Chapter 188 - 380 - 387

Baloney

"Don't be silly!" Vinas laughed weakly as she reached out and caressed Aaron's face.

"Sacrificing me, a single person, will allow you to save the entirety of Twilight Zone, what's there to hesitate?"

At the present moment, although her lips have gone pale and chapped from the loss of blood, her face remains full of radiance and it hurt Aaron to see her like this.

"No! You're doing this for me! You're doing this for me!"

Advancing to the second rank did not ensure that he could match up to Longbottom, but it would at least greatly increase his chances of escape.

Aaron wept, tears flowing down his face uncontrollably.

Vinas laughed, her tone full of gratification "This impermanent fate! We were destined to be enemies, yet we fell in love… with each… other"

*Bang!* Vinas' palm fell listlessly.

Shortly after, a strong current of concentration, along with a warm and gentle scent, was injected into Aaron's consciousness.

Sacred Flame started to revolve quickly, causing Aaron's aura to rise sharply, and he broke through the bottleneck of a rank 2 Magus.

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*

The three parts of Meteor Sword assembled together, emitting bright silver rays, and from the light, a tall and thin sword shaped like a cross slowly appeared. The aura of a high-level magic artifact, also much closer to the level of becoming a magic weapon, spread out in a powerful manner.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

Aaron roared as he lifted the Meteor Sword and he transformed into a long arc as he charged into the midst of the battlefield.

Any magi who obstructed the path, be they from the Twilight zone or from the Dark Elven Empire, all faded into the air under the power of the Meteor Sword.

"What's the matter?"

In the middle of the battlefield, Longbottom stared at the huge incoming arc. With fierce eyes, he stopped toying with Baelin. A fireball aimed right at his head hit him.

*Pew!* The Meteor Sword released a ray of light, accurately targeted at the attack launched by Longbottom.

A great and powerful wave of energy surged forth like raging waves.

Although at this moment Longbottom could still kill Baelin, he would definitely suffer huge amounts of damage.

"Rank 2?" Longbottom's pupils froze. Energy at this level, in addition to a high-level magic artifact designed for offence, was a great threat to him.

As such, Longbottom made a choice. Without moving his body, his quickly moved backwards, layers of grey-green protective shields formed in front of his vision.

"Kill!" In the middle was Aaron's silhouette. At this moment, as he charged forward with the mighty sword, silver threads of spiritual force continued to condense onto the arc, causing the sharpness of this high-level magic artifact to increase exponentially.

*Bang! Bang!* The protective shield set up by Longbottom was torn apart like crisp paper, and the blade of the sword even touched Longbottom's eyes.

"Are you trying to kill me? With just you alone?" Longbottom had a sinister expression on his face, and the shadow of a spider appeared on his body, with its mouth wide open, clasping directly on the long sword.

Snap!

The sound of a slight explosion rang in the air, following which, the silhouette of two people flew away, retreating.

Longbottom stroked his face, as below his left eye, a stream of blood flowed.

Whereas on the other end, Aaron's arm produced a bone crunching noise as he quickly retreated to where Baelin was.

"You… are you alright?" Baelin finally expelled the Corrosive spell's energy left by Longbottom within himself and he stood up.

Although he did not witness the previous scene, he felt that the expression on his friend's face was not right.

"Your strong armor has been damaged! Use this!" Aaron glanced at Baelin. He then passed the cross-shaped sword in his hand to Baelin. "The energy it can display in your hands will be much much greater than what it displayed in mine"

Now was not the time for idle talk, Baelin immediately took over the Meteor Sword, but the deathly stillness in Aaron's eyes still frightened him.

"This again! This again! Why is it that everytime I am about to succeed, there will always be more obstructions sprouting up?" On the other side, Longbottom observed this scene with a grim complexion.

"So what? Having one more rank 2 Magus does not change anything! You will all die here today!"

Longbottom roared. The phantom spider on his back suddenly did something unpredictable.

It ruthlessly widened its mouth and plunged its sharp incisors into Longbottom's shoulders.

Strings of red which were visible to the naked eye was extracted from Longbottom's body. And the spider image on his back grew redder and started to expand.

Although Longbottom's body continued to become thin and weak, leaving only skin and bones, which looked terrifying, the energy in his body was increasing exponentially, as though there was no limit.

"Dark Elven Ritual of Life! We cannot let him complete it or he will advance into the peak of rank 2, even though he will have to pay for it with his life…"

Aaron's voice grew hoarse, but he immediately transformed into a silvery arc as he rushed at him.

"Old friend Aru! This time I will not hesitate and be benevolent. Just you wait, I will save you!"

Baelin gripped the Meteor Sword tightly. This melee weapon, when in the hands of a powerful warrior, also let out a deafening screech.

"Kill!" Baelin had a face of determination. The eye on his armor opened once again, and a huge restrictive aura suddenly arrived at the site, aimed at Longbottom who was in the center.

"Haha… Come! Come!"

Longbottom who had a stick-thin figure laughed wildly, and engaged Aaron and Baelin.

*Bang!* After the ritual of life, not only did his aura increase, it seemed to have experienced a transformation, allowing him to gain a huge boost.

He raised his bony right arm against the Meteor Sword in Baelin's hands.

*Bang bang!* The two came into contact, letting out a horrifying sound of metal brushing against metal. The Meteor Sword in Baelin's hand could only cut the skin on Longbottom's hand, following which it was blocked by Longbottom's arm which was stronger than steel.

"Huh!" Baelin face was full of shock, he chopped another time, but the long sword that pierced Longbottom's face was stopped by his teeth clenching hard.

"Sacred Flame!"

Aaron pointed at Longbottom, a wave of pure white blaze laced with threads of silver fell, causing the area around Longbottom's body to burn.

Longbottom's Magus robe, rings and accessories were all melted in the blazing fire but his body remained intact, just like sturdy metal.

"What is happening?" Jumping on this chance, Baelin finally drew out the long sword, standing up with Aaron who had retreated to a corner.

"The Ritual of Life has begun, and at this point his life does not belong to him, it belongs to the noble Mother of the Abyss. Simply put, the source of his life has been transferred and his body is only a puppet now. Whatever harm we inflict upon his body won't have any effect."

Aaron's face turned serious, with a hint of frantic "But his ritual of life has not been completed, so the core should still be in the process of transferring, later I will control and mark him, take care of the rest!"

"Got it!" Baelin nodded "How are you going to…" he could not finish talking before Aaron madly dashed in.

"Die!" Longbottom watched Aaron charge towards him, his eyes full of vengeance and violence.

He abruptly sent out a fist. The black fist collided with Aaron's chest, letting out a crisp sound.

Snap! Longbottom's face suddenly changed and he retracted his fist. On his knuckles, a bone had already been pierced through and strands of black solidified blood could be seen.

"Wh…What's happening? How can an ordinary Bone Piercing Spell take down my defenses!" There was a huge change in Longbottom's expression, and he seemed to have thoughts of retreating.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

But it was too late, Many silver bone piercings started to come out from Aaron's body, and his eyes turned white. Surprisingly, he was able to predict Longbottom's retreat route. After dodging his long range attack, he clung onto Longbottom.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Several bone piercings acted like a trap and pierced Longbottom all over, but Aaron grew even worse, blood spurting out of his body.

"Heh heh… This is my upgraded version of the Bone Piercing Spell, enjoy!"

Aaron's face was a mixture of madness and relief as he yelled, "Vinas, I am coming!"

"You lunatic!" Longbottom roared. He pounded on Aaron's back with his fists, and the great tremors even caused the ground to vibrate.

"Quick! Over there!" Aaron was bleeding from his nose and mouth, he used a sliver of spiritual force to mark out a position.

That was on the flowery pattern on the abdomen area of the spider tattoo on Longbottom's back. It was now shining with a silver light.

"Kill!"

Baelin's expression was calm as a great silver aura was released, forming silver white flames.

Large amounts of flame gathered on the Meteor Sword, a terrifying energy wave spreading throughout the entire competition venue, causing the surrounding Magi to involuntarily stop what they were doing.

The huge wings behind Baelin rose, carrying him into the skies, causing him to look like a red meteor streaking through the skies.

"Die!" At this moment, Baelin no longer showed signs of hesitation and unwillingness. The long sword ruthlessly pierced through the defense of the spider image, the blade directly cutting through the marked position.

The illusory spider screeched, and its eight legs started to tremble irregularly. Suddenly, it was sent tumbling down. It then turned into black smog and dispersed.

