Cries and howls sounded.
Indescribable noises echoed past Leylin's ears as he stepped foot into the passageway. The secret that Robin had kept so tightly was about to be revealed to him.
'There must've been something more to that expedition we did.' Leylin thought about other matters as he took note of his surroundings.
'Robin was evidently impatient when we last explored the Quicksand pocket dimension. And the information he held about the dimension was definitely not possible for someone who only worked internally. He'd probably known all the secrets within Quicksand Castle long ago, and went there specifically for it…'
Leylin's guess was confirmed by the mural.
'Robin's family clearly inherited something important, and it might even be linked to the Quicksand Organisation.'
As his journey in the long passageway came to an end, he found himself between two rows of small prison-like cells.
The walls in these cells were covered in complex runes—many of which were familiar to Leylin—that were identical to the bindings of his own Magus Tower.
"The number of cells is crazy," Leylin sized up the rows of cells that seemed to have no end to them, and caught glimpses of shadows within.
'Exactly how many people is he planning to imprison?' he thought as he came in front of a cell.
"Outsider detected, warning dispatched! Destroy!"
A deep voice masculine voice sounded as Leylin entered Shadow Stealth mode, the man was a formation genie in charge of this area, holding a position similar to that of his own tower genie.
"A.I. Chip," Leylin lightly called out.
[Spiritual force interface discovered, forcefully manipulating data!] The A.I. Chip replied mechanically, without an ounce of emotion.
The voice started to change in an instant, becoming hoarse.
"Invasion by outsider's spiritual force! Activating first layer of defences!"
"Defence broken, activating level 2 firewall and alarms! Beginning self-destruction!"
"Invasion of outsider's spiritual force into centre formation genie. Warning! Warning!"
"Destruction imminent in T minus 3, 2… Warning dispersed! Operation normal! Outsider's spiritual force intercepted. No information has been leaked."
Its voice that was initially submersed in fright and hoarseness became choppy. Light shone everywhere, illuminating the surroundings distinctly as it turned into a unique robotic one, that of the A.I. Chip.
An intelligence of this standard was nothing in front of Leylin's A.I. Chip, it was only a matter of time before it was breached.
The administrator of this region had already changed from the formation genie to Leylin's A.I. Chip.
After he successfully took it over, the place had become Leylin's backyard. Even Robin would fail to detect him.
Of course, he had to thank his luck that he took care of the formation genie in a short time. Most formation genies would have self-destructed in time, and alerted their owners, landing Leylin in a heap of trouble.
Thankfully, Robin's formation genie was of a lower rank. If it were a core formation genie set up by a Morning Star Magus, the A.I. Chip would have faced a lot of difficulties.
Now, Leylin was in control.
"Activate the observation window of cell 0023!" Following Leylin's command, a white ray of light shone in the cell, ridding it of the darkness, the prisoner appearing in front of Leylin.
And the prisoner appeared in front of Leylin.
"Huh?! This is…" Leylin's pupils dilated. "I've seen him somewhere…"
It was a Warlock; more accurately, a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock.
This sense of familiarity between bloodlines was always accurate. The Warlock in front of him looked plaintive; not only was he almost naked—only clothed in pathetic rags—his whole body was riddled with large wounds.
Some granulation tissue could be seen squirming on the wounds, they were repairing themselves. It looked revolting.
"Don't… Don't come any nearer. You monster!" A low voice rumbled from the Warlock's mouth.
"I'm not Robin!" Leylin cleared his throat and said.
"..." The Warlock raised his head and Leylin could see his goblin-like face. As if on cue, hope filled his eyes, replacing the dread and despair that existed before he saw Leylin.
"Sa- Save me! Please save me, Lord Leylin!"
He was like a drowning man that was grasping at the last straw as he crawled to the middle of the cell,
It was then that Leylin realised that both the legs of the Warlock were missing. He was completely disabled.
Though it could be healed using limb regeneration spells or other high-grade potions, Robin wouldn't have been so nice.
"Tell me, what happened? Why are you here?" Leylin looked dreadfully displeased, and his voice was low as ever.
"It's Robin! He captured me, my wife and my children and caged us here right after he attacked my family! He- He's a demon!"
He seemed to have undergone an overly traumatic experience that caused him to stumble over his words.
"Master! Master! Take me away please, I'm begging you!" He shouted himself hoarse as his eyes watered.
Leylin could only shake his head at this scene. Though the advancements of Warlock were largely a result of their bloodlines, making moving up the ranks easier, to see such low willpower from a Warlock was still very rare.
High-ranking Magi usually had tenacious spirits, and could compose themselves quickly even in huge events.
"Tell me, what exactly did he do?" Two rays of lights shot from Leylin's eyes, and made the Warlock speechless.
"He- He-" The Warlock sobbed and hugged his knees close, coiling into himself as he trembled endlessly.
"He- How dare he eat my Gwen! Oh Lord, she was only 7…"
"And Hugo, and Ron…" He could not stop listing name after name and looked absent-minded. He ended up wrapping his arms around his head, refusing to think anymore.
"A drastic change in temperament, imprisoning people, rumours of cannibalism, a mural to Beelzebub, the prince of gluttony!" Leylin let out a long sigh. The pieces came together to form a complete picture in his head.
"Wow, this is…" He did not know what to say. Robin's desire for power had already reached such sick levels.
Though Leylin didn't label himself a good guy, he would never go as far as Robin had.
Just then, the A.I. Chip relayed a piece of information to Leylin.
[Beep! Scan of underground laboratory completed! 341 prisoners: 34 Giant Kemoyin Warlocks, 22 Rank 3 Warlocks…]
"Other matters aside, things will be over for Robin the moment he gets exposed…" As Leylin went further, he saw that the cells on both sides were full of all kinds of Warlocks. Most of them had portions of their bodies missing, and he even saw a few elders from Robin's own family.
It seemed like the elders who disappeared were all captured by Robin and locked up here.
Upon seeing Leylin, all the Warlocks went mad; some were wailing, some were bellowing in fury demanding that Leylin punish Robin for his sins. Even the eyes of the elders from Robin's own family were filled with hatred and rage; they had evidently given up on Robin long ago.
"These Warlocks, most of them should be from the families that Robin eliminated…" Leylin sighed. Who would know that Robin would have the guts to seize his enemies and lock them up in a secret cellar like this?
And judging from their faces, Leylin bet they would rather have died on the battlefield.
Though Leylin pitied them, he didn't order the A.I. Chip to deactivate the defence in the cells and allow them out.
After all, there were still many prisoners here that could cause chaos if let out.
Furthermore, Leylin still had more tasks to be performed that needed to be hidden from Robin.
"The core cell! Who is the one imprisoned there?" At the end of the passageway was a large cell. A few sparks could be seen jumping along the blood red electrified cage every now and then, firmly caging a Magus inside.
[No information found within the formation genie's data, this place is marked top secret!] The A.I. Chip sent back.
"Who are you?"
Standing beside the cage, Leylin was curious about the shadow inside. As the criminal who was under the tightest form of imprisonment in the entire cellar, this person could not be simple.
The prisoner raised his head after hearing Leylin's voice, and Leylin's pupils constricted in an instant before he broke out in cold sweat.
"Ro– Senior Robin?"
The person in the cage possessed a face that was bewitching, but malnourished beyond recognition. It was as though all flesh and blood had been drained from him. Robin could only force a smile before calling out for Leylin.
"Leylin, you're here?"
"What is going on? Who is that 'Robin' out there?" Leylin's expression was dark.
He felt an unusually familiar aura from this Robin who was in front of him, his smile unforgettable.
When he'd first entered Phosphorescence Swamp, Robin wore this exact same smile when welcoming Leylin as he stood by the entrance to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters.
"You should be able to guess by now," Robin was very weak and had to pause after every other word.
All muscles seemed to have disappeared, leaving Robin a sack of bones.
If not for his features, Leylin would have thought the person in front of him was a skeleton.
-x-X-x-
"How is he outside?" Robin lifted his head and asked Leylin, hope in his eyes.
Leylin was silent for a moment but still ended up speaking, "He has advanced to the peak of the Crystal Phase, and the curse marks have taken up over 60% of his face. He doesn't seem to be in a good state of mind."
"The initial phase has ended. He is now undergoing 'Flesh Immolation', but is still quite a distance from the final 'Gluttony's Monarch'."
Robin sighed, "Can you let me out or bring me before him? There are some things that I want to tell him."
"I'm sorry, but the situation is very dangerous…" Leylin's expression was grim, "Shouldn't you give me an answer now?"
"What answer? Haven't you guessed everything already?"
"Just a part of it. Why are you here?" Leylin asked.
