Iya Continent: Card God

Clang! Boom—!

As the two high-level diamond-ranked warriors clashed, their magic surged like a hurricane, shocking and terrifying even Linta, who had rushed over from ten thousand meters away.

"Is it that intense?" Linta raised his arm, instinctively shielding himself from the wind.

"The Imperial General and the Iron Mage Mirachi Xiu, who holds a seat in the Council. Both are among the best of the diamond level on this continent, below the king level. It's unlikely that a winner will be decided in the short term, and it's probably impossible for one to kill the other..."

Linta analyzed the situation carefully, and came to one conclusion: he didn't need to intervene. He shouldn't interfere either; he should continue flying forward to block the advancing anti-magic armored cavalry.

"Gate of space, open!"

Linta drew a portal in one direction and vanished through it. The portal opened at the other end, and Linta instantly disappeared from the battlefield between Mirachi Xiu and the Black Sheep Clan general.

"Which direction did the cavalry go?" Linta muttered, frowning, his senses fully activated.

At this moment, he could clearly perceive the Imperial Army's movements. They were not too far away from him.

"found it."

Linta's brow furrowed even more, showing no excessive excitement at finding the Imperial Cavalry's whereabouts. His senses revealed that the cavalry had also split up, and scattered haphazardly. It seemed they realized the Magic Guild had already set out and powerful mages would come to stop them. But such complete dispersal and chaotic attacks on the magic town would leave even a great mage like Mirachi Xiu struggling to cope.

"Ah this..."

Lost in thought and hesitation, Linta's gaze suddenly fell upon a direction not far away, where a magical forest lay.

……

Baiko Town, in the northwestern border region of the Bantu Kingdom, is an ordinary magic town. It houses a small branch of the Delos Magic Society, which sends mages of average ability here to manage it. Normally, being assigned to such a place basically means the end of your life. Unless you can break through in your cultivation or achieve remarkable feats, you'll essentially spend your entire life retiring in the town.

Matthew, a sixty-something-year-old mage of low-level Silver rank, thoroughly enjoyed this kind of life. Rather than struggling with endless affairs and social obligations in the grand magical city, he preferred to savor his time in this small town. Though small, it had everything one could need. He'd go fishing by the lake in the morning, stroll through the various shops at midday, finally stopping at Mary's little shop for a roasted pigeon. In the afternoon, he'd meet up with a few friends for a game. And in the evening, he'd head to Bob's Grand Hotel for onion soup and stewed lamb. Nothing pleased Matthew more than this.

These good days were ultimately shattered.

The town's iconic magical bird, sensing the approaching enemy, cried out swiftly to notify the guild's mages. This guild had only three mages: the old mage Matthew and two young apprentices.

"Master Matthew, the signature bird has chirped!" The young apprentice was extremely excited. This was the first time in history that he had seen the magical artifact, which was usually ridiculed as "useless," react.

The old magician Matthew's expression turned terrified. Intelligence was scarce in this small town. Many events within the Bantu kingdoms typically took several days, even more than ten days, to reach this town. Although he didn't know what was happening, Matthew's years of experience gave him a hunch. The imperial army had been pressing and threatening at the border. Could it be... an attack?

That's impossible! How could it be so fast? Besides, our Magic Kingdom isn't easy to bully. How could we let the Imperial Army invade this place?

"Be careful, I'll go check it out."

After giving his instructions, Matthew quickly headed towards the town entrance and carefully hid somewhere to observe the situation.

"Giddy up!" "Clatter clatter!!"

"Huh!?" Matthew's pupils widened in surprise.

That insignia, without a doubt, belonged to the Imperial army, specifically the Sun God's army. However, it was the kind of divine cavalry never seen before. The style of their armor was not ordinary.

"Why are there only four people?" Matthew was somewhat surprised that there were only four Imperial soldiers who had come to this place.

For a moment, Matthew couldn't understand why either.

These four elite cavalrymen, clad in anti-magic armor, rampaged through the town with impunity.

Their intrusion immediately caused panic among the town's residents. Creating panic and unrest was precisely their job. Their invasion of the Bantu Kingdom, tearing it apart internally, would severely impact its stability, causing immense suffering for both their front lines and their rear.

"kill!"

Following orders, the four cavalrymen began a chaotic battle within the town, and blood and flames immediately turned the town into a vibrant spectacle.

"Stop it!"

With a deep, resounding roar, the imperial cavalrymen were momentarily stunned, turning to look at the one who had shouted.

Then, the old magician Matthew led two apprentice magicians and the bronze-level magicians who were staying in the town into battle.

"You jackals of the Empire, get out of here!" Matthew roared in anger.

The four elite cavalrymen exchanged glances and let out a mocking laugh.

"Giddy up!" Without saying a word, he spurred his horse and charged straight at the group of people who were blocking his way.

Matthew responded immediately, summoning a spellbook and chanting an incantation. Soon, a magical fireball appeared, its heat comparable to that of a high-level silver-rank mage.

"boom!"

The magical fireball slammed into the elite imperial cavalry, who showed no fear or retreat, charging straight ahead.

The anti-magic armor on his body automatically neutralized the magic spell.

Matthew was greatly surprised, his eyes widening in disbelief. Was his attack really that weak?

"Go! Go!"

The two magic apprentices, filled with rage and fury, led the bronze-level magic adventurers who had followed them in a charge.

"Wait!" Matthew realized something was wrong and hurriedly shouted.

However, it was too late; the imperial cavalry's lances moved like lightning, each thrust resulting in a kill.

These soldiers, clad in anti-magic armor, were essentially elites selected from the Sun God's army. Even naked, their skills and experience were still enough to slaughter ordinary adventurers.

"Ugh!" "Ahhh!"

Matthew was stunned. He didn't know what to do next to end this.

Thinking of this, he was somewhat terrified. If the enemy had broken into this small town, wouldn't the front line have been completely captured? And what about the other major cities?

Does the same thing happen in other small towns and cities?

Matthew sighed deeply, and his sorrowful face quickly hardened.

I can't worry about anything else; at worst, I'll just die here too.

"Come on!" "Lightning Bolt! Wrath!"

The spellbook enhanced Matthew's magic, and a bolt of lightning struck a cavalryman, its flashes spreading intensely and terrifyingly.

However, it still failed to harm the opponent; the magic was rendered useless by the armor's countermeasures.

"Die, you old man!"

The cavalry charged forward on horseback, delivering a sharp thrust with their spears.

"Roar!"

In the nick of time, a powerful black figure pounced on the cavalryman, causing him and his horse to fall. Both were forcefully pinned down.

"Uh...who?"

The cavalryman let out a miserable cry, his vision clearing slightly as he looked up to see who his enemy was.

It's not a human, it's a bear-man.