Dozens of swordsmen, along with eight airborne cavalry, led by the Big Dipper Seventh Star magic master, were in hot pursuit of the silver-haired Aaron. Subsequently, fifteen archers arrived to join the six swordsmen left behind. They tied up the unconscious Collin brothers and escorted them south.
Seeing such a large military presence in the land of evil, Rody had an ominous feeling.
Which country had sent troops to hunt down the freshmen from Fellick?
What was the ultimate goal of this army? Was it Gill, whom Fellick Academy was so keen to protect, or all the freshmen from this year? Who betrayed them? Even though they were teleported to the land of evil instead of Soulbreak Slope, how could the enemy track them here? Did Dean Buke deliberately send everyone to this evil land, or was he unaware of the mishap?
A series of questions arose in Rody's mind, making him more and more terrified.
There must be a conspiracy behind this. The enemy's ability to track them and set up an ambush indicated an inside job.
Was there a traitor among the freshmen from Fellick? Who could it be? Rody extended his mental whip to sense his surroundings and found everything safe. He gently helped Gill, who was terrified and pale, comforting her with a pat on her head. Although he wasn't feeling much better, he thought he should be stronger as a man.
"Don't speak, we'll leave quietly," Rody whispered, pulling Gill carefully as they sneaked out of the forest.
"I'm very scared..." Gill's face was pale as she clung tightly to Rody. She might have had a bad premonition but couldn't sense it clearly, only feeling fear. At this moment, Rody couldn't determine which direction was safe, so he chose to retreat, thinking the way they came should be safer than the ambush laid ahead by the enemy.
"Don't be afraid, tell me, what are your names?" Just as Rody and Gill were about to leave the edge of the forest, they were confronted by a middle-aged mage smiling at them.
Hadn't Rody just scanned the area with his mental power? There was no one around, how could this be possible?
Before Rody could react, Gill suddenly collapsed silently beside him. He caught her and found her barely breathing, completely unconscious, obviously hit by a 'Sleep' or 'Dizziness' spell. The opponent's silent magical attack caught Rody off guard. How did he cast a spell right under their noses without moving a hand or lifting a staff?
"What's your name, first-star novice magic apprentice?" The opponent seemed pleased to see Rody's shocked face. Dealing with this novice magic apprentice who couldn’t even cast a spell was easy for him, even with his eyes closed.
"What rank of magic master are you?" Rody couldn't find any emblem on the middle-aged mage and asked.
"Seven stars," the middle-aged man replied with a smile, "I didn't need to deal with you personally, but this is the land of evil, and one must be cautious."
"How many Big Dipper Seventh Star magic masters does Great Frey have? They didn’t all come to the land of evil, did they?" Rody also smiled, "You're right, this is the land of evil, one must be careful. Even for a great nation, losing a Big Dipper Seventh Star magic master would be painful, wouldn't it?"
"You seem to want to play a game with me?" The middle-aged man casually gestured, "Go ahead, I’ll give you three minutes."
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"Of course, I'm not your match, but there is someone who can!" Rody carried Gill on his back, smiling, "Dean, why did you only just arrive? You really scared us just now!"
"Buke?" The middle-aged man was startled and shot into the sky like lightning, but on checking behind him, there was no one there.
Seeing Rody fleeing desperately through the forest with Gill on his back, the middle-aged mage, a Seven-Star magic master, was furious at being tricked by a novice magic apprentice.
The middle-aged man shot a large fireball at Rody with confidence, but the novice apprentice, displaying exceptional agility, dodged it.
The fireball exploded in the forest, causing a burst of flames and billowing smoke.
Once the chaos subsided, the middle-aged man was enraged to find that the cunning novice had used the smoke to escape over fifty meters away. He thought bitterly of chopping off the novice's legs and dismembering him. Hearing the explosion, four or five soldiers guarding the area immediately ran towards the sound. Suddenly, someone burst out, yelling, "Enemy behind, everyone attack!"
The four soldiers were startled and immediately gripped their sword hilts tightly. A squad leader even gathered his fighting spirit, and upon seeing someone quickly approaching from behind, exerted all his strength to unleash a 'Sword Blade Wave.'
"You fools, that one was the enemy!" the middle-aged man used a magic shield to knock back the four attacking soldiers, cursing continuously.
