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Dreamscape Realm

Storms and turbulence wreaked havoc in the huge space, wiping out the entire troop within seconds. This terrifying scene rendered all onlookers speechless.

"Leylin is… actually so strong?" Gail looked at Leylin's back view, a little confused. Large amounts of light started to leak out from the spatial crack, the scene within seeming like an entirely separate galaxy.

"First, it was the key, then it was the counterattack. I have to open up a path for myself next!" Leylin muttered under his breath as a dazzling moon rose up behind him. Space stabilised as the translucent moonlight scattered and revealed a silver pathway.

"Come here!" Before he left, Leylin waved his hand. Gail, who was on the floor, flew to him.

"Brother…" The little lass called out hoarsely before she kept silent, realising that Leylin was not the same person she knew.

"The power of destiny gave us a chance to meet in this world. Although I cannot be sure if this is reality or an illusion, let this be my present to you!" Leylin chuckled lightly, and directed a spot of light into Gail's forehead before stepping through into the pathway.

Twilight Zone, on top of an altar.

The surface of the black altar was filled with runic circuits full of energy, and Carol was seated at the center. Opposite her was the crystal ball that had collected Leylin's aura, streams of black air circulating around it continuously. Eugene and the other Magus could only watch on.

Suddenly, the crystal ball cracked and the black air dispersed. Carol screamed at the top of her lungs before fainting.

"What happened? The curse backfired?" The leader of the Magi knitted his brows together, and a bright green weapon flashed before going into Carol's body and awakening her.

"What's going on? Didn't you say that your soul body spell has reached the state where you can enter any dreams and fool any Morning Star Magus?" Eugene bellowed.

"We've been had! He's already reached the Radiant Moon realm! The truesoul of a Radiant Moon is not something that a low-levelled dream manipulation could confuse…" Carol looked a little out of focus, "Furthermore, even though I couldn't perceive everything in the dream, I'm sure that Leylin is hiding a huge secret!"

"That's obvious. How could someone who broke through to the Radiant Moon realm have no secrets?" The leader's voice turned icy. "Prepare for battle! He has definitely noticed us!"

Leylin was currently floating in the void, feeling weightless. He'd been in this state ever since he escaped from that dream world, only seeing a misty fog in front of him. There seemed to be no end to it.

"I can't let this continue. I need to get back quickly!" Leylin pushed ahead, putting in all his strength. His soul exuded a cooling radiance under which the fog dissipated to reveal a small island.

As he stepped foot onto the island, the steady feel of the ground gave him a sense of security. The place wasn't too big, at most a thousand metres in diameter. At its centre was a miniature fountain, a few lights moving about in the waters.

*Grr! Grr!* "Hi there!" On top of a black palm tree, a single-eyed owl greeted Leylin happily.

"Hello, friend! Where am I?" Leylin waved.

[Beep! Scan complete. No life force undulations detected. Heat and radiation levels are at zero.] The A.I Chip reported in secret.

"This is the gap between Dreamscape and the real world. Hmm… the last time someone visited was 572 years after you, that was a very pretty lass!"

Leylin grew confused by the owl. "Wait… Isn't this the dream world from the curse? How could someone from the future arrive before me?" he asked.

"Dreamscape is a dimension created by the dreams of all intelligent creatures. It is everywhere, and unfathomable. Time and space are intangible here."

The owl looked at Leylin, "Your dream is, therefore, a part of Dreamscape!"

"Is it?" Leylin grew suspicious. He had heard about Dreamscape before. Even in the ancient era, it was a place that caused many Magi to tremble. There had even been an invasion from Dreamscape once that caused great harm to the Magus World.

There were a lot of demons in Dreamscape that were not weaker than rank 7 Magi which wielded laws.

Of course, there was a lot of instability in this world. Even the weakest worm could grow into a powerful demon the next day, and the strongest demon could disappear in the next moment.

Due to this characteristic, the invasion of Dreamscape dissipated quickly, but to the Magi of the ancient era, this was a taboo, not to be spoken of.

'Many Magi from the ancient era have explored Dreamscape. I never thought I'd get this chance as well…' Leylin touched his chin, 'Not mentioning anything else, what would happen if I found the dream world of powerful Magi, or even the dream of the ancient Wisdom Tree or the dream of the Snake Dowager… Wouldn't it be too strange?'

"Then Sir, how does one return to the real world? And if I wish to come back here afterwards, how can I accomplish that?" Leylin bowed to the owl on top of the tree.

"I like your courtesy, lad!" The owl hooted again and shook its wings. A single grey feather fell into his hand.

Leylin looked at this feather. It was very soft, but the tail region seemed to have a certain sort of power to it.

"It's easy to leave Dreamscape, all you have to do is wake up. As for coming back, that feather over there might be of some help!

"Now, I need to return, I have a dinner appointment with the past me. Have a nice dream, sir!" As the owl disappeared from his sight, Leylin's grip around the feather tightened.

"Will it be alright as long as I wake up?" He muttered to himself, looking a little perplexed.

...

*Boom!* Leylin's muscles tightened as he felt as if he was falling, and he abruptly sat up.

"Dear, are you okay?" Celine switched on the lights and came over in concern.

"This is… Nature's Alliance Academy?!" Looking at the familiar yet strange ceiling and the surrounding decorations, Leylin's pupils dilated and he quickly sobered up.

"Are you alright?" Celine looked worried. After all, for such a powerful Magus to have nightmares was something beyond rare.

"I'm fine!" Leylin raised his right hand, and a grey feather appeared in his left palm.　　

Leylin muttered under his breath, "Dreamscape! The strangest of planes, an ensemble of conscients in a messed up time and space. One day, I will reveal your secrets. A.I. Chip, show me my previous condition!"

[Beep! Host body facing an unknown disturbance, truesoul weakening.]

Various pieces of data showed that Leylin's experience just now wasn't merely superficial.　　

[Beep! Target coordinates found!] In the last line, Leylin saw a position.

This was the location the A.I. Chip had traced back from the curse.

"It isn't too far… it looks like this sort of dream curse requires a certain amount of proximity…" Leylin's face darkened, and he began radiating a murderous aura.

"Whoever you are that spied on me, die!" An explosion sounded out as he turned into a phantom, disappearing from the room. Celine could only look into the space Leylin disappeared to, uncertainty filling her face.

"Quick! The curse has been countered, Leylin will find us!"

Carol seemed to wake up from her trance upon hearing the leader's reminder.

"What should we be scared of? He's just a newly advanced Radiant Moon. As long the three of us combine powers, we have nothing to be afraid of!" Eugene said indignantly.

"Eugene makes sense. Prepare for battle." The leader sighed.

"Leader, why are you—" Carol looked anxious at first, before growing shocked as she glanced at the sky not far away.

A black tornado was whirring with energy as it headed for them in full force.

"It's not that we're choosing not to leave. He's already found us," the leader said bitterly.

*Hss!* The person heading towards them at full speed was obviously angered by their provocation. The horrifying phantom of a Kemoyin Serpent Emperor appeared behind his back. Concentrated black gases engulfed everything in their path, sweeping in their direction.

*Whoosh!* The obstructions on the way, be they stones, mud or anything else, turned into nothing in a split second.

Eugene's pupils constricted as he stared at the person charging at the with the speed of light. "Is that the Giant Kemoyin Serpent? Why do I feel so repressed? It looks so different from the phantom in the data, and…" his hand trembled, "Why does a newly advanced Radiant Moon have such a powerful aura?"　　

"All of you! Die!" The phantom behind Leylin devoured everything even as he was shouting.

"Shit! We have to leave!" Sparks of black fire flashed, and it seemed as though the serpent took a big bite of every place Leylin passed, loud snaps echoing again and again.

"This is not the Giant Kemoyin Serpent… It's their ruler! It's the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor!" The leader seemed to have thought of something as he exclaimed, "That rumour is actually real!"

Discovery and Battle

"Legend?" What legend?" Carol wiped off the blood at the corner of her lips. Her truesoul had been injured by the curse in the dream, and she was no longer in the best shape.

"I've heard the Monarch mention that Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks carry the bloodline of the Snake Dowager. Although very low, there is a chance of a rank 5 emperor appearing amongst them." The leader's voice was very low, and Carol and Eugene could even hear a tremble in it, "And after the appearance of the Kemoyin Emperor, the entire Kemoyin Race will unify under them to regain the glory of the bloodline Warlocks…"

"That's obviously just a prophecy. Who's going to believe that?" Eugene pursed his lips in disdain.

"If it were merely another prophecy, nobody would believe it, but what if the person who had made it was the great astrologer, Magus Derrick? And what if I told you he sacrificed his life to do it?" The leader glanced at Eugene.

"Derrick? That legendary Radiant Moon Magus who was the most likely prophet to reach Breaking Dawn?" Carol exclaimed, her eyes now full of fear towards Leylin.

"That's why, even as we suppressed the bloodline Warlocks, we've been paying close attention to the Ouroboros Clan. If we hadn't been afraid of turbulences of ill destiny appearing, which would cause them to join the dark side, we would long since have eliminated them…"

This Magus slowly revealed some confidential details.

"So Leylin is the hope of their bloodline?" Carol's expression turned grim.

"Yes! No matter the cost, Leylin must die today!" The Radiant Moon Magi used their soul force to open a communication channel, and made a decision in practically an instant. It was at this moment that a large black serpent attacked them.

