Chapter 242: Under the Gray Mist

"Ron! Ron!"

As Victoria channeled the Divine Power of her Resurrection Magic around Ron’s body, his charred form repaired itself at a speed visible to the naked eye. Guided by the Divine Magic, he slowly began to float, bathed in a radiant golden light.

"Resurrection Magic?" Kao Jia tilted his head slightly, then glanced at the succubus who had also slowed her assault. "It seems my heart provided quite a few benefits, hmm?"

"Even a hideous creature like you can sense that there’s something special about this mortal... but what exactly is different?"

Naturally, Sarisha didn’t answer Kao Jia’s question. The battle-crazed succubus only paused for a moment before charging at the Desire Demon before her with lightning speed. The latter inevitably abandoned his train of thought to focus on the enemy before him.

But unlike the keen perception of those two, Brogmir, who was locked in a bitter struggle with Sera, had no time for such observations. After witnessing Ron’s death from his sneak attack, the barbarian had been practically burning through his own life force in exchange for maximum power. And when Ron was resurrected by Victoria, the Magic empowering Sera, which should have long since faded, suddenly flared back to life!

’This is all insane!’ Brogmir thought. ’How can a weak mortal ant tangle with me for so long? How does she dare to fight me for so long!’

"Fine!" A cunning, vicious smile appeared once again on his massive bull’s head. "Let’s see just how many spells your Priest has to resurrect him!"

"You don’t want him to die, it seems? Then I’ll make sure he’s the first to go—Flame Strike Magic!"

"No—"

As the terrifying flames descended from the sky once more, nearly everyone fell into despair. Silvia almost immediately cut off part of her support to Sera and instead constructed a barrier of Protective Energy, trying to envelop Ron’s body and shield him from the impending fatal blow.

But the Casters all understood that this was futile. As an offensive Divine Magic, Flame Strike Magic wasn’t just simple fire; the profane energy it contained would also send Ron back to the embrace of death. And against this aspect of the attack, Silvia was completely helpless.

However, just as the suffocating attack was about to land, Ron’s eyes suddenly snapped open!

He shot to his feet. Brogmir saw it with perfect clarity: the mortal’s eye sockets appeared empty, with only a faint Gray Mist drifting out from within his skull. When he raised his right hand, the demon’s prized Flame Strike Magic vanished without a trace, disappearing from the plane in an instant!

"Boss, you’re alive!" The Goblin Hunter, who could only manage minor harassment from the sidelines, was overjoyed. The next second, however, when he saw Ron’s face as he turned his head, he was scared out of his wits. "B-Boss, what happened to your eyes?!"

Ron didn’t answer. His current state was bizarre; he seemed to be sleepwalking. He turned halfway, extending his other hand toward Delaford:

"Bow and arrows. Give them to me."

"Uh, what?" Delaford was dumbfounded. As the one who’d known Ron the longest, he’d swear he had never once seen Ron use a bow and arrow!

"Give them to him," You said, her ethereal form flickering. As an Undead Creature, she felt an instinctual fear toward Ron for some reason, as if facing a natural predator. "The way he is now... something’s not right."

The Goblin Hunter didn’t know what was happening, but he still chose to trust Ron—even as the Gray Mist pouring from his eye sockets was on the verge of shrouding his entire figure.

"Heh, I love mortals who overestimate their own strength," Brogmir sneered, watching Ron take the bow and arrows. With a casual swing of his axe, he knocked Sera—now bereft of her Arcane Magic support—to the ground, where she lay vomiting blood. "They’re always shouting about ’friendship’ and ’bonds’ as they rush to their deaths."

"They always get their wish: to be crushed beneath my heel. And I get to savor their utter despair and the screams from the very depths of their souls. So... come on! Let me crush every bone in your body, you little Mage!"

Facing the demon’s provocation, Ron’s face seemed incapable of expression. A thin film of Gray Mist coalesced into a featureless mask over his face. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his own back arching slightly as he pulled the string taut. Something within his bloodline seemed to be breaking free from its cocoon, granting him an almost innate sensitivity and proficiency with the bow and arrow.

But this was only the beginning.

As Ron raised the arrow and took aim at the demon, Arcane Magic erupted from his body, snaking up his arm. A frigid aura flowed along his fingers and, without any incantation or Casting gestures, wrapped itself around the arrow!

"That’s... a Freezing Ray?!"

The Vampire Mage watched in astonishment as Ron infused the arrow with Arcane Magic without any additional movements. The look on her face was one of utter disbelief. ’Benefactor, when did you learn this technique?!’

Ron didn’t answer. As his Arcane-infused arrow shot from the bow, he blurred into an afterimage. Propelled by an accelerated time stream around him, he charged toward Brogmir, who, caught by surprise, now regarded him as a major threat.

At this moment, Ron’s figure was a blur, with mirror images materializing around him. The Weaving Introduction hovered beside him, its pages flipping without pause as spell after spell washed over Ron. It was as if the person who had cast the Magic right before the Flame Strike Magic hit was someone else entirely!

"You’re bluffing!" Facing his now-eerie opponent, Brogmir unleashed his full strength. The Divine Magic gifted to him by Bafumie emerged with the demon’s chant. These Magic Techniques were not only applied to himself; Ron was also their target.

"Got you!"

A sharp glint flashed in Brogmir’s eyes; he had locked onto Ron’s true position. The great axe in his hands, whistling through the air, swung to cut Ron in half at the waist. It wasn’t a matter of responding carelessly; if his reaction was even a fraction of a second too slow, he would be sent right back to that world known as the Death Realm!

"Watch out for his feints!" Ignoring her own injuries, Sera, who had just been helped to her feet by Victoria, shoved the Priest aside. She risked tearing her wounds open to shout a warning to the melee-inexperienced Ron. To her despair, Ron seemed to turn a deaf ear to her warning, still charging straight at the demon’s axe blade!

As Brogmir’s great axe swept through, there was the sound of a bubble popping. One of Ron’s mirror images vanished on contact, while Ron himself disappeared from his original position. When he reappeared, he was already in the demon’s blind spot, directly behind its head!