The moment Bai Shi set foot within the borders of Sellia, countless spells shot toward him.
Under the cover of darkness, these specialized assassination sorceries blended seamlessly with the night, making them nearly impossible to discern.
At first, Bai Shi saw nothing and heard no sound.
It wasn't until the projectiles flew in from the distance, right before his face, that he finally spotted the invisible glintstone pebbles.
Fortunately, he reacted instantly, swiftly summoning a tempest around himself to block them all.
The incoming pebbles halted before Bai Shi, unable to advance another inch.
Watching the invisible glintstones, formed of pure magic, disintegrate under the storm's scouring winds and disperse into wisps of black energy, Bai Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Bai Shi drew the Carian Glintstone Staff from Torrent's side, preparing to launch his counterattack.
Facing sorcerers in a proper battle for the first time, Bai Shi wanted to test the strength of these so-called "sorcerer-killers."
Bai Shi first took aim at the spectral Wandering Nobles in the distance.He cast a spell, dissipating the storm for the briefest moment as the magic took shape, and then letting it fly before the tempest instantly reformed.
The Sellian sorcerers' attacks couldn't touch Bai Shi, but his Glintstone Comet struck the spectral Wandering Nobles with pinpoint accuracy.
Bai Shi repeated the tactic, and soon all the spectral Wandering Nobles were completely annihilated.
The remaining enemies were all hidden in the darkness, and Bai Shi couldn't immediately locate them.
But behind him, in a spot he hadn't noticed, a glintstone pebble materialized out of thin air and shot violently at his back.
This time, the pebble struck Bai Shi squarely.
Fortunately, the armor he wore offered exceptional defense. The blow merely left a few scratches on the dragon scales; it failed to pierce through.
This was Ambush Shard, a Sellian sorcery that generates a projectile behind an enemy to launch a sneak attack.
Not only was it difficult to detect when cast, but its attack speed was also incredibly fast, far exceeding that of a normal glintstone pebble.
The Ambush Shard had even materialized from directly within Bai Shi's storm.
Seeing himself surrounded by the tempest, Bai Shi had relaxed his guard, no longer paying close attention. That, combined with the attack from behind, was what allowed the ambush to succeed.
Bai Shi's gaze sharpened. He was getting serious.
These sorcerers of Sellia truly lived up to their reputation as sorcerer-killers.
Bai Shi's control over the storm was already formidable; one could say that the vast majority of ranged projectiles and spells could no longer harm him.
The exceptions were attacks with such immense mass that they could punch through the storm by sheer force and velocity, or those that were entirely formless and could pass through the barrier unimpeded.
For example, Comet Azur and meteorites were difficult to block directly with the storm. He would have to counter them as one would a beam struggle, using a concentrated pillar of wind to match their output.
But the sorcerers here weren't using such advanced spells.
They pursued practicality—absolute practicality.
And because of this, even their relatively basic sorceries could inflict unexpected damage on powerful foes.
If Bai Shi had truly been just a sorcerer, that last blow might have indeed been enough to defeat him.
Unfortunately, Bai Shi was not a sorcerer.
He was a warrior, built for both high offense and powerful defense.
So that one successful Ambush Shard had been almost completely useless against him.
Seeing the Ambush Shard connect, more of them appeared around Bai Shi. This time, however, they failed, as he blocked every last one.
Bai Shi dissipated the storm swirling around him, instead forming a suit of wind-armor directly over his body to block the incoming spells.
Bai Shi carefully sensed the magical energy around him.
Any spell, no matter what, had to be channeled and released using magic. It couldn't just be born from nothing.
Even if Ambush Shard was cast from afar, traces of magical energy would appear both where the projectile formed and at the caster's location.
Although Sellian sorcery was extremely covert, leaving only the faintest traces of magic upon casting, they could still be detected with careful focus.
Bai Shi quickly locked onto a position. Three Glintstone Comets shot toward it. The comets shattered, and a figure fell.
However, Bai Shi soon abandoned this method of fighting.
There were quite a few Sellian sorcerers around.
Because Bai Shi's own magical proficiency wasn't yet that profound, he couldn't maintain his precise senses while on the move.
As a result, Bai Shi was currently like a turret, forced to trade shots with them from a fixed position.
If he dragged it out, Bai Shi would undoubtedly be victorious. His opponents couldn't break through his storm barrier, whereas his spells would be lethal to a group of sorcerers like them.
Moreover, his magic reserves were plentiful, and he still had his Flask of Cerulean Tears. No matter how many sorcerers there were, he could certainly snipe them one by one.
But Bai Shi had no intention of wasting time in a protracted battle with them.
It was simply too slow.
And it was completely unnecessary. Bai Shi was a warrior who also happened to be a sorcerer.
