Published at 28th of December 2025 7:59 am

Chapter 1369: A Dozen Men

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Somewhere in the jungles of the Nahua Continent.

Berger sat on a boulder and casually smoked from his long, wooden pipe. The smoke he exhaled transformed into butterflies and swirled around him.

Before him, a dozen Mana Vortex Magi had gathered. All of them had utterly hostile looks on their faces. But none of them had made a move yet. For they knew the gnome wasn’t alone. They looked for the mysterious black wolf in the vicinity, but couldn’t find it.

"At ease, boys." Berger waved his hand nonchalantly. "I’ve sent Blackie to run some errands for me. He isn’t here."

The Mana Vortex Magi exchanged glances with one another. Then, one of them stepped forward and declared:

"Magus Glynnhorn, we have come here to apprehend you for the murder of Councilor Vulwin Preskian. Please do not make this difficult. Surrender peacefully and accompany us to the headquarters in Europa."

Berger was slightly taken aback. "So the elf is dead, eh?"

He sighed, exhaling a plume of smoke to the side. "He used to be good friends with the Old Man. I just find it so... convenient that he died so soon after him."

"You’re the one who killed Councilor Preskian," another Magus coldly said. "Do not twist the narrative."

"Oh, so I’m twisting the narrative?" Berger was amused.

He scanned the faces of the dozen Magi standing before him. He knew all of them. After all, there was a time that he’d accompanied them in adventures.

"Interventionists, Shadowblades, Diplomats, and Free Agents," the gnome coldly muttered.

"You all are from either of these factions. So is it right for me to assume that the heads of these four factions have betrayed the principles of the Twilight Brotherhood and sided with the Cult?"

The dozen Mana Vortex Magi paled. They quickly exchanged tense glances before erupting in anger.

"How dare you accuse our Lords of being spies?!"

"You killed Councilor Preskian!"

"For that, you must be apprehended—"

"No, we will deliver the punishment of death to you!"

With that said, all of them retrieved their respective Artifacts and started to surround the gnome.

Berger was as calm as ever, still smoking from the pipe. "Are you so certain that you can kill me?" He asked with a light smirk.

He exhaled a plume of smoke, then continued, "Have you not stopped to think that you’ve been sent here as mere sacrifices? Killing all of you would further establish my label as a traitor, after all."

Hearing those words, the Magi’s heart sank. However, they’d come too far to stop now. There were twelve of them, and each of them was wielding an Artifact that, when combined, was powerful enough to overwhelm a Mana Core Magus like Berger.

"You may stand at ease," Berger chuckled. "I won’t be fighting you."

However, the dozen Magi didn’t believe him.

Berger’s eyes narrowed, and he added, "The kid will be doing all the fighting. He needs some training, after all."

A moment later, the surrounding lit up with a blinding blue light, and then...

Thunder!

The sound of lightning echoed in the jungle. Before long, the Storm King had descended on the group of Magi and begun battling them all by himself.

Berger raised a hand and cast a simple hand seal, commanding the smoke in the area to form a strong barrier around them. He was not going to let anyone escape.

"Edward, leave one alive," he said.

"I’ll try!" The blue-eyed youth had his hands full fighting a dozen Magi on the same level as him.

He regretted asking the gnome to train him. But even he couldn’t deny that the progress he was making was beyond expectations, far more than he would have made if he had chosen to stay behind at the Tower of Daybreak.

Berger, on the other hand, had a dark, contemplative look on his face.

Are those four really Cult spies? He thought to himself, his heart churning with rage.

No, this is just my speculation. It could be any of the six remaining Councilors. The fact that these people from the four factions have arrived here to kill me could just be a misdirection.

Until I find out who the real traitors are, I cannot act brazenly.

Little did he know that the leaders of the four factions he had named earlier were indeed the traitors of the Brotherhood. They had simply stopped bothering about hiding their motives.

Several hours later, the sun was about to set. The twilight sky was dyed in myriad shades of orange and red.

Berger weaved another hand seal, canceling the mana barrier. He then blankly stared at the drifting clouds, looking eastward.

At the same time, in the middle of the corpse-filled battlefield, Edward knelt on the ground and, with a pained look on his face, removed a sword lodged in his stomach.

"Guhh!" Blood gushed out from his wound, and he quickly poured a healing potion on it.

He then looked at the gnome with slight resentment in his eyes and screamed, "A little help would have been nice, you know!"

Berger lowered his head and glanced at the blue-eyed youth. There were injuries all over his body, and he was bleeding profusely. Around him, there were a dozen mutilated corpses, and the battlefield was filled with blood and small, blackened craters.

After observing everything, the gnome scoffed. "Quit crying like a child. It was just a dozen men. Besides, didn’t I tell you to leave one alive?"

Edward was dumbfounded. "Are you serious?!"

"Tsk." Berger clicked his tongue in annoyance. "This is the only way you can get stronger. Don’t forget, you were the one begging for real-life battle experiences. Well, there you have it."

Edward’s mouth opened and closed several times. In the end, he quietly tended to his wounds. From time to time, he’d cast disgruntled looks towards the old gnome. But he didn’t argue with him anymore.

He’s right, Edward thought.

I was the one who kept pestering him about training and whatnot. I shouldn’t be complaining when I’ve finally gotten some.

But still, fighting a dozen Mana Vortex Magi is a little...

His expression turned a little despondent as he was suddenly reminded of his best friend.

I wonder where he is now? Is he in good health? I hope so...

Suddenly, Berger looked at him and smirked. His following words caused Edward to grimace:

"Oh, and one more thing. There may be more people coming for me. You’d better heal yourself and get back into fighting shape. You’re going to be the one to do all the fighting."

Share