Hot On The Heels
"Rescanning. Confirmed to be a Morning Star Magus!" As the spirit genie's voice rang out, the person in charge was silenced. One instance could be considered a glitch, but what if it happened a second or third time?
He watched the figure on the screen in disbelief, "What level is he at? Display his star grade!"
The screen quickly changed, "Target is Leylin Farlier. Saved data: Four Stars."
"What a joke! Rescan him." He was practically yelling at this point.
*Swish!* An energy bar appeared, and the four star level was filled almost instantly. The meter arrived at five stars.
"So it's a peak Morning Star. It's no wonder that he can contend with Lord Stuart. But don't worry, he can't hold on for long…"
He sighed suddenly, but immediately after, the monitoring staff pulled him to look at the screen once more. In that moment, he practically turned to stone.
On the screen, the meter filled up even the five star grade, and then burst through it!
The screen glitched out and was restarted. The spirit genie then gave another evaluation.
"A Morning Star at the Six Star grade! It's a monster, a monster!" He collapsed feebly onto his chair.
"My Lord! What do we do?" The staff watched the man in charge, hesitating to speak.
"What else can we do? Activate the most powerful defences and ensure that their battle won't affect any other regions. We can't handle the other matters…" The man's eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.
...
Weyers was on the battlefield, and he slowly gained more clarity on Leylin's strength.
"This level of strength…" Weyers watched the giant phantom of a serpent soaring through the sky as it let loose terrifying sounds. He had become slightly dazed, "This is definitely stronger than a Five Star. Is he a legendary Six Star Morning Star?"
There were only five normal ranks for Morning Stars. However, history always produced frightening geniuses that defied common sense. This was the Six Star grade! A Morning Star who could match up to a Radiant Moon!
"He's actually reached this level?" Weyers clutched his fists tightly, thinking about his pride at breaking through to Four Stars, and he suddenly flushed red. He wanted to find a place to hide in.
*Swish! Swish!* Large numbers of elites rushed over, looking solemn and preparing for death.
Platinum flames flashed, and Weyers stood in their way, "I'll take over here. Step back for now."
Though he was envious, he still had to abide by their agreement. Weyers watched these guards and the Morning Star that arrived behind them in a lofty manner, and offered his greetings…
*Boom!* A tremendous energy tornado split open, and a blackened Stuart was ruthlessly sent flying as he arrived beside Weyers.
Leylin threw the Morning Star Magus to the ground, the black gas already completely removed from him.
"It's a Magus from Jupiter's Lightning!" "The spirit undulations are correct as well. I've seen him once before, and those can't be hidden!"
Many Morning Stars looked at each other.
"Everyone can see that Lord Leylin was merely attacking the Magus from the opposing organisation, Jupiter's Lightning. Based on the decree of the Monarch of the Skies, our Sky City is to maintain a neutral stance," Weyers stood up and spoke righteously.
Many Morning Star Magi exchanged glances, and watched Leylin who did not back down despite his injuries. In the distance, Stuart looked exasperated as he maintained his silence.
Leylin and Weyers glanced at each other, grinning. The outcome had been decided.
...
Information about this huge battle in Sky City spread like a storm.
The Warlock Leylin took on a Radiant Moon Magus by himself, only suffering light injuries to capture a Morning Star Magus from the other party. His name spread far and wide, and Stuart had been delegated to a supporting role.
The commotion grew further and further, dwarfing that over the Sage Appraisal.
Now, Weyers watched on as a black airship left Sky City from a private port. A strange expression was on his face.
The person leaving was naturally Leylin. Though he had successfully taken care of the Magus from Jupiter's Lightning and humiliated Stuart, he had completely ruffled the feathers of Sky City.
After all, he had ruthlessly attacked on of their esteemed elders in their own territory! If not for Weyers helping him control the situation, the Magi of Sky City might have just declared war against him.
Weyers obviously did not go uncompensated for his help. They had discussed that part beforehand, which was the only reason Leylin was cocky enough to rush to the frontlines.
Even then, knowing that he was garnering too much attention, Leylin did not dare stay in Sky City much longer. He accepted Weyers' proposal and went through unofficial channels to be baptised by the Endowing Scepter, keeping a low profile along the way. With his vitality increased by about 20 points, he secretly left the area, not participating in the appraisal.
As long as he obtained the profits, Leylin did not particularly care for such a title, and he tossed the conversation he'd had with the Monarch of the Skies to the back of his mind.
Leylin looked at his stats.
[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 94.9, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956(Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul Force: 96 (Five Stars)]
"My vitality increased by 20 points, which means my body is pretty much adapted to the increased soul force now. The Endowing Scepter was truly essential!"
Leylin couldn't help but mumble to himself as he recalled the scepter.
He had realised during the baptism that the Endowing Scepter was the energy core of Sky City. If it was attacked, the entire city would fall to the ground, leading to a horrifying disaster.
The Endowing Scepter was not an actual scepter, but instead a gigantic energy reaction furnace. Its refined looped structure was something Leylin admired, and he had the impulse to steal it and study it.
Leylin suddenly came back to himself, a slight smile about his lips. "It's about time they caught up to me."
*Rumble!* Immense energy undulations swept through the area, and the Colossal Serpent vanished in a puff of smoke. Leylin, who had been prepared, merely stood in mid-air while staring at Stuart who had suddenly appeared ahead of him.
...
Within Sky City, Weyers watched the direction Leylin had left in, and muttered to himself, "Though I agreed to help you take on the pressure from Sky City, you'll need to deal with Stuart's retaliation yourself!"
His gaze was full of complicated feelings, "Leylin, I admit that you're the biggest genius I've seen, to the point that you can tussle with a rank 5. However, the disparity between ranks is not something one can step across so easily…"
In the battle before, Leylin had successfully captured the Morning Star Magus alive, but he had also paid the price of getting injured. Meanwhile, Stuart had been covered in dirt, but he had no real injuries.
Now that he was away from Sky City, it was hard to tell the outcome if he was was caught.
The most likely outcome was that, after an intense battle, Stuart would end up with serious injuries and Leylin would wind up dead.
Insanity flashed in Weyers' eyes, "There needs only be one true genius, and that will be me!"
"Is he gone?" Flames flickered, and a Magus stood beside Weyers that looked similar to him. The Radiant Moon energy he gave off was even more terrifying than Stuart's.
He glanced at Weyers with a look of encouragement, "You did well this time! With Stuart dejected, our organisation can now make ourselves known in Sky City!"
"Leylin's already gone. I've also received news that Stuart has followed him!" Weyers' voice held a trace of laughter. Weyers daring to oppose Stuart was not because he was a fool, but because someone else was backing him.
"Weyers, do you know why His Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies, promised not to interfere in the battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning? A Radiant Moon isn't nearly enough for His Majesty to do this…"
The Radiant Moon looked serious as he spoke.
"Could it be…" Weyers' expression changed.
...
"Leylin, you can't run this time. I will return the humiliation you gave me today tenfold! No, a hundredfold!" Stuart's voice was distorted, and his expression vicious.
Though Leylin was powerful, his total strength could still not match up to his own. This was what he had depended on when he chased after Leylin. Besides, he had help today, and could absolutely kill Leylin here!
...
Meanwhile, Jupiter's Lightning headquarters, in a Magus Tower.
"Is it all prepared? It's about to begin!"
Observing the bubbling Pond of Lamentation, Zegna's expression fluctuated as a female voice was heard.
"This will consume 21% of the Pond of Lamentation's energy reserves, and might even affect your transformation! Have you thought it through properly?"
"I've thought it through enough. Do it!" Zegna's voice was low.
"Alright! Give me a portion of the control rights…"
Mysterious, complicated incantations sounded in the secret room, and multiple black masks arose, disappearing into the void.
"Hm?" Leylin, who was facing Stuart, had a change in expression.
Large numbers of black masks suddenly surrounded his body, sticking onto his face.
[Beep! Host has been inflicted with a curse. Vitality and soul force have weakened!] the A.I. Chip's voice transmitted.
"A curse? And it's a long-distance ancient curse?" Leylin's pupils shrank.
"Haha… You're fated to die here. I will extract your soul and torture you for a thousand years!" Stuart laughed madly before he charged forth.
A terrifying rank 5 spell formed a snarling black monster that opened its large, ferocious mouth in Leylin's direction.
"Scarlet Earring!" Red light flashed from Leylin's ears, and a crescent-shaped blade of scarlet light slashed out…
Usage
The scarlet crescent of light slashed through the sky. The humongous black monster howled in grief as it disintegrated into black vapour and dispersed.
From the black vapour came Stuart's voice, full of fear, "A piece of high-grade magic equipment! You actually have a piece of high-grade magic equipment!"
He looked at the crimson earring hanging on Leylin's ear, his eyes filled with restraining fear and insatiable greed, "I'll kill you! All of this will be mine!"
'A.I. Chip, begin resisting the radiation from the curse, and find the source!' Leylin looked solemn as he secretly gave the command. If it was in the past, such an ancient curse would be highly troublesome to deal with, but with the vast amount of information from the Great Library as his trump card, and the A.I. Chip's ability to successfully quantify soul force, he had formed a decent database, allowing him to resist.
The same went for the Scarlet Earring. Before he thoroughly understood its origin and functions, he didn't dare to use it much. However, he had managed to find the history of and a detailed introduction to the Scarlet Earring in the Great Library, including operational instructions. This naturally allowed this piece of high-grade magic equipment to be put to full use.
Most of the magic equipment circulating around the central continent was low-grade. Middle-grade magic equipment was rare, and high-grade magic equipment would make even Radian Moons green with envy!
His ability to use the Scarlet Earring had boosted Leylin's strength tremendously in one go, especially against things such as suppressive curses like now.
[Beep! Task established, begin projection of soul interference. Searching for source of curse!] The A.I. Chip immediately intoned.
A layer of light yellow light was emitted from Leylin's body, while the numerous black masks rushed up like moths to the flame.
