Only fifteen seconds remained for him to address the matter at hand and make his escape.
"Who are you?" inquired the burly man, swiftly pinpointing Alex amidst the thick smoke.
"I have never seen someone manipulate mana like you in the central continent. To form a dense mana shroud like this, are you from the Western continent? Or a different type of warrior."
Doubts regarding Alex's identity clouded the burly man's mind. While he could detect Alex's presence through his mana vision amidst the dense smoke, he had yet to obtain a clear visual. Consequently, he was unable to see the white robes adorning Alex.
This uncertainty prompted the burly man to question Alex.
However, Alex was unwilling to reply. The appearance of a mage had made his life unexpectedly difficult.
His plan revolved around the idea that he could easily move within the dense shroud he created using mana while grabbing the attention of the enemy.
However, the presence of the mage had now become an obstacle, even though they had not yet discovered the escaping father and son. It was inevitable that their search would be successful if there were more mages among them.
Without wasting another second, Alex conjured the aptest spell in the current scenario. A hundred wind spells materialised around him.
"Swish..." With a swipe of his hand, they dispersed into the surroundings, depleting a hundred cores of mana from him.
'Smoke screens may prove ineffective against mages, but that doesn't mean I can't conceal my presence,' thought Alex as the wind spells bore into the earth below.
Similar to drills, the spells burrowed into the ground, sending soil and dirt billowing into the air. In a matter of seconds, the entire area was engulfed in a colossal storm of sand, dirt, and other particles.
Alex didn't know if his plan would work. But it was the only way he could find to camouflage his presence.
It was important to note that mana vision could not penetrate solid materials; its purpose was solely to detect the presence of mana in the vicinity. However, the effectiveness of mana vision could be diminished by introducing obstructions in its path.
Alex utilised this concept to enshroud the entire area in a dense cloud of soil.
The abrupt transformation of the environment caught the burly man off guard. He was astonished by Alex's extraordinary manipulation of mana. Never before had he witnessed someone capable of unleashing numerous spells simultaneously.
Unlike runes crafted for a singular spell with the impact of a hundred, Alex effortlessly controlled a hundred distinct spells.
Even the most accomplished mage the burly man had encountered struggled to manage a hundred spells independently. It defied common sense, and yet, the individual standing before him accomplished precisely that.
The burly man stood inside the storm brewing around him with his mouth agape. Other than having some random objects drill into his mouth, he could do nothing as Alex disappeared from his mana vision.
Meanwhile, the father and son duo had already reached the exit of the dense cloud of smoke. Not realising what was happening around them, they closed in on the carriage prepared by Alex.
"BOOOM!" The sound of the carriage exploding into smithereens, scattering debris in all directions.
Upon reaching the exit, the duo found themselves swiftly surrounded by two individuals. To their dismay, it was the same pair who had fled before the battle. These were the very members of the notorious spider gang assigned to monitor the street vendor and his son.
After relaying the gathered information, they had now returned with the explicit intention of locating the father and son.
Fortunately for them, they chanced upon the street vendor as he exited the area, carrying his son.
It was these individuals who reduced the carriage to dust. In order to prevent the street vendor and his son from escaping, they obliterated the carriage upon spotting it.
Thankfully, no one was present within the carriage during its destruction.
All of these events transpired in less than a minute. The havoc and devastation caused by the spells, accompanied by plumes of smoke and a sudden cloud of dust that enveloped the city, swiftly captured the attention of onlookers.
Even though it was 3 am, numerous individuals curiously peered out their windows, attempting to discern the cause of the commotion.
Unperturbed by the spectacle they had created, the members of the spider gang wasted no time and swiftly moved to apprehend the father and son, seemingly unaffected by the chaos they had caused.
However, before they could capture him, Alex appeared in front of the father and son, protecting them.
He unleashed a strong punch with his mana-enhanced physique, launching one of the enemies flying away. Like a broken kite, he crashed into a building nearby.
"Who are you?" The other guy asked.
Undeterred by their inquiries, Alex paid no heed to their questions. Instantly teleporting near the man, he unleashed a forceful punch directly aimed at his head.
Caught off guard by the sudden assault, the man narrowly evaded it by a hair's breadth.
This only heightened the peril Alex faced. As he was unable to teleport the father and child to safety, he was forced to confront the imminent battle. The possibility of a swift escape had evaporated completely.
"Are you the white-robed man who gained fame in Thira? Haha... Even if the Primal Chaos tribe stands behind you, the spider gang holds no fear," the man taunted Alex, erupting into a burst of maniacal laughter.
Unbeknownst to him, the man had mistaken Alex for Karthi, the prospective leader of the Primal Chaos tribe.
Nevertheless, Alex saw no reason to correct his enemy. Swiftly analysing the dire circumstances, he sought a means of escape from this predicament.
Having already expended 250 cores of mana in the ongoing battle, Alex still possessed a substantial reservoir of mana within him, having acquired 1060 cores through recent preparations.
However, he couldn't afford to squander it within the city, as doing so would result in the loss of countless innocent lives. He needed to utilise it efficiently to eliminate his enemies within the limited time available.
So, he acted on the best course of action he could take.
As he condensed mana within his body, preparing for the decisive strike, Alex listened to the words of the burly mage who had caught up with him, accompanied by his assembled minions.
"There is nowhere left for you to flee. This section of the city falls under our control, and no one will come to your aid," declared the burly mage with unwavering certainty.
"We have you surrounded. If you choose to resist us, death is the only outcome awaiting you. However, you can leave alone if you want to live." the burly man offered as an option.
In the meantime, an increasing number of gang members were converging upon Alex, their determination evident as they prepared to go to any lengths to seize the child from his protection.
"I have made a promise to ensure the safety of this child and his father, and I intend to uphold that promise," Alex responded in a monotone voice, concealing his emotions completely.
"You were the ones who intruded upon our affairs. You were the ones who attacked our organisation and took the lives of our members. Just because you are the heir to Primal Chaos, do you believe you can act with impunity?" retorted the burly mage believing that white-robed Alex was Karthi.
"This is your last warning before you make the entire spider gang your enemy. Surrender the child and depart," the burly man asserted once again, reiterating his determination to claim the child.
However, they didn't attack Alex after misidentifying him as the heir of the primal chaos tribe. They were waiting for an opportunity to grab the child back from him.
"It appears that this child holds great significance to you. So, what do you think would happen if I were to harm him?" Alex abruptly altered his tone, his voice filled with an air of menace, as he took the child into his embrace.
The burly mage visibly flinched at this sudden change. He dared not even fathom the consequences that would befall him if any harm befell the child. After all, his master was not known for his forgiving nature.
However, Alex had no intention of causing any harm to the child. He was merely stalling for time. In a swift motion, the condensed mana within his body shot out towards the sky like a soaring rocket. Ascending several hundred meters above the cityscape, it instantaneously captured the attention of all onlookers.
But before they could react, the mana transformed into a colossal ball of sparkling fireworks, captivating the attention of everyone within the city.
Among those were the strong warriors of the Divine Butterfly tribe, Karthi, the heir of the Primal Chaos tribe, and numerous other formidable warriors residing within the city.
"Do you truly believe that the spider gang holds dominion over this city?" Alex calmly posed the question, his tone relaxed, after igniting a beacon in the sky.
"Perhaps you are unaware, but I always have backup plans," he declared with a mysterious smile, fixing his gaze upon his enemies.
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