Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 127 In Blood and Fire

This order is ruthless.

It was obvious that they didn't care about Andrea's life or safety.

She felt like a rag, used and then casually thrown away.

A mix of emotions welled up inside me.

Frustration, depression, madness, hatred, regret...

She really disliked the order.

But can Andrea refuse?

No!

She was already deeply trapped in it, unable to extricate herself, and could only watch helplessly as she was driven step by step into the abyss.

"Koren, let's hurry up."

Andrea took a few deep breaths to compose herself and spoke in as calm a tone as possible.

She wanted to end this as soon as possible.

As long as there's a result, that's fine.

Regardless of my fate, at least I won't have to live in such anxiety and fear as I do now.

"it is good."

Dalton led the way with his head down, not even turning his head when he answered.

In the past, whenever he spoke to Andrea, no matter what he was doing, he would always keep his gaze fixed on Andrea's face.

Instead of not even glancing at it like this now.

Andrea was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't notice this at all.

The feelings and relationships between people are gradually worn down and cooled down in these little details and with repeated neglect, eventually becoming extremely rigid.

They were like complete strangers, people I'd never met or known before.

Dalton could no longer recognize or distinguish whether the person behind him was the same Andrea he knew.

That pure, innocent, kind, and beautiful little girl with an incomparably radiant smile.

He sighed softly, his emotions extremely complex.

Shaking his head, Dalton cleared his mind of these thoughts and stopped thinking about Andrea.

He shifted his attention, recalling the hints the big shot had deliberately left him on the road, and repeatedly confirmed what he needed to do next.

The information left by the big shot was not concealed; he frankly stated that doing so would be quite dangerous.

If he doesn't want to, he can withdraw, but he just needs to keep it a secret.

But Dalton didn't care about the danger.

He only wanted those who forced Andrea to become unlike Andrea to pay the price.

A burning rage raged within Dalton.

They sped up, not even bothering to drive on the road, and simply ran over any thorns or weeds they encountered.

Andrea followed behind, suddenly finding herself with nowhere to go, yet unable to complain, she could only grit her teeth and endure it.

There was nothing I could do; it was her request.

Soon, the two approached the ravine and stopped to observe.

The entrance to the mountain pass is narrow, but looking inside, the interior is wide and open.

From a high altitude, the mountain valley in the night resembles a ferocious beast about to devour people.

Those tall, straight grasses growing on the flat ground, more than a person's height, were shrouded in shadows and looked cold and eerie when illuminated by the "moonlight".

This further accentuates the chilling atmosphere deep within the mountain valley.

Perhaps because she had something to hide, Andrea's legs trembled slightly as she looked into the valley from the entrance, and she hesitated to venture further in.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hearing the footsteps behind him stop, Dalton turned around and asked.

We're almost at our destination, so let's not cause any trouble now.

"No...it's nothing."

Andrea's voice trembled slightly, and she quickly bit her lip, using the pain to help her regain her composure.

She raised her right hand, smoothed a strand of hair behind her right ear, and casually stroked both sides of the emerald green gemstone, activating its voice message transmission function.

He then asked, "Are you sure your boss is in here?"

Dalton shrugged and said truthfully, "I'm not sure, but I think he is. His trail ends there; he didn't go anywhere else."

"Yeah?"

Andrea looked into the valley and said with feigned surprise, "It's so big and flat here. Apart from weeds and bushes, there are no wild animals. It's definitely a good place to rest and spend the night."

"Who can argue with that?"

Dalton echoed Andrea's words, "The big boss is indeed a big boss; even his choice of campsite is better than ours."

As he spoke, he turned around, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and shouted loudly towards the valley, "Boss, we've come to seek refuge with you, please accept us!"

When it comes to acting, these five gentlemen may not be professionals, but they are certainly not bad.

As a member of the "Brotherhood," Dalton was incredibly dedicated, meticulously carrying out his role even without knowing what was happening elsewhere.

Even if it's a solo performance, you can't afford to mess up.

The shouts echoed through the valley, but received no reply.

"Could it be that it's not here?"

Dalton muttered to himself in confusion, then stepped into the ravine and began searching inside.

Andrea reluctantly followed, traversing the flatlands of the mountain valley with Dalton, calling out "Boss" repeatedly.

Inside the cave, Iris watched this scene with great interest.

What?

You asked why Dalton couldn't find the cave?

Iris Clarke was waiting patiently for her scene to begin in order to better conceal herself, but she pulled a simulated door panel from her small bag and blocked the entrance.

Not to mention the naked eye, even a detection magic device cannot detect it.

Iris is willing to do anything for fun, for the sake of explosions.

I don't mind paying for my own food.

"Where have you been hiding?"

To Iris's even greater surprise, she also couldn't find Link's whereabouts.

That guy hid really well.

