Advent of the Archmage - Chapter 345

Chapter 345: Always a Reason to Hate the Pitiful

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

The undead on the throne slowly raised his head. It was a very gaunt face with the cheeks, and eye sockets were deeply sunken in. It was practically bones wrapped in skin.

His eyes glowed faintly. From within, one could see clear anticipation as if just as he said, he was waiting for his so-called “love” to return.

But Link’s group obviously wasn’t his true love.

“This doesn’t seem good,” Skinorse muttered. “This guy will probably turn us into statues.”

The black cat gave him a look of scorn. Not bothering to pay attention to him, it turned to Link and said, “This guy is like you. He’s a spatial Magician so be careful.”

Link smiled thinly. The earlier experiences told him that the situation was basically identical to the previous game. This Night King was probably similar to the game as well.

He’d played against this Night King more than 100 times and was extremely familiar with it.

To be honest, the Night King was very strong. He had reached Level-8, but he was a Magician. A Magician must, first and foremost, be calm as water and be unaffected by the outside world. However, the Night King lacked this. Therefore, in Link’s eyes, he was easily defeated.

“Actually, we might not need to fight him.”

As he spoke, Link took a dozen steps forward. He walked to the Night King and bowed politely. Then he pointed at the huge painting of a woman on the right wall and said, “Your Majesty, we are here to bring you news of your love.”

The woman in the painting was around 30 feet tall. The painting was of a beautiful woman dressed in a palace court dress. She was around 30 years old and had creamy skin. Her eyes were like the purest of deep sapphires. Her brows were curved as if she was smiling, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

She also held a wand, and there was a deep red Thorium pendant around her neck. The markings on the pendant indicated that it was magic gear. This also meant that the woman was a Magician. It could be seen from the shape of the wand that she was very skilled. She was at least at Level-6, despite seeming to only be around 30 years old.

A woman like this couldn’t be nameless in history. In reality, Link had played the Night King’s Sadness more than 100 times and knew everything about each figure that appeared.

The Night King was the king of a wealthy northern kingdom 800 years ago. He was also a Magician and was extremely skilled in spatial magic. He married an equally skilled Magician—the woman in the painting. Her name was Vivian. She’d become a Master Magician at a young age and was loved greatly by the Night King.

It could be said that the Night King had everything a mortal desired. He had wealth, power, and love. His life was practically perfect.

The first year of their marriage, they loved each other dearly. The second year, the Night King sank into a spatial magic mystery. He started studying it day and night and neglected his wife.

While he studied magic, Vivian and a knight named Lancelot took care of the kingdom. They often discussed political affairs together.

At first, they were very polite, of course, and usually discussed in the library. But before long, they felt that the library was too small, and the chairs weren’t comfortable. They started discussing in bed.

One day a year later, the Night King discovered by chance that his wife was having an affair with his most trusted knight. He caught them red-handed.

Utterly betrayed, the Night King furiously pulverized Lancelot, still lying on his wife, with spatial magic. As for Vivian, he locked her in a Mage Tower, and she began living in imprisonment.

However, Vivian was also a Master Magician. Half a year later, she escaped from the prison and disappeared.

The Night King suddenly regretted his actions. He thought he’d been too harsh and sent many people to search for his wife but to no avail.

To find his wife and beg for her forgiveness became the Night King’s undying wish. However, the second half of his life became an utter tragedy.

Hearing Link’s words, the Night King’s silver eyes flashed faintly. The calm voice suddenly became urgent. “Ah, you brought me news of Vivian? Tell me, where is she?”

Before this, Link had his hands behind his back. Now, he reached out with his palm up. There was a pendant in his hand that was identical to the one on Vivian’s neck in the painting.

Link had created this 30 seconds ago. The magical pendant was only Level-4 and was as easy as breathing for a Level-8 Master Magician and enchanter like Link.

Seeing this pendant, the Night King became even more excited. He immediately stood up from the throne and walked down, step by step. His eyes were trained on the pendant in Link’s hand. “This is definitely Vivian’s magical pendant. How did you get it? Did she tell you to send me a message?”

Link’s other hand was behind his back, holding the Burning Wrath of Heavens wand. “Yes,” he said. “She told me to tell you that she’s forgiven you but she doesn’t have any feelings for you anymore. She implores you to let her go and give her freedom!”

These words were a blow to the Night King. He stumbled and could barely remain standing. “Oh, that is definitely something she would say. My love, are you really so determined? Has nothing I’ve done been enough to make you change your mind?”

The Night King’s tone was dejected, helpless, and filled with immense pain. His emotions were genuine.

Behind him, Skinorse muttered, “I was wondering why he would make something like the Door of Lies. I can’t believe he’s a pitiful guy who was betrayed by his woman.”

Melinda started dabbing at her tears. “He’s so pitiful.”

Nana was still curious. “Why? Why does he have to be with that Vivian? He seems to be living well by himself.”

The black cat pursed his lips. He jumped out from Nana’s collar and expertly took out the dried fish from Nana’s bag that Link had prepared. Eating, he said, “Mortals’ love is just overdramatic.”

The Night King obviously didn’t hear Skinorse and the others talking. After recovering a bit, his features grew menacing. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Vivian, you are so cruel! You betrayed me first, but nothing I’ve done can win your forgiveness? I should have killed you. If I killed you, you wouldn’t have had the chance to break my heart!”

As he muttered to himself, he suddenly looked up at Link. “And you, messenger, I’ve waited for so long just for this heartbreaking message. You’ve sinned! I—”

Before he could finish, Link whipped out his wand and pointed at the Night King. “Restraint!”

Link had predicted that the Night King would flip out. He was naturally selfish. Vivian’s affair with the knight was partly because of being neglected but also due to the Night King’s selfishness. He only cared about his own feelings and rarely paid attention to Vivian. It could be seen in every detail, and as time went by, it became unbearable.

