From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

Time passed slowly.

At dawn on the fifth day, the sentry reported back.

"He's here."

Everyone fell silent and took their positions.

Dust billowed along the distant mountain road as a long procession of horse-drawn carriages came into view.

It was a procession of six heavy carriages, their wheels rumbling heavily over the mountain road. Each carriage was fitted with a massive black iron cage, with fluorescent blue sealing runes hanging from its four corners. The runes were interconnected, forming a network that created magical prisons. Any faint magical fluctuations were instantly suppressed and locked away upon entering.

The cage held mages of different races: there were human youths in apprentice robes with still-youthful faces; there were old mages with graying temples and tattered clothes; and there were also several beautiful elven women with empty eyes, as if their souls had been ripped out. Occasionally, some would struggle, but they would only let out low moans of pain, as if they had become accustomed to the torture.

Although the dwarves were not skilled in magic, three or four of them were captured. They huddled in a corner, covered in wounds. One old dwarf even had a leg broken and could only grit his teeth and use a piece of wood to support his body.

Everyone was covered in wounds, their faces etched with exhaustion, anxiety, and fear. Their eyes darted around, occasionally gazing at the distant sky, as if in prayer.

"Hurry up and bring these offerings in!" Kadir's voice rang out from the front of the group, carrying a powerful force.

He rode atop a thin, yet piercing black horse, draped in a black and gold robe. His face was handsome yet extremely sinister, with a smug smile always playing on his lips.

But he didn't notice that in the dense forest on both sides of the hillside, pairs of eyes were quietly watching him, each gaze like a cold blade rubbing in the dark.

"Prepare," Eric whispered in the grove.

He knelt behind the rock, gazing at the figure on horseback in the distance, his heart as cold as ice.

"This time, you can't escape."

Kadir slowly reined in his mount. The horse neighed, exhaling wisps of white mist, its forehooves slamming into the ground as if sensing some unsettling atmosphere. But Kadir remained oblivious, still arrogantly gazing towards the cave entrance.

The cave entrance was silent; the ferocious beast that once guarded this place was nowhere to be seen. That beast was always vigilant, roaring in response to even the slightest rustle of wind, but now it seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Is it sleeping?" He murmured to himself, a smile still playing on his lips. "That beast is far too lazy."

He waved his hand, signaling his two men to dismount: "Bring out that stupid beast."

The two agreed and cautiously entered the beast's den, carrying their short staffs. Kadir turned leisurely to one of his men behind him and said, "Have someone unload the spells from the first two carts, move them in first, and extract their magic—"

Before he could finish speaking, a piercing explosion suddenly came from deep within the den, followed by a heavy cracking sound, and a chain reaction triggered by some kind of metal mechanism, all of which echoed out with screams!

"Trap!" the henchman shouted, his expression changing drastically.

Kadir's eyes darkened, and the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling, icy rage.

"No, this was premeditated!" he roared. "Retreat! Retreat now!"

But before he could finish speaking, a series of low bowstring twangs suddenly rang out from the dense forest on both sides of the hillside!

Whoosh—whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

Arrows rained down from all directions like a storm, each arrow carrying a precise and deadly intent, tracing a chilling trajectory in the air.

"Defense Barrier!" Kadir roared, his left arm suddenly rising, and a black and gold shield suddenly opened. However, his shield could protect him alone, but it could not protect most of his followers.

A scream rang out—the sound of armor piercing and bones breaking, the terrified sobs squeezed from the throats of the dying. A horseman, before he could react, was struck by two arrows, tumbling from his high seat. His helmet struck the stone ground with a thud, rolling under the wheels and instantly crushed into a bloody pulp.

Another mage tried to cast a spell in retaliation, but as soon as he opened his mouth, an arrow pierced straight into his throat. Before the spell could be cast, blood splattered.

"We've been ambushed!" his subordinate shrieked. "It's knights, it's Iser's army!"

"Nonsense!" Kadir roared, his face ashen. "Everyone back into the mine! Now!"

He knew that their whereabouts had been discovered and that someone had been waiting for them there for a long time.

He couldn't believe that anyone could hide so well in these mountains, completely undetected even by his carefully laid surveillance spells. What terrified him even more was that they hadn't used any magic to attack; they were deliberately avoiding magic to protect the prisoners in the cages!

"Damn it!"

But he had no time to curse; less than a third of his men struggled to follow him into the mine amidst the chaos. Little did he know, the mine tunnels were no longer a safe haven.

"Crack—crack-crack—boom—!"

He had only stepped ten feet into the cave when his feet suddenly sank, and he felt the ground collapse! A huge iron trap net descended from both sides, trapping him and his horse in a narrow crevice!

"Ugh—!" he roared, as the black horse neighed and struggled in the trap, while Kadir struggled desperately to break free of the net.

However, the trap was designed by the sorcerers of Iser's army, and the material was cast from dragonblood iron. It was also covered with array patterns that suppressed magic power. Once triggered, it could block the flow of magic power.

"No, impossible!" Kadir's eyes widened, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"You did manage to escape in." A cold male voice came from beside him.

Eric slowly stepped out of the shadows, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a calm, mountain-like killing intent. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his left hand held a bow, an arrow already released from the string and resting on the taut bowstring, the arrowhead aimed directly at Kadir's brow.

"Kadiel," he said, his voice as cold and stern as a judge pronouncing a sentence, "Are you ready to face judgment for your crimes of kidnapping, killing, and desecrating life and magic?"

Kadir gasped for breath, forcing a smile, only to find his voice hoarse.

"You dare not kill me, I have someone behind me—"

"I'll find out who's behind you," Eric interrupted him, his voice icy. "But today, you'll pay the price for yourself."

In the distance, Lancelot arrived and waved to stop the pursuers from continuing to hunt down the remaining soldiers who had fled into the forest: "Leave a few alive. They know more than Kadir said."

Outside the mine tunnels, those imprisoned in cages were finally rescued. The soldiers carefully broke the seal and helped them out one by one. Some wept, some stood frozen, and some finally knelt down to pray, as if they had been reborn from the brink of death.

The sky grew increasingly gloomy, and the rolling clouds pressed low over the mountain peaks. A light rain fell, like the whispers of the dead, dampening the dust among the rocks and washing away the bloodstains of the battlefield.

The mages, recently freed from their cages, were receiving treatment one by one. Lia sat cross-legged among several jagged rocks, her staff glowing with a pale golden light, like a weak yet gentle flame, slowly falling upon the wounds of an elderly dwarf. The dwarf grunted, opened his eyes, and gruffly whispered, "Merlin, thank you for your protection..."

"You should thank us," Leah said coldly without looking up, her tone filled with displeasure. "It's us who are risking our lives here, not that old man who lives in legends."

The old dwarf paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Ah, yes, thank you, young lady."

Lia glanced at him without saying a word, but quickened the pace of her magic, as if venting her frustration.

Meanwhile, inside the cave.

Eric stood before the Kadir trap net, his armor still stained with dust and blood. His face was calm, but his eyes burned with a determination as firm as frost.

Kadir was trapped in the trap array, his magic power was completely sealed, and his body was almost unable to move. However, he was like a wolf who knew he was about to die but still held his head high, with a mocking smile on his lips.