Next time I must play hide-and-seek with this guy and see who can hide better.

Okay, it's decided then.

As Trish Lucia coldly watched Dalton and Andrea wandering around in the valley, she became even more convinced of her intuition.

Link Grand is definitely hiding somewhere in the valley right now, ready to ambush them.

The informant was likely exposed before the message was delivered during the day.

The reason Link Grand didn't eliminate the accomplices beforehand was most likely because he wanted to lure them over and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Trish Lucia didn't know where Link Grand's confidence came from, but the more confident he was, the more careful she had to be.

After some thought, Trish Lucia decided to launch a barrage of attacks first.

Anyway, it's already been exposed.

"Let's bombard them a few times first."

She gave the order, her tone indifferent.

For wizarding apprentices, the main purpose of level 0 magic is truly to learn the rules of magic and aid in research, rather than to fight.

In the highly civilized wizarding world, the decisive factors in the battles between wizarding apprentices are almost always runic items and magical artifacts.

In very rare cases, such as when there are no magic stones, in one-on-one arena battles with restrictions, or when rune items and magical artifacts are exhausted, a contest is decided by using 0-level magic.

Trish Lucia, of course, wouldn't knowingly venture into the bushes knowing there was a trap in the ravine.

Naturally, we should first clear some grass to see if we can scare the snake out.

"Yes."

The six members of "Pureblood Will" also didn't care about the lives of Dalton Corren and Andrea Norman.

They took out various parts and assembled them into individual weapons similar to mortars or grenade launchers.

The two three-person teams had clear divisions of labor and worked together seamlessly.

Those responsible for reconnaissance should maintain the bearing and coordinates.

The parameters responsible for adjusting the firing mechanism,

The person in charge of loading ammunition ensured the supply of self-destructing mines.

"fire!"

At Trish Lucia's command, the two trios launched a barrage of self-destructing fire grenades into the ravine, bombarding it relentlessly.

One after another, self-destructing explosive mines roared through the night sky and fell into the mountain valley.

It may explode in mid-air or explode violently upon landing.

"Get out of there!"

Dalton reacted quickly to the sudden attack.

He ran down the mountain, still remembering to warn Andrea, who was stunned by the attack that had been launched without warning.

The explosions continued, and flames roared.

The self-destructing explosive mines bombarded the area twice, creating craters one after another.

Dalton became somewhat anxious when he saw that Andrea was still standing there, not moving for a long time.

A battle of wits began to rage within my mind.

To save or not to save, that is the question.

In the end, past friendships prevailed.

Having found a hiding place, Dalton couldn't resist turning around and rushing towards Andrea, trying to drag her to safety.

"Koren, don't come any closer."

Andrea finally snapped out of her daze when she heard the whooshing sound coming from above her again.

Looking up, she saw two self-destructing explosive mines hurtling towards her.

She knew of the existence of the alchemical artifacts that could kill people here.

Her panic far exceeded that of Dalton.

Seeing Darlton rush to her rescue, she felt a sudden, sharp pain in her heart, tears streaming down her face, and she roared wildly.

What an idiot.

Let her die; it was all her own doing.

I don't want to implicate Dalton.

However, her repentance came too late.

Dalton and the self-destructing fire grenade arrived at her side at the same time.

Several loud bangs were heard.

Overwhelmed with remorse, Andrea fired two self-destructing fire bombs in quick succession.

Fortunately, Dalton managed to activate the defensive shields from all the defensive runes on his body, which withstood the explosive damage from the self-destructing fire blast.

Aside from being covered in dust, the two were unharmed.

"How could you be so silly?"

Dalton quickly grabbed Andrea and ran down the mountain, yelling as he ran, "Standing there like that, are you out of your mind?"

Staggering along, Andrea stared blankly at the furiously roaring Dalton, large tears streaming down her face like broken pearls: "I'm sorry, Corin."

If two people run arm in arm, they won't be able to go fast.

Then the whistling sound came again, and the bombardment of the self-destructing fire mines came wave after wave without stopping.

If this entanglement continues, neither of them will survive.

"Forgive me, Corin!"

Andrea made a sudden decision and murmured softly.

As soon as she finished speaking, she forcefully broke free from Dalton's arms, pushed him aside, and ran off in another direction.

As she ran, she activated all the defensive rune items on her body.

With Dalton as the target, they built layer upon layer of defense around him.

Even the water shield and wooden shield spells, which he wasn't very skilled at, were used in time.

Having done all that, Andrea tilted her head back and cursed at the bright "moon," "You bitch, I quit! Come on, kill me if you dare!"

The continuous exploitation and coercion, along with the unannounced bombing, had already aroused Andrea's desire to resist.

Dalton's fearless actions fully ignited his rebellious spirit.

Andrea knew that she didn't really have any way to retaliate or take revenge, so she could only vent her anger in this way.

