570 - 578

Chaotic Battle

"Number 1, order received!" "Number 2, order received!" "Number 3, order received!"

Along with the old man's command, three different voices sounded from the dark-green metal bracelet.

"Begin extraction of aggrieved souls! Start the sacrifice…" The old man's voice was calm, yet held within it a bone-piercing chilliness.

At the same time, all the Star ranks in Tylasus City felt a chill in their hearts.

"This feeling?"

"A spell formation from the Magus World, an undead element spell formation aimed at aggrieved souls!" Leylin, Gilbert and Emma immediately recognised this unique energy.

Seeing the flesh and blood flying everywhere in the square, Emma laughed bitterly, "Such an environment will do wonders for an undead spell formation!"

Even if the Morning Stars restrained themselves, they would still cause major damage to the surroundings. On top of that, it was currently the Holy Solar Day, and those gathered here were not just the residents of Tylasus City. Tourists, followers from different regions, and many others had packed the city to the brim, and the square especially held a large crowd. Now, they had all been turned into minced meat.

Even if they were high-ranking officials or nobles, many had died. Obviously, nobody would bother with the commoners.

"I'm afraid the Magi of Jupiter's Lightning have made their move!" Leylin tangled with a two-headed fire elemental hound as he transmitted to Gilbert and the others.

In front of Leylin was a giant flaming hound about two stories high and with inverted steel spikes on its body. Its savage gaze settled on Leylin through its skull, similar to the Cerberus of the underworld in myths.

This was also one of the members of the delegation, and the energy on its body had already reached the limits of rank 3. Hence, Leylin found 'some trouble' when dealing with it, and even needed to depend on support from other team members to somewhat handle it.

Making use of the chaos in the square, Gilbert and Emma secretly came to Leylin's side. The three Morning Stars made a team that might seem to have been formed by chance, and surrounded the double-headed flame hound.

There were many temporary team-ups like this in the square already. Besides, at this point not many would pay attention to Leylin.

Of course, Bowens was an exception.

"Schiker, do you see that?" Despite the chaotic situation, Schiker was devoted to his duty and was guarding at the centre, with Bowens at his side.

"There's definitely something off about that Ley! One of the nobles near him is an Earl, and the other a Viscount. Both are people on the list for thorough investigation. Furthermore, Loke has pointed out that their existence itself is suspicious…"

"Let me think about it! Let me think…" Schiker clutched at his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. At this moment, he was more concerned for his father. As for Ley? That was just a trivial matter. As long as his father was still around, there was nothing that could not be solved.

Just when Schiker had made up his mind, the undead spell formation set-up by Jupiter's Lightning was activated.

"What's that…"

Dark green rays flashed out of the ground, forming a mysterious round symbol in the air. Phosphorescent green lights shone gloriously.

"It's the symbol of the Mobius Organisation. They're here too!"

Many loud cries sounded, and caused the square to descend even further into a state of chaos. This was especially so after many Emberwings found that the green ring of light was absorbing the energy in their bodies, and even their flesh and blood!

Streams of black gas were emitted from the body of a noble. Before he could sense anything was wrong, he had already collapsed to the ground, a strange expression on his face as his body dried up.

The weaker nobles all lost their lives instantly under the mysterious spell formation deployed by the Mobius Organisation. Even experts at the eighth level of Fireplume and above could feel the strength being sapped out of their bodies.

"We can't wait any longer!" A few Emberwings at the peak of level nine exchanged glances and charged into the air, blazing flames behind them forming the phantoms of large phoenixes.

*Boom!* The flames and the dark green light collided, but that only resulted in a few of them being sent flying, spraying blood everywhere.

"You guys can't do it. I'll take care of this!" Without waiting for these Emberwings to reach the ground, a pair of large powerful arms stopped them from flying. The streams of black gas being emitted from their bodies were burnt to nothingness by the flames.

"The head of the garrison!" These few Emberwings recognised him. This was the head of the garrison of Tylasus City, and they immediately saluted him.

"Mm!" He was a man of few words. He had a head of long, soft silver hair, his handsome face currently filled with annoyance.

"The Mobius Organisation! Those little mice that only know to hide in the gutters and shadows… Looks like teaching them a lesson by destroying their headquarters wasn't enough!" He snorted, and the force field of a powerful Star rank fighter exploded forth. He soared into the air, a red fiery streak shooting towards the distorted dark green circle of light.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The streak of fire was obstructed midway, and multiple human figures appeared. A total of seven Magi dressed in black robes floated in mid-air, unique undulations from their point mass causing this Emberwing to have a huge change in expression.

"So many Star ranks?!" Shock instantly filled his mind. According to his intel, the Mobius Organisation was quite small. Though their sacrifices were bloody and insane, they didn't even have as many as the three patriarchs of the Triserpent Sect.

Now, however, they had deployed seven Star ranks to fight him. How could it not be appalling?

There were likely less than seven Star rank Emberwings in the entire capital! The addition of such a powerful force instantly reversed the situation.

There was one more thing to consider. If the Mobius Organisation had been concealing their strength in the past, what were they planning now?

There wasn't any time left for him to ponder on these things, and ferocious energy was emitted as the seven Star ranks cast their spells.

Their Morning Star domains appeared, overlapping with each other to form a starry sky. This caused the Star rank Emberwing to turn deathly pale. His body had been suppressed.

"Using spells in other worlds is much too troublesome, but thankfully our organisation has prepared and analysed countless spell models. Though our Morning Star Arcane Arts don't suit the rules of this world well, rank 4 spells are enough for now. Prepare the combination spell!" The Morning Star Magus standing in the middle spoke coldly.

A ferocious tide of elemental particles surged towards his palm like a tsunami, forming a terrifying energy spheroid. More condensed into it, and it strengthened continuously.

"Rank 4 spell— Binding Forcefield!" A female on the right pointed at the leader of the garrison.

In that instant, the leader felt like he was stuck inside a rock. The air around him became incomparably heavy, and even just moving was becoming difficult

"Rank 4 spell— Five Sense Severance!" Another Magus spoke up, their voice sounding strange. It was like a continuous shriek, piercing to the ear.

"Rank 4 spell…"

Rank 4 spell after rank 4 spell was cast by these Morning Star Magi, binding the Emberwing tightly and draining all his strength.

The overlay of seven Morning Star domains had practically created an independent space. With the strength of their combination spell, they had even sealed off this region. It left the Emberwings outside with no choice but to watch on furiously, with no way to send help.

"In the name of the flesh of Mobius, I bestow unto you your death…" As if chanting, the Morning Star Magus in the middle passed his judgement.

*Boom!* The Emberwing's silver hair drifted in the wind. This garrison head's body now completely lacked any form of an aura, and even his soul had been destroyed, giving him no chance at revival.

Though this was another world and executing spells was slightly troublesome, seven Morning Star Magi had joined hands and even used a combination of rank 4 spells. This strength did not lose out to some Morning Star Arcane Arts!

Indeed, a Star rank had fallen with a single move. The Morning Star Magi from another world showed their sharp teeth in front of the other races once more.

Even as the corpse of the garrison head fell to the ground, many Emberwings stood there in disbelief. Though there had been a large battle from earlier, this was the first time a Star rank had died!

On top of that, this was the Holy Solar Festival, a celebration for all Emberwings. This was the first time a Star rank clansman had died at the celebration, and that was the ultimate ridicule!

In that moment, the Emberwings felt like they were dreaming.

"Haha, friends of the Mobius organisation, you've appeared just in time!" The fire elementals, who had been at a disadvantage, suddenly roared and quickly transformed into tremendous lava giants, beginning to wreak havoc in Tylasus City.

With the addition of seven Morning Star Magi, the Emberwings were put at an immediate disadvantage. Though they won in terms of their numbers, they were at a disadvantage in terms of their Morning Star strength.

In front of Morning Stars, tactics of victory with numbers were a joke, especially with these seven Magi of Jupiter's Lightning specialising in water and ice elemental spells. This caused the many Emberwings who had never encountered such a situation to fall into trouble.

With the retreat of military officials and high-ranking bodyguards, the entirety of Tylasus City collapsed into a mess of blood and fire.

The whole city seemed to be crying and yelling. The flying flesh and blood broke off and burnt many of the banners that had been put up in celebration, mocking them.

Seeing this scene, Schiker's fingernails dug deeper into his flesh, and blood even began to flow. However, he was told by many bodyguards to retreat.

'Father, end the battle quickly and save your people!' Schiker could not help but silently pray in his heart.

Life Extraction

"Don't mind these people. Our priority is to break into the residence!" The leader of the Morning Star Magi glanced at the many nobles and commoners trying to escape and shook his head. Leaving them to the fire elementals, he darted straight for Scarlet Eye's residence.

"You seem to have other intentions in this joint operation. Is it convenient for you to tell me more? As allies, we hope to provide some support!" At some point, Saka had arrived beside this Magus, and he smiled gently as he spoke.

However, when coupled with his huge stature and fierce face, this smile just seemed horrifying.

"It's nothing much. We just have a few old enemies hidden amongst the Emberwings and need to take care of them," the Morning Star Magus replied politely.

"Oh? Are they Magi from the other world like you?" Saka asked. This topic had him interested.

It had mostly been thanks to them that he was able to break into the capital and cause such huge damage. For this reason, he had a huge interest in these mysterious spells and this rumoured other world.

