Chapter Twenty-Four: The Kite

Click! Stein snapped his pocket watch shut, gazed quietly at the nightscape of Dallas City, then walked to the center of the Reincarnation Witchcraft Array and lay down head to head with Edward.

"It’s coming, my rebirth..." Stein murmured to himself as he began to chant the obscure incantation that would activate the ritual. As his incantation ceased, invisible magical energy started to surge around the array, and the amplification circles atop the six watchtowers surrounding Dallas City were triggered one after another.

With each part of the array coming alive, the Wizard Tower began to tremble slightly, the tremors growing more and more intense, spreading wider and wider, soon threatening to engulf the entire city...

Just then, Andy had only just completed the process of magical body-shaping, marking his official promotion to Senior Apprentice. He was brimming with confidence, feeling that if the Grand Knight Cromwell stood before him now, he’d dare to stand his ground.

He and Catherine were preparing to leave the Lord’s Mansion to seek news of their mentor, Stein. The spoils from last night—piles of resources and magic stones—were bundled into a huge sack slung over Andy’s back as the two of them left the room together.

Sure enough, as Andy opened the door, a shrill voice rang out: “It’s you! You shameless thief!” At once, he saw the mansion’s guards surrounding them.

By the bright torchlight in the yard, Andy could see clearly who led the group: Grand Knight Cromwell, Macon, young Macon, the three knightly guards, and the two resident apprentice wizards. The one shouting, protected at the center, was none other than Viscount Colin.

“Hi there~” Andy managed an awkward grin. “If I said I was just passing through, would you believe me?”

Grand Knight Cromwell said nothing, simply drew his sword. He was about to move when suddenly, a violent tremor shook the ground...

Andy felt the earth sway beneath him, instantly recalling the earthquake he’d experienced in high school. Seeing the Viscount’s guards staggering and falling about the yard, Andy quickly realized what was happening. He straightened, eyes cold, and pointed dramatically at the crowd, shouting, “Earthquake Spell!”

By coincidence, as he shouted, the ground’s tremors intensified. The guards stared at Andy, terror-stricken. Cromwell and the other knights adopted defensive stances, as if facing a dire threat.

Seizing their momentary shock, Andy dashed away at once!

Leaping over the courtyard wall, Andy was immediately pursued by Grand Knight Cromwell, who reacted first. He accelerated in an instant, moving as if the quake were nothing, chasing Andy’s fleeing figure.

When a wall blocked his path, Cromwell didn’t bother climbing—he simply drew his sword and, with a glowing arc, slashed a cross into the masonry: Cross Slash.

Bricks and stones shattered as a gaping hole appeared in the wall, through which he caught sight of Andy once more. Power exploded from him—Sword Technique: Charge.

Only after all this did Viscount Colin’s furious voice sound from behind: “Catch him! Quickly! Oh, help me up...”

By then, the rest had caught on, but the guards, unable to stand steady amid the quaking, could hardly think of pursuit. Only young Macon and the three knightly guards gave chase; old Macon remained behind to protect the Viscount.

Out in the open, Andy began buffing himself: first the zero-level spell “Featherfoot,” then the first-level “Wind Walk.” At that moment, he heard a thunderous crash behind him. Glancing back, he saw Cromwell shatter the courtyard wall and rush toward him, growing ever closer.

Cursing inwardly, Andy activated his own Sword Technique: Charge.

Featherfoot—first burst of speed; Wind Walk—second burst; Sword Technique: Charge—third burst; plus Andy’s soul talent, the “Blindingly Dazzling Buff Effect” which added "+60 movement speed and enhanced running speed"—that was a fourth burst.

With four layers of acceleration, Andy shot off with a speed that would leave Bolt himself in the dust, finally outpacing his pursuers.

“So fast, so fast, so thrilling...meow!” Catherine, cradled in Andy’s arms, squealed in excitement.

“Heh, want something even more exciting?” Andy suddenly asked.

“Meow?”

“Ever heard of POKE?”

“Meow?”

“It’s called kiting—hit and run!”

“Meow meow?”

Andy ignored the bewildered Catherine, scanning for terrain suitable for kiting.

