Chapter 142: Longitudinal Card Master (Seeking Monthly Votes)

In a secluded area of the Magical Beast Forest, several crude tables were simply arranged. Over thirty members of the Royal Mercenary Corps were either quietly sitting cross-legged on the ground or casually suspended from nearby tree branches, silently staring at the Dark-Wind Eagle descending from the sky and the four figures walking down from it.

The arrivals were naturally Angus, along with Xu Wen, Elder Xie, and Wang Xiaoshuai.

Before even touching the ground, Xu Wen had quietly swept his gaze across the thirty-six individuals, feeling a jolt of fierce apprehension deep within his heart.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed so many powerful figures gathered in one place—over thirty super-experts at the Eight-Star level mobilized by the Royal Mercenary Corps for a single target, the "Hidden Blade" Mercenary Corps.

Elder Xie, usually so solitary and arrogant, completely reined in his demeanor at this moment, following closely behind Xu Wen with the air of a mere servant. Wang Xiaoshuai walked at the very end, not daring to draw a deep breath—anyone here could easily crush him with a flick of a finger, especially if they found out he was a runaway slave who had escaped from the clutches of the Hidden Blade Mercenary Corps.

Before the four of them could even approach, three flying knives shot like lightning into the ground right at Xu Wen and the others' feet.

Immediately afterward, a voice rang out, carrying a heavy warning:

"Angus, the Commander didn't instruct you to just bring anyone you like to the temporary command post, did he?"

The temporary command post of the Royal Mercenary Corps—no wonder it boasted so many Eight-Star experts.

The three of them stopped and looked toward Angus.

Angus glared at the masked man tossing a flying knife around playfully up in the tree. The man was the one who had thrown the blades.

"I have my reasons for bringing them here. If the Commander asks, I'll take responsibility. Do you need to meddle and worry about it?"

"Of course I wouldn't question your decisions, Captain Angus, but don't forget, the safety of the temporary command post is currently my responsibility." The man in the tree refused to yield an inch.

Xu Wen had not expected the Royal Mercenary Corps to be so discordant, sparking a dispute the moment they arrived. Quick-witted, he took the initiative to speak: "This matter started because of me, so allow me to explain... I am a disciple of the Azure Cloud Academy, coincidentally training nearby. I happened to run into Angus in the air due to some circumstances, which is why I was brought here for questioning."

"From Azure Cloud Academy?"

The masked man in the tree froze slightly, his expression softening considerably.

Angus, however, let out a cold snort, looking as if he had no desire to exchange further words with him.

"That's right. My identity has already been verified by Captain Angus. My name is Xu Wen. During my training, my contracted beast suddenly detected strong magical fluctuations in the northeast direction. Furthermore, a large number of unidentified individuals were rapidly approaching this area. To avoid any accidents, we prepared to evacuate..."

The moment Xu Wen uttered these words, everyone present was startled.

Glancing at Angus, they instantly understood why he had brought the three of them here.

Seeing the masked man on the tree trunk fall silent, Angus walked over, and the group gathered to deliberate.

"So many?"

"It seems the situation is even more complicated than we imagined. The 'Kozmo Squad' mobilized over fifty Eight-Star peers, yet they were still breached... The enemy's strength is far greater than we anticipated."

"There's no time to hesitate! We must immediately organize forces to intercept them. If word leaks out and alerts the 'Hidden Blade' in advance, things will likely deteriorate even faster!"

"Agreed!"

Angus nodded: "That's what I think too. But according to observations from young brother Xu's Dark-Wind Eagle, the first batch used for the breakthrough are likely those martial slaves, with high-level figures undoubtedly hidden among them, attempting to slip through disguised! We cannot let down our guard. I suggest we immediately dispatch forces to intercept them, while simultaneously pulling personnel from the temporary command post to form two emergency squads to set up defenses behind the main line and hunt down any stragglers."

"Two teams makes things a bit troublesome, but I can bring two people to form one team," a blonde woman said, stroking a cute silver beast on her arm.

"The second team also has personnel ready. We can enlist the Dark-Wind Eagle to help. Angus, Qin Lang, Luffy, the three of you will form the second team."

Without soliciting Xu Wen's opinion—perhaps because Xu Wen had no right to choose in the first place—the upper echelons of the Royal Mercenary Corps swiftly formulated a combat plan.

Orders given, Xu Wen found himself inexplicably back up in the skies above the forest.

Through Little Black's sharp vision, Xu Wen quickly 'saw' that over a thousand elite members of the Royal Mercenary Corps had completed their defensive deployment in a short span of time. Deployed in groups of six in a pocket-shaped formation, they quietly awaited the massive horde of martial slaves rapidly approaching from the distance.

However, one detail had changed... The number of martial slaves seemed to have rapidly surged from several hundred to over two thousand.

Xu Wen felt a chill in his heart, yet he also felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, the Royal Mercenary Corps had not allowed Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai to stay below. With the two of them protecting him, as long as no irresistible Nine-Star powerhouse appeared, self-preservation should not be a problem.

Qin Lang was a swordsman. Although his cultivation level could not be precisely gauged, it was definitely no lower than Angus's. As for Luffy's profession, Xu Wen could not quite tell, but the various card-shaped papers embedded in his equipment sent a cold shiver through him, unconsciously conjuring thoughts of a hidden profession from another world.

A Card Master.

It was a wondrous and immensely powerful profession, yet in this world, only a few members of families with special bloodlines could ever acquire such an ability.

Boom!!

As Xu Wen was deep in thought, a deafening explosion echoed from below. A slowly toppling giant tree in the forest finally heralded the curtain-raising of the Royal Mercenary Corps' ambush battle.

The members of the "Hidden Blade" Mercenary Corps were not entirely unprepared for an ambush. The moment the two sides clashed in the forest, the entire Magical Beast Forest began to wail... Roaring sounds and powerful offensive magic intertwined!

