Chapter 448: You’ve Finally Come

The one-on-one duel Ming Datiss had proposed earlier was the closest anyone had come to killing Ron. Although Ron could use both Martial Arts and Magic simultaneously, he hadn’t been practicing combat techniques for long. His physical conditioning couldn’t compare to a true Warrior, and close-quarters combat came with many limitations.

But with teamwork, all these shortcomings would be compensated for. Not just for Ron—everyone’s abilities would be maximized!

Take Sera, for example. Just a moment ago, she was defeated by Ming Datiss in a single blow. The reason was simply that she favored wide, sweeping charges and paid little attention to her own defense. Moreover, her offensive methods were relatively one-dimensional; once thwarted, she found it extremely difficult to adapt.

But with the support of her companions’ Magic and Divine Magic, all of that could be avoided!

"Weren’t you so arrogant just now? Come on!" The barbarian, wrapped in a dangerous, blood-red aura, saw one of the Baron Sarans forced back by her sword. She let out a ferocious roar and charged toward Ming Datiss. Her valiant, Hell Demon-like figure reflected in Ming Datiss’s dark eyes, nearly scaring the soul out of him!

"Baron! Lord Baron, stop her!" Ming Datiss shrieked, only to be met with the six Sarans’ cold, synchronized snorts.

’Did he not want to help Ming Datiss? He was having trouble just protecting himself!’

The Half-human’s Flame Longsword swept in with intense heat; the Priest drew near, brandishing a weapon infused with Holy Energy; a faint, silvery Moonlight relentlessly closed in; and ghostly flames made him feel as though his very soul was burning. Not to mention the goblin’s potshots and the great swordsman, whose eyes blazed with the fury of one facing a bitter foe!

And all of this was forcing every version of him into a trap of leaping, howling Night Howling Hounds and surging, boiling Dark Magic! The one who had set this trap was the Vampire Mage, holding a Walking Stick and channeling a power from the same source as the "Banker"!

A battle he’d thought was a sure thing had somehow turned into an encirclement aimed at his own annihilation! Every time he tried to escape the siege of these lowlifes, a Magic Emblem inscribed with runes would be thrown from Ron’s hand and explode, inflicting a series of negative emotions on him like despair, fear, and shock.

It wouldn’t have mattered in a one-on-one fight, but facing these lowlifes who had been enhanced by Magic and Divine Magic, Baron Saran didn’t dare to be the least bit careless. He could only trudge with difficulty toward the obvious death trap!

The Banker’s power indeed made Ron and the others wary. Ordinary attacks could cause the Sarans immense pain, but they struggled to kill him. ’But what about a power from the same source as their bodies?’

Silvia twirled her Walking Stick slightly. From the magical darkness she had unleashed, indescribable black tentacles with maws at their tips extended. The moment one grabbed a Saran’s limb, it would immediately drag him into the abyss!

Compared to Ming Datiss, who was merely being chased around by the frenzied barbarian, his situation was the true life-or-death crisis!

’How could Saran Lane not know that the key to breaking this stalemate was Ron? If he could just kill this Mage, or even just distract him, the situation could be reversed in an instant. But under these circumstances, forget about interfering with Ron; he couldn’t even figure out how to get close to him!’

’Is this it? Do I have to use my last resort?’

Baron Saran gritted his teeth. Each of his bodies was covered in wounds, but that was secondary. As long as he used that method, he could instantly be restored to perfect condition. But at the same time! He, like Ming Datiss, would become a complete slave to the Banker!

’A slave owner his whole life, only to be reduced to this after death?’ The Baron grimaced. After taking another of Aive’s sword strikes with his bare flesh, he finally made up his mind.

"Ron, you forced my hand!"

"Fuse!"

In an instant, a gloomy black light erupted from all six Sarans simultaneously, forcing Victoria and the others to retreat. Seizing this opportunity, the six Sarans—who had been split from one being to begin with—immediately overlapped and merged into a single creature far larger than before!

’They were originally one body, so splitting and then re-merging... actually makes him stronger?’ Ron watched in bewildered disbelief as Baron Saran nearly doubled in size. This didn’t just defy the laws of physics; it didn’t even follow the laws of Magic!

’What kind of logic is that?!’

"This is the bait the Banker gave me after I forced my way to the card table!" Saran Lane’s scales were now a glistening jet-black, with almost no trace of green left. The twin horns on his head and the lizard-like tail behind him had grown thicker and larger. And from his back, two small, leathery wings pushed their way out, unfolding after a few slow flaps.

"I never wanted to swallow this bait, but today, you’ve left me no choice, Ron!" The Baron’s voice boomed. With a wave of his hand, a pair of scimitars appeared in his claws. Magic Energy surged from the blades, which carried the faint scent of sulfur. "This is all your fault, you lowlifes!"

"From this day forward, I am Lord Viscount Saran Lane!" Not a trace of the Elf remained on Saran’s face; his features had completely transformed into those of a Half-Dragon Half-Devil. He roared at Ron and charged, brandishing his scimitars. "And you will be the first mortal to die by my blade!"

"What the hell!" The sudden transformation made Ron’s heart skip a beat. But almost instantly, he raised a hand and pointed it through the air at the "Lord Viscount."

"Death Finger? A pity it’s useless!" Saran gave a bloodthirsty smile, but it quickly twisted into the same stupefied expression Ming Datiss had worn earlier. He looked down at the ground to see the orange-yellow crystals reappearing. In just a moment, they had already covered his lower body and were spreading toward his waist and tail!

"Before, I was imitating the magic model of that Elder Mage under your command. But now that I only have to deal with you, there’s no need to be so wasteful!" Ron sneered. With a flip of his hand, a shortbow was in his grasp. He nocked a Cloud Burst Arrow, aimed it at Saran, and commanded, "Explode!"

Although only Saran was covered by the orange-yellow crystals this time, when the bowstring twanged, the resulting explosion was no less violent than the last. If Sera hadn’t been quick-witted and dodged to the edge in time, she likely would have been caught in it as well.

And the most tragic of all was Ming Datiss. In what seemed like a second act just for him, he became the only unlucky bastard to be bombed by the same spell twice in one day.

"This should be..." Under the protection of the Aive Tower Shield, Ron reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Although he had suppressed the Magic to a level he could control this time, it was just as draining on his Energy.

However, as if seizing that exact lull, just as everyone was relaxing slightly, Silvia’s Walking Stick began to flicker erratically before erupting with a thick cloud of black fog.

From within the black fog, a rugged, black-scaled claw shot out, viciously swiping at the back of Ron’s head, who hadn’t put up any defenses against a companion behind him!

CLANG!

A resilient Magic Force Field and ancient flesh collided with full force, the resulting impact no weaker than the explosion Ron had caused. Jilannis, who had been standing to the side, had appeared behind Ron at some point. The Sword-shaped Force Field in her hand was perfectly still as it blocked the scaled claw that had lashed out in a sneak attack.

The Moon Elf’s silvery-white hair flowed up behind her head. On her shoulder, the lion-shaped beast head shifted like liquid, transforming into a face identical to her own. In the eyes of both faces, crimson and lake-blue intertwined into an uncanny violet, as if they could see through to the true form of the coward hiding in the black fog.

"My long watch has not been in vain. Even if you used that foolish boy Saran and turned him into such a state..." the two Jilannises spoke simultaneously, their words imbued with powerful Magic Power, like an unalterable law.

"You’ve finally shown yourself!"