Chapter 31: A Fireball in Each Hand, An Assassin with Each Sword |
The charging Destiny Army soldiers looked up at the scene before them, utterly dumbfounded.
What... what is this?
Does this mage have infinite mana?
The next moment.
Fireballs descended from the sky like blazing meteors, carrying an aura of destruction as they streaked through the air toward the ground.
The power of the Fireball spell was immense. The first fireball struck the front ranks of the army, instantly erupting with a deafening explosion that made the surrounding ground tremble.
Scorching flames surged forth like raging tides, instantly engulfing nearby soldiers. Their bodies were charred black.
Screams and explosions intertwined as the stench of burning flesh filled the air.
More fireballs rained down like an unrelenting storm, instantly collapsing the army's formation into a chaotic sea of fire.
Evelos witnessed this scene and froze in place.
How can this be the Fireball spell?
This makes no sense!
This... this is simply unreasonable monstrous power!
...
Beside him, Evelos stared blankly at the sky filled with fireballs.
He's doing this alone?
How can someone cast Fireball spells to such an extreme degree?!
...
On the city walls, Holdo stood dumbstruck.
Asher beside him couldn't help remarking: "Do... do we even need to be here?
Young Master Jonas seems equivalent to an entire army by himself!"
He knew he had underestimated Young Master Jonas.
But never could he imagine the young master would be even more terrifying than expected.
If Charis and Evelos before them could be considered geniuses,
then that was merely the minimum threshold to be worthy of meeting Jonas!
...
Charis stared dumbfounded at Jonas, her eyes shining with admiration.
Lord Jonas!
He's truly incredible!
[Charis]
[Loyalty: 40%]
[Magic Ability Return: 8x]
...
Because of these overwhelming fireballs, the entire Destiny Army's advance ground to a halt.
Many soldiers, witnessing this hellish scene, didn't dare move forward.
This was the power of a mage on the battlefield.
Terrifying magical damage that could single-handedly decide the outcome of a battle.
This had been Evelos's former strategy.
Yet now Jonas completely overshadowed him.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Evelos struggled to stand.
He immediately ordered his trusted subordinates: "Go! Notify the Assassination Division - kill that mage on the walls!
And have the archers provide full support to the assassins.
Spare no cost - that mage on the walls must die!"
"Yes!"
Though mages could unleash tremendously powerful magic through incantations, their physical bodies were extremely fragile.
If a swordsman or assassin got close, their combat effectiveness would drop to nearly zero.
This was one of the most effective ways to deal with mages.
Assassins were fast with strong concealment abilities.
They naturally countered mages who required long chant times and had limited mobility.
Especially when supported by archers providing ranged attacks.
...
Upon receiving Evelos's order, the assassins sprang into action.
As the sole leader of the Assassination Division, Yakron possessed formidable strength.
Dozens of nobles and mages had fallen to his blades.
Looking at Jonas on the city walls, he revealed a cruel smile:
"Leave it to us...
No matter how powerful the mage, he still needs to chant spells to cast magic.
That frail body won't withstand a single strike from my blade."
Yakron divided his forces into three groups.
Two groups used the battlefield chaos as cover to swiftly approach Jonas on the walls.
He personally led the third group on a flanking route,
advancing toward the walls in an extremely inconspicuous manner.
This was the surest way to eliminate the enemy mage.
...
Meanwhile.
Jonas continued his magical bombardment from the walls.
Fireballs poured forth as if they cost nothing.
...
Slynda looked at Holdo and said:
"It seems we're not needed here..."
Asher: "This is the decisive power of a genius mage on the battlefield!
No wonder the lord always urged the young master to seek out mages."
"Seek out mages?
Only now do we see Jonas was the most powerful hidden mage all along."
Holdo immediately warned: "Stay alert.
Mages have frail bodies and are extremely vulnerable to archer fire and assassin attacks."
Slynda replied: "Father, you seem to have forgotten something.
Jonas's swordsmanship is the strongest among us - even Oliphina is no match for him.
If assassins come for him, aren't they just seeking death?"
Holdo: "..."
...
Thanks to his Bronze-rank swordsman perception,
Jonas quickly spotted the stealthy assassins approaching for the kill.
Taking two subtle steps back, his hand found the iron sword he'd prepared earlier, leaning against the wall's slope.
A smirk played on his lips.
Come!
After silently developing for so long, it's time for a killing spree!
...
The assassins moved like lightning,
scaling the walls with expert techniques.
They expected Jonas to hinder them with magic,
but to their surprise, he offered no resistance at all.
It seemed this prodigious mage lacked battlefield experience.
A mage letting assassins get close was like a fish waiting to be gutted.
...
Upon reaching the walls,
the assassins instantly charged Jonas, their poisoned daggers glinting coldly in the sunlight.
Facing multiple attackers,
Jonas didn't panic or flee like other mages would.
With a stomp, his body shot forward like a striking serpent, his hand snatching up the waiting iron sword.
