"David, come down with me. Don’t be in a rush to make a move later; our goal is to stall him," Herag said.
David nodded, "Understood."
Herag waved his hand, casting Absolute Defense on himself, followed by various Beneficial Magic, transforming into a black-armored giant.
Once ready, Herag leaped several times to appear in front of Cole. Thıs text ıs hosted at novel{f}ire.net
Cole, seeing Herag emerge, put away the Crystal Ball.
The sight of the black-armored giant made him feel a sense of threat.
The magic aura from this person is at the Initial-tier Caster level, but the power is overwhelmingly oppressive.
Cole himself is a formidable Great Knight, never abandoning the pursuit of physical power.
He keenly sensed that Herag harbored immense power within him.
If they clashed head-on, he likely wouldn’t gain any advantage.
"How could such a presence exist within the Lime Mountain Range..."
Cole thought about the disappearance incidents in the Lime Mountain Range and suddenly realized it might not be that simple.
The teacher’s assumption might be wrong; there weren’t any ruins here but rather more hidden mysteries.
This black-armored giant in front has formidable combat strength, standing where the place with high concentration Energy Particles was.
As he was about to draw closer to that place, the black-armored giant stepped out.
The intent was clear: to impede his progress.
This indicates that the place with high concentration Energy Particles ahead holds numerous secrets.
For such a strong person to prevent him, there must be even stronger forces behind this.
Cole’s mind raced, quickly piecing together the situation the moment he saw Herag.
"Who are you?" Cole asked.
Although Cole knew that the situation in the Lime Mountain Range was more dangerous than he initially thought, he wasn’t planning to leave immediately.
Without any information now, it would be better to probe for more knowledge.
He believed that if he wanted to leave, the other party couldn’t stop him.
Herag grumbled, "Leave, this is not a place you can come to."
Herag wasn’t in a hurry to make a move, instead pretending to be indifferent, advising Cole to leave.
This behavior only made Cole more convinced of the secrets hidden here.
Cole pondered, "Since the other party wants me to leave, it also shows they fear my strength and are unsure of capturing me, thus attempting to dissuade me."
"What are you doing here? Where have those who disappeared after entering the mountains gone?" Cole continued to ask.
He realized those who disappeared might have met with misfortune.
This black-armored giant before him was too powerful; those ordinary adventurers could never be his match.
At this time, David emerged from the side, looking at Cole.
"Another Initial-tier Caster."
Seeing David, Cole’s heart sank.
Two Initial-tier Casters, this indicated that the secrets hidden within the Lime Mountain Range far exceeded his imagination.
Cole looked at the two of them, remaining silent for a while.
After a few seconds, he drew his Longsword, ready to spring, holding the sword across his chest, then whispered, "Breath of the Wind."
A strong gust began to gather around Cole.
Then, Cole turned and ran.
Herag said gravely, "Your reaction is quite quick."
He immediately chased after, moving faster than Cole, who had the boost from magic.
Cole’s decision was right, to flee directly.
He realized that there were no ruins within the Lime Mountain Range but rather hidden secrets.
The two Initial-tier Casters seemed only to play roles of patrolling guards in the perimeter.
With the guards being so strong, the personnel within must certainly be stronger.
Though confident in his strength, Cole was never arrogant.
He did not believe his power could solve the problems here.
The teacher was wrong.
The hidden details here might be shocking.
As Cole ran desperately for his life, he was pondering these questions.
The sound of the wind came from behind. Looking back, Cole saw the black-armored giant catching up quickly.
He was almost upon him.
Cole cursed under his breath, "How is this person so fast."
He never imagined that, even with Breath of the Wind, someone could catch up to his speed.
Herag stretched his hand forward, and if there were no surprises, he would precisely grab Cole’s neck.
Feeling the commotion behind, Cole quickly chanted several syllables.
Suddenly, a strong wind appeared beneath his feet, launching him into the air, ten meters high.
Herag’s grab missed, watching Cole soar and slowly descend, like a feather.
Cole took a deep breath, "Looks like running continuously won’t work, this person is too fast; can’t outrun him. I’ll have to fight while retreating and quickly move away from here."
At this moment, he realized Herag wouldn’t let him leave.
The initial suggestion to let him go was merely a delaying tactic.
What were they delaying for?
It must be waiting for stronger forces to come, forces that would undoubtedly be able to hold him.
Their intent from the beginning was not to let him walk out of the Lime Mountain Range.
"Indeed, with so many adventurers disappearing in the Lime Mountain Range, there’s no way they’d let me leave so easily," Cole thought, keeping his composure.
Since he couldn’t leave easily, he could only face them.
As soon as Cole landed, Herag was upon him, swinging a strong punch, accompanied by gusting winds.
Cole hadn’t expected Herag’s power to be so immense, having thought he had perhaps overestimated Herag’s combat power, but facing him revealed it was even stronger than imagined.
Wind gathered in front of Cole, forming a wall-like structure.
Herag’s punch landed directly on the Wind Barrier; from the point of impact, a web-like pattern spread over the wind wall instantly.
Subsequently, the Wind Barrier shattered.
However, Cole also evaded this blow.
David, who had been on the sideline, also made his move, seizing the opportunity to generate an Earth Spike beneath Cole’s feet.
Cole reacted swiftly, his agility allowing him to reposition his foot quickly, avoiding the Earth Spike.
Cole quickly glanced at Herag and David, determining David was weaker, deciding to take out David first, then focus entirely on Herag.
His Longsword began to glow, with winds gathering around the blade.
Cole bent his body, suddenly blasting forward, heading straight for David.
The Longsword in his hand was already enveloped in a layer of wind, with the edge rotating rapidly like a saw.
This was a magic spell Cole developed himself, a combat technique created by integrating knightly breathing principles.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of David, moving at extreme speed, striking toward David with his sword.