Chapter 1701 - WMW 74

"Time to go!" Leylin kicked Mies who had almost fallen asleep.

"Erm, where are we going?" Mies shrunk back a little, his vision blurred.

If there was a choice, he would still have preferred to sleep here as the weather outside was so hot that it could make him pass out.

"Hurry up!" Leylin raised his brows, Mies stood up immediately, feeling speechless.

"Okay! We shall go to the logistics department and check out the mission of the month. It's almost time…"

"Alright, alright. You're the boss." Mies shrugged his shoulders.

Ever since the last incident, Leylin had gotten promoted and became a captain of the Special Task Force, while Mies was put in his unit, becoming one of his men.

As for Loke, he had his way around. Even though he was not promoted after the last mission, he soon achieved lots of merit for the following events and got promoted to be a captain like Leylin just a few days ago.

The logistics department of the Special Task Force was not far from his residence. Every staff were as obese as pigs, they resembled nothing from the slender and good-looking traits of the Emberwing race. This had Leylin and his men shunning them.

"Hand me all of my special offerings of the month, and an exchange list," Leylin spoke to a big fat guy with oily hair who was sitting behind the counter with glass windows.

"At your service, Captain Leylin." The fat guy was full of smiles and had a gingerly look.

Leylin's fame had long ago become widespread in the Special Task Force. He had been able to achieve level 8 in Fireplume at such a young age, becoming a Sky rank elite! His prospects were definitely boundless.

Moreover, he had saved Schiker's life. This was someone who was known to have a powerful background, tactical brilliance, and more importantly a person that favoured his own men.

Thus, Leylin was assured to have a bright future.

Some people speculated that becoming a captain was not the end of his road. He could possibly become a Marshal of the union with one star.

This fatty wouldn't dare to neglect such people, and he handed Leylin his complete set of supplies. These supplies were a benefit enjoyed by every member of the Special Task Force.

The Atlan Union depended largely on their supplies and nobility; they had attracted and recruited numerous unbounded extraordinary ones.

Leylin threw the supplies to Mies, who followed Leylin like a valet. He then opened the exchange list.

The contents of Fireplume were at the top of the list, the first eight levels being recorded. This included some practical experiences as well as the special techniques of different individuals. It was everything he needed, totally perfect. Except for one thing.

It had no record of techniques at the tenth level, the Morning Star realm. This caused him to furrow his brows.

Having stayed here for quite a period of time, Leylin had discovered that their Special Task Force actually had high clearance to access in the Atlan Union despite their infamous reputation. Even a captain like him was equivalent to a major general in the union.

Leylin grew a little discouraged at not being able to learn the tenth level of Fireplume even with his current status. He was keen to know the second half of this technique.

Currently, Fireplume was the only path to power Leylin knew that combined physique and the soul perfectly. In his own world, these two paths were separated into Knights and Magi.

Nonetheless, even with the help of Schiker and the others as specimens, the information the A.I. Chip could simulate only pulled Fireplume to the ninth level. A lot of time and power would be required to deduce the tenth level, the Morning Star realm.

'Only when one reaches the Morning Star realm along a path will it become obvious. Levels 1 to 9 can be deemed creative, but I'm not sure what the real path to power is like…'

Rumour had it that the Emberwing race descended from the phoenix, but Leylin disagreed. He had already tried it out, and had hadn't found any genetic segments related to the ancient bloodline.

Still, when Fireplume reached a certain level, it was clearly linked to the phoenix. This was what had Leylin confused.

"We can put aside doubts about Fireplume for now, let's look for the firasource stone!"

Leylin flipped down the page and an image of a fiery ore appeared, "Firasource stone: Increases the rate of advancement, or even assists in breaking through to the next level of Fireplume. Top-grade treasure, valued at 100 nobility points for a gram. Only available for ranks Captain and above."

"A hundred nobility rank points for a single gram?" Miles shouted exaggeratedly from beside Leylin before he could comment on anything.

"I don't think I could afford such an expensive item even if I sold myself!" he stuck his tongue out.

Designation of nobles was very prestigious in the Atlan Union. Thus, audit was very strict. The only way for one to achieve a noble rank other than through the Special Task Force was to head to the Death Grand Canyon Battles.

Therefore, everyone in the force protected their nobility rank points like their own eyes. For example, Mies felt repulsed just looking at the incredulous price of the stone.

"Hehe...but this is a firasource stone. It's exclusively supplied to top ranks like us in the union, with just one gram being able to get you through six levels of Fireplume." The fatty laughed from behind the window, mockery in his eyes.

"Six levels?!" Mies' eyes widened. It was very difficult to break through the latter stages of Fireplume. He had currently been stuck in the fifth level for a long time. Once he reached the sixth, he would become an Earth rank elite! The difference in position from now went without mentioning.

And yet, Mies glanced at the price tag, somewhat unwilling to give up his points. After all, being able to acquire nobility was a rare chance, and he could not bear to spend all the points he had earned.

"Yep, I'm exchanging all my points." Leylin nodded. Immediately, Mies shouted without a thought, "Captain! Have you gone mad?"

"Of course I haven't! I'm very calm and know what I'm doing." Leylin shook his head. After all, this was a foreign world. Nobility here meant nothing to me, and it was something he would have to think about even if offered for free. Thus, his points were better spent on resources.

"Ho– Hold on, Captain. Your transaction somewhat exceeds my authorisation limit." The fatty behind the window found it hard to sit still, and beads of oily sweat trickled down his forehead. They were cleaned off along with his white handkerchief.

He could only exchange one or two grams of firasource stones at best, that was the limit of his authority. But this obviously did not satisfy Leylin's needs.

Soon, another fat guy had received the notice, and he came to Leylin.

He had strong energy fluctuations of the Sky rank, at the boundary of Morning Star.

"Chief!" Leylin and Mies bowed down slightly. The one who had just arrived was the chief of the logistics department, and had a higher military rank as compared to Leylin.

"Hey, Ley, you have enough nobility rank points to earn you the title of a Baron. Are you really going to trade them all away?" The fat chief looked at Leylin with pity, he'd thought highly of this genius.

"Yes!" Leylin was firm, "As compared to nobility, I would liked to focus on my abilities first. As long as I have what it takes, I'm going to get more valuables and higher positions!"

"Brilliant!" Someone at the side clapped loudly, Schiker had come beside Leylin without notice.

"Exchange for him!" Schiker nodded at the fatty, then exclaimed, "If I were to think like him while I was young, I would have gotten more achievements than I have now."

"Alright then… as you wish..."

The fat chief wiped his sweats on his face using a gold handkerchief, "Follow me. The exchange of nobility rank point isn't a simple affair, but it should be alright since Schiker is around..."

...

...

After settling on a series of authorisation documents, Leylin had finally gotten the firasource stone. He thanked Schiker and the Chief once more before he returned to his place.

"Firasource stone!" Leylin opened his palm, revealing a fiery ruby. It seemed to contain a large amount of liquefied ore.

The entire ore was only the size of Leylin's fingernail, this was all that Leylin's nobility rank points could be exchanged for.

Despite its petite size, the chief of the logistics department spent much efforts to gather it, even having to transfer some from other regions to barely make it enough for Leylin.

A phantom of a phoenix showed up behind Leylin, letting out whistles of excitement.

Leylin had the premonition that once he made use of the firasource stone, his level 8 Fireplume would advance greatly, even to the extent of breaking through level 9.

But it was not the strange phenomenon of the firasource stone that caught Leylin's attention, it was the notice from the A. I. Chip.

[Beep! Special object detected— Firasource stone! Gathering information.]

After a period of examination and simulation, the A.I. Chip sounded again.

[Special soul object— Firasource stone! Able to strengthen Magus point mass, increases soul force to an unknown extent! ]

Looking at the A. I. Chip's notice, Leylin's eyes widened.

It could increase soul force! Who knew this firasource stone had such an effect?

The advancement of a Magus and the power of their spirit were inseparable. From ranks 1 through 3, one trained in spiritual force. Soul force came into the picture after one entered the Morning Star realm.

Soul force was the most mysterious amongst all. Even though there were many great meditation techniques, they could only result in a strengthening of the soul over a long period of time. One could not be sure of the pattern.

Even those great meditation techniques required at least hundreds of years to improve one's soul force, and it was even worse in Leylin's case.