A crimson crescent of an energy blade shot out from the giant serpent phantom's stomach, heading straight for Carol.

"It's an attack from a piece of high-grade magic equipment!" Their expressions changed, and Carol quickly retreated, her innate defensive spells flickering into existence. The undulations of energy from middle-grade magic equipment burst forth, fighting against the crimson blades of light.

The crimson blades only dissipated after three pieces of middle-grade magic equipment exploded in quick succession, revealing a Carol who looked deathly pale.

"So you're the ones plotting against me from the shadows?" The giant phantom serpent coiled up, and the devilishly handsome face of a magus was revealed as Leylin stared at these three Magi coldly.

Just the sweep of his gaze caused these three Radiant Moon Magi to feel their scalps go numb, as if they were being watched by some terrifying unmatched being.

Indeed, the opponent had a very handsome face. Even if she'd videos and acquired information about him before, Carol had to admit that a high-ranked Warlock like Leylin was someone who female Magi would go crazy over.

This unwitting charm he was giving off was very similar to a high-grade illusory attack.　　

"Who are you?" Leylin watched the three Magi, the gears in his mind turning.　　

His greatest enemy in the central continent, Jupiter's Lightning, only had one Radiant Moon Magus in Zegna. However, none of these three was weaker than Zegna, and were total strangers to him.

'Could they be from the Monarch of the Skies? Or is it someone else afraid of my development?' Thoughts flashed quickly past Leylin's mind. At this moment, the A.I. Chip had transmitted to his mind all the information it had gleaned.

'Two peak New Moons as well as a Full Moon Magus! If it were the past me, I wouldn't be able to kill them even if I used Sun Scorching Nirvana…' These three Radiant Moon Magi were obviously here to kill him, and Leylin's guard immediately went up.

"Who exactly are you?" He spoke slowly while the A.I. Chip scanned their auras and undulations in detail. There were only a few Radiant Moons in the central continents. He could search them up in the future, and he would eventually find out where they were from.

Currently, Leylin only needed to vent the fury in his heart! It had to be said, that dream curse they'd used on him had enraged him to no end.

The leader of the Magi watched Leylin, his eyes first flickering with terror but then glowing with a staunch resolve. "Leylin Farlier… So you were able to break through the bloodline shackles of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent and reach rank 5! You're the most powerful bloodline genius I've ever seen, but it's a pity that no matter how talented you are, you have to die here today!"

"Radiant Moon spell formation, three souls in one!" The bright figure of a full moon appeared behind the leader's back, and Full Moon soul force burst forth, bringing with it a piercing chill.

Eugene and Carol stepped into formation behind him, each of them at the three corners of a triangle with this leader at the head. The soul force from their truesouls merged as well. Three cold radiant souls unified, appearing in front of Leylin like lightning.

"A competition between truesouls?" The giant Kemoyin Serpent Emperor roared, and crimson runes began to spread across Leylin's body.

Even after reaching Radiant Moon and becoming a rank 5 Warlock, his truesoul was still weak in comparison to the combined truesouls of his opponents. With their spell formation, they'd suppressed his to the maximum, to the point that even his domain was weakening.

"Though my soul force has been stimulated by my bloodline to reach the peak of New Moon, it's too strenuous to fight three Magi at the same rank, let alone one with power at Full Moon…" Leylin's brows furrowed, the image of a truesoul similarly appearing behind him and soul force at rank 5 being released. Cold moonlight that brought with it a terrifying soul force competed with theirs.

The danger of such a battle was far greater than one of the spells. Just a slight misstep could push any of them to a point of no return.

The void was still, with no sound being emitted. A formless ripple was quickly spreading in all directions, and all beings in range of this battle between soul force, ordinary or otherwise, collapsed without a sound. This even included rank 3 beings. Terrifying soul undulations even spread as far as Nature's Alliance Academy, and even with the defensive formations Leylin had set up before there were massive casualties.

*Pu!* Leylin abruptly staggered back as his blood flowed down from his eyes. In the battle between soul force, he had clearly been on the losing end.　　

However, the Radiant Moon Magi weren't faring very well either, the huge loss of soul force causing their faces to turn pale.　　

"He's already reached peak New Moon?" The leader stared at Leylin in disbelief.　　

He knew full well how difficult it was for Radiant Moon Magi to advance, and the opponent was a newly-advanced Warlock. In such a short period of time, he had pushed his soul force to peak New Moon, and that was a huge shock for him.　　

Traces of jealousy began to form in the depths of his heart, even, nibbling at his spirit like a toxic serpent.

"Admit defeat! You're not our match when it comes to soul force. Injuries to soul force will reflect on your body, there's no way out for you!" The Magus Leader watched Leylin, whose blood was seeping from his skin, and hummed coldly.

"Is that so?" Leylin sneered instead, giving his opponent a bad omen.

"Devour!" The tremendous and elegant Kemoyin Serpent Emperor figure appeared behind him, widening its huge mouth towards the three Radiant Moon Magi.

A terrifying black hole was produced, causing everything within range, even light and space, to be sucked in. The powerful attractive force gave rise to a horrifying energy storm.

*Rumble!* In an instant, the ground under the three Radiant Moon Magi turned nothing as an unending stream of life force flowed to all parts of Leylin's body, allowing his wounds to heal quickly.　

With the Devouring innate skill, he was practically immortal, and could even mend his truesoul using his body. No matter how grievous the injury, he could recover quickly. In a battle between Magi, this was completely like a cheat move.　　

*Pu!* The opponents cooperated to deal another blow, soul blades carving out a huge wound on Leylin's chest. However, large amounts of life force were channelled instantly once more, and blood and flesh regenerated. In the blink of an eye, he had recovered.　

Leylin exchanged blows like a lunatic, injury for another injury, crimson energy blades flying everywhere and causing the three Magi to find it difficult to keep up. This was especially so for the frail Carol. Due to the backlash from before, she was now on the verge of collapsing.

"This isn't working. His regenerative ability is just too terrifying!" The leader of the Magi felt a chill in his heart. They had to fend against not just Leylin's attacks, but also the devouring force of the black hole. Leylin was contending with them with no qualms whatsoever, and he was finding this precarious situation difficult to manage.

"The opponent evidently regains life force through devouring matter. Let's go into a spatial rift. There shouldn't be much for him to absorb there!" His eyes flickered as he found the way to get around this devouring ability, its weakness.

If he were in a void, Leylin's devouring ability would definitely be affected. While he could devour space, the efficiency would definitely decrease, and the amount of life energy generated would be lessened.

"Trying to leave?" Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes.

*Hss hss!* The terrifying amber slits of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's eyes fixed onto the weakest member, Carol.

A layer of ash-white stone began to emerge on her body.　　

*Boom! Boom!* Leylin let the opponents' attacks land on his back, scales and flesh flying as he charged into the centre of their spell formation. Numerous black shadow claws appeared and forcefully grabbed Carol.　

Rank 5 Snake Transformation

Light burst forth as the spell formation that combined the power of three souls was broken through.

"Let's go!" Eugene and the leader grasped this opportunity and, quickly pulled Leylin into the spatial crack.

The tremendous snarling figure of the giant serpent was still devouring the dust and space all around it, but the life energy being generated was obviously reduced. It was obvious at the slowed recovery of the injury on Leylin's back.

"Carol!" At this moment, the opponents were gazing at Carol, who was in Leylin's control, and a trace of despair appeared on their expressions.

Under the gaze of the Eye of Petrification, the female Magus had turned into a limestone statue. Though there was a layer of soul energy resisting the corrosion from the petrification, Leylin currently possessed a Serpent Emperor's eyes, and the damage his innate spell could cause had risen greatly. Even Radiant Moon Magi would not be immune to such an attack.

"Carol? She's the Magus who brought me into that dream? Very well!" Leylin lifted the statue, the Scarlet Earring emanating dazzling rays of light.

"What are you going to do? If you dare to attack Carol, our King won't let you off!" Eugene exclaimed.

"Hehe… At this stage, there's no need to discuss anything about letting people off. Don't treat me like a child. Trying to deceive me like this is an insult to my intelligence!" Leylin's voice was light, but his tone was ice-cold.

"What I want you to know now is the price of provoking me! Whoever you or your backers are, you will all perish!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Numerous fine rays of light streaked past, and the stone statue that was Carol burst into smithereens.

In that moment, Eugene and the leader were caught in a daze. They had never expected Leylin to be so powerful, and for him to be so merciless.

"You dare— you dare— " The Magus leader trembled, evidently completely infuriated.

"Did you think that's all I would do?" Leylin suddenly snickered as he commanded in his mind, 'A.I. Chip!'

[Beep! Recorded opponent's soul undulations. Beginning search for corresponding coordinates!]

There were many methods to save one's life in the Magus World, clones being a popular one. This was especially true for Magi at Morning Star and above, all of whom had ways to prevent their fall.

Carol naturally had a few Morning Star ranked clones, considered to be a last insurance, but she was facing a Radiant Moon Warlock! His truesoul had already matured, and he had the ability to take care of all of his opponent's clones.

Eugene and the other Magus, their leader, saw the truesoul image on Leylin's back that was like a clear crescent moon turn blood-red.

A terrifying giant claw followed the path that Carol's truesoul had taken after her fall and disappeared into the void, seeming to arrive at some area.

A strange energy undulation was transmitted, and Eugene and the other's expressions changed.

