Chapter 210: Rage

The confrontation between the leader and the assembled Master Knights had spiraled far beyond mere combat into a scene of utter devastation.

The Guild plaza was unrecognizable, transformed into a chaotic landscape of shattered stone and dust. Craters marred the ground, overlapping like grievous wounds that had been chiseled into the earth by an unyielding force.

The Guild building had suffered severe damage, its remnants collapsing inward to reveal jagged stone skeletons and splintered wooden beams jutting out at odd angles.

Surrounding buildings were half-buried beneath heaps of rubble and thick smoke. The bodies of both Adventurers and dark-clad knights littered the ground, some lifeless, some groaning in pain, and others rendered unrecognizable by the violence.

The air felt heavy, choked with a metallic tang of blood and the acrid scent of mana that had been pushed beyond its limits.

At the center of this chaos, the battle had reached its brutal pinnacle, underscoring a harsh truth of warfare: sheer numbers wouldn’t bridge the gap between ranks.

A 5-Star High-Level Knight possessed strength far beyond what a 4-Star Master Knight could muster; the disparity was akin to the difference between a tumultuous river and a fragile dam struggling to hold its ground.

The Master Knights fought valiantly, their desperation lending them a fierce coordination. Blades sliced through the air with precision, their auras blazing as they attacked from every angle.

They managed to land some blows, a shallow cut here, a gash across his side there, and even a strike that sent the leader briefly to one knee but none of it diminished his onslaught.

His movements remained coldly efficient, each counterstrike powerful enough to send even veteran warriors skidding across the broken terrain.

Their clash painted the plaza with flashes of violence, bodies blurring into motion, appearing and disappearing like phantoms in a deadly ballet.

Each time blade met aura, it exploded with a thunderous crash, shockwaves blasting outward and flattening what was left standing. Low-ranking warriors caught in the fray were thrown from their feet, tumbled across the rubble as though struck by an invisible force.

Deep scars stretched across the battlefield, revealing the raw power of attacks that cleaved through earth and stone as if they were mere clay.

The leader’s expression remained grimly composed, though traces of irritation began to creep into his features as the relentless waves of attacks pressed on. He assessed the situation coldly, concluding that this struggle was both inefficient and wasteful.

The Master Knights fought fiercely, but their resistance merely delayed the inevitable. With a subtle shift, he deflected one attack while launching two opponents backward in a spray of dust and debris.

Another attempted a surprise lunge from behind, aura blazing on his blade, only to be met with a harsh counter that shattered the man’s defenses and slammed him to the ground, cracking the stone beneath him.

“This is taking too long,” he thought coldly, scanning the battlefield, weighing distance, threat, and opportunity.

Just then hw felt a chill crawled up his spine, sharp and instinctive, a raw survival instinct screaming danger. Without a moment’s hesitation, he twisted his body at an unnatural angle, abandoning his attack mid-motion.

In an instant, the world blazed.

A massive flaming arrow whizzed past his head, so close that the heat seared his cheek and singed a strand of hair. If he had reacted even a split second later, it would have shattered his skull. The infernal projectile streaked away, detonating in a thunderous explosion that carved a deep crater into what remained of the plaza.

The leader landed lightly several meters away, narrowing his eyes as he steadied himself. Sweat beaded on his brow, despite the cool calculation in his mind. He tracked the trajectory of the attack back to its source.

There stood Sage. His robes billowed in the turbulent wind, stained with ash and dust, and he planted his mage staff firmly into the shattered ground before him.

The carved runes glowed fiercely, pulsing in rhythm with the mana swirling around him like a living storm. His eyes were blood-red, not just from strain, but from emotion, tears streaming down his face unchecked while his expression remained as cold as ice.

The air around him trembled, pressure building as his soul energy poured outward, warping the surrounding mana into chaotic currents.

He didn’t shout. He didn’t postulate.

“I’m going to kill you,” Sage said, his voice low, cold, and unwavering.

The leader stared at him for a long moment, then smirked, amusement flickering across his face as his gaze darted briefly to Mina’s bloodied form lying behind the mage.

“You?” he replied dismissively, mockery dripping from his tone.

“You’re a 3-Star Apprentice Mage. I am a 5-Star High-Level Knight. The gap between us isn’t something effort or emotion can bridge. You should be thanking me, truly; that little girl isn’t dead yet. But if you insist on throwing your life away, I’ll grant your wish. After I kill you, I’ll make sure she follows soon after. That way, you won’t be lonely.”

Sage’s expression didn’t falter. He didn’t react to the taunt or flare with rage. His gaze remained fixed, cold, distant, focused entirely on the man before him.

Without breaking eye contact, he addressed the Master Knights.

“You attack. I’ll support. I’ll create openings. Don’t hold back. Use everything you’ve got.”

The Master Knights exchanged quick glances, their exhaustion and injuries evident, but resolve hardened their expressions. They nodded solemnly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In perfect sync, their figures transformed into streaks of light as they surged forward, closing the gap in an instant. The leader positioned himself to intercept, his blade glinting as a violent pulse of energy radiated outward, meant to disrupt their approach.

And then Sage sprang into action.

Magic circles materialized around him with astonishing speed not one, not two, but three simultaneously, each perfectly synchronized.

This was triple casting at its finest.

Wind magic spiraled outward from the three circles, releasing razor-sharp blades of compressed air that sliced through the space between them with a deafening roar.

The leader twisted, managing to deflect one strike and evade another, but the third cut into his flank just as a Master Knight charged in from the opposite direction, their blade crashing against his guard.

The impact erupted like a cannon blast, shockwaves radiating through the air.

Sage didn’t hesitate.

Next, fire circles ignited as flames surged into pointed lances that shot forward in rapid succession. The leader was forced to adjust again, momentarily destabilized, just as another Master Knight attacked from above. Steel met steel with a clash.

Then came lightning, jagged bolts streaking down from the overhead circles, crashing down with such explosive force that they rattled the leader’s aura and unsettled his footing.

The battlefield morphed around Sage.

He didn’t charge in or engage in close combat; he commanded the chaos. Every spell he cast landed with precision, each designed to disrupt, redirect, or clear a path. When the leader attempted to counter, a wind blade knocked him off balance.

When he poised for a finishing blow, fire erupted between him and his target. When he tried to retreat, lightning struck decisively, pinning him in place.

The Master Knights seized the opportunity, launching seamless attacks through the openings Sage created. Their blades targeted the leader where he faltered, their collective aura flaring in sync, shifting from desperate defense into a coordinated offensive.

The leader’s smug expression began to fade, and for the first time, he felt the pressure mount, not just from overwhelming power, but from the relentless precision of the mage orchestrating the assault from behind.

Sage unleashed spell after spell without pause, magic circles igniting and fading in the blink of an eye, appearing beneath feet, behind shoulders, and above heads.

Wind, fire, and lightning wove together into a continuous barrage that reshaped the battlefield around him. Though his breathing grew heavier and sweat trickled down his face, his focus remained unshakeable.

Another triple cast sparked into life.

Wind spiraled upward in a powerful column, launching the leader into the air even as a Master Knight’s blade followed from below, aura ablaze. Fire detonated beside him mid-flight, and lightning crashed down immediately after.

The impact shook the very sky, sending shockwaves racing outward in wild rings.

The leader hit the ground with a thud, sliding across the cracked earth, and for the first time, his aura flickered unpredictably. Meanwhile, Sage was already focused on casting again.

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