The Black Knight

Next, the battle entered its most brutal phase.

Compared to the soldiers, the Zantalin gang members were actually of a higher average level, which meant that once the element of surprise in the attack disappeared, Ye Weian's soldiers were unable to completely suppress their opponents.

Fortunately, Ye Wei'an launched attacks from all directions, constantly providing support to the battlefield.

"Zero-ring magic trick, Four Symbols Method - Wind!"

A violent gust of wind rose from the ground, forcibly dispersing the acidic fog in front of Volodya and reopening the attack channel for the stalled right flank.

Immediately afterwards, Ye Wei'an flicked his fingertips, and several clusters of blue and white cursed flames accurately passed through the gaps in the shield, turning the three thugs who were wrestling with the soldiers into torches one by one.

Beside the ruins of the main house, a Santalin bard was frantically strumming his harp, trying to chant "Heroic Spirit" to boost his side's morale.

Ye Wei'an waved his hand lightly, and the invisible "Mage's Hand" pressed down on the strings, causing the bard's performance to become chaotic. The violent energy backlash caused him to cough up white blood and fall to the ground.

However, there were a total of seventy or eighty people on both sides of the battlefield, making the situation extremely complex.

Relying solely on Ye Wei'an's support from all sides would always leave them struggling to make ends meet.

Soon, another young soldier, a "Lv.1 Warrior," was no match for the "Lv.2 Warrior" thugs and was almost cut down.

Just as Ye Wei'an was about to cast a spell to help, he heard Ai Lian's reminder: "Master! Someone over there is about to give up!"

Ye Wei'an took a deep breath, and the cursed fire magic power within his body gathered once more:

"[Level 1 spell, Double Spellcasting - Fireball]!"

With a wave of his hand, Ye Wei'an sent two blazing streaks of light across the battlefield in a V-shape, precisely piercing the heads of two bandits who were about to kill him.

But he immediately discovered that a third comrade was in danger.

It's the left-wing Rennes.

Ye Wei'an was somewhat familiar with him. This young warrior had gone berserk and, with all his might, stabbed a Lv.2 warrior to death with a single sword strike.

However, the intense battle caused him to be physically exhausted and seriously injured, and even his movements began to become slow and distorted.

Worse still, behind him, a level 2 Zantarlin roamer silently emerged from the shadows, his poisoned dagger less than half a foot from Renn's back!

Having just cast a level 1 environmental spell, Ye Weian was currently in a spell overheating state—that is, on cooldown—and had no time to cast any spells to help him.

"Damn it..."

Just as he was about to witness a tragedy, Ye Wei'an glanced at the system panel and suddenly discovered that, due to the previous kill of an enemy of a higher level, Raine's experience bar was full and in an "upgradeable" state.

Since magical support isn't enough, let's try another way to provide support!

With a thought, Ye Wei'an clicked on the "Upgrade" button in the Companion System.

[Lv.1 Warrior → Lv.2 Warrior]

The upgrade not only increased Raine's survivability but also granted him the warrior's signature move, [Action Flux]!

【Action Like a Tide】: You can break through the limits of being a mortal in a short period of time and gain extra mobility.

In the center of the battlefield, Raine, who had been stabbed in the back, finally felt the killing intent behind him at the last second, but he no longer had the strength to dodge.

But in an instant, a warm and powerful force burst forth from his heart, and his previously depleted strength was restored like a spring, and the muscles at the wound even made a hissing sound like they were being pulled apart.

"Drink it! Get the hell out of my way!"

To the horrified gaze of the wanderer, Raine, who was supposed to be dead for sure, miraculously twisted his waist and turned to the side in the blink of an eye, the cold dagger grazing past his tattered leather armor.

Immediately afterwards, Raine swung his elbow, smashing the wanderer's nose bridge, and then drew his short sword from his waist, pinning the wanderer to the ground.

"Raine, you've broken through?!" Kane, watching from afar, was dumbfounded. He had originally thought Raine was dead and was planning to rush up to avenge him.

Now it seems that he doesn't need to take any action at all.

"Well done, Raine! By the Lord of Dawn, you're a genius!"

Renn himself was completely bewildered. He had no idea what had happened to him and thought he had unleashed his potential on the brink of death.

This feeling instantly fueled his fighting spirit, and he roared as he continued his charge.

Someone on the enemy team actually broke through on the spot!?

This scene greatly shocked the Zantalin Society. Several thugs ran away at the sight, while their comrades were greatly encouraged and fought even more bravely.

This kind of "last-minute breakthrough" trick is more effective than any "heroic spirit."

Since it's effective, use it more often.

