Chapter 364 - 358: Desperate Ramsay

Ronin rushed out of the castle with Ridder.

"My Lord, we’re not fast enough to catch him."

"It doesn’t matter. He’s still within my perception."

It was common knowledge that a Mage could enhance the power of their Magic, and a Great Mage could enhance it even further.

The Wind of Inquiry Ronin was currently using had a perception range of nearly two thousand meters.

The assassin had stopped using Wind Instant Step after leaving the castle. Though alleys and streets separated them, he hadn’t escaped Ronin’s perception range.

"I’m going to raise your strength to the Meteor Level now."

The reason Ronin had called Ridder along was to prevent any unexpected situations.

He summoned the man’s Attribute Panel and invested 363 points of Energy Essence into it.

Ridder shuddered, and the pain from the wounds he had just sustained seemed to ease.

His Sea of Qi expanded further, and the Fighting Qi churning within it underwent a qualitative change.

Having just entered the Meteor Level, Ridder might not be a match for the assassin yet, but at least he wouldn’t be crushed in a single move.

Ronin now had 4,137 points of Energy Essence remaining.

Although it wasn’t enough to help Elron break through to Magic Master immediately, he would have saved up enough by the twenty-first of next month.

At that time, if Elron could truly solve the problem with Lurans after his breakthrough, it wouldn’t prevent Ronin from giving the old man a surprise at his birthday banquet on the twenty-eighth.

Besides, Shore City was too dangerous.

If he didn’t give Ridder some protection and an accident happened, Ronin wouldn’t even have time for regrets.

WHOOSH!

The wind pressure suddenly intensified, and a dark shadow landed a short distance in front of the two.

"Master, you called for me."

Carlos had been sleeping on a mountaintop, only to be awakened by Ronin’s repeated calls.

Knowing his master, he figured the man wouldn’t have sought him out this late unless it was an emergency.

Ronin and Ridder vaulted onto the Dragon’s back.

High in the night sky, Ronin could sense the assassin’s direction, while Carlos could see him directly.

The city was obviously not a good place for a fight. Not only would it cause innocent casualties, but it would also likely expose the Giant Dragon to the world.

So Ronin tailed him, not stopping until he saw the assassin duck into a Forest Land.

Within his perception, he could feel three other strong and powerful life fluctuations emanating from that location.

It seemed the assassin was not alone.

In the woods, Angus was surprised and unsettled to see Ramsay return, covered in blood.

"How did you get injured?"

He moved to support him while guessing aloud, "Does Ronin have a Meteor Knight protecting him, or did he have a powerful Magic Scroll or a Magic Energy Cannon?"

Angus could only think of these two possibilities.

Ramsay refused his help; his injuries weren’t so severe that he couldn’t walk.

"The assassination failed. That Ronin is a Meteor Knight!"

Angus nodded and said to himself, "It seems Lurans values Ronin too highly, even arranging for a Meteor Knight to be his guard."

But just as he finished speaking, he froze, his eyes widening.

"What did you say? Ronin is a Meteor Knight? You can’t be serious!"

Ramsay was panting heavily.

When he left Shore Fort, he had sensed someone following him, but he lost the sensation after running for a while. He had thought it was a close call, but that he had successfully shaken off his pursuer.

"You don’t have to doubt it. I was even more shocked than you are."

He took off his mask and glanced wearily at the wounds on his arm and thigh. "He’s the one who gave me these injuries."

"That’s terrifying!"

Angus was in disbelief. "If my intel is correct, Ronin is only eighteen, right? A Meteor Knight at that age... is he the reincarnation of Emperor Orland or something?"

"You know, it’s actually possible."

Ramsay’s tone was a mix of helplessness and mockery. He finally understood why all the previous assassination attempts had failed.

"We shouldn’t linger here. Let’s get back quickly and report this to the Count. We’ll see how he decides to handle it."

They had always wanted to annex Wushan Territory, but they never expected Wushan Castle to have raised such a monster.

They needed to seriously reconsider their next move.

The two immediately mounted their Griffins, soared into the air, and quickly left the Forest Land under the cover of night.

The moment Ronin saw the Griffins, he knew who they were.

"Heh. Ramsay, it really is you!"

When thinking of a Meteor Knight near Shore City, the first person Ronin thought of was Ramsay of Moonlight Valley.

Owning Griffins, they had the means to travel from Moonlight Valley to carry out the assassination.

"Carlos, climb high and chase them."

Ronin commanded, "We’ll make our move once we’re in the wilderness."

"Right, Master!"

Carlos flapped his wings and ascended rapidly. He was faster than the Griffins, so there was no fear of losing them.

"Master, let me handle those two little birds in a bit. Consider them my midnight snack."

"No way!"

Ronin chided with a laugh, "You can’t kill these two Griffins. It’s best to capture them alive. I have a use for them."

Although Bruno had promised to gift him some Griffins for his wedding, Ronin wouldn’t say no to more.

He might not need them himself, but the Knights under his command could use them.

"Ridder, your new mount is settled."

Hearing this, Ridder broke into a smile.

What Knight didn’t dream of owning a flying mount?

They wouldn’t dare to dream of their Lord’s Giant Dragon, but they desperately coveted Flying Magical Beasts like Griffins and Dragon Eagles.

