Chapter 60: Light and Dawn (II)

"It's you," Ember said, peering at the lanky man draped in a shadowy cloak. Although his face was obscured by shadowy plumes, he could tell it was the same man he had run into while being chased by the basilisk.

His good uncle said nothing and charged, swinging his blade in wild arcs.

Dawn erected another Force Shield, this time in a more compact form, to obstruct the shadowy blade-light. The shield neutralised the force before dispersing into ambient mana, but the Assassin-class Ascendant came at her even harder.

"Uncle, you can't just attack because of that little misunderstanding!" Ember shouted, trying to alleviate the situation. Though he didn't forget to draw his sword and wand, despite knowing they would be of little effect against a classed Ascendant.

"Just you wait, brat," the man spat, easily deflecting the Tier 4 Wind Blade Ember hurled at him. "I will deal with you once I get through her."

Dawn definitely wasn't making it any easier for him. After defending against his sword strikes, she brandished her staff to cast one Wind Blade after another, each of them far stronger than anything Ember could create. Regrettably, the man draped in the dark cloak evaded most of them, his form darting like a shadowy wraith. The few that did land were obstructed by his protective ward. Powerful as the Wind Blades were, they could only strain that protective shield to its limit as they thundered against it.

Ember couldn't help but look at Dawn in a new light. She was definitely not a simple healer. Even if those spells were enhanced by her staff, she would still need a great deal of Will and mana in reserve to multicast so many spells simultaneously.

However, the good uncle he had met by chance really was a crooked bastard. Why would he attack them without warning over such a minor misunderstanding? Judging by how swiftly he was moving, Ember didn't think he had sustained any injuries from the basilisk that would justify coming at them with killing intent.

"Uncle, isn't that a bit too vicious?" Ember shouted, trying to distract him, since his casting seemed even less effective than his words.

That seemed to earn the assassin's ire. Ignoring Dawn, he bolted straight at Ember, his dark blade sweeping down in a ruthless arc.

Alarmed, Ember immediately activated Blitz Steps to blur behind Dawn.

"You know him?" she asked.

"Not really," Ember said. Then, after hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell her the whole truth. After all, he still owed her for helping him. "I may have brought that basilisk down after him."

Dawn shot him a curious glance while her Force Shields and Wind Spells raged on unhindered.

"I'm really sorry to bring you more trouble," he apologised.

"Don't be..." Her figure danced through the air, aided by a gust of wind. "He's not after you. Besides, it's little trouble now that I have recovered, and he's not at his one hundred percent."

"Are you sure? His blade seems powerful enough to cleave me in half."

Even Blitz Steps might not be enough to save him if the man truly came after him, especially without Dawn there to hinder him. However, although Dawn seemed evenly matched for now, Ember was unsure how long she could maintain the stalemate.

"Should we run?"

"You should," Dawn replied. "He doesn't seem the type to forget a grievance, but his primary target is me. He will likely let you off for the time being."

Ember narrowed his eyes. "How am I not his main target? The bastard is literally coming after me."

"Just leave." Dawn didn't bother to explain.

He hesitated for a moment before dashing off, his figure fading into the gloomy darkness. If there was any disappointment on Dawn's face at his blatant display of cowardice, he didn't see it. She didn't slow her casting, continuing to obstruct the hoodlum from pursuing him.

Of course, Ember didn't withdraw completely. Since his spells and swordsmanship were of little use against a classed Ascendant, he still had other ways to be helpful. After retreating about a hundred paces, Ember began scaling the wall to reach a higher vantage point. From there, he brought out his slingshot and the goblin bombs.

The assassin was Iron Class, likely at Tier 5 or 6. Ember was certain because, had he reached Silver Rank, both of them would already be dead. Anyhow, since he was still Iron-ranked, that meant he could still be harmed by falls and other conventional means. Of course, they first had to ensure he couldn't evade the attack, nor could his protective ward block it.

Ember still had plenty of explosives stored in his pouch. He would like to see how long his bastard uncle could maintain his composure while being assaulted from all sides, either by Dawn's potent spells or the goblin explosives.

"You're not running away this time, little girl?" the man said as Ember loaded two goblin bombs into his slingshot.

He had to choose the right moment: the exact instant Dawn's spells struck the protective ward to make it count.

"You seem to have grown more courageous since the last time," the man continued, pursuing her relentlessly.

Dawn was no slouch either. With her movement skill pushed to its maximum capacity and the wind aiding her flight, she was no slower than him. If her Force Shield failed to impede his attack, she simply dodged the blow, gliding through the air as though she were a bird.

"Last time you cornered me when I was down," Dawn spat. "Do you really think I will fall for your tricks again?"

