Under the Aduaxlight

Lily's mind is in turmoil, and suddenly a spear made entirely of pure fire pierces through a barrier and impales Amy's chest. The magical spear comes so fast and unexpectedly that none of them even have time to react.

The spear's tip has pierced through Amy's chest, and seeing this, Lily freezes in shock. Just as she's about to run toward Amy, Theodoras suddenly pulls Amy back, narrowly saving her from another fiery spear. "Lily, snap out of it! If you don't pull yourself together now, we could both die!" Theodoras shouts at Lily, but when she sees the spear she narrowly escaped, her shock intensifies, and her legs begin to tremble. Theodoras keeps urging her, but when he gets no response, he grabs her wrist and forces her to run. Lily was already struggling to regulate her breathing, and being forced to run by Theodoras makes it worse—she collapses to the ground. Theodoras, accustomed to life-and-death situations from his days of slavery, finds the death of someone beside him unremarkable. He had witnessed countless friends, acquaintances, and strangers killed by slave traders—some starved, some fell ill, some burned, some took their own lives. For Theodoras, these were all familiar sights.

Theodoras stops immediately and lifts Lily up. "Lily, I know it might look like I'm calm from where you're standing, but know this: I'm scared too—terrified, even. But if you stop now, the thing you fear most will come true. Please, get up and run." As Theodoras tries to convince Lily, a man in his twenties, dressed in a pitch-black robe with his head covered, suddenly appears in front of them, clapping his hands. "How romantic," he says. "Are my little prey trying to put on a nice show for me before they die?" Lily is still in shock. Theodoras steps in front of her, pulling out the wooden sword Lucius had given him. Turning to Lily, he says, "Lily, run now—this guy is even stronger than Lucius." Theodoras winces slightly in pain as he squeezes his right eye, his hands visibly trembling as he grips the wooden sword. "Why do you attack the unarmed, you filthy coward? Even slave traders aren't as heartless as you," Theodoras says. "Killing someone? Me? I haven't killed anyone," the robed man replies, barely containing his laughter, his amusement evident. "Stop lying—I know you killed Amy," Theodoras raises his voice, horns sprouting from his forehead again as he grips the sword tighter and furrows his brows. "Amy? Who's Amy? Oh, wait, you mean that servant wench, don't you?" the man says, covering his mouth and chuckling, though his laughter is unmistakable. "You honorless bastard, stop laughing—there's nothing funny here." The robed man grows serious and snaps his fingers, causing Theodoras's wooden sword to burst into flames. "Thanks for helping me kill you," he says. Theodoras considers using the burning sword to his advantage to burn the man, but his efforts are in vain. Theodoras lunges forward quickly, but the robed man stands calmly in place, staring unblinkingly into Theodoras's eyes with a serious expression. He catches the burning wooden sword with his bare hand, and the flames dissipate instantly. "You think you can kill me like this? You believe you can even touch me with your pathetic third-class physique, you brat?" the robed man says, then crushes the wooden sword with one hand. The splinters scatter, cutting Theodoras's cheek, while not a single splinter pierces the man's hand or leaves a mark. "You asked why I kill the unarmed, didn't you? Normally, I wouldn't bother explaining, but since you've entertained me this much, I'll repay the favor. I work for the assassins' guild, and I took a job to kill everyone here—especially that red-haired girl behind you. I got quite a hefty sum for her." Lily suddenly hurls a fireball at the man, followed by nearly twenty more fireballs flying toward him, but they collide with his robe and vanish.

**Fireball:** The fireball is a third-class sun-based fire spell that creates weak, small balls of fire. Its size varies depending on the user's mana capacity and control, but its power doesn't make a significant difference in combat, making it a waste of mana. It's typically used for starting fires or as a light source, though direct contact with skin can cause second-degree burns.

**Multi-Fireball:** Requires at least a second-class mage to cast. It allows the simultaneous use of multiple fireballs, though, like all multi-spells, the number of fireballs depends on the user's mana capacity and control. While mana capacity plays a significant role in multi-spells, mana control is the most critical factor.