"Yes. However, they're just a bunch of vile creatures that live off bloodlines, interested in the bloodlines of all living things. They don't mind committing murder for this, they're the source of all sin!" The Morning Star Magus' criticism sounded righteous, as if he hadn't been killing without restraint just a moment ago.

"I didn't expect the situation to turn out this way already. Quick! Back to the leader's residence!" Schiker's hand subconsciously touched the pendant hung at his neck as he issued the command.

Bowens' body was brimming with energy as he flew with Schiker, the flames in the air leaving behind a long blazing tail.

The speed of a Star rank far surpassed that of a chariot. In less than a minute, Bowens had brought Schiker back into the residence.

Schiker looked distracted. Just this morning, he had been in a good mood as he dressed formally to go out and celebrate with his father. Never could he have expected that he would return in such a pitiful state

Even with his many years of military experience, he could not adapt to these changes instantly.

A few military officials that had been left behind as guards immediately rushed forward in salute as they noticed him, "My Lord!"

When they'd heard the explosions in the square and seen the flames, their sense of responsibility as soldiers had told them that they should continue guarding this place.

"Mm! Notify everyone that war has arrived. Activate all defences in the residence!" Bowens exclaimed, and the command was quickly sent down. A golden layer of energy that looked like an overturned bowl covered the entire residence.

"Father…" Schiker touched the pendant on his neck, his eyes glinting with a decisive light.

"So you got here first?" Seven terrifying figures flew in his direction. Even before they arrived, the powerful pressure caused everyone in the residence to feel suffocated.

"Desas' Flying Palm!" With the incantations sounding out, a giant palm with countless runes twining around it appeared in the air, slapping the golden shield.

The golden shield shook, but still stubbornly held on. Yet, cracks had already appeared on its surface.

It was as if an earthquake had occurred the moment the flying palm hit the shield. Multiple buildings cracked, and the sound of glass shattering rang out as cups constantly fell to the ground.

"Uncle Bowens, can you take care of them?" Schiker had turned deathly pale.

"There are seven Star ranks who hold the power of water and ice. Even one on one I wouldn't be confident, let alone against seven. The rest of the commanders either died in battle or are stuck outside…"

Bowens laughed bitterly and then patted Schiker on the head, his eyes full of love, "But don't worry, I'll protect you!"

"Uncle Bowens!" Schiker's voice trembled, his eyes turning red.

"The defence in the leader's residence is rather weak! Just a Morning Star is enough to deal with it…"

Outside the gigantic golden layer, Leylin and two other Morning Star Warlocks had long since snuck in. Seeing this scene, Emma rolled her eyes at Leylin, "From the map you showed me, the defensive spell formation should not be that simple…"

"Yes! Usually, this spell formation can take on one attack from a Morning Star, but can also be recharged and have its strength increased by several times! The key is in Schiker's hands… Of course, I made a copy as well…"

Leylin laughed, retrieving a golden gem from his sleeves. Within it, one could see the image of a flaming phoenix.

Schiker had already trusted him too much, and was not powerful on top of that. With the A.I. Chip's scans and some psychological hints, obtaining information from him was much too easy. Leylin had even found out about this last resort, and made a copy of it.

"You're really quite something!" Gilbert's eyes brightened. "With this, we can sneak into the residence without being discovered. It would be even better if we could take control of the central administration of the spell formation."

"Don't even think about controlling the spell formation. Besides, since Scarlet Eye left it behind for Schiker, he probably hasn't shown all his cards yet. We need to wait longer…"

Leylin saw these two Kemoyin dukes whose eyes were beginning to flare red, and his voice turned cold.

His tone seemed to have some unique power, causing the red in Gilbert and Emma's eyes to dissipate. The two of them began to laugh wryly, "Seeing the situation, I got a little affected. My apologies…"

Immediately after, Emma's eyes were full of astonishment when looking at Leylin, "The emotional instability from your bloodline has such a small effect, and you can even indirectly affect us…"

"With such a concentrated bloodline, it probably surpasses that of all Kemoyin Warlocks in history… Perhaps, the hope of overcoming our bloodline shackles lies with you!" Gilbert was beaming.

"My willpower is just slightly stronger than most others!" Leylin laughed wryly, ruthlessly pushing down the destructive desires inside him.

Even after reaching Morning Star, a Warlock could curb the emotional instability from their bloodline fusing with their soul. It was just that it was much more troublesome. Matters that had to do with the soul could not be resolved with just regular potions or other methods. For now, he could only rely on his own willpower.

*Skree!* At this moment, the replica phoenix phantom in his hands began to call out.

"Schiker is about to use this! We'd better sneak in quickly!" Leylin chanted a few syllables, and the scarlet energy from Fireplume poured into a gemstone. It produced a golden yellow layer of energy that encompassed the three of them.

The moment the golden energy layer made contact with the residence, the two began to blend, causing Leylin and the other two's figures to disappear.

At the same time, an even more glorious layer of gold appeared outside the residence. The cries of a phoenix rang out, blocking the attacks of all the Morning Star Magi.

"This level of defence?" The leader of the Morning Star Magi immediately turned grim.

Without being discovered by the Morning Star Magi and officials, Leylin and the two dukes successfully snuck into the residence. While Leylin was leading the way, he seemed to be very familiar with the area.

"Strange. Did you feel that?" Leylin looked absent-minded as he judged the second activation, deep in thought.

"A life extraction spell formation! The second level of this formation is evidently a method to steal life force. It can even defend against the combined attacks of multiple Morning Stars by stealing life force, and even soul force, from a gigantic living creature…" Gilbert nodded.

"On top of that, from the course of the energy, the energy that is being extracted comes not from the energy pool of the residence, but from… underground!" Emma touched the surface of the ground and confirmed.

Those of the Magus world were much more advanced than those from the rest of the worlds, mostly because of their foresight and minds that were suited for research.

After acquiring vast inheritances from ancient Magi, there were few races in other worlds that could surpass these people of the Magus World when it came to knowledge or capabilities at identification.

"In that case, there might be a powerful ancient creature confined underground, and it's the type with a long life…"

Gilbert gave a hollow laugh, his face changing, "The firasource stones can't be connected to this, can they…?"

"That's very possible!" Leylin's expression was serious as he nodded, recalling the time he had followed Loke underground and the red rays that had formed from the heart of the large spell formation.

For some reason, a sense of sadness surged inside as he thought back to that time.

'These feelings?' With the instability from his bloodline, Leylin paid a lot of attention to his emotions. He immediately discovered the source of the sorrow he was feeling.

'Fireplume? If I hadn't changed the nature of its energy, the effects would be even more prominent…'

"This feeling?" Bowens touched his chest, looking gloomy. "What's going on?"

"I- I don't know!" Schiker seemed to sense something as well, and began to sound flustered, "Father gave me this key in the morning, telling me that if there came a danger that could not be handled, I was to escape back into the residence and activate the second layer of defence!"

"Is that so?" Bowens' eyes glinted with mixed emotions, "Since the lord has made preparations for this, then that's great!"

Sneak Attack

"This is the Northern Duke! I hereby command all residents of Tylasus City to return to their homes. You are not allowed to leave. Anyone outside will be killed without discretion!" While the defensive formation was being reinforced at the leader's residence, a tremendous sound was transmitted to the city.

"I am Kiel, commander of the southern military. Nobody is allowed outside from henceforth!"

"I am the commander of the eastern military. Nobody is…"

"This is an order from the Western Duke…"

Loud sounds echoed continuously throughout the city, and an expression of glee surfaced on Schiker's face.

"It's my uncle the Northern Duke, Turin, and the others…" The dukes and military commanders were the pillars of the Atlan Union. Every single one of them was a Star rank.

This sudden aid had excited him immediately.

Along with the voices of the Star ranks, orders were passed down and the city was sealed. A layer of fiery-red isolation layer kept Tylasus within.

"Scarlet Eye really did have something planned. Is he trying to deal with all of us at once?" The leader of the Magi sized up the spell formation from a distance away as he floated in mid-air.

"A fire-type isolation spell formation and the reckless assault of elite troops truly can stall us. With the attacks from others of the same rank… Scarlet Eye really has a huge appetite!"

Saka seemed rather confident, on the other hand. "Don't worry! Our emperor will come and bring us back!"

"I hope so!" The leader of the Magi laughed. Watching the many troops entering the city in an orderly manner, suppressing the chaos, and taking over the defence, he couldn't help but sneer.

*Rumble!* Large amounts of fire energy were emitted from the bodies of the Northern Duke and the rest, fighting against the few Morning Stars.

Fire sparked in the sky above the capital, space itself crumbling as silver storms wreaked havoc on the land.

"The leader knew you were going to do this, and had set a trap in advance. All of you shall die here today." The Northern Duke's expression was firm.

With the addition of the many legions and the participation of the Star ranks, the Emberwings' impending doom was reversed, and the scales had now tipped in their favour.

"Do you think you can stop us just like this? How naive!" The leader of the Morning Stars produced multiple mechanical arms, protecting himself with the mass of steel. Seeing the Northern Duke and the others charging over, his eyes shone with pity.

"In this war, what determines victory can only be a strength above the Morning Star realm!"

"Above… Morning Star? Do you mean?" The Northern Duke and the others glanced towards the outside of the city in disbelief.

