Chapter 165: A Clear Gap in Strength

Chapter 165: A Clear Gap in Strength

“Damn it!”

Seeing the Ashen Arm’s arm fully restored and charging at him again, the Scepter had no choice but to grit his teeth and prepare to face the assault.

He was well aware of the enemy’s strategy: to wear down him and the Traveler.

Once they showed signs of weakness, the hidden Iro would strike like a venomous snake, delivering a lethal blow.

As for Puiduo and Moss, he had already written them off.

Neither the Flame Giant-like Ashen Arm nor the elusive Iro had the means to handle the situation effectively. Their only role was to help bear some of the Ashen Arm’s attacks.

“Hahaha, it’s useless! You’re no match for us!”

The cave echoed with Ashen Arm’s maniacal laughter, causing rocks to crumble from the walls.

Bang!

Ashen Arm’s fist struck the Traveler, whose body glowed with a bright blue light, neutralizing the attack before the light quickly faded.

At the same time, the Traveler felt a sudden dizziness, as if a pair of bright blue eyes had appeared before him.

His spine tingled with cold, and he bit his tongue hard, quickly regaining his senses. He infused mental energy into the Green Spirit Branch.

As the blue light intensified, the dizziness vanished.

“Damn it!”

The Traveler cursed under his breath. That woman’s illusions were relentless, and any slight lapse in his defenses would result in an immediate hit.

If this continued, their defeat was inevitable.

He turned to the Scepter, meeting his gaze.

Their eyes locked, and both instantly understood each other’s intentions.

Without hesitation, the Traveler and the Scepter dashed in opposite directions.

Ashen Arm paused for a moment, hesitating.

Who should I chase? Or should I split up with Iro to pursue them?

Doing so would break their combined strength.

In a one-on-one situation, he wasn’t confident he could take down either the Scepter or the Traveler.

But his hesitation was short-lived.

A dull whistling sound filled the air, and a powerful gust of wind swept through the cave.

The Scepter, the Traveler, Puiduo, and Moss all froze, their eyes taking on a dazed look.

“Haha, Iro, you never fail to impress!”

Ashen Arm laughed, reaching out to grab Puiduo and Moss. His massive flaming hands clenched, instantly reducing the two to ashes.

He then strode forward and caught the Traveler with a single punch, sending him flying to the Scepter’s side.

The Scepter and the Traveler finally broke free from the illusion, only to find themselves surrounded by a blazing ring of fire, leaving no escape.

Their hearts sank to the bottom of their chests.

The woman hidden in the shadows, with her insidious illusion abilities, was a relentless and unpredictable threat.

Without a way to eliminate her, whether they tried to escape or defeat Ashen Arm, they were doomed.

But the woman remained hidden, and they had no means to counter her.

“Stop struggling. Surrender, and you’ll suffer less.”

Ashen Arm’s mocking voice echoed from all sides of the fiery ring.

The Scepter and the Traveler ignored him, attempting to break free once more. Suddenly, a loud boom filled their ears.

Turning to the source, they saw a massive hole explode in the impenetrable wall of fire, and a figure charged through.

Recognizing the newcomer, both the Scepter and the Traveler’s faces lit up with relief.

“Su Nan!”

Su Nan glanced at the Scepter and the Traveler before surveying his surroundings.

These flames were the work of the Everlasting Society’s mage apprentice, Ashen Arm.

“It’s you!”

The surrounding flames flickered, and Ashen Arm’s deep voice resonated, growing more intense.

“Perfect timing. I’ll take care of you too!”

With Iro’s assistance in the shadows, Ashen Arm was confident he could defeat three mage apprentices of the same level.

He laughed maniacally as a torrent of flames descended like a raging flood, crashing down on the three of them.

At the same time, a strange wave of energy enveloped them.

Su Nan felt a sudden shift in his vision, and countless spectral water ghosts with disheveled hair appeared, lunging at him.

“An illusion, huh.”

Su Nan quickly deduced the situation. No wonder the Scepter and the Traveler were at a disadvantage, even with two against one. There was another enemy lurking in the shadows, attacking them.

It must be Iro, the woman known for her exceptional illusion skills.

