The moment the opponent made a move, Rhett was already prepared to counterattack!
In Rhett's view, as soon as the first masked man in red made his move, the other two immediately followed suit, flanking him from both sides. One wielded a longsword, charging from another direction with fiery battle energy that exploded like a wave of heat, burning the surrounding sand and stone to ash and filling the air with the smell of charred remains. The temperature rose sharply, as if it intended to roast him alive.
The third opponent, unlike his two companions who chose to approach directly, took out a bow and arrow, his eyes sharp as he aimed at Rhett. The bowstring and arrow shimmered with a dense, crystal-like blue light, surrounded by a powerful gust of wind. This man was clearly a wind-element Sky Knight, specializing in speed.
"Today is the day you die," the cloaked man hissed coldly. If possible, they would have preferred to capture him alive, but given the arcane powers Rhett commanded, they knew that taking him down would be no easy feat. Capture was a luxury they couldn't afford; they had to go all out.
The trio's coordination was impeccable, instantly finding the perfect angles for their attack. If Rhett had been a typical Grand Magus, he would have been under immense pressure, possibly even driven into a desperate situation. Only a wind-element Grand Magus might have found a way to escape.
But facing this dire situation, Rhett showed no fear. Instead, a playful smile curled on his lips. "Is this all you've got? If so, I'm getting bored."
His words, half-arrogant, half-puzzling, only fueled the trio's confusion and anger. But they preferred action over words.
A sudden sonic boom filled the air.
In the blink of an eye, two of the attackers were upon Rhett, grinning with arrogance.
Even though Rhett had raised an Earthlight Shield, they were confident that their combined might would shatter it in an instant. After that, they believed Rhett would be nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.
The surrounding space trembled with their battle energy, distorting the air with invisible ripples. The three-colored lights intertwined, as if transporting Rhett to another world. But as the attacks closed in, his eyes remained calm. With a mere thought, he silently activated the Arcane Shockwave.
In that instant, the core power of the earth element was triggered, vibrating intensely and releasing a formidable shockwave.
The glow of the Earthlight Shield suddenly became both intense and subdued, the light reflecting on the three attackers' faces fading instantly. The arrogant smiles and fierce expressions were all too clear to Rhett.
But those confident smiles froze as soon as the light vanished, replaced by something unfamiliar—fear.
They never imagined that Rhett could wield the Arcane Shockwave with such mastery, applying it directly to his defensive magic. At such close range, they should have been able to counterattack, but this level of control over an arcane force was beyond what even many Sanctuary mages could achieve.
How could a mere Grand Magus possibly possess such power?
Their minds screamed in disbelief, their expressions shifting from confidence to shock, and then to pure terror as their swords struck the Earthlight Shield. But the expected shattering of the shield never occurred. Instead, a wave of immense force rebounded along their weapons, pushing them back violently.
The shockwave wreaked havoc on their wrists, making their fingers tremble uncontrollably, nearly causing them to drop their swords. The protective aura of battle energy surrounding them was dispersed in an instant.
"Let's end this with the same outcome—Rain of Spears!"
Rhett's cold voice cut through the air. Without any unnecessary words, he promptly unleashed a powerful area-of-effect spell.
The sky darkened as a storm of light gathered, forming a sea of brilliance that filled the air like a sandstorm, crashing down with the force of a tsunami.
The spell's power far surpassed anything Rhett had cast as a sixth-level mage. The spell now covered an area of ten thousand meters, resembling a dark cloud looming overhead, and the elemental energy within it was overwhelmingly potent.
The overwhelming pressure settled in the hearts of the trio, casting a shadow over their faces. It was as if they were witnessing the end of the world—completely outmatched!
"Run!"
It was the only thought left in their minds.
Facing someone who could wield the Arcane Shockwave to such a degree, they realized that Rhett was nearly invincible within his tier. The only way to defeat him would be through a similarly powerful arcane force. Unfortunately, even fleeing was not an option now; those who rush into the eye of a storm rarely escape unscathed.
As the final elements of the spell gathered, a rain of spears fell from the sky. Each spear was sharper and more solid than before, retaining the same size but now with a denser color, indicating even greater penetrative power.
The rapid sound of sonic booms filled the air.
In an instant, the fleeing trio were impaled by the spears, their bodies pierced through from all directions, leaving them staggering and eventually collapsing to the ground.
The surrounding terrain was devastated, covered in spikes like a field of yellow thorns. Yet the one responsible, Rhett, remained unfazed. He dispelled his Earthlight Shield and frowned, pondering the task at hand—how to successfully extract the information he needed?
The battle didn't concern him in the slightest. In nearly every simulation, he had failed to obtain the needed information, his lies exposed and the fights inevitably ending in a decisive victory for him.
But Rhett had mastered his opponents' strategies, techniques, and trump cards through repeated simulations, and he knew precisely how to exploit the asymmetry of information to ensnare them effortlessly.
Yet, despite his victories, he remained unsatisfied with the results, leaving him somewhat frustrated.
After a moment of reflection, Rhett devised a new approach and ended this simulation, ready to try again.
A new simulation began.
Rhett, as always, lay in wait in the original location until the trio approached. He followed the steps from the previous simulation, but at the final moment, he made a crucial change.