Giant trees collapsed one after another in rapid succession.

The battle erupted with extreme decisiveness and quickly spread along the entire defensive line.

In less than half a minute, a golden rocket flare shot up far off to the right!

"..."

Xu Wen's brow furrowed tightly as the Dark-Wind Eagle let out a low cry. An emergency squad of the Royal Mercenary Corps had already sped toward the direction of the signal.

The defensive line on the right had actually been breached in such a short amount of time!

That was a defense constructed by the elite troops of the Royal Mercenary Corps, with Eight-Star experts mixed among them.

"..."

Angus and the other two quickly moved away from the front of the Dark-Wind Eagle, exchanging a troubled glance in mid-air. Evidently, they had not expected the enemy's surprise assault to be so ferocious.

The emergency squad intended for contingencies had already been forced to commit a force right at the outset.

The atmosphere grew exceptionally heavy!

Meanwhile, Xu Wen stared at the overlapping, fluttering cards beneath Luffy's feet... a trace of astonishment flashing across his face.

There was neither magic nor battle qi present on Luffy, nor any fluctuation of power whatsoever. Only the cards beneath his feet, overlapping in pairs, generated mutual suction and repulsion in a cyclical effect, steadily supporting Luffy's body in a deeply profound and wondrous manner.

A Card Master from another world—a powerful profession capable of rivaling Necromancers of the same rank. He wondered what element of Card Master Luffy was.

Xu Wen mused to himself.

Bang!

A golden signal rocket flashed on the left, bursting into a blinding pattern.

"You guys stay here."

Without another word of nonsense, Angus gave his instruction before speeding directly toward the source of the signal.

Xu Wen was not foolish enough to comply.

Staying here was practically like acting as a conspicuous signal tower; anyone glancing up from below could easily gauge the three of their strengths. Was he supposed to wait around to be killed?

The Dark-Wind Eagle let out a low cry and rapidly gave chase behind Angus and the others.

"What are you doing? Don't you know how dangerous it is to follow?"

Angus turned his head and glared fiercely at Xu Wen.

At this point, anger flared within Xu Wen as well. He replied coldly and indifferently: "Ever since I was made to stay behind by you, I, a mere Six-Star mage, have had no say in my own fate, haven't I?"

"You..."

Angus was about to retort when Luffy interrupted him:

"Captain Angus, you were indeed a bit reckless this time. Since he wants to follow, let him come. With the three of our strengths, protecting him should still be manageable."

The fire in Xu Wen's heart subsided slightly. Luffy clearly possessed more human decency than Angus.

Angus had lived for many years and had long since been completely assimilated by the mercenary creed of the Bloody Alliance, placing tasks above all else and treating missions as paramount. Luffy, at least, retained a touch of human warmth.

Having persuaded Angus, Luffy looked back at Xu Wen and issued a solemn warning:

"However, don't expect us to protect you with all our might. If the situation becomes critical, we might not even be able to protect ourselves, and at that point, you'll have to rely entirely on your own devices."

Xu Wen nodded. His calm and composure before the battle made Luffy feel a slight trace of surprise. Glancing at the two guards standing behind Xu Wen who remained calm and unperturbed as if nothing were amiss, Luffy revealed a strange expression of sudden realization, right before Qin Lang's warning rang out from ahead:

"We've arrived!"

"Prepare for battle!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The speed of the three abruptly surged, plunging into the forest like phantoms.

At the same time, the three of them clearly sensed dozens of mental fluctuations sweeping rapidly across them from below... some strong, some weak, with the lowest not even inferior to Xu Wen's own cultivation.

Elder Xie let out a low grunt, and a faint dark-black barrier emerged around them, enveloping the Dark-Wind Eagle and all three individuals within it.

The Dark-Wind Eagle lowered its head and cried out, diving into the chaotic and devastated battlefield below, following the trajectory where Luffy and the others had vanished!

Luffy and the others were currently holding up a blood-mouthed Royal Mercenary, staring with heavy expressions at the dozens of warriors and mages clad in black armor amidst the battlefield.

As soon as the Dark-Wind Eagle appeared above the ruined battlefield, one of the black-armored warriors chuckled, his full-bodied, resonant cold scoff exploding through the forest:

"A Five-Star Beast Tamer and a Four-Star Mage are coming to join the fun too? Does your Royal Mercenary Corps have no one left!?"

The moment the words fell, a man clad in black armor appeared out of nowhere in front of a fractured giant tree trunk. Hooking his foot, he kicked upward, sending the tree trunk flying high into the air as if it weighed nothing at all.

Bang!

With a magnificent flying kick, the tree trunk shot forth like a cannonball, howling as it appeared right beneath the Dark-Wind Eagle!

Carrying a fierce, violent gale!

It slammed toward the Dark-Wind Eagle with power that was by no means inferior to that of a Seven-Star expert.

The other black-armored warriors moved simultaneously, lunging toward Luffy and the others!

"Who is a Five-Star Beast Tamer?"

Xu Wen's response echoed from atop the Dark-Wind Eagle. A giant black fire python, its thick body slithering out from the back of the Dark-Wind Eagle, roared as it coiled in layers, horizontally blocking outside the dark barrier.

The tree trunk crashed as if hitting a city wall, bouncing away into mid-air.

Immediately following that, a dazzling silver-bright radiance blossomed in the sky, and the tree trunk instantly shattered into tens of thousands of wood splinters, spraying toward the black-armored warriors charging at Luffy and the others, forcibly interrupting their attack.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoshuai, clad in black robes, agilely flipped down not far from Luffy and the others. Wielding a glittering silver flying dragon spear, he looked proud and aloof: "Who is a Four-Star Mage?"