Chapter 207: An Encounter and Battle

Poor child, are you still on your meds? God, look at you—I can't imagine how the esteemed Mage Roman gets through those lonely nights. Need a hand?" Of course, the Sleazy Officer's mockery pissed Shaoke off, but the state of his Meditation space kept reminding him this wasn't the time for a fight. If he cast another spell, his energy drain would double, and that could mess up his body.

Luckily, Shaoke was used to keeping everything in his magic bag, so he still had a ton of top-tier Fourth Rank recovery potions. After watching for a while, he noticed these potions, which usually lasted four or five magic hours, could only keep the silver light going for less than half a magic hour. The rest of the time was covered by those energy-restoring fruits.

After downing two more recovery potions, Shaoke carefully watched the changes in the space. A bunch of light bands showed up, more of them and purer than before. The mage figured that the effects of these potions over just ten or so days were better than two months of meditation. The only downside was the insane energy drain.

Shaoke didn't know if these potions were giving their full effect or just a fraction, like Female Mage Tina said, but he knew if this huge vortex kept going for another month, he'd definitely be toast.

The group didn't rest for long. The violent magical waves were felt even by the low-ranking cavalrymen. Loud explosions got closer to the camp. The whole camp's cavalry woke up and, under the Sleazy Officer and three knights, quickly got ready for battle. Shaoke also left his tent and hurried outside to meet up with the others.

"Top-tier mages are duking it out!" a knight whispered in terror, while the Sleazy Officer shed his usual demeanor, his face filled with dread and terror.

"Split up and run—we gotta get out of here now," the knight quickly blurted out. Without a second thought, the other two knights and the officer agreed, but Shaoke was a bit confused. But feeling those intense magical waves, he figured they were dozens of times stronger than his most powerful spell, even from that far away.

Orders came down fast. The cavalry was split into five groups, each led by Shaoke and the others. Luckily, these cavalrymen were brutally trained and had good discipline. Despite their confusion, the low-ranking soldiers quickly followed their temporary commanders, awaiting orders to leave.

In that brief delay, the explosive sounds of spells drew closer. Everyone saw a dozen points of light rapidly moving toward them in the pitch-black sky, exchanging spells mid-air. Three or five points attempted to approach others but were blocked by counter-spells.

The escape began. The group ran wildly along roads and through forests. The airborne combatants noticed Shaoke's group and began to descend slightly, intending to use the residual force of their spells to attack them. Their plan succeeded. As they descended, the fleeing group saw the points of light hovering just above the treetops.

Among them were mages in robes and a few warriors. The mages, wearing different robes, didn't even glance at Shaoke's group. Instead, using their mental locks, some mages moved quickly above the fleeing group and released low-level spells to attack them. Clearly, these mages were not from the Blue Feather Empire.

The other mages didn't intercept these attacks but instead used the opportunity to prepare their own spells, hoping to kill one or more enemies.

To these airborne mages, even Seventh Rank or Eighth Tier spells were considered low-level. They could prepare and unleash them in no time. One spell struck, killing nearly half of the several hundred cavalrymen who had activated their Aura to protect themselves. Fortunately, the forest kept the group dispersed, preventing greater casualties.

The top-tier beings attacked with increasing ferocity. Even the residual effects of their spells could kill low-ranking cavalrymen. Large clusters of flames or energy-formed spears scattered to the ground. A pale green spear struck not far ahead of Shaoke, melting a tall tree and the ground, creating a massive pit. This sudden event forced Shaoke to dodge hastily.

His poor riding skills caused him to be thrown off his horse. After rolling several times, he slammed into a large tree and finally stopped. Thanks to his two layers of Defensive Spells, Shaoke wasn't seriously injured—only some internal shock, which wasn't severe. Getting up, he continued his escape, but this time he ran not forward but toward the rear of the airborne combatants. Fortunately, the enemy mages didn't pay attention to this lone fugitive, instead focusing on the larger cavalry groups to maximize casualties.

Perhaps angered by their own losses, the intercepting mages attacked more fiercely. Shaoke even saw a naked Elder Mage abruptly stop his rapid attacks to prepare a long spell. Complex magic scripts flew out as his crimson spellbook flipped, forming a Spell Structure ahead. With the infusion of magic and mental energy, the spell took shape under the protection of two companions. A crimson flame formed and, under the Elder Mage's command, quickly flew toward the mage who had been attacking the fleeing group below.

The enemy mage kept releasing low-level spells while using spells to teleport. But the crimson flame seemed to know his landing points, following him closely and eventually reaching him. The mage, using his spellbook at close range, quickly released a spell to block the Elder Mage's attack, then activated a short-range teleportation spell to dodge again, attempting to rejoin his slightly scattered companions.

But this time, he failed. The crimson flame slammed into him, forming a massive Fireball that engulfed him. The Elder Mage didn't stop, chanting a spell as the crimson book flipped rapidly. Strange magic scripts merged into the fireball, continuing the attack.

A muffled explosion reached Shaoke's ears. The crimson fireball burst, and a bright golden light shone from within.

The mage who had been attacking Shaoke's group emerged pale-faced, protected by a golden shield. His staff had mostly vanished, leaving only a stump in his hand. The golden spellbook floating before him shrank quickly and merged into his body.

The crimson flames fell to the ground, burning everything—trees and soil—continuously. They formed dozens of large pits, with flames still burning below. Shaoke didn't know how long the fire would last, but he knew that if any of those scattered flames touched him, he would be erased from this world. He had no hope in his protective spells.

Short-range teleportation, used repeatedly, made it difficult for the Elder Mage to unleash powerful spells. Spells of the seventh or eighth rank couldn't harm the golden shield at all. Frustrated, the Elder Mage ignored the fleeing group and used similar teleportation spells to chase his target.

Perhaps due to the enemy mage's injury or the group's dispersal, the enemy mages shifted their focus, moving toward a small city not far from where Shaoke's group had just passed. Under the Elder Mage's lead, the remaining Blue Feather Empire mages repeatedly intercepted them. But for mages beyond the Eighth-order beings, only several times their number of the same rank could intercept or trap them. These top-tier mages had many escape methods, and few mages could cast the high-level binding spells needed. At least, none of the mages sent by the Blue Feather Empire this time could.

As the aerial battle faded into the distance, Shaoke's fleeing group quickly regrouped at a signal from one of the knights. Though fear lingered on their faces, the cavalrymen, bound by harsh discipline, instinctively gathered and reformed their ranks.

It took a while for Shaoke to reach the assembly point. The recent battle had been chaotic—large trees were set ablaze, and irregular pits dotted the ground. Many cavalrymen, not noticing the holes, fell in and lost their horses.

The assembly point was on a relatively flat stretch of road. When Shaoke arrived, the scene before him made him realize just how brutal the recent conflict had been.