Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Shadow Mage, Sunlight Gun

"BOOM—!"

About thirty paces to the left of the convoy, deep within a narrow, dark alley half-hidden by cluttered crates and snow, a ball of deep, viscous, and malicious shadowflame erupted without warning!

The flames burned silently, yet they instantly twisted and devoured the surrounding shadows, creating a brief, terrifying void of darkness!

A hunched, withered figure was violently ejected from the exploding shadow, as if kicked by an immense force. He tumbled out wretchedly and slammed hard onto the frozen, snow-dusted dirt road, sending up a spray of slush and mud.

It was an old man dressed in a filthy, worn-out gray robe that seemed to merge with the shadows. His face was gaunt and grim, like a dried-up orange peel, and his murky eyes were shot with blood, filled with a mixture of shock and rage.

He struggled to his feet, the muscles on his wrinkled face twitching. He stared intently at the alley entrance—now calm again, but seemingly even more profound—and let out a hoarse, sharp roar.

"Ivory! What are you doing here!? Damn it... Yed actually managed to hire you?!"

This shout, filled with apprehension and panic, was like a great stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Jon’s ice-blue eyes narrowed, and Evans’s grip on his sword tightened. They understood at once who this grim old man was: the mastermind hiding in the shadows, the one who controlled the Soulless Evil Skill!

Almost as soon as the old man’s words faded, the shadows in the alley he had just scrambled out of began to ripple like water.

A tall, graceful figure emerged silently from within, "floating" out as if she belonged to the darkness itself.

She too wore a cloak, but hers was as deep as the concentrated night, its edges seeming to constantly diffuse a thin black mist, perfectly dissolving her silhouette and aura into the surroundings.

The shadow of her hood obscured most of her face, revealing only a beautifully defined but coldly curved chin and thin lips painted a deep violet, like clotted blood.

"Oh?"

The woman named Ivory spoke. Her voice was low and magnetic, with a peculiar hoarseness, yet her tone was relaxed, even tinged with a lazy mockery that clashed with the tense, deadly atmosphere.

"You actually know who I am?"

She took an elegant step forward, her boots making no sound on the snow.

But as she moved, the shadows on the ground and those flowing from the hem of her cloak seemed to come alive!

Several ghastly Shadow Hounds, somewhere between solid and illusory, silently shot out from them.

Their bodies were formed from pure Dark Energy, their outlines twisted and abstract. Only two points of scarlet light served as eyes, radiating pure malice and greed.

The moment they appeared, the hounds let out silent roars and opened "mouths" with no physical substance. They lunged ferociously at the hunched, gray-robed old man, their fang-like forms tearing at the fluttering hem of his robe and his withered hands as he tried to gather Energy for his Evil Magic!

"But I don’t know you..."

The woman’s voice still held that chillingly playful tone, as if she were merely asking for an unimportant name.

However, the hands hidden under her cloak shot up as fast as lightning, her slender, pale fingers tracing arcane patterns in the air.

"So, would you mind telling me—"

Her tone suddenly turned cold, filled with an undeniable pressure.

"Where did you learn my name? Hmm?"

As the last syllable fell, her Magic was already complete!

"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"

Several streams of pitch-black Shadow Energy instantly took form!

Wrist-thick Shadow Chains covered in barbs shot toward the old man like vipers striking from their dens, whistling sharply through the air. The eerie light flowing along the chains seemed capable of imprisoning souls.

Following close behind were several Hooked Scythes forged from pure Shadow, their edges unnaturally sharp!

They spun, emitting shrill shrieks as they attacked from different directions!

"Damn it!"

The gray-robed old man was filled with shock and fury, but facing a surprise attack from a Shadow Mage of this caliber, he was completely on the defensive.

He could only wretchedly dodge the relentlessly pursuing Shadow Hounds, which clung to him like maggots on a corpse, while hastily waving his withered arms and muttering an incantation.

However, the others present weren’t about to let him cast his Evil Magic so easily.

For instance, Jon and Joyina. At a time like this, Jon, who had maintained the facade of a Warrior, could no longer afford to hide his skills. Grasping the Spellbook at his waist with one hand, he raised the other, instantly firing a Fire Elemental Arrow straight at the Evil Mage’s back!

As for Joyina, a Saint Professional, her abhorrence was palpable now that the Evil Mage had revealed himself.

Although she was a Priest who specialized mainly in support and healing, that didn’t mean she lacked devastating power!

On the contrary, when Sun Priests attacked, they aimed to kill!

The Priestess closed her eyes, bowed her head, and clasped her hands together. As she chanted the revered name of Po Ao and words of prayer, her entire body actually began to float gently into the air!

Surging Saint Power coalesced in her hands, forming a searing white light.

At first, the light was faint, but less than a breath after it formed, it suddenly swelled, radiating endless light and heat like a miniature sun!

By this point, Joyina had risen to a height of nearly three meters.

She held this miniature sun in her palm and then snapped her eyes open!

"Heretic! Receive divine punishment!"

In that instant, the miniature sun was forged into a long spear, vowing to annihilate all the world’s wicked foes!

This was the Sun Church’s signature Divine Technique: the Sunlight Gun!

Pity the old man. First, he was hounded by Ivory’s Shadow Hounds and Magic until there was nowhere to run. Then, his spellcasting was repeatedly interrupted by Jon’s relentless Fire Elemental Arrows. And now, his very soul was locked onto by the Sunlight Gun.

He could no longer afford to dodge or defend. He simply stopped in his tracks!

’If I don’t risk it all now, I’m really going to die!’

He slammed a hand against his chest. Without a single harsh word, a string of bizarre, nearly inaudible muttering erupted from his mouth, along with a spray of foul-smelling, grayish blood.

"Azina, Hilea! Sadinavala!"

In the next instant, a cloud of mist appeared from nowhere, blocking Ivory’s Shadow Magic and Jon’s Fire Elemental Arrow!

At the same time, a terrifying sense of "presence" began to radiate from the gray-robed old man!

’Danger! Extreme danger!’

Everyone, including Ivory, was suppressed by this Power. They were frozen like prey targeted by a predator, able to do nothing but move their eyes in terror!

It was the shudder of a weaker being’s primal instinct, a heartfelt fear of an unknown entity!

And the gray-robed old man, coughing up blood, began to laugh maniacally.

"Hahaha! Let’s all die together! Die together! Hahahaha!!!"

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