Above the mage

Chapter 286 Recruiting the Snowfield Guardians

It wasn't just the dark tentacles of the [Energy Drain] spell that disappeared.

The instant the Inquisitor Ryan turned into an ice sculpture, all the skeleton mages in the camp, who had been displaying their power just moments before, instantly had the phosphorescent flames in their eye sockets extinguished.

Then, these skeletons, now devoid of their soul fire, began to make crackling sounds.

First, their joints loosen, then their sternum, spine, until the entire skeleton collapses, turning into lifeless, scattered bones on the ground.

The camp, which had been in complete chaos due to the sneak attack by these skeleton mages, has returned to calm.

After drawing her bow and firing the three deadly arrows that killed Ryan, Sunefa's legs buckled, and she almost collapsed to her knees on the snow.

An unprecedented feeling of weakness was overwhelming her body.

The method used to finally kill Ryan seemed to be nothing more than a simple three-arrow strike, with nothing special about it.

But the dangers and operations behind the scenes are actually beyond the knowledge of outsiders.

If three arrows were truly enough to easily kill Ryan, why would Sunefa have bothered with Ryan for so long? Wouldn't it have been better to just activate her ultimate skill the moment she equipped [Breath of the Wild]?

This isn't a theatrical performance; ending the battle too quickly would affect attendance.

The second of the three great principles of magic: Never let others know about your magic.

During the previous chase and tug-of-war, Sunefa launched a continuous attack, aiming to find out the details of the zombie behemoth summoned by Ryan.

Ryan's understanding of her magic was limited to the arrows of pure ice she shot, unaware that she also had a "ultimate move" of shooting three arrows at once.

This is one of them.

Secondly, although Sunefa had figured out the zombie behemoth's background, Ryan's background was still unknown.

Therefore, she could only wait for Ryan to launch a magical attack first, and take advantage of the moment when he was distracted and unable to cast defensive or life-saving spells, which is the so-called "aftercast" time, before launching her own "ultimate attack".

Furthermore, it must be ensured that Ryan's magical attacks have a magical trajectory, so that she can use the absolute speed of her True Ice Arrow to overtake him and kill him first.

Fortunately, she got this opportunity.

Just as she had predicted, the zombie behemoth, even at the cost of self-destruction, was still unable to withstand her three arrows fired simultaneously.

Of course, operations and planning are one thing, but what truly enabled Sunefa to defeat enemies of higher ranks was her unparalleled strength and the support of [Breath of the Wild].

Why is fighting across the ring so difficult?

The biggest reason is actually the suppression of low-level spells by high-level spells.

Even the most powerful fourth-ring mage cannot cast a single fifth-ring spell.

These are the rules, the ironclad laws, and they cannot be broken.

This means that a fourth-circle mage is inherently at a disadvantage when facing a fifth-circle mage due to the difference in their magical abilities.

It's like a martial arts master facing off against an elite special forces soldier with a gun. In terms of individual strength alone, the martial arts master might be superior to the special forces soldier.

But they had guns.

The fifth ring spell is "gun".

that is it.

But Sunifa is different.

Because she has [Blizzard].

【Blizzard】is the magic weapon of Boreas himself, who is an eighth-ring archmage.

[Blizzard] is an eighth-tier magical weapon.

Its power depends on the user's own strength.

Therefore, if Sunaf is strong enough, even if she is only a fourth-ring spellcaster, she can still use Blizzard to unleash attacks comparable to fifth-ring spells.

This is the basis of her battle across the rings.

The final piece of the puzzle is the [Breath of the Wild] contraption, which reduces mana cost by 62%, allowing Sunefa to break through her limits and unleash a "triple arrow" that would normally require five rings to fire.

The level suppression of mages in this world is still too powerful. Seeing Ryan turn into an ice sculpture, Gao De finally breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Sunafa is undoubtedly a top-tier fourth-ring mage, possessing a top-tier magical weapon like [Blizzard], while Ryan is clearly just a weak fifth-ring mage who has only recently advanced.

According to the novels he read in his previous life, a "prodigy" of Sunafa's caliber should be able to cut down a minor Karamina like Ryan by leaping a major realm, as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.

However, it was only after being armed with the [Breath of the Wild] that Sunefa was able to defeat Ryan with such difficulty.

Here.

After resting for a while, with the buff from [Breath of the Wild] that increased both stamina and mana recovery, Sunefa recovered.

She walked toward Gaode, her body shimmering with scales, and the [Breath of the Wild] fell off, simultaneously returning to its original size and shape.