"Ugh …glug….." Longbottom's expression was very weird; he looked as though he wanted to say something but could not, all that could be heard was a constant gurgling noise made within his throat.

The light in his eyes dimmed until they were a dead black.

*Bang!* Longbottom's corpse fell to the ground and sent a huge patch of dust flying.

"We… succeeded!"

Baelin mumbled to himself, feeling as though he lost a part of himself. He felt empty, as though he had lost something very important to him.

"Be careful, the darkness has not ended!" Both of Aaron's eyes turned white and he fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath his body.

Coin Of Destiny

"Darkness? What darkness? Hasn't Longbottom's scheme been thwarted?" Baelin was doubtful, but he no longer had the time to think. He scooped Aaron up in a hurry, preparing to treat him.

Strands of green rays emerged from Baelin's fingers, and merged with the horrifying wound on Aaron's body, helping him stop the bleeding and mending his tissues.

"Aaron, Aaron! Are you alright? Hang in there!" Baelin constantly cried out, large amounts of tears spilling from his eyes.

"Longbottom! Lord Longbottom is dead!" At this time, in the middle of the competition venue, the revolutionary army and dark elves who had just lost their leader all fell into a state of chaos.

*Cough Cough!* Aaron coughed violently and opened his eyes. "I… I'm still alive?"

"Of course, you're my prophet. How can you die without my permission?" Baelin covertly brushed away his tears and laughed.

"Oh no!" Aaron suddenly started to struggle.

"What's happening?" Baelin hurriedly helped him stand up.

"Danger is still near! In fact, it's in our immediate vicinity!" Aaron's face showed increasing terror, "He… He is…"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A person wearing an exquisite black robe emerged amidst sudden applause. Every move of his held an inexplicable aura of authority and grace, and he slowly entered their field of vision.

"As expected of a Magus practicing Sacred Flame. Once you reach rank 2, even I cannot escape your prophecies!"

"Master Leylin! Weren't you…" Baelin looked at Leylin. At first, he felt joy, but then he noticed the nine statues erected in the center.

"A mere Ice Seal of Eternity, what can it do to me?" Leylin laughed casually, not revealing that he had known about Longbottom's plan from Ernis. Even if he hadn't known, though, his frightening power and affinity with frost would have let him escape quite easily.

*Bang!* As though to verify Leylin's words, one of the nine ice sculptures suddenly exploded, revealing the silhouette of a puppet which quickly dissipated.

"What… What's happening? Ah! Haha… Haha… I get it! Master Leylin, this is just a prank, isn't it?" Baelin laughed forcefully, but the unease in his heart had reached its peak.

"Prank? Oh! Yes, I love cracking jokes with you, just not today. I was just excited by your performance and wanted to excuse myself!" Leylin snapped his finger.

*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!* Light flashed everywhere, and a large number of Nature's Alliance Magi appeared. Some came out from beneath the stages, some from behind the seats, and some just materialised from the shadows.

These Magi all had their concentration and powers intact, and embarked on a ruthless massacre the moment they entered. The dark elves and Twilight Zone Magi all fell at their hands, and were swept in a matter of seconds.

"Second level seal enhancement begin!" The leader, Iren, immediately tossed out a scroll.

*Bzzzt Bzzzt!* A frightful wave of energy dispersed, and an even larger fleet of Magi appeared at the center of the competition venue, reinforcing the gigantic spider cocoon.

"Lord Leylin? Why?" Baelin kept retreating, looking as though he was on the verge of breaking down.

"You are one of the higher-ups in Twilight Zone, and also someone I look up to. Why…"

"No particular reason, after directing a play for so long, it's time I came to wrap things up!" The corners of Leylin's mouth turned into a sinister smirk.

"Play? What kind of play?" Baelin did not dare to think further.

"A comedy about a silly hero, and a group of foolish Magi!" Leylin smiled subtly, and pointed at Baelin's neck.

Boiling hot! Scalding hot! Baelin felt an unnerving heat exuding from his neck, penetrating through his armor, roasting his skin and muscles.

*Boom!* A streak of gold light emitted from his neck and returned to Leylin's palms.

It was a peculiar gold coin, one face of which had a lucky bird and the other a skull. The sides of the coin also had elaborate patterns and prints on them.

"This was the gold coin you gave me, was it all planned from the very beginning?" Baelin laughed pathetically.

"No! I did not have such plans back in Potter Town, but on the way to the Eastern Capital, I found out that you were the Child of Destiny, so I decided to do this!" Leylin looked at the gold coin in his hand, excitement written on his face.

"Hehe….. You are all liars! Liars!" Baelin laughed hysterically. Rays of silver light burst forth from his body, and he charged forth, Meteor Sword in hand.

*Pow!* A fist of immense strength landed firmly on his cheek, causing the Meteor Sword to be swung out of his grasp even as he was sent flying.

Alas, the Bio Boosting armour on his body failed to hold any longer and disintegrated midair.

"Your destiny was to become the victor of this revolution in your battle with Longbottom! And after Longbottom was taken care of, how do I put it… You are no longer of use to destiny. And without destiny on your side, you are but a dead dog to me…" Leylin ruthlessly attacked Baelin.

It was the truth. Before Baelin completed his mission, were Leylin to have made a move, he had a premonition that something would inexplicably block his path. But now? There was nothing that could stop him.

This was the very reason why many accomplished heroes never got another chance to take risks and could only choose to live in seclusion among the commoners..

"Coin of Destiny, step one accomplished!" Leylin turned around and looked over at where Aaron was.

*Pew!* At this moment, a stream of light also emitted from Aaron's ring, and in front of him appeared the Great Magus Merlin.

"Little Aaron, what did you promise me then?"

"I promised that other than collecting your shards, I'll have to help you complete another task!" Aaron's expression was a mix of terror, alarm, and agony.

"Now, I request of you, to return to me the Sacred Flame!" Merlin's voice was extremely calm, but Aaron couldn't help but turn pale at his voice. "Grandpa Merlin, I've always been respectful to you as though you were my own grandfather…"

"But, the moment you advanced to the second rank, you realised it, no?" Merlin's illusion transformed continuously before settling on the image of Leylin.

"So all of this; me gaining the inheritance, practicing Sacred Flame, meeting with Vinas; it was all your doing?"

Aaron turned around and looked at Leylin, his pupils pitch black.

"At first it was, but the melodrama at the end was something I couldn't predict either. It looks like the stability issues with Sacred Flame still have to be solved!" Leylin's voice was extremely cold, "Now, hand it over!"

"AH!" As soon as Leylin voice sounded, Aaron felt as though his consciousness was split open by someone who wanted to extract something.

The extreme horrifying pain caused him to roll around, and his face contorted into demon-like expressions.

Shortly after, Aaron felt the spiritual force he had so painstakingly cultivated with the Sacred Flame was drawn out from him entirely.

Strands of silver spiritual force formed a vortex in midair, and Aaron who lost his meditation technique had his powers depleted progressively, from rank 2 to rank 1 before hitting rock bottom—an acolyte.

"The spiritual force of Sacred Flame!" Leylin's smile broadened. He sang with excitement, "Along with the sacrifice of a Child of Destiny!"

With his deep voice sounding, the surface of the Coin of Destiny shone with a thin layer of light and was lifted into the air.

"With the magnanimous power of destiny, along with the foundation and spiritual force of the Sacred Flame that split apart and then merged together!"

Leylin pulled out a crystal already full of golden liquid, and threw it into the spiritual force vortex.

All of a sudden, a surge of silver white flames emerged from within.

"There are still three broken and unwilling souls!" Leylin's smile became even wider, and two items flew out from Aaron's body.

They were a worn-out notebook and a five-colored necklace. At this moment, an illusion flickered on each of the two items.

"Vinas! Vinas!" Aaron struggled as he saw the face of his lover on the five-colored necklace, however, Vinas' expression was ever-changing, from tenderness, to detachment, to distraught…

"You can join too!" Leylin pointed at Aaron's forehead and it exploded like a watermelon. The black ring in his hand also flew into the air, joining into a triangular formation with the other two items.

"With great power from the fragmented souls as the main body, the Sacred Flame meditation technique as the core, and finally injecting a large amount of the power of destiny…"

Leylin's voice grew in fervency.

Following the chanting, the triangular formation and meditative vortex grew closer, giving off small explosions.

"AHHHHHHH..." Baelin hissed violently and charged forth once again, but before he got close, he was already thrown out by the airwaves.

"Seal!" A complex and awkward-sounding ancient incantation finally fused into two short seals.

