Mages never engage in battles unprepared. From the moment the Humanoid Angel appeared, this operation had already failed.
Roy's Golden Behemoth form completely shattered any lingering hope in Lord Edwin's heart.
Yet, the more this was true, the harder it became for him to accept.
Lord Edwin's face twisted with disbelief as his thoughts raced.
"How is this possible?!"
"A mere newly advanced Wizard... Damn it!"
He retreated hastily, but Roy was faster. The chain spear in his hand pursued relentlessly, piercing through both his robe and inner armor before plunging deep into his body!
"Ah—!"
Amid the agonized scream, lightning surged violently.
The Blackening Potion spewed forth as well.
Panicked, Lord Edwin activated a flash step, instantly reappearing dozens of meters away before fleeing in a straight line.
The others watched, utterly dumbfounded!
"L-Lord Edwin!"
"How did it come to this...?"
Edwin was a top student of Achini La.
Since his apprentice days, he had gained a modest reputation for his exceptional talent. After advancing to Mage, he embarked on numerous adventures, gathering many followers along the way.
In the eyes of these warriors and mages, Edwin was an invincible existence—someone who had never failed a mission.
They never doubted that Edwin would continue his unstoppable conquests, triumphing in every battle.
This time, to attack this quarry, he had meticulously planned, mobilizing every resource at his disposal.
At first, everything had gone exactly as expected—a swift and overwhelming advance.
But...
How had things suddenly turned out like this?
Failure alone was already hard to accept.
But Edwin's desperate retreat left them utterly disillusioned.
"Even his flash step... He's retreating without hesitation..."
Roy couldn't help but feel surprised at the sight.
Flame Arrow!
Ice Cone Spell!
Magic Missile!
The others, snapping out of their shock, launched a flurry of attacks.
They knew they were no match, but this was their last-ditch effort.
At the very least, they could buy time—create an opportunity for Edwin to escape.
Roy's Combat Aura was in an active state. With a single swing, he dispersed the incoming attacks.
The rest, he simply tanked with sheer speed, lunging straight at an apprentice and thrusting his spear into the man's face.
The apprentice trembled so violently he couldn't even utter a word, let alone cast a second spell. The spearhead pierced his heart, and he collapsed, clutching the wound.
On the other side, someone turned to flee but was hooked by the chain spear and dragged back.
In an instant, Roy clenched his fist—
And crushed the man's skull!
The explosive force of his Combat Aura, reaching temperatures of dozens of degrees, swept outward, killing several more.
Roy wasn't a professional warrior, but the raw power he unleashed allowed him to effortlessly obliterate heads—a scene so bloody it was almost surreal.
"Spare us, Great Wizard! Have mercy!"
By the time only a few remained, a young apprentice—barely an adult—finally broke down and begged for his life.
The sight of Roy smashing a skull with his fist had shattered his nerves completely.
"..."
Roy chanted a spell, and iron chains slithered out like snakes, coiling around their bodies and limbs, binding them together.
The delay had allowed Edwin to escape far away.
Yet Roy remained calm. His body lifted gracefully as his Gleaming Wings shimmered with astonishing energy.
Then—
With a sudden burst, he shot forward at terrifying speed!
Ordinary Wizards or Constructs often faced multiple limitations on their flight speed.
Physical structure or the strength of the flesh, wind resistance, flight posture control, energy reserves, and more...
All fell into this category.
But at this moment, Roy disregarded them all.
Relying on his formidable physique and abundant Combat Aura,
the "fuel" provided by the Life Energy Crystal was ample, instantly transforming into powerful kinetic energy that propelled him forward.
With a rigid posture akin to a cannonball...
Not exactly graceful, but extremely fast, he shot forward.
Before long, a dozen kilometers away,
a figure loomed ahead.
Whether Edwin had carelessly forgotten to conceal himself or simply lacked the technical means to do so, he could only rely on the Flight Spell, desperately speeding away to put as much distance between them as possible.
Roy pursued for a while, sensing the gap closing, until he finally saw clearly—blood dripping from the other's body.
The terrifyingly corrosive Blackening Potion had melted a gaping wound straight through his torso.
Edwin seemed to grow weaker by the moment, his flight posture becoming increasingly unstable.
He, too, sensed Roy's approach, the glow of a Shield Spell flickering to life around him.
But the wound must have hindered him, inevitably slowing him down.
After another stretch, Roy drew even closer, watching as Edwin, exhausted, descended onto a mountaintop.
"Haah... haah..."
Edwin's breath came in ragged gasps as he landed, his expression twisting with frustration.
"Those fools couldn't even hold you back? Utterly useless!"
Roy hovered above him, sneering, "If you call them useless, what does that make you?"
Edwin's face flushed red before contorting with rage. "I am a noble Mage! I have a bright future ahead! How can those lowborn scum compare to me?
Enough, Wizard. Spare me your insults.
I, Edwin O. Wak Rennes, admit my defeat.
Now, I formally surrender.
According to the 'Spellcaster Protection Concord' and the 'Nobility Privileges Accord,' you must grant me treatment befitting my—"
But in an instant, Roy plummeted like an iron cannonball, violently cutting him off!
Activating the Aegis Stone's protective barrier, he braced against any potential counterattack and charged forward, shattering Edwin's shield with sheer force, even driving his legs deep into the dirt!
Without pause, Roy retracted his arm, hovering sideways as crimson flames flickered with golden light.
Condensed within his fist was a radiant, sun-like manifestation of Combat Aura, dazzling and intense.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted as energy exploded from his fist.
In the split second before impact, Edwin's eyes widened in horror—only to see a blinding light rushing toward him.
Instantly, he became a headless corpse.
The strike had pierced the shield! Crushed his skull! Obliterated his brain!
His entire head burst apart in a spray of blood and mist!
After delivering the blow, Roy's energy plummeted violently, his Life Energy and Wizardry Energy draining completely in an instant.
He inhaled deeply, as if releasing a long-held tension, exhaling with a heavy sigh.
The young man's body hunched slightly as he gasped for breath.
Thud.
The headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
Dust swirled. Blood splattered.
After remaining vigilant for a while and confirming that the opponent was truly dead—without even a trace of lingering consciousness like Melina had left behind—Roy turned his gaze to the headless corpse. A mocking smile appeared on his handsome face.
Only then did he speak unhurriedly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Even in surrender, you managed to show off. I dub thee the king of idiots."