Asura in Arknights

The energy emanating from these ten warlocks almost merged into one. Although they used very basic spells, the combined power of the spells made even the most basic spells unleash astonishing force.

The enemy that this small group of warlocks faced... frankly speaking, in Li Ang's view, was a humanoid beast without intelligence. It had a huge body but only knew how to use brute force to create shields by ramming into the warlocks. Even a wild boar couldn't have done any worse.

How could such a foolish enemy possibly be a match for an elite squad of sorcerers?

Just seconds later, several energy-based shackles bound the beast's limbs, and a near-saturated energy blast blasted his body in two.

These people had no intention of leaving a complete corpse; the flames that followed burned the upper half of the remains on the ground to ashes.

The scene fell silent, with only the sorcerers' slightly heavy breathing remaining.

After a while, one of the warlocks broke the silence.

"Damn it, what did this guy Austin do to himself? How did he end up like this? Send someone to check him out and see what's going on."

Wait... was that humanoid creature Austin? The Austin that Adele mentioned, the impoverished nobleman?

Li Ang subconsciously focused his senses on the half-dead corpse on the ground. 'Harmless' mycelium filled the corpse, replacing the original muscle tissue.

Can this kind of thing be called harmless?

The group of sorcerers were completely unaware of Li Ang watching from afar, and were discussing matters that should have been confidential, as if no one else was around.

"I heard this guy was a nobleman from Victoria? And now we've just taken him down like that?"

"So what if he's a Victorian noble? This is Letania! Besides, he touched something he shouldn't have. Anyone would have died if he had come here."

"If you ask me, this guy brought this on himself. Does he think just anyone can touch the Witch King's horn? Doesn't he know his own worth? Speaking of which, Captain, shouldn't this kind of thing be handled by a knight?"

"...There aren't enough people; the knights are all dealing with the trouble underground. But that's not necessarily true; maybe someone will come to clean up the mess here by dawn."

Based on the content of these sorcerers' discussion, combined with the information he knew, Li Ang had roughly figured out what had happened. Having been exposed to various novels, his ability to fill in the blanks in this regard was absolutely first-rate.

The recent events in Brandenburg are not isolated incidents; they are interconnected, and Leon happened to get involved at a crucial juncture.

These things... are just too coincidental.

It all started with that thing that went missing from the council chamber; if those sorcerers weren't exaggerating, it should have been the Witch King's horn.

Mr. Austin played a key role in this process. As a collector, he either helped to sell and transfer the stolen goods, or he did it himself. Li Ang couldn't say for sure.

But Li Ang knew one thing very well: the warlocks' claim that Austin had brought this upon himself was complete nonsense; one person was missing.

The young man he met at his home in Austin, and the fungus that is now spreading throughout the city, must be that guy's doing.

Looking back now, the young man's strange behavior can all be explained. Perhaps because Li Ang is blind, the other party did not provoke a conflict with him to avoid complications. If the other party had not restrained himself from attacking, none of these things would have happened.

At this moment, the sorcerer who had gone out to inspect the scene returned. He said, "Captain, the scene inspection is complete. The source of the contamination is next door. It can be confirmed to be a product of Originium Arts. However, we did not find the Witch King's horn here. It may have already been used by the target."

"Then let's leave it at that."

The warlock squad leader merely nodded indifferently at the result, seemingly unconcerned about the whereabouts of the Witch King's severed horn. "Target eliminated, mission complete. Notify logistics personnel to clean up the scene. Call back."

Is the mission over just like that? Are they just going to ignore the fungal problem? Or did they never even discover the young man's existence?

Li Ang knew that the right to choose had now been returned to him.

Should he report everything he knows to the Leitanian authorities, or should he set off immediately to find the young man's whereabouts?

Chapter Thirty-Two: I've Found You

"Adele, I have to go out now. I might not be able to make it back today, so don't wait for me."

By the way, I wish you all the best today, and congratulations in advance on receiving your PhD from William University.

After leaving such a note on the dining table, Li Ang quietly left the villa.

It is estimated that tens of thousands of people in Brandenburg have been contaminated by that fungus, and Leon should be one of them, but the bad thing is that he does not feel anything unusual in his body.

Even if Li Ang tells them the information he knows, by the time they take action, it might be too late.

Austin, who was used as bait, is now dead. Do you think the other party will just stand there and wait to be caught? They'll either fight to the death or just pack up and run.