Robin glanced at Leylin and began to speak unhurriedly. "Hehe… our ancestors once obtained some information regarding the 'gluttony imprint' and knew that it was within the ancient Quicksand Castle in the Forgotten Land. That was why we were so eager in inviting you all there…"
The gluttony imprint was a fragment of the consciousness of the sin of gluttony, Beelzebub that remained in Verdant City. It was said that Magi who obtained the gluttony imprint would awaken with a terrifying appetite, but at the same time gain several unique abilities.
This gluttony imprint had once brought great suffering upon the regions surrounding Verdant City. There had even been a situation where a whole city had been devoured.
Only with the work of numerous Magi was this chaos suppressed. Countless imprints were destroyed, leaving behind a few to be used as samples in research.
"My ancestor was one of the lower class members of Quicksand, and there are records in his notes. The gluttony imprint was once collected by Quicksand and improved using large amounts of devouring-type bloodlines, achieving the effect of improving and purifying one's own bloodline."
The history of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks was of course long, and extended to the ancient era. However, the Ouroboros Clan had yet to be established then, which was why entering a Warlock organisation like Quicksand was very common.
Only after the end of the ancient era did the remaining Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks set up the Ouroboros Clan, which had then lasted up to date.
"So you set your sights on that gluttony imprint?" Leylin's voice was cold.
"Yes. As long as I have it, I'm confident that I can purify our bloodline till it is comparable to the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent, and even reach the Morning Star realm!" Robin's eyes blazed for a moment before turning dulled once more.
"Looks like the one who initially obtained the gluttony imprint was indeed you, and the one who went up on the airship with us was you. If not, Mentor would definitely have noticed. The sudden change must have happened after our return…" Leylin continued on from Robin's words.
"Yes. The spiritual contamination from the gluttony imprint is much too terrifying. In just a few short months, I could no longer control myself. I lost control of my emotions quite a few times…" Robin smiled wryly.
"So you decided to strip it off and look for a guinea pig to reduce this property, And you picked Noah."
"No, Noah requested that I do that!" Robin roared, and collapsed spinelessly.
"He was such a good child! I still remember his gaze when we spoke, full of hope and resolution… At that moment, I'd thought that only Warlocks like him would be able to subdue the gluttony imprint…
"I now know the consequences."
Leylin nodded. Whether it was the large change in personality after receiving the imprint or some hatred originally inside Noah, Leylin had no wish to pursue this further. The situation was clear.
Noah imprisoned his own uncle and many elders, holding his family in his grasp. He had even arrested high-grade pure-blood Warlocks and, by devouring their bloodline, purified his own.
Recently, he had even set his sights on Miranda, and was met with a fierce counterattack from her.
"The remains of high-energy beings like that all cause a lot of trouble!" Leylin knew this well. Whether it was the original spirit of the Lamia bone or the spiritual force contamination from his interplanar experiments, this was always the case.
Thankfully, Leylin's will was strong and decisive, and he could thus eliminate these dangers. If not, he'd be no better off than Noah.
"Using the sin of gluttony to improve his own bloodline?" Leylin touched his chin. This was a rather interesting topic, and the fact that the Noah outside had, from a newly-advanced rank 3 Warlock, broken through both the Vapour Phase and the Hydro Phase to arrive at the Crystal Phase in one go, it was obvious that this had a high possibility of working. All he needed to do was settle the issue of the spiritual force contamination.
"The situation now is very complicated. I can only save you first and see what headquarters says…" Even Leylin found this difficult to handle. Only the three Morning Star elders had the qualifications to make the final decision.
"A.I. Chip, open the core restriction room." Leylin ordered.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* The blood-red electricity of the cage died out, and the binding runes in the room dimmed.
The A.I. Chip suddenly sent a warning. [Beep! Discovered foreign spiritual force, determined to be the remains of a spirit genie.]
"He actually set up a second spirit genie to mobilise only if the core restriction room is closed?" Leylin was shocked. Evidently, Noah had not completely lost his mind and was meticulous.
[Beginning eradication of spirit genie. Another party is forcefully interfering with transmission of data and sending out cries for help. Beginning interception.]
The A.I. Chip worked quickly, but with the preparations the opponent had made, it could not intercept the data successfully.
[Interception failed. Data has been transmitted.] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded.
"Shit!" Leylin cursed, and quickly left with Robin.
Meanwhile, the face of 'Robin' in the reception hall of the castle warped.
"What's going on?" Leylin, who was holding his wine cup, smiled gently.
"Die!" Noah, who had received the information, could obviously tell that Leylin in front of him was just a puppet, and that he had been duped.
He instantly reddened in fury. Gauntlets of black crystal appeared on his hands as they were struck into the smiling Leylin's chest.
*Clatter!* The glass cup fell to the ground, creating a clear sound. Scarlet wine flew everywhere.
The hall immediately turned quiet. The guests all looked in this direction, full of disbelief. Lord Robin had dared attack the enforcer at a banquet? Was this a rebellion?
"Ah!" An urgent, panicky female shriek sounded, and the time which seemed to have stopped in the hall moved once more.
The Magi present immediately moved. The Warlocks of Robin's family gathered, while Parker protected Snoopy as he transferred his men over.
Two waves of Warlocks gathered amidst the stream of people like two giant reefs, unmoving in the confusion.
Contrary to their behaviour, the musicians, waiters, dancers, clowns, and others were startled. They fled in their alarm, occasionally letting out piercing screams.
Based on this situation, it was obvious the Warlocks on both ends had not let down their guard and were prepared to become hostile.
*Tss tss!* Noah expressionlessly watched the Leylin in his hands. Now, this Leylin who was in front of him, had completely turned black. Droplets of black liquid flowed from the wound and onto the ground, producing white gas.
"I'm going out for a while. Kill all of Leylin's subordinates!" Noah carelessly dumped the shadow puppet in his hands and turned into a black phantom that disappeared.
By the time Noah had left, the Warlocks confronting each other in the hall first quietened down, and then great amounts of spell rays lit up.
The flood of chaotic elemental particles drowned the hall...
"I wouldn't be so stupid as to fight with an opponent in their nest, which they've operated in for thousands of years!" With one hand on Robin, Leylin crushed a few armoured knights blocking his path into bits.
Under the silver knight armours was only air. These armours, that were meant to just be ornamental, seemed to have received some order and suddenly began attacking Leylin.
Adding to his troubles, many long ash-black tongues filled the passageway behind him, sweeping forwards.
"These knights are 'Silent Guards.' Without attacking the core, it's impossible to destroy them." Robin, who was pressed against Leylin's side, served well as a guide yet did nothing else.
Not only was he gravely injured, his spiritual force was in ruins. A large amount seemed to have been devoured, and his strength had fallen to that of a rank 1 Warlock. If not, Leylin wouldn't be so at ease in bringing him along.
"Rather than the silent guards, you need to be careful of the tongues behind you!" Seeing the forces behind them, Robin's expression changed. "This is a passageway our family found by accident. It seems to have mutated and made a connection with a majestic existence above. The ash-black tongues are parts of that existence.
"Even a Crystal Phase rank 3 Warlock would find it troublesome if caught, and might even be devoured. A few seniors in the family have died from it."
Due to the terrifying radiation, a few ancient Magus castles would mutate, giving rise to situations that even Magi couldn't make head or tails of.
These strange phenomena were taken advantage of by their descendants, who used them as defences.
-x-X-x-
"Can you control them?" With regards to unforeseeable situations, Leylin was always more cautious.
He looked at Robin. After all, Robin was the clan leader and should have had some tricks up his sleeve.
"I'm afraid not! Noah's taken away my authority. Moreover, once the Devouring Corridor is engaged, even the clan leader himself can't control it…"
"Then what was the point of me saving you?" Leylin rolled his eyes and pulled Robin along, sprinting at a much higher speed.
Soon Robin proved that, as a clan leader, he was still very familiar with his castle. Under his guidance, after rushing through three rooms, Leylin managed to jump down from a window pane.
The moment before he left the window ledge, numerous tongues swiftly climbed forward and filled the entire room, but had not followed through their attack to the exterior of the castle. It was as if there was a chasm at the fringes of the castle that was difficult to pass through, or even barriers outside.
Only at that point in time did Leylin have the leisure to look at his secret imprint.
"Master… they've gone on the offensive! The situation here is extremely chaotic!" an impatient Parker transmitted even as the rumble of explosions from spells could be heard in the background.
"Today's banquet is extremely lively!" Leylin looked at the ancient black castle. Through one of the windows in the living room, he could see explosions and flames being set off in the room.
"Put your own safety as the priority, and escape as soon as you can!" Leylin did not have the plans to return once more. After all, those still inside the castle were his subordinates. Subordinates fought to the death for their masters, not the other way around.
"Your nephew seems to be coming over!"
After they escaped, Robin's head had been hanging low, his thoughts a mystery. Leylin indifferently set him down under an oak tree.
