Chapter 263: I Messed Up
"There is one hidden within a giant mushroom, one hidden behind a giant mushroom, and one hidden atop a tree."
As Ayrin spoke, he drew on the ground to give Rinloran and Stingham a clear idea of where the three Abel College arcane masters dressed as Evil Dragon Followers were situated.
"There is one within the mushroom?"
Stingham's mouth formed an 'o' as he observed Ayrin's simple and roughly drawn map and asked, "Ayrin, are you sure you didn't see wrongly?"
"I also thought it was strange," Ayrin replied as he scratched his head. "It seemed like the fellow entered through an opening, but there are no marks or anything on the outside of the giant mushroom."
"It should be some kind of concealment skill." Rinloran looked at Ayrin as he quietly suggested, "My old elf clan had a skill like this which allowed one to hide within trees."
"Isn't it perfect for sleep then?" A look of envy filled Stingham's face.
"You idiot! You are still thinking of running away and finding somewhere to sleep? Has the metal zombie within your body stopped growing larger?" Rinloran replied as he deliberately tried to scare Stingham.
"Oh yeah. I need to get rid of this metal zombie first." Stingham's face filled with gratefulness as his eyes became watery and he said, "Thank you for reminding me. It seems like it has truly grown quite a bit."
Stingham's response left Rinloran speechless. Thus, Rinloran turned to Ayrin and asked, "Since we are intending to beat up those scoundrels, what is our plan?"
"In a bit, make sure to hold your noses. I will let them experience some stink before anything else," Ayrin responded with a chuckle.
Black lines erupted across Rinloran and Stingham's faces as they exasperatedly cried in unison, "You are going to use that skill again?!"
……
"It's been so long. How come still no one has appeared?"
The eyes of the three seemingly injured and covered in blood Abel Academy arcane masters were filled with suspicion as they looked around their surroundings.
They were Abel Academy's three most well known celebrity fighters, the captain and "Silent Invocation Master" Lotner, "Sleeptalker" Presley, and "Wild Thunder" Courtland.
"Are you guys still hanging in there? I'm coming!" Stingham's voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"They're here!"
Excitement and treachery flashed through the eyes of these three Abel Academy team members as the looks on their faces became even more strained and weak.
"Skunk Devil Summoning!"
"Skunk Devil Summoning!"
Two invocations successively rang out amidst some nearby trees.
"It stinks!"
"This stench is killer!"
The three unprepared Abel Academy members miserably cried out as an indescribably nasty stench abruptly assailed them. Their faces turned green as they hunched over and started retching.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Stingham and Ayrin emerged before the three retching Abel Academy members from the midst of several nearby trees.
"Why are you guys like this? Where is the enemy?" Ayrin asked in a nasal, but serious voice as he held his nose and observed the three Abel Academy members before him.
"What skill is that? Why is there a sphere of arcane energy floating beside his body?"
"How can he gather and condense so much arcane energy?"
The three Abel Academy members were all very taken aback upon seeing the shadow ball floating beside Ayrin's body as they sensed the horrifying arcane energy condensed within the shadow ball.
"You must be careful!"
At this moment, Abel Academy team's captain Lotner began his acting as he anxiously shouted, "The enemy should still be around. They only temporarily backed away when they heard you guys coming. It's possible that they have hidden themselves around here and are preparing to strike."
"Act. Keeping acting," Stingham smirked as he thought to himself that these fellows from Abel Academy were quite funny.
"Aren't you guys a little too weak?"
Ayrin looked at Lotner and the other two as he continued, "Your limbs are all still intact, yet you guys used the flare pillar and signalled for help just like that? The enemies you met must not have been very strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to let off the flare pillar so easily. And they didn't manage to further injure you after you released the signal… they must be the sloppiest and most ordinary enemies ever."
"Well said!"
Stingham couldn't hold back his laughter anymore as he said, "You guys are a little too useless, aren't you?"
"These two fellows are so arrogant…"
The faces of the three Abel Academy members paled, and then turned green once more from the stench.
"Our opponents were very strong," Lotner responded. A cold glint subconsciously flashed through his eyes as he continued, "It's possible that they let us call for help to attract more arcane teams over."
After a short pause, Lotner strangely looked at Ayrin and asked, "Wait. Why does your team only consist of two people?"
"We were assaulted by several extremely strong Evil Dragon Follower teams. Thus, Teacher Rui and Rinloran have temporarily withdrawn. But since the two of use managed to arrive here on time, our mission should still be considered a success," Ayrin loudly responded.
"There's only the two of you?" The tone of Lotner's voice abruptly changed and became deeper.
