Chapter 241: Arrogant Duke (33)

Night.

Leyin City.

A bell tower not far from Lion Fortress.

A blurry figure crouched silently atop the bell tower, its whole body wrapped in a layer of black cloak, revealing no bodily detail.

The night wind blew, the canopy fluttered, but the figure remained utterly still, like a lifeless rock.

In the darkness, this "rock" was secretly conversing with someone far away.

"Lord, Leyin City in the De Rui Tan plane is indeed very lively."

"The city has nine strands of legendary power, and the Bloody Baron is also joining the fun in the void."

He soon received a reply from afar.

"Has the Lord of Radiance arrived?"

"Not yet. Six have arrived: three are Nawat people, three are Elves."

"Tell me the details, please."

The "rock" immediately gave a detailed report.

"On Weilan's side, three legendary mages have arrived."

"Two are Nawat people, and the other is Duke Weilan himself."

"Among the nine, Duke Weilan's legendary power is the strongest, reaching Legendary 3. The other eight are weaker, but generally around Legendary 2."

"Indeed, these legendary mages are using the latest legendary crystal staffs, their staves infused with immense magical power."

"One can feel that Weilan's legendary crystal staff performs somewhat better than the Radiant Empire's, but the advantage is not large, and there is no overwhelming performance lead."

The "rock" observed closely, continuing to report while observing: "Duke Weilan is not hiding; he is alone, staying in the eastern suburbs of Leyin City."

"The six legendary mages of the Radiant Empire have spotted him and are quickly moving to surround him."

"The duke neither dodged nor fled, nor called for help; it seems he intends to face six opponents alone."

"I truly don't know what scheme this duke is hatching."

After a moment of silence, the distant reply arrived.

"Continue observing and report the situation to me at any time."

"If Duke Weilan is defeated and flees wounded, then silently pursue him and let him disappear completely."

The observer of the "rock" was somewhat puzzled.

"Lord, why should we intervene?"

"Other legendary mages are merely mortals; only this Duke Weilan is somewhat inscrutable to me."

"He ought not to exist."

"Oh~ Lord, perhaps I should join the Radiant Empire's forces and fight the Lord of Radiance together with them."

"No, between exposing our identity and killing Duke Weilan, the former is more important."

"Always remember, we are emissaries of light; we never engage in dark deeds."

"I understand, Lord."

Not long after the words fell, the rock reported again: "No, the Bloody Baron also came with two followers; he seems intent on joining the siege against Duke Weilan."

"So now it's the duke alone against eight."

"Oh, Duke Weilan truly has many enemies."

The distant voice sounded again: "Storms always love to ravage the tallest trees; now we'll see if this tree is strong enough."

Just as this mysterious person commented on the dispute from the tower top, the six legendary mages split into two groups of three and approached Duke Weilan from two directions.

Their approach speed was not fast, being the kind where they walk while probing.

On Master Yastin's side, his cooperating partners are naturally also Nawat mages.

There are two, one named Oakland and the other named Weichi.

Naturally, they all belong to the Sasmar faction.

In Master Yastin's perception, Duke Weilan is in the northeastern suburbs of Leyin City, and the distance between them is now less than ten kilometers.

For legendary mages, a ten‑kilometer distance is practically face‑to‑face; using Flight Spell, they could meet in at most three minutes.

Yet the three did not use Flight Spell; instead they employed the mana‑saving Float Technique, drifting lightly over the rooftops of Aaron Capital's buildings.

They did this not to conserve mana, for they currently have plenty.

The legendary crystal staffs in their hands were produced from flawless Nawat legendary crystal, storing nearly eighty times the magical power—far more than they could expend in a short while.

Mainly, they felt a little uneasy.

All three felt uneasy.

Oakland said: "Yastin, Luosen is no ordinary person; he stands stock‑still waiting for us—could he have set a trap?"

Yastin and Weichi also felt the same.

After all, the opponent had consecutively slain two demons.

If killing one were luck, then slaying a sixth‑level demon a second time would be genuine strength.

Leaving aside other matters, being able to control such immense power and strike a demon precisely with it is an astonishing feat.

The two of them asked themselves whether they could do it—and concluded they could not.

Perhaps after five or six years of all‑out training they could, but right now they absolutely cannot.

Facing such a legendary mage with extraordinary combat talent, it would be strange not to feel uneasy.

After thinking, Yastin said: "Why don't we move slower and let the elves on the other side go first?"

The six of them faced only one opponent.

They held a great advantage, so they were sure to win.

The problem is that the opponent will inevitably launch an extremely fierce counterattack before being defeated, and this counterattack will surely be very sharp.

Who will face this counterattack is a major question in cooperative combat.

Yastin's suggestion immediately gained the agreement of his two companions, and the three slightly slowed their speed.

They slowed only a little, but just enough to be a bit slower than the elves.

At this speed, the elves will certainly make contact with the duke first.

Perhaps only by about half a second, but that half second could be the difference between life and death.

However, Yastin immediately noticed that the elves had also slowed.

They slowed by a similar small amount, but just a bit slower than them.

He muttered a curse: "Damn it, those three elves have the same idea as us!"

Going on like this definitely won't work.

Yastin simply laid it out, contacting the three elves directly: "I say, why don't we just stick together, all six of us go up as one?" Those three elves are youthful geniuses of the Elf Empire, already possessing Ten Rings power early on.

Before, the elves had always concealed their strength, so these young powerhouses were unknown to the outside world; this time, having obtained a method for stable legendary advancement, they revealed their identities.

But although they have advanced, their advancement time is only a short two months, facing Duke Weilan who has been legendary for at least a year and a half, they still have no chance.

