Black Hearted Mage

A few days later, sunlight streamed down across the land, illuminating the slightly weary yet resolute figure of Caesars. He, followed by a tireless pup, inched closer to the border of the Roland Empire. There, a towering, imposing war fortress stood, like a sleeping beast, emanating a frightening majesty.

This war fortress, known as the Bone Burial Fort, controls the vital artery connecting the two empires. Currently, hostilities between the two nations are extremely tense, and entry to the Bone Burial Grounds is strictly prohibited. In the past, caravans could pass through relatively smoothly, but now, even a dog seeking entry would be questioned.

Fortunately, Caesars possessed the Eagle Eye Deputy Commander badge, a symbol of his status, which allowed him to easily enter the heavily guarded war fortress. To ensure that everything was safe, he spent a glittering gold coin to hire a veteran soldier in his forties with a sharp tongue to act as a guide.

"Commander, I'm really scared!" The old soldier followed behind Caesar and spoke tremblingly.

At this time, Caesars had disguised himself as a young wizard, wearing a black magic robe, and his deep eyes revealed a hint of childishness.

"Oh? Do I look so scary?" Upon hearing this, Caesars frowned slightly, with a look of suspicion on his face, and asked softly.

"It's not that you're scary, but your little dog's name is really scary! I'm really worried that once I call out its name, the Saint Laurent Legion on the opposite side will rush over without saying a word!" The veteran explained worriedly while wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Don't be afraid. I'll use the magic loudspeaker to shout, and then you can ride back on horseback. But the words have to be unpleasant to the ears. The unpleasant the better!" Caesars said with a smile.

"Commander, what will you do?"

"Don't worry about my business, just save yourself!"

The two men rode on their sturdy warhorses and arrived at the Saint Laurent Empire's fortress in just over ten minutes. Bones were everywhere along the way. After thousands of years of war, the bones were piled up layer upon layer beneath the soil.

To prevent crossbow attacks, they were over three hundred meters away from the fortress. The unshaven veteran pulled out the magic megaphone from his waist and coughed twice to test the volume.

Many guards on Saint Laurent's war fortress had already seen the two men, and after hearing the sound of the magic loudspeaker, they roughly guessed what was going to happen.

"Listen up, you bastards of Saint Laurent! This is Hawkeye, the deputy commander of the Roland Empire, and he's going to challenge the lousy masters of Saint Laurent. Today, the commander has brought his beloved dog. His name is Saint Paul, the same as the dying Pope. When that old bastard Pope dies, this dog will be your new Pope!"

After the old soldier finished speaking, he pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, and with the sound of crackling whips, he fled for his life in a cloud of dust.

Caesars took out a loudspeaker and shouted to the front: "Saint Laurent bastard, who dares to fight me!"

"You dead dog, bark twice!" Caesars patted the chubby puppy and placed the magic loudspeaker in front of it.

"Ow!"

The puppy's tender voice, aided by a magical amplifier, carried for miles. Caesars dismounted and gently patted the horse's neck. The warhorse snorted, turned, and slowly walked towards the Bone Castle.

"Hawkeye's deputy commander wants to challenge us? And he even named a dog St. Paul? What a reckless and arrogant person!"

In Saint Laurent's fortress, a middle-aged general in golden armor received a report.

"Sir Overseer, the people from the church have already left!"

A soldier in leather armor walked in quickly and reported loudly.

"Alas, the church members couldn't handle this excitement. They rushed out and fought tooth and nail. Let's go to the city wall and take a look!"

Just as Caesar finished shouting, over a hundred men rushed out of the fortress across from him. Most of them wore red and white robes and carried cross-emblazoned staffs—sacred staffs.

"kill him!"

An old priest yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You bastards of the Saint Laurent Church, do you understand the rules of challenging the Land of Bones? Do you think I'll be afraid of you just because you're there?"

An alchemical bomb that was bigger than his head was held in Caesar's hand, and magic power instantly wrapped around the surface of the alchemical bomb.

