Above the mage!

Chapter 516 Protagonist Template
The mage Luke, who was casting a spell, suddenly widened his eyes upon sensing the terrifying energy emanating from the golden afterimage.

The afterimage was faster than anyone could imagine, moving at lightning speed, almost reaching Luke the Mage the moment he spotted it.

At this distance, the mage Luke could clearly see the true form of the golden afterimage:

It was a bullet that was entirely golden in color and had lifelike dragon scale patterns on its surface!

During its flight, the bullet continued to spin, shimmering with golden light, both magnificent and sharp.

"Not good!" A storm raged in Luke's heart. He no longer cared about killing Lanwen and God. He immediately interrupted the spell he was casting and activated the spell engraved in his staff.

Fourth-circle protective spell, [Stone Skin]!
At the tip of Luke the mage's staff, the yellow gem immediately emitted a powerful magical fluctuation, suddenly flashing with an earthy yellow light.

The crisscrossing vine patterns on the staff seemed to come alive, spreading wildly along his arm.

The magical energy of the fourth-circle protective spell, Stone Skin, spread like a tide, surging from the staff into his limbs and bones.

In the blink of an eye, Luke the Mage's skin hardened and changed color at a speed visible to the naked eye:
The originally wrinkled cheeks first took on a grayish, stone-like appearance, then turned into a thick, dark brown, as if covered with a layer of rough basalt.
The skin on the neck is cracked with fine stone-like patterns, just like the texture of natural rock.
Even the exposed back of the hand became angular, and the fingernails turned into dark gray stone claws.

In the very next instant the change occurred, the dragon scale bullet was about to strike Luke the mage in the chest.

The first thing to be triggered is Luke's [Shield] spell, which is fixed by [Spell Constantity].

With a whoosh, the light shield shattered.

Unlike Sarah and David Jones, Luke's mastery of the [Spell Constantity] spell was already a rare achievement thanks to the Layton Mercenary Group, and his number of constant spells was certainly far less than theirs.

For example, when it comes to protective spells, there is nothing besides [Shield Spell].

Thus, the dragon scale bullet made "intimate contact" with his chest.

Even though the skin there had turned into hard rock, Master Luke still felt a terrifying impact.

The rock armor formed by the [Stone Skin] spell trembled violently, and the mage Luke groaned as he was pushed backward by the immense force.

He could clearly feel the excruciating pain coming from his sternum; his ribs beneath his stone-like skin felt as if they were about to break. A metallic taste rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.

The bullets were ultimately stopped by the stone skin, leaving deep bullet marks embedded in the hard rock armor.

Finally, the golden light of the dragon scale pattern faded and vanished without a trace.

Luke the mage leaned on his staff to keep his balance, and the stone skin on his chest peeled away at a visible speed, revealing the real skin underneath, which was oozing blood.

He was panting heavily, his aged face filled with fear.

The bullet's power far exceeded his expectations. If it weren't for the timely activation of [Stone Skin], that attack would have severely injured him.

The sudden appearance of bullets and sounds caused everyone on the dock to look in astonishment toward the source of the sound.

Case's expression turned even more strange, and he looked at the person who fired the bullet with a look of surprise and suspicion.

He knew Luke's strength better than anyone else.

After seeing Luke's "miserable state," he realized that a formidable opponent had appeared.

Because a mage capable of using techniques that would make even Luke the Mage change color and suffer losses is a rare find in Black Sails City, and each one of them is renowned.

So, who exactly is it?!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, they soon discovered that a figure had appeared silently beside Gao De, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Standing next to Gaode, her tall figure reached just above his brow bone.
Her signature red hair swayed gently in the sea breeze, burning like flames.

It stands out exceptionally in the City of Black Sails, a city whose base colors are dark green and black.

In addition, there was the unparalleled beauty beneath her red hair, a beauty rarely found in the Black Sails City, and the enchanted gun she held in her hand.

The expressions of everyone present froze completely as they realized her identity through these distinctive features:

Sarah!

If Case was somewhat well-known in Black Sails City...

Sarah was a household name in Black Sails City.

Whether it's her legendary rise to fame or her beauty, both are enough to make her famous. The combination of the two makes her even more remarkable.

Even more so because of Davy Jones's elusive nature, she was more recognizable in Black Sails than Davy Jones himself.

As Luke looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared, his cloudy eyes narrowed sharply, and his fingers gripping his staff turned white from the force.

Although he was not a native mage of Black Sails, it was not his first time in Black Sails, so he naturally recognized this bounty hunter with a legendary past.

Judging solely from the ring number, Sarah is a fifth-ring mage, and so is he; they shouldn't be so terrified.

However, the problem is that there are differences even among the five ring masters.

Even disregarding the fact that his mage level is only at the early stage of the fifth ring, while Sarah is most likely a mage at the late stage of the fifth ring, he doesn't think he would be a match for Sarah, even if their mage levels are the same.

