"Now's the time! All together!"

Amidst the curtain of rain, two scouts from the HoundGuards, their feet stepping on surging water orbs that sped them up, suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to use their size and numerical advantage to pin down the reachable, white-haired, frail boy to the ground.

"I've got him! No, wait... Damn! It's just a piece of clothing!"

But they fell heavily to the ground, clutching only a ragged cloak that couldn't even be considered a piece of cloth.

"I saw him, this way!"

"Are you blind?! I saw him run towards this alley with my own eyes!"

Disagreement between another two scouts specializing in reconnaissance nearly led to a conflict, but the sudden appearance of the white-haired figure in a third direction, different from where they were pointing, silenced them.

"Damn it! Every time we're about to catch him, we lose sight of the target... Is this an illusion?"

"Who cares what it is, keep chasing! He can't keep casting spells at this high intensity!"

After fully recovering his strength through Breathing Exercises and meditation, Julius once again employed the mysterious footwork of the Opaline Drizzle style, darting and weaving through the rain, appearing and disappearing, elusive as a phantom.

Even though the pursuing HoundGuards scouts, a group of seven, all possessed elemental magic for movement and were faster than Julius, their relentless pursuit did not deter him. Utilizing the terrain and his rich combat experience, he continuously misled them, diverting their attention and escaping their encirclement unscathed time after time.

"Let's forget about the capture alive order! This guy definitely has tricks up his sleeve, I swear I saw the Vice-Captain's sword at his waist when he turned the corner!" The scout who had torn off Julius's cloak warned.

This sword isn't that Pyromancer named Karl's own? And these HoundGuards have yet to realize Karl's death has something to do with me... Julius thought, simultaneously lowering his assessment of the HoundGuards' investigative skills.

"Cunning thief... Alright, Lethal force! Execute him on the spot!" declared the most seasoned of the seven, seemingly the leader of the HoundGuards, making a decisive decision.

The seven quickly shifted their formation and tactical alignment, maintaining their previous chase speed but now forming a neat V-shaped formation with the strongest among them leading. The energies of wind and water in the air began to stir as well.

Then, all seven put on a ring Julius had seen before - an amplifying Artifact of the HoundGuards, which could temporarily boost the user's Rank to a First-Ringed 6th-Star.

"Aqua Laminaris!"

"Ventus Turbinis!"

As the spells were chanted, additional Magestars lit up on their blue and green arcane rings, turning mana into spiraling wind blades and high-pressure water blades. In the hands of the lead scout, these merged into a twister as tall as two men, whirling with wind and water.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh*

image [https://img2.imgtp.com/2024/04/09/PRp7oJvt.webp]

The strong wind and rain roared as the twister compressed and elongated, eventually forming a lance-shaped spiral in front of the seven.

"Behold the technique we seven have developed, the Aquatic Cyclone Lance!" the leading HoundGuard scout shouted, his voice betraying his confidence in their victory.

It was well known that once this technique was employed, even a Second-Ringed mage like their Vice-Captain, without a specific defensive method, could not withstand it directly, let alone a Nivian boy who had been jumping around, unwilling to engage in battle.

Just a slight touch, and the water and wind blades contained within the deadly spiral would explode, shredding the frail boy's flesh into countless pieces, even piercing through him!

"Try dodging this!"

The tip of the Aquatic Cyclone Lance lifted off the ground, aimed directly at Julius's seemingly undefended back, and then roared forward!

*Shsshh—*

This destructive duet of water and wind traced a startlingly straight path through the air, closing in on Julius's back in a blink.

All pursuers fixed their gaze on this strike, as if they had witnessed the end of the chase. Yet, at the same time, they couldn't help but be puzzled.

With death so close at hand, why was the boy still so composed?

He continued to run forward, undisturbed by the deafening roar approaching him, his footsteps unceasing, only his right hand no longer swinging, slightly lowered, reaching towards his waist.

*Swish*

Under the howling of the water whirlwind spear, it should have been impossible, but the seven HoundGuards scouts seemed to hear the sound of a blade being drawn in unison.

*Tap*

Sprinting into a leap, turning in mid-air, Julius's movements were completed in half a breath, the elite straight sword of the HoundGuards in his hand had already been drawn, held in a bizarre posture behind him.

*Whoosh*

The seven HoundGuards scouts could only see Julius, leaping into the air, bending his body like a bow fully drawn in a strange posture, then suddenly flinging his whole body, flashing a shadow from his hand. Then he landed lightly, as if he had given up struggling, no longer moving.

*Boom—*

The next moment, the howling tornado exploded, countless sharp edges made of wind and water spread violently in a spiral trajectory around, etching numerous narrow, deep cuts on the streets and surrounding buildings, finally bursting into a large blur of mist, enveloping the whole block, making it impossible to see one's own hand in front of them.

