Chapter 40

Sun Ran's doubts were dispelled by Bai Tingxuan's next move.

She began to activate the paper puppet soldiers one by one. Over these days, whenever she had free time, she would cut out paper figures, and she had made over two hundred. Just now, Henry had killed fifty of them, and his magic prevented her from summoning new puppets, so now there were still over a hundred left.

After these paper puppet soldiers landed, they no longer appeared as infantry but as cavalry. Each had a fierce and terrifying face, wielding a nearly one and a half-meter-long chopping sword, riding powerful warhorses, with an incredibly intimidating presence.

A few minutes later, a puppet cavalry unit of over a hundred appeared beside the two of them.

"Bad, she's a summoner, she's summoned a legion of death knights! Stop her quickly!" A cry of alarm immediately came from the vampire cavalry.

In the Dark Medieval era, there was no concept of Daoist magic; any strange technique would be called a spell. Bai Tingxuan's puppet technique, from a distance, looked no different from summoning.

The bat army quickly approached, but it was not the expected three hundred; there were only a hundred. Although all the horses were fine, there was still a difference in the quality of the warhorses. After a frantic gallop, the cavalry split into front and rear units, and the hundred who arrived first had the fastest horses.

Even so, Henry was overjoyed. He only needed these descendants to block the pursuing forces behind him.

The bat army charged diagonally, and Bai Tingxuan released Sun Ran's hand, smiling, "I'm going, I'll wait for your good news."

Sun Ran felt that Bai Tingxuan's smile at this moment was very beautiful, a blend of a woman's tranquility and a grand, heroic spirit, unforgettable and hard to refuse. He nodded, "Alright, see you at the Order headquarters!"

Bai Tingxuan's departure was certain to be fatal. If this were not a virtual game, Sun Ran would never let her go.

Bai Tingxuan stopped, commanding the puppet cavalry to charge fearlessly towards the vanguard of the bat army. A dozen seconds later, the two sides collided.

The bat army's cavalry were all vampires, with extremely high physical attributes, while the puppet cavalry were just level-zero Daoist magic. With this collision, the Daoist magic was immediately broken, turning into shredded paper.

However, although the cavalry were strong, their horses were ordinary. Facing these puppet cavalry, which looked like formidable and terrifying death knights, many horses were frightened and could not be controlled by the cavalry.

Now, in the midst of battle, the scene was very chaotic. Once the horses were frightened, the cavalry on them suffered. Many vampires fell off their horses, trampled by hooves, although their physical attributes were excellent and they wouldn't die, they were severely injured.

Regardless, Bai Tingxuan's puppet cavalry successfully held back the opponent for Sun Ran, buying him time.

Sun Ran safely crossed the vampire cavalry and continued to chase the Destroyer.

After running for a while, Sun Ran felt something and looked back. He saw that the puppet cavalry had been completely defeated. Bai Tingxuan, dressed in white, was facing the flood of vampire cavalry alone. Seeing Sun Ran look back, she smiled brightly.

A vampire cavalryman, who seemed to be the captain, noticed Bai Tingxuan. He swung his long sword and roared, "Kill, kill this evil summoner!"

The flood of iron cavalry rolled over, engulfing the small white-clad woman.

Even knowing it was a virtual game, Sun Ran's heart was still heavily shaken. He turned his head and looked at the Destroyer, who was less than a hundred meters ahead.

No matter what, this opponent was dead.

Henry was covered in wounds, his head a bit dizzy, and he didn't notice the commotion behind him. He had crossed the cavalry and thought he was safe, took a breath, and turned to see the fate of the pursuers.

To his shock, he saw his most feared opponent still following him, and the cavalry that had come to his aid had been left behind.

Henry was greatly alarmed, not caring about the reasons, not daring to join his reinforcements, and not daring to turn, he used all his strength to continue running towards the Danube River.

Sun Ran closely followed.

The two, one chasing and one fleeing, quickly left the bat army far behind. After a while, the air ahead became more humid, and a green river appeared.

They had run all the way to the Danube River.

In the Dark Medieval era, whether it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire or the capital of the Principality of Wallachia, both were not far from the Danube River.

The Danube River basin had a very developed commercial trade, with countless merchant ships sailing on the river.

At that time, technology was not advanced enough to build large ships, so the river was mostly filled with small single or double-masted ships, mostly flat-bottomed. Although they had good cargo capacity, their speed was slow, making river travel extremely tedious.

But today was different.

A sailor on a cargo ship preparing to dock and unload noticed something unusual.

He stood at the bow, waving a dirty, oily leather hat in one hand and pointing to the shore with the other, shouting, "Look at the shore, there's a cavalry unit! Oh no, look at those two people. God, how can people run so fast!"

Everyone on the ship looked at the shore and indeed saw a cloud of dust in the distance, with a cavalry unit of at least a hundred people charging towards the coast.

