Chapter 198: Chapter 196: Lost Both Men and Money

"Kill her... can’t kill... kill her... can’t kill..."

The broken, disjointed voices accompanied a mass of shadows darting forward.

The Shadow Mage firmly locked onto Hilia’s position. Even in a state of madness, he was able to advance rapidly.

Along the path he traversed, all things withered; even the ants underground crumbled into yellow earth, as if a long straight line had been carved across the land.

Suddenly, the Shadow Mage seemed to sense something, and his manic aura intensified: "Obstructor... kill!"

The immense Demonic Qi solidified into a blade, slashing towards the front in an instant.

Ahead, two black figures had appeared unknowingly. They hastily blocked the Demonic Qi blade; one of them roared in anger, "Jode? What are you doing?"

The other shouted as well, "Wake up, Jode, we’re the Caros! We’re being hunted by the City Lord and Bishop of Southern Border City. See clearly—it’s them who are our enemies!"

As they spoke, intense Demonic Qi radiance flared in their hands, ruthlessly channeling into that mass of shadows.

Jode seemed stunned for a moment; under their infusion, some of the mania faded away.

He seemed to awaken from a dream. "Caros... you..."

"We’re carrying out the Whale’s mission—retrieving the lost Pure Magic Crystal. Are you on the retrieval sacrifice task?"

Jode gradually materialized, clad in a blue robe, nodding mechanically: "Yes..."

"You’re pursuing the sacrifice?"

"Yes..."

Receiving confirmation, the two looked back, feeling the pursuit force from Southern Border City drawing closer. They spoke quickly: "Your target has already joined forces with the Southern Border City agents. We can’t overcome a joint effort of the bishop and city lord. If you join us, we can fight back. If you wish to fulfill your task, it’s best to ally with us."

"Time’s running out—what do you say?"

Jode remained silent for a moment; his fractured voice emerged: "Can... do..."

Not long after he agreed, the Southern Border City forces arrived, swiftly surrounding the three.

Jode slowly disappeared into the shadows; the Caros turned to face the city lord and bishop, grim smiles visible beneath their hoods.

"Heh, you’ve chased us for so long and still won’t give up. I reckon you’re tired of living!"

The Southern Border City Lord frowned, glancing at them and at the fading shadow. "A Shadow Mage?"

The bishop of Southern Divine Hall frowned as well: "Where did this Shadow Mage come from? Your intel is wrong—"

"No idea what’s going on, but be cautious. He’s targeting you!"

"Hmph." The bishop snorted coldly. The Magic Puppet smashed the ground, and a ring of earth walls rose instantly. Within the walls, Holy Light and earth element Magic Power intertwined, creating a region of turbulence.

In this area, the form of the Shadow Mage appeared immediately.

The bishop’s voice reached those encircling them: "Three Tier Four Mages. You’re of no use now—retreat. I sense no Pure Magic Crystal aura on them. Go back and search for where they’ve hidden the crystal."

The Caros’ faces changed. "Old bastard, don’t think you’ll succeed!"

With that, they attacked the two.

"Jode, go eliminate those vermin first. The Pure Magic Crystal, like the sacrifice, is vital to the deep sea!"

The shadow said nothing, aiming to break through the walls and leave, but the bishop blocked his path.

The city lord’s pressure mounted. "Bring your Magic Puppet and help me hold them off!"

The bishop ran back. "Forget it, I’ll help you. Let the Magic Puppet deal with the Shadow Mage." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Inside the ring of earth walls, magics clashed fiercely.

As battle raged, Jode the Shadow Mage grew restless; the madness returned, and his assassinations grew more frequent, ramping up pressure on the city lord and bishop alike.

The city lord spoke: "This Shadow Mage is terrifyingly strong. We can’t last much longer."

The bishop frowned. "When did the Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association have such a powerful Tier Four Mage? Strange."

The city lord said, "He hasn’t even summoned his Magic Puppet—he’s fighting us alone and still this much pressure."

The bishop asked, "Did they find the Pure Magic Crystal?"

The city lord shook his head. "No. Never mind, it doesn’t matter now. Let’s retreat, back to Southern Border City. Inside the city, we can rely on Arrays to counter them; here, we have no chance—we need to wait for reinforcements."

The bishop recalled a town under the city jurisdiction had a Tier Four Mage, so he said promptly: "I’ll contact her now. Hold out, wait for her arrival. If she doesn’t make it, then we’ll withdraw."

The two communicated via their wristbands, but the change in their tactics was still detected by the three heretics.

Harmon Carlow, one of the Caros, shouted, "They’re seeking outside reinforcements! We can’t drag this out—we must resolve it quickly!"

Mela Carlow turned to Jode. "Jode, you’ve completed the Blessing Ritual. Use the power granted by the blessing. After we kill them, then we search for the Pure Magic Crystal and the sacrifice."

Jode said nothing; his crazed aura rapidly intensified. Meanwhile, the shadows on him began to ripple with deep blue waves.

Spurt!

The sound of a dagger plunging into flesh; the bishop’s face instantly went ghastly pale.

Dense contamination surged into his body through the dagger, rampaging violently within him.

Enduring the havoc and agony, the bishop’s palm flared with intense Holy Light, slamming hard at where the blow came from.

But the assailant slipped away like an eel, vanishing after the strike—giving no chance whatsoever.

The invading taint made it harder for the bishop to sustain his Holy and earth-based Domain magic.

The city lord saw this and heightened his vigilance. "Bishop, maybe it’s time to pull out."

The bishop gave a nod. Holy radiance erupted again.

Yet a blue shadow forcibly stormed into his Sacred Domain, landing another stab.

The mounting sense of danger enabled the bishop to evade a fatal blow, but he couldn’t avoid the attack; ultimately, the dagger still pierced him, flooding his body with what seemed an endless contamination.

The city lord moved to his side, gripping his shoulder.

"Go!"

As the Caros’ magic arrived, they managed to activate a spatial escape spell, taking the Magic Puppet back to Southern Border City.

The three left behind stood at the vanished spot, sensing the spatial coordinates. Harmon Carlow snorted, "What a shame—these Holy Court dogs use spatial magic so recklessly."

Jode said nothing, disappearing into shadow again, locking onto Hilia’s location and resuming pursuit.

"Where are you off to?"

"Pursuing... the sacrifice..."

"She probably entered the city already. Forget him, let’s focus on the Pure Magic Crystal."

The two swiftly departed. Soon, they reached the hidden site of the Pure Magic Crystal.

Seeing the destroyed array, their faces darkened.

They quickly cast a tracking spell.

A few minutes later, they gazed toward Southern Border City.

"Damn it! How did they find it?"

Very soon, they made a decision:

"Rendezvous with Jode. We’ll storm Southern Border City together."