Chapter 298: The Chase

Chapter 298: The Chase



As the Lava Giant Hand approached, Ren narrowed his eyes and, with a swift step, darted sideways towards the gate.

But the next moment, the Lava Giant Hand, like an earth dragon, made a thunderous turn, plowing through the ground and continuing its pursuit of Ren with relentless speed. In a situation where he had the option to choose, Ren naturally didn't want to endure the massive power of the Second Level Spell head-on.

So, when Ren saw the Lava Giant Hand still chasing after him, he spun on his heels and changed direction, rushing towards the wall where Asimov was located, accelerating rapidly! It seemed as if he wanted to close the distance between them, allowing the other party to also bear the damage of his spell.

At this moment, a smile spread across Asimov's face.

His combat experience was extremely rich, and seeing the scene before him, he immediately understood Ren's intention.

When facing a Great Knight skilled in close combat, the only way to engage was to find a way to close the distance, otherwise, it would be impossible to inflict any harm upon him.

And for this, Asimov already had an extremely well-developed countermeasure.

Along the way, the low greenery, potted plants, street-side tables and chairs, sunshades, and more, were all blown into disarray by the gale-force winds generated by the high-speed movement of the two combatants, leaving behind a chaotic scene.

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Two seconds later, Ren arrived at the alley, cautious and vigilant, while looking around. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.

This time, although both parties managed to strike each other, neither seemed to achieve the expected outcome.

Soon, the only combatants in the short term would be himself and Ren!

"Is he trying to escape the city?"

But for them, it would become a big trouble.

"Since that's the case, I have no choice but to use that move!"

"As long as the opponent is injured, the subsequent battle will be easier."

Asimov, who had startled the Griffin Knight, suddenly dashed into an alley.

In that instant, Ren didn't choose to defend but instead wielded his Tempered Fine Gold Warhammer, forged from Secret Silver, and unleashed the 'Annihilation Hammer'! Both parties had absolute confidence in their defenses and were equally confident in their offensive capabilities.

Immediately after, he leaped down from the city wall.

Facing the diving Griffin Knight, Ren executed a Z-shaped acceleration to dodge the attack and shouted from a distance, "Imperial Swordsman, Ren!"

Asimov, slowly floating in mid-air and drifting away, turned to glance at Ren, pointed, and then made a throat-slitting gesture.

Additionally, it proved that the spell the other party was casting was extraordinarily powerful.

Inside the manor.

It seemed that the Flame Shield from earlier was likely to be a self-activated defensive spell released by the Crystal Necklace.

The power of the Scorching Ray was also negligible.

The four guards exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw a hint of shock.

Before the Night Watch's arrows could be fired, Asimov had already dashed into an alley beside them.

However, the next second, he thought of a solution.

How was this possible? His Lava Giant Hand had a power of at least 60 degrees, and the other party managed to withstand it with a Talent Spell? This shouldn't be possible! Even if the opponent was a rare official Mage and a Great Knight, it was still a First Level Mage, and it shouldn't be possible to withstand a Second Level Spell!

Just as Ren was about to bring down his Warhammer on Asimov, Asimov finished his incantation.

Ren's reaction was swift, and he raised the Mystified Serargentian Eagle Shield in his hand, blocking it steadily in front of his chest.

Ren took a quick leap and jumped onto the roof of a civilian house, closely pursuing Asimov.

At this moment, Asimov glanced at Ren, who was like a bone-deep abscess, and immediately turned around, dodging into another alley and quickly began chanting a spell.

This energy fluctuation was too massive! Could it be that Great Mage Asimov was exerting his full power?

Ren narrowed his eyes, making a swift decision.

Ren also took the opportunity to leap, and the two, like a twin-winged aircraft, jumped off the city wall, gliding and rapidly chasing after Asimov.

Immediately after, the Secret Silver Engraved Plate Armor was pierced.

The alley had only two entrances, and there were no signs of them being opened.

After a few more seconds, a scream came from the left side!

Ren narrowed his eyes, and the anger in his heart ignited. Initially, he had considered this opponent to be formidable, and since they hadn't attacked him to coerce compliance, he felt they deserved respect.

Asimov's eyes focused, and he raised the short staff in his hand, beginning to chant loudly, and a surging wave of energy overflowed.

And due to the Concealing Spell Array's failure, the commotion from the Second Level Spell had already awakened the highly vigilant city.

