Located a hundred kilometers away from the city of Tristin.
Though it was high noon, the sky seemed enveloped in a reddish-brown haze, as if a volcano were about to erupt. The once-existing town had turned into ruins, filled with the lingering smoke and remnants of war. The collapsed houses were filled with charred limbs and arms, and the air carried a strong scent of blood, dried or evaporated.
The entire town had transformed into a hellish landscape, shrouded in a suffocating sense of oppression. Above the shattered buildings on the town's edge, a red-haired priest stood silently on a pitch-black dragon.
He looked down upon a silver-armored female knight battling a colossal demonic creature. On his face was a faint smile. The female knight's face was already dirtied with blood and ash. Her once radiant holy armor had dulled considerably.
In contrast to the disheveled female knight, the Cardinal of Ruin, Evans, had not shed a single drop of sweat and his robes showed no signs of damage. As if he were enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea, his calm and composed state seemed out of place in the fiery inferno.
Only a few large mansions in the town were still standing, but inside, everyone had been slaughtered. The piled-up bodies bore faces filled with despair and fear.
The entire town resembled a horde of pitch-black beasts, with countless dark and alien figures swiftly moving through every corner. They continued to hunt down surviving civilians and many were heading towards the female knight, launching suicidal attacks.
It appeared that these multiplying and annihilating beasts were undoubtedly the Cardinal of Ruin's doing.
[Multiplying Annihilation Beast]
[Category: Summoning Card]
[Rarity: Orange Epic]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: After killing a unit, transforms its corpse into a derivative annihilation beast that exists for one hour. The derived annihilation beast has a combat power ranging from tier 2 to tier 6. When the derived annihilation beast kills a unit, it can trigger the effect of multiplying annihilation beast. When the summon is released, all derivatives disappear together.]
[Note: Endless! The power of annihilation!]
Originally, no summoner could summon and control so many creatures. But Evans could. The derivatives did not consume the summoner's mana.
[Multiplying Annihilation Beast]'s combat power was much weaker than that of ordinary tier 8 summons; its combat power cannot even reach the level of ordinary tier 7 summons. However, if allowed to multiply within the town, it wouldn't take long for the entire city to be wiped out.
Among the ten cardinals of the Resurgence Church, Evans was not the strongest in a one-on-one fight, but he was one of the most infamous cardinals. What made people turn pale was the fact that Evans had once, with the combination of the [Destruction Demon Lord] and the [Multiplying Annihilation Beast], annihilated a small principality overnight. Both nobles and commoners seemed to have evaporated and the entire principality turned into ruins. Since then, he became the dreaded Cardinal of Ruin.
At this moment, Evans still wore a gentle smile on his face as if he couldn't hear the gradually weakening cries from the town. Although slaughtering civilians had no practical significance for Cardinal Evans in this battle, and it might even help clear enough space for his opponents to maneuver, Evans seemed to be enjoying his unique pleasure. He continuously commanded the annihilation beasts to occasionally grab mutilated and agonizing civilians before ordering the beasts to commit suicide by rushing towards the female knight.
He even maliciously instructed the annihilation beasts to approach the female knight while carrying children, restricting the movements of the female knight. The aftermath of a tier 8 battle was not something both sides could control.
He appreciated the almost crumbling expression on the female knight's face every time she accidentally killed a civilian with her attacks. It was as if he were savoring his afternoon tea.
"Oh my, Miss Knight, this is already the 23rd civilian who accidentally died at your hands," Evans chuckled and calculated before shouting towards the ground. Apparently, counting in the sky was his greatest pleasure right now.
"Evans!!!" The face of the female knight was full of endless sorrow. It seemed like tears of blood were about to flow from her eyes as she fought fiercely on the ground. Her roars sounded like the howls of a wounded beast, extremely miserable.
Although Evans effortlessly played with the female knight in the palm of his hand, it was also challenging for him to kill her quickly. The female knight's greatest feature was her incredibly strong vitality. At tier 8, even if her arm were broken, she could quickly recover. Not to mention she was wearing heavy armor.
