“Dumb beast! How dare you make a fool out of me!?”

Flames burst forth from Igneal’s hands, causing the lizardmen leader to let out a yelp and hastily retreat from the scorching danger. Smoke rose from the burnt scales as the leader regained his footing, only to swiftly launch himself forward, wielding a spear. In response, Igneal swiftly raised his own weapon, prepared to defend against the impending attack.

A low grunt escaped his lips when the creature forcefully slammed the tip of its spear onto the fuller. The sheer weight of it caused his bones to almost creak, but he knew this was typical of a lizardman. These beings possessed extraordinary physical capabilities that allowed them to hunt a wide range of creatures. Moreover, having evolved as skilled hunters in the Wasteful Wetlands, it was only natural for them to have developed strength and agility.

Still, a beast was still just a beast.

The leader maintained a safe distance, occasionally thrusting the spear with a few slashes, aiming to catch Igneal off guard. Due to the lizardman’s superior height and length, it was challenging to get close enough to retaliate. However, this did not deter Igneal. In fact, the more the leader slashed, the more opportunities it created for Igneal to find an opening.

Even while being controlled, it still retains its shameful skills with the spear?

Igneal was thoroughly unimpressed by the spear skills of the lizardman leader. In comparison, even a starving peasant displayed better proficiency. The leader’s stance and form were seriously lacking, making Igneal wonder if the mind control was hindering its fighting abilities or if it simply had a natural ineptitude for weapon expertise. It was no surprise that they relied heavily on their natural abilities and sheer numbers. They had yet to encounter someone capable of defeating them in combat. Fortunately for them, Igneal was more than willing to oblige and demonstrate just how far out of their league these fools truly were.

Finally, Igneal saw a chance to act, the tip of the lizardman leader’s spear flying a little too close for comfort. The leader stumbled back with a grunt and looked down, as if noticing that a great opportunity had been wasted. Igneal dared not let that chance slip and quickly closed in, using the brief delay to launch an assault. With a thrust of his own, he aimed straight for the leader’s heart.

We can’t just kill them.

Tyrus’s words rang out in Igneal’s mind. In that split second, he clicked his tongue and aimed for the leader’s shoulder instead. The blade sank into its flesh, drawing forth a grunt. With a hasty tug, Igneal wrenched the blade back out and tried to go for another thrust, but the reptile used the shaft of its spear to knock him aside.

Heaving in a breath of air, Igneal rolled to the side, avoiding a swing of a scaly tail that aimed to bash into him. The lizardman leader lashed its tongue at him before hefting its weapon to swing down again, but this time, Igneal was ready. Using his hand, he aimed for the face and unleashed a torrent of flames, causing the reptile to reel back, covering its eyes with a claw.

“Kssss!”

The lizardman leader swung its spear in a desperate attempt to deter Igneal from advancing. That action only led to the opposite as Igneal parried the spear away and released a mote of fire. The flames smacked the lizardman in the face again, eliciting another shriek. However, instead of staggering back, the leader spun in a circle and swatted its tail against Igneal. Pain ripped through his left arm as a pathetic cry escaped his throat.

He struggled to hold back a grimace, yet he maintained a defiant glare at his opponent, even as it readied another spear lunge. Moving his left arm felt strenuous, so Igneal backpedaled and constructed a line of fire between himself and the reptile. This time, Igneal sacrificed height and power for length, so that the flames stretched as long as three adult men.

The fire seemed to serve its purpose, given that the leader halted its attack and leapt over it, just as Igneal had wanted. Of course the reptile decided that jumping over the flames was better than outright running through it or walking around. They were simple-minded creatures that didn’t seem to realize that there was no need for that, unable to formulate an efficient strategy to counter. That mind control only dulled its judgment even further.

Before the leader could land, Igneal raised his blade and conjured forth Flame Arrow. Flames coalesced into the form of an arrow, painting the fog in a vivid reddish-orange before flying into the lizardman's stomach. Upon impact, the arrow burst into a vortex of flames, swallowing the reptile in an eruption of heat. Among the crackling and sizzling, Igneal could barely make out a screech before the creature plummeted to the ground. Just for good measure, he surrounded the creature in a circle of flames—this time sacrificing length and power for height—creating a makeshift prison resembling a bird cage.

"If I can't kill you, then I'll leave you trapped in my Fire Prison," Igneal said before spitting to the side. "You'll get out of there yourself if you have the strength, but I highly doubt it."

Now that that's finished, he should go see what's taking his friend so long. In his fight with the lizardman, he felt brief explosions of mana alongside green bursts of light. If he had to guess, he was probably battling that Shaman. With that lizardman subdued, there was only one more lesser being to defeat. After that, nothing should be interrupting their journey to the artifact so long as Sir Geroth hadn't already dealt with it. Given that the royal knight was taking ages to pop out, he must be dealing with it at this moment.

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Igneal moved his arm slightly and groaned. "Can't believe I let that dumb lizard get a good hit on me. I'll need more training against spearmen. Master Hulford should suffice."

Igneal reached into his collar and pulled out a necklace with a red coin. Engraved on the front was an orange flame, the insignia of the Lockhart House. With a single tap, out came a glass vial filled with an amber-colored liquid. He unscrewed the cork with his teeth and spat it aside before downing the whole vial. Within moments, he felt a warm and soothing sensation course through him. For good measure, he tossed aside the vial and moved his injured arm. There was some soreness and pain, but soon washed away until it was no longer a bother.