Ye Wei'an simply followed suit.

He coldly glanced at several veterans under Kane's command who charged the fastest, killed the most fiercely, and whose experience had reached its limit, and mentally selected [Upgrade].

On the battlefield, the previously deadlocked left flank suddenly erupted with a series of furious roars.

"Power... is surging up!"

"I've broken through too! I feel like I have inexhaustible energy!"

"Kill! The lord is watching us! We are invincible!"

Suddenly, several roars like those of tigers and leopards rang out from among Kane's exhausted troops.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, several warriors seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, unleashing their incredible power. The previously stalemate on the front line was instantly broken up by these powerful bursts of energy, like a hot knife through butter, completely crushing the remaining forces of the Zantalin Society.

Seeing those warriors who were like they'd been injected with adrenaline, the Zantalin mob completely broke down.

In their eyes, this ragtag army was not a ragtag group of soldiers at all, but a group of monsters that would continue to evolve in battle.

How could a human possibly defeat a monster?

Let's run away!

The Santalin Society collapsed immediately.

Just as the battle was about to come to an end, and Ye Wei'an thought everything was going well, the main door of the most sturdy log cabin in the center of the camp suddenly exploded!

A figure completely encased in black lacquered armor charged out like a maddened beast. Twisted dark red runes were engraved on the armor, and a nauseatingly cold aura emanated from its body.

With each step he took, the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees. The soldiers who had been charging forward so fiercely suddenly showed expressions of extreme terror as he approached, and some even dropped their weapons and screamed as they retreated.

"The boss is out!"

"It's Lord Marcus Blackbone! We've got this in the bag!"

"Kill all of Cormier's lackeys!"

Seeing this, the previously scattered members of the Zantaring Society erupted in a morbid cheer and launched a counterattack once again, instantly reversing their morale.

"Aura of Fear..." Ye Wei'an's gaze sharpened.

This is the opponent's aura ability.

When faced with such pure evil will, the soul of an ordinary person will instinctively collapse.

He can see the other person's information: [Marcus Blackbone, Lv.5 Black Knight (Bane)]

This is a fallen paladin who serves an evil god. Beneath his jet-black armor flows not the holy energy of a paladin, but powerful "negative energy."

"A bunch of useless trash, unable to even stop a mere brat, disturbing my reverence for my master..." Black Knight Marcus roared.

His eyes, hidden behind his mask, gleamed with a blood-red light. He didn't even glance at the chaotic battlefield; his black heavy sword was pointed directly at Ye Wei'an on the high platform.

"I will strangle you and then offer your head as a sacrifice to my lord!"

He could see very clearly that the mage in front of him was the backbone of the enemy.

Once we eliminate him, the remaining remnants are nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered at will.

Marcus suddenly accelerated, his heavy black armor not hindering his speed. Like a steel rhinoceros, he charged straight towards Ye Weian's location with devastating force.

"Watch out, Master!" Eileen was startled, but she still gripped the short sword tightly, standing in front of Ye Weian.

"Protect the lord!" Volodya shouted anxiously from afar, but he was trapped by the remaining enemies.

"If you want to get close to the master, you'll have to get past me first!" Although Kane was suppressed by the aura of fear, he still roared instinctively and charged forward with his shield.

"[Command Spell: Stop!]" Marcus suddenly extended his left hand, which was covered by a black iron glove, and a filthy wave of fel energy instantly spread out.

Before Kane could even get close, he was frozen in place like a fly encased in amber, unable to move.

[Command]: You give a single-word command to a creature within casting range. The target must obey the command to do the following: come here, drop an item, go away, lie down, or block an enemy.

Bane is the evil god of tyranny, the deity of tyrants and evil leaders, and the [Command] spell is precisely the skill that Bane's paladins excel at.

Ye Wei'an remained calm as the enemy approached.

He raised his hand and unleashed a "Cursed Flame," a dazzling blue-white flame that ignited on the Black Knight's breastplate.

However, the anticipated damage did not occur.

The black energy surrounding the Black Knight formed a viscous protective shield. When the cursed fire struck it, it sizzled like sparks hitting ice. It was then neutralized and deflected by the evil negative energy, leaving only a few faint scorch marks on the armor.

"Useless, spellcaster!" Barnes let out a sinister laugh, the evil aura on his greatsword already locked onto Ye Weian's chest. "Before the protection of my lord, your tricks are nothing but sparks!"

Level 5 Dark Knights have high magic resistance; the Trick's [Cursed Flame] can't do much damage to them.

The two were now almost touching. The Black Knight raised his greatsword, ready to behead the mage before him with a single strike.