After hearing his tone, Robin raised his head and saw a black figure rushing down from the ancient castle, with a terrifying aura on his body.
That was the terrifying power of a Crystal Phase Magus. Coupled with the fact that he also possessed the ancient Gluttonous Desire, these had caused even Leylin to furrow his brows.
*Boom!* A figure landed in front of Leylin, and revealed a face that was mostly covered with runes.
"Noah!" Leylin let out a long sigh. Relatives Noah and Robin had very similar face shapes and auras. But with the influence of the gluttony imprint concealing and obscuring things, even Morning Star Magi might not have been able to realise the difference. However, there was no way Leylin would not be able to recognise him.
"Uncle…" Noah's voice was low as he gazed at Robin who was seated on the ground. Complex emotions whirled across his face.
Shortly after, the black runes on his face started to move about, causing changes to its shape.His nose became sharper and eyes wider.
It took only a few tweaks for Noah to look drastically different, as he regained his original appearance.
"You've changed a lot…" Robin said after a moment of silence.
"I have not changed! Was this not always your wish anyway?" A vicious look flashed across Noah's face. He bowed to Robin, his etiquette perfect to the point that nobody could nitpick about it. He was the perfect example of royalty.
"Very soon, the aspirations of our clan will be realised. I can feel it. Under the radiation of the sin of gluttony, my Kemoyin bloodline has been purified. I'm only one step away from becoming a pureblood Kemoyin Warlock!"
Mysterious rays shot out of Noah's eyes as he bit his own finger to show Robin and Leylin the pure purplish-red blood.
Immediately, he greedily sucked the same finger which he'd previously bit, even as his face was immersed in pleasure.
"Crazy! You've completely gone insane!" Robin grabbed his head in pain and regret, "I should not have allowed you to inherit the imprint to begin with… No, I shouldn't even have gone to Quicksand to uncover it!"
On the other side, Leylin looked at Noah proudly showing the purity of his bloodline, and was rendered speechless.
From what he saw, even though the Kemoyin bloodline of the other party was extremely pure, but compared to the first time Leylin had purified his Kemoyin bloodline, there was still an obvious difference.
Just based on the luster, if Leylin's bloodline was initially a diamond, Noah's bloodline was at most coal, or even worse than that.
And after having absorbed large amounts of radiation from the Lamia bone, his bloodline had been purified to an unprecedented level, and might even have surpassed the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent!
"I'm not crazy! For those trash to be the foundations to allow for our clan to flourish is definitely an honour for them!"
Noah lifted his hands in despair, his eyes bloodshot, "I have a feeling that if only I were to eat him, my bloodline would advance to an unprecedented level, and I could even advance to the Morning Star realm!"
Noah pointed at Leylin and his eyes widened, as if he was a plate of some delicacy.
That gaze made Leylin uncomfortable, especially when the other party started to contemplate on where he should start devouring him.
Leylin kept the Memory Crystal Ball that would be the evidence for later before he swiftly asked Robin, "Since he has already confessed, there shouldn't be a problem if I start killing here in my name as an enforcer, right?"
"...." Robin's face looked pale, and he did not utter a single word, only waving his hand.
After getting Robin's approval, Leylin had no more misgivings.
In actual fact, just based on what Noah had done previously, Leylin would not hesitate to kill him. Still, it would be better with Robin's understanding.
After all, the other party was his senior, and he would have to take note of the potential aftereffects.
"Tsk tsk! He actually dared to utter such words to me!" Noah licked his lips, and the imprint on his face went into action. "It's decided! I'll make sure you don't get to leave this place, and I'll slowly devour your meat, a kilogram a day!"
There were many ways for Magi to regenerate their muscles, a natural product of their high vitality.
As a result, even though the flesh might have been cut off, it would grow back in a designated amount of time. That was a characteristic that Noah had made use of when he imprisoned many Magi and left them in circumstances where they were better off dead than alive.
"Devour you! I'll devour you!" Noah's face warped as he went berserk, and he rushed towards Leylin like a beast. Black blood vessels rose from his body, and like tentacles, covered Leylin's face.
At the tips of the blood vessels, needle-like structures appeared. Should it penetrate one's sick, the bone marrow could even be sucked away in an instant.
"Gross!" Leylin shook his head, and a black ray erupted from his waist. The Meteor Sword brought with it the terrifying Kemoyin venom, and formed a black wall in front of Leylin.
Numerous blood vessels were immediately chopped off by the sharp edges of the Meteor Sword. The horrifying venom even started to corrode them, causing them to rot and fall loudly to the ground.
"Grrrr..." Noah opened his mouth, and large amounts of saliva dropped to the ground.
The current him was already under the absolute control of the sin of gluttony, and he had become a beast that moved around merely based on instinct.
Robin had turned his head, and dare not look at the miserable scene.
*Buzz!* During the attack, Noah's body had been shrouded by a layer of black light. After the light dissipated, numerous pieces of black armour could be seen on his body.
No matter what, Noah was still a Crystal Phase Magus, and Leylin would not dare to belittle his abilities.
"Shadowflame Plague!" He swiftly chanted, and black flames shot forth from his robes like an aura, aiming for Noah who was rushing over.The black flames burned the crystal defence, heating up the surroundings so much that the air distorted.
Noah yelled and, like a beast, rushed out of the sea of fire and appeared before Leylin. The movement was almost instantaneous.
"What a shocking physicality!!" Leylin squinted his eyes as he saw the other party's injuries almost instantly recovering on their own. As he saw the skin patching up, he couldn't help but feel a little fearful.
After which, without any hesitation, he held his Cross Blade and hacked down from Noah's head.
Sharp sword rays were created with the action as the terrifying venom was dissipated carelessly.
Leylin's Toxic Bile had far surpassed other rank 2 innate spells, achieving a horrifying power. It was an effect entirely brought about by the maturation of his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline under the effects of the Lamia fingerbone.
"Crossblade slash!" Black light in the form of a crucifix slashed down upon Noah's body, causing a large vertical wound.
"AHHH!" Noah's face flushed with blood, but he actually grabbed the blade of the sword.
Large amounts of white mist were emitted as his hands started to rot under the horrifying venom. The scene made Robin feel uneasy.
But Noah instantly revealed a smile that suggested that he had gotten away with something, and his eyes were no longer bloodshot.
"You actually were sane all this while!" Leylin cried out. That astonished him more than Noah inheriting the gluttony imprint and replacing Robin.
"It's too late now to realise it!" The injuries on his abdomen and chest were all covered by a layer of black blood vessels, and his aura increased exponentially to a peak.
"Arcane Art, Cage of Gluttony!"
A black fog engulfed Leylin and Noah, and Robin's face changed as he heard the gnawing sounds from within.
"The Cage of Gluttony?" On the other hand, Leylin who was shrouded in darkness casually waved both his hands forth in a bid to size up the strength of the formation.
"This isn't the energy system of our world. It must be a formation from the path of another realm, a result of the inheritance of Beelzebub's clone!"
Even as Leylin spoke, numerous mouths with ivory teeth surrounded him.
-x-X-x-
Leylin's indifferent tone instantly infuriated Noah who was hiding in the dark, and a sinister voice sounded, "I hope you'll still feel that way when you are under the attack of the Gluttony's Kiss!"
This voice seemed to come from all directions, making one unable to grasp his location.
"The weakness of such barriers lies in the one who casts them. Once he's attacked, they will immediately collapse!" Leylin continued speaking in a superior tone, as though he was commenting on Noah's spell.
"So what if you know its weakness? After undergoing refinement, my Cage of Gluttony now possesses a portion of the power of a Morning Star domain. A mere Crystal Phase Magus like you will definitely never see through it!" Noah's voice sounded again, but this time, he seemed flustered and exasperated.
Anyone who saw their own enemy being unconcerned when caught in their trap, when by all rights they should've been struggling in their death throes, would feel enraged.
With a command, numerous dreadful mouths with sharp tongues started to attack Leylin by gnawing at him.
"Scale Shield!" A multitude of black crystals appeared with a snap of Leylin's fingers, forming a shield covered in a layer of scales on one side. When the white teeth bit the shield, they produced jarring noises and a great amount of sparks.
Under the attack of the numerous teeth, the defence of the Scale Shield was in imminent danger, and it seemed like it would be smashed to smithereens within minutes.
"Haha… Haha…" Seeing this, Noah let out a carefree laugh.
"Even if you saw through it, what can you do? Won't you still be ground into mincemeat under the attack of my Cage of Gluttony? I have decided—I'll preserve your tongue well, and savour it slowly..."
Even though he was clear-headed, he still showed the symptoms of insanity under the influence of the gluttony imprint.
As he listened to Noah's declaration of victory, and as the Scale Shield around him shattered, Leylin shook his head.
