220 - 227
Acolyte
"Huh?"
Hyder looked at the old woman, a little confused.
"What I'm trying to say is… Rather than guinea pigs, the results would be better if you could do tests on a Magus who has also been cursed. Am I wrong?" The old woman looked cold and indifferent as if she was a block of ice.
"Theoretically speaking, that's true, and it would be even better if it's an official Magus…" Hyder unconsciously muttered to himself, and suddenly came to a realisation. "You're thinking of using Manla?"
Hyder could not hide his shock at her words. Though this lady's family had a long history, official Magi were few and far between. There were not more than 5 of them; this act would sacrifice a fifth of their power!
"If that's what fate dictates, then so be it!" The old woman looked to be in a trance as she gazed at Jenna, who was in a deep sleep within the ice coffin. "She is the seer and nothing can be allowed to happen to her!"
"The seer? No wonder!" Hyder repeated after her. He had also heard about the family's strange ability to foresee the future.
"Kill him! The traitor that goes against fate!" At this moment, Jenna suddenly opened her eyes, revealing the whites of her eyes as she spoke expressionlessly.
"Those who offend the seer will have their spirits cast into a bottomless hellhole with black flames, and receive endless torture. Hehehe…" All of a sudden, Jenna's expression changed, and she began to laugh crazily.
Next, the whites of her eyes disappeared, and a look of suffering appeared. She looked to be on the verge of tearing as she stared in the direction of the old woman. "Grandmother…"
This expression quickly dissipated, and the colour of her face changed. Several images appeared, forming different faces.
"Hsss…" As if stimulated, the black snake runes on her pale neck began to extend.
Lines of black veins instantly crawled all over Jenna's face.
"This is bad!" Hyder immediately went forward, pouring a bottle of blue liquid into her mouth.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* On the surface of Jenna's body, countless shards of blue ice appeared, causing her body to freeze.
"Sleep!" Hyder spoke slowly; the expression in his eyes was hard to make out and was somewhat intimidating.
Blue threads from his fingers went deep into her body.
After a long period of time, Jenna finally went back to sleep, and the snake curse returned to its original shape, though it looked a little bigger than before.
"A fractured spirit! Or no, is this the fusion of spirits? How pitiful…"
After all that work, Hyder began to look at Jenna with pity in his eyes.
As a healing Magus who was friendly with this family, he knew about the divination ability they possessed.
This strange ability came from an incomplete high-grade meditation technique.
All who cultivated in this meditation technique would automatically gain the ability to receive premonitions of the future to some extent. As they progressed and cultivated further, they would even be able to observe fragments of the future.
Unfortunately, this incomplete high-grade meditation technique had stringent limitations, and only the female members of Jenna's family were able to cultivate in it.
In addition, within each generation, only one member would succeed in it and gain the power to predict the future.
These people were called the 'seers'!
If that was all, the situation would be manageable. However, with the passing down of this technique, a more scary phenomenon appeared.
The spirits of the seer through the years were somehow preserved, and they would possess the body of the current seer.
Hence, with the accumulation of more and more spirits, the seer's mind would become mentally unstable, and she would become schizophrenic.
Hyder had previously accepted the task of producing potions that could stabilise the mental state or spirit of the seer.
The current Jenna looked like a single person, but within her body resided the spirits of the past seer.
With the increase of spirits within her body, Jenna's mental health and rationality became frail, and there came a point where she did not even know what she was doing. The spirits of the seers from previous generations would even occasionally take over her body.
As a result, she would do some strange things that were unthinkable to the regular person.
Hyder was very much aware that after gaining this ability, Jenna's family had become a little neurotic.
Not only did they say that pretty much everything they did was in the name of the protector, and were unwilling to accept any criticism, but they were also used to saying nonsense like "following what fate had in store for them."
As this continued to happen, several families that had previously been on good terms with them distanced themselves.
After all, Magi were a bunch of rational and free people. Nobody wanted to be with someone who would constantly criticise their actions.
What had once been a large clan inevitably fell. Just looking for some external help was difficult, and they could only find a sole healing Magus—Hyder.
"How is she?" The old woman inquired worriedly, though she pointedly ignored Manla at the side.
Hyder sighed, feeling pity for Manla.
"Though I was able to temporarily suppress the outbreak of the curse, Miss Jenna's unstable mental condition means that the outbreak can recur at any time!"
Hyder gave the old woman a long, meaningful look. "Also, with that outbreak just now, the date which the curse on her body will completely erupt has been brought closer."
...
Leylin knew nothing about what was happening.
It was just the opposite. He was surprised that he hadn't heard anything about Jenna's family trying to find him through other organisations.
From the looks of it, Jenna's speech about being on good terms with large white Magi organisations was just a ploy to scare him in a life or death situation.
Though Leylin had made some preparations, the feeling of having made preparations but there being no signs of attacks directed at him left him feeling a little dejected.
"But the time limit that I set is approaching! They will definitely look for me soon!"
The corners of Leylin's mouth curved into a cold smile.
His curse came from the rank 4 Morning Star Magus, the great Magus Serholm. With the A.I. Chip's simulation and encryption methods, it was basically impossible for anyone else in the entire south coast to undo it.
To save these two people, the family supporting Jenna would have to beg him for help!
Leylin was also quite interested in Jenna's divination ability and desired to know more about it.
...
*Whoosh…*
The sounds of fierce wind whistled past Leylin's ears.
*Awooooo!" The Venom Wyvern, Hawke, made sounds of excitement as it soared through the air.
The gale that met them ruffled Leylin's clothes, producing the sounds of fabric flapping. Leylin closed his eyes in enjoyment, looking content.
"The Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and the Lilytell Family! It's time to sever things off completely!"
Thinking back to the information he had gained from those few Magi, a merciless glint appeared in Leylin's eyes.
He was quite knowledgeable in the field of spirits and had learned about methods in torturing spirits. Leylin even had the ability to use certain combinations of potions to search the souls of newly-advanced Magi.
Under the endless torture methods that Leylin had employed, the five Magi that Leylin had taken prisoner quickly relinquished all that they knew.
From their very lips, Leylin was able to obtain a very detailed distribution chart of the Abyssal Bone Forest's forces in Hunting Zone 3.
What aroused Leylin's interest was a stronghold that was headed by the Lilytell family!
In the beginning, in order to obtain the Kemoyin's Pupil technique, he had killed off Bosain. This had offended an elder of the Lilytell family, so Leylin had no choice but escape from the academy. Scenes of his past flashed by Leylin.
This was a dispute that had come about in one's pursuit of power. There was no right or wrong, but since he had garnered animosity from them, Leylin was prepared to eliminate this liability!
Though Giant had promised to mediate, one could only trust himself! The best enemy was a dead one!
That elder from the Lilytell family who specialized in metal had reached the apex of a rank 1 Magus. If Leylin were to make his move now, it would be a bit difficult.
However, he would be able to cut off his opponent's wings and weaken his family!
It would be even better if that elder himself was around. Leylin was certain that he would be able to withdraw safely, and that he would be able to collect large amounts of data and command the A.I. Chip to simulate the best way to kill him!
The Venom Wyvern soared through the air at a frightening speed, causing animals and acolytes alike to only see a black blur.
"We've entered enemy territory. This is where most of the enemy Magus activity is."
Leylin suddenly having an idea. He produced large amounts of grey clouds from within his sleeves, concealing both him and the Venom Wyvern.
With the spread of the grey clouds, the large figure of the Venom Wyvern actually become the same colour as the blue sky. Even the immense life and heat waves from it vanished.
...
On a valley floor, an obese-looking acolyte in grey robes was being chased by a group of wild wolves.
"Faster! Just a little bit faster, and I'll reach one of the strongholds of the academy!"
The acolyte ran, cheering herself on while tightly grasping a unique red ore.
"Awoooo!" A wild wolf howled, surrounding itself with a ring of green particles. Its speed immediately increased fivefold, turning into a black line as it headed straight for the acolyte.
With green light shooting from its eyes, the wolf opened its mouth to reveal sharp teeth that reeked of blood, and snapped at the acolyte's hand.
"Bite it!" This acolyte resolutely surrendered the left hand that the wolf was aiming for.
*Ka-cha!* The pathetic defense of the acolyte's robes was pierced through.
Immediately after, the wolf fiercely bit onto the acolyte's left arm, and a muffled sound similar to something biting on leather was heard.
"Hah!" The acolyte swung her left arm.
The wild wolf was swung away as she exerted her enormous strength.
At the next moment, however, multiple wild wolves caught up to her.