*Boom Boom!* A gigantic vortex formed, compressing the vortex and triangular formation into the Coin of Destiny like a funnel.

When everything ended, flashes of light appeared on the Coin of Destiny, yet it seemed as though nothing had changed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Leylin let the gold coin float in midair and with a wave of his arm, the Meteor Sword voluntarily flew into his hands.

"You did all this, just for those two items?"

Baelin was beyond miserable, his eyes with a tint alike to flames.

Epilogue

"It was mainly to attain the power of destiny. The Meteor Sword was just something that came along with it. Besides, it's not even complete!" Leylin was in a good mood as he explained the details to Baelin.

Soon after, a great number of alchemy ingredients appeared before him. Brilliant rays of light started seeping into the sword and making it shine brighter.

"The truth is, the Meteor Sword was designed by and customised for me, and it is missing the most important step!" Leylin drew the sword and held it up, his eyes glistening with excitement.

"Toxic Bile!"

The terrifying image of a devil king started to manifest behind him. But this time round, the Toxic Bile was concentrated on the Meteor Sword instead of a large-scale attack.

Menacing, deathly strands of black crawled onto the sword and the once-bright silver glow started to dim before turning a glistening coal-black.

This was the original intention of Leylin to forge the weapon.

The scope of the attack by the Toxic Bile was too large. Leylin thus confined its poison within the sword, preventing it from diffusing freely.

Henceforth, anyone who was injured by the sword would immediately be poisoned. In addition, Leylin could use his own innate spells to supplement its already-great power.

Leylin looked at the dark sword shining in his hands, unable to mask his happiness. From here on, the power of Toxic Bile would not be used recklessly. Rather, it would be his common means of attack, greatly increasing his strength and power.

"There is one last procedure!" Leylin glanced over at Baelin, with a sharp look in his eyes.

Baelin had understood how this was going to turn out. He looked at Leylin and told him fearlessly, "I believe in the fairness and righteousness of Twilight Zone. You'll be punished for everything you've done!"

"Haha… Fairness and righteousness ?"

Leylin shook his head and laughed, "The glory of my achievements will be recorded and sung by the people. As for the unglamorous stories behind the glory, who would pay any attention to them?"

A ray of black swooshed across. Baelin's head was decapitated, and before it could land on the ground, both his head and body had started to decompose.

Blood splashed on the surface of the gold coin and the once brilliant shiny surface became dull. It seemed to faintly be emitting a hint of history.

"Lastly, with the sacrifice of the child of destiny! Unique magic item—Coin of Destiny, complete!" Leylin finished his last incantation.

The gloomy yet glowing item lay ominously in his hand.

"Unique magic item—Coin of Destiny! With the Sacred Flame at its core, and the blood sacrifice of the child of destiny, will bring forth a magic item that has an astonishing amount of power. The coin can guide us through the path of the future to a certain extent, and may produce uncertain results!"

The A.I. Chip tried to generate a description for the coin. However, it was very clear that even the A.I. Chip could not make an accurate judgement of its powers; after all, things such as fate and the power of destiny could not be assessed by the current A.I. Chip or expressed by data.

The supposed unique magic item was hard to be categorised.

In the Magus world, there were always magical items that possessed a power which surpassed magic equipment. However, the physical quality itself might be weak, while some others contain bizarre capabilities. Hence, they were not categorised the same as magic artifacts and magic equipment but had a classification of their own.

Amongst the unique magic items, some possessed limited capabilities, while there were others that display a horrifying amount of power!

A ray of silver lit up and, in a flash, Coin of Destiny had vanished into the bag Leylin was carrying.

"Kill the dark elves and the revolutionary army! As for the Magi of Twilight Zone, kill them too if they don't pledge allegiance to me!"

Leylin looked around and inspected his surroundings.

The Magi of Twilight Zone may have had an advantage in numbers, but the lengthy battle had exhausted them of their stamina and magic power. They were no match for the fresh Magi of Nature's Alliance.

Furthermore, the Alliance had the support of Leylin, a rank 2 Magus.

As time passed, the field got progressively quieter before settling for silence.

"Sire! What do I do with these captives?" Iren asked with a bow.

There were weak and dispirited Magi all around, many of them covered with wounds and blood from multiple injuries.

"They are to hand over their spirit sources to me, kill them if they refuse!" Leylin gave the order indifferently.

Soon after, Leylin moved towards the remaining eight Magi encased in the ice sculptures and pointed at them.

"I shall add another layer of seals on these eight Magi. They will be transported back to headquarters to be interrogated by me!"

The Magi from Nature's Alliance were lying in ambush and the plan was carried out according to what he had planned. And sure enough, the results at the end were very favourable. The exhausted and injured Magi from both sides were eliminated at one stroke.

In fact, Leylin was the one who notified the Guardian on the outside and asked for his assistance.

"The war outside should be ending about now?" Leylin smiled. He held up a special artifact and sent a communication signal through it.

"My Lord! Reporting on our status. The Magi on our side as well as the dark elves are severely injured. The dark elves have withdrawn their troops, but we cannot pursue due to similar losses on our end!" one of the Magi on the battlefield reported.

Any attempts at communication had been blocked long ago by Longbottom. With Leylin's enhancement to the cocoon, only his own artifact could communicate with the outside.

"Very good! The current situation is the best of the three scenarios that I had anticipated!"

Leylin swept his eyes over the Magi from Nature's Alliance and smiled, "As long as we follow and advance according to the plan, soon the entirety of Twilight Zone will be ours!"

Leylin had never led before, but he had experienced much in the Magus world. With his ability to influence their minds, Leylin's words were bewitching and convincing.

Although there were some Magi among the crowd below that seemed to be somewhat hesitant, Leylin was pleased to see the obvious fiery ambition sparkling in their eyes, dispersing any sign of restlessness and confusion.

"As long as you are a living being with wisdom, it is difficult to remain unwavering in the face of temptation!" Leylin rejoiced covertly in his heart but also let out a sigh…

The news about the incident at the young genius competition spread like wildfire through the Twilight Zone.

The leader of the revolutionary army, Longbottom, had disguised himself and snuck into the competition as a contestant. Once he was crowned champion, he plotted against the judges.

Thereafter, the dark elven forces, under the conceal of their crown, joined to complete the ambush.

Even though their troops retreated in the end, a huge amount of damage was inflicted on the central region, causing numerous casualties.

The situation of the arena was worse. The losses there were tremendous, and only a few Magi had survived.

Leylin, most powerful of the survivors as a rank 2, issued complaints about the dark elves' conduct, calling for action from the central region.

After his return to the base, Leylin immediately gathered all of his Magi. Seeking the assistance of the other Magi who favoured his cause and started organising an army.

The central region was currently in a state of tremendous chaos. A large number of high-level Magi had perished. The Guardian of the Realm, as well as the other Protectors, had all vanished without a trace as well. In the name of righteousness and for other reasons, the remaining Magi all united under Leylin's banner.

Leylin, who was at the centre of attention, headed towards a different place on his own.

This single empty space seemed to have emerged from the Earth's crust, it was narrow and cramp, the continuously faint but hurried breathing could still be heard.

*Bang!* A massive explosion sounded and crushed rocks flew everywhere.

In the midst of the mayhem, Leylin smiled as he walked forward with the Coin of Destiny in his hand, "Lord Guardian of the Realm, and Protector Logan, you both are truly very good at hiding. It took me awhile to find this place!"

Leylin took a quick glance around and realised that there were 2 dead bodies lying in this cave and on their corpses, some rank 2 energy was still present.

A half-naked old man, whose body was covered with incantations and coloured spots, leant against a rock trying to catch a breath. On the other side was a familiar face, Logan from the east. When he saw Leylin, he couldn't believe his eyes.

It seemed as if after the battle with the dark elves and Anya, two of the Protectors had died. Logan and the Guardian of the Realm were still struggling with their breaths.

"Why.… Why is it you?" Logan asked with a pale face.

"Oh?" Leylin raised his eyebrow, "Looks like there are many Magi out there who miss you! So much so that you do not even dare to go back to your old nest, preferring to hide outside…"

But he didn't mind because, in the face of true power and capability, any crafty conspiracy would seem like a joke.

"How did you find us? Forget it, that is not important right now. I just want to know, young Magus, do you belong to us or the dark elves?" the Guardian by the wall struggled to ask.

"There's no need to worry. The dark elves are not rich enough to bribe me! As for Twilight Zone's Magi, they shall step on the path to glory under my leadership!"

