Chapter 8, Flames of Death

Even at this moment, the soldiers of the Edge Cloud maintain a terrifying calm. Few are rushing towards the direction of the major general; they understand that the mage is the true and pressing threat at this time

The soldiers of the edge cloud, who continuously broke free from the "Bonds of the Divine," completely overturned the concept of the term "human" in the minds of the enemy. As for the power gap that Modalu had always believed existed between court mages and low-level fire energy practitioners, it now appeared to be nothing more than an absurd joke.

"Sir, do you not find today's events somewhat amusing?" The earlier blue-robed mage had not participated in the search and slowly walked up behind the major general

"Why should I leave?" Modalu roared as he swung a fist, the surging fiery air of his punch shattering the entire upper body of the man beside him. "Since I cannot escape fear, I might as well crush it with my own hands!"

Outside the light shield, the few edge cloud soldiers were on the verge of breaking down, desperately trying to shatter the barrier that had just vanished at that moment. A raging wind surged in, sweeping past their bodies, while simultaneously carrying away their indomitable souls

The glow of the edge of the clouds seems to be quietly and silently dimming down

Several wizards waved their hands in unison, and elemental orbs intertwined and shimmered in the air, shooting towards the soldiers on the periphery. In the back row, a blue-robed mage slowly ascended into the air, reciting the incantation for wind magic. As he gently moved his hands, a fierce and howling airflow gradually began to swirl, roaring throughout the entire light barrier

The same glowing orbs continuously spun and generated from the hands of several blue-robed mages, flying swiftly in all directions. Mendita had long retreated to the side of the major general, working alongside Mattis to guard two different positions, engaged in a fierce battle. However, the line of new recruits behind the mages remained orderly and upright. They stood rigidly in place, their faces ashen. Each one, like the major general, was terrified by the unfolding events before them.

In the soldier's gradually dimming eyes, a peculiar glimmer began to shine: "Little Sajia... he can survive..."

Matisse dared not speak much, and together with Mendita, they gathered the remaining new recruits, each leading a team and hurried away. Both of them were already covered in wounds. Matisse had a broken arm and a large vertical gash on his back; Mendita had one eye burned blind by the searing heat, his face smeared with blood, appearing extremely terrifying. The worries and fears that loomed in their hearts vanished without a trace when the sound of the mage's flight broke through the air behind them. The two traitors unconsciously quickened their pace, and their expressions became more relaxed. The current Kamray resembled a dying dragon, while the mage was the sharpest dragon-slaying spear!

Kana seemed unable to endure the intense smell of blood in the air, and walked towards the fortress gate: "Since it is like this, I hope this performance will have a perfect finale"

"No, I just want to exchange for a chance to survive," the soldier of the edge said with difficulty, a smile on his face. Blood continuously flowed from his mouth, streaming down his jaw and staining the tightening hand a deep red

An old soldier, already with crippled legs, exerted immense effort to break the light cord on his right arm, and immediately severed his left arm, crawling towards the location of Modalu with one hand. Although he was shot through the skull by a light sphere moments later, the speed and strangeness exhibited by this non-human form as it crawled and writhed left the onlookers feeling that these Border Cloud people could no longer be considered human, but rather a group of demons crawling out of hell, gnawing on flesh and blood organs.

From the moment the curtain was drawn back, it was destined to be perfect... Modalu revealed a sinister smile, suddenly rising to her feet, and after a few leaps, soared high into the air, darting into the vast and dense forest beyond the edge of the clouds

A crisp sound erupted behind Modalu, followed by the sound of bones shattering. The major general turned around in confusion, only to see Matisse, pale-faced, cradling his broken right arm, gritting his teeth as he shielded himself behind.

The veteran was unarmed, his only arm already broken. Fiery flames erupted violently from his body, scattering pieces of flesh and blood. At his feet, he staggered and ran, emitting a low, chilling "gurgling" laugh from his throat. The blood spilling from his lips made his teeth appear dazzlingly white. In the moment just before the encounter, he suddenly leaped up, mouth wide open, as if he intended to bite the major general to death.

Modalu shook his head vigorously, trying to make his mind clearer. The scenes before him intertwined and overlapped, and a buzzing sound filled his ears. He felt like a trapped individual who knew he was deep in a nightmare but was powerless to escape, filled with panic and confusion. Behind his head, an arm radiating golden flames was silently descending.