Saving A Damsel In Distress
Seeing herself surrounded by wild wolves, the acolyte made a decision.
She fiercely swung her right arm backwards.
*Ka-cha!* Her palm split open, revealing multiple white teeth, and looked like another mouth
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
From the mouth on her right arm, several lumps of putrid green liquid shot out.
"Awooooo…"
The liquid balls hit the bodies of the wild wolves, producing large amounts of white smoke. They corroded at a very fast pace, revealing the striking red flesh and white bones of the wild wolves.
The wolves' attack became sluggish, and making use of this chance, the acolyte quickly recited a few incantations and added a spell that would increase her speed.
Eventually, before the group of wolves caught up to her, this acolyte quickly burst into a layer of mist.
After entering the mist, she heaved a huge sigh of relief.
She looked around her.
Around her were several official Magi and acolytes in the robes unique to Abyssal Bone Forest Academy moving about.
"Stop there, acolyte! The password and your token!"
Countless black owls surrounded the acolyte, creating a huge human figure that spoke.
"Supreme Abyssal Bones!" The acolyte muttered lowly, and then produced a black stamp, placing it before the giant.
"Correct!" The giant spoke, dispersing into many owls that flew away. This acolyte then took out a map and compared it with her surroundings.
"I never thought I would go so far inside. This is a danger zone marked with three bones. Without the strength of an official Magus, it's best to leave as soon as possible."
"Oh my! Such a disgusting smell! Let me guess who's here."
At this point, the acolyte was stopped by a few acolytes who were preparing to leave.
The acolyte in charge was wearing robes that indicated his status and made with exquisite materials. There was a silver necklace around his neck that gave off immense energy waves, which obviously made it a magic artifact.
"Is there even the need to guess? This smell is just as stinky as the sewers. Besides our swine Nyssa, who else could it be?"
The other acolytes immediately burst into laughter.
The acolyte who had spoken walked in front of her and lifted her hood.
Under the hood was an exceptionally ugly face.
The top of the head was bald, and between several of the teeth were gaps. There was also a snout, and a constant stink surrounded this person.
The acolyte who had entered the stronghold was actually from the same place as Leylin and she was his old classmate, Nyssa.
"Lord Lilytell!" Nyssa bowed respectfully, though her expression was stiff.
Due to her appearance, she had been discriminated against and bullied, but most of the acolytes did not think their actions were too excessive.
The acolyte obstructing her way was from the Lilytell family and had a whole gang escorting him. He was exceedingly arrogant and often made fun of her appearance.
"Hn!" The acolyte nodded indifferently, looking aloof and proud.
"Swine Nyssa, this is not a place you should be in. Don't let your bad smell alarm the various Lord Magi here! They are our forefathers!"
The acolyte who had the word 'Lilytell' in his name covered his nostrils, looking at her in disdain.
"I… I'll leave now…" Nyssa hastily retreated.
However, as she was leaving, she accidentally tripped and revealed the red ore in her hand.
"Hm! Wait!" That acolyte immediately stopped her. "What's that in your hand? What is it? Take it out!"
"No! No, it's nothing!" Nyssa kept drawing back and tried her best to hide it, but the panic in her eyes could not be hidden so easily.
"Bitch!"
The acolyte cursed, and suddenly made his move. His entire right hand abruptly became bigger; the flesh bulged bit by bit, and the blue veins were prominent.
*Thud!* A punch landed on Nyssa's face, and her entire body was sent flying.
While she was in midair, a red ore fell to the ground, whirling around like a spinning top.
"A Markov Crystal? And it's actually red?" The acolyte of the Lilytell family stared hard at the red ore, joy and greed flashing in his expression.
"That's mi- mine…" Seeing the greed in the acolyte's face, Nyssa's heart sank. However, this ore was extremely important to her since she would need it to advance, so she drummed up her courage and spoke up.
"Darned bitch! Even the skin on her face is so thick!"
The acolyte who had punched her swung his arm. "This crystal was my gains from yesterday. You despicable thief, wretched thief; not only did you steal it, you even dared to claim that it's yours!"
The acolyte waved his arm. "Go! Grab her and send her to the academy's enforcement team to be punished!"
The few acolytes behind him encircled her, their intentions clear.
Nyssa kept stepping backwards, yellow pus flowing from her eyes.
A few acolyte bystanders remained unperturbed as they watched, and even some of the Magi looked on in the same fashion.
That acolyte was from the Lilytell family! They were one of the three big families in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy! Many of the people in that family held important positions in the academy!
Offending them was akin to offending the school.
In addition, the Magi in charge of the stronghold were all people from the Lilytell family. Even if somebody else wanted to help her, there was nothing that could be done.
Besides, Magi were a bunch of practical beings, and this was even more so for dark Magi.
Why would they especially go against the Lilytell family for somebody like Nyssa, an ugly freak like her?
Hence, all they could do was to give a heavy sigh and continue with their work, as if they had seen nothing.
"Hehe! You've been an eyesore for far too long. Just seeing your back spoils my appetite!"
One of the acolytes around her snickered as he grabbed forward with his right hand! A black claw suddenly appeared, scratching towards Nyssa's face.
"I want to smash this disgusting face to bits!"
The acolyte roared, as if at this very moment, a sense of righteousness had possessed him.
"No!" Nyssa blocked her face with her hands.
*Bang!* The black claw scratched at her arm, but only a layer of skin broke.
As the product of a failed experiment of an official Magus, Nyssa had gained a resistance to spells that ordinary acolytes did not have. Her strength had also increased, though she had no clue if this was good or bad.
"Damn it!"
The acolytes around her were fuming red as if they had been humiliated. They looked at each other and suddenly attacked as a group.
Fireballs! Ice bolts! Hurricanes! All of these were thrown towards her head.
"Don't- Don't force me!" Nyssa wailed as she ran from the onslaught of magic, hands hugging her head.
"Pu!" Thick green pus sprayed out of her mouth, right into the face of an acolyte opposite her.
"Ah!" The facial muscles of that acolyte fell bit by bit, and he could do little but hold on to his face and roll around on the floor in pain.
At this moment, the spiritual waves belonging to a level 3 acolyte exploded forth from Nyssa.
"You've been hiding your strength, eh?" Seeing the state that his subordinate was in, the acolyte of the Lilytell family could take it no longer.
He walked a few steps forward, a teasing grin on his face. "Once more! Attack me!"
He arrogantly pointed at his face.
Nyssa stepped back in response to his provocation. She was not stupid. If she dared to attack someone of the Lilytell family here, the Magi here would definitely tear her apart.
"Haha… You don't dare to? Then I'm going to make my move!" The acolyte laughed maniacally as he pointed a finger at Nyssa.
"Bind!"
From the silver necklace around his neck, countless silver threads were produced. Layer by layer they extended like a spider web and caught Nyssa inside.
*Shua Shua!*
Silver threads inwardly gathered, binding her inside.
*Tsss!* Even with the modifications to Nyssa's skin, yellow pus flowed under the tight binding of the silver threads. A look of pain appeared on her face.
"Let's do this together! Kill that bitch!"
Feeling that his reputation had been sullied, this acolyte of the Lilytell family had begun to disregard the rules of the academy, wanting all schoolmates who were present to kill her!
After all, he was a part of the Lilytell family. Even if he did something wrong, the worst punishment he would get was confinement. His family members would definitely rescue him, so what was there to fear?
Seeing herself on the verge of being encircled once more by acolytes with the light from spells flashing in their hands, she could only hang her head sadly.
"Am I going to die here today? Though it's a type of release, dying in such a manner really doesn't sit well with me…" Nyssa thought to herself.
*Boom!*
The sound of immense waves from magic resounded.
Nyssa squeezed her eyes shut, but feeling no pain in her head, she raised her head in astonishment.
Her jaw dropped in amazement.
She could see a huge Venom Wyvern hovering around in the sky, above the stronghold's wards.
A black, flaming hand scooped downwards, fierce black flames immediately tearing apart a huge hole in the ward.
"Enemy attack!"
The owls from before appeared once more, turning into the shape of a giant.
"Shoo!"
A young man wearing black robes waved his arm disdainfully.
A huge black fireball fell like a comet.
*Boom!*
Innumerable feathers flew, and the giant made from the owls immediately dispersed after a brief contact with the flames. Owl after owl was burnt to ashes, falling from the sky.
Appearance
"Rain of Fire!"
From atop the Venom Wyvern's back Leylin's gentle voice was heard.