A flame giant that towered into the very heavens was contending against a similarly large, terrifying phoenix. Every attack of theirs seemed to shake heaven and earth, destroying their surroundings. It seemed like the end of the world.

This was the battlefield between Scarlet Eye and his opponent, the Divineflame Emperor. In a battle between rank 5s, Morning Star Magi could not even attempt at interfering unless there were enough of them.

*SKREEEE!* And at this moment, the winner seemed to have been decided. The giant phoenix's calls sounded out as gigantic sharp claws ripped apart the elemental's breastplate to a shower of lava and fire.

"You've lost, Archibald!" Scarlet Eye's voice sounded from the phoenix's mouth. As they heard this sound, glee appeared on the faces of the Northern Duke's party. The leader that they had placed their hopes on hadn't betrayed their trust!

"Yes, I've lost," the fire elemental giant clutched at his chest, rocks falling out from the huge injury, causing earthquakes as they hit the ground.

"You really are a genius, Scarlet Eye, you've already reached the peak of rank 5… I made the right decision today. If not, you could've been the key to changing the status quo between the Divineflame Empire and the Atlan Union!"

The Divineflame Emperor's voice boomed like a thunder that rumbled throughout the heavens.

"Decision?" Scarlet Eye seemed to be confused, but immediately after the giant phoenix retreated.

However, it was too late! Large amounts of thunder clouds formed in the sky, and terrifying bolts of black lightning struck down. The dark clouds covered the skies, blocking the brilliant sun.

The lightning came together to form a lance, and a Magus suddenly appeared, gripping it.

This Magus' forehead was marked with a rune in the shape of a moon. "Goodbye!" he called out in a low voice as he tossed the lance.

*Swish!* As if it was a deity from the World of Gods that had been enraged, a world-extinguishing bolt of lightning shot down from the skies.

This horrifying black lance seemed to transcend the limits of time and space, and even the void was subdued under the tip of the lance, carrying the might of an apocalypse. This terrifying instrument of destruction appeared before the phoenix.

*Skree!* The phoenix called out, the sound this time filled with sorrow and suffering.

*Ka-cha!* As the dazzling white light formed by the collision dissipated, the Star ranks noticed that the Phoenix Scarlet Eye had transformed into had suffered a gigantic injury. Feather after flaming feather fell to the ground before bursting into intense flame. Within this fire, the feathers somehow seemed even more magnificent.

Leylin's pupils shrank as he saw this scene. Even if this was just a transformation, the parts that left the body still managed to retain their shape. This showed just what level his fire phoenix transformation had reached!

"Leader!" While the Northern Duke and the rest clamoured over this sneak attack, Leylin and the others who were hiding in the residence watched on grimly.

"That Magus is Zegna from Jupiter's Lightning! How did he get here?"

Leylin obviously knew the Magus in the black robe. This Zegna had come to stop him when he had travelled here from the Magus world. However, he'd pitifully been stalled by Wayde.

The rank 5 energy undulations, as well as that face that left a deep impression, were both things he could never forget.

"The Zegna now is different from the one we met before. It's probably just a clone, but why does it have the undulations of a rank 5 Magus? Even if it's much weaker than before, it's still a Radiant Moon!" Gilbert looked to be distressed, evidently unable to make sense of this.

"It should be some sort of ancient secret technique! A rank 5 clone is an exceptionally powerful trump card. I'm more curious about the how he deceived the Lava World's World Will and was able to sneak in successfully!" Leylin stroked his chin.

"Zegna, even you betrayed me!" Scarlet Eye's voice was produced from the body of the giant phoenix, the injuries on its wings quickly regenerating.

"Esteemed leader!" Zegna, who was in mid-air, first bowed slightly to him. "Our relationship only extended to a cooperation between us. Rather, it was but a transaction that consisted of mutual benefits. So then, how could there be a betrayal?"

"Alright! Scarlet Eye, that was the first round. The second round is about to start now!" The towering fire elemental giant roared, and Zegna sprung into action as well. Black lightning and powerful lava encircled Scarlet Eye…

"Leader?!" The Northern Duke, the supporting troops, and the others immediately had a change in expression. Though Scarlet Eye was at the peak of Radiant Moon, his opponent was not weak. This long-time enemy of the Atlan Union, the Divineflame Emperor, had teamed up with a terrifying rank 5 Magus from another world. Even the most stupid person could tell that their leader was in trouble.

"Everyone, this is the day to dedicate yourselves to our country!" The Northern Duke sighed, a rare solemness appearing on his face. It was evident that he was already expecting his death.

"Haha… Vape, Sulu, we're heading off first!" A few Star ranked elders erupted into an insane laughter, their expressions showing their readiness for death.

Seeing such a solemn expression, the leader of the Morning Star Magi began to hesitate.

While the Star ranks of this world had fewer secret methods than Magi, if they really went all out his side could suffer a large number of casualties.

Morning Stars like them, who had been nurtured by Jupiter's Lightning through and through, were few in number. Most of their Morning Stars joined from other races, and only Zegna could keep them suppressed. In the face of great casualties to this core team, he was beginning to hesitate.

The dukes and commanders who were all veterans in battle exchanged glances, all having noticed the strange look in their opponent's eyes.

"Alright! It's been revealed that the Morning Star Magi are afraid of casualties. This battle is going to be fun. Zegna is probably going to cough up blood…" Emma exclaimed, taking joy in his misfortune.

This was reality. Even if the Morning Star Magus leader could harden his resolve, the other Morning Star Magi might not be willing to. After all, they had merely signed a contract and joined Jupiter's Lightning, and there were no rules that stated they had to give up their lives for the organisation.

When the opponent made use of this fact and displayed they were not afraid to sacrifice themselves, and that they would take their opponents down at any cost, then they would be involving themselves in a pointless fight.

"I'm afraid Zegna's already foreseen this. He won't be that enraged." Leylin shook his head, stating his opinion. "The Divineflame Emperor's plan should be to kill as many Star ranks and weaken the Atlan Union as much as possible. However, killing these people won't do Zegna any good, and it could even have the opposite effect, hurting his own forces. Thus, he won't grow mad. His main objective is likely the firasource stones. We need to monitor the residence. I believe Zegna is about to make a move!"

"You're right." Gilbert nodded to acknowledge Leylin's prediction after a momentary silence.

The battle pushed on and things turned out just like Leylin expected. The Morning Stars immediately yielded to the Emberwings who were going all out. Their inefficiency drove Saka insane, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Identity Revealed

"Uncle Bowens, how's the situation?" Schiker's gaze was set outside the city, at the battle between the Star ranks.

He had not advanced to the Star rank yet, and naturally lacked Leylin's vision. All he could see was space continually being torn apart, the stray energy destroying the architecture. The defensive layer shook continually, and he couldn't help but look to Bowens in his worry..

"Don't worry, they're fine! Morning Star Magi will not act without benefits, and Saka and the other Star rank fire elementals can't match up to you Emberwings." Bowens' expression was slightly strange as he spoke.

"I guess I can relax now." Schiker patted his chest, but his expression quickly changed. He had sensed something off about Bowens' tone.

Bowens was much too knowledgeable about that black-robed person. On top of that, what did he mean by 'you Emberwings'?

As he turned around and saw the strange expression on Bowens' face, his heart sank. "U–Uncle Bowens, you… heart sunk. "Un-uncle Bowens, you…"

*Schlick!* Before the words left his mouth, a black scorpion had crawled onto his neck as a black stinger piercing into an artery.

The defence of eighth level Fireplume turned out to be useless. Schiker's eyes rolled up into their sockets, his consciousness lost.

"What's going on? Officer Bowens has attacked Lord Schiker!" The few remaining military officials mental strength crumbled at this sight. If this was a nightmare, all they wanted was to wake up from it as soon as possible.

"This Schiker is a spy who I've discovered long ago. Seize him! Do your duties!"

Bowens' large hand quickly sought out the gem at Schiker's neck, retrieving the key with the phantom image of a phoenix within it. His words caused the minds of the military officials present to short-circuit.

The illegitimate son that their leader thought so highly of, their Lord Schiker, was… a spy?

Many of them felt like they had just heard the joke of the year, but seeing the flame-ringed Bowens, the could not bring themselves to laugh.

"Officer, please let Lord Schiker go!"

Bowens was not completely in charge here. While the remaining Star rank commanders were either trapped outside or dead, their subordinates were still around. Even if Bowens' own subordinates approved of his actions, these people would not.

"What? You want to attack me?" Energy at the tenth level of Fireplume exploded forth, and a large amount of flames formed the terrifying phantom of a phoenix. The energy was similar to a domain of flames, and put the entire area under Bowens' control.

The official who had spoken of his suspicions was merely at the ninth level of Fireplume. Even though he was considered powerful among Sky ranks, he was nothing in front of Bowens.

He took several steps back, face flushing red as he stood straight, "You have restrained Lord Schiker for no reason. Please provide proof that he is a spy, or else…"

"Or else?" Crimson rays flashed, and the official who had just been speaking disappeared. All that was left on the ground was a pile of ashes.

"Did you really think I wouldn't kill anyone?" Bowens sneered, carrying the unconscious Schiker and heading towards the back of the residence. Many officials looked around at each other, but none followed.

Leylin looked at the other two dukes from their hiding spot in the shadows, "What do you think?"