When the masked man asked, "Who is Karry?" Rhett did not repeat his previous mistake of answering "the blood elf." Instead, he coldly replied, "I warned you... This is your last chance. You still dare to test me? Such foolish allies are not worthy of standing beside me."
The trio's expressions changed, realizing their ruse had been seen through once again. Could it be that Rhett was truly sent by their leader?
Their resolve wavered once more!
The ground began to tremble.
Earth elements swirled like a vortex, condensing into a monstrous beast before them. Its limbs were as thick as small castles, about ten meters wide, with skin composed of crystalline scales that glimmered faintly. Each scale was half a meter thick, exuding an intimidating aura. A single horn jutted from its forehead, more than ten meters long and as sharp as the ground spikes it resembled. The beast stood over ten meters tall, its stone eyes glaring down mercilessly.
This was the Earth Dragon Spell, a seventh-level earth spell!
Rhett had learned this spell from the magic book given to him by Grand Magus Zelos. Learning new magic was not particularly challenging—any mage could master a spell given enough time. However, perfecting it to maximize its power and effect required far more effort.
This spell, though categorized as a summoning spell, was essentially a method of controlling earth elements. Since advancing to Grand Magus, Rhett had spent over a year mastering it during his free time. Though he hadn't yet found an opportunity to use it, now that it was unleashed, the results were impressive.
This spell was designed for large-scale battles, capable of sweeping aside waves of enemies with a single stomp or tail swipe. It was also a formidable siege weapon.
In one-on-one combat, the Earth Dragon might seem cumbersome and less effective, but it could still serve as an obstacle, much like a landslide, blocking paths and movements.
While it might not match the speed of a Sky Knight, anyone daring to face it head-on would quickly learn the meaning of overwhelming force.
As the Earth Dragon materialized, the trio recoiled in horror, instinctively seeking cover. One of them, facing the oncoming horn, drew his sword to block it, hoping to use the recoil to propel himself out of the way.
But to his shock, the horn emitted a sharp, rapid hum, throwing him off balance.
The next moment, the immense force traveled from the sword to his arm, and from his arm throughout his body, causing his expression to change drastically.
His sword was flung from his grasp, and the horn, infused with a formidable shockwave, drove straight into him. Though his comrades recognized the attack as an earth-based shockwave arcane, two of them had no hesitation in dodging to the side, abandoning their companion to his fate.
The Sky Knight in the horn's path, veins bulging on his forehead, prepared to make a desperate stand.
Battle energy surged to its peak, enveloping his body in a glowing aura so intense that even his outline became blurred. A mysterious, egg-shaped shield of energy appeared, a testament to his powerful defensive technique.
But even that was not enough.
Under the overwhelming force of the shockwave, the Sky Knight's formidable defenses crumbled, and a fountain of blood erupted from him.
His eyes bulged, unable to believe that his defenses had been breached so easily.
In the next instant, the shockwave exploded within him.
Even with the Sky Knight's formidable physique, his body was instantly reduced to a mass of shredded flesh, scattering in all directions, leaving behind a gruesome scene.
The two remaining companions, fleeing in panic, felt the splatter of flesh on their backs and sensed the sudden disappearance of their comrade's life force. Their hearts trembled violently. Only after they had run far enough to escape the Earth Dragon's range and realized they were not being pursued did they finally stop. Turning back, they saw the blood-soaked ground and quietly swallowed in fear.
At this moment, Rhett's cold gaze fell upon the two. "Don't worry, losing one worthless fool won't hinder our mission's efficiency. Of course, that's assuming you two are willing to cooperate."
The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and helplessness. The Sky Knight with the face covering finally spoke:
"We... we'll tell you…"
They were genuinely terrified. Having fought alongside each other many times, they knew each other well. To see a teammate so easily slaughtered by Rhett, combined with the terrifying arcane power Rhett wielded, left no doubt about his strength.
Even though doubts remained—such as why the Blood God Cult's leader hadn't directly informed Rhett of the mission, making it unnecessary to ask them—they were too shaken to resist. The threat of imminent death hung heavily over them, and they dared not risk Rhett turning on them next.
Moreover, everything Rhett had said thus far was irrefutable, and the most pressing concern was that they had already lost one Sky Knight. This significantly reduced their chances of successfully completing the mission.
In their organization, extraordinary warriors could be rapidly trained, and there was no shortage of experts.
But failure was not an option—the consequences would be severe. If they couldn't contribute value, they'd be discarded in favor of someone more useful.
And if Rhett truly was a member of their organization but they failed to recognize him, the repercussions would be even worse.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, the two finally decided to reveal the mission to Rhett, though they shared only the bare minimum. They provided no information beyond the mission itself, reasoning that, with their current capabilities, they had little hope of succeeding anyway. Whether Rhett was an imposter or not, it wouldn't change the outcome.
One of the masked men then spoke:
"In that case, could you share the layout of the Canyon Defense Line with us? We'll split up and take down their elite commanders one by one."
"No problem," Rhett nodded, thinking to himself, So this is their plan… a surprise attack on the Canyon Defense Line to create chaos? It seems the Blood God Cult's leader has been plotting this for some time. However, the fact that he only sent a few Sky Knights suggests he doesn't consider the southwestern border a priority. His main focus is likely on the Coldstream Front.