Now, Link acted first and gained the important advantage.

Poof. The spatial sphere burst open and restrained the Night King.

“I’m sorry. Spatial Rend!” Link poured in Mana without hesitation.

Boom, boom, boom. Rings of ripples appeared. Within the spatial sphere, the frequency changed at an unimaginable speed. The chaotic force field was like a flood, continuously washing over the Night King.

Link’s speed of casting spells was honestly too fast. In addition, he was at the same level as the Night King and had acted first. His actions were close to a sneak attack and the Night King basically had no chance.

After half a second, the light in the Night King’s eyes dimmed. After another half second, his body collapsed under the Spatial Rend and became fine white powder.

He was dead.

This was a battle between Magicians. Whoever snatched the chance could act at once and quickly end the battle. Link, especially, was a Master Battle Mage. He could easily defeat a king like the Night King who fooled around with love when he was bored.

The battle ended within the half second. It was so fast that the others couldn’t even react.

“Wow, killing people without any warning.” Skinorse felt like he’d learned a lesson. There would always be a reason to hate the pitiful. Hearing the Night King’s words, he deserved this ending.

Melinda had shed tears for the Night King, but after hearing his words, the sympathy was gone instantly. Her eyes glowed with worship when she saw how Link killed the opponent like lightning. “Master Link is too awesome.”

As for the black cat, he was too busy eating dried fish to talk.

After the Night King’s death, the entire space started to change. There were rings and rings of ripples in the air. Many places even cracked like glass.

Link immediately retreated to the group and said quietly, “This is all a folded space supported by the Night King. Now that he’s dead, it will collapse and reform. We need to hurry out!”

“But where can we go?” Skinorse saw that the surrounding scenery was all twisted strangely. Cracks would streak by like black lightning. Everything in the path of the cracks was destroyed. It was terrifying.

“Ah!” Melinda screamed because a black crack happened to appear right beside her. It was only ten millimeters away, and the Yabba almost had a mental breakdown from the destructive aura.

“Follow me!” Link called. Mana surged around him, and a soft buzz sounded. Rings of half-transparent ripples spread from him. The chaotic space under the ripples calmed greatly. At least, no black cracks appeared.

The group started sprinting through the room with Link.

Link ran to the top of the throne. He saw the magic book on the left side. Glancing at it, he saw the title Wonders of Space and immediately picked it up. There was also a statue of a knight on the right side of the throne made of neither gold nor metal. Cheering inwardly, he quickly collected it.

Then he ran to the back of the throne. There was a small six-foot-wide space there with a magic seal on the ground. There was chaos everywhere except here. Light flowed through the magic seal, showing that it was operating normally.

“This is the magic seal the Night King left for himself to escape. Go in and stand straight.”

After everyone got in, Link also ran in and activated the magic seal.

Buzz. The white light for teleportation lit up. The group was enveloped by the glow and started fading. They were about to leave.

But just then, a black shadow charged through the door and roared, “Where are you? Don’t think about escaping!”

It was the fallen angel.

As the folded space collapsed, the doors in the spiral steps naturally became ineffective as well. He took the chance the rush in but…he shouldn’t have come at this time. Really.

Whoosh! A spatial crack struck him like lightning. Caught by surprise, the fallen angel was struck directly, and his arm fell off cleanly.

“Ah!” he cried out in pain, falling to the ground.

Buzz. Link didn’t see his end. The transportation spell was completed, and the group disappeared from the underground palace. Half a second later, they re-appeared at the top of the Wailing Gorge.

Ten Winged Howlers were patrolling in the sky beside them. When they saw the group, they froze before immediately flying over.

“Go!” Link yelled.

“How? There are so many demons!” Skinorse cried in shock.

Link took out the knight statue he’d taken from the Night King’s throne. This was the ride he’d gotten more than 100 times in the game—the Nightingale Statue!

For their current situation, this statue was a lifesaving Divine Gear!

 

Chapter 346: The Magician Who Stole Away the Princess

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

After escaping from the underground palace, Link had 2300 Mana points remaining. It wasn’t a lot, but he drank a Perfect Mana Potion and activated the robe’s Clear Thoughts effect. His Mana immediately became 4300 points and continued to increase.

At this time, the closest Winged Howlers were about 3000 feet away. Based on their speed, it would only take them seconds to arrive.

Link immediately channeled Mana into the Nightingale’s statue, expending 1500 Mana points in one go.

The statue lit up, revealing numerous runes carved on its surface like an intricate spider web. Then, the spider web started shining very brightly, until it almost became blinding. It looked as though the statue was going to fall apart.

Suddenly, it really exploded into pieces!

Link threw the statue towards the ground in front of him. Ka-cha! The statue immediately started expanding. As it expanded, it turned into many small cubes, which rapidly floated about and joined together to form a black stallion that was about nine feet tall.

This was a practical usage of the Spatial Folding skill. It was very mystical.

This horse was completely black, and it caused flames to emerge as it stamped its feet, distorting the air around its body. Its skin was tough like a sculpture, but its muscles were flexible, containing explosive strength.

On its broad back were two saddles. The Night King had constructed this horse with the intent to ride around the world with his wife, Vivian. Unfortunately, that could only remain a dream now. The horse now belonged to Link.

“Hurry, get on it!”

Although there were only two saddles, this horse was created for traveling and was thus very broad. It had no problems carrying four people.

As the party climbed onto the horse, Link got into the front saddle. In order to protect Link, Nana sat directly behind him. Melinda sat in the second saddle with Skinorse behind her to prevent her from falling.

By now, the Winged Howlers were only 600 feet away. The front-most Howler had drawn out its sword, blazing with thick black Battle Aura. It was definitely going to attack.