The blade was razor-sharp, its cold gleam promising to shred any foe in its path.
This sight gave the charging assassins pause.
Wait...
This mage is fighting back?
Instead of running from close combat, he's charging at us with a sword?
Is he suicidal?
The assassins' lips curled into cold smiles as they accelerated,
closing in from all directions with trained precision,
leaving Jonas no chance of survival.
Yet in the next instant,
Jonas's figure blurred and vanished from their sight.
Whirlwind Slash Fourth Stage - Wind Concealment
A flash of sword energy, and his form disappeared as if merging with his blade's momentum.
The assassins only saw a blur.
Huh?
What?
No way!
How can a mage have such close-combat skills?
This is an elite swordsman!
By the time they realized, Jonas was already behind them.
His iron sword flashed like lightning, every stroke drawing blood.
Jonas moved with blinding speed, becoming a streak of sword light weaving through the assassins, each strike landing with lethal precision.
Whirlwind Slash - Wind Tracing
The assassins realized in horror that their prized speed and agility were utterly outmatched.
Every move Jonas made contained tremendous power and perfect control.
Soon,
the first wave of assassins lay slaughtered.
...
When Yakron finally reached the walls,
he found only corpses.
Jonas stood waiting, bloodied sword in hand, smiling at him.
That smile sent chills down Yakron's spine.
To eliminate so many assassins this quickly -
this man couldn't possibly be just a mage. He had to be at least a peak Black Iron-rank swordsman.
But what about those countless fireballs earlier?
To wield such powerful magic while possessing such formidable melee skills?
This... this...
This was simply monstrous!
...
In Yakron's moment of stunned hesitation,
a rain of arrows came streaking from behind,
whistling through the air toward Jonas.
The archers had launched their attack when the assassins struck.
Jonas sneered and charged forward instead of retreating,
his movement so fast it seemed to tear the air itself.
Just as the arrows were about to hit,
Jonas's sword swept out in a flash.
The blade met arrows midair, its sharp energy splitting them cleanly.
Then the sword whirled up a cyclonic barrier,
deflecting the entire arrow volley,
before its tip turned unerringly toward Yakron.
...
In that moment,
Yakron's mind went blank.
Without hesitation, he screamed at his remaining assassins:
"Run!"
But his order came too late.
Jonas's sword pierced through the air straight at Yakron,
who only had time for a final look of terror
before the blade ran through his chest.
Blood gushed as his body toppled backward off the walls.
Simultaneously, Jonas's sword energy continued unabated,
the air around him shredding into razor-sharp wind blades
that tore through the remaining assassins.
Screams filled the air.
This was the terrifying battlefield power of Whirlwind Slash,
the reason Asher had once been considered the army's top warrior.
...
The distant archers watched in shock.
They'd never seen such a powerful swordsman -
able to slaughter assassins instantly,
cleave arrows midair,
and shred enemies to pieces.
This defied all logic.
Wasn't this supposed to be a mage?
A fireball in each hand, an assassin with each sword?
...
Evelos, just brought back for treatment, witnessed this scene.
His face turned red with shock, coughing uncontrollably.
"This... *cough*... how?"
He... he's even a swordsman!
Someone who could single-handedly wipe out the entire Assassination Division.
That power - at least a peak Black Iron-rank swordsman.
How is this possible?
How can someone with such incredible magical talent also be such a formidable swordsman?
Evelos stood frozen in place.
If she'd once considered herself a genius,
now looking at Jonas's figure, her feelings were indescribably complex.
If Charis was merely at the threshold of being worthy to meet Jonas,
then she wasn't even fit to polish his boots.
No wonder he'd dismissed her Destiny so contemptuously.
No wonder he'd spoken of killing her mentor and taking the magic scrolls.
How... how could anyone possess such power?
...
On the walls,
Holdo was utterly dumbfounded.
He knew Jonas was strong,
but never imagined to this degree.
In such a short time?
How could his power grow so rapidly?
This was already Bronze-rank swordsman level!
He'd once marveled at Oliphina's rapid progress in challenging him.
Now he saw his son was the true monster among monsters.
...
Beside him, Slynda pressed her lips together silently.
Is... is this really my younger brother?
While Oliphina gazed at Jonas with shining eyes.
Master is so strong!
He must have trained incredibly hard in secret.
Even with great talent, no one improves this quickly without effort.
I must work harder too!
I must keep up with the young master.
Otherwise, when he reaches the pinnacle one day,
there might be no place left for me beside him.
...
On the city walls,
Jonas flicked his sword, shaking off the blood.
The blade gleamed coldly in sunlight as he turned to survey the battlefield below,
standing tall like a banner atop the walls.
Seeing how many enemy soldiers had retreated because of him,
Jonas knew morale was key in battle.
With the walls crumbling,
rather than defending this position,
it was better to charge while enemy morale was low.
Besides, his father's army specialized in assaults.
Taking a deep breath, Jonas suddenly raised his sword and roared:
"Charge with me!
Break their formation!"