The Flying Magical Beasts were incredibly fast. They soon left the vicinity of Shore City, flew over the southern villages, and arrived in the skies above a stretch of wilderness.

Ronin began to draw extremely complex Magic Patterns. They consisted not only of curves but also numerous wave-like forms.

WHOOSH!

The Wind Element surged behind Ronin, and a pair of light, ethereal wings materialized.

This was the Seventh-level Magic, Wind’s Wings.

Ridder stared at the thin wings. His Lord not only had a Giant Dragon as a mount but had also mastered Flying Magic. He couldn’t help but feel envious.

"Alright, it’s time to act!"

Ronin shouted in a low voice, "Carlos, dive!"

"You got it!"

Carlos folded his wings, his massive draconic body plummeting downward.

AWOOOO—

The resounding dragon’s roar shook the night sky, causing all the birds and beasts in the mountains to tremble in fear.

"What is that sound?"

On the Griffin’s back, Angus felt his scalp tingle and goosebumps erupt all over his skin.

He had never heard a sound that so deeply unsettled him.

Ramsay’s heart tightened. He couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

Just then, a violent whistling of wind rushed toward them. "It’s above us!"

He snapped his head up, his pupils contracting violently.

"Ah!"

"What is that monster!"

Staring at the ferocious dragon head drawing ever closer, the two men felt their souls about to leave their bodies. The Griffins beneath them shrieked and began to plummet.

Griffins were said to possess the bloodline of Giant Dragons.

In the presence of a true Giant Dragon, the draconic pressure affected their movements.

Ramsay and Angus had been masters to their Griffins for many years. Only by desperately trying to soothe them were they able to maintain a semblance of flight.

"Feeling surprised?"

Ronin leaped off the Giant Dragon and dove down, his light wings allowing him to move through the air with fluid agility.

He thrust out his Flame Stream Sword. Before Angus could even react, he was pierced through the heart.

"No!"

He roared in terror but was kicked away by Ronin, sent plummeting from a height of several hundred meters.

"It’s you, Ronin!"

Ramsay’s voice was panicked and filled with dread.

The events of the night had shattered his understanding of the world one thing after another.

Now, seeing the thin wings on the young man’s back—it was clearly the Wind Wing Magic that only a Great Mage could use.

’Could it be that the young man before me is not only a Meteor Knight but also a Seventh-level Great Mage?’

’And what is that giant monster flying in the sky?’

’This... this... this is too horrifying.’

’I have to get out of here, fast!’

At this moment, Ramsay was no longer thinking about how to deal with Ronin or worrying about whether Angus was dead or alive. He urged his Griffin on, trying to escape at top speed.

"Carlos, he’s all yours."

Ronin’s flying speed couldn’t match the Griffin’s. He didn’t give chase, instead landing on the back of the Griffin Angus had been riding to try and control it.

’It’s no use! My speed in the air is no match for that monster!’

Ramsay’s Griffin was a higher level than Angus’s, but it was still no match for a Giant Dragon.

Left with no choice, he dove out of the clouds, leaped from his Griffin’s back, and plunged into the mountain forest in a desperate attempt to escape.

Ridder immediately jumped off the Dragon’s back and gave chase.

As he ran, he quickly swung his sword, sending out a wave of Fighting Qi to interfere with his opponent’s movements.

"You’re courting death!"

Ramsay was furious. Ronin was one thing, but where did this Golden Knight get the nerve to chase him?

"Since Ronin values you so much, I’ll kill you first and make him suffer!"

Perhaps driven to desperation and fury by the series of failures, Ramsay actually turned back. After scattering the blast of Fighting Qi, he charged toward Ridder.

CLANG! The two longswords crashed together.

The one-sided battle Ramsay had expected did not happen.

"If you want to kill me, let’s see if you still have the strength to do it."

Ridder launched a fierce assault. His sword was even faster than Ronin’s.

Ramsay scrambled to defend himself, screaming internally, ’Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?’

’The Golden Knight who was sent flying by a single blow just a moment ago, with no power to fight back, can now suppress me in the blink of an eye?’

Ramsay felt as if the world had become absurd.

Meanwhile, Ronin left the two Griffins for Carlos to handle and approached the battlefield, watching Ridder and Ramsay fight.

’After advancing to the Meteor level, Ridder’s Swordsmanship has become even more extraordinary.’

The Swordsmanship was exquisite. The key was his control over the offensive rhythm and his eye for detail. This was something Ronin still needed to learn from Ridder.

"Let me give you a little gift to liven things up."

Ronin cast the Wind’s Touch magic.

The Wind Element around Ramsay answered Ronin’s call, coalescing into four tentacles of wind that wrapped around his limbs.

"Damn it!"

Ramsay was startled and quickly snapped them with force, but the action caused a slight hesitation in his movements.

In a battle between experts, as long as an opponent can seize the opportunity, the slightest hesitation is extremely dangerous!

Ridder seized this opportunity with precision. He knocked aside Ramsay’s longsword, broke through his Fighting Qi Armor, and stabbed into his shoulder blade.

Ramsay let out a pained cry. The immense power behind the sword strike knocked him to the ground, and flowing blood stained half of his body red.

When he tried to get up again, a cold blade was already pressed against his throat.