How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 227 The Inescapable Noble

Looking at the gaunt old man in the black robe before him, Kane frowned slightly, memories surging within him.

In the storyline he was familiar with, the Church of the Dead had several core leaders who instigated the undead calamity, most of whom were bishops.

Moreover, everyone had their own assigned tasks:

Some were responsible for spreading the plague, some for digging up corpses, and some for commanding the army of the dead.

The person in front of them was clearly a bishop, whose status was equivalent to that of a branch dean of the mage academy.

Upon seeing the other person's face clearly, Logan Susas, standing beside Kane, instantly showed an expression of disbelief.

"Master Ashford, what are you doing here?"

The gaunt old man smiled, a smile tugging at his withered face, and said, "Students of the withered bones, are you surprised to see me here? After all, I failed to win the election for Dean of the Necromancer Division, so I had no choice but to join the Church of the Dead."

But it was here that I truly grasped the grandeur of death. On the path of the necromancer, I have long surpassed your teacher.

"No, that's not it—"

Logan Susas's eyes were complicated.

Kane was speechless; the mage academy truly was "a breeding ground for talent."

Lucas, who was ousted from the throne by Ling Shu, sought refuge with the Duke to build a demon army for him and even instigated Bella to betray him.

Now there's Ashford, who, unable to compete with the skeletons, joined the Church of the Dead, attempting to unleash a calamity of the dead.

The gaunt old man laughed again and slowly said, "You necromancers are all too superficial. What do you mean by 'not like that'? The material plane we inhabit has long been abandoned by the gods, and the continuous depletion of ether concentration has made it difficult for us to make any further progress."

In that case, we necromancers can only truly advance further by completely transforming the entire plane into a plane of death, creating a negative energy field with endless soul power, and circumventing the shackles of the depletion of the pan-ether.

Logan Susas's gaze remained complex, but Kane stepped forward and interrupted him directly: "No need for your inflammatory nonsense. Hand over Zeno, and reveal all your accomplices, not just those here, but also those nobles in Twin Harbors."

"Accomplices?" The gaunt old man laughed and said, "Dean Kane, I've always wanted to meet you in person."

"See me?"

"You, who destroyed the Church of Death's century-long plan, are actually just a second-tier spellcaster."

"Then, can you withstand my curse, which I will offer as a sacrifice of my own life?"

"curse!"

Logan Susas's expression changed drastically.

The gaunt old man's face contorted with rage as he pulled out an obsidian dagger, ready to plunge it into his heart, while rapidly chanting incantations.

Just then, an arrow wrapped in a pale white light shot out from outside the cave and pierced his throat with precision.

Kane also made his move at the same time; the Shadow Blade flashed past and pierced straight through his heart.

Blood gushed from the old man's throat and chest instantly, completely interrupting his movements. However, there was no sign of frustration on his face; instead, a calm smile appeared in his eyes. He then collapsed heavily to the ground, with dark red blood gushing from his wounds.

Kane frowned slightly as he looked at the corpse on the ground, while Logan Susas was also stunned.

"He deliberately sought death, and didn't use any magic armor-type spells throughout. Otherwise, my arrows could only interrupt his movements, and there was no way I could kill him with one shot."

Outside the cave, Finn the Lantern Knight slowly walked in, frowning as he looked at the corpse on the ground.

He knew very well that he had no chance of turning the tide.

The necromancer's combat power largely depends on his corpse servants, but he had no corpses left to use, and he was surrounded by a large army. He was powerless to resist, and even if he tried to escape, he would only be caught up.

17

Kane gave him a deep look.

If I hadn't acted faster, the experience of this third-tier necromancer would have been wasted by this Lantern Knight.

"Several accomplices escaped through a secret passage in the cave, and I've already arranged for Shar to lead men in pursuit—"

Upon hearing the name Shar, Kane looked up at Finn.

The other party was clearly bringing up that name on purpose, but to Kane, Shar was just an ordinary friend.

"Let's go in and see what their final plan is."

Kane ignored Finn's little scheme and ordered Logan Susas to stand guard outside.

He and Finn then ventured deeper into the cave, into a narrow inner chamber.

The moment the two stepped inside, they were both stunned by what they saw.

Inside the cave was a huge, completely dried-up pool, in the center of which lay an unconscious man.

Scattered around the pool were more than a dozen dried demon corpses of various shapes. Kane recognized most of them, many of whom were old adversaries he had encountered in the Land of Souls, while he did not recognize the origins of a few of them.

Finn, who also had an excellent understanding of the abyssal monsters, frowned and read out their names one by one: "Spider Demon, Ape Demon, Ghoul Demon, Fire Demon—"

Kane stepped down into the dry pool and turned over to check on the unconscious man.

With his coarse black hair and strong features, he was a typical grassland person, and that was Zeno.

Kane frowned slightly.

The person has been found, but the side quest "Rescue Mage Zeno" on the panel still doesn't show a completion indicator. What's going on?

No, he's still in danger!

The next moment, Finn suddenly stepped forward, drew his longsword, and slashed down at the unconscious Zeno!

