The gunfire was relentless.
No carbon-based lifeform could be completely immune to muskets.
Trapped in a narrow space by a team of ten musketeers, even a Knight possessing Battle Aura had a slim chance of survival.
The Wizard Apprentice's methods were mysterious and strange, but their physical strength was even less than that of a Knight.
Terror filled Gavin's eyes. Enveloped in several defensive witchcraft spells, he frantically fled towards the courtyard exit.
"Amy!" he roared, his voice laced with blame. "How were you keeping watch? You only warned us when so many soldiers were already here! Are you trying to get us killed?"
"I-I didn't know so many soldiers were coming." Amy's face was deathly pale as she shook her head repeatedly. "By the time I noticed, it was already too late!"
"Watch out on your left!"
Gavin hastily raised his hand.
The earth elements in the air quickly converged, forming a thick earthen wall by his side.
Accompanied by a loud explosion, flames rolled out, and the two were blasted away by a massive shockwave.
"It's a cannonball!" Dempsey shouted loudly. "The Kolong people have deployed artillery!"
They must have moved far enough from the princess's residence, as the Kolong people now dared to fire cannonballs at their targets. They didn't need to worry about accidentally injuring the princess anymore.
Unlike the others, as Kolong soldiers rushed in from all directions, Dempsey's face showed no fear. Instead, it was filled with frenzy and joy.
With so many soldiers drawn this way, Bob's defenses must be weakening, Dempsey thought, a thrill coursing through him. The odds of a successful assassination are very high!
"Your faithful follower has not..."
Before he could finish, a cannonball wrapped in flames struck him.
The violent explosion instantly tore his body apart.
A group of musketeers kicked open the courtyard gate, raised their muskets, and pulled the triggers, firing into the crowd.
A series of gunshots rang out.
The bullets sprayed across the crowd in a fan-shaped pattern.
The bodies of Gando's resisters trembled, falling in rows like harvested wheat.
Screams came from a nearby corner.
The familiar voice made Amy instinctively turn her head.
Nelli, the former thief, had been using an Illusion Technique to hide, attempting to use the fog to escape silently.
The musketeers' random firing hit him as he was climbing the wall. A bullet struck his leg, causing him to fall headfirst.
Even his Illusion Technique was broken.
Seeing a group of musketeers turn their muzzles towards him, Nelli's face went pale. He cried out anxiously, "Save me!"
Dozens of bullets completely covered Nelli in the corner. The kinetic energy of the bullets passing through his body caused him to tremble violently.
He struggled to open his mouth, but another shot blew his head apart. In the blink of an eye, he was dead.
Gavin's expression changed drastically. He specialized in Earth Element Witchcraft, able to summon earthen walls and rocks to block musket fire and cannonballs.
Amy was agile in her movements and could better perceive the sounds around her, allowing her to dodge in advance.
The two barely held on under the siege of Kolong soldiers, but as more attackers swarmed in, their situation grew increasingly dangerous.
Bullets peppered the earthen wall, creating a series of pockmarks.
Gavin used his witchcraft to conjure a layer of rock armor around himself and charged headlong into another courtyard.
He glanced back to see Amy about to follow him.
His eyes flickered. Suddenly, he waved his Magic Wand.
"Control Earth and Rock!" Follow current novels on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
The scattered rocks on the ground rose up by themselves, sealing the wall and blocking Amy's path forward.
Staring at the now-sealed wall, Amy cried out in shock, "What are you doing?"
"There are too many pursuers behind us. We'll have a better chance of surviving if we split up," Gavin said, his voice cold. "Don't follow me."
"You...!" Amy's face filled with fright. "I'm on the main road now!"
Even with the haze, the main road was completely exposed, with absolutely no place to hide.
Being caught by the Kolong soldiers would mean certain death.
At most, she could only struggle for a while.
No! Amy realized. Gavin just wanted me to struggle desperately, to delay the pursuers and create an opportunity for him to escape! Splitting up meant *he* had a greater chance of survival, not us!
Amy screamed angrily, "Gavin, you shameless, despicable coward!"
Amy had no time to curse further. She tumbled forward to dodge, simultaneously waving her hand to kick up dust and sand, obscuring the soldiers' vision.
Just as she was about to spring forward, her body suddenly lost balance, and she fell. Fearfully, she looked down at her abdomen.
Blood seeped from her abdomen, soaking her Wizard Robe.
The Gando resisters always said you don't usually feel pain when a bullet hits you, only noticing something is wrong afterward. It was all true.
The Magic Creature, Little Wind, perched on her head, flapped its wings frantically, chirping insistently, urging her to escape quickly.
"I... I can't make it."
Amy's body trembled. She wasn't sure if it was from the bullet wound or if extreme panic had made her completely weak.
Tears welled in her eyes as she gestured to the Magic Creature that had accompanied her for many years.
"You go!" she managed. "Go find... go find a new master."
Amy was young. Panic, reluctance, and pain surged through her all at once, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
A familiar voice came from above. "Can you hear me?"
Amy suddenly looked up. "Carl?"
Above her, a Magic Flying Carpet hovered quietly. Carl leaned over its edge, looking down.