"If it was just this barrier, it would practically be unbreakable by rank 3 Magi, and even I would have to spend a great amount of spiritual force to forcefully break out of it, but what a pity…" Leylin sighed, as though he was genuinely feeling sorry for Noah's misfortune.
"You shouldn't have collaborated with the Oakheart Clan!"
"How did you—" Before Noah could complete his sentence, a terrifying ray of death had already pierced through the numerous barriers and hit Noah who was hidden in the cracks of darkness precisely.
Fatality's Tip! This formidable spell that the A.I. Chip had specially designed for Leylin had the terrifying effect of delivering a fatal blow to a rank 3 Magus.
*Pew! Pew! Pew!* Under Fatality's Tip, Noah's defence was torn apart like paper, and even his innate spells were easily smashed apart by the ray of death, as if eggshells meeting a hammer.
"Gluttony! Gluttony! The almighty Beelzebub! You are the sovereignty of Gluttony, controller of Gluttony!" A voice resonated in Noah's surroundings, as if chanting yet also praying.
Amidst the prayers, the black runes on Noah's face flashed, and actually broke away from his face, taking the shape of a black seed that obstructed Fatality's Tip.
"Power from conviction? Or bestowed from a God?" Leylin was always apprehensive about the legendary world of the gods. Some of his knowledge attained in his previous world regarding deities and gods added on to his understanding of such higher powers.
Therefore, upon witnessing this form, Leylin immediately made an association.
But shortly after, he sneered, "If Beelzebub's original body— or even his clone— was here, he would be able to crush me with just a finger! But now, a useless seed without the support of the spiritual force of the original body wants to kill me?"
Having conducted interplanar experiments before, Leylin naturally understood the weakness of such spiritual force seeds that descended from other worlds, especially those that had their connections to both sides cut off
It could be said that even if the other party's original body was beyond rank 7 and they had already reached a terrifying realm, they would still be unable to provide any assistance to the spiritual force seed here.
In fact, this black seed was not even a spiritual force seed, only a product of the annihilated clone's spiritual contamination, tainted with fragments of its memory.
The rays of death struck the black seed relentlessly, humming coldly.
*Pew!* After the black rays of light flashed, the spiritual force seed fell to the ground with a hole on its surface. As it slowly petrified, it took the shape of a stony rune.
Fatality's Tip penetrated Noah, who appeared to have given up all hope. If not for Leylin who slanted his finger at the final juncture, Noah's entire brain might have been fried completely.
But now, Noah lay on the ground like a dead dog, a gaping hole in his chest. He murmured in disbelief, "How… How did this happen?"
Leylin walked up and destroyed his consciousness ruthlessly, his voice cold as ice. "Speak! When did you start ganging up with the Oakheart Clan?"
"70 years ago. I once went to Azure Mountain City in search of a way to fix the Cage of Gluttony, and at that time the Oakheart Clan helped me find what was lacking…"
After losing the gluttony imprint, Noah seemed like a lost soul. He had regressed to a state where he was even worse off than an average human after his consciousness was ruined, allowing Leylin to get answers out of him by using an illusory spell.
"You actually dared to collude with that clan! You're really tired of living, aren't you!" Having interacted with them before, Leylin understood the Oakheart Clan. They were a bunch of people without morals. It was a tragedy that Noah had looked them up.
It was also the Oakheart Clan that had aided Leylin in breaking the Cage of Gluttony in one stroke.
Although the Cage of Gluttony indeed isolated itself from all sorts of detection, such that he wasn't confident even in the A.I. Chip's scans, Leylin still discovered minute traces of stardust bug activity on Noah.
There were only a few such bugs, and they probably had concealment spells on them, which was why Leylin hadn't sensed anything initially.
When Noah had completely burst and dragged Leylin into the Cage of Gluttony, Leylin immediately activated the atomic scanning function of the A.I. Chip.
He initially wanted to find a flaw in the Cage of Gluttony, but who would have thought that he would accidentally find traces of stardust bugs!
Leylin had roughly learnt how to deal with these bugs while at the auction. The fact that Noah actually had parasitic stardust bugs on him was as good as adorning himself with huge light bulbs, revealing his location to Leylin.
There was no doubt as to what would happen next. Leylin aimed his Fatality's Tip and solved all his problems.
"The Oakheart Clan?" Robin's expression changed. They were a powerful family with a Morning Star Magus as their backing. His nephew's dealings with them were completely against his own interest.
"It seems that the recent changes in the Ouroboros Clan have involved the interference of the powers of Azure Mountain City!" Leylin stroked his chin, and decided to evacuate immediately.
He was now even more afraid of bumping into this clan. If the issue from before was revealed, the other party would definitely come chasing after him to the ends of the earth, even if he had the support of his Morning Star Mentor.
"Senior Robin! How about we put a stop to the commotion in the castle, then take Noah to headquarters to plead guilty?" Leylin looked at Robin, who was standing at the side, and asked respectfully.
"Of course we should!" Robin smiled bitterly. Did he even still have room to reject?
"Great, let's…" Leylin was about to say something, but his expression suddenly changed, "Who's there?"
Numerous potions immediately emerged from the pouch at his waist, combining to form a terrifying rank 3 spell in the air, 'Death's Blade'.
A glowing black arc cut across, instantly shaving out a huge plain. Everything in the way — stones, large trees, and even small hills— were halved by a thin layer of light, revealing flawlessly smooth gaps.
A few figures were forced out by Death's Blade and projected in front of Leylin.
"Leylin Farlier! I finally found you!" The Magi present were all in the Crystal Phase, and their chief was a Magus whose terrifying strength was at the peak of the Crystal Phase. The person who spoke was a middle-aged man, with his gold hair up like flames. The hatred in his voice made Leylin's hair stand on end.
"Leo!" Leylin bellowed his name. This robed leader was actually the chief of the Oakheart Clan. From his expression, it was clear that he knew about Leylin's disguise previously.
"A prophecy?" Leylin thought that he had wiped out his tracks cleanly, but the other party had actually discovered his identity nonetheless. He must have prophesied his identity.
While the Azure Mountain King himself wasn't a Prophet, as long as one was willing to pay a large sum it was still possible to enlist the services of other Magi.
It was just that the speed of the other party's reaction, as well as their viciousness, far exceeded Leylin's expectations.
It was likely that, to predict Leylin's location, the entire Oakheart Clan had paid in blood.
But if one thought about the consequences that the Oakheart Clan would suffer once Leylin exposed their stardust bugs, it somehow seemed understandable.
"Kill!" Indeed, Leo cut to the chase, as though afraid that Leylin would expose him. He immediately got to work once they met, and didn't give Leylin any chance to speak.
*Boom! Boom!* Terrifying waves erupted from the Crystal Phase Magi next to him, and numerous black chains appeared around Leylin, wrapping him up.
A powerful binding force was exerted on him.
Leo unrolled a simple and unadorned scroll, and the energy waves that burst forth from it made Leylin feel suffocated.
"A rank 4 spell scroll? You really do think quite highly of me!"
Leylin's pupils contracted, and he immediately whispered to Leo, "If I die here, I swear the issue with the stardust bugs will instantly be revealed and spread throughout the entire central continent!"
-x-X-x-
The threatening words only caused Leo's hands to tremble a little, and the scroll remained tightly in his grip.
Relationships were based on strength, and this was something even more pronounced in the world of Magi.
Why would anyone be threatened by an ant? These could affect Leylin even up to the Morning Star realm, and at this point?
Leo sneered, his spiritual force continuously seeping into the scroll. At worst, he could just kill the opposite party and invite his Master to take part as they slew the rest of the Magi who could possibly know the secret.
The only powers that could restrain the Oakheart Clan were those at the Morning Star realm and above. The current Leylin didn't even qualify to bargain.
Leylin understood this principle. What he sought was not a withdrawal, he just needed that moment of pause.
The moment Leo froze when Leylin's voice was transmitted, he sprung into action.
"Kemoyin's Scales!" "Toxic Bile!" "Intimidating Gaze!" Acting on the chant, all 3 innate spells immediately took effect.
Compared to the other methods of using spells or potions, a Magus' innate spell would take effect in the blink of an eye. Thus, in times of danger, every Magus would first choose to use their innate spells, and Leylin was no exception.
A layer of shiny black scales immediately enveloped his entire body. The two domains of poison and Intimidating Gaze was launched in his attack without any reservations. At this critical moment, Leylin had burst forth with all his power.
Without any apprehensions, the Toxic Bile poisoned Noah who was standing by his side. Thereafter, the ripples struck the surrounding Crystal Phase Magi, creating countless waves.
After absorbing the Lamia bone's radiation, the power of Leylin's Intimidating Gaze had swelled by a few folds. The pressure was immense even for similarly-ranked Crystal Phase Magi.
