Chapter 353: You Are the Challenger

Before Silvia had even finished speaking, a thick vine erupted from the ground at Aron's feet. Its tendrils instantly wrapped around the Chief Judge's legs. Immediately after, a volley of arrows rained down on the four members of the Molten Iron Barrier.

The arrows fell like rain, pinning Aron and his team down so thoroughly they could barely lift their heads. During a lull in the suppressing fire, they vaguely made out a short figure in a gray-green cloak, shortbow in hand, slowly approaching them.

His head was bowed, obscuring his face. A large, white-furred rat was perched on his shoulder, baring a pair of sharp incisors in a threatening display.

"A Halfling? No..." The Half-Elf's gaze landed on the newcomer's distinctively pointed ears and skin color. "A go-goblin?!"

"A Goblin Ranger?!"

"Scared you? This is just the beginning!" Delaford slowly raised his head. The arrowhead nocked on his bowstring was like a viper baring its fangs, aimed menacingly at Aron's face. "Want a taste of this arrow?"

"Sir Ron, we demand an explanation!" the Big-bearded Dwarf shouted angrily at Ron. "Are you really in league with these... things?"

"I know Dwarves aren't known for their flexibility, but I must ask you to use a different word for my companions." Since things had come to this, Ron dropped any pretense of warmth toward these self-proclaimed champions of order. He stared coldly at the four visitors. "I tried to send you away. But since you weren't satisfied and even crossed the line to get physical... I guess we'll have to get serious, too."

"If you still want to fight, we'll see it through to the end."

"Heh... HAHAHAHA!" Aron burst out laughing at Ron's words. With a swing of his sword, he shredded the Capture Vine Delaford had summoned. "Ron, and here I thought you were some upstanding gentleman. I never expected you to fall in with a pack of bandits! I knew I shouldn't have expected anything from the powers in Delusional Land!"

"But you've got one thing wrong." With a whistle, a brown warhorse galloped over. The Chief Judge vaulted into the saddle and looked down on Ron's regrouped party. "We're the ones who will see this to the end."

"You are the challengers!"

"All units, on my command! Exterminate these vile fiends!"

"So... you're not with them?" The Half-Elf looked doubtfully at Quest, who, of all things, had retreated from the battlefield. The monk felt a strange mix of emotions. "I thought..."

"I'm just an information broker. You know how it is with the Shadow Sect, my friend," Quest said with a smile, backing away behind Silvia and Delaford. "But don't worry. If you get the chance to beat them, I won't just stand by and watch."

"In that case..." The Half-Elf's eyes lit up with battle fervor as he looked at Ron's group. "In that case, you'll have to forgive me!"

"Enough talk!" With Silvia now in the fight, Sera was at the absolute peak of her power. Her towering form, enhanced by Giant Transformation Magic, strode forward. With a single swing of her sword, she broke the line formed by Aron and the Half-Elf. "Let's see who's challenging whom now!"

"Interrupt that Vampire's Casting!" This was the first time Aron had unleashed his full power during his vacation. He swung his sword, delivering a series of Holy Slashes so potent they would make Abyssal Creatures tremble in fear. The slashes collided with the Grip of the Vast Wave. This time, he held nothing back. But Sera was no Andre. Facing a storm of Holy Light, the barbarian fearlessly met his assault head-on. Aive and Victoria guarded her flanks while Delaford provided support from the rear. The ferocious battle at the front lines forced the entire trading post to shutter its doors and windows; no one wanted to risk getting caught in the aftermath.

At Aron's command, Pergrande charged alone toward Ron and Silvia at the rear. The Vampire Mage raised her walking stick to block, but it was no match for a magic staff that was in a completely different league and radiating Holy Light.

"You may be strong, but I'm a professional at dealing with creatures like you!" The female Priest slammed her magic staff into the ground. A Holy Fire Pillar roared down from the heavens. "Flame Strike Magic!"

"Don't you Priests have any new tricks?" Silvia sneered. The body struck by the Flame Strike Magic instantly dissolved into a cloud of blood mist. Her true form materialized behind Pergrande, a palm glowing with Erosion Energy about to touch the Priest.

However, just as her magic was about to connect, Pergrande's body erupted in a bright halo of light, flinging the Vampire Descendant far away.

"What is this?!" Silvia's expression changed. Before she could react, the Half-Elf Martial Monk on the other side vaulted off the Grip of the Vast Wave. He unsheathed a blade as long as he was tall and slashed toward Silvia, carving a deep trench in the ground as he moved!

"Die, Evil Demon!"

"You're the one who's going to die!" Ron's bowstring sang. He loosed an arrow from the side, trying to intercept the Martial Monk. But as a master of physical control, the Half-Elf simply swiped a hand through the air, caught the arrow, and prepared to hurl it right back at Ron.

A Martial Monk could indeed deflect projectiles with his bare hands, even send them back the way they came. But Ron's arrows were not so easily caught.

"Take it ba—" BOOM! The Martial Monk didn't even have time to finish the word before a violent explosion engulfed him. His prized, unusually-shaped blade skidded to a halt on the ground, its tip stopping just centimeters from Silvia's nose. The monk himself was sent flying, crashing into the dust.

"Pointy Ears!" Pergrande cried out, her face pale with shock. "What is that power?!"

Though her first instinct was to attribute it to some evil power, her intuition told her unmistakably that this was the result of Alchemy and Arcane Magic. 'Just what is this Lord capable of!'

"I'm fine!" the Martial Monk shouted, kipping up from the ground. His clothes were in tatters, and his face and hands were covered in dust and soot, but he seemed to have only sustained minor injuries.

"Well, now you've got a problem!" the Goblin Hunter's shout came from another direction. The Half-Elf instinctively raised his hand to catch the incoming projectile, but in the next instant, he vanished from where he stood.

"Again?!"

Another violent explosion rocked the ground. Aron and his team immediately abandoned their fight with Sera's group and turned their attention to Ron, who had suddenly become a much greater threat. They couldn't believe a goblin could create such a powerful explosive; it had to be Ron's doing. He had to be eliminated, and quickly.

However, just as Priest Pergrande's magic staff was about to crash down on Ron's head, the young man who had thus far acted as a caster and archer dropped his bow. Before everyone's eyes, he caught the descending Lead-Injected Magic Staff with one hand. Then, with a backhand punch, Ron struck Priest Pergrande squarely on the chin, sending her flipping head over heels!

THUD. The heavy magic staff settled firmly in Ron's right hand. He wielded the blunt weapon with ease, blocking the attacks of Aron and the Dwarf. Ron's eyes now shone with a bright, uncanny blue-green light.

"Come, Chief Judge." Ron took out an Alchemy Potion and downed it in one gulp. A bloodthirsty glint completely replaced what little clarity remained in his eyes. "Weren't you so eager to know what we're up against? Then come at me, all of you!"

"Mark my words, this is MY territory! You are the challengers!"