Kemoyin's Pupil ended at rank 4, not giving him a single bit of information as to how to increase his soul force. Thus, he could only continuously try his luck.

-x-X-x-

Now, a wide golden path had appeared in front of Leylin.

As long as he gathered enough firasource stones, his soul force would increase greatly. Even the soul force of a Morning Star Magus who had thousands of years of experience using the top meditation techniques might not be as strong.

"If the Morning Star Magi in the Magus World learn about this, I'm afraid they will go mad over it!"

Leylin stroked his chin, finding it a little puzzling, "A precious source like this is a fatal attraction to Morning Star Magi. If so, why would Jupiter's Lightning use this world to trap the Elders despite risking the exposure of the coordinates? This doesn't make sense..."

At that moment, everything that had happened previously left Leylin confused.

"Maybe they had confidence in getting rid of the Elders, but did not expect that they could get away, which had them caught unprepared. Or maybe they didn't even manage to find a source like the firasource stone? After all if they don't have the help of the A. I. Chip, they will only know the amazing function of the firasource stone if they conduct an on-site inspection..."

All he could do was to speculate.

"Anyway, the reason the Triserpent Sect is so eager to get the firasource stone could very well be that their Morning Star Magus has already found out the function of it… Now I have to gather as many firasource stones as possible."

The fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil already had little effect on Leylin. It had helped his advancement for quite a while already, but there was no change to his soul force at all.

In actual fact, many Morning Star Magi faced the same difficulty. It was very hard to improve their soul force, even with top-grade meditation techniques.

"This trip to the Lava World was such a great decision!"

Leylin held his grid tightly, his eyes were filled with excitement.

...

In the capital of the Atlan Union, a huge and prosperous place.

A void was created deep underground, a massive flame ball staying in the middle of it like a sun, showing the vague figure of a phoenix.

A continuous high-pitched whistling of the phoenix was transmitted through the flame ball, the entire ball breathing in and out as if it was alive.

There was a huge pentagram-shaped spell formation there, in the middle of which rays of crimson light were been drawn out and immersed into the flame ball.

The Phoenix inside was extremely excited, just like it had benefited greatly from the rays.

There were some remaining crimson light rays dropped down at the side of the spell formation, they solidified over sometime and turned into Fire stones!

Moments later, the Phoenix in the flame ball stopped the flame. It transformed into a human bathed in a stunning golden light.

This was a handsome male, he had scarlet hair and brows, his aura filled with surging waves of power.

Even the void around him fluctuated, an aura of the peak power of a Radiant Moon Magus surrounded him.

The scarlet-haired man had a regal crimson robe draping over his shoulders, fully dressed on the inside. He went to the other basement which was empty save for a giant mirror, leaving only large amounts of binding runes appearing regularly.

"...We meet again, my dear President of Atlan Union, Your Highness Durut!"

A hologram of someone in Radiant Moon Magus robe with a crescent mark on his forehead appeared in the mirror. Weird dark power was released strangely, his aura somewhat able to compare to Durut's.

The Magus who appeared in the mirror was the leader of Jupiter's Lightning, a rank 5 Magus!

"Hello, my guest from a foreign world!" Durut smiled, his crimson feathers radiating lust.

The Magus in the mirror turned silent for a while, as if he had sensed something. Moments later, he opened his eyes and smiled, "It seemed like you have accepted my suggestion! How is the effect?"

"It was great, my friend! Just some improvements to be made..." Durut nodded his head.

"This requires me to put in more time and effort. Most importantly, I was unable to get enough on-site information. Unless you allow me to go over...." The Radiant Moon Magus in the mirror shook his head.

"Of course not! My friend, we are both the elites above the Morning Star realm, and this world needs protection!"

Durut rejected immediately. Welcoming a foreign world's elite was definitely a trouble for himself. Durut had only thought of making use of the Magus with caution, never had he thought of other possibilities.

"Alright! Then next let's talk about the deal." The leader of Jupiter's Lightning in the mirror said helplessly.

A Morning Star Magus was like a little stone on a beach in the world, a little hard to recognise without careful inspection. A Radiant Moon Magus like him, on the other hand, was more obvious, an elephant in the room. The moment he tried to cross over, Durut would attack him mercilessly.

On this matter, Durut was able to gain the support from the world's will, which made him way more powerful than any ordinary rank 5 Magus.

Thus, despite being a similar rank 5, the man in the mirror had never thought of getting himself into trouble. He could only send some of his man over to run errands for him in secret.

"That's right, my friend, as long you keep your promise, we of the Emberwing race will show great hospitality!" Durut smiled.

The Magus opposite rolled his eyes, "Since you are very satisfied with the Energy Withdrawing spell formation, I have quite a few others you can try it out... In return, I want 500 grams of Morning Star Gold, arcane ore, paradian feathers and also firasource stones..."

He continued with the names of numerous resources, and Durut agreed without any hesitation, "Sure. As long your spell formations work, I will transfer them right away..."

...

After Durut had left the chamber, he sneered, "You think I wouldn't know what you are really up to just by hiding the firasource stone among the long list of sources? How naive!"

Upon reaching the study room had some documents viewed, he was outraged, " The Triserpent Sect! And the Mobius Organisation! These foreign tribes are way too much! I have to warn them and give them a lesson!"

Immediately he took a device from the table which looked like a telephone, strings of letters appearing from his fingers and vanishing into the speaker.

"All Special Task Force units in action, destroy every base of the Triserpent Sect and the Mobius Organisation in the Union's territories!"

Durut recalled something after he had put down the phone, and he passed down another urgent order, "Schiker, take charge of the East region!"

"That little pup should be back now after the contribution!"

Durut's face finally showed rare tinge of gentleness.

...

"The increasing of soul force feels really amazing..." Leylin was far from the capital, therefore he was not aware of the silent undercurrents that developed throughout the Atlan Union. He was still indulged in the joy of the advancement of his soul force.

The feeling of using the firasource stone was utterly fantastic, making him feel giddy as if he was drunk. Once the effect ended, his body was much more vigilant than before, and his soul force much more active than usual.

Leylin took a look at his stats:

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock Bloodline: Kemoyin's Serpent(complete form) Strength: 50 Agility: 45 Vitality: 65 Spiritual Force: 539.7 Magic Power: 539(Magic power in synchronisation with spiritual force) Soul force:???]

"Even though the soul force is not shown, the spiritual force had increased by 30 plus units, it's probably a side effect of the increase in soul force!" Leylin was over the moon. This advancement in soul force was comparable to the process of those Morning Star Magi having had to practice top-grade meditation techniques at least 10 years.

With how things looked, as long as he had enough firasource stones, his soul force would continue to increase at an incredible rate.

"How is this firasource stone related to Fireplume? How is this produced?"

Leylin's eyes brightened. He had even put behind the rescue mission, and finding and gathering of enough firasource stone had become his top priority.

"Boss! Boss!" At the same time, Mies's call sounded from outside, making Leylin frown.

"What is it? Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?" Leylin pulled opened the door, displeased.

"Not me, it's Instructor Schiker. We've got a big mission now!" Mies's face reddened due to agitation, and he was still panting.

"Big mission?" Leylin remained calm before Mies, "Look at how you're behaving! All those trainings went down the drain…"

However, a weird premonition had taken shape in his heart.

"Is it related to the Triserpent Sect?"

He was not too confident in handling this organisation for now, despite there being a huge possibility that it was established by the three Elders. Now that the firasource stone had popped up, however, there were a lot of variables.

Because it was very likely that those Morning Star Magi under Jupiter's Lightning to found out about the secret of the firasource stone. Thus, they were forming connections underground and gathering them.

"Oh! And Instructor Schiker wants to see you now in his office!" Mies finally caught his breath and finished the message.

"Got it. Wait for me here." Leylin closed the door and left Mies, dumbfounded, standing outside the room.

He did not have to wait long. Minutes later, Leylin had changed into his military outfit and shown up in Schiker's office.

"Ley! Here are your orders. Clear out these bases with your squad." Schiker signed some documents before handing them over to Leylin.

-x-X-x-

"What mission is it?" Leylin took the document that was labelled 'top secret' on the cover, and unconsciously furrowed his brows.

"The union has ordered that our Special Task Force is to attack the Triserpent Sect and Mobius Organisation within the territory of the state. I am the person in charge of the eastern region!"

Schiker's voice was that of a hardened war veteran.

