How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 228 Clearing the Hostage Base

The Hall of the Noble Council.

This place, once the absolute core of power and desire in Twin Harbors, a venue where countless merchants and nobles finalized deals and negotiated games, is now surrounded by an ironclad fortress.

Armed ships lined up one after another, blocking all waterways leading to the parliament hall.

The soldiers and mercenaries, covered in the blood of battle, hadn't even had time to change their blood-stained uniforms before they completed the encirclement with their lingering killing intent, and immediately clashed head-on with the guards protecting the council's gates.

"What are you doing?! This is the Council of Nobles! How dare you openly defy the nobles?"

"Get out of the way! We're here to capture the traitors who colluded with the necromancers of the Church of the Dead!"

"Whose orders?"

"Order from Dean Kane of the Mage Academy."

"Damn it! Who does he think he is?!"

During the conflict, a half-elf guard shouted insults and drew his scimitar, slashing fiercely at the hand of the mercenary in front of him.

The mercenary deftly dodged, only suffering a graze to his forearm from the blade, but immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "The council guards attacked first!"

"What! You clearly—"

Before the words were even finished, several mercenaries had already raised their crossbows. Several sharp sounds pierced the air, and several crossbow bolts went straight through the throats of the half-elf guards.

He couldn't even utter a single last word before he crashed to the ground, blood seeping through the cracks in the stone slabs, his eyes wide open in resentment until his death.

The soldiers standing by ignored this and continued to follow orders to encircle and block all the important exits.

Seeing the corpses of their comrades, the council guards fell silent, and eventually, under the threat of the mercenaries' crossbows, they all laid down their weapons.

Some guards still glared at them, gritting their teeth as they said, "You'll regret this! The Speakers will never let you get away with this!"

The mercenaries laughed and kicked the guard, who immediately curled up and knelt on the ground in pain.

"What happened?" a woman's voice rang out.

The noisy argument abruptly stopped. The mercenaries looked in the direction of the sound, their arrogance vanished, and they all bowed their heads respectfully, saying, "Sister Sophia, it was these guards who started the fight."

Sofia frowned as she looked at the guards on the ground, their eyes filled with anger and hatred, but a sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.

Her Dark Brotherhood stronghold was uprooted by the Council of Nobles, but now the tables have turned and the situation has been completely reversed.

However, considering her current status, Sophia still ordered in a deep voice: "Tie them up, and don't do anything unnecessary."

""

"What if they continue to resist?"

"Then kill him."

Sofia's words were icy and chilling. Upon hearing them, the guards present all looked at her with fear in their eyes.

Just then, a group of red-robed mages disembarked from a ship in the council's private port.

The two leading figures were a young man with black hair and black eyes, his clothes still stained with fresh, undried blood, and his gaze as cold as a blade; beside him stood a half-elf female mage with a cool and aloof demeanor.

Everyone present immediately bowed their heads respectfully.

"Sophia, how is it?" Kane asked in a cold tone.

Sophia lowered her head slightly and replied, "The entire perimeter of the council has been sealed off, and a small number of guards remain inside. They are holding a plenary meeting. We did not rush in. They probably only heard the commotion outside and haven't yet figured out the situation outside, nor have they sent anyone out to investigate."

"A bunch of pampered aristocratic lords," Kane scoffed. Logan Susas, standing beside him, opened his mouth, but ultimately hesitated to speak.

Kane turned to look at her and said, "The scene is going to be quite bloody. Are you sure you want to come?"

"I will stay with you, Dean Kane."

"Let's go then."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two led a group of mages straight toward the council hall, flanked by professional-grade soldiers carrying light shields.

As the group approached the magnificent, ornate gates of the council, a deafening roar erupted as the soldiers slammed down the grand gates that symbolized the power and authority of the Twin Harbor nobility.

Inside the hall, hundreds of noble councilors, seated in their seats, watched as the soldiers and mages, covered in blood, filed in one after another, their faces showing a mixture of shock, astonishment, and fear.

Especially for the few nobles with guilty consciences, their eyes were already filled with barely suppressed fear as they watched the approaching soldiers.

"Dean Kane, what exactly are you trying to do by storming into the council with mages and soldiers?"

The Speaker, sitting at the very front, concealed the resentment in his eyes, stepped down from his seat, and looked at Kane, asking a question.

"We are holding an emergency meeting to discuss the losses, related expenses, and compensation for the fallen soldiers in this operation to clear the abandoned riverbed."

"Did the meeting produce any results?" Kane asked coldly.

The speaker forced a fawning smile and replied, "These kinds of meetings are always complicated. We need to provide evidence from multiple sources, and also—"

"I'm only asking you how long it will take."

