of our ideals and our future, I must ask you to die!"
Boom!
The instant his words fell, the Dark Elves struck.
Black energy currents coalesced into a web-like pattern, descending from midair. And upon Lombarton, a massive spider phantom materialized, leaping onto the web with a hissing roar.
"A combination spell? Its power actually approaches that of a Second-rank spell!"
An odd smile appeared on Rosby's face. "But if this is all you have, it's nowhere near enough!"
Rumble!!!
Like a mountain flood erupting, or a tsunami surging, an enormous aura suddenly emanated from Rosby's body.
Silver spiritual power, sharp as a blade, slashed straight up at the sky, cleaving the web in two. The spider phantom at its center was also cut in half, causing Lombarton and the Dark Elves in the distance to blanch.
"Second-rank strength! You've already passed through the Rebirth Period!" Lombarton's face was deathly pale, and his voice trembled.
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Osni, standing nearby, wore a look of utter disbelief.
"Face reality! The opponent is a Second-rank wizard—how could he not have a few trump cards? Even during the low point of the Rebirth Period, he could certainly suppress it temporarily and unleash Second-rank strength!"
In Osni's mind,
"How is that possible? I clearly didn't foresee…" Osni's face flushed red, but suddenly fell silent, like a duck with its neck wrung.
"Figured it out, did you? You are only a First-rank wizard—in the ancient era, you would have barely crossed the threshold of wizardry. With this level of strength, even with the Sacred Light Candle, it's nearly impossible to fully divine a Second-rank wizard's trump cards—even a heavily injured or weakened Second-rank. The fog of fate will shroud you, and may even bring backlash!"
Merlin's voice carried an icy edge. "Now you understand how I fell, don't you?"