Gilbert spoke slowly. "Bowens is probably Jupiter's Lightning's real spy. Loke was most likely just a bait."

"Mm! And what's more interesting, he's practised Fireplume to the tenth level…" Leylin's eyes glowed with curiosity. He had needed the A.I. Chip to modify Fireplume to harmonize with his point mass. How had this person done it? Furthermore, he couldn't have survived for so long as a spy without even Scarlet Eye finding out if he didn't have an Arcane Art that dealt in bloodlines. That was intriguing as well.

"Whatever it is, Bowens picked a good time. Scarlet Eye is engaged, and the other Star ranks are fighting hard outside the residence. As long as Bowens has the fight outside under control, he had no need to fear for anything…"

Emma did not mention the rest of the military officials within the residence. In a Morning Star's eyes, anyone weaker than rank 4 was an ant. She didn't think that they could stop him.

As expected, once Bowens showed that he was not to be trifled with, many of the officials retreated, unwilling to go forth.

Bowens snorted and went deeper into the residence. Those who dared to hinder him were burnt to ashes under his flames.

"What should we do next?" Emma glanced at Leylin.

She could not make much sense of this young man at all. He was good at tolerating things, for one. Were she here alone, she would have struck out long ago. How could she have restrained herself until now, when the best benefits were available? Furthermore, the techniques he'd used to conceal himself had duped even Bowens, which was amazing.

"We're obviously going to follow him." Leylin chuckled, pointing at Bowens who was ahead.

"He's definitely a spy from Jupiter's Lightning. He can be the scapegoat, taking all the damage from traps and conspiracies. We just need to follow him and get those firasource stones…"

"Haha… As expected of a student of mine. Leylin… you're definitely very sly. I like it!" Gilbert burst out into laughter, looking delighted. Emma rolled her eyes at his response.

Bowens' speed was very fast as he carried Schiker to a place that Leylin was familiar with. This was the area where Loke had used Gaia's Disc that day.

"Could it be…" Leylin watched Bowens' actions, realisation dawning upon him.

Soon enough, he saw Bowens take out a round plate, eyes on its surface formed from countless veins. He shook his head at Loke's previous actions, "This is probably something used specifically to send equipment and confuse others…"

The earth split apart like an ocean, revealing a deep tunnel. Bowens smirked and darted in. Leylin and the two dukes glanced at each other and followed.

Very soon, the scarlet spell formation previously had appeared before Bowens, fragmented and drifting through the air like butterflies.

Bowens was very familiar with this place as he walked up to the huge secret room in the centre. A crimson spell formation in the middle of the room lit the place up, the light flickering at its edges.

A humming sound was produced as the formation let loose a layer of flames to block Bowens' advance.

Bowens' eyes only grew brighter at this. "It's here!The barrier that Scarlet Eye set up himself."

Blue light gathered at his hands, flickering. At the same time, Schiker woke up from this period of unconsciousness.

His eyes were blurred for a moment, but he still immediately raised his guard. "This… The underground saferoom! Uncle Bowens, you actually betrayed us…"

"Look closely, kid. Who's your Uncle Bowens?" 'Bowens' sneered, his muscles and bones shifting. The red feathers that marked an Emberwing disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a completely different person. The energy of a Morning Star domain burst forth.

"So Uncle Bowens is already dead…" With this sight, Schiker heaved a sigh of relief. If it really was Bowens who had betrayed him and his father, he had no idea what to do.

"Hehe… Do you still not understand? I am Bowens, but Bowens isn't me! Whatever, the people of this land won't understand even if I explain it…" Bowens snickered, and that caused Schiker's heart to sink further.

"If not for needing the tenth and higher levels of Fireplume as well as the blood aura of the leader to break through this barrier, do you think I'd have brought you here?" Bowens laughed coldly, preparing to make his move.

Schiker shook his head and closed his eyes.

"It's better to wait!" However, a familiar voice sounded by his ear, giving him the illusion that something was wrong with his ears.

"Ley? Didn't he die in the square?" Opening his eyes, he found 'Ley' in front of him, and somehow, there were traces of… fear, on Bowens' face?

"I knew something was off about you!" Bowens watched Ley, his hands still trembling. Leylin had easily taken care of his attack, which that this person was at the same rank as him.

"Must've been a wild guess. That bait Loke can't have given you that much information!" Leylin answered indifferently. As he was speaking, the characteristics of an Emberwing faded away. By the time he was done, he had morphed back into a black-haired, dreaded Warlock.

"As expected, it's one of the remaining devilspawn of the Ouroboros Clan!" Bowens gritted his teeth.

In the meanwhile, Schiker's jaw had dropped. He was dazed at the sight of this unfamiliar Morning Star Magus.

"So… So you've been lying to me too? Haha… You, Loke, you're all liars! Have you been treating me like a fool?" Schiker roared, large droplets of tears falling from his cheeks. The cold-faced instructor from before had all but disappeared.

"Did his mental wall crumble?" Leylin shook his head, but had no plans of explaining himself.

Whatever the case may be, he'd made use of Schiker and now he'd repaid that by saving the Emberwing's life. In his mind, this act canceled out with all the help and guidance Schiker had given him.

He couldn't care less about Schiker's thoughts. If the man was so dumb as to attack or obstruct him, he would not hold back.

Open

"How about you? Who exactly are you? How could you progress to the tenth level of Fireplume?" Watching Bowens in front of him, Leylin was filled with curiosity.

"Take a guess," Bowens sneered, "But know this. If I hadn't come and hidden myself here in the Lava World for such a long time, Collins would definitely not be the strongest Morning Star in Jupiter's Lightning!"

A vicious, berserk aura burst forth from Bowens' body. Starlight twinkled behind him, forming a unique Morning Star domain.

Two orbs of golden flames appeared in his hands, emitting the powerful energy of Fireplume.

"Congratulations, you get to see this new spell I came up with after combining the path of a Magus with Fireplume. Fire Phoenix Slice!" Berserk energy from Fireplume was amplified by magic, resulting in a barrage of powerful blades of fire that sliced towards Leylin.

"Indeed, there are no fools among Magi. It's only to be expected that someone would try to fuse the two different systems of power… What a pity, though…" Leylin shook his head, sympathy in his gaze, "A pity that you met me!"

Leylin's knowledge of Fireplume far surpassed that of Bowens. On top of that, he was a Morning Star Warlock whose soul had been strengthened with firasource stones. His current might was incomparable to that in the past..

"Bloodline Shield!" Leylin snapped his fingers, and countless large crimson shields came into existence. The Kemoyin Serpent carvings on the shield looked vivid, lifelike, their eyes shooting out vicious glares.

*Clang! Clang!* The blades of fire slammed into the shields, and the result was a piercing noise that sounded like a torrential rain.

"You still don't have enough of an understanding about the two paths… What a disappointment…" Leylin sighed, and a large phantom of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent appeared behind him. The two pupils were like giant stars; the ancient, ominous aura causing Bowens' expression to warp,

*Rumble!* Two orbs of dark red fire emerged in Leylin's hands, beating back the energy from Bowens' Fireplume. Leylin darted in front of the man.

"No… How's that possible?" The move that he was most proud of had been defeated so easily by his opponent, and it seemed to have no value at all. Bowens frowned.

"Nothing is impossible!" Leylin extended his right arm, the hand passing through the opponent's defences and grabbing onto his throat. The A.I. Chip began a scan.

[Beep! Scanning opponent's energy pathways. Discovered areas that can be optimised! Recording into database, adding into simulation fusion experiment!]

Details on Bowens' point mass and the operation of his Fireplume appeared in Leylin's mind, and the information gathered allowed the A.I. Chip's simulations of fusing Fireplume into his path grew more complicated.

Though the progress was still stuck at the final bit, the originally dark red energy from Fireplume seemed to have undergone a secret transformation, advancing to form a higher power.

'Fireplume energy with darkness elemental particles fused in can easily break through the defence of the tenth level of the original, even restraining the opponent. What'll happen if I take this a step further?' A look of anticipation flashed in Leylin's eyes. His practice of Fireplume was undergoing a wondrous transformation. Even without advancing himself, he could use it to beat others at the tenth stage of the original, something that cause his expectations to increase.

"Here you are!" Shadow arms emerged, taking all of Bowens' items from his spatial storage as well as Gaia's Disc. When he caught sight of the black copper key, his eyes sparkled.

He had personally seen Loke use this thing to break through the final spell formation, and Bowens had kept it safely himself. It definitely had a special function.

"Let me go, Lord Zegna will offer a good ransom for me… Or we can even sign a contract! After my contract with Jupiter's Lightning ends, I'll side with the Ouroboros Clan!" Bowens had been trounced thoroughly, and had lost all methods to resist. He quietened down, the viciousness in his expression disappearing as he began to bargain calmly.

He did not want to die. As a Morning Star Magus, he believed he could still be of some value to Leylin, and began to look for ways to save himself rationally.

"That isn't a bad deal… The loyalty of a Morning Star is worth letting you off…" Leylin stroked his chin. "What do you think?"

"It'd be more convenient to kill him. We don't have the time to set up any powerful restriction formations on him, and he can probably destroy any regular contract." Ice-cold bloodlust filled the room as Emma's voice sounded out. Space distorted, and she appeared out of hiding along with Gilbert.

"So, all three of you are here!" Bowens resigned himself to his fate. He hadn't even been able to win against Leylin alone, so what could he do when the three of them joined hands?

