Chapter 1706 - WMW 79

'Boffel? Could it be the 'Divine Luminescent Wing'? And calling him 'Your Grace'? Isn't that a title used in ancient times for Morning Stars? And the Monarch of the Skies? Oh, goodness. Could this Magus be a Morning Star as well?'

The female Magus who had a pair of thick glasses on peeked at Leylin, feeling like he was as unfathomable as the mountains and the seas. She could not help but lower her head, feeling ashamed at her previous conjectures.

Boffel did not spare her a glance. Since violence could not be employed in the library, the usage of Morning Star domains was restricted. She could hear some of what they were saying, but since this was an honest conversation there was nothing to be hidden anyway.

"Oh, my apologies. The information here is just so abundant that I forgot about the time!" Leylin stood up, looking apologetic.

"Anyone who disturbs a Magus immersed in the ocean of knowledge should have their souls scorched in the flames of the ninth hell. Why would I mind?" Boffel had a very witty way of speech, and Leylin immediately formed a better impression of him.

Boffel was not at all surprised about Leylin staying in the library all day. Many scholarly Magi would treat the Great Library as their home upon reaching Sky City for the first time. There were people who stayed within from a few months to even decades, and if not for having too little information points, they would even stay there for their whole lives! Compared to these people, Leylin had only been there for a month, which was very normal. Boffel felt that he seemed to have too many information points, but then again, considering he had just returned from a foreign world, he must have gained large amounts of knowledge from it, so this was understandable.

"Alright. I shall head there now."

Leylin placed the book back in its original position. He had reaped a great harvest this time, and the Great Library currently did not have anything especially useful to him. Besides, the Monarch of the Skies had summoned him, and it was best that he tidy himself up. This was a necessary part of etiquette.

"And you, earnest young lady!" Leylin shot a glance at the female Magus who only wished she could hide behind her book.

"Your Grace, Boffel, and this… your Grace. Please forgive me for my offensive behaviour!" Cold sweat was already dripping from the female Magus' forehead.

Though Sky City was a peaceful area that paid attention to the law, Morning Stars always had privileges. The moment Leylin or Boffel found her an eye sore, she would wind up in a pitiful state even if they didn't act themselves.

"Haha… don't be afraid! I want to thank you for accompanying me while I studied for this past month. Treat this as a gift!"

Leylin laughed, and the library card in his hands flew out. Scanning the female Magus' library card, he transferred his remaining information points to her.

The Great Library now held little meaning for Leylin, which was why there was no point in having these information points with him.

"This…" Though Leylin felt that the number of information points left was pitifully low, to the point that it had almost hit zero, this was still a gigantic amount for the female Magus! She immediately cried out in surprise.

By the time she had recovered from her shock and wanted to thank Leylin, she found that they had long since left.

"Your Grace's act of providing financial aid to other Magi is truly admirable!" Boffel could not understand Leylin's actions, since the information on him showed that Leylin was not someone so charitable.

"Hehe… I'm just in a good mood!" Leylin chuckled.

This explanation rendered Boffel completely at ease. Warlocks were truly a group of Magi who were very emotional. In such good moods from the benefits from the library, they could indeed reward any low-ranking Magi as they wished. This unusual situation lost all strangeness when Warlocks were involved.

Boffel did not pay much attention to Leylin's momentary act of kindness, and instead brought to attention some things to take note of when meeting the Monarch of the Skies.

"I don't get it…" Leylin immediately asked Boffel, "I'm merely a Morning Star. Why would the Monarch of the Skies want to see me?"

The other party was a Breaking Dawn Magus with influence all over the central continent. He had complete control of the airship networks, and possessed a foreign world of his own that had been completely taken over. The Morning Stars and Radiant Moons under him were innumerable.

This sort of person should, by right, be far superior to him. Why was there the sudden desire to meet Leylin?

Leylin had once had the idea of making a trade with the coordinates of the Lava World, but he'd never once expressed these thoughts.

'Something's suspicious…' Leylin stroked his chin and immediately, Jupiter's Lightning came to mind. It could not be helped. He had few enemies in the central continent, and Zegna was the only one of them could influence the organisation behind Sky City.

'I was just worried you wouldn't come!' A smirk appeared about Leylin's lips.

The heart of Sky City was a large-scale floating garden, forming the 'floating' landscape that gave the title of the floating city.

This garden— the Drifting Garden— was the heart of Sky CIty's power. It was also the temporary imperial residence of His Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies.

"This is Boffel. Step aside." Boffel flew all the way to the Drifting Garden with Leylin in tow. The Warlock had tidied up and was now dressed in formal attire.

The deeper into Sky City one went, the more the instances of probing and detection, to the point that Leylin's expression changed slightly. If not for Boffel guiding him, it would have been inconvenient for him to sneak into the Drifting Garden without being detected.

Looking down from the edges of the Drifting Garden, one could see all the sights of Sky City. It left one's heart free and unfettered.

Further in was a cobbled lane. On both sides of the path were Devil Fungi Taro, Heavenly Intoxicating Nectar, and large amounts of other precious plants that Leylin did not even know the names of. They were numerous, and all in full bloom. If not for the A.I. Chip detecting powerful shackling runes there, Leylin would have had plans of taking a bunch.

"After walking through this area, we will arrive at His Majesty's residing quarters. I can only accompany you up to this point." Boffel laughed as he spoke, "His Majesty is a very amiable person, and he'll definitely…"

"Boffel, you seem to have brought someone new here. That's against the rules!" Another voice sounded, and Leylin especially went stiff, feeling like he was being stared at by a poisonous snake.

"You!" He raised his head, seeing what looked to be a kindly old Magus approaching them.

"Lord Stuart! This is Duke Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan, here to meet His Majesty." Boffel bowed. At the same time, he introduced the person to Leylin in a quiet voice, "This is Lord Stuart, a Radiant Moon Magus. Since His Majesty is often absent, he is usually in charge of managing Sky City…"

"So it's Lord Stuart!" Leylin bowed, neither too enthusiastic nor too cold. His sensitive soul immediately found a trace of ill intent directed at him. In that case, he wouldn't bother being too cordial.

"Hm?!" Such an attitude rapidly increased the distaste that Stuart already had. He did not hold back and began to criticise Leylin. "As expected, it's a little chap with no manners. Is it really alright for this kind of person to meet with His Majesty?"

"Lord Stuart, Leylin is a treasured guest of our Sky City." Boffel coughed and answered with a warning. Stuart's attitude was obviously biased, and he could not watch further.

"Your Highness, Stuart, you are in no position to judge whether I have any manners!" Leylin retorted without restraint.

This immediately left Boffel dumbfounded. This was a Radiant Moon, a great rank 5 Magus! In Sky City, he had tens of thousands of subordinates under him, and yet, Leylin was not giving him any face?

In actuality, if the other party was merely a little arrogant, Leylin did not mind humbling himself and treating him the way he did Weyers. However, Stuart was obviously here to create trouble, finding Leylin an eyesore before even meeting him. No matter how much Leylin tried to endure this, he would only be humiliated, and all for nothing. There was therefore no reason to be courteous.

"Good! I'll teach you some manners right now!" Hearing Leylin's tone, Stuart was evidently exasperated. Never did he expect a Morning Star like Leylin to speak to him in such a manner!

*Rumble!* Formless soul force was like a raging sea as it gushed towards Leylin.

He had intentionally controlled the might of the spell, such that it affected only this small area. With Stuart's control, he was confident that he could keep the battlefield within the area and not alarm anyone else.

Boffel could only laugh wryly. While he did agree that Stuart had gone too far, he only stood aside.

"Hmph! Is a rank 5 so fantastic?" Leylin sneered, his soul force that had reached five stars surging forth.

The gigantic phantom of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent with scarlet lines on it appeared behind him, hissing at Stuart.

"Hss!" The ferocious soul tide formed a gigantic black snake, colliding fiercely with Stuart's soul force.

"Hm?!" Stuart's eyes widened, not expecting to have difficulties in dealing with Leylin. 'Five star soul force? Didn't the intel say four stars?'

