Chapter 76: The Magician

"Bang!"

Exploding lime paste splattered across Hector's face, making his eyes sting and burn, his vision momentarily stripped away! Hearing the commotion around him, Hector immediately felt a prickling sensation on his back. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and abruptly opened his bloodshot, lime-burned eyes!

"Haaaaaaaaah!"

He stomped the ground, causing the surrounding earth to hum and tremble. He leaped over five meters high, like a great roc spreading its wings, and spun in mid-air, swinging his spear!

"Clang!"

Four petal-shaped bullets were narrowly dodged, and the treasured spear that Lucan had fired was batted away with a single swing. Hector, with unspent momentum, lunged downward, bringing his spear crashing onto the charging Worvan!

Worvan's gaze flickered, and he could only forcefully raise his spear to parry!

However, at the moment their two lances met,

"—Boom!"

The warhorse's four hooves were forcibly bent, broken, and bone fragments burst forth!

Thud!

The warhorse collapsed to the ground. Worvan, astride the warhorse, seemed to have been forcibly shortened by a segment. His legs straddled the dead horse's body, his feet landing from the stirrups onto the ground. He immediately settled into a lunge, difficultly holding up his trembling arms to brace against Hector's spear.

"Without cavalry, do you really think you're fit to face me directly?!"

"You, one by one, one by one—"

Hector's eyebrows bristled, veins bulging on his face. He glared furiously at Worvan, using his spear shaft to parry the enemy's spear sideways, deflecting its direction, then suddenly raised his spear and thrust forward!

"Puchi!"

The lance instantly pierced Worvan's exposed flank as he lost balance. Hector held his spear with both hands, settling into a lunge, and lifted it upwards. With this move, he actually hoisted Sir Worvan entirely into the air.

Immediately after, Hector slammed his spear into the dry ground, embedding the tail of the spear into the earth. His pincer-like giant hand grabbed Worvan's neck, his bloodshot, ghoulish eyes glaring fiercely at Worvan,

"You truly overestimate yourself!"

"Is that so? Without your Sacred Gear, without your cavalry, without your faith, what are you, a crippled half-hero, even good for!?" Worvan grinned at him, spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood from his chest. He gritted his teeth, staring at Hector, and then, even in his severely wounded state, desperately used a joint lock to restrain Hector's hand that was gripping his throat!

Hector's crimson eyes suddenly froze.

And at that moment, a string of rapid, sharp, clear chants suddenly rang in his ears:

"Imaginary numbers, construct—"

"Magic, simulate—"

"Divine words, implant—"

"Aether, drifting in the imaginary, give me the wind!"

"Archer of Aether—Arrow of the Wind King!"

Hector's pupils contracted sharply. He abruptly turned his head and saw—

At this time, the swordsman, Suya, who had retreated a considerable distance, astonishingly pulled out a magic greatbow, a meter and a half long. He placed his sword on the greatbow as an arrow, gripping it with four fingers and drawing it back, full as a crescent moon!

A sudden storm rose from the ground, frantically gathering upon the sword blade!

Soon, the magic sword, acting as an arrow, suddenly vanished! Hector's brows instantly furrowed; he immediately recognized that it hadn't truly disappeared, but rather, through layers of winding wind, the refraction of light had changed, obscuring the sword blade. In other words, he couldn't determine where the sword would shoot, or which part of his body it would attack!

And at that moment, Suya released the bowstring!

Whoosh!

The Wind King's Sword, formed by the storm, shot forth with a roar!

Hector immediately slammed Worvan to the ground, pulled his long spear from the earth, stomped his foot, and abruptly retreated several meters, becoming wary!

However, this gust of wind swept directly past his side!

"Tsk!"

A crack suddenly appeared in the ground behind Hector. He turned his head with some astonishment, then, he saw with an incredulous expression—

The enemy magician, who should have been standing behind the four-person battle formation, a fairy girl with long white hair, unbelievably beautiful, had somehow already moved there. Merlin pulled out the invisible magic sword that was stuck in the ground!

Whispers of wind circled around her, billowing her wizard's robe and long hair. She stared at Hector with eagerness, a slight smile on her face. Gripping the hilt of the sword, she skillfully adopted a plowing stance.