Hearing Emma's unhesitating words, Bowens began to panic, "Wait! I have a crystal contract in my spatial belt! Even Breaking Dawn Monarchs won't be able to subvert or break it. This way, you can be at ease about me. On top of that, I know a lot of inside information which will definitely be useful…"

Even though he knew Emma had likely said it to frighten him, he didn't want to take the risk.

"Good! Tell us all that you know, and we'll discuss how to deal with you!" Gilbert nodded while grinning.

Leylin agreed tacitly. He was now certain that Bowens was but a vile character. If one could defeat him thoroughly based on what he had been relying on, he would completely be crushed. Not only would his initial arrogance disappear, he would even betray Jupiter's Lightning to survive.

"What do you plan to do? Are you going to kill me?" Seeing Leylin take care of the Star rank Bowens so easily, Schiker seemed defeated. He had not taken the chance to flee during the battle, instead just standing at the side.

Seeing Leylin's gaze turning to him, he laughed wryly.

"I don't like wanton killing," Leylin shook his head. Red rays flashing in his eyes, and Schiker crumpled to the ground.

At this time, Bowens spoke from Leylin's side like a follower, "Scarlet Eye's bloodline is needed to break through this flame defence. Along with the tenth level of Fireplume, our leader acquired an Arcane Art that will allow Schiker to be sacrificed to simulate his aura."

This was the very reason he had even dragged Schiker here.

Leylin shook his head in response to his suggestion. "We have our own methods to replicate Scarlet Eye's aura from Schiker's bloodline." His nail scratched out a bloody line on Schiker's neck, and fresh pearls of blood spurted out, floating in the air.

"Bloodline Trace!" Leylin's eyes flashed and he began to chant a strange, bleak runic incantation.

With his incantations, Schiker's fresh blood began to boil, even forming a phantom image of Scarlet Eye with red eyebrows and hair.

"My lord's techniques are indeed superior, I am impressed. You can even do something as awesome mimicking Scarlet Eye's Aura without using Schiker as a sacrifice!" Bowens took the opportunity immediately, trying to flatter him.

Leylin rolled his eyes on the inside, having no expectations towards the integrity of this Morning Star Magus.

"Tenth level of Fireplume!" Leylin's hand filled with dark red flames, and he pressed it to the layer.

*Buzz!* The defensive layer began to tremble.

"Go!" With Leylin's indication, the pearls of Schiker's blood flew to the defensive membrane, a blood-red colour spreading across it.

The dark red flames on Leylin's hands fused with this layer, and the defences gradually fell apart.

At this moment, something odd happened. Scarlet Eye's enraged voice resounded in the basement.

"Despicable robbers, die!" Blood-red light converged in one spot, forming an image of Scarlet Eye.

"Crap, it's a trap! There's a full power attack from him hidden in the defences!" Leylin's pupils shrank.

...

*SKREE!* The cries from the tremendous phoenix were unceasing as it fought against the towering giant and the black-robed Magus. The fight had taken them to the boundaries of the Lava World, black spatial rifts opening up all around them as they warred.

Just at that point, Scarlet Eye received some information. "Hm? Someone is breaking into my secret room! Schiker and Bowens! How useless!"

"Scarlet Eye, what's going on? Is there trouble in your nest?" Zegna burst out into laughter, black lightning flashing in his hands.

The Divineflame Emperor, Archibald, roared as he heard the words, blocking Scarlet Eye's retreat.

"You're the ones who forced me!" The phoenix that Scarlet Eye had transformed into shouted with rage.

With his words, terrifying flames spread throughout the phoenix's body, causing the flying beast to turn into a horrifying bird of flame. At the boundary of the world, space itself was set on fire, distorting under this power.

"Flaming Undead Aves!"

"This Arcane Art burns life force for power! He's putting his life on the line!" Zegna and Archibald quickly retreated.

However, it was too late. How could Scarlet Eye let them off? The flaming bird spread its wings and terrifying flames swept through the area, swallowing Zegna and Archibald within…

*Boom!* The fierce firestorm wreaked havoc, even eliminating the spatial turbulence and leaving behind an exceptionally ugly black scar at the border of the world.

Breakthrough in Fusion

Flames flashed, and Scarlet Eye's figure appeared once more. Now, however, his face was filled with fury and his aura was unstable.

He glared at the storm of fire that had burst forth and immediately turned back, his palms opening up a spatial passageway like drawing apart a curtain. He immediately re-entered the Lava World.

*Rumble!* Tens of seconds later, black lightning and a large rock smashed into the firestorm, revealing the miserable figures of Zegna and Archibald.

*Woosh!* Cracks spread across the rock like spiderwebs, and large fragments began to fall off.

At the end of it all, Archibald's body was much smaller than before, and could even be called 'pocket-sized.'

Zegna was in an even more pitiful state. Not only were their traces of burn wounds all over his body, even a great portion of his hair had been burned off.

"Haha! After this, the injuries on Scarlet Eye's body will probably take at least a hundred years to recover!" Archibald was unusually carefree as he burst into laughter.

He then glanced at Zegna, "So? Should we chase after him?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness! This body of mine probably won't be able to take the intensity of the next battle!" Zegna laughed wryly.

"Then forget it. The losses the Atlan Union suffered this time should be enough to give them a headache for a long while."

Archibald laughed, "My Divineflame Empire should have been the victor in the power struggles, but with Scarlet Eye being an Emberwing, we can't let our guards down…"

"I believe that with your guidance, the fire elementals will remain the leaders of the Lava World!" Zegna had a smile on his face.

Reputation and nice words meant nothing to him. As long as there were enough benefits, calling the other party the leader of the Lava World was not an issue.

"Haha…" Even so, that was enough for Archibald to laugh heartily.

"Alright, based on our previous agreement…" Zegna wanted to continue on, but his expression immediately changed. "Damn it! Bowens and the rest are such trash!" he cursed, turning into a streak of black lightning and disappearing in that instant.

"Hehe… interesting!" Large flames appeared under Archibald's feet, lifting and moving him forward as he followed.

Though he had joined hands with Zegna, he had never let down his guard against this guest from another world.

...

Underground, next to the giant spell formation. Leylin had met with a crisis as well.

The barrier that Scarlet Eye had set up had actually been a trap. The moment it made contact with an external force, it had immediately shown the image of the Emberwing himself, and unleashed an attack.

This was the terrifying attack of a Radiant Moon! It could seriously injure if not kill even the current Leylin.

'Schiker's bloodline can't be fake, and my Fireplume shouldn't be a problem either. Is it Bowens?' Leylin quickly shot Bowens a glance, but found him equally panicked, evidently not expecting this situation.

"Despicable thieves, die!" Scarlet Eye's figure roared, hair and eyebrows seemingly beginning to burn up. Tremendous, fierce flames formed a blazing phoenix that charged towards Leylin's groups.

As if this phantom had a will of its own, its first target was the traitor, Bowens.

"AAAH!" In the face of the suppression from a rank 5, Bowens' Fireplume energy was destroyed quickly despite his desperate attempts at saving himself. He cried out miserably as he burst into flames. In one move, Bowens of Jupiter's Lightning had died at the phantom's hands.

After taking care of the traitor, the phantom looked straight at Leylin and the other two. Leylin seemed to have become the primary target.

Goosebumps appeared on Leylin's body.

'Is there no other way but to undergo Kemoyin Serpent Transformation with the other two? If we do that, the entirety of this underground room will be destroyed!' In a short period, a variety of thoughts passed in Leylin's mind, and he gave up on this plan.

"I can only use Fireplume to fight it out.' A glint appeared in Leylin's eyes as he made up his mind.

[Beep! Simulation of Fireplume at 100%. Mission complete.] The A.I. Chip's prompt sounded out.

The A.I. Chip's progress in fusing Fireplume's energy with his point mass had already reached 99.9% completion before. Scanning Bowens' version of Fireplume was enough for it to take that last step.

"Oh!" Leylin's expression changed, Fireplume energy turning black as it was absorbed by his point mass.

His point mass buzzed as it shook vigorously, rotating at a high speed. Powerful energy undulations were emitted from it.

The nebula surrounding the point mass had increased in area by half a fold before it slowed down and stopped.

The tenth level of Fireplume had been modified to fuse with his point mass. This result was not just an addition of one plus one. Furthermore, this was a perfect fusion, not the bastardised version that Bowens had created. The amplification of power was even greater than Leylin had expected.

[Beep! Fireplume modification complete, point mass is being upgraded. Host body…] The A.I. Chip's voice was intermittent, but Leylin had no plans of listening carefully.

He felt power overflowing in his body, and facing the incoming rank 5 attack he made his move without hesitation.

After the modification, the energy of Fireplume was driven by the force of a Morning Star's point mass. The resulting power was terrifying.

*Crackle!* Devilish black flames appeared around Leylin, forming a phoenix wreathed in black fire.

The phoenix cried out, and this screech brought with an aura of devilish power.

"Modified obscure tenth level of Fireplume— Soaring Demonic Phoenix!" Leylin spread his arms like a soaring phoenix, slashing towards the phantom Scarlet Eye with grace.

*Chirp!* Melodic phoenix cries were heard, and the blackfire phoenix streaked across the horizon to welcome the phantom.

