Chapter 254: The Beginning of Death

By nightfall, the entire mage contingent reached their real objective—a crossroads where over a dozen roads converged, flanked by a barren hill with few trees. This hill was where Shaoke and his group planned to launch their ambush.

As darkness fell, the arrival of this massive and eerie mage contingent made the merchant caravans camped nearby nervous. Mage Yisier warned these caravans to keep their distance, since a fight was about to break out. Faced with the stern advice of the mages, almost all caravans moved away; after all, few could withstand the probing of hundreds of mages, and the prospect of a battle involving so many mages made them uneasy. A single stray spell landing on their wagons could cost them a fortune.

Under cover of night, the caravans departed the foot of the hill, their whereabouts now of little concern to Shaoke and his companions. At this moment, the noble convoy they had encountered that morning reappeared before the mages. This time, however, even Mage Yisier said nothing. Everyone busied themselves setting up portable tents and grabbing rest, as was their habit from countless battles and campaigns.

Just then, Shaoke received word from the Death Mage Corps that the Mist Trade Guild had learned of their objective and planned to attack that night. The message also mentioned that the Guild had dispatched reinforcements, including at least three Seventh Tier Mages. Shaoke did not share this with the group, only quietly informing Mage Yisier.

Upon hearing this, Mage Yisier frowned, uncertain whether their ten Sixth Tier Mages could withstand such an assault. Ideally, they would have a Seventh Tier Mage of their own. She voiced her concerns to Shaoke, but he remained unconcerned.

“Only two additional Seventh Tier Mages and a thousand more warriors,” Shaoke said lightly. “With three hundred mages, we can blast them to pieces.” As he finished, the crystal ball in his pocket vibrated again, and a line of text appeared, causing his relaxed expression to shift.

“What’s wrong?” asked Mage Yisier, noticing the change. “Can you tell me?” She reached out, as she often did long ago, and gently rubbed his forehead with her small hand, disliking when he frowned.

“I just don’t understand how these merchant guilds find so many high-order practitioners,” Shaoke grumbled. “The enemy is approaching. Let the mages eat dinner and rest a bit. If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll arrive in about two magic hours.” He glanced at the half-pitched tents and offered a resigned smile to Mage Yisier. “I was hoping to rest with you, but…” He trailed off as the female mage gave him a light pinch, though she quickly noticed other mages watching and distanced herself, not wanting to be teased by her companions.

Orders were passed down, and the mages stopped setting up tents, turning instead to prepare dinner. The meal was simple: slices of meat, boiled wheat porridge, and a small sip of red wine—standard fare.

After resting for one magic hour, the mages slowly moved toward the hillside, where they could use rocks for cover.

A powerful mental wave repeatedly swept over the hill where Shaoke and his group were hiding. The mages, masking their mental fluctuations as ordinary people, could not fully conceal their identities. A strong magical fluctuation erupted in the distance, accompanied by the thunder of hooves.

Sensing a targeted spell’s unique fluctuation emanating from the ground and the sky, the mages remained calm. Four Sixth Tier Mages began spellcasting according to a prearranged formation, releasing a Sixth Rank chaos spell three times. The targeted spell’s fluctuations vanished, much to the relief of the lower-ranked mages.

Meanwhile, the other four Sixth Tier Mages extended their mental power or magic to probe the situation ahead. A Seventh-level Spell hurtled toward them from a distance. The remaining two Sixth Tier Mages released the Fifth-level spells they had been holding in their staves, intercepting the attack. Shaoke and the other Sixth Tier Mages now began preparing their own spells.

A layered defensive spell enveloped the entire group. Fifth Tier Mages assisted Shaoke in intercepting spells, while other mages—including the Death Mages—stood silently, ready to eliminate the warriors and other combatants.

Hundreds of mental locks snapped onto the charging Mist Trade Guild forces. Shaoke unleashed countless Rending Rays. The three Seventh Tier Mages proved troublesome for the twelve Sixth Tier Mages, but these were seasoned veterans; none retreated.

By this time, the cavalry had arrived, along with a handful of low-tier mages from the enemy side who began their own attacks. However, under the coordinated assault of the Blizzard Mages, the enemy mages’ spells posed no threat to Shaoke. The Death Mages, following the initial plan, targeted the charging cavalry.

Although the Death Mages lacked many area spells, the few they had were devastating. For instance, one mage cast a spell similar to Shaoke’s Death Vortex, forming a small whirlpool in front of him that expanded as it moved, eventually becoming a twenty-meter-wide black vortex. Any warrior or mage who entered it perished—except for Sixth-rank Warriors. Even they, however, could not push up the hillside under the relentless assault. The Fourth-tier mages cast too quickly, and their single-target spells were so powerful that three or four Death Mages locking onto a Sixth-rank Warrior meant certain death.

Despite arrows from enemy archers, the mages’ triple-layer defenses ensured no one was harmed.

Shaoke and the other Sixth Tier Mages were now frantically attacking the three Seventh Tier Mages, each group of four Sixth Tier Mages intercepting one Seventh Tier Mage. Fifth Tier Mages dealt with the enemy’s few Sixth Tier Mages, who proved ineffective under the onslaught.

Since the Seventh Tier Mages fought from a distance beyond Shaoke's effective casting range, he could only defend. Soon, he abandoned that approach and began systematically hunting the enemy Sixth Tier Mages within his range.

Two grayish-black rays easily pierced the defensive spell of an unsuspecting Sixth Tier Mage, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. He collapsed lifelessly. This was the Sixth Rank Dark Rot, a stealthy spell that proved lethal in such ambushes. Several of the few enemy Sixth Tier Mages fell to Shaoke’s sneak attacks.

With all their Sixth Tier Mages gone, the charging warriors suffered even more. Dozens of newly freed Fifth Tier Mages joined the attack. Unlike the Death Mages, these mages almost all knew area spells, and under the hail of such spells, the warriors began dying in large numbers.

The battle ended quickly. Mage Yisier stopped Shaoke from pursuing the fleeing Seventh Tier Mages, as the other Sixth Tier Mages were reluctant to engage in such risky chases. The Death Mages, however, did not stop after the enemy retreated; instead, they madly pursued the fleeing warriors, tearing through their aura-protected bodies with spells. Any High-rank Warrior who tried to counterattack was immediately locked onto by six or seven Death Mages and torn apart.

Shaoke did not know how many warriors escaped. He watched as the Death Mages chased the enemy from the hillside all the way to the foot of the hill, only retreating when their magic was nearly depleted. Mage Yisier stared at him in surprise, puzzled that he, as the commander, had not restrained the mages but instead allowed them to indulge in wanton slaughter.

Meeting her questioning gaze, Shaoke merely shrugged, offering no explanation. Was he supposed to say that chasing down enemies until they were dead was a basic instinct of every Death Mage?

A violent magical fluctuation came from the direction of the imperial capital. A greenish ball of fire flickered in the night sky, finally transforming into a giant Blue Rhombus Flower. The flower then exploded into eight smaller flames, which slowly faded away.

“Those three Seventh Tier Mages are dead,” Shaoke said with some regret to Mage Yisier. She shot him a glare before turning to direct the mages to rest in shifts. The Death Mages, however, retired all at once; they had no concept of rotating rest, trusting only in their own strength to protect their lives.