Uncle Likes Danger?

Time passed. Two days later.

Cien was ready to depart with his special coffin. Inside it, there were not only weapons and potions, but Lilinette would also accompany him.

As she had requested during the meeting two days ago, Lilinette wanted to take part in helping to save Ethel.

Cien had told her that it was dangerous, yet Lilinette, though she appeared obedient and calm, was a rather stubborn girl.

That's why she could live her life as a Millard Family puppet without resentment, as she genuinely wanted to help her family.

Even this time, Lilinette moved with a similar intention.

Cien worried about Lilinette because she could no longer tap into the powers within her. She was just an ordinary human now.

But Lilinette's argument was, if Cien could do it, why couldn't she?

Cien could wield various magical weapons that didn't rely on his dwindling mana quantities. Lilinette was aware of this. While she didn't possess the physical strength of a Rank 2 like Cien, she still had experience as a fighter.

Lilinette knew she'd be useless if she had to engage in direct combat. However, she could support Cien by casting spells from her magic weapon or firing arrows from behind Cien's back.

Feeling unable to change her niece's mind, Cien reluctantly accepted her wish.

Hence, over these two days, aside from seeking ways to strengthen himself, Cien also prepared some simple magical weapons for his niece.

After they were both ready to depart, Cien bid farewell to Mia, leaving her with instructions for the worst-case scenario (his death).

He entrusted the people of Death Valley and their future plans to her care.

Cien reassured Mia that even if he were to lose his life, the protective formation in the current area wouldn't disappear. For other safety matters, they could rely on Fenrir.

Mia hoped that the worst case situation wouldn't come, but fate… who can guess it? All she could do was prepare.

Normally, Cien would venture into the forest before teleporting, ensuring he was far from anyone's sight.

But for now, he would skip that step. First, to save time, and second, because he felt there was no need to conceal all of his abilities anymore.

He placed Lilinette inside the coffin, surrounded by various weapons.

Cien then opened his cellphone and saw that the teleportation feature in the "Event" column was activated.

He pressed it. Just like that, he vanished. Successfully stunned Mia and Sella.

"There are still many absurd things about him that we don't know," Mia remarked, her gaze empty after witnessing Cien disappear instantly.

"Hm, agreed. Yosh, Sella you can do it, fighting!" exclaimed Sella, motivating herself as she raised her fist to the sky.

'Huh? Fighting for what?'

Mia questioned, puzzled by the behavior of Cien's only employee.

***

Elsewhere, about five hundred meters from the southern gates of the Kingdom of Farnodt, Cien, who had been teleported, finally arrived.

He felt a slight dizziness as he shifted through space in an instant. It was a sensation he had experienced before, and he knew it would usually fade away within a minute.

Hence, Cien typically didn't pay much mind, at least if he was in a situation similar to his previous experiences.

Unfortunately, this time was different.

As he arrived, still feeling dizzy with a slightly blurry vision, he realized he was standing on a grassy field, surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

They were all shouting loudly amidst the clashing sounds of various metal weapons.

Boom! Boom!

"…"

"Uncle, why is Lily hearing the sounds of war?"

"Because we are indeed in the middle of a battlefield."

"Wow. Lily just realized it. Uncle likes danger."

"...not at all."

As Cien's vision returned to normal, he could now clearly see the situation around him.

Yup. He was indeed in the midst of a battlefield, right in the ranks of a human army.

Judging by the armor they were wearing, Cien recognized it as similar to what Legia and Jamie had worn in the past.

That meant, "Ethyria's troops…"

Wuuuuung!

Suddenly, a large black fireball descended from the sky toward the area where Cien stood.

"Damn it!"

Cien immediately started running as fast as he could. In his heart, he cursed his cellphone for sending him right into the middle of war.

'Can't you send me to a more peaceful place?!'

Boom!

"Aaaaa!"

Cien was jolted by the impact and thrown slightly off balance. He then crouched on the ground, bracing himself against the shockwave produced by the fiery attack.

"Uncle, this is dizzying."

"Sorry, but it seems we have to move right away."

"Do you need help?"

"Not now. Stay inside."

Once he felt the earth's vibrations had subsided, Cien looked around. Dozens of soldiers were already wounded.

"Hey, who are you?!"

A soldier yelled after seeing a suspicious figure in a covered black cloak carrying a coffin on his back.

The soldier panicked, thinking Cien was an enemy. He drew his sword, even though one of his hands seemed to be missing.

Cien observed the struggling soldier, who was having difficulty to keep standing.

"I'm not your enemy."

Woosh!

Cien then activated the skill [Transformation] within his Cloak of Raven Abyss.

The cloak transformed into a pair of large black raven wings. Every part of the cloak except the hood turned into wings.

As a result, Cien's body was now visible, except for his face. Only a pair of green eyes and the lower part of his face were visible.