Kamei was the last person to activate the "God of War's Death Pact." He merely increased the intensity of the flames to nearly double their height, freeing himself from the surrounding light restraints. After glancing around, he reached out to pick up Saka and smiled gently, saying, "Son, are you afraid?"

Distance is often the key factor that allows magic to surpass martial skills. It is evident that the people of Bianyun, who had never dealt with mages before, quickly realized this after lying among a dozen corpses. The surging flames within them made their movements swift as phantoms. Golden figures, continuously ablaze, weaved and scattered, approaching the mage from all directions. Whether soaring through the air or crawling like serpents, each slight explosion from their bodies would send chunks of flesh flying. As the fiery shadows passed, long and winding trails of blood marked the ground. The relentless enhancement of their power meant that each individual faced the possibility of exploding at any moment; this was a way of fighting that consumed their lives, and at the same time, it was the vengeful fire that burned the souls of their enemies.

Matisse hesitated for a moment and said softly, "My lord, since Kamray was able to break free from his restraints, he must have activated the 'God of War's Death Pact.' I fear that before we even find him, he may already be dead..."

The ferocity of the Seventh Order Flame Qi is beyond the imagination of the soldiers from the Border Cloud. The Major General almost instantaneously eliminated all the attackers around him. As he grasped the throat of the last Border Cloud soldier, he asked, somewhat perplexed: "What has given you such great courage? Is it a desire for death?"

The mage covered her mouth and let out a faint yawn, her voice clear and melodious as she said: "You have exchanged the lives of nearly half the new recruits for a traitor. The most important Captain Bian Yunchong actually escaped without a trace right under your nose. Had I known it would come to this, you should have killed everyone from the very beginning, rather than staging a farce."

Before the mage was impacted, it was the new recruits in the lineup

Modalu's expression changed dramatically. As he turned his head to look around, he could no longer find even a trace of Kamrei and Sajia! In his anger, he crushed the neck bone of the soldier in his hand, using the flames to scorch the bloodstains on his palm, and shouted at several mages from a distance: "Where are they? Where is that squad leader and his son?"

"You traitor of the border cloud, how does it feel? Isn’t it rather unpleasant?" A bloodied and disfigured man from the border cloud cackled ominously. Just moments ago, Mattis had blocked his sneak attack on the general with his arm; the result of their fiery clash was that Mattis's arm was instantly broken, while the man appeared unfazed.

Modalu frowned slightly: "Ridiculous? What do you mean?"

A spherical light orb the size of an egg, radiating a translucent, jade-like yellow, silently shot forth. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the light orb effortlessly penetrated the veteran's forehead, traversing the entire cranial cavity, and dislodging a sizable fragment of the occipital bone, which vanished in the air in a flash. This terrifying blow almost instantaneously snatched away the veteran's life; his body, suspended in mid-air, fell to the ground as if struck by lightning. Until he drew his last breath, the single eye on his shattered face remained fixed on Modalu, filled with resentment and ferocity. This terrifying blow almost instantaneously snatched away the veteran's life; his body, suspended in mid-air, fell to the ground as if struck by lightning. Until he drew his last breath, the single eye on his shattered face remained fixed on Modalu, filled with resentment and ferocity

Kamei's expression was slightly dim, as he gently stroked Saka's head, silently rising in stature

"Adult! Adult!" Matisse leaned back, barely evading a direct strike that came rushing at him, and shouted hoarsely.

Modalu frowned in disgust: "Survival? Are you foolish enough to think you can still live?"

Modalu unexpectedly did not get angry and replied in a low voice: "Miss Kana, you are right, I too would be very pleased to eliminate these beasts. However, if I do not attempt such a method of recruitment, I would not even gain a single traitor. Moreover, this traitor is worth far more than a thousand new recruits"

Modalu gazed at the figures of his subordinates gradually disappearing into the night, his expression shifting unpredictably, revealing a hint of unease

Modalu stood frozen in place, helplessly watching as the blood-soaked veteran charged closer, as if caught in a spell of paralysis, unable to move an inch. Despite possessing the formidable strength of seventh-tier flame energy, he now felt a cold, viscous substance rapidly growing and taking shape in his chest cavity, wrapping around his heart. Although he had not experienced this feeling for many years, the major general knew that this was fear. In an instant, time seemed to rewind abruptly, and Modalu found himself back in the small garden of his childhood. Before him, swaying with its head held high, was a green-eyed python as thick as an adult's thigh.

