Black Hearted Mage

"what!"

The paladin slapped his heavy armor, trying to dispel the spell that had invaded his body. Suddenly, he threw his head back and screamed heartbreakingly. At this moment, tiny black fragments could be seen gushing out from the cracks in the paladin's armor. Then, something like black ash gushed out from his mouth.

Kaisas was also surprised. He had practiced the Dark Spear spell many times, but he always attacked the magic target and penetrated it directly. However, the Paladin looked not like he was being penetrated, but rather corroded and melted by the spell from the inside out.

In just two breaths, the Paladin's screams abruptly ceased. The cracks in his armor, like a volcanic crater, gushed forth a torrent of black, powdery debris. As the magic steel armor collapsed, only black bones remained, rapidly turning to dust. White strands drifted into the pocket at Caesar's waist.

"Next!"

Caesars put away the magic steel plate armor and found the other party's storage ring, ready to sell it when the opportunity arose. He sat back on the recliner and shouted to the Saint Laurent.

The puppy howled at Caesar and pointed at the fallen warhorse with its stubby paws.

"It's almost dead. Let it bleed first and then we can deal with it later!"

Several shadow arrows pierced through the warhorse's neck, and hot blood gurgled out.

The Saint Laurent people did not come on the field. They were all whispering to each other. The unknown spell made them feel terrified.

"You coward of the Church of Saint Laurent, my dog ​​is called Saint Paul, the same name as your Pope!"

Kaisas took a sip of tea and said a few words using the magic loudspeaker.

At that moment, one of the ascetics, who had been patiently holding back, finally lost control of his inner urge and suddenly went berserk, howling like a wild animal out of control. The puppy, which had been quietly lying on the coffee table, seemed startled by the suddenness. It immediately regained its composure and, without hesitation, stood up, barking at the ascetic, as if using its tender voice to challenge him.

This dramatic scene instantly captured the attention of everyone present, and even Caesars couldn't help but laugh out loud. You know, these ascetics have always been known for their piety and fanaticism, and now they've been made so miserable by a puppy, it's really a bit ridiculous.

These ascetics are unwaveringly devoted to the Pope, serving as his most devoted lackeys. Furthermore, these individuals are all former combat priests or paladins, and their unique status qualifies them for the throne of power. This means that these ascetics are actively involved in every selection process for a new Pope.

However, although they were called "ascetic monks," the name didn't even begin to describe their actual lives. In reality, these monks not only didn't have to endure any hardship, but actually lived a life of ease and comfort. While their clothing often appeared shabby and plain, a quick glance revealed storage rings on their fingers, brimming with gold coins!

The former Patriarch of the Saint Laurent Church, Depero, once said that the underwear worn by most of the church's ascetics was made of high-quality silk. Their willingness to forgo comfortable and luxurious clothing in favor of the coarsest linen robes was driven solely by an extreme desire for power—for only in this way could they gradually climb to the pinnacle of supreme power.

"You frightened my Saint Paul, you, ascetic!"

Caesars reached out and touched the puppy, and the puppy immediately turned over, stretched its four short legs towards the sky, closed its eyes, and made a humming sound with its mouth.

"Blasphemy, this is blasphemy against the Church of St. Laurent!" shouted the old ascetic.

"Blasphemy? Are those underwear you're wearing silk?"

"..."

The sudden question raised by Caesar confused the ascetic and he didn't know how to answer.

"Ascetic, stop hesitating and answer the questions honestly. I have a video clip here, left by the last Pope of the Holy Mountain Church. After you answer the questions, I can show you what the Pope looked like back then!"

Ten thousand years ago, the Holy Mountain Church was at its most glorious era. Compared to that, the current Saint Laurent Church is far behind.

"Silk!"

“Is it pink?”

"..."

Caesars pulled out his projection device, and as a huge screen of light appeared in mid-air, it successfully attracted the attention of the Saint Laurents. He wanted to take this opportunity to rest and observe the carriage across from him. He had a feeling that the people in that carriage were dangerous.

A young, white-haired magician slaughtered hundreds of people in the Vatican's central hall. In the end, he easily killed the Pope and took away the golden scepter inlaid with gems and the papal crown that symbolized supreme power.

"Did you see clearly? The last Pope of the Holy See had his face stepped on by a boot. He died a very miserable death. And most importantly, your current Pope's scepter and crown are fake and forged!"

"Where is the real scepter?"

The people from the Saint Laurent Church all asked in unison. They didn't care how the previous pope died; they all wanted the golden scepter. These Saint Laurents wanted the real golden scepter, so Caesars had to motivate them so he could rest a little longer.

"Cowards of the Saint Laurent Church, I'll tell you when I win!"

Caesars sat there, gazing at the ascetic monk with a look of extreme contempt, as if he were just an insignificant ant. His eyes flashed with undisguised disdain and contempt, as if even looking at the ascetic monk would taint his vision.

Unbeknownst to Caesar, the Pope had already issued a brutal order to these ascetics—kill both humans and dogs! Failure to complete this mission would result in severe punishment. Floyd, the High Priest of the Hall of Discipline, who was in charge of the punishment, was known for his ruthlessness and would not easily forgive any failure.

"You damned pagan who blasphemed the Church! Today is your death! Die!"

