The Legendary Mage (Alavin)

"There!" Neasilis was the first to snap out of it and spotted the strange youth amidst the crowd from hundreds of meters away. The boy slowly stood up, his expression blank. Save for the bloodied spine he held in his hand, nothing else seemed amiss.

"Who is he?" Neasilis felt a mysterious threat emanating from the boy, both real and intense.

"Did he slay those five mages?" whispered a member of Cobalt Strike, deeply alarmed. Such powerful Mages were dead just like that? Their ends were so sudden and horrific. "Daman is here. Who dares intrude upon Stormcast."

A roar thundered from a distance, booming like a torrential flood through the streets, drawing the attention of all those who had breached the inner city.

"Hah, taste the wrath of my hammer!"

From ten streets away, Daman descended like a comet, swinging a massive golden hammer down onto the street. The impact of the golden hammer against the stone sent a violent shockwave blasting outward. The ground cracked like a spiderweb for hundreds of meters. With the force of Daman's blow, the ground shattered entirely within that radius, dust and debris swirling in all directions.

At the end of the street, a dozen Amber Valley assassins hastily retreated, avoiding the tumultuous shockwave.

"Hah... to arms!" Daman, like a wild beast, charged forward, breaking out from the dust cloud with each step pounding deep into the stony ground, the sound thunderous. Despite his bulky frame, his speed was astonishing. Before the debris had even settled, he emerged from the cloud of dust, confronting the assassins.

Following closely, a dozen Mollen family warriors arrived, swords clashing, flames billowing, and winds howling as Combat Magic enveloped the area. "In the name of our lord, we protect Stormcast. Trespassers will be shown no mercy!"

The assassins fell back in disarray, narrowly avoiding the onslaught, save for one foolhardy enough to confront Daman, who was promptly obliterated by the golden hammer, his blood and bones scattering in a grisly display.

"The Mollen family? How could you meddle in matters beyond your station as a mere guild?" the assassins cried out in a mix of anger and annoyance.

"None of your concern. To battle!" Daman bellowed like a wild bull, charging with his golden hammer raised.

"Leave none alive. Slay them all," the Mollen family's people unleashed their might, valiant and unyielding, caring not for the identity of their opponents. Whether they be assassins or not, they would be killed just the same. These people were not only servants of the Mollen family but also warriors unafraid of death, the trusted loyalists of the Mollen family head.

At the same time, more than three hundred squads of the Mollen family burst from various directions into the inner city. Master Mages of great power spread out to confront the forces of Lord Viperbane, Amber Valley, and Cobalt Strike, while the rest charged toward the city keep, to defend the members of the Mallister family.

"Balder!" Oda exclaimed with joy, nearly in tears, upon seeing the "meatball" approaching swiftly. At last, someone had come to their rescue.

"Where is Alavin?" Balder strode into the inner courtyard, followed by hundreds of the Mollen family's formidable warriors, all bristling with murderous intent and capable efficiency.

"Alavin is not here. He's gone to Watchful Shore, saying he has a way to break the stalemate," Celesse replied without hiding anything, her breath easing slightly.

"Sir Mollen, on behalf of the Mallister family, I thank you." Lucan nearly dropped to one knee, a grown man's eyes brimming with tears. After the last ordeal at Azure Mountain, and now with the crisis at Stormcast, Balder had once again arrived just in the nick of time.

"Let's hold off on thanks for now. We've yet to weather the storm," Balder said with a grave expression, gazing up at the tumultuous battlefield in the sky where Archmages clashed. His brow furrowed with

concern.