Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 720
"We are going to be surrounded soon!" Heidi said.
"She's still resisting, does anyone have other spells to suppress her? Use it now!" Mo Fan exclaimed.
"Man-Eating Plant!" Zoey finished Channeling her Plant Magic.
A Man-Eating Plant covering an area over a hundred meters square rose up from the dark swamp close to the walls of ice chains. Its rows of sharp teeth resembled the jaws of a great shark, and it swallowed the chains, the Icebound Coffin, and the young Medusa with a single bite!
"Let's go!" Zoey said decisively.
"You got her?" Mo Fan was startled.
"Yes, my Man-Eating Plant will put her to sleep. Don't worry, I won't kill her!" Zoey said.
Mo Fan glanced after the enormous Man-Eating Plant that had swiftly sunk into the ground in shock. It turned out that Zoey was the real ace of the European University Institute. The enormous Man-Eating Plant could even swallow some Great Commander-level creatures!
"Time to go, follow the fluorescent light on the ground. Someone clear a path ahead!" Mo Fan said.
"I'll do it!" Mentor Vani agreed promptly.
The environment was not suitable for Earth Magic, thus the Super Earth Mage was not any stronger than the students when his Earth Element was not available.
"Apas, climb onto my back," Mo Fan squatted down. Apas, who was hiding behind a rock, quickly grabbed the jacket that she had wrapped around herself like a dress and jumped onto Mo Fan's back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
"Big brother, are we going to die? There are so many snake men out there!" Apas asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'm very strong, we won't die! Besides, I'm going to find the sc.u.mbags that kidnapped you, too! They must be punished!" Mo Fan turned around and smiled.
Apas felt a lot more relieved, staring at Mo Fan's face from the side. She dug her head into Mo Fan's back.
"Mo Fan, should I carry her instead?" Zhao Manyan asked while they were running.
"Piss off!" Mo Fan snapped. What was ZHao Manyan even thinking in a situation like this? He was the one that had stumbled onto the little beauty. How could he possibly allow Zhao Manyan to harm her?
"Zoey has the young Medusa..." Mu Bai said thoughtfully.
"I know, we'll worry about it after we've found a safe place. We'll have to decide if we are going to join hands to fall out with them according to the situation..." Mo Fan said.
"What falling out?" Heidi was slightly behind Mo Fan as she asked quietly.
"Keep an eye on our rear!" Mo Fan told Heidi.
Heidi frowned. She had a feeling that Mo Fan was hiding something from her...
"Our operation will be quite successful if we can make it out of here," Zhao Manyan suddenly said.
"You better not say something like that in the wild," Mu Bai said superstitiously.
"I agree!" Mo Fan swore aloud…
Chapter 1538 - Fleeing From the Snakes
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Silver scales glowed brightly under the moonlight, resembling large groups of warriors in silver armor approaching from all directions!
"Follow the fluorescent lights, don't stray off the path, or else you won't make it out of the Sunset Shrine!" Mu Bai reminded them once again.
The dilapidated structures were scattered along the slope, their layout very confusing. They would easily lose their way if they took the wrong path!
Three Silver Snake Warriors that had climbed up to the top of a black structure with the help of the vines along the wall jumped down. Each of their six arms was holding a thin spike around three meters long. Three Silver Snake Warriors meant eighteen pikes! They danced in the air while slashing down in a spiraling motion.
The spirals descended rapidly, forcing everyone to dodge to the side. The slashes barely missed some of their toes!
"Defend yourself, don't just run!" Mo Fan yelled while running in the middle of the group.
If they kept running, the enemy could just attack recklessly. Not many of them could survive the continuous rain of attacks coming at them!
Not every Silver Snake Warrior had pikes for weapons. When the group arrived at one of the exits, a Silver Snake Commander over twenty meters tall was holding two heavy bone hammers with its six arms!
The heads of the hammers were obviously the skull of some enormous beasts. The Silver Snake Commander held each hammer with three hands. It leapt into the air and smashed the ground in the middle of the group. The terrifying hammers easily broke shattered the ground to pieces!