"Well then! Go ahead!" the Guardian smiled, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

"…." Leylin bowed slightly in respect to the Guardian who dedicated his whole life to serve the Twilight Zone. Soon after, a thick black darkness shrouded the entire area.

The border between the northern and central region of the Twilight Zone.

At this moment, in an open plain, two enormous armies were about to confront each other.

On the north was the dark elven army, their skilled knights riding Underground Winter Spiders and emitting continuous energy waves from their bodies.

A Fallen Empress

The human camp was more complicated.

Many Magi, acolytes and even common soldiers had been gathered together like a mixed flock of birds.

It had turned out this way due to the lack of core leadership. The deaths of the Guardian of the Realm and the Protectors had left them without a stable chain of command. Hence, many problems arose, not the least of which was disputes in command. Many ambitious parties were working from the shadows, plotting their own schemes.

"Oh? People are gossiping about me?" Back at his own camp, Leylin was updated with the latest report, and his face revealed a mysterious sinister smile.

"Don't bother with them. These rumours will be deemed baseless soon enough!" Leylin waved his hand and flashed a faint smile.

Suddenly his face changed as he looked towards the northern skies, "She's here!"

A tiny black speck suddenly rose from the northern skies, bringing a huge and irresistible power to bear upon the two armies.

"Your Majesty." Numerous elite Underground Winter Spider knights knelt down to salute with zeal in their eyes.

Anya looked up to face the human army, her beautiful face and body exuding a mysterious charm.

"Where is your commander? I want to see him!" she spoke with a sweet yet icy tone to her voice, as alluring as a rose in a bloody scene. It was tender and beautiful, yet dangerous and deadly.

And so that voice with the strength of a Magus was heard even on the side of the humans.

Numerous ordinary troops started fainting and dying, many of them shedding patches of hair and bleeding furiously.

This was the result of radiations emitted recklessly from a high ranking Magus's spell, causing the destruction of the normal human's body.

The acolytes too started to faint one after the other, until only official Magi could remain clear-headed, although even their fighting strength was heavily reduced.

Streams of green air could be seen, being drawn out from the human camp and transferred to Anya who was hovering in mid-air.

"A false domain! There were rumours that the dark elven empress had attained such a high level— the ability to suck life and power out of them is a formidable gift!"

Leylin's expression showed signs of interest and he turned to look at the other high ranking Magi.

In the human camp, the rest of the high-ranking Magi were waiting in their tents in silence. Waves of spatial magic power permeated the air.

"The battle has yet to begun, and you're already about to run away?" Leylin laughed uncontrollably, but then felt that it was only right. After all, these Magi had thought that the empress of the dark elves had been severely injured. If not, the Guardian of the Realm would have survived as well.

What now?

"At this moment, the Magi outside would mostly likely be vehemently cursing me, huh?" Leylin shook his head, as his body floated to mid-air.

*Roar!* A massive, ferocious aura that seemed to emanate from a predator of ancient times burst forth.

A wave of violent air rolled and surged through, causing huge chaos to the opposite camp. The other Magi noticed that this wave of energy was not inferior to that of the dark elven empress!

"Bloodline Skill—Intimidating Gaze!"

*Snap!* Leylin's life force rose ferociously, as if a chain or seal had been broken, and at that moment, he had crossed the category of a rank 2 Magus and entered a deep and unmeasurable realm.

This kind of change upset Anya, "Rank 3! You have already advanced to rank 3! "

Yes! Before the murder of the Guardian of the Realm, Leylin had secretly arranged for his advancement to a rank 3 Magus.

With the Giant Serpent's Breath potion and the usage of a large amount of top-notch resources, Leylin's spiritual force had turned bright silver long ago, and his power had been enhanced greatly.

As for the next level in Kemoyin's Pupil, Leylin already had it! In fact, with the A.I. chip's enhancement, it had become even more all-encompassing.

That in addition to the enlightenment from the Tree of Wisdom formed the perfect conditions to ensure success.

Leylin's intention was to elevate his power to be on the same level as the best of Twilight Zone, so that he would have the confidence to carry out his plans.

The breakthrough had surprised Leylin. His materialised spiritual force had been refined continuously and, at the same time, the foundations of the spiritual force crystal had been constructed. The swiftness and ease of it had left Leylin with an unfathomable feeling.

It could be the result from the use of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's blood or from the accumulated knowledge from the A.I. Chip. It might be the great essence of wisdom found in the ancient tree that no one knew about. Or it could be the different factors all coming together that assisted Leylin in acquiring his current position. It had surely surpassed his own expectations.

The enhanced A.I.Chip thus refreshed Leylin's status.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 3 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Power: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Physique: 35.7, Vitality: 203.4, Magic Power: 203(Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force)] [Host has obtained an innate spell upon advancement— Intimidating Gaze!] [Intimidating Gaze: After numerous blood purification, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, as an elite ancient predator, has its might absorbed and assimilated into the bloodline Warlock. They who held the dignity of creatures from ancient times has a force field with an intimidating effect! Effect: any living being that is within the perimeter will have their powers suppressed. Those with weak willpower will enter a state of confusion. Rank 1 Magus will have their abilities weakened by 50%, rank 2 Magus weakened by 30% and Magi of the same rank will have their stats reduced by 10%!]

With such an ability to suppress the power of his enemies, Leylin seemed genuinely ready to dominate the field. In fact, he could be considered an ideal Magus to dominate everything!

Unlike the domain of a Morning Star Magus, which gave them complete control, Intimidating Gaze only applied certain effects to those caught within its area of effect.

With Leylin now using Intimidating Gaze, the Underground Winter Spider knights felt as if an eye from the depths of hell was gazing upon them, which caused them to collapse to the ground. As for the matriarchs, their faces turned ashen, warping with terror.

Leylin took a calculative look at the empress in front of him. Strictly speaking, this could be considered their first meeting.

His relentless gaze transcended the opposing party's demonic charm, instead, he paid more attention to the decorative design on her body.

A moment late, Leylin sighed and responded faintly: "So… You were already seriously injured!"

The suppression of injuries by the branding of runes on the body, as well as the familiar scent, reminded Leylin of the Guardian of the Realm who had perished. The vicious fight with him and the Protectors had obviously caused Anya to suffer serious injuries, leaving her with no choice but to retreat.

Anya looked at the youthful Leylin, showing a bitter smile.

"Do you know? Dark elves' lives are filled with hardships. When I was young, every winter I would witness many dark elves firmly geared up with weaponry. My mother told me they were gearing up for war, and after the war, we would have enough food and provisions to survive…" Anya's face was filled with loss, her voice angelic. The corners of her eyes sparkled.

"My mother told me that, far away on the southern side, there was a huge empire of the human race. It was continuously fighting with us for survival. Hence, every year we suffer huge losses and death. I'd decided then that I would lead an army of dark elves and break this cruel cycle…

"But now, unfortunately, I am unable to do so…"

Anya turned to look at the dark elven camp one more time, and at this moment, an enormous uproar occurred. Several rank 2 matriarchs disregarded the frightening energy wave and stormed straight forward.

"Can you promise me, that you will preserve the dark elven race?" Anya lowered her once arrogant head, pleading.

Looking at the intelligent and well-respected empress of the dark elves in front of him, Leylin nodded his head lightly, "I promise you that I will preserve the dark elves and see that they remain in Twilight Zone…."

"However, what the other Magi do afterwards will be out of my hands. Moreover, whether the dark elves are able to survive within the ecology laboratory is also another unpredictable matter…' These words were left unsaid.

"Thank you so much!" Anya smiled, the crown on her head giving off a glaring ray of light.

The moment Leylin swung his hand, a huge golden Spider appeared and landed in the center of the field. It sat facing the Underground Winter Spiders across it and started hissing loudly.

The Underground Winter Spiders then became increasingly restless, and many of them started to show signs of instability. Some even turned against the dark elven knights riding them and started biting at them.

Aru, the Underground Winter Spider Emperor, had originally been sealed by Longbottom. Leylin had unsealed it after the events at the arena and subdued it for his own use.

To a certain extent, Aru might be the common ancestor of all Underground Winter Spiders, hence to have such unbelievable power for use by him, he was thrilled to possess this killer weapon.

"Here we go!"

Leylin exclaimed lightly, fine black scales appearing on his body and striking Anya's at the same time…

Along with the loud hissing of both opposing spiders and the clash of the two Magi, the two opposing troops on the ground also started to assemble and started the attack in full force, the roar of their voices shaking the earth….

