But in the next moment, Sarnor suddenly realized that thick clouds gathered above, and dense hail began to fall.
"This... isnāt this an Ice Storm?"
"Who released it?"
"Could it be..."
Sarnorās expression became somewhat terrified as he suddenly turned his head to look.
Sure enough, that young man whose name he still didnāt know was currently raising his Warhammer, casting the Fourth Level Spell āIce Stormā!
"Damn it!"
Sarnor immediately activated his Magic Shield. Although the damage from the hail was blocked, the cold effect still somewhat affected him.
The rapid formation of the icy terrain especially slowed his movement speed significantly.
Of course, for a mage, all of this should not be a problem as long as a single spell could resolve it.
But the problem was, at this moment, Sarnor had no time for spellcasting.
"Buzzā"
An intense humming sound generated by a high-speed metal vibration came from behind him.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed as a blunt object struck flesh!
Sarnor staggered, almost falling to the ground, spewing a mouthful of fresh blood.
If not for his shield and Magic Robe taking most of the damage, he wouldāve already had his spine shattered.
Sarnor didnāt fall. He tried to continue escaping, but the next buzzing sound rang up again.
This made Sarnor look back in fear, only to see a silver Warhammer already striking his abdomen.
"Ah!!!"
Sarnorās eyes bulged as he tightly grasped Raineās arm, seemingly trying to resist the Hammer Strike.
But obviously, in terms of physical fitness, Sarnor was not the kind of combat mage who could swing an iron Magic Staff and fight a Warrior in close combat, so naturally, he couldnāt withstand Raineās attack.
"Rip!"
However, the grip of a dying Extraordinary Mage was still strong enough, tearing most of Raineās remaining linen shirt, exposing large muscles.
In an instant!
In his dying moments, Sarnorās eyes abruptly widened, staring fixedly at the semi-circular metal Pendant threaded with thin string on Raineās chest and murmured:
"Vi... Violet..."
Blood choked his windpipe, making his voice difficult to hear.
"You recognize this Pendant?" Raineās expression tightened as he immediately grabbed Sarnor.
This Pendant was related to the origin of his original self. Although Raine didnāt care much and had never intentionally sought any clues, if there was a chance to figure it out, he certainly wouldnāt deliberately give it up.
"No... wonder..." Sarnor barely finished his last sentence before he passed away.
This made Raine somewhat regret it; he wished he hadnāt swung that last hammer so hard.
Considering the various strange spells a Transcendent Mage might have, he had made his attack without reservation.
"Meredith, do you know how to perform a Speak with Dead?" Raine asked the Drow Elf who had just approached.
Meredithās cold and beautiful face showed a few traces of curiosity and surprise as she glanced at the dead Extraordinary Mage Sarnor, then at Raineās young face, and shook her head, said:
"I donāt. But even in a Speak with Dead, if the opposing soul resists, no response can be obtained."
Raine nodded after listening.
Indeed, thatās the case.
However, itās not as if he gained nothing.
At least he heard the words āViolet,ā and from Sarnorās final gaze, it seemed to be a kind of relief of āno wonder I lost.ā
From this perspective, to make an Extraordinary Level Mage think so, clearly, this Violet organization must not be simple.
Perhaps, after returning to the Adventurerās Association, he could gather some information that might yield results.
"Get out of the way!"
At this time, a raging shout came from the direction of the temporary camp, immediately attracting the attention of Raine and Meredith.
Seeing most of his body being driven into the frozen soil by Raine, Olaf had already climbed out of the ground and was currently trying to break through the encirclement of Quasi-General Gregory, Baron Olsen, and the Royal Guards.
"Meredith, you gather the spoils, Iāll go over first."
"Um!"
...
āSarnor is dead?!ā
Surrounded tightly by Gregory and the others, Olafās expression dramatically changed upon hearing the wails of his companion Sarnor and seeing Raine quickly charging.
He understood very well, once Raine came over, he would either have to lay down his arms and surrender or die.
"Get out of the way!"