“Lord!” Skinorse shouted. His muscles were already tensed, and he was ready to duck aside if necessary.

“Stay calm!” Link pressed down on a rune in front of the saddle, channeling Mana into it. Whoosh. The Nightingale Horse trotted forward, digging its hills into the mountain rock.

Simultaneously, a one-directional magic barrier appeared around them, protecting them from falling off the horse.

“Here we go!” Link increased the Mana input to about ten Mana points per second. It was not considered a lot, but the effect was very visible.

Whoosh. Suddenly, the Nightingale bolted forward, flying across the mountain rock.

Almost at the same time, the Winged Howler’s Battle Aura came slashing over, cutting towards the Nightingale.

“Constrict!” Link pointed his magic wand, and a dimensional ball flew out, exploding and blocking the Howler’s attack.

The next instant, the Nightingale ran off into the distance.

Its speed was ridiculously fast. On top of the horse, the party could only see a white mist surrounding their barrier. Outside the mist, the scenery passed by in a blur, while behind them, only a dust cloud could be seen. From afar, they looked like an earth dragon rushing across the land.

“How fast are we going?”

Skinorse felt his heart thumping. He realized that the flying demons were getting further and further from them. What’s more, the speed that they were pulling away was incredible—over 300 feet in one second!

If anyone were to tell him that someone on the ground could travel faster than someone flying, Skinorse would never have believed them. However, he was now experiencing that first-hand.

“We’re now going at 1300 feet per second,” Nana reported. It was a relatively accurate number.

Melinda was shocked. “This thing is actually faster than our assault airships! It’s incredible!”

Link’s expression was serious compared to the rest. He was left with only 1800 Mana points. Adding the Flame Controller Robe’s Mana recovery ability, he estimated that he would only last three more minutes.

Three minutes later, his Mana would run out, and he would need to use Omni Points to raise his maximum Mana limit in order to sustain Nightingale’s running.

He currently had 700 Omni Points. If he spent them all on increasing his maximum Mana, he would gain enough Mana to power Nightingale for another ten minutes. That would be enough to shake off all the demons. However, that was in an ideal scenario. There was one other major problem.

That was the durability of Nightingale.

Nightingale’s size was large. Running at high speeds across the earth’s surface, the damage to its components was many times higher than flying up in the air.

In the game, the durability of Nightingale, the artificial stallion, was always a point of headaches for players. After every use, it would require repairs. At most, it could only travel for 100 miles before stopping for repairs. Otherwise, it would directly explode while running.

That would be an absolute disaster resulting in many deaths.

To make matters worse, the Night King was a king. Naturally, he was rich and would not consider the cost of materials when constructing the Nightingale. However, for players, that would mean 2000 gold per repair due to the expensive materials used. That was simply burning money.

Therefore, most gamers would never opt to use Nightingale to travel in this manner. The Nightingale was often used for traveling slowly instead. It was very good for showing off, especially for dates. After bringing a girl out on a ride on Nightingale, it was almost guaranteed that you would succeed in chasing her.

Right now, after running for about a minute, Link could feel many small cracks starting to form on Nightingale’s four legs. This was even more inefficient than within the game. Link predicted that it would only last five minutes before becoming useless.

Looking back, Link noticed that the Winged Howlers were now little black dots in the distance. Even though there was already over half a mile between them, they showed no signs of giving up.

There was no way for Link to engage in a battle of attrition against the demons.

All this time, they had been traveling along the upper region of the Wailing Gorge. At this point, the road had reached a dead end. Ahead of them lay a 3000-foot-tall cliff.

“Lord, there’s no more road up ahead. Can this thing fly?” Skinorse and the women asked.

Link did not reply. He was busy thinking about their next step. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. Seconds later, he controlled Nightingale to rush to the side of the cliff and jump right off!

Nightingale’s speed was truly fast. Jumping like this, it was just like a cannonball, piercing downwards through the wind.

The cliff was 3000 feet high. It would take them just over ten seconds to reach the ground. At the base of the cliff were many rocks jutting out, which would turn them all into meat paste if they could not find some way to fly.

“Lord, this thing’s protective barrier is sturdy enough, right?” Skinorse was shivering as he asked this.

He had traveled all over the world, but this was his first time experiencing something so exciting. After rushing forward at the speed of 1200 feet per second, he had now jumped off a 2700 feet cliff. This was truly living life on the edge!

“Don’t think too much. Let me tell you, this protective barrier is only meant to block the wind. Going down like this, we would definitely all die, with the exception of Nana,” the black cat interrupted. Of course, the black cat was not the least bit worried. He knew that Link had some plan.

Link naturally had a plan. After Nightingale had descended 1200 feet downwards, the cliff behind them blocked them from the line of sight of the Winged Howlers.

Right at that moment.

“200 Omni Points, raise maximum Mana limit.”

Instantly, there was a flowing sensation from within his body. Link’s maximum Mana was raised to 20500 points, and the current Mana he had was 2600 points. He didn’t hesitate to use Dimensional Jump in midair.

Whoosh. Nightingale, along with the party on its back disappeared into thin air. One breath later, they appeared on a spot half a mile away.

This region was probably out of the Wailing Gorge’s area. The trees looked more lush. The position Link selected to teleport to was right underneath a big tree.

Link brushed his hand over the magical lines on Nightingale, keeping it. Then, he began to cast Traceless Spells.

“Alright, we’re safe now. Let’s continue onwards.”

…

Back at the cliff, the Winged Howlers had rushed to the cliff’s edge.

“They’re gone.”

“Did they fall to death?”

“No way. There’s not a single mark on the ground. It’s definitely the Magician. They’ve teleported away!”

“Then how are we supposed to find them?”

