Chapter 129 Blast to Settle

As the distance between the two sides closed, Shaoke not only continued using his mental power to monitor the area but also employed it to lock onto the approximate positions of the mages standing behind the rubble. Almost there. When Shaoke sensed Mage Roman's spell colliding with another, he felt that this distance was the optimal moment to prepare his own spell.

He performed the incantation in the Ancient Magic Tongue and the rapid hand seals all while swiftly advancing. A crimson beam of light formed between his hands. 'Blazing Ray'—the second-level spell with the greatest penetrating power—was prepared by Shaoke in nearly half the time it used to take, thanks to his years of battlefield experience. After utilizing the two-handed seal technique, he channeled magic power into the spell until it reached the structural limit, boosting its power by nearly double. Guided by Shaoke's mental lock, the enhanced 'Blazing Ray' effortlessly pierced through the stone slab used for cover and struck his locked target with tremendous force.

After casting the spell, Shaoke briefly checked the result. Unsurprisingly, the vastly empowered 'Blazing Ray' had no difficulty penetrating a not overly thick boulder and a second-level defensive spell. The enemy mage who had just cast an interfering spell remained unaware of what hit him until his head was blasted apart.

Sensing multiple mental and magical locks from the enemy, Shaoke quickly prepared another spell while retreating beyond casting range. Although the enemy persisted in locking onto him, they dared not recklessly pursue a target outside their effective range—unless they possessed mobile spellcasting techniques or special magical languages to extend their reach. Unfortunately, the enemies Shaoke faced this time had neither.

Chanting incantations, outlining spell structures, and launching attacks at locked targets—this series of casting actions flowed smoothly for Shaoke even while moving rapidly, honed by the trials of war. However, this time, the enemy did not panic from being hunted by Shaoke and his companions. Leveraging their numerical advantage, they swiftly prepared to intercept spells and launch their own offensives.

A crimson spear wreathed in blazing flames met Shaoke's spell, while a dense white fog quickly enveloped the area above them. It was the second-level 'Flame Spear,' one of the stronger penetrating spells in its tier, used for interception. Shaoke quickly recognized the white fog as well—'Blur,' a second-level large-scale spell that interfered with mental locks. Its effect was not only stronger than single-target interference spells but also covered an area of several dozen meters. However, mastering this spell was exceptionally demanding, almost on par with special spells like 'Death Gaze.' Its excessive mental and magical consumption meant only mages specializing in support roles typically attempted it.

The enemy's swift and powerful interception soon took effect. As their spell intercepted his, Shaoke relied on the enhanced mental control granted by his rune stone. With a sudden burst of mental power, he barely managed to avoid the interception. Although his locked target appeared blurred and its position uncertain, he reinforced his mental lock with formidable mental strength and blasted toward the enemy's head.

The mage preparing a spell had his defensive spell torn apart like paper. The crimson beam shattered his skull before slamming into the support mage behind him. Although it failed to break the latter's defensive spell, it still gave him a real scare. Shaoke believed that if the support mage hadn't cast a special defensive spell on himself, the slightly weakened 'Blazing Ray' could still have penetrated an ordinary second-level defensive layer.

In truth, after his spell dodged the interception, Shaoke let it strike based on his mental lock. He had no time to check the final outcome because the failed intercepting spell, under its caster's control, whistled piercingly toward him.

Facing the approaching attack, Shaoke quickly retreated backward, diverting part of his focus to swiftly prepare a 'Fireball' and launch it toward the enemy's flame spear.

The short distance and increased spell control range, combined with the enemy caster's failure to promptly reinforce mental control, led to the two spells colliding rapidly.

In the violent spell collision, although the flame spear dispersed Shaoke's fireball, the resulting fluctuations and excessive distance prevented it from hitting Shaoke. Instead, it embedded itself into the mountainside not far ahead, leaving a fiery hole the thickness of an infant's arm—a testament to a failed spell attack.

Mage Roman and the enemy third-tier mage continued closing the distance, gradually shifting from third-level spells to faster-casting second-level spells. Dozens of spells collided mid-air or struck their targets.