'A curse way beyond my expectations! And with such horrifying crippling abilities! It must've been cast by a Radiant Moon. I'm 90% sure Zegna is behind this. Who would've thought that he had talent in the field of curses…'
An icy glare flashed in Leylin's eyes. Even he could not deploy such an ancient curse, especially if it was a technique that involved crossing space. This even exceeded the boundaries of what a rank 5 could do!
'Or maybe… Someone is helping him? An even stronger Magus at that?' This idea had Leylin face turning darker. Not only did he have to fight against two rank 5 Magi who had joined forces, he had to pay even more attention to as mysterious high-ranking Magus who was spying on him.
"I really underestimated you previously!" Seeing that the black masks attacking Leylin from all sides were decreasing in number, Stuart unexpectedly did not continue attacking him, but instead started to gasp.
'He actually has a method to resist the ancient curse. He may be at the peak of a Morning Star formally, but his strength is comparable to that of a Radiant Moon Magus! And he even possesses a piece of high-grade magic equipment! If I had known all this earlier, I wouldn't have taken action even if Zegna multiplied his remuneration by tenfold!'
No matter how he felt, Stuart was a Magus after all. After his rage had subsided, he regained his senses and grew rational.
However, Leylin had a rather bad feeling about Stuart's calm and straightforward manner of speaking.
"What a pity… Since the seeds of hatred have already been planted, I will not allow them to take root and germinate!" Stuart looked at Leylin with a profound look in his eyes, "If I cannot make you fall today, the day you advance to rank 5 will be judgement day for me! Even the Monarch of the Skies will not be able to save me…"
Leylin was silent, and didn't say much. Indeed, his enemy understood him best. Once he had sufficient strength in the future, he would definitely return for revenge and even eliminate him completely. He was not the only one who thought of this, as Stuart had as well. Neither of them tried to conceal it.
"So you must die here today, lest I be destroyed and return to the astral plane!" Stuart was resolute. Bizarre undulations appeared on his body, and the rings of light representing his five innate spells flickered into existence behind him. Even spacetime seemed to have been frozen at that moment.
"A Radiant Moon Arcane Art?!" Leylin's expression was extremely solemn.
Morning Stars, powered by their point masses, could combine their four innate spells to produce the Morning Star Arcane Art, and Radiant Moons could do the same with their five. This terrifying fusion of powers was strong enough to cause massive destruction even at rank 4; how strong, then, would it be at rank 5?
Leylin had never seen a Radiant Moon Arcane Art before, but it was evident that the entirety of Sky City would be hard pressed to survive Stuart's attack.
If not, he would have long used his Radiant Moon Arcane Art when he was humiliated then. He wouldn't have been so afraid of the Monarch of the Skies and forced himself to endure for so long before finally taking action now!
This place was rather far from Sky City. Even if the undulations spread to the Sky City, its defence mechanisms and the Magi inside would be able to handle it. Thus, Stuart could go all out without any qualms!
At this moment, Leylin seemed to have seen Stuart's truesoul through his point mass! His soul was sparkling with the frigid, dazzling radiance of a crescent moon!
'The superposition of innate spells to form a Morning Star Arcane Art does not result in a simple additive effect. With the introduction of a fifth, rank 5 innate spell, the formidability of a Radiant Moon Arcane Art is definitely exponentially greater. It should be at least ten times as strong, if not more!'
Leylin stared at the fused rings of light behind Stuart, fear rising within him. They were rippling with a bright radiance that seemed like it could destroy the world in one sweep!
"Stuart has really firmed his resolve. He actually dared to show his Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main world!" Leylin sighed deeply and didn't go on the offensive directly. While Stuart was casting the Arcane Art, a frightening protective mechanism had automatically formed around him. If he attacked now, he might have to face the dreadful wrath of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art directly!
'The disparity between our powers is too large. Such a formidable strength is enough to cause my fall!' Leylin's face flushed red. 'The only way now is to….'
He slowly took off the white glove on his left hand, revealing an imprint in the form of a sun that was surrounded by black flames.
[Beep! Curse procedure found. Initializing tracking mode. Source confirmed.] At this instant, the A.I. Chip brought him a piece of good news.
"Might as well settle them together then!" Leylin's eyes glistened as he rushed towards Stuart…
...
Sky City.
"What does that mean? Didn't Leylin obtain an agreement of neutrality from the Monarch of the Skies in exchange for the coordinates of the Lava World and his outstanding strength that could match a Radiant Moon's?" Weyers gazed at his elder, puzzled.
The Radiant Moon Magus, however, shook his head. Weyers could even detect a bitter smile at the corners of his lips, much to his astonishment.
This elder of his was relatively strong among the Radiant Moon Magi, so why would he have such an expression? Could it be that Leylin's strength had already grown to the extent that even he felt helpless?
Weyers shook his head firmly, as though trying to expel this thought from his brain. He didn't consider that the more he did this, the deeper this conjecture took root in his mind.
*Rumble!* Horrifying vibrations were transmitted over, accompanied by dazzling white light.
"This is… a Morning Star Arcane Art? No! An energy undulation more terrifying than a Morning Star Art… Could it be Leylin?" Weyers lifted his head, gazing at the bright flames in the distance with a glint in his eyes.
"Stuart could not control himself in the end!" The Radiant Moon Magus sighed deeply, then said to Weyers, "You're lucky to be able to witness a Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main world; and even other, greater things!"
"Greater things?" Weyers was rather confused, but soon after his mouth dropped agape in shock.
What did he see? A sun! An existence from ancient times, a boundless sun that was incomparably vast! It suddenly eclipsed the radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art.
The degree of heat and undulations of heat waves emitted by it struck terror in his heart. Weyers knew that even a thread of those flames was sufficient to seriously injure or even kill him!
Under the rays coming from this sun, the white radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art popped like a bubble. The corona had grown enormous and still continued to expand, quickly spreading to the outskirts of Sky City.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Numerous defensive spell formations shattered one by one. Terrifying golden-red heat rays intruded into the place, and it was as though the sky had disintegrated and the sun had fallen. Many buildings collapsed as the entirety of Sky City descended into chaos.
"Ah…" Weyers' jaw hung open. He had never imagined that Sky City, which had always been incomparably stable and never experienced a single tremor, would waver like a small sailboat in the stormy seas under such a horrifying attack, facing destruction and death at any moment.
Under the dreadful might of a rank 6 spell, even Sky City, the most academic progress in the entire central continent, was on the verge of collapse!
The humongous floating city wobbled violently in the storm of pure gold flames, seemingly about to fall apart any moment!
"This cannot do! We must escape as quickly as possible, and be far away from the range of this spell. This is utterly terrible…" Weyers murmured to himself.
Just as his defence mechanism could hold no longer, a hand landed on Weyers' back, stabilising him instantly.
"Don't panic! We still have our lord! The Monarch of the Skies will not sit still and allow the fall of Sky City!"
The words of the Radiant Moon Magus seemed to have a strong reassuring effect, allowing Weyers to recover from his previous state. Still, the shock in his pupils did not fade for a long time.
"That spell… Is it… No! That's no longer a spell! It's the law! The law of fire!" Weyers had never acted like this before. Never had he felt that he was so immensely insignificant and powerless. The disparity between him and Leylin was huge.
*Chirp!* Spotless white feathers floated down like snowflakes, accompanied by pleasing chirps. They firmly wrapped around the entire city, blocking out the flames.
With the assistance of this strange force, Sky City started to regain its stability.
"It's the Monarch of the Skies! He has made a move!" The Radiant Moon Magus gasped.
The numerous Magi in the Sky City kowtowed devoutly in the direction of the Drifting Garden, expressing their gratitude to the monarch for saving their lives.
Surging Waves Through The Continent
The Monarch of the Skies wrapped his city up in a strange energy barrier, and the tremors grew less violent.
After the energy storm outside passed, Weyers looked at the sight not too far away from him, and suddenly cried out involuntarily, "The thunder layer of Akev! Where has the thunder layer of Akev gone to?"
Below Sky City was originally a gigantic sea made of black thunderclouds. This was a natural skyscape that acted as the first defence of Sky City.
Even Crystal Phase Magi would find it so difficult to pass through it was practically impossible.
Now, however, the gigantic sea of black thunder clouds had disappeared, leaving only a fog formed of condensation.
"Obviously, everything has been destroyed. Even the city itself has been reduced to this state…" The Radiant Moon Magus laughed wryly.
Weyers recovered from his surprise and glanced at Sky City, which was now in ruins, and lowered his head as if in disappointment.
Even if they had been protected by the Monarch of the Skies, which prevented the city from being destroyed completely, most of the buildings had been devastated by the firestorm. Even if the core hadn't been destroyed, the losses were still hard to estimate.
Even most of the gigantic floating island had been burnt to a crisp, and it seemed incomparably ugly.
"Wha- What's going on? Could Leylin have done this? How's that possible?" Weyers' eyes looked lost.
"The peak of rank 6, a power that's already beginning to touch on the might of laws. That should be the ancient Sun's Child's 'Sun Scorching Nirvana'!" The Radiant Moon Magus' voice was solemn. "Leylin was somehow able to obtain the bloodline of the Sun's Child, and he's probably unrivalled in his knowledge on bloodline spells. To be able to recreate ancient attacks like this using a bloodline imprint…"
"Leylin?" Weyers grew bitter. "Then Stuart…"
"With Sky City in this state, how do you think he ended up?" The Radiant Moon sighed slightly, "We were still colleagues…"
Seeing his colleague fall just like that, he wasn't feeling that good.
"Stuart went against my decree and took part in the battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning. I hereby declare his expulsion from Sky City!" An odd voice rang in Sky City.
"It's the Monarch of the Skies' voice!" Weyers cried out involuntarily. " "Even His Majesty isn't willing to provoke Leylin?"
Only now did he realise the disparity between Leylin and him, to the point that he felt utter despair…
...
