Chapter 99: Useless Trash

On the battlements of Quarry Fort, Chu Tian landed and walked quickly toward Makori, bowing as he did so. "Greetings, Marshal. Vladino, Right Chancellor of the Empire and Chief Court Priest, reporting for duty!" On the battlefield, aside from the Caesar Iron Cavalry, even generals had to salute the commander-in-chief, and Third Prince Ludi was no exception.

"Haha, excellent!" Makori laughed, patting Chu Tian on the shoulder with approval. "Well done just now!"

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian accepted the praise with humility before turning to Damar, who stood nearby. "Heh, old friend, it’s been a long time!"

"Vladino, you’ve finally arrived!" Damar rushed over in excitement, embracing Chu Tian. He spoke plainly, "My friend, if you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer!" Damar had originally taken over for Chu Tian on the expedition. While his magical prowess was unmatched in the empire, he was far less adept at managing military affairs. For over a month, poor Damar had been completely overwhelmed.

"My apologies," Chu Tian shrugged helplessly. "I’m only here to heal the magical beasts this time. You’ll have to handle everything else."

"Ah?" Damar’s eyes widened, staring at Chu Tian in a daze, at a loss for words.

Heh, Chu Tian chuckled inwardly. Ignoring Damar, he walked over to Makori. "Marshal, what do you need me to do now?"

"This..." Makori was taken aback by the question. The battle was proceeding smoothly, with almost no magical beasts injured. While many soldiers had fallen, Chu Tian could only heal beasts, and the young master was currently unable to cast magic. After thinking for a long time, Makori was stunned to realize that, aside from boosting morale, Chu Tian was essentially useless!

The enemy realized this as well. In a corner of the distant battlefield, a streak of silver-white light broke free from its opponent and surged into the sky. Collins, the Sacred Dragon Knight whom Chu Tian hadn't seen in a long time, appeared atop his ninth-rank ice dragon. "You fools! Vladino is nothing but a piece of trash! Why are you in such a panic? Reform your formations!"

Collins shouted to boost the morale of the Reis army. "Vladino cannot cast magic at all! On this battlefield, he is completely useless! Soldiers of Reis, raise your swords and take down that waste. The honor of slaying the Sacred Priest awaits you!"

Praise the Goddess of Life! Chu Tian’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a muffled call. "Anna!"

"Boss, I’m sorry!" Anna lowered her head, looking aggrieved. "The distance is too great, and my arrows cannot penetrate his protective Battle Aura..."

"Damn it, hell!" Chu Tian cursed under his breath. Collins was taunting him from afar, and he was powerless to respond; the situation left him deeply frustrated.

Anna couldn't do it, but someone was ready to vent for Chu Tian! "Damn you, your opponent is me!" From beneath Collins, a burst of multicolored light erupted—the red of fire, the blue of water, the yellow of earth... and even the pale white of the undead! Each color fired a beam of energy, converging into a massive pillar of magic that slammed toward Collins in the sky!

"Hmph! Such childish tricks are useless against me!" Collins tapped his mount, and the dragon opened its maw to exhale layers of ice mist. The mist rapidly condensed in the air, forming a massive, disc-like ice mirror that blocked the magical pillar! In an instant, all the light beams were reflected back, raining down upon the battlefield. "Apache, you are as useless as your master!"

"Hoo..." A deep, heavy breathing sound echoed as a robust young man surged into the sky. His eyes, shimmering with a strange brilliance, revealed that this was Apache, now in human form! "Collins, if you have the guts, fight me without your mount!" Collins was a ninth-rank professional in his own right, and with his ninth-rank magical pet, his combat power was more than doubled. Thus, Apache, who had only just mastered ninth-rank strength, was truly no match for them.

"Here we go again! Haha..." Collins laughed contemptuously. "You want me to abandon my magical pet? Hmph! Why don't you tell Vladino to fight with you! It truly is a tragedy to have such a piece of trash for a master!"

"Collins!" Apache gritted his teeth and charged, abandoning his best spells and intending to fight Collins with nothing but his bare fists! Daring to insult Chu Tian? That was nothing short of a death wish!

Heh, Collins sneered in his heart. So easily provoked? Apache, you aren't worthy of being my opponent! Losing one's cool is the greatest taboo in a duel between experts. "Thrust!" Collins steadied himself on his mount with his left hand, while his right hand drove his knight's lance toward Apache.

"You damn bastard, you dare look down on me?" Apache was even more enraged. The thrust was a basic knight's skill—even a first-rank squire could master it—but Collins was using it against a ninth-rank Apache. This wasn't an attack; it was a provocation!

Apache shifted sideways in mid-air and reached out to grab Collins's lance. "Don't use such simple..." Apache couldn't finish his sentence. The moment he made contact, he realized the lance was merely an illusion! A second lance was already at his chest!

"Hmph! That's a bit more interesting!" To be pointed at the chest in mid-air would be inescapable for an ordinary expert, but Apache was different—he was a mutant Thunder Hawk! The fastest magical beast in the sky!