Everyone who rushed out of the fortress stopped where they were. Such a huge alchemical bomb was enough to make people shudder just by looking at it.

"Put away the alchemical bombs quickly. We will fight according to the rules of the Bone Battlefield!" a middle-aged priest shouted.

"Just understand the rules. Stand back. If you want to fight, follow the rules!"

As he spoke, Caesars retreated over thirty meters, and the Saint Laurents also retreated twenty or thirty meters. The area between them was where the life-or-death struggle would take place. He took out his dragon-bloodwood staff, a gift from his ancestors, engraved with only six enhanced shadow bolt runes. He leaned on the staff and waited quietly. The Saint Laurents were still bickering over who would enter first. The priests argued the most fiercely, yet their strength was pitifully low.

The title of priest is typically bestowed upon those with extensive experience and exceptional ability within the priestly profession, serving as a title of honor for senior priests. However, not all priests focus solely on healing and redemption. A special category exists among them: combat priests. After undergoing rigorous training and trials, these priests successfully transition from ordinary priests to combat priests. On a daily basis, they wear sturdy magic steel halfplates over their priestly robes, embodying their clerical dignity while providing effective protection in combat.

The organizational structure of the Church of Saint Laurent is incredibly complex, making it difficult for outsiders to fully understand its mysteries. This vast religious group encompasses numerous institutions of authority, including the almighty Pope, the solemn and dignified Hall of Judgment, the rigorous and solemn Hall of Discipline, and the revered Hall of the Patriarch.

The position of Patriarch, who was supposed to oversee all clergy, was now vacant. The previous Patriarch, Depero, had disappeared after leaving the church, living out his remaining days in seclusion in Violet City.

As for the word "Judgment," it might represent a certain power of judgment or judgment within the Saint Laurent Church. It's one of the functions of the Judgment Hall, responsible for severely punishing those who violate doctrine and canon; or perhaps, in certain critical decisions, the Grand Priest makes the final ruling.

The current High Priest of Judgment had only been in office for a few years. The previous High Priest had died in Violet City, and the one before that was slaughtered by Old Roman. This had led to the decline of the Judgment Hall, which was completely suppressed by the Discipline Hall, leaving it unable to raise its head.

Floyd, the High Priest of the Hall of Discipline, was second only to the Pope in the Church, and he had the potential to rival the Pope. He had long coveted the Pope's position, wishing he would die sooner so he could take his place.

Naturally, the Pope was unwilling to give up his throne, and he engaged in an endless struggle with Floyd, which gradually came out from the secret struggle, and the priest became the target of both sides' wooing.

A significant rift had already developed between the Saint Laurent Empire and the Saint Laurent Church. Putting aside other matters, the fact that the Pope had the same name as a dog didn't seem to register with the Saint Laurent Legion.

"You idiot, let's eat something first. These Saint Laurent bastards are just being stubborn, and no one has come out yet!"

When Caesars took out the recliner, he saw someone coming from behind. He was wearing a dark leather armor. The other person walked over quickly and took out the Hawkeye token to show his skills.

"Deputy Commander, I'm here to take notes. We have magical images of all the important people in the Bone Castle!"

"Then just sit down and wait. These Saint Laurent bastards are really good at stalling for time!"

As he spoke, Kaesus sat down and took out a magic steel bowl. He placed a piece of salamander meat in it. This was the puppy's food bowl. It would lie in it when it was full.

"Mr. Deputy Commander, these priests have no combat skills. They are responsible for treatment in the Bone Castle. But the mad dogs of the church will definitely come, and they will not be here until at least tomorrow." The Hawkeye spy said.

"Do you have a way to get the Saint Laurents to come out and fight?"

Hearing that he had to wait until tomorrow, Caesars didn't want to wait any longer.

"Yes, I'm just worried that too many people from Saint Laurent will come!"