"Your squadron is in charge of a few strongholds of the Triserpent Sect that have been discovered recently. I will personally take care of the Mobius Organisation's side!"

It was obvious that their trap had thoroughly enraged Schiker. Now, he wanted to exact revenge properly!

"The Triserpent Sect?" A look of interest appeared on Leylin's face, though he was sighing inside.

His intention in coming to the Atlan Union was to obtain some information regarding the Triserpent Sect, but so many things had happened, especially with the appearance of the firasource stone. That one resource had dispelled all other thoughts.

However, just when he was hoping to continue concealing himself, this matter had suddenly cropped up, and it just so happened that he was involved. This left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"The order this time was personally signed by the head of the state. The garrisons from all regions will coordinate with our operation. In other words, once we succeed, we will appear in front of the head immediately. Chances like these are hard to come by!"

Schiker seemed to be reminding him.

"Understood." Leylin saluted, his back ramrod straight, though he began making some guesses. It seemed that Schiker had an unusual relationship with the union head, to the point that he could obtain the position of the person in charge of such a vital operation. He must have a very powerful backing, no wonder that Loke wanted to get close to him no matter what.

"Good, you may leave. Get Loke to come in!" Schiker nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes!" Leylin saluted and left. Every movement was like a textbook example and seasoned as a soldier. Schiker nodded inside after seeing this.

"Captain Loke, the instructor is calling you!"

After walking out, Leylin found that Loke was already waiting aside. Compared to before, there was more calm and steadfastness on his expression, and he had 'unwittingly' broken through the sixth level and reached the seventh level of Fireplume. He could now be considered an Earth rank.

Of course, this was all a facade. Leylin believed he was at least at the Sky rank, but he had somehow snuck in for some unknown reason and gained Schiker's trust.

In the operation this time, Leylin was in charge of dealing with the Triserpent Sect, while Loke was to follow Schiker and was in charge of the matters of the Mobius Organisation. Just this point made it clear to Leylin that Schiker trusted Loke more.

In the Special Task Force, there had long since been rumours spreading that Ley and Loke were Schiker's left and right-hand men, and Schiker himself did not deny this directly.

'It's a pity… When you find out the two subordinates you'd thought were your helpers were actually enemies sneaking in as spies, I wonder what expression you'd have? Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be amusing!' Leylin touched his chin, a smile on his face as he ruminated.

"Leader Ley, is there anything else?" Loke observed Leylin who was acting in this manner. For some reason, he felt a chill in his heart, and seemed to have a bad premonition.

"Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking about the scene from our previous mission. Quick, get in!" Leylin patted Loke on the shoulder, and calmly sauntered away.

Loke kept drawing back and stared at Leylin's back. Though he seemed to be sending Leylin off respectfully, there was a strange glint that flashed in his eyes.

"Soon… things will be different…"

A flicker of jealousy and hatred appeared in Loke's eyes. Though both Leylin and he were captains, one was a Sky rank while the other was only at the Earth rank. That naturally gave rise to criticism.

Though Loke was considerably powerful and was on good terms with Schiker, he seemed to be a level below Leylin in many aspects.

He might not seem bothered on the surface, but that was because he was trying to be conceal himself. He wasn't preparing for a life in the Union anyway, but he still somehow felt strange.

Of course, this was hidden well, and even the person closest to him had not realised it.

"Loke, what are you waiting for?" Schiker's dissatisfied voice travelled from within the room. Loke was startled and immediately returned his expression to the original honesty with a trace of shrewdness and admiration, nodding and bowing as he entered the office. "Reporting in!"

...

Back in his residence, Leylin was carefully browsing over some information in the documents. Only after some time did he put it down and sigh.

The information within was so detailed that it was excessive. They even knew the strength of the leaders there, and it seemed that the Atlan Union definitely had hidden some spies and the like inside.

"The Triserpent Sect will probably suffer heavy losses this time…"

Leylin stroked his chin. He still could not confirm if the Triserpent Sect was an organisation formed by the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Dukes, and he was not prepared to make a move.

They were a few branches and strongholds anyway. Nothing would be missed even if everyone died, and with this, he could even gain a higher standing and more trust from the Union. That would make it convenient to pry into the secrets of the firasource stone!

With this thought, the light in Leylin's eyes gradually dimmed, a bone-chilling iciness within.

"B...Boss… Wha- What's going on…"

Mies chose this moment to push the door open and met Leylin's gaze. Instantly, he collapsed, cold sweat pouring, and was left stuttering.

"It's nothing. Our official mission has been handed down. Take a look!"

Leylin chuckled, and it was as if all that ice had melted with the smile. Warm sunlight shone down, and Mies was no longer limp on the ground, and could struggle to take a hold the document.

However, while looking through it, his hands were still trembling slightly. Mies swore that he'd never have imagined that when Boss Ley's expression was grim, it would be so frightening!

That bone-piercing chilliness was something he had never experienced before. Swearing in the name of the honour of the Emberwings, he never wanted to meet that sort of gaze ever again. Heavens! He now felt that even the sweltering heat outside was more comfortable than staying in this room.

"How is it? Have you finished looking through it? Tell me your thoughts!" Seeing Mies in this state, Leylin smiled gently and crossed his arms, body half leaning on the chair as he appeared to be at ease.

"This… Since it's an order from the headquarters and the head of state, we can only obey. However, the members of our squadron don't have enough strength, and I'm afraid we will need to mobilise and coordinate with the garrison!"

Mies was no fool to have been able to survive up to this point. With some slight reflection, things immediately became clear to him, and he even had a contingency plan in mind already.

But… Mies stealthily peeked at Leylin, who was expressionless, and decided that before he could understand the man's thoughts it was best not to speak his mind.

That bit of bloodthirst earlier had frightened him.

"Mm, very good! I'll leave contacting the local garrison to you. Don't disappoint me!"

Unexpectedly, Leylin did not ask about his plans and instead gave him a task.

Though Leylin did not explicitly state the consequences of not completing the task, Mies could somewhat guess that it was something he absolutely did not want to bear.

"Understood, Captain!" As a long-term habit, while Leylin was issuing the command, Mies subconsciously stuck out his chest and saluted, expression full of respect.

Ever since he had entered Leylin's unit, he was completely convinced by Leylin and understood how he worked. It was consistently simple and crude, and he did not allow for retorts. Mies was naturally tactful.

"Mm, send down the order that I want our unit to assemble!" Leylin waved his arms, and Mies immediately escaped as if he was faced with a huge enemy.

Though Leylin was usually very easy-going, to the point that Mies could get benefits like stealing some cool air here, the Leylin in missions was very resolute about killing. He was not going to make things bad for himself now.

After sending down the order, their unit assembled quickly.

On a field, Leylin wore military attire and walked past the orderly line, looking satisfied.

The Lava World was a world with Exemplaries. Their individual abilities far surpassed their collective strength, which was why this group was very small, with only ten or so members. However, every single one of them was at or above the fifth level of Fuming Wings, meaning they were at the peak of the Exemplary rank. He had three Earth ranks, and all had been forced to submission by him in missions. This was unthinkable in the eyes of many people.

After all, Earth ranks were considered top-rated strengths even in the Atlan Union. They could take on important roles in the corps, so how could they be the subordinates of a little captain?

However, Leylin had done it, and many were in awe.

In reality, Leylin's methods were simple. He had achieved victory with strength, and forcefully suppressed them.

Even so, he had not intentionally taken in these three. They were an unexpected harvest.

For him, Earth Ranks were comparable to rank 1 or 2 Magi or Warlocks in the Magus World. He could kill a large number of those who possessed this level of strength with just a breath, and he did not even need to spend much energy on it.

Even Sky ranks, who were comparable to rank 3 Magi, were nothing much.

The ones able to affect Leylin were Star ranks, who were of a similar strength! The attention of a Morning Star would forever be focused on enemies of the same level!

"Based on the intel, the commanders of the few Atlan military districts are all Star ranks! Rumours have it that the head of the union far exceeds the Star rank, and could be at rank 5, the Radiant Moon Realm…"

Learn touched his chin, a look of anticipation flashing in his eyes…

-x-X-x-

"I really want to try my hand at fighting an enemy of this level of strength…" A fierce desire for battle burned in Leylin's eyes, but was quickly withdrawn.

Though he was looking forward to the Radiant Moon Realm, he was no fool. Power at rank 5 was still far from him as he was now. Before he himself became a rank 5 Warlock, he was not going to fight with any Radiant Moon Magus, no matter who they were.

