Chapter 24: No wonder the princess would marry down

The chess room.

Master Shahelamu was very dissatisfied with Luosen's actions.

Although he had only released a dark canopy, it was a serious challenge to his authority!

If he did not immediately impose a heavy punishment, the deterrent force he had painstakingly built would be greatly weakened, and it would take much effort to restore.

Seeing him ride the flowing wind, weaving through the crowd like a swimming snake, he slightly narrowed his eyes: 'This kid's Wind Travel Technique is not bad.'

But although he appreciated it, his spellcasting motions did not pause for a moment.

He pointed his staff at the opponent's back, and in the blink of an eye the tip condensed a deep-purple light whip; the whip rapidly elongated, emitting a piercing 'whoosh' as it tore through the air like lightning, chasing the Wind-Traveling Baron and striking his back.

Intermediate Arcane Technique: Arcane Whip.

With superb casting skill, an intermediate-strength spell is almost released instantly.

Almost at the same moment, a layer of deep-blue arc-shaped flowing light suddenly appeared half a meter behind Luosen's back, within which countless runic light-shadows flowed.

It was the low-level Arcane Technique: Rune Light Shield.

'Pop!'

With a crisp ringing, the rune light shield and the arcane whip's energy collided; the tip of the arcane light whip sprayed a few purple sparks, but its main body did not dissipate.

The deep-blue light shield instantly gave way, shattering into countless points of light.

But Luosen's reaction speed was extremely fast.

He actually used the momentary delay of the rune light shield to perform a Wind Travel dodge, successfully avoiding the whip's aftereffects by a margin of less than ten centimeters.

Shahelamu's eyes narrowed: 'Not bad, kid, your reactions are really fast!'

Seeing him already drifting to the chess room's door, about to leave the mansion in the next instant,

Shahelamu snorted coldly: 'You want to run?'

He channeled his magic, locked his mind onto the target, silently chanted the incantation, and began to release a powerful high-level mental technique: Shahelamu Gaze.

This technique, created by Shahelamu himself, uses mental energy as its guide, ignoring physical obstacles in a straight line, and can directly strike a target behind a wall.

In theory, this technique can crush low-level mages; the moment it is released is the moment the opponent fails.

As for this, Shahelamu felt no psychological pressure.

Because in his eyes, Luosen was already a dead man; his actions might just let him die more happily.

But just then, he suddenly sensed a surge of magical energy within the chess room; his heart twitched slightly, and without needing to look, through his keen arcane sense he already knew what move the opponent was about to employ.

Low-level Arcane Shock: its power is not great, but it is highly condensed, its main effect being to interrupt spellcasting.

With that thought, he felt a fierce arcane energy surge coming toward him on its own.

Shahelamu gave a light hum: 'Childish!'

Living up to his reputation as Weilan's foremost Arcane Master, he used both mind and hand; raising his left hand, he instantly condensed a deep-purple arcane light shield.

The shield successfully blocked the Arcane Shock's energy.

Immediately clenching his five fingers, he sent an Arcane Shock of the same sort rebounding back at the opponent.

Meanwhile, as he defended and counterattacked, the light on his staff remained bright; the high-level technique Shahelamu Gaze suffered no interference whatsoever.

Only see the deep-purple arcane crystal, egg-sized, atop the pure white staff suddenly flare, releasing a great amount of runic light-shadows in a spherical burst into the surrounding void.

Shahelamu bellowed: 'Lie down, little Baron!'

'No!'

It was Selena's startled cry.

But immediately after, Luosen's laughter came from outside the chess room: 'Master, you're really enthusiastic, but there's really no need to send me so far.'

Shahelamu stared for a moment, then immediately understood the opponent's method; although he found the opponent disagreeable, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

'Nice Aegle Substitute Technique! Quite interesting!'

'Since we are both Weilan mages, I will no longer act against you, but the Blue Whale Mansion will no longer be open to you.'

'Thank you, Master.'

The voice came back from far away, already over twenty meters out; at the same time came a heart-rending scream.

Obviously, a fight had broken out outside the chess room, and at least one unfortunate soul had been killed.

But the problem arises: Luosen is just one person, while outside the door lies the garden plaza.

The plaza was already thick with Aaron Night Guards, numbering at least over twenty, each with at least intermediate cultivation.

Such an overwhelming advantage—why would anyone be killed? Master Shahelamu was very curious.

The victorious chess spectators were both fearful and curious.

Selena was both worried and curious.

For a moment, the curious people quickened their pace and poured out of the chess room; Selena mingled in the crowd and also hurried out.

The garden plaza was very spacious, but also had many decorative statues, flower beds, and landscape trees.

One could see a figure emitting a green light had already rushed out fifty to sixty meters, and was still racing at high speed toward an alley opposite the garden.

That was obviously the Baron of White Sturgeon Island.

But his path was not smooth; on the plaza, black-clad figures were scattered here and there.

They all jumped out from their hiding places and rushed forward to intercept.

At the very moment Selena rushed to the chess room's door, she saw two figures, one left and one right, moving to flank Luosen.

The left-hand figure moved with ghostly speed, almost impossible to see clearly; obviously a specially trained assassin.

The right-hand figure stood beside the rear of a war horse sculpture, his staff emitting a faint cyan glow, obviously a battle mage who was currently casting a disruption spell.

Selena's heart leapt to her throat: 'Be careful!'

At that instant, Luosen's body suddenly turned, and the knight's guard sword in his hand flew out at extremely high speed.

The sword shot like lightning toward the battle mage.

Buzz~~

A dark‑clad battle mage suddenly erupted a deep‑blue light membrane on his body, the effect of a lure‑hair crystal lattice device; the intermediate defensive spell "Crystal Barrier" stored within the lattice was triggered.