"My King." Sunaf presented the Breath of the Wild to God.

"It suits you well; from now on, Breath of the Wild is yours." Gao De did not accept Breath of the Wild.

This is a set of Tier 4 rune constructs, which can only be equipped by a fourth-ring mage.

He has only recently been promoted to the first ring, and the fourth ring is still a long way off.

Rather than letting [Breath of the Wild] sit unused in my possession, I'd rather give it to Sunefa so she can make the most of it.

With rune constructs equipped, Sunaf can essentially be considered half a fifth-ring mage.

After Ryan was killed by her, there should be no more native fifth-ring mages in the North.

Translated, it means: "I, Sunefa, am invincible in the North!"

Having such a formidable military force is crucial to Sunefair's vision of unifying the North.

Therefore, Gaode was reluctant to part with a set of precious fourth-tier rune constructs.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." A faint hint of joy flashed in Sunaf's deep blue eyes.

Clearly, she is extremely fond of [Breath of the Wild].

She didn't stand on ceremony with Gaode. In her opinion, the entire Zhenbing tribe belonged to Gaode, so why be polite?

After solemnly accepting the [Breath of the Wild], Sunefa couldn't help but take another look at Gaode.

If her initial support for God as the new king of the Zhenbing tribe stemmed from the prophecy of the War Mother Oretia, which she was compelled to uphold, then now she has a new sense of identification with God as her new king.

"The mastermind behind all this, Ryan, has been killed, my king. Shall we return to Phoenix, or...?" Sunefa asked God for his opinion again.

"Back to Phoenix?" God shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Since Ryan has already advanced to the fifth ring, and through the necromancy practice of 'Undead Ritual,' and was able to ambush here early, it's highly likely that he has already 'unified' the Snowfield Guardians."

He calmly uttered a very cruel statement.

"Ryan is dead, so there's no need for the Snowfield Guardians to exist anymore."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Sunafa's eyes.

Clearly, Gaode's decision coincided with her thoughts.

After a brief period of rest and recuperation, the battle damage has been assessed.

In total, two third-ring Iceborn mages, six second-ring Iceborn mages, and eleven first-ring Iceborn mages were sacrificed.

Most of them were caught off guard in the first wave of attacks, caught off guard by the skeleton mages that suddenly appeared from the snow. They were killed before they could even cast a spell, their heads torn apart.

Ryan, relying on his familiarity with the snowfield geography, launched a night raid that only a necromancer could accomplish, and the results were indeed remarkable.

There must be corresponding gains for every sacrifice.

Killing Ryan would only be considered paying for a blood debt, not a gain.

Therefore, at sunrise the next day, the main force of the Zhenbing Army was fully prepared and set off once again towards the location of the Icefield Temple.

After another four days of trekking, this time without any setbacks, accidents, or obstacles, the main force of the Zhenbing tribe finally entered the area only twenty kilometers away from the Icefield Temple.

The Zhenbing people did not conceal their movements, nor could they. Such a large-scale troop march would be difficult to avoid being seen by others on the vast snowfield.

Therefore, as soon as the main force stepped into the border of the Icefield Temple, the high-ring mages in the Icefield Temple, along with all the members of the temple, were already waiting there anxiously and fearfully.

"War Mother, Lord Goddard," Loych, who had been imprisoned by Ryan, had already been released because of her past interactions with Goddard. At this moment, she was even chosen as the representative of the Snowfield Guardians to communicate with Goddard.

Loich waved his hand, and the crowd behind him parted to the sides, making way for a wide passage.

Subsequently, more than a dozen captured mages were brought out.

"These are some of Ryan's subordinates, who have also studied forbidden necromancy under Ryan. We went to great lengths to capture them, and even suffered casualties. Some of them sensed something was wrong and escaped, but we will definitely bring them to justice as soon as possible and personally send them to Phoenix."

"As you said before, as long as we hand over Judge Ryan and all his accomplices, the Zhenbing Tribe will immediately withdraw after receiving them."

"Things are different now. Ryan ambushed us a few days ago, intending to kill me and Sunefa. His intentions are sinister." Gao De's expression was indeed calm, as if he did not recognize Loych. He did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

He waved his hand as well, and the large group behind him parted to the sides, where Ryan, who had been turned into an ice sculpture, was carried out.

Loich was already sweating profusely when he heard God's words, and his vision went black when he saw Ryan's body.

Although Ryan had promised to personally deal with the main force of the Zhenbing Tribe and leave the Icefield Temple, the Zhenbing Tribe's main force did not stop, and they had already vaguely guessed that Ryan might have been killed. But now that they actually saw Ryan's body with their own eyes, they still couldn't believe it.

