Bab 74: Chapter 74: My Time Stop Can’t Be This Weak!
Chapter 74: My Time Stop Can't Be This Weak!
When Charles returned to the camp, he could hardly contain his excitement and joy. Victory was within reach!
Looking at his hands, Charles noticed a slight tremor. He had betrayed everything he once believed in, all for this moment. That esteemed figure had assured him that if he completed this mission perfectly, he would become one of them. At that time, he would possess the power to change everything.
When that time came, he could finally fulfill his wishes!
With that thought, Charles closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again.
"Someone, come here."
"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?"
A cultist approached upon hearing Charles' command, speaking in a low voice.
"How are the prisoners?"
"Everything is normal."
"Good."
Charles nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the response.
"Now, gather everyone immediately. We're heading to the Dark Marsh."
"Right now?"
"Yes, it's the order from our esteemed leader!"
Upon hearing this, the cultist quickly bowed his head and then turned to leave. Watching the cultist's retreating figure, Charles couldn't help but frown. He knew all too well that these cultists didn't truly respect his authority. If it weren't for the powerful display he had shown and the instructions from their leader, they wouldn't have taken him seriously at all. But these fools would soon understand what it truly meant to deal with a great mage, once he obtained that kind of power.
As the cultists began their preparations, Charles nodded and made his way to where the Paladins were being held. He didn't trust these cultists. What if they killed a few of the prisoners for fun while he was away? After all, they had done it before on the road here!
With this thought in mind, Charles quickly arrived at the place where the Paladins were detained. Seeing them bound by the chaotic shackles, lying like dead fish, Charles nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked up at the nearby guard.
"Alright, bring them out. We're leaving immediately!"
After giving the order, Charles turned to leave but suddenly paused and turned back again.
Wait... something's not right.
As a mage, Charles was confident in his memory. He clearly remembered capturing more than twenty Paladins, yet now the number seemed a bit off.
Thinking this, Charles turned back to count them again. If those damned cultists dared to play tricks on him at this critical moment, he wouldn't hesitate to report them harshly to their leader and let them see what real punishment was!
"Bang!!"
But before Charles could act, a burst of lightning suddenly exploded around him, enveloping him in a protective shield. At the same time, he was shocked to see a young man suddenly appear right in front of him!
"Who are you?!"
The sudden appearance of a stranger startled Charles, but as a mage, his reflexes were sharp. He quickly took a few steps back and without hesitation, raised his hand and pointed at the intruder. A barrage of magic missiles immediately shot out from Charles' fingertips, hurtling toward the young man.
"Damn it!"
Charles was still reeling from the shock, but little did he know that Alex was equally stunned. When he had learned from Nymph that the mage was heading in their direction, he had already devised a plan. He had John and a few other recovered Paladins disguise themselves as cultists, while the others were made to appear as bound prisoners, hoping to deceive the mage.
At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Alex even thought they might slip into the group unnoticed and gather intelligence. But then, to his dismay, the mage seemed to sense something was wrong and decided to check things more carefully.
If he inspected them, they'd definitely be exposed!
So Alex didn't hesitate to activate his time stop ability and rushed forward to subdue the mage. But what happened next left Alex in shock.
He had intended to place his sword at the mage's throat and take him hostage. But to Alex's surprise, the moment his sword touched the mage's body, a burst of lightning erupted from the mage, and the most shocking thing happened—his time stop was somehow canceled!
It was canceled?
It was canceled?!!
So, Alex finally experienced the fear that so many anime and game bosses feel when facing a protagonist with time-stopping abilities… Wait, what? I'm not the boss here!
Hold on a second, maybe I am the boss…
At that moment, Alex was feeling utterly defeated inside. However, his quick reflexes saved him. When the mage launched his attack, the dodge techniques Alex had learned from Dark Souls kicked in. As the magic missiles hurtled toward him, Alex rolled to the side, trying to evade the attack. But to his shock, the missiles turned in mid-air and continued to chase him.
These things have auto-tracking?!
"Watch out, Alex!"
Just then, Fina's voice rang out in Alex's ear. A flash of white light appeared, and a translucent, holy shield materialized in front of him, blocking the incoming magic missiles.
"A cleric? Where did you come from? Damn it, why didn't my barrier react?"
Charles finally noticed Fina, who was standing not far behind Alex with her staff raised. His shock turned to anger. These two were not among his prisoners, and their attire was clearly different. Yet, they had infiltrated the camp without triggering his barrier at all.
"Attack!"
The sound of magic missiles exploding reverberated through the forest, alarming the other cultists. Seeing a group of them rushing over, Alex quickly switched to Plan B—brute force!
At Alex's command, the paladins immediately tore off their black robes, revealing their armor and weapons. They had already reclaimed their gear, and now it was time to settle the score with those wretched cultists.
The cultists raised their hands and shouted blasphemous chants, summoning grotesque, hellish hounds that seemed to be products of genetic mutations. These hounds leaped out from dark flames and charged at the paladins. In response, the paladins called out the name of the Goddess of Order, their bodies glowing like human-shaped beacons as they charged into battle against the vile creatures.
Meanwhile, Alex gripped his sword tightly and charged at the mage once more.
For some unknown reason, Alex's time-stop ability had been disabled, putting it on cooldown. Despite this, his body, enhanced by the Zerg, was far faster than what Charles could react to. Alex saw the young man blur for a moment before reappearing right in front of him, with his sword blazing with holy light, ready to strike.
"You foolish, ignorant idiot!"
Charles roared, spreading his arms wide. A wave of invisible sound erupted, shattering the ground and rushing straight toward Alex.
But the holy light in Alex's sword was not to be underestimated.
A dazzling silver light flashed as Alex's body shuddered slightly. His sword, now glowing even brighter, sliced through the oncoming sound wave, creating a clear path. The once fractured ground parted to either side, leaving a triangular area of stable ground right in front of Alex.
However, Charles wasn't about to give up. He raised his hands, tracing strange symbols in the air like a conductor directing an orchestra, all while chanting an incantation under his breath. As Alex finally pushed through the sound wave, Charles snapped his fingers, summoning another fireball that spun through the air toward his opponent.
At the same moment, Fina let out a shout and raised her staff. A beam of light shot out, striking the center of the spinning fireball. With a loud explosion, the fireball detonated, sending scorching heat and flying flames in all directions, forcing both sides of the battle to back away from the chaotic scene.
What a headache!
This was Alex's first time fighting a mage from the main world, and it felt just like fighting a wizard in a game. If it were just straightforward attacks, Alex was confident he could dodge them. But every spell this damned mage cast seemed to have some kind of tracking feature, or the area of effect was so large that Alex couldn't avoid it. He had tried to speed up and land a decisive blow, but the mage's lightning shield proved to be a real pain—while the holy light could mitigate some physical damage, it wasn't much help against the electric shocks.
That bald-headed jerk is like a walking Pikachu!
Luckily, Alex had a cleric by his side to shield and heal him, but unfortunately, Fina's strength was limited. Under the relentless onslaught from the bald mage, she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
This battle needs to end now.
Alex quickly glanced at the battlefield, then made a decision. This mage was troublesome, but he wasn't entirely without options.
"Ikaros!"
"Yes, Master!"
At Alex's call, a blue-haired, twin-tailed angel silently appeared above him. Charles was momentarily stunned when he saw the girl with multicolored wings behind her. But before he could react, the girl spread her arms wide.
With her motion, a light blue orb formed from a series of interlocking triangles appeared beside her.
"Domain: Full Activation!"
At the angel's command, the orb rapidly expanded, enveloping Alex, Fina, and the bald-headed mage within its bounds.
(End of this chapter)
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