Chapter 275: The Violent Mage’s Annihilation

"I will kill them." Shaoke interrupted the female mage without hesitation, saying, "No one has ever made me change my mind." With that, Shaoke packed some essential items, then placed his staff in the pouch on his back. After a brief rest, he accompanied the White-robed Cleric out of the manor and headed towards her residence.

Not far along, they encountered some warriors engaged in combat. If they tried to block Shaoke and his companion, the mage would obliterate them without a word. Even when encountering groups of fighters, Shaoke had no time to wait for them to finish; he would kill both sides without hesitation. Faced with Shaoke's violent behavior, the White-robed Cleric nervously clung close behind him, biting her lips bloody from anxiety.

After killing three more warriors standing in the street, the White-robed Cleric whispered to Shaoke, "Mage Xueye, the street ahead is where my residence is located. Please don't kill anyone there; they won't intercept us." Then she added, "They are all connected to certain alliances, and provoking them will bring much trouble." She looked at him, hoping he wouldn't cause future problems due to emotional issues.

Shaoke paid little heed to the cleric's advice. As the White-robed Cleric had mentioned earlier, even if he didn't clash with these people now, they would eventually come looking for him to plunder. Given this, Shaoke ignored the cleric's persuasion.

On the street where the White-robed Cleric's residence was located, there was no fighting. Instead, small groups of warriors roamed about—some dressed as mercenaries, others as guards. They all recognized the White-robed Cleric, so they didn't intercept Shaoke and her. However, Shaoke noticed that the way some of them looked at him made him very uncomfortable. If they hadn't quickly averted their gazes, Shaoke wasn't sure he could have resisted the urge to cast a spell and destroy them.

"Stop. You are not allowed in here." Just as they were about to reach the White-robed Cleric's residence, a warrior suddenly emerged from the side to block Shaoke. A Fourth Tier Warrior—Shaoke confirmed this with his mental probe. Without any warning, Shaoke instantly released a crimson beam. From a mere five meters away, the warrior had no time to react before Shaoke's Lava Ray pierced his head.

The corpse fell to the ground, and the residual energy from the red beam struck the street behind. A pit as thick as a baby's arm appeared on the ground, and the surrounding stone slabs briefly caught fire. This sudden attack startled the nearby warriors and the White-robed Cleric. But Shaoke paid no attention; he casually grabbed a handful of magic powder, chanted a single syllable, and the powder quickly fell onto the dead man's body, igniting it. In the short time it took to travel just one magic hour, Shaoke had already perfected this process.

After a brief shock, the warriors erupted in fury. A Fifth-rank Warrior stepped out from the crowd. "Do you know who you just killed? He was from the mercenary guild..." Before he could finish, Shaoke cast another spell. Perhaps due to the warrior's arrogance, another Lava Ray pierced his head—another corpse. Shaoke once again took out magic powder and set the newly dead warrior's body ablaze. He hoped to eliminate some traces of his spellcasting. Of course, this was only a simple attempt to destroy evidence, as the magical fluctuations in the air wouldn't disappear quickly. Some High-rank Mages could even reconstruct the scene from residual fluctuations half a year after the battle, though Shaoke had never encountered such a scenario.

After the mage killed again, some warriors nearby grew furious, though many wise ones remained silent. They knew only a Sixth Tier Mage could chain-cast spells like this. Given the power of the spells, some suspected the mage accompanying the cleric might even be a Seventh Tier Mage.

Four or five Low-order Warriors charged recklessly. Shaoke remained unfazed. He swiftly activated the flames on his staff and, using the ancient command mage casting method, muttered a few syllables in the Ancient Magic Tongue: "Flame, eternal destruction, undying glory, control." Four simple syllables.

Under the influence of these magical syllables, Green Flame exploded violently before splitting into several streams, quickly wrapping around the charging warriors. Their low-level Aura was useless against this flame. After Shaoke's casting, the green flames turned golden, instantly burning through the warriors' Aura and bodies, reducing them to ash.

Silence fell. Seeing how easily Shaoke had slain those warriors, the White-robed Cleric flushed with excitement. Though she was a highly respected cleric, here she was merely someone who tended to the wounded, and while the warriors dared not harm her, they looked down on her. Today, her companion's actions relieved her, but she soon worried about retaliation from the warrior group's superiors.

"You will be punished for what you've done," shouted one warrior who had survived by being slow to react, pointing his sword at Shaoke while waving it erratically. He seemed tempted to attack but was too afraid, so he just shouted.

Another crimson beam. The ever-irritable Shaoke, who had been volatile since meeting the White-robed Cleric, once again instantly cast this Third-level Spell—the most penetrating one. Unsurprisingly, although the warrior had released his Aura for protection, the uneven distribution failed to block Shaoke's attack. Moreover, Shaoke used the ancient spellcasters' instant-casting technique, which allowed the spell to bypass its structural limitations and increase its power. Thus, his Third Rank Lava Ray was no weaker than an unenhanced Fourth Rank Rending Ray.

"I don't like people pointing at me, and you have no right to speak to me." Shaoke casually adjusted his cloak, then used magic powder to ignite the warrior's body. "Don't block my path." He nodded to the White-robed Cleric to continue following him forward. This time, no one dared intercept them, no matter how many they were, for who knew if this mage would kill them immediately?

There were no more obstacles. The distant warriors had noticed the situation and, aside from reporting to their masters, made no further moves. Just as the White-robed Cleric reached her small manor, hurried footsteps came from behind, accompanied by a shout stopping her.

"Cleric, who allowed you to bring an outsider here?" The speaker was a Middle-aged Mage, followed by four or five mages and over a dozen other professionals. "Have you forgotten the rules here? You must be punished now." The Middle-aged Mage glared at the White-robed Cleric before turning his gaze to Shaoke, his powerful mental energy locking onto him without reservation. This act quickly provoked Shaoke's greater anger.

Shaoke couldn't believe someone would treat a Fifth Tier cleric this way. In the Blizzard Legion, anyone who spoke to a cleric like that would be instantly reduced to pulp by the mages. Acting on instinct, and because the other mage had locked onto him with mental energy, Shaoke reacted.

"...Don't," the White-robed Cleric pleaded, her face turning pale at the Middle-aged Mage's words. Her small hands clutched tightly at her golden book; she seemed terrified of the punishment he mentioned. She knew that if something happened to Shaoke tonight and her protectors didn't appear in time, she would face a cruel torture. That was something she couldn't bear.

As she spoke, Shaoke activated his Defensive Spell, quickly took out a Sixth Rank defensive scroll, and cast it on the White-robed Cleric. Then he rapidly began preparing a spell.

Seeing this, the White-robed Cleric quickly cast a series of Support Spells on Shaoke, hoping to buy him time and that her companion would return in time to help.

Under the effect of a string of Ancient Magic Tongue words and dual-hand Spellcasting Technique, the green flame atop the mage's staff changed again. It quickly condensed into three short javelins, which shot toward the Middle-aged Mage.

A Sixth Tier protective spell quickly enveloped the mage, who then took out a scroll and released the spell within. A pale golden Wind Blade emerged, intercepting one of Shaoke's javelins. Shaoke recognized the spell—the military's unique Fifth Tier Wind Blade spell. He hadn't expected the other to possess such a thing. It seemed the mage had either participated in that war or plundered rewards from low-ranking mages who had left the military.