Chapter 505: Dozens
"So it's Lord Thorne. I wonder what brings you here..." Leon narrowed his eyes, immediately sensing that Thorne Merlin was acting strangely.
"Heh, nothing much. Just came to take a look..." Thorne Merlin smiled, his gaze sweeping around. This sort of attitude toward a young mage made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. After a good four or five minutes, he finally turned to Leon and said in a flat tone, "Archmage Merlin, I remember you only had a little over five hundred Archmages here. Why are there suddenly fifty more? What's going on?"
Though Thorne Merlin appeared perfectly calm as he spoke, he was anything but inside. His eyes locked onto the young mage's face, as if searching for something. But to his disappointment, Leon's expression remained composed—no sign of the panic he'd expected.
Could it be that those fifty Archmages aren't support sent by the Black Tower?
How is that possible...
Otherwise, how do you explain the origins of those Archmages?
He certainly didn't believe the young mage could pull off a magic trick...
No matter what, he had to get to the bottom of where those Archmages came from!
"Heh, nothing strange about it. A batch of Archmages recently broke through, so now there are fifty more..." Leon touched his nose, smiling as he spoke. He shot Thorne Merlin a deep look. Those fifty Archmages had appeared in camp in less than two hours, and now Thorne Merlin showed up—Leon could easily guess Thorne's real purpose here was to investigate their origins.
He wasn't lying—those fifty Archmages really had just broken through recently.
"Archmage Merlin, you must be joking. Even if they did advance, having so many people become Archmages in just two months is hard to believe..." Thorne Merlin's smile was all teeth and no warmth. Privately, he was cursing—if you're going to brush me off, at least come up with a decent excuse. Only a fool would buy that story.
"I'm not joking..." Leon touched his nose, gave a couple of awkward laughs, and said no more. He didn't want to explain too much—this involved his natural demi-plane and some truly bizarre things. Even if he did tell Thorne Merlin, the man probably wouldn't believe him.
"Enough..."
Thorne Merlin's face flashed with anger. He shot Leon a cold smile, dropping all pretense: "I think you're just afraid to talk. Is there some secret here... something to do with the Black Tower?"
After all his probing, Thorne Merlin was now basically certain: those fifty mysterious Archmages had backgrounds they couldn't reveal. Otherwise, the young mage wouldn't be so evasive.
Most likely, it was connected to the Black Tower.
Whether for duty or personal reasons, he had to dig up clues and report them to the Ancestral Grounds.
After all, if the young mage really was colluding with the Black Tower, that was no small matter—it would threaten the Merlin Family's interests.
"Heh..." Leon rolled his eyes.
"Matthew Merlin, what do you mean by this? Do you dare answer my question directly and tell me where those Archmages came from? Prove with facts whether you've colluded with the Black Tower and betrayed the Merlin Family!" Thorne Merlin's sharp eyes bore into Leon.
This time, Leon couldn't even be bothered to roll his eyes...
The most hurtful thing isn't being contradicted or insulted—it's being ignored. Thorne Merlin's forehead pulsed with veins, furious to the extreme. He was just about to explode when, suddenly, a figure burst in, flustered.
"Archmage Merlin, the orc unit stationed near Specter Valley has launched an attack on the camp..." The newcomer was Uriel Merlin, his face filled with urgency as he looked at Leon. Only after speaking did he notice Thorne Merlin, and a flash of embarrassment passed over his face.
"Alright, I got it..." Leon smiled and waved his hand, unconcerned. In fact, the moment the orc unit neared the camp, the mana array had already detected them.
Without delay, he led everyone out of the barracks, ready to command the troops against the orc unit...
With a single order, all the mages in camp rushed out of the barracks, gathering together in record time...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the young Blazeforge Orc Ash, his body glowing with dark red runes, gave the attack command. Instantly, one burly Blazeforge Orc after another swung their long blades, riding on Ashen Direwolves, bursting out of the dense forest and charging toward the center of the camp.
Nearly a thousand Blazeforge Orc cavalry erupted from the forest at once, their momentum overwhelming, flooding the entire camp in an instant.
Young Ash led the charge, convinced that this battle was already decided—the humans were doomed.