Confronting this blackfire phoenix, Scarlet Eye's face was tinted with confusion, even fear. The earth rumbled as black and gold flames intertwined, creating a shockwave that spread throughout the area.

Following that, the black flames actually began to devour the other side, becoming even more exuberant as time passed. Soon enough, it had exterminated the other party's phoenix and even drowned out Scarlet Eye's figure.

'This modified Fireplume is this good at absorbing other Fireplume energy as fuel and fusing with it?' Seeing Scarlet Eye's phantom struggling amidst the black flames and gradually disappearing, even Leylin himself was shocked, and he was the creator!

He felt that with the A.I. Chip balancing and fusing the essence of Fireplume into his point mass, the power of this already formidable technique had been furthered and reached a horrifying degree of power.

It was a pity that the A.I. Chip was unique to him, and only he could train in this Dark Fireplume version.

"What… What just happened?" Gilbert and Emma were dazed. What had they just seen? Leylin had wiped out the phantom of a rank 5 Magus in just one move?

That was a full-out attack from a rank 5! In that moment, Gilbert and Emma felt as if they were dreaming.

It took a while before Gilbert spoke. "Ley–Leylin, did you break through to rank 5?"

"No, I just made some progress in Fireplume…" Leylin answered truthfully. Though the fusion of Fireplume energy with his point mass had immense benefits, it had not allowed him to cross over into the Radiant Moon realm. If this had been an attack by a phantom of Zegna instead, it wouldn't have been nearly as easy.

His easy dispatchment of the Scarlet Eye phantom was most likely to do with the modified Fireplume.

"I have a intensified feeling," Leylin raised his arms and watched the demonic black flames, "that these mutated black flames are the bane of all traditional Fireplume energy."

"Whatever it is, we need to leave after getting the firasource stones! It's a pity we lost Bowens." Gilbert watched the flames piteously. A bright point mass was received by starlight and floated into the astral plane.

Not caring about Bowens, Leylin pointed his hands at the flame shield. "Open!" The membrane began to be burned down by black demonic flames.

No, it was not burning. It was being corroded! The top-grade flames from Scarlet Eye's Fireplume were corroded by the modified flames from Dark Fireplume, gradually revealing a giant hole.

"Let's go." Leylin and the other two arrived before a complicated spell formation.

Emma touched the runes on the ground, looking solemn. "Spatial binding runes. Dormant sacrificial runes and life absorption runes as well! This spell formation is probably used to extract the life force of some being."

"Could that lifeform be at the centre…" Leylin immediately focused his gaze on the red light at the heart of the spell formation. It was weak, flickering like a candle in the wind. And yet, it somehow survived with all tenacity.

'The energy undulations are similar to those of firasource stones! I can somewhat guess what it is!' Recalling the sorrow he had felt before, Leylin sighed and produced the black copper key he had obtained from Bowens.

The large black copper key rose into the air and projected a large number of complex data and light rays.

The spell formation on the ground began to activate, and the sound of a key clicking was heard continuously.

At the same time, the runes on the ground were unsealed one by one, revealing a giant cage.

*Rumble!* Scalding red light filled the entire room, and the cage in the middle opened up to reveal a scarlet egg.

Blackfire Phoenix

"Could this egg be the legendary phoenix egg?" Leylin guessed absent-mindedly.　

Only a creature as ancient as that would be able to automatically push Scarlet Eye's progress in Fireplume to an unprecedented thirteenth level. On top of that, it could create amazing soul treasures such as firasource stones!

The reason he thought that way was because the moment this egg that was bathed in scarlet radiance appeared, his own Fireplume began to operate more quickly. A large, demonic version of the blackfire phoenix appeared behind him, and extreme desire filled his heart.

The blackfire phoenix chirped for a long while, extending its wings. The scarlet energy emanated by the egg was continually being absorbed by it.

[Beep! Change detected in host's Fireplume. Energy levels increasing rapidly, currently at peak of level ten.] [Beep! Qualitative change has been detected in host's Fireplume. Entering level eleven.]　　

[Beep! Unknown essence being absorbed by host. Scans show atomic configuration is similar to that of firasource stones. Soul force is being enhanced.]　　

[Beep! Density of host's point mass increasing. Affinity with fire elemental particles increasing.] 　　

The A.I. Chip's constant prompts left Leylin stunned for a moment. The egg's great amounts of energy had constantly been absorbed by Dark Fireplume, and with the assistance of the A.I. Chip's simulations he had broken through to the eleventh level!

The eighth and ninth levels of Fireplume marked the Sky rank, while the tenth and eleventh marked those at the Star rank, the Morning Stars. The twelfth and thirteenth belonged to rank 5, the Radiant Moon realm. Scarlet Eye, being at the thirteenth level himself, was at the peak of Radiant Moon.

Now, Leylin's Dark Fireplume had been pushed to the peak of the Morning Star realm at the eleventh level.

'This is definitely a phoenix egg! What other than a real phoenix could propel the progress of Fireplume and enhance one's soul?'

Leylin immediately became incomparably excited. 'I've only just taken in a part of its energy. If I use all…'

He scanned his stats.　　

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent(complete form). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual force: 956.8, Magic power: 956 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul force: ???]　　

"What a terrifying enhancement to the soul! Though I don't know how much exactly it was, just the difference in spiritual force is frightening." As he was mumbling, Leylin took a look at his innate elemental affinities.

The red line that was in second place, the one that marked his fire affinity, had risen by a large amount. Although it still couldn't compare to his darkness affinity, it left the third place far in the dust.

'This isn't bad either. If my darkness affinity was too high, I could easily have been forced under the control of the Snake Dowager, walking the full path of the Kemoyin Serpent. With this fire elemental affinity, I might be able to change my direction…' Leylin's eyes were glistening; the benefits he'd gained from this phoenix egg were immense.

"This egg is definitely the source of all the firasource stones. Let's take it and go!" Gilbert and Emma saw the egg emanating a scarlet radiance, and their voices began to tremble in excitement. With their knowledge, they could obviously tell that this was the egg of some ancient being, and one that was very strong at that!　.

Such powerful ancient creatures had been lost to the Magus World for tens of thousands of years. If the Ouroboros Clan could hatch one… Gilbert and Emma couldn't help but immerse themselves in this beautiful fantasy.

"But…" Through the black flames, Leylin could see the energy in the egg falling rapidly, "So sad…" A piteous look flashed in his eyes.　　

"It's had its life force extracted by Scarlet Eye multiple times. I took some just now myself, and its life energy has become far too weak for it to be hatched. We can only use it as an extremely precious fire elemental treasure." Leylin sighed, moving to stow the egg away.

"YOU DARE…" an enraged voice sounded, the earth cracking apart and rumbling as it spoke. High-pitched phoenix cries sounded, and a whole layer of earth was ripped off, even the rocks and soil burnt to void by the flames.

A rare light illuminated the area, and the trio looked up to see the earth above them being dug up. Scarlet Eye charged down, looking like a sun with the flames he emitted.

"He came this quick? Zegna and that Divineflame Emperor are useless…" Leylin shook his head, but he didn't stop the motion of his hands. "Withdraw immediately, I'll hold him off for a while."

Normally, Gilbert and Emma would have thought Leylin a fool for such a thing. He was, after all, a Morning Star trying to stop an enraged Radiant Moon. However, the series of miraculous breakthroughs in his strength had them thinking it was the opposite way around. They actually believed in him, and even subconsciously listened to his instructions. They took out necklaces that were emanating starlight, preparing to leave.

"Return it to me!" Large flaming claws motioned to grab the egg at the center, fighting the black flames over it.

"Leader Scarlet Eye! It's been a long time." The energy of the black flames increased rapidly as they attempted to devour flames at the thirteenth level of Fireplume. They exploded forth with power.

Leylin grinned as he soared up, the demonic black flames that began fill the area actually rivalling Scarlet Eye's own.

"You're… LEY!" Scarlet Eye's pupils shrank. "Wretched Magus from another world, how dare you deceive me!"

*Swish!* Leylin made a grabbing motion with his palm, and Schiker's unconscious body flew into his hands.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? Let us go, and your son won't come to any harm." Leylin felt no guilt in using Schiker to blackmail the Atlan Union leader.

*Rumble!* The tremendous flames immediately wreaked havoc on the area, but Scarlet Eye flushed red. Leylin's words obviously had a huge effect on him.

A long while later, he spoke through gritted teeth, "Alright, but the phoenix egg stays."

With the A.I. Chip's scanning and the opponent's own behaviour, Leylin immediately made a discovery. 'Hmm? He's injured?'

This conjecture delighted him. With the suppression of the eleventh level Dark Fireplume alone, he wasn't too confident in his chances. But now?

"No!" As the words left Leylin's mouth, he and Scarlet Eye transformed into huge phoenixes. Two birds, one red and the other black, pounced towards the scarlet egg.

The one Scarlet Eye had transformed into was huge, and had an overwhelming aura. And yet, although Leylin's black phoenix was smaller, it burnt with devilish black flames that could devour all matter.

*Yuuu!* *Scree!* Two different phoenix calls sounded as they slammed into each other. Flames of black and gold surrounded the phoenix egg as the two began a bloody battle.

"Don't you care for your child anymore?" Even in the midst of the fierce battle, Leylin did not miss the opportunity to disturb his opponent. Every sliver of fear he caused was an advantage.

