"Crack…"
"Boom!"
This time, the knight's armor shattered completely, and he was blasted over twenty meters by the force of the water dragon, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Pfft…"
A mouthful of blood spewed out, and he could no longer hold his greatsword—it flew from his hands.
"W-wait…"
Fear finally showed on the knight's face.
Though blind and deaf, his sense of touch remained.
He could feel the severity of his injuries.
If an attack like that came again, he would surely die.
At that moment, the knight wanted to beg for mercy.
Regret filled his mind.
Had he been less arrogant and waited for the two clerics to arrive, even with this mage's strange magic, a single cleansing spell from one of the clerics would have easily subdued him.
Alas, there is no elixir for regret in this world.
The knight would pay for his recklessness.
"Water Dragon Roar!"
"Boom!"
The final water dragon descended from the sky, blasting the knight and the surrounding ground into a pit over five meters wide and more than two meters deep.
When the water dragon dissipated, the knight lay at the bottom, his body mangled, life extinguished.
"Hah…"
After killing the Level-7 knight, Locke immediately exited the Heaven-Man Unity state.
In just a dozen breaths, Locke had exhausted nearly one-fifth of his spirit force and most of his mana.
It was clear that, before reaching Sanctuary, such a state could only be used as a trump card.
Of course, prolonged practice in Heaven-Man Unity would allow the laws of the world to temper Locke's spirit force, gradually enhancing its power.
At present, Locke's spirit force had reached the peak of Level-6.
Once he escaped the Light Temple's pursuit and returned to the Frost Snow Empire, he could safely practice Heaven-Man Unity several more times. Within six months, his spirit force could reach the level of a Level-7 mage.
Locke stepped forward, removing the ring from the knight's finger. A wave of his wand summoned an image before him.
A Level-5 water magic: Phantom Projection.
This reconnaissance spell refracts distant scenery through water elements, projecting it before the caster's eyes.
Locke had used it before when confronting the Light Temple knights.
Previously, he had used it in reverse—projecting his own image elsewhere, twice, to deceive a knight.
In the image, two figures in white robes were rapidly approaching Locke's location.
Locke froze.
Familiar faces!
A few days ago, he had encountered over thirty Light Temple knights; these two mages had been among them.
At the time, Locke had felt it was too risky to fight them, so he had let them go.
Unexpectedly, these two had brought with them a Level-7 knight.
Without his own skills, Locke would have been finished.
It seemed these two mages couldn't be left alive either.
Estimating the distance and environment around them, Locke entered Heaven-Man Unity, raised his wand, and began chanting a spell.
With his current power, Level-5 spells could be cast silently, and mid-level spells were almost instant.
To require chanting, a spell had to be at least Level-6.
Now, Locke cast a Level-6 area water spell: Ice Roar.
Massive torrents of ice surged from his wand, cascading down the mountainside like a frozen wave.
"Rumble…"
The icy flow accelerated. In a few breaths, nearly half the mountainside was frozen solid.
The two Light Temple mages likely never anticipated being icebound before even reaching the battlefield, with no time to cast defensive spells—they had been ambushed by a single area spell.
Seeing them frozen in the Phantom Projection, Locke dispelled the spell and continued fleeing toward the Frost Snow Empire.
Having killed a Level-7 knight, Locke knew two possible outcomes awaited:
The Light Temple could not spare another Level-7 knight to pursue him, allowing him to escape.Alternatively, they could dispatch more Level-7 knights or clerics to hunt him, potentially killing him on the battlefield.
This was not paranoia—Level-7 warriors and mages were considered elite in both the Light Temple and the Frost Snow Empire.
Most people maxed out at Level-6, and even with Battle Qi training, those without the talent would plateau there.
Statistically, among a hundred peak Level-6 warriors, one or two might reach Level-7.
For mages, talent was even greater: among a hundred Level-6 mages, twenty to thirty could ascend to Level-7 Grand Mage.
A mage only needed their spirit force to reach Level-7 to liquefy their mana and advance.
Those with high talent might achieve Level-7 around age thirty, though most would reach it around fifty.
After sixty, physical and spiritual decline meant any chance of advancement was lost.
Only Level-7 and above were the backbone of both powers.
All lower-level warriors and mages were expendable.
Whether contributing faith to the deity or expanding a territory, Level-7 elites were far more valuable than the masses.
Fortunately, Locke's luck held. No more pursuers attacked, and he successfully entered the Vidia Territory within the Frost Snow Empire.
Vidia Territory was ruled by Duke Vidia, a Sanctuary-level mage with an army exceeding one hundred thousand.
Though smaller than the thirty-thousand-strong Fifth Legion where Locke had been, Duke Vidia's presence ensured the Light Temple would not dare invade.
With the Light Pope and the Frost Snow Emperor mutually restraining each other, no one wanted to provoke a Sanctuary-level force.
(End of Chapter 6)