Shortly after, yet another huge black fireball emerged out of nowhere on top of the stronghold, and boom! The fireball exploded, dispersing into black fire droplets that looked like rain, spreading across the entire area.
*Sssii!*
An acolyte who had been surrounding Nyssa had brief contact with a fire droplet that brushed by his shoulder, and before he could even make a sound, he had been reduced to a pile of white ash.
"Ru- Run!" The acolyte from the Lilytell family's voice wavered, his fear apparent.
*Shua Shua Shua!* The acolytes that had been surrounding Nyssa looked as if they had seen a ghost, evading the fire droplets in the air, terrified.
*Tss tss!* A black spark fell on the silver threads that bound Nyssa.
In that instant, this magic artifact was warped out of shape by the black flames and eventually melted into a silver white liquid that dripped to the ground.
Under the onslaught of black fire droplets, large numbers of acolytes were turned to ash without any chance to resist.
The surrounding buildings began to burn furiously, and under the attack of the Rain of Fire, everything instantly turned into a sea of fire.
"It's- It's Leylin!"
Nyssa whispered, but at that moment, she saw a black fire droplet flying towards her.
"Hm?" Leylin looked around mid-air and suddenly noticed a very familiar figure from the corner of his eyes.
"It's Nyssa!" Leylin exclaimed, and under his manipulation, the black fire droplet deviated, brushing past the edges of Nyssa's hair.
"Who dares to attack the territory of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?"
Several black human figures dashed out. One of them rapidly chanted a few incantations, and a dome emitting green rays appeared in the sky, blocking the attack of the black fire droplets.
*Drip! Drip! Drip!*
Countless black fire droplets splashed onto the dome and began to burn.
The Magus who cast the protection spell immediately cried out in alarm. "The might of this black fire is immense. My spiritual force is being rapidly consumed. Who will help me?"
"Me!" A Magus nearby immediately chanted a few words, and a layer of blue ice extended across the layer of protection.
Green, blue, and black rays of light mixed together soared into the sky and descended, forming a huge tornado.
After the tornado descended.
The two Magi looked pale, and it was evident that they had suffered massively.
However, at this point, nobody bothered with them.
"Black flames that are astoundingly strong! That Venom Wyvern as well! You must be 'Blackfire' Leylin!"
A Magus who seemed to be the leader recognised Leylin.
"What? It's him!" "Leylin!" "That genius who betrayed us?"
All of a sudden, clamours of disbelief broke out from the survivors.
"You… must be Magi from the Lilytell family, right?" Leylin clasped his hands behind his back. "Don't deny it! Even from this distance, I can smell that putrid stench of your bloodline on your bodies!"
"So what?" A silver-haired Magus stood. "You actually dared to kill the sole grandson of our elder. I've already sent him a signal, so just wait here and prepare to be punished!"
"You've told him? Good! That's great!"
Leylin's reaction obviously surprised the silver-haired Magus.
Leylin continued, "Since you've already alerted him, there's no point in keeping any of you alive."
Hearing Leylin's words, the Magi present felt a chill in their hearts, a sense of foreboding became apparent.
"Shadow Domain!" Countless tentacles extended from the shadow under Leylin's feet, spreading across the horizon and completely blocking all the sunlight in the area.
"Be careful!" The Magus leader nearby could only screech, before a black light flashed and a crimson palm went through his chest, digging out a bright red heart that still pumped furiously.
Under the assault of the Crimson Palm, the innate defense spells of these Magi were torn apart like paper.
"He- He killed the leader!"
One of the Magi present looked at Leylin as if they were looking at the devil incarnate, and yelled in despair before running in the opposite direction.
"Lum, come back!" The surrounding Magi shouted, but it was too late.
Within the shadows, Leylin seemed to be a grain of dust that had fused with the gentle wind and floated to Lum's back. A crimson palm went for his head.
*Rumble!*
A layer of crimson flames began to burn furiously on Lum, and turned the official Magus into ashes.
Regular rank 1 Magi were as weak as children in front of Leylin. They were easily taken care of.
*Zoom!*
Leylin suddenly sensed something and gazed into the distance.
From far away, a silver ray of light was like a sharp sword, heading here in a straight line.
"The main character is here!" Leylin grinned, arms rising as he clenched his fists.
The darkness that had engulfed the entire region was withdrawn into Leylin's palm, turning into a sphere of darkness which hovered in the air. Strong energy waves swept the area, a violent storm surging and bringing up an entire layer of the ground.
"Halt!" The silver-white ray shouted from afar.
Unfortunately, Leylin did not care for the voice and flung out the sphere of darkness.
The sphere of darkness that was full of destructive power approached the remaining Magi soundlessly.
Under their terrified gazes, the black sphere advanced slowly and steadily, their spells and innate defensive spells devoured by the sphere.
A few official Magi were run over by the sphere, leaving behind tracks on the ground.
"I'll kill you!"
Along with the furious growl, the speed of the silver ray increased by a few times, and Leylin could almost see an old man with silver ornaments on his face.
"Time to switch locations!" Leylin gave a light smile and patted Hawke's head.
"Awoo!"
Hawke let out a roar that seemed to be a demonstration of its might, and with a jolt of its wings, it quickly left the area.
*Chi!*
In a few seconds, the silver light from afar arrived, revealing the figure of an old man in silver white attire.
The old man gazed at the stronghold, which had been reduced to ruins. His clothes rustled despite the lack of wind, violent metal elemental particles hovered behind him.
"You can't escape! Even if you were to escape to the ends of the earth, I will still find you and kill you!"
Metallic silver white rays flashed, and the old man was gone, leaving behind the echoes of his words.
...
Another ten or so minutes passed.
*Crash!* Within the ruins, there was an area with a mound. A bizarre creature that looked like it had been sewn together emerged.
"Was that Leylin just now? I can't believe this! So he's actually became such a powerful official Magus…"
Nyssa gazed in the direction Leylin had left, muttering to herself incessantly.
As Leylin had intentionally directed his attack away, as well as her somewhat strong resistance to magic, she had not gained any major injuries in this terrifying attack save for a few holes in her clothes.
"Official Magus…" An envious glint appeared in Nyssa's eyes.
To be rid of the harm done to her body, she had to raise her strength to the level of an official Magus. Only then would she be able to alter her body and regain her original appearance.
"One day! I will reach that point one day!" Nyssa clenched her fists resolutely.
*Rustle!*
At this moment, a large sound was heard from a fallen wooden building nearby. At the bottom of the building, an acolyte could be seen.
Nyssa walked over curiously but was met with the face of the acolyte that belonged to the Lilytell family.
However, compared to Nyssa, this acolyte was very unlucky. Not only an arm and a leg was broken, there was a huge injury in his abdominal area. Even his intestines were spilling out, and all he could do was moan and groan in pain.
"You! Come here!" Upon seeing Nyssa, this acolyte brightened up.
"What is it?" Nyssa gazed at him indifferently.
"A filthy, lowly acolyte like you… still, has a bit of use! Send- Send me to my family, and I'll give you a few items that are barely passable as a reward…"
The acolyte stumbled over his words, looking at Nyssa with disdain, as if letting her touch him was a huge honour.
However, Nyssa was unmoved like a block of wood and stood there without moving.
"You… "The acolyte was flushed red with anger as he pointed at Nyssa, wanting to say something.
*Pak!*
With his movement, a red ore fell from his lap, spinning on the ground.
Upon seeing the ore, Nyssa's eyes looked dangerous.
"You! What do you think you're doing?"
The acolyte that had been arrogant beyond belief suddenly felt a hint of danger, a fearful expression flashed past before he tried to sit upright. "Are you trying to attack me? You have to think this—"
*Bang!*
Before the acolyte could finish his words, a green corrosive ball landed on his head, eating through most of his head in the next second.
Gazing upon his corpse, Nyssa went forward and retrieved that red ore.
"I merely followed your earlier instructions and focused my attack on your face, young master Lilytell…"
Nyssa had a strange expression on her face. It seemed to be dread, but at the same time, she looked as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
...
Leylin stood in the heart of a spacious land filled with broken stones while appearing to be waiting for someone.
The Venom Wyvern Hawke was useless in this level of battle and had been ordered to return.
All of a sudden, Leylin raised his head as if he had sensed something.
Liquid Metal
A ray of silver white light shot through the heavens like an arrow.
*Bang!*
The ray shot towards Leylin's side, knocking aside countless stones.
After the light rays dissipated, an old man in silver white attire was revealed.
This old geezer had a nose that was bent the way an eagle's beak was, and he had a few metallic ornaments dangling from his face. A pair of intelligent, tenacious eyes were fixed on Leylin.