"The astral plane! The astral plane opened up to receive her truesoul! Was there really an issue in Carol's transfer to her clone?" They could not help but gaze at Leylin with fear in their eyes.

*Boom! Boom!* In the central continent, at almost the very instant the giant claw had appeared, a Morning Star clone of Carol's collapsed onto the ground, eyes blank and void of any aura of life.

Meanwhile, a spell rune emitting green light mysteriously broke in Carol's Magus Tower, and the spirit genie's voice rang out with ear-piercing warnings, "Suffered unknown attack. Reserve clone has fallen!"

"Magi only have one truesoul. Regardless of how many clones there are, all life-preserving methods are useless once the truesoul is damaged or sent into the astral universe…" Of course, the transfer of truesoul was a speedy process. Most Radiant Moon Magi seldom succeeded in killing others even with their soul force. However, given the help of the A.I. Chip, Leylin did not find such a thing difficult.

A notification wave flashed, and the leader stared at Leylin blankly. "News from headquarters. Carol's clones and the spirit of the life regeneration pool have all fallen!"

When Carol was being killed by Leylin, the fury he had displayed in fact only half true, as he did not believe Leylin could do it. Now, however, seeing that Leylin had actually completely wiped out a similarly ranked Radiant Moon Magus, dread arose within his heart.

"You won't be able to leave today!" In the spatial rift, surrounded by boundless starry rivers, Leylin had his hands behind his back, looking confident.

"Arcane Art— Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!"

*Hss…* A terrifying ancient might descended, and the two Radiant Magi had to retreat. A gigantic serpent that was over a hundred thousand metres long appeared, every scale on its body looking very vivid. The intelligence in its eyes made it seem grand and noble.

Compared to the previous Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Leylin had currently turned into a real rank 5 being. He was now the ruler of all Giant Kemoyin Serpents, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor!

With the serpent's gaze fixed on them, Eugene and the leading Magus started sweating bullets.

The power of an ancient rank 5 existence far exceeded what most Radiant Moons could bring forth. A being like this, a ruler, possessed even more power, taking on the role of a predator.

"We're going all out!" The leader and Eugene exchanged a glance, looks of determination rising in their eyes.

Dazzling light converged at their bodies, and a terrifying and tremendous might burst forth.

"Ancient rank 5 Arcane Art— Seal of the Abyss!"

"Ancient rank 5 Arcane Art— Spatial Grave!"

With the push from their soul force, the two Radiant Moons each had five innate spells fusing as a tremendous arcane art was used by their hand, surging towards the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor.

"Eye of Petrification! Toxic Bile!" Terrifying rays of petrifying light shot out of the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's eyes into the opposing black stream. A large amount of black gas fell as it turned to stone, but was shortly after replaced with more.

A large brass seal charged out from within that abyss even as, under the other Magus' directions, silver spatial turbulence converged to form an even more horrifying spatial storm that swept up the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor.

"Hss…" The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor thundered, petrifying rays striking the gigantic seal. It instantly froze up, and with a swipe of the Emperor's tail, the entire abyss crumbled as the large brass seal vanished.

The spatial storm caught up while Leylin was focussed on dealing with the seal. The silver storm wreaked havoc, and piece by piece the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's scales fell off, revealing fresh, bloody wounds.

"Devour!" The Kemoyin Serpent Emperor opened its mouth while facing the spatial turbulence, and a terrifying black hole appeared.

Large amounts of this silver spatial turbulence were unexpectedly swallowed, transformed rapidly into life energy that allowed the wounds on its body to heal.

"He can even devour spatial storms. He's a monster, a monster!" Personally seeing even rank 5 arcane arts dealing negligible damage against Leylin, the two Magi immediately sunk into depression.

They exchanged a glance, making plans to escape. However, how could Leylin give them another chance like that? In practically the blink of an eye, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor swept through the region, submerging the figures of Eugene and the leader…

In the spatial crack that was like a universe of its own, the tremendous Giant Kemoyin Serpent snarled. Beside it, two bundles of various-coloured rays gradually grew dimmer, on the verge of disappearing.

At this moment, the bundle that was the more radiant of the two suddenly shattered, revealing the figure of a man who was gravely injured. He glared poisonously at the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor, and no longer daring to dawdle turning into a multi-coloured streak as he left.

A voice full of unwillingness resounded behind him, "You actually abandoned me!" Eugene yelled furiously. However, the bundle of light that represented the strength of his own life dimmed even further, and then finally disappeared.

When the last trace of light dissipated, the Kemoyin Serpent Emperor's body turned into black gas that condensed to form Leylin's actual body once more.

He stood in front of Eugene who no longer had any aura of life, eyes emitting blue light.

[Opponent's appearance and undulations have been recorded!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.

"Though one ran away, such a result isn't half bad!" Leylin muttered as he nodded. This time, not only had he killed two Radiant Moons, he had also caused a Full Moon Magus to flee, seriously injured. Even a Breaking Dawn Monarch would feel heartbroken about such a thing for a long while.

It could be said that this was a critical counterattack on his part towards the opposing organisation they were a part of!

Furthermore, once news of him reaching Radiant Moon spread, the stream of Magi who wanted to eliminate him as soon as possible should halt for a while.

Of course, if they decided to proceed further, those coming after him wouldn't be mere Radiant Moons.

At this point, boundless light filled the void. The astral plane opened up, and traces of starlight moved to take Eugene's corpse.

The blue light in Leylin's eyes grew even more pronounced. After Eugene's body was brought into the astral world, Leylin could vaguely see that the ash-brown rocks that had gathered around Eugene's body had turned him into a bare isle.

The isle seemed extremely sturdy but looked barren as it became to float in the astral plane.

In the limitless void behind it were so, so many barren isles like this one…

"After Morning Star Magi die, their point mass will return to the astral universe. If Radiant Moon Magi fall and if the corpse isn't damaged, it'll turn into a barren isle?" Fear suddenly arose in Leylin's heart.

How many Radiant Moons had fallen in history? Someday in the future, would he turn into an isolated island like that?

"Even so, I must pursue eternal life! If I die while pursuing my dreams, I'll die with no regrets. I would have lived a marvellous life!" Leylin's eyes emitted a boundless spirit.

Shift and Prophecy

In the air above a region of Twilight Zone, countless distortions combined to form a spatial channel. Leylin, dressed in loose black robes, stepped out from the passageway.

The battle between rank 5s had resulted in extensive damage even within a spatial crack. Had it been fought in Twilight Zone, perhaps most of it would have been destroyed.

Even so, just the probing attacks from before had led to devastating harm to the land. Even if the affected area was not huge, the radiation and curses that remained would constantly corrode the land, even spreading out further.

In a worse case scenario, there might be the creation of malicious Conscients or attracting different World's Wills to descend here.

Whatever may happen, it would result in nothing good for Twilight Zone.

"A battle amongst Radiant Moons is far too destructive. It's not just the direct damage, but the indirect pollution as well…" Leylin watched the land that was in a terrible state and frowned, "If a Magus were to do this in the central continent, they would become a public enemy…"

Even the A.I. Chip had no quick methods to heal the land from such destructive damage, only waiting for nature to take its course or, at most, conducting some slow, suitable treatment.

Leylin's gaze suddenly turned to another region in the sky. "Now, onto the other guest who's been watching for a long time. Aren't you coming out to meet me?"

Not only could he sense the soul of a Radiant Moon in that direction, there was also the aura of a bloodline. Though it wasn't that of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's, the person there was a sort of Warlock.

"Hehe… Your Highness has discovered me!" Crimson light flashed, and a large blood-red bat emerged from that direction. On its abdomen was a young face.

The human face on the abdomen of the bat laughed as it spoke, "Your Highness! The last time we met was when you first explored the Morning Star area. I never expected you to catch up to us old things so quickly!"

After an attempt, Leylin quickly identified this person, "Such familiar undulations… You're the protector of the Morning Star area!"

This was the conscient he'd interacted with when he'd entered the Morning Star area. He had long since gotten the A.I. Chip to record the aura of this rank 5 existence, there was no way he could be wrong.

The crimson bat chuckled. "Yes, I'm Jeffrey! I was afraid that they would harm Your Highness, but it looked like my worries were for naught…"

"Whatever it is, I'm still thankful for your help. How should I address you, Your Highness?" Leylin bowed slightly, and a look of puzzlement appeared on his expression.

"Our Warlock Union uses the same feudal system as your Ouroboros Clan. Rank 4s are Dukes, and rank 5 Warlocks are addressed 'Your Highness', we're basically Archdukes," the blood-red bat explained.

Leylin nodded. "I see! Well then, what business do you have coming here, as a fellow Archduke?"

"Oh yes! I hereby extend a solemn invitation to Your Highness Leylin. We hope you'll come to the bloodline Warlocks' final fort— the Morning Star area!" The human face on the bat's abdomen looked serious.

Leylin agreed, "Indeed, I should go there. There seem to be some big problems between the Warlocks and Magi in the central continent."

In actuality, Leylin was feeling somewhat annoyed. Initially, the only mortal enemy that he had provoked was Jupiter's Lightning. Though the organisation of Sky City was hostile towards him, they wouldn't go so far as to send people to hunt him down and kill him. Hence, after attaining rank 5 and taking care of Zegna, he was supposed to be able to do as he wished in this place.

