In the moment the spherical fireball exploded into the air, Ivan swung his right hand simultaneously.
Whoosh!
A black metal triangle shuttle half the size of a man suddenly appeared in his hand, and then, with two clicking sounds, black metal handles extended from the wide edges of two corners.
"Go!" Ivan hissed.
He and Anthony had known each other for years and had developed a well-rehearsed plan for life-and-death crises like this.
Their current use of Combined Witchcraft was their most skilled tactic.
Without any delay, Anthony grabbed one handle while Ivan grabbed the other, and then they both performed the same Flying Witchcraft simultaneously!
Two flashes of witchcraft brilliance passed!
Whoosh!
The two of them suddenly took to the air and then flew off into the distance.
Their black metal triangle shuttle emitted a dim black glow, which rapidly spread, starting from the palms of their hands where they held the handles, and soon covered their entire bodies!
From a distance, they seemed to merge into one with the black triangle shuttle.
The next second, the air around them trembled slightly, and the speed of Anthony and Ivan's flight suddenly increased!
Almost doubling in speed, they were like streaks of black light!
Whoooosh—
The wind whistled past their ears.
Anthony to the left felt a slight easing in his tense heart and glanced back subconsciously.
The smoke from the explosion at the theater's entrance had yet to disperse, and the spherical flames in the middle were still burning fiercely. The surrounding snow quickly melted under the high temperature of the flames, then gathered into muddy streams of water.
"Don't look back. Add a bit more Magic Power and escape with all your might!" Ivan reminded in a stern voice next to him.
He didn't believe that he and Anthony's attack had successfully killed Colin.
Although their Combined Witchcraft was strong, in terms of power, it was only at the top end of an Apprentice's level and had not yet reached that of an Official Wizard.
And the witchcraft used by Colin, though understated, was even slightly stronger than their Combined Witchcraft.
At a glance, it seemed they were not without a chance of victory and didn't need to choose to escape.
But they had not overlooked that Colin nearly simultaneously released two such powerful spells with apparent ease, undoubtedly holding back.
And with the battlefield changing in an instant, having been attacked by the Cone Bullets, they had now lost the initiative and suffered significant injuries...
With the black triangle shuttle in hand... escaping was their most reliable choice.
This was also confirmed by their long-term practical experience.
"Mhm." Anthony redirected his gaze, increased his input of Magic Power, and said, "That definitely is an artifact!"
His other hand was pressed against his abdomen, where a faint green healing light flickered at the point of contact.
In truth, Anthony had never doubted the scouting result of the Trojan Bracelet Type 2.
And if the scouting result was correct and Colin's true strength was merely that of an Advanced Wizard Apprentice... then to be able to cast such strong attacks, that scepter in his hand was undoubtedly suspect!
"That black scepter with the dark gold pattern, huh… I think so too," Ivan responded with a furrow in his brow, a trace of shock flickering across his face.
Artifacts were not common, and even fewer were practical, as usually, the cost was higher than the benefit.
'That black scepter with the dark gold pattern, I wonder what the cost is... wielding it seems so effortless, as if there's no price to pay.'
Ivan couldn't help but think, but quickly, he shook his head.
'Every artifact has its price... perhaps the Wizard from that small place is unaware.'
In fact, it was indeed the case that many artifacts concealed costs that were difficult to detect.
If one was a Wild Wizard unfamiliar with the nature of artifacts, they often mistook them for treasures without a price...
But the price must ultimately be paid, and such wizards usually did not end well.
Ivan's expression darkened. Once he successfully escaped, he was determined to sell the news of Colin possessing an artifact scepter...
Artifacts might not be generally practical, but that didn't affect their value!
After all, the value of an artifact was never solely in its use.
For a Wizard, the real value of an artifact lay in exploring the fundamental, counterintuitive rules behind it!
Besides, that black scepter-like artifact clearly enhanced witchcraft... If he were to sell the news, it would bring him at least a few thousand Magic Stones in income!
Although his mind was filled with thoughts, only a brief moment had passed in reality.
But even in this brief moment, with the enhancement of the black triangle shuttle, he and Anthony had already escaped hundreds of meters.
And their speed continued to increase!
Elsewhere, at the theater's entrance.
The fiercely burning flames were parted from the middle by an invisible Force Field.
Colin walked out, holding the Foolishness Scepter in hand.
His gray Wizard Robe was intact, but a closer examination would reveal a slight char at the hem.
The Combined Witchcraft of Ivan and Anthony was powerful, and initially, the Steel Temperature Resistance Field was not cast with the enhancement of the Foolishness Scepter, as even with Golden Paper to offset the cost, the Foolishness Scepter could not be used as a standard method.
Luckily, the high reactivity brought by the status of an Ultimate Knight allowed him to calmly cast an enhanced Steel Temperature Resistance Field using the Foolishness Scepter at the last moment.
He looked up and saw that Ivan and Anthony, now in the distance, were merely specks in the sky.
Colin was slightly startled.
The truth was that only a few bits of conversation had elapsed since he was attacked. By the time he cast the enhanced Steel Temperature Resistance Field... Ivan and Anthony had already escaped so far!
Such speed was clearly far beyond his own Flying and Diving Skill.
Chasing was probably hopeless...
But letting them go was absolutely impossible!
Colin let out a measured breath, determination flickering in his eyes.
Two Cone Bullets appeared in his hands.
With Spirit as a guide, Magic Power surged like a river, caressing the Foolishness Scepter, causing the dark golden patterns to light up.