Twilight Zone, year 5782. Magus Leylin Farlier led the human army to crush the army of the dark elves along with their empress. Magus Anya, along with rank 1 and rank 2 matriarchs, were not spared. Together with the rest of the army, they collapsed at the scene and countless lives were lost.

Guardian of the Realm

After Leylin's progression to rank 3 and the defeat of the dark elves, all the dissent and secret plots in the central region quieted down as if they had never existed.

As a newly promoted rank 3 Magus full of vitality, one who wasn't struggling to even protect the realm, Leylin could easily find the time to destroy those guilds that did not subject themselves to his rule. He was poised to control Twilight Zone for centuries to come.

Faced with the pressure from such great power, no matter how unwilling the Magi in the central region were, they dared not offend him.

At this moment, the few survivors from other guilds appeared, diminishing all talk against Leylin.

They were all elite Magi from different guilds, and a few rank 2 judges were also among them. They joined together to testify that what Leylin had said before was the truth, which waived all doubts immediately.

They were all Leylin's captives at that time. Those rank 2 Magi had long since submitted to Leylin. They were not fools. Knowing Leylin's power and their own waning influence, most of them recognised the truth.

Of course, there were some stubborn ones that all perished gloriously in the "war."

Twilight Zone year 5783. Aided by his rank 3 power and the glory of defeating the dark elves, Leylin was pronounced the Guardian of the Realm under the witness of many Magi in the central region.

From then, Leylin became the sole power controlling Twilight Zone's Magi, and the sacrifices and darkness behind his radiant glory were often ignored by the masses.

People would only end up remembering Leylin's glorious achievement of defeating the dark elves. They composed folk songs and legends in his praise, leaving out the hard work of Baelin, Aaron, Vinas, and even the previous Guardian. Those names were buried beneath the documents and historical records concerning Leylin's eternal brilliance, and his legend continued.

After succeeding the title of the Guardian of the Realm, the first order Leylin passed was aimed at making Nature's Alliance the core strength of Twilight Zone. He gathered large masses of Magi to construct the Nature's Alliance Academy at the heart of the central region.

Although Leylin had not planned to do so originally, the present him did have the strength to implement the academy system, reaping great rewards in the process.

After establishing the Nature's Alliance Academy, a few large-scale guilds who had good relationships with the Alliance made a high-profile announcement. They would merge with Nature's Alliance Academy to form a formidable guild. Of course, this was all due to Leylin's control in the background.

Following that, Leylin no longer had to worry. The rapidly rising academy naturally edged out other nearby guilds, continually expanding its capability and area of influence.

It was clear to Leylin that the south coast's model was more just and fair than the guild system followed by Twilight Zone. They had also relinquished the tradition of inheritance from master to disciple. Although there were still many mentors, very few of them continued treating their acolytes like slaves.

Furthermore, how many acolytes could a mentor take on? How could they compare to the large-scale classrooms of an academy?

Many large guilds started to relinquish their narrow-minded restriction of meditation techniques to combine forces, as it would definitely be much stronger than the strength of individual guilds.

This was the success of the system! It was also the improvement of an era, once it became a trend, it could not be stopped!

The guilds that were left behind, in order to not be overshadowed by the academies, also had to establish institutes and enroll many acolytes to survive.

This allowed talented commoners to have a very good chance.

Academies that were more free and open could also accept roaming Magi. Without the meditation technique restriction, it became much simpler for roaming Magi who wanted to join academies.

Leylin had noticed this long ago. Although guilds that practised the same kind of meditation technique were very united, they also became highly xenophobic. After joining a guild, if a Magi did not practice that guild's meditation technique, they became targets for ostracization.

But academies did not face this problem. The flames of the revolution started by Longbottom were also snuffed out gradually by the institution of academies.

Leylin did not actually mind this. What he prioritised was still the meditation techniques of the guilds and their valued research.

Indeed! Under the advocation of fair, just, transparent and free communication by the academy's rules, guilds that joined the academy had to contribute their unique meditation techniques and some precious research.

Under Leylin's leadership, this large amount of precious information was stored in the academy's library for all Magi to peruse, and this trend developed ardently.

It must be said that after relinquishing the narrow-minded notion of a guild, such open communication and probing indeed benefitted the Magi a lot, causing the Magi of Twilight Zone to improve their abilities.

As for these meditation techniques and research, all of it was naturally kindly accepted by Leylin, greatly increasing the A.I chip's database.

It can be said that at this point in time, a large portion of Twilight Zone's meditation techniques and high-level research was pocketed by Leylin, including all precious resources.

Nature's Alliance was now the most influential in the central region. No matter what Leylin desired, as long as it was within Twilight Zone, he needed but to ask. A large number of commoners, acolytes, rank 1 and even rank 2 Magi would unhesitatingly go get it for him no matter the cost.

This was the benefit of authority.

Time passed.

Twilight Zone, year 5785.

Sensing that every party had completed their preparations, Leylin, with his title of Guardian of the Realm, sent out an appeal ordering alliance forces from all regions to recapture the north!

Indeed! After murdering Anya, Leylin chose to retreat and did not directly attack the North region, but that place was now easily obtainable.

It was very clear to him that though he had exceptional abilities, he first had to sort out his own skills. Although impulsively sending troops to defeat the dark elves, recover their lost lands and gain reputation could work out, the real gains would definitely be reaped by others harbouring ambitious schemes.

In addition, at that point in time, he did not have the title of Guardian of the Realm! Leylin was not foolish enough to fight on the front lines and let the Magi at the back reap the fruit of his efforts.

Hence, he would rather watch on as the north's remaining dark elves waged war against the dwarves, gnomes, and even themselves, letting them wear themselves out before he would act.

But now, the time was ripe.

Compared to the previous appeal, Leylin was now the Guardian of the Realm, the ruler of Twilight Zone. The orders of the greatest leader of the Magus world naturally carried more weight.

Once the order was passed down, not only did all the guilds in the central region send out Magi and soldiers to form an alliance, even the east, south and west regions sent out large masses to help.

Something worth mentioning was that Leylin only had true control over two regions— the center and the east.

As for the west and south, their attitudes toward Leylin as the Guardian of the Realm were rather ambiguous.

But Leylin did not care, after organising the center and east, relying on the strength of the academies in these two regions was enough to crush the other party.

He had abstained from doing so earlier because his time was occupied by internal restructuring.

But now? The other regions had also sensed that conditions were not favourable for them, and they started to yield.

After all, sending out armies in accordance to the appeal was an act of allegiance.

Leylin stroked his chin, the corners of his mouth curled up in amusement.

North Twilight Zone.

Throngs of troops lined up neatly and advanced forward constantly.

Meanwhile at the back were large numbers of Magi riding peculiar transports.

The troops were neat and orderly, and unified by the same order, compared to the previous army organised by Leylin, this one seemed much more powerful.

Due to the passing of the dark elven empress three years ago, most of the dark elves had already withdrawn from north Twilight Zone. Only some of the more stubborn members of their race were left struggling along with the dwarves and gnomes.

And such strength, to a congregation of many Magi, especially the human troops led by Leylin, was as insignificant as dust.

The troops had an irresistible force. They conquered expansive plots of land by barely expending any energy and even pushed through to Potti city.

At the entrance of the city, the flag of the dark eves could be seen flying high, amidst thick smog, giving off an ominous feel.

"Potti City! The original line of defence of the north, and also the place where Protector Yade died!" Leylin looked at the few dark elves and sneered, "This is a strategic border town, could it be the dark elves are still dreaming of dividing the land with us?"

"Pass down the order, all troops are to pitch camp here, we will attack tomorrow!"

Leylin casually passed the order to his left and right-hand men, and they passed down the message layer by layer. The entire troop stopped and found themselves suitable spaces to pitch camps. At the moment, the Magi and normal soldiers were busy, but they were not in disorder, displaying the good control Leylin had over his army.

In the center of the closely packed camps was a big gold tent, decorated with exquisite gemstones and incense. There were even teams of Magi patrolling outside of it.

Although the Guardian of the Realm did not fancy all this, it was necessary etiquette.

"Hm?" Leylin who was meditating in the middle of the gold tent suddenly opened his eyes and his mouth turned into a smile.

After a few minutes, a congratulatory voice could be heard "Master!"

"Enter!"

The front curtain was unveiled and a middle-aged man with white hair entered, his being radiated with the scary energy of a rank 2 Magi, but at this moment, he kneeled down on one knee as a form of respect to Leylin.

