Chapter 266: Arson and Firefighting

By the time Seymour and Carlos rushed to the outskirts of Henry Robertson's Mage Tower, the entire area had devolved into utter chaos.

A large number of patrols and even soldiers from Carolina had been alerted and were rushing to the scene. However, even more Undead Creatures were bursting from the ground in the surrounding area, cutting off the reinforcements.

These Undead Creatures were mostly common skeletons and zombies, with a few scattered Ghosts seen occasionally. The regular soldiers couldn't communicate with them at all, and spurred on by fear and suspicion, conflict soon erupted between the two sides.

The situation was so chaotic that no one noticed two figures using the cover of night to slip past the patrol's torchlight, silently darting toward the predetermined meeting point.

That was where this inexplicable conflict had begun.

"Fire Wall!" As the figure shrouded in a dark mist shouted, a circular Fire Wall rose from within the Dark Magic, instantly roasting several zombies to a crisp. However, the seemingly impenetrable wall of fire couldn't last long enough. Seymour watched as a massive, two-meter-tall creature broke through the Dark Magic. The Fire Wall instantly dissipated, and only a wisp of gas drifted out, landing near Seymour and Carlos before transforming into a disheveled Silvia.

"What's going on?"

Seymour only had time to ask that one question before he found himself the new target of the massive Flesh Golem. The Zor Assassin's figure vanished on the spot. Two cold glints of light flashed from his sleeves, and when he reappeared, he had already vaulted onto the Golem's neck.

The short blade sank into flesh that felt like rubber. 'This is bad,' Seymour thought. Without even having time to pull his weapon free, he flipped off and leaped away again, narrowly dodging a swipe from the Undead Creature's twisting limb.

"Miss Sylvia, how did you get tangled up with a thing like this!"

The brief but perilous exchange left Seymour in a cold sweat and stunned Carlos, who was watching from the sidelines. If he and Seymour had one thing in common, it was that neither was carrying a proper weapon. All they had were daggers and shortswords—which were likely no match for their opponent.

"I didn't provoke it, it ran into me!" Silvia swung her Walking Stick. Three Night Howling Hounds burst forth from the Ethereal Plane, tore a large chunk of flesh from the Golem, and vanished just as quickly. "You're too late! The broker's body is on it!"

"I sensed the mark I left on the broker earlier today getting close and thought it was you. I broke cover, but who would have thought it'd be this thing!"

The Vampire Descendant's figure suddenly vanished. A moment later, a thunderclap echoed in the distance. Then, a volley of Scorching Beams shot toward the Golem from afar, temporarily pinning down the Undead Creature's attacks.

"That old bastard's scrying eyes," Silvia said, her expression grim as she rejoined the assault on the Golem. "He must have noticed the commotion outside. We need to get out of here, now!"

"But this Golem—" Carlos rolled on the ground again and again, barely dodging the Flesh Golem's claw strike. Even so, a large piece of his robe was torn off, turning into fluttering strips of cloth.

"No time!" Seymour made a snap decision. He found an opportunity to retrieve his dagger from the Golem's neck and then quickly retreated. "Silvia, do you have any Magic left? Burn all the tracks around here! Let's move!"

The Vampire Descendant understood immediately. A fist-sized Fireball began to form at the tip of her Walking Stick, expanding rapidly. "You guys go first! I'll be right behind you!"

A Fireball over ten meters in diameter exploded at the base of Henry Robertson's Mage Tower. It not only engulfed the Flesh Golem and the surrounding land but also swept up some of the distant Undead Creatures and patrol members. However, Silvia and the other two had no more Energy to spare on any of that.

'Hopefully, it didn't cause too many casualties.'

"Dammit, did that psychotic old man build his Mage Tower into a fortress?!"

A squad leader among the guards cursed loudly, "Stop fighting! Stop fucking fighting! Save the wounded! Put out the fire!"

The frantic people began to search clumsily for the nearest well, but the soldier sent to draw water was all thumbs and accidentally dropped the bucket and rope into it. For a moment, curses, arguments, cries, and the roars of Undead Creatures blended into a chaotic mess. No one noticed the three "culprits" silently disappearing into the darkness.

"Silence."

In the dark of night, a barrier materialized without warning, enveloping the entire Mage Tower and its surroundings. A massive amount of liquid poured down upon the burning ground like a river from the heavens. As it extinguished the flames, the waves also washed those trapped in the inferno out to safety, reuniting them with their squads.

Immediately after, a holy radiance enveloped the wounded. Pillars of Magic Energy caused their burns and other injuries to heal. The Carolina guards stood up, bewildered, and discovered that the Undead Creatures also seemed to be affected by some kind of Holy Power. They were no longer hostile and were actively fleeing away from someone.

A young man in a magnificent Magic Robe and a female Priest in armor slowly walked out of the darkness. The man waved his hand, and the self-levitating book beside him immediately flipped to a new page. Everyone felt a lightness in their throats as their ability to speak and make sound was restored.

"Y-You are?" A squad leader among the guards recognized the two "benefactors" who had saved them from dire straits. "You're the Lord of Delusional Land who was visiting a while ago!"

"I was in charge of security for the welcome banquet. We met once!"

Facing the enthusiastic captain, Ron shook his hand warmly and embraced him. "I was woken by the commotion over here. When I saw the fire, I thought I should come and help. What exactly happened here?"

What Ron said wasn't a complete lie; at least the part about helping was true. But if he and Victoria had rushed over from their residence, it would have been far too late.

The only explanation was that they had been hiding nearby from the very beginning and rushed over to remedy the situation when they saw it was at risk of spiraling out of control.

According to lab safety protocols, at least two people (or teams) must be on standby to supervise during dangerous procedures to prevent accidents. Ron had arranged his plan out of habit, and it had indeed been a great help.

"It's embarrassing to say, but it's the Mage here!" The squad leader shot a hateful glance at the Mage Tower. Only now did the tall, dark, and gloomy tower's main gate creak open a crack. Henry Robertson, the Necromancer, stood in the doorway with a completely bewildered expression, staring blankly at the huge crowd in front of his home, not knowing what had happened.

"Captain, we've found something over there!" a patrol member ran over. "At the site of the explosion, we found the remains of a Flesh Golem, and next to it, a charred corpse!"

"We can't identify the body yet, but based on its physical features, it appears to be an Elf!"

"Your Phantom is still in our 'custody'," the captain said, giving the Necromancer a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm afraid this time, we'll have to trouble your real self to come with us and explain things properly!"