Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 141 Combat
A vampire whose body had become even more abnormal emerged from the muddy ground.

If a second-class wizard apprentice's transformation into a vampire at most results in changes such as fangs, blood claws, blood eyes, and bat wings, but still makes them look more like a human overall, then a first-class wizard apprentice's transformation into a vampire using a vampire curse and blood curse makes them even closer to a wild beast.

His face grew elongated, his eye sockets became deep-set, and his body was covered with gray fur, making him look like a terrifying beast. Black barbs grew from the wings on his back, and his body was covered with a sticky fluid.

If a second-class wizard apprentice turned vampire is 30% beast and 70% human, then he is now 70% beast and 30% human.

His pupils were blood-red, with a black inverted cross in the whites.

Howard, the vampire who emerged from the muddy ground, said somewhat dejectedly, "Did you anticipate my ambush?"

Howard glanced at the owl hovering in mid-air, a savage glint in his eyes. "Damn it, it's a shapeshifter."

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.” Howard said with a hint of confidence. “As long as you leave Lilith’s Hut, I can kill you.”

“You white wizards aren’t good at fighting, but I’m different. I’m a black wizard, and fighting is what I do every day. I don’t know how many times I’ve fought or how many times I’ve plundered magical resources to get to where I am today.”

Howard grinned maliciously, and the next moment, a monstrous mandela vine pierced through his chest.

Locke made the magical vine invisible and attacked him while he was speaking.

Locke frowned slightly, because the other party's heart had been pierced by his magical vines, yet he had not died.

In an instant, Locke's mind raced. 'The wood element had clearly pierced his heart; could it be that the immortality of a first-class wizard apprentice-level vampire had overcome this weakness?'

Howard grinned maliciously. "Have you never fought a vampire baron? The vampire baron's strength, speed, and immortality are incomparable to ordinary vampires."

The next moment, he rushed directly towards Locke's main body, intending to use his blood claws to slit Locke's neck.

However, a Rotten Earth Demon King floated behind Locke, and Locke fired a [Mayfly Flower Cannon] at him.

Howard seemed to have received information from Locke; he knew how powerful the spore projectiles were, so he 'tsk'ed and used the vampire's high speed to dodge them.

The deep purple spore projectiles landed on the ground and exploded instantly, emitting a deep purple mist that quickly polluted the soil and air.

Locke used the Mayfly Flower Cannon to fire continuously at the enemy, chasing them all the way.

"A single mayfly flower cannon attack is still too clumsy. It would be best to control three mayfly flower cannons at once, which can create a spore rain attack that covers the enemy," Locke thought. "But it's almost impossible to get six more earth-rot arums. Perhaps I can use other plant magic in the future to make up for the gaps in my mayfly flower cannon attacks."

"As expected, I still need to engage in some fighting. Only through battle can I improve my understanding of my own spells."

As Locke used the Mayfly Flower Cannon so many times, he not only suppressed his opponent but also rapidly improved his understanding of the spell.

Locke's Mayfly Flower Cannon, like a heavy artillery barrage, forced the vampire Howard to use every possible means to dodge it.

Although Howard boasts of being immortal, if he were hit by the spore projectiles that disrupt his perception, he would be completely finished.

Therefore, in a sense, Locke possesses the magic to bypass the vampire's immortality and defeat him directly, which is what makes Howard's situation difficult.

The battle between the two has shifted rapidly, moving from one side of the mountain range to the other.

As they traveled along, the two engaged in a fierce battle of magical pressure, causing all the ordinary magical creatures and other creatures in the forest to flee in terror, with birds scattering in all directions.

Throughout this process, Howard always tried to use his vampire physical advantages and immortality to attack Locke's main body while escaping.

Locke, on the other hand, maintained the heavy artillery attack of the Ephemeral Flower Cannon to suppress the opponent, forcing him not to confront him directly. At the same time, he used the Ominous Mandragora Vines to harass him, and when the opponent tried to engage in close combat, he used the Grass and Trees to fight him.

Meanwhile, Locke used the defensive power of his Nightwalker's Feather Robe to withstand the opponent's sudden Blood Claw sneak attack.

Howard had no good way to deal with this combo.

However, during the pursuit, Locke had no other way to deal with his immortality except by hitting him with the Mayfly Fireworks.

Both sides were rapidly depleting their magical energy. During the chase, Howard suddenly turned and his blood claws reached for Locke's neck, but collided with the leaf blades manipulated by the "All Plants Are Soldiers" technique.

In an instant, Locke chanted the incantation of "every bush and tree is an enemy" again, and the leaf blades immediately surrounded his body, launching a dozen consecutive attacks from his neck to his wrists and ankles, causing blood to flow down his face.

If he weren't a vampire, he would have been dead from that attack.

But Howard still let out a wild laugh. "You underestimate our blood curse magic. This kind of attack has no effect on our immortality!"

Locke said impatiently, "Didn't you come here to kill me? Stop running. Our fight has already attracted the attention of patrolling wizards and the higher-ups in the academy."

"If you want to kill me, then hurry up and do it."

Howard's face darkened. He did indeed want to kill Locke because he had accepted a mission from the Blood Curse Tribunal.

The Blood Curse Court issued a kill order against the first-class wizard apprentice who developed the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus.

Because in the last Wizarding War, they suffered enormous losses due to the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus.

The destruction of that curse spell research institute resulted in the loss of a large number of wizard apprentices, as well as information on the new curses being researched and related experimental data.

Unfortunately, Howard underestimated Locke's strength. He didn't expect that Locke was not at all the level described in the intelligence reports, who had just been promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice.

His magical power was far greater than his.

If it weren't for the vampire's immortality, he would have been defeated long ago; right now, he's barely holding on.

He didn't find any opportunity.

Locke's spellcasting was very well-balanced, and he also had a high-level enchanted item that enhanced his defense.

At the same time, Locke took advantage of the moment Howard turned to attack him and scattered a handful of seeds into the air. The seeds were mixed with some high-grade culture medium. Then Locke chanted a spell, and the 0.5-ring Wild Grass Entanglement burst forth.

The iron-wire tendrils began to grow rapidly around Howard; this was a binding spell.

Howard's eyes flickered. "This is terrible, absolutely terrible."

He tried to escape the spell's range by using his speed, but the weeds wrapped around his legs and then wrapped around his upper body.

The mayfly flower cannons behind Locke, like the gaping maw of death, were aimed at him and were about to fire.

Howard's expression changed as his Bloodclaw struck the Iron Wire Goosegrass.

These weeds were so tough that he wouldn't have time to destroy them before being hit by Locke's mayfly flower cannon.

That would be the end for him.

The next moment, a determination flashed in Howard's eyes. He actually used his blood claws to chop at his own legs, and then used his wings to fly directly out of the area entangled by wild grass.

He stood panting in mid-air, looking down at Locke who was chasing him. "That guy..."

Locke followed with great interest, watching his legs slowly recover. "Is immortality really this advanced?"

"That is indeed quite tricky."

Locke did not stop attacking; he threw a Crystal Palm Fire Lotus at him and then chanted the incantation for a Scorched Earth Bomb.

Before Howard could even catch his breath, he was horrified to see a beautiful crystal flower being thrown toward his forehead.

(End of this chapter)