Outside the Starlight Tower, on a slope over a kilometer away, Kyi gazed at the towering structure and the crowd gathered around it, sighing with worry.
It had been over two years since they were suddenly expelled from the Starlight Tower.
No matter how they attacked the defense array, they couldn't breach the seemingly thin, invisible barrier, leaving them to look on helplessly from the outside.
And in all this time, there had been no activity from within the Starlight Tower.
Sunan was nowhere to be seen.
As time passed, Kyi's worry deepened.
The Starlight Alliance had repeatedly urged him to return and lead the ongoing conflict, but Kyi had refused, choosing to wait here.
He knew that without the support of the Star Alliance, even if the Starlight Duchy defeated the Azure Gold Empire and seized most of its territory, it couldn't hold onto its gains.
Sunan was the soul of the Star Alliance. Without him, the alliance would struggle to survive.
Moreover, Sunan was his only brother.
Behind Kyi, the Staff, the Traveler, and Rose stood side by side, all frowning as they looked at the distant Starlight Tower.
"Sunan hasn't come out for so long; could something have happened to him?" the Traveler asked with a frown.
The Staff and Rose remained silent.
They couldn't answer that question.
The situation with the Starlight Tower was indeed strange.
If it was functioning normally, the keys wouldn't be useless, and they would be able to enter. Yet, attacking it elicited no response.
If there was a problem, the defense array was still operational, enduring the assault of many wizard apprentices for over two years without collapsing, indicating that the tower's energy system was intact.
This baffling situation was beyond comprehension.
If they weren't so reluctant to abandon their hopes of becoming wizards, they would have left long ago rather than waste two years here.
"What exactly is happening inside?" the Staff wondered aloud, his eyes filled with confusion.
The members of the Council of Truth were equally perplexed.
Maevich stared intently at the Starlight Tower, his expression filled with frustration and impatience.
After more than two years, his patience was wearing thin.
Anyone would be upset after wasting over two years, tirelessly attacking the tower without seeing any hope of breaking through.
"Will continuing like this really work?" Maevich asked grimly. "There must be an Elemental Pool inside the tower, constantly replenishing the defense array's energy. Unless we can deliver overwhelming damage in an instant, we'll never break through!"
Fabio replied expressionlessly, "Are you suggesting we give up on the Starlight Tower?"
Maevich's eye twitched, leaving him speechless.
Give up? Impossible!
This was his only hope of becoming a wizard!
If he missed this chance, he would have to wait another twenty years. Would he even live that long?
Even if he did, by then, he'd have little life left, and even if he found a way to become a wizard, he wouldn't have enough time to achieve it.
That's why, despite knowing how slim the chances were of breaking through the defense array, he persisted.
The Starlight Tower was his only opportunity!
Maevich's thoughts mirrored those of the other Council of Truth members.
"Let's not be so pessimistic."
Megisen's voice drew everyone's attention.
"The Starlight Tower is only supposed to exist in the material world for three months, but it's been well over that time. Something must be wrong inside."
Many glanced involuntarily at Ivans.
Ivans nodded. "Indeed, the last time the Starlight Tower appeared, it disappeared after three months."
Seeing Maevich about to speak, he quickly added, "But I don't know much. I'm just as puzzled about the tower's current state."
Maevich snorted, "This must be related to Sunan!"
"Could he have died inside?" someone speculated.
Many nodded instinctively.
The trials in the Starlight Tower likely involved combat, as Ivans' experience suggested.
Sunan might have perished in such a trial.
"If he did die, it served him right," Maevich said bitterly.
He was extremely vexed by the one responsible for the unexpected situation.
If Sunan died in the tower, that was one thing, but if he survived and emerged, Maevich wouldn't let him go!
"Enough talk, let's take action."
Megisen interrupted, rising and heading toward the Starlight Tower.
The others followed, their expressions gloomy.
Now, they could only hope that the prolonged high-intensity operation of the defense array would cause a malfunction, giving them a chance to enter the tower.
Seeing the Council of Truth begin their daily attack, the observing wizard apprentices retreated a safe distance.
Initially, they joined forces with the Council to assault the tower.
But in recent months, after the irritable Maevich found excuses to eliminate a few apprentices in frustration, no one dared approach them, fearing his wrath.
Some timid individuals had already left.
But more remained, clinging to the hope of profiting amidst the chaos.
The Council of Truth paid these small fry no mind.
They were ants that could be crushed with a backhand. If they dared entertain any untoward thoughts, they would pay dearly!
Reaching the Starlight Tower, Megisen and the others prepared to unleash their spells as usual when a thunderous roar suddenly erupted above them.
They looked up in shock to see the top of the tower explode.
Amidst the flying debris, a figure shot out, pausing briefly in mid-air before descending slowly.
"Sunan!" Ivans exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Maevich was initially startled, then overjoyed, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"He's still alive! Perfect!"
Meanwhile, Kyi and the others, seeing Sunan, rushed over.
"Sunan!"
Kyi was the first to arrive, his face brimming with joy as he scrutinized Sunan, relieved to find him unharmed.
The Traveler couldn't wait to ask, "Sunan, what happened inside? Why are you only coming out now?"
The Staff and Rose looked at him expectantly, eager to know what had transpired in the Starlight Tower.
Just as Sunan was about to speak, he noticed the Council of Truth closing in, encircling him and Kyi.
