Revenge felt sweet, but at this very moment, Allen's heart was bleeding.
He had just burned through 135 Galleons… plus another 480 Galleons… That was 615 Galleons in total!
Converted to game gold, that was 6,150 coins, enough to summon a top-tier 6,300-coin Hero!
But there was no denying it had worked.
The combined powers of Evelynn, the Widowmaker, and Zyra, the Rise of Thorns, gave Allen an almost complete erasure from the area. Though he'd only scratched the surface of their abilities, the synergy between the first assassin of the Shadow Isles and the plant-bending enchantress, along with a few clever tricks of his own, was enough to throw off even a professional Auror unfamiliar with their kind of magic.
Aurors are hunters, not scouts. Their job is to track escapees, not examine inconsistencies in botany. Had this one been a little more patient, he might've noticed that the grass in Allen's trail wasn't just damp, it had already started to sprout seed heads ahead of the season.
Binding Roots, a spell designed to restrain enemies while accelerating the growth of surrounding plant seeds.
It was a basic spell, one Allen was still clumsy at, he needed both incantation and hand gestures to cast it.
But nobody could say it wasn't effective.
Auror Vernon, of all people, knew how terrifying this spell could be when used in an ambush.
The moment Allen cast it, the grass around Vernon grew wildly, lashing out like demonic vines trying to entangle him. At the same time, thorned tendrils tipped with blood-red blossoms erupted from the ground, aiming to restrict his movement.
As Allen paused to catch his breath and prepare his next offensive spell, the magical plants were blown apart by a sudden ring of fire.
Caught off guard, Allen had no choice but to abandon the offensive spell and switch to Protego. Fortunately, the flames had weakened after the explosion, and even his hastily cast shield held up against them.
"Well done, little wizard!" The pale-faced Auror stepped out from the fire. The spell had clearly drained him, his wand trembled slightly as he leveled it at Allen.
"But now, I hereby declare, you're under arrest! Stupe, Protego!"
His smug declaration was cut short before he could finish the Stunning Spell.
Allen might not have had his wand, but he still had plenty of tricks, and he'd spent far too much time setting this trap to let it fail now.
Why do they say wildfires can't destroy everything, and spring winds bring rebirth?
Because seeds are often tougher than full-grown plants. That fire ring hadn't incinerated the grass seeds scattered across the hillside.
After Allen unleashed a deadly volley of Thorn Barrage, the vines rose again, but this time, the Auror managed to shield himself in time.
Allen cursed under his breath. What a waste. If only Varro were here…
Unfortunately, to protect his identity, Allen had left Varro behind in a hotel room back in San Francisco. He never expected something as simple as exchanging currency to go this wrong.
Varro was still on the way, Allen had summoned him before fleeing, but it would take at least an hour for him to arrive. By then, it'd be too late.
Even if Varro arrived now, Allen couldn't let him intervene. Once Varro attacked, the situation would escalate to an entirely new level. An illegal stowaway was one thing; a blacklisted magical creature assaulting an Auror was something else entirely.
That would take the bounty on Allen's head from "moderate" to "dead or alive."
As much as Allen hated to admit it, Crow's skillset leaned a bit too close to dark magic. And it's not like he was trying to kill the Auror, he was just doing his job. Sure, a bit aggressive, but understandable.
Still, that didn't stop Allen from wanting to knock him around a bit.
He was just enjoying a sundae, counting his coins, strolling through the streets, planning to shop a little, when this guy suddenly jumped out demanding to see his papers?
He hadn't committed any crimes. He wasn't dodging taxes from the American Ministry. He wasn't assaulting wizards or Muggles. All he did was stow away!
Sure, the Auror had a point… but so did Allen! A punch or two was perfectly justified!
The problem was, knocking him out would be hard. Especially without his wand.
All he could do now was stall. In this terrain, Zyra's abilities were far more effective than Wanderer's. There were just so many plants.
Sadly, it seemed Merlin favored the locals.
Just when Allen thought the Auror was reaching his limit, a magical alert went off, some of the enchanted seeds he'd planted downhill had been triggered.
A group was approaching.
Damn. More Aurors?
This guy had actually called reinforcements, for a teenage wizard!?
Shameless! This was like losing a 2v2 in Silver rank and calling in your Grandmaster friend for a rematch!
Time to run.
Allen sighed. Bad luck today. Real bad. Looked like he'd have to cut his losses, and shallow his pride.
He pushed out the last of his mana, conjuring another massive snarl of brambles to hold the Auror in place, then activated his ultimate ability: Wanderer's Escape.
Nothing happened.
No response. The ultimate that always worked, failed.
The area was sealed.
As for Sanctuary, it took too long to activate, he'd never hold the Auror back that long. The vines wouldn't buy him enough time.
All he could do now was use Muggle tricks to alter his appearance. Once imprisoned, he'd use Sanctuary to escape, system abilities and Heroic Legacies were different. Even if his magic was sealed, he could still use the system.
He'd already accepted the worst-case scenario: getting captured. But he was also ready to break out.
Since resisting was pointless, he canceled the brambles. These little tricks weren't going to cut it anymore.
But what happened next surprised him.
The Auror didn't look smug at all. In fact, he seemed... hesitant.
"Spatial lockdown? That's not from the Ministry… Kid, is this your doing?"
What!?
Shit. Allen's expression shifted. This really wasn't his day. Misfortunes were piling up fast.
The Auror's face changed too. He had thought this would all end with a minor scuffle. If Allen had ties to a powerful family, they wouldn't dare harm a Ministry official. Pure-blood families had rules, after all.
"Catch!" the Auror suddenly shouted. "Your wand!"
He tossed Allen's confiscated wand back to him.
And Allen didn't feel the slightest bit reassured.
Especially now, standing back to back with a former enemy, surrounded by nearly a hundred wizards.
Leading them was a woman in a flaming red cloak, utterly out of place in the sweltering summer heat.
And none of them were smiling.
If you had a hundred wands pointed at you, you wouldn't be smiling either.
The doll-faced woman looked at the two of them with a bright smile and said:
"Well, well… two uninvited guests. But since you're here, how about joining us for a drink?"
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