Chapter 128 Time and Mission (Apologies for the repeated naming errors, my brothers)

Mage Roman was dissatisfied that her uncle had not provided Shaoke with guidance regarding his doubts about the fusion array; thus, after conversing with him a bit longer, she urged Shaoke to depart and left her uncle’s residence. They then boarded a carriage bound for the military camp.

“Mage Xueye, I sincerely apologize—it may be because my uncle is immersed in an experiment. He often behaves unusually during such experiments, so please don’t take his conduct personally.”

Mage Roman reassured Shaoke, hoping her uncle’s eccentricity would not strain their relationship. “I’ve already informed my uncle that these books—and the earlier ones he lent—will not be returned. After all, you truly need them now.”

Shaoke, clutching five or six thick volumes, simply nodded in agreement. He felt no resentment over the lack of guidance. “Mage Roman, if your uncle chooses to guide me, it is my honor; if he does not, it is his prerogative. We have no grounds to reproach him.”

By the time they returned to the camp, it was already late at night. Shaoke quickly stored the newly acquired books alongside his existing collection, meditated briefly, and then retired to sleep. Since they had a mission scheduled for dawn, conserving strength was essential.

The written order from the Military Command designated the same large field as before as the assembly point. Thousands of mages milled about, searching for their assigned units. Under the direction of their commanding mages, they drew small tents and basic rations, then hurriedly departed for the mountains beyond the fortress.

Once Shaoke and Mage Roman’s unit had assembled, Roman once again outlined key precautions for wilderness combat: “The enemy will show us no mercy for our mistakes. Maintain vigilance at night—none of us can guarantee they won’t locate and attack us in darkness.”

Listening to Mage Roman repeatedly instruct her new team members, Shaoke remained at the rear, pulling his cloak tightly around himself and drawing up the hood. He then slung his staff across his back, ready to employ hand-seals in battle to accelerate his spellcasting when engaging the enemy.

After collecting tents and provisions, Shaoke’s unit—led by Mage Roman—entered the mountains beyond the fortress, commencing mage-on-mage combat. Though far less brutal than the savage fighting among ordinary soldiers in the canyon below, this conflict held profound significance for every mage. They fought not merely out of obedience, but more often for military rewards—or simply to refine their arcane craft.

The soldiers’ battles in the canyon raged continuously for two full years, while skirmishes among mages on the mountain slopes persisted intermittently over the same period. Countless soldiers’ flesh and blood once again stained every plant in the gorge; mages, too, fell in droves, never returning from those peaks.

On this day, near the Desasi Empire’s borders, a small team of seven or eight mages wound its way along a sparsely wooded ridge toward imperial territory. Their leader wore a black cloak, carried a long staff slanted across his back, and held a rolled animal-hide mat in hand.

The team walked for some time. As they passed a cluster of denser trees, the female mage trailing closely behind signaled a halt. “Mage Xueye, let’s rest here briefly—we need food to replenish our energy.” Leaning against a tree, breathing lightly, she set down her gear and slowly twirled her small staff, watching Shaoke, who had stopped ahead.

Hearing Mage Roman’s suggestion, Shaoke halted like the others. He then stepped back and—drawing envious glances from his companions—approached her. Unrolling the thick animal hide, he spread it on the ground. “Mage Roman, allow me to scout the area this time.” Adjusting his staff for comfort, he took the ‘frost crystal’ detection artifact from her.

Mage Roman opened her mouth to speak—but seeing Shaoke begin his scan, she gestured for the others to rest and recover stamina. She then retrieved the disc-shaped magical device to monitor her companions’ positions, studying its display intently.

Nearly two years of field combat had transformed Shaoke from a nominal Battle Mage into a true one. With accumulated experience, he instinctively probed the surroundings with his mental power the moment they paused—a habit he maintained even while moving.