Strangely, the guardian knight's sword forced its way through the magical defense, slipped through a narrow gap in the opponent's armor, and with a "pop" pierced his neck, embedding more than twenty centimeters. "Ah~~~"

Another dying scream rang out, and the magical sword flew back into Luosen's hand; after he drew a dazzling sword flourish, it happened to block the dagger thrust by the assassin.

Two sharp "ding~~ding~~" sounds rang, and two sparks burst outward in all directions in the darkness, brilliant and strange.

A Low-level Mage, yet he used the magical sword to directly parry the assassin's weapon.

Judging by the assassin's displayed skill, his battle‑qi cultivation is at least intermediate, thirty percent stronger than a low‑level.

Before anyone who saw the scene could exclaim, Luosen suddenly lifted his foot and, seizing the initiative, delivered a heavy kick to the assassin's abdomen.

Bang!

A muffled thud sounded; the assassin was kicked back repeatedly by a mage, briefly losing his balance.

Clang~

The sword's ringing returned.

The knight's guardian sword transformed into a bolt of lightning that chased forward, plunged deep into the assassin's neck, and within an instant returned to Luosen's palm.

At that moment, anyone with an eye could see Luosen's attack method clearly.

This previously unknown, constantly mocked Baron Bird‑Droppings somehow fused Throwing Technique, Mage Hand, and the magical sword into a single form, creating the strange "Flying Sword Combat Technique".

At the same time, his robust body was no ornament; it contained astonishing physical strength.

Moreover, he had honed his melee skills to a remarkably high level, high enough to easily defeat the professional assassins of the Aaron Night Guard! His strong, powerful body, strange spells, and astounding combat techniques ultimately produced a crushing combat power against intermediate cultivators.

Considering that this man not only sparred with the Aaron Night Guard for two days and one night, had just easily claimed the championship of a victory chess tournament, even escaped successfully from Master Shahelamu's grasp, and is only barely twenty years old, many people couldn't help but entertain a thought.

"This White Sturgeon Island Baron is no mere mediocre talent; he is clearly a rare prodigy!"

With such unparalleled ability and good looks, which young lady wouldn't be dazzled? No wonder the Princess is willing to marry down.

At that moment, the situation in the plaza shifted again.

"Lie down!"

Roars echoed again from the darkness, while mysterious spell energy erupted simultaneously in multiple spots.

Shahelamu sensed the commotion and let out a sigh in his heart.

"Five‑fold Order Link, Mind Lock, a soul‑strike of at least intermediate strength—Baron is finished."

It's clear the opponent intends to capture the Baron alive, so this move won't kill him outright but will certainly render him unconscious.

Even though the Baron is a heroic figure, his opponent is an army, and an army's essence is to surround and beat.

Even a hero, when confronting an army head‑on, cannot escape the fate of exhausting to death.

Moreover, the opponent is only a Low-level Mage.

Shahelamu put himself in the opponent's shoes and truly could not think of a way to counter with low‑level spells.

But in the next instant, he saw Luosen suddenly surge forward a short distance, and along that path he produced a series of alternating real‑and‑illusory after‑images.

The after‑images existed for a moment, then vanished one after another in chronological order—not by natural decay, but destroyed sequentially by the opponent's soul‑strike.

When the soul‑strike ended, the Baron's body reverted from illusion to reality and successfully rushed to the alley's mouth.

Shahelamu felt a slight shock in his heart upon watching.

"One technique, five substitutes?"

He had even refined Edel's Substitute Technique to this level.

Even if Edel himself arrived, he probably still couldn't match it, right?

After the surprise, he was full of emotion: "In terms of casting skill alone, he's already an unparalleled genius, but alas he's still young and can't let go of women."

Going out for one night and sullying the Princess's body is truly a huge act of irrationality!

He knew that no matter how Luosen struggled, he couldn't escape.

His combat power was indeed astonishing, likely surprising the Night Guard's leader greatly, but everything stopped here.

If the Aaron Night Guard truly took it seriously, the matter would be over.

Sure enough, when Luosen reached the alley's mouth, he didn't charge in; instead, he halted and stepped back gradually.

It was as if a great demon lurked within the alley.

After a short while, Luosen retreated to the center of the garden plaza, standing beside a beautiful statue, his face on guard.

The Aaron Night Guard at the alley's mouth also appeared.

A full hundred, their armor fine, expressions grim, troops complete, arranged into a tidy battle formation.

At the front was a young high‑tier battle mage, wearing a wide blood‑red, upright‑collar cloak, with a devilishly handsome face and a pair of strange eyes leaping with blood‑colored flames.

Watching the three Night Guard corpses on the plaza, the flames in his eyes flickered ever faster.

He lightly clapped his hands, praising coldly.

"Little Baron, worthy apprentice of High-tier Mage Lady Agneth, these ten years have not been in vain."

With this person's arrival, Master Shahelamu sighed in his heart: "It's over."

"Bloodflame" Sa Lasi, deputy commander of the Aaron Night Guard's Sixth Brigade, a high‑tier 24‑star battle mage, wielding the staff "Blood Drinker", which contains as many as three high‑tier crystal lattices, his combat power is extremely formidable.

In a one‑on‑one frontal duel, even he must summon full concentration.

Sa Lasi's voice rang again.

"Little Baron, I'd love to have a direct duel with you, but unfortunately this is a boring political mission, so…"

Before the words finished, a young woman's voice abruptly sounded.

"Wait!"

Following that voice, a female mage hurried toward Luosen.

Light and shadow swirled around her; the disguise's Transformation Technique faded quickly, revealing a dazzlingly radiant face.

It is indeed Dawn Princess Selena.

(End of chapter)