Chapter 331: A Targeted Attack
However, Rhodes, who had been hidden on the edge of the crowd like an ordinary bystander, narrowed his eyes slightly.
In his perception, the fluctuation of aura on this lead warrior was a bit off.
Just in case, he turned his detection magic up to maximum, capturing the opponent's emotions and even every detail of his physical movements clearly.
Thus, Rhodes noticed that beneath the seemingly overjoyed thoughts lay a trace of extremely obscure killing intent.
The few steps the man took to get closer seemed inadvertent, but in reality, they precisely shortened the distance between him and Serie to a range that was perfect for a surprise attack.
More importantly, Rhodes recalled the man's initial reaction upon seeing Serie.
Although he had shown a certain degree of panic and fear, it seemed more like an act. And for him to clash with Serie's disciples so coincidentally... wasn't that a bit too convenient?
All these suspicious points linked up rapidly in Rhodes's mind.
Sure enough, just then, a sudden change occurred!
The lead warrior, who had been thanking Serie profusely just moments ago, suddenly tensed his body. His seemingly relaxed posture transformed instantly into a stance ready to exert force, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
He raised the seemingly heavy and clumsy two-handed greatsword in his hands and, with a scream tearing through the air, slashed straight at Serie's chest.
This strike was fast! Precise! Ruthless!
Not only did it condense all his strength, but at such close range, he was confident he could subdue any mage easily.
A layer of dark luster even appeared on the tip of the sword—clearly some kind of anti-magic effect, the best weapon against magical shields.
Facing this sudden sneak attack, a flash of anger crossed Serie's eyes.
Simultaneously, she noticed that in the split second before the warrior struck, three layers of high-ranking defensive magic had been cast upon her.
The only one who could cast three high-ranking defensive spells instantly in such a short time was naturally Rhodes. Clearly, he had sensed something wrong with this man even earlier.
However, the elf lady was somewhat unhappy about Rhodes's concern.
For an ordinary mage, facing a surprise attack from a powerful warrior at such close range, they might not even have time to deploy the simplest magical shield. Their fate would be sealed.
But—she was Serie!
A thousand years of time, the baptism of countless battles, and the experience of facing gods and demon kings alongside Rhodes had long honed her combat instincts and application of magic to the pinnacle of perfection.
Therefore, facing this attack, Serie merely moved her finger slightly. A diamond-shaped shield of light appeared directly in front of her.
CLANG!!!
The dark greatsword slammed violently into the light shield. The resulting shockwave spread outward, knocking away the nearby adventurers and Alvin's group, and even shattering the display windows of surrounding shops.
The lead warrior felt as if he had struck an indestructible wall of iron. Even his attack imbued with anti-magic effects had no effect whatsoever.
Opposite him, Serie simply raised her small hand and waved gently.
The light shield rushed straight at him, smashing into him head-on. The terrifying impact hit instantly, making his chest feel tight. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward faster than he had come, smashing heavily into a wall at a distant street corner and embedding himself there, his fate unknown.
The surroundings fell into silence. Everyone was stunned by the scene that had unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Serie slowly lowered her hand, the light shield dissipating quietly. She hadn't even moved her feet, as if she had just swatted away an annoying fly.
"It seems your target was me from the beginning?" Serie stared at the shivering adventurers, the corners of her mouth curling up.
The lead warrior's sneak attack had been neutralized effortlessly by Serie, and he himself was embedded in the wall, life or death uncertain.
Everything happened so fast that the faces of his fellow adventurers still wore expressions of blank daze.
They looked at Serie, who stood in place without even a ruffled hem, then at the miserable human-shaped dent in the distant wall. Their brains almost stopped working.
Why did the Captain suddenly attack this legendary figure?
"Cap... Captain he..." a mage adventurer holding a staff stammered, his face pale, completely unable to understand how things had developed to this point.
"I... I don't know!" others chimed in hurriedly.
"Lady Serie... th-this is all a misunderstanding!"
Serie wasn't going to believe these people's words so easily.
Although they hadn't coordinated with the Captain's attack just now and looked bewildered, what if it was an act?
Moreover, the opponent was clearly targeting her. In that case, she might as well control them first and take them back to the Magic Association for a good interrogation.
So Serie unfolded a magic circle in her hand. A heavy force pressed down on these adventurers again, bending the backs they had just straightened.
"Hmph, a bunch of fools." Serie snorted coldly, too lazy to explain to them.
She intended to pry the leader out of the wall first. Taking him back to the Magic Association, she would surely find a way to pry open his mouth and find out the mastermind.
However, just as she was about to act, another change occurred!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures appeared from the crowd around them.
Their speed was faster than the previous lead warrior, their aura more dangerous. Clearly, they were all powerful experts.
They had been lurking for a long time, waiting for the best moment to strike. Serie had just neutralized the leader's sneak attack; her guard would surely be down. This was undoubtedly the opportunity they were waiting for.
These newly appeared attackers approached from different angles, wielding various weapons with anti-magic properties, trying to close the distance to Serie rapidly.
Such close range, and a simultaneous surprise attack by multiple powerful warriors... for any mage, this was almost a certain-kill situation!
Even for the top Grand Mages famous on the continent for a long time, retreating unscathed under such a sudden, point-blank siege would likely be difficult.
Serie's pupils contracted slightly, but her face showed no sign of panic.
Rich combat experience had long trained her to maintain multiple defenses and backup plans in any situation.
Besides, the attacks of these people were far inferior to the professional assassins she encountered in the Southern Unified Empire back then.
Facing the incoming attacks, she didn't even try to dodge. At such close range, dodging space was limited and would only make it easier to fall into the opponent's rhythm.
The magic circle in her hand unfolded again, and countless vines shot toward the attackers.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you