Crackling sounds rang out as the two bouts of soul force cancelled each other after the collision. The forces that went astray caused an explosion.

*Pak! Pak! Pak!* The sounds of countless runic chains breaking could be heard. The concealing spell formations that Stuart had previously set up were completely broken through!

"Urgh!" Leylin staggered backwards, face completely red.

Stuart, on the other hand, stood completely still as he stared at Leylin expressionlessly, not intending to pursue this fight.

The strength of this Morning Star before him had exceeded his expectations, and he was a five star Warlock! It would take a large amount of time and energy to take him down.

What was even worse was that this would not be hidden from His Majesty, and Stuart's expression turned dark.

-x-X-x-

"Hmph! Count yourself lucky!" Stuart glared at Leylin with resentment and dissipated into wisps of soot.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Leylin neatened the creases in his shirt with an indecipherable straight face.

"Y–You…

"You managed to withstand an attack from Lord Stuart? But he's a Radiant Moon Magus! Hold up, what did he say just now? Five Stars? You've reached Five Stars?" Boffel stammered and pointed a trembling finger at Leylin. Uncertainty brewed inside of him.

Leylin reaching five stars carried a great amount of significance. There were less than thirty Five Star Morning Stars in the entire central continent, and Leylin was one of them. He was someone at the peak!

Furthermore, being able to withstand a strike from a Radiant Moon? The more Boffel looked at Leylin, the more he thought that this fellow was a monstrous genius like Weyers.

'You've found a rival, little Weyers.' Boffel laughed bitterly in his mind before he walked forth. As he looked at Leylin, he felt helpless and lost.

"Let's move quickly, we shouldn't have His Majesty wait," Leylin said considerately.

He already realised the intention behind Stuart's behaviour. The man was obviously trying to catch him unprepared. The ideal situation was to be able to capture him directly, but if that failed he could always sow the seeds of mistrust between Leylin and the Monarch of the Skies. If those seeds were to sprout, Leylin would be done for.

Of course, Leylin was still patient about it all. Even though Stuart was already a dead man in his eyes, none of his thoughts surfaced on his expression.

"Oh! Indeed, we can't let His Majesty wait!" Boffel seemed to have woken up from his daze.

After passing through the garden, they came upon a chain of fragile and complicated buildings that seamlessly formed a sort of circuit.

Green vines coiled snugly around the spotless marble pillars decoratively, but a thorough scan by the A.I. Chip showed that there were actually a huge number of spell circuits here.

"Circuit structure?" Leylin was slightly taken aback. "Could it be that of a perpetual motion disk?" He remembered coming across such a thing in the library.

"Right! This is it, rumoured to be able to move indefinitely without an energy source!

"The sages of the Sky City will join hands with the addition of you, my Lord, to perfect this hypothesis and create an energy source for the whole Drifting Garden." Boffel continued.

"Sadly, this system is still quite a distance away from actual perpetual motion. As it is right now, it consumes 9826 magic crystals a month, and it's also impossible to expand the system to use it for the entire city."

"Still, it's impressive enough that it can support the whole of the Drifting Garden for an entire month with just that amount of energy!" Admiration was painted all over Leylin's face.

As for it being used for the entire city? If such a thing had succeeded, the entire continent would be filled with floating cities, and Sky City would definitely not be the only one.

Leylin held back his admiration and sauntered into the palace alone, leaving Boffel behind. He had actually wanted to bring Boffel along, but the person himself refused outrightly. This left him at a loss for words, but he was also astonished at the imposing presence of the Monarch of the Skies.

In front of him was a jade-built snow-white door, at least ten metres tall. It exuded a sense of divinity and dignity, and instantly led Leylin who was standing in front of it to think that he had arrived in a land of giants.

'No traces of spells or restrictive measures?' Leylin's eyes flashed blue as he scanned past the gargantuan door and the enormous statue in front.

'Can I not detect something set up by a Breaking Dawn yet? Or are such things no longer of any significance to the Monarch of the Skies?' Leylin believed in it being the latter assumption, but he secretly hoped for it to be the former.

"But…" He stroked the white gloves in his hands, seemingly gaining strength from that action. He then took a deep breath before arriving in front of the door.

The door rumbled open upon sensing Leylin's arrival and revealed the spacious site within, closing once more with a thud as he stepped in.

"This is...?" Despite being stunned for a bit, Leylin observed his surroundings, realising he was in a big hall. The two side walls were littered with countless paintings— mostly depicting scenes of war between Magi and other races, but also demons on occasion. The deeper in the hall one went, the more abstract the paintings, slowly turning into mere meaningless lines and streaks at the end.

Directly opposite Leylin was a huge statue; a human with six pairs of wings walking out of an enormous shell accompanied by horn-blowing angels and petal-throwing maidens.

The entirety of the statue was carved with such realism that it had an aura of life about it. This was especially true for its eyes that were made of black pearls. They seemed to move, focusing upon Leylin.

"Leylin Farlier!" A voice resonated within the hall.

"Huh?!" Leylin turned his head to the statue. Its eyes were pinned on Leylin, and it seemed to be smiling.

*Snap!* The statue moved all of a sudden, and walked out of the shell, ripping off the plaster on the wall.

The whole hall seemed to have come to life in tandem with the male statue's descent, differentiating itself from the outside world and forming two distinct domains.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Leylin knew the identity of this person by now. The difference in their statuses was clear; even if this was only an embodiment of the Monarch of the Skies, he still had to show the utmost respect. Not only was his etiquette perfect, even his expression shouted out 'humility'.

Leylin did not mind bowing down in front of someone he could not oppose at the moment. Furthermore, the Monarch of the Skies was a pioneer in the pursuit of truth, a good role model who deserved Leylin's salutations.

"Leylin! You're a fine lad! I apologise for Stuart's rude actions!" A gentle voice sounded from the statue.

At the same time, Leylin was slightly taken aback by its sharp observation as he felt its gaze on his earrings and the two gloves.

"Is the purpose of your visit to enhance your vitality with the Endowing Scepter? If so, I can grant your wish directly!" the winged statue said unhurriedly.

Yet, Leylin had other plans in mind. "No, Your Majesty. Only a Virtuous Sky Sage can come into contact with the Endowing Scepter, that is a tradition of Sky City. I don't wish to break this balance; I'll obtain it through the proper channels, honourably!"

"..."

His reply was clearly unexpected; he felt a dignified yet hidden force scanning across his body. He didn't show anything in his expression, but the A.I. Chip had already begun working its magic.

In the past, Leylin would have been worried about his secrets being revealed. But now, with the advancement of the A.I. Chip, if he could not manage to hoodwink the mere embodiment of a Monarch, he might as well give up on life.

The only things the statue found out were the things he wanted it to.

The force circulating on his body was retracted, and it was apparent that the Monarch of the Skies did not detect anything out of the ordinary.

"You're good! Very good!" A voice sounded from the statue after a good while.

"Your Majesty! I am willing to offer you the coordinates of the Lava World!" Leylin took action immediately upon sensing the imminent departure of the statue and presented his long-awaited gift. A ring of shining coordinates flew to the side of the statue.

"Hmm?!" The twelve-winged statue did not accept it readily, but rather stared at Leylin, "Leylin, I believe you recognise the value of foreign worlds. The fact that you offered such a treasure means that you want something."

"Your Majesty, I only wish for Sky City to remain neutral when conflict breaks out between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning," Leylin replied humbly.

"To remain neutral?!" Leylin felt the statue's gaze pause at his hands before it replied, "Alright!"

...

"My Lord! There is a Mister Leylin who wishes to see you!" A phantom reported in Weyers' room.

"Leylin?" Weyers raised his petulant face, shock evident in his eyes, 'Didn't he go see His Majesty? Is he done already? And why did he come to me first?'

Even if he was taken aback, Weyers still managed to pass an order, "Invite h– no; I'll go pick him up myself."

Leylin did not beat around the bush when he entered the room, dropping the bomb directly. "Weyers, do you want to go up against Stuart?"

"Wh– What?" Weyers' smile hardened, "Are you nuts? Why would I go against a Radiant Moon Magus of my own organisation?"