"Blink!" Heidi immediately cast the Space Spell when she saw the group about to lose its formation. "Come here!" she yelled.
The others quickly gathered toward Heidi after seeing the silver light.
When everyone was close enough, Heidi immediately activated the spell. The group swiftly vanished after the silver light reached its peak inside the collapsing building.
The Silver Snake Commander's hammers had left an enormous hole on the ground, but it was not as clumsy as it seemed. It turned its head and immediately noticed its targets around a hundred meters away! It immediately let out a cry.
A dense show of silver flickers appeared in the air as a huge number of Silver Snake Warriors jumped up. They had surrounded Mo Fan and the others in some tall woods.
The woods did not cover a large area. The remains of old structures could still be seen nearby. Many Silver Snake Warriors were climbing up the trees; whether they were coming from the front, above, the trees, or off the roofs of the structures, their shiny silver scales were everywhere!
Spiraling slashes swept at the group and sliced the tall trees into logs. There was barely any room left to dodge the attacks, but Sofia was able to cast her Water Magic in time. The Water Curtain came down from above and protected the group like a huge umbrella.
Zhao Manyan and Galba cast their Earth Magic simultaneously to build rock barriers against the deadly attacks!
"Follow me!" Zhao Manyan yelled.
Zhao Manyan ran at the front of the group while extending his arms to both sides. A brown light shone while he was running.
Two sturdy walls of rocks emerged from the ground on both sides of him to block off the enemy and set up an escape path for the group. As he sprinted forward, the thick walls continued to rise in the direction he was running to.
"Keep up, keep up!" Mentor Vani shouted at the students of the European University Institute.
The Silver Snake Warriors and their attacks were blocked by the walls of stone. The group was basically running inside a canyon leading them straight to the woods outside the Sunset Shrine!
"Look out behind!" Heidi yelled.
Mo Fan turned around and was surprised to see the Silver Snake Commander coming up along the path that Zhao Manyan had built. The creature's speed was insanely terrifying. The distance between them was reduced to only two hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
Someone fired a spell at the Silver Snake Commander, forcing the creature to slow down. However, as soon as the distance increased by a little, the enraged Silver Snake Commander tossed its hammer at the group!
"My turn!" Mo Fan immediately put Apas down on the ground when he saw the hammer flying at them in a parabola. He took a step forward!
Mo Fan clenched his fist while letting out a wild cry, before throwing a punch at the hammer.
His fist erupted into flames. The Meteor Scarlet grew rapidly as Mo Fan hurled it forth. It turned into a meteorite flying right at the bone hammer!
BANG!
The meteorite fist smashed the bone hammer into white dust scattered across the ground, together with the embers.
"It's settled, let's go!" Mo Fan withdrew his fist and smoothly lifted Apas, who was staring at the blast with a blank face and carried her on his back. He immediately caught up with the others ahead without turning his head around.
The Silver Snake Commander was crying angrily behind, but the ground had turned muddy all of a sudden, lowering its speed significantly. A few moments later, Mo Fan and the others managed to run away from the demon creatures!
"Big brother, you are so strong," Apas' eyes flickered with admiration after witnessing how Mo Fan was able to nullify the enormous snake's attack with ease.
"It's nothing," Mo Fan said.
"Can you teach me magic if we can make it out alive?" Apas asked with anticipation. She did not seem to be afraid anymore.
"What are you talking about!?" Mo Fan said.
"Ah, I'm sorry," Apas said timidly.
"Of course we are going to make it out alive. The person that can kill me wasn't even born yet. You'll be fine as long as I'm still alive!" Mo Fan declared.
Saving beautiful girls had always been the main reason why he wanted to learn magic and become stronger!
"So can I learn magic from you?" Apas had a happy smile again.
"Of course you ca… f**k, how dare you ambush me, piss off!" Mo Fan noticed seven Silver Snake Warriors showing up out of nowhere in the direction he was heading into in the middle of his sentence.
