Chapter 114 Red Flag
Lesley had already noticed that something was wrong after she heard how these Barbarians occupied the outermost camp of their forces.
She realized that the Barbarians were extremely organized with their operations and although their joint army had also killed many of them, they were unable to kill those important figures within their ranks.
They haven't killed any Barbarian Champion or even a Barbarian Chieftain at all.
They have probably killed a few Barbarian Mages but they were just users of the Grimoires… In short, they were only weak barbarians who only know has sufficient mana to activate the Grimoires which can be said to be a very easy thing to do.
They weren't able to kill any Barbarian Wizards at all who can truly wield impressive Mana Arts that could threaten even a Master Magician at her level.
"Hmm… I guess we have to eliminate these Barbarians quickly so we can help that scattered Vice Generals." Lesley muttered as she assessed the situation.
As soon as she made up her mind, she immediately commanded her clansmen and the other soldiers who didn't have anyone to follow because of the sudden chaos.
"I am Lesley Zemin! We need to hurry and eliminate the Barbarians in front! They are only here to buy some time! Follow my lead!"
With her voice amplified, many people heard her and finally calmed down. Many soldiers also realized that their commanders are missing so the squad leaders and other captains decided to rally behind Lesley. After all, she's a figure that had truly helped them in the crisis that they faced so it was quite acceptable to follow her for now.
Soon, the two Arch Knights who were following her formed their own team with their clansmen as they absorbed the forces from Hallux City and Arms City.
Although the two Vice Generals and Xian of the Jung Clan went ahead already, there are still over 400 knights and soldiers within the fourth camp not including the 30 Master Magicians of the Blue Storm Army who went behind to form an encirclement.
They seem to be preparing something in case a group of Barbarians managed to enter their camp's perimeter.
"Follow the Wind Magician! Lesley Zemin!"
"Our reinforcements will arrive in the next two hours! We can do this!"
"Let's win this fight!"
Lesley couldn't help but smile after seeing that everyone's morale was back on track but she still felt it was quite inappropriate to call her a Wind Magician…
"Hmph… I'm not even doing well with Wind Element." Lesley muttered as she lead her group while running towards the barbarian warriors and archers ahead of them.
"Haha! You're right, young miss. They will probably be surprised if they know that you're just practicing your fourth element conversion."
One of the Arch Knights behind her laughed as he knows the truth behind Lesley's abilities.
She is actually one of the few geniuses of Mana Arts Cultivation.
Most Master Magicians were already satisfied if they could master one element. It would be even better if it's a strong element like ice or fire.
They would use several years or decades to master this element until they become capable of wielding it like an extension of their arm. To do this, they will learn several Mana Arts with that element and master them to a Perfect state.
Right now, Lesley was thinking of revealing her other Element mastery to surprise the Barbarians to end this battle quickly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The warriors led by Xian finally clashed against the almost three-meter tall warriors of the Barbarians.
They weren't afraid of facing these giants at all because of their Mana Shied and rare armors.
More than that, they have sword techniques that could pierce through the tough skin of these barbarians.
"Kill!"
The chaos finally started as the Mana Arts Practitioners fought against the fearsome Barbarians of the East.
***
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
"Sir Vincent and Sir Severin, there is a message from the General." Knight Claude reported outside the carriage while riding his stallion.
Vincent then opened the window of the carriage as he asked Claude to report the situation.
"We will be hurrying a bit since we have received a report that the Barbarians commenced a large-scale operation to occupy the fourth camp…"
"W-what? Is it dangerous? What's the situation?" Vincent worriedly asked.
His fiancé is in the fourth camp leading her clansmen after all. Although she's protected by a few strong people from the Zemin Clan, the Barbarians weren't simple enemies either. If they are, there was no way that the Star Garden Sect was destroyed!
"We're not sure… The scouts from afar just noticed the smoke signal and informed us that there is another wave of attack from the Barbarians. General Yves wanted to inform everyone that we will move faster and we might be engaging against the Barbarians as soon as we arrive there. Anyway, you don't have to worry that much since we won't be letting you join the fight."
Knight Claude gave his guarantee but Vincent knows that in a chaotic battle, anything can happen.
He also heard that there are many Barbarians that are three meters tall. Most of them were the vanguards or warriors fighting on the front lines.