Almost at the same time, the shadow on the ground instantly solidified into a scimitar, fiercely blocking the longsword from below.

Several exchanges of blows were completely silent.

"Lord Finn, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to harm the prospective dean of our Mage Academy's Illusion Division?"

Kane's tone was icy, concealing an undisguised danger.

Finn's expression hardened slightly. He stepped back and looked at Kane, who was standing ready, and said, "Dean Kane, I know that this grassland mage was specially recruited from outside Sussas by you."

"The six kingdoms have no shortage of third-tier mages. Even in our Nord region, we have quite a few mage tower masters. If you need them, we can introduce you to some."

Kane said coldly, "If we appoint the head of the Nord Mage Tower as the branch dean of the Susas Mage Academy, will the academy then be obligated to the Queen of Nord?"

Finn's expression remained unchanged, but seeing Logan Susas, who had somehow appeared behind Kane and summoned two corpse servants, he knew that it was no longer possible to force the issue.

He bowed slightly and said, "Thank you very much for leading us here, but the core plot of the Church of Death is clearly on his shoulders."

I hope you will allow me to kill him, so that all the conspiracies of the Church of the Dead can be completely thwarted, whatever those conspiracies may be.

.

Kane's expression shifted slightly, but Logan Susas frowned, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I think we should take him back and let the mentor take a look."

Let the skeletons take a look?

Kane's mind raced; this was indeed a prudent approach.

After all, this bishop of the Church of the Dead left the academy precisely because he couldn't compete with the skeletons. He looked at Finn and said, "I'm sorry, I must take him back to the Mage Academy. We have our own solutions, and if we really can't handle it, I will contact you again."

Finn frowned, as if he wanted to say something more.

Kane smiled slightly and looked at him, saying, "If you really have doubts, why not ask the Lantern Lord in your arms? As a creature from the upper realm, it obviously knows much more."

What?! How do you know this?!

Finn's expression changed drastically. The lantern contained the consciousness of an being from the higher realms; this was the Lantern Bearers' top secret.

Only a very few core members knew this, yet this branch dean of the Susas Mage Academy was able to point it out without hesitation.

He gave Kane a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, I understand. I hope your academy can resolve this matter properly. I will await good news at Twin Harbor."

After saying that, he turned and left.

After Finn left, a notification finally popped up in Kane's eyes indicating that the mission was complete.

The reward was a chance to draw a random class trait, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This meant he could acquire a completely new class trait at any time. Thinking of this, a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. This operation to clear out the abandoned riverbed caves had, on the one hand, wiped out a massive number of undead and gained a huge amount of experience, enough to support his advancement to the third tier; all he needed to do was acquire the corresponding class knowledge.

On the other hand, he also dealt a heavy blow to the Duke's forces, which were colluding with the Demon Cult, and destroyed the core conspiracy of the Church of Death, achieving considerable success.

However, he also knew that without organizing an army, all of this would never have gone so smoothly.

He couldn't possibly handle so many spirits deep inside the cave on his own.

"Let's go."

Kane led Logan Susas out of the inner cave and headed straight for the high platform of the cavern, while casually dragging the body of the black-robed bishop.

Logan Susas watched this scene, his eyes flickering slightly, but he didn't ask any further questions.

The two walked up to the high platform and looked down, where they could see the battlefield after the battle.

The vast cave floor, the very spot where the battle had just taken place, was now completely shattered, scattered across the ground in a white expanse, a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Mercenaries and soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, putting away any usable weapons. Some, still seething with anger, were using their weapons to smash the dry bones on the ground or kicking bone fragments away.

The sheriff and lantern bearers were treating and bandaging the wounded, covering the dead with white sheets, and properly transporting and settling them.

The mages also assisted, using restorative spells to heal the wounded and alleviate their pain.

The expressions on everyone's faces were all different: some were relieved to have survived the ordeal, some were exhausted after the battle, and some still had an undiminished fervor burning in their eyes.

When Kane and Logan came into view from the high platform, everyone raised their heads at the same time. Thousands of beams of light fell on the two of them, but their expressions remained calm and unmoved.

Kane stood on the high platform, looking down at the dense crowd below, his voice carrying clearly throughout the entire cavern.

"The culprit has been killed by me."

The moment he finished speaking, he raised the black-robed bishop's corpse high, condensed a shadow blade, and swung it down heavily.

The next moment, a head rolled off the platform and slammed onto the ground with a thud. It rolled for a long time before coming to a stop on the battlefield, and the headless corpse followed suit, crashing down heavily.

Two muffled thuds landed one after the other in the vast white sea of ​​skulls.

Upon seeing this, all the soldiers raised their heads, their eyes instantly igniting with an uncontrollable fervor.

"Rejoice, my soldiers! You have won! You deserve this honor!"

"You have completely thwarted the enemy's plot, defended Twin Harbor, and protected Sussas! You are true heroes!"

Everyone will receive their due reward—money and honor!

As soon as he finished speaking, fervor spread throughout everyone's eyes.