"Is that so? Then why do I feel like you're someone who bears grudges? Moreover…" Leylin smiled and pointed a finger, causing a blue light screen to appear.

It showed two people in the midst of a conversation, one of them that sinister-looking old man, Stuart. His eyes were burning with hatred, "You lied to me! That Leylin was obviously a Five Star Warlock. I'll have to sacrifice a lot more in order to go up against him. Zegna had better give me a remuneration I'll be satisfied with!"

In front of him was a Morning Star engulfed in darkness, bowing his body and looking extremely humble,

"Lord Zegna said Lord Stuart has been a close friend of his for many years, and would definitely help him out. Also, our plan to pin the blame on Weyers almost succeeded, didn't it?"

Weyers was appalled enough by Leylin's Five Star status, but his expression turned even darker as he listened to the conversation.

-x-X-x-

"So what if our previous plan failed and Leylin managed to pass the Monarch's test? We still have a chance!" This Morning Star from Jupiter's Lightning was still trying his hardest to persuade Stuart. "Leylin is about to participate in the appraisal for Virtuous Sky Sages. As long as we get Weyers to participate as well, they're likely to come into conflict eventually… After all, they're both geniuses, and those kinds of people love glory and solitude…"

"Your plans are just too troublesome…" Stuart shook his head, "I can tell you from experience, the more complicated a plan is, the more slip-ups there are. The simpler plans usually have a higher rate of success! Leylin is merely a Five Star Morning Star, and no matter how crafty he is, he can't break through the bloodline shackles and reach rank 5. I'll just have to deal with him personally the moment he leaves the vicinity of Sky City. Of course, the price will double."

Weyers not falling into the trap had instilled a sense of crisis in Stuart.

"If Your Highness can do this for us, we will be grateful!" The Morning Star Magus in the black mist immediately bowed in thanks.

"Actually, the rewards can still be the same as before, but you'll need to help me eliminate someone." Stuart's voice turned low.

"Who is it?" This Morning Star suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Weyers!" Stuart looked vicious all of a sudden.

...

"Enough!" Weyers announced coldly, black lightning breaking the screen apart.

"What do you want?" He was beginning to trust Leylin.

Though images like these could be forged, the screen from before had displayed even the soul undulations belonging to the other party, and Weyers had no choice but to believe it.

At the same time, he was now beginning to feel terror towards this Leylin who had the ability to spy on even Radiant Moon Magi!

This was a rank 5 Magus! On top of that, from what Weyers knew, the other party had something similar to a world's protective sphere that could isolate his residence from everything. Yet, Leylin had been able to snoop on him!

'This is just too terrifying!' Weyers glanced at Leylin. The Warlock's smile suddenly sent a chill down his spine.

"Simple! I'll go and take care of them. You just have to stop the powers of Sky City from interfering!" Leylin straightforwardly explained his plan.

As for how he had found out about the other party's scheme? Of course, that was due to the stardust bugs! This formidable, incomparably minute being of the Oakheart Clan could not be detected by even the most advanced spell formations. It was the best way to spy on someone, and he'd planted them on Stuart's body in secret during their clash.

Leylin's previous methods only allowed him to discover when he was being spied upon by stardust bugs. However, after reaching the Morning Star realm and extorting the Oakheart Clan, he had obviously gotten a hold of some young stardust bugs by force, using the A.I. Chip to form his own way of manipulating them.

He'd wanted to learn of Stuart's plans, but he'd never expected to see such a scene which had much more potential to be exploited.

'Weyers is an absolute talent, and there are definitely people in Sky City who oppose him…' Leylin was confident in this assumption. Weyers was an arrogant person, and someone trying to make use of him or take his life was not something he could take lying down. He was sure Weyers would act on this.

Leylin merely wanted him to stop the interference of external parties and took on the more dangerous job himself. Thus, there would not be any issues.

However, Weyers had one last question, "What if the Monarch of the Skies finds out?"

"Haha…" Leylin burst into laughter, "I just returned from meeting him, and he agreed that Sky City would remain neutral in a conflict between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning. You can go ask him if you want!"

"That's not possible!" Weyers cried out in alarm, and began to say a few words into a secret imprint. His expression immediately changed, and his voice even turned hoarse, "What did you use to move His Majesty?"

"Coordinates to a foreign world. Is that enough?"

"Enough! You're insane, but I like it. Let me accompany you in your insanity!" Weyers' pupils began to burn with what seemed to be an ambitious fire, growing gradually in intensity.

...

Leylin and Weyers stood side by side in the sky, watching a building in the distance that had a large number of runes flickering on it.

"Stuart's villa is over there! He's a Radiant Moon though, can you handle him?" Weyers' voice was low.

"That's my problem to deal with. You just have to focus on holding down the fort. Besides, even if we can't handle Stuart, we just need to get that Morning Star from Jupiter's Lightning. That'll be enough to discourage him from further action. The higher-ups in Sky City will also be disappointed in him, which will lead more Magi to side with you!"

Weyers didn't refute Leylin's calm analysis. Since the two of them were already working together, all attempts at concealing anything would merely be a joke.

"In the future, I will definitely take on any of the pressure that Sky City might exert on you, as well as suppress Jupiter's Lightning's forces!" Weyers' voice was icy cold. He'd already discussed these terms with Leylin, and they'd even inked a contract.

"That's enough!" Leylin chuckled, turning into a streak of black light and piercing into the dense spell formations like a sword. A large amount of runic chains flickered into existence, but they were quickly shredded apart.

"He actually dares to barge into the nest of a Radiant Moon. Where does he get his confidence from?" Weyers muttered to himself in the distance.

"Stuart, prepare to meet your maker!" A booming voice was transmitted into the entire area, causing many Magi to gape in shock. Since when did someone dare to barge into the residence of a Radiant Moon Magus in Sky City without an invitation, even acting so unbridled? Was something changing?

A large number of conscients gathered at the place, watching the alarming scene nearby.

"Soaring Demonic Phoenix!"

*Chirp!* The phantom of a terrifying phoenix wreathed in black fire emerged along with high-pitched cries, its gigantic wings breaking apart the spell formations in Stuart's residence. Black flames spilled in all directions.

The remaining spell light was devoured by the black flames, and the formations completely lost their might. Yet, the giant blackfire phoenix was still unsatisfied, and it pushed at a building underneath.

*Rumble!* Like a natural calamity, the black flames swirled through the area and all that was left behind was merely a huge pit, as well as two stunned figures. All other life energy was gone.

With Leylin attacking at full power, besides Stuart and that Morning Star who could somewhat take it, the region had been completely levelled. The many maids, servants, and the like were completely obliterated.

The might of just one attack had reached this extent!

The onlookers grew crazed at this scene, thinking they were still dreaming.

"That is Lord Leylin!" Yuro's hand clamped on her mouth.

"Ah! It's that Morning Star who gifted me information points!" In her shock, the spectacled female Magus dropped the books she was holding.

"Wha- What's going on?" Stuart was still in a daze. He had obviously reacted, but long years of a pampered life had resulted in his disbelief when someone dared to attack his residence. What's worse was that they succeeded!

The stupefaction was soon replaced by rage.

"You… You dare—" Stuart snarled, terrifying energy undulations sweeping through the area. Weyers, who was already a distance away, immediately moved much further backwards, now more fearful as he watched Leylin's back at the centre of all of it.

"I am Duke Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan, here to kill the Morning Star of an opposing organisation, Jupiter's Lightning. All unrelated personnel are to leave!" Leylin did not wait for Stuart to speak, an immense voice travelling everywhere instantly.

"What? He's that Leylin, the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock in history?"

"Yes! The Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning are now at war!"

The clamour from around the female Magus with thick glasses allowed her to get Leylin's name. Watching Leylin's back, traces of concern and admiration flashed across her face.

"Die!" After proclaiming this, Leylin did not give Stuart any opportunities to speak. A gigantic Kemoyin Serpent phantom with scarlet stripes on it appeared behind his back. As it thundered forth, two vertical pupils like stars gazed at the Morning Star wrapped in black mist.