The Traveler's expression changed, and he demanded, "Megisen, what do you want?"
"We should be asking you!" Maevich sneered at Sunan. "What did you do to get us expelled from the tower?"
Sunan ignored him, instead asking Kyi, "Have you been waiting outside this whole time?"
Kyi nodded. "I couldn't leave without knowing you were safe."
Even surrounded by the notorious Council of Truth from the northwest, Sunan remained calm, ignoring the hostile glares and slowly inquiring about what had happened while he was inside.
This demeanor infuriated the Council members.
Especially Maevich, whose eyes burned with undisguised murderous intent.
"If you won't talk, I'll extract your soul and make you!"
Two years of waiting had stretched Maevich's patience to the limit. Sunan's disregard for them was the last straw, prompting him to strike in a fit of rage.
Before the eyes of all present, Maevich's head swelled and deformed, transforming into a massive, grotesque shark's head. With jaws agape, he lunged at Sunan.
But faster than him was a flash of silver light from Sunan's forehead!
The silver light pierced the air like lightning, effortlessly penetrating layers of protection and entering the shark's head, then exiting through the back, trailing a spray of warm blood!
Maevich staggered forward a few steps before collapsing silently, his head reverting to its original form.
Silence!
A deathly silence!
Everyone stared in disbelief and shock at the scene.
In a mere instant, a powerful third-level wizard apprentice had been decisively slain?
This couldn't be real, could it?
Megisen was the first to recover, his face changing drastically as he shouted to his companions.
"Attack!"
As he spoke, countless blood droplets erupted from Megisen's pores, swiftly forming a massive crimson claw that slashed at Sunan with a piercing screech.
The rest of the Council, snapping out of their daze, also launched their attacks on Sunan.
Seeing this, Kyi and the others braced themselves to defend and counterattack.
But before they could act, a layer of silver light enveloped them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A cacophony of colorful spells and elemental lights engulfed Sunan's location, sending dust and debris flying.
Seeing their attacks hit, Megisen and the others showed no joy, their expressions grave as they prepared for the next wave.
Maevich had been among the top three in the Council, yet Sunan had easily killed him. This left them in awe and wary of Sunan's power.
Some even harbored a shocking suspicion.
But they quickly dismissed it.
Sunan had only been in the Starlight Tower for a little over two years; he couldn't have taken that final step so quickly!
Whoosh!
A gust of wind dispersed the dust, revealing the scene within.
In the sunlight stood a massive silver hemisphere, gleaming with a liquid-like surface.
"What is that?" a wizard apprentice exclaimed.
In the next moment, the silver hemisphere twisted and deformed, revealing Kyi and the others.
They stood dazed, still reeling from the shock, their eyes fixed on the silvery liquid gathering around Sunan, enveloping him in layers and forming a mass of shining metallic liquid.
The liquid mass shot into the sky like a cannonball, expanding rapidly like an inflating balloon, transforming into a colossal silver-white giant over a hundred meters tall.
The sunlight glinted off the silver giant, casting a massive shadow over the Council of Truth.
In that instant, Megisen and his companions felt a soul-deep tremor, a chill running down their spines as if facing a terrifying being of a far higher life form.
Before they could process it, a deafening roar filled the air.
The silver giant raised its arm high, smashing a massive fist down at them like a falling meteor, the impact reverberating with a chest-tightening force!
The fist seemed slow and cumbersome, yet inexplicably, it was upon them in a blink.
A wizard apprentice had no time to react before the fist struck with a thunderous blow!
Shields, energy particle defenses, and magical protections crumpled like paper, offering no resistance, shattering instantly.
The moment the fist touched him, the wizard apprentice exploded into a mist of blood!
The fist paused briefly, then defied physics, curving to smash into another wizard apprentice.
Boom!
Another crimson blossom erupted!
Swish!
A massive blood blade slashed through the air, severing the silver giant's wrist.
With a soft hiss, the giant's hand fell, dissolving into a pool of silver liquid.
But the liquid surged upward, forming a majestic curtain of liquid that engulfed the unprepared Megisen, then flowed back.
As the silver liquid reformed the giant's hand, Megisen was trapped within its grip.
Feeling the crushing pressure from all sides, Megisen's eyes filled with despair, his face contorting with disbelief and jealousy.
If he had doubted before, he now knew for certain that Sunan had become a formal wizard!
Only a formal wizard could suppress him so effortlessly!
But he couldn't accept it!
Sunan must have had a fortuitous encounter in the Starlight Tower to ascend to wizard.
If he hadn't been expelled, he could have passed the trial and received the heritage reward, breaking through himself.
He was just one step away from that coveted realm!
To die like this, he couldn't accept it!
"Ah!!!"
With a cry of agony, Megisen was crushed by the silver hand, his jealousy, despair, and resentment scattering into a mist of blood!
The deaths of three companions in succession made the remaining Council members realize the gravity of the situation, prompting them to flee without a word.
But they hadn't gone far when the silver giant exploded into a shower of silver liquid, forming metallic spikes in mid-air, raining down like a storm!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Fabio, Ivans, and the others were simultaneously pierced by the spikes, their defenses useless.
In an instant, over a dozen third-level wizard apprentices were dead, the entire force wiped out.
The metallic spikes circled back, vanishing into Sunan.
Silence returned, so profound that a pin drop could be heard.
Both Kyi and the distant onlookers stood frozen, their minds blank and their mouths dry.
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