Being able to reduce the damage by six to seven tenths meant that there was still three to four tenths of the remaining power.

Asimov's body suddenly flashed with a ring of fiery light, and then he quickly began to chant the incantation.

The Crystal Necklace on Asimov's chest shattered.

"Invisibility?"

But the next second, the gray shadow moving at high speed in front suddenly raised its hand and aimed at the Griffin Knight diving down, unleashing a face-melting blast of flame.

Under the illumination of streetlights and house lights, they could vaguely make out two figures moving rapidly on the ground. So, they immediately controlled their Griffin to dive down.

But the next second, his eyebrows furrowed again.

The opponent was the first Level 2 Mage he encountered, and in terms of combat power, they were the second strongest enemy he had faced so far, second only to the ancient hero Monger.

Moreover, the opponent's defense was inexplicably strong!

A Mystified Serargentian Eagle Shield, formed from the transformation of Mystified Serargentian, surrounded his body and rapidly rushed towards Asimov.

However, he had already lost two capable subordinates, yet he still hadn't taken down Ren, let alone obtained any Heart Blood.

At this moment, several Night Watch squads had already discovered Asimov's trail and quickly aimed their bows and arrows at him. But the opponent was too fast, surrounded by a blue aura, swift as lightning.

After a brief moment of chaos, the team split into two groups, each chasing after a Griffin Knight in a different direction.

After all, 0.25 seconds of casting time was enough to create a convincing illusion.

This caused a hint of panic to flash in Asimov's eyes for the first time! "Bang!" After being weakened by the Fire Ring, the hammer struck Asimov's body, which was suddenly protected by a rock armor that appeared out of nowhere. Dirt splattered as the rock armor was shattered, leaving a large hole! Just as the hammer was about to hit Asimov's body, an invisible flame shield appeared and blocked the blow!

Ren narrowed his eyes and looked down at the ground outside the city walls, which had a height difference of over seventy meters. If he jumped down, he might not die, but the chances of sustaining serious injuries were high.

Asimov on the roof cast Swift Wind again, enveloping himself in a pale green whirlwind and continuing his escape.

However, Ren's eyes became brighter, and his battle intent grew stronger.

But the next second, a look of shock flashed in Asimov's eyes.

The next second, including himself, three figures immediately rushed off in three different directions.

Although the Quad Darts couldn't inflict much damage on him, they could ruin his plan of using Invisibility to escape! "Damn it, you dead dog!" Asimov cursed.

But if they left the city, things would be different.

However, it didn't seem to be the case. Ren immediately sidestepped to the corner of the burning villa, transforming his warhammer into a two-handed greatsword. With a swift slash, he cut down the burning wall, effectively extinguishing the flames.

If the adults didn't come out soon, the consecutive disappearances of the patrol personnel would soon attract the attention of the Imperial Security Department. Then, it would become more difficult to escape.

The speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second.

Ren saw three Mystified Serargentian Eagle Shields suddenly surround him, blocking the Lava Giant Hand just a meter or two away.

It was the Griffin Knight on patrol in Mint City.

The next second, Asimov rushed towards the tall city walls of Mint City.

"Crack!"

Ren, guided by the Bloodfeather Eagle Beast in mid-air, created a whirlwind and pursued the opponent from behind.

However, this action undoubtedly revealed Asimov's true position.

He had just returned to Mint City yesterday after a change in patrol duties.

Perhaps, for the adults, being surrounded by Imperial Elite was just a minor inconvenience.

Seeing Ren rushing towards him again, Asimov glanced at Ren with a meaningful look.

The Mystified Serargentian Shield only blocked for a moment before a hole was pierced through its center. The remaining Scorching Ray, carrying its residual power, struck Ren's body.

Although the shield was now creaking, it had managed to block the attack.

A ring of flame flashed across Ren's body, followed by a force that was shattered by the crushing power contained within the hammerhead.

However, the Griffin Knight in the sky was momentarily blinded.

Suddenly, Asimov, who was several dozen meters ahead of Ren, cast a levitation spell after rounding a sentry post.

In the current situation, Asimov knew that he couldn't shake off Ren's pursuit and return to the Auction House, let alone reach the airship docking point to go back to the Imperial Capital.

Most importantly, Ren could clearly feel that when he was fully immersed in combat earlier, his will seemed to have strengthened a bit.

In no time, the Bloodfeather Eagle Beast, with its swift dive and sharp claws, shattered the figure on the right like a bursting bubble.