The captain of the cargo ship, frightened, quickly gave orders, "Turn the rudder, turn the rudder, row, stop docking!"

At this moment, docking would mean certain death.

The sailors were in a frenzy, and it took a while for the clumsy cargo ship to change direction. By then, the cavalry unit on the shore had approached even more.

The fast runners that the sailor had mentioned were also seen by more sailors.

Hundreds of meters ahead of the charging cavalry, there were indeed two inconspicuous black dots moving at high speed, faster than galloping horses.

Thus, everyone on the ship, or rather, all the sailors on the Danube River who saw this, began to seek spiritual comfort from their gods.

"Oh, God, this isn't real!" This was from Christians, whether Catholic or Lutheran.

"Allah, the one and only God." This was from Muslims.

Amid everyone's amazement, the two black dots had already reached the shore, which were Sun Ran and the Destroyer Henry.

Henry was panting, though his speed didn't decrease, his face was full of fatigue, and the blood shadow on his body had become very dim. He still ran hard, with a simple idea: even if he couldn't escape in the end, he would drag this terrifying Order member behind him, not letting him have a chance to go to the boss.

Sun Ran's speed also remained at the highest level, with a hint of fatigue on his face, not from running but from using magic.

Although he could summon wind and rain in the virtual world, he was human, not a god. From entering the vampire cave to now, he had been leading the way, casting countless spells. Even with his strong spirit, there was a limit.

However, he was just a bit tired, while Henry was already at the end of his rope, much worse off.

Seeing the green waves of the Danube River ahead, Henry was in great distress. Why was this guy so persistent? Why was his bat army so useless, unable to catch up?

What a tragedy.

Thinking this, he was less than ten meters from the Danube River, about to enter it. Henry used his last strength. The dim red blood light on his body suddenly intensified, becoming somewhat blinding, and his body became light as a feather, running without stirring up any dust.

He ran straight into the Danube River and continued to charge on the surface, the water barely reaching his ankles, actually walking on water!

While running, Henry couldn't help but feel proud: "This is my true trump card for escaping. I don't believe you can still catch me. Once I cross the river, I'll be safe."

This thought had just surfaced when he felt a chill from behind. Turning back, he couldn't help but curse again.

The mage behind him had also entered the river, and his method was simpler: he directly condensed water into ice and walked on it, creating a white ice path on the water as he ran.

The bat army on the shore, seeing their master in danger, abandoned their horses and jumped into the river, swimming frantically to catch up.

This scene made the sailors on the Danube River exclaim in shock, rubbing their eyes in disbelief, feeling that today's events were truly bizarre, like something from a legend.

On the other side, Hao Qiang in the space station couldn't sit still. He contacted Sun Ran, "Quickly kill that Destroyer, don't let more people discover you."

The battle's impact was too great, not what the game company wanted. Players came to experience the authentic medieval culture, not to watch someone with cheats perform. Once they exited the game, they might complain.

Sun Ran, taking advantage of the data connection, hurriedly asked, "How is the battle between Red Rose and Jing Ke?" Red Rose was Lan Xin's codename.

"The opponent is strong, they are still in a stalemate," the reply came quickly.

Sun Ran's heart tightened, and he asked urgently, "The opponent is strong?"

This shouldn't be the case. If this one in front was the vampire leader, then with Jing Ke and Lan Xin's combat strength, they should have quickly defeated the opponent, unless... unless this one in front was not the Destroyer leader.

This thought flashed through Sun Ran's mind, and the administrator's reply arrived, "Very strong, stronger than the one you're chasing. Kill him quickly and go support them."

This sentence was enough for Sun Ran to judge the situation. Lan Xin needed support, so she must be at a great disadvantage, to the point where the administrator believed they couldn't win the battle.

Thinking this, Sun Ran observed the surroundings, seeing that all around were wide waters, with no one within a hundred meters. The Destroyer's speed on the water was not fast, slower than a normal person running on land. This gave him an idea that now was the perfect time to finish the opponent.

Sun Ran no longer hesitated, deciding to end the battle on the river.

He looked at the opponent running ahead, took a deep breath, and began to chant a powerful spell, simultaneously using his staff to cast ice blades continuously.

Henry, on the river, had greatly reduced agility and couldn't dodge.

"Finished!" Henry shouted in his heart.

At the critical moment, his reaction was also excellent. A thought flashed through his mind, and he used all his strength to dive into the river and quickly swim down.

The river water provided great protection against the impact of spells, greatly weakening the ice blades.

Thinking this, Henry swam deeper into the river.

He was a vampire, with a special body that could withstand suffocation several times better than ordinary humans, giving him an advantage in the water. Realizing this, Henry suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.

Today, he had been forced to use all his tricks by the Order member behind him, unprecedentedly embarrassed. Everyone has a temper, and once he saw a chance to counterattack, he wouldn't let it go.

You've chased me for so long, this time, I'll show you my strength! This was Henry's thought. He dived to the bottom of the river, staying still, preparing to wait for the opponent to enter the water and then counterattack.