*Rumble!* The void was shattered, and large amounts of golden-red flames surged into the area.
'What is that?' Zegna had this one thought before he was swallowed up by the golden-red flames in an instant as he cried out sharply.
The golden-red flames did not let anything slip by and began to wreak havoc on the surroundings. Even the Magus Tower of a rank 5 Radiant Moon Magus could do nothing against it.
The faint sound of a woman's piercing scream was sent out from Zegna's arm.
"Damn it, it's the ancient Sun's Child!"
"Curse of ancient times, heed my command. Show me the wrath of time and space…" The woman's voice quickly chanted.
*Tss tss!* Accompanying the strange and terrifying incantations, the black gases in the Pond of Lamentation surged outside, tangling with the sun's flames.
Multiple distorted souls appeared in the air, forming a durable layer of light that disallowed the roasting flames entry.
Once the storm passed, the black streams of gas from the Pond of Lamentation had decreased by a large amount, and all that was left of Zegna was a charred arm on the ground.
*Whoosh!* The charred arm exploded, and flesh and blood began to grow at a rapid rate, forming Zegna once more.
Now, however, his expression was terrible, and he had frightful burn marks on his body.
"The ancient flames of the sun thankfully exploded a fair distance away from us, and through the and a great part of its might was reduced through the spacetime channel. If not, it wouldn't be just you losing your life…" The mysterious woman's voice sounded.
"Damn it, DAMN IT! How did it come to this? Everything should have been smooth-sailing… Ugh…"
Zegna roared in his fury, but suddenly, he stopped, as if his throat was being clutched. Little flames were beginning to burn on his body once more.
"The Sun's Child was at the peak of rank 6 Magi, and a being beginning to comprehend laws. Its flames hold within some of the power of law, and cannot be so easily taken care of!"
A hint of helplessness could be heard in her voice. Large amounts of water from the Pond of Lamentation flew into the air, forming a black robe and draping over Zegna.
"Ugh…" Zegna sighed in satisfaction. After he wore the black robe, the terrifying golden-red flames finally went out.
"Sun's Child? How did he do that?" Zegna was puzzled, and even afraid. He had to admit that Leylin was full of miracles, and seemed to be his nemesis.
"I don't know." Narsha's voice turned cold. "What you need to worry about is the Pond of Lamentation… To save a fool like you, I consumed more than half of its energy. You need to begin amassing resources more…"
"What?" When Zegna saw that there was only a thin layer of black gas left, his face fell, "That's not possible! I put in all of my accumulated wealth to construct this…"
"Then you'll need to launch the next plan…" She spoke slowly.
The secret room descended into silence, and only after a very long while could a low sound of acknowledgement be heard.
...
The incident in Sky City ended with the fall of a Radiant Moon Magus. The fall of someone of such status immediately swept through the continent like a hurricane.
This was a great rank 5 Magus! There were few of them even in the entire central continent, and they were truly among the top strata of the Magus World's society. They were the goals of all young Magi, and each one held an immense reputation for their battle strength. Even if they weren't in control of the large organisations, their statuses were second only to Monarchs. Their experiences could be written down as legend, forming an enriching story!
Someone like that had actually fallen? And at the hands of a Morning Star Magus?
The first reaction most Magi had after hearing this was disbelief, but when conclusive evidence was shown, and especially with the announcement of Stuart's subsequent expulsion by the Monarch of the Skies, the central continent sank into a strange silence.
The Magi collectively lost their voices. This was killing a Radiant Moon at the Morning Star realm! It was no longer the purview of a genius. Leylin was a demon!
If he could even kill Radiant Moons, what were Morning Stars worth? How many organisations had Breaking Dawn Monarchs in their midst in the central continent?
Hence, many Magi organisations added Leylin to the list of people they absolutely could not provoke. The Ouroboros Clan even received regular expressions of goodwill and discreet inquiries, both out in the open and in the shadows. It kept the two dukes extremely busy.
The main character in this story—the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock, and the most powerful Morning Star in history— went missing. Duke Leylin Farlier had mysteriously disappeared from the public eye.
...
Torrential rain fell down from the skies. There was lightning everywhere, and one could see meteorites every once in a while.
The heart of the fight between the Radiant Moon Arcane Art and rank 6 bloodline imprint had been in Sky City, but close to 10% of the central continent had been affected. Abnormality in the climate was only a small part of it; spatial rifts had opened up everywhere, and would likely have to be closed up by Monarchs.
A secret room had been opened in the middle of a desolate mountain. There were no channels for external communication, and countless concealing runes filled the surroundings, sealing this place up.
A figure dressed in tattered platinum robes was half-leaning on the rock walls, observing the back of his hands and looking deep in thought.
"My battle might right now is comparable to Radiant Moons! On top of that, the bloodline imprint of the rank 6 Sun's Child has an immensely terrifying radiation. Even if all the Prophets in the central continent work together, they still won't be able to track me down…"
Leylin was very confident in his hiding abilities. It would require a Breaking Dawn Prophet to act, and even they would only be able to find slight traces of him. However, there were few such Magi across all of history, and there were likely none in the present. Hence, he was rather at ease when it came to his safety.
"I never thought that the backlash from the Sun's Flames would be so immense!" Recalling the scene from that day, a wry smile appeared about his lips. Under the threat of Stuart's Radiant Moon Arcane Art, Leylin had brazenly used the bloodline imprint on his left hand and launched a terrifying attack.
It was as if the ancient Sun's Child had been revived. The moment Sun Scorching Nirvana was launched, the Radiant Moon Arcane Art was torn apart, and even Stuart had fallen there and then.
That was not all. Leylin had even followed the path of the curse and sent a portion of the might of the spell to the caster. Even if Zegna wasn't dead, he would at least have some injuries at this point.
Such a terrifying rank 6 spell had been launched through a bloodline imprint, and had still almost extracted everything from Leylin.
As Leylin was not rank 6 and definitely not the Sun's Child, he had also been hit with a backlash from the Sun's Flames.
If not for him having another of the bloodline imprint to protect him and the black flames of the Emberflame Technique having the unique effect of controlling those flames, he would not only be gravely injured but even die!
There were definitely more than one or two in history who had died from the backlash of employing a spell that far surpassed their ability, and Leylin had almost followed in their footsteps.
"Thankfully, I'm fine. It would've been way too sad if I'd been killed by my own spell…" Leylin's heart was still palpitating in fear.
"Whatever it is, I've finally healed all of my injuries today. What should I do next? I need to think it over properly!"
Evasion
'A.I. Chip, show me my condition!' Leylin commanded in his mind.
[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (Matured Body). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 100.2, Spiritual force: 956.8, Magic power: 956 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul force: 96 (Five Stars)]
His vitality had finally broken past 100, solving the issue arising from the rapid advancement of his soul force. Seeing this, Leylin could finally heave a sigh of relief. After all, his main goal in coming to Sky City was to solve this issue completely.
The Endowing Scepter had initially increased his vitality by two levels, the equivalent of twenty points. Afterwards, the disaster that was the Sun's Flames had actually resulted in a profit for him. His Fireplume had managed to take in quite a bit of the energy from it, and it resulted in a surprising transformation that pushed his vitality past the mark.
Now, he had completely reached his target, and all that was left to deal with were the repercussions, which were slightly troublesome.
At this thought, a wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips as he grew gloomy.
After all was said and done, Stuart was still a Radiant Moon from Sky City. There were few even amongst the subordinates of the Monarch of the Skies who were ranked as highly as he was.
And now, such an important person had fallen at Leylin's hands. Even if the Monarch of the Skies expelled Stuart from Sky City afterwards, it was likely just to avoid provoking him for now. Leylin would not believe that the Monarch had no thoughts on this matter.
Leylin could very well raise his hands and leave just like this, but the Monarch of the Skies could not. He had to pay the cost of Leylin and Stuart's battles, which included things like mending the spatial rifts and the like. However, it wasn't his fault that this occurred in his domain. Leylin had been left without a choice.
He was sure that, at this point, the Monarch hated him to the core. In fact, he had probably provoked the entire organisation of Sky City.
After all, Leylin had used the coordinates to a foreign world and the help of some other Sky City Magi to put pressure on Stuart. This had already depressed the Monarch of the Skies, but it was still acceptable.
However, even Weyers and his backers would feel sympathy for his killing of the man.
By the looks of it, the entirety of Sky City harboured no favourable impression of Leylin, and could even act against him.
"This is getting troublesome…" Leylin laughed wryly, and the cold glint in his eyes became increasingly obvious. Since others were going to plot against him, he would prepare his vengeance.
Besides, the other party was just a Breaking Dawn Magus. How amazing could he be? With the A.I. Chip, the advice of the ancient Wisdom Tree, and the Kemoyin bloodline, Leylin was confident that he would reach that realm in due time, even surpass it.
"However, I still have to face the real problems. As I am now, I can somewhat deal with New Moon Radiant Moon Magi. If I activate the bloodline imprint, I can even threaten Full Moon Magi!"
Leylin had an accurate estimation of his battle might.
"However, there's only one chance left to activate the bloodline imprint of the Sun's Child. After this, there's nothing left… Even if it's the attack from the ancient Sun's Child, a Full Moon Magus still has a chance of survival. A Breaking Dawn Monarch can definitely take it on, obviously, and it's just a matter of the price to be paid in exchange…"
"If I appear now, there might be Full Moon Magi, even Breaking Dawn Magi trying to kill me in fear of my potential. I won't be able to defend myself against them at all." That was why Leylin had been in hiding all this while, and the reason he had not returned to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Though such a scenario wasn't likely, he was still prepared for the worst case.
If he really was caught by a Breaking Dawn, there was no chance of survival even if he used his trump card.
One only lived once, and Leylin didn't believe he'd get one more opportunity to travel to another time after death.
"I'm afraid that, before I reach Radiant Moon, I'll need to hide in the shadows." Leylin sighed.
