Realizing that he alone wasn't enough to deal with Jarek, he had to fall back on his last resort.
The sound of whistling could be heard, and after a few seconds, three figures appeared on the scene.
They were covered in cloaks, hiding their faces, but the aura they emitted was unmistakable.
They were Grandmasters.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up." However, to their surprise, Jarek wasn't startled by their sudden appearance.
Instead, it was as if he was expecting them.
But after considering the strength he had displayed against Thrain, they didn't find this strange.
"You are indeed very powerful. But you will still meet your end." One of the cloaked figures said, his voice radiating confidence.
With a pained expression, Thrain turned to face the three Grandmasters, and he asked, "Which one of you has a lord-grade foundation and is a spear-wielder?"
Though they were confused by his question, one of them raised his hand. "That would be me."
Thrain reached into his storage bag and pulled out another spear, muttering as he looked at it, "I never thought that this would be the last time I would be able to use this trump card."
He knew once he gave this out, it wouldn't return to his hands.
It would soon end up in Jurgen's hands.
But he had no other choice than to make this sacrifice.
He tossed the spear to the spear-wielding Grandmaster, who, upon receiving it, instantly felt how extraordinary the spear was.
When he examined it closely, he then exclaimed, "Where did you get a High-Grade weapon!?"
The man was sure that not even Jurgen possessed one, and he was the mayor of a major town like Arvenca, and yet Thrain, who was only a Grandmaster, owned one?
'This guy isn't simple.' The spear-wielding Grandmaster thought.
Thrain, on the other hand, chose to remain silent and didn't answer.
The spear-wielding man, seeing that Thrain wasn't willing to talk about how he managed to acquire such a weapon, could only focus on the task he had been assigned to by his master.
To eliminate Jarek Jensson.
Jarek was also surprised that Thrain possessed a High-Grade weapon.
Ever since he came to this world, he had never seen such a weapon.
He had only speculated that such weapons could only be found in the Third Level of the Weapon Hall of the Myriad Dao Academy, showing just how rare such weapons were.
'Does he have any connections within the Academy, or is it with those from the Inner City?' Jarek speculated further.
However, he couldn't be further from the truth.
The reason Thrain has such a weapon is due to his noble origin.
It was one of the things he had taken from the family's treasury before his escape, alongside the hundreds of cages used to imprison beasts, storage bags, and a few other things.
These items were enough to ensure he would survive when he left his family's territory and ventured to the Sylvacor Continent, and settled in one of its Outer Cities.
Coincidentally, he chose to reside in Outer Valdoria, in Belmora Town.
With this powerful spear, he was able to defeat the most powerful expert in Belmora, who was an Empyrean, and became its Mayor.
He was, of course, reluctant to part with it, but he could only give it to someone who could put it to good use.
And only someone who has a lord-grade foundation and also practices spear laws can do that.[1]
As the spear-wielding Grandmaster channeled
his energy into the spear, a powerful spear aura was produced.
Even Jarek felt he might not emerge unscathed if he came into contact with it.
He felt a slight sense of danger coming from the spear.
It was an oppression that could only be exerted by a power that belongs to a higher phase, the Lord Phase.
But Jarek only smiled, without feeling an ounce of worry.
He raised his hand and fired a lightning bolt at the spear-wielding Grandmaster, who responded with a powerful thrust of the spear.
The lightning collided with the spear, and it was destroyed as a result.
The spear remained unharmed, not suffering any damage, but its wielder was pushed back.
"Indeed, even if you have such a powerful weapon, if the one who wields it isn't powerful enough, then you can't defeat me," Jarek said as if it were a fact.
But the spear-wielding Grandmaster wasn't deterred, "Let's see how you deal with all three of us. Use long-range attacks to strike from a distance. Avoid close combat at all costs."
As he said so, he charged at Jarek.
He was the only one who could face Jarek head-on.
One of the cloaked figures took out a bow and arrow and fired an arrow that headed straight for Jarek.
However, Jarek dealt with the arrow with a lightning strike.
The Spear Grandmaster took advantage of this moment to thrust his spear at Jarek's chest.
To his surprise, Jarek dodged the attack with relative ease and even took the chance to speak. "As I said before, even with that weapon, you stand no chance against me."
Suddenly, a ball of fire came flying at him.
However, it exploded even before it reached him, and with his left hand, he caught the arrow.
With his right hand, he punched at the Spear Grandmaster, who quickly placed the spear handle in the path of Jarek's fist.
The Spear Grandmaster was sent flying as blood flowed from the corners of the mouth, a testament to how powerful Jarek's blow was.
The Spear Grandmaster wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at his hand, which was covered in blood, and thought, 'How strong is he? This isn't the strength of an Empyrean.'
The other Grandmasters witnessing stood rooted on the spot, seeing Jarek deal with them so easily.
Even when one of them had a High-Grade weapon, they still couldn't do anything against him.
The fire-wielding Grandmaster trembled as he asked, "Are you a Crowned Empyrean?"
[1] If a cultivator has a lord-grade foundation, their energy has some of the characteristics of a Lord Stage cultivator (a small percentage of it) even if they haven't reached that stage. This allows them to activate treasures of higher grades.