He barely reached the early stage of the fifth ring by relying on years of accumulation and a bit of luck.

Sarah, on the other hand, is exceptionally young and has risen to prominence in a place like Black Sails City. Her battle record is verifiable, and her combat strength is beyond doubt.

“Sarah.” Luke’s voice trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his hard, stone-like skin.

It's clear how much pressure Sarah exerted.

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Gao De was slightly embarrassed when he received Sarah's inquiry via [Telecommunications].

"Seeing you guys were busy and had nothing to do, I came back to check on you. I didn't expect to run into this kind of thing," he replied.

This was indeed an undeserved disaster. No matter how shrewd he was, he would never have imagined that his normal bidding behavior at the auction would provoke Case in Box Six.

He never expected that the other party would come knocking on his door the moment he returned to Black Sails City.

If Sarah hadn't happened to land in Black Sails City with the Fireblade at that moment to find him and run into Case's threatening words, he would have had to swallow his anger.

Strangely enough, on Ash Isle, God saved Sarah at the last minute, which was his deliberate act, a perfectly timed appearance.

Sarah also appeared at a crucial moment.

But the difference is that she really just happened to appear at that exact moment.

At the crucial moment, the hero saves the damsel in distress. Gao De, realizing the importance of this moment, was speechless and almost burst into tears.

Aren't these the kind of highlight moments that only protagonists in novels I read in my past life have?

"Commander Sarah, I'm sorry! I really didn't know he had anything to do with you," Case, though arrogant, wasn't stupid. He hurriedly apologized, "I'm willing to compensate for any offense I may have committed. Name your price, I'll pay whatever it takes!"

Having seen the situation clearly, all his arrogance shattered before Sarah.

Fear and shock were Case's main emotions at that moment, along with a small amount of anger and resentment.

However, this small portion of anger and resentment was not directed at God and Sarah, but rather at the Crow's Vessel Secret Clan mage Bone Spike beside him, and at the Crow's Vessel Secret Clan.

Not long ago, they claimed that they had investigated and found that Gaode had no connections whatsoever in Black Sail City and was just a newcomer, a "gutter rat."

He believed it.

In the blink of an eye, Sarah, who could be ranked second in Black Sails City, appeared behind Gao De!
The Crow Clan Secret Service claims that its intelligence network is as ubiquitous as a flock of crows, yet the intelligence it provides is so ridiculously wrong.

He can understand a small mistake, but this one is too big!
Even a third-rate gang wouldn't have such a huge intelligence error, would they?

Why would the top-ranked Crow's Gourd Gang provide such outrageous and erroneous information?
In that instant, Case even conjured up some conspiracy theories in his mind and recalled Luke the Mage's warning before they set off: the information about the Ravencup Clan might not be accurate or reliable.
Sorry for the first time!

Sarah chuckled dismissively at Case's apology and pleading, "If apologies were enough, what would be the point of magic?"

Her fingertips casually caressed the barrel of the Topaz Annihilator, her calm tone chilling more than any angry rebuke.

Upon hearing this, both Case and Luke's pupils contracted, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat, and they felt uneasy, knowing they were in deep trouble. "Don't be reckless. If it's really too much, just make him bleed a little more. There's no need to fight him to the death just to avenge me," God quickly reminded Sarah using [Telecommunications].

Despite Sarah's current nonchalant and languid demeanor, God knows Sarah's current condition clearly: her soul has been severely damaged by the blue flames, and she can't even cast a single spell.

But Luke the mage is at least a fifth-ring mage, so a real fight might be quite dangerous.

“Don’t worry, although I can’t cast spells consistently right now, it doesn’t affect my ability to use [Topaz Annihilator]. It’s more than enough to deal with an ordinary fifth-ring mage like this,” Sarah replied, her tone incredibly relaxed.

Upon hearing this, Gao De decisively stopped trying to persuade him further.

Sarah, a person of her stature, would certainly not speak carelessly.

It can only be said that she is really too powerful and too confident. Even though she is seriously injured, a fifth-ring mage is still as weak as an ant to her.

Sarah gathered her fiery red hair, a faint smile appearing on her almost unreal beautiful face, tinged with a hint of coldness, as she looked at Case and his large group of men ahead.

A cool, detached laugh rang out.

puff!
Before the laughter had even faded, she deftly raised her wrist and pulled the trigger.

The gun barrel glowed with a blood vessel-like eerie light, and the vortex of ash at the muzzle spun at an alarming speed.

Golden dragon scale bullets left the barrel of the Topaz Annihilator and shot towards Case.

Case's expression changed drastically.

Even Luke the Mage struggled to deal with the dragon scale bullets, so how could he possibly cope?
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the mage Luke grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him to one side.

The dragon scale bullet grazed past Case's ear and struck a mage behind him.

The dragon scale bullet struck a mage directly behind Case.

With her soul damaged, Sarah was unable to use her mental power to guide the trajectory of the bullets.