"My– My Lord, save me!" Though similarly a Morning Star, he knew that there was too large a disparity between him and Leylin, and only Stuart would be able to save his life.

"You're going too far!" Terrifying flames began to burn around Stuart, all a result of his anger.

He even vowed, deep in his heart, that no matter the cost he had to kill Leylin right here on this day!

"It's you that I want to bully!" Leylin laughed manically, the gigantic phantom serpent swallowing both Stuart and the Morning Star whom he did not know the name of. Frightful energy undulations were immediately dispelled, and if not for the two of them controlling the situation, these undulations would have spread to the outside.

Even so, Weyers' expression changed as he activated quite a few layers of defence, ensuring that the battlefield was only above Stuart's residence.

A red signal alarm sounded in the control room of Sky City along with a voice, "Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! Warning: dangerous energy detected! Warning: dangerous energy detected!

"Discovered intense energy undulations. Location: Above Lord Stuart's residence!" The phantom images of two Magi fighting appeared on the screen, showing another Morning Star that could only hide in a corner.

The screen locked onto Leylin. "Determined target to be a Morning Star Magus!"

"What? The person who's fighting at the same level as Lord Stuart is actually a Morning Star? Have you gone stupid?"

The person in charge smashed a file on the supervising staffer's head.

-x-X-x-

"Rescanning. Confirmed to be a Morning Star Magus!" As the spirit genie's voice rang out, the person in charge was silenced. One instance could be considered a glitch, but what if it happened a second or third time?

He watched the figure on the screen in disbelief, "What level is he at? Display his star grade!"

The screen quickly changed, "Target is Leylin Farlier. Saved data: Four Stars."

"What a joke! Rescan him." He was practically yelling at this point.

*Swish!* An energy bar appeared, and the four star level was filled almost instantly. The meter arrived at five stars.

"So it's a peak Morning Star. It's no wonder that he can contend with Lord Stuart. But don't worry, he can't hold on for long…"

He sighed suddenly, but immediately after, the monitoring staff pulled him to look at the screen once more. In that moment, he practically turned to stone.

On the screen, the meter filled up even the five star grade, and then burst through it!

The screen glitched out and was restarted. The spirit genie then gave another evaluation.

"A Morning Star at the Six Star grade! It's a monster, a monster!" He collapsed feebly onto his chair.

"My Lord! What do we do?" The staff watched the man in charge, hesitating to speak.

"What else can we do? Activate the most powerful defences and ensure that their battle won't affect any other regions. We can't handle the other matters…" The man's eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

...

Weyers was on the battlefield, and he slowly gained more clarity on Leylin's strength.

"This level of strength…" Weyers watched the giant phantom of a serpent soaring through the sky as it let loose terrifying sounds. He had become slightly dazed, "This is definitely stronger than a Five Star. Is he a legendary Six Star Morning Star?"

There were only five normal ranks for Morning Stars. However, history always produced frightening geniuses that defied common sense. This was the Six Star grade! A Morning Star who could match up to a Radiant Moon!

"He's actually reached this level?" Weyers clutched his fists tightly, thinking about his pride at breaking through to Four Stars, and he suddenly flushed red. He wanted to find a place to hide in.

*Swish! Swish!* Large numbers of elites rushed over, looking solemn and preparing for death.

Platinum flames flashed, and Weyers stood in their way, "I'll take over here. Step back for now."

Though he was envious, he still had to abide by their agreement. Weyers watched these guards and the Morning Star that arrived behind them in a lofty manner, and offered his greetings…

*Boom!* A tremendous energy tornado split open, and a blackened Stuart was ruthlessly sent flying as he arrived beside Weyers.

Leylin threw the Morning Star Magus to the ground, the black gas already completely removed from him.

"It's a Magus from Jupiter's Lightning!" "The spirit undulations are correct as well. I've seen him once before, and those can't be hidden!"

Many Morning Stars looked at each other.

"Everyone can see that Lord Leylin was merely attacking the Magus from the opposing organisation, Jupiter's Lightning. Based on the decree of the Monarch of the Skies, our Sky City is to maintain a neutral stance," Weyers stood up and spoke righteously.

Many Morning Star Magi exchanged glances, and watched Leylin who did not back down despite his injuries. In the distance, Stuart looked exasperated as he maintained his silence.

Leylin and Weyers glanced at each other, grinning. The outcome had been decided.

...

Information about this huge battle in Sky City spread like a storm.

The Warlock Leylin took on a Radiant Moon Magus by himself, only suffering light injuries to capture a Morning Star Magus from the other party. His name spread far and wide, and Stuart had been delegated to a supporting role.

The commotion grew further and further, dwarfing that over the Sage Appraisal.

Now, Weyers watched on as a black airship left Sky City from a private port. A strange expression was on his face.

The person leaving was naturally Leylin. Though he had successfully taken care of the Magus from Jupiter's Lightning and humiliated Stuart, he had completely ruffled the feathers of Sky City.

After all, he had ruthlessly attacked on of their esteemed elders in their own territory! If not for Weyers helping him control the situation, the Magi of Sky City might have just declared war against him.

Weyers obviously did not go uncompensated for his help. They had discussed that part beforehand, which was the only reason Leylin was cocky enough to rush to the frontlines.

Even then, knowing that he was garnering too much attention, Leylin did not dare stay in Sky City much longer. He accepted Weyers' proposal and went through unofficial channels to be baptised by the Endowing Scepter, keeping a low profile along the way. With his vitality increased by about 20 points, he secretly left the area, not participating in the appraisal.

As long as he obtained the profits, Leylin did not particularly care for such a title, and he tossed the conversation he'd had with the Monarch of the Skies to the back of his mind.

Leylin looked at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (complete form). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 94.9, Spiritual Force: 956.8, Magic Power: 956(Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul Force: 96 (Five Stars)]

"My vitality increased by 20 points, which means my body is pretty much adapted to the increased soul force now. The Endowing Scepter was truly essential!"

Leylin couldn't help but mumble to himself as he recalled the scepter.

He had realised during the baptism that the Endowing Scepter was the energy core of Sky City. If it was attacked, the entire city would fall to the ground, leading to a horrifying disaster.

The Endowing Scepter was not an actual scepter, but instead a gigantic energy reaction furnace. Its refined looped structure was something Leylin admired, and he had the impulse to steal it and study it.

Leylin suddenly came back to himself, a slight smile about his lips. "It's about time they caught up to me."

*Rumble!* Immense energy undulations swept through the area, and the Colossal Serpent vanished in a puff of smoke. Leylin, who had been prepared, merely stood in mid-air while staring at Stuart who had suddenly appeared ahead of him.

...

Within Sky City, Weyers watched the direction Leylin had left in, and muttered to himself, "Though I agreed to help you take on the pressure from Sky City, you'll need to deal with Stuart's retaliation yourself!"

His gaze was full of complicated feelings, "Leylin, I admit that you're the biggest genius I've seen, to the point that you can tussle with a rank 5. However, the disparity between ranks is not something one can step across so easily…"

In the battle before, Leylin had successfully captured the Morning Star Magus alive, but he had also paid the price of getting injured. Meanwhile, Stuart had been covered in dirt, but he had no real injuries.

Now that he was away from Sky City, it was hard to tell the outcome if he was was caught.

The most likely outcome was that, after an intense battle, Stuart would end up with serious injuries and Leylin would wind up dead.

Insanity flashed in Weyers' eyes, "There needs only be one true genius, and that will be me!"

"Is he gone?" Flames flickered, and a Magus stood beside Weyers that looked similar to him. The Radiant Moon energy he gave off was even more terrifying than Stuart's.

He glanced at Weyers with a look of encouragement, "You did well this time! With Stuart dejected, our organisation can now make ourselves known in Sky City!"

"Leylin's already gone. I've also received news that Stuart has followed him!" Weyers' voice held a trace of laughter. Weyers daring to oppose Stuart was not because he was a fool, but because someone else was backing him.

"Weyers, do you know why His Majesty, the Monarch of the Skies, promised not to interfere in the battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning? A Radiant Moon isn't nearly enough for His Majesty to do this…"

The Radiant Moon looked serious as he spoke.