"Tsk, what a fool."

Trish Lucia watched this scene with a cold smile, then gave the order, "Give her what she wants! Target her, saturate her with bombardment."

However, she ultimately did not use the "keychain".

"Yes."

The six members of "Pureblood Will" responded in unison.

During the bombing, they assembled several more pieces of throwing equipment.

A single bombing run can now launch six self-destructing fire mines.

No sooner said than done.

As soon as he finished speaking, six self-destructing fire grenades were fired, instantly striking Andrea's head.

Dalton fell to the ground, struggling to get up, trying to save Andrea.

But he could only watch helplessly as she was struck head-on by six self-destructing explosive mines, her figure engulfed by the flames and dust accompanying the violent explosion.

When the dust settled and the white light descended, Andrea's figure had already vanished.

All that remained were scattered pieces of flesh and limbs, crackling flames, and a nauseating, burnt smell.

The academy guaranteed you wouldn't die, but they didn't guarantee you wouldn't get hurt!

"Uh...ah..."

Dalton let out a howl like a wounded beast, but there was nothing he could do.

They could only crawl and scramble into a cave to hide themselves.

Trish Lucia ignored Dalton.

The purpose of the bombing was not to punish the mole or to vent anger, but to alert the enemy and find Link Grande, who might be hiding in some corner of the mountain valley.

"stop."

More than a dozen rounds of bombing destroyed almost every possible hiding place in the mountain valley.

But they still couldn't see the target.

In this situation, either she misjudged the situation, or the target relied on defensive magical artifacts to withstand the explosion damage.

"Close-up reconnaissance."

Trish Lucia issues a new order.

The two members in charge of reconnaissance immediately disengaged from the battle and each piloted a circular flying saucer and a bionic eagle to conduct a thorough reconnaissance scan of the small valley from different directions and heights using various reconnaissance modes.

Dalton, who was huddled in the cave, was found as expected.

There was still no trace of the target.

"Group one, group two, cross-guard, advance."

The bombing failed to alert the target, and the reconnaissance also failed to locate it, leaving Trish Lucia with no choice but to take the last thing she wanted to do.

On-site search.

This is truly a last resort.

In this way, our side went from being in the dark to being in the light, losing an advantage.

The two trios were well-trained and immediately prepared for battle, advancing towards the small ravine one after the other.

Link lay prone a few dozen steps away from Trish Lucia, buried in the ground and covered by a special cloak.

To remain hidden, he dared not even glance at anyone out of the corner of his eye.

They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

They relied solely on eavesdropping to learn about the enemy's deployment and movements.

He only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the seven people had set off one after another towards the small mountain valley.

People with "pure blood will" are not fools.

It's impossible for every action to conform to Link's predictions.

Link's approach of bombing the place a dozen times before making any decisions based on suspicion was beyond his expectations.

Link had even mentally prepared for the ambush to fail and was ready to activate the backup plan.

They withdrew quietly, without lingering for battle.

Iris Clark is so clever, she'll probably act accordingly.

Fortunately, the "pureblood" people were too determined to kill him. Even though they knew it was a dangerous place, they still went to investigate despite their reluctance.

The ambush plan still has a chance of success.

After all, the trap was placed in the very center of the valley, not in a typical corner or outcrop suitable for setting traps.

Moreover, the delayed self-destructing fire grenades, apart from being activated by a combination of mental and magical power, are not affected by the explosions of other self-destructing fire grenades.

Inside the cave, Iris watched as the previous waves of bombing, the howling sounds, and the dazzling spectacle were not caused by her, and she felt very upset.

Fortunately, it won't be long before she can blow up as much as she wants.

Trish Lucia safely entered the ravine, waved her hand, and sent both groups out to search.

She herself walked around the craters created by the explosion, carefully examining the now uneven ground.

Given the terrain of the mountain valley, there are only two types of places where people can hide and set up ambushes.

Either a cave or underground.

Trish Lucia was checking for any signs of excavation.

Link Grand has a high affinity for both water and wood elements, so he cannot possibly use earth magic.

To hide himself, he had to set traps. Besides existing caves and pits, he had no choice but to dig them himself, which would inevitably leave traces.

Gradually, Trish Lucia circled around and arrived at the flattest central area of ​​the valley.

"Report: No target found."

A search of the left side of the valley yielded no results.

"Report: No target found."

The second group left Dalton Coren, who had suddenly resisted but was quickly subdued, aside and went to report.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but all seven of them ended up gathered in the middle of the flat ground.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Iris laughed wildly and detonated the trap without hesitation.

The enhanced version of the delayed self-destructing fire grenade, the ordinary delayed self-destructing fire grenade, and that ultimate weapon all activate simultaneously.

A deafening roar erupted.

Mushroom clouds rise and billow.

All sounds are silent.

(End of this chapter)