"This…" The Third Prince stood on the ground, looking at the shattered ground, the crushed trees, and the destroyed bushes.
Although most of them had been burned, there was still some blood splattered everywhere. He could still easily find some of the sources and understood that a huge battle had occurred in this place.
He couldn't help but recall what had happened a few hours ago.
He was waiting for the good news in the neighboring city. But instead of good news, he actually received the opposite.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Instead of knocking down on his door, someone dared to bang his door.
The Third Prince was annoyed and planned to confront whoever it was. But the moment he came out, he found the dying masked man.
"!!!" The Third Prince widened his eyes in shock.
"Sir…" The masked man had a hard time opening his mouth. In fact, with his current injuries, it was surprising that he still managed to stay alive.
The only reason why he could reach this place was because of his strong willpower and hard training.
"What happened?" The Third Prince's body shook. Although he didn't trust the masked man and his people that much, they were still considered an elite team. So, they shouldn't be defeated just like this.
However, the fact was different. His people were defeated so miserably that even the only person that survived almost died.
The masked man gritted his teeth and said his last words. "Leinberd… Walford… attacked us…"
These were the last four words that he managed to utter before his dying breath.
The Third Prince's expression suddenly changed. He never thought that his people would be ambushed by a mere count. Although Marquis Walford was a bit troublesome, he still had enough power to destroy it.
And the masked man had reported the matter about the two nobles to him previously, so he knew that they also wanted the book.
That was why the Third Prince was furious.
"!!!' The Third Prince gritted his teeth and said, "It seems that a mere Count and Marquis dare to stand before me. Do you think I'll forgive both of you after what you have done? You have even stolen the important book!"
The Third Prince knew that the only way to get what he wanted was to destroy the Count and Marquis.
He also received a rumor about the connection between the two nobles and the Supreme Devil Organization.
He gritted his teeth. "It seems that I have to destroy them before the book reaches someone else's hand."
The Third Prince swore that he would retrieve the book. He didn't think about Countess Christina, considering the other party had fulfilled her side of the agreement. And he didn't doubt the masked man's information.
After all, there was a reason why he was the one to lead the elite team and report to him. His ability and judgment were quite good. So, this information must be accurate.
The Third Prince didn't know what actually had transpired during that ambush.
…
A few hours ago.
"Kill them!" The masked man shouted while spurting some blood from his mouth. He was heavily injured after the sneak attack.
Never in his wildest dream that he would find himself being ambushed by four Spirit Masters and fifteen Spirit Wielders. This kind of manpower was far beyond his ability.
Even if he managed to stop two Spirit Masters by himself, the other two could either help them or crush his team.
So, the battle was immediately turned in their favor.
The masked man had no choice but to order a retreat.
In that instant, they began running away while blocking the enemies' relentless attacks. Unfortunately, the enemies continued to overpower them and their people began to fall one by one.
'What is going on? Who has this much manpower? To think they would use so many Spirit Wielders and Spirit Masters just to ambush us…'
The masked man gritted his teeth. He was angry at how the enemies mercilessly killed his subordinates. But he had to remain calm and remember their objective.
Yes, no matter how painful it was, he had to keep going to bring the book to the Third Prince.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't escape.
The four Spirit Masters had surrounded him from three sides.
Knowing he would die if he didn't stop them from utilizing their ability, the masked man had to turn around while gathering all the remaining Spiritual Energy to use his strongest ability to distract them.
The enemies felt the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy and began to activate their ability to counter him.
"Ice Rose!" The masked man shouted, clasping his hands. Suddenly, the massive Spiritual Energy burst out of his hand, forming multiple huge roses. The roses expanded in all directions except for the one where he was going.
It hit all the Spirit Masters, stalling them for a few seconds.
However, there were four Spirit Masters covering only three directions. So, one direction ended up having two Spirit Masters.
The enemies were quick-witted enough to split their roles. One of them blocked the attack while the other shot out an attack to immobilize him.
"!!!" After using his strongest ability, the masked man had a hard time circulating his energy. And this was the time he saw the incoming attack.
He couldn't help but grit his teeth. This attack would surely hit him.
'My Prince…' The masked man thought he wouldn't be able to deliver the book or the information.
But it seemed that fortune was smiling upon him.
Suddenly, there was a figure falling from the sky, slashing the attack aimed toward him.
*Bam!*
The ability exploded, engulfing both of them.
The masked man didn't know what happened, but within that smoke, he felt that the shock wave from the explosion hit the chest he carried and ended up knocking it down.
"The chest!" The masked man gritted his teeth as he had to retrieve the book.
But at the same time, he heard the unknown figure's voice.
"This ability… It shouldn't be the Captain of Marquis Walford, right? And that blocking ability should be Count Leinberd's strongest knight…"
