The once spacious and lively banquet hall had turned into a living hell in an instant. The wizards who dared to resist quickly realized that something was amiss. Many of them, just like Hank, experienced a severe magical backlash the moment they cast their spells. Some clutched their heads in pain, wailing, while others were sent flying by their own magic.
Under the influence of disrupted souls, even casting the most basic magic became a luxury.
Desperate cries and screams filled the air, but Nos wore a blissful expression, relishing the chaos before him. This chaos was the catalyst for his ascension.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, Lynn swiftly assessed his own condition. It wasn't that he was affected by the magic array, but rather he couldn't fathom why the other wizards in the room all seemed mentally shocked.
Had it something to do with his absorption of the power of the Eye of Death?
Lynn immediately thought of this. The core of this magic array was most likely the blood of the Eye of Death, and his body possessed a similar source of power.
Besides Lynn, the only one with some resistance left was Kara, an expert in shapeshifting. As soon as she sensed something was wrong, she began to transform. A two-meter-tall owl-beast emerged in the chaotic banquet hall.
Kara's eyes were bloodshot, and she let out a sharp roar, evidently affected by the magic array. She first swatted a wizard blocking her path, sending him flying. Then she charged straight at Nos.
"Your resistance is utterly futile." Nos taunted, extending his hand to create dozens of robust ice blades, intending to pin the charging beast to the rear wall. However, these ice blades were shattered one by one on their way by unknown "magic missiles" that struck them down. The owl-beast had covered more than ten meters and delivered a resounding slap to Nos.
With a loud "boom," Nos was sent crashing into the banquet hall's wall. His entire right arm was twisted and deformed, revealing stark white bones.
But he quickly struggled to his feet. His injuries rapidly healed with a continuous supply of energy. Then he promptly cast a "Magic Shield," protecting himself from the "feeble" resistance of these people.
The owl-beast let out another sharp roar, but this time it was blown away by a "Magic Blast" that came from an unknown source.
Simultaneously, Lynn's magic was complete, and a large quantity of corrosive aqua regia seeped into the floor, corroding the alchemical array in the center of the banquet hall.
"Radak, I never thought you could hold on this long." Nos now noticed Lynn's presence. He looked at the alchemical array that was almost half corroded, and his expression contorted for a moment before he menacingly said, "It's useless; this is just a subsidiary array."
"The time should be about right." Nos exclaimed fanatically. "Now, everyone shall merge with me."
Just as Nos spoke, through the eyes of the gray raven in the sky, Lynn clearly saw the mithril pillars standing within the estate glowing brightly. Subsequently, ethereal blue lights emanated from everyone. These flickering lights varied in intensity and size, with higher-level wizards emitting more intense ones. A small portion rushed into Nos's body, while the vast majority merged into the magic array covering the entire estate.
Even Kara, who had transformed into an owl-beast, couldn't resist. She quickly fell to the ground in agony.
[Detection: Rapid increase in energy concentration.]
[Detection: A large amount of soul energy. Absorb and convert it into an energy reserve?]
In Lynn's mind, the notification sound echoed.
"YES." Lynn glanced at the blue ethereal lights scattered in the banquet hall and silently shouted in his heart.
If he didn't absorb this soul energy, it would be used to enhance Nos's power.
[Soul energy captured, estimated to convert into a 3% energy reserve, current energy remaining: 37.5%]
[Soul energy captured, estimated to convert into a 5% energy reserve.]
A series of over a dozen notification sounds followed. Lynn had never imagined that the energy reserve of the smart brain (AI) could increase so quickly. In a matter of seconds, the smart brain's energy reserve reached 100%
[The overflowing energy will automatically be used to advance the decryption progress of the virtual space.]
(TL/n - It is decrypting the "Faceless" virtual domain.)
On the other side, Nos felt the steadily rising power within his body. After nine years, he was experiencing the sensation of magic growth once again. However, he soon noticed something amiss. While his magic power was increasing rapidly, he was still a little short of breaking through to Grand Wizard.
"This can't be, this can't be right. Where did I go wrong?" Nos shouted in madness.
The banquet hall was filled with over a hundred wizard apprentices, seven third-tier wizards, and more than ten official wizards. Such a vast source of soul power should have been enough to propel him to a higher realm.
However, reality didn't align with his preconceived expectations. He had become stronger than before, but he still hadn't broken through the limit of a third-tier wizard.
"It's you, it must be you, Radak." Nos glared menacingly at Lynn, who was the only one standing in the banquet hall. Earlier, he thought Lynn had only temporarily resisted the influence of the Soul-Devouring Array, but now it seemed much more complicated.
"Don't blame this on me... Maybe you messed up the spell yourself," Lynn retorted with a hint of sarcasm. While speaking, he simultaneously controlled the rodents and ravens, which were locked in combat with the hellhounds and griffins.
This statement clearly had no effect, as the soul energy wafting through the air continued to flow into his body relentlessly.
Nos had obviously noticed this as well, and he felt his heart clenched as if it were about to explode.
"You bastard, all of this power belongs to me..."
For this very moment, he had prepared for three years and paid a massive price. He wouldn't allow any unexpected mishaps.
"I'll kill you, and once I do, everything will return." Perhaps the blow had been too great, as Nos's mental state was clearly disturbed. His eyes turned bloodshot, and since some of his soul had been absorbed by Lynn, killing him would ultimately bring that power back into Nos's body.