Leylin currently had his arms behind his back and after inspecting these members, he shouted, "Everyone, the head has issued our newest mission, which is an order for elimination! With us the Special Task Force taking the lead, the garrison troops will coordinate with us to uproot the Triserpent Sect strongholds that are throughout the Atlan Union!"

"Long live Atlan!" Many members yelled together, an agitated flush on their cheeks.

Compared to those troops formed with regular people, they were mostly people who were enlisted in a hurry and had not experienced much hardships so it was expected if they had unrealistic delusions. Furthermore, this time, it was clear that union was serious, and since the head had issued the command himself, it meant multiple opportunities to perform meritorious deeds.

And those meritorious deeds would net them higher level techniques, large amounts of information, and even the status and glory of nobility quite easily. How would they not be riled up?

"Good!" Leylin obviously knew what these people were thinking; On the contrary, he was no saint. Hence, he did not destroy their hopes right now.

"There are a total of fifteen strongholds in the eastern region that belong to the Triserpent Sect. I will now hand down the assignments…"

In actuality, Leylin had not even told them how to choose their targets. In his perspective, only he and the three Earth ranks were mildly useful in his group.

The others would probably only be useful running errands outside, or providing moral support.

It didn't matter, since they were only destroying the branches of the Tri-serpent Sect, and the most powerful people there would probably be only at the Sky rank.

...

Within a large desert, boiling-hot temperatures caused slight distortions in the sky. Heat waves surged, causing the scenery in the distance to seem blurred.

"One of the branches of the Triserpent Sect is here! General Gilfah, your mission is to seal off this region and not let any suspicious characters escape. Any questions?"

In a simply constructed tent, Leylin pointed at a large map on the table and spoke to a white-haired Emberwing.

This Emberwing was obviously not young, and even his mottled red feathers were falling down. However, the tenacity was as strong as ever. What had Leylin raising his eyebrows in surprise was that this old man was a Sky rank.

"No problem!" Gilfah nodded matter-of-factly. "I will order the army to surround the area. Even a bug will not be able to escape!"

This high-ranking officer by the name of Gilfah was in charge of this region. He had been contacted by Mies.

While he had control over the troops by order of the head, Leylin had gotten this general's support after displaying his strength.

"I hope you can destroy this nest in one go. A lot of disappearances in my jurisdiction are related to it," The general brought up.

"I understand. Let's go!" Leylin nodded and left the camp, suddenly waving his arms.

*Rumble!* His body turning into a tornado, he charged into the depths of the desert with a few similarly powerful pillars of light.

"This stronghold of the Triserpent Sect is really covert. If not for the vast network of spies controlled by the union, it would have been unlikely that I'd find this place…" Light flickered in Leylin's eyes.

The Atlan Union was much too vast. Even if he had his bloodline and soul fire crystal and searched from city to city or even ran through the outskirts, it would still take several decades to cover the country. Even then, he could end up not even finding a trace of the Triserpent Sect.

They had long since been chased by the union, and their actions had always been secretive. Leylin had no confidence that he would coincidentally bump into them.

With the map, however, all the branches of the Triserpent Sect were bared before Leylin. There was no difficulty in finding them now.

"But… Did the three dukes really create the Triserpent Sect?" A giant, fire-red lake had appeared before Leylin's eyes. At the heart of it, flames were vaguely seen. Based on the intel, the branch of the Triserpent Sect was under the lava lake.

Soul force surged through the lava and the desert to scan below, and it resulted in a marvellous expression on Leylin's face.

"This…" With his soul force, Leylin could clearly see the many experiments in the laboratories of the Triserpent Sect branch, as well as the modified Emberwings.

"Bloodline modification experiments?" As a Warlock himself, he was no stranger to this, and could even be said to be a subject matter expert.

With just a look, he could find many traces of what the Magus World, even the Ouroboros Clan, were used to operative procedures.

"Could it be… that the Triserpent Sect really is an organisation set up by the three dukes?" Leylin's eyes flashed, a crimson crystal already appearing his hands, two threads of pale soul flames twining around each other.

"No reaction… The two dukes aren't here." Leylin shook his head.

Though the range of bloodline and soul sensing was already quite vast, it was still too small in comparison to the whole Atlan Union, let alone the entire Lava World.

"Attack!" Thoughts whirling in his mind, Leylin unhesitatingly gave the order. A gigantic phantom phoenix made of fire appeared behind him. Bathed in pure golden flames, it was as if the real ancient phoenix had been reborn!

This was the pinnacle of the eighth level of Fireplume. Seeing this display, nobody would believe it even if Leylin himself admitted to not being an Emberwing.

The point mass of a Morning Star was incomparably tiny, and massive strength could be held within this tiny point. It would not cause any clashes with other energies.

Leylin had the A.I. Chip to analyse and perform simulations for him. In reality, he had secretly already practised up to the peak of the ninth level of Fireplume. In other words, the limit of rank 3!

However, as he lacked the training technique for the tenth level, he had been unable to progress further. Even if the A.I. Chip could simulate it, too much time would be spent on it and Leylin had thus lost his patience.

Hence, he had focused on Schiker. He was sure that with Schiker's status, it was very possible for him to have access to the tenth level of Fireplume!

To Leylin's knowledge, there were ten levels to Fireplume. The first three were for regular people, but the fourth and fifth, it would begin to touch on exemplary strength. The sixth and seventh were comparable to rank 1 and 2 Magi, while the eighth and ninth meant being able to battle rank 3 Magi! As long as he entered the tenth level, he would be a Star rank, which was comparable to a Morning Star Magus in the Magus World!

Leylin did not have much interest in the first nine levels of the technique, and was only invested in the tenth level.

After advancing to Morning Star, it meant that he had already chosen a path for himself. While Leylin had no plans of giving it up, other paths to power still had a lot of useful experience to give him.

Fireplume was one of the most advanced techniques among those of foreign origin. It could combine both physical and spiritual aspects, and this train of thought was a breath of fresh air for him.

If he could obtain the tenth level of Fireplume and gain clarity on the Emberwings' path and system, it would definitely be of much use to him.

"Come out!" Leylin shouted, and an ear-piercing explosion sounded behind him, like a high-spirited phoenix cry filled with heat and excitement.

Amidst the cry, Leylin abruptly made his move. The flames that filled the sky were as splendid as the wings of a phoenix as they swept through the ground and shaved a layer of soil off the earth.

The ground kept trembling, and rocks and dirt were scattered everywhere. As if a geyser of water, the lava from the lake shot upwards as its surface emptied out, revealing a giant secret base underneath.

Many members of the Triserpent Sect raised their heads. Upon seeing the dazzling phantom phoenix, they yelled in alarm, "It's Atlan's Special Task Force! Those black leather dogs have caught up to us."

The members of the Special Task Force were usually ruthless in their methods, possessed extraordinary power and dressed in black leather uniforms. That had netted them this title.

"Aren't you wearing black robes too? What about it?" Leylin, who was in mid-air, grew speechless as he observed the followers who wore black, wide robes with an image of three black snakes intertwining on the surface.

While he was quibbling, a few streaks of powerful undulations rose, and two black-clothed people who were obviously the leaders blocked his way, dressed in luxurious robes. The sounds of members of the Triserpent Sect howling could be heard from within the stronghold.

"Take care of that trash as soon as possible!" Leylin's brows furrowed. He could not sense any special aura from these two black-clothed people.

If they were higher-ups within the Tri-serpent Sect and had made contact with Morning Star, there should be some radiation residue or the like on their bodies, but there were no traces at all on these two leaders. This led to Leylin's disappointment.

"Understood, leader!" A few streaks of red flames shot out, and Leylin's Earth ranks immediately began their massacre, doing as they liked amongst the ordinary followers.

Crimson flames flashed, turning the region into a sea of fire.

Facing this attack that was at the Earth rank, these ordinary disciples were mowed down like grass. Under the prowess of the Exemplaries that he led, no matter how much battle intent the ordinary followers had, it all proved futile. That was the main reason why Leylin had brought a small team of only ten or so people, and dared to forcefully attack the enemy's large-scaled base!

-x-X-x-

"You're Ley, the genius of the Special Task Force in the eastern region? One of the dogs that Schiker's raising?" The black-clothed person opposite him spoke with a hint of scorn.

"You're looking for death!" Leylin's eyes opened suddenly, as if two balls of flames were being launched from them.