There was a forest up ahead without red monkeys guarding them. If Link and his party ran into the forest and used spells to hide their tracks, then they would essentially be like a fish that found the ocean. They would be able to hide anywhere they wanted.

As the demons stood around helplessly, a black figure flew over. It was the demon commander.

The demon commander was now in a mess. Its black aura was now much thinner than before, and it was missing one arm. It also flew much slower now, not much faster than ordinary birds.

He slowly landed on the ground, staggering forward and nearly falling down. Looking at the forest up ahead, he helplessly sighed. “Go back and report that there’s been a change in the situation. The Magician, Link, has taken a Yabba person and broke through the barricade. They are approaching Orida Fortress.”

However, after he had spoken finish, the Winged Howlers stood there without moving.

“Commander, are you alright?” At this moment, one of the Howlers asked. It was the one that had been beaten up by him previously.

The fallen angel naturally understood his intention. He laughed coldly, and a knife appeared in his hand, surrounded by black lightning. “Gori, are you perhaps thinking that you can defeat me now?”

“Oh, no no, I had no such intentions. I just wanted to know how you were doing… I’m going to report,” Gori replied. Flapping his wings, the Howler flew off into the skies, heading towards the northwest.

The fallen angel looked at the forest and commanded, “The rest of you, continue searching. The enemy’s teleportation distance is small. He is definitely still around the area.

“Yes, Commander!” The rest of the Winged Howlers spread out to search.

Finally, there was only him left on the mountain cliff. He could no longer hold it back, and suddenly, he puked out a mouthful of blood, crumbling onto the floor.

He had escaped from the trap earlier, but amidst the collapse of the dimensional space earlier, he had been heavily injured.

“This is all because of the Magician that stole away the princess? Haha, he certainly possesses the threat of a realm lord. He’s already a Level-8 Magician. I need to report this news to my lord.”

The Dark Elves had summoned them, but they were only in a collaborative relationship with the elves. The one they truly obeyed was the Lord of the Deep, Nozama.

 

Chapter 347: Mortal, You Lack Patience

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

South Hengduan Mountain Range, 120 miles outside the Orida Fortress

The group was resting inside an abandoned sentinel’s cabin. There was a bonfire in the middle and Skinorse, and the Yabba were grilling the rabbit they’d hunted. Nana was responsible for keeping guard while Link was in the corner of the room, learning magic from the black cat.

“Alright, your brain is a bit better than I’d expected,” the black cat said. “Now, you’ve successfully grasped this magic seal. Unfortunately, you still can’t save Firuman.”

Link thought the black cat was only talking about the world’s crack and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll mend it somehow.”

The cat shrugged. “Perhaps.”

Link ignored the cat after that. He started flipping through the notes he’d taken page by page, checking over them. When he confirmed that there was no problem, he closed the notes and wrote on the title, “Soul Slalom.”

These notes described in detail the process of casting this powerful spell. If a Magician had enough magic knowledge, anyone who received this book should be able to cast the spell after studying it for a while.

Link didn’t only learn. He was still cautious of the black cat and verified the spell during the learning process. He was sure that this spell was effective.

The Dark Serpent’s godly power was a large scale sucking of souls, while Link’s Soul Slalom spell agglomerated a large amount of Mana. It then created a powerful soul-natured storm to forcefully scatter this attractive force.

According to Link’s calculations, he needed to use up 50000 Mana Points in one second to achieve this effect. He estimated that 100 Magicians were needed to create a magic circle for this.

It was easy to introduce, but the theory was actually very deep, and there were many details in the casting process. It was beyond all the magic Link had ever learned before.

There were two reasons why Link could grasp it in such a short time. First of all, the black cat explained it in a way that was easy to understand. Second of all, Link’s great accumulation of knowledge was also helpful. For some reason, Link felt that his brain worked a bit better now, especially after deducing the spatial thesis with the Red Dragon Queen.

For example, he could multitask with three tasks earlier. He could do this before too, but it had never gone this smoothly.

Maybe I made some breakthrough without realizing? That was the only explanation he could think of.

“Lord, here.” Skinorse offered him one of the rabbit’s hind legs that had finished grilling.

Link accepted it. As he ate, he said, “We’ve already gone six days, and my Mana is completely recovered. When we’re done eating, I’ll use the Storm Eagle, and we’ll fly back.”

There were around 120 miles. With his current Mana count, they could pretty much fly past.

“Okay.” After this trip, Skinorse had become completely submissive to Link.

After that, the small room fell quiet. Everyone ate without speaking while the bonfire in the middle of the room occasionally crackled and popped. Outside, there was the occasional call of birds.

Even the black cat Elodim was quiet. It curled up beside Nana and battled with a blue nightfin fish. It didn’t even let the bones go, and crunches sounded as it chewed.

Everyone had become used to this black cat. It had been obedient while on the road and didn’t do anything abnormal. Link had relaxed his guard around the cat too.

They were all tense after passing through the Hengduan Mountain Range and facing all the dangers. Here, they were tired and enjoyed the piece of peace.

At this moment, no one knew what would happen later. Skinorse and Melinda had completely relaxed. Even Link felt comfortable and relaxed.

Years later, Melinda, already past her middle ages, would always shake her head and sigh when recalling this part of her life, involuntarily feeling tremors. When others would ask her, she would refuse to say what happened, only saying, “It was too scary. I never want to think about it.”

After a while, Link finished the rabbit leg. He took out a clean rag to wipe his hands. Seeing that the others were still eating, he decided to take out the book Talisman Enchanting to kill time.

But halfway through the motion, he stopped. Something felt wrong.

He looked around, and his gaze fell on the black cat. It wasn’t beside Nana anymore. Instead, it was at the small window ten feet away. It was still chewing on fish, but it subtly crept towards the window as it chewed.

