The black sun hangs high

Chapter 183 Sending Bullets One by One

Regarding his personal code of conduct, Hughes firmly believed in a basic and simple principle.

The more the enemy opposes it, the more it should be done.

Conversely, if the enemy desires something, then the possibility of them achieving their goal should be eliminated.

Through Herbert and the Black Sun Society's reactions, Hughes gleaned a crucial piece of information: the Black Sun Scepter he obtained through Theseus's "behind-the-scenes manipulation" truly held extraordinary significance for the Black Sun Society.

Although Hugh had only recently acquired the scepter, he was already beginning to sense its special powers.

As Herbert explained during the gathering, the scepter seemed to have a close connection with the Black Sun Society. As someone who had passed the occult test and was now officially in possession of the scepter, Hugh was now fully capable of using it to easily locate all the Black Sun Society members around him.

With the two sides now openly hostile, the significance of this scepter has changed—it is no longer a symbol of absolute power within the Black Sun Society, but rather a major hidden danger for the society.

Even now, Herbert still doesn't understand how Hugh managed to deceive and destroy the Black Sun Ritual and successfully obtain the scepter.

This is completely inconsistent with the strength he has demonstrated as a Stream-level mage.

He could only attribute this to Hugh having received some kind of blessing from an ancient deity, which allowed him to pass the test of the ritual. This judgment only fueled Herbert's anger. He couldn't understand why this young man, having already received divine favor, would still stubbornly and foolishly stand against the deity.

In his eyes, this was an enormous waste and a desecration.

Hugh gently twirled the scepter in his hand. This metal staff, recast from an ancient ritual implement, always exuded a strong sense of coldness, and now it was constantly conveying messages to Hugh about the members of the Black Sun Society and the Earth Society before him.

Of course, among the messages conveyed by the scepter, the part concerning Herbert was particularly chaotic and elusive; he was like a thick fog floating before Hugh's eyes.

In contrast, the twins from the Gesell family of the Kingdom of Delan and another male mage from the Earth Society were exceptionally clear in the feedback from the scepter. Hugh could even sense their complex emotions and subtle attitudes toward him through the scepter.

As followers and believers of Mother Earth, they were incredibly envious of the blessings and favors that Hugh had received from Mother Earth. To them, Hugh was still a messenger chosen by the gods. Although Hugh seemed to have chosen a "wrong" path, he was still far superior to them in status.

Under the influence of these emotions, their will was not as firm as Herbert's own.

Sensing this, Hugh took a step forward, and a mage's hand flew out just in time to hold the spellbook for him.

The pages flipped rapidly and stopped on "Resonance Dance," a valley-level spell that could severely impact the caster's mind and magic.

Hugh was prepared; if the Black Sun Society members attacked first, he would immediately activate the spell.

As a Stream-level mage, it would be unreasonable to contend with the current enemy on a purely magical level. However, if everyone suffers from magical shock at the same time, then Shug will be able to free up his hands and use some "other methods" to resolve the battle.

At this moment, Hugh's magic was still being restored with the help of the "Walking Forest," so he was not in a hurry to make a move. Instead, he gently placed the metal cane against the snow in front of him, letting the end of it sink into the snow.

Hughes then raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, Mr. Herbert, are you planning to take me away by force, or are you planning to persuade me?"

"Delaying will not do you any good."

Herbert snapped his fingers lightly, and intricate magical runes, filled with oppressive and threatening energy, appeared between his fingers.

This time, Herbert was clearly not using traditional lethal magic, because the moment he constructed the magic runes, the Running Rat had already reacted further. At the same time, as the summoner of the Running Rat, Hugh could also feel the tremor of power closely related to the existence of the Earth Mother Goddess.

The moment the magic runes appeared, Hugh felt as if the fertile soil beneath his feet had awakened from the cold of winter. An extremely vigorous life force burst forth from the icy soil, but this life force did not give him any sense of security. Instead, it only made Hugh feel endless restlessness and unease.

It was as if those tiny pebbles that had gathered together had now transformed into devourers craving more nutrients, and Hugh, as the living creature standing on them, had become their coveted prey.

Hugh's expression remained calm. He smiled and then asked, "I'm quite curious, Mr. Herbert... what would those ancient peoples who worshipped the gods think if they were to awaken or reappear and see those once insignificant beings embarking on a completely new path that has never been seen before?"

His right hand lightly fiddled with the cylinder of his pistol, his fingers applying slight pressure to fully lock the cylinder, which was already loaded with "Breath of Death" bullets. Then, he shouted at Herbert, "The Society is starting to feel afraid, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Herbert, who was already preparing to make a move, paused slightly, while the three members of the Earth Society walking beside him, who were also preparing to cast spells, all showed subtle expressions.

Hughes easily captured this subtle emotion with the Black Sun Scepter, and his smile became even more pronounced, even somewhat unrestrained.

"Before this, you were eager for the war to begin immediately and never end, but you overlooked the changes that war itself could bring to all intelligent races in Vain, even though it would indeed plunge the development of the Vain kingdoms into a quagmire..."

Hugh began to mobilize the magic within his body, and his senses were also pushed to their limit. Surrounded by the restless magic, a mist from the Dark Abyss Palace surged from Hugh's body, and at the same time, the words that struck the very nerve of the Black Sun Society members floated out from Hugh's mouth.

"Blood and death are not without value; they will become catalysts for technology and ideas."

The moment Hugh uttered those words, the magic runes between Herbert's fingers finally exploded completely. As a result, the ground around Hugh came to life under the power of the ancient ritual originating from Mother Earth. They merged together to form countless hands with different familiars and life forms, which quickly reached out to grab Hugh.

