Chapter 245 - 244: All Villains
These men were the Wenmier Clan’s Guard Team, alerted by the shouts of the servants.
They hadn’t expected to run into the intruders right here.
After a moment of shock, a dozen or so guards quickly fell into formation, creating a human wall.
The forest of Long Halberds in their hands completely blocked the courtyard’s exit, creating an oppressive-looking formation.
At the center of this human wall, the sound of steady, heavy footsteps rang out. The wall parted on its own, and a burly man slowly strode forward.
The moment he appeared, you could feel the oppressive aura radiating from him.
The guards in formation grew more confident because of him, their expressions turning grim.
He was clearly a Middle Level Warrior.
This man was Gare, the Captain of the Guard for the Wenmier Clan.
Not all Professionals chose to become Adventurers, living a thrilling life on a knife’s edge, never knowing if they’d see the next day.
Many Professionals also chose to attach themselves to the rich and powerful, trading their martial prowess for money and status.
Serving as a Household Guard was one of the most common jobs.
Adventurers were freer, while guards were relatively subservient but faced less danger.
It all came down to personal choice.
Gare was in his early forties, the perfect golden age for a Warrior, where physical fitness and combat experience were in perfect harmony.
He was tall, with a square, resolute face and short black hair combed neatly back, giving him a very sharp look.
And the weapon Gare used was even more extravagant than Maki’s.
It wasn’t a common Knight’s Longsword or Battle Saber, but a heavy, nearly two-meter-long Horse-Cutting Saber.
THUD!
He casually rested the tip of the saber on the ground, and a web of fine cracks instantly spread across the courtyard’s stone pavers.
Combined with the black Plate Armor he wore, his entire presence was incredibly intimidating.
Seeing Zelir and his group burst in, Gare narrowed his eyes slightly.
He gripped the hilt of the Horse-Cutting Saber with both hands, his voice like muffled thunder rolling in his chest.
"I admire your courage for daring to trespass on the Wenmier Clan estate, but this is where it ends!"
"You reckless fools! Take one more step, and this place will be your grave!"
Gare leaned forward slightly, like a fully drawn Strong Bow, ready to lash out and attack at any moment.
The dozen or so guards beside him were also on high alert, all having assumed combat stances.
The courtyard was filled with a murderous atmosphere, ready to explode at the slightest touch!
But...
The five members of the party acted as if they hadn’t heard Gare’s warning.
They just kept walking forward, without slowing down.
Gare’s face twitched slightly.
This act of utter disregard felt deeply humiliating.
With the dual prestige of being a Middle Level Warrior and the Captain of the Guard for the Wenmier Clan, no one had ever dared to treat his warnings with such contempt.
"Perhaps I should make myself clearer!"
Gare suddenly lifted his heavy Horse-Cutting Saber and roared.
"This! Is the territory of the Wenmier Clan! You trespassers have broken the Kingdom’s strictest laws!"
"If you don’t want to be cut down, surrender at once! Perhaps you might be spared during your trial!"
But the party’s footsteps didn’t falter, and they were getting closer and closer.
Twenty meters, fifteen, ten...
Their steps showed no hint of hesitation in the face of Gare’s warning.
This made Gare suddenly tense up inside.
’Damn it, are these people really this bold, or are they all deaf?’
’Even if they were deaf, they could still see the formation in front of them.’
’They’re facing a force several times their own size, plus a Middle Level Warrior, and they’re just walking right into it?’
’On what grounds?!’
’Could there be more to this than meets the eye?’
Countless thoughts flashed through Gare’s mind. He couldn’t quite figure out this party’s background.
But there was no time left for him to think.
Since his warnings were useless, Gare had no choice but to resort to force.
"All men, on my command! Charge! Take them down!"
The guards leveled their Long Halberds and roared as they began their Charge.
"KILL!!!"
Gare brandished his Horse-Cutting Saber and was about to charge with them when the temperature of the surrounding air suddenly spiked.
A faint red light flashed in Zelir’s eyes.
Fractal Fire!
The eight-point increase in his Intelligence made his control over Magic much more adept.
A highly malleable Skill like Fractal Fire could be used in all sorts of creative ways.
He raised Night Peace and gave it a light tap.
A core seed of orange-red flame formed at the tip of the wand and shot forward!
And in the instant it flew out, the seed of flame seemed to pass through a prism, suddenly splitting mid-air into a dozen precise, fiery meteors!
The searing light instantly illuminated the courtyard, completely evaporating the morning mist!
"What...?!"
The guards who had just started to charge had no time to react and ran right into them.
The fiery meteors, as if they had eyes of their own, precisely struck their Chest Armor.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
A series of explosions rang out one after another.
Flames scattered and heatwaves rolled outward.
As the Fireballs hit, the Magic Power erupted, instantly sending all of them flying backward.
"Waaah..."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The guards collapsed wretchedly to the ground, their charge formation crumbling in an instant.
