Chapter 393 - 367: Earth Bear

It was common knowledge that relations between Lurans and Ossen had grown increasingly hostile in recent years.

Although Miroslav was a longtime friend of Lurans, he wasn’t worried about running into any danger at Black Python Castle.

For one, just as he’d said, he held no grudge against the Hyde Clan.

For another, he was confident enough in his status and his strength.

An attack on him by the Hyde Clan would be no different from a public assault on the nobility.

When that time came, not only would Wushan Castle intervene, but even Bellora Great Mage, all the way in Amethyst County, would come to apply pressure.

But most importantly, attacking him would yield neither land nor people. Even the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce, which he managed, had its own owners behind it.

No clan would be foolish enough to provoke him for no reason.

There was nothing wrong with Miroslav’s reasoning or the things he relied on. The problem was, he never expected that someone had taken a liking to his body.

WHOOSH!

Ossen’s figure flashed as he pounced toward the old dean. His hands were open like claws, as if he intended to grab the man’s shoulders and restrain him.

"Get back!"

Already on high alert, Bulove drew his Knight’s Longsword. A surge of Fighting Qi howled, driving a violent gale as he slashed at Ossen. The fierce gust of air overturned all the sofas, tables, and chairs in the living room.

Ossen sneered, swiftly drawing his own sword to strike.

The two swords clashed, erupting in a sharp, violent shriek.

A tremendous force slammed into him. Bulove felt his arm go numb, the flesh between his thumb and forefinger tearing open as blood stained the hilt of his sword. The impact sent him flying, and he crashed hard against the wall.

PTHOO!

He coughed up a mouthful of blood. The force of the impact had been so great that it left ugly cracks in the solid wall.

"A mere Golden Knight dares to draw his sword before me!"

Ossen laughed maniacally. He was about to press his attack on Miroslav when he saw the old dean pull out a Magic Scroll. A burst of light flared, and the earth began to tremble.

ROAR—

The ground cracked, and a massive, eight-meter-tall beast erupted from the earth. It swung its fist, instantly shredding the ceiling and revealing the blue sky above. At the same time, it opened its cavernous maw and roared, the sound waves making everything around it tremble violently.

Seventh-level Earth Magic, the Earth Bear!

"Ossen, I never thought you’d be this brazen!"

Miroslav shouted in anger, perched on the Earth Bear’s shoulder. The bear, in turn, swung its fist and smashed it down toward Ossen.

Ossen didn’t dodge or evade. He swung his longsword horizontally, and the sharp, cold light of his blade seemed as if it would cleave the giant bear in two.

"Let me see just how powerful a Seventh-level Magic really is!"

But he had clearly underestimated the Earth Bear’s might. Its massive fist, carrying who-knows-how-many-tens-of-thousands of pounds of force, shattered the sword light and slammed into the ground.

RUMBLE...

The already-damaged floor cracked apart again. Countless fissures spread outward, and the building began to shake before collapsing.

Covered in dust, Ossen spat. He was lucky he’d jumped away quickly; otherwise, taking a direct hit from that fist would have left him severely injured.

Just then, countless fragments of stone shot through the air, whistling like arrows.

Although the Stone-Throwing Skill was only a Second-level Magic, its power was greatly amplified when used by a Great Mage. Combined with its sheer volume, it was a force to be reckoned with.

"Boring tricks."

Ossen wasn’t afraid of this.

He took a large step forward as the aura around him surged, shaking off the dust and simultaneously blocking the stones with his Fighting Qi Armor.

"High-Pressure Water Wave!"

This time, the Combat Skill enhanced his attack. When he clashed with the Earth Bear again, a single sword strike split its fist, causing it to crumble into scattered sand.

But just as the Earth Bear’s right hand was about to disintegrate, Miroslav’s Magic Power immediately replenished it. Not only did this stop the collapse, but it even restored the severed fist to its original form.

As if enraged, the Earth Bear roared and began to pummel wildly with both fists.

Bulove, who had long since retreated from the battlefield, saw this and shouted with delight, "Give ’em hell!"

SWOOSH, SWOOSH—

Two figures charged toward him.

"Celebrating a little too early, are we?"

Barrington’s voice was ice-cold. "Today, neither you nor your master will escape!"

"Heh, then you’d better make sure we don’t get out of here!"

Facing two opponents, Bulove remained fearless. "Otherwise, the Hyde Clan can just wait for its own annihilation!"

In truth, now that they had made their move, they were fully prepared to ensure no one escaped.

Meanwhile, Ossen was feeling some regret.

’If I’d known this Earth Bear would be so much trouble, I would have stopped Miroslav from summoning the thing in the first place.’

A dark aura suddenly erupted from his entire body, and his presence began to climb steadily!

"What is this?"

Ossen laughed wildly. "Have a taste of my Secret Skill, Dark Water Tide!"

Following his roar, his Fighting Qi spread out from him like a tidal wave, crashing across the ruined battlefield.