“Elodim, what are you doing?” Nana also looked over from beside the door. She didn’t think anything was off and walked towards the cat, saying, “Little guy, come back.”

Unexpectedly, Elodim ignored her. It pounced and leapt onto the windowsill. Nana moved to chase it.

“Nana, don’t move!” Link called immediately. For some reason, he smelled an evil aura. While he called, he trained his eyes on Elodim’s eyes. “Are you preparing to escape?” he asked quietly.

“Meow, isn’t it obvious?” A thin smile appeared on the black cat’s round face.

“You know that you can’t escape with your power…unless you received strength. The world is cracked, and the demons aren’t the only ones strengthened. You’re stronger too!”

“Am I? Am I not? Hehe, Link, you’re the smartest mortal I’ve met, but sadly, you’re still a mortal. The biggest difference between mortals and gods is patience. I endured for so long just for one mishap from you.” With that, the black cat prepared to escape from the window. Nana felt something was wrong and sped up to catch it.

Nana’s speed was supernatural. If she sped up, pretty much no one could escape from her, but this time, she failed. The black cat flashed and successfully escaped from Nana’s clutches. Its speed was unimaginable.

It disappeared after the flash, but a bright voice traveled back. “Link, I’m sorry. The world’s crack is getting wider and wider, and the laws restraining me have become flawed too. Indeed, I’ve recovered a bit of my strength—just a bit, but it’s enough for me to escape. As for you all…I can only say that Link, you’ve caused so much trouble. I don’t even have to do anything other than to leave some tiny marks, hahaha.”

The cat’s departure seemed to take away some sort of shield. Link suddenly felt terror in his heart. This was fatal danger!

He quickly understood why he had felt so calm earlier. It wasn’t that there truly was no danger. Instead, the black cat had used some secret spell to block his perceptions. And now, it went without saying that he was definitely surrounded by demons.

Link immediately wanted to use the Dimensional Jump, but as soon as he moved the Mana and tried to construct a Mana structure, it collapsed by itself. This space was locked.

They had hid here and there while on the road and weren’t very fast. If the black cat revealed their tracks, they must be surrounded by layers of demons now.

At this moment, Isendilan’s last words sounded in Link’s ears. He’d said, “Magician, one day, you’ll die in the hands of that cat too.”

Link didn’t think that this day would come so soon.

I’m only a mortal after all. I can’t be the match of a god, even an exiled god. This lesson hurt.

Skinorse was an experienced scout too, and he immediately called, “Lord, let’s go!”

“No!” Link took out his notes, Soul Slalom, and handed it to Skinorse. “Take it back and give it to the Magicians in the Orida Fortress. You must bring it back!”

Link made a decision in that moment. The enemy had surrounded them with such fine preparations, and someone had to stay here. That was okay, but the information had to be brought back to the Orida Fortress.

“Lord…” Skinorse knew the meaning behind Link’s words.

“Take it!” Link ordered.

Skinorse had no choice but to accept the notes and hide them on him.

Beside them, Melinda felt something, and her face paled drastically. She was just a regular Yabba woman. It was understandable for her to panic at this time.

As expected, Link then said, “Melinda, your injury isn’t completely healed. Do you see that cellar? Hide into it immediately and don’t come out no matter what!”

“I can fight! I’m a soldier!” Melinda pursed her little lips. She was about to cry, but she gripped her musket tightly.

Link shook his head. “This isn’t a fair fight, and there’s nothing glorious about it! Don’t waste your life!”

On the side, Nana had already opened the cellar. It was a small thing used for storing food. A grown human couldn’t fit, but it was no problem for the Yabba.

Melinda couldn’t do anything but grab her musket and climb into the cellar, tears rolling down.

After covering the cellar’s entrance, Link immediately erased all signs of her existence. When that was done, Link finally told Skinorse, “Nana and I will distract the demons. Their main target should be me. Hide here and wait for the chance to run.”

Skinorse wasn’t that good at fighting, but he was the best at espionage. If someone distracted the enemy, he should be able to escape successfully.

The wandering vigilante nodded his head seriously. Gray battle aura appeared around him. He moved a bit and hid into the shadows of the room. He quickly disappeared after that.

After that, Link walked to the door of the sentinel’s cabin. He took out the Nightingale Statue. He’d modified this ride already. It made a big commotion while galloping and was extremely fast. It could definitely attract the demons. Link believed the demons already knew their situation. As long as he made a big enough scene, Skinorse would have the chance to escape.

When the Nightmare Ride appeared outside the room, Link saw the first demon. It wasn’t a stranger; it was Misamier, the deputy officer of Nozama, Lord of the Deep.

She licked her red lips and smiled seductively. Her long whip danced in the air, producing crisp cracks. The strong waves coming from her were at the pinnacle of Level-9.

“Magician, we meet again,” she said with a smile.

 

Chapter 348: Link, Is This Really It?

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

In the forest behind the sentinel’s cabin

The succubus demon Misamier was the first to emerge, but she was not the last.

From up in the sky came the sound of wings flapping. It was the Winged Howlers. Judging from the sound, they were about 150 feet high and 300 feet away. Link also caught sight of the fallen angel.

That fellow had apparently not died, but at least he looked a lot weaker than he did before. Even if he was missing one arm and looked extremely pitiful, he still possessed the strength of over Level-8.

Currently, he was holding a rune stone which had silvery lines streaking across its surface. These lines extended out from the stone like a spider web, reaching out for about 90 feet before vanishing.

He looked at Link, saying, “The Gredo Rune Stone. Do you recognize this, Magician?”

Three hundred years ago, a Spatial Magician known as Gredo created this rune stone. This rune stone was not particularly useful for low-level Magicians, its only function was to lock down space. Within this space, all spatial magic skills became useless. It was a very effective counter against Link.

