The Golem Mage

Not long after he cursed at his teammates, Kaelus began to realize something was wrong with his environment.

Any mage who steps into the Tier 6 realm has a certain level of control over their mental power, at that stage, the more talented ones can project their mental energy outward, forming a kind of field, especially a sensory layer that lets them read threats and detect attacks before they land.

It’s also one of the foundations needed to break into the high ranks, which is why true geniuses rely heavily on that sensory perception, so the moment his team left him behind, Kaelus finally noticed something, and that was the fact that his mental power wasn’t being suppressed, but not entirely, it was mostly the sensory part of it that was being steadily chipped away at.

The closer the smoke crept in towards him, the worse his perception became, he thrust his left hand forward, and a weapon materialized above his palm.

It didn’t come from his back or a space ring, it was conjured, the blade looked nothing like a normal weapon, its surface traced with lines like an electrical circuit etched into metal.

It glowed a clean blue, sharp and refined... and for most people watching, the strangest part was that they’d never seen anything like it before.

“Why don’t you all come out of hiding already?this is getting tiring, especially since I plan to cut you all down.” Kaelus called into the smoke, his voice cold, even with his perception restrained, his danger sense was still working perfectly fine and he could tell that they were people creeping up on him using the smoke as a disguise.

“Forgive us,” Takeda’s voice drifted out of the haze, calm and detached.

“We are nothing but shadows doing our duty. Stepping into the light isn’t something we desire... so die in peace.”

Immediately the voice died down, a talisman shot through the smoke heading toward Kaelus, and the moment it reached him, he swung his Aether Blade sideways and cleaved it cleanly in two—

—but instead of falling apart, it burst into another thick cloud of smoke restricting his views, the next instant, Kaelus felt it—two presences closing in on him.

Surprise flickered across his face, he couldn’t understand how they’d slipped into his range that fast without him noticing... until it was already too late.

For him, it was a dangerous mistake, he tried to retreat, by pushing off the ground with his legs only for a wired hook to lace around his leg and yank him back down.

A small pocket of space around him cleared, and he finally saw the ones gunning for, they were four in number, four Silent Night ninjas surrounding him.

“Come,” Kaelus said, drawing his katana from his waist with his right hand as he prepared to dual-wield, he shifted into a stance, with right leg moving forward, and the wire around his leg quivered as his oppressive Qi surged, forcing it back, a faint humming vibration rolled outward from his body.

“Get him,” Takeda ordered.

Kenta—who’d thrown the wire earlier, twisted it midair and redirected its momentum toward Kaelus’s throat, trying to hook him clean.

However; Kaelus slashed his Aether blade at it, deflecting it, and in the same breath met Liang Xuefeng’s Short sword head-on, they came at him from every side. One against Three.

The pressure was heavy, and the worst part was that their captain still hadn’t even moved.

Kaelus’s mind then began to flash towards the place Aeron and the others had entered —somewhere deeper in the smoke, he believed they had gone in search of Shin Jae-Hyun who Darius had rushed to clashed with.

And Kaelus realized something grim: if all four of them had come for him this confidently, then they must have already set a plan in motion.

But he couldn’t afford to think too far ahead, as that would disrupt his attention so he couldn’t afford to be eliminated this early.

—

While Kaelus was being smothered under pressure, the rest of the Blade team pushed deeper through the smoke and finally reached a clearing, only to freeze.

Two figures were already waiting, the Silent Night captain and vice captain, and on the ground lay Darius, completely spent and unable to continue.

The moment Shin Jae-Hyun noticed the newcomers, he kicked Darius’s body back into the smoke. As soon as Darius passed through the haze, he vanished from sight again—swallowed whole.

Neriah, who stood beside him, tried to step forward to retrieve the body, but Aeron called out and shook his head.

“He’s been eliminated,” Aeron said.

Takeda’s eyes narrowed with amusement.

“Very wise, Vice Captain Aeron. I’ve heard so much about you. I suppose today I’ll find out whether those rumors are just rumors... or the real deal.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but shouldn’t you be going after Kaelus, who is our captain?If the two of you are here, that means he’s facing three of your teammates, and I can assure you, they won’t be able to hold him.”

Takeda and Shin Jae-Hyun exchanged a glance, and then chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, your captain has enough on his plate already. Now... let’s see how you react to this.” Takeda said, as he brought his hands together and formed a seal.

[> Mid-Tier Ninjutsu — Body Clone