However, reality dealt Leylin a huge blow. The appearance of Carol and the others indicated that there was another organisation that stood against Warlocks, and even took up the task of hunting down and eliminating Warlocks as their mission in life.

As the most dazzling of bloodline Warlocks with a meteoric rise, Leylin had unfortunately become their target.

'Luckily, I've already reached rank 5. With the bonus from the Kemoyin Emperor and the aid from the A.I. Chip, I'll still be able to escape even if I were to face a Breaking Dawn Magus. That's enough…' A cold glint flickered in Leylin's eyes. This sneak attack against him had thoroughly irked him.

'I don't care who you are and how large your organisation is. Even if you have a Breaking Dawn Monarch backing you, there will come a day that I, Leylin Farlier, will completely erase you from the central continent. I swear on it!'

...

Leylin was a very clear-cut person. He had little holding him back in Twilight Zone, and after sending Celine a simple message and mentioning what had happened he immediately followed Jeffrey out and into the Morning Star area.

Standing within the Morning Star area that had congealed, Leylin felt extremely emotional as he watched the shattered universe and gigantic stars within the space.

Though he'd visited this place numerous times with his soul force, this was the first time he'd entered the place with his real body. Sending his soul force out, the auras of the many bloodline Warlocks in the surroundings put Leylin's mind and body at ease.

"Your Highness, Leylin. It's nice to meet you again. Or should I say it's nice to meet you again? I'm so happy that you're joining us, our Warlock Union's might has risen once again!" A Warlock with the same face as that on the abdomen of the bat emerged beside Leylin, his long crimson hair untied, flying in the air.

"Your Highness, Jeffrey!" It was obvious that this young man was a rank 5 Warlock. This was the main body of the Morning Star area's protector, Jeffrey.

"Alright. I know you have many questions, but they'll be answered once we reach headquarters." Jeffrey enthusiastically brought Leylin all the way to the Warlocks' headquarters in the Morning Star area.

In a gigantic receiving room, Leylin saw two other rank 5 Warlocks. One had a completely golden body, seemingly able to be likened to a god of battle. He was very familiar with this person— rank 5 Warlock, Golden Lion Wayde. He'd had quite a few transactions with him before.

"Come, let me introduce you. You already know Wayde, the person beside him is Offa," Jeffrey smiled as he pointed to the Warlock beside Wayde.

Leylin took the initiative and bowed, "Your Highnesses!"

"Leylin Farlier! Once a Kemoyin Duke and now an Archduke. We've talked through imprints many times, but this is the first time we're meeting face to face!" Wayde's smile seemed to be bathed in sunshine, his body emanating a charismatic aura.

"Your Highness is truly a talent. With you joining us, I can be at ease… Cough Cough" Offa who was beside Wayde was like an old man approaching death, his aura full of decay. It seemed like he was but a step from the grace, and yet Leylin wouldn't dare belittle him.

From this coughing old man's body, he could feel soul force at the peak of Radiant Moon!

"Based on the previous rumours, the arrival of a few rank 5 Warlocks deterred the Breaking Dawn Monarchs from attacking, thus preserving the inheritance of Warlocks. If my guesses aren't wrong, Warlock Offa is one of them…"

"Alright, let's sit! What is it, are you astonished to see there being three rank 5 Warlocks in the Morning Star area?" Jeffrey laughed as he got Leylin and Wayde to sit, beaming as he got the robot servant to serve refreshments.

"A little!" Leylin nodded in admittance. From both his own perception as well as the scanning of the A.I. Chip, these three Warlocks were here in their main bodies.

This meant the ones who were active in the Magus World were merely their clones. At this stage, Leylin knew just how much Warlocks were feared.

"We're trapped here due to the suppression of the central continent's Magi. We need to be on our guards against the Blazing Flame Monarch," Jeffrey said solemnly.

"Blazing Flame Monarch? The Breaking Dawn Magus?" Leylin immediately recalled the Fiery World that he'd found when probing through the astral plane before ruthlessly being expelled by the organisation of the Blazing Flame Monarch.

"Yes. The other party has a terrible attitude, and even wants to attack us…"

Leylin touched his chin, "Then, are there other organisations in the central continent that are on good terms with us Warlocks?"

"No… Basically, all Magi are worried about our rise, and there are people who are just waiting to watch us run out of luck. Still, there's only one organisation who've been attacking us brazenly, hoping to completely exterminate us, and it's that of the Blazing Flame Monarch."

Jeffrey and Wayde exchanged a glance before Offa spoke. "I can tell you this: those that attacked you, Carol, Eugene, and the rest, were subordinates of the Blazing Flame Monarch…"

"At the beginning, it was also this Blazing Flame Monarch who wanted to end the inheritances of us Warlocks. If not for Offa and the other elders advancing in time and transforming the Morning Star area into a gigantic battle fort, we Warlocks would probably have gone extinct due to him…" Wayde spoke in a low voice.

"Battle fort?" Leylin thought of something else. 'Transforming a small world into a gigantic weapon in war to be manipulated by three rank 5 Warlocks is something to be feared, even by Breaking Dawn Magi…'

"Well then, do you know why the Blazing Flame Monarch is hell bent on killing us?" Leylin asked gloomily.

"It could be because of some conflicts of interest and some old grudges…" Jeffrey didn't seem quite sure about this either. "Our intelligence officers have also discovered an interesting prophecy…"

Clone Creation

"What prophecy?" Leylin's spirits were lifted.

"In this century, before the waves of extreme weather returns, the King of Bloodlines shall rise in splendour, crushing all the other thrones in the central continent!" Jeffrey's body began to tremble with excitement.

"A Monarch of bloodline Warlocks?" Leylin shook his head, "How could there be something so easy?"

Wayde's expression turned a little gloomy. "However, once a rank 6 Warlock does appear, they will surely exceed Breaking Dawn Magi in strength. Perhaps the Blazing Flame Monarch intended to nip the danger in the bud. This is also why the other Monarchs in the central continent are supporting it."

"That certainly makes sense as well!" Leylin stroked his chin.

"And there are only a few candidates left that may fulfill the prophecy, one of them being Your Highness Leylin. Hence, for your safety and considering the futures of us Warlocks, we request that Your Highness stays in the Morning Star area as much as possible. Even if you wish to go out, please use some sort of clone…" Jeffrey said sincerely.

"Why? Do you think I can advance to the Breaking Dawn realm?" Leylin's heart stirred but his facial expression was that of stupefaction, "Even if my bloodline evolved to become that of a Kemoyin Emperor, I am still limited to rank 5!"

"Of course, we are aware of the difficulty of bloodline shackles, but even a rank 5 Kemoyin Emperor will be one of our greatest military strengths…" Wayde pointed out meaningfully.

'This attitude… could it be that they really found a bloodline Warlock that can advance to rank 6?' Seeing Wayde's attitude, Leylin already had some ideas in his heart.

"I'm naturally bound to do my duty for the Warlock Union. But there's one problem. I still have to resolve the grudge between Jupiter's Lightning and my Ouroboros Clan…" Leylin's expression showed a hint of hesitation.

"There's no need for Your Highness to worry about that. Regarding this, there's no need for Your Highness to worry at all. According to our intelligence, the chief of Jupiter's Lightning, Night Phantom Zegna, is already dead…"

Jeffrey sneaked a glance at Offa, before he made the report to Leylin.

"What? Zegna has fallen?" This news immediately caused Leylin's eyes to widen into full circles. He'd never expected that this enemy who'd caused him such tremendous stress before would just die so quietly.

Although he was confident in killing the man on the spot with his current strength, his opponent meeting an end still left Leylin depressed. It was like he'd punched out with all his might just to hit cotton.

"How did he die?" Morning Stars normally had lifespans of over a thousand years, and Radiant Moons usually lived to several thousand years old.

Given how young Zegna was, his death was definitely not due to old age.

"We don't have any news about that, sadly. But we did receive information that Jupiter's Lightning was taken over by a female Radiant Moon Magus after Zegna's death. On top of that, they announced the end of all current diplomatic and military movements. This means your Ouroboros Clan's emergency has been solved…"

"Female Radiant Moon Magus?" For some unknown reason, Leylin immediately thought of the power hiding behind Zegna.

During their previous fights, he had faintly sensed that Zegna certainly had assistance from a Magus who was more knowledgeable than him. This turn of events led to his instincts saying so even more

'Was it really an accidental death, or was it man-made?' Leylin's pupils twinkled in a myriad of colours.

"As for the two Dukes, your wife, and any others, we can totally arrange for them to stay here to ensure their safety!" Wayne guaranteed, seemingly worried that Leylin still had other considerations.

"Thank you so much Your Highness, but let's wait until I finish everything on hand before visiting Freya and the others." Leylin nodded in gratitude. He'd had some suspicions and concerns about the Warlock headquarters at this Morning Star area, but now it just seemed like they really wanted to protect a promising bloodline.

Although most of his suspicions had been eliminated, Leylin would still run his own inspections before he'd make a decision.

Leylin now more or less understood the peak military strength of the Warlock Union. The Morning Star area was their base camp, and of the executives among them, Jeffrey, Wayde, and Offa were all here. There was only one mysterious rank 5 Warlock hiding in the outside world, the last card in their hands.

It could be said that the current Leylin was already at the peak of bloodline Warlocks, one of their five magnates. His position in this Morning Star area could no longer be described as just respected. He instead was a partial ruler!