The next moment, someone raised their arms and shouted, "Long live Sussas!"

The others immediately joined in, their shouts overlapping each other: "Long live Sussas!"

A tremendous roar swept outwards, echoing throughout the entire cave battlefield. Everyone roared and raised their weapons high!

Kane stood on the high platform with his arms outstretched, the wind in the cave lifting his robes.

Logan Susas, standing behind him, stared in shock at the scene before him.

"Let's go, Mage Logan. We should head back to Twin Harbor now; there are still many things to resolve."

Kane spoke calmly.

Logan nodded, then looked troubled and said in a low voice, "If we're going to distribute the bounty to everyone, the funds allocated by the council probably won't be enough. Should I contact the academy and request funds from them?"

"No need." Kane rejected the idea outright, speaking coldly, "The Church of Death has been plotting in Twin Harbor for a century, and the nobles they've colluded with are far more than just one family."

Their family wealth, shops, and merchant guilds could all be used as bounties for the warriors.

"What if they try to escape?"

"escape?"

Kane sneered and said, "I've already made arrangements. All the nobles who want to leave Twin Harbor will be recorded. Besides, they might not even be able to escape."

While the army inside the cave was taking inventory of the battlefield, inside Twin Harbor, some people were already pale and terrified.

A middle-aged half-elf dressed in luxurious robes was having his boatman steer his merchant ship toward the outbound waterway of Twin Harbor. Just as the ship was about to leave the port after passing through the lock, two trainee sheriffs at the lock gate stopped it.

"By order of Parliament, all vessels are prohibited from leaving Twin Ports during this period."

"Parliament? Banned from leaving port!?"

The middle-aged half-elf glared at the two apprentice sheriffs and roared, "I am Garrid! My father is the Speaker of the Council! You lowly commoners, get out of my way!"

"Feel sorry."

The two trainee sheriffs suppressed their anger, exchanged a glance, and feigned helplessness, saying, "We're just following orders. Why don't you take a look ahead?"

"Front?"

Garrid looked puzzled and gazed ahead at a flat, open waterway with only a few sheriffs standing guard on the shore.

His anger flared even more, and he shouted sharply, "Just drive straight through!"

Upon hearing this, the boatman hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and steered the boat forward.

But after sailing only a dozen meters, there was a muffled "bang" and the boat shook violently, clearly having hit something underwater.

What's going on?

Garrid's expression changed drastically. He glared at the trainee sheriff at the sluice gate and roared, "You've blocked the river!"

"It wasn't us who did it; it was on the orders of Dean Kane, who was officially authorized by Parliament."

The trainee sheriff took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

"Dean Kane had logs cut down and sunk underwater, completely blocking the navigable waterway. He said the mages would remove them afterward."

"Damn it! Turn around! Go back!" Garrid ordered angrily.

The boatmen had no other choice but to row with all their might, slowly pushing the boat back into the lock.

As the merchant ship turned and left, the feigned respect on the faces of the two trainee sheriffs vanished instantly, replaced by icy indifference.

They took out a notebook and wrote down Garrid's name, and the notebook was already filled with a dense list of names.

"It seems Twin Harbors is about to undergo a major purge; I never expected even the Speaker's family to be involved—"

"So what? These parasites that cling to Twin Harbors and suck the blood and flesh of civilians and caravans should have been dealt with long ago."

Moreover, they actually dared to collude with the Church of the Dead.

The two trainee sheriffs exchanged a glance, a hint of satisfaction in their eyes.

"Damn it! Didn't your Church of the Dead claim to be infallible? Didn't you say you could handle that academy dean?!"

Garrid, who had rushed back to the manor, saw the black-robed mage appear in his bedroom and could no longer suppress his anger, roaring fiercely.

"I provided you with so many remains from the floating cemeteries in Twin Harbor, and now that something has gone wrong, you want me to take the blame?"

Believe it or not, I'll go to the magic academy right now and expose you all!

-

The black-robed mage listened quietly, then bowed slightly and said, "Lord Garrid, we are partners. We provide money, and you provide the remains. Moreover, you are not the only noble we cooperate with."

Seeing the black-robed mage who remained unmoved, Garrid cursed a few times in the local Sussans language, suppressing his anger as he asked, "What do we do now?"

The black-robed mage said, "You must immediately use your father's power to seize control of the council and pass a resolution to strip the Mage Academy of its command over the legion. In the meantime, we will arrange for you to leave Twin Harbor by land via the abandoned riverbed."

"You bunch—"

Just as Garrid was about to continue his tirade, a carrier pigeon suddenly flew in through the window and landed on the black-robed mage's hand.

The black-robed mage unwrapped the note from the letter, and after reading it, his expression instantly turned ugly.

"What's wrong?" Garrid's heart sank, and his face darkened.

The black-robed mage looked at the man before him, who was no longer of any use to him, sighed, and slowly spoke: "That Dean Kane has already led a large army to surround the council and is investigating nobles one by one who have colluded with the Church of the Dead."

Upon hearing this, Garrett's face drained of all color instantly, and he froze on the spot, his face ashen white.