Regardless of which path the other party chose, Li Ang could not bear the consequences. He did not want his life to become just a cold number on the casualty report after everything was over.

Before he escapes, find his whereabouts and force him to reveal how to deal with the fungus.

That night, the entire city's attention was drawn to the actions of the Tower Warlock Guard, and no one paid any attention to Li Ang, this nobody.

Li Ang's figure flashed between buildings. The hidden magical surveillance devices in the city were useless to him. Every time Li Ang paused, he landed precisely in the blind spot of these surveillance devices.

Even in places where conventional methods are inaccessible, Li Ang can control Originium Particles to create temporary footholds beneath his feet.

Despite having only met him once, Li Ang remembered the energy fluctuations emanating from the young man, and based on the flow of energy, he could easily pinpoint the young man's location.

"The next direction... is this way."

Li Ang paused for a moment, then instantly changed his direction.

Following the lingering traces of the youth, Li Ang arrived at the edge of the city, but even so, the trail continued unbroken, stretching all the way to the wilderness outside the city.

If Li Ang remembers correctly, there is a steep canyon in that direction outside the city, and in the canyon there is an abandoned tower that was built at some unknown time. Almost everyone in Brandenburg has heard of that place.

"So, this is where you were hiding?"

-------------------------------------

Today, Brandenburg is situated in a mountainous area, and because there have been no major natural disasters in the last ten years or so, it has not moved its location.

The outer tower of Brandenburg has stood in the wilderness for a long time. Countless people have visited that place, and to put it bluntly, even the ground there has been scraped several times. Over time, no one has been interested in that dilapidated tower anymore.

This became an excellent hiding place.

"We've been discovered..."

The moment Austin was 'killed,' the young man hiding in the tower sensed it.

Although he could not remotely control Austin's actions, there was still a certain connection between them, and the young man felt that connection disappear in that instant.

Clearly, his contingency plan to buy time was discovered.

In the end, using fungi to control Austin's body did buy him a lot of time, and the situation did not get so bad that it completely spiraled out of control.

However, during this period, he still gained nothing.

The fungus released by the youth has covered most of Brandenburg, but the Witch King's broken horn seems to have vanished into thin air; no matter how hard he searches, he can't find a single clue.

Only in Austin’s collection room could one sense an extremely faint reaction.

This outcome drove the young man to a frenzy. What had he been waiting for all these years in Letania? Wasn't it all for the legacy left by the Witch King?

The Witch King is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world. His immense power even twisted his body, turning his horns into an incredibly powerful magical device. Some legends even suggest that the secret to the Witch King's power is hidden within his horns.

The young man knew that it was not just a rumor; the two horns were the source of the Witch King's power. As long as one could obtain the Witch King's horns and withstand the erosion of that power, one could obtain power as strong as the Witch King.

Unfortunately, during the battle with the Twin Queens, one of the Witch King's horns was shattered, leaving only one intact. The young man lay in wait here for several years before finally waiting for the Twin Queens to fall asleep and stealing that horn from the tower.

Unexpectedly, a problem arose during the transfer; a traitor appeared in his plan.

That damned Victorian...did he destroy the Witch King's broken horn?

Given the extensive reach of the Youth Fungus Network, it's impossible that they couldn't find even a single clue. It's just that the value of the Witch King's severed horn was so high that he simply didn't consider that possibility.

After searching for so long without success, the more he looks, the more likely it seems.

The young man's face grew even more ferocious at the thought. Could it be... that someone was plotting against him?

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out in the young man's mind.

"Dan, what are you doing? Why are you still staying in Letania? You haven't made any contributions in the past few years, and the High Priest is very disappointed in you."

Upon hearing this voice, the young man… or rather Dan’s expression completely crumbled. He could no longer suppress his anger and roared in a low voice, “You did it, didn’t you? You had my things stolen?”

"what?"

The sudden outburst of anger startled the voice, which then retorted without any politeness, "What's wrong with you? I'm just here to inform you of the High Priest's decision."

"There is a shortage of manpower in Kazimir right now. Stop everything you are doing and go to Kazimir immediately, or you will face the consequences."

The words "Priest" were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, calming Dan down.

After a period of silence, he said in a low voice, "...I understand, I'll set off immediately."

