Close Combat Mage
chapter-426-30041322

Chapter 426 – Setting Up Base Pt. 1

Upon seeing Duo Mei start her attack, Xiang Yun and Roger did not dare to drop their vigilance. Xiang Yun faced off Duo Mei alone while Roger soared upwards and activated his hormone fruits to intercept the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes that were surrounding them! He had to stall for time until Suo Jia arrived…

The Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes did not pay any heed to Roger’s interception at all. While his speed was very fast and his [movement] frequency was high, the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes weren’t weak either. After ten explosive slashes launched in succession, Roger was blasted away.

Roger helplessly stared at the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes charging past him after breaking through his line of defence. He gritted his teeth in resentment, but there was nothing he could do; Roger had nothing to borrow power from in the air, while the opponent had wings. Moreover, they had so many people; there was no way he could obstruct them!

The thirty-five Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes raced past Xiang Yun and Roger to attack the crowd at the wharf. They were not seeking to decimate the entire enemy force, but rather to simply inflict the greatest possible amount of harm on them!

“Hmph!” Right as the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes were about to succeed…a cold snort rang out and the ocean water by the wharf violently shot upwards. It carried an unimaginable, earth-shattering force behind it as it rushed towards the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes in the air.

The Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes had wings, but the amount of power in their wings had serious limitations and could only support the weight of a single person. A slightly heavier load could be sustained, but anything significantly greater in weight would not work at all.

At the moment, their wings were already holding their own bodies up. With the intense pour of water falling onto them, the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes were miserably washed down onto the ground, where they turned to stare at the sea in shock.

“Stop!” At this moment, a low voice sounded out and a gray figure soared over. The Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes naturally refused to heed to such a terrifying figure, and they crawled up from the ground to fly over to the ship alighted at the pier.

“Hmph!” Seeing this, the figure in a grey cloak let out another scoff and shot out six Diamond Charges in a row that instantly exploded outwards from where he stood. The fierce, concentrated attacks forced the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes back against their will.

Suo Jia had long since started tearing up with emotion upon seeing the relentless girls. He had not imagined that, after separating for over three years, he would see the Angelic Six-Winged Phoenixes again in his lifetime…including Duo Mei!

Suo Jia silently landed down on the pier next to Xiang Yun, and shot a pained look over at Duo Mei standing not too far away. Unfortunately, Suo Jia was currently covered by the Death God’s Mantle, his face shrouded by grey fog while his body was concealed in the large cloak. As a result, Duo Mei could not recognise Suo Jia.

Duo Mei was across from Suo Jia, staring at him in astonishment. This was not because she had recognized him, but because she was shocked by how truly powerful he was. His formidability was godlike!

In reality, the reason Suo Jia was so strong was because this was the ocean. The water element was highly concentrated at the ocean, over a dozen times higher than on land. Suo Jia was practically undefeatable in this type of environment.

While it might seem doubtful, it could be put in this way: if one was fighting with a fire mage in the middle of a blazing fire, what would the result be? If one was fighting with an earth mage in the middle of a desert, what would the result be then?

Using the homicidal maniac as an example, they could slaughter millions of people alone in the forest. In that environment, they could not lose. The reason they had been defeated by Suo Jia’s party was simply because of their personality.

When their first sneak attack on Roger had failed, they had lost control of their emotions in resentment, making it possible for others to guess their movements. After being ambushed by Xiang Yun, followed by Nicole, and finally being trapped by Suo Jia’s Ice Prison, they were defeated. If they had not been so rushed and desperate to win back face, they could have continued fighting the guerilla battle and Suo Jia’s party would not have had a feasible means of effectively defeating them.

Xiang Yun naturally had his own optimal environment, though it was not as obvious. In reality, Xiang Yun’s ideal battleground was a mountain of blades! A peak with various types of combat blades stuck inside the ground. In this type of area, Xiang Yun’s attacks were beyond powerful. Without experiencing it, it was impossible to imagine.

Duo Mei stared at the sinister Suo Jia standing across her and knew that her most basic desire today would likely not become a reality. Considering the terrifying strength he had displayed, they could not even dream of approaching those ships as long as he was there. Moreover, the moment he went full out, they would all be trapped here. At the moment, even everyone together could not hold a candle to Suo Jia alone!

