Chapter 502: Trapping and Killing Formation

“The Sunfire Knight—what of it?”

Aluba, the elder, radiated confidence. He had borne the title far longer than Ronin; by all rights, his foundation should have been stronger.

Thus, facing Ronin’s assault, not a trace of retreat stirred in his heart.

Two blades clashed midair—their strength and battle aura colliding, exploding into a violent shockwave.

Aluba never expected that from the very first strike, he would taste such shattering defeat.

An unstoppable force surged toward him like a mountain collapsing. It shattered his sword, then slammed into his body—rending his garments, hurling him down from the sky to crash brutally upon the earth.

“Birdman… not so mighty after all.”

Ronin’s knighthood had reached perfection. A peak-tier Sunfire Knight, empowered by the Flamelash Sword—how could someone of equal rank possibly stand against him?

This turn of events stunned the encircling hunters. A woman shrieked, “Activate the formation! Trap him!”

At once, fierce emerald light blazed from each Storm Envoy acolyte above. The lights merged, weaving into a vast jade sphere that enclosed both Ronin and Carlos within.

Carlos opened his maw wide, conjuring a colossal ice arrow to pierce the barrier. Yet the shield stood unyielding—no ripple disturbed its surface.

“Master… what do we do?”

The dragon’s voice trembled. Fearful by nature, the entrapment unnerved him completely.

Ronin sighed inwardly at the dragon’s lack of fortitude. “You’re a *dragon*. With your size and weight, you should be able to ram through this thing!”

“Right! I’ll try!”

Carlos lunged forward with thunderous speed. His claws, sharper than tempered steel, struck the barrier with crushing force.

A deafening impact shook the air. Ripples spread across the shield—but faded swiftly. The barrier held firm, enduring even the dragon’s might.

Ronin saw clearly: those sustaining the formation weren’t individually strong—none were Sunfire Knights. Yet united, they had resisted a blow no ordinary Sunfire Knight could withstand.

A dragon was an eighth-rank beast. That single claw-strike surpassed any normal Sunfire Knight’s power. And yet, they had endured.

“No wonder they dare speak of ‘dragon-slaying.’ This formation… has merit.”

Ronin studied it. “But if it only traps without attacking, it’s ultimately futile.”

“Trapping you is enough,” came the mocking voice of the woman who had given the order. She hovered proudly—leader of this divine squad, named Kaisalin, a favored servant of the Storm Envoy Serandil. “The ones below… will die soon enough~”

“And who said our formation lacks offense?”

Her shrill voice rang out as radiant energy gathered between her palms—charging, coalescing.

Ronin tensed. The energy fluctuation was significant. This demanded caution.

*Whoosh!*

The beam fired—a blazing arrow aimed straight at him.

“Strong output, but slow. Avoidable.”

With Windshadow Step, Ronin twisted aside. The energy missed—and struck the barrier instead.

He’d hoped to use their own weapon against them, breaking the shield from within. But the beam *refracted*, ricocheting off the dome, bouncing again and again—until it struck Carlos.

The great dragon roared as the blast hit. His massive form crashed to the base of the sphere. Several scales on his back cracked open—no blood, but the damage was evident.

Meanwhile, Aluba rose once more from the rubble of crushed buildings. His hair wild, his body smeared with dust and bloodied mud—utterly disheveled.

“Kaisalin! Keep channeling battle aura!”

Aluba roared in fury. He pressed his palm against the barrier, merging with it—becoming a new anchor point.

All the others’ energy flowed into his hand, converging into a fresh, focused beam.

Now Ronin understood—the formation’s core was concentration. Their combined power, funneled through a single point.

Through soul transmission, he whispered: “Carlos, I’ll block this attack. You strike the opposite side.”

“Yes, Master!”

In moments, Aluba unleashed his concentrated beam. Ronin surged his inner battle aura, channeling it through Flamelash—activating the sword’s innate technique: *Blazing Inferno of Heaven!*

Raging flames devoured everything, intercepting their combined strike. The residual force hurled back at Aluba—but the barrier absorbed it, shielding him.

At the same moment, Carlos’s claws slammed into the opposing side of the dome. A grating screech echoed—but the result left man and dragon dismayed.

Again, only ripples. The shield remained unbroken.

And now, the shockwaves from the clash between *Blazing Inferno* and the focused beam churned violently within the sphere—pummeling Ronin’s body. Though his battle aura protected him from injury, the relentless pressure was agonizing.

“Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!”

Aluba, wounded moments ago, had been gripped by fear—dreading their joint effort might fail. Now, seeing Ronin unleash such devastating techniques to no avail, he laughed with unrestrained glee.

“Despair yet?”

Aluba sneered, triumphant. “To bring you down, we’ve gathered more than just me—a Sunfire Knight. Two Silvermoon Knights, five Meteor Knights, seven Gold-peak Knights. You cannot break free!”

Ronin finally grasped it. They had assembled a truly formidable array to face him.

He felt a chill—not just at their strength, but at the scale of the Sacred Storm Organization’s expansion.

In less than two years, they had amassed so many servants—even recruiting Sunfire-tier knights. Such rapid growth was alarming.

“You’ve forsaken your race, groveling beneath alien dominion. You and your kin shall be eternally branded upon history’s pillar of shame!”

Unlike the Soul-Witch Knights, Aluba and his kind acted of full will and conscious choice.

“History,” Aluba spat, grinning savagely, “is written by the victors.”

He cared nothing for legacy. “Cease struggling. Perish within this death-trap—with your dragon—as you descend together into hell!”

He began charging another focused beam. They could unleash six or seven more such attacks.

Ronin’s expression darkened.

This death-trap didn’t merely concentrate power—it diffused attacks across the formation.

Carlos’s strikes, though powerful, were dispersed through the barrier. Divided among sixteen anchor points, the force weakened significantly.

Ronin swept his spiritual sense over the sixteen figures. Outwardly calm—but he sensed subtle signs.

“Even if the force is shared, if the blows are strong enough, the weaker ones still strain under the load.”

“Once or twice, they endure. But five? Six?”

Eventually, their bodies would break.

“Carlos—focus your assault on the three to the north!”

Those three radiated weaker energy—clearly Gold Knights. Hammer them relentlessly. See how long they last.

At the same time, Ronin ceased holding back. Magic erupted from his hands—one spell after another, cast instantly.

After becoming a Grand Sorcerer, a mage gains the ability to cast first- and second-level spells instantly; as their power grows, so too does the highest level of spell they can unleash without incantation.

Lorne was now a ninth-rank Grand Sorcerer, capable of casting sixth-level spells in an instant.

The Flame Dragon Devouring Heaven roared toward the knight on his right.

One—two—three—

In the span of a single breath, six fire dragons howled through the air.

“This…”

Aruba’s eyes widened. He had no idea what Lorne was doing—but this display alone left him stunned.

“Casting sixth-level spells without delay… You’re a Grand Sorcerer?”

A chill of dread ran through him.

This young man before him wasn’t merely a Radiant Knight—he was also a Grand Sorcerer.

And everyone knew that ascending the ranks as a mage was far more difficult than as a knight.

No wonder Yanwing and Serandil regarded Lorne as such a dire threat. Now, seeing it firsthand, he understood—the terror was real.

Meanwhile, Kaysalyn, witnessing Lorne’s move, grew frantic. She could tell—he had already sensed the weak point in the formation.

“Aruba! No more delays! Kill Lorne quickly!” she cried.

“That was my intention!”

Aruba’s palms blazed with fully gathered energy beams, as he unleashed his second attack. (End of Chapter)