With eyes glowing red, Olaf charged at a member of the Royal Guard, abandoning defense and fully pushing against the opponentās Shield to break through.
"Boom! Boom!"
The two Fireballs cast by the Critt Squad exploded consecutively on his back, and although protected by Plate Armor, the burning pain immediately surged from his back.
"Ah!!"
In a frenzy akin to a mad bull, Olaf powered through and knocked the Royal Guard flying, breaking out of the encirclement with his life.
"Bang! Crack!"
Flashing sideways were overlapping silver hammer shadows, instantly knocking Olaf back again.
Moreover, Olaf, sent flying backwards, had a clearly dented chest Plate Armor, combined with the intense sound of bones fracturing, evidently, Olafās ribs were broken in four or five places.
"Puff!"
Struggling to rise, Olaf was again surrounded by the crowd, but his eyes were locked onto Raine, filled with reluctance and a desire to survive. If it werenāt for this young man, their plan would have succeeded long ago.
"Young man, do you really want to oppose us?"
"The Soladin Kingdom is already on the brink of collapse."
"Can a mere Silver squad overthrow a Kingdom?" Laisa spoke straightforwardly.
"We, the Nightmare Blade, are just completing a mission. Young man, you have great talent. You can join us, we can offer you double what the Soladin Kingdom can!"
"Olaf, do you think the Kingdom doesnāt know who you are working for?" Upon hearing Olafās persuasion, Henryās face darkened, stepping forward.
"Working for an evil god is only something you would think promising!"
"Surrender, Olaf!"
A group of Royal Guards immediately closed in, quickly and tightly binding the severely injured Olaf.
"Raine, I canāt thank you enough for your help this time." Henry excitedly grabbed Raineās hand, his eyes burning as he said, "Raine, I want to invite you to become my chief Knight."
Not just for killing the Frost Giant Commander and drawing away the White Dragon, Raineās performance just now had thoroughly won Henry over.
Chief Knight?
Raine was taken aback hearing that.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount, but I am still more accustomed to the life of an Adventurer."
"Raine, donāt rush to decide, give it some more thought." At this time, the anxious-looking Henry seemed to think of something and whispered to Raine, "Come with me for a moment."
Saying that, Henry led Raine aside, away from the crowd.
He intended to quietly disclose his illegitimate sonās identity to Raine.
Because in Henryās view, a big reason for Raineās refusal was probably due to his not-so-high title.
"Raine, I have a secret to tell you, but after you hear it, you must keep it secret!" Henry spoke solemnly, having made a great decision.
"Uh... Lord Viscount, may I choose not to listen?"
"Slap!" Henry slapped Raineās shoulder, a bit exasperated yet amused, saying, "Alright! What I want to say is, being a Viscount is not the starting point of my title."
"Yes, I understand, but Iām really sorry," Raine smiled, still politely declining, "Of course, if Lord Viscount has any tasks, you can always contact me through the Adventurerās Association."
At this moment, in the sky not far away, a group of Gryphons flew in.
It was the same group of Gryphons that had previously stopped at Mill Town.
Henry took one look, helplessly saying, "Alright! Iāll return to the Royal Capital first, Iāll take Olaf and imprison him in the Royal Capital prison. Also, the issues in Dorne City are still unresolved, Iāll be back as soon as possible."
"Raine, consider the Chief Knight position over the next few days." Henry, still unwilling to give up, said.
"Lord Viscount, we must depart." At this moment, Quasi-General Gregory walked over, greeted Raine with a smile and a nod, then softly reminded.
"Yes! Raine, here are three Crystal Cards containing ten thousand Gold Coins each as your reward for killing the Frost Giant Commander, luring away the White Dragon, and helping us defeat the Nightmare Blade."
Henry pulled out three Crystal Cards with a dark sheen and handed them to Raine.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount, safe travels," Raineās eyes brightened as he received the black-material Crystal Cards, thanking him.
Nobles from the Royal Capital, truly generous!
With this, he had the funds he needed to purchase equipment later on.
...