In the absence of the main summon, [Destruction Demon Lord], it was a bit difficult for him to forcefully kill the female knight. Of course, Evans didn't need to go all out, as he just needed to hold her back. Moreover, his true formidable opponent had not yet arrived. Other tier 8 forces from the Norton Kingdom would arrive later, and Evans had to hold them back as well.
He needed to conserve mana as much as possible. However, he had felt something odd since a while ago. Mana seemed to be depleting a bit more than he had anticipated. Perhaps the battle on the side of the Ice Princess was more intense. After all, the condition of summoned creatures affected mana consumption. The appearance of summoned creatures and the use of their skills would consume a significant amount of mana per use. Also, the mana consumption of summoned creatures in intense battles would be higher than in standby mode.
Evans took out the [Super Long-range Communication Magic] and tapped on the card surface, but there was no response. Isabel had lost contact for quite some time. Presumably, they had reached a critical moment on that side. So, it should be about time to wrap things up on his end.
"Even if you escape the borders of Norton, I will hunt you down until the very end!!" The female knight, with a face covered in bloodstains, roared with sorrow like a blood-crying cuckoo. She appeared incredibly ferocious and terrifying.
"Hehe, you're not enough for that," Evans admired the expression of the female knight, feeling particularly satisfied. The feeling of someone on the verge of madness, wanting to kill him but unable to touch him, was truly wonderful!
Suddenly, at that moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the sky! In the dim sky, an unprecedentedly large lightning bolt streaked across! The deafening thunder seemed to momentarily frighten all the summoned creatures and derivatives on the battlefield! Then, instantly, a clear and bright white light shone over the town! Like a white lightning strike coming horizontally, it directly engulfed the position where Cardinal Evans was!
With a loud bang, the black dragon that Evans was riding on wailed before being obliterated by the lightning. The light dispersed. Evans, still floating in mid-air, looked unharmed, but a ring on his finger had dimmed. Obviously, he had just used a precious item to block the attack of this tier 8 magic.
"And what if I join in?" Before Evans could lock onto the target of the attack, a cold and majestic voice echoed from all directions simultaneously! This voice seemed to come from a distance but also sounded as if it were right next to the ears! It was the voice of a man, cold to the extreme.
"Oh my, have you finally arrived, Grand Sage of the Kuran Territory?"
This sudden turn of events didn't surprise Evans much. Instead, there was a feeling as if the host was apologizing to the guest for a long wait. The female knight seemed to be just an appetizer for Evans. The newly arrived "Grand Sage" of the Norton Kingdom was the opponent worthy of a bit more attention.
The female knight was the first to react. She threw her long sword like a swift arrow through the air, piercing the position where Evans's head was. However, Evans seemed to have anticipated it. He had already tilted his head slightly, and the sword only left a faint scratch on his cheek.
"Oh dear, oh dear, if your sword had a bit less innocent civilian blood, maybe you would’ve been able to aim more accurately," Evans raised his hand, wiping away the bloodstains on his face with a contemptuous smile.
The female knight stood on the ground, panting heavily, her eyes red. However, Evans didn't pay much attention to her, continuing to entangle her with summoned creatures. He summoned a flying dragon once again and swiftly departed without looking back.
Soon, thunderous roars echoed in the sky above the town. Lightning on the ground seemed like a raging river, accompanied by the faint groans of magical creatures. In just a few seconds, almost all the derivatives left by Evans on the ground were dead or injured. Only a few of the strongest summoned creatures remained.
Like lightning taking human form, a middle-aged man holding a staff appeared beside the female knight with a dignified expression. "You deal with Evans; leave the annihilation beasts and other summoned creatures to me."
The man, referred to by Evans as the Grand Sage, needed to stop the annihilation beasts from spreading like a virus to nearby towns. Otherwise, it would evolve into an uncontrollable disaster. Only he, possessing large-scale area of effect magic, could quickly clear out these annihilation beasts.