The moment he reached rank 5, Radiant Moon, the strength of his Warlock bloodline, in addition to his methods as well as trump cards would give him a chance to flee with his life even when faced with a rank 6 Magus.
If that was possible, he would be a Magus at the peak in the central continent, and he would no longer need to fear any attacks, whether in the open or in the shadows.
"Rank 5, Radiant Moon!" Leylin sighed. "How could the bloodline shackles of Kemoyin Warlocks be solved so easily… It doesn't matter; I have to break through them no matter what, else I'll have to remain in hiding for the rest of my life. If that were the case, it'd be better to start anew in another world!"
At this thought, Leylin flipped through the book of imprints in his hands and tapped the image of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent.
After a static sound, Gilbert's agitated voice was heard. "Leylin, is it you?"
"It's me!" Leylin answered concisely. Though there were restrictions when it came to secret imprints, both users were Morning Star and with the amplification of soul force the distance across which information could be transmitted was increased by a large amount.
"It's great that you're alright, hehe… You've done something incredible! Emma and Freya are very worried about you." It was no surprise to hear Gilbert's wry laughter from the other side of the secret imprint.
"My apologies for making you two dukes worry. Also, please help me apologise to Freya! I probably won't be able to return for a period of time…" Leylin's voice was low.
"What? Are you in trouble? Do you need us to come over?" Gilbert began to get worried. Leylin was currently not just the pillar of support of Ouroboros Clan, but also their hope!
"I'm fine! I'll just need to go on a journey for a period of time. I shall leave matters of the Ouroboros Clan to both of you in the meanwhile." Leylin concealed his imminent attempts at breaking through to Radiant Moon, and gave Gilbert the impression that he was going to wait until the fuss died down.
It was enough for the two Morning Star dukes to be in charge of the Ouroboros Clan. Leylin, who had disappeared, would act as a huge deterrent anyway. Before he popped up again, any Magi who wanted to attack the Ouroboros Clan would have to consider the consequences of offending a Magus with the might of a Radiant Moon!
"Alright, that works." Gilbert was old and wise, and quickly thought of this matter in a short period of time.
After a brief silence, Gilbert presented another piece of news. "… Actually, someone from the Warlock Union looked for me. He hoped that you'd go to the Morning Star Area, and they'd definitely ensure your safety!"
'Morning Star area? Warlock Union?' Leylin pondered over it, 'With a few Radiant Moon Warlocks in charge, safety should not be an issue, but throwing this idea out at this time… Are they trying to rope me in, or is this a conspiracy?'
Thoughts churning at lightning speed, Leylin quickly answered, "It's alright. Thank them for their goodwill on my behalf!"
Even if they were protecting him without any ulterior motives, Leylin would not go to the Morning Star area. He would never place his own safety in the hands of another person. In other words, even a Radiant Moon Warlock was not qualified to guarantee his safety.
"Even rank 7, 8 or 9 existences can't be relied on. The most steady method is to count on oneself." Leylin's eyes were full of mirth as they shot out his resolution.
"Alright. Oh, you…." Gilbert on the other end could only laugh wryly.
"Well then, take care!" "Take care!" After they bade their farewells, Leylin closed off the channel and left the area.
It was still possible to monitor communication via secret imprints. This was merely a temporary place used to recuperate, and he had long since planned to leave it. If not, he would not take the initiative and communicate with the external world.
After Leylin left, blazing black flames immediately began to burn, turning the desolate mountain into ashes.
*Bzzz Bzzz!* Not long after Leylin's departure, space began to ripple as it twisted on itself, forming a door flickering with light.
A few human figures walked out, their bodies emanating terrifying energy undulations. Seeing the mountain that had turned to ashes, they sighed, "We've come too late."
A figure stood above the ashes and tightened his fist, but could only shake his head helplessly, "He was very cautious and did it cleanly, not leaving behind any trace of his scent. It's impossible to chase him down."
"Prophetic spells are useless against him. Are we really going to let him go?"
The few black figures began to discuss amongst themselves.
"This Warlock has the highest potential out of every one I've seen. At rank 4, he can kill a rank 5, and once he reaches Radiant Moon, how much more powerful can he get?"
"You seem to have forgotten something. He's a Giant Kemoyin Warlock, and he has the problem of bloodline shackles. The limits of his own strength are rank 4. This is a restriction on his soul! Since ancient times, there have been so many bloodline Warlocks, and yet none have broken through it. Do you think he can?"
There was a trace of pity in this new speaker's voice, "But I must admit that Leylin is definitely a genius. He's among the best in all history, but it's a pity that he's chosen the path of a Kemoyin Warlock. If he walked the path of a Magus, we might have seen the rise of another Monarch!"
"It's not a pity. It's fortunate instead, fortunate that he chose the path of a Warlock!" The black figure right in the middle suddenly spoke, his tone icy.
"Yes! It's fortunate that he's chosen to be a Warlock!" The other black figures agreed with each other, turning into great amounts of black gas and dissipating.
Leylin knew nothing of what happened after his departure. He had not even left stardust bugs behind.
Though this method was very discreet, Radiant Moon Magi had terrifying soul force, and there was a chance of being discovered. Leylin was not going to allow people to track him by making use of the bugs.
He quickly switched locations, his methods of destroying his scent all because of his cautiousness. Thankfully, he had dodged this bullet.
'How should I begin to tread the path of rank 5, Radiant Moon?' Leylin had now used an altering spell to change his outer appearance and arrived at another area in the central continent.
What was in front of him was a sea of fire…
Return To Twilight Zone
A tremendous volcano thundered and bellowed, as if a giant from the legends launching a flaming iron fist into the skies.
Lava fell like rain, forming rivulets that flowed together to become a network of rivers.
The black volcano towered high into the sky, looming over the region just like the clouds and causing the skies and the ground to turn dark.
The lava glowed red, flickering between dark and bright. The scene was magnificent, a rose amidst the thorns.
"Mount Asura! It's been such a long time. I've never come back since I arrived at the central continent…" Leylin's eyes were filled with a certain profoundness. The events that brought him to the central continent and the people and his history with Twilight Zone became incomparably vivid once more.
Indeed, Leylin was preparing to leave the central continent for a while and return to Twilight Zone. Even though that place was barren and inadequate compared to the central continent, it held a treasure trove that only he knew of.
'The body of the Scorpion Man, as well as the blood of the protector of the Icy World!' Leylin's thoughts drifted to the contents of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor's memories that he had acquired from its bloodline when he explored the Icy Cave.
That terrifying ancient battle still brought shivers to his spine to this day; even Morning Stars barely met the requirements to participate in it.
The remains of a Morning Star level bloodline creature were only a small treasure to Leylin, and didn't mean much, but the bloodline of that bronze female giant wasn't so simple.
That was a bloodline that crossed rank 7, one that had already begun to touch upon laws! In front of that, the current Leylin was like a moth drawn to the flame. Whether it be refining the ancient bloodline into an imprint or trying to assimilate it, either one of these actions would be extremely helpful to him.
Parts of his hopes for advancing to the Radiant Moon realm were placed on this. Furthermore, the protector of such a world would definitely have information about the world's coordinates in its bloodline and genetics.
That was the powerful ancient Icy World that even the Snake Dowager coveted and yet was unable to occupy! It was an unknown number of levels more important than the Lava World, and Leylin would be the sole benefactor of it.
It was because he had this that he was confident enough to give away the coordinates to the Lava World as a gift.
Leylin had other plans for the Icy World and the female giant's bloodline.
When she had been killed by the Snake Dowager, would her body retain any scent or aura from the Purgatory World, which would allow him to deduce the coordinates of that world?
Even if it wasn't on her body, the Icy World had been invaded by the Snake Dowager who had come from the Purgatory World, so how could there not be any traces left behind?
With the Icy World as a springboard, the difficulty in locating the Purgatory World would be reduced by a large amount. Once at the Purgatory World, finding the bloodline primogenitor, the Snake Dowager, would make breaking through the bloodline shackles a simple task.
Of course, the whole process wouldn't be that simple, but the general idea wasn't bad, and it was the best way to break through the bloodlie shackles.
Of course, Leylin did not dare confront the Snake Dowager just like that. That was basically sending a lamb into a tiger's den. He didn't believe that he had any way of resisting strength that had surpassed that of Breaking Dawn and controlled Laws. Therefore, ample preparation was necessary, and this method could only be used as a last resort. Unless all his other options were exhausted, Leylin didn't even want to consider this option.
He would lie low in the Twilight Zone, and find a way to break through to Radiant Moon. That was Leylin's basic plan.
"Mount Asura will be dormant for a period of time every hundred years, which makes it the best time to go underground right now!" Leylin recalled the time he had come up from the subterranean world. While he had grasped the right timing and prepared well, it had still been very dangerous. He could not help but smile slightly at that.
He came to the crater of the volcano, and observed the terrifying lava channel.
"The volcano is filled with boiling hot lava all year round, and only when it's dormant will a channel show itself. It's still not time yet… even if a Crystallised Phase Magus were to charge down there, they would be burnt to smithereens.…"
Of course, that was for rank 3 Magi. After he reached the Morning Star realm, what should have been horrifying and dangerous was as safe and stable as the garden in his backyard.
*Rumble!* A layer of black flames appeared on the surface of Leylin's body, forming an oval layer that wrapped him within. A black bubble parted the lava, quickly disappearing into the depths…
The terrifying heat from the lava was absorbed by the black flames, blocking all from Leylin who was contained within. As time passed, the black bubble endured the spurts of lava to head straight down.
He was withstanding a natural disaster on his own and going through the lava against the current. Even Mount Asura erupting could do little against him. This was the power of a Morning Star!
*Boom!* In the subterranean world, large amounts of magma flew out of a pool, accompanied by tremors. A bubble of black flame burst through the thick, durable rocks at the top and fell to the ground. Leylin's figure appeared once more as he withdrew the flames.