"Could it be…" Weyers' expression changed.

...

"Leylin, you can't run this time. I will return the humiliation you gave me today tenfold! No, a hundredfold!" Stuart's voice was distorted, and his expression vicious.

Though Leylin was powerful, his total strength could still not match up to his own. This was what he had depended on when he chased after Leylin. Besides, he had help today, and could absolutely kill Leylin here!

...

Meanwhile, Jupiter's Lightning headquarters, in a Magus Tower.

"Is it all prepared? It's about to begin!"

Observing the bubbling Pond of Lamentation, Zegna's expression fluctuated as a female voice was heard.

"This will consume 21% of the Pond of Lamentation's energy reserves, and might even affect your transformation! Have you thought it through properly?"

"I've thought it through enough. Do it!" Zegna's voice was low.

"Alright! Give me a portion of the control rights…"

Mysterious, complicated incantations sounded in the secret room, and multiple black masks arose, disappearing into the void.

"Hm?" Leylin, who was facing Stuart, had a change in expression.

Large numbers of black masks suddenly surrounded his body, sticking onto his face.

[Beep! Host has been inflicted with a curse. Vitality and soul force have weakened!] the A.I. Chip's voice transmitted.

"A curse? And it's a long-distance ancient curse?" Leylin's pupils shrank.

"Haha… You're fated to die here. I will extract your soul and torture you for a thousand years!" Stuart laughed madly before he charged forth.

A terrifying rank 5 spell formed a snarling black monster that opened its large, ferocious mouth in Leylin's direction.

"Scarlet Earring!" Red light flashed from Leylin's ears, and a crescent-shaped blade of scarlet light slashed out…

-x-X-x-

The scarlet crescent of light slashed through the sky. The humongous black monster howled in grief as it disintegrated into black vapour and dispersed.

From the black vapour came Stuart's voice, full of fear, "A piece of high-grade magic equipment! You actually have a piece of high-grade magic equipment!"

He looked at the crimson earring hanging on Leylin's ear, his eyes filled with restraining fear and insatiable greed, "I'll kill you! All of this will be mine!"

'A.I. Chip, begin resisting the radiation from the curse, and find the source!' Leylin looked solemn as he secretly gave the command. If it was in the past, such an ancient curse would be highly troublesome to deal with, but with the vast amount of information from the Great Library as his trump card, and the A.I. Chip's ability to successfully quantify soul force, he had formed a decent database, allowing him to resist.

The same went for the Scarlet Earring. Before he thoroughly understood its origin and functions, he didn't dare to use it much. However, he had managed to find the history of and a detailed introduction to the Scarlet Earring in the Great Library, including operational instructions. This naturally allowed this piece of high-grade magic equipment to be put to full use.

Most of the magic equipment circulating around the central continent was low-grade. Middle-grade magic equipment was rare, and high-grade magic equipment would make even Radian Moons green with envy!

His ability to use the Scarlet Earring had boosted Leylin's strength tremendously in one go, especially against things such as suppressive curses like now.

[Beep! Task established, begin projection of soul interference. Searching for source of curse!] The A.I. Chip immediately intoned.

A layer of light yellow light was emitted from Leylin's body, while the numerous black masks rushed up like moths to the flame.

'A curse way beyond my expectations! And with such horrifying crippling abilities! It must've been cast by a Radiant Moon. I'm 90% sure Zegna is behind this. Who would've thought that he had talent in the field of curses…'

An icy glare flashed in Leylin's eyes. Even he could not deploy such an ancient curse, especially if it was a technique that involved crossing space. This even exceeded the boundaries of what a rank 5 could do!

'Or maybe… Someone is helping him? An even stronger Magus at that?' This idea had Leylin face turning darker. Not only did he have to fight against two rank 5 Magi who had joined forces, he had to pay even more attention to as mysterious high-ranking Magus who was spying on him.

"I really underestimated you previously!" Seeing that the black masks attacking Leylin from all sides were decreasing in number, Stuart unexpectedly did not continue attacking him, but instead started to gasp.

'He actually has a method to resist the ancient curse. He may be at the peak of a Morning Star formally, but his strength is comparable to that of a Radiant Moon Magus! And he even possesses a piece of high-grade magic equipment! If I had known all this earlier, I wouldn't have taken action even if Zegna multiplied his remuneration by tenfold!'

No matter how he felt, Stuart was a Magus after all. After his rage had subsided, he regained his senses and grew rational.

However, Leylin had a rather bad feeling about Stuart's calm and straightforward manner of speaking.

"What a pity… Since the seeds of hatred have already been planted, I will not allow them to take root and germinate!" Stuart looked at Leylin with a profound look in his eyes, "If I cannot make you fall today, the day you advance to rank 5 will be judgement day for me! Even the Monarch of the Skies will not be able to save me…"

Leylin was silent, and didn't say much. Indeed, his enemy understood him best. Once he had sufficient strength in the future, he would definitely return for revenge and even eliminate him completely. He was not the only one who thought of this, as Stuart had as well. Neither of them tried to conceal it.

"So you must die here today, lest I be destroyed and return to the astral plane!" Stuart was resolute. Bizarre undulations appeared on his body, and the rings of light representing his five innate spells flickered into existence behind him. Even spacetime seemed to have been frozen at that moment.

"A Radiant Moon Arcane Art?!" Leylin's expression was extremely solemn.

Morning Stars, powered by their point masses, could combine their four innate spells to produce the Morning Star Arcane Art, and Radiant Moons could do the same with their five. This terrifying fusion of powers was strong enough to cause massive destruction even at rank 4; how strong, then, would it be at rank 5?

Leylin had never seen a Radiant Moon Arcane Art before, but it was evident that the entirety of Sky City would be hard pressed to survive Stuart's attack.

If not, he would have long used his Radiant Moon Arcane Art when he was humiliated then. He wouldn't have been so afraid of the Monarch of the Skies and forced himself to endure for so long before finally taking action now!

This place was rather far from Sky City. Even if the undulations spread to the Sky City, its defence mechanisms and the Magi inside would be able to handle it. Thus, Stuart could go all out without any qualms!

At this moment, Leylin seemed to have seen Stuart's truesoul through his point mass! His soul was sparkling with the frigid, dazzling radiance of a crescent moon!

'The superposition of innate spells to form a Morning Star Arcane Art does not result in a simple additive effect. With the introduction of a fifth, rank 5 innate spell, the formidability of a Radiant Moon Arcane Art is definitely exponentially greater. It should be at least ten times as strong, if not more!'

Leylin stared at the fused rings of light behind Stuart, fear rising within him. They were rippling with a bright radiance that seemed like it could destroy the world in one sweep!

"Stuart has really firmed his resolve. He actually dared to show his Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main world!" Leylin sighed deeply and didn't go on the offensive directly. While Stuart was casting the Arcane Art, a frightening protective mechanism had automatically formed around him. If he attacked now, he might have to face the dreadful wrath of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art directly!

'The disparity between our powers is too large. Such a formidable strength is enough to cause my fall!' Leylin's face flushed red. 'The only way now is to….'

He slowly took off the white glove on his left hand, revealing an imprint in the form of a sun that was surrounded by black flames.

[Beep! Curse procedure found. Initializing tracking mode. Source confirmed.] At this instant, the A.I. Chip brought him a piece of good news.

"Might as well settle them together then!" Leylin's eyes glistened as he rushed towards Stuart…

...

Sky City.

"What does that mean? Didn't Leylin obtain an agreement of neutrality from the Monarch of the Skies in exchange for the coordinates of the Lava World and his outstanding strength that could match a Radiant Moon's?" Weyers gazed at his elder, puzzled.

The Radiant Moon Magus, however, shook his head. Weyers could even detect a bitter smile at the corners of his lips, much to his astonishment.

This elder of his was relatively strong among the Radiant Moon Magi, so why would he have such an expression? Could it be that Leylin's strength had already grown to the extent that even he felt helpless?

Weyers shook his head firmly, as though trying to expel this thought from his brain. He didn't consider that the more he did this, the deeper this conjecture took root in his mind.

