Advent of the Archmage

Chapter 660: The Second Siege of Orida Fortress (6) Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Inside the Black Forest

“The Magicians of Ferde must have flown here on board that airship.”

King Mordena pointed at the vessel in the distance. There was a weird little smile playing on his face.

Eugene was standing beside him. Her ivory skin stood out against her black robe. As she had not completely recovered from her injury, Eugene seemed even more emaciated than before. Her Dark Elf guards had their eyes plastered to her from behind, not daring to look away for even a moment, lest something happen to her again.

Seeing the incoming airship, she frowned. “Will Link be with them as well?”

“Impossible,” said Molina, her waist swaying smoothly as she walked up towards them. She then greeted both Mordena and Eugene with a bow.

Mordena raised a brow and asked on Eugene’s behalf, “How could you be so sure?”

“My master told me so. He said that even if the lord of Ferde were to return to Firuman, he would not pose a huge threat to us, as he too has suffered a terrible loss in the Sea of Void!”

“Loss? To what extent?” asked Eugene. The memory of being killed by Link in a mere instant was still fresh in her mind. As the saying went, once bitten, twice shy. Eugene had every right to be wary of the Lord of Ferde.

Molina said smilingly, “He’s lost two-thirds of his power. His dragon form was also completely decimated.”

Mordena chuckled. “Seems like the Lord of Ferde’s trip into the Sea of Void did not go as planned.”

“Yes, a shame indeed, but we should still not let our guards down, no matter how weak he may be right now,” said Eugene. In spite of what she said, her face had slackened considerably. She would never be a match for the lord of Ferde in his full strength. However, things seemed to be in her favor now. If she still could not best Link in his present weakened condition, she would have to renounce her right to call herself a Magician.

All three of them fell silent for a moment. Then, Mordena asked, “Your Highness, how do you intend to deal with Orida Fortress now?”

Eugene chuckled softly. She then glanced at Molina. “The priestess has asked that I keep the fortress intact and spare the Beastmen inside it. But this would require casting a powerful enough spell on my part. In order to kill off most of the human Warriors in the fortress, I’ve decided to use the Book of Death spell.”

Book of Death

Level-13 Hidden Legendary Spell

Description: Conjures a magic book using an extraordinary amount of dark power. By writing a person’s name in it, he or she will have his or her soul forcibly extracted from them. It will then be ensnared within its pages.

(Note: Death is just the beginning of a new journey.)

Mordena frowned at this. “This spell seems to have a huge limitation to it. How are we supposed to know all the names of the human Warriors inside the fortress?”

Molina laughed out loud. She then took out a thick notebook. “I’ve already prepared a name list just for this occasion.”

“When will the spell take effect?”

“Within three days. In the meantime, I will need you to stay by my side and keep me safe,” said Eugene in a pleading tone, which complemented well with her emaciated state. This should be enough to pull on some of the Elf King’s heartstrings.

Mordena inwardly admitted that the Dark Elf Princess truly was one of the more charismatic individuals he had ever encountered. “You have my word, Your Highness. I, and the Magicians I’ve brought with me, will protect you as best we can.”

…

Orida Fortress

Eliard was examining the three Legendary Warriors’ injuries. Kanorse’s were especially severe. He seemed to be at a loss as to what to do now.

When he was finished with his examination, Princess Annie asked quietly, “Can he still be saved?”

Eliard nodded. “Yes, there is still hope for him. But I’m afraid that I won’t be able to restore him to his full strength. I fear that… the Marshal will remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life.”

“That’s good, that’s good. His life is all that matters.” Annie was somewhat relieved by this.

Eliard then went to check on the conditions of Jacker and the Beastman King Avatar. Both of them seemed to be doing a lot better, thanks to their naturally strong constitutions and fast recovery rates. Jacker was especially lucky that the shield he was holding managed to absorb most of the meteor’s impact. Even though his wounds were severe, Jacker would probably be able to recover fully after two months of recuperation. The same could be said for the Beastman King.

This was one of the few silver linings in their current situation.

When Eliard had finished examining the two Warriors, he then listened to Princess Annie’s account of the battle that had just happened. Frowning, he asked, “And you don’t even know who’s behind the meteor attack? Has MI3 turn up any clues?”

Princess Annie shook her head. “Nothing so far. The enemy managed to unleash such a devastating attack upon us at the most critical moment without leaving a single clue that could lead back to him.”

Eliard smiled bitterly. He then turned to Milose, who had just returned from his inspection of the meteor’s impact site. “Did you find anything?”

Milose sighed. “I couldn’t find anything useful left by the enemy’s attack. However, on closer inspection, I detected a familiar aura around the site.”

Elovan immediately knew what it was. “Is it from the Isle of Dawn?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” said Milose. There was an awkward look on his face. He was after all a former inhabitant of the Isle of Dawn. The High Elves used to be allies in the continent’s resistance against the Army of Destruction. Now, the Isle of Dawn had switched sides, going so far as to help the Army of Destruction breach Orida Fortress. Milose felt ashamed for how things had turned out between the Isle of Dawn and Ferde.

Eliard heaved a sigh. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. The High Elves are the only ones in the continent of Firuman capable of such a devastating magical attack. Once, they were allies. Now, they’ve turned on us. There’s nothing inherently good or evil about this war. Everyone’s just fighting for their own self-interests.”

He then continued, “The Army of Destruction still has the God of Destruction’s support, and I imagine a punctured heart would not keep the Dark Elf Princess down for long. I figure she will need at least a few days to regain her full strength. When that happens, we’ll be facing a Level-14 Legendary Magician and maybe even some of the Isle of Dawn’s own Magicians. This is certainly going to be an uphill battle for all of us!”

A single Dark Elf Princess was already more than they could handle. With the involvement of the High Elves, things just became a lot more complicated. Eliard was now starting to wonder if he could actually fend off another attack from the combined forces of the High Elves and the Army of Destruction.

However, he soon shook off all his self-doubt. What am I thinking? Link has entrusted me with protecting everyone before leaving Firuman. I’ll just need to do everything I can to see everyone through this, whatever the outcome may be!

He then turned to Princess Annie and said, “Your Highness, we need to have an exact idea of the enemy’s current power level. Do you have any idea how we can do this?”

As the highest-ranking commander in Orida Fortress’ MI3, Princess Annie was naturally an expert spymaster whose talent for gathering information was second to none.

Princess Annie pondered on this for a few minutes. She then replied, “Give me one night. I’ll have the information you need ready by tomorrow.”

“Do you need our help?” asked Eliard.

Annie nodded. After thinking about this for a moment, she said, “You could try to disrupt the enemy’s formation for me with another attack.”

Eliard, Elovan, and Milose looked at each other. Then, Eliard smiled. “What a coincidence. We’ve just brought with us a powerful new magic cannon for such an occasion. I’ll bet the enemy won’t know what hit them.”

With everything settled, Princess Annie immediately leaped into action after checking on Kanorse’s condition. Soon, she slipped out quietly from Orida Fortress alongside more than a hundred elite scouts.

Not a sound came from Orida Fortress for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later, a boom echoed from the top of the fortress’s wall. A white ball of fire then appeared in the middle of the Dark Elves’ campground 10,000 feet away from the fortress. The resulting shockwave hit the Army of Destruction’s entire base camp in an instant.

When the ball of fire dissipated, all that was left behind it were the corpses of hundreds of demons scattered across the ground. The attack was at most Level-8. However, what made it even more terrifying was its range!

The Army of Destruction was severely hit by the attack. A few seconds later, when the third ball of fire exploded in their midst, a horn was sounded, signaling everyone to retreat.

“Retreat! Everyone retreat!” They would all be sitting ducks if they stayed there any longer. With their commander still injured, the entire army was not in a position to mount a counterattack against the fortress. For now, they could only retreat deeper into the Black Forest.

From the shadows, the MI3 scouts could see that the Army of Destruction was now in a state of chaos. Some of them even had their telescopes out to observe the situation even more closely.

Two hours later, Princess Annie delivered the information she was able to gather to Eliard. “The reconnaissance mission went smoothly. Things seem to be looking better than I thought it would.”

Eliard unfurled the scroll Annie had given him. His brows furrowed as he read her report. When he was done, he handed the scroll over to Milose. “It’s worse than I had anticipated. More than 100 High Elf Magicians have joined the fray. There are at least five Legendary Magicians in their midst. It would seem that King Mordena has decided to oversee this battle personally as well.”

Everyone around him drew a sharp breath upon hearing the news.

“What should we do? We don’t even have that many Magicians with us right now.”

Eliard thought about this for a moment. He then said, “I will arrange for more Magicians to be transferred here from Ferde. This way, we won’t be completely outnumbered. As for the enemy Legendary Magicians, the three of us could still put up a fight against them with some Legendary magical equipment sent in from Ferde.”

These sets of Legendary magical equipment were forged using the souls of Ethereals they had captured, allowing even ordinary Magicians to wield Legendary-level power. Ferde was stocked up with such an arsenal for exactly the kind of battle that they were about to face.

Everyone on the scene was now put somewhat at ease after hearing Eliard’s strategy.

A general then spoke out, “I heard that the Beastmen have another Warlord who’s still in the Golden Plains. Maybe we could bring him in as well.”

“Not a bad idea. However, we will still need to ask for the Beastmen’s opinion on the matter,” replied Eliard, nodding.

Annie then said, “I’ll assign squadrons of Elite Assassins outside the fortress. These Assassins are all equipped with powerful anti-magic weapons. As soon as the battle begins, we’ll eliminate every Magician on the enemy side from the shadows!”

Eliard nodded. “Excellent idea.”

The enemy must now be extremely defensive against another ambush after having just taken a hit from Orida Fortress out of nowhere. However, no defense was complete without its flaws. Another surprise attack might just be what they needed to turn the tides of battle in their favor once more.

The Red Dragon Warrior Felina was there with them as well. It should be worth mentioning that she was now so close to reaching the Legendary level.

“We can also circle the skies and drop a couple of powerful Magical scrolls and explosives on the enemy when they least expect it,” Felina added.

There were too few Red Dragons available in Orida Fortress at the moment to be of any use on the battlefield. However, they could still provide aerial support for the fortress’s forces.

“I’ll prepare some for you,” said Elovan, nodding.

Soon, a more or less perfect battle plan was formed in this fervent exchange of ideas between everyone on the scene.

Eliard clapped his hands and said, “Alright, everyone, this battle will decide the fates of all the races of the light. Let’s put on our game faces, shall we?”

Everyone immediately scattered off to make all the necessary preparations for the upcoming battle.

And so, for the next three days, both sides began preparing for the second exchange of attacks between each other. On the morning of the third day, a thick layer of snow had piled up on the ground. A sheet of white stretched out across the Black Forest towards the horizon.

In the bleak, biting wind, Eliard, who had only just gotten up from bed, suddenly sensed an indescribable magical fluctuation.

“Magic attack, incoming!”

Chapter 661: Second Siege of Orida Fortress (7)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Powerful Mana waves rippled again. The peaceful snowflakes were thrown into a flurry! In the Mage Tower, Eliard’s heart jumped. “They’re coming,” he said to the Magicians beside him. “Get ready!”

They were in the circular room at the top of the Mage Tower. There was a star-shaped magic seal on the ground. Eliard stood in the center. A powerful Magician stood at each point.

There was also a 45-foot-wide ring of runes around the star. Every three feet, there was a rune node with a Magician standing there.

When Eliard uttered the command, all the Magicians tensed. Mana surged in their bodies and the runes under their feet lit up. Mana kept flowing through the runes and then towards Eliard in the center.

This magic seal was a focus magic seal formation. It had two uses. The first was to group the power of more than 100 Magicians for the core Magician to use. This allowed the Magician to greatly surpass their limit temporarily. The second was for all Magicians present to share the core Magician’s magic backlash. This lowered the risk of the core Magician to cast high-level spells.

For example, Level-11 Magician Eliard could now easily manipulate Level-12 spells. If he wanted to push his limit, he could even cast a Level-14 super-spell. His Mana could reach that level, but he wouldn’t be able to grasp complex spells.

The Mana waves from the Black Forest grew stronger. Looking out from the Mage Tower’s window, one could see that the air above the forest was slightly distorted.

The Mana waves are so powerful and carry a thick dark aura. They must be preparing a super-powerful dark spell. We can’t allow that.

This thought flashed through Eliard’s mind, and he immediately acted.

Taking out a runestone, he added some Mana, and it hovered before him. Eliard didn’t stop. He kept drawing runes in the air. They flew into the runestone and ripples started pulsing out of the stone. It looked like waves in the sea.

The ripples kept expanding and expanding until they rushed out of the Mage Tower, covering the entire Orida Fortress.

This wasn’t all.

The ripples still kept expanding. A few seconds later, it was more than 1.5 miles in diameter. Strangely enough, the Magicians within it couldn’t feel the powerful Mana waves.

This was called Crystal Waves.

Crystal Waves

Level-12 Ethereal Spell

Effect: Activate using the Ethereal techniques from the Ethereal Crystal. No spells within the Crystal Waves can form. Structures of all spells under Level-12 will be crushed immediately. All spells under Level-14 will be weakened by 70%. It is ineffective against spells above Level-16.

(Note: An Ethereal talent.)

Because this was activated by the Ethereal Crystal, Eliard only had to feed Mana into the runestone while maintaining the flow of Mana. He didn’t need to try very hard. After that, he didn’t have to worry about the powerful dark magic to directly fall upon his soldiers.

This was only a defense technique. With it, the Orida Fortress could keep standing in the battle. After that, Eliard took out another runestone to prepare for an attack.

…

Black Forest

When the crystal-like ripples appeared in the air, Eugene, who was preparing the Book of Death, felt something was wrong. She didn’t recognize this spell, but she still understood its use.

She had deep knowledge of spells and rich battle experience. After a few glances, she said to Prince Mordena who was protecting her, “This is the enemy’s defense spell. If we don’t undo it, the Book of Death will be ineffective!”

“Leave it to me.” Prince Mordena nodded. Then he said to the many High Elf Magicians beside him, “Another Doomsday Meteor!”

They had already prepared the magic seal. Hearing the command, they started adding in Mana. In that moment, runes flew in the air and transformed dramatically. Around one minute later, the blue-white ball of light, over 15 feet wide, shot up from the sky. It cut an arc in the sky and crashed into the Crystal Waves around the Orida Fortress.

Boom! With a huge boom after the Doomsday Meteor landed, it was affected by the chaotic force fields within. The spell quickly fell apart and exploded. While dismantling, it also ate up the Crystal Waves’ energy.

The Doomsday Meteor kept going forward and kept dismantling. When the meteor was 300 feet away from the fortress, it was completely broken up. In comparison, the Crystal Waves that had been more than 1.5 miles wide had shrunk to less than 600 feet.

Crack, crack. The Ethereal Crystal runestone hovering before Eliard cracked, becoming fragile. If there was another similar attack, it would fail.

But by now, Eliard’s attack spell was ready.

“It’s time for you to taste Ferde’s power! Ultimate Disassociation Ray!”

Ultimate Disassociation Ray

Level-13 Ethereal Spell

Effect: Use the Ethereal Crystal to create a high-level ray with high destructive power and range.

(Note: Not even an inch of grass in its path can survive!)

Eliard’s runestone flashed and disappeared in a puff of light. Almost at the same time, the Warriors preparing in the fortress saw an endless ray at the tip of the Mage Tower.

When it first appeared, it was dark red. Half a second later, it suddenly brightened, burning white. Then blue deepened quickly and it was dark purple in the blink of an eye.

It also thickened quickly. It had been a thin dark red beam but instantly turned into a dark purple ray over ten feet wide.

Like a sword of divine punishment, it shot towards the Dark Elves’ camp.

Whoosh, whoosh. All dirt, trees, tents, and Army of Destruction soldiers within 60 feet of the ray’s path evaporated. It cut a steaming path of lava on the ground.

The beam was instantly before Eugene.

Boom! A dark gold shield popped up, blocking the ray for an instant. During that instant, a tall Golden Tree Spirit appeared behind the shield. After it appeared, golden vines flew out, forming a net within half a second. Just at that moment, the dark gold shield shattered. The ray broke through and crashed into the Golden Tree Spirit.

Sizzles sounded. Rays of light flashed and scattered Mana turned into countless bubbles that floated disorderly within the Army of Destruction. This clash lasted for three full seconds.

After that, the ray extinguished; the Golden Tree Spirit collapsed onto the ground.

“Your Highness, now!” Mordena yelled. The opponent had just attacked and was exhausted now. The defense spell was undone too. It was time to use the Book of Death.

Eugene had finished preparing. She opened his arms, and the image of an open book arose in the air. A feather quill pen appeared in her hands.

She quickly started writing names in the book.

First, she wrote the names of the mid-level officers of the enemy’s army. These were the core of the human army. Without them, their combat ability would be halved. Their magic defense abilities were much lower than the high-level generals too. They would die as soon as their names were written!

Tom Johansson. When that name was written, a rune shot out from the Book of Death and disappeared in the air. Almost at the same time, a young Warrior in the Orida Fortress collapsed. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath, his life draining out. He would die soon.

Allen Trunden. Another officer died.

Eugene wrote quickly; the soldiers within the Orida Fortress died quickly too.

In the Mage Tower, Eliard quickly realized when the third officer died for no reason. “It’s the Book of Death. They’re using the Book of Death!”

He had to stop them!

Eliard was now preparing the third spell. It was a defense spell. It couldn’t fully stop the Book of Death, but it could at least save the Warriors from the horrible dark curse.

At the same time, the dragons in the sky started fighting too. They threw down soccer ball-sized potions. After they exploded, golden fog appeared in the sky. The soldiers of the Army of Destruction started wailing.

“Stupid little trick! Gale spell!” Mordena smiled. A Level-8 spell created a gust of wind that blew through the camp, easily blowing away the toxic smoke. Then Mordena quickly propped up a defense shield, blocking the disturbances. “Your Highness, these dragons are annoying. Too bad we don’t know their true names.”

True dragon names were long and complicated. Their full names usually contained more than 100 runes and were extremely hard to pronounce. Not only were they hard to remember, dragons never told people their true names.

Molina smiled. “I know some. Your Highness, listen.” She supplied an extremely obscure name.

Eugene wrote it. Immediately, there was a wail in the sky. A few seconds later, a dragon crashed down from the air. He was already close to dying.

Shocked, Felina said, “Go back. Go back to the fortress’ defense barrier!”

They couldn’t stay here. Even if they were still alive after the curse, falling from the sky was still damaging. They would also fall into the Army of Destruction’s camp with nowhere to escape.

This kind of death was meaningless, so Felina decided to retreat.

…

Army of Destruction camp

“Prince, they’re using another defense shield,” Eugene said while writing.

Prince Mordena smiled. He waved, and another Doomsday Meteor rose up. It crashed towards the Orida Fortress, shattering the shield that Eliard had just put up.

The entire fortress was exposed again.

Inside the fortress, Eliard was already sweating. After casting three high-level spells consecutively, the other Magicians were running out of Mana too. Even more critically, their spells were ineffective.

The Orida Fortress would lose if this continued!

“Master, what do we do?” Milose asked.

Eliard took a deep breath. Gritting his teeth, he took out an Ethereal Crystal. “This crystal can activate a Level-14 attack spell, but the cost is high. With our current status, everyone present, except me, will die.”

The Mage Tower fell silent.

Everyone knew that sacrifices were necessary in battle, but very few were brave enough to give up their own life. Even if this was the only solution, the Magicians present still couldn’t reply.

In this world, most people were mundane. Even in the battlefield, they were there to make a name for themselves and get rich. If they died, it would be meaningless.

Even Legendary Magicians Elovan and Milose were silent.

Seeing this, Eliard sighed and put the crystal away. Without the Magicians’ cooperation, he couldn’t use it.

“Then we only have one last option. Cast defense spells for all soldiers and send them out for the final battle!”

All the Magicians agreed to this.

During this time, more than 20 officers in the fortress had died. Terror spread throughout. When the attack signal sounded, many of the soldiers were confused because their leaders had died. They didn’t know what had happened.

Eliard saw this clearly from the Mage Tower, and his blood ran cold. If the soldiers charge now, it’s no different than sending them to their deaths.

Sighing lightly, he took out the Ethereal Crystal again.

There was another way to use this—ignite his own soul. By sacrificing himself, he could cast a Level-14 spell that would turn the tides.

Time was tight. If he hesitated, the situation would be impossible to change. Eliard clutched the crystal tightly. Familiar faces flashed past his mind—Link, Evelina, and the opponents who’d died under his hand. Finally, he sighed again.

“Farewell, Firuman!”

Outside the window, soldiers died meaninglessly. Under the mysterious dark spell’s attack, the army was falling apart. He couldn’t hesitate anymore.

But just as he was about to activate the crystal, he felt an extremely familiar Mana aura rising out of the air. He knew this aura like the back of his hand.

It’s… He was ecstatic!

…

Army of Destruction camp

Prince Mordena smiled, pleased. “Human spells are just child’s play. They’re out of ideas so quickly.”