All along, the Forgefire Clan has kept a unit stationed near Specter Valley, locked in a stalemate with the Merlin Family's forces. Over the years, the Merlin Family and the Forgefire Clan have fought several brutal wars over Specter Valley, but neither side has managed to seize control. That's why things have come to a deadlock.
The cavalry stationed at Specter Valley was led by his teacher, Lazart. In fact, over a month ago, when humans began moving around Specter Valley more frequently, they sensed something was off. After sending scouts, they discovered a human mage force camped deep in the woods...
During one operation, Ash accidentally noticed a few familiar faces among the human mages—they were the same ones he'd met that night in Specter Valley. Back then, his teacher had told him he couldn't beat those human mages, which left Ash deeply frustrated...
It was absurd—those human mages were just Archmages. Killing them should've been easy.
He'd repeatedly asked his teacher to let him wipe out the human mage force, but Lazart always refused. In the end, Ash could only grit his teeth and endure.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
Then, just a day ago, Lazart was recalled by the chieftain, and command of the cavalry naturally fell to Ash. Once his teacher left, Ash began deploying his forces, determined to wipe out the human mage unit. He'd already investigated them thoroughly—just over five hundred people, weak overall, nearly all Archmages.
With such a feeble force, Ash was fully confident he could destroy them. After yesterday's planning, he assembled nearly a thousand cavalry and surrounded the camp from four directions.
He even planned to capture those human mages who'd reached Archmage rank and bring them back to the tribe. When his teacher recognized those humans, Ash wondered what kind of expression he'd make.
Ash was really looking forward to it...
Boom...
Scorching air currents collided with dazzling spells, sparks erupting across the battlefield. In an instant, nearly a thousand orc cavalry clashed with the human mage legion. But right then, Ash, who was commanding, realized something was off—the strength of this human mage force wasn't what he'd expected.
Dozens of overwhelming presences surged up from the center of the camp. Brilliant spells, radiating terrifying power, swept toward the orc cavalry. In a flash, a swath of orc riders was reduced to ash without even time to scream...
At that moment, Ash was utterly stunned. He couldn't believe it—the intel said this human mage legion only had a little over five hundred Archmages and a pitiful few at the Archmage rank. Yet just now, he clearly sensed that the dozens of powerful presences all belonged to Archmage-level mages, and not just any Archmages, but some of the strongest he'd ever seen.
"Damn it..."
Ash cursed bitterly—he felt like dying. He'd thought that with only five hundred Archmages, his thousand-strong cavalry would wipe them out. But suddenly, the human mage legion had dozens more Archmages out of nowhere...
It wasn't just ten or eight—it was dozens!
How could so many powerful mages appear all of a sudden...?
Ash didn't have time to think. The battle was already fierce—those Archmage powerhouses unleashed torrents of terrifying spells, washing over the orc cavalry like a flood. Orcs died in droves every moment. In desperation, Ash roared twice, ordering a retreat. He leapt off his Ashen Direwolf, his two-meter-tall body glowing with dark red runes, boosting his speed to the limit.
Screams echoed behind him, but Ash couldn't spare a glance back as he sprinted. Not until ten minutes later, when all was silent, did he finally stop, gasping for breath. He turned to look behind—and his heart sank. He'd really screwed up this time. Nearly a thousand cavalry, gone in less than half an hour. Aside from himself, not a single one escaped.
Ash's face went deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down in big drops. The thought that he'd caused such a huge loss nearly made him lose his footing...
Two hours later, dazed and numb, Ash returned to the Forgefire Clan and found his teacher, Lazart...
"Ash, why are you back so suddenly? Did something happen in Specter Valley?" Lazart looked at Ash, puzzled and concerned. He'd been called back by the chieftain a day earlier to discuss clan matters, leaving Ash in charge of the cavalry and repeatedly warning him to be careful.
"Teacher, I... I..." Ash, pale and stammering, couldn't get the words out. The truth was, he'd been scared out of his wits—he'd always been a prodigy, never faced anything like this before.
"What happened? Out with it..."
Seeing Ash's expression, Lazart's face darkened. He sensed something major had happened—otherwise Ash would never look like this. "Did the troops suffer heavy losses in a human attack? If that's it, I won't blame you. You're still young, inexperienced in command..."
"Um..."
Sweat beaded on Ash's forehead, but he didn't bother wiping it away. Nervously, he looked at Lazart and told him everything—holding nothing back...