Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Flames erupted from Vitas's body, and both Maximus and Raphael had the same thought.

This guy definitely didn't come alone. Now the wizard behind him is probably about to make a move!

However, this was not much different from Raphael's original plan.

"Maximus, hold them off! As long as Alistair is resurrected, everything will be alright!"

"What?"

The name that flashed through Vitas's mind sent a chill down his spine: Alistair, that damned wizard? Wasn't that guy killed by him and Maximus? Along with that inexplicable mysterious wizard.

What the hell is going on in Maximus's head? Or did this guy experiment on his own brain and turn himself into a brain-dead person?

If that's really possible, then Vitas really needs to cut off his head and take a closer look at what's going on!

Vitas calmed himself down. The surrounding flames had already condensed into the shape of a human. The main reason was that his limbs were currently bound. If he were free, summoning undead minions would only take a moment!

At the same time, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from high above.

The powerful energy showed no regard for Vitas's life or death, cleaving apart all the vines that were tightly binding him.

In the distance, Raphael chanted a spell, and the portal opened. He then entered the portal, leaving Maximus to deal with Vitas.

Maximus stood there, stunned.

Me, playing Vitas? Really?

He saw the hatred and anger on Vitas's face and knew that this matter could not be resolved simply now.

"Vitas, we could actually be friends, couldn't we?"

"I've done so many things for you, and you haven't given me a single thing in return, yet you still want to be friends with me?"

"Isn't it a little sad to use such a superficial thing to measure our friendship?"

The longsword in Vitas's hand was already burning with flames.

"By the way, Maximus, weren't you curious about why I'm so powerful?"

Maximus quickly said, "No, no, no, no, no, actually I'm not particularly curious right now!"

However, Maximus had already seen hundreds of undead appear around Vitas.

"What is this?"

The wizard's curiosity was instantly replaced by fear. Why hadn't he detected any trace of magic? Why were these things on fire, yet still able to move around like normal people?

Maximus didn't even have time to react when Vitas charged at him.

This is not a suitable distance for wizards to fight.

Fortunately, Maximus had prepared in advance.

Even the most ordinary student under Draco's command is an excellent wizard.

He shook his Thunder Staff, and lightning struck the ground not far from him. The shockwave from the explosion blew him away, and with this little trick, he distanced himself from Vitas's undead.

Maximus then began chanting a spell.

The undead kept approaching, but Maximus judged from his experience that he could make it in time!

"Trafalgar Storm!"

Storm spell is considered a rather difficult spell in the wizarding world. Its effect is to summon and teleport a storm.

In just a few moments, a strong wind arose, thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

The difficulty of this spell lies in how to combine three spells—thunder, wind, and rain—into a single spell.

Maximus studied for an unknown amount of time before finally mastering the spell.

Now, Maximus watched as the spell was unleashed through his own hands, turning the entire plain and forest into a gray, chaotic mess, all of which he had created.

The feeling that welled up in his heart at this moment was just like when he first learned and released a spell.

"Vitas, do you see? This is the great power of wizards. We have become one with nature, while you mortals are nothing but slaves to nature, our slaves!"

Maximus did not expect a response from Vitas; in such a storm, simply maintaining their existence was all they could do.

"Shut up, wizard, we have already conquered nature."

Unexpectedly, he heard Vitas's voice very clearly.

Are you kidding me?

Maximus turned his head and saw Vitas standing just twenty meters away, wearing his fearsome armor.

The gale only made the flames on his body burn even more wildly, and behind him, those eerie undead were waiting.

They were in the midst of the storm, showing no signs of being affected.

"Everything I have, all these illogical things you see, were given to me by the wizard."

Vitas's words were tinged with anger.

"And now, obviously, I'm going to return these things to you wizards."

It's spell resistance!

Damn it, Maximus realized instantly that these undead-like beings had spell resistance, and it was even possible that Vitas himself also possessed spell resistance.

In this way, he would not be able to use things created by magic.

Storm spells may appear to be naturally occurring, but they are actually created and transmitted by magic.

What do I have that can break through spell resistance?

Maximus retreated rapidly, the storm spell he originally intended to use to defeat his enemies now becoming an obstacle to his vision.