He'd even gotten access to some of the union's resources, and the first thing he did was to enrich the A.I. Chip's database with even more information.

...

Morning Star area, in a castle specially built for Leylin.

A few months had passed by in a flash. Now, Freya was putting the books in her hands down and stretched, caressing her stomach. Her face was brimming with joy and love.

Passing through an astral gate, the two Kemoyin Dukes and Freya had seen Leylin in the Morning Star area. She couldn't believe that her husband had advanced to rank 5, even upgrading his bloodline to that of the terrifying Kemoyin Emperor.

Rank 5! This was a painful topic for all Kemoyin Warlocks, but now the bloodline of the Kemoyin Emperor was already growing in her womb.

"Kemoyin Emperor, the ruler of all Kemoyin Warlocks…" Freya mumbled with blurred vision as her eyes brimmed with joy.

This was the right and proper ruling bloodline, one that had a guarantee of being able to advance to rank 5! Freya had a premonition that the Farlier Family would become the royalty of the Ouroboros Clan. All of the female Kemoyin warlocks would go crazy in order to obtain Leylin's bloodline, even resorting to unscrupulous ways!

"With the injection of a rank 5 bloodline also has so many benefits for my Blood Serpent Family. Forget falling, our bloodline will definitely rise in rank now!" Thinking about how she'd successfully gained hold of these things that she wouldn't have even been able to beg for before, Freya was filled with rejoicement.

And with that admiration came a further increase in her admiration and trust towards her husband… Thinking up to this point, Freya couldn't help but tilt her head to look in another direction.

Outside the translucent glass, not far away from the master bedroom was a large laboratory for experiments on the astral plane as well as a breeding room for bloodlines. The two buildings stood tall like large monsters, even engulfing all the light in their surroundings as they made one feel stifled.

Inside the bloodline experimentation lab, Leylin was looking at a body in the breeding pool, a thoughtful expression emerging on his face.

[Constructing the clone's body! Estimated to be a perfect body of a Morning Star!] The A.I. Chip's scans and prompts were transmitted continuously.

Leylin was currently trying to create a clone of himself. Generally speaking, such a clone would be a rank below that of the Magi who created it. In order to obtain a clone of a same rank as the main body like Wayde's, one required not only time and large amounts of resources, but a certain amount of luck as well.

"Beginning copying of soul imprint!" Two bright beams of light shot out of Leylin's eyes and into the clone's…

Half an hour later, the clone's eyelids suddenly raised, its eyes containing a slight vigour. Energy undulations at the peak of Morning Star began to spread out.

"Based on the Heavenly Astrals' blueprint and flesh that has been added to my own body, this clone's battle prowess pretty decent in the Morning Star level!"

Leylin nodded in satisfaction. Truth be told, such a clone wasn't very useful. Although they worked when dealing with weak enemies, they were only bugs in front of Radiant Moons.

However, its advantage lay in its simple structure. This type of clone was good cannon fodder that could handle some unimportant matters.

[Based on the main body's spiritual conditions, at most three imprints can be maintained at once!] the A.I. Chip's voice echoed once more.

"In other words, under normal circumstances, I can at most maintain 3 Morning Star ranked clones?" Leylin stroked his chin. He had a certain understanding towards the situation with this kind of clone.

Because truesouls were inseparable, many Magi had clones like this that only possessed a spiritual imprint. Its death would not have much impact on the main body, but on the main body's death, the truesoul could shift into the clone and successfully revive itself.

Still, this process had its dangers as well. For instance, Leylin had taken a Radiant Moon Magus' clones out with them, causing a thorough death by killing the truesoul itself.

'This kind of method is not very safe… Legends talk of a way during ancient times to break up one's truesoul. A clone formed in that way unifies both sides, but they don't necessarily affect one another. Even if one dies, the other can live on without a hitch. That is true cloning…' Leylin thought of some confidential information he'd acquired before.

'Only, because one is breaking up their truesoul, such a cloning may result in different personalities because of the different environments and experiences. There could even be a situation wherein the clones turn against each other and become enemies. That's too dangerous…'

The technique he was using currently was like that of creating a photocopied substitute. Although it would not have any special abilities, it was better in terms of stability and safety. Of course, another reason for Leylin choosing this method was simply that he had no desire to break up his truesoul.

All such cloning required was a great amount of material resources and a piece of memory he could duplicate by using the A.I. Chip. It could be considered a bargain.

Thinking of this, Leylin could not help but take a look at his own status.

[Leylin Farlier rank 5 bloodline: Kemoyin Serpent Emperor (Complete body), Strength: 76, Agility: 62, Vitality: 138.9, Spiritual force: 1329.7, Magic power: 1329 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul Force: 133 (New Moon)]

City and Meeting

"There's a significant increase in all my statistics… The rank 5 Kemoyin Emperor bloodline is truly terrifying!" Leylin let loose a sigh of satisfaction at the sight of his status.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline originally provided additional bloodline power to a Warlock, and once it evolved this support only grew greater in magnitude.

Leylin could feel this royal bloodline changing his body with every breath, breaking even into his truesoul and colouring it a slight red. His soul force was constantly being strengthened.

'Although this Kemoyin Emperor bloodline helped me achieve rank 5, even to be considered strong amongst Radiant Moons, it isn't without its consequences…' Leylin could not help but think of the feeling he had when he was being spied upon at that time. The Snake Dowager's attention from the Purgatory World had left him nervous and uneasy to this day. He could not help but put in extra effort into improving his strength.

He had a premonition that the moment he chose to fight the Snake Dowager, even betray her, the bloodline in his body would lead to an unpredictable end.

Leylin could not help but recall the situation when he met the two Kemoyin Dukes. As he'd already advanced to Radiant Moon himself and even awakened the Kemoyin Emperor's bloodline, he'd felt like he could completely bypass their willpower and give them any commands he wished. They would likely carry out his orders even if he told them to die.

As for Freya? She'd already fallen completely into his control, from her body to her spirit. This feeling of controlling everything about another person really had Leylin somewhat intoxicated.

Everything naturally came from the Kemoyin Emperor's innate skill of control. However, this had also given Leylin an idea of the type of control the Snake Dowager would have over serpents.

If, by any chance, there was conflict between them, Leylin didn't have any confidence in himself…

The laboratory door opened with a bang and Freya stood up with a pleasant surprise, "Leylin! Is the experiment proceeding smoothly?"

Shortly after, she sharply noticed that this 'Leylin' was a little different from usual. After being in a daze for a while, Freya then pursed her lips in astonishment, "You… Your body's aura, why has it fallen back to Morning Star?"

"Very smoothly!" 'Leylin' smiled. Behind him, another Leylin with a deeper aura walked out, "Even you didn't notice the anomaly at first. It seems like the spiritual imprint was also very successful!"

"This is your Morning Star clone?" Freya looked at the Leylin who came out first and her eyes sparkled.

"Yes! Although my main body will remain in the Morning Star area, there are still matters that I have to resolve in the outside world!" The Morning Star clone nodded before turning around and walking out.

In its stead, the real Leylin walked up, looking at Freya's slightly bulging stomach with a smile. Through the bloodline's reaction and the ability of the Kemoyin Emperor, he could clearly sense a tiny life growing sturdily in there.

It wasn't just the child. Freya was growing as well, although in another sense. Her strength had skyrocketed from one who'd just stepped into the Crystal Phase, and at some point, she'd unknowingly broken through to the limits of rank 3. With how her bloodline was constantly being purified, there was a chance she'd break through to Morning Star!

All of this was, of course, due to Leylin's imperceptible influence. The two dukes hadn't gained much, but with Freya, there was an obvious increase in power.

"Scary! Is this also the ability of the royal bloodline? Subtly influencing and transforming one's own kind, evolving them to become more powerful…"

'The power of a royal bloodline is truly frightening… To subtly influence and transform one's kin, evolving them into a more powerful state…' Leylin's pupils sparkled. He had finally experienced the true terror of a royal bloodline. Not only could it amplify his individual military might, but it could also upgrade his entire clan!

If he stayed at the Ouroboros Clan for a hundred years, most of the rank 1 Mankestre bloodlines would probably evolve to rank 3, becoming Black Horrall Snake bloodlines. As for Black Horrall Snake Warlocks themselves? They stood a chance of becoming pureblood Kemoyin Warlocks! The bloodlines of many of the royal families would grow even purer due to Leylin's existence.

Of course, all of this was also related to the distance between them and Leylin. For example, Freya who was closest to him experienced the deepest influence from his radiation and aura, showing results in just a few months' time.

"A.I. Chip! Establish mission — Maintain the current radiation from the regal bloodline that is influencing the community and form an energy tower that will be in this eternal state!" Leylin commanded.

[Beep! Mission established— Regal bloodline's influence on the community! Beginning to gather the main body's radiation, simulating…] The A.I. Chip responded quickly.

Leylin would certainly not treat himself unfairly, making himself a breeding machine or radiation source. To enhance the strength of all the Kemoyin Warlocks, he would instead build a tower that radiated similar energy to his.

As he was looking at the smiling Freya, Leylin suddenly grew dazed. His field of vision shifted, going past the Morning Star area to arrive at the dim subterranean world. In an ornate office, Celine caressed a stomach with an even greater bulge on it, a faint loneliness in her face.

Through the Kemoyin Emperor's power of control, nearly all of the descendants of the Kemoyin bloodline in the Magus World could be seen by Leylin, and he had control over them.

