Chapter 388: Bear of the Earth

Chapter 388: Earth Bear

In recent years, the relationship between Rulans and Auson had grown increasingly strained—a matter of public knowledge.

Miloslaw, though a longtime friend of Rulans, wasn’t worried about danger at Black Serpent Castle.

On one hand, as he said, he had no feud with House Hyde;

on the other, he had ample confidence in his status and strength.

An attack by House Hyde on him would be no different from openly assaulting a noble.

Then not only Ushan Castle would intervene, but even Archmage Berola from the Amethyst Earldom would exert pressure.

Most crucially, taking him down would yield neither land nor people, and even the Silva Magic Energy Guild he managed had a principal behind it.

No family would be so foolish as to provoke him.

Miloslaw’s reasoning and reliance were sound, but the flaw was that he hadn’t anticipated someone coveting his body.

Whoosh!

Auson’s figure flickered as he lunged toward the old dean, hands outstretched like claws, aiming to seize his shoulders and subdue him.

“Begone!”

Bulver, already on guard, drew his knightly longsword. A surge of battle aura roared forth, whipping up a violent gale that slashed toward his opponent. The fierce airflow overturned the sofas and tables in the parlor.

Auson sneered, drawing his sword swiftly.

The clash of blades rang out with a sharp, violent shriek.

A tremendous force struck him. Bulver felt his arm go numb, his thumb web torn open, blood staining the hilt. He was flung backward, slamming hard against the wall.

Spit!

He coughed up blood. The impact had been so fierce that even the sturdy wall bore jagged cracks.

“A mere Golden Knight dares draw steel before me!”

Auson laughed wildly, pressing forward to attack Miloslaw, only to see the latter pull out a spell scroll. As light erupted, the earth trembled.

Roar~

The ground split. An eight-meter-tall monstrous beast rose from the earth, swinging its fists to tear through the ceiling, revealing the blue sky beyond. It roared with a gaping maw, the sonic waves shaking everything around.

Seventh-level Earth Magic: Earth Bear!

“Auson, I never thought you’d be so brazen!”

Miloslaw shouted from atop the Earth Bear’s shoulder. The beast swung its fist, slamming down on the opponent.

Auson didn’t dodge. His sword slashed horizontally, a sharp, icy blade of light seeming to cleave the giant bear in two.

“Let’s see how strong this seventh-level magic truly is!”

But he had clearly underestimated the Earth Bear’s might. The massive fist, wielding tens of thousands of catties of force, shattered the blade-light and slammed into the ground.

Boom!

The already damaged floor cracked further, fissures spreading in all directions. The house began to shake, then collapse.

Dusty, Auson spat. He’d barely leapt away in time; a direct hit from that fist would have left him grievously wounded.

At that moment, countless shards of stone hurtled through the air like arrows, whistling with sound.

Stone Shards, though a second-level spell, gained immense power when cast by an Archmage, and its sheer volume forced even the most seasoned warrior to take notice.

“Trivial tricks.”

Auson was unafraid.

He strode forward, his aura surging. It shook off the dust and repelled the flying stones beyond his battle aura armor.

“High-Pressure Water Wave!”

This combat technique amplified his strike. When he clashed with the Earth Bear again, his sword sliced through the fist, shattering it into sand.

But as the Earth Bear’s right fist began to crumble, Miloslaw’s magic surged in, halting the collapse and restoring the severed fist to its original form.

Enraged, the Earth Bear roared and swung its fists wildly.

Bulver, long out of the fray, cheered, “Well done!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Two figures charged toward him.

“Too soon to celebrate?”

Barlington’s voice was icy. “Today, neither you nor your master will escape!”

“Heh, then make sure you don’t let us escape!”

Bulver, facing two opponents, remained fearless. “Otherwise, House Hyde will face annihilation!”

In truth, they had chosen to act with the absolute certainty that no one would escape.

Meanwhile, Auson felt a pang of regret.

Had he known the Earth Bear would be such a nuisance, he should have stopped Miloslaw from summoning it in the first place.

Suddenly, dark energy radiated from his entire body, his aura rising steadily.

“What is this?”

Auson laughed wildly. “Taste my secret technique: Dark Water Tide!”

With his roar, battle aura spread like a tidal wave from his center, crashing through the devastated battlefield.