"I won't give it up, not even for Schiker! Besides, do you think you qualify to threaten me?" Scarlet Eye's cold expression contrasted heavily with the fire energy he emanated, the flames burning even the air as it formed a giant phantom map of the Lava World. This image trapped Leylin.

He was ambitious and ruthless. He did indeed love Schiker, but it was not to the extent that he could be threatened by Leylin. However, even that slight bit of reservation was more than enough for Leylin himself.

'Damn it! Is this really Fireplume? Why are the flames black?!' Scarlet Eye's expression grew dark. This opposing Magus was also using the Emberwings' Fireplume, and had progressed to the eleventh level in it. However, what was shocking was that his black flames were capable of controlling his own, and if not for him being at a higher level his flames would already have been completely eaten through.

'This Magus cannot remain, his technique is forbidden!' Malice flashed in Scarlet Eye's eyes, and golden flames wrapped around the true body of the phoenix.　　

"Flaming Undead Aves!" The terrifying attack that had seriously injured two rank 5s appeared once more, its ferocious flames causing the clouds in the sky to be burnt to nothingness.

The gigantic flaming undead aves streaked through the sky, causing all the battles to cease. The Emberwings began to revere the undead aves as if they had seen their god.

"This attack would have forced me into retreat at your peak power, but what a pity…" Leylin laughed madly, black flames engulfing everything as his entire person turned into a terrifying blackfire phoenix.

"Mutated Obscure Fireplume— Soaring Demonic Phoenix!"

The Emberwings in the capital of the union saw a unique scene in the sky that day. A demonic black flaming phoenix rammed into their leader's own phoenix form. Even the sparks from that battle would cause most Star ranks to quiver in fear.

The leader's entire residence was burnt to ashes by the flames, and besides a few Star ranks who coughed up blood and retreated quickly, everything was incinerated.

"Haha… Scarlet Eye, the Atlan Union leader, doesn't amount to anything much!" Arrogant, hearty laughter sounded as a figure covered in black flames withdrew, his face filled with an insane smile.

"The leader… was defeated?" The Northern Duke who had met Leylin once flew backwards as he mumbled in disbelief.

Terrifying Battle

The Northern Duke had never expected that the kid Ley, who he had once met and had a good impression of, was actually of another race!

Furthermore, the Dark Fireplume that Leylin used gave him a sense of fear. Perhaps if not for his dignity and resolution as a soldier and someone with power, he might have fled.

This was especially true since he did not seem to be losing against his most revered leader. Instead… he was winning?

"Great Mother Phoenix! Could I be dreaming? Please help me wake up as soon as possible." While the Northern Duke's will was strong, even he was beginning to find this situation absurd.

"Phoenix egg!" At this moment, two other powerful auras descended. Zegna observed the giant red egg at the middle of the battlefield, unable to conceal his desire.

Archibald could not stand it either. This was the peak of all fire elemental beings!

"It's mine! The phoenix can only exist in our Divineflame Empire for all eternity!" he roared in rage, and the earth began to shake. He charged forward, large hands grabbing towards the large scarlet egg.

*Swish!* Zegna was even faster than him as he turned into a streak of black lightning, heading right for it.

"So this is the source of the firasource stones. This phoenix egg must be mine! With it, I'll be able to advance to rank 6…"

"Go away!" A black wall of flames obstructed Zegna's path, the boiling temperature causing him to subconsciously slow his steps.

"Warlock Leylin! A mere Morning Star dares stop me? Aren't you afraid I'll eliminate your Ouroboros Clan? Give me the phoenix egg right now, and I guarantee your Ouroboros Clan shall be greatly rewarded!" Zegna's expression was sinister.

What answered him, however, was a wave of fire that covered the skies.

"Soaring Demonic Phoenix!" A large phantom of a blackfire phoenix sent Zegna flying. Black flames constantly devoured the radiation energy from their opponent, causing him even more serious harm.

"Hmph! A gravely injured clone still dares say such things to me. Do you have a screw loose?" Leylin snorted. Noticing Scarlet Eye and Archibald fighting. He could not help but turn back.

With him shielding them, the undulations from the battle did not spread to this side, and the arrangements of Gilbert and Emma weren't interrupted. A door came into existence, one wreathed in starlight.

"There's not much time left, I need to finish this quickly. The black flames on Leylin's body gradually weakened, and substituting them were four horrifying rings of blood coloured light.

The energy rings that signified his innate spells flashed one after another and gradually fused, forming a terrifying spell— the Morning Star Arcane Art, Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!

*Rumble!* An ancient vicious beast appeared in Tylasus City, one that was thousands of metres long. Just its descent alone caused the destruction of a great amount of architecture. Even if Scarlet Eye could hold onto his position today, he would have to relocate his capital.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent hissed, a terrifying aura emanating from its body. Regular Star ranks could not help but tremble in fear.

These low-ranked beings all shared the common fear that came from being placed in front of a top level predator.

Compared to his previous times, Leylin's current Giant Kemoyin Serpent transformation at the peak of Morning Star was vastly different. Not only was it much larger in size, there were now more red patterns on the scales, with darkness and fire elemental particles surrounding the body and forming a mist around it.

"A Giant Kemoyin Serpent of this size…" Even as Morning Star Kemoyin Warlocks themselves, Gilbert and Emma were stunned by Leylin's Morning Star Arcane Art.

"How did this kid get so large? It's about three times the size of my transformation…"

Gilbert sized up the body of Leylin's transformation that spanned hundreds and thousands of metres, absolutely astonished. It was obvious that he was envious as well. Even amongst the bodies of real ancient Kemoyin Serpents, Leylin was definitely the king.

"I'm afraid… Leylin can be considered the strongest Kemoyin Warlock in history!" Emma sighed.

"Eye of Petrification" Two amber pupils that were like stars stared hard at Zegna who was flying backwards.

"Crap!" Before Zegna could react, his magic equipment had already exploded, and a layer of petrified skin appeared on his face as his movements ground to a halt. A petrification cast by an ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent would affect even Radiant Moon Magi.

*Boom!* With a flick of its tail, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent struck the petrified Zegna. The earth shook wildly, and many buildings collapsed. Cracks spread in the shape of a web.

*Boom!* The petrified Zegna exploded, being obliterated into dust that flew around in the air. A huge pit was formed in the ground.

In front of the enhanced Giant Kemoyin Serpent, the clone of a Radiant Moon Magus had died just like that.

"Let's take care of him first, or it'll do us no good!" Scarlet Eye roared as he stopped his fight with Archibald upon witnessing this scene. Archibald halted his movements as well, fear evident on his face.

*Hss!* Leylin obviously would not let two rank 5 Magi attack him together. He took the initiative and spewed out a few large black flame blades.

*Boom!* The giant flame blades did not move in Scarlet Eye's direction, but instead, headed towards the phoenix egg in the middle of the battlefield.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* In the midst of immensely powerful explosions, the giant scarlet egg had cracked apart into countless fragments. Under the disbelieving gases of everyone else, a boiling heat spread in all directions.

"HOW DARE HE… How could he do that?" Scarlet Eye almost vomited blood in his fury. Never had he expected Leylin to destroy such a precious treasure.

However, he unconsciously headed towards the remains. Archibald did the same, and really, all the other Star ranks had the same thought.

This way, the recently formed forces against Leylin was dispersed.

Leylin was obviously unwilling to damage such a treasure, but he saw the big picture and knew that it was very difficult to leave safely with all their enemies watching. It was even more impossible to get the phoenix egg.

Though this treasure was precious, Leylin could still make the decision when met with issues of his own safety. Besides, he could take advantage of such a chaotic situation.

*Hsss!* The Giant Kemoyin Serpent charged around violently, and the Star ranks were forced away. They could only stare wide-eyed at its defensive scales. Leylin did not hesitate as he swallowed the remaining third of the egg into his belly, pulling back until he was in front of Gilbert and Emma. He had returned to his human form.

"Let's go!" Leylin shouted.

"Let's go!" Gilbert and Emma knew they had to leave no matter how unwilling they were. After all this chaos and contest was over, they would immediately be sieged by the entirety of the Lava World, and while they were reluctant they immediately made their decision.

The gigantic door of light expanded and swallowed the three of them, dissipating with grace.

*Boom!* The moment after that door disappeared, a streaking flame turned that region into a sea of fire. Atop this sea of fire was Scarlet Eye's body, but now his eyes were bloodshot.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" He looked at the sparkling, beautiful red gemstone in his hands that was emanating warmth. After the phoenix's egg had been smashed apart, it had turned into this state.

He had not obtained even a quarter of the gains. Everything had been taken by Archibald and the other Star ranks.

Even if they were Star rank Emberwings, it was impossible to make them return something they had taken.

"AAAH…" Scarlet Eye, who had suffered massive losses, began to cry out hysterically…

...

Jupiter's Lightning headquarters, Magus World.

At the same time, Zegna was shouting as well.

Black lightning flashed and wrecked the palace, turning it to ash.

"LEYLIN! I won't let you off!" Zegna could feel his heart bleeding. That was a phoenix egg! If he'd obtained that, he could have immediately advanced to become a Breaking Dawn Monarch! Now, however, all his dreams were ruined.

First, his secondary clone had been killed, "LEYLIN! I won't let you off!" His secondary clone had been killed by Leylin, so he had no chance to contest for the fragments of the egg. In that sense, he'd gotten no returns for all the work he'd put in.