*Rumble!* Horrifying vibrations were transmitted over, accompanied by dazzling white light.

"This is… a Morning Star Arcane Art? No! An energy undulation more terrifying than a Morning Star Art… Could it be Leylin?" Weyers lifted his head, gazing at the bright flames in the distance with a glint in his eyes.

"Stuart could not control himself in the end!" The Radiant Moon Magus sighed deeply, then said to Weyers, "You're lucky to be able to witness a Radiant Moon Arcane Art in the main world; and even other, greater things!"

"Greater things?" Weyers was rather confused, but soon after his mouth dropped agape in shock.

What did he see? A sun! An existence from ancient times, a boundless sun that was incomparably vast! It suddenly eclipsed the radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art.

The degree of heat and undulations of heat waves emitted by it struck terror in his heart. Weyers knew that even a thread of those flames was sufficient to seriously injure or even kill him!

Under the rays coming from this sun, the white radiance of the Radiant Moon Arcane Art popped like a bubble. The corona had grown enormous and still continued to expand, quickly spreading to the outskirts of Sky City.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Numerous defensive spell formations shattered one by one. Terrifying golden-red heat rays intruded into the place, and it was as though the sky had disintegrated and the sun had fallen. Many buildings collapsed as the entirety of Sky City descended into chaos.

"Ah…" Weyers' jaw hung open. He had never imagined that Sky City, which had always been incomparably stable and never experienced a single tremor, would waver like a small sailboat in the stormy seas under such a horrifying attack, facing destruction and death at any moment.

Under the dreadful might of a rank 6 spell, even Sky City, the most academic progress in the entire central continent, was on the verge of collapse!

The humongous floating city wobbled violently in the storm of pure gold flames, seemingly about to fall apart any moment!

"This cannot do! We must escape as quickly as possible, and be far away from the range of this spell. This is utterly terrible…" Weyers murmured to himself.

Just as his defence mechanism could hold no longer, a hand landed on Weyers' back, stabilising him instantly.

"Don't panic! We still have our lord! The Monarch of the Skies will not sit still and allow the fall of Sky City!"

The words of the Radiant Moon Magus seemed to have a strong reassuring effect, allowing Weyers to recover from his previous state. Still, the shock in his pupils did not fade for a long time.

"That spell… Is it… No! That's no longer a spell! It's the law! The law of fire!" Weyers had never acted like this before. Never had he felt that he was so immensely insignificant and powerless. The disparity between him and Leylin was huge.

*Chirp!* Spotless white feathers floated down like snowflakes, accompanied by pleasing chirps. They firmly wrapped around the entire city, blocking out the flames.

With the assistance of this strange force, Sky City started to regain its stability.

"It's the Monarch of the Skies! He has made a move!" The Radiant Moon Magus gasped.

The numerous Magi in the Sky City kowtowed devoutly in the direction of the Drifting Garden, expressing their gratitude to the monarch for saving their lives.

-x-X-x-

The Monarch of the Skies wrapped his city up in a strange energy barrier, and the tremors grew less violent.

After the energy storm outside passed, Weyers looked at the sight not too far away from him, and suddenly cried out involuntarily, "The thunder layer of Akev! Where has the thunder layer of Akev gone to?"

Below Sky City was originally a gigantic sea made of black thunderclouds. This was a natural skyscape that acted as the first defence of Sky City.

Even Crystal Phase Magi would find it so difficult to pass through it was practically impossible.

Now, however, the gigantic sea of black thunder clouds had disappeared, leaving only a fog formed of condensation.

"Obviously, everything has been destroyed. Even the city itself has been reduced to this state…" The Radiant Moon Magus laughed wryly.

Weyers recovered from his surprise and glanced at Sky City, which was now in ruins, and lowered his head as if in disappointment.

Even if they had been protected by the Monarch of the Skies, which prevented the city from being destroyed completely, most of the buildings had been devastated by the firestorm. Even if the core hadn't been destroyed, the losses were still hard to estimate.

Even most of the gigantic floating island had been burnt to a crisp, and it seemed incomparably ugly.

"Wha- What's going on? Could Leylin have done this? How's that possible?" Weyers' eyes looked lost.

"The peak of rank 6, a power that's already beginning to touch on the might of laws. That should be the ancient Sun's Child's 'Sun Scorching Nirvana'!" The Radiant Moon Magus' voice was solemn. "Leylin was somehow able to obtain the bloodline of the Sun's Child, and he's probably unrivalled in his knowledge on bloodline spells. To be able to recreate ancient attacks like this using a bloodline imprint…"

"Leylin?" Weyers grew bitter. "Then Stuart…"

"With Sky City in this state, how do you think he ended up?" The Radiant Moon sighed slightly, "We were still colleagues…"

Seeing his colleague fall just like that, he wasn't feeling that good.

"Stuart went against my decree and took part in the battle between the Ouroboros Clan and Jupiter's Lightning. I hereby declare his expulsion from Sky City!" An odd voice rang in Sky City.

"It's the Monarch of the Skies' voice!" Weyers cried out involuntarily. " "Even His Majesty isn't willing to provoke Leylin?"

Only now did he realise the disparity between Leylin and him, to the point that he felt utter despair...

...

*Rumble!* The void was shattered, and large amounts of golden-red flames surged into the area.

'What is that?' Zegna had this one thought before he was swallowed up by the golden-red flames in an instant as he cried out sharply.

The golden-red flames did not let anything slip by and began to wreak havoc on the surroundings. Even the Magus Tower of a rank 5 Radiant Moon Magus could do nothing against it.

The faint sound of a woman's piercing scream was sent out from Zegna's arm.

"Damn it, it's the ancient Sun's Child!"

"Curse of ancient times, heed my command. Show me the wrath of time and space…" The woman's voice quickly chanted.

*Tss tss!* Accompanying the strange and terrifying incantations, the black gases in the Pond of Lamentation surged outside, tangling with the sun's flames.

Multiple distorted souls appeared in the air, forming a durable layer of light that disallowed the roasting flames entry.

Once the storm passed, the black streams of gas from the Pond of Lamentation had decreased by a large amount, and all that was left of Zegna was a charred arm on the ground.

*Whoosh!* The charred arm exploded, and flesh and blood began to grow at a rapid rate, forming Zegna once more.

Now, however, his expression was terrible, and he had frightful burn marks on his body.

"The ancient flames of the sun thankfully exploded a fair distance away from us, and through the and a great part of its might was reduced through the spacetime channel. If not, it wouldn't be just you losing your life…" The mysterious woman's voice sounded.

"Damn it, DAMN IT! How did it come to this? Everything should have been smooth-sailing… Ugh…"

Zegna roared in his fury, but suddenly, he stopped, as if his throat was being clutched. Little flames were beginning to burn on his body once more.

"The Sun's Child was at the peak of rank 6 Magi, and a being beginning to comprehend laws. Its flames hold within some of the power of law, and cannot be so easily taken care of!"

A hint of helplessness could be heard in her voice. Large amounts of water from the Pond of Lamentation flew into the air, forming a black robe and draping over Zegna.

"Ugh…" Zegna sighed in satisfaction. After he wore the black robe, the terrifying golden-red flames finally went out.

"Sun's Child? How did he do that?" Zegna was puzzled, and even afraid. He had to admit that Leylin was full of miracles, and seemed to be his nemesis.

"I don't know." Narsha's voice turned cold. "What you need to worry about is the Pond of Lamentation… To save a fool like you, I consumed more than half of its energy. You need to begin amassing resources more…"

"What?" When Zegna saw that there was only a thin layer of black gas left, his face fell, "That's not possible! I put in all of my accumulated wealth to construct this…"

"Then you'll need to launch the next plan…" She spoke slowly.

The secret room descended into silence, and only after a very long while could a low sound of acknowledgement be heard.

...

The incident in Sky City ended with the fall of a Radiant Moon Magus. The fall of someone of such status immediately swept through the continent like a hurricane.