Damn it, I got attacked because of a lack of information.

Maximus never dreamed that Vitas, who looked like a warrior no matter how you looked at him, would actually master summoning spells.

Oops!

Vitas and his undead warriors have charged in.

Maximus also wields a fireball staff and a lightning staff, both of which are countered by spell resistance.

He doesn't have many offensive spells to begin with, and now he has to face these guys who are full of hatred for wizards.

Damn it.

"Morpheus' Dark Orb!"

A massive black sphere of light appeared between Maximus and Vitas's Knights, a sphere capable of blocking all senses.

Maximus needs to figure out the operating logic of these undead. Are they like the dead, without their own consciousness and only able to obey their master's orders, or are they creatures summoned from other worlds?

There was nothing he could do; Vitas was too well hidden, and he hadn't obtained any information related to it. All he could do was continue his investigation.

These undead indeed seemed capable of only obeying their master's commands; after the black light-absorbing sphere appeared, they ceased to move.

This sphere of light is 200 meters in diameter, and it is completely dark inside.

If Vitas intends to bypass the orb of light, he will have to waste a lot of time; if he is to risk entering, he must gamble that he has not set up any other traps or spells inside.

Maximus immediately cast a flight spell.

In reality, the most important spells for wizards in battle are neither offensive nor defensive spells, but flight spells.

As long as they can fly, an insurmountable chasm exists between wizards and ordinary warriors.

With just a little bit of opportunity, one can destroy tens or even hundreds of times more enemies.

Maximus took to the sky and then dispelled the Storm spell.

Since we already know that this spell won't harm Vitas, it's better to cancel it and give ourselves a better view.

Maximus continued singing.

Mage Shield, Wizard's Eye.

Then, the altitude continued to increase.

In just a few dozen seconds, he had reached a height of 100 meters, where he was basically safe. As long as Vitas did not know magic, he would not be able to knock him down.

The Eye of Spell solved his problem of limited visibility at high altitude, and the next step was to figure out what kind of spell could kill Vitas.

This is the normal procedure for a wizard to fight a warrior. Without the assistance of other wizards, it is virtually impossible for a warrior to defeat a normal wizard.

Finally, when the black orb disappeared, Vitas looked up at the small black dot in the sky.

"Damn it, this guy actually flew up there, which is why I hate fighting wizards head-on."

Vitas complained under his breath.

He and the surrounding spirits stared at each other in bewilderment.

That's how wizards are.

Their methods are astonishing and extremely difficult to counter. If it weren't for the fact that the vast majority of them are still at the level of an ordinary person, then wizards would truly be invincible.

"Bring me my bow."

Vitas asked his men for a longbow.

Maximus was still chanting incantations high in the sky.

Because wizards need absolute concentration when casting spells, it is almost impossible for less skilled wizards with insufficient combat experience to be distracted and pay attention to the battlefield situation during battle.

Therefore, when Maximus noticed Vitas preparing to shoot an arrow with his remaining attention, he was so frightened that he immediately abandoned the spell and continued to increase his height.

There was no way around it; Vitas was a powerful warrior. It's no exaggeration to say that Vitas was the most powerful warrior Maximus had ever seen. No one in the Duchy of Vilan and the surrounding countries could compare to him.

But how could someone like that end up in such a small city? Why hasn't someone like that become famous yet?

Suddenly, Maximus thought of something that wasn't particularly relevant.

Two years ago, Maximus heard about a mercenary group from another country that was powerful and efficient, and that would surely rise to prominence in the country in time.

But soon after, that knightly order disappeared without a trace, just like all people and organizations that had once appeared only briefly in the past.

Perhaps Vitas will suffer the same fate; his current legend may end with his own actions.

Maximus continued to rise, and with the help of the Mage's Eye, he saw Vitas draw his bow and stare at him.

Wait a minute, I was using the Mage's Eye to observe Vitas, so why is he able to look directly at me?

Oh no!

Before he could react, Vitas had already fired the arrow.

An arrow pierced straight through the mage's eye, an eye formed from magic that could be destroyed by physical means. This was just an attempt by Vitas, but Vitas succeeded.

Maximus could no longer see what was happening on the ground.