Of course, using the rune stone came at a great cost. It required a Level-8 expert to continuously input Mana to operate it. Furthermore, it could only be used continuously for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, the rune stone would begin to crumble.

Being a Spatial Magician himself, Link naturally was familiar with these types of rune stones, as well as the method to break through them.

“Hah, you overestimate me,” Link laughed.

The demons were indeed numerous, but Link still had some moves he hadn’t used. Right now, his Mana was full, reaching an amount of 19000 points. The Flame Controller Robe’s Clear Thoughts activity was activated. Furthermore, he had 500 more Omni Points.

This was a huge amount of Omni Points, enough for Link to purchase a Level-10 Legendary spell. More importantly, Link still had the Mana to cast it.

Actually, the spell cards had appeared in Link’s vision. Various glowing Legendary cards revolved around him, waiting for him to make a selection.

At this point, an archaic voice sounded out from the forest behind him. “Link, I think you’re mistaken. We don’t just look highly upon you; we also want to kill you.”

As this voice sounded out, a massive, pitch-black snake slithered out. On the snake’s head sat a white-haired old man in a black robe.

It was obvious in one glance that this old man’s limbs were missing. This made his body look very small.

Looking at this man, Link sighed. “Aymons, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Because it’s you, I had to come,” Aymons sighed. This time, he had to make sure to thoroughly kill Link.

They had activated numerous demons as well as the magic tool, the Dark Serpent. There was no Magician in the world with the ability to escape this ambush. It was not even a possibility.

This formation was truly frightening!

Link sighed again, slowly. He had a helpless expression on his face. “Being a logical Mage, I know I don’t stand a chance to fight. I also don’t wish to pointlessly struggle. Aymons, what say I choose to surrender? I’ll join the Dark Elves. Is that acceptable?”

Aymons’s eyebrows twitched. It was a great suggestion. Although the Dark Elves seemed to be prospering, in truth, they were facing many internal problems. One of their greatest problems was the demons.

They had summoned too many demons. However, they had no choice if they wanted to deal with the invading Yabbas from the west and the combined army of humans and High Elves. Without the support of the demons, the Dark Elves will undoubtedly perish.

Originally, they had no need to offend the Yabbas. However, the Dark Elves had another consideration. The Dark Serpent could only stay on earth for a limited time.

This pressured the Dark Elves to rapidly grow their military strength such that when they attacked in the future, they would be able to swiftly achieve victory instead of engaging in a long, drawn-out battle against the humans.

They, therefore, required the technology from the Yabbas – the airships and the magic cannons.

As of now, the Dark Elves were like a blazing flame. However, after the flames died out, it was likely that they would be exterminated.

If Link joined the Dark Elves, it would definitely be a great help to the elves’ development. Although Aymons didn’t truly believe that Link would surrender, he was truly moved by the idea.

Even though the possibility was not large, he intended to test Link out. However, before he could, Misamier spoke, “I’m afraid that’s not possible. Our Lord of the Deep, Nozama, is determined to have your head!”

Misamier had stolen the lead on Aymons. Aymons wasn’t pleased, but in front of a huge enemy, he couldn’t show his displeasure with Misamier and could only swallow it back in.

Clang! Link unexpectedly threw the Burning Wrath of Heavens wand towards Misamier, where it landed on the floor.

Link spread his arms wide and said, “Well then, Misamier, give me a clean death. You’re the commanding officer of this attacking force, aren’t you? Go on, decide how I die.”

Then, Link closed his eyes.

“What…?” All the demons were stunned.

Their mission was suddenly a lot simpler than they expected. Before moving out this time, everyone including Aymons, Misamier, as well as the fallen angel had assumed that Link would fight to the death. In fact, they were prepared for hidden cards that Link might have yet to play.

Therefore, they had mobilized their troops as though they were facing a huge army, paying attention to every little detail and contingency to ensure their plan was a success. However, in the end, their opponent actually surrendered without a fight!

This feeling was similar to that of a vagabond who would see a beautiful queen and try his best to meet her, only to discover that on their fateful first meeting, she immediately spreads her legs to invite him in.

However, they had no doubt about Link’s surrender. After all, he had already thrown his wand to his opponent. That was essentially giving up all his defenses.

A Magician throwing down his wand was like a Warrior throwing down his sword. It was unbelievable.

Misamier grasped the wand Link had thrown over and was surprised.

She had suspected that the wand was fake and picked it up to inspect it. The wand was a fiery red color, slightly translucent, and the workmanship was exquisite and flawless. The wand was emitting a fiery red light and seemed to contain boundless energy. Within the light, the occasional spark of lightning could even be seen.

All of these showed that the wand Link had thrown out was indeed a Legendary wand of the highest grade.

However, Misamier was ultimately not a Magician and could not be certain about the wand. She handed the wand to Aymons, saying, “Magician, check if this is real.”

Aymons was a Master Magician and naturally knew without having to check carefully whether the wand was real. He nodded his head, saying, “The wand is real. It seems like he’s really not planning to resist anymore. Since that is the case, you should just give him a quick death.”

Aymons felt that it was a real pity.

In his opinion, since the opponent had already cast aside all his defenses, then his surrender earlier must have been true. To lose such a potential Magician for the Dark Elves was a real pity!

However, Misamier had already declared that Nozama wanted Link’s life. It was not worth it for Aymons to oppose Nozama over just one Magician. If he did, the demons who were now allied with the elves would immediately turn against them.

When one was riding a tiger, it was hard to get off. That was the situation Aymons now found himself in.

Misamier agreed, shrugging her shoulders. She walked over to Link. Then, 90 feet away from Link, she stopped. “Your magic puppet is too powerful. Order it to self-destruct!”

