Chapter 362: Reverse Ambush, Forced 1v1

A crimson spear, transformed into a bloody afterimage, pierced through the wind and snow, streaking toward its target. At the moment of impact, Wang Yu remotely detonated it, and the spear shattered into a pure force of shock, sweeping toward the trio.

With aura-infused defenses and magical barriers, the formidable pursuers reacted with lightning speed to the dual threat of crushing gravity and the exploding spear; the shockwave caused them little trouble.

However, the snowpack, already collapsing under the weight of the gravity projectiles, was utterly obliterated by the spear, sending the three of them plummeting downward.

Surrounding Wang Yu was a peculiar zone, fully enveloped by the power of his advanced Chariot, where magic was stifled and forced to move in lockstep with him.

Within this perimeter, no one could cast spells without his permission, and no magical fluctuations from his own artifacts could be detected from the outside.

This was why the three hunters had failed to notice Wang Yu, who had struck first from the shadows.

The perpetual blizzard of the snowfield, combined with this new ability he dubbed the "Domain of Dead Silence," allowed Wang Yu to mask his movements perfectly.

His Conqueror’s alchemical revolver, which had been buzzing as it fired gravity projectiles, was now overheating from sustained full-power output. Wang Yu stowed it away; its purpose had been served—to divide the battlefield.

"Damn it, what is this? This level of gravity magic should only hinder us, but the ground beneath us couldn't bear the weight and gave way. How did they know we were coming?"

Remo’s aura surged as he tried to grasp anything solid to stabilize himself, but it was futile.

They were walking on a layer of snow, and Wang Yu had counted on this. Even if they could withstand the gravity projectiles, they had no solid footing.

Their route had long been known to Wang Yu and his companions; a simple lure had successfully drawn the three hunters into a trap. A calculated strike against the unsuspecting is always lethal.

"Careful, the magical fluctuations are intense. It’s a pre-prepared array. We’ve been ambushed; this snowfield was chosen for us. I’ll pull you up."

The old mage, Paul, had released a pre-activated magical countermeasure the moment the ground collapsed, nullifying the gravity pressure in their immediate vicinity.

He quickly cast Levitation and Gale-Step, preventing himself from falling into the pit like Black Burn and Remo. Hovering above the crater, he prepared a spell to hoist his companions up.

"Bang!"

The ice and snow suddenly erupted as Wang Yu burst through the thick layer. The Domain of Dead Silence rendered Paul’s detection methods useless, and by the time the mage noticed him, Wang Yu was less than twenty meters away.

"Damn it!"

Black Burn and Remo, still falling, felt a chill. This guy was like a ghost, and Paul was too far away to help. They could only try to obstruct Wang Yu.

Black Burn’s "Inferno City" could not be cast from thin air, but a high-ranking Great Knight was not without ranged options. He channeled his aura into the blade he had drawn at the first sign of attack, condensing it into a massive, flying crescent of energy that slashed toward Wang Yu.

Remo pressed a hand to his eye, activating his innate power. Black Burn’s aura blade seemed to accelerate, crossing the distance in an instant to strike just meters below Wang Yu.

"I know Black Burn’s innate power, and Xiaer told me about this Great Knight, Remo. 'Differential Vision,' is it? He can slow or accelerate objects within his field of view. Similar to Brother Garcia’s 'Burst,' but with more limitations and different applications."

Wang Yu dared not take the accelerated blade head-on. The Shattered Meteorite Blade sprang from his body, reassembled, and flew into his grip. With his own aura coating the edge, he spun and parried the incoming strike with a powerful blow.

"Clang!"

The harsh, grating sound of the collision echoed, but the extreme hardness of the Shattered Meteorite Blade prevented any sparks, leaving only fragments of materialized aura to scatter into the air.

The impact from below launched Wang Yu upward, bringing him closer to the Archmage Paul. But Paul had vast experience against knights; the opening created by Black Burn and Remo was enough for him to put distance between them.

The ring on his index finger pulsed with mana, its complex structure assisting his casting. As spatial fluctuations began to ripple, he prepared to teleport away from the dangerous knight.

That was the trouble with Archmages—their casting speed was so fast that a single lapse in attention allowed them to escape, making them nearly impossible to catch again.

But Wang Yu was no ordinary man. The moment the Shattered Meteorite Blade broke the aura strike, it transformed under the effect of the "Forge Hammer" into a heavy metal tome: the Weaver’s Book.

Clenching his fingers, he funneled the bound mana into the book, which had already been "pre-loaded." A third-tier super-magic spell, "Spatial Anchor," was released instantly, without delay.

When the Forge Hammer switched items, it recorded their state; Wang Yu simply pre-loaded the spell, allowing for seamless casting—a strike before the strike.

"Boom!"