"You're not running anymore?"
The old man spread his right arm and a metallic sphere emerged on his palm as if it was a part of his body.
The silvery white metallic sphere circled the area, and the astoundment on the old man's face was even more obvious. There was even a hint of confusion in his expression.
"No traps or ambushes either? Are you here to die?"
"No! I just want to settle a few things!" Leylin smiled indifferently. His main goal this time around was to collect data, and hence, he had not thought to bring his trump cards, Number 2 and Number 3.
Though Leylin had never seen this old man before, he was able to recognise him at a single glance. This was the Lilytell's family's great elder, and the grandfather of the acolyte Bosain, who had died by Leylin's hands.
Previously, at a small town by the Great Canyon Margaret, this old geezer had operated a clone and had it chase after him. In that battle, this man's face had appeared on its chest.
"By the way, it's already been so long, but I have yet to know your name…"
Leylin smiled gently.
The old geezer looked closely at Leylin. "With your power, you meet the qualifications to know my name. Marb Lilytell! Remember it well, because this is the name of the person who will send you to hell!"
After he spoke, a circle of silver white light was emitted from Marb's body.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
Countless metal spikes emerged from the ground, constantly extending before converging in mid-air, and forming a cage that locked Leylin and Marb within.
"Metallic Battle Prison!" Marb quickly made a few hand signs.
After seeing a bit of Leylin's strength, Marb had acknowledged Leylin as a proper opponent. His current move was to prevent Leylin from escaping.
*Ding!*
A halo of silvery white metallic elemental particles radiated from Marb's body, evidently much denser than what could be produced by a semi-converted magus. It resembled closely to a sphere and covered Marb's entire body.
His elemental essence conversion had reached at least 80%, and with spells such as this that increased his performance, his strength was effectively doubled!
*Xiu Xiu!*
From the surface of the metallic prison, bursts of light circulated, and little, white, barbed spikes suddenly emerged. The hooks on the spikes glinted with a menacing light that caused one's heart to palpitate and break out in cold sweat.
The innumerable spokes were like sharp arrows, making loud whooshing sounds as they shot all around, blocking any routes that Leylin could take to dodge them.
Light from magic could be seen on the surfaces of the spikes as well. This was obviously a support spell that had been added to keep the spokes sharp and strong.
With this degree of attack, a regular newly-advanced Magus would be turned into a porcupine!
However, Leylin made no attempt to dodge.
*Rumble!*
From his body, a ring of black flames suddenly emerged.
The flames were like a liquid, covering his entire body and giving him a layer of black armour. An immense wave of hot air spread through the prison, and even Marb, who was far away, could not help but furrow his brows.
*Pu pu!*
As the silver white spikes approached the flames, they flickered and appeared to be melting.
By the time they actually met with Leylin's latent flames, the silver white spikes made little sounds and were melted into small silvery-white metallic balls.
*Clatter!*
The sounds of pearls dropping were heard, and as these metallic balls struck the dark red protective layer behind the flames, they produced clear sounds and promptly lost all kinetic energy, before falling to the ground and rolling in all directions.
At the sight of this, Marb's expression became serious, and there was even a hint of vigilance on his face!
"Your rate of improvement far exceeded my expectations! I'm now slightly regretful. Back then, I should have dispatched a few more clones and eliminated you."
Leylin's strength had been tested by Marb's clone back then. Though he was quite strong, Leylin merely had the strength of a semi-converted Magus. If not for the fact that Marb had sent out merely a single clone, and Leylin's spells had been too mysterious and astonishing, Marb believed that Leylin would not have been able to escape!
Now, however, the strength that his opponent now displayed was close to that of a peak rank 1 Magus!
What was more terrifying was that it had only been two to three years since he had last seen Leylin! A rank 1 Magus would typically still be considered newly-advanced at that point.
"He definitely should not be allowed to live any longer. If not, our Lilytell family will have ourselves a terrifyingly powerful enemy…"
Marb came up with this conclusion.
Having made this decision, his desire for Leylin's blood became more intense, and his two eyes turned into a silvery white colour as if they were made of silver.
"Liquid Metal!" Marb muttered under his breath.
Immediately after, rows of complicated metal elemental runes lit up on several places on his body, and a ring of silver light was emitted from within his clothes.
A layer of silvery-white liquid metal suddenly oozed out of the pores of his body, quickly covering his skin and transforming him into solid, reflective, silvery-white, metallic human figure.
Liquid metal constantly collected in his right hand, first turning into a ball, and then constantly lengthening until it turned into a lance-like weapon.
"This sort of thing?" Leylin's eyes flashed, suddenly thinking back to the mysterious magic artifact that emanated silvery light. That metallic ball that could change into different shapes had left a very deep impression on him.
Unfortunately, Leylin had left the artifact in the Dylan Gardens to avoid trouble. It had already been completely destroyed along with the secret plane.
From the looks of it, that metallic ball was a magic artifact that Marb had invented.
"Kill!"
Marb turned into a silver hurricane, which headed straight for Leylin.
"Interesting! A Magus that specialises in close combat?" Leylin was extremely interested, and he quickly activated his innate defensive spell, Kemoyin's Scales.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Black and silver figures rammed into each other, and the resulting shockwave caused a layer of the ground to lift. The surrounding animals—snakes, worms, mice, and ants, as well as other bizarre creatures—seemed to sense an imminent catastrophe, and quickly escaped, hoping to be as far away as possible.
The crimson rays from Leylin's Fallen Star Pendant turned into a crossblade to fend off Marb's silver lance. Sparks emerged as they battled.
After a few rounds, Leylin's expression became more serious.
This Marb had obviously remodelled his own body. Whether it was his strength or speed, both were very strong. On top of that, he was skilled in methods to kill opponents, and coupled with his metallic elemental talent, he was practically a refined killing machine!
*Ding!* The crimson crossblade met with the lance once again, producing a crisp sound and constant strong gales. The greenery around them was continuously being blown about.
*Pu!*
At this moment, Marb suddenly had a look on his face that indicated he had succeeded in some kind of plot.
The sharp, pointed end of the silver-white lance instantly became flexible, and like a snake twisting its body, it bent and thrust, piercing towards Leylin's body.
*Tss tss!* Leylin's winced a little as several black scales chipped off.
"Battle Mode!" Seeing that his attack had been effective, Marb looked even more crazed as he yelled.
Next, dense needles emerged on his silvery white body, and his weapon also underwent some changes.
Broadsword! Crossblade! Battleaxe! Maul!
All kinds of weapons appeared in Marb's hands. On the surface of the blades, there were also strong energy waves that indicated the use of magic. It was definitely enough to pierce through Leylin's defense and cause tremendous damage.
"In terms of close combat, even with the aid of the A.I. Chip, I'm not at an advantage!" Leylin pondered.
*Xiu Xiu Xiu!*
Countless tendrils of shadow encircled Marb and tightened.
At the same time, Leylin hastily retreated and raised his arm, several black fireballs appearing above his palm.
"Latent fireball!"
The black fireballs fused and increased in size, and then flew towards Marb.
"How can this level of attack affect me? How naive!"
From within the constraints of the shadow tendrils, Marb's disdainful tone could be heard.
*Tu! Tu! Tu!*
From the surface of Marb's body, silver liquid metal kept oozing out and turning into countless sharp blades. Like gears, they revolved quickly and brought about a fierce, merciless wind.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
The black tendrils touched the revolving blades and emitted a few sounds. They fell to the ground in several pieces, transforming into a gaseous state and dispersing.
"Hah!" The weapon in Marb's hand turned into a giant silver sword.
With both hands on the handle, a ring of metallic elemental particles poured into the sword and gave it a sheen of light.
"Metallic Destruction!" Marb viciously swung forward!
*Ka-cha!* As the blade was brought down, the front half of the metallic sword suddenly detached and advanced towards the black fireball.
The silvery white tip of the blade kept changing forms in midair, before eventually transforming into a white lion head.
"Roar!"
The lion head opened its mouth wide and produced an earth-shattering howl as it faced the latent fireball.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
The surroundings around them seemed to be frozen in place, and even the air ceased to circulate.
Metal And Gravity
*Rumble!*
The world seemed to stop at this second.
A few seconds later, the surroundings returned to normal.
The situation just now was as if a movie was being been screened, but had suddenly malfunctioned.
Next, a strong energy storm spread out in all directions.
In the centre of the energy storm, black flames and silvery white rays of light constantly battled, engulfing each other.