"Good! Hit!" one of the HoundGuards scouts, believing he had succeeded, shouted with raised arm, almost able to imagine the thin boy being torn into pieces.

"Such a nimble white mouse... what a pity, no chance to capture him alive." another scout sighed lightly, worrying about the bonus likely to be reduced for not following mission instructions.

"Cough cough—haven't used this move in a long time, the consumption is a bit high." The slightly aged scout among them coughed a few times, quickly taking out some pills from the pocket of his uniform, popping them into his mouth to recover mana.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

This powerful force, capable of randomly cutting the greenstone-paved road even with its aftermath, was their greatest reliance, capable of temporarily tearing open the encirclement of the giant beast tide that attacked Ironwood three years ago. If it wasn't for the Nivian boy's peculiar movements and the possibility of escape, coupled with the strict orders from above to capture this individual, they would not have rashly used this move.

"Wait... something's off."

At that moment, another HoundGuards scout, his eyes covered with swirling water and emitting a blue light, drew everyone's attention with his words.

As the most skilled practitioner of rare visual enhancement magic among the seven, even the slightest "off" in his words was enough to make everyone on high alert again.

"Pius, have you discovered something?"

"I'm not sure. I only saw that the timing of the Aquatic Cyclone Lance's explosion was a bit early, and this mist is too dense, as if it was—"

*Pff*

Before he could finish explaining what he had seen, a soft sound accompanied by a sharp pain in the throat cut off the rest of his words, leaving only the sound of leaking air through a severed windpipe and coughing blood.

"Pius? What happened?! "

The mist still lingered, and in the extremely low visibility, the remaining six couldn't see clearly what had happened, only noticing the vague figure of Pius, the Hydromancer, clutching his neck and struggling not to fall to the ground.

"Quick! Use the wind to disperse the mist!"

"Our mana's drained a bit, can't stir up a significant wind right now!"

"Wait, who's that...?"

As they stared in horror, another figure slowly stood up next to Pius, a slender, short figure wielding a straight sword.

"Huff—" A long, heavy breath was exhaled from Julius's mouth, his Breathing Exercises quickly taking effect, causing the numerous small cuts made by the wind blades on his body to quickly stop bleeding and scab over, and his stamina, depleted from running, rapidly recovered.

"Damn it! He's still alive?!"

In that moment, the hearts of all scouts seemed to skip a beat, a chilling sensation crawling up their spines, making most of them instinctively take a step back.

*Step*

And in that moment of vulnerability, Julius seized the opportunity to burst forth again, spinning and leaping high into the air, swinging his sword with all his might towards the throat of another scout who was closest to him!

"Tsk!"

That HoundGuard scout, after all, was a well-trained elite. Seeing the flash of the sword, he immediately snapped out of his shock, quickly raised his hands to protect his neck with leather gloves reinforced with hard crawling armor plates.

But the sword in Julius's hand suddenly changed direction mid-swing, twisting in a serpentine arc from a slash to a stab, craftily bypassing the defense, and then a heavy, forceful thrust aimed directly at the unprotected abdomen of the scout!

*Clang*

"Hmm?"

Instead of the expected sound of blade piercing flesh, a strange clashing of metals was heard.

Though Julius had not invoked Unmatched Sword Intent, his thrust could easily penetrate ordinary armor. Yet now, it was completely blocked, the blade only penetrating slightly before being stopped by some highly resilient material just as it touched the scout's abdomen.

*Thud*

Seeing the pained expression turning fierce on the scout's face, arcane rings flashing, preparing some kind of counter-spell, Julius had no choice but to abandon his attack, kicking the scout in the eyes to disrupt his spellcasting, and flipping back to retreat with rapid steps to increase the distance.

"Ventus Turbinis!"

"Aqua Laminaris!"

Seeing Julius retreating, the other scouts quickly mobilized mana to cast spells in pursuit. However, in the dense, thick mist, they struggled to lock onto Julius's form. Their usual combat experience in predicting enemy movements was useless, causing their attack spells to fly about aimlessly, allowing Julius's silhouette and footsteps to vanish once more.

"He's escaped again!"

"Damn it... thinking of sneak attack again?!"

"All units regroup! Cover each other!" the leader of the scouts decisively ordered.

In just two breaths' time, the scouts quickly got ready, with the leader as the core, the remaining scouts formed a back-to-back circle, dragging along the still-bleeding Pius. All-out scouting magic was deployed, vigilant of their surroundings, while wind started to swirl, slowly dispersing the mist.

Meanwhile, Julius, hidden in the gap between buildings only ten steps away, suppressed his breathing through his techniques, quieter than the rain, while reassessing the situation.