Even knowing it was an illusion, Su Nan could still feel the chilling, sinister presence and the dense negative energy emanating from the water ghosts.

That was the power of illusions!

Even if you knew it was an illusion, if you couldn’t break it, the damage it caused would be real.

Without hesitation, Su Nan's mind flickered, and a blood-colored pattern on the back of his right hand suddenly glowed red before fading away.

At the same time, a dull, thunderous bell sound resonated through the air, echoing throughout the entire cave.

The water ghost that had lunged at Su Nan seemed to have hit an invisible barrier, screaming as it disintegrated into ashes.

From the shadows in the corner of the cave, a graceful figure stumbled out, clutching her chest tightly. Her bright blue eyes showed signs of pain.

It was Iro.

The sound wave attack of the Death Bell Mark was omnidirectional and indiscriminate.

Scepter and Wanderer were also affected, but since they were farther away and had the protection of the Golden Scepter and the Green Spirit Branch, they only felt some discomfort.

Iro, who had been casting an illusion on Su Nan, took the full brunt of the sound wave's soul-shattering impact, suffering a significant injury.

Another one who suffered greatly was Ember. The massive wall of fire absorbed most of the sound wave's power, causing it to boil like oil splattered with water. Ember's agonized screams echoed from within.

Seizing this opportunity, Su Nan dashed toward Iro and cast a Magic Missile with a swift gesture.

Ten Magic Missiles dispersed, tracing different arcs in the air and converging on Iro from all directions, completely sealing off any chance for her to dodge.

Scepter, watching from a distance, widened his eyes in shock.

"Spell Construction!"

But even more shocking was yet to come. After the Magic Missiles, a red glow flashed in Su Nan's palm, and a Burning Ray shot out like an arrow.

There was no pause between the two spells.

"Spell Quickening!"

Scepter sucked in a sharp breath.

Another metamagic technique! Two, no, three if you count Spell Silent!

Su Nan had mastered so many metamagic techniques!

Iro and Ember were also taken aback.

A wall of wind and water formed in front of Iro, deflecting the Burning Ray.

However, the Magic Missiles coming from the sides and behind her were impossible to dodge. Iro had to take the hits, and the invisible shield around her shattered instantly. The remaining force struck her magical defenses, causing ripples to spread.

The power of the spells left Iro stunned.

This was far beyond a typical second-level spell.

It wasn't just the power boost from Spell Construction; Su Nan's mental strength must be extraordinarily high!

Despite the information gathered by the Immortality Society indicating Su Nan's formidable strength, Iro only truly felt the weight of those words in this moment.

In just a few breaths, both she and Ember had been injured, and the favorable situation had been completely reversed, far exceeding her expectations.

"Die!"

Ember roared, and a sea of flames surged toward Su Nan, intent on engulfing him and burning him to ashes.

Su Nan's expression remained unchanged. The Ice Necklace around his neck glowed faintly, and a shockwave of extreme cold radiated outward from him.

Crack!

The surging flames were instantly extinguished, turning into frozen particles that fell to the ground.

The endless flames visibly diminished, and the temperature in the air dropped sharply.

"Aaaah!!"

Ember let out a shrill scream, the intense pain driving him into a frenzy. The flames swelled and grew again as he roared.

Su Nan sneered, casting spells to keep Iro occupied so she couldn't cast her illusions, while pulling out another Ice Necklace.

Another wave of icy cold swept through.

Then a third, and a fourth.

Scepter and Wanderer were dumbfounded.

They could see that the necklaces were all Minor Magic Items, and that was precisely why they were so stunned by Su Nan's actions.

They had never seen anyone use Minor Magic Items like this before!

Other wizard apprentices treated Minor Magic Items as trump cards, using them only in critical moments.

Su Nan, on the other hand, used them as consumables, one after another.

This was simply extraordinary!

By the time they had processed it, Su Nan had already pulled out his seventh Ice Necklace.

He must have more Minor Magic Items than they had Alchemical Magic Items!

Where did he get them all?

Under the repeated assaults, Ember's ferocity had waned.

The flames that had once filled half the cave had shrunk to about two meters high, returning to a humanoid form.

But the color was unusually dim, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

The face made of flames was filled with human-like horror and fear.