"Hmph. While I despise using potions, I can admit their benefits. "

As Igneal approached his makeshift prison of fire, the flames receded upon command and died out, revealing the unconscious body of the lizardman. Though he preferred the creature to be dead, immobilizing it was the next best thing. Usually, sparing those that had the gall to threaten the life of a Lockhart would meet a swift end.

Igneal failed to see why sparing their lives mattered. What would sparing these weaklings accomplish? When everything all said and done, they'd wake up and attack the nearest person they see. And who's to say the mind control wasn't permanent? First, Igneal concluded they were under control because of the black mist their pupils emitted and the dark sorcerer's words before the attack.

Nothing would be gained from holding back other than a spear through his chest. He had made that mistake before, and it resulted in him losing against a newborn sorcerer. In a friendly duel. If a father had seen their son losing terribly, their opinion of them would plummet. It was even worse with his background. Just thinking about that loss still prickled at his mind.

Even through all that, why did he hesitate in killing the leader? He had gotten close enough for his blade to pierce its heart. And as if his hand had a mind of its own, it settled for a nonlethal blow. A lowly beast's life ripe for the taking, to be rid of vermin that dared chase him across the Wasteful Wetlands. Running as if he were a mouse should never occur to a Lockhart. Yet that commoner's plea deterred him from finishing it once and for all.

Suddenly, a glare of light flashed through the air, cutting through the fog in an instant. Igneal swiftly pivoted, eyeing a dramatic show of green and blue colliding, and then disappearing. He even spotted two figures being the culprits. One of them had to be the Shaman, and the other...

"How did he get in the air?" Igneal mumbled, watching as the two descend. "No, that doesn't matter. Might as well check how many bones he's broken from the fall."

Igneal pushed his necklace back inside his collar and began making his way towards the falling Tyrus. He wasn't that far to begin with, maybe twenty second of jogging to reach him. That damn lizard leader got him rolling around on hard rocks for way too long. The outfit he had on was as good as trash to him.

The moment Igneal passed by a boulder, his heart raced out of his chest. Startled, he quickly moved back as he saw a spear flying straight towards him. With a thud, he crashed onto the hard ground, his body sliding across the rough rocks, all while he muttered curses to himself.

A look of surprise crossed Igneal's face as a lizardman suddenly appeared from behind a large boulder, its eyes chillingly cold. Another one followed closely behind, and then another. In no time, lizardmen started popping up, coming out from different rocks in the vicinity. Igneal recognized them as the ones swimming in the water earlier until Tyrus wiped them all out. Or so he thought.

He quickly got to his feet and lifted his sword. "This many survived? Did he hold back his power back then?"

Igneal counted at least twelve filthy lizards surrounding him. Usually, such numbers wouldn't pose a problem for him. But as much as he hated to admit it, he was running out of mana. Using his magic throughout the exam has thoroughly drained him, and he used up a lot when he set that entire fishing village on fire. The potion he drank from only healed him from physical ailments. He didn't have any on him that could replenish some of his reserves.

Nevertheless, that didn't imply he would lose. After all, what good would his swordsmanship serve if he neglected to use it? A sorcerer without mana might be useless, but a sorcerer wielding a blade would certainly be threatening.

A spear whistled past Igneal's ear, prompting him to spin on his heels. He brought his blade up to parry away another spear before summoning a flame to push a lizardman back. It snarled and backpedaled from the fire, which Igneal expected. Without wasting a moment, he whirled around a rock and created a fiery wall to his right, preventing any reptile that dared attack his blind spot. Then he turned just in time to see four lizardmen greet him with a hiss.

Using his free arm, Igneal spewed forth a stream of flames to disperse the incoming attackers. His magic consumed three of them, sending them rolling around in a fit of screeches, while the last one rolled across the ground. He expected them to immediately rush forward with reckless abandon, but this was a surprising change. Instead of launching more spears at him, they decided to encircle him and prevent any escape.

A smile slowly appeared on Igneal's lips as he formulated his plan. Without hesitation, he swung his sword to the left of the lizardmen. As the blade sliced through the air, mana gathered at its tip, creating a powerful surge of flames that towered over two grown men. With a swift motion, he replicated the same fiery barrier to his right. Now, the lizardmen found themselves trapped within a blazing prison, their options limited to either foolishly charging through or attempting a risky leap over the flames.

Sweat streamed down his face, and his knees buckled, yet Igneal brushed it aside. His concern lay more with the blood rushing through his ears, sounding almost as loud as his heart thumping in his chest. Creating a fiery barrier demanded more mana and energy than he expected. This marked the first occasion he had summoned such a multitude of flames in such a brief span, and it required an even greater amount of exertion. That he exerted himself to such lengths for a group of weaklings left a sour taste in his mouth, yet he couldn't help but be intrigued by something.

How much power was needed to bring them to the brink of death?

The lizardmen huddled closely, resembling a flock of sheep in a pen, desperately avoiding the scorching flames. However, once they recognized the futility of escaping, their attention shifted towards the spellcaster accountable for their predicament. With a synchronized snarl, their fangs bared and they charged at Igneal with lethal determination. Observing this spectacle, Igneal merely scoffed and nonchalantly lowered his blade.

"How simple," he chuckled as mana swelled over his outstretched hand.