NOVGO.NET Chapter 561: Neighbor [2]
Chapter 561: Neighbor [2]
A/N: I rewrote this chapter for better clarity.
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The arrow screamed through the air, wind currents spiraling around it. The Fire Mage twisted aside just in time—the shaft grazed his cheek before detonating into the dirt with a thunderclap of compressed mana.
The Knight seized the opening. He lunged, spear shattering through the weakened wall, stone exploding as he drove for the Earth Mage’s chest. The mage staggered back, too slow to fully recover.
The Archer covered him. Another arrow flashed from her bow, streaking toward the Fire Mage’s exposed side. With a snap of his wrist, flames whipped outward, incinerating the shaft midair. But the distraction was enough—the Knight’s spear carved across the Earth Mage’s shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.
Snarling, the Earth Mage dropped to one knee and slammed his hand down. The ground jolted violently, jagged ridges bursting upward. The Knight’s charge faltered as the terrain bucked beneath him, throwing off his balance.
The Archer didn’t miss her cue. She pivoted higher on the ridge, drawing three arrows at once. With a sharp exhale, she loosed them in a deadly fan. Two streaked toward the Fire Mage, while the third angled for the Knight’s exposed flank.
The Fire Mage reacted instantly, flames erupting in a wall that incinerated the pair aimed at him. The Knight twisted, deflecting the last with his shield, though the impact rattled his stance.
The Knight snarled and surged forward again. He rammed his shield into the Earth Mage’s defenses like a battering ram, stone shattering under the blow. The mage staggered back, gritting his teeth as cracks spread through his barrier.
The Fire Mage pressed the opening. A blazing sphere roared from his palms, smashing against the crumbling stone wall. The impact detonated with a fiery blast, forcing the Earth Mage back several steps.
But the Archer covered him, another arrow already drawn. She released, the shaft whistling through the smoke to force the Fire Mage to duck. The Earth Mage recovered just enough to slam his palm down again—stone shackles clawed up from the ground, snapping at the Knight’s legs, trying to pin him in place.
The fight only grew fiercer, each exchange carving the land deeper, burning the air hotter.
Michael narrowed his eyes. He could see it clearly—their flaws, their strengths, the way fatigue crept into their limbs with every clash. None of them were weak.
But to Michael, their struggle looked almost… clumsy. Predictable.
Michael stayed crouched on the ridge. He watched the four clash.
Then the air shimmered.
A flicker of heat traced the ridge. Michael’s instincts jolted a half-second before the fireball appeared in front of him.
The orb shrieked toward him, detonating against the stone where he crouched. The blast tore a shallow crater, fire licking up the slope.
In another location, Michael’s eyes narrowed, a sharp gleam of surprise flickering there.
“So… they noticed.”
He hadn’t expected it. Being sneaky was never his strength, but he hadn’t thought they’d have enough presence of mind mid-fight to spot him. That meant at least one of them—Archer’s eyes, maybe, or the Fire Mage’s instincts—was sharper than he gave credit for.
Michael brushed his sleeve, expression calm again. He made a mental note.
Later, I’ll check Fade’s set of skills. Maybe I can copy something relating to concealment.
Down below, the four fighters had shifted. The Archer’s gaze locked to the ridge, arrow already drawn. The Fire Mage’s flames coiled tighter around his arms, smoke bleeding from his nostrils as he glared up.
The Earth Mage barked something Michael didn’t catch.
The Knight, to his credit, didn’t even look away from his opponent—his focus rooted forward, shield high, as if trusting his ‘allies’ to handle the distraction.
Michael tilted his head, lips curving faintly. Interesting.
Another arrow hissed through the air. Michael shifted sideways, letting it whistle past his cheek and vanish into the trees behind him. He didn’t summon his undead. Against this group of awakeners….
Michael refrained from making an arrogant comment.
Michael turned his head fully toward them, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Before, he hadn’t planned to interfere. Watching was enough. But now that he was out in the open, the temptation pressed at him.
Not because he wanted to show off—but because opportunity was standing right in front of him.
During the time he’d stalked this battlefield from the shadows, Michael had confirmed what his sense-net told him: aside from these four, the entire ten-kilometer radius was empty.
It was just them.
And that bred a thought. Two castles destroyed meant another two hundred academic points.
On the other side, the Archer and Fire Mage cast led [Detect] on Michael.
Blue script shimmered in front of them.
What they saw made their expressions twist.
Class: Necromancer. Level: 40.
For a heartbeat, their brows eased—mages often stacked agility, after all, so his speed wasn’t completely absurd. But the level… the level turned their confidence to ash.
Level 40.
“Quick! End him before he can summon!” the Archer shouted, panic cracking through her voice.
Michael chuckled. The sound was low, unhurried, almost mocking. He muttered just loud enough for the two to hear.
“Against you? I don’t even need them. Me alone is enough.”
The Archer’s grip on her bow trembled with fury. The Fire Mage’s face went red. Rage poured from them both. But before they could retort—before they could even draw in a breath to curse him—their vision went dark.
Light swallowed their bodies.
They had been disqualified.
Michael’s arm lowered from a casual punch, the echo of impact still rattling through the valley floor. He exhaled softly, flexing his knuckles once, as though brushing off dust.
The Earth Mage and Knight froze as they looked at Michael new position. Their duel shattered mid-swing as they processed what had just happened. Two combatants erased in the space of a heartbeat—without a spell. Just a single strike.
Michael tilted his head, eyes cool.
“So,” he said mildly, his voice carrying over the crackling embers of their battlefield, “are you two going to make me work harder than that?”
The Knight’s jaw clenched. His shield came up, aura flaring brighter than before.
The Earth Mage snarled. His earlier rage looked pale compared to the fury now boiling in his eyes.
However, when the two saw Michael level as well, the expression on their face twisted but before they could react, darkness clouded their vision and light swallowed them.
Once again, another set of punches had been thrown.
In the span of a few seconds, Michael had eliminated a group of awakeners with just his fist.