Chapter 398: Two Reapers

After Ruvian finished reading the letter, its final line suddenly glowed with a golden radiance before several potions and a compass-like device materialized out of thin air.

Ruvian easily caught the items and proceeded to inspect the potions using [Identify].

=====

[Item]: Elixir of Rejuvenation

[Type]: Consumable — Healing Potion

[Grade]: A

[Description]:

A high-grade restorative elixir developed by the renowned alchemists of the Alchemist Association.

Brewed using rare medicinal herbs and concentrated life essence, this potion possesses exceptional regenerative properties, capable of rapidly healing severe injuries, restoring damaged organs, and replenishing the user’s vitality.

However, it cannot regenerate severed limbs or reverse fatal injuries.

=====

Satisfied with the restorative properties of the potions Silvena had provided, Ruvian turned his attention to the other item.

==========

[Item]: Pocket Transceiver

[Type]: Magical Communication Artifact

[Grade]: A

[Description]:

A sophisticated communication artifact developed through the integration of spatial magic and advanced runic engineering.

==========

"Looks like someone sent you quite the generous care package. How sweet," Lovia remarked, sounding slightly envious.

"Yeah, yeah, Duchess... What about you? Didn’t you bring any gifts for me?"

"Excuse me? My presence here as reinforcement is already an invaluable gift in itself. You should be grateful."

Ruvian shook his head with a fond smile, amused by her shameless confidence.

"Well... you do have a point."

BWOOOOOOOM—!

Suddenly, the deafening blare of a war horn reverberated across the fortress, signaling the arrival of the third wave.

"Tch" Ruvian clicked his tongue.

"Huh!?"

"Already?" Calyra exclaimed, startled by how little time had passed since the previous assault.

Both Zian and Lovia appeared momentarily perplexed, uncertain what the horn signified.

However, upon noticing the soldiers around them hastily returning to their defensive positions, they quickly understood its meaning.

Meanwhile, Ruvian turned his gaze toward the distant wasteland, where the thirteen Nightbloom Spawners remained scattered across the horizon.

Even from this distance, he could see the ominous structures continuing to discharge their sinister energy, spawning countless Voidspawns that were steadily amassing into another formidable horde.

As long as those things remained standing, the stampede would never truly end.

Ruvian narrowed his eyes.

An idea suddenly occurred to him.

"I think there might be a way for us to end this entire stampede before the third wave is over..." he murmured, almost to himself.

Those standing nearby overheard his words, prompting them to exchange curious glances. Naturally, they wondered what exactly he had in mind.

But Ruvian offered no immediate explanation.

He simply retrieved the Pocket Transceiver Silvena had given him earlier.

Without wasting another moment, he unfolded the device and established a connection with Seraphine.

*****

[Evrard’s POV]

Lord Evrard surveyed the battlefield with a solemn expression.

Although the third wave was already approaching, his attention momentarily shifted toward the young man with black hair and golden eyes, who stood a short distance away from his daughter.

If he recalled correctly, the young man had introduced himself as Ruvian’s ally.

’Could he also be a student of Velthia Academy?’

It was certainly possible, considering how young he appeared.

However, the same could be said for the golden-haired woman accompanying him.

For some weird reason, Evrard found her appearance strangely familiar, though he couldn’t quite recall where he might have seen her before.

Still, what intrigued him most was their extraordinary strength.

Despite their youthful appearances, both possessed combat prowess that seemingly rivaled, if not surpassed, that of seasoned First-Class Magus.

Their earlier display had already made that clear.

After all, the two had managed to annihilate nearly half of the advancing Voidspawns with a single coordinated attack.

But what puzzled Evrard was the amount of mana they had expended.

’That attack shouldn’t have been nearly as destructive...’

As a Grand Magus himself, Evrard possessed sufficient experience to roughly gauge the mana consumption of powerful spells.

And judging from what he had witnessed, neither of the newcomers had expended an extraordinary amount of mana.

In fact, he was confident that he could unleash an even more devastating attack if he were to invest considerably more mana into it.

But that was precisely what troubled him.

How had those two managed to achieve such overwhelming results with seemingly so little effort?

Though, what Evrard failed to realize was that their attacks had benefited from a particular advantage against the Voidspawns — their bodies were thoroughly suffused with Dark Mana, continuously strengthened by the sinister energy.

Hence, they were exceptionally vulnerable to Light Magic.

And since both Zian and Lovia wielded exceptionally potent Light Magic, their attacks were very effective against the Voidspawns.

Of course, that did not diminish their actual strength.

Even without this elemental advantage, both were formidable combatants in their own right.

’Well, whatever the case...’

Evrard shook his head slightly.

He could contemplate their identities and abilities later. For now, there were far more pressing matters demanding his attention.

Turning his gaze toward the distant wasteland, his expression gradually hardened.

The third wave was approaching.

The Frostgrave’s soldiers were considerably better prepared this time, having already learned that the Black Knight was capable of commanding the horde.

However, that was not the only threat they had to contend with. There was also the possibility that this wave might contain even more formidable Voidspawns.

Evrard narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the monstrous figures emerging from the darkness.

Judging from the approaching horde, only a handful appeared to be Malice-rank. Even so, their presence remained a grave concern.

After all, the majority of Frostgrave’s soldiers were merely Second-Class Magus, with barely a dozen First-Class Magus among their ranks.

Not to mention, nearly all of them were still suffering from the debilitating mental affliction inflicted by the Nightbloom Spawners.

Although its effects varied among individuals, the persistent psychological strain had gradually eroded their concentration and morale.

Evrard exhaled slowly.

His gaze then settled on the distant skeletal steed, its grotesque frame radiating an ominous presence.

For some reason, the creature had suddenly broken away from the advancing horde and was now galloping straight toward their position.

’Huh!?’

Evrard narrowed his eyes, noticing something peculiar.

The creature was charging directly toward him and the other commanders, but strangely enough, its rider was nowhere to be seen.

Alarmed, Evrard struggled to regain his composure as he frantically searched for the Black Knight’s whereabouts.

However, before he could locate the creature, something peculiar happened.

His vision suddenly narrowed.

The surrounding darkness seemed to deepen, gradually swallowing everything beyond a certain distance.

He quickly realized something was terribly wrong.

Even with his enhanced eyesight, he could barely discern anything beyond his immediate surroundings.

"What the hell is this...?"

Evrard instinctively channeled mana into his eyes, attempting to pierce through the unnatural veil.

Yet, to his dismay, nothing changed.

"My Lord! My vision is impaired as well!"

Commander Fajarn warned, his voice laced with urgency.

"It’s that horse! I believe it’s responsible for this!"

’That horse!?’

Evrard was taken aback.

’It possesses such an ability? But how...?’

More importantly, why hadn’t he been able to properly gauge its strength beforehand?

He had certainly sensed something formidable about the creature, yet its presence had been strangely subdued, almost as though something was deliberately concealing its true power.

That alone was weird.

After all, a Voidspawn capable of unleashing such an oppressive ability should have possessed an equally terrifying presence.

Unless...

Evrard’s expression darkened as a dreadful realization dawned on him.

That beast was no ordinary Voidspawn. It must possess some means of concealing its true strength.

And indeed, his suspicions were well-founded. Unbeknownst to him, the skeletal steed was itself a Reaper-rank Voidspawn.

Just like its master, the Black Knight.

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[Chapter 398: Two Reapers]

Plot Points = 238,200