Total annihilation?

  Pierce raised an eyebrow.

  Although he had personally watched that Rank 4 Priest flee into the valley, some time had passed since then, and he hadn't been certain if the Priest was still there.

  But from the looks of it now, the Rank 4 Priest evidently hadn't left.

  For Hubert and his squad to charge in completely oblivious, it was no surprise they were entirely wiped out.

  "Let's go. To the Mission Hall."

  Pierce took the lead, heading toward the Mission Hall. On the way, he asked casually, "How did you get the news?"

  "Some patrolling Giant Eagle Knights sensed intense fluctuations of divine grace. When they went to investigate, they found residual traces of the Domain of Winter Frost and saw the Turins cleaning up corpses. Because it was relatively close to the Mithril resource point, they didn't dare approach recklessly and left after taking a quick look."

  "However, judging from the signs at the scene, coupled with the fact that Hubert's squad still hasn't returned, the news of their annihilation should be accurate."

  Pierce nodded slightly.

  A group of Rank 1 Wizards caught in the Domain of Winter Frost was basically beyond saving.

  Upon arriving at the Mission Hall, it was predictably packed with people.

  Discussions about the Mithril resource point could be heard everywhere, and an atmosphere of restlessness permeated the air.

  Pierce's arrival drew the attention of many Wizards, causing a slight commotion in the crowd.

  Many had witnessed the conflict between Pierce and Hubert a few days ago, but no one could have anticipated such an outcome.

  Hubert's squad had set out full of confidence to conquer the Mithril resource point, but in the end, they had merely acted as a meat shield for Pierce.

  It was truly lamentable!

  However, a small number of quick-witted Wizards looked at Pierce with profound expressions.

  Recalling Pierce's words about waiting to take over their mission, it seemed he had known about the anomaly at the Mithril resource point all along.

  If that was the case, then Hubert's squad had undoubtedly been utterly played by Pierce.

  "Pierce."

  Colin and Jared had appeared beside Pierce at some point, their gazes incredibly complex as they looked at him.

  If the others were merely suspicious, they were absolutely certain.

  Upon hearing the news of Hubert's annihilation, they finally understood the hidden meaning behind Pierce's smile that day.

  "Are you really going to take the mission?" Colin asked.

  "Of course. Didn't I already say I would?" Pierce replied with a smile.

  Colin and Jared exchanged a glance, feeling that Pierce was becoming increasingly unfathomable.

  Whether it was back then or right now, Pierce clearly knew there was a Rank 4 Priest garrisoning the Mithril resource point, yet he still insisted on taking the mission. This left them completely baffled.

  Could it be that Pierce actually had a way to deal with a Rank 4 Priest?

  That was a powerhouse on the same level as a Rank 2 Wizard!

  Taking note of their changing expressions, Pierce smiled faintly without offering any explanation. He led Sophia and Payne straight toward the counter.

  Soon, the news that Pierce had taken the mission to attack the Mithril resource point spread.

  An uproar instantly swept through the Mission Hall.

  "Tsk, tsk. I thought Pierce only said that before so he wouldn't lose face. I didn't expect him to actually take it."

  "I don't understand. He already knows there's a Rank 4 Priest at the Mithril resource point. Why is he rushing to his death?"

  "Maybe Pierce has some kind of trump card?"

  "What kind of trump card could allow a Rank 1 Wizard to defeat a Rank 4 Priest? And don't forget, there are over a dozen other Winter Frost Priests there, while Pierce is entirely alone!"

  "Who cares? We'll just wait and see."

  "I just think it's a pity. It's rare for Aurora City to produce a genius Wizard. It would be a damn shame if he fell just like that."

  Discussions rose and fell.

  The crowd in the hall roughly split into two factions.

  The Wizards from Aurora City were either confused or felt it was a regrettable waste.

  The Wizards from Red Lotus City, on the other hand, were eager to watch the show, some even openly gloating.

  They had never seen someone willingly rush into a dragon's den knowing full well it meant certain death.

  Of course, if Pierce really did die at the Mithril resource point, the vast majority of Red Lotus City Wizards would simply clap and cheer.

  After all, if it hadn't been for this guy, Red Lotus City wouldn't have lost the tournament, resulting in them losing a large portion of the profits from the Turin Plane.

  Pierce paid no mind to the gossip behind his back.

  After accepting the mission, he led Sophia and Payne straight out of the city, heading toward the Mithril resource point with swift, decisive action.

  "My Lord, aren't we bringing the golems?" Sophia asked, puzzled.

  Pierce shook his head. "No. They'll slow us down."

  This reason was unassailable, rendering Sophia speechless.

  Payne, however, remained completely calm, showing not a trace of worry.