Realizing that even Grand Knight Cromwell couldn’t catch up, Andy understood: the enemy was slower, had shorter attack range, and much less stamina than himself, whose “infinite firepower” put them to shame—why keep running?

“Coward! Weakling! All you can do is run? Fight me like a man!” Cromwell yelled from behind, hoping Andy’s pride would provoke a duel.

Unfortunately for him, Andy didn’t even spare a retort.

“I’ve seen plenty of trolls—you’re nothing,” Andy thought, not even interested in a reply.

He ran, watching carefully, until he found the right spot—a long corridor. Once inside, he stopped, turned to face Cromwell as he approached, and began chanting. When the knight entered his mental range, Andy hurled a Fireball.

Cromwell barely slowed; his sword flashed, dispersing the Fireball with a magical-cleaving technique.

Seeing this, Andy’s lips twitched. Without a word, he spun and once again put distance between them, preparing his next spell.

Cromwell raised his sword defensively, blocking the next fireball—a sword technique: Guard. The impact made him pause, frowning as Andy once again dashed off. Without a word, Cromwell pursued.

Andy, now with more space, turned and fired another fireball. Cromwell, prepared, sidestepped it.

The next fireball, Andy predicted Cromwell’s dodge and sent it to the side—striking the knight as he tried to again evade, barely managing to shield his face with his arm.

The second-level Fireball was nearly the most lethal apprentice spell, with searing flames and immense force. Most critically, on impact it exploded, causing severe secondary damage.

The fireball hit Cromwell’s arm guard and detonated; the armor shattered, and blistering flames rose across his arm. The impact halted him in his tracks.

“You brat, I’ll tear you to pieces!” Cromwell roared, shaking his injured arm. As he opened his mouth to shout again, another fireball came streaking toward him. In desperation, he rolled aside, narrowly dodging.

Andy, seeing that his fireball had halted Cromwell’s pursuit, simply stood his ground, continuing to cast spells.

Cromwell scrambled up, tossed his sword aside, and unslung a shield to ward off the next fireball. He stopped chasing, choosing to remain stationary to better judge the fireballs’ trajectories, focusing on dodging and blocking. He fixed Andy with a cold glare, determined to exhaust his magic before launching a killing blow; he knew from the household wizards that a Senior Apprentice could only cast so many fireballs.

Andy was delighted—now he could cast to his heart’s content from a standstill, his advantage growing more pronounced. Firing a fireball every two seconds, he nearly drove Cromwell mad.

Block! Block! At last, Cromwell’s shield shattered, and when he failed to dodge the next, a fireball struck his right leg.

“Damn it, how can there still be more?” Cromwell cursed, dragging his numb right leg as he hobbled away—yet his escape was almost as fast as before.

“Heh, trying to run?” Andy grinned smugly at the retreating knight. Buffing himself with Featherfoot, Wind Walk, and Sword Technique: Charge, Andy rapidly closed the gap, peppering Cromwell with faster-casting “Flame Arrows,” steadily worsening his injuries.

It was then that young Macon and the three guards finally arrived, only to witness a scene that left them dumbstruck:

The strongest warrior of Colinburg, Grand Knight Cromwell, was fleeing in disgrace, while the fugitive boy they were after was chasing him down, taunting as he went: “Come on, baby! Fight like a man—then let me turn you into a dog!”

Their chase spilled out of the corridor and back into the courtyard. The arrival of the four knights gave Cromwell a surge of hope. “Quick, help me!” he shouted.

Andy, seeing them charge in, remained unperturbed. They were all “short-legged types,” doomed to eat his dust. He spun and ran, aiming to re-enter the corridor for a “one-against-five” kiting bout.

But just as he was about to enter, the corridor ahead suddenly collapsed, a cloud of dust enveloping Andy.

His reckless spell casting and the repeated quakes had weakened the structure; now, at last, the Lord’s Mansion’s corridor gave way before him.

“Pfft!” Andy spat out dust, veered off, and ran in another direction, both annoyed and relieved.

Annoyed because he’d lost favorable terrain and couldn’t kite as planned; relieved because if he’d charged ahead, he’d have buried himself without any help from the enemy.

“Haha, this is fate!” Cromwell exulted. “Surround him, quickly!”