If you're a skilled wizard, then what you need to do now is cast a second Wizard's Eye and place it.

However, Maximus didn't have enough spell slots.

Aside from the physical body of an ordinary person, the spell slot is a mage's most serious and fatal weakness.

The number of spell slots generated by the combination of factors such as each mage's talent, physical condition, and age is different, and this is the core secret of each mage.

Maximus is thirty-two years old this year, and he has twenty-one spell slots.

The teleportation spell used when I came here, the scouting spell used when Vitas approached, the teleportation spell used to bring my two subordinates here, and the spells used in the battle just now—there are already ten of them scattered around.

There are only eleven spells left.

After defeating Vitas, he may also have to fight Raphael.

Releasing another Eye of the Mage that will be destroyed by Vitas now seems like a bad idea, no matter how you look at it.

Of course, there are spells like the Mage's Eye that cannot be destroyed, but the biggest problem is that Maximus doesn't know such a spell.

Oops.

If he couldn't get a view of the ground, he would have to fight on the ground, and that distance terrified him.

If one is an ordinary wizard, then at this moment one should immediately choose to retreat and escape to save one's life.

Now that Vitas's secret has been exposed, retreating at this point would yield even greater benefits.

Unfortunately, Maximus was a mediocre wizard who considered himself excellent.

"No, I have to kill him. Vitas and I have a grudge. He will never let me go after this. I have to kill him. How could I, a great wizard, be unable to defeat such a warrior? That's ridiculous."

Maximus looked down at the ground and began to descend.

Soon, he was able to see the smile on Vitas's face.

"Oh, my friend, you've finally agreed to come down from the sky."

"How did you manage to shoot my mage's eye?"

"I saw it, and then I shot the arrow. Are you surprised?"

"Yes."

Maximus stared intently at him, while the surrounding undead stirred restlessly.

"I can tell you're afraid of my partner. If you want a fair fight, I won't refuse. Come on, let's have a one-on-one duel. Come down to the ground."

Do I look like an idiot to you?

"To be honest, it's quite similar. For example, I really can't understand why you would cooperate with that guy to resurrect Alistair. That guy..."

Vitas suddenly fell silent; he suddenly felt that the guy who was working with Maximus looked very familiar.

Moreover, Maximus's school was probably not the kind of school that would study the resurrection of the dead.

"I really don't understand why you would want to resurrect another enemy of ours alongside my former enemy. Do you think Alistair will let you go after being resurrected?"

"Heh, that's the perspective of mortals. The Necromancers' magic is deeply rooted in the resurrection and control of the undead. After resurrecting Alistair, they were able to control him and ultimately solve my current big problem."

Vitas truly hadn't expected that magic could be used in this way. Now, Maximus's most serious problem was his inability to explain Alistair's death.

This would indeed be a good thing for Maximus, but it lacked consideration.

"So, that means it was that guy who stole Alistair's body back then."

"Alright, that's enough about revealing the truth."

Maximus raised his staff and aimed it at Vitas.

"Lightning."

Another bolt of lightning struck, and Vitas did not dodge, standing there to receive the bombardment.

Then, the surrounding undead rushed directly towards Maximus.

However, since he was flying in the air, he could not be hit. Even archers could not break the mage's shield in a short time.

Vitas summoned three hundred minions, whose buffs would allow him to withstand such damage.

He was also quite troubled about how to deal with Maximus. Of course, he couldn't let him live, since this guy had discovered his biggest secret.

Now, relying solely on his own strength, if Maximus insists on escaping, there is truly no way for him to do so.

What should I do?

Maximus pondered that killing a wizard head-on without another wizard was far too difficult.

"Scout, go to the back. Executioner, prepare to throw the axe."

More importantly, does Maximus have any life-saving magic?

The necromancer he had fought had been resurrected, and he had also witnessed Alistair's life-saving spells when he fought him.

Even though he had always looked down on Maximus, what if the guy was just pretending? What if he actually had a spell that could save his life?

Normally he could think calmly, but when it came to maintaining the existence of his subordinates in the world, the constant pain and burning sensation made it difficult for him to think calmly.

Never mind, even if Maximus really has a way to save his life, I can't fight back. Rather than saying that he can resurrect as many times as he wants, I will kill him as many times as he wants!

