Chương 185: Chapter 182 - Blood Mist

"Leif, can you fight a fire Tier-3 mage? I can provide you support with my mana shield." Finally, after spending so much time with Leif and Lela, and especially after my fight with Julius, I could now distinguish between martial combat classes and mana-based combat classes. Simply sensing the amount of mana in someone's body was no longer enough to tell the difference, or even determine their tier. Leif was Tier-2, while Garran was Tier-3, yet both of them had almost the same amount of mana.

What gave me a clue was the mana around their bodies. For martial classes, there was a sudden spike of mana when they used skills or struck their opponents. Whenever Lela shot an arrow, or Varric and Garran attacked, I could sense that spike. Leif, Julius, and I were examples of mana-based combat classes. Even at Tier-2, we constantly had mana around us. In a combat-ready state, it became even more prominent, as all of us pulled a significant amount of mana out of our bodies, especially around our hands.

That was exactly what I was sensing from the leading mercenary. And honestly, it scared me. I could not help imagining what would have happened if Julius had fire affinity instead of earth. Even if I had blocked all his attacks, just being that close to fire would have turned me into roasted meat. At lower tiers, in my opinion, fire was one of the scariest elements.

"Yeah, just make sure to use your shield if he casts any fire spell too close," Leif replied.

"And your injuries will not get any worse?" I asked. I was not sure about letting him fight an opponent a whole tier higher than him, but he was the only one here who could properly counter fire. Leif scoffed and stepped to the front.

"If I lose to a mercenary after training at the Academy, I will jump from this wall myself." By this time, the mercenary squad was already close.

"Garran, Brakk, and Oren, take the front. Keep the others away from Leif. All of them are Tier-2. Varric, Rokan, and Daren, focus on dealing damage." Then, lowering my voice and using [Battlefield Command] so only Garran and Varric could hear me, I added, "Throw them toward the barrier." I knew this might be one of the cruelest decisions I had ever made, but I needed to create an effect that would scare any future enemies we encountered.

My squad did not have any flashy elements, but if word of their brutality spread, we might gain a psychological advantage in future battles.

"Silas, use your throwing knives to disrupt the Tier-3 Leif will be fighting. Lela, stay at long range, but do not attack before Leif engages." Lela was too effective with her arrows. If she focused on the Tier-3 too early, he might abandon Leif and target her instead, burning through my squad in the process. The mercenary leader closed in on Leif, with six columns of Tier-2 mercenaries behind him. And just as I feared, the moment he entered range, he released a major fire spell.

A wave of flame erupted from his legs and swept toward us, probably meant to affect more than just Leif. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Just as I was about to create a mana shield, Leif moved. He swept his foot forward, raising a small concave step of earth from the ground. The curved barrier caught the fire wave and redirected it back toward the mercenary unit.

Showing his control over fire, the mercenary leader stomped his foot down and snuffed out the flames completely. Then he punched forward, releasing a huge burst of fire. Leif slammed his greatsword into the ground, creating a V-shaped earth barrier with his sword acting as the center. However, some of the flames still leaked around the edges. Thankfully, I reacted in time and created mana shields, stopping the residual fire before it reached the rest of us.

Leif pushed his sword forward, sending a wave of earth shards flying at the mercenaries. They raised their shields and blocked the attack. The leader moved forward immediately, catching Leif off guard, and released a burst of flame directly at him. This time, I created a mana shield and sent out a Mana Arc, forcing the mercenary leader back. The leader made eye contact with me, and I gave him a smirk. Some of it even came from the heart. I had been enjoying my last few fights.

There had been a feeling inside me that I would eventually be left behind by Leif and Lela because of their high affinity, but these battles were proving that I could still keep up with them. More importantly, my support role became far more effective when I fought alongside people like them. Finally, the mercenaries in the back started reacting. Two columns from the sides moved forward, and then I saw something that sent a chill down my spine.

Taking advantage of his size and strength, Garran swung his massive shield and threw one of the mercenaries off the wall as if he were nothing more than a doll. Before my eyes, the domain ripped the man apart, turning him into blood mist, along with his armor and weapon. The sight was chilling enough on its own. What made it worse was seeing Garran and Varric laugh at the sight before attacking with even more enthusiasm. A moment later, they pushed another mercenary toward the barrier.

For a moment, almost every soldier present froze. When the battle resumed, I assigned Silas to distract the Tier-3 while I focused on supporting the frontline and guiding Lela by pointing out targets for her arrows. Just when I thought we were close to finishing the fight, having already killed almost half the mercenary squad, I saw Leif clench his fist. His face had gone pale. He looked like he was at his limit, and maybe already fighting through pain from his injuries.

"Varric, replace Leif." Leif had already done his job. The leader's flame output had decreased, and his mana was clearly running low. Pushing Leif any further would not do any good. Thankfully, Leif followed my order without protest. I sent out a Mana Arc to push the leader back, this time striking his shoulder. Taking that opportunity, Varric replaced Leif. As soon as Leif returned to our side, he did not even try to remain standing.

He hobbled back and sat down beside the low wall, leaning against it for support while clenching his teeth in pain. Seeing my friend like that made anger rise inside me. Most of it was directed at myself. But I pushed it toward the mercenary leader instead. Varric was doing a good job blocking the fireballs with his shield while wildly swinging his hammer at the leader's head, so I gave him a hand.

"Everyone, make way," I said, using [Battlefield Command] so only my squad could hear me. They immediately created an opening for my larger Mana Arcs. I sent two of them toward the mercenary leader. He shifted to the side to avoid them, and Varric took that opportunity to slam his hammer into the leader's head, sending him stumbling toward the barrier. A moment later, the domain claimed him. As their leader died, the remaining mercenaries began to retreat, making them easy targets for Lela.

"Let two of them live," I told her. She nodded and followed my order. Five arrows shot out in quick succession, leaving only two mercenaries alive. Then Lela looked at me.

"You know this will not only scare them, but also put a bigger target on us, right?" I nodded, then sat down beside Leif and started checking his condition.

"I know," I said.

"But I am hoping this performance will buy us enough time to organize the crowd below." I looked toward the blood mist still hanging near the barrier.

"That should be a strong enough symbol to stop people from trying to escape. But all this blood will also create more panic and make the situation in this area worse." Once I was done checking Leif, I sighed in relief. He was fine.

"I-I just pushed my mana a little too much. I will be fine in thirty minutes," Leif whispered. I laughed at him.

"Yeah, and after that, you can jump from the wall." Then, mimicking Leif's voice, I said, "'If I lose to a mercenary after training at the Academy, I will jump from this wall.'" Leif glared at me, but I ignored him and stood up, looking down at the townspeople still struggling in chaos.

"And how do you plan on solving that while maintaining control of the towers?" Lela asked. Suddenly, my eyes landed on the solution to her question. A smile appeared on my face. Maybe I would not have to do all the heavy lifting myself. Maybe my support would be enough. Down below, I saw Eleanor standing in the middle of the crowd, trying to organize people, while Peter, Barry, and Kael made their way toward the tower.