Black Hearted Mage

The great warrior's eyes widened, and he roared angrily, his entire body once again bursting with surging fighting spirit. This fighting spirit was like a blazing flame, burning and distorting the surrounding air. However, a closer look revealed that this seemingly powerful fighting spirit had actually weakened by half a point compared to the previous one.

In a flash, the great warrior moved like lightning, brandishing the gleaming sword in his hand and launching a fierce attack on the enemy. But at this moment, a black shockwave suddenly shot out from the opposite side!

The dark impact was incredibly fast, striking the warrior's calf with pinpoint accuracy in the blink of an eye. With a resounding "bang," the warrior felt a surge of force, stumbling forward a few steps, losing his balance and nearly falling to the ground.

Despite this, the warrior's strength was remarkable. The protective fighting spirit around him shimmered and trembled slightly, barely withstanding the majority of the impact. Just as he was secretly thankful that he hadn't been knocked down by this sudden attack, a second dark shock followed! This time, the dark shock blasted directly into the warrior's lower abdomen.

Due to the weakening of his Dou Qi, this time it failed to completely block the Dark Blast's attack. The Dark Blast pierced through the Dou Qi's defenses with unstoppable force, colliding solidly with the warrior's incredibly solid magic steel armor. Instantly, a massive, overwhelming force, accompanied by piercing pain, overwhelmed the warrior, causing him to double over and groan in agony.

At this critical moment, six eerie shadow arrows, like a death-seeking impermanence, shot through the air! These shadow arrows streaked across the night sky like lightning, rushing straight towards the warrior's head with lightning speed. In just a moment, all six shadow arrows hit the warrior's head.

With a dull "bang" sound, the warrior's massive head, like a ripe tomato being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, instantly exploded! Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, and a thick red and white liquid gurgled out, filling the air with a nauseating, strong, and stench.

"Who's coming next?"

Caesars looked at a group of Saint Laurent people and said lightly.

Killing a great warrior of the Saint Roland Empire is equivalent to saving dozens of soldiers of the Roland Empire.

A dark red shadow flashed by, and when Caesars looked closely, he saw that the puppy was actually lying on the head of the corpse, eating the brains in big mouthfuls.

"You dead dog, you just ate a piece of monster meat!" Caesars cursed angrily.

"Commander, the centurion's weapons and armor can be exchanged for gold coins. He must have a storage ring on him!" The eagle-eyed spy reminded from the side.

Caesars used the Mage's Hand to grab the corpse and the puppy, and quickly found the storage ring.

"Weapons and equipment are yours as a reward!"

As Caesars spoke, he stood up and threw a side of cheese into the magic steel food bowl. The puppy immediately lay down in its food bowl.

"Thank you, Lord Commander!"

The middle-aged spy did not try to strip off the magic steel armor, but simply collected the body.

On top of the Bone Castle of the Saint Laurent Empire, two magicians watched the entire process of the challenge and they had a bad feeling.

"Sir Commander, the opponent is most likely a great magician. The great warrior is no match for him. It will be very difficult to retrieve the Golden Flame Banner!"

"If you can't get it back, rob it!" said the middle-aged man in armor angrily.

"General, the enemy possesses a powerful alchemical bomb. He dared to come to the Boneyard, and as the deputy commander of the Roland Empire's Hawkeye, he certainly isn't worried about us trying to steal it. Perhaps the Golden Flame Banner is just a decoy, and he's just waiting for us to steal it!"

A magician in a blue magic robe spoke up to remind them.

"To challenge the Archmage, one must be at least a Paladin. However, a head-on confrontation also carries considerable risks. Let Keane give it a try tomorrow. If he can't defeat the Archmage, he should be able to escape!"

The middle-aged warlord in armor coveted the legendary Golden Flame Banner. Acquiring it would undoubtedly be a monumental achievement. As long as he succeeded, he could finally say goodbye to this haunted place, where an eerie green light drifted every night.

Caesars leisurely settled back into his comfortable lounge chair, basking in the warm sunshine, appearing incredibly relaxed and at ease. In this area known as the "Boneyard," the rules of the challenge were straightforward: participants engaged in brutal one-on-one combat, a bloody battle that would only conclude when the sun set and night fell. Of course, there was one crucial prerequisite—there had to be an opponent willing to participate in this life-or-death contest.

With the unfortunate fall of the great warrior, the priest who had been the most ferocious in his outbursts was now terrified and fled into the Bone Castle without a backward glance. As for the Saint Laurent defenders, faced with such a dire situation, they also began to retreat one after another. Faced with a magician who could drop a golden bomb at any moment, who would be willing to die in vain?

Inside the magnificent and splendid Saint Laurent Church, the ground was littered with shimmering crystal fragments and a pool of fragrant wine. The aged Pope sat upright on the golden chair, a symbol of supreme power. His chest heaved violently with rage, as if poised to explode at any moment.

"Floyd, immediately send someone to kill that pagan who blasphemed the church!"

The Pope suddenly stood up and said angrily. Freud, the High Priest of the Hall of Discipline, had been very happy, but when he saw the Pope suddenly stand up, he noticed something unusual.

"Yes, Your Holiness. We need very strong men this time. Please send a few of your strongest ascetics, and I will also send a few people from here. Due to the long journey, they probably won't reach the Bone Castle until noon tomorrow!"

Floyd, wearing a golden-red priest robe, answered very respectfully.

"Tell them that not only will the man be killed, but the dog too!"

The Pope gently stroked the golden scepter and said to Floyd.

