After two days and nights, the group finally left the safe zone. From this point on, the journey became much more treacherous, with increasing dangers lurking between heaven and earth.
These dangers included the unpredictable weather caused by the energy radiation of the Wizard War, mutated animals and plants due to the radiation, and potential attacks from other wizards.
At this moment, Dieter and his group were traversing a mountain valley, flanked on both sides by towering peaks.
In such an environment, there shouldn't have been any wind, as natural winds would typically be blocked by the surrounding mountains.
Yet, a violent gust suddenly swept toward them, whipping at their clothes and sending them flapping wildly.
This eerie wind was not natural.
It was likely caused by a high concentration of wind energy factors converging, resulting in a raging storm.
"Everyone, be careful! Wind blades are forming dodge and protect yourselves!"
Dieter warned the group.
However, just as he finished speaking, countless invisible wind blades hidden within the storm slashed toward them!
Some members of the group were able to calmly cast spells or use enchanted artifacts, but those without such means could only rely on luck, desperately seeking cover.
"Each wind blade inflicts damage ranging from two to ten degrees… quite a wide variance,"
Lynn observed the situation calmly through his crystal ball, gauging the strength of the wind blades.
But not everyone was as composed as he was. Many wizard apprentices within the group were caught off guard, struggling to react.
Among them, the bearded apprentice who had once mocked Darwin was particularly unfortunate when one of the wind blades sliced through him, severing most of his left hand. A piercing scream echoed through the valley.
Yet, compared to the second-level apprentice who was killed outright by the wind blades, the bearded apprentice's luck was relatively good.
The storm raged on for over ten minutes, forcing everyone to take cover behind rocks and trees, struggling to endure.
As the winds gradually subsided, the group finally had a chance to catch their breath. However, the scene before them was one of utter devastation.
"What a bunch of rabble…"
Lynn had expected the team to be weak, but he hadn't anticipated that they would suffer casualties so soon after leaving the safe zone one dead from a natural disaster, one severely injured, and five lightly wounded, including a third-level apprentice…
Ironically, the only one completely unharmed was the mortal, Darwin. He had managed to take shelter behind a large boulder, and although his face was pale, he remained unscathed.
"This is the team you led? You insisted that the other route was dangerous because of magical beasts this is all thanks to you!"
The bearded second-level apprentice, his face still deathly pale from blood loss, furiously lashed out at Dieter after bandaging his wound.
The other injured members of the group also started voicing their dissatisfaction, their anger growing more intense.
"Damn it! And this useless mortal didn't even get a scratch! I'll kill him first to vent my frustration!"
The bearded apprentice's gaze locked onto Darwin, filled with resentment.
He began casting a fireball spell, his fury about to explode.
However, before the fireball could even take shape
A blazing arrow suddenly shot out from within the group, striking the bearded apprentice like lightning and instantly incinerating him.
"What are you doing?!"
The atmosphere grew tense as several wizard apprentices immediately assumed combat stances, their expressions shifting dramatically.
Even Dieter, the group leader, turned pale and shouted:
"What the hell are you doing?! I was still enjoying my role as a leader!"
But the third-level apprentice who had acted merely sneered and said coldly:
"Enough with the act we've already been discovered. The Furnace Stone people have found us!"
His sudden words left most of the group in confusion.
Even those who had been ready to fight moments ago hesitated.
The Furnace Stone? Acting? What did all of this mean?
For a moment, nobody knew whether to continue pressuring Dieter or to abandon the ship and flee.
The scene fell into an awkward silence.
But just then, Lynn who had always kept his distance from the group, staying on the periphery, ready to escape at a moment's notice suddenly narrowed his eyes.
The moment he heard the words "Furnace Stone," his heart tensed in alarm.
Almost instinctively, he turned and bolted, activating his Windwalker spell.
With the spell enhancing his speed, he vanished in an instant like an untamed stallion, sprinting into the distance.
While the rest of the group remained in a state of shock, Lynn's reaction stood out as extraordinary.
"Smart move, but unfortunately… you're too late."
Dieter's eyes glowed as he muttered under his breath with a hint of regret.
Sure enough, after only a few seconds, Lynn's face darkened as he abruptly turned back, sprinting toward the group again.
High above in the sky, figures cloaked in black robes were slowly descending from all directions, encircling them like specters.
"The Falling Star Council rats know how to hide. We searched five times and still couldn't find you…"
"If I hadn't personally stepped in and spent considerable resources, you might have slipped through the cracks."
A metallic, sharp voice echoed as the leader of the black-robed figures finally spoke.
This tall and imposing man, with piercing cold eyes, was none other than Silver Ash the third-level grand wizard of the Furnace Stone.
Silver Ash was in a foul mood. He had spent a fortune bribing the Lupus Constellation but had failed to stop the Falling Star Council members.
Personally leading a search across both the horizontal and vertical routes through the Atlas Mountains, he had exhausted countless potions and magic stones only now had he finally caught these damn rats!
"Go ahead try running now."
With a dramatic sweep of his cloak, Silver Ash signaled his fellow black-robed wizards. As they released their spiritual energy, an oppressive black cloud of power began descending upon the group.
Realizing that they had been exposed, Dieter cursed furiously as he took in the sight of the surrounding Furnace Stone wizards. Gritting his teeth, he growled:
"Those bastards have noses sharper than dogs! If we can't run, then let's fight!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, eight figures simultaneously unleashed powerful spiritual energy waves, their sheer presence causing the air to tighten around them.
The team originally had seventeen members, yet now it turned out that nine of them belonged to the Falling Star Council and they were all at least official wizards!