*Shua!* His entire body seemed to transform into a thread of flames, boring through his opponent's forehead and coming out through the back before turning back into a humanoid figure.

*Crackle!* The black-clothed person who had not been the least bit modest with his words had a dazed look on his face. Seconds later, he turned into a torch of fire and began to incinerate fiercely.

"Whorf! Whorf!" The other person in black was clearly stunned, before beginning to shout. The voice was lovely, and evidently belonged to a woman.

"You dare… You dare kill him…" The woman raised her head, eyes full of hatred as she glared at Leylin, itching to hack him to pieces.

Leylin merely hummed coldly as if he did not care. If looks could kill, what was power for anyway?

These two heads were Sky ranks, but they had obviously used some secret potion or taboo techniques to forcefully break through. Their auras were rather unstable, and were at most comparable to the peak of the Earth rank. Perhaps any expert at the eighth level of Fireplume could dispose of them easily.

Of course, this was understandable. If the three dukes had created the Triserpent Sect, they could not have gathered many techniques given the difference in the flow of time between Lava World and the Magus World. Support for advancement and methods that would result in instant benefits were necessary things.

The woman did not rush over to fight with all her might. Instead, she ordered something into her communicative device in her hand, "Activate the Berserk Legion!"

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A steel door in the base opened, and many Emberwings with dazed expressions walked out.

Their crimson eyes radiated a feeling of indifference. Their bodies were filled with strange runes, and parts of their bodies had obviously been strengthened and altered. Many of the Special Task Force members had difficulty even telling that they were Emberwings.

After being let out, the lost look in their eyes was replaced by viciousness as they let loose howls that were similar to those of beasts.

*Boom!* A researcher nearby was immediately beaten to the point that blood splattered everywhere.

A crimson rain fell on this berserk legion, causing them to appear even more malicious and terrifying.

The legion that had already gone insane began to destroy things without distinction. Whether it was the Special Task Force members or their own people, all were attacked. Due to the differences in numbers, the berserk legion landed the most critical attack on the followers of the Triserpent Sect. Leylin, who saw this scene, could not help but shake his head. This woman was obviously treating these modified people who were as of yet unable to control their bloodlines as her trump cards and weapon for revenge.

"Ahaha… Whorf's dead. I want all of you to die with him." The woman shouted maniacally, her voice so sharp that it could pierce through eardrums.

"This woman's gone crazy! Or she wasn't mentally sound in the first place… " Leylin shook his head.

Watching her with pity, Leylin did not hold back. An enormous fire phoenix soared across the sky, its giant wings sweeping across the woman. It sent her retreating, coughing up blood.

"Boss, what do we do?" Watching the berserk legion, especially whose members consisted of Emberwings, Mies was caught in a dilemma.

Not only were those of the berserk legion insane, their battle might was astounding. On top of that, they were his fellow clansmen, so Mies found it difficult to attack.

"It doesn't matter, I'll take care of it. Their blood might be infectious, so be careful not to make contact with them!"

Leylin's voice travelled over faintly, but Mies suddenly had a bad premonition. "Boss! You're not going to…"

But it was too late. Mies raised his head and saw Leylin turning into a streak of golden light, as if fusing with the phantom phoenix on his back.

The phoenix's cries were even louder than before, practically piercing through the clouds. Golden flames were emitted from its body.

In that moment, the phantom image of the phoenix had turned into a giant, blazing bird!

"The apex of Fireplume— Undead Aves!" Mies' eyes grew wide as he muttered to himself.

He had only heard of this killing technique in legends. Based on the rumours, only those who had trained in Fireplume up to the Sky rank and above, and only ones with incomparably pure bloodlines could exhibit this ultimate technique, restricted to the Emberwing Royal Family!

'Could it be that Ley is a member of the esteemed Emberwing Royal Family?' Mies watched the Flaming Undead Aves soaring in the skies, suddenly feeling as if his brain had short-circuited.

*Rumble!* With a shake of the flaming bird's feathers, large amounts of fiery-red light shone down on the region. A spark fell onto the shoulder of one of the members of the berserk legion, and he immediately began to burn up fiercely, turning into a torch.

With elated cries, the gigantic Undead Aves dived towards the ground!

"Crap, get away! Drop down!" The other Special Task Force members' voices, distorted due to their nervousness, travelled into Mies' ears, but he could not manage to process it.

He wore a stupefied expression as he stared ahead.

The terrifying giant flaming bird was like a falling meteor descending upon the ground, bringing with it horrifying tremendous waves of flames. All Mies could do was hug his head and crouch down.

In the face of this strength that was like a natural disaster, he felt as tiny as an ant.

The flaming bird descended into the heart of the berserk legion, and the flames swallowed them in an instant.

Moments later, the flames gradually went out and revealed a tall figure.

"Boss… Is actually this strong?" Mies mumbled, hot blood rushing to his brain as he darted forward, glancing through the remains on the ground, eyes filled with tears, "Captain! They… They were also…"

"There are only enemies on the battlefield!" Leylin's voice was icy cold, and the heat in Mies' body went cold.

"I'm very disappointed in you!" Leylin had his arms behind his back as he left this hell slowly, leaving Mies in a daze.

"He's right, child!" At some point, the general from before was at Mies' side.

"If we don't do this, if the legion or any of these contaminated bodies escape, there could be a terrifying plague in the surrounding cities…"

"Furthermore, with Ley's efforts, we've successfully destroyed this stronghold. No fire-feathered clansmen will have to be ruined by it anymore…"

The general patted Mies' shoulders, "Cheer up, little guy!"

...

"There seems to be some change in this little thing. I hope I haven't ruined his outlook on the world…"

Watching his bloodshot eyes as he darted to the frontlines, a smile of rumination shot up on his lips.

The desert branch of the Triserpent Sect had been destroyed, but there were still many other branches and organisations remaining in the eastern region of the union.

They were now within a giant Emberwing city.

The members of the Triserpent Sect had actually set up a secret base within a city, something that only managed to increase Leylin's respect for them.

To be able to come up and make use of this meant they were absolute geniuses. It was a pity that in a time when physical strength was of utmost importance, intelligence automatically decreased in value to the point that it was negligible.

The army surrounded the area, while the Special Task Force rushed in. Leylin had long since gotten used to arranging things like these.

After that matter the other day, Mies had seemed depressed for a few days, but seemed to become mature immediately after. In the next few battles, he was in an unusual state where he would charge to the frontlines, and was ruthless in his attacks.

It was as if he believed that the more he killed, the lesser the number of his clansmen that would be oppressed by the enemy, or something to that effect. It was a certain level of maturity, although still naive.

"It's good to be young…" Leylin observed the hot-blooded Mies, and could not help but get emotional.

His real age had long since surpassed 200, and he was even older than his grandfather's grandfather in his previous world. Watching Mies now was like looking at a child.

"Captain, the stronghold has been purged. No enemy was caught." Mies reported to Leylin with indifference, blood on his body.

"Good! Go back and reorganise yourselves, the spoils of battle won't reduce!" Leylin's arms were tucked together as he nodded.

At this moment, a female soldier rushed over in a hurry, holding a communicative device similar to a handset, "Captain Ley, a call from Lord Schiker!"

"Instructor!" Taking the handset, he immediately heard the sounds within.

Though the principle of this thing's operation was different, it was still like the cellphones of his previous world.

"I know everything you've done. Very good!" Schiker's voice sounded from within the handset, praise in his tone. Evidently, he had heard of the results of Leylin's battles.

However, Leylin had astutely realised the trace of fury hidden in his voice. That was obviously not aimed at him.

"Looks like Schiker met with some trouble during his operation at destroying the Mobius Organisation!"

Leylin thought. As expected, Schiker mentioned this right after, "Captain Ley, I now command you to bring all your members and hurry to Wox City and meet me!"

"Understood!" Leylin answered loudly. After waiting for a moment, he lowered his voice and asked, " Did anything happen there?"

"Yes. There's are some issues!" Schiker answered vaguely after a brief silence. It was obvious he did not want to touch on it.

"Alright, I'll hurry there now!" Leylin obviously knew what to say in this situation.

After putting down the handset and sending away the female communications officer whose expression was full of admiration, Leylin sank into deep thought, his hand finding his chin.

"Mobius Organisation… Is this organisation more difficult to deal with than the Triserpent Sect?"