Asimov's time was limited. According to the original plan, he had about half a minute left.

The next second, Asimov's entire body suddenly disappeared from his original position.

If Asimov were to cast a Second Level Spell within Mint City, the city's array would immediately detect his exact location, and the Empire's defense forces would swarm him like crazy.

Asimov watched as the tempered mithril in Ren's hands swiftly transformed into two thin, wing-like metal plates.

Ever since his encounter with Galina's doppelganger ability, Ren had been analyzing the combat experience.

The creature emerged from the flowerbed fountain, roaring angrily, and continued its pursuit of Asimov.

Asimov suddenly unleashed a fire blast towards Ren's mansion, instantly setting it ablaze, while he himself retreated at high speed.

"Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Ren shouted.

Asimov quickly chanted a spell and waved his staff.

Although he had been at a slight disadvantage in the previous round, Ren was determined to turn the tables.

Asimov, having shaken off his pursuers, was about to head back to the administrative district and take a 10-minute airship ride back to the imperial capital.

At that moment, the Bloodcap mercenary squad guarding Ren's mansion had already eliminated a patrol of night watchmen who had just passed by.

Asimov knew that he couldn't afford to prolong this standoff any longer.

Asimov stood his ground, even as Ren charged towards him, continuing to chant spells. He was confident in the defensive capabilities of his innate mage spells.

The energy fluctuation from the previous spell had likely already been detected.

Ren, who was pursuing Asimov from behind, witnessed Asimov overwhelming several city guards and quickly climbing the city wall. He narrowed his eyes.

A civilian house's rooftop was exposed, and Asimov, with nowhere to hide, appeared slightly disheveled.

Who was this opponent they were facing? Their strength was formidable, and the squad was struggling to hold on. They could only sustain this for another minute at most, as their mental strength was nearly depleted.

In the dim night, with three identical figures, it was impossible to distinguish between them. They randomly chose one of the figures and gave chase.

The consecutive second-level spells had clearly rendered the concealing spell array ineffective.

The force of the spell pushed the two apart once more.

Ren was certain that the figure had entered the alley and hadn't emerged since.

Asimov turned back angrily, glancing at Ren and then at the tall Mint City wall before him. He made up his mind.

Asimov realized he couldn't continue fighting like this.

The previous attack had been futile, and Asimov's expression grew more somber. For the first time, he regarded Ren, a young man, as a formidable adversary.

Ren burst into laughter and spun around, unleashing over a hundred quad darts towards the direction of Curious' howls. "Blade Storm Revised!"

However, their combat styles were completely different. One was bold and majestic like a lion, while the other was cunning and calculating like a venomous snake.

In hindsight, Asimov should have killed that troublesome dog earlier.

Although the second-level spell was powerful, it also meant that the chanting time would be longer than before.

But Asimov believed he had the upper hand, as even a tenth of the power of the scorching ray would be enough to pierce through the flesh of a great knight.

Asimov naturally assumed that the 'Metal Barrier' Ren had just used was an innate spell.

"Damn! I actually attacked Lord Ren."

The fact that three high-ranking individuals couldn't quickly subdue the opponent indicated that their opponent's strength was extraordinary.

Asimov looked thoughtfully at the faint blue smoke rising from a small hole in Ren's chest plate.

The night watchmen and city guards surrounding them on the ground had initially determined their position based on the griffin knights in the air, but now they saw that the two griffin knights had split up in pursuit.

Ren firmly blocked the fire blast, but the impact of the explosion halted his charging momentum.

On the other side, the mercenary squad...

The power of the second-level single-target spell was indeed formidable.

"Woof woof!"

Despite the darkness of the night and the overcast skies, visibility was low.

Ren immediately abandoned the central figure and changed direction, relying on the Bloodfeather eagle beast for navigation while he pursued.

Ren glanced at Veri and nodded, then chased after him.

Asimov pointed his finger at Ren, and a scorching ray as thick as a bowl emerged from his fingertip, rushing towards Ren.

He meant to return and give Ren a hard time.

The griffin knight was Fischer, who had witnessed Ren's battle with the ancient hero Monger in Minster.

Although Curious was scorched, he possessed the innate ability of 'Rapid Regeneration'.

The griffin was startled and immediately roared, flapping its wings to dodge the flames, almost throwing off the griffin knight on its back.