Compared to before when he had to rack his brains and look for opportunities, the current Leylin could travel anywhere as and when he wished. It was extremely convenient.
Seeing the dark sky and the stifling rock ceiling, Leylin sighed, "Twilight Zone, I'm back!"
Feeling the large difference in the concentration between the central continent and this place, Leylin shook his head, "It's no wonder that Morning Stars pay no attention to this, the elemental particle concentration is so low here."
Compared to the central continent, this place was like the barren countryside, if even that. The restriction of a low particle concentration would reduce the might of any spells used here by a large amount.
Morning Stars cared little for this place, and regular Magi had no way to pass through the lava channel. Hence, Twilight Zone still retained its own path, and the influence from the external world was minimal up till Leylin's arrival.
One sweep of his soul force and the surroundings were displayed in his mind. He had been the master of Twilight Zone in the past, and was somewhat familiar with the general area. He knew where he was instantly.
"When I left, there wasn't even a rank 3 Magus in Twilight Zone, right?" Leylin touched his chin. Here, even rank 2 Magi could be considered the rulers, while rank 3 were the emperors. Morning Star? There hadn't been one in years.
"Am I like a high-levelled player in a newbie village, crushing everyone here?" Leylin touched his chin, a grin on his face, "But I like it!"
It was a fool's behaviour to still try to fight even when the enemy was powerful. Even if one could win for a while, a single failure would leave him with no hope of reprieve.
Leylin did not like these methods. Often, he would act only when he was very confident, and all he hoped for was for the Magi in the world to all be at rank 1 and 2, which made it easy for him to manipulate them.
It was because he had this stable mindset that he could leave till today.
"I wonder how Nature's Alliance Academy is doing. Has Celine been able to take care of it? And then there's the dark elves, gnomes and other races…" After he determined the direction, Leylin's body turned into a streak of light as it hurried towards the headquarters of the northern Nature's Alliance academy.
...
The northern region, Nature's Alliance academy.
Eternal Light spells brightened up the room, reflecting a black desk with innumerable documents on the surface, as well as ink, quill pens and other stationery.
A female Magus with a delicate face wearing luxurious upper-class clothing kneaded at her brows with slender fingers, seeming very tired.
"Director!" The door was pushed open, and a female Magus hugging a file ran in hastily.
"Urgent news from the frontlines! Potti City has been attacked again. All of our subordinates were killed, and two professors were even…"
"Alright." The beautiful director nodded her head from behind the desk, giving a drawn-out sigh. "Almost a hundred years ago, the fall of the northern region also started from Potti City. I just don't know if anyone will come and turn the situation around this time…"
She stood up and pulled the curtains open.
There was a gigantic square of the academy outside the windows. At the middle, the statue of a young Magus stood proudly, still having a slight radiance.
"Leylin, where are you? With your strength, I'm sure you must be doing well wherever you are, right?" This beautiful director was naturally Celine.
When Leylin had left Twilight Zone, he had left behind a series of tricks, allowing Celine to take control of Nature's Alliance academy for almost a century. She had also advanced to rank 2. However, the academy was now facing the largest crisis since its establishment!
The tide of darkness creatures had come forth once more! And in this wave, there were countless beast emperors that had mutated and reached rank 3!
That was not all. The gnomes and elves had now joined hands in rebellion and distanced themselves from the humans. They were now attacking in the north as well.
The defensive stronghold of the north, Potti City, had fallen under the cooperation of the three races, and two rank 2 professors from Nature's Alliance had fallen as well.
"Director, we need to react to this, or Lord Banker will use this opportunity to create issues! The exchange between academies is about to begin as well, and I'm afraid…" Concern was evident on this female Magus' face.
After hearing this, the look of helplessness on Celine's face grew more obvious. The immense pressure came not only from the outer world, but also the inner departments. Banker had initially been an ordinary professor of Nature's Alliance, but he'd had a miraculous encounter and gained the inheritance of some ancient Magus. His strength had shot up, and had now entered rank 3!
With power, he obviously desired the corresponding status. In Banker's eyes, that would be Celine's position.
Though he was fearful of Leylin, which meant Banker did not dare go too far, there were still countless Magi who sided with him. After all, Leylin had already disappeared for almost a century.
Changes in the North
The passing of time could erase everything. More than a hundred years passed, and the number of Magi who could still remember the mighty Leylin were few and far between.
If not for the longevity of Magi, the situation now would definitely be much more severe. Celine might even have been stripped of her position as director long ago.
But even now, things were far from good.
Among the Magi in the entire Twilight Zone, Banker was the only rank 3, and thus he had a good reputation. He even tried to imitate Leylin, and wanted to crown himself as the Radiant Guardian, and even the emperor of all of mankind! His attempts, however, were futile.
Celine could distinctly see the ambition in Banker's eyes, but could not stop him.
Most of the academies in the other regions were already relying on Banker's help.
There was no doubt that he would exert pressure on Celine during the exchange between the academies, as well as the establishment of the allied armies.
'How will I get through this one?' Celine was at a loss. The tricks that Leylin had left her could only deal with rank 2 Magi at most. There were clearly limitations if used against a rank 3 Magus.
The mere proof of Leylin's existence would not be enough to obstruct this Magus' insatiable greed and ambition. Celine was very clear about this.
*Bang!* At this moment, the door of the office suddenly swung open, and a youthful Magus entered.
He had wine red eyes, and his long blue hair was not tied up, but instead cascaded down to his shoulders. There was a frightening power surrounding him.
"Lord… Lord Banker!" Another female Magus from before hurriedly rushed to salute him.
"Director! I bring good news. Doroy Snail Academy and Ray College have acceded to my request, and have agreed to rely mainly on us, Nature's Alliance. They will elect the allied armies as the ruling party!"
Banker eyed Celine's silhouette greedily.
Celine furrowed her brows, "Banker! Don't you know that you have to knock before entering my office? Or do you no longer have the most basic of manners?"
"This place will soon undergo a change of hands anyway!" Banker seemed absolutely unrestrained.
"Have you considered my previous suggestion?"
"Impossible! Don't you forget that I am Leylin's wife!" Celine's face flushed red.
"Indeed! A woman who has been abandoned in the Twilight Zone for more than a hundred years…" Banker shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the obsidian statue in the plaza, especially the radiance above it. A trace of restraining fear flashed distinctly in his eyes.
"When I become the leader of the allied armies, this statue will be destroyed! Only a statue of me, Banker, is qualified to stand tall here! The next few days will be your last chance, think about it carefully!" Banker walked out, but his voice still resounded in the room.
Not only was Celine regarded with tremendous prestige, the Magus that Leylin left in her hands was controlled by the spirit. What was more crucial was that Leylin himself was still around. Although no one knew where he was, he was still alive, somewhere.
Banker was still rather afraid of his senior. If not for these apprehensions, he would have forcefully seized the position long ago.
Even so, Banker's patience was rapidly wearing thin.
"What now, Director?" There was a hint of a sob in the female Magus' voice.
"Let me think about it!" Worry was written across Celine's face as she gazed at the statue of Leylin in the plaza. It might have been an illusion, but when she turned around, she felt as though the radiance above the statue seemed to have turned… brighter?
...
As the days passed by, numerous Magi rushed into the northern region unceasingly. Due to the underlying reason to deal with the other races, the exchange between the institutions was even more important.
The turbulent undercurrents in the subterranean world never stopped flowing. Not only were the human Magi plotting conspiracies of their own, the other races also played an extremely important role in the impending chaos.
In the vast yet solemn venue, the directors of all the academies were sitting around a long round table. They couldn't help but turn their gaze towards the main seat in the centre.
The golden chair was adorned with many ornamental gems and appeared incomparably gorgeous. This seat was still vacant at present, but it could be inferred that only today's victor would be able to occupy that spot and cry out his commands.
"President of Nature's Alliance, Celine, and House Professor, Banker, have arrived!" A voice sounded abruptly, making the numerous directors turn their gazes towards the entrance.
Celine was there, dressed in a splendid ceremonial robe. She was accompanied by Banker. Banker was even walking in front of her.
"That's too much! He's not even the director yet!" Will, who was seated amongst the spectators, secretly clenched his fist.
He was brimming with rage at the thought of the director whom he had always admired being coerced into this. But as a mere official Magus, he had no way to confront a rank 3. This was a lesson he had learnt the hard way, through tears and blood.
"Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" "Director Celine!" A few well-acquainted Magi profusely greeted her, but even more people gathered around Banker, just like stars revolving around the moon as they grouped around their revered leader.
'These fellows!' Celine was secretly angry. When Leylin was still around, these Magi who were now kissing up to Banker, were all itching to kneel at her feet to express their loyalty. Now, they were betraying her without the slightest hesitation.
Even though she knew that the society of Magi followed the law of the jungle she couldn't help but feel a tinge of discouragement.
Just as she was walking towards the seat in the centre, another Magus obstructed her. "Wait a minute!"
"What's the matter, Director Barca?" Celine recognised him of course. This Magus was the president of Ray College, and had already been completely subdued by Banker.
"This is the main seat, only the president of Nature's Alliance Institution is qualified to sit here! Don't tell me you're trying to disobey him?"
Celine raised her eyebrows. A greatly menacing air surrounded her. She was no longer the weak female Magus from before, but a formidable Magus who had undergone the trials of blood and fire, and had been promoted to rank 2!
The appearance of such an aura immediately weakened Barca's imposing manner.
"Indeed! This conference should be hosted by the president of Nature's Alliance Institution!" Banker walked out and the first sentence he uttered surprised Celine.
"Therefore, before the conference begins, I propose to first conduct the election for the president of Nature's Alliance Institution!"
"You!" Celine was utterly enraged. The director of Nature's Alliance had always been her, and that had never changed. Based on the traditions of Nature's Alliance, only Celine's disciples were qualified to succeed the institution. How could they choose the president based on an election?
However, Banker was now making use of this crucial moment, with the support of the other directors, to make Celine step down from office.