Even with their Armor for protection, the powerful impact left the guards’ internal organs in agony.
"Cough, cough... Damn it, my chest hurts so much..."
"I... I can’t breathe...!"
The guards curled up on the ground in pain, clutching their smoking chests and coughing violently.
Every breath brought a searing pain, and they couldn’t get back up.
Zelir, after all, didn’t want to kill them, so he had controlled his Magic Power output.
He hadn’t unleashed his full power; the attack was meant more to knock them back.
Otherwise, these guards would have faced not Fractal Fire, but the Flame Breath Skill.
A continuous stream of intense Flame would have roasted them into well-done meat.
The smoke slowly dissipated, but the acrid smell of burning still lingered in the air.
After one round of fiery bombardment, the only person left standing was the Captain of the Guard, Gare.
"A Ma... Mage?!"
His eyes widened, unable to believe the scene before him.
’They... they actually have a Mage with them?!’
’And with just one move, he basically took all my men out of the fight.’
Gare’s gaze swept over the group, and he saw a blond man in the party.
The blond man’s Longsword was already more than halfway unsheathed, its exposed blade shimmering with a cyan light.
The light was sharp and nimble, exuding a dangerous aura.
This was clearly the manifestation of Fighting Qi.
’A Middle Level Swordsman who could rival me!’
Moreover, the blond man wore a playful, flippant smile, as if he really wanted to test whether Gare’s Horse-Cutting Saber or his Longsword was faster.
Before Gare could figure out how to deal with the blond man, he saw a Half-Elf Ranger in the party with slightly pointed ears.
The Ranger had drawn his bow, and the Arrow nocked on the string was also crackling with lightning.
’Imbuing an Arrow with Fighting Qi...’
’Without a doubt, this is a Middle Level Ranger!’
Cold sweat beaded on Gare’s forehead.
Being targeted by a Middle Level Ranger at this distance basically meant a guaranteed hit, with no possibility of evasion.
’Should I bet on whether my Plate Armor can withstand a shot?’
Worse still, when Gare finally looked up, he realized the Mage who had just cast the spell had also raised his Magic Wand.
He was steadily aiming right between his eyes.
He could vaguely see violent Magic Power crackling at the tip of the wand.
It was a very clear warning:
’The next spell is aimed at your head.’
Even the two muscular brutes at the front of the group were staring at him menacingly.
They were like jackals eyeing their prey, with faint glimmers of Fighting Qi flashing around their bodies.
’They’re all monsters.’
Zelir was still walking forward.
A breeze rustled through the courtyard, sweeping past them and lifting the hems of their robes.
Zelir stopped just a few meters away from Gare.
The wind died down.
He lifted his gaze to meet Gare’s eyes, then spoke softly.
Just three simple words.
"Please move aside."
Deathly silence filled the air.
Gare’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he made a swallowing sound only he could hear.
The imposing air he’d had of one man holding the pass was gone, completely drained from him. He seemed to have deflated considerably.
’Damn it... How dare this Mage get so close to me? Isn’t he afraid I’ll suddenly attack?’
’This is just too arrogant!’
At this moment, a fierce internal conflict raged within Gare.
There were two choices before him.
Move, or don’t move.
’If I don’t move...’
’Then I’ll have to fight this party all by myself.’
’Forget fighting one against five; I can’t even handle a single one of them on their own.’
’If I move...’
’Then it seems I’ll just lose a bit of face.’
’As for punishment from the Patriarch...’
’Given the overwhelming disparity in our strength, backing down now is just preserving the clan’s manpower.’
’I’m sure Patriarch Vance wouldn’t punish me for this... right?’
The former option means certain death, where not even dust will remain. The latter at least lets me live.
’And who knows if Vance will even live to see tomorrow’s sun after these people get to him.’
’He might not even see today’s sun set.’
CLANG.
Gare tactfully dropped his Horse-Cutting Saber.
Under the stunned gazes of his subordinates, he raised both hands in an unmistakable gesture.
Surrender.
Then he quickly shuffled two steps to the side, pressing himself tightly against a corridor pillar to clear the party’s path.
’Are you kidding me?!’
’I only get a few Gold Coins a month, and my pay is often late.’
’Sure, the steward paid me some of my back pay recently.’
’But that bit of money is only enough for a couple of good times at the tavern. Is it worth risking my life for that cheapskate Vance?’
’These Adventurers are all ruthless characters who risk their necks fighting Demons for a living.’
’Provoke them?’
’Forget it.’
Gare had no doubt that these five would actually dare to kill him.
"Very good."
Zelir put away his Magic Wand and nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
The intimidating pressure the others had locked onto Gare also faded.
The psychological pressure on Gare finally eased, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
However, just as Zelir was passing by Gare, he paused for a moment.
This action immediately made Gare’s heart clench, and he grew uneasy once more.
’Has he changed his mind? Decided it’s safer to get rid of me?’