At the same time, driven by the ritual, a large number of bizarre "golems" temporarily constructed from soil broke through the snow covering the ground and crawled out.

Extremely distinct magical fluctuations emanated from this field, and both the Fifth Hunter Regiment and the Delan Army, located on the other side of Black Forest Town, detected this illogical anomaly at that moment.

Hugh's misty body quickly broke free from the hands and claws possessing endless power. The moment he reappeared, lethal magic from the other three members of the Black Sun Society arrived one after another. As a result, a large number of Karron's Touches surged out from around Hugh, quickly intertwining to form a tough, pitch-black shield, forcibly blocking the fatal magical bombardment for their master.

In the instant these tattered black tentacles dispersed, a mage's hand suddenly pierced through the gaps in the tentacles, bursting forth from the drifting magical mist and debris. It nimbly bypassed two earth golems blocking its path and tossed a page of a spellbook into the air.

The Gesell twins displayed the precise judgment of a mage of the Lake and Valley levels.

They raised their hands almost simultaneously, displaying an astonishing tacit understanding. Two magical lightning bolts, specifically designed for precisely striking small targets, burst forth from between their fingers. One pointed towards the mage's hand, while the other pointed towards the magical page that had been infused with magic and was about to take effect.

As the two bolts of magical lightning struck, Hugh's mage hand vanished instantly, and the page of the magic book was pierced through on the spot. However, under the influence of magic, the remaining magical runes still exerted some effect.

A scene that surprised everyone unfolded.

What erupted from the pages of the book was not any kind of destructive or restrictive magic that could cause trouble or harm, but a simple cloud of magical mist—just an ordinary fog of war trick!

Herbert's experience far surpassed that of others. With his magical perception, he accurately "grasped" Hugh's current location. As a result, magical runes flashed, and a large amount of soil suddenly rose from around Hugh's location, forming a huge magical cage.

Herbert judged that the mist-like power used by Hugh Ernst could not penetrate the tight magical barrier, so he deliberately infused the soil with a large amount of magic. Even though Hugh Ernst had already stood on the opposite side of the Society, he was still an extremely precious and important "sample". Based on this, Herbert did not dare to easily harm his life.

But just as the cage was about to take shape, a piercing screech from the rodents suddenly rang out. The moment the screech began, the magical ritual originating from Mother Earth suffered severe interference and impact, and even showed signs of collapse.

In that fleeting moment, the newly formed soil cage was suddenly struck by a powerful impact. Immediately afterwards, a huge "beast" rushed out of the cage. The three-tailed giant rat, now powered by Hugh's magic, unleashed its astonishing power as the "chariot of the Earth Mother Goddess." With its hiss, all the soil golems that tried to approach it and Hugh stopped and disintegrated.

Its screech was so piercing and loud that it almost shattered the eardrums of everyone present.

The war fog that had previously bloomed in the air had now successfully dissipated to the ground. Together with the terrifying shriek of the scurrying rat that could cause magical shockwaves, it successfully concealed Hugh's action of raising his gun to fire, as well as the loud noise coming from the revolver.

Instead of targeting Herbert, who was covered in a lot of magical protection, Hugh aimed his gun at the three mages on the other side. In order to control the revolver, Hugh even transformed his palm into black claws and used the Touch of Calron to fix his arm.

Five "Breath of Death" magic bullets were fired in quick succession.

Accompanied by a numbing vibration, magical steam filled with a dark, deathly aura erupted from the mechanical wheel. The terrifying shock almost shattered the black keratinous shell covering Hugh's palm, and the three members of the Earth Society, the targets of these black bullets, suffered the consequences.

The male mage was preparing to unleash his second lethal spell when the first bullet fired by Hughes collided with his newly formed spell. The two completely different magical forces caused a violent explosion, but before the mage could react, the second and third deadly bullets had already arrived.

As it turns out, a spellcaster with magical power and knowledge is not necessarily a strong fighter. Under Hugh's precise control, they were nothing more than motionless sitting ducks standing on flat ground.

The second and third bullets successfully pierced the male mage's armor. A terrifying aura of death instantly seeped into his chest, turning his flesh and blood into rotting fragments on the spot. Beside him, one of the twin sisters also received two bullets as a "greeting".

However, she reacted more quickly and was luckier. The magical protection provided by her sisters saved her from dying on the spot from the power of the Breath of Death, but her right forearm was corroded by the magic of death, and she immediately became listless.

Herbert's face contorted as he swiftly stabilized the magical ritual field, which had been disrupted and affected by the raging rats. Then, a multitude of earth golems, spikes, clods of earth, and magical arms made of mud crashed down on the area he had designated.

Faced with an attack of this scale, Hugh had nowhere to hide. After a moment's judgment, he immediately dismissed the running rats, casually tossed aside the broken revolver, and then used all his strength to control the Mirror Messenger Mist, transforming himself into a humanoid cloud of mist without reservation, and rushed towards the direction where he was most likely to break through the encirclement.

All the attacks that grazed his body contained a rich magical power. They were like sharp knives slicing through his body, causing a loss of magical power and bringing waves of excruciating pain to Hugh's mind.

And that was Herbert's true purpose.

Since cages and restraints might not be effective, he planned to use this method to directly damage Hugh's spirit and magic. As long as Hugh still had senses and consciousness, he was destined to be unable to withstand such intense torment and pain.

Once his magic is exhausted or his mind completely collapses, it will only be a matter of time before he is captured.

(End of this chapter)