This meant that out of the original seventeen, only eight were genuinely trying to cross the Atlas Mountains.
And now, with the bearded apprentice dead and another killed by the wind blades, only six remained.
Lynn, who had just returned to the group, wore a grim expression. He eyed the nine figures radiating immense power and muttered to himself:
"I always suspected Darwin was hiding something… but I never expected it wasn't just him. There are so many hidden players in such a small team!"
"And this Falling Star Council… just what kind of organization is it?"
From the exchange of words, Lynn now understood he hadn't been the target of Furnace Stone's pursuit. He had simply been unlucky enough to get caught in the middle.
Among the six remaining travelers, there were also wizard apprentices who did not know either the Falling Star Council or Furnace Stone. Their faces turned pale with terror.
"Wizards… so many official wizards… my god…"
........................
Dieter and the other nine figures finally stopped concealing their power. Their auras surged instantly to the level of official wizards, causing the surrounding air to compress as if under immense pressure, making it difficult to breathe.
At the same time, a special rhythmic pulse emanated from them, like some kind of mark, filling the air with strange energy fluctuations.
"Damn formation marks…"
Dieter no longer had his usual smirking expression. Instead, he looked cold and murderous.
They had used a unique method to suppress their aura to the level of third-level apprentices while also hiding the formation marks.
But the moment they released the aura of official wizards, the formation marks would be exposed. Once exposed, they could easily be discovered by the people of Furnace Stone.
That was why they had been hiding, planning to get farther away before making their move.
Otherwise, being too close to the checkpoint would mean that once they recovered their strength, they could be easily tracked down through the formation marks.
However, despite their caution, they were still discovered by the people of Furnace Stone.
At this moment, ten black-robed wizards from Furnace Stone surrounded them, while the nine official wizards from the Falling Star Council slowly rose into the air.
Furnace Stone and the Falling Star Council were mortal enemies. So, when they met, there were no words exchanged only battle!
The first to engage were the strongest among them!
Dieter wasted no time, soaring into the sky to clash with Silver Ash from Furnace Stone.
When they collided, it was clear that both were at the level of a third-level grand wizard!
Meanwhile, the other wizards paired off and started fighting their own battles.
Boom!
Spells rapidly took shape, filling the sky with deafening explosions as terrifying energies clashed, stirring up violent storms.
The wind howled, lightning crackled, and flames soared into the sky. The elements reacted with one another, instantly dyeing half the sky a blood-red hue.
For third-level apprentices, official wizards represented an entirely different level of power.
The gap between the two was enormous. Even a hundred third-level apprentices combined would be no match for a single official wizard.
Not only could an official wizard easily annihilate these apprentices with a flick of their hand, but even the residual energy waves from their battle could effortlessly crush the apprentices below.
Under the terrifying impact of these energy clashes, six figures were caught in the aftermath. Four of them couldn't withstand the shockwaves and died instantly.
As for the two who survived, one of them was Lynn. He only managed to endure because he had lifted the suppression on the Azure Sky Spirit, allowing Yfgríd's "Vitality Echo" to shield him from harm.
"He has a secret…"
Lynn's gaze locked onto the last remaining survivor Darwin.
At this moment, Darwin was clad in a rusty blue suit of armor, completely encasing his body.
Whenever the chaotic elemental reactions swept toward him, the blue armor emitted a metallic clang and barely managed to withstand the impact.
This sight made Lynn pause for a moment.
Darwin wasn't even a first-level apprentice his mental power couldn't leave his body, so he naturally couldn't use spatial tools.
Yet, he had never worn such a heavy suit of armor before…
"Unless… this isn't an ordinary enchanted artifact but a creation of a mechanical wizard…"
Although Lynn had doubts, he didn't stop moving. Wind-walking magic flared around him as he darted into the distance.
Earlier, he had tried to flee immediately but was forced back by the people of Furnace Stone.
But now, with Furnace Stone and the Falling Star Council locked in battle, it was the perfect opportunity to escape…
Above him, the battle between the wizards raged on, spell waves crashing down, carving deep craters into the ground below.
The battlefield was a deathtrap, filled with spell attacks as dense as a storm of bullets.
Yet, relying on Yfgríd's protection, Lynn gritted his teeth, endured the shockwaves, and sped toward the depths of the valley.
Moving stealthily through the battlefield, he went unnoticed.
But just then, Darwin also started heading in the same direction.
His movements were already slow due to his bulky blue armor, and the interference from the spell shockwaves made it even harder for him to move.
Struggling forward, Darwin's eyes flashed suddenly. He pressed a button.
The next moment, the heavy blue armor began to lift off the ground, slowly floating into the air, flying toward the depths of the valley.
Had he continued walking on foot, he might have remained unnoticed.
But now, wearing that rusty blue armor and suddenly taking flight, he attracted even more attention.
The closer he got to the battlefield, the stronger the residual spell shockwaves became, and the louder the noises he made.
Clang! Clang!
The sounds echoed through the battlefield. Immediately, several wizards in midair were drawn to the sight.
The official wizards from the Falling Star Council didn't care about him, as they had no grudges against him.
But one official wizard from Furnace Stone suddenly widened his eyes.
He wasn't shocked by Darwin's sudden flight he was stunned by the figure that had already run far ahead.
Lynn.
A faint green glow flickered around him.
Even though it was just a fleeting silhouette, it bore a striking resemblance to a wizard depicted in a wanted poster!
The Furnace Stone wizard's expression changed drastically. His eyes locked onto Lynn's distant figure!
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 120+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader