"You're really unlucky. I was originally chasing someone else, but that rat ran too fast, and I lost track of it here. Fortunately, I ran into you."
The young black-robed wizard spoke casually. Whenever he talked, the corners of his mouth would habitually lift, giving the impression of a perpetual sneer.
"Oh, I should remind you. Your method of concealing your strength is quite good, but the flaw in the soul aspect is too obvious."
Seeing the black-robed wizard critically examining him, Ronan realized where he had slipped up.
He had forgotten that the difference between a formal wizard and an apprentice wasn't just in mental energy fluctuations. The degree of soul purification was also a clear distinction.
After one purification, a formal wizard's soul naturally gave off a sense of clarity.
While apprentice-level wizards might not notice this, it was easily discernible among those at the formal wizard level.
"Having just advanced, I haven't fully adapted to the change in my strength and status."
In truth, the mirror fragment's ability was limited, only able to replicate the aura, making it rather ineffective.
Changes had happened too quickly, and Ronan's hurried escape left him overlooking this detail.
Ronan decided to dispel the effect of the magical tool, feeling the powerful aura emanating from the young black-robed wizard, whose mental energy was at least three times stronger than his own.
"Whoosh—"
Ronan exhaled deeply and, after a moment's thought, said to the young black-robed wizard, "Actually, I'm quite familiar with Anglair from the Forest of Whispered Death. We don't necessarily have to fight. Besides, I've only been with Hoddam Academy for a short time and don't feel a strong attachment. If possible, I could consider joining you."
Ronan's words were sincere. He had genuinely considered the option of "defecting" on the spot.
For him, joining the black robes wasn't unacceptable, especially now when he had no idea where to go next.
His words left the young black-robed wizard momentarily stunned. After a few breaths, he chuckled, "What a stupid and laughable way to beg for mercy. Who told you we were from the Forest of Whispered Death?
The crimson returns to the tower!"
The young black-robed wizard chanted, casually forming a blood sphere the size of a ping-pong ball, which exploded in his hand, coalescing into a red spire resembling an upright fang.
"Can't you tell the difference between necromancy and blood magic?"
"Crimson Tower..."
Ronan was momentarily stunned, realizing why Hoddam Academy, after months of conflict with the Forest of Whispered Death, was suddenly attacked. A third-party wizard force had joined the fray.
Moreover, this third party was evidently far more powerful than the other two!
"...As for joining us?"
The young black-robed wizard sized Ronan up and down, shaking his head, "Judging by your unnaturally aged appearance, you lost too much life force during your advancement to a formal wizard, didn't you? With such aptitude, do you think we'd want you? Don't mistake the Crimson Tower for something like your mediocre Hoddam Academy; we don't take just any rubbish wizard."
From his lofty position, the young black-robed wizard looked down on Ronan with disdain and scorn, like an aristocrat viewing a commoner.
Despite the derision, Ronan's gaze only flickered briefly before he composed himself and earnestly asked, "Then what... doesn't count as rubbish?"
The young black-robed wizard squinted at Ronan, not replying, but his patience visibly wearing thin.
Quickly, a cold killing intent emanated from him, and he spoke indifferently, "That's enough for your final words. Time to offer up your head, hmm?!"
"Bang!"
Before finishing his sentence, the young black-robed wizard's expression froze.
He was surprised to find Ronan had vanished, leaving behind only a freshly exploded dirt pit with soil and grass flying.
Before he could spread out his mental energy to locate the vanished figure, a sudden sensation prompted him to turn swiftly—
Behind him, empty space.
Looking up...
Pupils constricting!
He saw a figure leaping high above, silhouetted against the sun, with a gray robe and white hair billowing in the wind, obscuring the face. Only a pair of cold, gem-like azure eyes were visible, along with a staff wreathed in ghostly blue flames.
"You were saying, what... doesn't count as rubbish?"
The icy, deep voice and the intense killing intent plummeted from above, aiming directly at the young black-robed wizard's chest.
The young black-robed wizard roared, his powerful mental energy spreading like a force field, gathering energy particles into a dense wave of blood, which surged upward like rolling waves.
"[Blood Surge]!"
The blood waves accumulated rapidly, forming a massive barrier resembling a blood-red hand poised to strike back.
The terrifying crimson light made the young black-robed wizard appear both evil and formidable.
However...
"Boom!"
A dull explosion resounded, and the young black-robed wizard's eyes twitched slightly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The continuous thumping echoed.