Cien took off, flying high above. Startling several Ethyria soldiers in the vicinity.

Up there, Cien scrutinized the battlefield carefully. With flight, he should be able to move north more swiftly. Well, if it weren't for the potential depletion of his Mana Core and the presence of flying demons as obstacles, maybe he can do that.

Cien retrieved an arrow and aimed it towards the sky where the Abyss troops were positioned.

Shooot!

An arrow shot up into the sky.

"[Frozen Rain]."

Brrrrrrrrrr!

The arrow's tip instantly ignited, creating a large magical circle. From that magic circle, thousands of sharp ice thorns rained down upon the demons below.

It pierced their bodies and froze the wounded areas. Hundreds of demon soldiers were immediately killed, and thousands were injured.

Feeling a breath of fresh air, the Ethyria soldiers charged toward the area attacked by Cien. They started breaking through the injured lines, causing the Abyss formation's balance to falter.

Enraged by the instant impact caused by Cien, the flying demon soldiers began to charge at the man with black wings above.

Cien reached for another arrow from the side of his coffin.

Shoot!

"[Will of Phoenix]."

Wooooosh!

A large blazing fire-covered bird, immediately swept through the majority of the approaching flying demon troops.

They were incinerated by the flames. Of course, this attack was equivalent to the power of a Rank 7.

For low-class demon soldiers, Cien's attack was incredibly lethal.

Following behind his fiery bird, Cien began to advance, breaking through the enemy's formation. After the firebird vanished, Cien was ready again with three arrows.

He shot the three arrows in various directions. One towards the front lines of the demons, one towards the rear, and the last towards the demons positioned on the city walls.

"[Explode]!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three consecutive explosions wreaked havoc among the demon ranks.

"Fu*ker! Who the hell are you?!"

"Hm?"

Suddenly, a demon much larger than the other demon soldiers shouted from the city gate.

Judging from the demon's demeanor and attitude, Cien was certain that he was the leader of the demon forces in the city.

Cien grinned, then flew swiftly towards the demon while pulling the bowstring. An arrow was already in place and shot towards the large demon.

"[Explode]."

Boom! Swoosh!

"Do you think this small explosion could hurt me?!"

"Tch!"

The explosion arrow held the power of a Rank 5. With an attack radius of about fifty meters.

However, the massive demon managed to contain that power, causing it to explode only about five meters away from him. Not only that, the explosion didn't harm him at all.

"Upper Rank, huh."

Cien murmured. Those in the Upper Ranks, ranging from Rank 8 to Rank King, were significantly more challenging opponents.

Although by the human race standard, for them who are in the Rank Jack to Rank King has another term, namely Champion.

That's why the demon in front of him would be quite troublesome.

If it were in the Rank 8 or Rank 9 range, Cien could still fight it. But Rank 10 and above, he needs more preparations. Something Cien didn't want to do right after arriving on the battlefield.

"Well, a battle isn't just about strength," Cien mused, then began to chant incantation, conjuring a sizable magical circle in the sky.

The demon leader was taken aback, preparing for Cien's next attack. However, contrary to expectations, Cien didn't chant an offensive spell.

"[Rain]."

Suddenly, heavy rain poured down, soaking the area around the city gate.

The demons, and even the humans, were puzzled by this unexpected change in weather.

"Gyahahaha! I'm worried for nothing. So, it's just a rainy spell! You're wasting your time!"

The demon then lifted a mace and flew towards Cien, ready to strike down the nuisance before him.

But of course, Cien hadn't only conjured rain. He smiled and then clapped his hands once.

Clap!

The raindrops throughout the area instantly froze in midair, as if time had frozen.

"!"

The demon leader halted his approach.

"What is this?"

"Just a little manipulation. And… [Mist]."

The raindrops shattered, transforming into thick fog that enveloped nearly the entire battlefield. It drastically reduced their visibility within it.

Only those with keen instincts or exceptional mana manipulation could still observe their surroundings.

The demon leader possessed neither of these. His strength lay at Rank 9, but he specialized in physical power. Thus, he struggled to discern his surroundings.

"You bastard! You cowardly scum! Hiding in the mist?! Come out if you dare?!"

"I'm right here."

"!"

Cien, who was already beside the large demon, was prepared with the Rank 8 skill [Tongue of Fire].

Even if the demon's rank was higher than Cien's attack, it wouldn't matter if he was hit directly in the right place, right in front of his face.

Even a Rank 10 could die from it!

Whoooosh!

A massive burst of raging fire consumed the demon leader along with all the other demons within the attack's radius.

They were caught off guard by the unexpected assault due to the fog, leaving them unable to react or prepare a defense.

Tap!

Cien then landed atop the city gate, now devoid of demons.

"Sigh... quite exhilarating."