An invisible anchor of stability slammed into the surrounding space, forcibly locking it down. Paul’s teleportation failed instantly.

The old mage’s carefully laid plans were shattered by this unconventional knight. His spells were either blocked or rendered ineffective, leaving him in a state of utter frustration.

"A magical artifact? How is it so fast? And this Spatial Anchor is too strong. Damn it, I can't hold back my trump cards anymore. Use them now, or take them to the grave."

Paul’s thoughts raced as his teleportation was cut off. The proximity of the knight put him under immense pressure; for a mage, being cornered by a knight meant disaster in a heartbeat.

He rubbed his knuckles, where a high-tier sorcery rune and a spell ring were embedded. Once triggered, they would instantly release the compressed mana crystals within.

If Wang Yu moved any closer, he would unleash these cards without hesitation. If he couldn't kill him, he would at least cripple or drive him back.

But Wang Yu’s actions once again defied expectation. He tapped his brow, and a lens of mana appeared over his eye—Avia’s "Perfect Fractal" spell manifested as a lens.

Because Wang Yu couldn't control the Silence Domain with enough precision to allow Avia’s spell to function within it, he had pre-arranged the structure, and the girl activated it remotely once the domain was lifted.

The girl’s mana reached him through the lens, acting as a "trigger" to activate the inert mana structure he had prepared.

The Chariot’s power surged and retracted, and the stolen mana was arranged into the required structure. The lens flickered, and the fourth-tier spell "Glacier" was cast.

At the same speed as Paul, just as the mage used his fifth-tier "Phantom Echo" to split his body into eighteen indistinguishable copies, Wang Yu slammed his palm onto the empty ground of the crater.

Ice elements erupted, and a thick wall of ice sealed the pit, isolating Paul from Wang Yu, as well as Black Burn and Remo below.

Paul’s astonishment was palpable. Was the knight not trying to kill him? This solid wall of ice completely blocked him from Wang Yu—how could he attack?

But he soon realized the truth. A scorching beam fired from afar, accurately targeting the real Paul amidst his eighteen illusions. Avia appeared from the snow, the lens over her right eye identical to the one Wang Yu had used.

Raising a crystal shield to block the beam, Paul gripped his staff. He finally understood what the knight intended: divide the battlefield so mages and knights could not coordinate their threats.

...

"Leave the top to Avia. A mage who knows super-magic is a dimensional strike against one who doesn't. The Lady of Night’s divine arts are also set. Now, focus on finishing off Black Burn."

After sealing the upper battlefield with the ice wall, Wang Yu plummeted. The crater had been prepared in advance for this very purpose: to force them into one-on-one combat.

The sound of air being torn apart stung his ears. The two Great Knights at the bottom did not hesitate, launching a storm of attacks at the descending Wang Yu.

Materialized aura blades erupted from their swords, turning into a web of light and shadow as they hacked toward him.

"Clang, crack, thud!"

Wang Yu spun, the Weaver’s Book transforming back into the Shattered Meteorite Blade, which split into twenty fragments. Guided by the Chariot’s power, they intercepted the incoming blades. Simultaneously, blood pumped from his internal pool, shaped by the "Bloody Wrath Knight" secret art and material molding into a massive shield.

The power of the Great Knights was staggering. Even with his defenses, he couldn't block it all. Several aura blades pierced the blood shield, tearing into his flesh until they struck bone, only to be shattered by his unnatural, superhuman durability.

Blood flowed from his wounds, but as he thickened the shield to block more strikes, he coated his body in a shimmering, pitch-black blood-armor.

"Bang!"

Carrying the heavy shield and covered in wounds, Wang Yu slammed into the bottom of the pit, the impact shaking the earth.

"Thud!"

With a kick to the ground, the two Great Knights calculated their timing, dodging the force of his landing to press their assault, their blades flashing toward his vital points.

"Boom!"

"Clang!"

In that instant, a massive golden sword crashed down, blocking Remo as he charged alongside Black Burn.

Wang Yu pivoted, his shattered meteorite blade meeting Black Burn’s longsword in a violent clash that showered the air with brilliant sparks.

"Edward Wallin..."

Remo stared at the impenetrable barrier of divine light, watching as the golden-haired youth emerged from a rift in space, clad in gleaming armor, shield in one hand and blade in the other, wreathed in a faint, ethereal glow, and spoke the name with deliberate, measured weight.

"..."

There was no reply; Edward offered only a faint smile, fulfilling Wang Yu’s wish by intercepting Remo to ensure a solitary duel between Wang Yu and Black Burn.

...

On the far side of the holy barrier, Wang Yu steadied himself after being driven back by the force of the strike, settling into his stance to face the enemy who had once cast him into the royal dungeons; old grievances and new animosities would be settled here, once and for all.