"6

"About a week."

"No need, that's too slow. Let me finish what I need to finish before you continue the meeting."

"What?" Before the Speaker could speak, Kane's voice clearly echoed throughout the hall: "Among the nobles, there are spies colluding with the Church of the Dead. Now, I will interrogate everyone. Those who voluntarily surrender will be treated leniently, but must surrender all of their family's assets involved in the affair."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in chaos, with the nobles in an uproar.

The fear in many people's eyes could no longer be concealed, and some were both shocked and furious. Whispers quickly spread: "By what right? What right do you have to trespass into the council?" "The dignity of the council cannot be trampled upon!" "Just a mere Nord!"

"Dean, perhaps you should first appeal to the Royal Court, and wait for the Royal Court's General Council to issue an order before the Royal Court sends a security officer to investigate."

Kane remained unmoved.

Seeing this, the speaker assumed he was wary of the royal court and quickly forced a smile, advising, "Those present here are all nobles of Twin Harbor, and many of their families have intricate connections with the royal court. You see—"

"Are you threatening me?" Kane looked at him coldly.

Meeting Kane's emotionless black eyes, the Speaker instantly recalled the scene of being dragged out by him, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. He hurriedly said, "No, I just wanted to give you a suggestion—"

"Then shut up and watch quietly." Kane's tone was devoid of any warmth.

The speaker hesitated, but ultimately, seeing Kane's expression, he silently shut his mouth and remained silent.

The hundreds of nobles below the stage, watching squads of soldiers enter the hall and separate them one by one, finally panicked completely.

"Speaker!" "How could you do this!" "You lowly commoners!"

Looking at the soldiers entering the arena and the guards who had already been disarmed and controlled, a blond, blue-eyed half-elf nobleman revealed a look of resentment.

He knew all too well that his family was deeply connected to the Church of Death, and that once this was discovered, he would surely die.

He stared intently at Kane on the stage, his eyes surging with resentment and murderous intent. He quietly pulled out an exquisite crossbow from his pocket, aimed it at Kane, and pulled the trigger.

This was a poisoned crossbow he had acquired from the Free City-State at great expense. It was said that even a second-tier warrior would die instantly if shot with it without an antidote. He didn't believe a mage could withstand it.

The sharp sound pierced the air, but the poisoned crossbow had only flown a few meters when it crashed into an invisible magical field and fell straight to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a giant hand engulfed in raging flames materialized out of thin air and grabbed the blond half-elf.

A piercing scream instantly echoed through the hall. The nobleman was engulfed in flames and rolled wildly on the ground, howling in agony. He was motionless for only a few breaths, leaving only a charred corpse, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning.

The nobles around him were so frightened that they retreated one after another. Some collapsed to the ground, and others lost control of their bladders in fear. The stench of fish and burning flesh filled the magnificent hall.

"A traitor who colluded with the Church of the Dead has been brought to justice. Anyone else want to try?"

Kane nodded slightly. A red-robed mage behind him put down the short staff he was using to cast a spell and continued to follow at the back of the group, while two mercenaries immediately stepped forward to deal with the scene.

Seeing the scene before them, everyone in the hall fell silent.

The speaker's eyes were filled with deep fear, but he still forced himself to speak: "Dean Kane, even if there are a very few spies, the vast majority of nobles are innocent. Investigating them one by one is too troublesome."

"No need for that." Kane looked at the Speaker, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth that sent chills down the spines of the Speaker and the nobles present.

"We have magic. Next, we will use magic to detect lies, starting with the list of people who have recently left Hong Kong registered at the security gate. We will check them one by one to see if they really have important business to attend to when they leave Hong Kong, or if their collusion has been exposed and they are planning to flee to avoid punishment."

A chill instantly swept over everyone present, and many nobles became restless again.

But looking at the soldiers of the legion who had completely surrounded the hall, all that remained in their eyes was a bone-chilling fear.

In just half an hour, four nobles were found guilty of crimes by the lie detection spell.

They may have sold the remains of their people to the Church of the Dead, or knowingly traded obsidian daggers and other necromantic ritual supplies to the other party.

Seeing this scene, many nobles with guilty consciences were completely thrown into panic; while others who felt they had nothing to do with the Church of Death gradually calmed down from their initial panic.

The two groups were clearly separated, and the way they looked at Kane was also completely different.

Kane naturally saw all of this, and his eyes flickered slightly.

He never intended to wipe out all the nobles in one fell swoop; the most crucial tactic at present was to divide and conquer one faction at a time.

As one noble after another was taken into custody, whether they were found to have problems by magic, reported, or surrendered themselves, Logan Susas whispered to Kane, "With so many nobles, the follow-up will be very troublesome."