The voice in my mind had fallen silent, and I no longer responded to his statement.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Dan suddenly stood up and kicked the chair he was sitting on, smashing it to pieces.

Now that things have come to this, his plans have completely failed.

Even without the voice in his mind, Dan dared not stay here any longer. The bait he had thrown out had been discovered by the tower, and if he didn't run away now, it would really be too late.

The remaining fungi in the city couldn't be recovered in time, so they had to be discarded with a heavy heart... This was his savings that he had painstakingly accumulated over the years, and he never expected to lose it all in one fell swoop.

Although the fungi weren't deadly without his control, they could still cause some trouble.

It's all that damned Victorian's fault! Dan thought viciously.

Suddenly, Dan froze in place as he felt a hard object pressing against his back.

"Found you! I didn't expect you to actually be hiding in this place."

Chapter Thirty-Three: Burning with Fury

He's been caught.

The bait he had thrown out had been killed just minutes earlier, and he hadn't even had a chance to run away before he was cornered at his hiding place.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Dan's forehead. Who exactly was holding the staff against his back? A military policeman? A warlock guard? Or a 'knight' he never wanted to see again in his life?

If the people who find him are either of the first two types, then Dan is absolutely confident that he can kill everyone and then swagger away from here.

But if the ones who find him are the 'knights' under the Twins... unless Dan has now obtained the Witch King's power, he has no chance of resisting those monsters.

Dan felt that his strength was already quite good. With rare Originium Arts and the technology he obtained from the Order, he once arrogantly believed that the legendary Witch King was nothing more than that, and that he could fight against the entire Brandenburg by himself.

However, during his infiltration of Letania, a chance accident completely shattered Dan's confidence.

He... once happened to witness a 'knight' on a mission. Those darlings blessed by Originium Arts emanated magical brilliance with every move they made, enough to blind onlookers. Compared to those guys, he was nothing... They were the real monsters.

The 'Knights' are merely the elite troops under the Twin Queens. Just how powerful must the Twin Queens be? And was the Witch King, who was defeated by the Twin Queens, truly as incompetent as history records?

From that day on, he began to pursue the power left behind by the Witch King with madness. Although he may not be a match for the two queens, he was still a powerful figure who ruled for a whole era.

In the end, however, he came up empty-handed. He failed to obtain the Witch King's horn, the work of the Order was delayed for several years, and he ended up in dire straits. It can be said that he lost everything.

Dan forced a smile and then said, "Sir, do we know each other?"

"I'm just an ordinary adventure enthusiast, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

A strange power enveloped his body. If Dan were to unleash his full power, he should be able to break free from this restraint. However, if the person behind him was truly a knight, then any rash action would only be courting death.

First, try to calm the other party down, then find out his identity.

On the surface, Dan pretended to cooperate, but in reality, he had been secretly mobilizing all the fungi near the abandoned tower to search for any enemies that might be hiding nearby.

But nothing was found.

There was no trace of anyone else there, only him and the man behind him.

With this discovery, a deep sense of despair welled up in Dan's heart. Organizations like the military police and the sorcerer guards could not act alone. The only ones in Letania qualified to act alone were... knights.

Moreover, the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Dan couldn't immediately recall where he had heard it before.

Could it be... that I've seen this knight somewhere before?

The thought of having unintentionally encountered such a dangerous person filled Dan with lingering fear.

However, Dan's attempt to stall for time failed to work. The man behind him snorted and said, "Hmph... an adventurer, huh? But I don't think any adventurer would fill his body with fungi."

It's completely exposed...

Dan gritted his teeth, his expression instantly turning incredibly ferocious. If he didn't act now, he might not have another chance.

Originium energy surged, and countless fine mycelia shot out from every pore of Dan's body, completely enveloping his body and forming a large green cocoon.

The solidified Originium particles around them shattered like glass, completely losing their ability to imprison them.

In the instant the change occurred, Li Ang delivered a powerful whip kick to Dan's back.

Bang--!!

The air crackled sharply, but Li Ang was a step too slow. His whip kick only struck the pale green mycelium solidly. Li Ang felt as if he had kicked a piece of chewy jelly, which only made the large cocoon tremble, but did not actually cause much damage.

Feeling the sensation in his leg, Li Ang knew that blunt force might not be very effective against the guy in front of him.

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple..."

Seeing that the other party had broken free of his restraints, Li Ang smacked his lips in unsurprising agreement.