Of course, Leylin's 'preparations' weren't limited to Freya alone. Besides his wife on the surface, he also entered intimate relationships with many female Warlocks. It was obviously voluntary, they'd done it to obtain his bloodline. In fact, there were even a few duels that had broken out in private as many of them fought for such a place.

"The growth of my bloodline has begun…" Leylin himself was also unclear about how he felt in his heart, and ended up just sighing…

An astral gate flashed with brilliant light, and Leylin's Morning Star clone stepped through the curtain of light and onto the floor of his Magus Tower.

"Welcome back, Master!" To the tower's spirit genie, this clone who had the same energy waves as the main body and was familiar with all the traps and passwords would be a master as well.

"Okay, time to see the two Dukes!" The current Leylin could be said to be the backbone of the Ouroboros Clan, and all major decisions needed his permission. Although it was still possible to contact him through secret imprints, there was still a large amount of information and even documents to sign and the like. A physical body was still required to resolve that type of thing.

Ever since Leylin had purified his bloodline into that of a Kemoyin Emperor, Gilbert and Emma no longer treated him like a junior. Instead they gave him the sort of respect one would their liege. Perhaps strength was a part of the reason why, but the main cause was probably the royal bloodline's natural coercion and secret influence.

With regards to this, Leylin could only shake his head.

After meeting the two dukes who were evidently slightly trembling with fear, Leylin plunged into a sea of documents. Fortunately, with the A.I. Chip's assistance, he handled these matters with blazing speed while still avoiding even the slightest of errors.

After finishing up all these miscellaneous affairs, Leylin left Phosphorescence Swamp to arrive at a commoners' city.

This was Borre City, located at the borders of the Black River Domain. It had constantly suffered the tragedies of war for decades as it bordered the Warlocks' territory. Although it seemed desolate, humans had a natural knack for survival. By the time Jupiter's Lightning changed chiefs and the war ceased, this place had regained its prosperity once more.

Many horses, mules and scooters pushed their way through on the streets that were filled with the pungent smell of faeces.

Mercenaries in leather armour, businessmen with accounting books, clowns with colourful faces… there were all sorts of scenes in this bustling city.

All sorts of bars and hotels were open round the clock, and some drunkards could be seen lying limp at the corners of the streets. These people were ultimately dragged away by patrols and thrown in jail without any regard for propriety. Unless someone bailed them out, they could only be forced into labour.

"Due to the war, ordinary people in the Ouroboros Clan's territory will have to rebuild their homes. Furthermore, many new settlers are moving in here. Thus the marketplace is born!" Watching the flourishing and booming scene, Leylin thought of a reason instantly.

Without stopping his footsteps, he directly came to the downtown commercial street, entering the most luxurious and beautiful cold beverage store.

Leylin was currently wearing a gold-rimmed tuxedo restricted to nobles. With the enchanting face resulting from his being a Warlock, unknown numbers of waitresses blushed as they looked at him.

However, he was already immune to such scenes. Minding his own business, he came before a seat.

"Can I sit here?" The girl sitting opposite him had a freckled face with vestiges of baby fat still on it. She could not be considered very pretty, and could likely disappear within a crowd. Yet, if one paid close attention, they would realise she had a special temperament to her.

This 'special' girl currently had her face stuffed with desserts, one hand holding tightly onto a cone of ice cream while the other constantly sent fries dipped in ketchup to her mouth. There were also many discarded food boxes piled up into a small, thick mountain at the side. It was unknown how she'd managed to digest that much food.

"You're finally here! I've been waiting for you here for two days!" The girl mumbled with a full mouth. Her speech was blurry with all the food in it. She casually swept away the messy snacks that were in front of Leylin and made an inviting gesture. Leylin sat down without any restraint.

Right at this moment, he seemed to hear the sound of many hearts shattering, and many jealous gazes were directed onto the girl.

"Say…" Leylin looked at the girl pigging out opposite him with a bizarre look in his pupils, "If people knew that the person they were being hostile to was a female Magus, and even a rank 5 Radiant Moon Magus, what would their expressions be like? That would certainly be very interesting!"

"You have to understand my problem. I've been a soul for 3572 years, and have never been able to enjoy these!" The girl said resentfully.

The Glutton and Deduction

On the commercial street, a handsome guy and a girl who was a glutton sat face to face inside a dessert and drinks store. They appeared to be a common couple just like any other, but their conversation would have terrified anyone who heard it. And yet, due to some unknown reason, the surrounding customers and waiters in the vicinity acted like they did not hear a word of their conversation, preoccupied with their own things.

The only thing was that a few beautiful girls and waitresses stared daggers at the girl seated opposite Leylin. If looks could kill, the girl would've been killed a million times over.

"Haha…This is such a great feeling! The jealousy of others is so amazing, perfect. I feel so blessed!" The female Magus was full of joy, twinkling little stars ready to burst out of her eyes.

Yet, Leylin was not easily fooled by such fake displays of emotion. He was very clear on how cunning the freak sitting opposite him was; after all, even Zegna had fallen into her trap.

"Stop beating around the bush! So, rank 5 Magus, ruler of Jupiter's Lightning, what is it that you want from me?" Leylin asked in a low tone, his arms crossed with his elbows on the table, covering his face.

This female Magus opposite him was the current leader of Jupiter's Lightning, and there was a high possibility that she'd taken care of Zegna to usurp his throne. Just a while ago, she'd contacted Leylin and requested a meeting here. Needing more information, Leylin had made the trip.

"Wait till I finish this ice cream strawberry pie, I've wanted it for quite a while! These things weren't even there in my era… Whichever Magus created this is truly a genius!"

The girl was still trying hard to stuff a strawberry pie topped with ample cream pudding into her mouth, her fingers fully occupied by the white ice cream.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Melinda… I guess you can call me Zegna's teacher… sort of…" the girl blurted out.

Leylin's pupils shimmered a little, 'A.I. Chip, search this name in the database.'

The A.I. Chip responded quickly. [Beep! Searching history database, 391 matches for Melinda. Refining criteria, rank 5 and above… No matches.]

Even in Leylin's database that had been strengthened with nearly the entire knowledge of the Great Library, there was not a single mention of this female Magus.

If she wasn't using an alias, then she must have had another title that was more widely known. As for her real name, it was probably long buried in the past.

"So Melinda, you only asked me out to enjoy desserts with you?" Leylin's stare turned a little cold.

"Okay, fine!" Melinda tried to gobble down the pie quickly, only stopping after she finished a cup of apple juice. Lastly, she wiped the crumbs off her fingers with the tissues on the table.　

After she cleaned up, Leylin felt a sudden change in her. It was as if she'd suddenly matured completely, having something special in her aura.

"Great job getting rid of my student, young Magus." She looked at Leylin like a kind senior encouraging him.

Leylin rolled his eyes, "YOU'RE the one who got rid of your student."

Leylin wasn't really surprised by her split personality. Existing as a soul for thousands of years would change anyone, even a highly intelligent Magus. Put into perspective, Melinda's condition was relatively mild.

Worse things had happened in the past, such as a Spirit Magus engaging in bloody massacre after walking out of a ruin.

"Is that so? Oh hahaha… I'd almost forgotten. I warned poor little Zegna about the dangers in making the Pond of Lamentation. One would be counterattacked by all the spirits if they ran out of power…"

Melinda changed emotions instantly, appearing to be really sad for Zegna. Watching the show she was putting up, Leylin confirmed his suspicions on Zegna's death. He decided to keep as far away from this woman as he could in the future.

Leylin began to lose patience, and cut straight into the topic. "Anyway, it's great that Zegna's dead and the battle between the Jupiter's Lightning and the Ouroboros Clan has ceased! So, what did you call me here for today?"

Realising Leylin's urgency, Melinda spoke her true intentions, "Right. Are you interested in partnering up with me to kill a Monarch?"

"Kill a Monarch? You're a nut-case! Meeting you here today was the worst decision I've ever made!" Leylin's face turned a cold white as he stood up from his chair.

"Hehe! Wait a moment, lil' Magus, I'm just joking. However, it really is a good idea for us to ally with each other when dealing with the Blazing Flame Monarch." Melinda seemed to have switched personalities again. 　　

"Do you have any grudge against the Blazing Flame Monarch?" Leylin asked, seemingly having suppressed his anger as he sat down again.

"To be honest, he played a big part in my death back then…" Melinda smiled wryly as she revealed a bit of her secret past, "And I don't think I need to mention his relationship with you Warlocks? I have much more information about him than you do, here you go…"

An hour later, Leylin left the dessert store speechlessly. He'd been forced to foot the bill. Refusing to take another glance at Melinda, he transformed into a ray of light as he left the city.

In the midst of his quick movement, he was running through what she'd said. She was supposedly best friends with the Blazing Flame Monarch, but they'd fallen out due to some matter and he'd plotted against her. It had cost her her life, and she'd been turned into a spirit body struggling for life.

It was much later that she met Zegna, helping him become a Radiant Moon Magus and set up Jupiter's Lightning.

She'd used some means to regain her life, and now she'd definitely be a thorn in the Blazing Flame Monarch's eye. Therefore, she'd sealed her aura using an Arcane Art, but it was just a matter of time before he found out that she had come back to life. This was why she'd been eager to acquire his support.

However, Leylin did not believe a single part of these craps.　　