Miloslaw realized the tide carried darkness. Black and blue currents eroded the ground, bricks, wood, even the Earth Bear’s thighs at an alarming rate.

“I never expected such a technique!”

The old dean no longer hesitated. As the Earth Bear’s legs began to collapse, a yellowish aura enveloped both him and the beast, temporarily halting the Dark Water Tide’s corrosion.

Fifth-level Magic: Guardian Armor.

“Kill!”

At the command, the Earth Bear charged forth.

Its eight-meter frame shook the earth with every step. Coupled with the old dean’s Earthquake spell, it felt like a catastrophic quake.

Even Meteor Knights struggled to maintain their footing.

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Third-level Magic: Earth Spear Array erupted from the ground. Three-meter-tall, razor-sharp spears of earth. Auson dodged frantically, slashing away what he couldn’t avoid.

But the entire earth seemed to be Miloslaw’s tentacle, relentless attacks leaving Auson overwhelmed.

Finally, under the cover of the Earth Spear Array, the Earth Bear’s massive fist struck Auson with pinpoint accuracy.

With unmatched force, it caved in his chest, hurling him into the rubble.

“To take a full-force blow from the Earth Bear head-on—even with your formidable physique, it will grievously wound you!”

Miloslaw said coldly. “This is the price for your arrogance!”

Meteor Knight vs. Earth Mage: Had the latter won?

"Think you can wound me so easily? You overestimate yourself!"

A blue light shot skyward; Orson swept away rubble and debris burying him, rising to his feet.

His chest caved in, blood trickling from his lips, yet he moved.

Miloslav sneered, "One blow isn’t enough? Then try another!"

Orson realized he couldn’t defeat the Grand Mage alone and shouted:

"Enough watching!"

Hmm?

Miloslav’s heart sank at those words.

Sure enough, as the words faded, a towering knight strode into the battlefield, his expression colder than eternal ice.

"Orson, if the Divine Envoy knew you possessed only this strength, he’d be disappointed."

The man stepping forward was Black Wound, the Meteor Knight who served Mephistopheles.

"Who are you?" Miloslav tightened his guard.

Black Wound drew his sword, dark aura erupting, "The one who’ll kill you!"

He became a phantom, appearing before Miloslav in an instant, slashing upward with his blade.

The latter summoned an Earth Bear to block it.

But the dark light surged upward, piercing the armor’s defense, shattering the Earth Bear’s arm, then slicing it cleanly in two with a diagonal cut!

"Damn it!"

Miloslav tumbled off the Earth Bear’s shoulder, his heart sinking.

A shadow darted in—Orson appeared, delivering a kick that tore through Miloslav’s body, sending him crumpling to the ground in agony.

The old headmaster wasn’t a professional knight; his body couldn’t withstand such force. He spat blood, the pain nearly knocking him unconscious.

"My lord!"

Buloff, engaged in battle, panicked. Such an attack would leave him mortally wounded, even if he survived.

But the desperate cry exposed Buloff’s opening—Barrington’s sword pierced his arm, slicing through flesh.

Splat!

Blood sprayed!

"You’re finished!"

Barrington and Nigen struck from both sides, disarming Buloff in an instant and pinning him to the ground.

"Miloslav, you’re finished too."

Orson advanced with his sword, the old headmaster curled on the ground. "Come, Black Wound. An Abyssal-level Grand Mage—this is formidable power."

Black Wound sheathed his sword, pulling out a black pearl slightly smaller than the one Mephistopheles held.

"Can’t reach Abyssal Level. At best, we’ll make it Frostbite Grade."

"Frostbite? Good enough…"

But as one moved to restrain Miloslav and the other prepared the ritual, his figure vanished from the spot.

Orson and Black Wound froze.

"What happened?"

"Teleportation?"

"Impossible! A Grand Mage couldn’t master teleportation! He must’ve used Earthwalk to escape!"

Earth Mages couldn’t fly, but they could travel underground using Earthwalk.

Realizing this, Black Wound slammed his fist into the ground.

Power surged underground, uprooting everything, yet Miloslav remained hidden.

Their faces darkened. If they acted, failure was not an option.

"He’s badly wounded—he can’t have gone far!"

Black Wound ordered coldly, "Orson, search the entire city. Don’t let him slip away!"

(End of Chapter)