The young black-robed wizard's expression changed, raising his staff, but before casting another spell, the blood wave barrier was pierced layer by layer!
A dual-wielding figure emerged from the blood light, shrouded in ghostly blue flames, with mysterious energies coursing through him.
With the momentum of his descent, he resembled a fierce bird with spread wings, tearing through the blood like paper.
With master-level proficiency in [Charged Weapon—Breaking Force], master-level [Basic Swordsmanship], and the calm awareness of [Realm of Clarity] activated, Ronan's azure eyes, enhanced by the black sword's Breaking Force flames, effortlessly cut through the young black-robed wizard's mental energy field, closing in on him in an instant.
The young black-robed wizard's energy shield flared briefly, only to be pierced like a bubble.
"Thud—"
Ronan's sword plunged into the young black-robed wizard's vibrant body, pinning him to the ground with a look of anger and terror.
Upon landing, Ronan kicked off the young black-robed wizard's body, leaping back up, withdrawing his sword, and with his cloak billowing, pointed a pale hand toward the wizard.
"[Energy Missile—Particle Stream]!"
Instantly, countless mysterious energies converged, forming an unprecedentedly terrifying domain.
Forty-five pure black energy particles surged downward like a torrent.
Compared to his apprentice days, Ronan's formal wizard-level spell power had increased tenfold!
"Rumble—"
The forest floor trembled violently, with energy ripples splashing like high-pressure water, uprooting grass and soil.
When the noise subsided, nothing remained of the young black-robed wizard's resting place, only a desolate crater.
Ronan stood, eyes narrowed at the crater, slowly sheathing his sword, and softly said:
"The truly dead are the real rubbish."
He stepped forward, scanning the surroundings with mental energy, hoping to find traces of the young black-robed wizard.
Unfortunately, the [Energy Missile—Particle Stream] was as brutal as ever, leaving only some blood and bone fragments.
"If only I could get his storage pouch... maybe I'd find a first-level spell inheritance."
Ronan sighed, "Even if it's blood magic from the black robes."
His priority was quickly arming his strength; the precarious feeling made him desperate.
Suddenly, Ronan remembered the mysterious box from Linus's storage pouch, only openable by a formal wizard.
Intending to inspect it, "Whoosh—"
A sharp whistling pierced the air, and a chill ran through Ronan.
He instinctively twisted, sword in hand again, raising it to block and evade.
Several shadowy figures shot toward him like spears, passing through his previous position, clattering against each other before retracting quickly.
Ronan rolled to the side, using his sword to kneel.
A sharp pain brushed his cheek, a cut from the recent attack.
Ronan wiped the warm blood from his face, eyes fixed on a spot ahead.
Something slithered silently from the bushes, revealing what had attacked him.
Thick dark green vines, lined with black thorns, resembling monstrous serpents, exuding cold malice.
"This..."
Ronan froze, then saw a slender woman stepping from the vines.
Seaweed-like green hair, strange facial tattoos, green eyes, and the aura of madness and hatred...
Ronan's face darkened rapidly.
"Who the hell let this mad dog loose again."
Under the blood-stained sky, two figures flew rapidly across the wilderness.
The wind tousled Jerome's short hair, his stern face filled with gravity and worry.
Though propelled forward by a flying device, Jerome's gaze remained on the academy behind him.
As they neared the forest edge, Jerome finally turned away.
"Hoddam... is finished."
He spoke with heavy resignation.
Beside him, a pretty witch in a gray-blue robe, her mood somber, gritted her teeth, "Those lunatics from the Forest of Whispered Death, unable to obtain the Nefar Key, leaked the information to the Crimson Tower."
"Perhaps the Crimson Tower acquired the information themselves; after all, this war has dragged on too long."
Jerome shook his head, his expression composed, looking toward the forest, sensing faint energy fluctuations, "The headmistress is holding off most of the Crimson Tower's forces. It seems she's planning to use the Unscathed Wood. She wants us to take Laura and meet her at the Thorn Palace."
The pretty witch nodded, then sighed, "I'm worried we might not be able to forcibly take Laura. You know how troublesome she is when she goes mad."
Jerome thought momentarily, then replied, "Then let's wait for her to finish her madness before taking her; it won't take long."
The pretty witch glanced at Jerome, surprised.
"This... doesn't sound like you, Jerome. Aren't you usually the one most compassionate and supportive of apprentice wizards? And I remember, you had high hopes for that young wizard."
"Many things depend on timing."