  He had come to understand a simple truth: it didn't matter if he didn't understand the reasoning behind his Lord's actions, as long as he knew his Lord never did anything without absolute certainty.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Everything that had happened up to this point had proven this.

  However, while Pierce might despise his enemies strategically, he never underestimated them tactically.

  When they were about a hundred kilometers away from the Mithril resource point, Pierce directly cast Invisibility on the three of them and the Giant Eagles.

  Because of this, the Turins didn't detect their approach until they entered the sensing range of the deity statues.

  By the time the Turins realized something was wrong and sounded the alarm, it was already too late.

  A blinding lightning spear descended from the heavens, violently shattering the defensive barrier. Its momentum undiminished, it struck the city wall. With a deafening boom, more than half of the towering, thick wall collapsed instantly.

  In a flash, the Turin guards on the wall suffered catastrophic casualties.

  "Caw! Caw!"

  Countless Fog Crows plummeted from the sky, surging into the valley like a black torrent, and began slaughtering the Turin warriors within.

  "You damned Wizards again!"

  An incredibly powerful fluctuation of divine grace suddenly erupted from deep within the valley.

  A streak of light flew over rapidly, instantly arriving above the city wall.

  The light faded, revealing Andrej's figure.

  He glared coldly at the figure opposite him, but the next second, his expression abruptly froze. His imposing aura faltered. His face rapidly shifted from shock and furious hostility to sheer astonishment, followed closely by terror and panic, showcasing an incredibly vivid display of changing expressions.

  "It's you!"

  Hearing Andrej's almost pitching voice, the Winter Frost Priests who had followed him looked confused, not understanding why Lord Andrej was having such a massive reaction.

  According to the information fed back by the Eyes of Winter, the person before them was clearly just a Rank 1 Liquid Phase Wizard.

  "A mere Rank 1 Wizard dares to act wildly here. You must be tired of living."

  A Rank 3 Priest sneered. He took a step forward and said:

  "Lord Andrej, there is no need for you to take action against this guy. Leave him to me."

  However, as soon as he spoke, Andrej shouted in a low voice without even turning his head, "Do not underestimate him! This guy is no ordinary Rank 1 Wizard!"

  The Rank 3 Priest paused slightly and said subconsciously, "But Lord, the Eyes of Winter clearly show..."

  Andrej impatiently cut him off, barking, "Idiot! Have you ever seen a Rank 1 Wizard shatter a divine shield in the blink of an eye?!"

  Hearing this, the Priests instantly realized the truth, their expressions changing drastically.

  Indeed, from the moment the attack started until they arrived, barely half a minute had passed. For the divine shield to be broken in such a short time... that was absolutely not something a Rank 1 Wizard could achieve.

  The guy before them was clearly not as simple as he appeared!

  Realizing this, the expressions of the Winter Frost Priests turned solemn.

  "Attack together! Do not hold back!"

  Andrej had also recovered his composure by now.

  Although the enemy was powerful, he had over a dozen helpers on his side. They might not necessarily lose.

  Taking note of the Priests' little movements, Pierce chuckled mockingly. The Silver Star on his wrist rapidly melted, swiftly spreading over his entire body.

  Immediately following that, one Lightning Rune after another emerged, scrambling to sink into his body.

  Blinding lightning erupted. It was as if Pierce had donned a suit of armor forged entirely from pure lightning.

  He had just used the Fortitude Magic Tattoo not long ago, and it was currently recharging, unable to be activated again.

  But Pierce didn't care. Fusing with Silver Star plus thirty-two Lightning Runes was more than enough.

  The next second, Pierce vanished from his spot.

  Seeing this, the Winter Frost Priests instantly raised their guard to the maximum, immediately casting divine defensive spells.

  But it was futile. A second later, an agonizing scream rang out.

  Andrej turned his head, just in time to see the headless corpse of his companion slowly falling to the ground, and Pierce standing right beside it.

  "Damn it!"

  Andrej's eyes went bloodshot. A thick layer of solid ice instantly condensed on his right arm, and he thrust a hand toward Pierce.

  Following his motion, a surging torrent of freezing air blasted out, sweeping toward Pierce like a raging river.

  Unfortunately, it missed.

  Buffed by thirty-two Lightning Runes, Pierce's speed was as fast as a spark. He appeared behind another Winter Frost Priest almost as if teleporting and blew the man's head off with a single punch.

  The events of yesterday were playing out once again, only this time, it was the Turins who were being slaughtered.

  Facing Pierce's terrifying strength, the Winter Frost Priests had absolutely no power to fight back.

  Their so-called divine defenses were as fragile as wet paper before the blazing lightning; they couldn't even withstand a single punch from Pierce.

  In less than a minute, all of the dozen or so Winter Frost Priests had been reduced to cold corpses.

