Shen could only watch in horror as both Kai and Adeline were swept by the river further downstream. He bit his lip as he could not even escape his own predicament, not to mention going to their rescue. He stole a glance at Jean. Beads of sweat were trickling down her forehead as she laboured to keep her barrier strong against the ruthless attacks of the hobgoblins. Shen knew that she would probably only last for another minute or two and his normal ammunition weren't hurting these guys deeply enough.
Shen took a breath and tried to calm himself down. After all, he had already wasted 10 bullets in his panic to get the hobgoblins away from him. He was lucky that Jean's barrier was strong, otherwise they would have already been ripped apart by now. He silently cursed the fact that power was not his forte when power was what's required at the moment. After all, those shooting lessons he attended in the Academy only prioritised accuracy and control over power.
Suddenly, a wave of inspiration struck him. If warriors could channel mana through their weapons to enhance their offensive power, couldn't he do likewise for his rifle? Shen admitted he didn't put in too much effort during his swordsmanship and unarmed combat classes, but he did grasp the basics of letting one's mana flow out.
Shen closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as he allowed his mana to flow out from his hands to envelop his rifle and the bullet within, just like how he would have done with a sword. Mana armament on a weapon always required a little visualisation to work. When he was ready, his eyes flickered open as he quickly took aim at a hobgoblin's head, pulling the trigger.
BANG! The bullet, empowered by Shen's mana, pierced right through the forehead of the hobgoblin and the trunk of a nearby tree. The second hobgoblin momentarily stopped its attacks as it was shocked to see its companion killed so easily. It simply couldn't comprehend how its companion was killed by an attack that previously failed multiple times.
The remaining hobgoblin roared angrily as it raised its sword high in the air, determined to smash through Jean's barrier and kill Shen within. It didn't get the opportunity though, as Shen, having become familiar with infusing his rifle with mana from his first attempt, quickly put a bullet through its head as well.
Shen thought, "Fascinating, to think that even rifles can be empowered with mana, now all I need is to learn how to regulate and control my mana emission to increase the piercing power of my shots." Both Jean and he heaved a sigh of relief as Jean deactivated her barrier since the immediate danger was over. Shen turned his eyes towards the direction where Kai was flung into the river, only to have his eyes widen in horror…
Meanwhile, Julian and Julia were struggling in their respective battles as they were simply overpowered by their opponents, being sucked into their rhythm completely. Julian was frantically racking his brains for a way out of his conundrum as he analysed the situation before him while fending off the hobgoblin's blows. The hobgoblin was superior to him in terms of physical strength and even speed despite its bulk, but Julian wasn't going to back down so easily.
Refusing to play its game, Julian concentrated more mana onto his sword which erupted into stronger flames. He shouted, "Take this! [Flame Strike]!" as he swung his sword of flames against the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin blocked his attack with its own sword, but that was part of Julian's plan. Upon collision, Julian emitted more flames and the clash between both swords gave rise to a forward momentum that pushed his flames forward, burning the hobgoblin badly.
The hobgoblin roared in pain as it took a few clumsy steps back, being stunned by Julian's attack. Julian quickly took the chance to follow up with a quick slash across its body. "Eat this! [Flame Sever]!" Julian shouted as the flames surrounding his sword suddenly wrapped tightly around the blade, increasing its sharpness and heat as it sliced through the hobgoblin's torso with ease. The hobgoblin could only roar in torment as its upper torso was dismembered, exploding into flames thereafter.
Julian let out a sigh as he knew that he was successful in defeating his opponent. He needn't wait long for his sister to wrap up her battle as well. Julia cried, "If I can't beat you with power, I'll just have to beat you in speed!" as she swung her sword towards her enemy.
The hobgoblin easily blocked her first strike but that was only meant as a distraction as Julia quickly created several afterimages of her sword, striking the hobgoblin at different angles so quickly that it couldn't defend against her relentless assaults. When she finally stopped, her opponent was already completely mutilated thanks to her Wind-empowered sword which had much boosted sharpness to its blade.
The siblings high-fived each other, congratulating each other for their respective victories. However, the joy was short-lived as they saw Shen and Jean running hysterically towards them.
Shen, who was usually calm, was pale like a ghost as he pointed towards the direction he had ran from. The four watched on in horror as they saw a huge red hobgoblin wielding a giant steel hammer. It was surrounded by several other hobgoblins, which numbered around 30.
