The invisible mana arrow quietly surged across the noisy city, almost like a snake quietly slithering through the bushes to get to its prey.
Asudoâs eyes glowered with murderous intent.
But such petty tricks wouldnât work on Shu Yichao.
The sheer number of in-game characters he had killed using underhanded tricks was enough to go around earth several times.
Shoosh!
A silver flash of light descended from the sky.
Bam!
The invisible mana arrow was smashed into bits.
What a pity.
Asudo sighed.
He wasnât surprised to see Shu Yichao striking down his arrow, since it was a simple spell. It wasnât a particularly powerful spell; it was just highly discreet. It might be surprisingly effective against those who were prone to carelessness.
But Shu Yichao noticed it.
Clack, clack, clackâŠ
The beholder hidden in Asudoâs neck produced a fast whirring sound similar to grinding against one another as it cast Mind Control on Shu Yichao.
âLet's see how you deal with this,â Asudo sneered.
Mind Control was a tough spell to deal with. It could make heroes feel light-headed as if someone had struck the back of their heads. This might not seem like much, but it could be dangerous if the hero was galloping on horseback like Shu Yichao currently was.
But to Asudoâs astonishment, Shu Yichaoâs posture remained stable. Not only did he not fall from the horseback, but his hands didnât even shake.
Then, he saw Shu Yichao grabbing his bow and nocking an arrow. That sent alarm bells ringing in his mind, and a chill ran down his spine as if something dangerous was about to happen.
This isnât good!
âArrow Avoidance!â
An invisible whirlwind barrier whirred around Asudo. The arrow was on the verge of striking him when it was redirected elsewhere under the effects of the spell.
Pah!
An unlucky Tibetan soldier was struck instead, and he collapsed in a pool of blood.
Asudo struck his belt, and a layer of light enveloped it. Under the effects of the belt, he surged into the sky like a wisp of smoke.
He had barely escaped in time, as Shu Yichaoâs modao sliced through where he previously stood an instant later. The sheer impact of the slash smashed the floor tiles below.
These exchanges happened in just a matter of seconds.
He isnât an easy opponent.
Asudo narrowed his eyes.
To think that this mage is also a powerful hero-class warrior. Itâs fortunate that I am a mage, so I have greater maneuverability when it comes to dealing with warriors.
For instance, warriors were unable to flyâŠ
âTsk!â Shu Yichao clicked his tongue in annoyance.
This was the first time his arrow had failed him, so he decided to check Asudoâs stats.
He took this chance to check Asudoâs stats.
Name: Asudo
Damage
Melee Damage: 85-95 (Average, enchantment)
Spell Damage: 135-445 (Superior)
Defense
Armor: 50 (Average)
Magic Resistance: 180 (Superior)
Speed
On Foot: 60 (Average)
Talent: Unknown
Artifact: Unknown
Description: An outstanding hero-class mage with a diverse set of spells and superior firepower. He can stand his ground even when forced to a melee fight. Itâs not advised to provoke him.
âJust the spell damage puts him at the level of a mini boss or a high-tier hero,â Shu Yichao murmured as he casually swung his modao.
Asudo had the superiority in terms of stats, but such numbers were often meaningless. Shu Yichao had defeated plenty of powerful bosses with overwhelming stats after grasping their combat patterns.
So, the only problem now wasâŠ
âHow can I beat him down?â
Boom!
Before he could think of a solution, Asudo simultaneously unleashed a terrifying fireball, a deluge of burning white acid, and a flurry of ice knives at Shu Yichao.
The latter dodged the white acid and ice knives with unbelievable agility and sliced through the fireball with his modao.
âWhat?â Asudo widened his eyes in disbelief. âHow can there be such a warrior in the world? Itâs one thing to dodge a spell, but how can he simultaneously deal with three spells?
âHe has high resistance against mental attacks, and direct attacks arenât very effective either⊠It looks like Iâll have to resort to other means.
âA soldier mentioned earlier that heâs the deceased Shu Chuanfeng? But that mage looks like a man no matter how I look at him. Did he possess someone elseâs body to return to life? If thatâs the case, I could try using mental attacks while ratting his mind with wordsâŠâ
Obsession was what drove dead people to return to life, be it Shu Chuanfeng or the Anxi army.
If so, let me crush their pathetic obsession then.
âHmph!â Asudo began speaking while casting spells, âHow pathetic. You must not know that your imperial court has alreadyâŠâ freŃnovelkiss.com
But he was silenced by a bellow.
Shu Yichao could tell at a glance that Asudo was a man, so he pointed his modao at the latter and roared, âYou little trap, I dare you to get down here!â
âYOU!!!â
That was Asudoâs pain point, since he wasnât cross-dressing on his own volition. He was only dressed like this due to his masterâs insistence.
A small fry like him couldnât defy an archmageâs will, so he had no choice to do as he was told despite feeling utterly humiliated.
While Asudo was seething with rage, the rebel army suddenly started clamoring. They were sharp-witted people who could read the room, or else the Tibetans would have caught them a long time ago.
âWhat? Heâs a trap?â
âDid a new brothel open in town? Why else is a man dressed like that?â
Asudoâs face darkened.
While he had been cross-dressing all this while, no one in their right mind would insult an archmageâs apprentice. Even powerful nobles and officials wouldnât want to get on his bad side if possible.
Hoodlums who dared to utter such words, he had long skinned them alive to make new clothes! Those who served him were sharp enough to call him âyoung masterâ.
Yet, a bunch of lowly slaves dared to humiliate him like thatâŠ
âShut up!â Asudo roared.
Blinded by rage, he completely forgot about maintaining the air of an expert, or utilizing mental attacks along with words to rile up the enemyâs emotions. There was only one thing he wanted to do now, and that was to massacre the lowly slaves in front of him.
He quickly murmured a chant, and a red cloud swiftly manifested in the air.
To be exact, that wasnât a cloud but searing lava!
Pshhhhhhh!
The red cloud descended like the evening hue. The temperature skyrocketed, and the lava cast a red glow on the surroundings. It was as if the world was going to end!
The target of the attack was the rebel army in the City Lord Manor.
Asudoâs eyes had turned red. He was determined to kill all the rebels before Shu Yichaoâs eyes.
Regardless of whether youâre Shu Chuanfeng or some vengeful spirit, you can watch as I turn your brethren into cinders! A mere warrior like you wonât be able to stop me!
âHAHAHAHA!!!â
The thought of Shu Yichao keeling over in regret made Asudo laugh frenziedly.
Isnât it interesting to obliterate what these vengeful spirits cherished the most in their lifetime? Sure makes me wonder what kind of expressions theyâll show.
Despair? Pain? Misery?
Or emptiness?
Thatâs what you deserve for insulting an esteemed mage like me! You deserve to struggle for all eternity in hell!
Unfortunately, Asudo forgot one thing.
Even though he didnât spot a mage, that didnât mean that the enemy didnât have a mage. Miazova, who had already caught up with Shu Yichao but was hiding in the shadows, unleashed the spell it had been channeling for some time now.
âMana Reflux!
âLight Weight!â