Shaoke quickly scanned the battlefield with his mental power and found that his side was still at a disadvantage. However, two mages on the enemy side had mastered mobile spellcasting, allowing them to outmaneuver two of Shaoke's companions. Although they had initially killed seven or eight enemy second-tier mages, the enemy was slowly turning the tide with the aid of their support mage's interference.

Preparing another spell, Shaoke locked onto a mage who had mastered mobile casting, intending to cooperate with his companion to eliminate the target when the opportunity arose.

When Shaoke finished preparing his spell, he still saw no opening. To avoid drawing attention, he randomly locked onto a target and launched his attack. Although it didn't kill the enemy, it caused some trouble, at least delaying a mage who had intended to attack Shaoke—that mage promptly detected and intercepted Shaoke's spell.

After preparing another maximized 'Blazing Ray,' Shaoke keenly noticed the casting interval of the mage with mobile spellcasting. When Shaoke locked onto him, the mage panicked, quickly moved his body, and pushed his spell preparation speed to the limit. He knew that if both enemies simultaneously attacked him and his side couldn't intercept in time, he would struggle to survive—especially since the mage on Shaoke's side who also mastered mobile casting cared little about his effective range.

As the mage feared, his companion failed to promptly release a spell to intercept Shaoke's attack, which was faster than those of same-tier mages. Although the locked mage managed to prepare a spell at the last moment to neutralize Shaoke's, he was still struck by a spell from Shaoke's companion while rapidly retreating, breaking through his defenses.

Although the attack was intercepted by a defensive spell from his side's support caster, the substantial energy drain left him unable to withstand another second-level spell attack. If his companions couldn't promptly reinforce his defenses, being simultaneously locked by two enemies again would surely mean his demise.

Seeing his objective achieved, Shaoke began preparing another spell. He aimed to quickly eliminate that troublesome mobile-casting mage with his companion's help; otherwise, prolonged entanglement would put them at a severe disadvantage.

'Blazing Ray.' With the aid of his rune stone, Shaoke manipulated the spell to swiftly dodge an interception from an enemy mage. He paid no heed to the spell turning to attack him, instead intensifying his mental lock to prevent errors from close-range spell interference.

Although the enemy support mage promptly supplemented with an ordinary second-level defensive spell, and the targeted mage quickly evaded while casting to block another attack, facing Shaoke's precise lock with 'Blazing Ray,' he could only pin his hopes on that second-level defensive spell.

After all, defensive spells couldn't fully block a same-tier, high-power attack spell at full strength—let alone the strongest penetrating spell pushed to its structural limit with magical energy? Unsurprisingly, the defensive spell was easily torn apart. Despite the mage's desperate attempt to twist his body and dodge sideways, Shaoke's spell grazed his shoulder, taking away nearly half of his upper torso, including his arm.

Watching the enemy's spell approach, Shaoke quickly retreated backward, simultaneously retrieving a packet of magic powder and casting a simple flame spell to disrupt the spell's trajectory. The black energy mass attacking Shaoke, lacking excessive mental power for target locking and precise control, failed to adjust its direction in time under the flame spell's interference. It crashed heavily into the ground nearby, blasting up dozens of stones shrouded in black smoke. Fortunately, Shaoke's defensive spell remained effective; after consuming a first-level defensive spell embedded in his robe, he finally withstood the stone barrage.

He locked onto the mage who had attacked him with a fierce mental glare, then began preparing another spell. Although he didn't intend to counterattack, he hoped this method would pressure the enemy mage, indirectly boosting his side's strength.

Once the spell was ready, he abruptly switched his locked target, assisting his side in attacking another mage.

As the number of fallen enemy mages increased, Shaoke's side finally gained absolute advantage. The enemy mage quickly signaled retreat, leading his members in a gradual withdrawal.

Of course, Shaoke's side couldn't relinquish this advantage. Under the cover of Mage Roman's third-level spells and utilizing mobile casting techniques, they swiftly pursued, hoping to force the enemy to leave a few more mages behind.

After paying the price of another second-tier mage having his head blown apart by Shaoke, the mage team from the Desasi Empire finally retreated into a forest. Using the trees for cover and the third-tier mage's low-level spell interceptions, they eventually escaped Shaoke's attack range, fleeing rapidly toward the rear.