"That's right! I am completely in favour of Banker's suggestion. Besides, the strength of our lord Banker surpasses everyone else, and all of the Magi presents unanimously approve of his moral character. Thus, I recommend our lord, Banker!" President Barca raised his point immediately after some thought.
"That's right! We stand by President Barca!"
"Well said!" Many Magi started to cause a din, especially a great many of the rank 2 professors from Nature's Alliance Academy, who all stood behind Banker.
Only a handful of students and Magi who used to be controlled by Leylin stayed by Celine's side.
"All of you…" Celine looked at the hostile Magi, and suddenly felt as though she was among a pack of wolves.
The green tint of greed glistened in the eyes of these Magi, seemingly waiting to tear her to shreds before devouring her.
"Look at that! The majority of the professors all support me! It seems that we don't even need an election!"
No matter how self-restrained Banker was, he couldn't help but be pleased with himself. He walked next to the main seat, and looked at Celine. "How about now? My suggestion from before still holds! I hope you won't make a choice that will anger me!"
'Among Magi, trickery and these tactics can only assist you, but ultimately it is one's strength that is the deciding factor!' Celine now understood why Leylin could abandon everything in the Twilight Zone, and resolutely go off in search of strength.
But it seems that it was a little too late.
"All of you!" Celine raised her head, her voice suddenly filled with pride. "Have you forgotten the former Radiant Guardian? Once Leylin returns, he definitely will not let any of you get away with this!"
Celine's voice was sharp. Most of the Magi present knew how savage Leylin could be, and couldn't help but hesitate at this point.
"Hmph! He's just a rank 3 Magus all the same! If he dares come here, I will let him know who the ruler of the Twilight Zone is!"
Banker snorted coldly. Powerful undulations of a rank 3 Magus shook the place, and the illusion of holy light appeared behind him.
"A forcefield with such energy intensity that is infinitely close to a domain? Perhaps it can even surpass Leylin!" The other Magi were all in awe.
That's right! Leylin still existed, but it was not known if he would return to Twilight Zone. Banker, however, was a true blue rank 3 Magus! Even more importantly, merely relying on one's reputation to make others cower in fear was not enough.
Thus, many Magi started saluting profusely to Banker, "Lord Banker, please assume the position of Director of Nature's Alliance, and lead the allied armies!"
The voices rose to a clamour, and Celine, who was sandwiched in between, seemed incomparably pale.
"Hahaha…" Banker started laughing like a maniac. The dream he had had for years has finally been fulfilled, and his heart was brimming with ecstasy. He could already see himself unifying the entire Twilight Zone, and the moment where he would become the supreme emperor!
Banker's eyes twinkled and was about to take his place on the main seat. Right at this moment, strange changes started to occur.
"Is that so?" A black silhouette suddenly appeared, standing in Bank's way. The mere eye contact they shared was enough to fill Banker with dread, as though he was meeting his nemesis.
Upon the sight of this figure, tears started to rush out of Celine's eyes involuntarily.
"Who is he? Why do I find his appearance so familiar?" The many directors were dazed. It seemed that they knew all found him familiar, but couldn't seem to recall his name.
"It's the Radiant Guardian! The Radiant Guardian, Leylin Farlier!" Will, who was standing next to Celine, clenched his fist and shouted, his eyes aglow.
"Lord Leylin!" Following which, Iren, Gordius and the other elderly subordinates under Leylin's previous command immediately bowed respectfully.
"It really is him!" The numerous Magi suddenly had a realisation. Didn't this Magus look exactly the same as the obsidian statue in the plaza of Nature's Alliance?
Clown
Leylin Farlier!
This name was a legend in Twilight Zone, a myth. His stories were passed down as legends, sang of in praise by numerous bards!
And now, this legend had once more appeared before their eyes.
"Quite a few interesting things seem to have happened in my absence." Leylin looked around as he said this, and many directors took a few steps back in order, be they rank 1 Magi or rank 2.
Finally, a rank 2 Magus could not take it anymore. He fell to his knees with a thud, and called out, "Master Leylin, please forgive me! I never wished to betray you, and was only forced by Banker."
As someone from the same generation as Leylin, this Magus named Akazawa knew well about him and his ruthless ways. This was why Leylin's appearance frightened him, almost to the point of wetting his pants.
And just like that, as if via a domino effect, more and more Magi knelt, all their knees banging into the ground. Regardless of the effort Banker had put into establishing ties with them and threatening them, it was all a joke in front of Leylin..
"Didn't you want me to come before? Well, I'm here now, what do you have to say?" Leylin glanced at Banker, almost not bothering to even talk to small fry like him. Banker realised the sarcasm in his tone immediately.
"Loke's Shadow!" Banker's face turned green for a moment, then red before his fake domain spread out. Energy at rank 3 spread out, and a low-grade magic artifact twinkled in his hands.
Banker unleashed his strongest attack with confidence, and dashed straight towards Leylin.
He was very clear that Leylin's appearance had ruined all his plans. He only had one hope now; he had to smash apart the myth with his own hands, to defeat Leylin! And he was confident in doing that, in his inheritance.
An enormous 'domain' opened up, pushing even many rank 2 Magi to the side. The ferocious and berserk force caused a change in the expressions of many Magi.
"What a commendable courage!" Leylin squinted his eyes slightly, and the piece of low-grade magic equipment in Banker's hands shattered apart inch by inch. Following that was the fake domain, The rank 3 radiance was snuffed out, and a layer of ash grey stone appeared on the surface of Banker's body. Within moments, he had become nothing more than a stone statue.
The surface of the statue captured the frantic look on Banker's face perfectly.
It was like a clown trying to run away, highly comical.
"Didn't you want to be honoured, for your legacy to be passed down? Very well, this statue can be placed at the plaza of Nature's Alliance, it'll be a good contrast!" Leylin nodded, and the place fell into a dead silence. Many of the Magi present felt like they were dreaming.
What had they just seen? The strong rank 3 Banker had attacked Leylin at full force, but his opponent simply blinked his eyes and he'd turned into a statue. Even his soul had been annihilated!
This Radiant Guardian was evidently quite a bit more terrifying than in the legends!
"What? Anyone else wants to interfere in the internal affairs of my Nature's Alliance Academy?" Leylin looked around.
By this time, Barca and Banker's other loyal followers had already had a bad premonition, and began to retreat one after the other. The lights of teleportation burst forth as well.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Blood sprayed like fireworks as Barca and the rest combusted into bits and pieces, filling the whole sky.
A scalding rain of morselized flesh fell onto the faces and shoulders of the Magi present on scene. However, not a single person dared to wipe anything off, forget stopping it.
'The Radiant Guardian didn't even move his hands, and there were no energy waves from spells at all. How did those rank 2 Magi…?' Shocked to the extreme, the hearts of the Magi at the scene were already growing sluggish.
"N–No, no objections at all! Director Celine's achievements are obvious to everyone!" They really did not dare to come forward again.
As for these rank 1s and 2s, Leylin could indeed easily kill a whole bunch of them with just a slight puff of air. He simply could not be bothered with people of their power anymore.
"Leylin!" Celine stepped forward, an excitement in her voice which surprised him.
Originally, he'd thought that after he left the power hungry Celine would not be eager at all for his return. But from what it seemed, the passage of time had instead made this woman think about his good points.
Leylin could not help but break into laughter. He directly sat in the host's seat while Celine stood respectfully at one side.
The eyes of the other Magi who had supported Celine previously, like Iren, Gordius, Will, and the others, were all brimming with ecstasy.
They were mostly under Celine due to her having their spirit sources, and had no choice but to force themselves to support her. Although this was the case, with Leylin's reappearance, not only had things taken a new turn immediately, their efforts were even more than amply rewarded.
Leylin did not care about Iren and the others. Instead, he directed his gaze onto a young Magus. This brightly handsome Magus was actually the one who was the most supportive of Celine just now.
"This is Magus Will! A second generation student of Nature's Alliance Academy. He has already advanced to become an official Magus and is a professor in the institution…" Celine rushed to introduce him to Leylin.
"Of course I know that…" Leylin smiled. As he looked at Will, he found his face familiar.
"Your mother, is she well?" Leylin suddenly asked.
"Hm? My mother?" In his heart, Will was extremely shocked. He did not know why Leylin suddenly asked such a question but he still answered, "My mother was just an acolyte, it's been over 50 years since she passed away…"
"I see…" Leylin sighed with a rasp in his tone, "Time is the great enemy of all living creatures…"
"Lord Radiant Guardian, did you know my mother?" Will became excited. Ever since he was born, he had never seen his father. He heard from his mother that his father had gone to do something very important and righteous but never returned. Could it be…
Leylin's question and Will's answer had an extremely deep meaning. Not only the surrounding Magi, even Celine made a bad association. She looked at Leylin, and analysed Will. Her eyes reflected a thoughtful expression, and nobody knew what she was thinking.
If her conjecture was true, even if Will was a capable assistant, she would have to suppress him slightly in the future in secret. However, on the surface, they should appear to be more intimate.
If Leylin knew about Celine's thoughts, he would definitely roll his eyes ruthlessly. Even though time had passed, Celine was still that power hungry creature from before.
"We pay our respects to the Radiant Guardian! We hope the Lord will lead us to defeat the allied armies once again!"
By this time, Banker and his followers had all been annihilated. With the support of Leylin whose strength was unfathomable, what other choices did the attending Magi have? They immediately knelt down respectfully.
Although Banker and Celine had invited them as allies, in front of the fierce Leylin how would these Magi dare to act big? One after another, they began to label themselves as subordinates.
Leylin's eyes scanned over them slightly, and, "You all disappoint me…" The very first sentence he spoke made the many kneeling Magi break out in such a fierce cold sweat that it drenched their clothes.
"The other tribes' allied army has already reached the gate, and you're still fighting for power over such a trivial thing." Leylin shook his head, pity in his expression.
"Gate?" Celine covered her mouth and gasped in surprise.