"Such strength of the domains? Even average Crystal Phase Kemoyin Warlocks are not this strong!" The enormous amounts of life force caused the iron chains to start trembling.
The surrounding Magi, numbers 1 and 2, immediately cried out in alarm.
"Fatality's Tip!" At such a juncture, Leylin did not show the slightest reservations. The black rays of death, aimed at the weakest link, number 3. It was like a vicious viper baring its ferocious teeth at its prey.
"Number 2, number 4, support!" Number 1 yelled immediately. As the leader of the team, he needed to help stall for time as Leo launched his rank 4 spell.
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!* Multiple chains appeared like a wall, blocking Leylin's advance.
"Cross Blade Slash!" Leylin held onto the Meteor Sword, its black blade dazzling. The iron chains started to break apart into pieces, dropping to the ground one after the other.
The remaining unbroken ones started to erode away, revealing multiple tiny holes.
*Pak!* The iron chain was split apart. The rays of death appeared before number 3.
"You want my life?" Number 3 looked like a kindly old man, and had extremely thin and long lips. At that moment, he lost all self-control and started howling as his face warped.
"Thunderstorm Shield!" Sparks of blue electricity danced around, forming a massive blue shield in front of him. On top of the shield were flickering multiple streams of current.
*Rumble!* The death rays clashed with the blue shield. Two different streaks of brilliance collided in midair.
Although the shield was showing signs of being unable to endure for long, it bought him enough time for backup to arrive. Seeing the support, number 3 broke out into a smile.
But the next moment, his face froze. With a flash of his body, another identical Leylin appeared in front of number 3 and dashed forward.
"Lightning Spear!" Number 3 waved his hand and two shafts appeared in his hands that were bathed in arcs of blue electricity. Following his command, the two long spears darted towards the two 'Leylin's.
*Crackle!* One 'Leylin" was pierced by the long spear, and the slight explosion caused darkness to fill the whole sky. The same happened to the other Leylin.
"No!" Panic washed over number 3 and he turned around.
Yet, it was too late. Leylin emerged from a crack in the darkness and dashed directly towards him.
"Multilimb Strength!" A strange, unusual image manifested behind Leylin. It was a huge, tall humanoid covered in green scales. It had three thick and bulky arms on the left, and four on the right. It gave off a thunderous roar.
Leylin's muscles swelled instantly, bringing a kind of shiny luster to his muscular curves. Rays of green and black combined, forming a terrifying energy.
"Innate defense spell!" Number 3 revealed his last trump card. Numerous currents covered his whole body, forming an armour made wholly out of blue lightning.
"Break!" Bolts of lightning were flung at Leylin's body. However, they were absorbed by the Kemoyin Scales. Leylin's hands violently moved forward and grabbed the opposite party's lightning armour, tearing it in half!
*Zip!* With his terrifying prime body quality and under the enhancement of Multilimb Strength, the lightning armour was torn apart like paper.
The wild electric current destroyed Leylin's defences, and branded his skin and muscles in a horrifying black. Yet, Leylin did not even bat an eyelid.
Although he had other ways of breaking through the other side's blockade, he was in a race against time to succeed. Thus, he believed the best course of action would be this that was simulated multiple times by the A.I. Chip.
His innate defences screeched as they were ripped apart, and number 3 turned pale, trying to flee. But how could Leylin let him do so?
With a huge earth shattering punch, number 3's head was cracked apart, sending splashes of red and white liquid all around.
"Number 3!" Number 1 and number 2 helplessly watched this execution. Now, with one member absent, their formation wasn't whole.
Numerous iron chains grouped up into a cage, but Leylin broke through easily with its instability.
The moment he escaped, horrifying white rays of light grazed through the entire region. A large amount of soil, rocks and even corpses were vaporised, forming a long, deep, ravine.
A rank 4 spell wasn't comparable to a Morning Star Magus' Arcane Art, but a Crystal Phase Magus would not be able to withstand it. If Leylin hadn't escaped in time, he would have perished under the horrifying white light.
"Garbage! You're all a bunch of garbage!" Seeing Leylin's silhouette disappearing in the horizon, Leo immediately chided number 1 and 2. They hung their heads low, with pain and sorrow in their eyes.
Leo was breathing heavily. It took a lot for a rank 3 Magus to use a rank 4 spell.
If it had been put to used by a rank 4 Morning Star Magus, things wouldn't have been so slow, and Leylin wouldn't have escaped.
"Get him!" Leo vented his anger. He brought along the remaining Magi and gave chase.
"Do not let him get away!" Wild whistles and screams sounded from both sides. Leo's eyes burned with an unmasked hatred.
This was the same Leylin that made him suffer a huge loss with that astral stone!
If it was just that one single incident, all that would happen would be a scolding from his grandfather and it wouldn't be a big deal. What infuriated him was the fact that Leylin had discovered the secret of the stardust bugs!
My goodness! If his private collections were discovered, he would be brutally torn to pieces by the enraged female Morning Star Magi!
The methods Morning Star Magi used in tormenting others were unbearably cruel, and feared by even the most savage of devils. Naturally, Leo felt the same way.
Unfortunately, the opposite party had managed to destroy all traces, and Leo had been left with no leads to follow.
As such, his grandfather, the King of Azure Mountain, personally made a trip to locate a Morning Star realm Prophet. After paying an enormous price, they obtained Leylin's definite identity.
As for the enormous price, his grandfather was still working on paying off the debt.
The prophecy showed that Leylin was just a newly advanced Crystal Phase Magus. Hence, the job of hunting him and silencing him fell on Leo.
In order to succeed, he'd brought along a large number of men. He even called upon his spy in the Ouroboros Clan, Noah.
Coincidently, while he was in the Ouroboros Clan's territory in the midst of discussions with Noah, Leylin showed up and bumped into them.
If the location had been Leylin's Onyx Castle, with the presence of the Magus Tower, Leo and his men would not have been able to hide. Furthermore, without any insider help in the Ouroboros Clan's core territory, Leylin was sure Leo wouldn't have dared make any opposing moves. But now? They would never give up this golden opportunity!
Leo's eyes reddened with anger. At that moment, he noticed Leylin stopping. Watching Leylin descending on a bare rock on top of the hill, he and a few of his men immediately followed up and surrounded him.
"Why? With nowhere to hide, are you now seeking death?" Having surrounded Leylin, Leo raised his brows and jeered at him.
Leylin shook his head. He'd been secretly conversing with his A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Scan completed! Articles detected on the opposite side do not exceed the Morning Star realm. No other Morning Star realm undulations detected in the surroundings!]
Leylin was pleased with the conclusion and he secretly sighed a breath of relief, "No. You flies are disgusting, it's about time I cleaned up."
Previously, when he'd fled in disarray, what caused him more worry than the rank 4 spell scroll in the opposite party's hands was the possible presence of the Azure Mountain King.
However, thankfully, he hadn't appeared, only sending forth some Crystal Phase Magi instead.
With Leo leading a team of elite Magi and the use of the rank 4 scroll, it would've been no problem to deal with an average Crystal Phase Magus, even one from the Ouroboros Clan. However, Leylin wasn't your average Magus. Even Morning Star seedlings would be tossed around by him!
"Flies?" Leo's face swelled as he flushed red, "Wait till I catch you. I'll use a magic scroll and turn you into a red-eyed fly!"
'A.I. Chip! Probe the surrounding space and establish a model. Begin charting the best path for a massacre!' Leylin's eyes glinted with a dangerous light.
Since the opposite party had discovered his identity, there was nothing to hold him back anymore. This matter had to come to an end.
-x-X-x-
Leylin was extremely offended by the attempt on his life.
Furthermore, Leo was the chief of the Oakheart Clan. If he was killed here, it would be a huge blow to the Azure Mountain King.
The chase with Leo previously had not been merely for his entertainment. It was for the A.I. Chip to gather vital data and create a plan.
Right now, with the data compiled, the A.I. Chip had come up with a large number of plans. It filtered through them continuously, leaving only the most feasible ones.
[Model establishment completed, simulated combat victory rate: 67.9%!] it reported.
"Enter supplementary mode!" Leylin's voice was laced with a lethal aura.
[Target number 1 is condensing energy particles. Determined to be the rank 3 spell Aurora Beam! Dodge to the right by 3.7m immediately!] the A.I. Chip warned.
As per the simulation and the A.I. Chip's deductions, target 1, Leo, activated a necklace of colourful gems in his hands. A powerful aurora burst forth, immediately attempting to swallow the entire area up along with Leylin.
Leylin dodged to the side in a flash at the same moment the enemy made his move.
"Aurora Beam!" Leo triggered the high-grade magic artifact in his hand. Immediately, a powerful multicoloured torrent drowned out the stone that Leylin was standing on, causing the terrain to cave.
