Chapter 201: The Saboteurs Within the Empire

Here, ordinary mages got no special treatment, at least Shaoke did not. Despite the wind and snow, the soldiers had prepared a sturdy warhorse for him. A cavalry unit of three thousand men, one mage, three knights, along with that Sleazy Officer and his Blizzard Warriors, formed the main members of this patrol mission.

Finely made rations were stored in Magic Bags to lighten the horses' burden. Of course, only the mage's supplies were placed inside; others, even the knights, were not qualified to have the mage carry their food.

The cavalrymen wore white battle cloaks to shield against the wind and snow, but Shaoke still used the black cloak that Mage Roman had once obtained from her uncle. This made him stand out within this troop. However, no one had the authority to make the mage change his attire, as even during assault battles, mages would not alter their respective outfits.

The mission was actually quite simple: patrol the area around a dozen or so small cities and some relatively important towns. It was best to also visit a Sixth Tier Mage who was researching crops, hoping to get some good news from him. Secondly, it was to intimidate the bandits in the area, informing them that the Blizzard Legion, which had been stationed here for nearly two years, had not forgotten them. If possible, eliminating them in passing would be ideal. This was all according to the Legion Commander's orders.

At night, Shaoke and the others rested in inflatable tents, with the mage positioned in the very center. Three knights and the Sleazy Officer surrounded him, while the remaining cavalrymen, with the help of several knights, quickly pitched their tents as per cavalry drill. The Sleazy Officer merely complained about the heavy snow and offered no suggestions to these cavalrymen.

Whether due to the war or policy reasons, the cities here were spaced out very logically. About every four or five days' journey, a small city would appear before Shaoke and his group, and they encountered a small town almost daily. Shaoke's troop would restock on food and horse fodder in these places. Of course, the merchants in these small towns were very pleased with this large consumer group, as the provisions consumed by the warhorses alone were enough for their profits.

On this day, Shaoke's troop had just left a small town for about half a day's journey when the mage, who frequently detected the surroundings along the way, quickly detected a large number of faint spiritual energy fluctuations in the woods on both sides of the road ahead. After relaying this information to the Sleazy Officer and the three knights, the somewhat relaxed group immediately snapped to attention. The cavalry drew their gleaming sabers from their scabbards, and sharp steel javelins were repeatedly adjusted by their owners for quick access when needed. The few hundred cavalrymen who had mastered archery skills took out their well-maintained strong bows, intending to deliver a painful blow to the ambushers upon their commander's order.

"Perhaps they are not bandits," said a knight with a scarred face, sniffed hard with his nose, red from the cold, as if smelling something. "They might be a large merchant caravan taking shelter from the wind and snow." He then frowned and tightened his grip on his knight's lance, showing that he had not let his guard down despite his speculation.

"I smell blood," Shaoke took a deep breath of the cold wind, using it to cool his overheated body. "I like this scent." Ignoring the strange looks from the surrounding cavalry and the Sleazy Officer, he took out a transparent crystal orb. A series of profound incantations spilled from his lips, and images of the woods appeared on the crystal orb. Large numbers of burly men hid behind trees, their gleaming weapons making Shaoke, who was observing, feel quite uncomfortable. He reported his findings in detail to the commanders.

He then quickly activated all the Defensive Spells and auxiliary spells on his person, and also took out two top-grade rune stones and one top-grade flame stone, triggering them.

He began preparing his incantation as the horses advanced. This time, the Sleazy Officer decided against a surprise attack or any tactics. They simply needed to charge over and cut down all those bandits.

"Very much like the aura of soldiers, a kind of military aura I find quite repulsive," said the same knight again as the distance closed, making his speculation, which was acknowledged by everyone.

"No wonder there were so few merchants in the last town," the Sleazy Officer also drew his pale blue dagger and loudly relayed another order to the surrounding cavalrymen. "Prepare for battle! Those who cut off a hundred bandit heads will receive additional rewards from the Legion." He suddenly stood up, grabbed the head of a Blizzard Warrior closely following him, and added, "Leave the women. I don't want to see any of the others alive." He then urged the cavalry to speed up, splitting into two teams to charge into the woods on both sides.

Shaoke's spell was already prepared. Death Slash. This Fourth-level Spell was finally something Shaoke could release in the shortest time after long practice. A black thread over ten meters long quickly formed above the mage's head and then shot fiercely toward the direction he had locked onto. After doing this, he did not precisely control this spell.