Actually, he couldn’t really keep going after so many consecutive Doomsday Meteors. If they had to cast it again, his Magicians might make mistakes. Thankfully, the opponent was a bit weaker and collapsed before them.

Eugene glanced at him and didn’t speak. She kept writing down names, but for some reason, she felt some unease. A voice told her that she had to end the battle quickly.

This time, her instincts wer right.

When she wrote the 63rd name, the Book of Death sent another rune into the air like before. Then something odd happened.

The rune turned back and crashed into the Book of Death. The Mana inside was deeply affected. It trembled violently and was about to fall apart!

Chapter 662: What Is He Up to? (2/3) Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Eugene desperately tried to keep the Book of Death intact.

For some reason, the Book of Death trembled even more violently until finally, it was too much for her to handle. The book instantly dissolved into countless specks of light.

Eugene could feel sudden nausea rising in her chest. The magical energy in her body was all clogged up as if it was now stuck in a mire of some sort.

She could no longer use any of her power.

“What’s wrong?” Mordena was stunned. Even though they were enemies, he was familiar with the Dark Elf Princess’ grasp of the mystic arts. She could not have made such a low-level mistake like that.

“Someone’s disrupting my spellcasting!” said Eugene, her heart now pounding against her chest rapidly. She never even sensed her enemy’s presence as the Book of Death crumbled. That was the most terrifying part.

Imagine, for a moment, that you were facing an enemy that you could not even see. Maybe you were lucky enough to dodge their first attack, but what about the next ten attacks?

As Eugene remained dazed by what had just occurred, King Mordena suddenly looked toward Orida Fortress. “It would seem that another airship has just arrived bringing backup from Ferde to the Magicians in the fortress.”

“Could this be the work of one of the newcomers? But there’s no way any Magician in Ferde is capable of such magic!” said Eugene. The brows on the Dark Elf Princess’s elegant face furrowed, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

Suddenly, Molina spoke out, “It’s the lord of Ferde. He’s come to the fortress’s aid.”

“What?” shouted Eugene and King Mordena in unison.

The High Elf Magicians around them began whispering among themselves in hushed tones. They looked at each other nervously, clearly troubled by what they had just heard.

The lord of Ferde had gained quite a reputation across the continent, not just for his sheer power, but for his wisdom as well.

In just a few short years, he had managed to transform an impoverished Ferde into one of the most prosperous cities in the Firuman continent. Ferde’s Mage Tower threatened to usurp the High Elves from their 10,000-year place as the leading race in magical innovation. The mystical wisdom the lord of Ferde had accumulated over the years had far surpassed the comprehension of ordinary Magicians. Anyone who had seen his magic first-hand would immediately lose all will to fight him. Weak-willed individuals who knew him only through his reputation would not even dare pick a fight with him.

And now he had arrived at the battlefield. Without even letting his presence be known, the first thing he did was dispel the Level-14 Dark Elf Princess’ Book of Death.

Such a move was enough to strike fear into anyone.

Eugene looked at Molina. “Molina, didn’t you say that he had just lost his dragon form, that he had lost most of his power? Why do I get the feeling that he’s even more powerful than before?” she asked in an accusing tone.

Molina shrugged. “Maybe something happened to him after that. In any case, everything I told you was the truth.”

King Mordena was now a lot more composed than before. There was even a faint smile on his face. “It’s just one person. Even if the lord of Ferde had a miraculous encounter on his trip back to Firuman which restored his power back to Pinnacle level, he’s still just a Level-13 master. His presence here is troubling indeed, but it doesn’t mean we’ll lose.”

To his surprise, he was immediately shot down by a scathing remark from Eugene. “Hmph, shows how much you know!”

Eugene had thrown all decorum that was to be expected from a Dark Elf Princess out of the window. She began pacing with her hands behind her back. She then noticed the offended look on King Mordena’s face. “Do you know Halino the Light Magician?”

“Halino? Yes, I’ve heard of him.” Though Mordena was fuming inside, he still maintained a semblance of courtesy before the princess.

“Halino, a Level-13 Light Magician, roamed the continent for centuries. I’ve never met the person myself, but I heard that he was killed in the northern ice plains by Link, even when he had the upper hand by holding the Red Dragon Queen hostage. One swift stroke from his blade is all it would take him to kill you as soon as he sees you. How do you intend to defeat someone like that, especially when he’s back at the Legendary level?”

Eugene did not actually witness the event with his own eyes. However, knowing Halino, Eugene was able to guess what happened to him that day. She deliberately omitted herself from her account of the event, lest Mordena or anyone else manage to figure out who she was.

Mordena was not satisfied by mere hearsay. He might not be able to go toe to toe with other more reputable masters in head-on combat, but he just could not believe that anyone would be able to kill him with just a single blow.

In the end, he simply let out a discontented huff.

Eugene knew what Mordena was thinking at the moment. Ignoring him, she turned towards Molina and said, “Priestess, the only reason we mobilized the entire army was because the lord of Ferde had left Firuman. Now that he’s entered the battlefield personally, there’s no way we’ll win this fight! There’s no point in prolonging a losing war, so I say we retreat for now.”

The High Elves and Dark Elves all frowned at this. She only had her magic undone by the lord of Ferde. Was it really necessary for her to be so unnerved by this? Her sudden display of cowardice certainly was at odds with the unyielding resolve she had shown in the past.

Frowning, Molina said, “The entire army is ready to see this fight through to the bitter end. All our arrows are already nocked on our bowstrings. We can’t just pull back now!”

Eugene was stunned for a moment by Molina’s words. She then heaved a long sigh.

Indeed, she was now the commander of an army. If she were to order a retreat now, she would have to take into account the men’s morale, remaining reserves, whether the enemy would give chase, and many other considerations.

If they pulled back now, the Warriors of Orida Fortress would certainly come after them from behind, and that would be the end of them. If that was the case, they might as well see this war through to the bitter end. They still had a chance to come out victorious in this war, however slim it might seem.

Eugene sighed inwardly. “Alright then. We’ll proceed with the war as planned.”

Suddenly, someone pointed at the fortress wall. “Look, there’s a magical illusion above the wall.”

Everyone turned towards it and saw that a ten-foot-tall image of a black-haired young man had appeared above the fortress wall. He was wearing a silver-black battle robe and had a sword dangling from his waist.

Everyone knew exactly who he was. It was the lord of Ferde.

“He looks like he’s about to say something,” said King Mordena, frowning.

In the next second, the illusion spoke out, “Ellie Danas, I have something to say to you.”

At that moment, Eugene was seething with hatred at the sight of Link. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into his flesh and grind his bones to dust. However, since he had asked so politely, Eugene figured that there probably would not be any harm in hearing out the man at the very least. Magically amplifying her voice, she spoke out, “If it’s about surrendering yourself to me, I’m all ears.”

The image of Link above the fortress’s wall smiled faintly. “I would like to ask if Mordena, King of the High Elves, is beside you right now?”

King Mordena nodded to Eugene, who replied, “He’s here.”

“The Doomsday Meteor from three days ago, was he the one behind it?” asked Link.

Eugene did not know why Link would ask her such a thing. However, she was beginning to sense that something was wrong. Unable to figure out what had gone wrong, she simply remained silent.

What is this guy up to? thought Eugene. She really could not understand what Link’s game was.

Chapter 663: The Prophecy Becomes True

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Under the Orida Fortress

Mordena thought Eugene was scared again. Upset, he answered himself. “Humans are the biggest enemy of my race. Ferde has stolen the Isle of Dawn’s various resources multiple times. My race will never soften against enemies like you.”

He couldn’t weaken at all in a stalemate. Mordena knew this. Thus, his tone was adamant.

“You’ve done well.” While speaking, the face on the wall smiled. But the moment it finished speaking, the smile disappeared. The face turned cold. “Let’s see if you can bear the consequences!”

The next moment, Eugene cried, “Prince, be careful!”

Before she could finish, a figure appeared beside Prince Mordena. It looked like Link, who had been speaking from the fortress wall. But now, his face was as white as frost, and his sword gleamed. He was less than three feet from Mordena.

Everything had happened too quickly; they could barely even react. The surrounding High Elves gaped, unable to believe it.

They couldn’t understand how the Ferde lord had crept into the heart of the army. Were all 200,000 soldiers blind? Even if they couldn’t see him, could they not hear or smell him? Weren’t demons the most sensitive to foreign auras?

This was incredible.

Molina reacted somewhat quickly, but she still needed time to cast a divine spell. Faced with Link’s incoming sword, she couldn’t reach it in time.

Eugene was the only one who understood. Link had used the other spell to distract everyone while his true self snuck into the army to get close. This was nothing to a spatial expert like Link.

Eugene could have stopped Link, but she’d just experienced magic backlash. Her power hadn’t recovered fully. Link must be taking advantage of this chance for the risk.

Plus, she was a Magician. Faced with a swordsman that was faster than Assassins, she couldn’t do anything even if she processed things.

Because of all these reasons, she could only watch.

This guy is so tricky. He’d planned this all, and each step is filled with fatality… Mordena is dead this time!

From interrupting her spell-casting and making her temporarily lose power from the backlash to immediately using a hallucination to distract everyone while sneaking into the army, Eugene had figured out all these details. That was why she was terrified.

She was decisive. As soon as she realized she couldn’t do anything, she retreated and cast a powerful defense spell in case Link attacked her.

Prince Mordena reacted quite quickly too. He’d been a Magician in his youth and was a wandering vigilante too. He had trained in battle techniques before. Now, he retreated while white transmission light flashed. He wanted to move away from Link.

Right now, Link was in the Army of Destruction. If he won a few seconds for himself, Link would be submerged in attacks. Then the sneak attack would be an idiotic joke.

However, no one in Firuman could use a spatial spell to escape from Link because he was the most powerful spatial Magician here!

When the light flashed, Mordena completed the transmission and disappeared. However, he didn’t see that Link’s sword had disappeared too. An instant later, Mordena re-appeared hundreds of feet away. He walked hurriedly and turned towards Link. Then he stopped.

It wasn’t that he wanted to stop; he was forced to. Boundless darkness surged like a tide, swallowing him.

Other people only saw a thin red line appear on his neck. Then blood spurted out, and his head rolled off his neck.

Blood sprayed from his headless body.

Link remained in the distance. He didn’t hurry back to the Orida Fortress or even move from his spot. All the High Elves were dazed. They didn’t see how Link had acted at all. The prince that they revered couldn’t block even one of the Ferde lord’s attacks.

Before, Eugene had said that Mordena would be killed instantly. They didn’t expect that the prediction would become true.

Molina’s eyes narrowed into slits, her heart shaking. She didn’t dare to act.

Link looked over. All the Warriors under his gaze retreated instinctively. There wasn’t a single being who dared to meet his eyes, let alone attack him.

Link huffed. Taking this rare chance, his sword flashed jarringly. With a squelch, Molina’s head flew off too and rolled on the ground.

The two powerful figures of the Army of Destruction had been killed like dogs before the countless soldiers. It was unbelievable!

Eugene’s heart jumped. Link’s guts were incredible. Instead of leaving after killing someone, he decided to kill Molina too. Just incredible!

The battlefield was silent for another second. Then a voice finally rang out, “He’s only one person. Kill him!”

It was Eugene.

With that, the masses were finally awakened from their shock and started attacking. In an instant, hundreds of attacks flew towards him, drowning him.

But they were useless.

“Instant Flash!” This was the transmission spell Link had created in the Aragu Realm. It was multiple times faster than regular ones and had barely any delay. Even in a Legendary-level fight, he didn’t have to worry about the opponent finding a flaw.

After that, Link abruptly appeared hundreds of feet away. Because it was so fast, it seemed as if he’d teleported.

Of course, all the attacks missed.

Standing amongst the thousands of soldiers, Link looked through the crowd to the retreating Dark Elf Princess. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. The opponents had already reacted and were attacking him. Otherwise, his third kill would have been the princess. It was alright though. Killing Mordena and Molina was enough.

He flashed again, using the Instant Flash. A few times later, Link was safely back in the Orida Fortress. Looking around, he saw surprised, respectful, and reverent eyes.

Link was used to this and didn’t feel anything special. Looking at the Black Forest, he said indifferently, “The Army of Destruction is going to retreat.”

Awooga. A bleak horn rang out from that direction. The Army of Destruction had indeed started retreating. Finally, they disappeared into the Black Forest.

Eugene’s courage was completely gone. The entire army had been humiliated by Link and morale was at the lowest point. They couldn’t fight anymore.

After retreating many miles into the Black Forest, Eugene climbed a hill. She gazed at the Orida Fortress, grinding his teeth. “You won now but just wait. When the realms fuse, and there will be countless strong figures; you won’t be so arrogant for much longer!”

She was filled with hatred, but that couldn’t hide the truth of how she’d surrendered to Link.

Chapter 664: An Unexpected Visitor

Orida Fortress

Snowflakes drifted down like cotton from the heavens. Link stood on top of the fortress’s wall, looking out pensively over the Black Forest.

The High Elves’ persistence to merge the two realms would soon bring about an age of darkness. The God of Light was no more. He had transformed into the ravenous Ruler of Light and Darkness. Though he was still in the Fedaro realm, it would soon only be a matter of time before he set his eyes on Firuman. And the human race still had the Army of Destruction in the Black Forest to worry about.

The path set before the human race was fraught with countless obstacles. One false move could mean the extinction of the entire race.

How should they proceed now?

Should they go after the Army of Destruction? No, the Black Forest was just too dangerous. The fortress simply did not have enough manpower right now to confront the Army of Destruction on equal footing. The High Elves would also not stand idly on the sidelines. Whether they chose to continue assisting the Army of Destruction in their war efforts or turn around and attack Ferde themselves at this point, the humans would still suffer.

In any case, there was nothing good to be gained from going after them at the moment.

Should they attack the Isle of Dawn directly? No, that would be folly. The Isle of Dawn was surrounded by precipitous cliffs as well as countless defensive magic seals. It was even protected by the World Tree itself. Any attempts to storm that place would be suicide.

Link knew that the human armies currently did not have the strength to bring the fight to their enemies. Their only option for now was to bolster their own strength while being on the defensive and patiently looking out for any new developments in the situation.

However, the humans’ enemies would also be building up their own strength as they stayed on the defensive. They simply could not let the Army of Destruction or the High Elves do as they pleased.

They needed to disrupt their enemies’ plans somehow.

But how should they go about it? Having only just returned from the Sea of Void and still not having a good grasp on the situation at hand, Link did not have the slightest idea what his next move should be.

“My Lord.” Eliard had come over. In a formal setting like this, he would never casually call out Link’s name as he would when it was just the two of them. He was now looking at Link with utmost reverence. “Should we go after them?”

Link shook his head. “No. It would be too dangerous. For now, we should just take advantage of the fact that the Army of Destruction currently do not have the power to carry out a follow-up attack, and continue chipping away at the enemy’s forces while we maintain our defenses here.”

This was the safest option he could think of.

Eliard immediately understood Link’s reasoning. Standing beside Link, he noticed that his brows were furrowed. He asked, “Is something troubling you?”

Link nodded. Realizing that the officers around them were now looking at the two of them, he said, “Yes, there is. However, it’s nothing too urgent. Let’s go to the stronghold. I need to see how Kanorse is doing now.”

Eliard did not raise any objection to this. The two of them then headed towards the stronghold in the middle of Orida Fortress.

Inside the stronghold, Milose, Elovan, the Red Dragon Warrior Felina, Princess Annie and everyone else all came over to greet him. Link nodded at each of them. He was then guided by Princess Annie to Kanorse’s room.

Kanorse was sleeping soundly on his bed.

After resting for three days, and under the watchful eye of Eliard and the others, Kanorse’s condition was finally improving. Though he still had not woken up, his breathing and pulse were now stable. For now, his life was out of the danger zone.

But Kanorse was a Warrior. A Warrior without both his arms was as good as a dead one.

Princess Annie broke the grave silence in the room by exclaiming, “We should be thankful that he is still in the world of the living.”

Link walked forward and closely inspected Kanorse’s wounds. He then looked at Eliard. “How much combat power do you think Kanorse will be able to regain if we build him another pair of arms using the Flesh Puppet technique?”

Eliard shook his head. “I’ve thought of it as well, but it would be extremely difficult to pull off. Kanorse is already quite powerful. His strength is currently at Level-11. We could use the Flesh Puppet technique to reconstitute new arms for him, but to use it in a fight… I’m afraid that his new arm might not be able to handle the strain of having Battle Aura channeled into it.”

He recalled the time the High Elf Magician Milose had his arm ruined by the Beastman King Avatar. Link had used the Flesh Puppet technique to fashion him a new arm. The only difference was that as a Magician, Milose was not a physically strong or agile person and so never saw the need to wield highly concentrated power in his body in his everyday life. Thanks to this, Link was able to effectively use the Flesh Puppet technique on the High Elf.

On the other hand, Kanorse was a Warrior. His body was a weapon. In combat, high concentrated levels of power would be circulating throughout his body every second. A Warrior as competent as Kanorse would need to be able to deftly manipulate this flow of power in his body in a split second. The task of building a new arm for someone as formidable as him might not have been possible for Link before his trip into the Sea of Void.

Right now, though it seemed difficult, Link was confident that he could help Kanorse regain his two arms. He would still need to carry out a bit of research to formulate a way to go about this.

Seeing Link standing there without a word, Princess Annie simply assumed that he too thought that Kanorse’s situation was hopeless. She sighed inwardly and decided to put the matter aside. She then walked forward, tucked Kanorse even more snugly under his bedsheet and sat down beside his bed silently.

At that moment, a general plan had taken shape in Link’s mind. He then said, “There may be a way. But I’ll need some help to pull this off. Eliard, let’s go back to the Mage Tower. We’ll hammer out the details there.”

“Is there really hope for Kanorse?” Princess Annie was overjoyed. Though she was ready to accept the reality of Kanorse losing both his arms, she could not be more pleased if there was still a chance for him to be made whole again, however slim it might be.

Link replied consolingly, “I can’t make any promises just yet. However, you have my word; I will do everything I can.”

Princess Annie’s face broke into a smile. Hearing this from the lord of Ferde assured her that he would succeed. He was, after all, a man capable of miracles.

Without further delay, after casting a Rejuvenation spell on Kanorse, he and Kanorse went back to the Mage Tower.

Once there, Eliard could no longer suppress his curiosity. “Link, did you learn some new form of magic?”

He too was a Master Magician. To the best of his knowledge, there was no spell in Firuman capable of giving Kanorse back his arms.

“Guilty as charged,” said Link with a smile. He then took out his magic notebook and turned it to the last few pages. On them, he had scrawled all of the magical wisdom he had gathered from the realm of Fedaro. “Look at this.”

As if he was being given the holy grail, Eliard gingerly took the book from Link and examined what Link had written in it. He then exclaimed, “It’s a completely different magical system from ours, but it’s also extremely refined.”

“Indeed. By combining the Flesh Puppet technique with these new concepts, we may be able to build a new pair of arms for Kanorse. Of course, it will be an extremely arduous task. The two of us will not be enough. We may need Milose and Elovan for this.”

“They should be honored to be a part of this experiment,” said Eliard, laughing.

After summoning the two High Elf Magicians into the Mage Tower and explaining the plan to them, Milose and Elovan nodded ecstatically at this. “My Lord, we are yours to command.”

Soon, all four Legendary Magicians began pouring everything they had into their research. Link was the main conductor of their experiment, while Eliard and the others simply provided their assistance. The four of them experimented on every possibility without showing any sign of fatigue.

Magical research had always been an arduous process which required concentration above all else. The Magicians soon lost track of time as they delved deeper into their work.

Seeing the lord of Ferde appearing out of nowhere and beating back the Army of Destruction, only to disappear once more for days on end inside the Mage Tower, had left the Warriors of Orida Fortress completely mystified.

This intrigued most people at first. However, half a month later, Kanorse finally regained consciousness. When news of this got out, everyone stopped caring about the lord of Ferde’s whereabouts and decided to congratulate Kanorse on his recovery.

When Kanorse woke up, he was completely despondent over the loss of his two arms. If Princess Annie had not told him that the lord of Ferde was still looking for a way to restore his arms, he would have probably started drinking his days away to drown out his grief.

While Kanorse waited with bated breath for Link to emerge from his work and give him the good news, one day, Orida Fortress received a visit from a strange visitor.

The visitor was at least 40 years old. His features were simple. He was clad in an elegant, golden robe. It was far different from anything the human race had ever conceived, and certainly not something worn by any High Elf, Dark Elf or Naga.

His attire suggested that he was a Magician. His features also seemed human. He had entered the fortress alone, and his face did not betray the slightest hint of worry even as he found himself surrounded by the fortress’s Warriors. There was a disparaging look on his face as he looked around. It was as if he were being surrounded by a couple of ants that could be easily stomped on.

The Warriors brought the man to Kanorse. When the man saw Kanorse, his gaze immediately fell on the two stumps on his shoulders. He then said with a smile, “Looks like you’ve just lost both your arms in a battle.”

Kanorse frowned slightly. He did not like the man at first sight. He seemed too arrogant. Though the visitor looked human, he had the bearings of a High Elf.

“State your purpose, Magician.”

The man’s smile did not leave his face. “I heard that the lord of Ferde is the most powerful Magician in this realm. I’ve come all the way here to see if it’s true.”

Malice dripped from his words. The man had obviously come here to challenge the lord of Ferde to a duel. Kanorse’s brows furrowed even deeper on his forehead. Most of the Warriors around the strange visitor already had their hands resting on the pommels of their swords in case a fight broke out.

Chapter 665: Target: Shadow Divine Fragment Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Kanorse was careful but dared to take risks to. He was a natural leader. Faced with this stranger with weird clothing and odd features, he didn’t lose his temper despite the man’s words. A few seconds later, Kanorse said, “The Ferde lord is busy. I’m afraid he doesn’t have time to see you.”

“I know.” The person nodded and smiled. “He’s busy making a magic arm for you.”

This made Kanorse furrow his brows. Not many knew what Link was doing. It was practically a secret. Thus, it put him on edge that a stranger said it like that.

“Who are you?!” Kanorse raised his voice. The Warriors beside him unsheathed their swords. If this mysterious guy answered incorrectly, they would behead him immediately.

The army wasn’t a place for jokes.

This guy probably knew he was pushing it. Wiping away his smile, he said seriously, “I am Magician Dylosen from the Aragu Empire. As for what I know… It isn’t hard for a Legendary Magician to find out these things.”

When the man reported his background, the Warriors were all confused, especially at the word Aragu. However, Kanorse knew confidential matters. Heart jumping, he immediately ordered, “Leave us!”

“General, what about your safety?” One Warrior was worried.

Kanorse looked very clear headed. “Dylosen is a guest and means no harm. Plus, even if he did, you wouldn’t be able to stop him.”

“Very wise,” Dylosen praised. The belittlement in his eyes faded a bit.

When the soldiers all left and only Kanorse and Dylosen were left, Kanorse finally said, “Master Link is very busy. As a fellow Magician, you should know that Magicians hate being disturbed the most when they’re fully focused on something.”

Dylosen smiled. “You’re right. That’s why I chose to come now.”

“What do you mean?” This raised alarms in Kanorse’s mind. He interpreted it as the other coming to take advantage of loopholes. Then he felt a commotion from the Mage Tower’s direction. Link seemed to have come out.

Dylosen seemed to know everything. “Congratulations, young general.” He smiled. “Your arm is here.”

Less than ten seconds after he spoke, Link appeared at the entrance. He looked as he always did. His hair was tied carelessly, he wore a dark silver battle robe, and a magic sword that looked normal but glowed faintly hung at his waist.

Link didn’t come alone. Eliard and Princess Annie followed him. After entering, Link froze when he saw Dylosen, but joy flashed past his eyes afterward.

However, he ignored this foreign Magician for now. He tossed up two thumb-sized metallic balls. They floated and flew to either side of Kanorse. At the same time, Link advised, “General, it may hurt, but don’t fight back. Try not to move your body.”

Kanorse obviously trusted Link. Hearing this, he sat in his chair without moving. The two balls flew to where his arm had been cut off and sped up, digging into the damaged flesh.

It was obviously very painful, but Kanorse just grunted and didn’t move. After the spheres entered him, they expanded, grew, and transformed. The process was impossibly precise. After a while, two steel-gray arms actually grew out of Kanorse’s shoulder. They were the exact size of Kanorse’s original arms.

“Try moving them,” Link said.

Kanorse tried moving his arms, but he discovered that he couldn’t control them. He could only feel that his shoulder was cold. “I can’t control it.”

“No, your finger just twitched. It means that it succeeded,” Link said, smiling.

“Succeeded? So?” Kanorse smiled bitterly. This was only a bit better than before. At least he didn’t look as pathetic anymore.

Smiling without speaking, Link looked to the foreign Magician.

Dylosen had been watching from aside. Now, he’d mostly figured it out. When Link looked over, he understood and explained, “General, the most powerful part about these arms is that it will grow according to your wishes. You can only control it a bit because it hasn’t been long enough. If you don’t give up and keep using them, they’ll become stronger and more agile. They might even become stronger than your original arms!”

Kanorse understood now, but he still didn’t dare believe it. He looked to Link for confirmation.

Link nodded. “Indeed. If you work hard, they will completely belong to you.”

He didn’t create prosthetics that could be used immediately because those were too stiff and would greatly restrict Kanorse’s room for improvement. These arms now used magic knowledge ten times more advanced than the other kind. He’d put in 100 times more effort too and it paid off. The effect was shockingly perfect.

Just as Dylosen said, the most critical thing was that it would grow like a flesh arm. It could keep strengthening and adjust to Kanorse’s needs.

Kanorse laughed heartily. “I only need to work hard. That’s easy!” To him, having arms again was the same as being reborn. Standing up from his chair, he bowed deeply to Link. “Thank you, master.”

Link accepted the gratitude and said, “You deserve it and it was my duty… Alright. General, shouldn’t you introduce this gentleman?”

He could feel deep and obscure Mana surge within the Magician. He was Level-14 and was definitely a powerful figure.

Kanorse nodded. “His name is Dylosen. He says he’s from Aragu.”

“Oh.” Link grew more excited. If he was from Aragu, he must be related to the Fire Sect of the Aragu Realm. Judging from his attitude, he wasn’t a foe.

There was nothing better than finding a powerful ally right now.

By now, the disdain in Dylosen’s eyes was gone. He smiled. “I heard countless stories about you along the way. I thought I had an idea about your magic, but seeing those arms, I realized I was wrong. Your accomplishments in enchantments, at least, are far beyond my imagination.”

Link already viewed this Magician as a future ally. Since he was praising him, Link returned the gesture. “We all have our specialties. For example, I don’t understand your wand at all. It must be a masterpiece.”

“Oh no, no, no. Haha.” Dylosen had made this wand himself and it was his proudest work. Link’s words hit his sweet spot.

The exchange made the atmosphere very comfortable.

Having gotten new arms, Kanorse held hope for the future again and was in a great mood. “Your Highness,” he said to Princess Annie, “The masters have things to discuss. I don’t understand magic, so how about we go patrol the fortress?”

Annie had no objections. She smiled and nodded.

After they left, only the three Legendary Magicians remained.

Link composed himself and cast a soundproof barrier. Then he asked, “Did the Aragu Empire run into trouble?”

Dylosen had learned about Link and knew some things about Link’s past with Milda, Holy Maiden of the Fire Sect. When Link asked this, he realized that Link already knew the basic situation of Aragu. Skipping the nonsense, he said, “It isn’t trouble. It’s that we’re at the last juncture between life and death!”

Link was shocked. “It’s that bad? What about the Snow Mountain Archmage?”

“He is old. Now, he is already 596 years old and can only live around 20 to 50 more years. Even if we use a Secret spell, it can only be pushed to ten years. He can’t use spells easily either. If he dies, the Aragu Empire will collapse. By then…” Speaking of Aragu’s situation, Dylosen’s expression was serious.

“Why doesn’t the Snow Mountain Archmage become a god?” Link asked.

Dylosen chuckled bitterly. “It’s not that easy. The Fire Archmage became a god because he received the Divine Fragment from an ancient fire god when he was young and strong. Throughout history, one has always needed an outside force to become a god. No Archmage has done it alone. No one.”

From the side, Eliard said, “Since the Fire Archmage can’t be defeated, it’s useless to ask us for help too.”

Archmages were at Level-19 and this was an Archmage with a Divine Fragment. That made him a demi-god. Going against someone like that was suicide.

“It’s obviously impossible with only you, but Firuman has what we need. To be honest…” Dylosen looked at Link, hesitating whether he should speak or not. In the end, he said it. “Firuman is a very old realm and had an era of gods in the ancient times. Countless gods had died here. There are obviously many Divine Fragments too. If we find one and give it to the Snow Mountain Archmage, we will turn the tides.”

“So you have a target?” Link asked directly.

“There’s a Shadow Stalker in the South,” Dylosen answered simply.

“Shadow Stalker Morpheus is Level-19 and a demi-godlike figure. What did you prepare? How do we benefit?” Link was more straightforward.

“I have Level-19 attack equipment from the Snow Mountain Archmage. If you help me defeat the Shadow Stalker and get the fragment, the Snow Mountain Archmage will do his best to stop the realms from fusing. You will also receive three pieces of Level-19 magic equipment.”

The reward was hearty. Link and Eliard met eyes. Eliard nodded in agreement, but Link still had doubts. “One last question. Why would the Snow Mountain Archmage give such an important mission to a Level-14 Magician?”

“Ha.” Dylosen chuckled wryly. “Because I’m the only one who was fortunate enough to escape from the Fire Archmage and his Magicians. Those stronger than me were all killed. I must thank them for attracting all the attention.”

Looking at the subtle marks on Dylosen’s wand, Link decided to believe this explanation. “Alright. Let’s sign the contract.”

He would trust Dylosen now. As for the truth, it would naturally be exposed while they worked together.

Chapter 666: Lava Knight (1/2)

A day in Firuman was equivalent to a year in Aragu. In other words, the Snow Mountain Archmage would only be able to extend his life for another 100 days even with the aid of a secret spell. If the Archmage were to perish, both Aragu and Firuman would be doomed as well. Link and the others had little time to spare at this point.

After signing a soul contract with the Magician Dylosen in order to avoid being betrayed by the latter, Link and Eliard set off for the South with their new companion. They left Milose and Elovan behind to watch over Orida Fortress in case the Army of Destruction mounted another attack against the place in their absence.

Link was not too concerned that the two High Elves would betray him. Both their hands were stained with the blood of High Elf royalty. They had also completely adapted to life in Ferde. There was no turning back for either of them.

The less people who knew about their mission to retrieve the divine fragments, the better. If Morpheus caught wind of it, he would probably have his guard up even more, making the mission a lot more difficult for them.

And so, after returning to Ferde, the three Magicians quickly made a few preparations and disguised themselves before continuing their journey down south. The three of them were masters of the mystical arts. No one would be able to track them down if they really did not want to be found. Even a demi-god would have a hard time sensing their presences.

As the three of them headed towards the South, in the Isle of Dawn’s largest port, Monoson, the High Elf Queen and her elderly entourage were seeing off a High Elf Warrior as he boarded a Silver Storm Sparrow warship

From a distance, this High Elf Warrior seemed like any other ordinary High Elf, save for a few differences, such as the fact that he was a bit shorter and that his clothing was of a different style. However, one would discern a lot more differences from up close.

Though the High Elf was a male Warrior, he was a lot shorter than the female High Elves of the Isle of Dawn. His skin was coarse, and his rugged features were in stark contrast with the daintiness of the typical High Elf on the island. He was wearing a battle robe of gold and red, which was inlaid with various crystals. Its style was visibly different from the Isle of Dawn’s.

The most intriguing thing about the Warrior was his sword. Numerous magical circuits were etched on the blade’s surface. These circuits were gleaming with a blood-red light. At a glance, the entire sword looked as if it was dripping with boiling lava!

As soon as he was on board the Silver Storm Sparrow vessel, the Warrior gave the High Elf Queen a slight bow. He said impassively, “Your Highness, you can expect good news from me.”

He then walked towards the ship’s cabin without turning back.

Wooo… The Storm Silver Sparrow ship sounded its horn as it slowly left the Monoson port.

Back on the docks, some of the elders around the High Elf Queen looked somewhat displeased. One of them let out a huff. “He’s just a Warrior. Does he really think he can get away with such insolence?”

The High Elf Queen shot him a warning look. “Hush now. To be able to attain this much power deserves some respect, even as a Warrior!”

The High Elf was a Level-15 Inferno Warrior, one of the six high-ranking Lava Knights in the Fire Sect of Aragu and second only to the queen’s daughter Milda. Naturally, a master of his caliber could afford to show some degree of arrogance.

Another elder seemed concerned about something. He then said to the queen, “Princess Ellie said that the lord of Ferde’s power has reached Level-14. He now possesses incredible combat power, he’s capable of flawlessly combining magic and battle techniques in combat. Even the king did not survive his blade. Will this Warrior really be a match for him?”

The High Elf Queen replied calmly. “Of course, he will be. The lord of Ferde’s skill is trivial compared to what a Level-15 master is capable of, especially considering the fact that anyone who has reached Level-15 would begin accumulating Law Power.”

At that point, the Silver Storm Sparrow ship had shrunk into a small point on the horizon. The High Elf Queen let out a sigh. “Let’s go back. All that we can do now is wait.”

With Mordena gone, there was but an empty void in the queen’s heart.

…

In the South, Golle Kingdom

Link, Eliard and Dylosen were each riding a horse down the road.

The three of them were dressed as ordinary traveling merchants. They had even hung from their saddles leather pouches which were typically used by traveling merchants in order to complete their disguise. With their magical auras suppressed, the party of three made their way south, their faces covered by dust in the wind.

No one would have known that these three seemingly ordinary travelers possessed power capable of sundering the earth and rending the heavens.

In this day and age, journeying out in the South was risky business. Security was lousy on the road, where a gang of highwaymen could just pop out of a corner and rob you blind. As not many people could afford trips outside civilization, the road was practically deserted at that moment, and so the three of them did not need to worry about being bothered by anyone else.

The three Magicians chatted with each other leisurely as they rode their horses. They would either begin discussing a magical problem among themselves or make a few adjustments to their battle plan in accordance with any rumors they heard on the road.

“I heard that the Syndicate’s members are quite passionate about inciting political turmoil from the shadows. That demi-god upstart seems to have control over every other southern kingdom except the Southmoon Kingdom. His worshippers have reached more than 3 million as well. I fear that he’s not too far away from becoming an actual god,” said Dylosen

Any time they were about to mention Morpheus, they would usually substitute his name with the pronoun “he” or simply the word “upstart.” Saying his name out in the open would draw Morpheus’ attention to them, and that was the last thing any of them wanted right now.

Link smiled faintly. The chances of him achieving godhood are just too low. I’ve dueled with him before. Back then, I was just a Magician’s Apprentice… Look at me now. Still in the pink of health.”

“He really is an upstart,” muttered Dylosen. Whatever the reason might be, if this demi-god could not even deal with a Magician’s Apprentice, maybe he was just not cut out to be a god.

Eliard suddenly asked, “Dylosen, you said that you had just escaped the Fire Archmage and his underlings back in Aragu. Does this mean someone will be coming after you soon?”

Link now looked at Dylosen, waiting to hear his answer.

“Perhaps. If I’m not wrong, my pursuer will be a Lava Knight from the Fire Sect,” said Dylosen matter-of-factly.

“Lava Knight?” Link raised a brow. The name sounded impressive. The two Inferno Warriors he had captured back then never mentioned this to him. Link figured that a Lava Knight’s existence was kept secret even from low-ranking members of the Fire Sect.

“There are, in total, six Lava Knights in the Fire Sect. Each of them is a genius in their own right and were chosen personally by the Fire Sect’s Holy Maiden. They were all molded into Pinnacle Warriors above Level-15. The leader of the Lava Knights is a Level-16 master whose combat power surpasses even the Holy Maiden herself. Though they are all known as Lava Knights, they each have their own codenames, techniques, and equipment. All of these were given to them by the Holy Maiden.”

“They all sound formidable. How many did you say will be coming after you?” asked Eliard. There was not a hint of concern on his face, even after hearing Dylosen’s account.

Dylosen replied warningly, “These Lava Knights are extremely powerful. You would be wise not to underestimate any of them. Only the Frost Warriors of the Aragu Empire are capable of fighting them head-on. Due to the high cost of trans-realm teleportation, the Fire Sect could only send over one Lava Knight. Still, one is enough. Truth be told, I would probably be killed by him with just three strokes of his sword in direct combat. Even if I were to ambush him with magic, I would only be delaying the inevitable. Also, half of the Magicians who managed to break through the enemy’s encirclement were all killed by the Lava Knights.”

Link and Eliard were stunned by this.

As they traveled on, both Link and Eliard were able to estimate just how strong Dyleson was through their discussions on magic. Eliard was certainly not a match for Dyleson. However, Link figured that he had a pretty good chance of coming out on top in a fair fight with him. However, there was still a chance he could lose if he were not too careful.

After hearing from Dyleson just how powerful a Lava Knight was, Link now wondered if he could even take on someone like that by himself.

“What if we work together?” asked Link. Dyleson grunted as if mentally trying to weigh their combined powers against one Lava Knight. Half a minute later, he said, “It’s worth a shot, but we should still be prepared for the worst. Our mission right now isn’t to take on him, so I think that our best option now is to just run if the Lava Knight catches up to us. My Lord, you are a spatial Magician. With you by our side, he will never reach us.”

Link nodded in agreement. “Then let’s hope we don’t meet him too soon.”

The sky had darkened considerably. For safety reasons, they decided not to use their powers, as they were still within the Syndicate’s area of influence in this empty wasteland. They got down from their horses and soon found on the roadside a huge tree to rest under.

Dyleson found some dry grass, on which he lit up a fire with a flint. Link took out a metal pot from his leather pouch, scooped up some water from a nearby stream, and fixed up a metal stand for the pot. Eliard was in charge of feeding their horses.

Soon, Link began cooking a meal in the pot above the fire that Dyleson had started. They then lay out their sheets on a flat surface and prepared themselves for dinner.

Thanks to the South’s warm climate and their sturdy physiques, the three of them were not too bothered about having to spend the night out in the wilderness.

Before long, the aromatic smell of meat wafted from the pot. They quickly ladled some of the soup into their bowls and began greedily slurping it down while continuing their conversations from earlier.

At that moment, the three of them looked just like a couple of traveling merchants who were now having dinner with each other after a long day’s journey. No one would know who they really were.

As they ate, Link’s ears pricked up at a sudden swoosh in the air. Thanks to his abundant combat experience, he immediately recognized it as the sound of an arrow flying through the air towards them from a blowpipe.

As soon as he heard it, he gave his companions meaningful looks. He seemed pleased by this. “Get ready; it’s coming!”

The blowpipe was a weapon most commonly used by the Syndicate’s thieves. They would usually lace the tips of their arrows with snake venom. Once hit, even a well-built man would succumb to it in a matter of seconds. He would then be sold off by the Syndicate as a slave.

Link and the others had come all the way here to let themselves be taken as slaves. This was the first step of their plan!

Chapter 667: Temptation of the Celestial Stone Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Blow darts had very short tips. They were like needles and weren’t very strong. In fact, they barely had any fatality. At most, they would break through one’s skin. Their biggest power came from the anesthetic poison the tips were dipped in.

Naturally, Link’s group was all hit. Each one got shot in the neck and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Around ten seconds later, three guys in dark gray leather armor ducked out of the bushes. The guy at the front was still holding his metal crossbow. It was aimed at Link with an arrow in place just in case.

“Go get their weapons!” The person said to the other two while his crossbow was still aimed at Link’s trio.

The two thieves sprinted over and stripped the three of their stuff. They found three daggers, a regular steel sword, a crossbow, and some valuable little things like silver rings and jade necklaces.

“Boss, this is all,” one thief said.

The boss cocked his head at the things on the ground and studied the unconscious trio. He smiled. “They’re young and muscular. We can sell them as Warriors. We hit the jackpot. Go search their bags.”

“Gotcha,” the two thieves answered. Happy, they jogged to the horses and opened up the bags. The three were clearly traveling merchants. They would definitely have a bunch of good things.

While searching, one thief yelped. The boss jumped and almost shot his arrow. Shocked, he asked quickly, “What’s wrong?”

“Boss, look, look! Something good!”

The skinny thief turned around, holding a stallion statue in his hands. More accurately, it was half a statue. It had been sliced by something sharp, and the cut was smooth.

The most attractive thing was the statue’s material. It was semi-translucent and shone gently like crystal. It made one get the urge to clutch the statue and caress it forever.

All three thieves gaped at the statue and gulped, swallowing heavily. They just stared like idiots. How could there be such a pretty thing in the world? It must be priceless.

After a full five minutes, the head darted over and grabbed the bag on the horse, covering the statue. Finally, he let out a breath.

“This must be valuable. It must be priceless!” one thief mumbled while staring at the bag. He couldn’t see the statue anymore, but just looking at the bag reassured him.

“Boss, what should we do?” the other thief asked. His eyes flashed for an unspoken reason.

The boss was familiar with that light. Usually, when they chanced upon something valuable, they would secretly take it and exchange it for money. Then the three brothers would splurge happily.

If they sold this statue, they could live wealthily without doing anything.

But this time, the boss didn’t say anything. He kept silent. Deep down, he obviously wanted the treasure for himself. However, another voice told him that it was too valuable and dangerous. If people found out, they might die.

Their lives were still more important than money… Any logical man would know what to do.

After debating for a full fifteen minutes, the boss gritted his teeth and said, “We can’t take this. We might not be alive to spend the money. Hand it over. Leader will reward us greatly.”

The other two thieves weren’t happy, but thinking of the Syndicate’s cruel punishments, they shuddered.

“Boss, we’ll listen to you.”

With that, the head thief’s thoughts ran more smoothly. “Take these three back too. There’s only half of the statue. They must know where the other half is.”

“Whatever you say.”

The three started acting immediately. They dragged the three unconscious men onto the horse and tied them up nicely. Seeing that there was stew left in the pot, they sat down and drank it all. Then they started walking the horse down the small path beside the road, going deep into the forest.

As they walked, the trees grew denser. After more than ten miles, the trees grew sparser again. A river valley appeared before them. In the distance, one could see a castle.

This was one of the Syndicate’s strongholds.

The three thieves led the horse towards the castle. At the entrance of the river valley, the bush moved, and a young and agile man in black leather walked out. Looking at the three unconscious men on the horse, he furrowed his brows. “Why did you bring outsiders in?”

Only Syndicate thieves knew about this secret stronghold. Usually, they would sell slaves outside instead of bringing them into the stronghold. If that happened, the location would be exposed. The Syndicate didn’t like to be out in the open.

The head thief nodded submissively. “Yamu, we found something really good to give to the leader.”

“Oh, something good?” The thief wasn’t impressed. These three weren’t powerful. Their Battle Aura was only Level-2, and they could only capture lone merchants to sell as slaves. What good things could they find?

The head thief walked forward with the bag. He opened it slightly, revealing the statue inside.

Yamu gasped as soon as he saw it. When he looked back at the thieves, his eyes were different. “That really is good. I’ll bring you to the leader!”

He’d never seen a stone like this, but he could feel the power aura coming from it. It didn’t look bad either. It was definitely extraordinary; the leader would definitely like it.

He turned to lead the way. As he walked, he said, “You three really got lucky to get something that good. You’ll definitely be rewarded well.”

“Hehe, Brother Yamu, I won’t forget about you.” The head thief quickly smiled. He had to. Here, he wasn’t as powerful or important as Yamu. He had to bow down to the man.

“You’re very thoughtful, haha.” Yamu was pleased.

The group led the horse into the castle walls. In the courtyard, people dragged the still-unconscious trio off the horse and into the dungeon. Yamu brought the three thieves into the castle’s main hall.

The hall was vast. In the front, there was a huge statue of a muscular middle-aged man. His face was covered and there was a dagger on either side of his thighs. The statue was hidden in the shadows, and every detail was on point. From afar, it looked as if a thief was really hiding in the darkness and could jump out at any time.

This was the Shadow Stalker Morpheus.

Before the statue, a figure shrouded in dark aura stood in the shadows. His face was hidden, but his eyes glowed faintly with red light. When he looked at the four entering the hall, they felt like a viper was watching them and shuddered in unison.

“What good news did you bring?” the man spoke. His voice was raspy. When it rang throughout the hall, it sounded like a snake’s hiss. It gave one goosebumps.

“Leader, these three captured three merchants and found this.” Yamu took the bag. He walked up and offered it up.

The leader took the back. When he opened it, his eyes instantly brightened. The dark room seemed to brighten too as if a star had fallen onto earth.

“This statue…this stone…it’s a Celestial Stone!” the leader couldn’t help but exclaim, his breath quickening. He knew what this was!

Celestial Stone

Level-16 Astral Meteorite

Effect: It dazzles like a star on the outside. If one grinds it into fine gold, the weapons created are formless and traceless. It won’t let out a bit of aura while being almost perfectly anti-magic. It is an Assassin’s top choice.

(Note: There is only one star in the world. The others are destined to fall.)

While appreciating the beauty, the leader suddenly said, “Why is it only half? Where’s the other half?”

For priceless treasures like this, one would never worry about having too much. Even if there was only a shred of a chance to get more, he would snatch it up!

Judging from the breakage point, someone had chopped it off with a sword. It was a fresh cut too and should have been recent. If he had a clue, he could definitely find the other half.

“It was found in the merchant’s belongings,” Yamu quickly replied. “There was only half. Leader, should we bring them over?”

Before the leader replied, there was a soft buzz behind him. They all looked over and saw that Morpheus’ statue’s eyes lit up. Bloody light shot out while boundless pressure weighed down.

The four thieves immediately fell to their knees. They didn’t even dare to breathe.

Morpheus kept surveillance of his high-level believers’ minds. Once there were dramatic abnormalities, he would sense it. Now, the leader was suddenly ecstatic, so Morpheus’ focus projected from the statue to see what was happening.

And thus, he saw the Celestial Stone.

Recently, Morpheus had been feeling off. There was a vague sense of danger. To protect himself, he wanted to create a powerful weapon for himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough materials to fulfill that goal.

The Celestial Stone’s appearance was like a traveler in a desert seeing an oasis. Morpheus was immediately excited. With this stone, he could definitely produce the most advanced divine gear for thieves!

A voice rang out in the minds of all the thieves present. Take this Celestial Stone and the three mortals to be. I will interrogate them personally! Hurry! Now!

The leader was shocked. “Yes, Master,” he hurriedly said. “I will do it now!”

Chapter 668: There’s Been a Change in Plans (1/2)

Wooden wheels rumbled down the road with a wooden cage set on top of them. Clad in threadbare prisoner garb, Link, Eliard, and Dyleson leaned despondently against the bars of their prison.

After being questioned by the Shadow Stalker himself, their lives would come to an end. These thieves certainly would not have anything good in store for them.

Of course, to these thieves, these three were no more than ordinary merchants who might have known a thing or two about self-defense. Being completely disarmed, these merchants did not seem to pose a threat to their captors and so were left unsupervised in their cage.

This gave Link some leeway to discuss matters with the others.

As masters of unequaled power, they were able to converse with each other without even opening their mouths. Instead of silently mouthing out words or playing charades, they could communicate with each other via a series of subtle movements that they had decided beforehand, such as a twitch of a finger or an eyebrow.

On the surface, other than adjusting their postures slightly inside their cage, these three remained almost completely still. However, the three of them were already in the midst of a “conversation.”

“Hey, you got it ready yet? We’re about to meet Morpheus,” said Eliard to Dyleson. They were now rolling along a small path through a thick forest. From the looks of it, they should soon arrive at Morpheus’ lair. Their plan to defeat Morpheus now hinged on the Level-19 sacred gear that Dyleson had brought with him.

“Relax. Before leaving, the Snow Mountain Archmage did his research on the demi-god. This divine gear is forged especially for him. He will die for sure.” Dyleson contorted his lips slightly. There was not a hint of concern in his eyes.

Link did not say a “word.” He had kept his eyes glued to his surroundings throughout their journey while feeling the wind speed and the thieves’ breaths in the air in order to determine where they were now.

By estimating their current coordinates and comparing it with the Shadow Fortress’ location as he had remembered it back in the game, he would be able to determine if they were indeed heading towards Morpheus’ lair.

The game had not been as detailed as this world Link now lived in, but everything was where it should be in this world. For instance, the bandits’ fortress from before existed even in the game. It was known as Horde Fortress. It was one of the Syndicate’s main strongholds and served as a base for one of the Syndicate’s smaller divisions. The thief Yamu and the bandit leader were the fortress’ bosses.

Back in the game, Link had brought a party of his own into the fortress and was able to find some clues concerning the location of Morpheus’s Shadow Fortress after killing the bandit leader.

According to the game’s description, the Shadow Fortress should be more than 80 miles southwest of Horde Fortress in the depths of the forest. Poison mist traps had been set up in its vicinity. Any trespassers who blundered into any of them would surely die as soon as they came into contact with the ensuing poison mist if they had not been properly vaccinated against it beforehand.

They had already traveled 40 miles through the forest. According to the game’s description, they should soon reach one of said poison mist traps. If these thieves intended to let Morpheus interrogate them, they should at least give them the antidote for the poison in order to keep them alive. To Link’s surprise, none of them seemed too concerned about their prisoners’ well-being at the moment as they kept driving on.

No traps were triggered.

Slowly, Link realized that they were now taking a path that seemed to diverge slightly from the one that Link remembered taking back in the game. Right now, he could not determine if such a divergence had always existed, or if the thieves had simply decided to take a different route.

However, Dylosen seemed a bit too optimistic about this. This was not the right attitude to assume when one was about to go up against a demi-god.

Link then said, “He may be an upstart, but he’s still a demi-god who had the fragment for a hundred years. Such a presence would most likely have something up his sleeve, so let’s try to be careful, shall we?”

“Of course,” said Dylosen, nodding slightly.

The prison wagon rumbled on down the road for another two hours. Suddenly, the path before them grew wide and flat; the wagon’s jolting diminished somewhat. There were now fewer trees around them. Before them gaped a 50-foot-wide valley which seemed to be filled with a faint layer of mist.

As soon as the valley came into view, Link suddenly felt that something was amiss.

“Alright, stop the wagon,” said the bandit leader, who had been walking at the front of the party. He then raised his hand, and everyone came to a halt. “Let them out.”

One of the thieves approached the cage. He then opened its doors with a click and shouted, “Get out, all of you.”

“What now?” Eliard shot a questioning look at his companions.

Dyleson frowned. He too did not seem sure what they should do next. Link raised a brow. “Just do as he says for now.”

Their plan had gone off course. Still, this was normal. The information they were able to gather was incomplete after all, so how should one expect any plan to go smoothly on the basis of incomplete information?

The three of them got off the wagon. One of the thieves then pointed a dagger at their backs. “Walk, now.”

The three of them were then forced to walk up to the bandit leader, who looked at them with a cold smirk. He then threw a bundle at Link. “Take the statue with you and go straight down into the valley. Don’t even think about running; our lord is waiting for you in the valley!”

Link and the others looked at each other in confusion. Their bodies began to tremble. None of them seemed willing to take another step forward.

“Hurry along now, will you!” The bandit leader took out his crossbow and pulled back its bowstring with a click. So did the other bandits. At that moment, the tips of ten or so arrows which glinted with a cold metallic light were pointing menacingly at the three of them.

If they remained cowering there, they would surely be killed. At least they could live a bit longer if they followed the path before them into the valley. The three of them began walking forward tremblingly, especially Link, who was shaking so furiously he nearly dropped the statue from his hands. Evidently, he was more shaken up than the other two.

The thieves behind them howled with laughter as they watched Link and the other two enter the valley.

The three walked on and on until they finally entered the valley. The bandits were now completely obscured by the white mist behind them.

Morpheus was still nowhere to be seen. This was not part of their plan. However, the three of them had no choice but to walk on.

After walking for at least ten minutes, a voice suddenly rang out in the white mist. “Mortal, you seem familiar.”

There was a stir in the white mist before them. The mist then coalesced into a humanoid form, which floated straight towards them. Link could feel its gaze on him.