[Target defined as Number 3 is undergoing transformation. Estimated to be a descendant of the Banu Tribe. Bloodline activated, morphing into a Barbarian Bear!]
"Aaaooo…" The moment the A.I. Chip ended the report, one of the men standing by Leo's side let out a thunderous roar and started ripping his clothes apart. He morphed into a brutal bear with stiff white fur.
Countless shards of sparkling ice circled around its body, emitting a freezing chill that formed billows of white fog around it.
"Kill!" Leylin's eyes gleamed blue. He danced gracefully, and lightheartedly managed to dodge from under the huge bear's palm, sliding up in front of it instead. The Meteor Sword traced a beautiful arc as it flitted across the bear's body.
The white fur was slashed apart, revealing bright red flesh and an outline of the internal organs. Blood splattered all around.
Unable to believe its defeat, the enormous creature howled loudly at first, but soon its voice tapered away until it fell silent.
The earth rumbled as the carcass of the white bear resembling a large mountain collapsed onto the ground, causing large amounts of dust to fly. The fur of the bear started to shrink back into its pores, and soon returned to its original form of a Magus.
"Number 4!" Number 1 and number 2 cried out in alarm, their eyes fixed on their dead comrade.
They clearly knew the abilities of number 4, and the fact that after his transformation, he would be able to resist a rank 3 spell easily. And yet, he'd died this quickly!
Number 1's eyes darted towards the Meteor Sword in Leylin's hand. His eyes narrowed and his pupils dilated, "Be wary of his sword! There's something strange about it!"
The Meteor Sword was originally a high-grade magic artifact, but through multiple improvements and optimisations, its quality had improved to that of a piece of magic equipment. Additionally, with the supplementary power of Toxic Bile, the current Meteor Sword could be considered a big threat to any Crystal Phase Magus!
Leylin enjoyed handling foes like the bear, all brawn and no brain.
"Hocada Beast!" On the other side, witnessing Leylin's explosive retaliation, Leo's face hardened and he yelled for his trump card.
Howls rang out as a creature manifested out of thin air that had the upper body of a wolf and the lower half of an octopus. It landed right in front of Leylin. The countless suction pads on its arms looked like magnificent blooming flowers.
"It's no use!" Leylin muttered in a low voice, his silhouette dodging in a flash, avoiding the multiple arms' attack. He stopped in front of the Hocada Beast.
"Multilimb Strength!" The silhouette of a Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind Leylin, formidable power seeping into his body.
[Ding! Multilimb Strength in operation. Host's power is increasing!] The A.I. Chip reported.
Leylin grasped his sword firmly, and hacked at the creature's brain. The beast started cracking apart as fissures arose on its body as if it was breaking glass. They spread all over its body, before pieces of flesh began to simply fall apart.
By the end, the creature's body had been sliced into ruin, eventually crumbling apart like dirt.
"Damn, ho… how are you so strong?" After executing the Hocada Beast, Leylin turned to look at Leo, the killing intent in his eyes causing the Oakheart Clan chief to feel a chill down his spine.
"You're next!" Leo could faintly make out what Leylin mouthed, and could see the mockery in the eyes that were staring into his.
Having never experienced these circumstances before, it was a huge blow to his self-esteem.
"Number 1, number 2, follow me!" Leo roared ferociously.
"Stormwall!" A pale green whirlwind emerged from the short black staff in his hand. The huge whirlwind then formed a terrifying barricade that seemed to be made of sharp blades as it rushed towards Leylin.
Number 1 and 2 nodded their heads, and simultaneously cast their own spells.
"Water Elemental Rite!" A huge blue ball of water appeared on the ground under number one's chant.
"Arctic Draft!" Number 2 summoned a huge bout of chilly air and had it adhere to the ball of water.
The icy wind sucked away the heat from the ball of water, causing a huge reaction as a frightening ball of ice was formed.
"Combination spell—Iceberg Torrent!"
The huge ball of ice was like a meteorite as it darted towards Leylin, smashing onto the ground.
"Impressive!" The blue light in Leylin's eyes dimmed. His body was covered in frost, and yet the Meteor Sword did not deviate even slightly from its trajectory, forging ahead and crashing into it to open up a pathway.
The cold could freeze the average rank 3 Magus to death. To Leylin, though, all it could do was slow him down.
"Shadowflame Plague!" A huge amount of dense black flames clashed with the whirlwind that had now developed into a hurricane. The two clashed, each trying to destroy the other.
"Compared to combination spells, it's wiser to rely on magic equipment. That way there won't be anything to worry about!"
Leylin tore through the hurricane and stepped in front of Leo, his eyes glistened with a piercing chill that gave the other man goosebumps.
"Fatality's Tip!" Black rays of death streaked across the vast sky, reaching Leo in a flash. Just as they were about to strike, a black wooden cross on his neck immediately flashed and formed a rune that represented new life and regeneration.
The barrier shattered as the rays of death dissipated. A majority of the attack had been blocked by the defensive runes, but even then it had only diverted the attack as a thumb-sized hole appeared on Leo's body, bleeding profusely.
"How…. How can this be?" Leo glared at Leylin, the fear in his eyes palpable.
He let out an odd cry, turned his head and fled. Number 1 and number 2 fulfilled their duties as bodyguards faithfully, blocking Leylin from giving chase.
"Giving up after encountering such trivial problems, you certainly deserve to be called a descendant of a big family!" Leylin shook his head and laughed as his gaze on Leo was filled with mockery.
Seeing the blood-covered Leylin, number 1 and 2 both felt a chill down their spines. In their time accompanying Leo, they had seen their fair share of slaughter. Yet, this was the first time they'd met someone as valiant and ferocious as Leylin.
Both of them had cursed Leo umpteen times for provoking Leylin, but Leylin had what they needed, so they had no choice but to take action.
"Get out of the way, or else you will die!" Leylin drew his sword and pointed at them. Number 1 and number 2 exchanged glances. Determination in their eyes, they both shook their heads.
"Pity!" Leylin had no sympathy for the suicide fighters of large families. Moreover, these two from the Oakheart Clan had no means of defence remaining. Armed with the determination to die in battle, they stood in front of Leylin and blocked his path.
...
"Damn it! Why? WHY?" Leo was fleeing madly, his heart in absolute turmoil.
Not only had he brought along a rank 4 spell scroll for this, he'd even brought with him a large number of potions and magic equipment. He'd even had four Crystal Phase Magi accompanying him!
With such power, to deal with a newly promoted Crystal Phase Magus ought to have been a simple matter. And yet, the opponent was unfathomably terrifying, practically wiping out his entire team
*Krrich!* Suddenly, the sound of two crystals cracking was emitted from his chest.
After hearing the sound, the blood drained from his face and he panicked. He sped up as he dashed along. "Number 1 and Number 2 are also dead? Useless indeed!"
Soon after, he ground his teeth and retrieved a communication device. He punched some secret code on it and the message was sent from his hand.
"I still have a chance! I am the chief of the Oakheart Clan, so long as I make it back, grandfather will absolutely not turn a blind eye to…" Leo cut a sorry figure as he fled in disarray, speaking words of encouragement to himself.
"Got you!" a voice was suddenly transmitted from behind him. He turned his head, only to see Leylin rushing towards him at the speed of lightning, a brilliant black streak. At this rate, he would catch up in about a mere ten seconds.
The new blood on Leylin's body was obviously from number 1 and 2.
"No! You cannot kill me! I am the chief of the Oakheart Clan! If you let me go, I can give you whatever you want….." Leo ran madly, his voice turning hoarse as he yelled out terms of surrender.
"I only want your life!" Leylin knew promises made under such circumstances were not reliable. Hence, without emotion, his killing intent increased. He speed increased threefold, and he was but an arm's length from Leo and his petrified face.
"Die!" Leylin drew his black Meteor Sword.
"Stop!" An extremely imposing voice spoke directly into Leylin's mind.
-x-X-x-
'This voice... a Morning Star Magus?' Leylin's pupils narrowed. If someone were to be named as the Crystal Phase Magus with the greatest knowledge of the Morning Star realm in the central continent, it would be himself. Through the A.I. Chip's simulations and deductions, as well as previously collected information, he already had a deep understanding of the Morning Star realm.
The owner of this voice could not be disguised, the words emanated power and a slight aura of rules... This was not imitable by Magi below the Morning Star rank.
"Grandfather! Save me!" Leo suddenly smiled, and slowed down ahead of Leylin.
In the presence of a Morning Star Magus, Leylin absolutely could not harm him. He completely trusted his grandfather, as well as the strength of the Morning Star realm.
"Hmm?!" However, Leylin noticed something different. 'Although the nature of the aura has not changed, its power is only at the Crystal Phase at its peak… Could it be a puppet… or some sort of clone?'
