"Do not underestimate me," Lisa sneered coldly, facing the two assassins descending from the sky. She spread both hands, and in an instant, two swirling gusts of wind began to spin rapidly in her palms—identical to the spell the cloaked figures had cast earlier. "Do not underestimate me!" Lisa shouted fiercely, her hands thrusting forward toward the descending assassins. The two small whirlwinds converged into one formidable vortex, rushing toward the assassins in midair. "What?" The assassins exclaimed in shock. But before their words could fade, the powerful wind consumed them entirely. The sounds of their tortured screams soon eclipsed the howling of the winds. Moments later, Lisa's magic dissipated, and the winds ceased. The two assassins, now torn and bloodied, lay motionless on the ground. "Ah..." The entire group of paladins, including Sir Leon, watched in stunned silence, their eyes wide with astonishment. For them, witnessing such a potent display of magic at such close quarters was an extraordinary and rare sight. While everyone's attention was drawn to Lisa, Will was still locked in a fierce struggle with the final assassin. 'Damn, how is he so strong? I have the power of a giant, and yet I can barely match his strength.' Will thought to himself, realizing that, despite his immense strength, even an assassin from Arus could surpass him. "Will, what are you doing? How much longer will you maintain this posture?" Lisa called out, watching him. "Don't talk nonsense. His strength is no ordinary feat; if it were that easy, I would have won long ago," Will replied, struggling. "You talk too much!" The assassin suddenly spoke, swiftly pulling a small throwing knife from his back. He hurled it toward Lisa with deadly precision. "Ah?" Will shouted in alarm, realizing too late that the knife was already hurtling toward Lisa. "Hmph," the assassin sneered. Lisa, caught off guard, had no time to react. Just then, a figure surged from the crowd, charging toward Lisa. The figure forcefully shoved her aside, narrowly avoiding the knife's trajectory. However, the weapon struck the figure instead. "Who?" Lisa, now on the ground, turned her head. "Heh heh, looks like I'm not entirely useless," the person who had saved her said, lifting his head with a confident grin. "Eddie!?" Lisa gasped in surprise. She immediately sprang to her feet and rushed to his side, helping him up. "Are you alright?" "Nothing serious, just a scratch," Eddie replied, glancing at the cut from the throwing knife. "Damn it!" The assassin snarled. "You've really angered me this time," Will's voice suddenly turned cold and ominous, carrying a terrifying calm. Without further hesitation, Will reached out and seized the assassin's dagger. "What?" The assassin stared in disbelief. Will began to apply pressure, crushing the blade in his grip. Slowly, the dagger twisted and deformed into a useless, bent scrap of iron. Despite his hand being soaked in blood, Will did not release his hold, continuing to crush the already ruined weapon. Realizing he was powerless to retain the dagger, the assassin quickly withdrew, taking several steps back. Finally, Will crushed the dagger into a small iron ball, tossing it into his hand with ease. In the next moment, he hurled it toward the assassin. The assassin instinctively dodged, twisting his body to avoid the oncoming projectile. But in that instant, his attention diverted, and Will, his short sword gripped tightly, charged forward, closing the gap. "Ah!" The assassin screamed in agony as the sword pierced his heart. The assassin collapsed, crumpling to the ground, his body falling into a pool of his own blood. ... "Merlin, it seems you underestimated them," General Lei taunted. "Ah, it appears I did underestimate them. But the fact remains that just four men were able to gauge the enemy's strength. Isn't that quite impressive?" Merlin chuckled maliciously as he walked toward Sir Leon's forces. General Lei followed him, keeping a wary eye on the cunning mage. For a moment, he considered taking Merlin down right there. But he knew it was not yet the time. His entire nation was in Merlin's hands. Any harm to the mage could spell doom for both his country and family. Patience was required. "General Lei, I suggest you calm your nerves. We're still quite far from the enemy forces," Merlin said, without even turning his head. 'What? What does that mean? Does he know what I'm thinking?' General Lei thought, a sense of dread creeping into his heart. "I can sense the killing intent radiating from you just now. It's quite intense. I hope you can maintain that same resolve when we face them in battle," Merlin continued with a smug grin. General Lei, though nervous, said nothing. He merely followed behind, silently, as they made their way toward Leon's army. ... "Have the bodies been dealt with?" Sir Leon asked one of the paladins who was burying the four assassins' bodies at the roadside. "Almost. But is it necessary to bury the enemy's corpses?" the paladin asked, confused. "Of course. Though they were our enemies, they were warriors deserving of respect. Any person with dignity should receive a proper burial," Sir Leon replied sternly from his saddle. "As for our fallen comrades, let ten men take their bodies back to Paralar for a fitting funeral." "Yes, Sir Leon." "Now, let us continue our journey." Before Sir Leon could finish his sentence, a fierce gust of wind whipped up from all directions, far stronger than before. The sudden storm knocked several paladins off their feet. "It's a blizzard!" Someone in the crowd cried out. The moment the words left their mouth, everyone looked up at the sky. Indeed, thick snowflakes began to fall, accompanied by the howling winds. The sight was both terrifying and unsettling. Within moments, the snow had piled up to the knees of the paladins. "Ah, greetings, paladins. Heh heh heh," Merlin's voice rang out from the front of their ranks, a wicked grin playing on his face.