-x-X-x-

There were many rebellious organisations in the Atlan Union, as well as various sects. However, the union leader had only chosen to act against the Triserpent Sect and Mobius Organisations, which led Leylin to make a mental association.

If the Triserpent Sect was targeted because of its three foreign Morning Star Warlocks, what about the Mobius Organisation? What did they have?

A trace of a smile appeared about Leylin's lips. "Interesting! It's getting increasingly interesting!"

He abruptly turned back and shouted, "All members, assemble…"

As Leylin had very few subordinates, he could act swiftly and decisively, bringing his unit to the Wox City Schiker had spoken of the very next afternoon.

After entering the city, Leylin sensed that the level of security was much higher than before. Even Leylin and the others were checked over once before being allowed entry. Uneasiness seemed to permeate the air.

'Could the Mobius Organisation have caused a huge ruckus? Curious!' Leylin touched his chin as he arrived at the area Schiker had spoken of, which was also the current station of the Special Task Force.

"Ley!" Loke welcomed him, pleasantly surprised. "It's great that you could come so quickly!"

"What's going on?" Leylin's brows furrowed in feigned concern.

"We might have found the Mobius Organisation's headquarters. The attack that Instructor led was met with a violent counterattack from the other side. It's best that you personally take a look…"

Loke smiled wryly as he got out of the way. There was a gloom between his brows that would not disappear easily. It was so well-feigned that Leylin cheered for him on the inside. It was rare to find actors of this calibre.

As he opened the door and found Schiker inside, Leylin displayed an expression of 'alarm'. "Instructor, how did you…"

The Schiker in front of him now was in a pitiful state, wrapped up to the point that he seemed like a mummy. His right arm was hung in front of his chest.

"Ley, you did well!" Seeing the worry on Leylin's face, Schiker looked gratified, "You only took a day to get here…"

"It's my honour to serve my lord!" Leylin looked devoted. After all, the other party had connections in the capital, and was his best route to getting firasource stones. He could not give him up so easily.

"What exactly happened?" Leylin clenched his fists, sparks emitting from his body.

"This level… It means your Fireplume is about to break through to the ninth level, entering the peak Sky rank…" Schiker watched Leylin, eyes full of an unspeakable radiance. "In terms of training, you'll probably surpass me soon enough…"

"Not at all! It's all thanks to Instructor's nurture!" Leylin bowed slightly to show his respect.

"Mm! We underestimated our opponent this time. I'd assumed it was an ordinary branch of the enemy, but never could I have expected that we'd found their headquarters…"

Leylin listened closely. Schiker, with Loke and the rest as well as the support he garnered from the army, should have been able to complete the operation of destroying the Mobius Organisation smoothly. However, while wiping out one of the branches nearby, they'd found quite a few red-clothed bishops!

Schiker, who had realised he had found a big opportunity, was obviously excited as he gathered quite a few Sky rank generals and prepared to eliminate these bishops at one go.

However, when the time came for the actual attack, Schiker found out he had completely wrong.

There had been a mistake in his calculations. This wasn't some branch of the Mobius Organisation, but their headquarters!

They had astounding harvests under the joint effort of the Sky ranks at first, and had even seized much of the resources the Mobius Organisation had stocked up on. Suddenly, Schiker was unwilling to say more, a hint of fear appearing on his expression.

This expression immediately alarmed Leylin. For the fearless Schiker to become this way, the matter could not be simple.

"I've gathered you only so that you can take over the next operations of the Special Task Force, especially since I'm in this state!" Schiker raised his arm and laughed bitterly.

"As for the issues there, there will be people coming in from the capital to take care of it. Don't worry!"

Leylin came out, still baffled, and went to look for Loke. Under the questioning of this new 'superior', Loke narrated all the parts Schiker had failed to explain clearly.

As it turned out, while transporting the resources back, Schiker and the rest had been met with an ambush, resulting in total annihilation. Even the resources had been lost, and a few Sky rank generals had perished on the spot. Only Schiker had somehow managed to survive.

"Oh? How many people were there?" Leylin had some conjectures, and asked curiously.

"Ju– Just one, but he was more terrifying than thousands of troops and horses, because… that was a Star rank!"

Loke's voice was low, as if afraid to alarm anyone. There was an obvious hint of joy in the fact that he was weak and useless in a battle between Sky ranks, and had thus not participated in that operation. Otherwise, he'd be dead right now.

"A Star rank?!" Leylin seemed to breathe in sharply, although his mind was actually working quickly.

Star ranks were the most powerful members of the Lava World. They were on the same level as Morning Star Magi of the Magus World, and were absolutely certain of their cultivation path. They were existences who had already generated a core.

Every single one of these existences was celebrated. Their achievements would be written in history books or even as legends, passed down for eternity.

Facing such an expert, Sky ranks would only be courting death unless there were other Star ranks suppressing them.

If Schiker had met one, it meant he had incredibly bad luck.

'On top of that…' Leylin touched his chin, deep in thought, 'Schiker's backing must be quite firm for even a Morning Star Magus to have qualms about killing him and leave him alive!'

Leylin, who was also a Morning Star, naturally knew the terror of rank 4s. For Morning Star Magi, Sky ranks were just like slightly large ants.

The generals, who were also at the Sky rank, had all died, leaving only Schiker behind. Leylin did not think that this Morning Star Magus had a good heart and let Schiker go. It was very likely that the real reason was because he feared the person backing Schiker.

'Looks like Schiker's background is very mysterious! I'll need to pay more attention and take advantage of that!' Leylin decided resolutely.

"That's the basic situation… With the motivation from this event, many branches of the Mobius Organisation that had begun to disperse seem to be congregating again…"

Loke shrugged his shoulders, the wry smile not diminishing at all, "But we only need to push through during this period of time. The Northern Duke will reach this place soon, and when that happens, we can…"

'Just continue acting!' Leylin rolled his eyes inside, while he looked to be in favour of his words.

"The Northern Duke? That's a famous Star rank of the Union! With him around, the Mobius Organisation won't be able to settle down and have a peaceful time!" he exclaimed in admiration.

At the same time, he now understood the reason for Schiker's listless look. Since someone with a higher status was taking over, his own position was dispensable, and his achievements would be wrested away from him.

Though the Northern Duke might not think much of these merits, Schiker would not want to accept charity from others. Leylin knew very well what type of person he was, and he was not one to admit defeat.

"In that case, I should return and quickly take over the defence of the Special Task Force, preparing for the counterattack!"

Leylin and Loke hastily bid farewell.

Leylin did not like this idea. The Mobius Organisation had Star ranks, as well as many helpers and followers. After noticing something, they would definitely retreat, and by the time that Northern Duke reached, he would only see an empty nest.

However, all this was none of Leylin's business. What he focused on was the resources that had been stolen by the mysterious Star rank.

"To be able to get a Star rank dispatched after them, these resources must be especially precious. There might even be firasource stones inside…" Leylin's eyes flashed. He was in dire need of these stones, but he did not have that many points to exchange them. Since the proper way wasn't working, he would need to think of other methods.

Not long after Loke left, Leylin's expression changed.

He came to his room and took out the crimson gemstone from before.

Rays of brilliance were twinkling, the two threads of pale flames beginning to increase in intensity at the middle.

Seeing this, a smile showed on Leylin's face, "They've come together…"

...

At the bottom of the lava not far from the city, in a secret space that had been opened. Two figures were facing each other, sitting cross-legged.

All of a sudden, a bald male with no eyebrows or a beard opened his eyes, eyes full of doubt, "I felt a trace of my soul flames! Which Warlock has arrived here?"

"I had the same feeling!" Opposite him was a young girl in blood-red robes. Her eyes were strange vertical pupils that would make people shudder in fear.

"Is this a trap?" Gilbert muttered to himself and asked slowly.

"It doesn't seem like it, unless the Ouroboros Clan was completely breached and Freya and the rest have all died." Blood Duchess Emma was very confident in the loyalty of her students.

"Then… Have the reinforcements from the Warlock Union arrived?" Excitement appeared in Gilbert's tone.

"Hmph! If they were reliable, we wouldn't be in this situation!" In contrast, Emma's retort showed that she did not have a good impression of the Warlock Union.

-x-X-x-

"It's not for us to decide anyway, since they've already taken the initiative to come here!"

Crimson flames flashed on Emma's body as she appeared in mid-air, Gilbert right behind her. Eventually, the two came to a stop, standing side by side.