"Reporting to master! There is a rank 2 matriarch of the dark elves who claims to be an old friend and wants to see you!"

"An old friend?" Leylin smiled, "Let her in."

Allegiance

The rank 2 Magus deferentially accepted the order and left, and minutes later, a rank 2 dark elven matriarch in skintight clothing walked in.

Her face was extremely delicate, her skin pale and exquisite. She was evidently a beauty that was hard to come by, though her expression now held apprehension.

"Alicia! As expected, it's you!" Leylin laughed.

Out of all the dark elves, it was just this one matriarch that he had been standing against for ten or so years in Dolon City, and they could somewhat be considered acquaintances.

"Alicia greets the lord Guardian of the Realm!" The dark elven matriarch Alicia bit her lips, and then knelt and leaned down, respectfully touching her head to the cold ground.

She was still slightly dazed. This young Magus that had contested with her for over ten years had long since reached the apex of the Magus World and had left her far behind. When she saw him, she even needed to kneel. She did not want to do this, yet could not express it on the outside.

From Leylin's point of view, he took in everything, from the pretty and flirtatious matriarch's exquisite jade-like back, rounded taut buttocks, to her slender, firm thighs.

As if noticing Leylin's gaze, a look of bashfulness appeared on Alicia's face, but she secretly wriggled her body, revealing a silent charm.

In her heart, however, she felt an intense feeling of humiliation.

Though dark elves were very open when it came to promiscuity to the point they could have boy toys of different races as well, it was always the dark elves dominating in the psychological aspect, with their mental belief in their stance as masters and owners who were untouchable.

But now? This experience of offering herself up as a gift and fearing the other party not accepting was difficult for Alicia, a matriarch of fewer than 200 years and a very mentally sensitive dark elf.

"So what is your intention in coming here?" Leylin withdrew his gaze. He had always been able to control himself when it mattered.

In addition, after advancing to be a rank 3 Warlock and taking over as the Guardian of the Realm, there were more than enough women wanting to climb into his bed. There had even been dark elves who had attempted this— after the great defeat of the dark elves, there was a large dive in the prices of dark elven slaves in the slave market, and there were many dark elven nobles on sale! It had to be said that because of their great outer appearance and innate skill at magic, dark elves were truly the most suitable choice to be Magus slaves.

Even if Leylin did not express anything, there would be Magi racking their brains on how to please him and sending him captive dark elves for him to enjoy.

"I represent the dark elven race and am here to offer my allegiance to my lord! Please let my race go!" Alicia's voice brought with it sorrow as she continued kneeling, passing over a fine crown and a black crystal.

"This is the symbol of our power—the dark elven crown, as well as the complete volume of the high-grade meditation technique, 'Life Absorption.' We dark elves are willing to completely withdraw from north Twilight Zone, even pulling back till the north of the river. We will also supply top-grade exclusive slaves and many precious resources. Please let us off!" Alicia continued to beg while kowtowing.

"This…" Leylin pondered, fingers circling and rapping to create a regular rhythm.

Alicia's breath almost stopped, awaiting the judgment of destiny in terror and anticipation.

"Fine." Leylin nodded in agreement.

After the human race's allied force recovered the northern region, it lacked the ability to advance and gain more.

In addition, Leylin still had other ideas.

An absolute power meant that once the human race completely extinguished the dark elves, gnomes, and dwarves with his help, they could very well decline quickly due to internal strife. This was not what Leylin wanted to see.

A constant, unyielding external pressure would evidently be able to serve the function of spurring on the humans.

"Many thanks, my lord!" Alicia was so elated she was on the verge of tears.

Though Leylin could immediately enjoy the enthusiastic desire of this matriarch to serve him, he still chased her out.

It was obvious that Alicia's value could not compare to the dark elven crown and high-grade meditation technique.

"Magic equipment— Dark Elven Crown!"

Leylin caressed the surface of this magic equipment. As it had been used recently in the war, the crown's surface was dim, and it seemed unremarkable.

If not for knowing about it beforehand, Leylin might have been tricked by its outer appearance and missed this magic equipment.

In the world of the Magi, magic equipment ranked far above magic artifacts. They held a mysterious power within, and usually, only Magi at rank 3 and higher would have the opportunity to come into contact with one.

[Discovered magic equipment, beginning scan!] [Beep! Scanning complete. 45.9% could not be analysed. Obtained high-grade concealing and icy runes, as well as traces of incomplete high-grade illusory spell formation runes…]

Many prompts from the A.I. Chip appeared.

"This is just the start. If I can completely analyse the inner workings of this magical device, I might even be able to forge my own…"

Leylin could tell that this was a great opportunity for him. He had been unable to improve his alchemy and high-grade enchantment skills in recent times.

"And this!" Leylin picked up that black crystal.

Large amounts of information streamed in front of Leylin's eyes. They were written in the dark elven language, but this was nothing important. Earlier in the eastern region, Leylin had obtained much fundamental academic content through the library in Nature's Alliance. Things like the dark elven language were nothing much.

"Life Absorption!" This was a high-grade meditation technique passed down by the dark elves. Only dark elves who were as powerful as matriarchs were qualified to train in it.

From this, it could be seen that Longbottom had really been doing well with the dark elves, and had gained their trust.

"This meditation technique…" Leylin touched his chin, recalling the information the A.I. Chip had just recorded.

Even though this bit of time was not enough for him to completely analyse the meditation technique, he largely knew its characteristics and uses.

Life Absorption was obviously rated as high-grade and was in the top class even in Twilight Zone. If not, dark elves themselves had many high-grade meditation techniques. Why would they make it a rule that it was a meditation technique to be passed down?

The characteristic of Life Absorption was that it could increase the spiritual force by robbing life force from other creatures, thus helping with breakthroughs.

The higher the level, the easier it was to gain the life force of various creatures. At the end, it could even cause a deathly vortex that was similar to a calamity, and all creatures in range would be attacked regardless of what they were.

However, this meditation technique did have its disadvantages.

As it relied on robbing life force to improve, its foundations were not stable. There had not even been a single matriarch who could break through from the rank 3 level into the Morning Star realm.

Besides, when one reached the more profound parts of the meditation technique, the Magus himself or herself would find their life force disappearing. This could not be compensated with any method other than the life force of other creatures.

The moment the life energy gained was too immense, or if the Magus' rank was too high, the Magi who trained in Life Absorption would lose their life force at a faster rate.

This meant that every time Magi who trained in Life Absorption used it, it meant they were one step closer to the abyss of death. However, with the growth of strength and the later loss of life force, it was like a drug that influenced many Magi to use it and eventually destroy themselves.

"To cultivate in this sort of meditation technique, it's best to find an ancient creature with enough life force and drain all its life force, succeeding in training in this meditation technique all at one go."

Leylin's plentiful experience allowed him to think of a few methods to solve this issue, but he then shook his head.

"It's not just the difficulty in advancing in meditation techniques. Ancient creatures that have great life force cannot be underestimated by even rank 3 Magi… Unless it was their remains…"

At this thought, Leylin naturally thought about the Icy Cave.

If nothing unexpected happened, in the deeper parts of the Icy Cave, the Icy World held within the body of a creature with the strength of at least Morning Star strength, as well as the blood of an even more frightening existence.

"With my current strength, what will it be like if I go to the Icy World?"

Leylin was silent for a while, and a gold light suddenly flashed in his hands, a simple gold coin appeared in his palm.

*Bling!* Leylin flung the coin, and there was a sole golden arc in the air that then landed on the back of his hand.

Leylin lifted his palm and he saw the side with a skull engraved on it pointing up. Its eyes seemed to be ridiculing him with its smirk.

"It won't end up well?" Leylin murmured, and gave up all thoughts of proceeding forth.

*Ka-cha!* Immediately after, a slight crack appeared on the surface of Coin of Destiny.

As the unique magic item, Leylin had created by exhausting his thoughts, Coin of Destiny had the terrifying ability to predict the future!

However, there was also a limit. Though Leylin had given it a sacrifice using the child of destiny, as well as added much spiritual force from Sacred Flame, he did not train in this meditation technique and thus, could not obtain images and specific information. He could only approximate the judgment through positive and negative predictions.

Besides, due to the constraints from Sacred Flame's level and the ranking of the sacrifice, there was a limit to how many times Coin of Destiny could be used.

If he wanted predictions on rank 3 Magi and below, it could be used for a long time, but once it got up to the Morning Star realm, each usage would result in great damage to Coin of Destiny itself and then cause it to fall apart.

