Duel in the Corridor

Rhine Green silently observed the smoke from the tips of the two wands slowly dissipating, an accurate assessment of his opponents’ strength already forming in his mind.

One against two, their power could not exceed a three-ring mastery.

There was nothing left to say. A professional assassin who wasted time in verbal sparring instead of executing their mission was a plot device for fools; thus, he had naturally become their target for elimination.

Having failed in their previous two missile attacks, the two sorcerers now understood Rhine Green’s swift reactions; with a silent accord, they cast their spells once more, one taking the lead while the other followed close behind.

The taller sorcerer, positioned at the front, extended his left hand, his right hand’s wand tracing a circle while his left hand drew a square for calibration; this particular spell was perfectly suited for the narrow confines of the corridor.

Three-ring, ‘Sonic Shockwave’.

Invisible ultrasonic waves reverberated through the corridor, converging on Rhine Green from every direction; any who fell victim to this attack would surely suffer grievous internal injuries, bleed from all seven orifices, and be rendered utterly powerless to resist.

“An overused trick.”

Rhine Green’s expression remained utterly unperturbed as he raised his sword and swept it horizontally, conjuring a transparent membrane that completely repelled the sound waves.

Two-ring, ‘Green’s Air Slash’.

Originally lacking any defensive utility, this spell had been modified by him to significantly reduce its slashing power in favor of an expanded area of effect. Its singular purpose was to forge a momentary vacuum, thereby obstructing the transmission of sound—a tactic proving exceptionally effective against such sonic enchantments.

A chill settled in the hearts of the two sorcerers. The Cavendish family, it seemed, spared no expense, for a mere retainer possessed such astonishing swordsmanship! Furthermore, this individual could not be much older than Daniel; to wield such a blade at such a tender age was truly the mark of a prodigious talent.

Naturally, with two adversaries, one threat had barely subsided before another arose. The shorter sorcerer, positioned behind, had just begun to condense a crimson light bullet at the tip of his wand when Rhine Green’s piercing gaze happened to flick directly towards him—

One-ring, ‘Mind Intimidation’.

The sheer contempt emanating from a Seven-ring sorcerer infused this minor spell—usually only effective enough to startle mere commoners—with a potency far exceeding its conventional limits.

The shorter sorcerer felt as though he had been impaled by the vertical pupils of a venomous serpent; his arm twitched, his casting was abruptly severed, and the crimson bullet, more than half-formed, dropped uselessly to the side, leaving him utterly discomfited.

“Tch, their endurance isn’t even as strong as a certain young lady’s. The standards of sorcerers nowadays are truly in decline.”

Rhine Green, sword in hand, swiftly advanced, his gaze fixed intently on the taller sorcerer’s wand as he silently counted two seconds.

“One, two, ready—”

He effortlessly shifted his body to the left, allowing the whistling magical curse to fly past, missing its mark without a doubt. Such a rudimentary casting method didn’t even attempt to conceal the intent behind the gesture; in Rhine Green’s perception, the spell’s countdown was as clearly emblazoned above their heads as if their very identities were laid bare for him.

“This kid’s trouble!”

In the clash between a sorcerer and a warrior, proximity invariably favored the latter. A flicker of panic already crossed the taller sorcerer’s face as he hastily invoked an Iron Armor spell to shield his body.

Two-ring, ‘Iron Armor Charm’.

This spell, designed specifically to counter close-quarters warriors, had been meticulously developed since antiquity. Conventional sword strikes, when aimed at it, would invariably become ensnared by the enchantment, granting the sorcerer a crucial opening to unleash a counter-spell and claim the enemy’s life.

However, this particular enchantment possessed a subtle flaw: it could only defend against ‘iron,’ meaning it solely guarded against damage inflicted by sharp weapons. Punches and kicks, however, were not accounted for, as its defensive parameters neglected the human form.

Rhine Green had already closed the distance. He, of course, had no desire to directly engage with the troublesome brown-yellow Iron Armor Charm swirling around the taller sorcerer, and besides—

Who ever said that simply holding a sword meant one had to use it to kill?

One-ring, ‘Lightness Charm’.

