The vast Magic Circle covered the sky.
The entire town was bathed in a brilliant glow.
"Hahaha, did you see that? This is the gift I, your Princess, prepared for you."
Norn laughed triumphantly, "Unless Kingdom soldiers are wearing special gems..."
"Otherwise, as long as you are within this Magic Circle, your stamina and magic power will be continuously absorbed, eventually turning you into withered bones."
Watching all this, Linde nodded, "The Magic Circle is well-arranged."
The instant he finished speaking, Linde casually raised his hand, and the Demon Gun materialized out of thin air.
Buzz!
He lightly pulled the trigger, the air wailed, and a crimson pillar of magic power shot skyward, striking the Magic Circle.
Boom!
Accompanied by a thunderous roar...
The Magic Circle, emanating vast magic power fluctuations, was instantly shattered like tofu, completely destroyed.
What was even more shocking was...
The crimson pillar of magic power continued its trajectory, forcefully piercing through the thick, fiery clouds in the sky.
It was as if a single strike had torn through the entire firmament.
Seeing this scene, everyone was petrified.
Even Hawkeye and Norn had their pupils contract, as if they had seen a ghost.
The entire area fell into a deathly silence.
Linde looked at Norn, a half-smile on his face, "It's just that the Magic Circle itself was a bit fragile."
"..."
Norn's breathing hitched, then she said furiously, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and attack!"
All the Kingdom elites immediately reacted, picking up their weapons.
But at that moment, the Star Spirit had already extended her hands.
"Sixth-tier Magic: Sea of Trees."
Buzz!
A brilliant Magic Circle appeared on the ground, and the entire earth began to rumble madly.
The next moment...
Under the horrified gazes of countless people, the ground began to crack open, and countless dark shadows swept out in all directions with an unstoppable momentum.
Looking closely, the countless dark shadows were enormous, intertwined vines.
Rumble!
The vines, like giant beasts, grew wildly, crushing the surrounding streets and buildings, like ferocious beasts devouring everything.
"Ahhh, what in the world is this?!"
"Princess Norn, Lord Hawkeye, save..."
"Ahhhhh..."
Screams of agony were endless, and countless Kingdom elites were crushed to death.
"Sixth-tier magic? Who exactly is this woman?"
Hawkeye's pupils constricted, but he had no time to think, his body began to move rapidly.
Swish! Swish!
At the same time, Setsuna and Anna's figures, like shooting stars, darted through a squad of soldiers.
Pfft! Pfft!
Limbs and severed arms flew, splattering countless thick and thin columns of blood.
"Ahhhhh..."
Amidst the horrific screams, Anna and Setsuna, like vengeful spirits, easily reaped lives.
"Too... too terrifying. Th-those two women, they're also so powerful?"
The Kingdom Knights guarding Princess Norn all showed expressions of fear.
"Don't panic, things haven't reached their worst point yet."
Norn took a deep breath, still using sound-amplifying magic to issue one command after another.
Watching all this, Linde couldn't help but applaud Norn.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Not bad, truly a military genius. To still be able to organize the army to counterattack under these circumstances."
"But let me guess, next you're planning to have Hawkeye deal with me, aren't you?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Norn's expression changed.
The next moment...
A glowing arrow flew across the chaotic battlefield, accurately aimed at Linde.
Crack!
Linde casually grabbed it, and the arrow immediately shattered into dust.
"He actually caught my arrow with his hand? Is this some kind of joke?"
Hawkeye, hidden in the shadows, had a completely changed expression.
"Is it possible that you're just too weak?"
At this moment, a playful voice sounded from behind him.
Hawkeye's pupils constricted. As he quickly turned around, countless hidden weapons were scattered without even looking.
Boom!
With a roar, countless hidden weapons were pulverized by a magic beam.
Linde stepped out, smiling lightly.
"Your technique is much stronger than Bureido's."
"If you had a Heroic Artifact, perhaps you could exchange a few moves with me."
Hawkeye didn't speak, he merely drew his bow to a full moon.
Whoosh!
An arrow imbued with magic easily pierced through the air.
Bang!
Linde flicked his finger, instantly shattering it.
The scattered magic splattered, tearing apart the surrounding rooftops.
Amidst the rising dust, several more arrows unleashed a fierce killing intent, tracing strange arcs in the air.
Hawkeye drew his sword, instantly closing in on Linde to within ten feet.
Arrows and sword light intertwined, aiming for Linde's eyes, neck, heart... all vital points.
"No matter how strong you are..."
"Remember... you die by your own arrogance."
Hawkeye's cold voice echoed in the air.
Linde's strength was indeed greater than his.
But as long as he fell into his carefully crafted offensive, he was sure to die.
In his life, he didn't know how many times he had triumphed this way...
Clang, clang, clang.
The arrows were all deflected by an invisible magic force.
The longsword and fist collided.
The next moment...
Hawkeye's face showed horror; he felt an unimaginable force transmit from the longsword, directly splitting his tiger's mouth and making the longsword fly from his hand.
"You..."
He only saw a fist infinitely enlarging before his eyes, his consciousness gradually falling into darkness.
In a daze...
He saw that demon-god-like figure calmly retracting his fist, and only one thought remained in his mind.
"...It wasn't arrogance... he simply didn't put me in his eyes."
On the other side, Norn and the Kingdom Knights had stiffened.
They couldn't quite believe it.
Hawkeye, one of the three great heroes, had died just like that.
"Princess Norn, let's retreat first."
"That's right, this person is simply a monster."
In their terror, the Kingdom Knights had already decided to retreat.
Looking at Linde, who was now gazing at her, Norn also panicked a bit.
The Magic Circle was broken.
Soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
Hawkeye was dead.
All of this already sealed the outcome.
She gritted her teeth and uttered only one word: "Retreat."
Hearing Norn's words, the Kingdom Knights felt as if they had been granted a great pardon, but before they could move, Linde had already raised his palm.
"Did I say you could leave?"
"Dimensional Array Slash."
The instant the words fell, a brilliant light flashed and vanished.
Pfft! Pfft!
In just a moment, all that remained of the Kingdom Knights was half of their bodies.
Whoosh!
Norn's figure, moreover, appeared out of thin air in front of Linde.
"Hello there, Princess Norn."
Linde grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground.
Looking at that face so similar to Freya's, Linde's interest was piqued.
In terms of sisterly resemblance, Freya and Norn's similarity was definitely superior to the Miyano sisters.
"The Kingdom will not let you off."
Norn's feet thrashed wildly in mid-air, and just after she finished speaking, she passed out.
By the time Linde, carrying Norn, reunited with the women, the entire Kingdom army had completely collapsed.
With their commander captured, no matter how elite they were, it became meaningless.
"Master, should we pursue them?"
Setsuna asked, her face full of excitement.
"Whatever you want."
Linde shrugged and chuckled, "But I have more important things to do."
Looking at the unconscious Norn, she hesitated for a moment but then moved.
Watching others level up is not as satisfying as leveling up oneself.
These kingdom elites are genuine experience points...