Chapter 251 : Chapter 251
Chapter 251. I Don’t Believe It
After the scene fell silent, no one present made a move. They no longer knew what to do about Fulan.
Benedict knew that his original proposal—to ignore this mage’s obstruction and simply seize her—had failed.
That was because the battle had been too terrifying. If Fulan’s combat strength had only been that of an ordinary first-tier professional, it would have been one thing. But instead, she had displayed such overwhelming power.
If Fulan had only been able to fight those first-tier Church Knights to a standstill, that would have been fine, because it would have proven that she had no ability to stop them.
In that case, as long as he gave the order to attack, everyone would have surged forward together and swiftly taken the castle.
In his original estimation, a few Church Knights should have been more than enough to deal with this mage.
He had seen mages cast spells before. Without an obvious terrain advantage, they were usually only a little stronger than first-tier professionals, nowhere near the vast difference between a lord and a first-tier professional.
So when those Church Knights had walked in, he had already sentenced the lord of Snow Bear Territory to death in his heart. No matter how he looked at it, this mage should not have been able to stop them.
But what happened next made him lose his nerve. That spell had been far too powerful...
And it was not just the spell. Even Bishop Gillian, a second-tier professional, had failed to save those Church Knights.
It was simply too shocking. Although a normal second-tier professional could be buried under dozens of first-tier professionals, or even killed by a well-trained squad of fewer than ten people, the gap between first tier and second tier was not that great.
Yet Fulan had actually beaten Gillian in a direct clash against a second-tier professional. It was enough to shatter everything he thought he knew about the world.
Benedict looked toward Gillian. Her expression shifted uncertainly, and no one could tell what she was thinking.
He was panicking now, because he knew that if Gillian chose to withdraw at this moment, then today’s matter might end here.
That would not be good news for the beastmen. They desperately needed to gather everyone together, then find that item before more people from the Church of the Goddess of the Currents arrived, and settle the outcome in a war of the kind beastmen feared least.
Just as he knitted his brows and thought over what to do, a hand came down on his shoulder.
The weight and size of that hand were very familiar. He recognized it immediately. That hand belonged to Stanley, the chieftain of the beastman tribe—a second-tier professional.
He froze for a moment. He knew what it meant for his chieftain to stop him at a time like this. Stanley intended to step forward personally and deal with Fulan, clearing the way for his decision.
He wanted to dissuade him, but he did not know how to begin. He knew why his chieftain had concealed his identity and entered the city in the first place: to strike at the crucial moment and seize the initiative.
And now was exactly when his chieftain needed to act. Even if that thought had not occurred to him just now, it would have surfaced soon enough.
The situation was what it was. He had no room to choose. He could only offer a few warnings.
“Be extremely careful. Since that mage dares to stand here and block the way, it means she must have prepared something. She might even have some method for dealing with second-tier professionals.”
“And no matter what, do not strike to kill. Otherwise, even if we really obtain that item, the tribe will be doomed beyond redemption...”
Those mercenaries, with nothing to rely on, could try to kill Fulan, because everyone knew they roamed from place to place with no roots. If one man could eat his fill, then that was enough for the whole household.
But the Church of the Goddess of the Currents and the beastmen were different. Their organizations were rooted here. They truly could not afford to do something like that and worsen the conflict.
“Do not worry. I refuse to believe that any first-tier mage could defeat a second-tier professional under these circumstances. At most, I will break both her legs as repayment...”
Benedict let out a breath of relief. With his chieftain’s promise, at least Fulan would not lose her life today. But he also knew why his chieftain had emphasized the second half of that sentence.
It was because Stanley had always harbored resentment toward those mages for killing so many beastmen.
Benedict had only barely managed to stop that resentment from leading to something disastrous.
Stanley strode forward, making no effort to conceal his intentions. The aura around him suddenly surged, and the faces of the people nearby changed at once.
He removed the covering from his arm, revealing an entire powerful arm wrapped in fur.
Fulan looked him over. From the aura around him and the way he walked, she could tell at once that he was a second-tier professional.
She glanced at his arm. It was extremely thick, almost wider than both of her thighs put together.
But in this world, one could not judge a person’s strength by appearance alone. If Fulan said nothing, who would know that her strength surpassed that of many giant bears three meters tall?
Seen from the side, the difference in height and build between the two alone made it seem as if Fulan had no chance of winning, let alone with Stanley releasing the aura of a second-tier professional.
Even Lord Blake, watching from above, could not help but close his eyes and collapse to the ground. He knew that there was no way Fulan could defeat him this time.
How could the gap between tiers be crossed so easily? Whenever someone had fought above their tier in the past, it had always been because the higher-tier opponent was gravely wounded, or because the lower-tier one possessed some powerful weapon.
But how could such circumstances be so easy to come by? Under normal conditions, no one would ever consider the possibility that a lower-tier person could defeat a higher-tier one. The chance of a miracle was far too slim.
Stanley stopped outside the boundary and said in a cold, arrogant tone,
“Little mage, take back what you said just now, and I can spare your legs. You will not have to suffer any physical pain. You can leave here safely.”
Fulan looked at Stanley and merely dropped a single cold sentence.
“If I were you, I would not think of stepping into a place a mage has already prepared. It will overturn some of the things you are so certain of.”
She looked at him without the slightest movement, as though Stanley, standing before her, was nothing more than something she could casually wipe away.
Stanley only gave a cold smile.
“Looks like I’ll have to break both your hands as well.”
“Perhaps what you said does make sense.”
“But I don’t believe it!”
Stanley took a firm step forward. He did not even assume a defensive stance before stepping toward the boundary.
Fulan reacted with lightning speed. A strange red light flashed beneath her robe, and at the same time, a wave of spell fluctuation appeared around Stanley.
“A first-tier spell won’t have much effect on me, little mage,” Stanley said confidently. He knew that while first-tier spells could still injure him, the damage would be limited.
So he neither dodged nor avoided it, because he wanted to teach the mage before him that “truth.”
But this time, he was wrong.