Hector looked at this scene, almost laughing in anger. A frail magician actually wanted to face him, a half-hero, head-on!?

"You magician, you truly have a death wish!"

Hector, startled for nothing, let out a heavy breath, coldly staring at Merlin. But he still gripped his spear with both hands, taking up a stance to show appropriate respect to this brave magician, and immediately adjusted his battle plan—

He could see that the reinforcement magic on Suya came from the magician before him. As long as he dealt with the magician, then eliminated the pathetic Suya, he could then free his hands to deal with the remaining rogue and knight one by one.

With this thought, he charged out again like a cheetah!

However, Merlin calmly watched Hector charge towards her, counting the seconds. She gripped the sword hilt with both hands and rotated the blade—

"Wind King's Hammer!"

As the clear, elegant chant fell, an intensely suppressed storm immediately gushed from the sword blade, striking Hector like a hammer!

Under such a storm, Hector's mouth was blown open, exposing his teeth, his facial skin pulled back wildly. His charging momentum abruptly halted, and he struggled to maintain his posture by propping himself up with his lance.

Meanwhile, Merlin, as if strolling through a garden, took a short step forward, thrusting her sword out swiftly with one hand. The sword tip traced an exquisite arc, the blade grazing Hector's spear-wielding wrist!

At the same time—

Merlin raised her other hand, lightly flicking the sword blade, and smiled chillingly at Hector,

"My apologies, I am not a magician, but a Magic User!"

"Therefore, the battle is over—"

"This is,"

"The poison of nameless envy!"

As her words fell, a gash blossomed on Hector's wrist, and dark magic surged forth from it. That curse, capable of suppressing even Arthur Pendragon, the proxy of the Red Dragon, to immobility, attached itself to Hector!

Hector felt the surging Ki and magic within him abruptly halt. Wherever the dark magic spread, he began to feel weak and powerless. Unable to move. His pupils almost constricted to pinpricks. He immediately and unhesitatingly raised his left hand, drew the bronze sword from his waist, and with one swift cut, severed his own right arm!

Hector gritted his teeth, casting a glance at Merlin before him, who held her longsword, looking as if she had plenty of energy left and wanted to fight him for another three hundred rounds; behind her, Suya, who was clearly a swordsman but had suddenly pulled out a magic greatbow, ready to launch a sneak attack at any moment; and Lucan, the monstrous rogue, who was picking up the treasured spear he had swatted away.

Never before had he felt so utterly frustrated.

His Sacred Gear had been exhausted by Lucan, his cavalry restricted by the situation and unable to be commanded, forcing him to engage in close combat with his half-hero body. Yet, the close combat he encountered involved such a peculiar group of individuals; he couldn't exert his strength, and was even ensnared and poisoned. And if he chose to continue fighting, the situation would only become more perilous.

Were this group, who constantly employed such underhanded tactics, truly knights? Had their chivalry been fed to the dogs?!

With this thought, Hector roused the extremely sparse Ki remaining within him, turned around without looking back. He charged forward, instantly dashing away, smoothly seizing the reins and vaulting onto his warhorse. He immediately gestured, leading the remaining 500-odd allied cavalry to flee towards the north.

Watching Hector escape with his severed arm, Suya still wanted to land another arrow on him. But at that moment, Lucan came to his side, placed a hand on his shoulder, and shook his head,

"Let him go."

"If we keep fighting, it'll turn into a full-scale charge between legions. Half-heroes have faith blessings; even if there are only 500 of them, they could very well overwhelm us."

"Besides, our objective has already been achieved!"

Suya realized this too, nodded, and dispersed the greatbow in his hand. Then he suddenly froze, turned his head, and realized that Lucan's words seemed to contain something astonishing.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Faith?"

Lucan looked at Suya strangely, somewhat surprised that he didn't even know this, and frowned as he briefly explained:

"After the gods disappeared, the path of faith descended to the mortal realm. It is for this reason that living legendary heroes appeared within the Seven Kingdoms."

"Simply put,"

"This is your path after becoming a professional,"

"A way for humans to break through their limits and reach the transcendent."