Although there were two-meter tall barbarians as well, they were mostly Mages who were staying at the back.
In short, it won't be easy to stop the Barbarians' advance with their huge build together with the support of the Barbarian Mages.
Vincent and Severin then prepared themselves inside their carriage. There would surely be many injured people once they arrived there.
Severin can also treat normal injuries with his skills while Vincent can use his 'knowledge' in potions to help them quickly recover.
Of course, Vincent also made sure to wear all his equipment and weapons.
[ Tome of Skills +9 ] [ Epic ]
[ Wolf Leather Gauntlet +9 ] [ Unique ]
[ Wolf Leather Shin Guard +9 ] [ Unique ]
[ Silver Ruin Dagger +9 ] [ Unique ]
[ Damaged Soul-Forged Ironbark Cane +9 ] [ Unique ]
[ Star Gazer Talisman + 9 ] [ Rare ]
[ Poison Immunity Talisman +9] [ Unique ]
"Right… My Cane is badly damaged…"
Vincent frowned as he checked the Cane's durability. It was only 25 out of 350 points.
Since his cane is quite special as it is a 'Soul-Forged' type, not any weaponsmith or magic craftsman would be capable of repairing it.
'Anyway… I just need to ascend this cane to fill its durability.' Vincent thought as he looked at Severin who was busy checking the treatment items within his bag.
'Whatever… I'll just explain if he notices any special effects after the ascension.'
As soon as he thought of this, he no longer waited as he pulled out the Ascension Card that he has. Anyway, he's the only one who could see this card.
[ Ascension Card found. Would you like to use 1 Ascension Card to Ascend this item? ]
'Yes!'
Vincent answered as he held the cane tightly.
As expected, the ascension created a mini effect as the weapon's rarity changed into Epic!
[ Ascension Successful. ]
'Good! Appraise!'
[ Appraisal has been successful. ]
[ You have discovered a Soul-Forged Ironbark Cane. ]
[ Soul-Forged Ironbark Cane +9 ]
[ Quality: Epic
Number of Enhancements: 9/10
Durability: 470/470
Crush: +445
Description: An ascended cane that is suited for battle. It is carved from the exclusive Ironbark to form the base of the cane. It is decorated with gilded patterns and only leaves the handle untouched which has been decorated with scale-like stubs.
Remarks: Special Crush Attribute found. Durability and Crush attributes will be upgraded in every enhancement. ]
[ Ensnare: In exchange for 10 units of mana, multiple targets within 30 meters of the user will be trapped by Ironcoral Vines. ]
"Hahaha! I did it! Full durability again!"
Vincent couldn't contain his joy as soon as he saw the result of his work. Even the Ensnare Skill had actually improved!
"Sir Vincent?" Severin noticed that the cane in Vincent's hand suddenly turned darker. He was unsure but it appears more dangerous than it previously was.
A cane wasn't normally threatening since they were just mostly made of woods and it wasn't sharp at all.
However, the one in Vincent's hands appears to apply some pressure on him. Although it only happened for a moment, Severin can't mistake that since he's close to Vincent.
p
It was as if he was looking at a brand new weapon instead.
"Ahh! Sir Severin, were you saying something?" Vincent asked.
"Huh? No… nothing. I won't be asking about your secrets. I was just surprised for a moment. Don't worry." Severin said as he gave a knowing smile.
Although he's unsure what kind of trick did Vincent do to his cane, he could still recall that their Zemin Clan also has unusual Magic Tools or even Artifacts.
"Thank you… It's nothing really impressive. Anyway, I can see that there's a huge camp not too far from us. Is that the fourth camp already?" Vincent asked curiously.
The camp on top of a hill that he was seeing has the flag of the Blue Storm Army and various sects. The largest blue flag at the center was probably the flag of their kingdom.
However, the camp here appears to be peaceful so Vincent wasn't sure.
"No, but that's the last camp. There were only a few guards there at the moment and Divine Doctor Ji should be in there."
"That makes sense…" Vincent muttered.
It was at this moment that Knight Claude appeared beside their carriage.
"Sir Vincent, we have confirmed from another report that the Barbarian Poison user has appeared again. Although we have already sent your potions ahead of time, we might be expecting---"
Knight Claude didn't manage to finish his sentence as the people in front shouted in panic…
"The red flag of the Rebel Army can be seen ahead! Get ready for battle!"