*Creak…*
At the boundaries of the battle, where Marb had set up the metallic prison, the cage constantly creaked in protest of their intense fight.
Minutes later, the frightening energy storm dissipated.
Marb did not have a single injury on him, and even his hair was untouched. He stared straight in Leylin's direction, grabbing at him with a single hand, "Lad! Come here!"
Leylin's body moved sluggishly, and this was enough time for several silver chains to lock him into place, and make his body involuntarily fly towards Marb.
"Die!"
Marb charged forward furiously, the spikes and blades attacking like the rain, with each spike and blade carrying a large amount of energy. Just being hit by one would cause a regular rank 1 Magus serious injuries.
"Fallen Star Pendant!"
Leylin bellowed, and the black scales and dark red light fused together, forming a ring of unusual light.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* His muscles swelled, and he broke the chains binding him using his brute strength.
*Ding ding! Ding ding!*
Silver flying needles and blades fell upon this layer of light and were then repelled, producing sparks and crisp sounds.
"Is this all you have? You disappoint me!"
Leylin looked to be quite disappointed, and moments later, his eyes turned amber!
"If that's the most you can do, then I give my apologies. You're the one dying here today!"
In a flash, a strange light emitted from Leylin's eyes and headed straight into Marb's eyes.
The innate spell—Eyes of Petrification!
Marb's charging form suddenly became sluggish, and a layer of ashen stone skin spread, beginning from the corners of his eyes.
*Weng Weng!*
A burst of white light was produced by a talisman around Marb's neck.
Under the milky white shine, the stone skin on his face came loose bit by bit.
"A talisman meant to counter against petrification? It's quite effective. It must have been difficult to obtain!"
Leylin's expression did not change as he came up to Marb in a few breaths.
The first time he had been chased after by Marb's clone, Leylin had revealed his petrification abilities. That was how he had turned the tables on the clone, but in the process, he had also exposed his ability to petrify his opponents.
As his archenemy, how could Marb not make preparations against that?
However, even in ancient times, petrification was a lesser known spell. In the south coast, it was practically extinct. Talismans that could be used to negate it were scarce, and most could only be found in ancient ruins.
Leylin was a little surprised at Marb's ability to find one so quickly.
However, even if Marb had a talisman, how could it be that effective against the petrification methods of an ancient creature such as the Giant Serpent Kemoyin?
Though Marb had dispelled the petrification, he had still been slowed.
*Shua!* Black light flashed, and in that instant, Leylin was already in front of Marb, his amber eyes meeting Marb's.
"Die!"
The crimson light produced by the Fallen Star Pendant solidified into a giant axe. However, Leylin did not seem to be satisfied and pointed at the weapon.
*Shik!*
Immense black flames engulfed the axe.
"Hah!" Leylin shouted, and large numbers of shadows emerged from behind him, and converged onto his body.
From the shadows, Leylin's tall figure suddenly shot up, and he transformed into a three metre tall giant with tanned skin.
"Aooooo!"
The giant roared, the muscles on his arm bulging, and showing the dark red, earthworm-like veins on his body.
Like a deity from legends, the giant held the large axe and swung, aiming for Marb's neck!
*Chi!* Before the hatchet connected, the unimaginable sharpness of the heat waves and gales produced from the swing had already destroyed the defensive layer of liquid metal on his neck.
*Ka-cha!*
The fiery, black axe cut through Marb's neck, and it looked as if his head was going to fall off. The black flames extended throughout his body in an instant.
Marb's expression was blank as he collapsed.
"Hm?" Leylin was in a daze. This was much too easy, but even official Magi would not live if their heads were chopped off!
[Beep! Danger! Detecting target still giving out energy waves!] The A.I. Chip sounded at this moment.
Immediately after, a ray of snow white light appeared in front of Leylin.
"This is bad!" All Leylin could do was to try his best to dodge, and protect the most important parts of his body.
*Puchi!* A silvery white longsword that was giving off milky white light pierced into Leylin's lower abdomen.
"Scram!"
Both of Leylin's hands turned crimson, and blood coloured flames blazed as he clawed down!
"Crimson Palm!"
At the same time, he retreated without even glancing at Marb.
After he managed to create some distance between them, Leylin covered the injury on his abdomen while looking at Marb in shock.
At this moment, Marb had turned into a white metallic humanoid. His head, which was tilted, was loosely connected to his neck by a tiny amount of skin. His body was still burning with black flames, yet it was as though he didn't feel a thing as he quietly stood there. The sword that was held by Marb was also dripping with Leylin's blood.
At the point of Marb's neck where he had chopped, Leylin could see that the surface of the open wound was now all metallic, where there was no likeness to a human's flesh and blood at all.
"To think that not only did he have his outer appearance protected by the liquid metal, even his internals had completed turned into metal…"
Leylin's heart sank.
"Hahah…" Marb, whose head was dangling, laughed wildly. "Bet you'd never thought of this huh? Ninety-odd years ago, I had already completely fused my body with a metallic creature, so now, I don't have a single weak point on my body. Injuries in places that would be fatal to other regular Magi are just scratches to me…"
"How pathetic!"
Leylin looked at the somewhat crazed Marb with a pitiful look on his face.
Although there were benefits to fusing with an elemental creature, by doing so, one would lose their sense of touch.
When one's flesh and skin turned into metal, he would not be able to enjoy the sense of touch anymore.
Wasn't real reason for a Magus to pursue the truth and climb to the top, to control his fate and fulfill his desires, enjoying life to the fullest?
But now, for the sake of power, Marb had actually forsaken such a thing. So then, what more was the meaning of his pursuit?
"The pathetic one is you!"
Evidently, Leylin's look of pity had deeply triggered Marb and his deranged expression grew even more intense.
Suddenly, a brownish yellow light flickered on Marb's body. The silver liquid metal protruded outward, transforming into a tiny spell formation.
"Gravity spell formation!" After having been inflicted damage several times by Leylin, Marb finally revealed the trump card that he had been holding back!
*Weng!*
In an instant, a huge amount of brownish yellow light began to emanate from him.
"This is… Gravity?!" Suddenly, Leylin felt his body turned heavy as if it was being crushed by a large mountain. As it happened, Leylin recalled something.
Around him, the gravitational force multiplied in an instant. Not only was movement difficult, Leylin's face darkened due to the fact that even his internal organs had suffered from the gravitational pull to the point that pain had spread from his insides.
"Not good; although my defense on the outside is strong, it's a completely different story for my insides! If this goes on and he activates a one hundred times multiplier, my body will most likely be obliterated…"
Leylin's face was extremely unsightly at this point in time.
Marb, who had a body made of metal, would not suffer any hindrances to his brain or organs.
"Hahaha… Once more! Times ten!"
Marb shouted, and the brownish yellow light flashed even brighter.
Leylin's feet sank, and the injury to his abdomen, which had undergone hemostasis, started to bleed profusely again due to the gravitational pull.
"Hahaha… Come on!"
Marb dashed right in front of Leylin and brandished his sword, yet Leylin could only feebly raise his right hand to deflect the blow.
*Bang!*
The scales on his arm were crushed and shattered, and Leylin was sent flying backwards like a cannonball.
"Not enough! Still not enough! Times twenty!" Marb pierced the ground with both of his hands.
In an instant, Leylin felt as if the gravitational force had increased once more. If he had felt the weight of a mountain crushing him before, now, it was the weight of three mountains!
*Boom!*
A huge crater was created on the ground the moment Leylin's body landed.
"Go to hell!" Marb's right hand turned into a giant silver hammer.
"Urgh! You actually restored the ancient gravity spell formation!"
Leylin laid on his back as he smiled with a hint of admiration, "Not bad indeed!"
This expression gave Marb a sudden yet very uneasy premonition.
"You're already going to die. What are you trying to act so tough for?" Marb hammered down viciously.
"Suction spell formation! Activate!"
Under the shadow of the large hammer, Leylin rapidly chanted a few syllables.
*Weng!*
A reversed 'j'-shaped rune suddenly appeared on Leylin's body.
In a flash, Leylin seemed to be pulled back by a huge force and flew away from under the giant hammer, and into a distant place.
"Trying to escape? Times thirty…"
Watching Leylin's retreating figure, the brownish yellow light on Marb's body increased in brightness once more.
Undo
"Times thirty…"
Marb bellowed in frustration.
The brownish yellow spell formation flashed, and then exploded!
The layers of silver metal on his body fell to the ground, turning into round, silvery white pieces.
"Damn it… My body can't take it anymore…"
Marb half knelt on the ground, a stubborn look on his face as he looked in the direction that Leylin had escaped.