This was, after all, within the boundaries of the Ouroboros Clan. If Morning Star Magi from other clans stepped in, it would be seen as a provocation, leading to war.
But the restrictions on this kind of clone seemed unclear.
After all, it was very difficult for Morning Star Magi to create a clone of equal strength. Very few succeeded because most of them were limited to the strength of rank 3 Morning Star..
With Leylin's sharp eyesight, he could already see a streak of blue rushing there from afar.
"Haha… You're done for!" Leo laughed carefreely. But shortly after, his smile faded as his surroundings swiftly shrunk and grew again. A scene swept across like a parabolic curve and he ended up looking at a patch of yellow ground.
"My head, my head was chopped off..." he said with the last of his consciousness.
Leo then fell into eternal darkness.
Space shook as a blue shadow suddenly emerged before Leylin's eyes, looking at Leo's headless corpse with an angered expression.
"I told you to stop just now!" His voice was deep. It seemed to carry an irresistible compulsion to obey every word of his.
This majestic aura could only be developed after obtaining absolute power and being in a high position for a long period of time.
Leylin was also analysing this Morning Star Magus. Although he had not seen the Azure Mountain King before, he had read up on him. The other party looked exactly as in the portraits— a head of blue hair with eyes that twinkled like stars.
Yet, those eyes were now blazing in anger. This was the rage of a Morning Star Magus! It was enough to burn Leylin to ashes.
Yet, Leylin simply shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry! I killed him!"
If this was his main body, Leylin would have no chance to flee. However, it was only a clone, and there was still hope for escape.
"Do you know who he is?" The Azure Mountain King's eyelids drooped. Someone familiar with him would know that this was a sign of irrepressible rage.
"The chief of the Oakheart Clan…" Leylin shook his head and stared at the Azure Mountain King, "I don't care who he is. Someone who has bad intentions towards me can only repent with death!"
"Then let me tell you something too. The last Magus who dared to offend the Oakheart Clan still has his ashes buried below the steps of Azure Mountain City!" The sparkle in the Azure Mountain King's eyes had reached a limit.
A circular mirror appeared in front of him, reflecting Leylin's figure.
"Strip!" The Azure Mountain King gently pointed to the Leylin in the mirror.
A hum sounded and, as if he had been rejected by the world itself, Leylin immediately felt the elemental particles that were in complete harmony with him previously leave him one after another, as if stripping him down to an ordinary person.
The domain of a Morning Star Magus displayed its terrifying power once again!
"That's not it!" Leylin was a Magus who had previously experienced a true Morning Star domain when he'd been caught by Demon hunter Cyril. He naturally noticed the difference between this domain and that of a Morning Star Magus.
The situation this time was much better. His connection with the elemental particles was still barely holding on. As long as he used more spiritual force than usual, he would still be able to communicate with them and invoke his spells.
This was just equivalent to his spiritual force being suppressed to a fifth of its normal amount.
A bitter smirk appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips. Even if the other party was only a clone whose total amount of spiritual force and magic power was around the same as his own, he was no match for him in the understanding of spells and laws. Even this simple suppression had immediately put him in a dilemma.
With over half his body's strength being suppressed, how was he to fight a peak rank 3 Magus? Leylin shook his head, feeling that he had been too optimistic previously.
'However, this is also an opportunity! An opportunity to confront a Morning Star Magus head on, and to gather data!' Leylin's eyes sparkled. If he wanted to advance to the Morning Star realm, he could not be lacking in knowledge of it. Although the A.I. Chip had previously used the data he had to simulate some experiments, the lack of samples meant that its progress was still less than 20%.
And now, a Morning Star Magus' clone had appeared in front of him! He had no need to defeat it; he needed only to stall for time as the A.I. Chip gathered data that would be greatly beneficial to him.
'The A.I. Chip should be able to collect enough data from this fight.' Leylin's eyes blazed brighter. He pulled out the Meteor Sword, a metallic hiss ringing from the blade.
At the same time, a layer of dark Kemoyin Scales covered Leylin's body. The phantom of a huge Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind him as well.
'Since my elemental particle connection has been suppressed, I can only rely on my physical strength!' With Multilimb Strength in full effect, Leylin's entire body enlarged and numerous muscles swelled up as a dark green membrane emerged on the surface of his body.
Following a deep shout, Leylin's Meteor Sword emitted numerous rays of light that shot towards the Azure Mountain King like a rain of arrows.
"You actually dare to resist?" The Azure Mountain King frowned.
How many years had it been since such a low-ranked Magus provoked him? 200 years, 300? He had never encountered this situation since he'd advanced.
After a momentary daze, the Azure Mountain King was overcome by boundless anger. The sound of metal striking metal rang out as a translucent spherical film appeared around his body. Despite seeming like a mere bubbly layer, it actually blocked all of the black rays.
"Die!" Leylin's figure emerged just as the rays disappeared. He suddenly jumped up, and the Meteor Sword slashed across the void, bringing with it a ferocious wind that was aimed at the Azure Mountain King.
Black gases shot out of both sides of the blade, so corrosive that it seemed like even the surrounding void would melt. The ground was continuously eroded.
*Bang!* The blade, which contained a terrifying poison, was blocked by an aged palm. Although this palm seemed extremely old, with green veins popping out of the skin, it was unmoving like a hill. Even the skin hadn't been pierced through.
The Azure Mountain King raised his right hand with a mocking smile, watching Leylin's expression change.
"Abandoning elemental spells and switching to physical strength, this method is not bad when under elemental suppression. Unfortunately, your tricks are too low-levelled…"
"Impossible, your body can't be this strong!" Leylin blurted out.
The Azure Mountain King chuckled, "Do you know what point mass is? And the meaning of the Morning Star realm? The power of the point mass, soul force, is the only power a Morning Star Magus has! However, it greatly surpasses spiritual force and physical strength, having achieved a terrifying qualitative change!"
A layer of crystal-clear light emerged above the Azure Mountain King's palm. With his right hand grabbing the Meteor Sword, he mercilessly punched the blade with his left.
The Meteor Sword howled out a sad cry as the blade cracked. The mere physical attack of a Morning Star Magus could actually damage the Meteor Sword, which was comparable to magic equipment!
"Although I don't specialise in physical attacks, as long as I have the amplification of soul force, my vitality will be able to break through the boundaries and ultimately allow me to attain the perfect body of Morning Star!
"This strength of yours, and your spiritual force, will only collapse in front of soul force!"
As if confirming the Azure Mountain King's words, a large number of crystal-clear light blades appeared before Leylin, drowning him within.
The power of the point mass, also known as soul force, was the next evolution of spiritual force. Only Morning Star Magi could possess such a thing, and it was the first time it had shown its terror in front of Leylin.
As he watch Leylin being drowned by the light blades, the Azure Mountain King smiled.
The light blades, which were composed of soul force, were not only powerful in physical attacks. They could even attack the spiritual sea within a Magus' sea of consciousness!
Magi who were below the Morning Star realm, without a soul force defence of equivalent power, did not have the slightest chance of resisting these blades.
This was the reason Morning Star Magi had almost no enemies at rank 3. Soul force was just too terrifying!
Yet, the smile on the Azure Mountain King's face only lasted a moment, and his expression immediately hardened.
With his soul force, he sensed that Leylin might have sustained injuries all over his body, but he had survived the slashes from the soul light blades.
Soon after, the Azure Mountain King felt the weight on his hand fade as the Meteor Sword landed in them.
*Bang!* A dark green shadow rushed out of the sea of blades, its scaly body covered by a raging dark green film.
"Multilimb Smash!" Leylin had thrown away the Meteor Sword, and as the physical strength of his hands surged, he threw his fist at the Azure Mountain King's defence. The mere power of this punch could shake space itself.
The soul force of a Morning Star Magus surpassed spiritual force in terms of quality. Due to this enormous disparity in strength, most of the methods of Magi were rendered ineffective.
But Leylin was not limited to the methods of Magi. He possessed a secret technique from another world— Multilimb Strength!
A large phantom of a Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind Leylin's body, growling into the sky.
-x-X-x-
Spiritual force was fundamental to a Magus.
In the beginning, as acolytes, all Magi would start with meditation. They would begin to meditate in a willpower rune of their own, and construct a core spirit body, together with a sea of consciousness.
After advancing to the realm of official Magi, they would have a conversion of elemental essence amounting to 80% or more, in order to advance into rank 2.
After materialising spiritual force in rank 2, and then passing through the three stages of Vapour, Hydro, and Crystal in rank 3, the point mass would finally be formed.
The point mass was fundamental to Morning Star Magi. It was the path for everyone, even spirits! Once they broke past this bottleneck, the spiritual force in a Magus' sea of consciousness would sublimate to form soul force.