In the Necropolis in the South, she had witnessed the power of magic puppets and knew how difficult they were to deal with.

“Nana, self-destruct,” Link instructed, staring at Nana without blinking.

“Understood.” Nana’s voice was as clear as before. She drew The Last Nightmare with her master hand and slashed herself through the neck, cutting through half of the white flesh. Crash. Nana’s body crumpled to the ground, unmoving. Her eyes closed and her sword fell to the ground.

She looked like she truly died.

“Ha, kid, it seems you’re really prepared to die. Let me give you a quick death!”

Misamier kept her whip and drew a dagger from a sheath on her leg. The dagger was emanating a thick black aura. Misamier walked cautiously towards Link, one step at a time.

Link stood on the spot, not moving, eyes closed. The dense Mana on his body showed no signs of any fluctuations. It seemed as though he was truly prepared for death.

Inside the sentinel’s cabin, Skinorse could not understand what Link was thinking.

He had thought that Link was pretending to surrender in order to sow discord between the elves and the demons in order to create an opportunity for a counter attack. Then, he had thrown his wand and had Nana self-destruct. Skinorse truly could not understand what was going on.

“Is the lord truly surrendering? Although the situation is such that I would have no idea what to do to escape, the lord doesn’t seem the type to easily surrender.”

Skinorse could not understand. In his heart, Link was the type of person who would fight to the last man even if there wasn’t a chance. Could he have been mistaken?

Furthermore, if Link really was going to surrender, why would he instruct Skinorse to make sure to bring the news back?

In the cellar, Melinda could also hear the commotion outside. When she heard that Link was going to surrender, she started trembling in fear. Later, when she heard Nana self-destruct, she felt like she was going to faint. This was truly too terrifying.

The cellar was cold and damp, and the wound on her leg had not healed. She panicked and truly fainted.

In a bunch of trees, a short distance away, the black cat Elodim was also watching the situation in secret. He was also confused.

“Link, are you really going to go down like this? And here I thought I would get to watch a good show…”

He had thought that he would get to watch an earth-shaking battle. In the end, it turned out like this.

How boring. Truly boring.

 

Chapter 349: Abstruse Meaning—The Thunder God’s Descent

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

Misamier was good at the whip and also good with the dagger.

As she walked towards Link, her thin waist swayed, and her chest stuck out. The dagger in her hand glittered brightly just like her smile. “Link, it won’t hurt at all, and I’ll only do it once.”

Link still closed his eyes and didn’t move. His ears focused on the actions around him while in his vision, he’d already chosen a magic card wrapped in frost-white lightning.

Abstruse Meaning—The Thunder God’s Descent!

Level-10 Lightning Law Spell

Cost: 19500 Mana Points

Description: gathers an immense amount of Mana to activate the abstruse meaning of lightning. The spell caster will transform into the physical incarnate of lightning and thunder, using their destructive power as a weapon for ten seconds.

(Note: all spells under the lightning and thunder will be destroyed.)

Link chose this spell for two reasons.

Firstly, this spell was a guidance type of Legendary Spell. Rather than being straightforward, it was a flexible spell. Secondly, it didn’t cost the least amount of Mana amongst the Level-10 offensive spells, but it was still close to top three. Taking its force into consideration, it was the most cost-effective.

When Misamier was around 90 feet away from him, Link chose the card. Purchase the spell.

One hundred Omni Points were used up instantly. The card glowed and then broke into countless tiny lightning snakes. These snakes wriggled in all directions and finally disappeared in the air.

At the same time, Link felt strength surge deep in his soul. It was subtle but with a feeling that it could destroy everything. For a moment, Link felt that he was a god standing amongst the clouds with a sword of lightning in his hand. He looked down on all organisms. If he saw someone who dared to not submit to him, he would bring the lightning bolt down like God’s punishment.

This was the power of a Legendary Spell. It was the start of something that transcended the ordinary!

Mortal Spells required a Mana structure and the aid of a wand. Elemental Spells required time to gather the elements. Legendary Spells didn’t need any of this.

It only needed the spell caster’s comprehension of the laws and the grasp and understanding of the world’s truth. It was possible to wield horrifying power with a thought and destroy the skies and earth.

This did not mean that Legendary Spells were easier. In reality, they were unimaginably obscure. The spell casting process seemed simpler but only because it had surpassed the restraints of the world’s laws.

This breakthrough process was already impossibly difficult. Only a handful of the billions of organisms in the world throughout history had done so successfully.

Link had another special point. In the game, he was a Legendary Magician with rich experience in the casting of Legendary Spells. Thus, he could perfectly control the Thunder God’s Descent at this moment.

After receiving this spell, Link had 400 Omni Points left. Without hesitation, he put all of them into pushing his Mana to the max. Now, his upper limit for Mana became 24500, and he had 23500 Mana Points.

For a human, this was horrifying power.

Now, Misamier was 60 feet away.

For some reason, Aymons started feeling unsettled. “Stop wasting time,” he urged. “End him quickly.”

The fallen angel also said, “Hurry. I’m running out of Mana.”

Misamier pouted and put on a mock hurt expression. “Fine. Ending a genius Magician isn’t a small thing. I just wanted to make it more formal.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Link’s eyes fly open. His eyes were no longer black. Instead, they were white as frost. Around his pupils, threads of gray-white lightning flashed and cracked constantly.

A moment later, the lightning spread from Link’s eyes to his entire body before going into the surrounding air.

Strangely, the lightning didn’t spread very quickly. Everyone could clearly see the entire process. But even though they saw it clearly, they just couldn’t react. It was as if, at that moment, time itself was twisted by some mysterious force.

“No, it’s a Law Spell!” Aymons was the first to call out. He recognized it at once. In addition to having a rich knowledge of magic, he also grasped the Dark Serpent. With the help of the Divine Gear, his outlook widened greatly.

