The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 369: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, - 4: Follower of the Great Mysterium Sect_2

Chapter 369: Volume 7: The Awakening Spring Thunder, Chapter 4: Follower of the Great Mysterium Sect_2

"Sir Knight, I think you might be overstepping your bounds. Whether or not we are practitioners of the dark arts is none of your concern, and even more so, whom we choose to worship is our freedom. Not everyone in the world believes in your Church of Light. Do you plan to kill them all?" the man on the right asked with a mocking smirk. "Wouldn’t that make the Church of Light too domineering? Is this how you misinterpret the equality, love, and tolerance preached by your church?"

"Humph, no matter how eloquently you speak, the honor of the Church of Light is beyond your dark ilk’s slander. Gentlemen, it would be best if you came with me willingly. I hope the God of Light will cleanse your hearts shrouded in darkness and evil," Thunderhorse Knight said, his gaze firm with his leisurely demeanor, seemingly not taking the matter at hand seriously at all.

"And what if we refuse to go with you, Sir Knight? What do you plan to do then?" the man on the left asked with a mocking tone, "We are here in the Caucasus for our own reasons. Surely we cannot abandon our endeavors simply because you command it."

"Insolence!" Knight Jep’s face flashed with anger. He could detect the defiance and mockery in the other’s words, a clear sign they did not regard him at all. Even though these two were not simple characters, Jep had already determined in his heart that he could not tolerate such arrogance in his presence, "If you are unwilling to honor my invitation, I will be compelled to utilize a less pleasant method to extend it."

"Oh, is that so? We’d be quite interested to see what unpleasant means you’d employ against us, Sir Knight." As soon as the words left their mouths, the two men in black flowed backward a few steps with a peculiar grace, obviously on guard against a sudden attack.

"How foolish to kick against the goads, you only dishonor yourselves!" Knight Jep moved swiftly, lunging towards the man on the left, but he quickly encountered resistance. A surge of black mist spewed from the man’s sleeve, oddly distorting the space before him. Jep could see the other’s distorted figure through the space—a "Dark Binding"!

His body twisted and turned in disbelief, barely dodging this treacherous ambush. Jep no longer underestimated his opponents, effortlessly casting the "Dark Binding," a spell of dark nature. Had he not been quick-witted and extensively trained in martial arts, his comrades in the knight’s regiment might not have been able to escape this deadly and unforeseen strike.

The "Dark Binding" was not an inherently malicious spell, but for a knight of the Church of Light, being struck by such an antithetical spell meant many magics that relied on light magic power would become largely unusable. Although this dark art did not significantly affect the physical body, it greatly restricted the use of opposing magics— an excellent strategy for dark magic practitioners against those of the light. Jep had been prepared for it, but he had not expected the opponent to cast it so deftly; he hadn’t even sensed the fluctuation of magic power when the spell was cast.

After evading the "Dark Binding," Jep no longer harbored any leniency in his heart. The Knight Longsword in his hand drew a stunning arc of light, cleaving everything before him and passing through the body of the man in black without resistance, bisecting him. But Jep quickly realized something was amiss; the insubstantial feeling when his sword light passed through the body made Jep instantly aware it was an illusion cast by the opponent. At the same time, the other man in black flicked his fingers in succession, and the air stirred with another surge of magic, an ominous chill enveloping them.

"Shadow Arrow!" Countless arrows, whose greyish hue in the air was almost visible, materialized out of thin air; the water elements in the air rapidly condensed and suddenly exploded forth, targeting a Thunderhorse Knight somersaulting through the sky.

The Ice Magic seemed to have reduced the temperature of the entire space by several times. So cold that it made one shiver, the exploding arrow silhouettes brought about a piercing shriek, like real arrow cries, startling Knight Jep. A translucent wave of Light Shield quickly rose around Jep’s body. He didn’t hesitate to meet the attack head-on. The arrow silhouettes fiercely struck the Fighting Qi’s shimmer, generating an intense bursting sound. The Light Shield dimmed in color, but ultimately it held firm. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Thunderhorse Knight dived in for the kill, raising his long sword and unleashing a vast Sword Qi, sweeping across like a river’s torrent.

"Ah!" The black-clad individual who cast the Ice Magic clearly hadn’t anticipated that his opponent would charge without even attempting to dodge. The Sword Qi, capable of tearing anything asunder, instantly filled the space. Now it was too late to cast a protective spell, and it would be difficult to withstand this formidable physical attack. However, the black-clad person was no ordinary individual either; with a fierce stamp of his foot, the thick mud suddenly revealed a large depression. A cloud of flying mud instantly concealed the attacker, who vanished from sight. The Sword Qi left furrows in the mud as it passed over, and a slightly raised trail quickly moved from the depression toward the distant bushes, seemingly about to disappear into them.

Jep was surprised once again. He hadn’t expected that the two members of the Great Mysterium Sect he had encountered this time were highly skilled individuals. Elemental Magic came easily to their hands. Ice Magic was not surprising; a Mage who practiced Dark Magic might know a trick or two in other Elemental Magic as well, which was quite normal. However, this earth-based escape technique was the go-to method within Earth Magic for evasion. Although not perfected in this person’s hands, a Great Mysterium Devotee who could wield Ice Magic and deftly perform earth-based escape art was indeed alarming. That such a master had appeared in this remote Caucasus region, with motives unclear, was even more worrying.

Whether it was his sigh or his surprise, it did not affect the Thunderhorse Knight’s judgment and subsequent attacks. The previous individual had long vanished using illusions, and now this one had pulled the same trick right under his nose. If he didn’t teach them a lesson, they might think the Church of Light weak. Jep charged forward, stepping through the air, his right hand’s sword light bursting forth once more, executing three consecutive cross-blocks. Six silver-white Sword Qis detached from the sword’s body, diving towards the ground, aimed at the escape path of the sect member. His left hand was also busy, with countless sparkling Light Balls forming and launching in quick succession, in a wide arc perfectly covering the rapidly moving mud.

A series of explosive sounds rang out in quick succession on the ground, shaking it violently, just as Jep wished to see. The raised area of the mud shifted direction continuously after being targeted by the Chain Bead Light Ball Technique, evidently looking for a more suitable escape route. Yet, this did not prevent the damage caused by the explosive tremors. Jep saw the mound of mud tremble several times, clearly indicating that the Light Ball explosions had inflicted significant harm. However, Jep also admired his opponent’s courage. Even in such a situation, he persisted towards the bushes—a pre-selected escape route. However, under injury, continuing to use such an escape art was risky; a moment of inattention could mean being buried alive within the mud—an inherent danger in earth-based escape arts.

Although the long sword had been sheathed, the Thunderhorse Knight’s right hand still firmly gripped the hilt. Jep’s sharp gaze searched the surroundings, his Spiritual Sense racing across the ground. After some time of calm, Jep sighed. It seemed that these two sect members had finally slipped from his grasp. He hadn’t expected them to escape using the earth-based technique; evidently, he had underestimated the pair.

Bursts of heavy and rapid footsteps accompanied by several sharp whistling sounds arose in the distance. Without needing to guess, Jep knew it was the footsteps of the Caucasus Lord’s Patrol Guard. They seemed quite efficient, to have noticed the disturbance so quickly. But always a step behind, for the guard would never catch up to him. Shrugging his shoulders, he took a step and vanished at the edge of the forest.