Matiste lunged forward, straining to parry the man's furious strike with his left hand: "My lord! You must leave at once!"

Several blue-robed mages, struggling to suppress their urge to vomit, shot elemental orbs towards the cluster of wooden stakes. This single-target spell, which consumed very little magical power, was concise, possessed an unimaginable casting speed, and was extremely easy to avoid collateral damage. The reason most of the light orbs failed to hit their targets and vanished into the vast night sky was not only due to the enemies' evasion but also because the mages' hands were trembling, uncontrollably shaking.

The slender fingers of the blue-robed mage danced gracefully, reminiscent of orchids in bloom. Countless tiny, densely packed blades of wind whistled and twisted, forming invisible columns of tornadoes that slanted down from the sky, drawing towards the bodies of several nearby cloud men. A torrential rain of blood instantly poured down, and several white, skeletal frames fell to the ground in succession, shattering into pieces.

Matisse and Mendita were both covered in blood, struggling to hold their ground, standing steadfastly beside the major general without retreating an inch. The former comrades who had activated the God of War's death pact were beyond their capacity to handle. In just a few brief encounters, the seven or eight Border Cloud rebels surrounding them had plunged the two into a perilous situation. Had it not been for the distant mage who took down several of them with elemental orbs, the two Border Cloud traitors would likely have already fallen on the spot.

As time passes, nearly half of the edge cloud soldiers inside and outside the light shield have self-destructed. Compared to the Wika who perished in the Gobi, they have almost reduced their survival time by two-thirds. The remaining few are all severely injured, nearly running on empty. Yet, the new recruits in this independent space continue to fall, and with each bright flare of the fiery light, a young life comes to an end. The remaining killers resemble tireless wolves, stubbornly approaching their target at high speed in this cold manner.

"Did you save me?" The Major General seemed to be somewhat coming to his senses

"Do you not see that the corpses around us far outnumber those on your side? As a magician, one cannot afford to be distracted in battle. However, I believe they have likely already fled," said a blue-robed wizard without raising his head.

The radiant glow erupting from the venue has completely overshadowed the surrounding flames. One by one, the soldiers of Bianyun sever the luminous cords binding their bodies, bursting forth with flames engulfing them, drenched in crimson blood, and swiftly breaking free from the stakes. Not everyone possesses the ability to fully escape the "Divine Restraint." Thus, scattered across the ground around the stakes are severed limbs, including half a calf and an entire arm. When the soldiers of Bianyun sever parts of themselves, their faces show no expression; often, a flash of brilliance in their hands signals the severing of a limb, executed with a clean precision akin to peeling away dead skin from the palm. Consequently, the ground around the stakes is littered with severed limbs, including half a calf and an entire arm. When the soldiers of Bianyun sever parts of themselves, their faces show no expression; often, a flash of brilliance in their hands signals the severing of a limb, executed with a clean precision akin to peeling away dead skin from the palm.

Sajia tightly embraced his father's neck and said: "I am not afraid of those bad people, but I am afraid of you dying. Father, please don't die, okay? Is that alright?"

Modalu waved his hand impatiently: "You and Mendita are familiar with the terrain here. Each of you take a team of new recruits to search the nearby area. We must retrieve him and that little brat before he self-destructs! There are some things I haven't clarified yet, so make sure to bring them back alive to see me"

Although the mages hastily resorted to their old tricks and activated a massive "Holy Light Protection," this layer of pale blue aura enveloped a dozen bodies wrapped in flames. These dozen soldiers from the Border Cloud acted swiftly, swirling into the formation of new recruits like golden whirlwinds. The new recruits, overwhelmed by fear, scattered in all directions, casting aside any ambitions or ideals of defending their country, which had long been forgotten. The continuous screams around them sounded like invisible whips; some ran even faster under the lash, while others had their souls utterly shattered, collapsing to the ground with limp limbs, murmuring prayers of light. This instinctive action had become the only distinction between them and their fallen comrades

Modalu was furious, yet unable to express his anger; his already dark face became even more somber, resembling pitch or ink.