He watched the lance without concern, leaning his body backward and floating to the side as if weightless. *Pfft!* He dodged the lance at his chest, but silently, another appeared at his left shoulder! As the third lance struck Apache, the second one aimed at his chest vanished into thin air. "Damn you! Shameless!" Apache cursed as he plummeted.

"Triple Phantom Thrust!" Collins watched Apache’s falling figure and sneered, "Did you really think I would use a normal thrust to attack a ninth-rank magical beast? Hmph! As stupid as your master!"

"Sigh!" Below on the battlefield, Kuyata, maintaining his human form, let out a long sigh. "How is it like this again?" As he spoke, he carelessly threw a punch, shattering a row of Reis soldiers before steadily catching Apache. "I tell you, brother, with your strength, even if you can't see it, you should be able to hear the wind. How did you get hurt again?" Kuyata scratched his head. "Wait, how many times has this been? I’ve lost count..."

"Damn it! It's because Collins is too shameless!" Apache glared, his eyes burning with fury. He took out a ninth-rank potion, applying half to his wound and swallowing the rest. Gradually, the bleeding stopped, though the effectiveness of the medicine had reached its limit.

Chu Tian’s potions combined the essence of Earth and the Fantasy Beast Continent. They had two effects: the first was similar to Earth's medicine, capable of treating specific injuries regardless of the patient's rank; the second involved using the contained magical power to accelerate healing. However, the second effect could not ignore the gap in strength, as it depended on the quality of the bezoar!

Apache was using the best ninth-rank potion Chu Tian had. If an ordinary person had injured Apache, the medicine would have healed him both thoroughly and quickly. Unfortunately, his opponent today was Collins! Collins’s strength already surpassed Kuyata’s, and since Chu Tian’s potion was made from Kuyata’s bezoar, the healing was effective, but the time required was uncertain.

"It’s a blessing to have a good boss!" Watching Apache charge back into the fray, Kuyata shook his head, sighing. "It seems that when my contract with Caesar expires, I should consider signing with Lord Vladino..." The longer he fought alongside Apache, the more Kuyata sighed. He found that the treatment Chu Tian’s magical pets received was simply too good. If nothing else, seeing Apache treat ninth-rank potions like snacks made Kuyata green with envy. On the black market, a single ninth-rank pill from Chu Tian was already selling for tens of thousands of gold coins!

Praise the Goddess of Life! Guided by Makori, Chu Tian recognized that the foolish, desperate kid was indeed his own Apache. The young master blushed—it seemed the ideological education of his magical pets needed to be strengthened!

"Warriors of Reis! Vladino is right there!" Collins had once again repelled Apache, pointing his lance toward the battlements of Quarry Fort. "Aside from his magical pets, he has no strength at all! Whoever captures Vladino shall be granted a thousand miles of territory!"

Stimulated by Collins’s generous reward, the Reis army, whose morale had been low due to Chu Tian's appearance, erupted with intense fighting spirit once more!

"Damar, prepare all magical cannons and crossbows to guard against a sneak attack from Collins!" Makori’s expression darkened. Prince Zaplan on the other side was a waste, but Collins was a difficult opponent. The morale he had just boosted was easily dismantled by him. "My Lord, there have been incidents in the past where Collins suddenly assassinated commanders..."

"I understand!" Chu Tian gritted his teeth and nodded, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of frustration. Makori’s intent was clear: he wanted Chu Tian to hide somewhere. Otherwise, if Collins used his mount to launch a surprise attack, Chu Tian’s safety would be compromised. Makori could not afford the consequences of the Empire’s Right Chancellor dying right beside him! And Apache’s desperate attempts to entangle Collins were likely also to prevent him from targeting Chu Tian!

The Hummer and the AK-47 were with Yunque Boeing, and Apache was still struggling to hold off Collins. Now, only NMD and Anna were left by Chu Tian’s side. Damn it, Collins, just wait until I have my team together; I’ll settle this with you!

Just as Chu Tian was about to walk down from the battlements, he was spotted by Collins again. "Hahaha, Vladino, you coward! Are you trying to run away?" While fending off Apache, Collins clamored, "Iron Cavalry of Caesar! Look at your Sacred Priest! He’s actually trying to flee!"

The Caesar Iron Cavalry, still charging, seemed not to hear Collins and continued to fight, but the other Caesar units began to waver. The battlefield fell into a stalemate once more.

"Damar, prepare to retreat!" If Chu Tian left, the army’s morale would inevitably plummet; Makori had already considered this. But sacrificing some morale to ensure Chu Tian’s safety was worth it! "Damar, why aren't you carrying out the order!?"

Makori turned back, intending to reprimand Damar, only to find that Chu Tian had returned. "Vladino, you..."

"I have an announcement to make!" Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and walked onto the wall. He first cast a wind-element scroll to amplify his voice, then pointed Dracula’s Fury toward Collins. "Collins! I, Vladino, Right Chancellor of the Caesar Empire, Chief Court Priest, and Duke of the Ancient Sacred Priests, challenge you! Tomorrow, I shall duel you beneath the walls of Quarry Fort!"