This was a threshold in ancient times, used to mark the difference in strengths between Magi. Only those who were capable of using soul force would be considered to have stepped foot into the world of ancient Magi!
As soul force had a horrifying suppressive power, low ranking Magi would lose their ability to communicate with the elements, and would end up disconnected from the elemental particles. Those who were suppressed would be unable to resist or escape. Many Morning Star Magi liked using this trick in their domains. Hence, over time, they successfully enhanced the prestige of a Morning Star Magus.
Since his normal powers had been suppressed, Leylin had no choice but to use another system of power instead. Luckily, he indeed had such a thing on hand, a terrifying secret from another world— Multilimb Strength!
Leylin had relied on the dark green membrane to avoid injury and death when drowned in the sea of light blades.
A booming sound rang out, as if a tall mountain had collapsed to crashing waves. The phantom stood behind Leylin, performing the same moves as him.
Formless streams of air started developing a pressure as even the ground behind the Azure Mountain King started caving in. The wind continuously rolled in, coagulating to form a substance that was stronger than granite.
*Po!* The defensive layer on the Azure Mountain King deformed completely as a look of disbelief took over his face.
"Even for a Morning Star, you're merely just that!" the blood-soaked Leylin burst our laughing. He then threw his fist forward, aiming for the Azure Mountain King's face.
*Boom!* The Azure Mountain King slid across the floor like a train hurtling through, leaving long tracks on the ground.
"The skin of a Morning Star is thick indeed!" Leylin flung his clenched fist without any traces of excitement on his face.
He'd definitely felt it when his punch landed, A barrier with a starry radiance appeared on the Azure Mountain King's face, blocking his attack. Hence, he was only shaken up slightly by the attack and did not sustain any major injuries.
"Soul force defence?" Leylin scrutinised the dull-faced Azure Mountain King as he stood up, secretly conversing with his A.I. Chip, 'How much data has been collected on the target?'
[Data collection at 12.1%. Further interaction with target needed, it is suggested to break through the soul force defences!] the A.I. Chip responded.
'You still want me to try breaking through soul force?' Leylin smiled bitterly and shook his head. If it weren't for the purpose of gathering intelligence, he would not be so silly as to clash with a Morning Star Magus in the first place, 'Begin simulations, calculate a path of retreat!'
Seeing how things had turned out to his disadvantage, he immediately made plans to retreat. But at the current moment, it was no longer up to him to decide if he could leave. Leylin saw that the Azure Mountain King wasn't seriously injured. A huge amount of the blaze continued to surround him, burning wildly.
Traces of black smoke streamed from his nostrils, eyes and ears. He was really fuming mad. Morning Star Magi had always been placed on top of a pedestal, much like kings. At the current moment, he felt like a king who'd been bitten by an ant as he was walking down the street.
In the Azure Mountain King's eyes, as long as one had not reached the rank of Morning Star, their existence was similar to that of an ant. To be bitten by an ant, and even be humiliated by it, how could anyone bear it?
"You... How. Dare. You. Insult. Me…" The Azure Mountain King's face scrunched up, his rage-filled words staggered apart.
"Such plaintive whines of defeat, I've heard them too often…" Leylin did not give the opposite party a chance to rebuke him, dashing forward.
Even in a simple match of speed, Leylin would be lacking compared to the opponent. Therefore, the only way for him to escape successfully would be to slow him down by inflicting some degree of injury.
"I want to incinerate your soul for a hundred centuries!" The Azure Mountain King bellowed loudly, the imposing aura emanating from his body. Even the sky started to darken, revealing the sparkling of stars.
Only a Morning Star Magus could thoroughly grasp the power of a domain. In any case, the current Leylin had reached his rank 3 limits, infinitely nearing to a rank 4. Hence, he was able to portray a portion of the power of his domain.
Being enveloped in the Morning Star domain, Leylin felt like he had fallen into a swamp. Every single move was tedious.
"Soul Armour!" A layer of translucent, full-bodied armour appeared on the Azure Mountain King. Judging from his attitude, it looked like he was ready to take on Leylin with pure strength to erase the humiliation.
[Multilimb Strength operating, estimated remaining time: 3 minutes 57 seconds!] Noting the hint of the A.I. Chip, an unrestrained Leylin amplified his power to the maximum. He struck the Azure Mountain King head on.
The earth shook as a silhouette of dark green and another of translucent blue collided with each other continuously. Their every punch and kick seemed to rip the sky apart, creating countless tremors on the ground.
Sharp, ear-piercing explosions boomed continuously from where they struck. Once the dust was dispelled, an entire huge region would've been knocked off the map.
*Bang!* A translucent fist from the armoured body smashed Leylin's chest viciously. Multiple scales cracked and flew with explosive lights of dark green radiances.
Leylin's face turned red, and some black rays of light appeared on his hand, "Fatality's Tip!"
As if the reaper himself had descended to the earth, a terrifying explosive light sprang forth. With how close they were, even the Azure Mountain King did not even have the chance to dodge.
Although the other party had suppressed his elemental connections, he was merely a clone after all, and his main body was not on site. Thus, Leylin could still break through the opponent's soul force, forcefully converging elemental essence. All it required was a huge spiritual force consumption.
Leylin had held back on his trump card until now. Firstly, there had been no real opportunity to use it, and secondly, he was biding his time, waiting for the Azure Mountain King to take the bait.
As for the data on his opponent, he'd constantly kept that in mind.
"You did not abide by the rules!" The expression on the Azure Mountain King's face said it all. Leylin clearly understood what he meant, yet he didn't care. There hadn't been any agreements on the usage of spells in battle. Furthermore, the opponent was a Morning Star Magus who had made the first move. In a matter of life and death, who would abide by rules?
Leylin's pretence of having supreme bodily strength had successfully tricked the Azure Mountain King.
The most terrifying thing about a Morning Star Magus, and also the fundamental of their power, was soul force spells!
Watching the flustered and exasperated Azure Mountain King getting ready to retaliate, Leylin almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
The rays of death reached the Azure Mountain King in a flash, clashing with the translucent armour.
"AAAHH….." The Azure Mountain King yelled, the void and stars behind him shook as a huge amount of blue light converged on his armour.
Explosions sounded as the A.I. Chip reported to him, [Multilimb Strength at full power!]
How could Leylin miss this golden opportunity? He immediately yelled, releasing all the power remaining in him. Feeling the steady flow of energy seeping into his body, Leylin charged wildly towards the defence of the Azure Mountain King.
An enormous iron fist landed on the armour mercilessly, and the translucent layer shook.
The Azure Mountain King couldn't believe his eyes as his armour cracked, blasting apart in a loud explosion. The black rays of death arrived at his chest, and pierced through him like arrows.
[Target's soul force defence breached, data being collected!] The A.I. Chip took the opportunity to collect massive amounts of data while it was available. Leylin too, had unknowingly absorbed some residual form of data from the Azure Mountain King.
"Shadow Prison! Dense Fog Frontier!" Watching the Azure Mountain King cut a sorry figure while retreating, Leylin continued to launch his spells.
A menacing black fog spread continuously, swallowing the Azure Mountain King up. The ground split apart as countless yellow bars extended upwards, forming a gigantic dungeon that sealed the fog inside.
"The doubled spell of dense fog formations with the addition of a secret composition makeup should be enough to delay the opposite party by at least three minutes!" Not in the least bit zealous to continue with the fight, Leylin turned around to leave.
Fatality's Tip did not cause any major injuries to the Azure Mountain King. Adding the fact that he was a Morning Star Magus, he definitely had some trump cards hidden away. After multiple provocations, he could become hysterical, and if that happened Leylin didn't want to face him head-on.
As such, his silhouette immediately morphed into a black shadow, and faded out rapidly in the midst of battle.
*Rumble!* About two minutes later, a huge blue sword streaked across the width of the dungeon, and it collapsed like a mountain that had its summit shaved off.
Dust flew and rocks flew everywhere. When the dust cloud dispersed, two bloodshot eyes appeared out of the darkness.
"Leylin! Leylin! LEYLIN! I'm going to KILL YOU!" he yelled at the top of his voice. When he couldn't locate signs of Leylin, he started to roar furiously.
Following his hiss, massive blue energy waves swept forth, wreaking havoc on the region. Soil rumbled and stones rolled as the very earth split apart. It looked like armageddon had arrived.
Everything that had happened had nothing to do with Leylin anymore. After escaping to a safe distance, he'd immediately changed course, ordering the A.I. Chip to clean all traces and marks on his body.
After multiple rounds of purification, Leylin came upon a newly established cave.
"My Lord!" A ray of light shone in the middle of the cave. A beautiful woman with a slender, proportionate body curtsied, behind her standing Parker and the other men.
"Hmm! Looks like you have successfully saved them all. Well done!"