The gravitational spell formation had taken a lot out of him. With his strength as a' peak rank 1 Magus, he could increase the gravitational force up to 20 times the normal amount.
...
A long distance away from the battlefield, inside a secret cave.
A spell formation emitting light constantly drew in and expelled air, as if trying to suck something in. On top of the spell formation, there was a constantly flashing reversed "L" shaped rune.
Beside the spell formation, two knights in black heavy armour nervously stood guard.
*Boom!*
The light from the suction spell formation suddenly became brighter.
In the blink of an eye, a black figure charged inside with a speed that one could not see with the naked eye, and smashed into the centre of the spell formation, producing a loud sound.
Dust flew everywhere, and the spell formation was completely destroyed, leaving a large pit on the ground.
"Pu!"
Leylin mustered up strength and sat up, spitting out another mouthful of blood. At the same time, intense pain flared up from all parts of his body, as if he had been ripped apart.
The strong suction power of this spell had allowed Leylin to escape, but it had also caused his injuries to worsen.
"It's still not possible for me to battle with a peak rank 1 Magus. Everyone has their own trump cards…"
Leylin smiled wryly.
"Master!" Number 2 and 3 immediately knelt and greeted him.
"Hn! We need to leave here as soon as possible!"
Leylin looked left and right before commanding his subordinates.
He was currently seriously injured, and had no battle power to speak of whatsoever. No matter if he met enemies or people from his faction, it would still be very dangerous.
The good thing was that in this period of time, he had already set up a few hideouts in the region that were only known to his two spirit bound slaves. They were the safest places that he could be in.
Leylin wasn't planning on appearing in front of anyone before recovering from his injuries.
With the support of Number 2 and Number 3, Leylin quickly left the area.
"Although I suffered massive injuries, I still garnered some profits! At the very least, Marb's two trump cards, his metal body and gravitational spell, have been revealed to me."
This kind of knowledge regarding a peak rank 1 Magus was very difficult to obtain.
Leylin had gathered some information through the Thousand Meddling Hands and the Four Seasons Garden, but things like trump cards were not mentioned in the reports from these two organisations.
Perhaps, this might have been due to his status being too low and him lacking in power.
"A.I. Chip! Have you recorded all the previous data?" Leylin asked.
[Marb's general data has been recorded. Beginning generation of stats!] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice resounded in Leylin's ear, and immediately after, a blue light flashed in front of him, producing a virtual screen.
[Marb Lilytell. Peak Rank 1 Magus. Estimated Strength: 10.7. Agility: 9.5. Vitality: 23. Spiritual Force: 79. Magic Power: 79 (Magic Power is in synchronisation with Spiritual Force). Elemental essence conversion type: Metal. Progress: 78% – 85%.
[Special techniques: 1. Metallic Life: After fusing with a lifeform that is purely metallic, all fatal attacks are ineffective. Vitality increases, and damage increased when using metal magic. As a side effect, loss of sense of touch. 2. Gravitational Spell Formation: Discovered gravitational runes related to gravity spell formation. Estimated completion of spell: 56%. Information recorded! Able to achieve between 2 and 25 times normal gravity over an area of 100 metres when used as an attack. Estimated strongest might: 29 times normal gravity!]
After this battle, Marb's basic stats had been calculated.
This meant that the next time they fought, if Leylin took countermeasures towards his attacks, the chances of Marb dying by Leylin's hand would be more than 50%.
This was an advantage based on the information the data had given him. Leylin's eyes flashed. "A.I. Chip! Construct human model and simulate the best ways to kill him. Factor in Number 2 and Number 3 as well."
In an instant, scenes of battles appeared in Leylin's mind.
About ten minutes later, the A.I. Chip's reply sounded.
[Based on the newest data recorded, result: Death of target! Death of Number 2, massive injuries inflicted on Number 3, host body with light injuries.]
Seeing what the A.I. Chip had planned, a thin smile appeared on his face. "Marb! The next time we meet will be the day you die…"
...
Outside the Eternal River Plains' secret plane, inside the inverted castle.
Within a room that was as cold as an ice storehouse, with several large chunks of ice strewn about.
Hyder was wearing a pair of thick, heavy spectacles as he stared fixedly at a beaker with liquid boiling inside.
"The hair of a female goblin, the toenail of a subterranean lizard, and also… the silk sac of a Dulok spider…"
His incantation was unclear, yet both his hands were as precise as a machine as he continuously tossed the items into the beaker.
"Woman of the Deep Red, grace us with your presence!"
After the ingredients had completely fused within the beaker, Hyder raised up and opened his hands towards the sky, and chanted in a very bizarre incantation as if conducting a sacrificial rite.
...
*Weng…*
The ground began to tremble, and the stench of blood began to permeate the tiny room.
In an instant, Hyder seemed to have seen a deep, crimson sea surging towards him.
In an instant, the blood coloured sea converged into the figure of a gorgeous woman that strangely had no face.
Her ethereal body floated ever so beautifully in midair.
"….!" Hyder chanted the final stream of the incantation, which was extremely tongue twisting. The accent was extremely difficult to understand as well; it was filled with a primordial and barbaric aura.
"Chikchik…" After listening to Hyder, the woman finally spoke. Her voice sounded like the chirps of a little bird, yet, at the same time, it strangely sounded like the flapping of insect wings.
"Hurry! Bring it forward!" Hyder said to the old lady behind him.
The old lady clapped her hands, and two black robed servants entered with a dozen feeble, trembling humans who had their heads covered by a black sack.
"Chikchik!" The woman in midair chirped in excitement as she immediately began to stretch her body forward.
*Pu!* *Pu!**Pu!*
Countless large wounds split open on the bodies of these captives, from which blood gushed out like a fountain.
As if seeing the plague, the two servants quickly retreated.
*Gloook!*
The blood formed a tiny tendril of steam as it floated through the air towards the woman.
A moment later, there were no longer any traces of blood on the ground. As for the woman, the colour red was even more vibrant on her body now.
After accepting the sacrifices, the woman nodded her faceless head and transformed into the shape of a flask.
*Drip-Drop!*
A tiny droplet of crimson liquid dripped from the flask directly into the beaker.
*Ka-Cha!*
After the liquid entered the beaker, a flame emerged from within the beaker and engulfed it. As the flames blazed, the sound of wailing spirits occasionally sounded from within.
As the flames continued to burn, the woman disappeared without a trace.
Whether it was Hyder or the old lady, no one knew how she had left.
"How is it?" The old lady's gaze was fixed on the flame, which was spreading, and she put on an expression that could make one feel anxious.
Beneath the gleam of the flames, which reflected off of the old lady's face, there was an intimidating look.
"This is the most feasible method that I could come up with after many experiments. Moreover through a sacrificial rite, I borrowed the power of a trace of blood from an evil spirit… Towards this curse, it should be the best remedy!"
Hyder looked at the subsiding flames, and his expression was extremely calm, his eyes showing signs of wisdom.
"I hope that is so! Jenna's curse is nearing complete activation, so time is pressing…" The old lady muttered.
Hearing this, a peculiar expression could be seen in Hyder's eyes.
Although Jenna was the one who had inherited the innate talent of prophecy, Manla was also a relative of theirs. From the perspective of a light Magus, this was somewhat going overboard.
However, Hyder concealed his opinion well, not letting the old lady discover it.
*Bang!*
Several minutes later, the red flames completely died out, revealing a strange, congealed item in the beaker.
It was an amorphous item, like a large lump of jelly, and was even squirming.
"It's a success!" A smile surfaced on Hyder's face.
Following which, his expression turned solemn as he said the old lady, "Madame, although this method of removal has a very high success rate, the curse is an extremely troublesome thing. Some dark Magi also like to add various disgusting and poisonous elements inside, and if they are not treated properly, things could very well become disastrous. Hence, if… what I'm saying is that if there is a possibility, it would still be better to have a chat with the Magus who laid this curse…"
"No need for that! My family will never be threatened by someone else! Fate is watching over us!" The old lady vehemently rejected the notion, and Hyder could only smile wryly in return.
Due to the possibility of a chain reaction from the activation of the curse, during treatment, Jenna and Manla were held very far apart in their locations.
Hyder wore white robes with many runes occasionally blinking on it.
At this moment, he held onto a container with one hand, which contained the soft body within.
Hyder looked at Manla, who was lying unconscious on the experiment table,and finally gave one last glance at the old lady.
She nodded expressionlessly.