His mental power, condensed into a fine thread, extended nearly two thousand meters. As he directed it, scanned fluctuations and visual impressions flashed into his mental space for analysis. After two sweeps, he ceased scanning, returned the ‘frost crystal’ to Roman, and compared findings.

“No enemies ahead—we’re safe—for now.” Shaoke accepted the offered dried meat, tore off a piece, handed some back to Roman, and asked, “What of the other teams?”

The female mage glanced at the waiting mages and frowned slightly. “The situation is grim. Several teams ahead of us are retreating. It appears we’ll soon face interception as well—prepare for combat!”

Upon hearing this, everyone ate faster. Though the food was tough, the mages were accustomed to it, swallowing the chewy meat without bothering to chew thoroughly.

Ignoring the others’ envious looks, Mage Roman leaned lightly against Shaoke’s shoulder and whispered, “Be careful. Those retreating teams weren’t weak—yet they were defeated. The Desasi Empire must have deployed a formidable contingent of mages to block our advance. And we still haven’t received reinforcements.”

After eating quickly, Shaoke took Roman’s magical device to survey their surroundings. They were now deep within the Desasi Empire’s mountainous terrain. If all went according to plan, they would reach the enemy’s canyon fortress in just a few days.

Numerous red dots scattered across the mountain slopes were retreating; only a handful of teams had broken through and continued forward. As Shaoke pondered their adversaries, Roman prompted him: “Mage Xueye—we should move. Any change?”

Shaoke shook his head, helped Roman rise, and swiftly rolled up the animal hide. “Only a few teams broke through—the rest retreated. But follow-up units will catch up and breach the blockade.” He glanced at his companions. He believed their understaffed unit could easily overcome any interceptors—even if outnumbered.

For these were no ordinary Second-Tier Mages. Including Shaoke, all had mastered Mobile Spellcasting and learned the Military Command’s exclusive high-power spells. Two others, like Shaoke, could also employ hand-seals to cast Second-Level Spells.

More importantly, they all relished combat—the razor’s edge between life and death—and the peculiar thrill of slaying fellow mages.

Originally, at the temporary camp, Shaoke and the others had used various pretexts to recruit them—a major reason for their confidence.

During the march, Shaoke and Roman alternated using the magical device to mentally probe their surroundings, ensuring early warning.

When they paused beside a rubble pile, Roman—who was scanning—suddenly alerted them: “Enemies! Approaching—directly toward us. They detected my probe!” She snapped her mental power back inward, stowed the device, and warned them to prepare.

Shaoke took a deep breath, glanced at Roman as she readied Support Spells, pulled up his hood, and swiftly activated the auxiliary spells embedded in his robe and cloak.

A First-Tier and a Second-Tier Defensive Spell shimmered into place around him. He then produced several diamond-shaped low-tier rune stones. Guided by his mental power, three stones rose and began slowly orbiting his head.

Rune stones were naturally occurring mineral artifacts. When polished, their size and facets enhanced the user’s precision in mental control and conferred partial resistance to spellcasting interference. Though they accelerated mental fatigue, Shaoke’s mental power surpassed not only that of his peers but even that of specialized mentalists of the same tier—rendering the cost negligible.

A gray-black mist gradually enveloped Shaoke. Several colored auxiliary spells flickered across his form. Now fully combat-ready, he and his companions—acting on unspoken understanding—swiftly dispersed to advantageous positions.

Using mental probes, Roman continuously relayed the enemy’s position. Suddenly, she began chanting. The long-prepared mages knew the foe was about to enter the effective range of Third-Tier spells.

Soon, like the others, Shaoke released his mental power in a thin, beam-like projection—sweeping across his spellcasting radius and beyond—precisely timing the enemy’s approach with the cadence of his own incantation.

At that very moment, Roman completed her spell. A massive cyan wind blade materialized overhead. Locked onto its target by her mental focus, it shot forward with a piercing whistle toward a rubble pile ahead. Simultaneously, Shaoke and the others surged forward through the rocks, charging the enemy.