Lily extends one arm, palm facing the robed man, and steadies her wrist with her other hand. A fiery orb forms in her hand—larger and hotter than a standard fireball spell. "Ignis," she says, launching the spell at the man with incredible speed, roughly eighty kilometers per hour. "Little girl, you're truly the type someone would want dead. Few people your age have such mastery over magic, but today you'll die," the robed man says, doing nothing as the spell hits him and vanishes instantly. "I enchanted this robe with my own hands. If you want to use magic against me while I'm wearing it, you'll need at least a first-class spell, my little one," he says, winking flirtatiously. Meanwhile, Theodoras doesn't stand idle—he kicks at the man's leg, but it only hurts his own foot. Still, he tries not to provoke him too much. For a moment, he even considers abandoning Lily and fleeing, but he can't bring himself to do it—he couldn't abandon someone who gave value to his worthless life.

**Ignis:** An enhanced version of the fireball spell, classified as a second-class spell.

**Enchantment:** Enchanting involves imbuing an object with magic using mana and incantations in the dragon tongue. However, this process is highly complex. Learning the dragon tongue is intricate and difficult, and embedding it into an object is even more so.

"YOU MURDEROUS BASTARDS, I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Agil comes running in and steps in front of Lily. "Lady Lily, now's not the time—you can't beat him." Agil is covered in wounds and blood, his sword glowing a faint blue. Theodoras rushes to Lily, hoisting her onto his shoulder and running. Lily has no strength left to resist, having nearly depleted all her mana. "Theodoras, please put me down," she says through tears, but Theodoras keeps running without responding.

"Well, well, well, the big guy's got some talent after all. You're lucky—making a breakthrough in the heat of battle isn't something just anyone can do. Even trash like you can grow in desperate moments, it seems. You've taught me a lot, big guy, so I'll fight you not as an assassin but as a knight. I am Cai Yong from Yongzhou, a warrior of the Cai clan," the robed man says. Agil's eyes are practically blazing with fury. He can barely stand, and using his sword aura is pushing him to his limits, especially since he's only recently learned to wield it.

**Sword Aura:** Sword Aura is a skill only peak-level martial artists can use. By channeling their mana into their swords or weapons, they can enhance them, and with enough mastery, even cut through the finest metals. In Yongzhou, this is called "Sword Qi."

"I'm Agil. I don't have a family name—just a commoner. I know of Yongzhou, but I've never heard of the Cai clan," Agil replies.

**Yongzhou:** A kingdom located in western Celestia, known for referring to mana as "qi." They excel in martial arts and magic but lag far behind other kingdoms in magical engineering. They're renowned for trading rice across the human continent.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it—I killed everyone in the Cai clan," Cai Yong says, letting out an ugly laugh after his words. Agil is stunned. "How could you slaughter your own clan? What kind of monster are you?" When the robed man snaps his fingers, dozens of Ignis spells appear around Agil. "Muscle-brained idiots like you really are fools. You fight without any knowledge of magic. When facing a mage, you need to pay attention to the mana flow around you, you dimwit. If you don't, the mage can saturate the area with their mana and instantly cast an active spell wherever it spreads. Even that kid from earlier fought with more awareness than you. I was going to respect you, but that's impossible—you're pitiful," Cai Yong says. The Ignis spells lock onto their target, and Agil screams in agony as he burns. In his final moments, he charges at Cai Yong, swinging his sword, but it's futile. A spear of pure fire materializes in Cai Yong's hand, and he splits Agil in half vertically. In his last moments before his death, Agil thought only that he wished he had never become a knight, and he closed his eyes to life in pain.

Friends, due to the Ramadan holiday, I couldn't post a chapter in the last two days. It seems I am constantly apologizing—please don't mind it. I wish you pleasant reading, and from now on, I'll try not to delay the chapters.