Shen cursed silently, "Damn…we had so much trouble just fighting a handful of them and now an entire platoon shows up. Not to mention that their leader looks far more menacing than them. Retreating is not an option, they can easily outrun us. Guess all we can do is to fight to the death."
Julian forced a smile and said, "I believe that this can be described as knocking on death's door, right? If death's gonna come then we're going to take a few of them down with us. Give the word, commander." as he nudged Shen. Shen replied, "Very well, I can only pray that Kai and Adeline get out of this alive. It's been nice being friends with you all. Let's go!"
Julian and Julia activated their elemental magic and charged forward as they let out a war cry. Jean could only spare time to wipe a single tear off her eye as she quickly erected a barrier surrounding Shen and her. The hobgoblin chief let out a deafening roar as he rallied his minions forward.
Soon enough, the battlefield became chaotic with fierce exchanges between both sides. Julian and Julia sent out wave after wave of [Combination Magic - Firestorm] that was successful in incinerating a few of the hobgoblins. However, they were swiftly overwhelmed by the sheer number of hobgoblins which separated the twins. On Shen's end, he managed to take out a few hobgoblins with his mana-enhanced headshots, but soon enough, the hobgoblins surrounded Jean and him and started hammering against her barrier.
The situation turned bleak very quickly as despite their valiant efforts, the four simply did not possess sufficient power to push their enemies back. Julian had killed a few more hobgoblins with his [Flame Sever] spell, but he was struck by a couple of slashes as well. Julia was not faring any better as she had her fair share of injuries despite taking out some enemies.
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The barrier protecting Shen and Jean looked like it was going to break before Shen could dispatch all the enemies surrounding them. This was made worse by the fact that the hobgoblin chief had yet to make a single move. All 4 of them wore exhausted and resigned expressions on their faces, as they simply knew they couldn't and shouldn't care anymore. After all, a miracle is not going to come…right?
"To think they had sent us here to clear their mess, what a drag!" a man with yellow messy hair complained as he twirled his pistol. Another man who was bald and had his eyes perpetually closed, replied in a soft tone, "Well, accidents like this do happen. The Adventurers' Association had after all just received an information update that a dangerous alchemist was spotted in the area. Our job is to take that guy out while ensuring the safety of the students from Zion Academy that had accepted a related quest in this area."
The man with yellow hair grumbled, "Of all people, why us? There're a lot more groups out there capable of handling this mundane task." A third man with white hair who wore a black cloak replied, "I'm getting sick of your complaints, Shaw. We were activated since we were the group nearest to Prairie Village. Anyway, what's the status now, Keith?"
The bald man replied, "Hhhm… I sense quite a number of mana signatures to the North of here, but a rather strong one to the South following the river. What should be our next course of action, Ray?" A 4th individual dressed in a simple shirt and long pants with short black hair replied, "You guys take care of the monsters in the North, I think that's where the kids are most likely located. I'll handle the alchemist, who should be hiding in the South. I guess he wouldn't expect us to have a sensor as proficient as you, right, Keith?"
Keith rubbed his bald head and answered embarrassingly, "Hahaha, you flatter me too much. You sure you'll be fine alone, Ray?" Ray nodded and disappeared in a flash. Shaw frowned, "Tch! Hogging all the fun to himself once again! What do you think, Frost?"
The man with white hair, Frost, replied stoically, "He has his reasons. After all, can we really question a member of the 10 Saints, our leader? If you've no further questions, let's get a move on, I don't wish to risk the safety of those inexperienced kids." The trio quickly increased their pace towards their objective.
Shen was just about to give up when he saw a huge blast of mana rip through the hobgoblins before him. Before he could recover from his surprise, another few more blasts of mana shot straight at the hobgoblins, decimating them. However, Shen had his own problems to handle, as the remaining hobgoblins only intensified their attacks on Jean's barrier, causing it to crack rapidly.
Just before it gave way, a bald man armed with a staff suddenly appeared next to Shen and Jean. He said in a warm tone, "Good job up to now, little lady. Stay in this barrier and watch how a real support holds his own against his enemies." He quickly erected a new barrier around Shen and Jean as he dashed out to engage the hobgoblins.
Expertly twirling his staff, the bald man launched a few well-timed jabs at the hobgoblins, pushing them away before chanting, "[Light Barrage]!" as several bullets of light pierced through the bodies of the unfortunate hobgoblins, killing them.
