Iya Continent: Card God

The dark, cloud-covered sky gradually brightened, and with the sigh of the goddess of wind, the sea of ​​clouds slowly dispersed.

The heavy rain has stopped, leaving only a light drizzle, falling casually on the ground.

"drive!"

A galloping horse came rushing in from afar, its hooves pounding the ground and mud flying everywhere, following the direction of the rushing river.

"Uu——!"

The male rider pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a timely stop.

Bruno Flynn, nicknamed "Iron Bucket," was a high-ranking Bronze Knight. At this moment, he was furious, his anger burning fiercely. His soaked inner armor seemed to evaporate with his rage.

His trembling eyes stared at the riverbed, and a smile appeared on his bearded mouth.

"Hehe, I've finally found you."

There were traces of people coming ashore, but the light rain hadn't washed them away immediately. Even some dented footprints could be seen on the dirt road.

"When I find you, I'll bury you all in horse manure! Giddy up!"

Bruno pulled on the reins, and the warhorse galloped off in a certain direction.

These slaves were to be transported and handed over. Bruno dared not break their arms and legs, but he did not mind to "torture" them a little to vent his anger.

The iron hooves thundered past the nearest village road.

The fugitive, who should have been heading towards the village, suddenly changed course, his tracks on the dirt road leading in another direction, away from the village.

"Ok?"

Bruno was quite surprised. Why didn't those guys enter the village? Why did they keep escaping further and further away?

"I see……"

As the warhorse moved forward, the endless greenery that appeared ahead made Bruno understand.

The other party wanted to escape into the forest to avoid being pursued.

"Ha, that's quite clever, but... there aren't any large forests around the Song River, just a dense grove of trees!"

As the momentum grew stronger, the warhorses approached the lush green grove.

The last footprints disappeared nearby.

And in this area, the only place where one can hide is this little forest.

They surged forward with the river's powerful current, reaching their fastest speed, outpacing even my own horse. However, when they fled back to the bank, their speed slowed considerably. Bound, soaked to the bone, and exhausted, they couldn't possibly escape far.

"This is your limit!"

"Come out! Don't think you're safe just because you're hiding inside!"

Bruno roared, and the treetops seemed to tremble, causing water droplets to fall.

Linta and his group were indeed hiding in the woods.

They split up and hid, concealing themselves in the greenery.

Linta's facial muscles trembled, and his throat quivered slightly. He was extremely nervous at that moment.

This was just a grove of trees that Shia had found using her senses; however, it was only a small grove, not enough for her to escape the pursuers by traversing it.

This isn't her fault; there really aren't any large forests in this area, especially not the vast forests of Bantu, Pinecone's homeland. However, this is enough; enough for us to carry out our next plan.

"You're not coming out, are you?! Just wait until I find you, and I'll teach you a lesson!"

Knight Bruno roared, swung his greatsword, and charged straight into the forest.

The intertwined treetops were quite an obstacle, but under the slash of a high-ranking bronze-level knight, they snapped instantly, breaking into countless pieces, and the large tree before him became a straight giant. Even so, he was still in great pain.

After all, the warhorse could hardly roam freely among the trees, and its galloping became erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

"Come out! Come out!"

Bruno spurred his horse and brandished his greatsword, hacking through the bushes and trees that offered any cover or hiding place.

Gradually, it began to threaten Linta and his group.

Especially for the largest bear-man, Pine Cone, there are very few places it can hide.

A brown figure suddenly appeared in front of Bruno.

Bruno laughed with delight, "Haha, I've found you!"

"drive!"

Pulling back the reins, it chopped at the obstructing treetops, heading straight for the pine cone.

But then, something unexpected happened.

incredible.

"Ow!"

Pinecone, the bear-man, stood up and leaped toward Bruno.

Its clawed arms were outstretched, its legs were agile, and its face was ferocious.

"what!"

Bruno was shocked. How did this bear-man, who should have been bound by ordinary ropes, manage to break free of his restraints?

Bruno couldn't understand it for a moment, nor did he want to think about it. At least, the bear-man's arm was still wearing a magic-suppressing ring.

As long as it's wearing the magic-suppressing ring, it's just a bear-man with more power than an ordinary person!

"Iron Bucket Cleave!"

Bruno's eyes narrowed, and his greatsword gleamed with magical power. A single strike of this magical skill would be enough to cleave the flesh-and-blood bear-man in two. Of course, Bruno dared not kill the bear-man; it was valuable, and he couldn't afford to lose it. He only needed to knock it down with a slashing blade of energy.

"Aha!"

Just then, the dwarf Gingon Bronzehammer burst out of the low bushes and slid in to kick his warhorse.

The sliding tackle sent the warhorse neighing and collapsing, unable to move.

Bruno, who was about to unleash his greatsword, suddenly lost his balance, and his strike went astray.

"Whoosh!" The air blade slashed at the trunk of the nearest tree that was blocking its way, leaving a conspicuous mark.

Before Bruno could react, a swift figure descended from the heights, its movements agile and graceful.

The elven girl Shia delivered a flying kick, precisely striking Bruno in the neck and face, knocking him off his horse.

"you……!"

Before he could even process his anger, the little fishman quacked and leaped onto Bruno's hand holding the greatsword. His blue skin oozed a slimy substance that made Bruno lose his grip on the hilt and the sword slip from his hand.

My sword!

Before he could even be surprised, a man named Klöf rushed out from the shadows and pinned Bruno to the ground, pinning him down.

Not only was the bear-man Pinecone unbound, but Kluff, Shia, Gingon, and the little fish-man were also no longer restrained and were all agile and free. However, the magic-suppressing rings on their hands restricted their use of magic.

Even though they cannot use magic, each of them is still a formidable opponent and should not be underestimated. Ordinary low- to mid-level bronze-rank enemies would be killed by them if they were careless.

"Bastard!"

Bruno Flynn's face turned red with rage. He was the invincible Bruno, yet he had been so humiliated by a group of people who couldn't use magic. God above, this was unforgivable!

Bruno unleashed his full magical power, gripping the ground with ferocious force, as if trying to tear the prisoners apart.

However, he no longer had the chance.

"call out!"

A swift gust of wind and a fleeting shadow.

"boom!"

With a swift, powerful kick, Bruno the Iron Bucket was struck on the head; a divine force beyond magic severely injured his skull.

"Uh……!"

Amidst screams, his vision blurred, his head throbbed, and he lost consciousness.