"Just the two of us is enough. The Evil Dragon Followers' Green Snake Team simply weren't our opponents." Ayrin arrogantly looked at the three Abel Academy members as he said, "Have you felt the arcane energy within my shadow ball? Even four gate arcane masters cannot defend against it."
As he spoke, the shadow ball floating beside him moved to before Lotner and the other two.
An intense pressure and feeling of danger suddenly washed over the three Abel Academy members.
"Just what skill is this?"
Lotner abruptly stiffened.
He had been thinking about abruptly launching an attack, but the power radiating from Ayrin's shadow ball had caused his hands and feet to suddenly go numb.
"This is Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere. I didn't use it in the national tournament but have been forced to here because of the danger. Please don't tell anyone else after leaving this place," Ayrin responded with an awkward chuckle as he scratched his head in embarrassment.
"……" A wily look emerged on Stingham's face as he thought to himself, "Ayrin is indeed a scoundrel. He lies so well. It's clearly a necromantic skill, yet he said it was a made up Extermination Sphere."
"Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere?"
The three Abel Academy members helplessly exchanged looks.
Holy Dawn Academy's most powerful taboo skills were "Dark Destruction Dragon" and "Holy Gate of Life". The three of them had never heard of a "Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere".
But they could clearly feel the power radiating from this "Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere" floating before them.
"What is it? Do you guys not believe me? Then let me demonstrate its power for you guys. Perhaps I can even scare away those nearby Evil Dragon Followers!" Ayrin suggested upon seeing the looks of doubt on their faces.
"Okay!" The three Abel Academy members agreed in unison as they nodded their heads. They had paid attention to Holy Dawn Academy to begin with as all the members of Holy Dawn Academy's team were extremely eccentric. After defeating Rinsyi and Golden Stag Academy, however, Holy Dawn Academy's standing in the eyes of Abel Academy had reached the same standing as Dragon Breath Academy. They were another strong opponent hindering their path to the championship. Thus, when they heard Stingham announce Holy Dawn Academy's team was coming over, they had been extremely excited. Now, even if they couldn't completely rid Ayrin of his skill, it would be fine if they could just have him use up his arcane particles.
"Watch my Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere!"
"I'm going to use it to attack that giant mushroom!"
Ayrin's gaze locked onto the giant mushroom which the person had hidden into.
Upon seeing Ayrin's selected target, the expressions of the three Abel Academy members changed as they nearly shouted, "You can't!"
Whoosh!
They never expected for Ayrin's shadow ball to ignore the giant mushroom and suddenly shoot backwards towards the three of them!
"Ahhh!"
The three felt unable to breath as they began to release arcane particles from their bodies. But the shadow ball had already erupted with power.
"Draconic: Boundary Barrier!"
Only "Sleeptalker" Presley managed to complete an invocation in time as several profound words of ancient draconic language sounded and a transparent, circular barrier of light emerged.
Boom!
But his skill was too weak. It was completely unable to stop the momentum of the shadow ball. The barrier exploded as the shadow ball collided with the three of them. They let out miserable cries as blood filled their mouths and they were sent flying backwards through the air.
"How tragic. The blackest of all black sticks.1 Just now they were pretending to be heavily injured, and now they truly are." Stingham's eyes were full of sympathy as he examined the three Abel Academy members. He inwardly made note of how dangerous Ayrin was and decided to try and stay away from Ayrin in the future.
Before Lotner even hit the ground, he fiercely roared "Ayrin, what are you doing?!"
"Ah, I'm really sorry about that."
Ayrin scratched his head in shame as he said, "I messed up."
"Failed?" The three Abel Academy members thought as they heavily crashed into the ground and spit blood.
"Yeah… I just learnt this Holy Dawn Extermination Sphere and can't control it very well. So just now…" Ayrin scratched his head as he embarrassedly said, "Here, I'll try again."
"Don't!" Lotner and the other two hysterically shouted in unison.
The first blow had nearly killed them. If they were hit again, then there might truly be nothing left of them.
"But I just discovered the whereabouts of the Evil Dragon Followers!" Ayrin said in a serious manner.
"Evil Dragon Followers? Where?" The three Abel Academy members abruptly stiffened.
"Ruin Fetters!"
"Big Black Stick! Ack, I mean Water Dragon!"
Stingham and Ayrin simultaneously made invocations.
A ring of black light and a water dragon collided with the person-containing giant mushroom.
Boom!
Countless streaks of black light and droplets of water scattered through the air.
The giant mushroom thoroughly crumbled.
"You guys!"
A tragic scream rang out as a figure appeared amidst the flying specks of mushroom.
Ayrin and Stingham watched as their attacks struck and heavily injured this dressed up Abel Academy team member before turning back towards the other three and exclaiming, "See! An Evil Dragon Follower!"