"Damn, we have an enemy behind us!" The soldiers quickly got up and followed the middle-aged man in hot pursuit.
A shadow flashed, slicing across a soldier's neck.
The soldier ran a few steps, then realized blood was spurting from his neck like a fountain. Unable to utter a word, he stumbled and fell to the ground, gurgling blood bubbles. The middle-aged man had just launched several wind blades at Rody, intending to sever the novice's feet, when he suddenly felt a heavy blow to his chest, shattering his magic shield and cracking his ribs.
He was horrified and utterly perplexed, wondering who had ambushed him.
"I'll kill you!" The squad leader roared like thunder, charging at the middle-aged man with concentrated fighting spirit. This startled the mage, suspecting betrayal. But all the soldiers in this mission were carefully selected for their loyalty. Could this man be under some bewitching spell? Regardless, the middle-aged man retaliated with a massive fireball, blasting the squad leader away.
"Ahh..." Someone screamed nearby. A soldier, clutching his neck, leapt up and then collapsed.
Just as the middle-aged man raised his magic shield again, he saw a bone spear pierce through the chest of the last soldier, pinning him to the ground. A skeleton with a shattered ribcage appeared, incredibly agile, far surpassing ordinary skeletons. It made a small leap and hurled a bone spear at the mage.
While dodging the bone spear, the middle-aged man felt another heavy blow to his back, shattering his magic shield.
Besides the novice magic apprentice, there was no one else behind him. Who was ambushing him? The mage soared into the sky, scanning his surroundings, and suddenly felt a lethal strike from above.
"Boom!" The mage erupted in flames, shaking the entire space around him.
All attacks from above were deflected by his protective fire shield. The middle-aged man was seething with rage, embarrassed that as a great Big Dipper Seventh Star magic master, he was made a fool by such weak attacks, throwing him into confusion and fury.
The middle-aged man conjured up a massive Sunfire Sphere and hurled it towards the skeleton that kept throwing bone spears at him.
The entire forest shook incessantly, and the surrounding trees snapped and fell.
The branches and leaves dried up quickly due to the high temperature and caught fire. In no time, fierce flames raged and thick smoke billowed. To the mage's fury, the burning skeleton did not die. It used a faint fighting spirit to protect its body. Its charred bones caught fire, yet it still managed to dismantle its own ribs and throw them like boomerangs at him.
In the sky, two black spots, resembling crows or bats, circled non-stop, seeking an opportunity to attack.
"It's you causing all this trouble!" The middle-aged man suddenly calmed down and pointed at Rody, who had Gill tied to his back with thin vines, and roared angrily, "Necromancer, you're a necromancer! All of this is your doing!"
"As a distinguished Big Dipper Seventh Star magic master, you should cultivate your composure," Rody said with a smile, "if you have any, that is!"
"You are definitely not a first-star novice magic apprentice!" The middle-aged man's face turned red as he said coldly, "To be able to influence my mind with magic, even for just a few seconds, you must be at least a five-star senior magic master! I was wondering how, as a novice magic apprentice, you managed to survive until now in the land of evil. Turns out you're a despicable necromancer!"
"Leave the title of 'despicable' for yourself," Rody chuckled, "If word gets out that a Big Dipper Seventh Star magic master ambushed two magic academy freshmen, one of whom is a novice, everyone would find it shameful on your behalf."
"Necromancers, enemies of the light, are fair game for anyone to kill, without guilt!" the middle-aged man snorted, "Do you have anything else to say?"
"Nothing," Rody shook his head and laughed, "I think as long as you don't tell anyone, no one will know I'm a necromancer who can be killed without guilt."
"You think you can match me? Ahahaha!" The middle-aged man burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Your laughter is too ugly," Rody sighed, "To think that a great magic master laughs like a thug robbing passersby, I truly feel sorry for your parents! Don't take it too hard, I'm just speaking the truth. Doesn't the 'Code of Light' say something like this? When someone hits your left cheek, offer them the right one; when someone curses you, thank them! Master mage, what are you waiting for? Thank me! I won't hit your face, I find it dirty…"
"I'll kill you!" The middle-aged man felt a surge of uncontrollable rage well up within him. Waving his staff, he conjured a 'Flaming Giant Wheel' and furiously hurled it at the young man who had infuriated him so deeply.