"The soul flames are closing in very quickly, and the other party's aura is very powerful! It's a Morning Star, but… This blood line undulation… How is it possible…" Gilbert turned to Emma in disbelief, only to be met with Emma's eyes filled with similar astonishment and suspicion.

From the incoming person, they felt the purest Kemoyin bloodline aura. But how was that possible?

There had always only been three Morning Star Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan.

'Did the First Elder come back to life?' An idea rose in Gilbert's mind, but was quickly extinguished. He had personally seen the death of the First Elder, and his point mass had even returned to the astral plane.

From the thickness of the bloodline, the purity of the other party's Kemoyin bloodline was even above that of themselves, even that of the First Elder!

"Who is it?" Gilbert and Emma watched the red rays that were shooting over from the distance, filled with curiosity.

*Sou!* The light rays dissipated, revealing the appearance of a handsome young man.

A bright smile on his face, and he rushed to bow towards Gilbert. "Mentor… I've arrived!"

In the next moment, Gilbert and Emma's mouths were just as wide, their eyeballs almost popping out. "Leylin? How's that possible?"

...

A good while later, while Gilbert and Emma seemed to have accepted Leylin's promotion to Morning Star as reality, there was still a shock that could not be concealed in their eyes.

"... This is how it happened. I advanced to Morning Star just when Phosphorescence Swamp was about to be breached, and then killed Demon Hunter Cyril. The allied forces withdrew, and both sides are restraining themselves. The situation has now stabilised…"

Leylin gave a brief overview of what he had experienced in the Magus World. Of course, anything that touched upon his secrets, such as the A.I. Chip, the Lamia fingerbone and all that, was obviously hidden and not discussed. Gilbert and Emma had not asked either.

Of those who had reached the realm of Morning Star, who did not have their own secrets? Even the two of them had many fortuitous meetings while at rank 3, and received inheritances from ruins and the like, which had allowed them to thankfully advance to rank 4.

"In that case… That guy, Cyril, is really dead…" Emma's eyes were filled with astonishment as she sized up Leylin. Compared to her own age, Leylin was much too young right now.

However, it was this adolescent Warlock who had caused Demon Hunter Cyril's fall?

Emma couldn't help but recall Cyril's terrifying demonic spells, as well as his power and abundant experience. Her opinion of this young man raised immensely.

"Alright! Well then… Are the two of you willing to return to the Magus World now?" Leylin took off the silver-white necklace on his neck that was emanating the rays of stars. Gilbert and Emma's breaths immediately became heavier.

This was the projection of the coordinates of Leylin's astral gate. It could open the astral gate and allow them to return to the Ouroboros Clan.

However, Gilbert and Emma exchanged a wry smile, and did not speak. Instead, the area turned strangely silent.

"I understand. It seems like Your Graces still have very important things to do in the Lava World!" Leylin laughed, not minding the least.

"Yes!" In the end, it was Emma who spoke up. "Leylin, you're a Morning Star just like us, so you don't have to call us 'Your Grace'. Just call us by our names…"

"Alright, my Lords!" Leylin looked solemn as he began to make guesses. "Is it because of the firasource stones?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Leylin noticed the change in Gilbert's expression, while Emma cried out in alarm.

"You've actually found out!"

"Of course! It's a treasure that can strengthen the soul and even the point mass. Any Morning Star would go crazy over it!" Leylin nodded as he admitted.

"Alright. In that case, we don't have to keep hiding it from you like before." Emma immediately threw away all hesitation, "Although Jupiter's Lightning had duped us, we were much stronger than they had anticipated. This was especially so in another world, where their Radiant Moon could not intrude. While we did suffer a bit, we managed to break out, and while searching for the road back we found out about the firasource stones."

Emma sounded emotional, "How can we let go of this treasure that can amplify soul force? We three Morning Star Warlocks thus led the way and took in a few oppressed races within the Atlan Union, creating the organisation, the Triserpent Sect. On the surface, we want to overthrow the government of Atlan, but in reality, we prioritise gathering firasource stones!"

Leylin nodded. In this meeting, he had found that the two Dukes' soul undulations were obviously much more powerful than in the Magus World. It seemed to be the effect from the firasource stones!

"Then… where's the First Elder?" Leylin asked, and the atmosphere immediately became gloomy. A long while later, Gilbert spoke, his voice hoarse.

"There are many powerful beings in the Lava World. At the peak are a few who have a strength similar to Radiant Moon Magi. At the beginning, with the three of us working together, everything went smoothly, and we even seized quite a lot of firasource stones. However, the organisation Jupiter's Lightning set up here was obviously much larger, and even had relations with the higher ups in Atlan. The head of their union was one who had trained up to the thirteenth level of the Fireplume technique, which was unheard of in history. He was a peak Radiant Moon Magus! Under his assault along with many other Magi, the First Elder fell… while trying to protect us…"

Though Gilbert explained it in a simplified manner, Leylin could tell how desperate that battle had been. He could keenly tell that Gilbert had concealed some things.

Whatever it was, he would never believe the First Elder was so selfless, but Gilbert and Emma had not asked why Leylin had not come here right after the battle and instead done so only now. Leylin thus would not make his opinion known.

"This means Mentor and Madam Emma are preparing to stay here for a period of time and conspire to obtain more firasource stones? In that case, we can collaborate!" Leylin touched his chin. He held the same thoughts as these two Morning Star Warlocks. With two Morning Star helpers, he had more confidence.

"That's great. With you joining us, Leylin, our strength will increase by a large amount, and we will even have a way to retreat!" Emma and Gilbert exchanged a glance, the elation obvious in their eyes.

It looked like they had been planning to cause a huge ruckus before leaving this world.

Leylin could not help but feel his scalp tingle. The unrestrained attacks of three Morning Star Warlocks would definitely throw the entire Atlan Union into chaos.

However, this was none of his business. As long as he could obtain enough firasource stones, he didn't mind pushing the union into the abyss, or breaking it into smithereens.

Leylin patted his head, suddenly remembering something as he spoke. "Right! I'm lying low in the Special Task Force in Atlan for now. In order to obtain their trust, I destroyed a few of Triserpent Sect's strongholds…"

"It doesn't matter. Those are just the surrounding organisations. We can just create a few more soon. To really obtain their full trust, it doesn't matter even if we hand over the whole Triserpent Sect."

Gilbert waved his arms, not minding the least.

"In actuality, we've also been keeping a low profile in the Atlan Union and even obtained titles. Most of the intel regarding the Triserpent Sect was intentionally divulged by us!" Emma laughed, a layer of sparkling red feathers appearing on her body.

"The Emberwings and Fireplume," Leylin chuckled. Morning Star Warlocks were all grandmasters at remodelling bloodlines. With Emma and Gilbert's experience, passing off an identity as an Emberwing was way too easy.

On top of that, these two were ruthless and had even sold away their organisation just to obtain trust. That was probably how they gained their titles, and why they did not mind Leylin's actions.

Leylin was rather speechless at that, feeling like he still needed to learn much more from his seniors in these dark areas. If the followers of the Triserpent Sect found out they had been betrayed by their leaders, they would probably just break down.

Leylin could not help but begin to pity them.

"Do you have any intel?" Leylin asked. These two Warlocks had been laying low here for longer than he had, and definitely knew more secrets.

"Of course!" Gilbert laughed proudly.

"Based on our sources, there is only one place where the firasource stones are being generated, and that's the capital of the Atlan Union— Tylasus! It only comes from the head himself, which means the source is being controlled by him. There are very few reserves outside!"

"The head who is at the thirteenth level of Fireplume, the peak of Radiant Moon?" Leylin sighed lightly, knowing things were going to get troublesome.

Three Morning Stars cooperating was still not enough to snatch something from this opponent.

That was not all. Fighting in another world, foreign beings like them obviously had a disadvantage compared to the people of this land. The World's Will itself would also have a bias and help its own people, and even if a peak Radiant Moon were to head over, they might not be able to deal with this opponent.

"Gilbert and I have already set up a plan. We're planning to sneak into Tylasus two months later, on the Holy Solar Day. You're just in time!" Emma exclaimed.

Leylin touched his chin. Holy Solar Day was a very important festival of the Emberwings. During that time, the head would have to make a speech, participate in the feast and whatnot. There were more than enough opportunities to sneak into his residence.