He precisely cast the spell upon his right leg, its mass instantly becoming several times lighter, before he delivered a powerful, swift kick towards the taller sorcerer’s waist.

The physical disparity between an adult and a child remained a matter of considerable magnitude; the taller sorcerer, therefore, did not believe a mere child’s kick could inflict as much damage as a sword strike and made no attempt to dodge.

‘Lightness Charm: Dispel’.

In the final second, Rhine Green dispelled the charm; the shadow-like speed, coupled with the abrupt increase in weight, generated immense inertia, unleashing a force far beyond the norm that directly dislocated the taller sorcerer’s lumbar disc.

He cried out in agony as his entire body lost balance, slamming against the wall, and the Iron Armor Charm he had maintained shattered instantly.

The taller sorcerer’s hateful gaze had just turned towards Rhine Green when the sword’s edge, arriving a mere breath too late, rapidly expanded within his pupils—

A wet thud, and blood splattered. Rhine Green once again cast ‘Lightness Charm’ upon his iron sword, and with the same chilling precision, impaled the taller sorcerer’s head clean through the wall.

“One down.”

He took two steps back, disdainfully wiping the blood that had splattered onto his clothes.

“I haven’t used a sword much. Next time, I’ll have to go easier, or I’ll be stuck washing these clothes.”

After witnessing his comrade’s instantaneous demise, the shorter sorcerer immediately shed the last vestige of hesitation from his heart.

He fiercely produced a metal talisman from within his robes, upon which bright golden patterns of the sun and molten lava were intricately engraved, and hurled it directly towards Daniel.

Witnessing this, Rhine Green couldn’t help but click his tongue.

“As expected, they had a contingency. To unleash a Blazing Talisman now—this is clearly a fight to the death.”

A perilous red halo pulsed rapidly around the talisman, a clear mark of its activation; with a single command from the shorter sorcerer, the entirety of Entry Gate 14 would be reduced to rubble.

“Halt!”

Rhine Green suppressed the profound discomfort resonating through his soul, activating his fragmented Four-ring magic circuit, and exhaled a potent, high-level command spell.

The Blazing Talisman instantly ceased its ominous red glow, the enchantments carved upon its surface rapidly weathering away until it fell to the ground like a common stone.

Only then did the shorter sorcerer truly comprehend the magnitude of the enemy they faced: a Grand Sorcerer of a far higher echelon, capable of casting spells with effortless grace, even without the aid of a wand.

“Your Excellency, we truly bear no grudge against you…”

“Heh, yes, no grudge at all.”

“Could you not show us mercy? We were merely following orders…”

“Shut up. Blame your misfortune,” Rhine Green stated, his indifferent gaze settling on the sorcerer’s terrified, defeated face.

“You provoke me and then try to run? Tell me—”

“Where in this world is there such a convenient arrangement?”

He directly employed a Confundus Charm to forcibly seize control of the shorter sorcerer’s body, compelling him, like a mere puppet, to raise his wand against the “unarmed” Rhine Green.

“By my reckoning, his father should be arriving to protect his offspring any moment now.”

Rhine Green sneered, holding up three fingers towards the shorter sorcerer’s despairing gaze.

“Three, two, one.”

“Zero.”

As his hand closed into a fist, the sorcerer’s life countdown simultaneously reached zero. A flash of cold light swept past, and his head tumbled smoothly to the ground.

Marin’s tall, sword-wielding figure strode along the corridor, his face grim and still as deep water.

He surveyed the corridor, littered with debris, and upon seeing Daniel lying on the ground, still unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Yet his gaze remained cold and piercing.

“Rhine Green.”

“Here.”

“Give me a reason not to kill you.”

“I saved your son. You understand the difference.”

His deep azure eyes fixated on Rhine Green’s composed face for several breaths before he lowered his murderous intent, sheathing the sharp, cold steel of his sword.

“The Cavendish family has faced such situations before, but never—never has there been a debt left unpaid.”

The rising clamor from outside the corridor gradually drew closer. Marin looked at the gruesome sight of the sorcerer’s corpse impaled on the wall, then added, “I pray you are as genuine as you appear.”