Jerome spoke calmly, "Such concerns are too luxurious for us on the run."
The pretty witch fell silent.
Soon, they neared the forest, spotting Laura's signature vine spell, toppling trees with terrifying force.
A presence entered their senses.
Suddenly, a violent energy particle fluctuation emanated from the battle, accompanied by elusive mysterious energy.
The approaching pretty witch covered her mouth.
"What am I sensing, Jerome? It feels like a transcendent spell domain! Am I mistaken? And..."
The pretty witch's face showed disbelief, turning to Jerome, "When did that young wizard advance to first level?!"
Jerome's eyes flickered intensely, then he swiftly spoke.
"Let's get closer!"
"Clang! Thud—Zzzt—"
Ronan swung his sword at a vine as thick as a human thigh, striking with a metallic clang, cutting through with slight resistance before severing a piece that writhed on the ground.
"Damn!"
Though he blocked the attack, Ronan's face was grim.
He checked his sword, its black blade under ghostly blue flames, chipped and seemingly about to shatter.
With over a hundred mastery points in [Charged Weapon—Breaking Force] and fueled by powerful formal wizard mental energy, cutting through the Crimson Tower wizard's blood magic was as easy as slicing paper.
But against the madwoman Laura's vine magic, its power was greatly reduced.
"This isn't purely a first-level spell; the energy particles have physical support, akin to a hybrid of artifact and spell."
[Breaking Force] could easily disrupt energy particle arrangements forming spells, but cutting vines relied on the sword's sharpness, and Laura's summoned vines were absurdly tough.
Ronan felt frustrated once more.
If he wielded a first-level spell sword, the situation might be different.
His advancement to first-level wizard had been all too brief.
Ronan's sword danced, his master-level [Basic Swordsmanship] shining brilliantly.
His form left blurred afterimages in the forest, dodging and deflecting the serpent-like vines while swiftly closing in on Laura.
His mishmash of zero-level spells, aside from disrupting the pace and consuming mental energy, were now useless in battle.
He relied solely on his two domain powers and his seemingly aged yet potent, beast-like physique!
"You've given me some surprises."
Laura floated between two white cedar trees, with dozens of dark green vines extending from her back, resembling a venomous spider.
She watched Ronan, expressionless, her green eyes reflecting his white hair and the ghostly blue flames on his sword.
"Advanced to first level, and mastered a low-level, obscure domain power."
Laura's expression twisted, her face covered in blood-red tattoos that extended rapidly along the vines.
In an instant, the already formidable dark green vines swelled, doubling in size, their attack strength and speed skyrocketing, like bloodthirsty serpents!
Laura, her face covered in blood-red vine patterns, looked terrifying, her mouth opened, emitting a piercing scream, her killing intent almost tangible.
Dozens of blood-stained vines sliced through the air with a terrifying howl, cutting down trees like wheat before striking the dodging gray figure.
"Bang!"
The gray figure burst into a cloud of blood, rocketing backward like a cannonball, but midway, it snapped a tree and returned, rolling to a halt near Laura.
Laura coldly looked down, dozens of blood vines swaying like tendrils, exuding unease.
Yet now, she wasn't in a hurry to strike.
"Pity... a bug is still a bug, even a bit stronger, still pitifully weak!"
"Ugh..."
The figure curled on the ground coughed violently, spitting out blood.
Painfully rising, he slowly stood.
Ronan looked pitifully battered.
His gray robe nearly shredded, blood-stained, gray-white hair matted with blood and sweat, messily stuck to his face and forehead.
Ronan swayed, seemingly on the verge of collapse, his sword reduced to half.
"A bug."
He repeated Laura's words, his eyes beginning to glow, a clear azure almost bursting forth.
"Be careful not to trip over the bug's thin legs!"
He said, grinning, his bloodied, dirt-streaked face showing a bright, cold smile at the closest he'd ever been to Laura.
"[Energy Missile—Particle Stream]!"
Mysterious energies surged, forming a massive domain.
As dozens of black particles rolled like a torrent, Ronan's weariness vanished.
"Boom!"
The ground erupted, and the figure holding the broken sword charged forward, trailing ghostly blue flames like a banner, thrusting at the shocked Laura.
"Die, you bitch!"
As the cold, furious shout echoed, two figures reached the battlefield's edge.
Sensing the explosive power of two distinct domains, Jerome and the pretty witch both flinched.
"Two... two transcendent domain powers."
"How did he do it?!"
The pretty witch almost groaned in awe.
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