The mage felt a numbness in his shoulder after being hit; the blood hole was so small it was almost negligible, while the dragon scale bullet had already vanished without a trace.

He had thought he was going to die, but it turned out to be all bark and no bite, and a look of joy was about to appear on his face.

The next moment, he was horrified to discover that amber-colored dendritic crystal clusters were spreading out from the blood hole.

Judging solely from its appearance, this crystal cluster, blooming like a flower, is actually exceptionally beautiful, not ugly, and certainly not something to fear.

However, after the crystal cluster appeared, it began to grow rapidly, and his skin began to wither and dry up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He could clearly feel his life energy being rapidly devoured by the crystal cluster.

In less than three seconds, the mage turned into ashes and vanished into nothingness, like a gray firework that exploded out of thin air.

This is the "annihilation" of the [Topaz Annihilator].

The topaz crystals extract moisture and life energy from the target's body, carbonize the target's fresh flesh and blood, and finally cause it to collapse into ashes.

"what?!"

Luke the mage had considered that the mage wouldn't be able to withstand Sarah's shot, but he never expected him to die like this. He looked at the enchanted gun in Sarah's hand in horror.

Immediately, his eyes widened, as if he had finally recognized the true identity of the [Topaz Annihilator] from its strange appearance.

However, the current situation did not allow Luke the mage much time to think.

Sarah, unconcerned that Keyes had escaped unscathed, flicked her wrist and fired another shot.

puff!puff!puff!
Those dragon scale bullets, fired one by one, were like the scythe of death, reaping the lives of the mages who had followed Case.

If it hits, the dragon scale bullet can turn a living person into an exploding firework of ashes within three seconds, without exception.

This terrified the mages who had come with Case, and a panicked commotion instantly spread.

Case trembled all over, a chill emanating from the depths of his heart.

"I'll give you 20,000 gold coins right now to apologize and spare my life!" Case's face completely changed. He collapsed under the threat of death, showing no trace of his previous arrogance, and begged God for mercy.

"No, fifty thousand, fifty thousand gold coin coins, let's drop this matter!"

Upon seeing this, Gao De simply shook his head and sighed, "It's too late. I gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to cherish it."

Hearing the chilling killing intent emanating from Gao De's words, Master Luke's expression grew increasingly grim.

"My father is a sixth-circle mage!" Seeing that his pleas for mercy were ineffective, Case seemed to go mad, shouting shrilly, "You can't kill me, or my father will avenge me!"

Sarah remained completely unmoved by such threats.

She fired again without the slightest change in expression.

Luke felt utterly heartbroken and filled with despair.

He understood that, given the current situation, it seemed that he and Case were likely doomed today.

In Black Sails, besides Davy Jones, how many people can stand up to Sarah?

Although their leader, the Layton Mercenary Group, is a sixth-circle mage, it's too late to help them now.

Moreover, the Blue Flame Islands are a strange and special place, with a power limit of only five rings. Even a sixth-ring mage would be helpless here.

What good would it do to threaten Sarah with this?
Despite his inner despair, Luke the Mage still possessed a strong will to survive.

"Run!" the mage Luke roared, grabbing Keith and, using the chaos of the crowd as cover, with the aid of magic, dashing like a gust of wind towards the lower city behind them.

Sarah watched the two fleeing figures, a cold, sharp smile curving her lips.

She suddenly spun around, supporting the gun with her left hand, and twisted her wrist sharply the instant she pulled the trigger with her right.

The muzzle of the [Topaz Annihilator] drew a strange arc. The dragon scale bullets spun slightly as they left the barrel, drawing an almost imperceptible zigzag in the air, bypassing the wall of people, and accurately hitting Case in the back.

"Uh!" Case's body stiffened abruptly, and he looked down at his chest in disbelief.

The protective gear he carried with him was activated immediately, releasing a layer of pale golden protective light.

However, this protective shield was no match for the power of the Topaz Annihilator. It lasted only half a second before shattering with a "pop," and the bullet struck his chest without any obstruction.

Case looked down in disbelief and saw only a small, bloody hole.

But the next second, amber-colored dendritic crystals gushed out of the wound.

The mage Luke was dragging Casey along at breakneck speed and didn't even notice that Casey had been shot at first.

It wasn't until he noticed the weight in his hands suddenly decrease that he subconsciously turned his head and saw that Case's body was rapidly shriveling and carbonizing, and the once vibrant flesh and blood were being extracted into grayish-white powder by the crystal clusters.

Before he could react, the next second he watched helplessly as Case turned to ashes.

The items on Case's body rolled off the ashes and landed on the floor with a crisp sound.

He turned to look at Sarah in horror.

The other person remained calm, as if they had only done a trivial matter.

Gao De, who also witnessed this scene, twitched slightly at the corner of his eye.

Decisive and ruthless. That's a protagonist's defining characteristic too!

Add to that the background of "The Orphan of Zhao", his stunning good looks, and his superb marksmanship.

Is there a more classic protagonist template than this?

(End of this chapter)