Leylin didn't believe a single ounce of her crap, but his plight was somehow similar to hers. Thus, he would love to have the necessary help, and would continue to be cordial on the surface.

"You will see my sincerity in future!" These were the exact words Melinda had left behind before they separated, but Leylin was still in doubt. Someone who'd kill her very own student to revive herself wasn't very reliable. Even though he was no kind soul himself, he still detested those Magi who were tricky and cunning. It was probably because like poles repelled.

"FOUND YOU!" An explosion sounded as fire started to bubble, forming a crimson ocean in front of Leylin. The bubbling flames formed an enormous human face, terrifying rank 5 energy blocking Leylin's path.

Scorching hot flames that could burn even spacetime away caused the surroundings to turn into a formless mass.

"La– Laws of Fire! Breaking Dawn Magus! You're the Blazing Flame Monarch!"　

Leylin blurted out while he was swaying and cursing Melinda in his heart, 'Melinda! Damn that woman!'

However, the giant face did not bother replying to Leylin. A mass of crimson light hit directly engulfed him.

Breaking Dawn Magi could begin to comprehend laws, advancing to rank 7 when they fully grasped them. Leylin was incapable of handling such a thing as the law of fire right now.

Leylin's layered defence collapsed in a flash of light, the massive will crushing into his body like a mountain crashing down on an egg. It even bored into his sea of consciousness.

*Pow!* Leylin immediately turned fierce, a mass of destructive power arising directly within his sea of consciousness, forming a horrifying thunderstorm.

*Rumble!* The violent explosion was engulfed by the crimson sea of fire. A vague voice sounded out, "It's actually a clone? That's a pretty good cover up!" Fire elemental particles were activated just by the voice causing their density in the region to increase tremendously.

[Beep! Spiritual imprint is self-destructed!] The A.I. Chip notified emotionlessly within the Morning Star area. Leylin was absorbed in looking at the last images sent by the clone.

He had only lost a clone. As long as he had enough resources, he could easily make more with some time and the A.I. Chip. It was actually more difficult to observe a Breaking Dawn Magus' attack.

The death of a clone caused only a little loss in soul force, while the death of the main body would cause great damage to a clone. The relationship between the two was never balanced.

"The Blazing Flame Monarch… Someone who can control the laws of fire…" Leylin murmured, data and equations flashing past his eyes as the A.I. Chip slowly deduced data on the battle might of the Monarch.

"A.I. Chip, simulate combat with the Blazing Flame Monarch."

[Beep! Simulation has begun…] With the sound of the A.I. Chip, numerous images flashed into and out of Leylin's vision, the future seeming to hold infinite possibilities.

The A.I. Chip couldn't predict the future even with its current calculative power, but he was confident in its deductions for combat after a few optimisations, even if the opponent was a Breaking Dawn Monarch.

[Beep! Deduction complete, battle results between host and Blazing Flame Monarch: Host being badly injured and fleeing: 15.7%, Host dies and the opponent is lightly injured: 45.3%, 39% unknown] the A.I. Chip concluded.

Advancement and Meetup

Leylin's expression changed when he saw the deduction produced by the A.I. Chip.

'That's to say, if I meet the Blazing Flame Monarch, there's only half a chance of success? And I die in the other half as well…' Leylin narrowed his eyes at the result.

Although a twenty percent chance of surviving a Breaking Dawn Magus' attack was actually quite reasonable, it still felt rather low for Leylin.

Were he to meet the Blazing Flame Monarch today, it was too much of a risk for him to bet on that 39% unknown result.

Looking at the vague data, Leylin guessed it was probably due to all the secrets about himself that he kept. Thus, there would be more such unknown results. He didn't dare to bet on his luck.

"Is the Blazing Flame Monarch really that powerful? Or is it that all Breaking Dawn Magi are just that strong?" Leylin stroked his chin. He felt like there was a huge gap among Breaking Dawn Magi, entirely dependant on their ability to comprehend laws.

"No matter what, the most important thing is to increase my power." Leylin flipped his palm over to reveal a piece of flaming red ruby, releasing waves of mysterious energy.

This was the phoenix egg, something that was great for the soul. Leylin had used it previously to increase his soul force to the peak of Morning Star, unable to extract more afterwards.

At that point in time, his truesoul had already reached its maximum capacity, unable to store any more Soulforce. Now that he'd advanced to Radiant Moon, the truesoul was like a vase that had grown bigger, now able to store a greater amount.

The phoenix egg was currently a great cure for the soul damage from the death of his clone.

"The Lava World is currently in the hands of Wayde and Melinda. I can use our alliance to get a chance to enter it, collecting the remaining scattered pieces of the phoenix egg…" Leylin rugged his chin.

The mysterious creature called the phoenix had been of great help to Leylin. Wayde and Melinda would've acquired all the easily obtainable pieces, but he still wanted to give it a shot.

"This current fragment is good enough to last me a long while, though…" A miniature phantom of the Kemoyin Emperor appeared behind Leylin's back. A stream of black flames shot out of his fingertip as well, coiling onto the firasource stone.

With the assistance of Fireplume, streams of pure soul force flowed out of the phoenix egg like water from a clear spring. Leylin was joyous as his truesoul was rejuvenated, the speck of dullness caused by the fall of his clone quickly being filled up again by a brilliant glow.

Soul force which seemed as taintless as the moon spread continuously, filling up his truesoul and rapidly advancing it towards the Half Moon stage.

"Awesome yet terrifying, what a unique soul force!"

Leylin heaved a sigh as he glanced at the message by the A.I. Chip, [Beep! Large quantity of phoenix egg essence has been absorbed by host. Soul force increasing, spiritual force strengthening.] [Beep! Host status has changed, recalculating statistics.] Leylin was shocked by the A.I. Chip's notification as he realised the rapid increase in his soul force and spiritual force. His soul force had reached 161 units in just a few short seconds.

The moon that was his truesoul shone brightly, almost at the Half Moon stage. His spiritual force was stimulated by the abundant soul force as well, so much so that the sharp increase even burdened his body.

Leylin stopped extracting essence from the fragments once he realised something was wrong. His statistics had changed drastically once more.

The A.I. Chip finished its recalculation.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 5 Warlock. Bloodline: Kemoyin Emperor (Complete body), Strength: 76, Agility: 62, Vitality: 138.9, Spiritual force: 1613.7 Magic power: 1613 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul Force: 161 (New Moon)]

Gazing at the shrunken Phoenix's egg in his palm, Leylin murmured to himself, "My spiritual force has increased by nearly 300 units in one shot? And my soul force by thirty? If I were to absorb the entire egg, my truesoul would probably advance to the peak of Full Moon. But…"

Leylin smiled bitterly. Such a growth rate placed an extreme burden on his body. Unlike the Kemoyin Emperor's bloodline, the phoenix egg would only support the advancement of his soul force, rather than give him holistic development over a period of time.

Such an increase in a single element was troubling Leylin greatly. It was the main reason why he couldn't just use the entire egg.

"The new plans to increase vitality need to be brought forward… Thankfully my Kemoyin Emperor bloodline is still growing, and it still has room to improve my vitality…" Bloodlines greatly improved Warlocks' physiques.

"Hmmm… Why do I feel like using my devouring ability to absorb the egg should yield a better result?" Leylin's eyes brightened, and he ordered the A.I. Chip to start simulations comparing it with his current method,

It was a blessing for a Magus to find any method to utilise such a rare object, but Leylin felt like he was being wasteful.

Such rare objects could never be found normally, so he could not let even a tiny bit of it go to waste.

[Beep! Trial completed! Efficiency of absorption— Fireplume: 87.8%, Devour: 92.6%. Devour also has a certain chance of inheriting the bloodline power of the ancient phoenix]

"Inheriting the bloodline power?" Leylin shook his head. If even the A.I. Chip was vague about the result, it showed that not only was such a thing very troublesome, it really depended on luck.

He was not very confident in his luck. It's not like it wasn't good; in fact, he was just like any other normal person, his luck good at times and bad at others. It's just that he would never rely on luck in such matters.

If the efficiency of absorbing the soul force was higher while devouring it, Leylin would definitely use this method. However, he would not harbour hope for anything else. After all, the higher the cliff of expectation, the greater the fall.

"It seems like I'll be able to build up a foundation of soul force for the breakthrough to Breaking Dawn soon…" Leylin could not help the tinge of excitement that was growing in his heart.

This was rank 6! The realm of Monarchs! Rank 6 Magi were the elites among the Magi of the central continent, its rulers. They even had the power to control and direct the continent's development!

To be exact, once Leylin advanced to rank 6, he would hold his fate in his own hands in the Magus World.

However, there was a huge problem at the moment.

His bloodline still shackled him! To evolve from a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock to a Kemoyin Emperor Warlock had pushed Leylin's genes to their limits, and the A.I. Chip had confirmed this. His bloodline would evolve no further. Great amounts of calculations and the help of the A.I. Chip only managed to push the bloodline shackles from Morning Star to Radiant Moon. They still pressured down on him.

On top of that, the attention of the Snake Dowager had disturbed Leylin further.

He'd always been cautious of this mythical being. Her control of the darkness element was something Leylin's could not begin to compare to. It was definitely not a good sign for her to pay attention to him when he advanced to Radiant Moon.