"That's quite some courage." The man barked a laugh, his attacks growing increasingly menacing as he tried to engage her in close quarters while Dawn continued to evade. "But I'm too seasoned to take your word for it. Even if you have miraculous healing power, I'd like to see how long you can keep going."

"If not for your shady movement skill, you would have fallen under my spells already."

A line formed between Ember's brows. It seemed he truly was not the bastard's primary target. It also explained why Dawn had been so eager to run and had discouraged him from following her.

Well, since Ember had already made up his mind, he decided to stay for the time being.

Dawn seemed to have no intention of fleeing, meeting the attacks head-on. Earlier, Ember had been impressed by Elin's wind casting, but Dawn took it to another level. Not only were her spells potent enough to rival Tier 5, with some perhaps even brushing Tier 6, but she was multicasting them with apparent ease.

Of course, they weren't instantaneous, though the way she cast them made them seem so.

Ember had never read or witnessed anything like it before. He surmised it might be some form of delayed casting.

As she fended off the assassin's furious sword strikes, she simultaneously prepared her spells. Once she had accumulated enough of them, she unleashed them all at once.

The assassin's movement skill might have approached the Silver Rank threshold, but there were only so many attacks he could evade. He had no option but to activate his protective ward to defend himself as dozens of spells bombarded him in quick succession. Even if it was a Tier 6 protective ward, it was strained to its limit by the thunderous Wind Blades.

That was when Ember released his slingshot. The goblin bomb, while not as potent as Dawn's spells, was highly explosive. When it detonated against the protective ward, already stretched to its limit, the backlash alone flung the assassin several metres backwards, leaving him disoriented.

Seizing the opportunity, Dawn didn't hesitate to launch another Wind Blade into his torso. With a swift roll, the assassin managed to dodge most of it, but the spell curved to plunge into his lower body regardless, tearing through his enchanted cloak.

"I told you to run away!" Dawn said, her eyes fixed on the retreating assassin.

"I'll distract him for a while!" Ember shouted back. "You prepare something big."

"I don't need your help."

Ember decided to help anyway. With the goblin bombs laid out before him, he slung more of them at the assassin's blurred form. He even had his wand tucked between his middle and ring fingers, casting Wind Blades to hinder the shadowy assassin from approaching her.

Ember hoped Dawn had something in her arsenal akin to Elin's Skyrend. Judging by how formidable she seemed at such a young age, her family shouldn't have left her without some means of protecting herself.

Soon, her staff blazed with a glorious stream of golden light as she muttered something incoherent under her breath.

An invocation spell?

Ember wasn't certain, but the more pressing concern was the time it required to prepare. He doubted he could keep the assassin at bay for much longer. His ammunition dwindled with each shot, and his spells lacked the range to be of much use.

"How much longer do you need?" Ember shouted, down to his last two bombs.

Dawn didn't reply, fully concentrated on her casting.

Ember resigned himself to his fate, launching the last of the explosives, which barely slowed the assailant. He hesitated only once before gliding down the wall. With sword in one hand and wand in the other, he bolted towards Dawn.

The assassin had less distance to cover, but Ember managed to gain half a moment by flinging a Wind Blade into his path. That half-moment was enough for him to pass Dawn and stand before her as a vanguard.

The very next instant, a dark blade-light flew at him with unprecedented force. Ember had no choice but to meet it head-on. He couldn't let it strike Dawn while she was engrossed in casting.

With his blade imbued with mana, Ember swung. His arms shook as the attacks clashed. Pouring everything into the strike, Ember unleashed a sword-light of his own.

A violent surge of mana dispersed as the two blade-lights warred in mid-air. The one released from his blade was obviously weaker, but it still managed to cut the shadowy blade-light in half. Even then, the residual force slammed into him.

Instinctively, he flung out every ounce of force he could muster with his Will. Unfortunately, it was still minuscule against a classed Ascendant. As the attack crashed into his chest, it tore through his attire and gouged into his torso, carving a long, gushing laceration.

Ember was sent flying, red-hot blood spraying through the air. Yet, with his lingering Will, he once again powered up his wand to unleash a Wind Blade.

The assassin met it head-on, deflecting it with his blade as though it were nothing. He shot straight towards Dawn, dark tendrils wafting from his blade as he prepared to plunge it into her neck.

But before it came within a couple of feet of her, a translucent Force Shield materialised between the blade and her throat.

Dawn shot him a look, her lips curling into a strained but mocking smile. "As I said, you don't stand a chance," she said, raising her staff. "[Sunburst]."

A wild cascade of golden light burst from her staff and exploded upon the assassin. He had activated his protective ward in time, but against the avalanche of Sunburst, it offered little resistance. The spell devoured the ward's force and plunged straight into him, setting his body aflame.

Then there was only the assassin's scream.

New schedule: 3x2 per week. I'll try to match the release date to be MWF, once I have some backlog.