Ryan was a fifth-ring necromancer! How did he die at their hands?

"War Mother, Lord Gaode, this matter truly has nothing to do with us. We all abide by the doctrine and have never been involved in any improper matters."

"All those heinous acts were committed by Ryan and his men. We were neither aware of them nor involved. In fact, to establish his own authority, Ryan even cruelly murdered Archbishop Rune, who did not support him."

Loich quickly began to explain, stating that Ryan's actions had nothing to do with the Snowfield Guardians.

His tone was urgent and sincere, as were the expressions of the Icefield Temple mages behind him, who were afraid of incurring his wrath.

"Whether it matters or not is not up to you to decide." However, Gao De's expression remained icy cold, showing no sign of emotion.

Looking at Gao De's cold expression and then at Sunafa's subservient attitude, Loych was at his wit's end. He cursed inwardly at the higher-ups who had pushed him out to communicate. Was this a job that a human being could do?

But for the sake of his sect, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue apologizing.

"What can we, the guardians of the snowfields, do to appease your anger and make amends for our mistakes?"

"From this day forward, there will be no more Snowfield Guardians. All your sect's assets, including all resources, all members, and your numerous branch churches in the North, belong to Phoenix," God said calmly.

He had already made up his mind on the way here regarding how to deal with the Snowfield Guardians:

To incorporate.

As soon as Gao De finished speaking, Loich and all the Icefield Temple mages behind him changed their expressions drastically.

"This... Our doctrine is to protect the snowfields, and we are not allowed to submit to a northern tribe." Loich was speechless for a moment, wiping non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, not knowing what to say.

"Your submission to Ryan under duress demonstrates that your doctrines are not inviolable."

"Do you think that we, who were able to kill Ryan, are not as strong as Ryan?" Before Loich could finish his question, God interrupted him.

His words were very direct, simply referring to the use of force to suppress the enemy.

Submit or die.

The Snowfield Guardians originally had three fourth-ring mages. Ryan advanced to the fifth ring and, in the process, killed Archbishop Rune, who was also a fourth-ring mage.

And now Ryan has been killed by Sunaf.

In a short period of time, only one of the three leaders of the Snowfield Guardians remained: Chief Quentin, whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

How could such a guardian of the snowfields possibly contend with the massive army of the True Ice Tribe led by Sunefa, who was armed with runic constructs?

"Lord God, this is not something I can decide. Archbishop Rune was killed by the Inquisitor Ryan, and he died at your hands. Now, the only person in the sect with decision-making power is Chief Quentin. However, Chief Quentin's whereabouts are currently unknown. Perhaps we should wait for him to return?" Loich was still struggling.

"I don't have the time to wait for him to come back. If Chief Quentin has any objections to this matter, he can go to Phoenix to argue with us."

Gao De said calmly, only emphasizing the word "theory" slightly.

"Now, I'm giving you two choices: within ten breaths, either submit to Zhenbing or die." He had no patience to argue with these people any longer.

Since we have absolute power to suppress them, why bother with all these roundabout methods? We can just crush them directly.

As Gao De finished speaking, an Iceborn mage stepped forward from behind him and began counting down in a completely emotionless tone.

"Ten"

"Nine"

"."

"three"

Each countdown was like an invisible blade, slicing through the last vestige of resistance in the hearts of those present.

"I submit to Zhenbing." When the count reached three, someone finally began to kneel down.

In fact, they had wanted to submit for a long time.

With two of the sect's three top leaders dead, its decline is inevitable.

The Holy Inquisitor Ryan led the way in practicing forbidden necromancy and committing evil deeds. From this perspective, the reputation of the Snowfield Guardians over the years has actually been largely ruined.

The Zhenbing tribe is the number one tribe in the Northern Territory. Submitting to such an existence is not a loss of face, so why throw away your life for nothing?

The reason I only knelt down and surrendered now was because I thought that if I dragged it out a little longer, at least I would appear to have more integrity by the time it was "three". Kneeling down and surrendering at "ten" would make me seem too cowardly and afraid of death, wouldn't it?

The appearance of the first person to submit was like opening Pandora's box. The psychological defenses of the other Icefield Temple mages, who were still hesitating, collapsed instantly, and they all knelt down.

"two"

As the word "two" echoed, Loych gritted his teeth and finally knelt down, burying his head.

Before the word "one" could even be uttered, there were no longer any Icefield Temple mages still standing.

(End of this chapter)