"Knights of Sin, attack!"

"Ral Puppet War Slave Summoning Technique!"

The three hundred or so members of the Knights of Sin charged toward Maximus at the same time, while Maximus completed his summoning spell, and more than five hundred puppets appeared on the ground. These puppets were all temporarily created and summoned using magic.

Although they are numerous, their combat effectiveness is poor.

For wizards, it only serves to buy time when fighting is inconvenient.

Sure enough, even the elite warriors of the Knights of Sin were delayed when faced with a large number of enemies.

The battlefield was bustling with activity, with only Maximus and Vitas not engaged in combat.

Then Maximus began to sing.

Vitas drew his sword and walked over step by step.

"Anonymous - Invisibility Technique"

Maximus disappeared.

Invisibility is a basic spell that every wizard knows.

Wizards have countless ways to defend against invisibility spells, but for those who don't understand magic, invisibility is one of the most difficult spells to deal with.

Vitas is not worried.

Dealing with wizards is a contest of trump cards. He has already revealed so many trump cards and demonstrated magic resistance. Now it is Maximus's turn to find a way to break through his defenses.

Whether it's lightning, fire, or even space distortion, Maximus's skill level is such that he cannot break through his own spell resistance.

Vitas waited for Maximus to make his move, then he realized something was poking at his armor.

How could that be?

How could Maximus have such audacity to get so close to me?

For Maximus, this was also a risk.

The Anonymous Invisibility Technique is a low-level version of the Invisibility Technique. As for why a higher-level version isn't used...

Because Maximus doesn't.

Maximus is gambling.

He placed his hand on Vitas's armor because the next spell he was about to cast required direct contact to take effect.

Spell resistance is a rather troublesome thing, but as a research-oriented wizard, I usually have a lot of materials that have spell resistance.

Some experimental spells have unexpected effects when dealing with spell resistance.

That spell only requires making contact by placing your hand on the armor at the end.

The moment contact occurs, one's invisibility spell will be canceled.

Vitas's reaction speed can't be that fast, right?

"Anonymous - Powerful Distortion Technique!"

The spells used in experiments are generally used to distort things that are difficult to distort; the effects are simple and easy to use.

Vitas reacted quickly, but he still didn't react in time, and his arm, along with his armor, snapped and twisted.

Damn it, spell resistance really does negate the effect of this spell. You know, Maximus was planning to twist Vitas's entire body right in front of him.

Maximus immediately retreated and gained altitude, while Vitas was unable to attack immediately due to his broken arm.

He then used his other hand to forcibly straighten his broken arm.

Maximus was stunned by what he saw, and Vitas charged over as usual about ten seconds later.

Damn, this is a monster. Could it be that Vitas is no longer human, but a dead creature like the undead around him?

Maximus frowned; he didn't have many offensive spells left.

He gathered his magical shield back in front of him and raised himself up, but at that moment, a huge axe flew over.

The axe slammed into the shield, shattering those units.

Maximus paused for a moment, and then an archer in the distance shot an arrow at him.

How could such a mere attack hurt myself?

Without hesitation, Maximus continued to increase his altitude.

However, Vitas has already arrived.

"Oh, you lost the game."

Seizing upon the opponent's mistakes is the essence of both combat and warfare.

Vitas's sword struck Maximus's shield, his power was terrifying, and Maximus realized that his shield had been damaged in many places.

He then realized how foolish he had been to choose to get close to Vitas without authorization.

The biggest problem for wizards is not actually the limitation of spell slots, nor the frail human body.

Rather, it was the arrogance and inability to see the true situation that magic brought them.

However, if a wizard does not believe in his own power, he is not qualified to call himself a wizard.

As Vitas broke the shield, another archer's arrow struck Maximus in the arm.

In pain, his flight speed decreased, and then Vitas grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

"Haha, can we reconcile?"

"Are you joking at this moment?"

"I think we should be friends, right?"

"No, my friend, it's sad, but we're not."

Vitas finally plunged his sword deep into Maximus's body.

"Cut him to pieces! I don't want to see him come back to life!"

This was probably Vitas's final act of respect for Maximus, the wizard.