The snakes were concealing themselves amid the bushes. They did not engage the others that had already gone ahead, purposely waiting for Mo Fan since he was the last in the group. How stupid were they, challenging the strongest person in the group to a fight!?
Lightning descended from the sky and turned into sparks, like the blow of a heavenly hammer. The seven Silver Snake Warriors were struck by deadly bolts of lightning as soon as they tried to pounce on Mo Fan!
The area trembled under the lightning, and the Silver Snake Warriors were knocked flying by the blow. They landed far away, twitching uncontrollably from the electric shock.
"Big brother, behind us… there are a lot of them!" Apas took a quick look backward and immediately ducked her head under Mo Fan's shoulder.
"Don't be scared, you will see how they are going to die!" Mo Fan turned around. His brow furrowed as purple lightning flickered in his eyes.
"Sky Lightning Claw!" Mo Fan lifted his hand high and grabbed at the sky.
Dark lightning came down imperiously. The lightning bolts bundled up like dark claws of a demon, tearing at the Silver Snake Warriors!
The demon creatures screamed in agony. The twelvefold damage amplification of the Lightning Tyrant was too much for the Warrior-level creatures to handle. Even the smallest lightning arc of the Sky Lightning Claw was enough to pulverize the Silver Snake Warriors!
Many Silver Snake Warriors died instantly, significantly reducing the pressure coming from behind. Apas' mouth remained wide open as she turned around this time. In her eyes, a single Silver Snake Warrior was already so scary, yet to her surprise, a strong Mage could easily slaughter these fierce-looking creatures!
"Don't give up so easily, live and work diligently, and one day, you will be able to eliminate the enemy that brings you pain and suffering with ease," Mo Fan patted Apas on the head after seeing the astonishment on her face.
"Mm, I know!" Apas nodded, as if she was going to remember the words that Mo Fan had casually come up with.
---
Mo Fan eventually regrouped with the others. To his surprise, the others in the group were quite powerful too. The Silver Snake Warriors had no chance of stopping them with their current numbers.
Mo Fan and Heidi were in charge of the rear. Heidi was mainly responsible for stopping the Silver Snake Warriors from getting closer. Her multitasking ability was perfect for constantly keeping an eye on the enemy and stopping them from threatening the group at close range. Mo Fan, on the other hand, was unable to fight the enemy in close combat, since he was carrying Apas, so he was only casting powerful ranged spells. Heidi forced the Silver Snake Warriors to approach the group from a certain direction, allowing Mo Fan to play the role of a magic cannon and blow the demon creatures up.
Mo Fan continued to massacre the enemy pursuing them while Vani focused on clearing the path ahead. The students of the European University Institute fired their spells at the demon creatures at will. The group soon managed to travel two kilometers away from the Sunset Shrine.
"Don't let your guard down, the Silver Snake Warriors are still coming from every direction. They are calling more of their species to flank us, too! We aren't safe yet!" Chad, who was in the middle of the group, reminded everyone loudly.
Chapter 1539 - Little Beauty
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Chad's attempt to lure the demon creatures away with his Summoned Beast had taught the group a viable approach for the operation. They had purposely caught a lot of Sunset Demon Mice and trapped them all inside a cave before coming to the Sunset Shrine.
The group followed the trail of fluorescent powder and soon reached the cave where the Sunset Demon Mice were trapped.
"Quick, Ferrero, give me your precious heirloom!" Mu Bai said.
Ferrero unwillingly took out the remaining Magical Dew and poured it on the Sunset Demon Mice.
These Sunset Demon Mice, who usually fed on remains of undead, were soon fleeing aimlessly through the Sunset Valley while emitting an alluring scent.
Sunset Valley was crawling with snake demons, not just the Silver Snake Warriors. There were countless snake mountains, too. If every snake species was attracted by the scent, it would turn into the greatest chase scene ever in the Sunset Valley!
The snakes heavily relied on their sense of smell. The group could temporarily conceal their scent, yet it was impossible to remain hidden for too long. Therefore, using the demon mice to distract the demon snakes was the best option they had!