All the rage and madness from before had been shattered by Su Nan, leaving only terror.

"What’s going on with that guy?"

"Why does he have so many micro-light magic items?"

The situation had completely turned around. Now, it was Yujin and Elora who were considering retreat.

The two of them were thoroughly intimidated by Su Nan, deeply realizing that they were no match for the man in front of them. The thought of fleeing involuntarily filled their minds.

Without hesitation, they both retreated hastily, speeding off in different directions.

Wand and Voyager watched this scene with a mix of amazement and awe.

They had exerted all their efforts and still failed to defeat Elora and Yujin, even falling into a disadvantageous position. Yet, the moment Su Nan appeared, he effortlessly drove the two of them into a panic-stricken retreat.

The disparity was starkly evident!

Voyager, having witnessed Su Nan’s prowess firsthand when he defeated Bloodmouth and Magichand, was somewhat prepared. However, this was the first time Wand had seen Su Nan’s true strength in action.

He had always known Su Nan was strong, but he never imagined he would be this formidable.

Despite their amazement, Wand and Voyager didn’t stand idly by. They quickly moved to intercept Elora and Yujin.

"Stop struggling. If you surrender now, you might suffer a bit less," Voyager said with a wry smile as he locked eyes with Yujin.

The irony was thick in the air, as Yujin had said the exact same thing moments ago.

Yujin gritted his teeth in anger but didn’t stop moving. He unleashed a fierce wave of flames toward Voyager.

If he was caught here, he knew he was doomed once Su Nan intervened.

Voyager, however, understood this as well. He didn’t even attempt to dodge Yujin’s attack, relying on the green light emanating from his body to withstand it.

This brief delay gave Su Nan the opening he needed.

Countless blinding silver streaks tore through the darkness, striking like lightning from a distance and engulfing Yujin in a storm of metal.

Sizzling sounds of metal piercing the air were almost continuous, blending into a single, deafening roar.

The silver metal storm completely obliterated the area where Yujin stood!

Voyager took several steps back, his heart pounding as he watched the scene unfold.

"Magic? It doesn’t seem like it. Could it be a magic item?"

"But even micro-light magic items shouldn’t have this kind of terrifying power, right?"

Even standing aside, Voyager could feel the overwhelming force of the silver metal storm. If he had been the target, even with the Green Spirit Branch, he doubted he could have withstood it completely.

After about ten seconds, the metal storm gradually dissipated.

Yujin’s body was nowhere to be seen, leaving only wisps of smoke and a spatial ring behind.

Su Nan extended his hand, and the spatial ring flew into his palm.

Without a moment’s pause, he turned and flew toward Elora.

Seeing Yujin’s demise from a distance, Elora’s heart sank. She wanted to flee, but Wand was holding her tightly in place.

Bang!

At that moment, the nearby rock wall suddenly exploded.

Debris flew everywhere as several figures burst out.

In the dim tunnel, Rose and Redheart were flying in panic.

The only sounds in the silent tunnel were their rapid, labored breaths.

Suddenly, Redheart spat out a curse.

"Damn it, how did it come to this?"

Rose sighed deeply but didn’t respond.

The sudden long howl from the Stone Scorpion had shattered their ambush, scattering their companions and nullifying their numerical advantage.

When she regained her senses, she found herself alone.

It took her a while to find Redheart and Skeleton, but they soon encountered Sauro.

The battle erupted instantly!

Only after engaging in combat did Rose realize just how terrifying the founder of the Eternal Guild truly was.

Despite their numerical superiority, they were overwhelmed in just a few minutes and had to scatter to escape.

During their flight, Rose and Redheart reunited.

After a brief discussion, they decided to find the others and regroup before confronting Sauro again.

As they flew forward, Rose suddenly paused, her expression changing.

"There’s movement!"

Redheart snapped to attention and listened carefully, indeed hearing sounds coming from a distance.

Both of them immediately became wary.

Soon, three figures emerged from the corner ahead.

Rose’s eyes widened in relief as she recognized Nightowl, Blackwood, and Hunter, who had been separated from them earlier.

"You—"

Before she could speak, Nightowl cut her off.

"Quick, we have to go!"

As he spoke, the three of them rushed over with a look of panic on their faces.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end