Now that he had tested the strength of these sorcerer-killers, why foolishly stick to using only magic?
Bai Shi admitted that, as sorcerer-killers, they did have some skill.
So, I'm done playing the sorcerer!
Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Shi continued to sense the surrounding magic, searching for the sorcerers.
There were no figures to be seen; Bai Shi knew they were using the Unseen Form spell.
This spell could hide the caster's body, and its effect was particularly potent in the dark of night, rendering them completely invisible.
However, as they brandished their staves and channeled magic, they inevitably revealed flaws in their concealment.
One by one, Bai Shi pinpointed their approximate locations.
After mapping out a logical route of attack in his mind, he immediately set it in motion.
Bai Shi once again formed a storm, which violently expanded outward for over ten meters, instantly clearing all nearby spells.
Then, with incredible speed, Bai Shi charged toward a house inside Sellia.
Hiding in that room was a sorcerer who fancied himself clever.
He had cast Unseen Form and was hiding inside, continuously firing spells through the window.
Perhaps he thought that by hiding in the house and waving his staff, he could kill Bai Shi just as he had killed all those other sorcerers in the past.
And so, he had sealed his own doom in a room with no escape.
Protected by his wind-armor, Bai Shi barreled through the incoming attacks, closing the distance of several dozen meters in an instant.
As he drew closer to the sorcerer, the effect of Unseen Form on him gradually became visible to Bai Shi.
Having locked onto his target, Bai Shi didn't bother with his sword. Instead, he simply crashed through the building's outer wall with his own body.
Bai Shi burst through the wall and grabbed the sorcerer by his glintstone crown.
Using his forward momentum, Bai Shi slammed the sorcerer's head against the wall.
The glintstone crown and the head beneath it shattered simultaneously. The mangled corpse broke through the opposite wall of the house, becoming a crumpled heap embedded within it.
In the short two or three seconds it took to cross the distance, Bai Shi was struck two or three more times by Night Shards and Night Comets.
Sellian glintstone sorcery was exceptionally fast, and in the dead of night like this, its traces were nearly impossible to follow.
But after being weakened by the wind-armor, these spells also failed to penetrate his armor's defense.
Right now, Bai Shi could easily use his storm to seal himself inside the room.
But Bai Shi didn't hide in this cover. Instead, he immediately burst out of the house and shot toward his next target.
The next target was on the main street of Sellia—a spectral sorcerer.
As Bai Shi charged past, he swept his sword-spear across, and the spirit was instantly cut in half, dissipating into motes of dust.
Without sparing it a single glance, Bai Shi continued his forward rush.
At the end of his path was another Sellian sorcerer.
This sorcerer, seeing the attack coming, put away his staff.
In his left hand, he produced a small iron shield and raised it before him in a defensive stance.
His right hand was empty, making it look as though he intended to block Bai Shi with the small shield alone.
But Bai Shi knew that he was undoubtedly gripping a straight sword enchanted with the Unseen Blade sorcery.
He wanted to wait for Bai Shi to attack, block the blow with his shield, and then immediately counter with the invisible blade.
But Bai Shi quickly shattered his ridiculous plan.
Bai Shi's sword-spear struck the exact center of his iron shield, sending the man flying backward. The force of the blow split both the shield and the arm behind it in two.
After breaking the shield, the sword-spear shifted slightly and instantly took his head.
The round shape of the iron shield was meant to deflect incoming blades, causing them to slide harmlessly off its surface. But Bai Shi maintained a perfectly perpendicular strike, effortlessly shattering its defense.
After killing this sorcerer, Bai Shi planted his left foot forward, halting his charge.
Then, twisting at the waist, he swung his sword-spear violently behind him.
A ferocious blade of wind erupted from the weapon, tearing a sorcerer standing on a rooftop into a rain of blood mist.
His overwhelming physical might easily broke through the skills in which the sorcerer-killers took so much pride.
Even the Sellian sorcerers, who were more akin to assassins than mages, were powerless to resist.
Just as Bai Shi was about to charge his next target, he suddenly realized that all magical attacks from his surroundings had ceased.
Faced with this unusual situation, Bai Shi assumed they were preparing a major attack.
He immediately raised his guard, strengthening the defensive power of his storm.
At the same time, he wracked his brain, trying to recall what other powerful sorceries Sellia and the Eternal City possessed.
But to his surprise, a voice called out from within the town of Sellia:
"H-hey, honored sir, could we... call a truce?"
Bai Shi raised an eyebrow.
"A truce?"
"At a time like this, are you joking?"
The voice from Sellia fell silent.
They had been the first to attack; there was indeed little chance of being forgiven.
This was only to be expected.
But then, Bai Shi changed his tone:
"If you wish to surrender, that's not out of the question."
"However, can you truly speak for Sellia? For all of your sorcerers?"
