Cass had dispatched Leon with ease, a feat that stunned not only Camilla and the others but also Ye Chui, Debbie, and Old Merlin. Leon was a senior swordsman from a major city, far superior to the senior swordsmen of a remote place like Stan Town.
The rank of a swordsman or magic instructor didn’t fully determine their strength. Certain trump cards or spells could grant power far beyond their rank. Typically, swordsmen and magic instructors from large cities, with more systematic training, were significantly stronger.
Though Cass was Stan Town’s top swordsman, neither Old Merlin nor Ye Chui had been optimistic about his chances against Leon. Old Merlin had even prepared to intervene if needed. Yet, no one expected Cass to defeat Leon so decisively.
It seemed that after his journey to the ruins, rediscovering his edge as the Storm Swordmaster, Cass’s strength had surged dramatically in just half a month.
Ye Chui glanced at Cass, then turned his gaze to the three stunned magic instructors, who looked as if they’d turned to stone. He chuckled lightly. “You three clowns, come at me together. Cass has had his moment. I can’t let him steal all the spotlight. I’m in a hurry.”
Koyt, Kom, and Kiraen’s faces darkened with humiliation. Cass’s display had instilled bone-chilling fear in them, but seeing Ye Chui’s dismissive expression sparked their anger. Even if Cass exceeded their expectations, what was this kid with a white-covered magic book?
Kiraen snorted, flipping his magic book. Several water orbs materialized before him, swiftly transforming into water arrows that shot toward Ye Chui with a piercing sound. Mid-level attack spell: [Water Arrow Assault].
Ye Chui appeared nonchalant but was intensely vigilant. Seeing the incoming arrows, he quickly cast a spell. Basic defence spell: [Sand Defence].
Dust around him swirled, forming a brown wall in front of him. The seemingly unstoppable water arrows hit the sand wall and vanished, as if absorbed entirely.
Among the nine magical elements, earth spells could counter others, especially water, with a clear advantage.
“So, you’re an earth magic instructor!” Kom shouted, hastily casting a spell. Having seen Ye Chui’s white-covered magic book, their initial disdain meant they hadn’t even bothered to ask about his magical element. Now, seeing him block Kiraen’s water spell with earth magic, they assumed he was earth-aligned, dismissing the idea of all nine elements.
The best counter to earth magic was earth itself, and Kom was an earth magic instructor.
With his spell, the sand wall Ye Chui had formed came under Kom’s control, writhing into a coiled earth serpent adorned with terrifying spiked horns. It flicked a menacing brown tongue and opened a fanged maw, lunging at Ye Chui.
Ye Chui used [Windwalk] to shift back several meters. In front of him, a fire serpent materialized: [Fire Serpent Dance].
With a roaring sound, the fire serpent entangled the earth serpent. Earth magic was unique among the nine elements, able to counter others but vulnerable if other elements were used skillfully. As the fire serpent coiled around it, the earth serpent solidified, its surface crystallizing like glass. With a bang, it shattered into pieces, scattering on the ground.
“Fire! Wind!” Kom exclaimed, recognizing the two spells Ye Chui had just used. Though Ye Chui had used [Windwalk] earlier while carrying Debbie, they hadn’t paid attention. Now they realized Ye Chui wielded multiple elements, three so far.
Koyt, the wind magic instructor, floated into the air, winds swirling around him, stirring up dust to conceal his form. A wind blade sliced through the air with a whoosh.
Ye Chui, boosted by [Windwalk], dodged to the side and countered with a bolt of lightning into the dust cloud.
Crackle!
“Agh!” Koyt cried out, crashing to the ground, his arm charred from Ye Chui’s [Lightning Strike].
“Lightning!” the three exclaimed.
“There’s more,” Ye Chui said with a cold smile. His body and aura vanished, melding into a dark shadow that disappeared before their eyes.
Ye Chui had many tricks. Summoning Dragon Treasure would have sufficed against these three, but his heroic spirits and BGM had limitations, not always available. He knew his greatest asset in battle was his own magical power, not relying solely on trump cards. So, he was eager to fight these three as a magic instructor.
Shadow magic was less effective in sunlight, but paired with [Windwalk]’s speed, it could still catch opponents off guard.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two spatial blades erupted near Kom and Kiraen, drawing cries as they left cuts like knife wounds. Unfortunately, they weren’t fatal.
“Darkness! Space!” Kom shouted in shock.
Earth, wind, fire, lightning, darkness, space… Could this kid really master all nine elements?
The three quickly huddled together.
Two of the magic instructors were mid-level, one beginner. None were exceptionally powerful, but their place among Lord Kevin’s guards came from their coordinated combat.
Earth, wind, and water elements, when fused, could create the rare and powerful wood magic, also known as elf magic, said to be the specialty of the ancient elf race.
“This kid’s weird. No holding back. Use our trump card!” Koyt shouted.
Thorny vines suddenly burst from the rocky brown ground around them, tightly wrapping the trio. The vines, almost alive, protected them while spreading outward, chasing Ye Chui’s shadow form.
Elf magic: [Touch of Thorns].
Ye Chui, hiding in the shadows, sensed danger and tried to escape with [Windwalk], but it was too late. The thorny vines spread around him. Though he was in shadow form, his body was still physical, and the spell trapped him in place.
“Got him!” Kiraen shouted. Thorns rapidly grew around Ye Chui, sharp spikes sprouting from the vines, forming a thorny cage.
Elf magic: [Cage of Thorns].
The thorns enveloped him, aiming to bind his body. [Guardian Shield] formed a massive shield above Ye Chui, but a vine wrapped around his leg, its sharp spikes piercing his flesh, causing excruciating pain and preventing escape.
“Under the [Cage of Thorns], even the strongest become trapped beasts!” Kom’s mocking voice rang in Ye Chui’s ears. “Aren’t you a master of all nine elements? What can you do now?”
Ye Chui tried fire and space spells to break the vines, but they had no effect. Glancing at his rapidly depleting mana reserves, he frowned. Beating these three with magic alone was proving difficult. He sighed.
“You’re forcing me to cheat.”
Old Merlin, Cass, Green, and Resha, watching from outside, grew tense seeing Ye Chui trapped in the [Cage of Thorns]. Despite Ye Chui’s many extraordinary abilities, facing three Windrock City magic instructors was proving too much.
But as Cass prepared to step in, a stirring musical score suddenly erupted, played with instruments alien to this world—drums, violin, trumpet, electric keyboard—blended with a language unknown here, yet its shocking power was undeniable.
BGM: *Guren no Yumiya*.
Then, as Resha, Green, Old Merlin, and Cass stared in stunned disbelief, a terrifying arm burst through the Cage of Thorns, tearing the vines apart and grabbing the thorny barrier surrounding Kom, Kiraen, and Koyt.