This was a great rank 5 Magus! There were few of them even in the entire central continent, and they were truly among the top strata of the Magus World's society. They were the goals of all young Magi, and each one held an immense reputation for their battle strength. Even if they weren't in control of the large organisations, their statuses were second only to Monarchs. Their experiences could be written down as legend, forming an enriching story!

Someone like that had actually fallen? And at the hands of a Morning Star Magus?

The first reaction most Magi had after hearing this was disbelief, but when conclusive evidence was shown, and especially with the announcement of Stuart's subsequent expulsion by the Monarch of the Skies, the central continent sank into a strange silence.

The Magi collectively lost their voices. This was killing a Radiant Moon at the Morning Star realm! It was no longer the purview of a genius. Leylin was a demon!

If he could even kill Radiant Moons, what were Morning Stars worth? How many organisations had Breaking Dawn Monarchs in their midst in the central continent?

Hence, many Magi organisations added Leylin to the list of people they absolutely could not provoke. The Ouroboros Clan even received regular expressions of goodwill and discreet inquiries, both out in the open and in the shadows. It kept the two dukes extremely busy.

The main character in this story—the most powerful Kemoyin Warlock, and the most powerful Morning Star in history— went missing. Duke Leylin Farlier had mysteriously disappeared from the public eye.

...

Torrential rain fell down from the skies. There was lightning everywhere, and one could see meteorites every once in a while.

The heart of the fight between the Radiant Moon Arcane Art and rank 6 bloodline imprint had been in Sky City, but close to 10% of the central continent had been affected. Abnormality in the climate was only a small part of it; spatial rifts had opened up everywhere, and would likely have to be closed up by Monarchs.

A secret room had been opened in the middle of a desolate mountain. There were no channels for external communication, and countless concealing runes filled the surroundings, sealing this place up.

A figure dressed in tattered platinum robes was half-leaning on the rock walls, observing the back of his hands and looking deep in thought.

"My battle might right now is comparable to Radiant Moons! On top of that, the bloodline imprint of the rank 6 Sun's Child has an immensely terrifying radiation. Even if all the Prophets in the central continent work together, they still won't be able to track me down…"

Leylin was very confident in his hiding abilities. It would require a Breaking Dawn Prophet to act, and even they would only be able to find slight traces of him. However, there were few such Magi across all of history, and there were likely none in the present. Hence, he was rather at ease when it came to his safety.

"I never thought that the backlash from the Sun's Flames would be so immense!" Recalling the scene from that day, a wry smile appeared about his lips. Under the threat of Stuart's Radiant Moon Arcane Art, Leylin had brazenly used the bloodline imprint on his left hand and launched a terrifying attack.

It was as if the ancient Sun's Child had been revived. The moment Sun Scorching Nirvana was launched, the Radiant Moon Arcane Art was torn apart, and even Stuart had fallen there and then.

That was not all. Leylin had even followed the path of the curse and sent a portion of the might of the spell to the caster. Even if Zegna wasn't dead, he would at least have some injuries at this point.

Such a terrifying rank 6 spell had been launched through a bloodline imprint, and had still almost extracted everything from Leylin.

As Leylin was not rank 6 and definitely not the Sun's Child, he had also been hit with a backlash from the Sun's Flames.

If not for him having another of the bloodline imprint to protect him and the black flames of the Emberflame Technique having the unique effect of controlling those flames, he would not only be gravely injured but even die!

There were definitely more than one or two in history who had died from the backlash of employing a spell that far surpassed their ability, and Leylin had almost followed in their footsteps.

"Thankfully, I'm fine. It would've been way too sad if I'd been killed by my own spell…" Leylin's heart was still palpitating in fear.

"Whatever it is, I've finally healed all of my injuries today. What should I do next? I need to think it over properly!"

-x-X-x-

'A.I. Chip, show me my condition!' Leylin commanded in his mind.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent (Matured Body). Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 100.2, Spiritual force: 956.8, Magic power: 956 (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul force: 96 (Five Stars)]

His vitality had finally broken past 100, solving the issue arising from the rapid advancement of his soul force. Seeing this, Leylin could finally heave a sigh of relief. After all, his main goal in coming to Sky City was to solve this issue completely.

The Endowing Scepter had initially increased his vitality by two levels, the equivalent of twenty points. Afterwards, the disaster that was the Sun's Flames had actually resulted in a profit for him. His Fireplume had managed to take in quite a bit of the energy from it, and it resulted in a surprising transformation that pushed his vitality past the mark.

Now, he had completely reached his target, and all that was left to deal with were the repercussions, which were slightly troublesome.

At this thought, a wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips as he grew gloomy.

After all was said and done, Stuart was still a Radiant Moon from Sky City. There were few even amongst the subordinates of the Monarch of the Skies who were ranked as highly as he was.

And now, such an important person had fallen at Leylin's hands. Even if the Monarch of the Skies expelled Stuart from Sky City afterwards, it was likely just to avoid provoking him for now. Leylin would not believe that the Monarch had no thoughts on this matter.

Leylin could very well raise his hands and leave just like this, but the Monarch of the Skies could not. He had to pay the cost of Leylin and Stuart's battles, which included things like mending the spatial rifts and the like. However, it wasn't his fault that this occurred in his domain. Leylin had been left without a choice.

He was sure that, at this point, the Monarch hated him to the core. In fact, he had probably provoked the entire organisation of Sky City.

After all, Leylin had used the coordinates to a foreign world and the help of some other Sky City Magi to put pressure on Stuart. This had already depressed the Monarch of the Skies, but it was still acceptable.

However, even Weyers and his backers would feel sympathy for his killing of the man.

By the looks of it, the entirety of Sky City harboured no favourable impression of Leylin, and could even act against him.

"This is getting troublesome…" Leylin laughed wryly, and the cold glint in his eyes became increasingly obvious. Since others were going to plot against him, he would prepare his vengeance.

Besides, the other party was just a Breaking Dawn Magus. How amazing could he be? With the A.I. Chip, the advice of the ancient Wisdom Tree, and the Kemoyin bloodline, Leylin was confident that he would reach that realm in due time, even surpass it.

"However, I still have to face the real problems. As I am now, I can somewhat deal with New Moon Radiant Moon Magi. If I activate the bloodline imprint, I can even threaten Full Moon Magi!"

Leylin had an accurate estimation of his battle might.

"However, there's only one chance left to activate the bloodline imprint of the Sun's Child. After this, there's nothing left… Even if it's the attack from the ancient Sun's Child, a Full Moon Magus still has a chance of survival. A Breaking Dawn Monarch can definitely take it on, obviously, and it's just a matter of the price to be paid in exchange…"

"If I appear now, there might be Full Moon Magi, even Breaking Dawn Magi trying to kill me in fear of my potential. I won't be able to defend myself against them at all." That was why Leylin had been in hiding all this while, and the reason he had not returned to the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Though such a scenario wasn't likely, he was still prepared for the worst case.

If he really was caught by a Breaking Dawn, there was no chance of survival even if he used his trump card.

One only lived once, and Leylin didn't believe he'd get one more opportunity to travel to another time after death.

"I'm afraid that, before I reach Radiant Moon, I'll need to hide in the shadows." Leylin sighed.

The moment he reached rank 5, Radiant Moon, the strength of his Warlock bloodline, in addition to his methods as well as trump cards would give him a chance to flee with his life even when faced with a rank 6 Magus.

If that was possible, he would be a Magus at the peak in the central continent, and he would no longer need to fear any attacks, whether in the open or in the shadows.

"Rank 5, Radiant Moon!" Leylin sighed. "How could the bloodline shackles of Kemoyin Warlocks be solved so easily… It doesn't matter; I have to break through them no matter what, else I'll have to remain in hiding for the rest of my life. If that were the case, it'd be better to start anew in another world!"

At this thought, Leylin flipped through the book of imprints in his hands and tapped the image of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent.

After a static sound, Gilbert's agitated voice was heard. "Leylin, is it you?"

"It's me!" Leylin answered concisely. Though there were restrictions when it came to secret imprints, both users were Morning Star and with the amplification of soul force the distance across which information could be transmitted was increased by a large amount.