This must be one of Morpheus’ clones. Where was his real body? Without knowing where it was, Dylosen could not use the sacred gear on the demi-god even if he wanted to. He began to panic.

Link had once dueled with Morpheus in the past. In order to avoid being recognized by him immediately, Link had altered his own features, his own magical aura and even assumed a jittery disposition in order to transform into a completely different person. Still, even after taking these precautions, he was unable to completely fool the demi-god’s unusually acute senses.

Link fell to the ground. Sweat was now streaming down from his forehead. He raised the bundle that was hiding the statue above his head in trembling hands. He then pleaded, “Almighty one, I’m just a simple merchant trying to make an honest living. Please spare me.”

No one would have guessed that this trembling merchant was the peerless lord of Ferde. Though Eliard and Dylosen looked petrified on the outside, deep down, they now had nothing but admiration for Link’s performance.

The human figure in the mist seemed to have dispelled his suspicions concerning Link’s identity. Its attention was now drawn to the bundle in Link’s hands. The bundle unraveled by itself all of a sudden, revealing the dazzling Celestial Stone statue inside it.

“Incredible, just incredible. Such a shame that you’ve brought me only half of the real thing.” The figure in the white mist extended a hand to touch the statue’s broken surface. “Where did you get this from?”

At that moment, Link’s back was now wet with sweat. He was now sweating nervously for real. He had a feeling that if he gave Morpheus the answer that he had prepared before entering the valley, the demi-god would immediately make his move against them.

And once Morpheus made his move, the three of them would be forced to give themselves away. Morpheus’ lair was nearby. As soon as he knew who they were, he would soon come out to greet them personally.

They had initially planned to catch Morpheus by surprise. Only through ambush would they have any chance at all of defeating him. All three of them would simply be stomped to death like mice by the demi-god in direct confrontation.

They were now standing on the crossroads of life and death!

The problem was, what should they do now?

Eliard and Dylosen were smart enough to know that things had taken a dangerous turn. However, the two of them were unable to do anything at this point. Their hearts pounded furiously against their chests as cold sweat oozed out from their pores.

Chapter 669: Time to Risk Lives!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Valley

After Morpheus’ white fog projection finished asking, he watched Link quietly, waiting for his reply.

Link’s mind whirred crazily, trying to find a way to solve this. On the other hand, Morpheus waited a few seconds. When he didn’t get a reply, he said, “Oh? You don’t dare to answer?”

Eliard and Dylosen had stopped breathing, and they were ready to act. They didn’t hope to defeat Morpheus; they only wanted to escape successfully.

But then Link suddenly yelled, “Those thieves said you’re an unbeatable god. Is that right?”

“Can it be wrong?” Morpheus huffed. He was only a demi-god, but before mortals, he always called himself a god. He never interacted with mortals either to further maintain his mysteriousness.

“God, I beg you, let me become your believer.” Link prostrated himself on the ground.

This interruption got rid of Morpheus’ anger. Link probably only wanted to save his life by becoming a believer, but no demi-god who wanted to become a god would drive away a potential believer. Morpheus was the same.

However, he wouldn’t accept just anyone who said he wanted to convert. He had to learn about this person’s past and personality… Of course, this wasn’t important. The most important thing was where the other half of the Celestial Stone was.

“If you wish to become my believer, you must serve me and be completely loyal. Now tell me, how did the statue get halved?” Morpheus asked. His voice was much softer now. If he could get the other half, he could let these people live. Of course, they had to join his cult.

Link’s thoughts whirred, and he thought of what to say. Pretending to recall his memory, he said, “Mighty God, this statue was very difficult to get. We risked our lives in the Grinth Forest near Ferde to get it.”

Morpheus was instantly interested. “Oh? Tell me in detail.”

He didn’t test Link’s soul to see if he was speaking the truth. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he was just a thief originally. He didn’t know anything about Soul magic. After receiving the divine fragment, his power increased, and he grasped some of the knowledge for becoming a god. He still wasn’t familiar with Soul magic though. If Link was his believer, he could use the belief to read Link’s soul. Since he wasn’t, he could only judge from Link’s expression.

The man looked fidgety and extremely scared. His body was drenched in cold sweat. A regular merchant wouldn’t dare to lie.

Morpheus was quite confident about that.

Link cursed inwardly. He didn’t know anything. Beside him, Eliard and Dylosen were still sweating. They looked at Link, waiting for him to make something up. They hoped the story would be beautiful and Morpheus wouldn’t be able to find flaws.

Of course, they were also busy during this time.

As a Level-14 Magician with a Level-19 divine gear, Dylosen took advantage of when Morpheus was distracted by Link and secretly searched for where Morpheus truly was.

This divine gear was the Snow Mountain Archmage’s proudest work. It was called the Eye of Reality and operated secretly. If the other was also an Archmage, they would be able to discover it. Morpheus wasn’t though. He was just someone who didn’t know any Soul magic and just hit a fortune.

He didn’t know what Dylosen was doing at all.

Link saw it, of course. Now, he had to make time for Dylosen. His mind spun and suddenly got an idea. “Mighty God, we are from Norton, and we live in the Grinth Forest. We were strong as children, so we learned some martial arts techniques—”

Morpheus cut him off with a wave. For some reason, he felt anxious and restless inside. This annoyed him. “Cut the nonsense and say how you found it!”

“Yes, yes, Mighty God!” Link wiped his sweat and swallowed heavily. Then he took some deep breaths, seeming to try to make himself calm down.

Morpheus couldn’t do anything except wait patiently.

After many seconds, Link finally continued, “It’s like this. Me, Liard and Dylo are good friends. We went hunting in the forest. You know, the Grinth Forest had a lot of battles. The farms are all destroyed and we don’t have enough food, so we had to hunt to add to our food.”

“And then?!” Morpheus just wanted to strangle this wordy guy. It’s been so long, and he just can’t get what he wanted.

“And then we found a deer. I shot it and hit its hind leg. It was a bit off though. Not only did it not die, but it also ran too. It kept running, and we followed its bloody trail. I didn’t think that lame fella could run so fast. It disappeared just like that. If it wasn’t for the blood, we couldn’t track it at all—”

“Cut the nonsense!” Morpheus’ image waved his hand and Link immediately flew backward, rolling many times before stopping. If Morpheus hadn’t restrained himself and used more strength, he would have exposed himself now.

As for why Morpheus was so nice was because Link had said he wanted to become a believer. Morpheus couldn’t kill him.

After rolling to a stop, Link immediately started screaming like a dying pig, “Mighty God, mighty god! I’ll tell you! Don’t kill me!”

Morpheus huffed. “No more nonsense. I usually don’t give second chances!”

Link subtly looked at Dylosen. Seeing that he was still focused, Link knew he hadn’t found Morpheus. Link couldn’t find him either.

In the game, he found Morpheus mostly thanks to the Ethereals. The Ethereal Warriors had mutinied and forced Morpheus into the Shadow Fortress. But here, because of Ferde’s capturing, the Ethereals were almost extinct. Morpheus naturally didn’t have pressure from them. As for where he was now, Link had no clue.

Seeing that Morpheus’ patience was at the limit, Link spoke faster. “We still lost the deer in the end, but we happened to see a Warrior chasing a Magician deep in the woods.”

He was completely BS-ing. He only had one goal: drag things out.

“Warrior? Magician?” Morpheus’ brows furrowed. “Tell me what they look like. If they could have the Celestial Stone, they must be powerful. The Warrior was probably a Legendary Warrior. The Magician must be a master too.”

Link recalled in detail. “The Warrior wore a gold and red robe. It looked weird. I can’t explain it. He was so fast too, just like lightning. He just flashed by. We heard the Magician say, ‘Here you go, all for you.’ And then he tossed something down, but the Warrior didn’t want it. He cut it with his sword and then started chasing the Magician again. They disappeared so fast. We waited a long time before we dared to go look. After looking around, we found half of the statue, but couldn’t find the other half.”

Eliard followed up. “The statue is so pretty. After we got it, we were scared the Warrior would look for trouble. We obviously couldn’t stay in Grinth anymore. We wanted to sell it in the Southern black market. And then… and then we got captured and got brought here.”

Hearing this, Morpheus fell silent. If it was a Warrior with a gold and red battle robe and chased a Magician with a Celestial Stone all over the place… More importantly, he could cut the Celestial Stone with one move and make the cut so smooth. Just from that, he was sure the Warrior was at least Level-15.

These three were honestly so lucky to get this half. But according to their description, the other half should be in the Grinth Forest. They were just too scared to find it. They probably didn’t dare to spend too much time looking.

Thinking of this, Morpheus said, “Do you still remember where you found it?”

“Yes, yes,” Link hurriedly replied. “We grew up in the Grinth Forest. We can find our way with our eyes closed. Liard, Dylo, right?”

“Oh, good.” Morpheus suddenly looked to Link. “You said that you want to convert?”

Link froze. Glancing at Dylosen from the corner of his eyes and seeing that the man was still silent, he panicked a bit. What was with Dylosen? Did he still not find Morpheus? It was getting serious. Though he was panicking inside, Link nodded hurriedly. “Yes, yes. Mighty god, it would be my biggest honor to become your believer.”

“Oh, then I will perform the ritual now…” Morpheus’ image raised a hand. An emblem with dark light appeared in his palm. He was about to press it down onto Link’s forehead.

Just then, Dylosen’s hands twitched. The gesture meant that he’d found Morpheus.

Link’s eyes flashed. This meant that the divine gear could be activated and they could act. Now, Morpheus’ hand was about to land, but Link obviously wouldn’t allow it. He suddenly raised a hand. A shred of moonlight flashed and dissipated the projection!

Link couldn’t defeat Morpheus’ true self, but this was just a projection. It was nothing.

As soon as the projection was gone, Dylosen acted.

Fiery-red light radiated from his left arm. It grew brighter, and half a second later, his entire arm flew off. It curled into a silver-red disc. This was the divine gear he’d brought: Chaotic Moon.

Chaotic Moon

Level-19 Legendary Pinnacle Divine Gear

Effect: It took the Snow Mountain Archmage three years to create. After activating, it will use the chaotic Void power and force the opponent to Level-5. It can last from 10 seconds to one hour.

(Note: Knowledge is power!)

“Go!” Dylosen yelled. The air around them shook and rippled. The silver disc spun and whooshed, disappearing into the sky.

Half a second later, a roar boomed from around ten miles away. “Die! Everyone must die!”

The voice was aggressive and furious, but to Link’s group, it sounded weak.

“The divine gear is activated!” Dylosen yelled. “We have ten seconds!”

Within ten seconds, they either get the Divine Fragment, or they die. It was time to risk their lives!