"What?" The Magi below also began to clamour; this news was really too shocking.
"Why? You thought that those other tribes would wait quietly at Potti City?" A mocking smirk flashed across the corner of Leylin's lips as he thought of an idea.
The Magi who were present suddenly felt an enormous force locking up their entire bodies. They were unable to use any sort of spells, and soon after they felt very dizzy as if the whole world was spinning.
When they came back to their senses, they had already left the venue as a group and were somewhere outdoors.
Opposite them, a group of dark elves, gnomes in mechanical suits, and even beast emperors were staring with wide open eyes, surprised by their sudden appearance.
Celine's eyes were filled with confusion for a moment, but she responded immediately after that. "This is… the mountainous region outside Nature's Alliance, you all were indeed preparing a sneak attack!" Her limbs could not help but feel ice-cold.
In front of them were obviously the elites of the other races. Every one of them had strength at least equivalent to a rank 1 Magus, and there also quite a few rank 3 powerhouses. If they had taken the opportunity to launch an ambush while she was fighting Banker, it would certainly spell a great defeat for the humans of Twilight Zone. Forget the rest, even Nature's Alliance Academy would not be able to protect itself. And after Banker died, the entirety of Twilight Zone… Celine didn't dare to think further.
'To be able to suppress all of us Magi instantly, and bring us here without any resistance, that means that if the Radiant Guardian wanted to, he wouldn't need much effort to just eliminate us all.…' Contrary to Celine, the other Magi were instead shocked at the terrifying strength that Leylin had displayed.
Not only had he just killed Banker a few moments ago, but he had also transported this entire group. This had used just a small fraction of Leylin's strength, and it left them without the slightest thought of resistance.
"Human Magi! You could actually see past our concealment?" A laughing voice spread out as the dark elves separated to expose a queen dressed in a golden robe.
This queen had an exquisite face, sharps ears, and the energy waves emitted from her body had impressively reached the rank 3 level.
After she came out a sturdy dwarf as well as a gnome steering a large machine walked out as well. Beside them, a few beast emperors that let loose terrifying howls.
"Rank 3! All rank 3 powerhouses!" Numerous Magi murmured despondently.
Leave aside the legendary queen of the dark elves for now, it was unexpected for the tribes such as the dwarves and gnomes to produce rank 3s after a long period of suppression.
Including the beast emperors, there were a total of six rank 3 powerhouses gathered here!
Invincible
"Since when has the strength of other tribes and the darkness creatures grown to such a point?" Celine bit her lips, blaming herself slightly and feeling a little remorseful.
Leylin's rule had forced the other races in Twilight Zone to slavery, only to be exploited by human Magi. It was unexpected that in just a hundred years' time, they had actually gotten powerful again.
If not for Leylin's appearance today, even if the opponent hadn't launched a sneak attack they could've won just based on this army that infiltrated their borders. It could practically wipe out all the human Magi.
After all, before this the humans had only one rank 3 Magus, Banker.
"Luckily, there's still him!" Celine looked at Leylin's silhouette, eyes filled with an unconcealable pride.
As Leylin looked at the beautiful ruler of dark elves, he could not help but let out a chuckle, "Alicia! I didn't expect to see another familiar face. Not only have you advanced to rank 3, you've also become the queen of the dark elves. It's truly worth congratulating!"
However, as this laughter echoed in the opposing queen's ears, her entire body grew rigid. It was as if she had been struck by lightning.
The many humiliations that the owner of this voice had brought to the dark elves immediately appeared in her mind, something that Alicia would never forget.
Yes, this new ruler of the dark elves was impressively, Leylin's old 'friend'— the matriarch of dark elves, Alicia. Even that time, it was her who had surrendered to Leylin outside Potti City, personally offering the high-grade meditation technique of the dark elves and their piece of magic equipment.
"You're Leylin! Leylin Farlier!" The opposing queen directed her gaze that was on Celine towards Leylin, gritting her teeth.
When Leylin restrained himself, he seemed just like an ordinary person, and it made the other rank 3s overlook him.
But with Leylin speaking, a sort of confidence that came from a control of the overall situation emerged from him, making him seem outstanding and superior.
"It's him! The humans' Radiant Guardian!"
"I've seen his portrait before, I'm definitely not wrong!" One after another, the other races exploded with rage. The fear that Leylin instilled in them was etched deeply.
"Mass murderer! Butcher! Leylin Farlier, repay my father's and the other tribes' hatred with your blood!" The sturdy dwarf ruler jumped out, a hammer in hand which seemed to be made of thunder.
"Oh! I remember now, you're that lucky survivor from the dwarf royal family right? The little rascal who hid in the corner of the palace, not daring to move at that time…" Leylin patted his head with an amiable sense of familiarity.
Yet, this expression and his words had instead caused the dwarf to instantly fly into a rage.
Leylin was not bothered by him. He turned his attention to the gnome steering the large robot, "Hm… a mechanical colossus… You gnomes have managed to create another one? The craftsmanship has improved as well, and the problem of low battery has been solved as well!"
"Sir Leylin's knowledge really leaves me in awe for life. Furthermore, if you hadn't seized our most precious gnome's book at that time, I believe we could still have sat down happily for a chat…" The one controlling the frightening colossus was an old, senile gnome whose hands were covered with all sorts of scars and burns.
"Oh, there's also rank 3 beast emperors," Leylin looked at the three mountainous darkness creatures at the side, "This is great!"
"What's great? Is he mad?"
"Even if he is the former Radiant Guardian, for a rank 3 to think of fighting us all together is too arrogant of him…" Many of the tribes began to clamour.
Alicia, on the other hand, was different. People like her had seen how terrifying Leylin could be, and they had a bad premonition instead.
Even if she had advanced to rank 3, the fear she held towards Leylin had once more surfaced from deep in her memories after she saw him in person.
On top of that, he had such a confident expression and there was an enigmatic aura on his body…
Alicia's expression changed several times, and at last, she kneeled in front of Leylin before the widened eyes of the many Magi and tribes, "Alicia greets the Lord, the Radiant Guardian! Please forgive my tribe's mistake this time!"
"Grand Matriarch! How can we just let them go like that?"
"Is the humiliation that the humans have already brought us not enough? How can we simply grovel at their feet like that?" Even before Alicia's allies spoke, the matriarch under her caused an uproar.
"Enough! I am the Grand Matriarch of the dark elves. I will take responsibility for this matter alone!" Alicia responded coldly.
"Haha… Good! Alicia! I admire your ability to have a clear view of things!" Leylin clapped and laughed heartily.
*Roar!* Seeing that something seemed amiss, a small black elephant, one of the beast emperors with large fleshy wings on its back started howling in tandem with a two-headed leopard. Both of them pounced towards Leylin. A terrifying power beyond the normal rank 3 level caused the earth to tremble.
At the same time, a beast emperor in the form of a large blue ape secretly slipped away from behind.
The movements of a few emperor darkness creatures seemed to trigger some sort of chain reaction; the tribes at the opposite side had join forces to attack Leylin together. Ignoring the indecisive dark elves and Alicia who was still kneeling, the dwarf ruler threw the large hammer in his hands with a howl, and terrifying blue thunderbolts swept across the area. The colossus, too, created a roaring sound that caused many rank 2 Magi to retreat with pale faces.
These tribes were attacking with a common target in mind— Leylin!
Four rank 3 attackers led the charge! On top of that were a whole group of fighters that were as strong as rank 1 and 2 Magi, many of them using treasures. Such an attack would leave even Crystal Phase Magi seriously injured as they fled.
In the face of this earth-shattering attack, Leylin's kept an unchanging expression, chuckling as he spoke, "Do you know why I said this is great just now? It's because, with all of you gathered together, I don't have to go through the effort of going to your lairs to finish you off one by one!"
Immediately, a terrifyingly strong energy wave burst forth from his body. A starry domain expanded, engulfing the entire area within it.
Many energies were snuffed out in an instant, and all of the energy attacks within the Morning Star domain had completely dissipated, exposing the silhouettes of the foreign races, all of them at a loss.
All Leylin had done was release the power of his domain, and the joint attack of the many tribes had been nulled completely!
Surging waves! Surging waves of disbelief and fear rolled in their hearts!
All the Magi who had been worried about Leylin just now were stunned. Seeing the tribes' combined attack, they'd thought nothing could surpass that amount of power. However, the moment Leylin made his move was the moment they realised that what they'd been looking at was like the glow of a firefly in the night. Although such a glow was visible in the dark, once the sun came up, they would disappear without a trace.
The frightening aura being emitted from Leylin's body was so powerful that these Magi could not help but kneel down, not daring to harbour any other thoughts at all.
"Such strength?" Will stood behind Leylin, but he could not help but kneel either. He only felt that the Leylin now was entirely different from before. He was like the sun, moon and stars in the sky, up high and eternal.
"This… this is the domain that belongs to a Morning Star!" Celine murmured, her tears spilling out helplessly. She finally understood the magnitude of the opportunity she had lost at that time, and that she could never get it back.
*Ka-cha!* As if hitting emergency brakes, the elephant and the two-headed leopard suddenly stopped. They retreated with even greater speed, their bodies bursting forth with blood-red light. Their massive bodies rapidly grew emaciated, making it obvious that they had utilised some secret technique which exhausted a lot of energy.
"Still want to escape?" Leylin shook his head.
Two gigantic, yellowish-brown palms extended from the ground with a sudden boom, grasping the two beast emperors within. The sound of bones shattering could be heard, and be it physical attacks or magical attacks the two could not leave a scratch on the palms..
The two beast emperors looked at Leylin, an obvious plea in their eyes.
"You're quite smart, even comparable to ordinary humans!" Leylin gasped slightly in admiration, but the pair of gigantic hands suddenly exerted a bit of force.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Following two loud sounds, the two rank 3 beast emperors had been pinched so hard they exploded.
