While the soldiers and magi carried out their purging operation inside the castle, not far from the city, a horse was panting heavily, dragging a poor knight toward the castle.
Balin sighed as he looked down at the warhorse, which he had begged for from a local lord. He hadn't expected the legendary blacksmith to run so fast. Even his warhorse seemed to be struggling to keep up. But Balin had never thought that a free horse would last long.
"Hm? What's going on over there?"
Balin squinted at the distant castle, noticing some kind of light shining over it. The whole castle seemed to be enveloped in a glowing aura, almost like a special crystal ball.
Realizing that something might have gone wrong, Balin patted his warhorse and took a deep breath.
"Come on, my dear, just a bit further, alright? Once we reach the city up ahead, I'll set you free."
The warhorse gave him a side glance, clearly skeptical, as if to say: "I don't believe you."
The poor horse had been worked hard, as Balin was known for overworking his possessions due to his financial struggles. Although he wasn't a cruel man, the horse was definitely suffering.
Despite the horse's plight, it had no choice but to obey its rider, and it continued to run towards the castle, panting heavily.
On the other side, Aslan, hearing the sounds from outside, knew he couldn't just wait in the room for the enemy to come to him. The best defense is offense, after all. Why engage in a head-on battle when it's possible to take the enemy by surprise?
However, Aslan didn't split up the group. Given that they still didn't know the enemy's full strength and it seemed like they were being trapped in the castle, splitting up would be as foolish as the death flags seen in horror movies. Aslan wasn't about to meet the same fate as a character who died multiple times at a beach party.
Morgan quickly clenched her fist, flames gathering in her palm, transforming into three winged eyes. She sent the eyes flying across the castle, while another part of the flames enveloped the three of them, allowing them to see through the eyes of the flames—somewhat like operating a drone.
Morgan grasped her staff, her gaze fixed on the moving soldiers and magi. The simulated personality of the original owner instantly identified these magi and soldiers as their previous attackers. This meant that it was time to seek vengeance.
The hollow eyes of the simulated personality flickered with a faint trace of satisfaction. Her eyebrows lifted slightly, and she tapped her staff lightly against the wall. Black flames spread from the staff and along the wall, reaching the hallway just as a few soldiers and a magus stepped into it. The black flames immediately engulfed the entire passage.
The magus frantically waved his staff, hoping that water magic could protect him from the fire. But Morgan's flames were far too powerful to be blocked so easily. The next moment, charred bodies fell from the passage.
Meanwhile, a few magi, using wind magic, floated in mid-air with several soldiers, ready to enter the castle's upper levels through the damaged walls and eliminate the remaining enemies.
However, as they approached the gap in the wall, they were met with a hammer—Aslan's forge hammer, adorned with numerous fairy runes. It slammed straight into the face of one magus. The magus quickly spread his arms wide, his magical robe spreading like wings to form a shield in front of him.
In this era, flying in the air was an obvious advantage, and the magus placed great value on his defensive magic to ensure his safety.
But this magus clearly underestimated Aslan's forge hammer. Crafted to shape the hardest materials, the hammer's runes had the power to soften even the toughest metals. The moment it collided with the magus's magical robe, the robe's properties were altered. Cracks spread across the wings, and the hammer broke through, striking the magus's head with a precise blow.
With the magus knocked unconscious, the soldiers floating in the air screamed as they fell to the ground.
Melusine peered out and shook her head as she watched the soldiers tumble like meat patties. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Relying on others for your fate, how unreliable. Now look at you, huh? Next time, be more careful in your next life."
Before she could finish her words, her expression instantly turned serious. Her arm shot out, and her sword, glowing with dragon energy, flashed as she swung it. A fireball, burning at an incredibly high temperature, was split in half by her blade.
The elderly magus calmly observed the three in the room. He then commanded the other magi and knights behind him to separate and isolate the trio.
No matter how strong the three individuals were, their combined power would always be greater, with more coordinated defense and offensive capabilities.
Aslan, watching the magus in front of him, scratched his light golden hair, then took a deep breath.
"If you think you can take us down with just this few of you, you're underestimating us."
Aslan's expression grew colder, a faint trace of anger crossing his face.
The foreign general behind the old magus furrowed his brow. For a moment, he felt like he had seen this young man before. Something about him felt eerily familiar, making him more cautious.
Before the general could speak, the elderly magus was already preparing to strike.