The speaker's eyes flickered slightly, and a barely perceptible expression appeared on his face.

Kane, however, spoke coldly, his voice clearly echoing throughout the hall: "Anyone found to be in league with the Church of the Dead will have their family property confiscated, all funds of their affiliated chambers of commerce investigated, and all their estates seized."

All confiscated assets were used partly to pay the soldiers and mercenaries in the combat units, and the remainder was used entirely for the deaths of those killed in action.

Compensation for disabled persons.

"The remaining details of the punishment are as follows: nobles and related personnel who directly participated in the sale of corpses in the floating cemetery shall be executed; those who resell necromancy materials shall be sentenced to life imprisonment; and all others who participated in any activities of the Church of the Dead shall be executed after all information about their accomplices is obtained through torture."

Upon hearing the repeated cries of "Execute!", the faces of all the nobles present, whether or not they were under control, turned deathly pale.

Even those who felt innocent couldn't help but show fear, their eyes filled with deep dread as they looked at Dean Kane.

Just then, a mercenary rushed in from outside the door, leaned close to Kane, and whispered a report in his ear.

After hearing this, a deep meaning flashed in Kane's eyes. He turned to the Speaker beside him and said in a calm voice, "Speaker, please come with me."

The Speaker looked at Kane and forced a smile: "What's wrong, Dean Kane? I've proven my innocence through the magical test."

"That's not relevant. It's just that your son, Garrid, has been kidnapped by the Church of the Dead at one of their strongholds in Twin Harbor. We're going to rescue him now."

"What?!"

In the residential area of ​​the floating islands south of Twin Harbor, a stand-alone warehouse was surrounded by more than a dozen armed ships.

Outside the warehouse, hundreds of soldiers in light armor had completed the encirclement. The squad leader, Emerson, looked at his men with a furrowed brow: "Still haven't broken in? What's the situation inside?"

A half-elf soldier quickly replied, "This is a transit point for transferring corpses from Twin Harbor to the abandoned riverbed. After the abandoned riverbed was wiped out, the remaining necromancers gathered here. Many of the corpses inside have been summoned into undead by them, so we can't attack it for the time being."

Emerson was immediately enraged: "We wiped out tens of thousands of skeletons in the cave, and you think a mere few hundred skeletons here can stop you?"

"It's different." The soldier who was being reprimanded looked at the captain's face, shrank back, and whispered.

"There are still noble hostages inside, otherwise we could have burned the whole building down with rockets."

noble?

Emerson frowned instantly. In the eyes of many nobles, the legion was nothing more than a dog controlled by the noble council. If they rashly harmed a noble, the consequences would be unmanageable, and he might end up bearing all the blame.

Just as Emerson was in a state of panic, several armed ships broke through the water and sped towards him.

At the very front of the ship stood a figure all the soldiers knew all too well—a black-haired, black-eyed man in a grey-white robe, followed by two red-robed mages.

"It's Lord Kane! Lord Kane has arrived!"

The soldiers erupted in deafening cheers. The battle in the cave had already convinced them of Kane and the mage squad's strength, and his arrival now was nothing short of reassuring.

Kane disembarked, followed closely by two red-robed mages. Emerson was about to step forward to pay his respects when he saw the person behind him and instinctively exclaimed, "Speaker?"

But looking at the other person's haggard appearance, which seemed to have aged more than ten years in an instant, he even doubted whether he had mistaken the person for someone else.

"Captain, report the situation," Kane said calmly.

Emerson immediately reported seriously: "There are at least five black-robed necromancers inside. They have summoned nearly two hundred skeletons, the vast majority of which are ordinary skeleton warriors, with only a dozen or so skeleton archers. However, the five black-robed necromancers have used mind-based necromancy, causing many soldiers to feel intense fear and dread."

"But the most difficult thing is," "what is it?"

"They took several nobles hostage, including a male noble named Garrid who kept shouting that his father was the Speaker."

The speaker turned sharply to Kane, his voice pleading, "Dean Kane, please save him! From now on, in Twin Harbor, I will put you first in everything. I can help the Mage Academy completely control the council!"

Kane looked at the Speaker and smiled. "Very well. As long as you haven't sided with my enemies, I will naturally help you. As for your son, I will do my best to protect his life."

"Okay, okay!" The speaker quickly agreed, lowering his head to hide the deep resentment in his eyes.

Kane seemed not to notice, casually handing the headmaster's robe to the red-robed mage behind him, changing into a neat and tidy outfit, his palm swirling with shadows, and a curved blade materialized out of thin air, which he held firmly in his hand.