Duo Mei gritted her teeth and hatefully shot Suo Jia a look. Then she declared, “My sisters, retreat with me! Let’s go…” As she spoke, she leapt up first to start heading towards the inner city.

While watching Duo Mei and the rest of the party gradually move further away, Suo Jia abruptly snapped out of his reverie. Although he did not know why Duo Mei’s group had appeared here, their many years of friendship made him shout out.

“Wait! Duo Mei…” Suo Jia’s voice was carried by the sea winds over to Duo Mei’s ears.

Suo Jia had spoken up earlier, but it had merely been a snort. Duo Mei wasn’t at the level where she could recognize Suo Jia from just that. But now that his bright and elegant voice sounded out, uttering Duo Mei’s name with emotion in its tone, Duo Mei felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

Despite the fact that Duo Mei’s group had once betrayed him, Suo Jia did not hate them. After all…when Suo Jia had left, they had refused to obey the Fourth Prince’s command, resolutely deciding not to pursue him. This alone was already a difficult task.

In addition, they had vowed loyalty to the Fourth Prince before Suo Jia. He could understand their mentality; despite being women, they were not in any way inferior to men. Since they had made a promise, they would definitely honor it, regardless of what happened.

Duo Mei’s group landed on top of a distant building and tremblingly turned to stare at Suo Jia standing upright in the plaza.

Under all the girls’ gazes, Suo Jia slowly used his right hand to grab the hood of the mantle over his head and gently pull it off…and his young yet transformed face appeared before their eyes.

Upon the sudden sight of the young master that they had spent over two years searching for, the girls’ tears quickly blurred their vision. They leapt down from the building and rushed towards him at full speed.

Xiang Yun and Roger, both of whom did not quite understand the inside story, immediately moved to hide Suo Jia behind them. Roger loudly declared, “Boss, be careful. These women are very violent!”

Suo Jia did not respond. He reached out to push Roger and Xiang Yun aside, then tearfully watched the thirty-six red and gold figures swiftly approach.

Xiang Yun and Roger watched in amazement as the thirty-six girls fell to their knees before Suo Jia with a series of muffled thuds. At the same time, Duo Mei’s voice shakily said, “Young Master…we have finally found you…Finally, we’ve found you!”

Suo Jia brushed away the tears on his face and gently replied, “Everyone, stand up. There’s no need to be so reserved!”

The girls couldn’t help but shudder at his words. Duo Mei trembled and answered, “No, we won’t stand unless the young master is willing to forgive us for what we did back then. Otherwise, just let us kneel here until we die!”

Suo Jia let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. “Actually, I’ve never blamed you all. Everyone has their own difficulties in life. In my heart, you girls have always been my greatest companions!”

Duo Mei’s head lifted in bewilderment and she stared deeply at Suo Jia. “Young Master, do you really not blame us? Back then…back then…we…”

“Haha…” Suo Jia chuckled and shook his head. “Although I was definitely furious at the time, I got over it afterwards. I believed in the sentiment behind our interactions, and never doubted them to be false. If the feelings are real, then no matter what unforgivable things you did, I would never blame you. You all had your own troubles, didn’t you?”

The girls began to sob at his words. Duo Mei choked out, “Young Master, actually…if you had been willing to bring us away, a single command would have been enough for us to follow. But why didn’t you say anything back then? Did you not know that we were unable to disobey your orders?”

Suo Jia sighed in frustration and replied in a low voice, “Honestly, at the time, I did not wish to make things difficult for you. Plus, I wanted to take that chance to break away. Otherwise, there was no knowing how long it would take for my dreams to come true.”

He continued with a distant look, “Life back then was too easy and comfortable, to the point where I did not want it to change. If that event hadn’t happened, I might have offered my power to the Emperor and then played around as a prince before building my own city. But that wouldn’t necessarily have been a pleasant experience.”

Suo Jia focused on Duo Mei as he added, “Honestly, I had already thought of giving up on traveling through the Greater Trade Routes and began to feel the seed of laziness. That’s why…despite having the ability to redeem you then, I resolved to leave instead. It wasn’t for anyone’s sake but mine, in order to firmly set my heart!”

“But…” Duo Mei looked at Suo Jia and said in a aggrieved tone, “No matter what, we still betrayed you. That’s why, we cannot forgive ourselves. As a result…Young Master, please allow us to use the rest of our lives to compensate for our past mistakes!”