Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Discord
While bombing the two islands earlier, Turan had explored the power of the black powder called Fire Soul from various angles.
Fortunately, with pirates overflowing on the Triple Brother Islands, he could conduct quite diverse experiments.
Detonating it above heads, beneath feet, one wall away, cornering targets before exploding…
As a result, he discovered that explosive power was maximized in enclosed spaces rather than open areas.
Based on his ability to read wind flows, it seemed the force that should disperse in all directions was bouncing back after hitting walls.
While this could be used to create many interesting things with proper application, in the immediate combat situation, he had to utilize it in a relatively simple way.
Namely, creating wind walls like when making wind paths to turn the explosion area into an indoor space.
* * *
‘How horrific.’
Flying in the sky, Turan looked down at the corridor devastated by the recent explosion.
The strategy was to simultaneously detonate the Fire Soul thickly spread on the floor while sealing the windows with wind walls.
As a result, the explosion starting inside the corridor projected its force inward without any power leaking outside.
Though it dispersed somewhat through bedroom and stairway doors.
According to the Holy Relic’s senses, two of the nine nobles died instantly while two others seemed significantly damaged based on their disrupted flows.
This exceeded expectations.
Originally, Turan had hoped to moderately damage all nine, impacting their bodies and magical power, and if extremely lucky, incapacitate maybe one.
The fortress building being sturdy enough to contain the explosive force seemed to have contributed.
“Orin, Amia… Damn it! Is this a barrier mage’s trap!?”
“N-no! If there were barriers laid ahead, my magical device would have detected them-”
“Let’s get out of here first! Jump through the windows!”
“What about those two?”
“Carry them!”
Though all Fire Soul inside was already consumed, not knowing the cause of explosions, they likely thought such attacks could come again.
Given that premise, it wasn’t a bad judgment.
While seven nobles carried two corpses and jumped through windows, Turan floated in the air, spinning his sling while watching them.
Though wind paths wouldn’t work on moving targets, his stone throws alone were sufficient to kill ordinary nobles in one hit.
‘Should I take out that one first?’
Among the seven, one particularly small-framed man.
With both hands occupied carrying a corpse and in the worst condition.
When Turan threw a stone targeting him, it tore through the air and exploded his head.
Though some defensive magical device tried to block it with rainbow light, it was insufficient against a stone throw empowered over time.
“What…”
“Sniper! From above!”
“I can’t see anything!”
“Then light it up!”
Whether this one or that one, immediately lighting up when unable to see attackers was due to historical precedent of Zahar causing havoc relying on stealth magic.
If they hadn’t possessed powers too troublesome to exterminate, the rulers of Enril Desert might have changed by now.
But anticipating this, Turan had already entered the explosion-damaged corridor after throwing the stone, descending through the hole in the floor.
No matter how specialized in light their bloodline was, they couldn’t illuminate inside through walls and wood from outside.
“The enemy…?”
“Can’t see them!”
As a result, despite making it bright as day outside, the confused Baraha nobles couldn’t find their target.
After looking around, they rushed toward Solif standing in the distant garden.
Whatever the recent ambush was, securing Solif was the priority.
“Damn, subdue him first!”
The Baraha nobles each generated weapons of light and fire to shoot.
Against this, Solif created light rings and whips like when fighting Turan before, but the force behind his swings was incomparably stronger than back then.
It was clear he had greatly held back then, not knowing his opponent’s skill level.
“Kuk-”
But even with such power, Solif couldn’t lead the battle advantageously.
One versus six was difficult enough numerically, and he was injured and stripped of all magical devices.
Meanwhile, the three with stronger magic than Turan took the lead receiving Solif’s attacks while each using different magical devices.
‘One seems to have stolen what Solif used, another feels similar to my Guardian device… the last one blocks while moving directly?’
The only reason Solif wasn’t immediately subdued was that he too was using a defensive magical device.
Specifically, Turan’s Guardian device.
With that maximally activated, Solif theoretically matched a successor-level mage with Guardian bloodline from a great house, making him difficult to quickly defeat even under coordinated attack from high nobles.
Thanks to this, Turan could leisurely exit the building and create wind paths while preparing his second snipe.
The target was the least mobile among the six.
The Baraha nobles, absorbed in battle, naturally failed to notice this movement.
“Kuhek!”
When a silently flying stone pierced one noble’s heart, the Baraha nobles pressuring Solif quickly changed formation to defensive stance.
One deduced the stone’s trajectory from the corpse’s shape but Turan had already hidden inside the fortress again.
“No, really a Zahar…? Why?”
The leader of Solif’s capture party, reportedly the family head’s cousin, muttered in disbelief.
As if a Zahar noble’s involvement here was like the sky falling.
However, his shocked expression lasted only briefly before he quickly regained composure, proving why he was leader, and issued commands.
“Soru and I will keep engaging him! Rey, catch that Zahar hiding in the building!”
Two of the three nobles stronger than Turan and three weaker ones surrounded Solif again, while the remaining one charged toward the building… A bird of flame bloomed above his hand, quickly growing enormous before flying into the fortress.
‘Oh no…’
As the flame bird dove into the fortress, sweeping through corridors and rooms, it incinerated the hundred-plus pirates hiding inside watching the powerful mages’ battle.
Was this what the Pyromaniac bloodline could achieve with great power?
Turan pulled water from his canteen to cover his face before launching himself behind the mansion.
He felt hot air licking his back and head.
“Kuu…”
Despite fleeing quickly, the burning sensation on his back suggested fairly severe burns.
Even just activating the Guardian device would have prevented this much, but he had lent that to Solif so nothing could be done.
While retreating thus, he absorbed power from the Imitator Holy Relic and turned to see the Baraha noble called Rey approaching.
