Chapter 52: From all sides
Memory Crystals were one of the most common methods through which warriors transferred techniques and knowledge to one another. Unlike written manuals, which required years of study and countless explanations, these crystals could directly preserve information with astonishing precision. They had become especially popular among the newer generations of powers, providing a quick and reliable method of passing down techniques and centuries of accumulated knowledge.
Even though Cole already knew about their existence, the sudden flood of unfamiliar information still caught him completely off guard. The moment the mana entered the crystal, countless fragments of knowledge surged into his mind, accompanied by strange images and complicated information that seemed to materialize directly inside his consciousness. It took him several breaths before he could finally organize everything he had received.
After carefully going through the information, a trace of surprise appeared in Cole’s eyes. His fingers tightened slightly around the pearl-like crystal as he looked at it with newfound interest. "A low-grade Lightning Arrow killing spell...!" Cole muttered, his voice carrying a faint trace of awe.
In this world, techniques were incredibly diverse, with countless variations developed by different races and civilizations. However, they were commonly divided into three major categories: killing techniques, defensive techniques, and escape techniques. Every skill or spell ultimately belonged to one of these categories, while their quality was further divided into low-grade, mid-grade, and top-grade.
Of course, there were grades above the top-grade, containing techniques capable of displaying unimaginable power. However, those levels were still far beyond Cole’s current reach. At his present stage, even obtaining a low-grade technique that perfectly matched his bloodline was already an extremely valuable opportunity.
The Saint Family was a pure physical-path family, and most of the techniques Cole had encountered since arriving in this world revolved around strengthening the body, manipulating physical force, or using the terrifying power of the flesh. Although he had seen several profound physical techniques before, this was his first time coming into direct contact with a genuine killing spell.
And more importantly...
It was a lightning-element killing spell.
Although Lightning Arrow was only a low-grade spell, finding a technique that could directly manipulate lightning was extraordinarily difficult. Lightning possessed terrifying destructive properties, and techniques capable of properly controlling it were naturally far rarer than ordinary elemental spells.
When this thought reached his mind, the light within Cole’s eyes gradually became brighter. His gaze slowly shifted away from the memory crystal and toward the cold corpses scattered throughout the alley. The curiosity that had previously filled his expression was replaced by a much more solemn look.
Just who are these people...?
Cole’s brows slowly knitted together.
To possess such a rare lightning-element killing spell, these attackers clearly weren’t ordinary assassins. Even if the spell itself was only low-grade, its rarity alone was enough to prove that the force behind them possessed considerable foundations.
Without the slightest doubt, these people belonged to some major power.
But that realization only created more questions than it answered.
Why would a major power send so many people to assassinate him?
Why had they prepared such a carefully constructed killing formation?
And most importantly...
Why did they possess a lightning technique that seemed almost perfectly suited to his current bloodline?
Cole remained silent for several breaths, his eyes slowly sweeping across the corpses once again. The more he thought about it, the more complicated the situation seemed, as though he had accidentally pulled on a single thread connected to an enormous web hidden beneath the surface.
However, after a brief moment, Cole finally pushed those thoughts aside.
There was no point trying to uncover the entire mystery right now.
Whatever force stood behind these assassins...
He would eventually find out.
For the moment, his attention returned to the newly acquired killing spell. He looked down at the white crystal resting quietly within his palm, and a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
Just what I needed...
With the Thunder Worm Leviathan bloodline coursing through his body, a lightning-element killing spell was practically tailor-made for him. Once he mastered Lightning Arrow, his combat efficiency would undoubtedly rise to another level.
During his recent battle, Cole had clearly recognized one of the biggest weaknesses in his current combat ability...
Against ordinary Nascent Trainee warriors, his overwhelming physical strength was more than enough to crush them. Even several opponents attacking him simultaneously wouldn’t pose much of a threat. But once their numbers reached several dozen and they worked together, the situation would become considerably more troublesome.
If he had possessed even a single low-grade killing spell before the battle...
The entire fight probably wouldn’t have lasted even a single breath.
With a suitable area-of-effect attack, he could have wiped out the surrounding enemies before they even had the chance to properly coordinate their assault. Instead, he had been forced to chase them down one by one, wasting both time and energy.
However, just as this thought surfaced, Cole’s expression gradually became solemn.
Having the knowledge of a spell...
Didn’t mean he had mastered it.
Like every other skill in this world, a spell required repeated practice before it could be used naturally in actual combat. Ordinary wizards often spent months, or even years, repeatedly constructing and stabilizing a spell before they dared to use it against a genuine enemy.
At his current level...
The Lightning Arrow was practically useless.
Cole had obtained the spell, but obtaining it and being capable of using it were two completely different things.
And unfortunately...
He didn’t have several months to sit down and slowly practice.
The Saint Family was waiting.
Trish was waiting.
And somewhere in the shadows, the mysterious force targeting him was waiting as well.
Cole’s brows furrowed slightly as he recalled the information contained within the Memory Crystal.
The first step toward casting a spell was constructing its spell model inside the mind.
A low-grade spell generally consisted of three spirit nodes.
These nodes had to be connected together through spiritual force, forming a stable and complete structure within the caster’s consciousness. Only after the model was successfully constructed could the corresponding spell be activated.
The higher one’s Spirit...
The easier this process became.
Cole silently examined his own mental strength.