The next second!
Boom!!
Two Cone Bullets, shimmering with cold light, shot out like lightning!
The momentum remained subdued.
But almost in the very next moment, even before the sound could spread, those two distant specks on the horizon suddenly shattered into several smaller pieces!!
Colin withdrew his gaze, feeling some heartache as he summoned the Golden Paper.
As expected, the previously achieved Arrow Shooting Skill had reverted back to Arrow Shooting Skill I...
However, thankfully, the progress backstage remained at 99/100, so he wouldn't need to spend too much time to recover to the limit again and then proceed to Limit Breaking.
It just meant that he needed to expend twenty more Limit Breaking Points...
Bang—Bang—Bang—
The unexplained noises in the theater continued, and the nauseating aura still spread incessantly.
But there were no new changes... It seemed to have stabilized for the time being.
Colin took back his gaze, and after pondering for a moment, he put away the Golden Paper and then, using Flying and Diving Skill, he soared into the sky, quickly heading towards the place where Ivan and his companion had fallen.
"Connie..." Wilder, beside the theater, watched Colin's retreating figure and murmured subconsciously, "Your friend..."
Shock was written all over his face...
Connie on the other hand didn't think too much at this moment. She had never had a good impression of Ivan and Anthony—there was only revulsion.
Right now, with Colin emerging victorious, her heart was filled mostly with joy.
Wilder glanced at Connie's expression, then back at where Colin had disappeared... A bitter sentiment rose within him.
His crown had fallen off during the earlier blast of flames. He stooped to pick it up, holding it in his hands and stroking it gently.
With Ivan and Anthony dead, who would help him deal with the incident at the theater?
Last night five hundred people died, what about tonight?
The Yili Kingdom's capital, Charnuka, had a history of more than two hundred years. Was it going to end in his hands?
'If only I hadn't brought this wizard to the stables...'
Looking at Connie, his expression involuntarily darkened.
During the confrontation between Colin and Anthony, he had already learned everything from Connie...
He exhaled gently and turned his head again, trying to ease his mood.
But the next second, seeing a gleeful Connie, he couldn't help but turn back and scold harshly:
"Connie, look at the mess you've made!"
Connie turned her head in shock and asked puzzledly, "Dad, what have I done?"
"From now on, you stay in the Palace, forbidden to mingle with wizards!" Wilder said coldly, anger rising uncontrollably.
"Dad..." Connie's lips parted slightly, her eyes showing confusion, anger, but above all, hurt.
She didn't understand why her father would suddenly say such a thing.
Wilder didn't explain, he only turned his head toward the theater opposite, his complexion gradually turning pale.
Unbeknownst when, the snowfall in the sky had ceased.
The space in front of the theater's entrance was desolately empty, the snow upturned and melted by the attacks of the wizards, exposing a patch of gray and pitted ground... Like an obvious scar.
With a sigh, Wilder walked slowly toward the theater entrance, his hair, without the stability of the crown, being constantly blown up by the cold wind, disheveled and wretched.
Behind him stood Connie, silent and stationary.
Elsewhere, at the place where Ivan and Anthony had fallen, Colin was searching quickly.
He somewhat regretted using such a powerful attack... Not only had the bodies of Ivan and his companion shattered into several pieces, but they had also fallen from the sky, making them somewhat difficult to locate.
After a while, he finally managed to search and inspect the main parts one by one.
He found two Storage Rings, a black triangular shuttle, and a brown bracelet from Anthony's hand.
Without examining the shuttle and the brown bracelet, he tried to open the Storage Rings.
In the next second, his heart sank.
The Spiritual Imprints on them were not something that could be dissolved in a short time.
Looking back towards the direction of the distant theater, Colin's expression turned worried.
In fact, the reason he checked the Storage Rings first was to see if he could get some information relating to the mysterious aura within the theater.
After all, only with sufficient understanding could he make the right judgment.
It was evident that a crisis was brewing inside the theater; otherwise, Ivan and Anthony wouldn't have turned tail and run.
But what was a crisis for Ivan and Anthony might not necessarily be a crisis for him... His strength was not the same as theirs.
It's just a pity... With the current lack of clear information, he couldn't determine if he could handle whatever was inside the theater.
But after a moment's hesitation, he still took off into the air, preparing to fly to the theater.
The situation at the theater seemed stable for now.
No matter what, Connie had helped him a lot, and that was a fact.
Ensuring his own safety, if he could, he was not going to ignore the situation.
Moreover.
Bang—Bang—Bang—
Even from such a great distance, he could clearly hear the eerie sound emanating from the theater.
And judging from the stillness of the streets and the fearful looks of the guards in the distance... It seemed that he was the only one who could hear the noise.
All of this gave him some grave suspicions... He feared he might have been marked by the creature inside the theater.
To flee was futile in the face of these things.
Ivan and Anthony's Storage Rings were temporarily inaccessible, but he still had the Knowledge Crystal Ball that Erica had given him!
The knowledge inside it was scarce and fragmented, but there might be records relevant to his current situation.
But at this moment, without any knowledge, he didn't know where to start searching; he would need to first understand the situation at the theater.
As he thought, he accelerated his flight.
Before long, he could see Connie's figure, preparing to land.
But just at that moment!
The strange sound from the theater suddenly ceased… The nauseating aura pervading the surroundings also began to fade.
A hint of confusion appeared on Colin's face as he slowly descended.