"As long as we follow the rules of the burial ground, it's okay if more people come!"

The spy rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out a golden banner that looked brand new. He spread it flat on the ground, took out a chair, and sat in the middle.

"What kind of flag is this?"

Caesars asked with confusion.

"The Golden Flame Flag, the flag used by the founding emperor of Saint Laurent to cover his coffin!"

"You dug up the tomb of Saint Laurent's founding emperor!"

"It was the commander-in-chief who did it. He emptied the tomb and even took away the coffin!"

"Master Carlos is truly our role model. He even does grave robbing and digging so smoothly!"

When Caesars looked up at the Bone Castle in the distance, he saw people on the tower pointing and shouting. Soon, the gates of the Bone Castle opened, and thousands of people rushed out, shouting loudly.

Caesars took out several alchemical bombs to prevent these people from rushing over.

"Damn Roland people, hand over the Golden Flame Banner!"

After seeing several alchemical bombs, all the Saint Laurents stopped.

"A bunch of cowards who don't have the courage to fight. Whoever defeats me will take the Golden Flame Banner!"

Kaisas shouted through the magic loudspeaker.

"I'm here to kill you!"

A middle-aged man with a short beard walked out. He was a bit sturdy and wore a suit of magic steel armor with the emblem of Saint Laurent.

"Everyone else, step back. Don't complain if you get accidentally injured!"

Caesars pulled out his staff from the ground and slowly walked forward, reminding the Saint Laurents across from him. He had already cast Magic Shield, Magic Armor, and Dark Corrosion, which increased spell damage. He hadn't cast Dark Torrent, which significantly increased spell damage but only lasted for three spells.

The imposing warrior, with his massive build and imposing presence, had completely unleashed his inner fighting spirit. A dazzling light shone from his body, and the powerful fighting spirit gushed outwards like surging ocean waves, maintaining a constant state of intense explosive power. The moment he lowered his center of gravity slightly, the perceptive Caesars reacted swiftly, accurately selecting the spell he was about to cast.

Immediately, the great warrior unleashed his astonishingly powerful combat technique—the Charge. Like a ferocious and raging beast, he charged towards Caesars with overwhelming force, determined to deliver the most lethal and violent collision attack. With his mountainous weight, the added protection afforded by his impenetrable armor of thick magic steel, and the astonishing impact force unleashed with all his might, even Caesars's magical shield would likely be unable to withstand this devastating blow.

As we all know, Dou Qi, like the mysterious elements of magic, possesses a wide variety of properties. The Dou Qi displayed by the great warrior before him shone with a faint golden glow, suggesting that he possessed gold-type Dou Qi. This special Dou Qi increased the lethality of ordinary Dou Qi by over 20%, undoubtedly making the great warrior's attack even more terrifying.

As the warrior began to run wildly, every step he took seemed to contain a thousand pounds of force, and the ground even shook slightly where his feet landed. The whole scene was as terrifying as an earthquake.

At this moment, a blinding beam of light suddenly shot straight towards the warrior's face. Faced with this sudden onslaught of light, the warrior instinctively closed his eyes, but even so, his forward speed remained undiminished, still darting forward like an arrow from a bow.

However, in the split second the warrior closed his eyes due to the intense light, Caesars seized the opportunity and decisively unleashed a powerful dark attack. Like a roaring black dragon, the dark attack fiercely struck the warrior's leg, a relatively vulnerable defensive area, and a dull thud erupted in an instant.

There was a loud thud, and the warrior, losing his balance, fell heavily forward, rubbing against the ground for over ten meters before coming to a stop. He quickly stood up, dusty and grimy, and found Caesars more than ten meters to the left in front of him.

The explosive power of Dou Qi is astonishing, and its defensive power is also very high. The great warrior suffered a dark shock and was like nothing happened. However, Dou Qi cannot last long. The first burst is the strongest. No matter how hard you try to burst Dou Qi, it will only get weaker and weaker.