The next moment, he looked up at the warehouse door and shouted, "Shields and swords, follow me and charge in!"

"Yes!" The soldiers' eyes instantly ignited with fervor; no one could resist the leader who could lead them to victory and protect them.

With a deafening roar, Kane charged forward, swinging his scimitar with all his might, smashing the heavy warehouse door open and causing it to collapse.

He stepped into the darkness, and dozens of bone arrows instantly pierced the air. The soldiers behind him hurriedly raised their shields to block, but Kane's figure was as fast as a ghost, directly breaking through the rain of arrows.

Wherever it passed, the skeletons blocking its path were all cleaved into pieces, their bones flying everywhere, and reduced to dust.

The soldiers behind them rushed into the warehouse. Having survived the horde of undead in the cave, these low-level skeleton soldiers were no threat to them.

Deep within the warehouse, hearing the commotion outside, the black-robed mages all wore grim expressions. The lead mage cried out urgently, "They have no intention of negotiating; they've launched a direct assault! They don't care about the hostages' lives; they're determined to kill them all!"

"Plant the curse into the hostages! Even if we die, we'll take them down with us. We won't let them get away with this!"

"Damn it! How did he get here so fast!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than the wall beside them suddenly crumbled. The professional-level skeleton guard standing nearby was instantly cleaved in two by a single strike.

Before the two black-robed sorcerers could even finish chanting their incantations, their throats were slit, blood splattered, and they collapsed on the spot.

The remaining three black-robed mages hurriedly chanted spells, but these necromancy spells, which specialized in attacking the mind, were either blocked by an invisible shield or easily dodged by Kane.

In the blink of an eye, two more people were killed, leaving only the last black-robed mage and the unconscious Garrid in the secret chamber.

"Tell me the whereabouts of your accomplices."

"Will you let me go?"

"I'll make sure you die a quick and painless death."

The black-robed mage's face was contorted with rage, and he still tried to cast a spell at the cost of his life, but the next moment, his arm flew into the air and his head rolled to the ground.

Less than ten minutes later, Kane carried the unconscious Garrid out of the warehouse.

Looking at the unconscious Garrid, a hint of joy flashed across the Speaker's face, but he quickly suppressed it.

He bowed deeply to Kane and said, "From now on, I will follow your lead in everything the local council does."

Kane looked at the bowing Speaker and said, "Your Excellency Speaker, there is something I would like to ask you."

Seeing Kane's expression, the Speaker felt a sense of foreboding, but he still forced himself to remain calm and asked, "What's wrong?"

"When I went to the cave to wipe out the Church of the Dead, you seemed to have sent some messages to the royal court through secret agents. Could you tell me what those messages said?"

Seeing the gentle smile on Kane's face, the Speaker felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He knew all too well that the letter was full of accusations against Kane.

He opened his mouth, about to explain, but Kane had already placed Garrid in his hands.

"Forget it, let's talk about this later. Take care of your child first."

The speaker took his son in a daze; he was already weak and could only barely hold him.

Looking at Kane's gentle expression, he even felt a sliver of hope: Could it be that he was planning to let bygones be bygones?

But the moment he released his grip, Kane abruptly took a step back and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, back off!"

"yes!"

What?

Just as the speaker was about to ask a question, Garrid, who had been unconscious, suddenly woke up. Looking at his father who was holding him, he shouted with all his might, "No! Get away from me—"

What?

Before he finished speaking, his face was instantly covered with dense, dark runes, and his entire body was enveloped in black energy.

Before the Speaker could react, the cursed markings on Garrid's body coiled around him like venomous snakes.

The next second, a deafening explosion rang out, and the father and son were instantly blown to pieces, their blood and flesh splattered all over the ground.

Seeing this horrific scene, some soldiers even vomited on the spot.

Kane, who used his shield spell to block the flying chunks of flesh and blood, had no expression on his face.

The speaker had repeatedly opposed him, and he had long harbored murderous intentions.

Moreover, his son Garrid was already involved with the Church of the Dead, so he would never allow this father and son to live on.

A few words of pleas for submission never earned him any mercy. Therefore, letting them die under the curse of the Church of Death was the most perfect ending.

He glanced around at Saju, looked at the soldiers present, and loudly ordered: "The Church of Death has gone mad and murdered His Excellency the Speaker! The entire army will continue to investigate all nobles who colluded with the Church of Death and avenge His Excellency the Speaker!"

"Yes!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices soaring into the sky.

Kane nodded slightly, turned around and boarded the ship he had come from, heading back towards the parliament hall.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles downstream in the capital, a heated debate was taking place in the royal court's council of nobles, condemning Kane's actions.