"Ra– Rank 4! You've already advanced to rank 4. You're a Morning Star Magus!" A voice like that of a dead man echoed from within the throat of the gnome inside the colossus.
Morning Star!
The crowd was sluggish for a moment, unable to react instantly. Only after a while did they suddenly realise what that meant.
Indeed, only a Morning Star Magus would be able to withstand the attacks of the numerous tribes without changing his expression, and even slaughter two beast emperors with just a light touch.
It was just that this happy news for the human Magi was a total tragedy for the tribes!
What did a Morning Star represent? In Twilight Zone, such a person was invincible! And with Leylin's youth, these tribes would probably have to be enslaved for thousands of years.
This was still fortunate. If Leylin wanted to hold them responsible for their rebellion, their entire race would probably go extinct! A Morning Star's anger was exactly that terrifying.
The large hammer-shaped magic artifact in the dwarven ruler's hands fell to the ground with a bang, and two streaks of blood flowed down from his eyes. Although many of the tribes had been stripped of all their abilities in the Morning Star field and were lying limp on the ground like dead dogs, he was still barely able to stand, "Oh, Fate! Why are you so unjust, even allowing that murderer to become a Morning Star in the sky? And for us of the other tribes, there's only suffering?"
Pearls of blood flowed down his eyes with each word he spoke. And just as his resentful questions ended, the radiance in the dwarven ruler's eyes dimmed. He was dead.
"There's still one more!" Leylin stretched out his hand and grabbed the air, and it was as if a huge hand appeared out of nowhere and a large blue ape was captured.
Once the large blue ape fell onto the ground with a bang, it kowtowed to Leylin repeatedly, continuously begging for forgiveness.
Entering the Caves Again
There were a total of three beast emperors who had snuck in to launch the surprise attack.
This giant blue ape was obviously a lot more intelligent than its two companions, and from the very beginning, it had planned to escape, secretly heading to the edges of the battlefield. Seeing Leylin extending his Morning Star domain, it ran even harder without regard for its life.
It was a pity that little ruses like these were akin to jokes in front of a Morning Star.
"Blood Extraction!" Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes, giving the giant ape a feeling that catastrophe was coming. However, under the suppression of the Morning Star domain, it could not resist.
Blood dripped from its pores, quickly taking form in Leylin's hands. With the loss of such large amounts of blood, the ape's aura grew increasingly weak, and its howls of pain gradually turned into whines.
*Thud!* A withered corpse fell to the ground, turning into multiple pieces of dried meat with no nutrition.
[Beep! The weak aura of an ancient bloodline has been discovered. The source has been determined to be the Water Monkey.] The A.I. Chip quickly prompted.
"Oh? Not bad! No wonder it's much smarter than the rest of the darkness creatures." Leylin glanced at the scarlet and crimson intertwined with a trace of blue, and stowed it away.
The terrifying Blood Extraction was still kept up, but the bloodline crystals being formed weren't nearly worth Leylin taking them. He tossed them to Celine, Will, and the others, and they stowed them away like they were treasures.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Their blood having been drawn out, the beings of the other races fell to the ground, dried out. No matter how powerful they were, they were but ants in the face of a Morning Star domain.
In just a few breaths, most of them had disappeared, and all that was left was a bunch of fragmented corpses. The essence of their bodies had already been taken away with their blood, and their bodies now held less nutrition than even the soil. They would soon crumble apart.
After Leylin withdrew his Morning Star domain, the human Magi had realised that besides Alicia and a few other matriarchs who were kneeling, all members of the other races, as well as the indecisive dark elves, had been eliminated.
In a single move, countless rank 3 rulers and a hundred years of accumulated power had gone up in a wisp!
Many Magi almost fainted as if they were in a nightmare.
...
In the snow-white passageway, Leylin had his hands behind his back, surveying the surroundings with interest. Celine followed behind him, constantly giving him reports.
"All the academies have sworn their allegiance to us once more and are willing to listen to the commands of Nature's Alliance. The allied armies of the other races have been completely exterminated. Congratulations, the whole of Twilight Zone is now under you once again!"
"Oh!" Leylin agreed with a sound, eyes still sizing up the ice on the walls, as if all of Twilight Zone was not as important as this piece of ice.
Seeing him act this way, Celine could not help but sigh inside. If this was in the past, she would have grown ecstatic due to the power she had been given.
Now, however, her previous experiences had dulled her thirst for power. She simply tucked her hair behind her head and continued making the report. "Our armies have already broken through the dwarves' palace and mechanical capital of the gnomes. All of them had enslaved."
The terror of a Morning Star was immense. After Leylin was done showing off his power, the other races had learnt the meaning of overwhelming despair.
Though conspiring together had raised their strength to a certain extent, nothing could be done about a disparity as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth.
Hence, the humans had quickly unified the area, and it was all under Leylin.
The foreign races, who had lost many powerful commanders, could not resist the humans' attacks at all.
"Also, at the dark elves' side, the Grand Matriarch has already retreated to their original territory, and is willing to sign a firm contract that the dark elves will be the humans' vassals and servants for all eternity."
This kind of agreement that affected the whole elven race was very harsh. If violated, the backlash could cause the entire race to be killed. Hence, this was just secondary to being exterminated. The last time, Leylin had merely forced them to escape to the edges of Twilight Zone, and they had to offer tributes every once in a while. There had not been any pledges like this.
Now, with the deaths of the dwarves and gnomes, even this was quite a good choice for them.
"Alicia is quite tactful!" Leylin laughed, but that only caused Celine to grow jealous as she felt an impending crisis.
Walking through the icy tunnels, Leylin and Celine came before a rift where large amounts of chilling winds surged out, even having attacks from icy blades and the like.
*Buzz!* A green defensive layer appeared on Celine's body, but could not withstand the corrosion of the ice. Her expression changed. The cold winds of the cave were something even rank 2 Magi could not resist!
Just as Celine felt the chill about to enter her body, Leylin finally made his move. Black flames formed a wall of fire in front of them and kept the cold outside.
"When did this area become like this?" Leylin sized up the cave, looking grim. This was the entrance to the Icy Cave, but its appearance had changed drastically. Terrifyingly chilly storms surged within, so cold that even rank 2 Magi could not hold on for long. Things like having acolytes practising inside was naturally not possible anymore.
"87 years ago, the storms inside the Icy Cave grew increasingly violent. First, the acolytes could not take it anymore, and after that, even the guard Magi had no choice to leave and abandon this area."
Celine watched the Icy Cave, feeling as if she was seeing an ancient monster opening its mouth ferociously. She could not help but hide behind Leylin.
"Based on the scanning by our academy, the icy caves' icy radiation has already reached dragon-grade! Even rank 3s cannot enter the place anymore…"
"Mm!" Leylin nodded. He had long since found that there was an even larger world of ice under the Icy Cave, a world stemming from the radiation caused by the blood of the female bronze giant from the Icy World. This miniature version of the Icy World was vast and full of dangers, a place even he would not have entered at rank 3.
And by the looks of it, this world of ice was growing larger.
"The blood of a being that has grasped laws is this powerful even after death!" Leylin sighed ruefully, his eyes emitting blue rays as he peered through the darkness of the caves and into its depths.
"Leylin, you– you want to go down?" Celine asked from the side in concern.
"Yes, there's something I want to retrieve from there!" Leylin nodded. There was no harm in admitting this. He feared nobody in Twilight Zone. Even if all the Magi here teamed up with all the members of the other races to oppose him, they could be taken care of with a single Morning Star Arcane Art.
"Be careful!" Celine bit her lips. Leylin had not shown a whit of interest in anything in Twilight Zone after his return. The only thing he'd done was take care of the attack by the other races.
She felt like Leylin had returned just for the Icy Cave, and would leave once more soon enough.
Even so, what could she do? She watched as his figure disappeared into the Icy Cave with a complicated expression. She couldn't even handle the chilly gusts, so how was she to catch up to his footsteps? She could only sigh.
"Is the difference between me and Leylin already so huge?" In that moment, Celine was disappointed and frustrated.
With the howling of the winds from both sides, Leylin no longer bothered with Celine. He had only helped out with Twilight Zone because he'd encountered it on his way. If not, even if the entire Twilight Zone was placed in front of him, he probably wouldn't really care.
Twilight Zone really was too barren for a Morning Star. It held nothing valuable other than its large lands.
Leylin had only one goal in coming here, and that was the world of ice!
At this moment, the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded out. [Beep! Ambient temperatures dropping rapidly. Activating real time detection.] [Current temperature: 173 Kelvin… 123 Kelvin…] The number in the field indicating temperature dropped continuously, eventually even dropping below absolute zero!
Terrifying cold covered the area, and even spacetime seemed to freeze over. The place was bathed in blue light.
"As expected, one can't use common sense from my previous world here. Even the physical constants have changed…" Leylin's body had been wrapped up in black flames, like being covered in an armour of flames.
The ground he was walking on was blue, the rigid ice as glossy as a mirror and yet surpassing even many magic alloys in terms of hardness.
The A.I. Chip's prompt sounded again. [Beep! Detected icy radiation. 69% similar to radiation in database from the Icy Jade Scorpion. Strength multiplier is 178.6.]
"The world of ice has already expanded to this point?" Leylin was shocked.
In the meanwhile, he looked at the topographic map that had been stored inside the A.I. Chip's database. It was evident that the terrain of the Icy Cave was similar to before, but the surface now had a much firmer layer of blue ice on top, and many creatures had been affected.
*Chik chik…* Not far away, a being called out, and the A.I. Chip immediately sent a reading. Leylin's expression changed as he walked over.
In front of him now was a creature he was very familiar with— an Icy Jade Scorpion!
Compared with the elite Icy Jade Scorpion he had seen before, what appeared in front of Leylin was several times larger, and the strength of its energy had reached rank 2!
Even the female face on its back seemed more vivid.
"Has the radiation from the blood of a creature that comprehended laws begun to affect even physical growth?" Leylin grew serious.