The Fireball That Fell From the Sky

Meanwhile, in a rugged valley south of Firefall Territory.

Here, jagged rocks and withered miscellaneous trees grow haphazardly, twisting like hideous ghosts under the moonlight.

Without careful observation, it would be difficult to discover that a sizable campsite was hidden among the large expanse of low-lying caves and dense forest shadows.

The camp was surrounded by sharp wooden fences, on which hung several dried skeletons, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound in the night wind.

Compared to the proper Zantalin Society, this bandit camp was utterly chaotic. Ragged animal-hide tents were haphazardly pitched together, and gnawed bones and broken wine jugs were scattered everywhere on the ground.

The campfire flickered in the center of the camp, illuminating a group of thugs with fierce faces and wearing a mix of leather armor.

"Thank you for that generous benefactor! Cheers to the gold!" The bandits gathered around the fire, clinking their rusty goblets and gulping down their cheap ale.

This lavish lifestyle, fueled by subsidies, allowed them to become completely immersed in the pre-killing frenzy.

The bandit leader, "One-Eyed" Baron, sat casually on a scratched oak chair, holding a shivering village woman in his arms, cutting a piece of undercooked venison with a dagger.

"Boss," a shrewish-looking subordinate leaned over and whispered, "The Yeland family has sent another messenger. They're urging us to take action against the border villages of Firefall Territory within the next two days. They're threatening that if we don't act soon, we can forget about the next batch of supplies and rewards."

"To hell with Yeland!" The bandit leader spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, a hint of fear and disgust flashing in his eyes. "Those old foxes, they want to eat meat but won't get their hands dirty, all they know is to send us to our deaths. If we alert Cormier's Purple Dragon Legion, those nobles will be the first to sell us out for credit."

He pushed the woman away from his arms and turned to another scout who had just returned from infiltrating the north: "I told you to keep an eye on Firefall Territory. Tell me, what's the situation there now? Is that old stubborn Morey still guarding that village?"

"Boss, good news!" The scout grinned slyly and hurriedly replied, "Firefall Territory is in complete chaos lately, with frequent troop movements. Just two days ago, all the squads that were stationed in the border villages withdrew back to Firefall Fortress, and even Knight Morey, who has been keeping an eye on us and causing us a lot of trouble, has returned to Firefall Fortress."

Baron stopped chewing, looking suspicious. "They've all left? Are you sure? Maybe that old man Morey is just setting a trap again?!"

"They've all left. I saw it with my own eyes." The scout patted his chest to assure him. "That old man even took his family with him, so it can't be fake. He wouldn't go through all that trouble with his family just to fool us, would he?"

Baron was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a wild laugh.

"Hahaha! Looks like that widow and her child were truly terrified after the old baron died!" He stroked his stubble, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "That woman Serena is probably afraid someone will take her position, so she hurriedly sent all the elite soldiers and veterans back to guard the palace. Does she think gathering everyone together will make her safe? Fool! She's leaving me with a prime target!"

In his view, this was a golden opportunity.

Without the intimidation of Grand Knight Morey, the prosperous villages of Firefall Territory were nothing more than a flock of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered in his eyes.

"The opportunity has arrived!" The bandit leader drew his broadsword from his waist and kicked over the brazier in front of him. "Yerland wants to make a scene, doesn't he? Then let's make a big one! Pass down the order, everyone get ready! We'll set off tomorrow morning, our target is Haven Village, which Morey is stationed there. Now that it's unprotected, all the food, women, and money in the village are ours, brothers!"

At his command, the entire bandit camp erupted in chaos, with the bandits howling and cheering, the firelight reflecting on their greedy faces.

Unbeknownst to them, a dark figure was climbing on an oak tree not far from the camp, staring intently at him.

The next morning, the sunlight slanted down onto the mountain road leading to Haiwen Village.

Just as they had boasted the night before, the band of robbers set off in a grand procession.

This group of thugs certainly didn't take the current Firefall Territory seriously. The nearly fifty-strong group swaggered along, lazily forming a long line, showing absolutely no awareness of marching.

To make matters worse, they didn't even send out a sentry, let alone a professional scout.

Some carried rusty spears, while others walked along cursing and swearing, even arguing about how to divide the women and food they would later seize.

Baron had absolutely no worries about this.

In his view, Haven Village, without Morey's presence, was nothing more than a soft persimmon that could be crushed at will.

When the bandits passed a small hill known locally as "Broken Ridge," their leader, Baron, felt his bladder swell.

"*Cormier swore*, I should have known better than to drink so much beer yesterday."

He cursed, dismounted, swaggered to the bushes by the roadside, unbuckled his belt, and began to urinate.

Amidst the rushing water, Baron was smugly calculating which house to rob first when he entered the village.

However, as he pulled up his pants, shivering, and subconsciously turned to look at his team, he froze instantly.

At the top of that not-so-high hill, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

He was a young man in a robe, the sea breeze making the hem of his robe flutter, standing out conspicuously among the rocks.

The man's expression was cold and stern as he raised his right hand.

"That is..."

With a "buzzing" sound.

Before Baron could even shout, a muffled rumbling sound came from the rear of the group, and the middle section of the bandit group fell into chaos without warning.

Large swaths of thick, black oil with a pungent odor appeared out of thin air and quickly covered the mountain path. The bandits were instantly thrown to the ground, slipping and falling as if they were walking on ice, struggling in the oil.

Baron stared wide-eyed, not yet understanding what was happening, when he saw the man in the robe raise his hand again, his fingertips twitching slightly.

A blue-white fireball, about the size of a fist, condensed at his fingertips.

The fireball sliced ​​through the air with a chilling whistling sound, landing precisely in the center of the group of bandits who were struggling to get up.

boom!

The massive explosion instantly drowned out all the screams.

A blue-white light instantly engulfed the field of vision. The power of the fireball explosion was terrifying; from the point of explosion, bandits within a six-meter radius were directly blown away by the blast wave.

The people at the center of the explosion didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to charred remains. The bandits around them fared even worse; the blue and white flames were like a persistent affliction, burning fiercely once they touched their bodies. These bandits rolled on the ground in despair, only to be burned to ashes in their despair.

Baron felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He discovered that the fireball had landed precisely where he had just been holding his horse! If it weren't for the urination that had made him walk a few steps away, he and his horse would probably be smoking corpses by now.

But this is not the end; the terrifying chain reaction has only just begun.

The exploding blue and white fireball ignited the thick layer of black oil on the ground.

With a "whoosh," the slippery mud instantly transformed into a raging inferno. The bandits, splattered with oil and struggling to their feet, were completely engulfed by the flames erupting beneath their feet before they could even comprehend what was happening.