"I will obey your Majesty's orders!"

Floyd lowered his posture, his face calm, but his heart was not at peace. At that moment, he was suddenly shocked to find that the Pope, whom he had known for hundreds of years, had become so familiar to him.

The Pope usually looked old and frail, but just now, when he was furious, that decrepit look disappeared without a trace. Floyd's heart suddenly shook, and a terrible thought came to his mind: Could it be that this old man had been deliberately pretending to be himself in front of everyone for a long time?

At this moment, the Pope's orders were issued with the swiftness of a storm, their efficiency astonishing. Magical messages flashed, dispersing in all directions in the blink of an eye. Almost simultaneously, five ascetics were ready for battle, their faces solemn, their eyes determined, as if they had already prepared to face death. The Grand Knights dispatched by the Hall of Discipline rode their warhorses without hesitation, striding towards the church's docks.

Since traveling to White Bone Castle from here, if one chose to ride a horse or a car, one would have to go around the long, winding mountain road, which would consume a great deal of time and energy. In contrast, traveling by boat was a much faster option. Everyone boarded the boat and set sail towards White Bone Castle.

The people sent by the Saint Laurent royal family were already on their way. The royal family had to obtain the Golden Flame Flag, which was the symbol and glory of the Saint Laurent royal family.

A few hours later, the sun set, and the orange afterglow became less warm. At this moment, Caesars followed the Hawkeye scout back to the Bone Castle.

At night, the burial ground is a gloomy and terrifying place, filled with the aura of death, where countless lives were once buried. When night falls, one can see green phosphorescent lights drifting around, swaying in the air like ghosts. In the dead of night, a chilling chill permeates the air, as if it could freeze the soul.

The wind was strong on the top floor of the Bone Burial Castle, but Caesars's residence was the Crystal Lookout. According to the description of Hawkeye's spy, the masters of the Saint Laurent Empire would definitely arrive tomorrow, and there would be quite a few.

Caesars lay on his back, a piece of extremely soft fur that felt as smooth as silk. He narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the boundless and vast starry sky above him. The bright stars were like gems inlaid in the night sky, flickering a faint and charming light.

Not far from him, the newly fed puppy imitated him, lying on its back with its legs in the air. Its mouth was open, purring softly, as if it were having a sweet dream. This fellow usually slept quietly on his stomach, but for some reason, he had to imitate Caesars's supine position.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone across the earth, Caesars slowly awoke from his sleep. He stretched and slowly sat up. Just then, the middle-aged spy who had been delivering messages hurried over and handed Caesars a tightly sealed letter.

This letter came to the Bone Castle of Saint Laurent, and its content was roughly as follows: This afternoon, a group of masters from the Saint Laurent Empire will come to challenge Caesar and warn him not to run away.

Caesars casually tossed the letter aside, his gaze fixed on the still-sleeping puppy beside him. The puppy was now contentedly rolling on its belly, purring from time to time. Thinking of this, Caesars's lips curled up slightly, and he mused to himself, "The Saint Laurent Empire's masters are finally making their appearance. This is a perfect opportunity to test my true strength."

Meanwhile, not far from here, on a wide expanse of water, a sleek speedboat was ploughing through the wind and waves. Due to the current lack of wind, the boat's massive sails could no longer be propelled solely by the force of the wind, so the crew had to furl the boat's massive sails. Instead, over a hundred strong, shirtless men on either side of the boat paddled furiously, their backs drenched in sweat, yet they gritted their teeth and persevered, determined to get the boat to its destination as quickly as possible.

Among those aboard this ship were several paladins in heavy plate armor, ascetics in linen robes, two mages in exquisite magic robes, and two very strange individuals wearing thick hooded cloaks and masks who had not left the cabin since boarding.

The speedboat docked at the pier in the early morning, and several carriages were already parked there. It was still over thirty miles from White Bone Castle, and the carriage ride would only take half an hour at most.

After quickly washing up, Kaisas enjoyed a simple breakfast. Once everything was packed, he couldn't wait to take out the battle photos of his ancestors and carefully observe them.

As the images continued to switch, Caesars's gaze grew more focused. Gradually, he realized that the spells that appeared most frequently were all mid-level Frostbolts. This phenomenon piqued his interest and sparked deep thought.

Recalling the insights he gained from his conversation with the elven elder, Caesars finally grasped the importance of efficient and swift spells. The impact force not only caused a violent oscillation in the opponent's magic power, greatly increasing the chance of interrupting their spells; even if it failed to interrupt, it could still effectively slow the opponent's casting speed and reduce the accuracy of their spells.

Currently, Kaesus wields the most powerful spell, Dark Spear. While it possesses considerable attack power, its long casting time of over three seconds is undoubtedly a fatal flaw. Consider that in just three seconds, without the aid of a staff, Kaesus, with his current abilities, could easily unleash at least eighteen Shadow Bolts. In this comparison, the Dark Spear's disadvantage is clear at a glance.

The choice of spell also depends on the opponent. Against a class wearing heavy, sturdy plate armor, Shadow Bolt is of little use. The armor's defense is too high, and their physical strength is too strong, allowing them to withstand the impact of Shadow Bolt. However, the opponent's movement speed is severely affected by the heavy plate armor.

Caesars put away the image stone and prepared to take a nap. Then, in the distance, a horn blew, followed by the muffled beat of war drums. The puppy slithered, its dark red form crouching before the crystal window, gazing at the mist-shrouded boneyard ahead.