However, Ren hesitated, unsure if the opponent had any more tricks up their sleeve. As he considered pursuing, Veri shouted from the window, "Captain, I've signaled Neror. We'll handle things here, so don't worry!"

Curious charged forward and bit the figure, only to be hit by a fire blast, igniting a large patch of fur on his back. He hurriedly rushed to the nearby fountain to extinguish the flames.

Ren's heart was filled with frustration and anger. The enemy had likely switched to a more concentrated and evasive Second Level Spell, which explained why they had stopped using the Lava Giant Hand.

However, the planned withdrawal time was fast approaching. If Ren didn't leave now, he would be at a disadvantage. He wasn't worried about being surrounded by the Imperial Elite, but as the provincial capital, Minster had no shortage of powerful individuals.

Ren pursued relentlessly, with the lynx hound 'Curious' chasing the figure on the left and the bloodfeather eagle beast in the sky pursuing the one on the right.

Curious shook the wet fur on his body and held his tail high, looking rather proud, as if saying, 'You made me a drenched dog, and now you'll pay for it!'

The Griffin Knight who had attacked Ren widened his eyes in surprise.

Four Third Level Apprentice Mages, responsible for suppressing the powerful spell energy fluctuations in this area, had beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

As a loud eagle cry sounded from behind Ren, a pair of sharp claws grabbed onto his shoulders.

At the same time, Ren's Warhammer landed a heavy blow on Asimov.

Ren had some insights into the Spell 'Doppelganger'.

Ren immediately realized that the energy fluctuations indicated a Second Level Spell, much more powerful than the First Level Spell 'Flame Shield' used earlier.

They were also surprised by the loud combat noises coming from the manor.

Asimov's confidence in victory evaporated as he glanced at the crystal fragments on the ground. Ren's attack had exceeded seventy degrees, an extremely high damage for a Liquid Mage.

Fortunately, the overcast skies reduced visibility, preventing the Griffin Knight from joining the pursuit.

Minster was built against a mountain, resulting in some walls with a significant height difference of seventy to eighty meters.

The two, one in front of the other, intended to control both Asimov and Ren simultaneously.

When Ren was still ten meters away, Asimov raised his staff and pointed it at Ren. Suddenly, a flame beam erupted from the staff, shooting towards Ren!

Asimov's close-range damage was much higher than his long-range attacks, so getting closer was the best strategy.

However, Asimov could only accelerate again, and both of them moved at incredible speed, quickly passing through the Administrative District and into the Trade Zone. They then rushed through the Trade Zone and into the Residential District.

Ren's eyes flashed with determination.

Asimov smiled, thinking, 'Just as I thought.' He raised his left hand and clenched it tightly. In the next instant, a giant Lava Giant Hand emerged from behind and grabbed Ren forcefully.

Indeed, combat was the quickest way to enhance Will Radiance.

In the blink of an eye, two lifelike shadows appeared around Ren, identical to his own form.

The injury wasn't severe for the eagle beast.

Ren took advantage of the brief moment when the Mystified Serargentian Eagle Shields blocked the attack, sidestepping gracefully to avoid the Giant Hand's grasp. He stood face-to-face with Asimov once again.

They looked at the foggy manor in astonishment.

Ren accelerated again, his tempered mithril warhammer transforming into sharp claws. He chose a shortcut, climbing the wall directly with the claws' powerful grip.

The Scorching Ray hit the Mystified Serargentian Eagle Shield, which, while having strong resistance to energy damage, wasn't completely immune.

Asimov looked up at the bloodfeather eagle beast in the sky and then glanced back at Ren and the lynx hound behind him. He cursed under his breath, "You pesky creatures won't leave me alone!"

The Scorching Ray hit Ren first.

Hmm? Ren?

Curious, right behind Ren, sniffed with his dog's nose and immediately started barking towards the right side of the roof.

At this moment, two more black dots appeared in the sky, swiftly flying towards Asimov and Ren.

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Although the bloodfeather eagle beast was not yet fully grown and couldn't carry Ren's full weight, it could still slow his fall to prevent injury.

Asimov watched this scene with a stunned expression, his eyes twitched uncontrollably. Both of them landed almost simultaneously, separated by several dozen meters, and faced each other again.

However, they both stared at each other without moving. Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the surroundings, revealing the solemn faces of both parties against the backdrop of the wild landscape.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and heavy raindrops fell like a torrential downpour, hitting the ground and creating a mist of water vapor and the earthy smell of mud.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end