The ascetic monk, unable to contain his rage, roared and charged at Caesars, knowing full well that if he could successfully kill this fellow who dared to challenge the authority of the church, he would undoubtedly achieve great military merit.

Facing the oncoming enemy, Caesars showed no fear, but rather an irrepressible excitement. He quickly drew his dragon-bloodwood staff, then stood steadily and strode forward to meet the enemy. Simultaneously, he cast a simple magic shield and magic armor on himself before unleashing a series of fierce spell attacks.

Ascetics also belong to the magic class, so defeating them first requires finding a way to disrupt their spellcasting. He instantly unleashed a verbal curse, accurately striking the ascetic, who was still unprepared for battle. Then, Caesars' staff danced again, a dazzling flash of light followed by an elemental curse, and finally a fear spell, sending the ascetic into a state of utter panic.

In an instant, the originally aggressive monk seemed to have gone crazy, shouting in terror and waving the staff in his hand wildly.

The rest of the Saint Laurent Empire looked at the ascetic monk in confusion. This was a burial ground, and there were rules and regulations. They could only watch helplessly as dense shadow arrows were fired at the ascetic monk.

After the ascetic's protective spell was shredded by the shadow bolt, he immediately woke up from his fear, but he was horrified to find that all the spells he mastered were ineffective. He had almost no ability to resist and could only watch in horror as the shadow bolt attacked him.

The ascetic died wailing, a horrible death, nearly pierced into a hornet's nest by the shadow arrows. Caesars collected his spoils: the intact staff and a storage ring. Wisps of white mist emanated from the corpse, drifting once again toward Caesars' waist pocket.

"Soul Gem!"

The dry magical sound rang out again in the carriage.

"The soul gem in the Duchess' Cemetery? It originally fell into the magic circle and then disappeared!" said another person in a cloak.

"Hey, that precious soul gem should be in the pocket of the person opposite. I won't be wrong!"

The mysterious figure, cloaked in a black cape, his face completely obscured, seemed unable to contain his excitement. He extended a gloved hand and slowly pushed open the carriage door. With a slight creak, the mysterious figure gradually emerged from the carriage. Then, with a slightly hurried pace, he stepped down from the carriage.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a dry laugh, like the cry of an old crow, suddenly emanated from his cloak. This laughter echoed in the empty space, making people's hair stand on end.

The moment this strangely dressed figure stepped out of the carriage, Caesars's full attention was captured. This person exuded a chilling, cold aura, and even from a distance, Caesars could clearly sense their danger. Even more shocking was the fact that this person's attire was identical to the figure in Hawkeye's photo. After all, that figure in the photo had easily defeated the powerful old Roman—the necromancer Sandro—with a single spell!

Realizing the situation was dire, Caesars quickly stood up. He swiftly tidied up the recliner and coffee table beside him and placed the chubby puppy in his backpack. His eyes remained fixed on the mysterious figure approaching him. If he continued to approach, he would flee without hesitation.

The mysterious man in the cloak seemed to have read Caesar's mind. He paused, raised his head slightly, and spoke through his thick mask in a harsh, dry voice, "Boy, hand over the Soul Gem obediently, and perhaps I'll spare your life!"

After hearing this, Kaisaston felt goose bumps all over his body, and even the roots of his teeth began to ache because of the dry sound.

"Are you Master Sandro?"

Facing an undead mage, the staff in his hand became a burden and he could only put it into the space ring.

"Boy, hand over the Soul Gem! Don't try to delay!"

The cloaked figure seemed to have lost all patience. Caesars knew clearly that the Necromancer had an extreme disregard for life, killing and absorbing souls was his only means of survival. The Soul Gem in his hand, which could store soul energy, was the Necromancer's desired "food box."

"Master Sandro, you are too thin, as if you haven't gained any flesh at all."

As Kaisas spoke, he cast a series of buff spells on himself, including Dark Corrosion, Dark Torrent, and Swiftness.

"Since you don't want to hand over the Soul Stone, I'll have to do it myself. I'll kill you first, then extract your soul!"

A dry, piercing voice echoed through the air, repeatedly mentioning the mysterious Soul Gem. The people of the Saint Laurent Empire were bewildered and at a loss for what to do. Most of them had never even heard of Sandro, let alone understood what the Soul Gem was.

At that moment, a shocking scene occurred. Sandro's body slowly lifted off the ground, floating up like a ghost, and hurtled towards Caesars at astonishing speed. This sudden change terrified Caesars, who was standing in front. Without hesitation, he swiftly unfolded his pair of inky black elemental wings. At the same time, dark elements surged out in all directions like a surging wave.

However, just as Caesar was about to flee with the Elemental Wings, two eerie blue lights suddenly flickered from the visor of Sandro's vast cloak. In a split second, Caesar felt a bone-chilling chill spread through his body, as if he were frozen in place. Worse still, his Elemental Wings spell abruptly ceased at that moment, and he discovered he had been successfully marked by Sandro.

&34;Hey hey... Don't try to escape from me!&34;

Sandro let out a triumphant and utterly unpleasant laugh, a sound that seemed to pierce the soul and send shivers down one's spine. Then, he condensed another powerful spell, emanating a terrifying aura that plunged Caesar into utter despair. When he unfurled his elemental wings again, he was shocked to discover that the distance between him and Sandro had now dropped to less than thirty meters!