Capitalising on the change in momentum of the battle, Shen took aim and channelled his mana through his rifle, expertly taking out a few hobgoblins that were surrounding Julian and Julia. A man with yellow messy hair walked up to Shen and said, "Impressive, you seem to grasp the basics of gun empowerment. When you reach my level, you would realise that ammo's simply a waste of money, the key is imagination and concentration." as he casually released a large blast of mana from his twin pistols, destroying the hapless goblins caught in the blast without a trace.
Shen looked in awe as the stranger continued blasting more hobgoblins without breaking a sweat. He really wanted to grow stronger in his use of the rifle and this man before him would be the perfect teacher.
Julian and Julia were reinvigorated by what they've seen as they dispatched a few more of their assailants. Suddenly, a large shadow appeared under Julia as she realised that the hobgoblin chief had swung his hammer towards her. Julian cried, "Sis!" as Julia closed her eyes, preparing herself for the inevitable.
BAM! The hobgoblin chief yelped in pain as it was casually kicked away by a man with white hair. The newcomer turned to look at the twins and said, "You guys are brave, I must admit. However, you fight poorly as spell knights, over-relying on your magic. Sometimes, mastering the basics of your weapon will help you improve a long way."
He turned back to face the hobgoblin chief who had recovered from the attack. The chief roared in anger as he charged at the stranger, taking frenzied swings with its giant hammer. The stranger simply dodged each swing with minimal effort while commenting, "Being strong is not only about power and speed. It's also about being efficient and insightful, studying your opponent's every move to determine the right time to attack."
The stranger's eyes widened as he found the perfect opportunity to counter-attack just as the chief was about to perform an overhead swing. He muttered, "Chill through bone, [Frostfang]." as cold air gathered in his right hand, forming a sabre made of ice.
In a flash, he knocked the hammer out of the chief's arms before finishing with a vertical downward slash from head to toe of the chief. The hammer crashed into the ground with a large THUD sound as ice started seeping out from the chief's wound, eventually encapsulating its entire body in ice.
All it needed was a little nudge from the stranger's elbow to shatter the frozen body of the chief hobgoblin. Julian and Julia could only watch on in amazement at how easily the chief hobgoblin was disposed of, not to mention that the stranger emerged unharmed.
After gathering back together, the 3 strangers started introducing themselves. The man with white hair said, "I'm Frost, the baldy is Keith and the messed up dude over there is Shaw." Shaw angrily turned to face Frost before being restrained by Keith who was laughing it off. Shen performed introductions on behalf of his group and thanked Frost once again for their intervention.
He then said, "Mr Frost, if you guys don't mind, I've another favour to ask of you guys." Frost replied, "There's no need to be so formal. Frost would do. Anyway, what's this favour you speak of?"
Julian interrupted, "2 of our friends have been swept by the river downstream, we're hoping you could accompany us to look for them." Keith, who usually had his eyes closed, opened them slightly while remarking, "Downstream?" before Frost stopped him and replied, "Not to worry, one of my companions is headed in that direction. We'll notify him to keep a lookout for your 2 friends. Anyway, you guys are in no shape to carry on. Let Keith take a look at all your injuries, he's our healer after all."
Keith's face returned to its normal cheery disposition as he said, "Right, your injuries need immediate attention, especially you two, Julian and Julia." He began performing healing magic on Julian and the rate of recovery of his deep wounds served to prove Keith's expertise as a healer. Jean quickly said, "I'm a healer too! Let me help!" as she knelt beside Keith and started treating the minor wounds suffered by Julian.
After everyone's injuries were treated, Frost instructed, "Shaw and Keith, you guys bring these kids back to the village first, I'll go link up with our leader." Shen said, "Wait! Frost, is there any way we can get into contact with you guys in the future? I-I really want to grow stronger and I feel that you guys would be the best instructors!"
Shaw replied sarcastically, "You guys are still too weak to be asking for our help, graduate from Zion Academy first before thinking of approaching us." Looking at Shen's resolute gaze, Frost gave a warm smile and issued Shen a card with a logo of a cross imprinted on it.
Frost said, "When the time's right, show this card to the Adventurers' Association, they'll get into contact with us. You kids have a lot of potential, but we may not make good teachers despite our capabilities. Especially Shaw." Shaw was about to punch Frost for his rude remark before being restrained once again by Keith who was laughing. Shen's eyes widened when he saw the logo on the card as he recognised it instantly. This was the symbol of the S-Rank group, Saint Cross!