Seeing this, Hyder sighed on the inside, and his face turned serious, "Then, I will begin…"
Commencement
"I wish you luck!"
Hyder looked at Manla as he prayed for him. He then picked up a gleaming silver scalpel and lightly cut the arm which had the curse.
"Sssii!"
The black curse runes came to life and continuously twisted, forming a tiny black snake that hissed with its forked tongue.
Black gas immediately surrounded Manla's body, which was covered in bulging veins.
The huge bloke broke out in cold sweat and gritted his teeth unconsciously, the agony on his face apparent.
"The first light in this world! Listen to my summons and lend me your strength to dispel this darkness…"
Hyder's lips moved quickly as he rapidly chanted an incantation.
*Weng Weng!*
In the surroundings of the operating table, countless rays of light suddenly appeared and flew above Manla as they converged into a rune.
Unadulterated, without a trace of any impurities! It was as if the light that first set upon this world had appeared inside the rune.
This milky white light shone on Manla's body.
*Chi Chi!* Manla's body suddenly arched as he clenched his fists.
At the same time, a seemingly endless amount of black gas was emitted from the pores throughout his body.
All of this gas was very quickly purified by the light.
Hyder looked at the black lines on Manla's body as sweat rolled down the side of his cheek.
His immense spiritual force had now turned into an extremely concentrated and tiny one which continuously scanned Manla's body and took note of its current state. He also had to guide the light in the cleansing process.
This was a task that required extreme precision. If he made a single mistake, the curse on Manla's body would fully activate.
It was very evident that this put a huge strain on Hyder.
In only a dozen minutes, this old geezer began to pant heavily as his energy began to drop.
However, it was at a time like this that the stability of Hyder's hands was even more pronounced. Just like a robot, his movements were fluid and without the the slightest mistake.
Finally, under the pressing attack from the light rays, the cursed runes made of darkness were continuously pushed back until they retreated back into the original wound.
The light rays formed a halo outside the wound and confined it to a small surface area on the flesh.
"Hu…" Hyder exhaled deeply as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"I have already confined the curse to one area. Right now, this extraction process is the most crucial…"
Hyder held the container which contained the jelly-like body as if it was some sort of precious treasure.
Following which, he placed the container close to where the wound on Manla's arm was.
"Come forth, my darling!" A strange expression now appeared on Manla's face as he spoke in a tone that could induce dizziness.
"Sssii…"
The runes on Manla's arm writhed and once again turned into the shape of a tiny black snake.
It spat its tongue and, as if it had discovered something, it turned and faced the jelly-like body.
"Chi Chi…" After seeing the small snake, the jelly-like creature, which seemed to have no consciousness, began to shrink its body.
However, this movement attracted the tiny snake and it slithered towards the jelly-like body.
Seeing the small snake closing in, Hyder held on to his breath, as if afraid that his breathing would scare the snake away.
The black snake hesitantly circled the area where the wound was in. It then turned around and slithered away without a second thought!
Just when the old madame thought that it was a failure, the tiny black snake which had turned around coiled its body and darted right into the wound as fast as lightning, jumping on top of the jelly-like creature.
It swallowed the jelly-like body down in a gulp and began to retreat rapidly.
"You want to run?"
Hyder had the last laugh as he grabbed a pair of tweezers with his right hand and reached forward.
The tweezers travelled in a beautiful arc through the air and landed right in front of the tiny black snake and blocked it.
Following which, the tweezers clamped together and held onto the middle of the snake's body.
"Hissss…." The snake hissed as it writhed its body continuously.
Hyder's face was extremely solemn as he knew how much of a calamity would be created if the abomination in his hands were to escape.
Bringing forward a vulcanised test-tube that was covered in runes with his left hand, he tossed the black snake within and plugged the hole.
The runes flashed and sealed the test-tube tightly. Only after looking at this scene did Hyder allow himself a sigh of relief.
"Mister Hyder, is it a success?"
The old lady stepped forward and was extremely excited as she saw that the cursed runes on Manla's arm had completely vanished.
"Of course! It is done, I have not disgraced my art!" Hyder smiled in an aloof manner.
He had no confidence prior to his attempts to remove this curse. However, in the period of his experiments, this curse had allowed him to greatly improve his Potioneering and healing skills.
"Great! As I was saying, how can we bow down to that dark Magus?"
"Fate is forever on our side!" A light of reverence appeared on the old lady's face, as if the sun had shone on her.
Hyder, who could not withstand this light, closed his eyes and retreated a few steps.
*Pa!*
At this moment, a very crisp clap sounded from Manla's body and a mysterious black gas once again appeared.
"What is happening?" The old witch was now like a duck which had its neck grasped, her voice hoarse as she asked.
"Damn it, a second curse! It's actually a model composed of a combination of curses!!!"
Regret and shame now flashed across Hyder's face.
At the same time, a huge amount of black gas formed into many tiny black snakes as the dense smog engulfed Manla within.
*Chik Chik…* From within the black smog, a harrowing sound could be heard.
Seconds later, the black smog dispersed and revealed a blackened skeleton which sat quietly before the experiment table.
This turn of events was extremely quick and even Hyder had no time to react.
"Seriously…"
Hyder could only smile wryly and opened his mouth to say something.
*Crack!*
The sound of glass shattering could be heard. As if recalling something, Hyder hurriedly tossed the test-tube in his hands away.
Alas, it was all too late!
A black mist that was crackling with lightning exploded on his hands.
A bright layer of light immediately appeared on Hyder's robes that repelled the black mist.
After everything had calmed down, Hyder looked at his already blackened left hand and looked extremely resigned.
...
"Hmm?" Leylin, who was recuperating in a hidden location, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a ponderous expression.
"These energy waves… It seems like one of my curses has already activated a reunison effect… Oh! It should be that bloke Manla who is now dead…"
"I'm quite curious about the effects of the hidden mechanism I placed on the curse." Leylin grinned.
Not only did he place a complex curse on both of them, but he also left behind many concealed mechanisms. The poisonous elements and malice hidden within was enough to let the Magus who was healing them to suffer greatly. If the healer was not careful, he might even lose his life!
Leylin was confident that after witnessing the prowess of his curse, the family behind Jenna would have no choice but to bow their heads down to him.
Even if he was not certain of the unique meditation technique this family possessed, one could easily tell that a Magus who was able to predict the future held an extremely high position!
As such, he had many things that he wanted from that family.
However, Leylin only toyed with the idea for a while before tossing it to the back of his mind. Right now, he was stark naked as he rested his chiselled body in a stone pool.
In the centre of the pool, there was a deep green fluid emitting the scent of plants and an enormous lifeforce which continuously healed Leylin's injuries.
This was the healing solution that Leylin had brewed before. Not only were many healing potions combined in it, but the Fantasy Water that he procured before in this location was also one of the main ingredients.
Through the translucent liquid, one could see that Leylin's abdominal injury had now fully recovered, only leaving behind a tiny pink scar which was rapidly fading away.
This speed had already somewhat exceeded Leylin's expectations.
"No! This isn't the effect of the healing solution, but the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent…" Light flashed past as Leylin shut both his eyes.
A massive amount of spiritual force turned into tiny threads that filled his body.
Through his observation with the spiritual force, he could distinctly feel that various areas on his body had begun to erupt with a mysterious energy which continued to replenish and heal his injuries.
These energies were dark red in colour with an ancient aura. With its help, Leylin's body rapidly began to heal.
"Not only this!"
Leylin reached forward with his right hand and clenched his fist tightly.
*Ka-Cha!* A huge explosion sounded in the air, as if something was ripped into shreds.
"I can feel that during my recuperation, the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent is slowly strengthening the properties of my body!"
The abyss seen in Leylin's eyes became even darker.
"This… The second transition of the bloodline, it's here!"
The severe injuries he sustained seemed to have hastened the progress of the second transition in his body. The Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in Leylin's body continuously surged and many mysterious energies began to be released, fusing with Leylin on a more profound level.
[Detected that the Host's properties are currently being strengthened! A transition in the Giant Kemoyin Serpent is ongoing! The second transition will commence in ten seconds!]
The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
*Hisssss…*
A layer of fine black scales covered Leylin's body in a flash. He had actually unknowingly activated his innate spell.
Under the flicker of the black light, the scales were strengthened. Even Leylin's eyes had become an amber colour with vertical pupils.
Transition
"Number 2! Number 3!"
Leylin shouted.
"Master!" Two Branded Swordsmen wearing heavy armour immediately came and knelt down in front of Leylin.
"I'm activating all concealment and defence spell formations. You are to stand guard outside and not let any living being come inside."