He didn't know that Sun Ran had already activated his X-ray vision, seeing his every move through the river. Sun Ran easily guessed the opponent's plan, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.

Hehe, do you think I only know ice blades? Waiting in the water for me to counterattack is just asking for death!

He stood on the Danube River, his staff pointing at the water, continuing to chant the spell.

At this moment, the battle on the other side had taken an unexpected turn, and Sun Ran couldn't afford to waste time with the vampire. His top priority was to complete the mission and get the reward. So he prepared to cast a powerful spell to end the battle.

The spell was long, but Sun Ran had already seen through the Destroyer's plan and wasn't worried about the opponent counterattacking. Time passed second by second.

In the first thirty seconds, Henry waited at the bottom of the river for Sun Ran to enter the water and then counterattack. He hid in the deep water, unable to see the surface, just patiently waiting.

After another thirty seconds, Henry became restless and began to doubt.

When the third thirty seconds was almost over, Henry finally realized something was wrong, abandoned his plan to counterattack, and prepared to leave.

From start to finish, he never thought of rushing to the surface to confront the opponent. He had already lost his spirit after being beaten by Sun Ran and believed that he couldn't win in a direct confrontation, so he missed his chance.

It was too late. Sun Ran's staff touched the water, and he softly chanted, "Ice Seal."

Ice Seal, a level-four spell for the natives, would turn any water within a hundred-meter radius into ice. It took Sun Ran nearly a hundred seconds to successfully cast it.

For Sun Ran, who only had level-two permissions, a level-four spell was a strategic spell, hard to use in real-time combat because the casting time of a hundred seconds was too long. Even with delayed casting techniques, focusing on data for so long was exhausting.

Sun Ran used this spell because he had already figured out the opponent's psychology, knowing that the Destroyer in the water couldn't swim out of the hundred-meter range in a minute and wouldn't dare to jump out to ambush him.

Blinding white light spread out, instantly covering the water within a hundred meters. Then the white light flashed intensely, and the water turned into ice wherever the light reached.

Henry struggled fiercely for a moment, finding himself unable to move. Everything around him had turned to ice, and the temperature was getting colder.

"How can this be? What kind of spell is this, how can it be so terrifying?"

In the last moment before losing control of his body and being kicked out of the game, Henry saw the opponent's calm, indifferent eyes on the ice, showing no signs of emotion, as if everything was under control.

He realized: From the beginning, all his actions were under the opponent's control. He was just a grasshopper in the opponent's hand, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape, at most just a matter of dying early or late.

The ice quickly extended, stopping just before the swimming vampire cavalry, not harming any ordinary players.

The vampires of the bat army were stunned by this powerful spell. After a moment, someone screamed, "Run, the one ahead is a Holy Mage!"

In the Dark World, a mage powerful enough to be called a 'Holy Mage' was a sign of humble respect.

The opponent's spell had stopped the Danube River, a terrifying power. The bat army's morale collapsed, and they frantically swam back to the shore, crying and screaming.

The ice was too conspicuous. This was the lower Danube, with warm weather, and such a phenomenon had never been seen before, shocking the passengers on the passing merchant ships.

This bizarre and mysterious event was recorded in the history of the Dark World, becoming a historical puzzle that future historians debated.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Sun Ran.

He squatted down, looking through the transparent ice, and saw a figure frozen about ten meters deep, already dead.

At the same time, the game administrator's urgent voice sounded in Sun Ran's mind.

"The Destroyer leader is on the Wallachian Plain, only thirty kilometers from Istanbul, with a leg injury. Jing Ke has been killed, and Red Rose is injured but still in a stalemate. Go support them quickly."

Sun Ran smiled, his expression still calm, and asked, "Is Jing Ke's body severely damaged? Is his brain injured?"

Rushing over wouldn't be in time, so he had to possess a body.

"Jing Ke's body is half gone, but his brain is intact. Hmm? You want to use his body to be reborn, but this body probably won't be useful, and you won't have any weapons when you're reborn."

Sun Ran pointed to his head and smiled, "I'm not a warrior, I rely on my mind. Let me go, I'll turn the tide."

In the space station, Hao Qiang frowned, feeling that this Rose Tree's tone was overly confident, which was annoying. But emotions aside, work was work, and Hao Qiang still said, "I want to know where your confidence comes from."

Sun Ran smiled and countered, "Do you have any other way?"

Hao Qiang was silent for a moment and had to agree, "Alright, you exit first, and I'll send you over immediately."

'Wise choice,' Sun Ran thought, then turned his staff, pointed it at his chest, and began to chant the fire explosion spell.

Ten seconds later, a bright yellow fireball appeared on the ice. After the fireball disappeared, Sun Ran's Order member body was burned to ashes, scattered by the wind, leaving behind a mysterious legend that would long be told in the Danube River basin.

Page AD begins

Page AD ends