-x-X-x-

"Good! I'll be there then!" Leylin nodded.

"Of course you will, because you'll have the greatest chance!" Gilbert chuckled.

"Oh? Why's that?" Leylin's thoughts were lightning quick as he immediately came up with a reason. "Could it be…"

"Hehe… that's right. Lord Schiker is the illegitimate child of the head of Atlan. With this connection, and you yourself as part of the Special Task Force, you'll get the most opportunities to sneak into his residence." Emma revealed.

"No wonder I've been thinking Schiker has a very solid backing and very powerful connections. So he's the illegitimate child of the head of the union…" Leylin spoke in understanding.

"Hehe… This is called an opportune moment. We'd wanted to sneak into the Special Task Force too, but the bloodline scanning there is very strict. We can only imitate up to the seventh level of Fireplume, which is pretty much useless. Even if we got in, we'd only be at the bottommost level. You're different. Not only is your Emberwing aura unbelievably pure, you've even improved in Fireplume up to the ninth level. What a genius!"

Gilbert praised. He was now feeling he'd been blind not to have noticed a super talent like Leylin. However, he had managed to take Leylin under his wing, which was a huge relief.

"Alright! I'll do my best and follow Schiker back to the capital!" Leylin nodded, watching these two Kemoyin Dukes. Before heading to the Lava World, he'd been worried that they were injured or something like that, but now, it looked like there was nothing to worry about.

What was difficult for Morning Stars to heal from were injuries to the soul, but as long as firasource stones were in their possession, even the most troublesome soul injuries could be healed quickly.

In actuality, Leylin guessed that these two Kemoyin Dukes had used all their firasource stone reserves to heal the injuries from breaking away from the attack. If not, they would not have had just this slight improvement to their aura.

"By the way, there's someone called Loke under Schiker. Is he also someone you arranged for to be there?" Leylin suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Loke?!" Suspicion flashed on Emma and Gilbert's expression as they exchanged a glance. Even Leylin, who had been observing their facial expressions, could not tell if these expressions were genuine.

"No, I don't know him! He's not a spy we sent out. Is there something wrong?"

"A little. I suspect he's from another race who feigned an identity to enter the Special Task Force!" Leylin casually brought this up.

"In that case…" Gilbert rubbed his shiny bald head, "You'll need to be more wary of him. He's most likely someone from the Mobius Organisation!"

"Mobius Organisation? Do you know that organisation well?" Leylin's interest was piqued at this. Or rather, at the large amount of resources and firasource stones that this organisation had stolen.

"Though this is just a guess, we are almost certain that it's Jupiter's Lightning's organisation here!"

Emma looked grim, "Due to the suppression from Atlan, Zegna of Jupiter's Lightning does not dare come to this world. He's only dispatched a few Morning Star Magi here to secretly build up an organisation!"

"Zegna?" Leylin touched his chin. It was only now that he found out the name of this rank 5 Magus who had been opposing him.

"In this case, Loke is probably a spy or something to that effect sent out by Zegna?" Leylin chuckled.

"Just a mere pawn. It doesn't matter even if that's true. As long as he's not a Morning Star, he won't be that vital in this game here…"

Ruthlessness flashed in Gilbert's expression, "If you really think he's annoying, then dispose of him. If it's not convenient for you, just tell us, and we'll handle it…"

Though Gilbert and Emma seemed to be nobles in the Atlan Union, they were actually one of the three wicked leaders of the Triserpent Sect. It was obvious that they would seek trouble with the Special Task Force, and Loke's death wouldn't be that significant anyway.

"Let's keep him around for now and not alarm the Mobius Organisation. By the way, is that Morning Star who had caused major casualties and stole a lot of resources still around?"

"Why? You want to know where he is?" Emma and Gilbert both had on something that seemed like a smile.

"Of course! I don't really care about other resources, but I must get those firasource stones!"

Leylin answered decisively, "Besides, I can gain more of Schiker's trust with his help. Think about it, if I give Schiker news of the Morning Star who landed him in his current state, what would happen?"

"Actually, we've been trying to track him down and seem to have found some trails…"

Emma exclaimed, "Just as well! That is Collins of Jupiter's Lightning. Neither of us is certain we can kill him, but with you around, we have enough strength. We shall divide the firasource stones equally though!"

"That's fine!" Leylin immediately thought of Collins, who he'd disciplined at his ceremony, and the corner of his lips quirked up in a smile.

...

*Rumble!*

The earth split open, the sky falling. Space was constantly being destroyed, causing turbulence. Silver storms wreaked havoc and ravaged the region.

At the very centre, three phantoms in the form of indistinct giant black serpents streaked across the horizon, surrounding a figure.

"Collins, hand over everything you have on you, and we can let you off!" Gilbert yelled loudly.

Trapped in the middle was Collins, who Leylin had seen once before. Now, bloody wounds were all over his body, and it was obvious that his injuries were not mild.

His own strength lost to even Leylin. Under the joint attack of three Morning Star Warlocks, he was actually pretty good to have survived so far.

"Lord Zegna won't let you off…" The energy undulations from Collin's body were all over the place. The battle with Morning Star Arcane Arts had already landed him in a critical state.

"Zegna? Hmph! Even if he doesn't look for us, we'll look for him. We can't just forget about what happened with the First Elder." Emma snorted coldly.

Collins could only whine about the situation inside his mind. Though his strength surpassed that of Demon Hunter Cyril, he was still no match for three Morning Star Warlocks working together.

Unfortunately, Jupiter's Lightning was huge, and needed many Morning Stars taking charge in the Magus World. There were few Morning Star Magi in the Lava World, and he was the strongest of all those sent over, having committed a serious sin that he had to make up for.

But now? He first had to think about how to save himself!

"Alright! I can give you all the firasource stones, but you'll need to swear on the astral plane that you won't harm or imprison me!"

Collins shouted. This was usually what happened in battles between Morning Star Magi. It might be easy to define the winner, but killing the opponent was difficult and often not worth it. That was why after being defeated, it was common to agree to an unfair contract and concede to a huge compensation.

"You don't have any leeway to bargain over this!" Leylin's tone was firm. With his opponent's life in the palm of his hands and unable to escape, there was no space for negotiation.

"Alright. In that case…" Collins seemed to acknowledge his fate and placed his hands on his waist. All of a sudden, his expression turned sinister.

Berserk black lightning closed in with him in the middle.

Above his right hand, a simple leather scroll was slowly opening, revealing the phantom image of a Magus with a black moon rune on the forehead.

"It's a rank 5 magic scroll!" Emma's expression instantly changed, countless blood-red rays exploding forth.

A giant black snake that spanned across the horizon appeared, charging in his direction.

"Kemoyin Serpent Transformation!" Gilbert and Leylin, who were trailing behind, immediately acted as well. The power of a rank 5 spell was not to be underestimated, and they had to go all out.

On top of that, since this was another world, there was no danger even if they destroyed anything. Their methods were frenzied and cruel, not considering the destruction of the environment.

"Hissss…" A giant black phantom snake collided with the lightning, and the energy undulations created could be felt even hundreds of kilometers away.

*Boom!* A human figure was sent flying, Collins' figure. Black blood shot out of the corner of his mouth, and there were traces of rot that continuously penetrated deeper within. Even his Morning Star body was full of bloody holes.

While he flew backwards, he flung large amounts of fiery-red ores, and even some other precious resources and treasures of his collection. They flew in all directions, emitting brilliant light.

"The firasource stones are all here, as well as my collection. Don't go too far!" he yelled, his figure turning into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

*Swish!* The fog dissipated, and three black figures floated down, gathering the many firasource stones.

"What do you think of this?" Leylin spoke first.

"Since we're acting, we need to seem genuine. I'm going to chase him for a while longer…" Gilbert nodded, before dashing towards the black streak.

"Well then, Madam Emma, I'll head back now!" After keeping the portion of firasource stones that belonged to him, Leylin was in an exceptionally good mood and bowed to Emma.

"Mm! Take care of yourself. I don't want Freya to become a widow at such a young age," Emma hummed, though there were hints of concern in her tone.

"I understand!" Leylin was slightly touched, nodding as he turned back into Ley the Emberwing. He returned to the Special Task Force encampment in Wox City.

"Boss, the energy undulations just now?" The moment he entered, Mies rushed over hurriedly, his expression grim.

"It's probably a fight between Star ranks!" Leylin obviously knew the reason for the change in his expression.