The female knight nodded and leaped into the sky to chase after Evans.
"Oh dear, oh dear, mages can be quite a headache," Evans sighed with a hint of frustration in his laughter.
Disregarding the cards in one’s deck, mages of the same tier have an easier time dealing with summoners as they could clear the field quickly. Summoners, on the other hand, found knights much more manageable as knights surrounded by summoned creatures appeared clumsy.
Knights had an easier time against mages. With their resistance and physical attributes maxed out, they were able to simply charge headfirst without much thought.
Despite this, there was no sign of nervousness on Evans's face. The annihilation beasts had spread so much that they were enough to keep the Grand Sage occupied for quite some time. As for the female knight... the crude warrior was simply not a cause for concern. Strength, in Evans's view, was merely the most insignificant attribute.
Turning around, Evans saw a silver shadow quickly darting from the ruins! The figure of the female knight approached rapidly before unleashing a martial skill. A faint glow emanated from her sword as she gripped it with both hands. She instantly closed the distance between her and Evans. The sword swung and a light curtain immediately appeared in the sky.
Evans had no intention of pausing; he opened his spellbook and a dark aura emanated from him. He collided with the sword curtain created by the female knight! Instantly, the female knight felt a chilling and eerie breath on her sword. This coldness made her shudder and she felt her fingers stiffening. It was almost impossible for her to hold onto the sword hilt. Then, a powerful force collided with the sword. Unable to resist, she felt as if her entire body had been paralyzed, and, with a groan, her sword fell to the ground. The female knight was thrown back and landed heavily on the ground.
Her skirt seemed as if it had been corroded. Her tightly pursed lips indicated significant injury. However, the wounds on her body seemed to be affected by a blessing and were visibly recovering.
"Hehehe, did you think facing the essence of a summoner would guarantee victory?" Evans let out a cold laugh, and his eyes seemed to have phantom shadows drifting within them. Even if he released a [Destruction Demon King] and had to use all other summoned creatures to hold off the Grand Sage, he still had no fear of this female knight. After all, any cardinal of the Resurgence Church was not someone an ordinary tier 8 powerhouse could easily defeat. Evans was so formidable not just because he had powerful magic cards but also due to his monstrous physical attributes. His Spirit attribute growth was SS, and both his Intelligence and Strength were S. So, while being a summoner, he was not weaker than a tier 8 spell tank!
Even if he were to change his profession to a priest, he could bring about extremely high healing output and status bonuses with his extraordinary Spirit and Strength attributes.
"Scroun…drel..."
The female knight struggled to prop herself up on the ground, her hands trembling. Only now did she truly feel the despair of Evans's strength. His earlier attitude towards her, playing with her like a cat with a mouse, was not an act but rather a display of pride.
Even among tier 8 experts, one could sense that Evans was a humanoid catastrophe. To defeat him, she would need to hold on until another tier 8 expert arrived to support.
The closest tier 8 expert was undoubtedly the Ice Princess. However, the female knight also knew that earlier, the direction in which the [Destruction Demon King] had flown was toward the city of Tristin. Right now, the Ice Princess must be engaged in a fierce battle. Perhaps she is still waiting for their support.
If it weren't for the need to stop the catastrophic disaster caused by the [Multiplying Annihilation Beasts], the Grand Sage would have rushed to Tristin City first.
"Are you thinking that maybe there will be other reinforcements later?" Evans seemed to have sensed the female knight's thoughts, asking with a playful tone.
"..." The female knight gritted her teeth, raising her sword, vigilant against Evans.
"Don't dream. Tristin City will probably be slaughtered soon, and when the Ice Princess comes over..."
Evans paused, his gaze gradually gaining a sinister look.
"She will become my companion, ahahaha!"
His laughter was maniacal, as if the entire Norton Kingdom was his playground.