Leylin instructed. The two spirit-branded slaves nodded, keeping a strict vigil outside.
These two Branded Swordsmen were controlled by Leylin through spirit branding. Even if asked to die, they would do so with no qualms and were the best people to guard Leylin.
[Counting down: 8, 7, 6…] The A.I. Chip's voice became softer.
All that Leylin needed to do now was to snap his fingers, and a ring of a spell formation suddenly emerged from his surroundings, protecting the area.
After doing all this, Leylin closed his eyes and submerged himself in the green liquid.
...
Time flowed by.
Ten days later, in this little cave, in the middle of the spell formation, dense Dark elemental energy particles were mixed with flaming-red Fire elemental energy particles and they filled the entire pool.
These elemental energy particles were so dense that they were immediately apparent in the external world; different colours were visible on the rock wall around him due to the reflection of light on these elemental particles.
At the heart of the elemental energy particles, black and red vapour converged, seemingly about to crystallize.
In the pool, the original green liquid had completely disappeared, revealing a dried up bottom.
A large black cocoon lay still at the centre of the bottom of the pool, constantly expanding and then shrinking back, just as if it was breathing.
While the black cocoon was 'breathing', the Dark and Fire elemental energy particles were continuously being pulled inside it with each 'inhalation'.
The black light became increasingly thin, till at the end, the hint of a perfect human figure could be seen.
"Tsss!"
A long hissing sound was produced from within the cocoon.
Shortly after, a huge gale engulfed the cave.
The Dark and Fire elemental energy particles in the air seemed to have come across a black hole, and were dragged into the heart of the black cocoon.
The black light around the cocoon became weaker, and then completely dissipated.
"Hm?" Leylin blinked his eyes open.
The moment he had completely awakened, he could feel as if there was a layer of something sticky on his body, and it was very uncomfortable.
He lifted his right arm, and a layer of skin that was the colour of his skin peeled off like withered tree bark.
"What's this? Is this like imitating the molting of the snake species?"
Leylin was a little speechless and quickly tore off the dead skin.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
He efficiently removed the layer of dead skin covering his body. On the layer of the dead skin, there were even scaly resemblances similar to that of a snake's skin.
Leylin placed the skin aside and reassessed his body.
Currently, there were no signs of injuries on his body. All his wounds had recovered, and his mental state was brimming with vitality. In general, his condition was great and better than before.
Leylin stared at his hands.
His palms were now even whiter and exquisite, and the pores seemed to have disappeared — it was like the skin of a newborn baby!
However, Leylin could clearly sense that a hidden and monstrous power was flowing through his arms..
*Ba-dump! Ba-dump!*
His heart was pounding strongly, circulating blood and other nutritious substances all around his body. While his heart beat, Leylin could almost feel his body becoming stronger bit by bit.
Though this was very slight, with the passing of time, the strength held in his body would be terrifying!
"My body's vitality has already become so powerful, but what about my spiritual force?"
Leylin closed his eyes and began to feel the elemental energy particles in his sea of consciousness.
In the sea of consciousness, the red rays were even more prominent, and the silvery-white threads of spiritual force were spiralling, seemingly very steady.
"The total amount of spiritual force actually increased so much?"
Leylin transferred a bit of the silver spiritual force to the external world.
While maneuvering the spiritual force, he could feel himself extremely comfortable with this process. His body had adapted to the rapid increase in his spiritual force, and Leylin also knew that after this miraculous transformation, his spiritual force was slightly able to solidify. Within rank 1 Magi, the quality of his spiritual force was definitely one of the best.
After he had made a thread of silver spiritual force probe out of his body, an astonishing scene appeared.
Blackness! Numerous black lights appeared in the sky like fireflies, rushing towards Leylin's spiritual force and clinging onto it.
Leylin had never felt so comfortable in his life.
Even without the use of the A.I. Chip, Leylin knew that the level of his elemental essence conversion had already reached a very high amount.
"I was wrong! I got it all wrong!"
Leylin was dazed for a second, and then laughed wryly.
"The Giant Kemoyin Serpent was originally the child of the shadows, and the elemental essence conversion is just child's play for it. Rather than exploring the strength of my bloodline, I persistently tried to use crystallised Dark elemental energy particles to break through the bottleneck. How stupid…"
Fortunately, it was not too late. Using crystallised elemental energy particles only delayed Leylin's second bloodline transition.
Once he got more familiar with his body, Leylin commanded silently, "A.I. Chip! List the recent changes in my condition!"
*Shua shua!* Rows of blue words emerged in front of Leylin.
[Beep! Detected rapid liveliness in Host's bloodline, the Kyerlis coefficient is: 44 — 46 — 56 — 78 — 89 — 101! The liveliness has reached the threshold and the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline's second transition begins!] [Beep! Host has gone into deep sleep. Commencement of reformation of Kemoyin's Bloodline within body.] [Detected unknown composition in Host's body! Permission to dispel substances… Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!] [Beep! No authorization from Host, unable to dispel! Entering observation mode! Recording data…] [Beginning of alteration of heart. Rate of completion: 1%, 2%, 15%, 30%, 51%…] [Strengthening of Host's bloodline. Innate spell, Kemoyin's Scales strengthened!
[Kemoyin's Scales: Forms a layer of defensive scales on host's body, has an instant effect. Physical defense: 35 degrees. Resistance to magic: 40 degrees. Consumption: 1 spiritual force, 1 magic power every 6 hours.] [Measured large rise in Host's stats in multiple areas. Collecting data…] [Beep! Collection of data completed, converting into numerical values…]
Leylin found his stats being refreshed.
[Leylin Farlier. Rank 1 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 20.1, Agility: 13.4, Vitality: 25.7, Spiritual Force: 75.9, Magic Power: 75 (Magic Power is in synchronisation with Spiritual Force). Elemental essence conversion: 89%. Status: Heart remodelling, progress: 61%]
The heart was an important organ that produced the blood of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Through the remodelling of the heart, ancient Warlocks obtained vitality and the ability to produce blood as powerful as that of the Kemoyin Serpent.
With the scanning of the A.I. Chip, Leylin could clearly see a purplish red colour constantly extending from his heart.
Wave after wave of power and blood was transported to all parts of his body.
Along with the throbbing of his heart, the last few digits of the numbers that represented his spiritual force, vitality, elemental essence conversion constantly increased.
"Even before my heart is completely remodelled, the rise in my stats is still increasing. How terrifying…"
Leylin mumbled to himself.
His current stats were comparable to a peak rank 1 Magus, and in terms of vitality, he exceeded them by a fairly large amount.
He could feel a strength that he had never experienced!
Pak! Leylin supported his weight with his hands, and a deep palm print was indented onto the rock at the bottom of the pool.
His entire body bounced, and he jumped out of the pool.
*Peng peng!*
Under his feet, fine cracks in the rock extended like spider webs.
"After the increase in my vitality, the density of my body has also increased. I'll need to train again so that I can control the strength I now possess."
Seeing the damage he had unwittingly caused, he smiled wryly.
He found a random piece of black clothing in his bag and wore it, and then snapped his fingers.
*Weng weng!*
The defense spell formation around ceased operation and two black figures arrived like a hurricane. They knelt before Leylin and said, "Master!"
"In the time I've been asleep, has there been any strange happenings?" Leylin asked indifferently.
Number 2 and Number 3 shared a glance, and Number 2 took the initiative and held out a pendant that looked like a book.
"In the time that Master has been asleep, everything has been quiet. The five specimens are still unconscious, though Master's secret imprint has been flashing constantly. Without Master's approval, we did not dare answer…"
"Oh?"
Leylin took the pendant and flipped to a page with an imprint with a strange smile on it. Under the smiling face, there were rows of communication requests, but since Leylin had been in the process of transitioning his bloodline, he naturally did not bother answering them.
He tapped on the smiling face, and string of Dark elemental energy particles shimmered.
"Tsss…" Similar to the static in radios due to bad signals a noise sounded, and the voice of the old man in Leylin's team could be heard.
"My lord, is that you? Please forgive me. Due to the issue of signals in the secret plane, I can only contact you through the headquarters' signal tower."
"Cut the nonsense. What do you need?" Leylin asked.
"My lord… In the time you have not been around, our Hunting Zone 3 was was attacked by a peak rank 1 Magus by the name of Marb. He was like a mad dog, and as long as someone appeared in front of him, whether an acolyte or an official Magus, they would be killed. He even announced your name and said that if you did not appear, this situation would continue… Bat and Crow have already died in his hands…"