The voice, overjoyed, immediately responded:
"I can, of course I can."
But just as the words left their lips, a dissonant voice rang out from another direction:
"Who says you can speak for—"
Before the sentence could be finished, a dull thud of something piercing flesh, followed by the sound of a body collapsing, returned the night to silence.
"My apologies. We can continue now."
Although surprised by the efficiency and ruthlessness of the Sellian sorcerers, Bai Shi still nodded.
He called out in a loud voice to the hidden spokesperson:
"Aren't you going to show yourself? This is hardly proper etiquette for a negotiation."
"Besides, you're the ones asking for peace, are you not?"
After a brief silence, a figure emerged from within Sellia.
The figure wore a black hood over a suit of black armor.
Bai Shi recognized the set.
Though it differed from the game version—lacking the white silken cloak worn over it—this was unmistakably the armor of the Nightmaiden.
Bai Shi was very fond of this armor set. Whenever he played *Elden Dress-Up* in the game, this set was an absolute must-have.
Especially when playing a female character, the Nightmaiden set was practically mandatory.
The black armor cinched the waist tightly, while the black cloth over the chest was especially figure-flattering.
And it came with an incredibly cute crown shaped like cat ears—who wouldn't be captivated by that?
The person before him, however, was not wearing that iconic cat-ear crown, but a simple black hood.
As she walked up to Bai Shi, he was finally able to get a clear look at her face.
She was a young girl with a cute face, and not very tall.
She looked even younger than Irena and Roderika.
But strangely, he could still see her features clearly, even in the dead of night.
At first, Bai Shi thought it was because her skin was exceptionally pale.
But upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't pale white, but an extremely bright silver.
The young girl's skin was silver-white.
Bai Shi searched through the information in his mind and found the race that matched this characteristic.
"Are you of the Nox?"
The girl opposite him froze for a moment, surprised that this person even knew of the Nox.
Her identity as one of the Nox wasn't something that absolutely had to be hidden, and since she had already been recognized, there was no point in denying it.
"Yes. I am a descendant of the Eternal City, with ancient, cold blood flowing through my veins."
It was Bai Shi's first time seeing one of the Nox in the Lands Between, and he couldn't help but stare for a moment longer.
Her skin emitted a silvery glow, like the pure light of the moon spilled upon the earth.
Her eyes were also very distinctive.
In the Lands Between, the most common eye color was gold—a sign of the Erdtree's blessing.
The eyes of the Nox, however, had pupils and sclerae of pitch black, with silver irises.
Bai Shi recalled that the Nox were one of the selectable races during character creation in the game.
It was said that silver-white blood flowed in their veins.
They were likely related in some way to the Mimic Tears and the Albinaurics.
"Thank you so much for stopping and being willing to listen to me."
"May we please begin our peace talks now?"
"I have shown myself as you requested."
Bai Shi nodded.
"Why did you attack me on sight?"
The Nox girl hastily apologized and revealed who was pulling the strings.
"My apologies. In truth, it was an order from the Academy of Raya Lucaria."
Hearing the name of the Academy, Bai Shi frowned.
The Academy was involved in their attack on him?
"What does the Academy have to do with this? Explain."
The Nox girl organized her thoughts and explained.
"A long time ago, the Academy of Raya Lucaria infiltrated the Town of Sellia."
"Those sorcerers who once left Sellia to study at the Academy betrayed our town's interests, handing over our unique Night sorceries to them."
"Many of the sorcerers who returned to Sellia were also bribed by the Academy."
"They even helped the Academy acquire a series of technologies from the lost 'Eternal City,' Nokron."
"Later, under pressure, Sellia became a secret subsidiary of the Academy, doing their dirty work by eliminating traitors and enemies. That's when our reputation as sorcerer-killers began to spread."
"Just a short while ago, the Academy, which had already sealed itself off, suddenly contacted us."
"They sent us your portrait and told us to be on the lookout. If we encountered you, we were to try and kill you."
"They didn't tell us why, because tools like us don't need to ask for reasons."
"But after witnessing your power, we suddenly realized: why should we still obey an Academy that has sealed itself away?"
"If we defy the Academy, we risk retaliation. But if we continue to oppose you, Sellia will likely be annihilated immediately."
Bai Shi understood the implication in her words and asked in return:
"So you want to betray the Academy of Raya Lucaria?"
The girl nodded and replied with conviction:
"Yes. Everything is for the survival of Sellia."
But Bai Shi shook his head.
"Setting aside the fact that you just attacked me, what can you offer me?"
The girl didn't hesitate, pushing all her chips onto the table.
"We will all pledge our allegiance to you—a large contingent of experienced sorcerers."
"And... the true secret that the Town of Sellia holds."
The cat-ear hood is just too cute, it's hard not to play Elden Dress-Up (