Miroslav noticed a darkness surging within the wave. Under the wash of black and blue, the ground, bricks, wood, and even the Earth Bear’s legs were rapidly corroding.

"I never expected you to have a Secret Skill like this!"

The old dean no longer hesitated. He began to cast a spell, and just as the Earth Bear’s legs were about to collapse, a brownish-yellow halo enveloped both it and him completely, temporarily holding back the corrosion of the Dark Water Tide.

This was the Fifth-level Magic, Guardian Armor.

"Kill!"

With that command, the Earth Bear charged forward.

Every move its eight-meter-tall body made caused the earth to tremble. Combined with the Earthquake Magic the old dean was using, it was as if a massive earthquake was occurring.

Even the Meteor Knight had difficulty keeping his footing.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The Third-level Magic, Earth Spike Array, erupted from the ground. Three-meter-tall, incredibly sharp earthen spears shot up. Ossen dodged frantically, using his sword to sweep away any he couldn’t avoid.

But the entire earth seemed to have become Miroslav’s tentacles, and the relentless series of attacks left Ossen overwhelmed.

Finally, under the cover of the Earth Spike Array, the Earth Bear’s giant fist landed a precise hit on Ossen’s body.

The unparalleled Power slammed into his chest, caving it in. The immense force sent him hurtling into the rubble of the broken walls.

"Taking a full-power punch from the Earth Bear head-on will severely injure you, no matter how tough your body is!"

Miroslav said coldly, "This is the price you pay for your arrogance!"

The battle between a Meteor Knight and an Earth Mage... was the latter actually winning?

"You think that’s enough to severely injure me? You overestimate yourself!"

A pillar of blue light shot into the sky. Ossen swept aside the rubble and wood burying him and got back to his feet.

His chest was caved in and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he could still move.

Miroslav sneered, "If one punch wasn’t enough, then how about another!"

Ossen seemed to know that it would be difficult to take down this Great Mage by himself, so he shouted:

"Stop watching the show!"

’Huh?’

The words gave Miroslav a bad feeling.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a tall Knight strode slowly onto the battlefield. His expression was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"Ossen, if the Divine Envoy knew this was the extent of your strength, he would be disappointed."

The person who had walked out was none other than Black Wound, the Meteor Knight who followed Mephisto.

"Who are you?" Miroslav asked, his focus sharpening in vigilance.

Black Wound drew his longsword as a dark aura erupted. "The one who’s going to kill you!"

He became a phantom, appearing before Miroslav in the blink of an eye and slashing upward with his sword.

Miroslav controlled the Earth Bear to block the attack.

But the black light surged upward, not only shattering the Guardian Armor’s defense but also smashing the Earth Bear’s arm. The sword continued its diagonal ascent, cleaving the creature in two!

’This is bad!’

Miroslav fell from the Earth Bear’s shoulder, a sense of dread filling his heart.

A black shadow flashed in. Ossen appeared at the perfect moment and kicked Miroslav’s body. The immense force savaged Miroslav’s frame, sending him crashing to the ground, bent over in pain.

The old dean wasn’t a Professional Knight and didn’t have their powerful physique. The blow made him spit up what felt like a gallon of blood, and the intense pain almost made him pass out.

"My lord!"

Bulove, who was still fighting, grew anxious. A blow like that would leave one severely injured, if not dead.

But who would have thought that this very cry of alarm would expose a huge opening? Barrington’s longsword stabbed straight through Bulove’s arm, slicing through his flesh.

SPURT!

Blood sprayed through the air!

"You’re finished!"

Barrington and Negan, one on his left and one on his right, knocked the sword from Bulove’s hand in an instant and forced him to the ground.

"Miroslav, you’re finished, too."

Ossen walked toward the old dean, who was hunched over on the ground, longsword in hand. "Come on, Black Wound. A Great Mage of the Nether Abyss Level is a considerable fighting force."

Black Wound sheathed his longsword and took out a pearl, slightly smaller than the Black Pearl in Mephisto’s hand.

"He won’t reach the Nether Abyss Level. At best, we can only reforge him into the Frost Cold Level."

"Frost Cold... That’s not bad either..."

But just as one of them prepared to restrain Miroslav and the other prepared to use the Secret Technique, Miroslav’s figure vanished from the spot.

The expressions on Ossen’s and Black Wound’s faces froze.

"What happened?"

"Teleportation?"

"Impossible! A mere Great Mage couldn’t possibly have mastered Instant Teleportation Magic! He must have used the ’Earth Travel Skill’ to escape!"

An Earth Element Great Mage may not be able to fly, but they can travel underground. The Magic they use for this is precisely the Earth Travel Skill.

Realizing this, Black Wound immediately punched the ground hard.

A surging Power rushed into the earth, tearing everything up in the vicinity, but there was still no sign of Miroslav.

Their faces darkened. Now that they had made their move, failure was not an option.

"He’s severely injured; he can’t have gotten far!"

Black Wound gave a cold order, "Ossen, get everyone searching the entire city immediately. We can’t let him get away!"