Instead, he prepared Green Flame Manipulation again. This was a spell that could be advanced.

The flame from the tip of his staff dropped down, merging into the spell array just formed in his hands. As the final incantation ended, the Green Flame shot out like a flame the thickness of a baby's arm. Under Shaoke's precise control, it began weaving swiftly through the woods. The thousand-meter distance was quickly covered by the fast-galloping horses. Thousands of javelins, infused with varying amounts of Aura, flew into the woods. By then, Shaoke's first wave of spell attacks had already ended.

A diagonal path over ten meters wide appeared in the woods, with trees as thick as a person continuously falling.

It only stopped after extending for over ten meters. Crimson blood stained the snowy ground, and agonized wails thrilled the mage. By this time, the cavalry's attacks had just been launched.

Arrows, javelins, crude spears, rough throwing axes whistled from the woods toward the cavalry formation. Meanwhile, Shaoke's green flame, under his precise control, had already begun its hunt.

When the flame thread coiled around an enemy, those bandits were ignited. Occasionally, one or two warriors who erupted with Aura could not extinguish the flames on their bodies with their Aura; instead, it intensified the burning. The agonized wails excited the mage even more. He found that he now greatly enjoyed hearing the painful cries of others, and this struggle against death thrilled him even further.

The cavalry easily blocked this attack with their shields or javelins, and their own ranged attacks now showed effect. Many bandits were pinned to the ground by javelins that had pierced through trees. Some unfortunate bandits were simultaneously pierced by several javelins but not in vital areas, so they kept writhing on the snowy ground, resisting the pain, either begging for death or hoping for rescue, but none of this was noticed.

The bandits in the woods did not retreat because of the army's arrival, nor did they withdraw deeper into the forest. Although this puzzled Shaoke somewhat, the stimulation of bloodshed had already made him too preoccupied to think much about it. After the green flame had scorched dozens of people, it finally exhausted its energy, and he once again prepared a spell.

Poison Mist Envelopment. This was the only area-of-effect spell Shaoke had learned at the Fourth Rank. A mass of dark green thick mist rapidly expanded as the Spell Structure formed. Under the enhancement of the dual-handed Spellcasting Technique, it stopped expanding after forming a mass several tens of meters in diameter. The howling cold wind could not disperse this poison mist; instead, under the mage's manipulation, it formed a rectangular line and swiftly flew toward one side of the woods.

Trees withered; warriors who protected themselves with Aura could not withstand the assault of this poison mist. The mist entered the bandits' bodies through their skin, clothing, or breath, quickly damaging their bodily functions. Large amounts of crimson blood uncontrollably flowed from their skin, causing ordinary bandits to stop breathing after only a short while. Those bandits who erupted with Aura tried to suppress this attack with their Aura and desperately disperse it. But their efforts failed. A series of attacks from the cavalry quickly robbed the helpless bandits of the most precious thing in life: life itself, precious life.

"Full assault!" a booming voice shouted. Under this command, the bandits quickly formed advantageous formations, using the sparse trees on both sides of the road to block the cavalry's attacks and advancing toward the road in an orderly manner.

The bloody slaughter, perhaps because the cavalry on the Blizzard Legion's side all erupted with Aura, or because those bandits were too ordinary, continued to turn the tide of battle toward Shaoke's side. Shaoke still continuously released poison mist for attacks. Although the poison mist was powerful, its duration was too short. Fortunately, the Spellcasting preparation time was relatively short, allowing the mage to maintain the highest killing speed.

Under the Sleazy Officer's command, some cavalrymen dismounted. They fearlessly charged toward the bandits, driving them back into the woods. As more and more cavalrymen entered the woods to hunt bandits, Shaoke stopped large-scale spellcasting and eventually ceased casting altogether. Because he sensed large-scale, intense Aura fluctuations coming from deep within the woods.

At this moment, some messengers among the cavalry reported the situation inside: a large number of warriors had rushed out and begun fighting with the cavalry. Fortunately, these cavalrymen were all Third Rank warriors. As long as they were not surrounded and killed by warriors of the same rank, their lives were still secure. The Sleazy Officer paid no attention to the situation inside, still continuously sending cavalry into the woods to help their comrades hunt the enemy. As the bandits activated some pre-prepared traps, the cavalry began to suffer sporadic casualties, but the three knights and the Sleazy Officer were completely indifferent to this occurrence.

＿The internet was cut off, transmitting from the county town. Updates might be delayed for the next few days. Please forgive me, brothers~!