Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience - Chapter 304 - 017: Clang!

Chapter 304: 017: Clang!

At dusk, the sky above Feiyan City was dyed a deep blood-red by the setting sun. The long streets were eerily quiet, with only a few hurried passersby lowering their heads, avoiding eye contact, as though fearing being targeted by someone.

Rumors had spread recently about people disappearing inexplicably in the city, and reporting it to the City Guard was utterly futile. Some even whispered that the new Count had sent men to do it, and no one wanted to be the next target.

Most of the shops along the streets had their doors tightly shut, with only a few still struggling to remain open. Even the shopkeepers of those few establishments had faces etched with exhaustion and fear, appearing deeply dejected and as though on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Ever since Count Lucien took over Feiyan City, taxes had been raised repeatedly, forcing most merchants into bankruptcy. Those that remained could barely scrape by.

At a street corner in the slums, several poorly dressed children crouched in the shadows, clutching moldy pieces of bread, their eyes hollow and helpless. Their parents had long since been crushed under Count Lucien’s labor demands and taxes, dragged away to build his new palace. The conditions there were abysmal, and few returned alive.

Anyone daring to resist had already been hanged in the city’s central square, where several tall gallows still loomed.

The ropes swayed gently in the breeze, and the ground below was marked by dried, dark-red blood — though it was long dried, its sight remained glaringly horrifying. Several crows perched on the gallows, shrieking harsh calls, while the blood-red light of the setting sun bathed the square, amplifying its despair.

“Clip-clop, clip-clop!”

Heavy footsteps echoed as a fully armed troop swaggered down the long street. At the head of the group was the city’s new ruler, Count Lucien.

The newly appointed Count rode atop a tall, black warhorse, draped in a deep crimson cloak embroidered with gold patterns. The cloak billowed in the wind, ostentatiously flaunting his power.

His face bore a faint smirk as his gaze swept over the streets.

Where his eyes roamed, the few scattered pedestrians immediately dropped to the ground, trembling violently, pressing their foreheads against the earth, not daring to meet his gaze.

Lucien relished the taste of this power.

Exalted, unrestrained, reigning supreme — as though he controlled everything, standing above all others. In this city, he was the ultimate sovereign.

Like a deity…

No,

He was the deity here!

Soon, the entourage stopped in front of an inn.

Count Lucien tugged on the reins, making the black warhorse rear up, let out a shrill neigh, and come to a steady halt before the inn’s entrance. He cast a condescending glance at the inn, a cold smirk curving his lips, and raised his whip in an authoritative gesture.

“Clang!”

A mere casual movement, yet the soldiers behind him sprang into action immediately.

They split into teams—one armed with spears and shields to block the inn’s front and back doors completely. Another team spread out to seal the inn’s windows and side doors. On the outer perimeter, archers had already strung their bows.

The soldiers’ gleaming armor and weapons reflected the cold light of the setting sun, emanating a spine-chilling murderous aura.

What madness is this lunatic up to now!

Residents peeking from behind the inn’s doors and windows quietly burned with fury in their hearts.

Lucien’s atrocities were notorious. Lucy, the flower seller at the market, had merely caught his eye during one of his street patrols. She was abducted to his castle, and just days later, her broken corpse was dumped on the outskirts of the city — she was only sixteen!

Her enraged brother rallied a group of others who’d suffered under Lucien’s tyranny to begin a rebellion. But before they could act, their meeting point at the tavern was surrounded by Lucien’s men — just like this!

Heads rolled; blood ran like rivers.

’Which unfortunate soul angered this lunatic today!’

The people silently mourned in their hearts.

The inn was already encircled, the soldiers had completed their battle preparations, and a knight hurriedly approached Lucien, saluting: “Count, we’re ready and awaiting your orders.”

“No rush.” Lucien waved casually.

His gaze returned to the inn, a scornful smirk playing on his lips. Cruelty shimmered in his eyes.

The prey was right before him; it wouldn’t suffice to kill them too easily.

No, he would make them endure every conceivable torture. He would ensure their screams echoed throughout Feiyan City, regret consuming their existence.

This would serve as a warning to every worthless slave in this city.

Rebellion’s cost was this!

“Listen closely inside!” Lucien’s voice reverberated through the empty street, cold and arrogant, an undeniable authority imbued within it.

“I know you’re there, you arrogant outsider.” Lucien continued, his tone laced with mocking disdain: “You thought you could rampage on my turf? Challenge my authority? Laughable!”

His voice grew louder, brimming with aggressive dominance. His whip lightly struck his palm, producing crisp “smack” sounds, emphasizing his menacing rhetoric.

“You stole my slaves, injured my soldiers, and still have the audacity to stay within my city? Do you fancy yourself extraordinary?” Lucien sneered coldly, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes: “How pitifully wrong you are.”

“This is Feiyan City! My Feiyan City! I, Lucien, am the one who controls everything here, and you are nothing but a reckless fool!”

His words dripped with ridicule and contempt as his gaze swept across the surrounding soldiers, his grin growing ever broader.

“Now, I give you two choices.”

“One, you come out willingly, kneel before me, and beg for my mercy. Perhaps, I may be generous enough to grant you a painless death. Or, you can stay inside, wait for my soldiers to storm in, and be chopped into mincemeat!”

As he said this, suddenly, Lucien burst into manic laughter. His laugh was wild, filled with arrogance and triumph, echoing through the streets like a proclamation of victory. He swung his whip as though declaring his unquestionable dominance.

“Creak!”

A faint sound broke the tension—the inn’s tightly shut doors opened, and a figure stepped out.

With long silver-gray hair and a chiseled, icy face, Lynch emerged, holding a long Cross Sword. His striking features carried an air of frost-like detachment.

Two knights instinctively shielded Lucien, stepping in front of him. They’d heard rumors—this youthful outsider possessed High-level Knight strength and single-handedly defeated Darius’s men without breaking a sweat.

“Move aside! Don’t block my view!” But their loyalty earned them nothing but Lucien’s harsh reprimand followed by a fierce kick.

Lucien couldn’t care less.

Not because his personal power was formidable, but because he bore an Extraordinary Item gifted by “the master.”

It was a defensive artifact, capable of nullifying all damage. With this treasure, even a Great Knight wouldn’t be able to scratch him.

After shoving away the obstructive knights, Lucien’s attention returned to Lynch: “You’re the presumptuous outsider?”

His answer was—

“Tap.” A faint sound, clear and sharp—footsteps.

Lynch took a step forward.

It seemed like just a small stride; yet in the next instant, his figure blurred past layers of soldiers, landing directly in front of Lucien.

“Protect the Count!”

The surrounding knights paled. Voices raised in alarm as they rushed to intercept him.

But as Lynch’s feet hit the ground, an overwhelming vortex exploded outward—a sudden tornado-like force isolating the knights and soldiers completely.

Then—

“Screeeech!”

A piercing sound of sword resonance erupted, the Phantom Cross carving a silver streak in the air as it slashed straight toward Lucien.

At the crucial moment, the ring on Lucien’s index finger shimmered faintly, forming a transparent barrier around him.

Yet,

The barrier lasted but a moment. It seemed robust, yet broke apart with a brittle crack, like paper tearing. Then, the frigid silver light sliced diagonally across Lucien.

The silver gleam shimmered in all directions—a single strike yet resonating like countless blows.

In the following instant,

Lucien’s body split entirely in two, fragments of his flesh and armor scattering around him.

The warhorse whinnied in panic, soldiers screamed in terror.

Lucien’s severed head rolled onto the blood-stained ground.

The sunset’s crimson glow was as vivid as ever,

And the Count’s stunned expression was frozen forever on his face.