Volume 2, Chapter 8 – The Motionless Magical Attack

“Master… are you alright??”

Coming back to her senses, Tianyin heard the concerned voice of her loli disciple beside her. Following the sound, she turned to see Mengyao’s face filled with worry and care.

“Wuu… I-I’m fine… I think…?”

Everything had happened so suddenly. Though Tianyin still hadn’t figured out exactly what was going on, at least she herself hadn’t been hurt.

“As long as Master’s okay, that’s good…”

After saying that, Mengyao pressed close to Tianyin’s side, her expression alert as she scanned their surroundings.

“Master, don’t be afraid! From now on, I’ll protect you!”

However, hearing those words from her disciple, Tianyin’s heart welled up with a mix of gratitude, warmth, and complex emotion.

After all, as a Master, to be protected by one’s disciple… there probably wasn’t another case like this in the whole game.

At that moment, Samael, who had been silent in Tianyin’s mind, suddenly spoke.

「Be careful. I sense an immense number of B-class magic waves…」

『Eh?』

Tianyin blinked her eyes, momentarily confused about what B-class magic even meant. In that instant, the sky darkened.

A moment ago, it had been perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight, the sunlight bright and warm. But in just that brief instant, everything dimmed.

“Master… what’s that?”

Mengyao’s voice trembled with amazement. Following her gaze, Tianyin lifted her face to the sky.

Countless arrows trailed multicolored lights, densely covering the limited sky above the valley, blocking out the sunlight. Around those arrows were massive fireballs, icicles, and layers upon layers of complex and mysterious magic circles formed from runes.

“What… is this…”

Staring at the sight before her, Tianyin felt as if she were dreaming.

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「If I’m not mistaken…」

Samael’s slightly grave voice said in her mind.

「this ambush unleashed tens of thousands of B-class spells in an instant, and they also have thousands of Rangers. All those arrows in the sky are enchanted with special effects…」

To Samael, B-class magic alone posed no threat, but for Tianyin and the NPC army below, it was lethal.

『Samael, what do we do… what do we do!?』

Tianyin panicked.

At that moment, her loli disciple Mengyao stepped in front of her, clearly intending to shield Tianyin from the oncoming barrage.

Tianyin couldn’t deny she was moved, but because of that, her heart ached even more.

“Xiaomengyao…”

She tugged nervously at Mengyao’s sleeve, her eyes full of worry.

Mengyao immediately understood Tianyin’s concern but her gaze remained firm.

“Master… it’s fine. I just want to protect you… Besides, I even managed to block the Frost Dragon’s breath last time. I can definitely stop this too!”

She spoke with confidence, but who would truly want the people beside them to always stand in harm’s way?

At the very least, Tianyin was beginning to regret not leveling up more seriously before now.

“Master… this time, let me protect you again. When you become stronger one day, then you can protect me, okay?”

“But…”

Tianyin opened her mouth, unsure what to say.

She knew Mengyao had blocked the Frost Dragon’s breath before, but this time… she doubted it would be possible.

Tens of thousands of B-class spells. Even if she blocked one, what about the other ten?

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Though the magic wouldn’t all strike the same point, there was no doubt some of it would land near Tianyin’s position. Not to mention the Rangers’ arrows with all sorts of special effects…

Just as the spells were about to strike, a figure engulfed in golden light suddenly appeared in midair.

That glowing figure wielded a longsword, radiating an overwhelming presence. Without question, it was Karl, the leader of the Holy Hand Knight Order.

He raised both hands, and a massive shield appeared above them, just large enough to cover the gathered troops below.

The shield faced upward, and in the next second, countless B-class spells and arrows of all attributes rained down upon it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions rang out, like thunder shaking the heavens. In Tianyin’s eyes, in just a few seconds, countless spells and arrows struck mercilessly against the great Shield of Light.

“So… so strong…”

To be able to react and defend so quickly against such an overwhelming barrage, at that moment, Tianyin truly understood the power of a Legendary-tier being.

However, even though the Shield of Light held, Tianyin noticed that after only a few seconds, it had already dimmed rapidly.

「He won’t last much longer…」

Samael’s voice echoed in her mind.

「At most two more seconds. Once it breaks, the remaining B-class spells will devastate the army in the valley.」

『Then what do we do, Samael? Shouldn’t we help?』

「Don’t act rashly, Xiaoyin. Right now, I’m your final trump card. If my three-minute limit expires, you’ll be left completely helpless…」

『Then what should we do?! Just watch as those spells hit us!?』

「No… as a Legendary-tier, I doubt he’ll just sit there waiting to die.」

As if to prove Samael’s words, just as the Shield of Light began to crack, armored knights with firm expressions stepped out from the gathered ranks below.

“A knight… never retreats!”

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With their low shouts, Paladins stepped forward, some gripping weapons, others holding large shields, forming a line at the very front.

Though their faces were worn and weary, their eyes burned with unshakable resolve and devotion.

Then, one by one, smaller Shields of Light appeared from their hands. Though not as massive as Karl’s, they shone even brighter.

In the next instant, Karl’s Shield of Light shattered, but another, denser one appeared in the air, replacing it.

“The attack… was stopped…”

Tianyin couldn’t help but exclaim, her wide eyes sparkling with light.

「Yes, it was stopped. Expected, yet still remarkable… To unite the same-class skills of so many and cast them in unison like this… only those devoted to the Holy Light, only Paladins, could achieve such a thing…」

Hearing Samael’s sigh, Tianyin quietly memorized the term “Combination Skill.”

With that new shield taking shape, the once-overwhelming wave of magic finally dissipated harmlessly.

Karl hovered in the air, his gaze sweeping coldly over the countless players filling the mountains below.

“Very good.”

His deep voice rolled out after a moment.

“Outsiders. You really think you can defeat us?”

“Tens of thousands of magic scrolls, a hidden ambush in the valley… Even so, I’ll tell you one thing, outsiders.”

“That is… Paladins can get angry too!”

In the next second, Karl’s body once again burst into radiant golden flames, the pressure so intense it felt as if the air itself was freezing.

“What power could a Legendary-tier really have?”

Elsewhere in the valley, the player named Yunchou listened to Karl’s words with calm indifference, shaking his head slightly.

“Besides the Thrones, even a Legendary has fatal weaknesses…”

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He spoke as though commenting on something trivial. Then, turning to a nearby player, he said softly,

“Spread the word. That one-time-use item, prepare it for the next wave.”

“Got it. Attention, all members! Next wave—”

As the order spread through the Guild channel, Yunchou’s faint smile never changed.

At the same time, just as Karl finished speaking, countless players bearing the Guild prefix Kongjing each pulled out sealed B-class magic scrolls.

“What… since when were B-class magic scrolls this common?”

Seeing those players holding them, Karl was shocked and filled with dread.

“Light Form.”

The moment his body ignited with holy flames, the Kongjing Guild players tore open their scrolls all at once.

And in that instant, the very same apocalyptic scene returned before Karl’s eyes.

“When did B-class spells… become so damn cheap…”

Even after taking the strongest defensive stance he could, Karl’s heart sank.

Then, at that very moment, all the spells in the sky stopped moving.

As if seized by some invisible power, they hung frozen in midair, motionless.

Even Tianyin, watching it happen, couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.

『Samael, what’s happening? Why did all the spells stop moving?』

According to Samael, those spells were all B-class. Yet now, they just hung there in the sky, eerily still…