Each demon mouse carrying the smell of the Magical Dew could attract hundreds of demon snakes. The group would have a chance to escape as long as they were not surrounded by demon creatures!
"What now?" Galba seemed quite nervous.
It was Galba's first time doing something so thrilling. He was so nervous that he was going to wet his pants. It was difficult to imagine how the group of students that initially came here for training was now catching a young Medusa in their own backyard!
"They don't know we are here. Let's hold our position and let them chase after the demon mice for now," Chad said.
Chad was sweating bullets, too. He was only an Intermediate Mage, yet he had risked his life and come here with the others. Even a single Silver Snake Warrior could kill him easily. However, if he made it back alive, he could easily boast about it to his friends for the rest of his life!
The cave was initially the demon mice's nest. A pungent rotting smell lingered there after Mo Fan and the others had invaded it, perfect for concealing their scent. The Silver Snake Warriors would be attracted by the special scent that the demon mice were trailing after they lost sight of the group, and hopefully be tricked into believing that the demon mice were the humans that kidnapped the young Medusa.
The Silver Snake Warriors had overwhelming numbers, especially in the vicinity of the Sunset Shrine. If Mo Fan's group did not use a little trick, they would end up being surrounded by the snake demons. Therefore, their best option was to wait at the most dangerous place until the snake demons were gone, increasing their odds of leaving in one piece.
"Should we get the tears from the young Medusa first?" Ferrero asked impatiently.
It was his first time seeing a Ruler-level creature that was still alive. He wondered how much the young Medusa would worth if he auctioned it!
"Let's wait, the snake demons might be able to pick up the young Medusa's scent," Zoey demurred.
The young Medusa was still in the Man-Eating Flower's stomach, helpless and completely vulnerable. Their first priority was to escape from the snake demons!
The group had no choice but to wait inside the cave until the snake demons lost their calm.
---
"Gur..." a strange sound broke the silence in the underground cave.
"There's something here, look out!" Ferrero immediately rose to his feet. He looked around him nervously.
"Sor...sorry, it...it's my stomach growling..." Apas said softly, blushing.
Mo Fan finally realized Apas must have not eaten for a long time. He quickly gave her some food that he kept in his personal Space after warming the food in his palm. An aromatic smell soon replaced the foul odors in the cave.
Apas had not eaten for a few days. She fixed her eyes on the food, drolling as soon as she picked up the scent.
"Here," Mo Fan gave Apas the food.
Apas was too embarrassed to eat in front of the group. She hid behind Mo Fan and dug her head into the food like a starving little cat.
"Where did you find her?" Vani asked with a confused face.
"In a run-down structure close to the young Medusa. That reminds me, there are a bunch of evil Mages serving the young Medusa. I don't know what they are up to, but we should be careful," Mo Fan said when he recalled what Apas told him.
"Why would anyone serve the demon creatures? Aren't they worried they might be eaten!?" Sofia said.
"There are all kinds of maniacs in this world. I wonder if they know we have caught the young Medusa. We are in danger if they are still around," Mo Fan murmured.
"The young Medusa feeds on little girls' hearts to maintain her youth and beautiful appearance. Many cities have the same folk tales about it. I always thought it was something that the older generations had come up with to advise young girls not to go out alone, but it's actually real… the worst thing is, it's actually humans like us doing it!" Chad was enraged too.
Apas finished eating while the others were discussing the topic. She wiped her lips with the dirty sleeves on her clothes.
Heidi took pity on her. She took out some clean clothes from her Space Ring and gave them to Apas so she could change into them.
Apas changed into the fresh clothes with Heidi's help, and also washed her face.
The girl who had looked like a little beggar immediately turned into a foreign little beauty with an outstanding appearance. She seemed to have the lineage of Greeks and the European countries to the north of the Aegean Sea; smooth olive skin, tall nose, and a small but good-looking mouth. Her facial features were very natural. She was surely going to be a great beauty that could easily make a man's heart race in a few years!
