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nBoom! 𝘪𝑎.𝒸𝘰𝓂

nA loud blast shook the whole forest. Even the people in the nearby lake felt the ground quake as they looked at the origin of the strike.

n“Is that from the Torrent Squad?” Drake rose up in shock as he realized that the force behind that lightning strike was not ordinary. It was surely from a potent spell, a ritual, or a Mystical Artifact.

nThe other leaders of the squads felt the same. They wanted to follow the two squads as they were curious about what was happening.

nBut the leader of the Justice Hammer Squad stopped them.

nHis name was Troy, and behind him was Roland, the official from Kirkham City’s Arcanist Guild.

n“Sir Drake, please calm down. They can deal with the situation. It’s better to stay here and rest. If we get attacked again, we will need your help, so you have to save your strength.” Roland said as he tried to ease the tension.

nFortunately, Drake heeded the veteran Arcanist as he decided to sit down.

n‘That lightning is familiar… Could it be from the Masked Devil Incarnate?’ Drake silently thought as he felt a thrill in his veins. It seemed that the Masked Devil had escaped from the Millton Kingdom and was causing trouble in the Ruri Kingdom!

nMeanwhile, the Torrent Squad and the Blaze Fan Squad had been flung away by the sheer force that came from the heavenly lightning.

nThankfully, the force was concentrated on the mysterious black entity that had appeared out of nowhere… and whatever it was, it seemed that it had perished from that powerful lightning strike as if the heavens had rejected that creature itself.

n“Wow~ I thought we were done for. Is everyone alright?!” Leonel yelled as his Mystic State had already worn off.

nHe wouldn’t be able to enter his Magic Zone for the next 9 minutes. It was the same for the others but with different durations.

nThey could only rely on their Mystical Artifacts at this point.

n“We’re fine…”

n“I’m okay.”

n“I’m good too.”

n“I managed to hold on to this trunk so I wasn’t tossed away.”

nThe members started regrouping, giving relief to Leonel and Roy.

n“Where did that lightning come from? Was it you, Leonel?” Roy asked after confirming that all their members were safe.

n“No way… If I had the power to unleash that, I would take the mission to capture the Masked Devil Incarnate.” Leonel remarked as he shook his head.

nBut the crowd went quiet as soon as they heard that.

n“Masked Devil Incarnate…” Roy mumbled. Everyone had the same thought as they remembered the news of how this person could summon lightning, a feat that only the Grand Storm Knights of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea could pull off with the help of their special Artifacts.

nAll of them started wondering if the Masked Devil Incarnate was behind the lightning strike.

nAlmost at the same time, they started to look around them.

nThey wondered if that person was nearby or if he was watching them.

nThey couldn’t help but think if he was their ally or their enemy.

n“There’s no point thinking about it. We were saved from that mysterious entity. We have to rethink if we’re going to continue our journey.” Leonel suddenly said.

n“We should continue… Let’s just be more careful and not offend anyone until we reach the Vampire’s Castle.” Roy said, considering that the payment for this mission was incredible. They won’t have to find another job for the next year if they succeed.

nLeonel then looked at his members, and seeing that they were eager to continue, he could only shrug as he led the way back to their campsite.

n***

nAs soon as the two squads came back to the campsite, they were instantly interrogated by Drake and the others.

nRoy then explained what had happened, and similar to what they had thought, the others also suspected that it could be the Masked Devil Incarnate.

nAlthough there could be others as well, the lightning they could unleash wasn’t as powerful as the ones unleashed by the Masked Devil.

nMeanwhile, while they were discussing what had occurred, a man wearing a trench coat returned to his seat around the Justice Hammer’s Squad.

nHe had come from the forest where the Torrent Squad and the Blaze Fan Squad had gone.

nAfter a couple of hours of rest, Drake, who seemed to have drunk a bit, suddenly shouted to get everyone’s attention.

nHe stood up at the center of the campsite and looked at everyone.

nHe had a smug and confident expression on his face before he spoke to everyone, but he mainly addressed the Kirkham City’s Squads.

n“Listen up, everyone. I have an announcement to make. As you all know, we are here for the same mission. We are here to explore the Vampire’s Castle and kill the creature inside. But I have a proposal for you. A bet, if you will…”

nAs he said this, he looked at Leonel as he knew his squad should be the strongest.

nSeeing his frowning expression, Dark continued.

n“How about we make this mission more interesting and fun? Let’s add some stakes and rewards… This way, we can see who is the best and who is the worst…”

nThe veteran Arcanist Roland didn’t seem to hate the idea, and he even chuckled after hearing this. It seemed as if he was amused by the young Arcanists of this generation.

n“What kind of bet is this?” He asked.

n“Well, how about we compete and see who can reach the castle first, who can kill the most enemies, and who can slay the vampire? We can also put some money on the line and see who can win it all… This way, we’ll know the inferior squads. How about it? Are you ready, or are you scared?” Drake taunted with a loud and arrogant voice.

nHe looked around and saw the reactions of the other Squads. He saw some of them were interested and excited, some of them were annoyed and offended, and some of them were indifferent and bored. He smiled and continued.

n“Of course, I know that some of you may not want to participate in this challenge. You may think that it’s too risky, too childish, or too pointless. You may think it’s better to cooperate and collaborate rather than compete with my squad.. or say that completing the mission is more important than winning the bet. And that’s fine. You have the right to think that way.”

nHe then paused for a moment before he added his last words to taunt them.

n“However, that’s not what’s in your mind. I know you are afraid that you’ll embarrass yourselves and your Squads… Because you’ll prove that you’re nothing but weaklings and losers? Well, if you’re not afraid, then accept my challenge!”

nThe source of this content is 𝙡𝒊𝙖.𝙢

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