Inner armor? Observing the slightly damaged tip of his sword, recalling the feel of the blocked thrust, he speculated, Steel wire woven... no, it must be some kind of special animal fiber... specifically designed to defend against sharp objects and beast attacks, no wonder they only defend their exposed heads and necks.

It seems the HoundGuards came well-prepared this time, with such targeted equipment. With his current physical strength and weapon, he was unable to break through their defense.

And that lethal combined spell, Aquatic Cyclone Lance. If not for Julius throwing the elite HoundGuards' straight sword with all his strength, accurately splitting the eye of the incoming twister, causing it to explode prematurely and using the sword's counter-spin to offset some of the spiraling water and wind blades directed at him, he wouldn't have escaped with just minor injuries.

Aquatic Cyclone Lance, aptly named, indeed a noteworthy combined technique, Julius nodded slightly, continuing to evaluate in his mind, But as the saying goes, the overly hard is easily broken. By focusing solely on attack power and speed, it compromises control and stability, making it easily disrupted.

After weighing his options, Julius decided to abandon his original plan in favor of a backup strategy.

While Julius silently revised his estimation of the HoundGuards from his hiding spot, the remaining six scouts were still in shock. What they thought was a simple task of capturing a petty thief had turned into a deadly ordeal!

"To withstand the Aquatic Cyclone Lance without defense and still possess such combat strength..." The leader of the scouts, experienced as he was, showed not much surprise, but his face was solemn as he activated his arcane ring, cycling through various speculations.

"Damn, the Ironmelt Silk couldn't hold up...," the scout Julius had slightly wounded looked incredulously at his chest, where the gray, dull silk threads had burst from the attacked spot, the tight feeling around his body notably lessened.

If hit a few more times, this minimal defense would completely fail, and he would surely die on the spot!

The scout captain also noticed this, the Ironmelt Spider Silk armor, capable of resisting even a giant bear's bite without penetration on the first try, was a type of rare item that couldn't be repaired once damaged, and the HoundGuards could only get a dozen or so pieces a year...

All signs indicated that the boy was not just an accidental Nivian scapegoat caught up in the situation; he was either the perpetrator behind the morning's attack on the HoundGuards squad or an even more dangerous individual!

"Deploy all counterattack and reconnaissance measures, and send out the distress flares," the scout captain ordered after only a moment's hesitation.

"Copy that."

*Click*

The scouts skillfully pulled out several spherical artificial Artifacts they carried, tossing them into the gaps of the surrounding streets. Upon impact with the buildings, they activated, emitting several red lights, like fireflies, sealing off the nearby streets and scouting around.

At the same time, magic was quickly brewed, with the elements of wind and water in the air becoming agitated, ready to be unleashed with a single incantation.

After preparing all this, a scout took out a tube and tossed it into the sky.

*Whoosh————*

The flare shot up into the air, turning into a bright red orb that emitted fluorescent smoke, rising to about the height of a ten-story building. It blinked rhythmically, alerting all HoundGuards in the city.

"The net is cast; come, let's see how you break through this time."

As the tense atmosphere of a final showdown enveloped them, the gradually dispersing fog revealed the tight defensive circle formed by the six scouts, constantly shifting formations. Their gazes and magic roamed through the clearing fog, attempting to catch any clue that might reveal Julius's position.

Everyone was on edge, fearing to miss any opportunity, their hands ready to deploy the remaining mana at any moment to respond to possible attacks. The air was charged with the tension of an impending explosion, like the calm before a storm.

If he attempted a stealth attack with that peculiar footwork, even if successful once, the remaining members would attack in unison, at least injuring him severely, making escape impossible.

And if he chose to hide and wait out their mana depletion, the HoundGuards' reinforcements would arrive long before then. A thorough search would surely locate him, subjecting him to a barrage of magical attacks.

"Aren't you going to show yourself?"

"He must still be nearby; once the Artifact-Surveillance Fireflies are deployed, no one can leave the area we've marked."

"Reinforcements are on their way; just hold on a bit longer..."

As time ticked by, with the relentless effort of the whirlwind, the fog finally cleared completely, and the pouring rain began to lighten. The visibility of the six scouts improved significantly.

They continued to scan their surroundings tensely, but aside from the marks left by the wind, rain, and magic, as well as the various artifacts they had deployed, there was nothing else.

This realization unsettled all the HoundGuards scouts, a bad feeling lurking in their minds, but they dared not let their guard down—until reinforcements arrived from various locations, looking puzzled, exchanging glances, and asking the scouts what had happened. They had no choice but to accept this humiliating truth.

The hunters, who had been pursuing their prey, not only nearly got killed by their prey's counterattack but now stood as foolish figures, boasting in front of an empty cage. And their quarry, the Nivian boy, had vanished without a trace long before they had even set their trap.