Leylin had asked for predictions on the situation if he headed to the icy caves. The skull head was up, implying that if Leylin really did that, it would not end up well for him.

Radiant Guardian

"It's still a no." Leylin kept the Coin of Destiny, feeling slightly crestfallen.

The Coin of Destiny had been cast rather crudely. Due to the involvement of Morning Star Magi, it was already damaged, and if it got worse, Leylin truly had no idea where else he would find a child of destiny to offer as a sacrifice.

Though he could make prophecies the way he had used Aaron, they had no way to make predictions regarding higher-ranked existences, and the risks in that were too huge.

Humans were creatures full of possibilities. If the Magi that Leylin had chosen managed to advance till they were on the same level as Leylin and managed to prophesize his actions, there would be no way Leylin could benefit from it

Leylin would rather use these dead creatures. Though they were troublesome, they were convenient and very safe! That was what he prioritised.

"Even I with my rank 3 strength will meet with dangers that cannot be measured in the Icy World. Looks like that's still a place that I can't peek into." Leylin was clear on his situation. He now held most of Twilight Zone in the palm of his hand and had nothing to be anxious over.

The Icy Cave would always be present, so the things inside would be his sooner or later!

After the entire dark elven race surrendered, all that was left to take care of in the northern region were the gnomes, dwarves and few remaining guilds there.

Leylin could not be bothered with this and used his overbearing power to take care of it.

A few days later, a shocking rumour spread.

Lord Leylin, Guardian of the Realm in Twilight Zone, charged into the dwarves' stronghold, the Taline Caves, alone.

They said that the lord relied on his own power and barged in head on, and went all the way into the dwarves' royal court.

Berserk lightning and the terrifying aura of death constantly shrouded the area. The battle continued for numerous days before it stopped.

From then on, however, the royal dwarven court sent out an announcement, saying that their respected ruler, King Greybeard, and various other important ministers had died from illness. The young dwarven price inherited the throne and immediately withdrew his troops…

The same thing happened in the gnome kingdom.

This time, the explosions could be seen with the naked eye. Their machinery was ruined, and the three godly weapons which represented the peak of their alchemic skills were turned into trash. Many of their outstanding artisans were also kidnapped, and thus they lost many essential resources and research material about advanced alchemy.

From then on, Leylin's fame spread throughout Twilight Zone. Besides humans, even when dark elves and gnomes mentioned him, they did not dare call him by his name. He had been titled the Radiant Guardian.

His image had been recorded as a legend by other races, and news of his being an exceptionally terrifying existence was passed down.

Of course, Leylin had not considered all these. He was now sitting on the most respected gold throne in Potti City and instructing Iren.

"Divide the resources in the newly-recovered northern region, and prioritise the guilds who've sided or displayed their goodwill towards us. As for the rest of the harvest, confiscate it all."

Leylin's intentions in attacking north Twilight Zone was not to be a good samaritan, but to get rich.

Through many years of development, there were various abundant resources in the northern region. Most guilds had died out during the chaotic war, which gave him another excuse to take them over.

As for those lucky enough to survive? Besides those who sided with Leylin's side, whom he gave special treatment to, he was not planning to bother with the rest.

"Then… How about the Magi who've set up organisations there?" Iren was slightly hesitant.

Due to the chaos, not just other races but also other guilds from Twilight Zone had dispatched people to the former north Twilight Zone. They attempted to seize some things and even occupied a small territory, having a long-term confrontation with dark elves and managed to survive with their tenacity.

This was a result of Leylin killing the opposite party's great matriarch in one blow. If not, no matter how gutsy they were, they would not dare even consider this area.

"Handle this in the same way. Also, for those stubborn guilds unwilling to submit to me, arrest them on the grounds of treason and colluding with the enemy. As for the evidence? Just look for Alicia. I'm sure she'll be willing to supply it." Leylin smirked.

This was basically an act to eliminate all outsiders, but Leylin's crushing strength and his advantage of acting on an absolute righteous cause allowed everything to seem calm and organised.

In reality, Leylin was building north Twilight Zone up as the headquarters of Nature's Alliance.

In the other regions, the strength of the Magi made everything tricky, and it was difficult to just insert an exceptionally large-scale guild within.

Nature's Alliance Academy in the central and eastern region had expanded to its peak already.

If this was in the past, Leylin could simply continue expanding outwards, but the situation was now different. Due to the war, the northern region was destroyed by the chaos and many guilds had died out. The nobility and other chains of command had almost completely been wiped out as well.

Though this partly had to do with the cruelty of dark elves, most of it had to do with various organisations who were hidden deep within. Leylin had also played an important role there.

After most of the original organisations in the northern region were purged, it was time for the strong to divide up the feast.

Leylin, who held an absolute advantage and Nature's Alliance Academy, gained the largest part of the benefits!

A few months later, a large branch academy of Nature's Alliance was established there. Besides being a branch in name, the facilities and allocation of staff were based on the highest standards and even bested the headquarters in the central region.

With the completion of the branch academy, Leylin gained complete control of north Twilight Zone. For the two areas which were still hesitating, this was a huge shock.

In the year 5786 of Twilight Zone, the western and southern regions that had only been pledging their allegiance on the surface could no longer hold on and announced their agreement to support Nature's Alliance academy in the central region. They received guidance from the great Guardian of the Realm and built a joint academy.

Twilight Zone was unified, and the prestige of the Guardian of the Realm, Leylin, was deep in the hearts of the masses. Human society also began to develop at a quick rate.

It was a new page of history. The end of the former era, as well as the ascension of the new one, proceeded so quickly that many Magi found it hard to react to.

North Twilight Zone, in Nature's Alliance Academy.

"Crap, I'm going to be late!"

Will quickly got out of bed and hugged his thick notebook and textbook, a sandwich fresh out of the oven in his mouth as he dashed across the roads of the academy.

The academy was illuminated with large amounts of sun stones and eternal flames. There were even bonsai transplanted to the side of the roads for viewing pleasure. This would have been unthinkable in the past.

On the roads, there was the occasional sight of acolytes who were all darting towards their own classrooms.

"Mentor Jeline's reaction field theory is so profound. I don't understand at all…"

"The principle behind the construction of spell models is very important. It is the basis of all spell models that can be performed, and it needs to be solid. There cannot be any mistake!"

"It's almost time for the academy competition. Rumours say that the victor can even get guidance from an official Magus!"

Many conversations flew into Will's ear, and there were even many familiar voices. However, his feet did not stop moving as he ran at a flying speed.

As an acolyte chosen from among the commoners, he truly appreciated this hard-to-come-by opportunity.

It was because he had been up studying till late last night that he had overslept.

After passing by the teaching plaza, all acolytes would respectfully bow towards a statue in the middle.

The statue was carved out of black dazzling stone and formed the image of a handsome young man. His gaze was set far away, as if surveying the scene in the distance from his elevated position. Under the statue, these words were carved in the language of Twilight Zone—

'Distinguished Guardian of the Realm, Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Magus, the founder of Nature's Alliance Academy, once gloriously killed the dark elven empress, dwarven king and gnome prophet in battle, saving all humankind. The patron saint of Twilight Zone, he also has other names, such as the Hand of Sacred Light, the Glorious Guardian and so on…'

"The lord Guardian of the Realm!"

Will bowed slightly towards the statue, admiration apparent in his expression, "If only I could become such a mighty Magus one day…"

Immediately after, however, he couldn't help but laugh. He really was imagining the wildest things.

Some time after passing by the sculpture, Will couldn't help but turn back and look, only to find a figure under the statue that had the exact same face as the sculpture.

"It's- " Wale's eyes widened, but when he looked once more, the figure had disappeared, as if all he had seen was merely an illusion.

*Shua!* Celine drew the curtains, and the giant French window revealed the current bustling, lively situation of Nature's Alliance.

"How is it to see the splendour you created by your own hand?"

Celine laughed as she embraced Leylin's waist from the back.

"Also, welcome back! You've stayed in the laboratory for about fifteen years, haven't you?"

Celine gently placed her head on Leylin's back.

She, who had tasted power, was now even more alluring than beautiful, as enchanting as a poppy.

However, Celine was very aware where her power and status had come from. This was especially so during the period of debauchery Leylin had engaged in when in the central region. She had, at that time, come to realise exactly how stable her position had been. She had even abandoned her work in the east and dashed to Leylin's side.

It was a pity that Leylin's thoughts were all on gathering high-grade meditation techniques and all sorts of information, giving Celine the cold shoulder.