  Andrej watched this scene with a deathly pale face, an involuntary, heart-gripping terror breeding within him.

  "You're the only one left."

  Pierce looked at Andrej. Without hesitation, he Overcharged the Focus and Thunderburst Magic Tattoos. The blinding intensity of the lightning radiating from him skyrocketed once again.

  That tyrannical, unparalleled aura made Andrej's scalp tingle. Unable to think of anything else, he frantically channeled the power of his holy artifact. Amidst a crisp cracking sound, solid ice rapidly spread from his arm to cover his entire body.

  In the blink of an eye, a layer of ice armor encased him as well.

  "What a strong fluctuation of divine grace!"

  Pierce's eyes lit up.

  The holy artifact on this guy was clearly of a much higher grade than those Eyes of Winter.

  The Power of Faith contained within such an artifact was definitely incredibly dense.

  Perhaps he could extract two or three Faith Crystals from this one item alone.

  "I hope the quality of this thing is good, don't break too easily."

  Pierce smiled faintly. His figure shot out like a bolt of lightning, charging toward Andrej with an unstoppable, berserk momentum.

  Boom!

  Blazing lightning and freezing currents erupted in the void, blue and white halos intertwining, clashing, and mutually annihilating each other.

  The Turin warriors in the valley, while struggling bitterly to fend off the attacks of the Fog Crows, occasionally looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with hope.

  They prayed that their great Lord Priest could slay the invader.

  But to their despair, as time passed, the lightning in the sky gradually suppressed the freezing currents. The blue halo was continuously encroaching upon the space of the white halo.

  Seeing this, even a fool could understand that Lord Andrej, upon whom they had placed all their hopes, was going to lose.

  Rumble!

  Blinding, eye-searing lightning tore through the sky, completely dispersing all the freezing currents.

  A figure plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing into a stone house.

  A deafening boom immediately followed, sending dust and debris flying everywhere as the house collapsed into rubble.

  When the dust settled, amidst the ruins, Andrej lay motionless in the rubble. His entire body was charred black, barely a single intact spot remaining. He was clearly exhaling more than inhaling.

  Pierce slowly descended from the sky, the lightning on his body gradually dissipating.

  Andrej's strength was, at best, at the level of a Rank 2 Gaseous Phase Wizard.

  Even though Pierce hadn't gone all out, it was more than enough to easily defeat an opponent of this caliber.

  "If I go all out now, I'd have the power to fight even a Rank 2 Crystalline Phase Wizard."

  With a faint smile, Pierce deactivated the Silver Star fusion and walked over to Andrej.

  The Rank 4 Priest lay paralyzed on the ground, his eyes staring at Pierce in sheer terror.

  Pierce smiled slightly and flicked a finger. With a sizzle, an arc of electricity pierced straight through Andrej's forehead.

  He then made a grasping motion, and two rings slipped off Andrej's fingers, floating into his palm.

  One was a spatial item.

  The other emanated intense fluctuations of divine grace; it was clearly the holy artifact from just now.

  Although Pierce didn't specialize in Enchantment, his proficiency in the field was no less than that of some Tier 1 or Tier 2 Enchanters. Yet, after holding the ring and examining it for a moment, he still couldn't decipher its crafting technique.

  "It's a crafting system from an entirely different discipline."

  Pierce shook his head and put the ring away.

  The power of this holy artifact was only slightly better than an ordinary Tier 2 Magic Tool; it was vastly inferior to Silver Star.

  Furthermore, items like holy artifacts usually required divine grace to power them; Wizards couldn't use them at all.

  Unless he modified it.

  But if he did that, stripped of divine grace, the holy artifact's power would likely be inferior to even a Glimmer-grade magical item.

  With Andrej's death, this invasion had also reached its end.

  Sophia and Payne, who had hurried over, also joined the mop-up operation.

  Both of them had already reached the absolute limit of Tier 1 Legendary Knights and had mastered dual Elemental Powers. Their combat strength was comparable to Tier 2 Legendary Knights.

  With all the Winter Frost Priests dead, there were barely any opponents who could match them.

  Clearing out the remnants, sweeping the battlefield... by the time everything was done, the horizon was already tinged with the yellow of dusk.

  Pierce remained in the valley to oversee things, sending Sophia and Payne back to Red Maple City on the Giant Eagles to bring over the golems, slaves, and the underground mining system.

  By the time Sophia and Payne arrived back in Red Maple City, it was already evening.

  The two made no attempt to conceal their movements. The sight of twenty Clay Golems marching through Red Maple City immediately drew the attention of many.

  Soon, someone recognized Sophia and Payne's identities.

  And so, that very night, the news that Pierce had single-handedly conquered the Mithril resource point in just half a day spread throughout the entirety of Red Maple City, causing a massive uproar.