The burning fortress cast shadows on his face with its fiery glow from behind.
“Surely all matters were settled with your side. Is interfering with our affairs now the will of House Zahar?”
“Think what you will.”
From his manner of speech, there seemed to have been some understanding between Houses Baraha and Zahar.
Probably some trivial exchange like non-interference even when pursuing into their territory in return for tangible or intangible assets.
Or it could be something darker.
For example, if Zahar also had a god’s shadow behind them, or if different gods backing each house had reached some agreement…
While internally considering various possibilities, Turan’s face showed no sign of wavering as he spoke dismissively.
Unlike Rey, whose face twisted at provocation from a clearly younger noble.
“What makes you so confident? You must know Baraha is your natural enemy. Perhaps you’re the heir?”
Light and fire were both practically natural enemies to Zahar’s stealth abilities.
Moreover, the Zahar bloodline itself wasn’t particularly excellent in direct confrontation.
No matter how talented a mage Turan was, facing a combat-specialized mage with greater power head-on would be difficult.
Even having water around like when fighting Solif might help, but not in this situation.
But Turan’s eyes showed no fear as he regarded his opponent.
“I’m no heir but I can still beat someone of your level.”
When Rey, provoked by those words, shot a sphere of flame containing massive magical power, Turan stomped the ground to raise a huge wall right in front.
Despite inferior magical power, his stone wall effortlessly withstood the fireball’s explosion.
“Pyromaniac types hate encountering Stream bloodline near water or Earthkeeper most, right?”
And what Turan had just absorbed was Earthkeeper bloodline power.
From the army commander he’d killed in the western wilderness.
Though tremendous heat could melt earth and stone, it was different with land imbued with power from a house ruling the earth.
When Turan counterattacked by launching stones with his sling, amusingly, they too were affected by the Earthkeeper bloodline, flying stronger and faster than usual.
“Kuk!”
When Rey covered his face in shock at the sudden attack, something green that had slipped from his possession deflected the stone instead.
A palm-sized small shield seen earlier.
That defensive magical device circled Rey confidently as if able to deflect any attack.
“Damn…!”
Perhaps not having blocked it himself, Rey cursed while rubbing his face.
Judging by his reddened face, he seemed to feel shame and anger at having shown fear.
When he extended his hand toward Turan, dozens of light arrows shot forth.
Originally, attacks materializing light were among knights’ most commonly used magic for their simplicity, but when used by a noble with light-controlling bloodline, they too became fearsome weapons.
To this, Turan again stomped his foot to raise spikes that shot up to intercept the incoming arrows one by one.
Though both handled physical force, earth magic was more defensive and slower while light was offensive and faster.
During this exchange, Turan allocated slightly surplus attention to take out Fire Soul and propel it with wind magic.
Naturally passing the shield, it reached Rey’s vicinity before violently exploding.
“Ugh!”
Though such attacks rarely harmed high nobles’ bodies, they could still temporarily impact sight and hearing.
In such exchanges, the significance of that impact needed no explanation.
Not missing Rey’s moment of covering his face, Turan’s earth spikes pierced his feet and legs.
The green shield could only block so much – it couldn’t stop everything while completely stationary.
“Aaaaagh!”
Rey screamed in pain.
But befitting a high noble who had lived hundreds of years, he still continuously shot light arrows even then, forcing Turan to defend.
When trying to send more Fire Soul with wind magic, surprisingly this time it exploded immediately upon leaving his hand.
Turan groaned softly at the light burns on his hand.
“Ugh…”
“Whatever trick that was, it won’t work twice!”
Being focused in combat, he had noticed this side sending black powder to detonate it and quickly devised a counter.
Moreover, perhaps due to being half Pyromaniac bloodline, he could ignite flames much faster.
To this, Turan abandoned further use of Fire Soul and engaged in straightforward magical combat.
Transforming earth to create more spikes forcing opponent movement while simultaneously intercepting incoming arrows.
Stones thrown during gaps were blocked by the green shield, but this too was poison in the big picture.
Originally, all magical devices used their owner’s magical power as driving force.
Considering automatic blocking devices like that consumed more power, who was at a disadvantage needed no explanation.
“Huff, hah…”
Rapid breathing and cold sweat were clear indicators he was consuming magical power too quickly… The problem was Turan too had almost exhausted the Earthkeeper bloodline power.
When Turan retreated first after depleting Earthkeeper power, Rey’s face brightened realizing his advantage.
“Haha… You tried well but it’s tough now, right?”
“Not really.”
Contrary to his words, Turan too had consumed considerable power from the continued exchange.
Though he had more reserves than his opponent, considering he needed to help Solif’s fight later, excessive waste wasn’t good.
Actually, the other side immediately devising countermeasures to Fire Soul was somewhat outside calculations.
If not for that, this would have ended faster – truly befitting a great house’s mage.
Taking advantage of the brief lull thus created, Turan took out the Imitator Holy Relic from his chest and absorbed a second power.
“What’s that? A magical device?”
“Similar.”
Though blatantly trying to buy time to recover stamina and magical power, Turan played along.
He too needed time for the foreign magical power to settle in his body.
Shortly after, confirming the power had fully settled, Turan raised light and fire in both hands.
“What…?”
Rey showed confusion at this incomprehensible action.
Light and fire – weren’t these two powers most despised by Zahar nobles specializing in stealth?
Though the opponent had just shown skilled Earthkeeper noble powers unexpectedly, these still weren’t weapons to use against him with Sun bloodline.
As if answering such doubts, Turan combined the light and fire dwelling in both hands.
Two types of power that didn’t mix at all, as if existing in different phases.
Before long, they merged while distorting to form a glowing ring shape behind Turan’s back.