After the successful fusion with the Thunder Worm Leviathan bloodline, his Spirit had already reached 10.
With such powerful spiritual force, constructing a three-node spell model shouldn’t be difficult for him.
In fact...
With ten points of Spirit, Cole suspected that he could even attempt to construct the spell models of certain mid-grade spells containing more than three spirit nodes.
The problem wasn’t his talent.
Nor was it his understanding.
It was time.
Even if his Spirit was strong enough to construct the model quickly, he still needed to repeatedly practice controlling it until the entire process became instinctive.
That was precisely what Cole didn’t have.
"Still..."
Cole’s eyes flickered slightly.
"There should be another way."
Just as he was immersed in his thoughts...
Footsteps suddenly echoed from the distant end of the street.
Heavy.
Rapid.
Accompanied by the hurried voices of approaching warriors.
"Who is it?"
"Who dares to murder people in the city?"
"Such a heavy smell of blood..."
Another voice immediately followed.
"To kill so openly..."
"Does he not place the Four Ancient Families in his eyes?"
The voices grew closer with every passing second.
The commotion caused by the battle had finally attracted the attention of the surrounding warriors and civilians.
However, despite their curiosity, none of them dared to approach the battlefield.
They remained far away, standing at the edges of the street while cautiously observing the blood-soaked alley.
No one wanted to become involved in whatever had just happened.
After all...
The ground was still covered in corpses.
Anyone capable of creating such a scene was obviously not someone an ordinary awakener could afford to provoke.
Most people simply waited for the city’s law enforcement officers to arrive.
Soon...
The sound of heavy footsteps became increasingly clear.
A group of fully armed guards emerged from the distant street.
The moment the surrounding crowd saw them approaching, they immediately scattered.
It was almost as though an invisible force had pushed them apart.
People hurriedly moved to both sides of the road, creating a wide passage for the approaching guards.
No one wanted to accidentally obstruct the city’s law enforcement.
More importantly...
No one wanted to be questioned about the massacre.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in a complete set of silver armor.
His armor reflected the faint light of the surrounding buildings, giving him an imposing appearance.
His body was extraordinarily muscular, with thick arms and broad shoulders that made the armor appear almost too small for his frame.
An oppressive aura radiated naturally from his body.
Peak Nascent Trained Realm.
The moment he stepped into the blood-soaked alley, his expression immediately became solemn.
His eyes swept across the countless corpses.
"Hmph."
"It seems we were slightly late."
His gaze narrowed.
"The killers appear to have escaped."
What he didn’t know...
Was that the person he was looking for had never actually left.
Cole had already sensed their arrival long before the guards entered the alley.
The moment he heard their footsteps...
His body had quietly disappeared behind a pile of collapsed rubble.
He pressed himself against the broken stone, suppressing his aura as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the bulky middle-aged guard stepped forward.
His eyes swept across the surroundings.
"Men."
His voice was deep and commanding.
"Spread out."
"Search the entire area."
"The killers couldn’t have escaped far."
"Find them."
"Quickly."
The guards immediately separated.
Several moved toward the nearby buildings.
Others searched the surrounding streets.
A few carefully examined the corpses, attempting to determine how the battle had unfolded.
Unfortunately for them...
Cole had been far too engrossed in analyzing the Lightning Arrow.
By the time he sensed the guards approaching, there simply hadn’t been enough time to leave the area without attracting attention.
So...
He had chosen the simplest solution.
Hide.
Unfortunately...
He had underestimated how cautious the guards would be.
Cole quietly peered through a narrow gap between two pieces of rubble.
His eyes calmly swept across the approaching figures.
These guards...
Most of them were only at the early or middle stages of the Nascent Trained Realm.
The leading man was stronger, reaching the peak of the realm.
But even he couldn’t pose much of a threat to Cole in his current state.
Cole’s eyes narrowed slightly.
These people shouldn’t be much of a problem.
If necessary...
He could probably eliminate them in a matter of moments.
But doing so would only create another unnecessary problem.
The entire city was already tense.
The Saint Family was under attack.
The Blue Pegasus Family was on the verge of conflict.
And someone was secretly hunting Saint descendants.
Killing the city’s enforcement officers now would be equivalent to announcing his presence to the entire city.
Cole wasn’t interested in doing something so stupid.
He remained perfectly still.
His breathing slowed.
His heartbeat gradually became quieter.
Even the faint lightning energy circulating within his body was suppressed.
A guard walked closer.
Then closer.
Cole’s eyes remained completely motionless.
The man’s armored boots eventually stopped only a few steps away.
For a moment...
Cole thought the guard had noticed him.
The man’s gaze slowly swept across the rubble.
Cole remained completely still.
Several seconds passed.
The guard finally turned around and walked away.
Cole quietly exhaled.
It seemed these people were either not particularly thorough...
Or perhaps they were simply completing the search as a formality.
One by one, the guards eventually regrouped.
After failing to discover any trace of the attackers, the middle-aged leader frowned.
"Let’s go."
"They must have already escaped."
The guards quickly left the alley.
Their footsteps gradually became distant.
Only after their voices had completely disappeared did Cole finally emerge from behind the rubble.
He dusted the fragments of stone from his clothes and glanced toward the direction in which the guards had disappeared.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Now..."
His eyes slowly sharpened.
"...back to the Saint Family."