Seeing Yastin speak openly, the six simply joined forces together.

Six legendary mages, the highest legendary grade being 2.2, but the attack intensity they can ultimately unleash varies.

The elves' strength is actually the highest, reaching legendary 6.

Because they not only carry the legendary crystals provided by the Radiant Empire, they also carry artifacts left behind by the Ancient Lord of Truth, De Rui Tan.

One elf holds a bow, another holds a peculiarly shaped staff, and the third holds a ring.

As for Yastin and the three Nawat mages, they hold not only legendary crystal staves but also three legendary firearms.

This thing is a new product of the Radiant Empire.

Its power limit is low, only legendary 3, but the attack frequency is high—it can strike three times per second, up to twelve consecutive shots.

In terms of practicality, it is actually far superior to the elves' equipment.

After the six gathered, they did not rush forward but began to discuss tactics.

A square‑faced blond male elf said: "Luosen has surely set a terribly frightening trap."

Another round‑faced blond male elf said: "No matter how he sets the trap, he is only one person and can release only one legendary mage at a time, whereas we can release six."

"The worst outcome is nothing more than trading lives one for one."

Then the question immediately arises: whose life will be exchanged?

Obviously, nobody wants to be the one exchanged.

After a long silence, Yastin had an idea: "There's a demon in the void watching the fun, even bringing two demon followers; why not let him help us probe?"

Oakland said: "You mean the Bloody Baron? How could he possibly listen to us?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Yastin chuckled: "As far as I know, the Shadow Lord slain by Luosen actually had a decent relationship with the Bloody Baron."

"We can use that as an opening to persuade the demon to help us probe."

"He can use his demon followers to probe; if they die, they die—no big deal."

"And he himself hides in the void, easily dodging Luosen's counterattack, giving us a safe chance to strike."

Oakland frowned: "The Bloody Baron is a Nawat enemy; cooperating with him against Luosen isn't right, is it?"

Yastin spread his hands: "If we don't cooperate, then you can take the vanguard?"

Oakland muttered a few words, exchanged a glance with the nearby Vech mage, and finally said nothing.

The two had just enjoyed the good flavors of the world in the Radiant Empire, hadn't had enough yet, and certainly didn't want to die like this in Aaron.

Yastin then looked at the three elves and said: "To be frank, with our current strength, the Bloody Baron—a demon that isn't especially powerful—is no longer a major threat."

"Occasionally borrowing a demon's power isn't a big deal, right?"

The three elves glanced at each other, nodded, and agreed with Yastin's statement.

Yastin then said: "But I am a Nawat after all, not suited to dealing with demons, so I'll trouble the three of you to contact this Bloody Baron and tell him our plan?"

That's not a big deal.

The square‑faced elf nodded: "I'll do it."

He closed his eyes, linked the eleven magical rings, and then saw the demon Bloody Baron wandering in the void; the demon also spotted him immediately and quickly approached.

"Ah ha~ mortal, you dare to stare straight at me~"

The demon said that, but did not launch an attack.

The square‑faced elf didn't waste words, directly stated Yastin's plan, then said: "At least regarding Duke Weilan, our goals are the same, right?"

The Bloody Baron accepted that: "Correct, this duke is indeed hateful."

"Alright, I'll help you disturb his attention."

"But remember, I'll help only once."

"Once is enough."

After that was settled, the six legendary mages continued to approach the target in the mortal realm.

A rank‑4 demon, accompanied by his two demon followers in the mortal realm, opened the skirmish.

Not long after, the group left Rhine City and came to a wasteland in the suburbs.

From afar, Duke Weilan could be seen standing on a hilltop.

He just stood there, a fine legendary crystal staff at his waist, feeling less like he was preparing for a life‑or‑death battle and more like he was taking a moonlight stroll.

This scene was truly eerie.

Yastin felt nervous and heavy in his heart, as if a huge stone were pressing on him, actually giving him a sensation of being unable to breathe.

Obviously, the other five also had similar feelings.

Then, at a safe distance of about 200 meters from the opposing side, the six stopped advancing.

Seeing that the opposing side had no intention of striking first, Yasdin also waited for the void demon to act, and simply said: "Duke, I urge you one last time: return to Weilan; there's no need to throw away your life here."

The young Duke on the hilltop smiled faintly and responded in a loud voice.

"Yasdin, Oakland, Weichi, I once helped your Nawat defeat a powerful demon, and I am also considered a friend of your Nawat. How can you treat a friend like this?"

Yasdin gave a dry laugh and feigned ignorance: "Precisely because they are friends, we didn't strike directly."

The Duke smiled faintly: "Mages, your advancement to Legendary rests entirely on my generous sharing of the Legendary Crystal. Now you actually use this thing against me—what a pack of hypocritical, vicious jackals."

After saying that, his smile faded completely: "Mages are outstanding figures among mortals; there's no need to waste your lives pointlessly here."

"I urge you one last time: return to your own lands and do not meddle in the internal affairs of the Natural Alliance."

Those words left the legendary mages present somewhat unable to answer.

Thus, each one fell silent.

Having come this far, retreat is absolutely impossible.

Yet no one made a move, for they were all waiting for the demon apostle to take the lead.

In the silence, the demon apostle finally appeared.

A man clad in black leather armor, his eyes glowing crimson, stepped out of the darkness.

He held an exaggeratedly shaped black tower shield, drawing most of his body behind it.

After this person appeared, he let out a loud laugh.

"Duke, you are the most arrogant mortal I have seen in nearly a century. Those unaware of the circumstances would even think you are a true god."

(End of chapter)