Even the surviving Morning Stars of Jupiter's Lightning had been fortunate enough to get part of the fragments, and they would definitely not give it to him unless there was a trade of equivalent value. However, where would he go to find something comparable to a treasure like the phoenix's egg?

If he used violence, he would force all the Morning Stars away.

"Ah… AAH…" After thinking for a long while, Zegna's face contorted as he roared, "Leylin, Leylin, Leylin. I won't let you get away with this, I swear!"

"Impulse is the devil's emissary!" The mysterious female voice sounded once more.

"It's all your fault. If my main body had gone over, how would my secondary clone have been killed?" Zegna thundered.

"Hehe… Can your true body go over?" The female voice asked, and Zegna immediately became quiet.

"I taught you the method of making a secondary clone without any compensation, and even told you about my experiences. This is how you repay me?" The female's voice turned cold.

"Alright! Forgive me for that. Tha kid made me lose my calm."

Return

Zegna was a Radiant Moon Magus after all. Even if he was enraged, it would only be for a short period of time.

"The key now is to deal with this Leylin Farlier! I have a feeling that he'll hinder my advancement to Breaking Dawn." Zegna looked fierce as he muttered softly.

"Oh? Has he risen to rank 5? Bloodline shackles aren't so easily broken." The woman's voice now held a trace of curiosity, her interest in Leylin having been piqued.

"He didn't break through, but he's reached the peak of Morning Star. With some strange techniques from the Lava World and other methods, I'm afraid…"

Zegna wore a sour look. He had to acknowledge that Leylin really was a genius seen once in thousands of years. He had gained such strength even with the low-levelled bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent and its inheritance.

Now, even if his main body were to act, defeating him wouldn't be a problem but it was just a dream if he wanted to kill him.

That was, unless he could find his opponent's weak point. He would then have to wage a life-and-death battle.

But was that possible? Zegna recalled the intel on Leylin and gave up on that. He knew that, to some level, they were the same type of person, and would not risk their lives for anyone or anything.

Enemies who were powerful and lacked any weaknesses that could be exploited were the most frightening!

Zegna rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming.

After being silent for a while, the female spoke again, "In that case, let's engage our previous plan. How about it…"

"Do you mean…" Zegna's eyes brightened.

...

"Finally home!" At Phosphorescence Swamp, Gilbert and Emma stood behind Leylin, watching the familiar surroundings with eyes full of an indescribable fondness and emotion.

"What should we do next?" Gilbert asked.

Emma glanced at Leylin. They were now treating Leylin as their main pillar of strength.

After witnessing Leylin's strength, the two Warlocks would not protest even if Leylin used them as mere figureheads. With the yielding of these two Morning Star Warlocks, the real power of the Ouroboros Clan now completely lay in Leylin's hands, and his authority was even more solid than before he had left. Such a result would cause anyone to be astonished.

"We don't have to do anything, just maintain our current stance!" Leylin shook his head.

"Leylin, have you risen to rank 5?" Fervent hope could be seen in Emma's expression. In her eyes, if Leylin could break through to rank 5 and had a method of circumventing the issue of bloodline shackles, that would be the best.

"How's that possible?" Leylin smiled wryly. "I'm only at the peak of Morning Star and only have a few cards up my sleeves!"

This was the truth. Leylin was quite exact when it came to evaluation of his strength, and while he'd seemed invincible in the Lava World as he defeated Scarlet Eye and even obliterated Zegna's clone, he was aware of his own situation.

Scarlet Eye's main body had been gravely injured in the battle before, and had also been constrained by his technique. That was he had been unlucky enough to be defeated.

And when it came to Zegna, not only was it just a clone but it had also been seriously injured in his fight with Scarlet Eye. Faced up against Leylin's all-out Morning Star Arcane Art, his Kemoyin Serpent Transformation, it could do nothing.

When Scarlet Eye and Archibald looked like they were about to cooperate, Leylin rushed to escape, because he knew he would meet his death if he did not leave at that moment.

However, Leylin would not belittle himself either. With his current strength, he might not win against a rank 5 Radiant Moon, but he had a large chance of survival.

"Just a few cards up your sleeve?" Hearing his words, Gilbert and Emma rolled their eyes inwardly. Those frightening black flames and the strange Kemoyin Serpent Transformation were 'a few cards up his sleeve'? What did that make them? From the beginning, they had only stood at the side like cheerleaders, unable to make any moves.

"But our Ouroboros Clan is now unafraid of external threats, and can start a new journey!" Leylin beamed as he gazed at the sun, the golden rays wrapped around him in radiance.

There were few in the central continent who were unafraid of Radiant Moons. Those rank 5 Magi would not want to provoke an enemy that could contend against them. Hence, with the Ouroboros Clan in Leylin's hands, they were definitely going to expand well.

Emma and Gilbert were aware of this fact, and their gazes towards Leylin were full of hope…

"Your Graces, Gilbert and Emma, it is the fortune of our Warlock Union that the two of you could return safely!"

Within the headquarters, Leylin and the other Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were in discussion with Paul, Philip and the helpers they had called over.

The Crystal Phase Warlock, Freya, stood respectfully behind these few Morning Star Warlocks, her eyes full of indescribable emotion.

Though even the First Elder's side had smiles on their faces, they could not conceal the sorrow in their hearts.

Leylin's abrupt rise to power, as well as the return of the other two Kemoyin dukes meant that they would lose a large portion of their benefits. There was no Morning Star who would support them anymore.

Of course, there were few Warlocks with this mindset. The students and clansmen of Gilbert and Emma were now full of glee, and extremely grateful to Leylin.

Due to her relationship with Leylin, Freya was wedged between Leylin and Emma. Her eyes glanced past Leylin, Emma and Gilbert occasionally, and she came to a conclusion that made her gasp.

'Mentor Emma and Duke Gilbert are now letting Leylin call the shots!' Though Leylin was a newly-advanced Morning Star, he was the one taking charge of receiving all these Morning Star Warlocks, and he was even seated right in the middle in the Master's seat. Freya, who had astutely discovered this, was astonished.

This meant that even Emma and Gilbert acknowledged Leylin's rule!

For some reason, Freya sighed with relief as she found this out, even though her seniors and juniors were unwilling and perplexed.

She was Emma's student and they were on very good terms, but that still lost out to her relationship with Leylin. If the two began to vie for strength, she really had no clue about where she would stand.

Now, however, all was solved! Freya sneaked a peek at her husband, the reverence in her eyes unable to be hidden.

Seeing his wife adopting a childlike behaviour, Leylin laughed inwardly. If Gilbert and Emma did not know how to act even after he displayed his strength that was comparable to rank 5s, he would probably have to employ certain other techniques.

However, Morning Stars were no fools. Gilbert and Emma especially understood the situation, which made things easier for him.

"Yes! When we first found out the two of you were lost in another world, we were extremely shocked. Next was the battle with the allied forces, but thanks to Leylin…"

Regardless of the Crystal Phase Magi's thoughts, the Morning Star Warlocks discussed amongst themselves.

Philip was observing Leylin, but could not make sense of his sitting at the master's seat. He glanced at Gilbert and Emma, and could not help but sigh.

The magnitude of the events in the past few years had exceeded that in the past few centuries. Under crisis after crisis, many Morning Star powers in the continent had gone through a round of reshuffling.

Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had lost most of their Morning Star forces in the Scarlet Ruins, and now only had one Morning Star maintaining their organisation each. Their losses were massive.

The Ouroboros Clan had been on the brink of destruction, but a terrifying genius had suddenly appeared and successfully saved two of the dukes. Now, their strength had not diminished, and was instead increased.

'I'm afraid the situation of our three organisations in the alliance with equal power will be broken. In the next hundreds of years, Duke Leylin of the Ouroboros Clan will be calling the shots..'

Philip watched Leylin whose aura was even more profound than that of the previous First Kemoyin elder, and a thought rose in his mind.

'Whatever it is, our Wind Wolf Lair had been on good terms with the Ouroboros Clan, and my personal relationship with Leylin is more solid than his with Paul. As long as I stay cautious, nothing will happen. With Leylin as an external support, I'll be able to protect my Wind Wolf Lair until the next generation grows up…' Philip might be hot-headed, but he was no fool. Having understood this, he treated Leylin with more respect, and this attitude left Paul rather annoyed.

"Alright! Based on the contract in the Morning Star area, here are your rewards!" With a wave of his arms, three streaks of light shot towards Paul and the other Morning Star Warlocks, black light shining on a spatial item.

After Paul and the others used their soul force and checked, looks of satisfaction appeared on their faces.

"The Ouroboros Clan being safe is all thanks to all of you, and you've chased away a few people. Hence, I'm giving you thirty percent more on top of the promised rewards." Leylin's smile was very gentle. It was like a breath of fresh air for Paul and the others.

This was obviously feigned, but when feigned by Leylin who had a rather unique status, he seemed more amiable and mysterious.

Paul and the rest were solemn, but their facial expressions displayed their thanks, and seemed touched.

Leylin shook his head inwardly, though the smile on his face remained, "Also, our Ouroboros Clan is planning to launch a war campaign and retrieve our lost territory. Please bear witness to it!"

Upon hearing Leylin's words, the Morning Star Warlocks all carried different expressions.