Leylin didn't like putting his safety in the hands of someone more powerful than him, viewing it as extremely pathetic. It was a viable option if he was weak, but now that he had the power to control his own future he would only be a fool if he remained in hiding.

"Bloodline shackles and the Snake Dowager… Maybe these two are two facets of the same problem!" Leylin's eyes twinkled with rays of hope, as numerous possible methods were brought up in his mind only to be denied quickly. Many different possibilities for the future were quickly deduced…

Suddenly, a call came for him, his book of imprints glowing. It was an imprint in the form of a funny clown face, a new one that was at the back.

Leylin thought for a second and tapped on it, "Melinda, you can actually send messages directly into the Morning Star area? You still owe me an explanation for what happened just now!" It was such a coincidence that Leylin had been attacked by the Blazing Flame Monarch right after he parted ways with her.

Thinking over the incident, Leylin refused to believe that it was just a coincidence. This Melinda's mysteriousness was the exact reason Leylin wouldn't develop a close relationship with her.

He had the feeling that he would end up like Zegna if he had trusted her, dumped mercilessly when he was no longer of use.

Finally, Melinda replied after a long silence, "What would you do if… if I intentionally attracted the Blazing Flame Monarch's clone to test your ability?"

Plotting and Reconnaissance

"Test my ability?" Leylin sneered, "If it's true, I'll slaughter you and imprison your soul, having it burn for a million years." The coldness in his voice seemed to drop the ambient temperature.

"Haha… I'm just joking with you! It was definitely an accident!" Melinda's voice had once again switched to that of a sweet little girl, "Anyway, I prepared a gift to make up for my dear brother's loss. Open up the astral gate."

"A gift?" Leylin furrowed his brows, but soon arrived at his astral laboratory and opened up his gate. Flame-like blue light gathered together to form a passageway.

Leylin was very cautious about Melinda. The astral stone energy that was inputted and the spell patterns only allowed for the transfer of non-living objects. If there was any invasion of external force or spiritual force, he would shut the passageway immediately.

However, Melinda seemed to have been honest this time, and a black cube was sent through the gate. In spite of the high energy consumption, this was a popular way of transferring parcels in the central continent, especially among the Morning Stars of the Warlock Union.

There were numerous seals on top of this black box. At first glance, there seemed to be an ice elemental rune that kept whatever was inside fresh.

Leylin blew at it, and the rune on the surface of that black box split apart. The box then opened on its own, revealing its contents. A stench of blood immediately spread around the room.

"Urgh? What happened to this Magus?" Inside the box was the head of a Magus! Worse still, Leylin was very familiar with him! It was the leader of the Magi who'd attacked him in Twilight Zone! This was the Full Moon Magus who'd escaped from his attack!

"It's not just the face. The soul fluctuations match as well," Leylin nodded after a check by the A.I. Chip.

It was pretty easy for any Magus to counterfeit a fake body part like the one before Leylin, but the lingering aura of the soul and the strong resentment were hard to fake.

"Hehe…What do you think about this? His name is Marriott, the top lackey of the Blazing Flame Monarch! It took me great effort to get rid of him while the Blazing Flame Monarch was away. So, dear brother, are you satisfied with the surprise?"

"Of course! I'm more than satisfied!" Leylin's hand made a gesture and the head of Marriott floated into the air, the resentment on his face evident and the level of hatred accumulated beyond what words could describe.

Dark Magi could often extract memories and information from a fresh brain; despite being a Radiant Moon Magus, Marriott was still subjected to such means.

"This gift is definitely something more than just a surprise… " To be able to kill a Full Moon Magus, she was surely no less powerful than a Breaking Dawn Monarch.

Leylin had long understood that she could not be underestimated, having become a Radiant Moon right at rebirth. Even though Marriott had been severely injured by Leylin before he got killed, he could not deny the fact that she was incredibly powerful.

"I have to admit that you're good enough to work with me!" Huge black flames shot out of Leylin's palm, and Marriott's head slowly melted under the heat until there was nothing left.

"Hehe! You're the bes— Umm, hold on for a sec; she's coming out!" The little girl's voice turned mature once more, "Hello there, young Magus. We meet again."

'You freak! Here's another one with a split personality,' Leylin rolled his eyes in secret. "Let's get straight to the topic, why do you want me?"

"To get rid of the Blazing Flame Monarch. Are you interested?" The female Magus was frank and straightforward.

This time, though, Leylin did not beat around the bush as he had before, "Yes, but we aren't strong enough!"

"I know the Blazing Flame Monarch's weakness, as well as when he'll be at his weakest. I've also roped in a few other friends…" Melinda sounded very confident, evidently having an extraordinary understanding of the Monarch as well as great amounts of intel on him.

"In that case, why look for me? Wayde and Offa should be rather interested in this as well, right?" Leylin stated his query.

"It's because you're the most powerful Warlock in the Warlock Union. Furthermore, after the fall of the Blazing Flame Monarch, the fewer the participants the greater the benefits. If more people come and share the profits, it'd be such a shame…

"On top of that, those rotten old bloodline Warlocks only focus on the Warlock who's inherited a bloodline from a rank 6 being, which is just inflexible and shortsighted of them…" Melinda seemed to have issues with the rank 5 Warlocks in the Warlock Union.

"You can inform them of our operation of course, but I am sure they won't be interested. Even if you get them to come, you won't get any extra for it… This communication channel is extremely secure, so there's no need to be worried about eavesdropping or anything. I'll hand over this method later, so let's keep in contact in the future!" Having said this, Melinda broke off the connection, leaving Leylin behind in deep thought.

A long while later, Leylin touched his chin, "It seems like Melinda's true identity shouldn't be simple, she might have a deep relationship with the Blazing Flame Monarch!"

In reality, Leylin was in favour of Melinda's methods. From the memories he extracted from Marriott's head, Leylin himself had acquired a lot of information and intel. At the very least, him chasing Leylin to Twilight Zone and attacking him there was confirmed to be by order of the Monarch.

With Leylin's temper, he would viciously fight back in answer.

However, it was impossible to accede to Melinda's requests. Even if she suddenly became benevolent and did not try to backstab him, she would definitely possess most of the benefits.

Leylin had no desire to tussle with a Breaking Dawn only to end up with nothing. It was very important to first conduct a few probes and rope in many people.

Other Magi might think Leylin and Melinda were lunatics, lacking the calm and rational judgement typical to Magi. It was a joke for two Radiant Moons to even think of causing the fall of a Breaking Dawn Magus! In reality, however, Leylin and Melinda were extremely confident in their own abilities, and could not be compared to regular Radiant Moons.

However, at their cool appearance, an underlying fervent desire coursed through them. They both shared a common goal in seeking revenge, hence the formation of this paper thin alliance.

'Who else did Melinda find though?' Leylin had his doubts, 'There are at most over twenty Radiant Moon Magi in the central continent, with five in our Warlock Union. Those who came up by themselves like Zegna are extremely rare, and most are subservient to other Monarchs… Could Melinda be thinking of convincing some other Monarchs?'

There weren't that many Radiant Moon Magi in the central continent, and even if there were hidden Magi in large organisations, Leylin estimated that there definitely wouldn't be more than thirty.

He had eliminated two Radiant Moons who worked under the Blazing Flame Monarch. Along with Marriott, who Melinda had brought him, perhaps the Monarch no longer had any subordinates of great power, having to come attack Leylin himself. This possibility was very likely. Perhaps there wasn't even a single Radiant Moon under the Blazing Flame Monarch now.

And now, he probably held a deep-seated hatred towards the main causes of such a disaster, Leylin and Melinda.

If not for the Morning Star Area being renowned for having fended off Breaking Dawn Magi before, he would likely have rushed over long ago.

As for Melinda? This woman was just too mysterious, and she might even have more trump cards than Leylin and definitely had aces up her sleeve. Leylin wouldn't bother worrying about her safety.

"I heard from her that after eliminating the Blazing Flame Monarch, I can get some amazing benefits…" Leylin's pupils shone with light from the A.I. Chip as large numbers of images and scenes flashed in front of him.

The A.I. Chip's processor had been stretched to the limit, and it had begun operations.

'Her words are very credible. In that case, I won't need to invite Wayde and the rest. Of course, I can still get the Warlock Union to gather intel and stuff like that.' Leylin made up his mind.

It was not just the Warlock Union. Leylin was already preparing to command the Kemoyin Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan to expend all effort on finding news regarding the Blazing Flame Monarch, especially anything that had to do with Melinda.

He had a feeling that the relationship between the two was definitely not as simple as it seemed, and perhaps when the truth was revealed at the end, everyone would be shocked.

However, rather than gathering information, Leylin was more focused on the information she had leaked.

"So there's a Warlock in the union whose bloodline has reached rank 6?" Leylin's eyes began to flicker with intelligence, "It should be that Radiant Moon Warlock who hasn't shown himself yet…"

Even though his Kemoyin bloodline had risen to that of a Kemoyin Emperor, his bloodline was still at rank 5, a level lower than a rank 6 bloodline. Such a person would only encounter bloodline shackles at the end of rank 6, which was much better when compared to a Warlock like Leylin.

Of course, before a rank 6 bloodline appeared, Warlocks with rank 5 bloodlines could be said to be regal amongst Warlocks, and they were the ones who had been supporting the Warlock Union.

The inheritor of a rank 6 bloodline was their hope, someone who could cross over into Breaking Dawn and become a Monarch of bloodlines.