Witch's Embrace

Following the trail of blood, Hawthorne made his way forward. It wasn't that he didn't want to run; he was simply so exhausted that he couldn't muster the energy to do so.

Thus, he could only walk to regain a bit of strength along the way.

However, he soon realized he didn't need to rush. The night was so quiet that the screams of those killed by Yuta carried far, allowing him to identify Yuta's location by following the sounds.

With this in mind, he felt less panicked and ambled forward, recovering some stamina as he gradually approached the battlefield.

Meanwhile, as he moved toward the port, the two battling sides were also converging in his direction.

Bang—

"Ah—!"

Around a corner at the intersection ahead, a woman's scream suddenly rang out, followed by a tall figure stumbling backward.

Hawthorne quickly halted, focusing his gaze, and then his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

An Amazonian?

Is Amazon Fisheries Company really fighting against the Dark Intelligence Network right now?

He wasn't sure, but then he saw a burly man wielding a massive hammer take a step forward and crash it down onto the woman's head.

Thud—

With a dull sound, the woman had no way to defend herself as her head exploded like a watermelon, her body collapsing to the ground, undeniably dead.

Witnessing someone being killed right before his eyes, Hawthorne felt a surge of blood rushing through him, his blood pressure spiking!

This... is what a real murder scene looks like?!

It's so...

He felt his heart pounding like a drum, and in the next second, the burly man slowly turned his head to look at him.

Hawthorne only then realized that the man had a single eye, his expression fierce, clearly having been riled by the fighting. He quickly stepped back, lowering his stance into a defensive posture, watching warily.

Opposite him, the cyclops tightened his grip on the heavy hammer, muscles taut, watching him with alertness.

White hair, very young, good-looking, dressed cheaply, holding a Grimoire...

The characteristics matched; he must be the mage hired by the Zhentarim Guild!

Damn Zhentarim Guild, causing trouble even now!

He already knew that the root of tonight's chaos was the Zhentarim Guild's retaliation against the Dark Intelligence Network. Clearly, this mage was here to attack them!

Get rid of him first!

With that thought, he let out a low growl, "Stay back, go support the commander, you can't handle this!"

As a level-four Warrior, he had participated in large-scale battles in other districts alongside the guild's higher-ups and had seen mages in action. He had even personally taken down a few with his hammer!

Though those were large battles with many allies by his side, it was enough to demystify the "Mage" occupation in his mind; at least he wouldn't lose his composure just because of their reputation.

He knew well that against a Mage, ordinary people were of little use, and having them here would only cause chaos. He believed that he alone could handle this!

Opposite him, Hawthorne, hearing the screams from afar, knew Yuta was nearby and realized he couldn't retreat.

His brows furrowed, sensing trouble, but he didn't delay. He raised his hand, and a circular magic aura appeared in mid-air, releasing an invisible force—

The cyclops twisted and tilted his head, causing the Magic Missile to miss instantly. Then his leg muscles surged with power, propelling him forward like a raging bear towards Hawthorne!

Hawthorne stepped back two more steps and fired another Magic Missile. The cyclops dodged sideways, skillfully avoiding it, and accelerated once more, his heavy hammer aiming directly at Hawthorne's chest—

Not hesitating, Hawthorne quickly crossed his arms over his chest and chanted the incantation, "Shield!"

Boom—!

Consuming the same two points of Mana, Mage Armor provided protection equivalent to chainmail lasting up to eight hours, whereas Shield compressed all its energy into six seconds!

Therefore, you can imagine how immense the level of protection was at that instant!

An invisible shield appeared, absorbing the blow. The mark of Blade Ward shattered, and Agathys' Armor retaliated, sending a chill up the cyclops' hammer and onto his arms, turning them deathly pale.

Nevertheless, the immense force still overwhelmed Hawthorne's small frame, pushing him back several steps before he could regain stability.

Still too weak. Even as a Spellcaster, my physical frailty is a serious disadvantage…

Hawthorne thought with a sigh, but as soon as he steadied himself, he acted quickly, clutching his Grimoire and using its charge to unleash Thunder Wave—

Boom—!

The thunderous sound echoed throughout the Port district. The powerful repulsion was too much for the cyclops to withstand; he was sent rolling backward several times before he finally stopped!

Phew, safe for now!

Hawthorne exhaled with relief, wiping sweat from his forehead. In reality, despite the cyclops' heavy hammer built to crush, his multiple layers of protection kept him from harm.

He quickly renewed his defenses with Blade Ward, False Life, and Agathys' Armor, draining his Mana to zero. Yet, he wasn't worried; just standing off with the cyclops for a short while would allow his Mana to naturally replenish in a few minutes.

Ahead, the cyclops stood up again, gripping his hammer. Even with his arms pale with frostbite and having taken a hard fall from the Thunder Wave as a Warrior two levels above Hawthorne, he rose energetically, grinning as he taunted, "You won't have enough Mana left for much longer, will you?"

Hawthorne sneered, "More than enough to deal with you!"

He stood carefully, gauging time and estimating how much Mana he had restored.

"Hah, we'll see about that!" The cyclops lowered his stance, poised like a tiger, continuing to apply psychological pressure with his words, "Don't think being a Mage makes you special. I've killed eight or ten like you already. I'll smash every bone in your body and squeeze out the marrow…"

But at that moment, a scream from afar shattered the intensity: "Watch out, the monster is heading your way!"

In, the cyclops turned his head, his expression changing drastically: "What?!"

He then saw the gigantic, nightmare-like creature, its surface covered with faces contorted in agony, charging straight towards him!

Suddenly, his mind went blank with fear!

How could this be? Wasn't it lured toward the Amazons? Why has it suddenly come so far back and is now rushing at me?!