The Dark Spirit Domain was gradually emptying out as mages departed, leaving it quieter and emptier than usual.
The same could be seen in Leo's tower, where many mages had already left. Merlin had initially planned to construct a level-one spell before leaving, but time was tight, and spell construction could take a day or two. Deciding that the Dark Spirit Domain was no longer a place to linger, he resolved to attempt constructing the spell at a safer location later on.
As he exited Leo's tower, he ran into Anlena, who seemed to be waiting for him.
"Merlin."
Anlena approached him, her expression hesitant.
"Is something on your mind, Anlena?"
Anlena was usually more direct, so her hesitation today struck Merlin as odd.
She finally raised her head, seemingly making a decision, and spoke in a low voice, "Merlin, if you have the chance to become a level-one mage in the future, would you consider taking me on as your retainer?"
Merlin's expression turned slightly strange. Anlena and Lorinka both seemed so sure he would become a level-one mage. Perhaps they simply had no other options.
Whatever her reasons, Merlin knew he couldn't fulfill Anlena's request. He shook his head and said, "Anlena, I already have a retainer—Lorinka, who left the Domain before us."
Anlena's face showed a hint of regret when she heard Lorinka's name, and she sighed with disappointment. "Lorinka sure was quick… Well, if you already have a retainer, I won't insist. But when you leave the Domain, you'll likely be gone for a long time. If you ever reach Sky City, do visit me at the Delman family."
Merlin nodded, understanding this as Anlena's way of leaving things on good terms.
They exchanged a few more words before Anlena departed with several other mages.
Merlin observed the activity around the Domain, where mages were moving quickly, many already leaving despite the allotted three-day grace period. Not wanting to waste any more time, Merlin headed to the Domain's array of runic formations for teleportation.
He had already looked into which formation he would use; none of the formations in Pugast State connected directly to the Dark Spirit Domain, and even the formation in the Kuld Mountains only allowed entry. The nearest teleportation point to Pugast was located in the outskirts of a small town called Ditas.
---
In a forest of red maple leaves, two figures stood silently. One wore a black hooded cloak that obscured his face completely.
"Neil, you dragged me here in a hurry. I hope this isn't a waste of time like last time," the hooded man said in a cold tone.
Standing beside him was none other than Neil, a mage from the Dark Spirit Domain.
Neil let out a low laugh. "Heh, Vixer, don't you trust me by now? Without my help, you wouldn't have advanced so quickly to level-one, would you? This time, you'll gain handsomely, I promise."
Vixer, the hooded mage, paused before asking, "So you're telling me there's a six-element mage? This better not be a joke. Does the Dark Spirit Domain really have someone that gifted?"
Neil's face twisted as he replied in a low voice, "Do I look like I'm joking? This six-element mage… he was a wanderer just a year ago, can you believe it? I've found out that he comes from Pugast State and will likely use the Domain's teleportation formation to arrive here. If we kill him, we might find ourselves with some very unexpected spoils."
Vixer fell silent, focusing on an unremarkable spot in the maple grove ahead.
Suddenly, mysterious runes began glowing in the forest, and a figure appeared.
"He's here!" Neil's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
---
Merlin emerged from the runic formation, feeling no discomfort from the long-distance teleportation.
"This must be the maple grove outside Ditas," he thought, gazing around at the stunning red leaves. The beauty of the scene lifted his spirits.
Just then, he noticed two figures in the distance. One of them was unmistakably Neil.
Merlin recalled the warning relayed by Rilith from Holmes to be cautious of Neil. He hadn't expected to encounter him so soon. Although he held little fear of Neil, he felt a hint of danger from the hooded man beside him.
"Merlin, what a coincidence!" Neil said with exaggerated warmth, his expression feigning surprise and friendliness as he walked over to Merlin. "I just arrived myself and was about to leave with Mage Vixer here."
"Oh, Neil, what a pleasant coincidence indeed," Merlin replied, smiling as he quickened his pace toward Neil.
Neil's eyes flashed with an intent that was difficult to miss, and he also sped up.
Ten meters… eight meters… five meters… three meters…
Still smiling, Merlin mentally counted the distance between them, waiting until they were about three meters apart.
"Kill!"
Without warning, Merlin struck.
"**Dark Mist!**"
He activated the Dark Mist spell, enveloping Neil and the hooded mage in an instant. Although it wasn't an enhanced version, Merlin's regular Dark Mist was enough to plunge Neil into a hallucination.
"**Thunder Net!**"
A massive Thunder Net descended, covering both Neil and the hooded mage.
But Merlin didn't stop there. Summoning over a dozen fireballs, including a few larger ones, he hurled them into the darkened mist.
Suddenly, he heard the whistling sound of an attack cutting through the air. His heightened senses detected an intense wind element, followed by a fast-approaching wind arrow aimed straight at him.
Recognizing the spell—**Blazing Wind**, a level-one wind attack—Merlin quickly activated **Earthen Shield** and surrounded himself with the protective wind from **Gale**.
The Blazing Wind smashed into Merlin's protective wall, penetrating deeply before finally losing momentum against his layered defenses. Fortunately, Merlin had anticipated this, casting multiple Earthen Shields in quick succession to reinforce himself.
Amidst the dark mist, a series of explosions rang out as Merlin's fireballs erupted, sending fiery tongues of flame licking across the dry maple leaves. The grove began to blaze as flames spread.
The Blazing Wind shattered Merlin's earthen wall but was ultimately stopped by his reinforced defenses. Now, both Merlin and the hooded man stood ready, waiting for the mist to dissipate.
As the mist cleared, revealing the aftermath of the attack, only one figure remained—the hooded man. His cloak bore no sign of damage, indicating that neither Merlin's Dark Mist nor his fireballs had harmed him. Neil, however, had been far less fortunate, and his corpse lay scorched and unrecognizable.
Casting a cool glance at Neil's body, Merlin then focused intently on the hooded mage before him. The man's powerful spellcasting and Neil's confidence in him suggested he was likely a level-one mage.
"Poor Neil. What a fool he was," the hooded man said, his tone calm.
"Ice Bind!" Merlin shouted, his spell creating jagged icy projections aimed at restraining the mage.
"Blazing Wind!"
Both unleashed their spells simultaneously, flooding the area with powerful ice and wind energies in an intense, chaotic exchange of elemental force.