“Misamier, retreat!” the fallen angel also yelled.

Misamier wasn’t a layman either. In the Abyss, she had Legendary power and was only at the pinnacle of Level-9 now because of the restraints from Firuman’s laws.

Seeing this situation, her first thought was to rush an attack. However, this idea was extinguished instantly. Link was honestly too fast, and Misamier immediately realized that she didn’t have a chance. Thus, she went on the defensive.

She poured out all her power so crazily that in an instant, she felt her body starting to weaken and wither. She couldn’t worry about this now though. With the help of her bloodline talent, all the power surged into her wings. She wrapped the wings around her, forming a dark red circular shield.

Carmine Fortress

Level-9 Bloodline Spell (Master Level)

Description: this spell is an inheritance talent of the succubae. Of all high-level demon inheritance talents, the Carmine Fortress’ defensive ability is within the top ten. It is what the succubae rely on for survival in the Abyss.

(Note: this spell involves the strength of the laws.)

The moment the shield was created, the lightning bolt arrived.

Frosty white lightning wrapped around Link’s entirety. His body, eyes, nose, lips, and skin all had a similar glow. At this moment, he was practically the incarnate of lightning.

“Ah!” He couldn’t help but open his mouth and roar. Reaching out, power rushed from his arms. Lightning streaked across the sky and cracked with an explosive sound that filled the air.

The world lit up with a flash!

Boom! Lightning struck Misamier’s Carmine Fortress directly. Bang! With a crisp bang, Misamier fell backwards. In the air, her body lost balance from the lightning and the blood-colored shield around her shattered. Her wings were burnt. Like a broken kite, she crashed onto the ground and went still. A cloud of black smoke rose up from her body. The air was filled with the acrid smell of plasma.

“Go, Dark Serpent!”

Aymons didn’t care about Misamier. He reacted by immediately turning the Dark Serpent Divine Gear from a snake into a long whip. The whip cracked toward Link’s head according to his thoughts.

Link had an eye out for him too. He clenched his left hand, and a thick bolt of lightning rushed towards the Dark Serpent.

Power crashed unbridled inside Link’s body, pouring out without any restraint. This freedom felt so good Link couldn’t help but roar again!

As he roared, lightning spewed from his mouth. He was the incarnate of lightning and thunder.

Crackle, crackle. A thick bolt of lightning more than three feet wide collided against the Dark Serpent. The Legendary Spell and Divine Gear clashed directly once again.

Whoosh! Power exploded, and lightning flew in all directions. The ring of shockwaves radiated in all directions.

The Winged Howlers in the air were hit by this force and dropped like dead birds. The surrounding trees were hit by this force and instantly fell in a radiative shape. The ones on the ground—Nana, Misamier, Skinorse hiding in the sentinel’s cabin, and the room itself—were all tossed into the air.

In that moment, the mountains within a 300-foot-radius were all reduced to ruins.

In the endless chaos, a black cat hidden amongst the trees was caught by surprise. It was hit by a fallen tree, and while it was dazed, another tree fell down, trapping it to the ground.

“Meow!”

A pained cry tore from its lungs. Squashed by the tree, the black cat pushed up with its limbs, and its tail stood up straight. It managed for two seconds before collapsing. Then it stopped moving. Blood pooled around its body.

Was it dead? No one cared at the moment.

Aymons laughed maniacally. “Link, even your talent isn’t a match for the Dark Serpent!”

The thick electric snake was still in the air. Across from it was the snake-headed whip shrouded in darkness. The Divine Gear was forcing the lightning back bit by bit. This was because they were in Firuman. In the World of Firuman, Divine Gears were restricted. But even so, it was still much more powerful than Link’s Legendary power.

The seconds ticked by. The snake whip was about to defeat Link’s Abstruse Meaning of Thunder.

He didn’t seem to care though. He reached out with another hand and roared again. Another bolt of lightning flew out, hitting the fallen angel sealing the space with runes 300 feet away.

The fallen angel was only at the pinnacle of Level-8. How could it fight against Legendary power?

Lightning snaked around him, and he fell to his knees. Then he crashed into the ground, his entire body turning to crisp. He was burnt by the lightning, and the spatial lock was removed as well.

“Trying to escape?” Aymons immediately realized what Link was planning and increased the strength of the Divine Gear.

He didn’t believe the other dared to use a Burst Spell to escape during such an intense fight. Even if he didn’t mess up while casting the spell, the chaotic laws at the moment could confuse him in space.

Crackle, boom!

The Divine Gear and lightning were still battling. The Divine Gear had already pushed the lightning to three feet away from Link. From the look of things, Link couldn’t hold on for much longer.

With his physical strength as a Magician, he would be dead as soon as his lightning spell was defeated and the Dark Serpent hit him. There was no possibility of survival.

“You’re dead, Link, you’re dead. You have no hope at all!” Aymons voice was practically crazed. The fighting had erupted suddenly, and they surrounded Link, but the tides had almost turned.

Now, he really needed to defeat this frightening Magician. He couldn’t give the man a chance to breathe. He was scared the Magician could come up with a spell to turn the tides; he was scared of this Magician.

He was scared, so he must destroy Link!

“Die! Die!”

At this moment, Link was the only thing in Aymons’ eyes. He didn’t realize that a pale hand reached out from the ruins in the near distance. The hand grappled and pushed aside the pebbles and weeds. Then a girl with a ponytail and big clear eyes climbed out of the ruins.

It was Nana.

The wound on her neck was completely gone, and her skin was flawless as if she’d never been hurt. This was the effect of the Red Dragon’s Essence of Life.

She stood up. Seeing Aymons, she quietly took out the Breakpoint Dagger.