Chapter 298: Deal

"Ho~ You have some nice spells. What kind of Dark Art was that? You actually managed to weaken my Advanced Realm Molten Hands and even slapped them safely without burning your hands." Sherman said with genuine curiosity.

He looked at Vale with an amused smile as he didn't expect such a result.

The Molten Hands he used just now were simply meant to scare the two kids. He didn't intend to kill them since he felt they should be given a chance.

After all, when he was their age, he also committed various petty crimes to survive in the streets of a larger city.

Because of that, he had a soft spot for these kids that weren't on the right path. He then shifted his attention to the summoned being below him.

"This Shadow Soldier was also quite impressive. It's been a while since I've seen someone use this Spell. It's resisting my mirror really well. I didn't know you could have such a tough summon just by using a shadow as a medium. I thought it won't be stronger than Evil Creatures..." Sherman said with interest. He couldn't help but praise the Shadow Soldier that Vale summoned.

"Eustace, tell me... Are you the Masked Devil's son?" Sherman asked.

He can't tell what realm of mastery Eustace has achieved with this Shadow Soldier Spell since he had no one to compare with. Nevertheless, he knows that not just anyone can suppress this being. It was a good thing that he was the one who got this mission.

If other bounty hunters tried chasing this kid, they would certainly die just from the Shadow Soldier he was suppressing.

'It seems I have to be careful of Dark Magicians with Shadow Soldier in the future.' He added in his mind.

This time, Vale realized the threat of the man in front of him, so he answered cautiously. "I'm not... The Masked Man had already left the two of us since his mission was simply to rescue him!" Vale said as he pointed to Philip.

"I'm sent here to bring back the student your employer kidnapped. If you want to know about that person, ask the Dark Arts Faction. They might be the one who hired that Masked Devil." Vale added.

He also canceled his Shadow Soldier spell at this time since he can only use three Spells at the same time.

Because of that, three of his Spells were unusable for a few moments. They were the Traceless Shift, Ghost Hands, and Shadow Soldier.

As for his Spell Dispersion, the cooldown of this Spell was only a few seconds since he didn't use its wide-area function.

'Should I use Shadow Mutilation?' Vale pondered as he stepped closer to Philip. He also grabbed the cane and the lightning sword wrapped into a cloth bundle.

"Hmm... He already left?" Sherman repeated as he touched his shaved beard.

"Yes... If you still want to capture us, then we will fight to the death!" Vale answered though he wasn't really intent on doing that.

He was simply waiting for a chance to activate his Planar Spell. He was confident that this man shouldn't be able to defend against a Celestial Arts...

The only problem with this plan is even if he landed the Planar Spell, Vale himself wasn't confident of destroying the man's shadow.

This person had too many defensive spells and artifacts with him!

As he was considering of using his Lightspeed and Light Absorption to escape, he heard Sherman sigh as he looked at them.

"Tsk... My mission is to eliminate the Masked Devil and not to kidnap kids, alright? Don't lump me in with those nobles... I don't have the same hobby as them. However, I can't just pretend I didn't see you." Sherman paused as he thought for a moment.

"If you manage to stop one of my attacks, I'll just let the two of you go."

After hearing this, Vale realized that this person wasn't that bad. Although he was a bit dumb for not thinking that he was the Masked Devil, he seemed to have morals and wasn't that ruthless. Vale liked this type of person, so he agreed.

"Very well, Sir Sherman... Come at me..." Vale nodded as he triggered his Arcane Armor and Spirit Vision.

Although he can't observe Sherman's energy circulation with the Spirit Vision, he would at least know the flow of energy around him.

That way, he would be able to properly adjust his Spell Dispersion.

Well, if Sherman would only use his Physical Strength to attack, Vale was confident that with his Strength and Life Attributes, he would be able to survive without any issues.

However, if he uses a Spell, it would be a different story. He had to use his Spell Dispersion in this case.

"Mhmm... Nice aura. I can say that you have a solid foundation. You must have a great teacher." Sherman commented, but he didn't stop making his move.

He stretched out his hand and pointed his left index finger at Vale like a gun. Then, the Arcane Energy around them started to gather at the tip of his finger.

Philip worriedly looked at Vale as he could tell that the person in front of them was probably stronger than his father or anyone he had seen in the Hoffman Family Branch.

As soon as Sherman was reaching the limit of his attack, Philip felt droplets of cold sweat forming on his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.

He wished he could disappear, but Sherman's Aura was making him stay on his feet!

It was an invisible suppression that no First-Class Practitioner should be capable of.

'This guy is a Master Arcanist or even higher!' Philip shouted in his mind as he saw a ray of light coming out of Sherman's finger...

He closed his eyes in despair, but as he was expecting to be killed, he realized nothing had hit him.

To his surprise, Vale was still firmly standing on his spot while Dark Aura was spilling out of his body similar to the Necromancers and Dullahan Knights he had seen before!