Chương 480: Chapter : 480

Karna pressed two fingers against his ear. He opened a telepathic link to his boss.

"Boss," Karna thought silently.

"I have located the primary patrol squads in the northern sector. They are guarding the main roads." Miles away, Ken Eliot sat on a very comfortable wooden bench. He was right in the middle of the ruined kingdom. The purple fog swirled around his cheap shoes. Mind-controlled citizens walked past him. He completely ignored them. He held a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. He reached into the bag. He pulled out a chip. He tossed it high into the air. He caught it perfectly in his mouth. Crunch. Crunch.

Crunch.

"Great job, Karna," Ken replied in his mind. He slouched his shoulders.

"These zombie people are incredibly boring. They just walk in circles. They bump into walls. This is exactly like the tutorial level of a survival horror video game. The enemies are super slow. You just walk slightly to the left, and they miss you completely."

"I do not play video games, Boss," Karna stated smoothly.

"You are missing out," Ken mumbled lazily. He chewed another chip.

"Anyway, go ahead and clear out the bad guys. I want to find the main boss of this level so we can finish this mission. My bag of chips is running dangerously low. I need to go home soon."

"Understood. Initiating combat protocol," Karna replied. The telepathic link closed. Far away from the corrupted kingdom, the 13th Unit estate was completely peaceful. The sun shined brightly through the living room windows. The air was warm. Naomi paced back and forth across the wooden floorboards. She wore her simple gray training shirt and dark pants. Her bright red hair was tied in a neat ponytail. She spun a silver dagger in her hand. The metal clicked sharply. She looked at the front door.

She looked at the clock on the wall.

"He has been gone for two entire days," Naomi stated. She crossed her arms. Her green eyes showed mild, fond concern.

"I know he said he was going to a farm village. But two days with no message feels a bit long." Laxmi sat cross-legged on the floor. She tossed a tiny orange flame between her hands. She laughed a loud, happy laugh.

"He is probably just taking a really long nap under a tree. Stop pacing, Naomi. You are making me dizzy. The slacker is perfectly fine."

"I am not worried," Naomi lied smoothly. A small, warm smile touched her lips. She actually missed his annoying jokes. The estate felt too quiet without his loud complaining.

"I just hope he remembers to eat something that is not potato chips." Sayma sat in a plush armchair. She held a thick tactical notebook. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She offered a polite, calm smile.

"Statistically speaking, Ken has an incredibly flawless survival rate," Sayma explained logically.

"He manages to avoid danger with bizarre, unpredictable luck. We must trust his process. He will return when he is ready." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Zinia stood near the window. The strong earth mage stretched her arms.

"The Vice-Captain is right. Ken always shows up exactly when we need him. He is probably sleeping under a shady tree somewhere. Let the lazy boy enjoy his vacation." Ira stood perfectly still by the bookshelf. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She stared blankly at the coffee table.

"He left his favorite comic book on the table. He bookmarked page forty-two. He fully intends to return to finish the story." Luna lay flat on the sofa. The lightning user was fast asleep. She snored very quietly. She dreamed about eating a massive stack of pancakes. Risa sat on the rug. The sweet healer used colored pencils to draw a picture of a smiling potato. She added a little top hat to the potato drawing. Naomi finally stopped pacing. She let out an amused sigh.

"You guys are right. He is just being an idiot somewhere. I will make sure to yell at him when he gets back." The girls relaxed. They had absolutely no idea he was currently standing in the middle of a massive, corrupted war zone. Karna dropped from the tall stone roof. He fell silently through the purple fog. He landed perfectly on the cobblestone street. He did not make a single sound. A group of six Black Magicians stopped walking. They turned around. They saw the handsome man standing in the alley.

He wore a sleek black tactical jacket and dark trousers. His silver eyes looked incredibly cold.

"Intruder!" the lead magician shouted. His voice sounded like scraping metal.

"He does not have purple eyes! Kill him immediately!" The dark mages raised their hands. They unleashed their unique powers all at once. The first mage fired a massive ball of dark purple acid. The acid sizzled through the air. The second mage stomped his boot. Sharp spikes made of black glass ripped out of the cobblestones. The spikes shot forward like spears. The third mage swung his arms. He created a swirling, toxic vortex of dark wind. Karna did not panic. He did not draw a weapon.

He stood completely straight. He placed his left hand casually behind his back. He moved with impossible, blistering speed. He sidestepped the massive acid ball. The acid splashed against a brick wall. The bricks melted instantly. Karna ducked smoothly under the flying glass spikes. He stepped right through the center of the toxic wind vortex. The wind did not even mess up his perfectly styled hair. He reached the first magician in the blink of an eye.

Karna delivered a precise, open-handed palm strike directly to the man's chest. The impact cracked like a loud whip. The dark mage flew backward. He crashed violently into a wooden market stall. He slumped to the ground, entirely unconscious. The other five mages panicked. They fired more dark spells. Black lightning cracked across the alley. Poisonous energy arrows rained down from the sky. Karna danced through the attacks. His silver eyes tracked every single magical trajectory.

He moved like a flawless martial arts master. He parried a magical punch with his forearm. He grabbed an attacker's wrist. He twisted his hips. He tossed the man cleanly over his shoulder. The man slammed into the dirt road and stopped moving.

"Your attacks lack basic discipline," Karna stated politely. He brushed a tiny speck of dust off his black jacket.

"You rely entirely on raw, unrefined dark energy. You possess zero actual technique." The remaining Black Magicians grew absolutely furious. They completely surrounded him in a tight circle. They charged forward all at once. They held jagged daggers made of solid shadow magic. Karna let out a very soft, polite sigh. He raised his right hand. He summoned a short, glowing golden blade. The blade materialized instantly in his grip. It shined with brilliant, pure light. The light pushed the purple fog away.

Karna spun his body in a perfect, rapid circle. A massive wave of bright golden light slashed outward in every direction. The wave of light hit the charging dark mages. It completely shattered their shadow daggers. It broke their magical shields.