"I don't really feel anything." Leylin was quite indifferent to all this. The reason why he had established an academy was just so that it would be more convenient for him gather meditation techniques and precious resources.

Discovery of A Warlock

Celine watched Leylin who was bathing in the light from the sun stones, seemingly intoxicated by the sight.

Leylin still retained his handsome young appearance, as if the passing of time did not leave any traces on him. He, who was glimmering with golden rays, seemed to be a war god wrapped in golden robes.

It was this young man who had already reached the apex in Twilight Zone, having seized immense authority that nobody could even imagine of possessing!

"How are the results of the experiment?" Celine asked.

"Quite alright!" Though there was a smile on his face, it seemed slightly dark, and Celine tactfully did not ask further.

Leylin's hand groped around her body, but his thoughts were someplace else.

Through supplements from numerous high-grade meditation technique, the A.I. Chip's meditation technique databank was becoming even more complete, and it had even simulated the fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil!

However, Leylin was still slightly worried. He planned on searching for the original Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique to compare as well as improve his own. It was always better to be more careful when it came to anything that had to do with the spirit.

If the situation with the meditation technique was a good thing, there was something else that made Leylin's mood the worst it could be. He looked at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality: 35.7, Spiritual force: 206.5, Magic power: 206 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force).]

"Fifteen years! It's been fifteen whole years, and the improvement in my meditation technique has been slight. If not for the numbers given by the A.I. Chip, I would have suspected I had completely stopped improving."

Leylin's expression was dark. In these fifteen years, he had hovered around the level of a rank 3 Warlock that had just advanced. He had not even reached the Vapour Phase of his spiritual force. This speed was making him go crazy.

Though Leylin liked to enjoy himself, those were things he did while he was not increasing his strength. At his level, he might not have a rival in Twilight Zone and be the tyrant he was. However, how was this the life that he wanted?

Before obtaining the greatest strength at the apex, Leylin did not plan to slow his footsteps.

"The resources of Twilight Zone are plentiful for rank 1 and 2 Magi, but for rank 3, they're insufficient. In addition, based on calculations by the A.I. Chip, to become a rank 3 Magus with gaseous spiritual force, I need to have a Vapour Phase spell formation, but it doesn't exist in Twilight Zone!"

Leylin pondered, "In addition, there's still the Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique. Though the A.I. Chip has simulated a portion of it, it's better to get the original and refer to it."

"All these can't be obtained in Twilight Zone!"

Leylin made his mind, while the beautiful woman beside him let out a frail gasp.

Leylin, who had come back to himself, realised that his hand seemed to have reached a very deep place that was causing Celine to let out pants.

Without telling Celine his plans, Leylin embraced and ferociously rolled her onto the bed…

...

Even though he enjoyed this pleasure, Leylin did not lose himself to it. He rejected Celine's suggestion of gathering the Magi of Nature's Alliance Academy and instead left, keeping a low profile and travelling around Twilight Zone.

On one hand, Leylin was filled with curiosity about Twilight Zone. After all, he had never truly toured the area, and only gathered information through maps and the information in the A.I. Chip, which was only one aspect of it.

More importantly, Leylin wanted to try his luck. He might even be fortunate enough to discover the legacy of some ancient Magus!

Leylin rejected Celine's requests to accompany him and went on the road since he was used to travelling alone.

He weaved through Twilight Zone. He went deep into the nests of darkness creatures, but also headed to the edge of the world, to see the Magma Sea that stretched as far as the eye could see.

While journeying, Leylin disguised himself as a common wandering Magus. With the A.I. Chip and directions from the coin of destiny, he found quite a few inheritances and the like.

It was a pity that these were all small harvests, and were dispensable to Leylin.

The more dangerous areas, such as Icy World and the Weeping Ghost Grounds that were extremely terrifying, would cause damage to the coin of destiny and were not places Leylin could go to as of yet.

Even so, with his own instincts and the slight directions of the coin, Leylin continued to wander.

A thick darkness constantly shrouded around the earth, and only the light on the carriage persisted, illuminating the surrounding area.

"Is that Grand Ivy Canyon is a ruin left behind by Morning Star Magi?"

On the carriage, Leylin was conversing with another wandering Magus.

Leylin was now concealing his frightening rank 3 aura, and also made adjustments to his outer appearance. Nobody would be able to recognise him as the legendary Glorious Guardian.

After all, he did not want to be surrounded and watched everywhere he went.

He was now having a delightful conversation with a wandering Magus he had just met.

"Yes! I once excavated the outer portions of a ruin and found part of a sculpture there… The surrounding aboriginal culture has also recorded this matter." The slender blue-haired Magus with a goatee was speaking excitedly.

His name was Pharen. Though he was merely a rank 1 official Magus, he was unusually interested in travelling and adventures. He had once explored many famous ruins and had a great reputation amongst wandering Magi.

Leylin listened quietly while sitting beside him, occasionally asking a few questions and providing opinions, which caused Pharen's eyes to sparkle.

With his current knowledge, there were few in Twilight Zone who could be compared with him. With just a few words, Pharen was full of praise for him.

Leylin chatted with him once in a while, forcing down the anxiety in his heart.

"I forcefully made a prophecy while disregarding the damage done to the Coin of Destiny. I finally found out that the way to improve further is in the west, but now that I'm here and almost at the Magma Sea, why haven't I discovered anything yet?"

Leylin dug his hands into his bosom and caressed the surface of the coin of destiny.

On the simple gold coin, there were already two fine cracks, causing Leylin to feel pain in his heart.

"Oh! By the way, may I know what Sir Reynold's intentions are in accompanying me deep inside here?" Pharen asked.

This was a question that had been in his heart for a long time.

"This is the common territory of the dark elves and dwarves. Though us humans have now seized control, if they see us in the outskirts, we could easily be surrounded and attacked."

"There are a few things I have to take care of. Besides, I want to see that magnificent scene you mentioned about the lava tides." Leylin laughed slightly in answer.

Pharen's eyes brightened, feeling like he had found someone who could understand himself.

"Not bad. Based on my guesses, the lava tides that are going to burst out will be the largest in a whole century! They might even surge to the surface!" Pharen's face was flushed.

"That's impossible. There are several hundred kilometres of earth crust until we reach the surface!" While Leylin said this, his heart suddenly lurched.

The surface? This was something worth considering. Perhaps the directions from the coin of destiny had to do with this.

Of course, Leylin was not going to start fantasising and think that he could use the magma and break through the crust. That was something even Morning Star Magi might not be able to do.

"But this is still possible in theory. As long as I find a suitable place and channel, such as a volcano…"

Leylin touched his chin, thinking that he would need to inspect a few lava lakes that could link him to the surface.

While Leylin was deep in thought, a strange undulation caused him to awaken in surprise.

"This is…" Red rays flashed in his eyes, "A resonance with my bloodline… Who is it?"

He abruptly looked in a direction, stirred up and grim.

"What's going on?" Pharen waved his hand curiously, and the carriage stopped.

Immediately after, he felt Magi's energy fluctuations travelling from the direction Leylin was looking at.

"So it's a battle between Magi! Sir Reynold's acuity is truly admirable!" Pharen sighed in heartfelt awe.

Just this extraordinary sensory ability made it clear that this Magus called Reynold was ranked far above him.

An energy aura far away sensed something and began to head in this direction at a mad dash.

"Sir Reynold, it looks like they are going to use us as a shield!" Pharen sneered.

Such a scheme was as crude and laughable as a little tease in the eyes of Magi. However, seeing someone dared provoke himself, Pharen's eyes flashed with an icy glint.

*Shoo!* A brownish-yellow ray launched over.

The response from his bloodline became more intense.

The yellow light stopped in front of the carriage, revealing a middle-aged Magus. His skin let off a bronze light, and there were numerous traces of burning on his skin. The lines on his face were resolute, and even while heavily injured, he still emanated the charm of a mature man. What was even more eye-catching were his eyes, which was a pair of amber pupils!

"A Warlock! He's definitely a Warlock, and he has a deep relationship with my bloodline!"

Leylin's eyes met with the other's, and they immediately understood each other's identities.

After seeing Leylin, the middle-aged Magus' expression slackened and he produced something like an emblem to Leylin, "My lord, please save me!"

He used the Byron Language, which was a mandatory subject for all Magi. Leylin naturally understood.

*Thud!* As if he had relaxed too much, the middle-aged man could not hold on any longer and collapsed, fainting on the ground.

*Pak!* The emblem accurately fell in the palm of Leylin's hand.