"It's great that you're alright, hehe… You've done something incredible! Emma and Freya are very worried about you." It was no surprise to hear Gilbert's wry laughter from the other side of the secret imprint.

"My apologies for making you two dukes worry. Also, please help me apologise to Freya! I probably won't be able to return for a period of time…" Leylin's voice was low.

"What? Are you in trouble? Do you need us to come over?" Gilbert began to get worried. Leylin was currently not just the pillar of support of Ouroboros Clan, but also their hope!

"I'm fine! I'll just need to go on a journey for a period of time. I shall leave matters of the Ouroboros Clan to both of you in the meanwhile." Leylin concealed his imminent attempts at breaking through to Radiant Moon, and gave Gilbert the impression that he was going to wait until the fuss died down.

It was enough for the two Morning Star dukes to be in charge of the Ouroboros Clan. Leylin, who had disappeared, would act as a huge deterrent anyway. Before he popped up again, any Magi who wanted to attack the Ouroboros Clan would have to consider the consequences of offending a Magus with the might of a Radiant Moon!

"Alright, that works." Gilbert was old and wise, and quickly thought of this matter in a short period of time.

After a brief silence, Gilbert presented another piece of news. "... Actually, someone from the Warlock Union looked for me. He hoped that you'd go to the Morning Star Area, and they'd definitely ensure your safety!"

'Morning Star area? Warlock Union?' Leylin pondered over it, 'With a few Radiant Moon Warlocks in charge, safety should not be an issue, but throwing this idea out at this time… Are they trying to rope me in, or is this a conspiracy?'

Thoughts churning at lightning speed, Leylin quickly answered, "It's alright. Thank them for their goodwill on my behalf!"

Even if they were protecting him without any ulterior motives, Leylin would not go to the Morning Star area. He would never place his own safety in the hands of another person. In other words, even a Radiant Moon Warlock was not qualified to guarantee his safety.

"Even rank 7, 8 or 9 existences can't be relied on. The most steady method is to count on oneself." Leylin's eyes were full of mirth as they shot out his resolution.

"Alright. Oh, you…." Gilbert on the other end could only laugh wryly.

"Well then, take care!" "Take care!" After they bade their farewells, Leylin closed off the channel and left the area.

It was still possible to monitor communication via secret imprints. This was merely a temporary place used to recuperate, and he had long since planned to leave it. If not, he would not take the initiative and communicate with the external world.

After Leylin left, blazing black flames immediately began to burn, turning the desolate mountain into ashes.

*Bzzz Bzzz!* Not long after Leylin's departure, space began to ripple as it twisted on itself, forming a door flickering with light.

A few human figures walked out, their bodies emanating terrifying energy undulations. Seeing the mountain that had turned to ashes, they sighed, "We've come too late."

A figure stood above the ashes and tightened his fist, but could only shake his head helplessly, "He was very cautious and did it cleanly, not leaving behind any trace of his scent. It's impossible to chase him down."

"Prophetic spells are useless against him. Are we really going to let him go?"

The few black figures began to discuss amongst themselves.

"This Warlock has the highest potential out of every one I've seen. At rank 4, he can kill a rank 5, and once he reaches Radiant Moon, how much more powerful can he get?"

"You seem to have forgotten something. He's a Giant Kemoyin Warlock, and he has the problem of bloodline shackles. The limits of his own strength are rank 4. This is a restriction on his soul! Since ancient times, there have been so many bloodline Warlocks, and yet none have broken through it. Do you think he can?"

There was a trace of pity in this new speaker's voice, "But I must admit that Leylin is definitely a genius. He's among the best in all history, but it's a pity that he's chosen the path of a Kemoyin Warlock. If he walked the path of a Magus, we might have seen the rise of another Monarch!"

"It's not a pity. It's fortunate instead, fortunate that he chose the path of a Warlock!" The black figure right in the middle suddenly spoke, his tone icy.

"Yes! It's fortunate that he's chosen to be a Warlock!" The other black figures agreed with each other, turning into great amounts of black gas and dissipating.

Leylin knew nothing of what happened after his departure. He had not even left stardust bugs behind.

Though this method was very discreet, Radiant Moon Magi had terrifying soul force, and there was a chance of being discovered. Leylin was not going to allow people to track him by making use of the bugs.

He quickly switched locations, his methods of destroying his scent all because of his cautiousness. Thankfully, he had dodged this bullet.

'How should I begin to tread the path of rank 5, Radiant Moon?' Leylin had now used an altering spell to change his outer appearance and arrived at another area in the central continent.

What was in front of him was a sea of fire…

-x-X-x-

A tremendous volcano thundered and bellowed, as if a giant from the legends launching a flaming iron fist into the skies.

Lava fell like rain, forming rivulets that flowed together to become a network of rivers.

The black volcano towered high into the sky, looming over the region just like the clouds and causing the skies and the ground to turn dark.

The lava glowed red, flickering between dark and bright. The scene was magnificent, a rose amidst the thorns.

"Mount Asura! It's been such a long time. I've never come back since I arrived at the central continent…" Leylin's eyes were filled with a certain profoundness. The events that brought him to the central continent and the people and his history with Twilight Zone became incomparably vivid once more.

Indeed, Leylin was preparing to leave the central continent for a while and return to Twilight Zone. Even though that place was barren and inadequate compared to the central continent, it held a treasure trove that only he knew of.

'The body of the Scorpion Man, as well as the blood of the protector of the Icy World!' Leylin's thoughts drifted to the contents of the Icy Jade Scorpion Emperor's memories that he had acquired from its bloodline when he explored the Icy Cave.

That terrifying ancient battle still brought shivers to his spine to this day; even Morning Stars barely met the requirements to participate in it.

The remains of a Morning Star level bloodline creature were only a small treasure to Leylin, and didn't mean much, but the bloodline of that bronze female giant wasn't so simple.

That was a bloodline that crossed rank 7, one that had already begun to touch upon laws! In front of that, the current Leylin was like a moth drawn to the flame. Whether it be refining the ancient bloodline into an imprint or trying to assimilate it, either one of these actions would be extremely helpful to him.

Parts of his hopes for advancing to the Radiant Moon realm were placed on this. Furthermore, the protector of such a world would definitely have information about the world's coordinates in its bloodline and genetics.

That was the powerful ancient Icy World that even the Snake Dowager coveted and yet was unable to occupy! It was an unknown number of levels more important than the Lava World, and Leylin would be the sole benefactor of it.

It was because he had this that he was confident enough to give away the coordinates to the Lava World as a gift.

Leylin had other plans for the Icy World and the female giant's bloodline.

When she had been killed by the Snake Dowager, would her body retain any scent or aura from the Purgatory World, which would allow him to deduce the coordinates of that world?

Even if it wasn't on her body, the Icy World had been invaded by the Snake Dowager who had come from the Purgatory World, so how could there not be any traces left behind?

With the Icy World as a springboard, the difficulty in locating the Purgatory World would be reduced by a large amount. Once at the Purgatory World, finding the bloodline primogenitor, the Snake Dowager, would make breaking through the bloodline shackles a simple task.

Of course, the whole process wouldn't be that simple, but the general idea wasn't bad, and it was the best way to break through the bloodlie shackles.

Of course, Leylin did not dare confront the Snake Dowager just like that. That was basically sending a lamb into a tiger's den. He didn't believe that he had any way of resisting strength that had surpassed that of Breaking Dawn and controlled Laws. Therefore, ample preparation was necessary, and this method could only be used as a last resort. Unless all his other options were exhausted, Leylin didn't even want to consider this option.

He would lie low in the Twilight Zone, and find a way to break through to Radiant Moon. That was Leylin's basic plan.

"Mount Asura will be dormant for a period of time every hundred years, which makes it the best time to go underground right now!" Leylin recalled the time he had come up from the subterranean world. While he had grasped the right timing and prepared well, it had still been very dangerous. He could not help but smile slightly at that.

He came to the crater of the volcano, and observed the terrifying lava channel.

"The volcano is filled with boiling hot lava all year round, and only when it's dormant will a channel show itself. It's still not time yet… even if a Crystallised Phase Magus were to charge down there, they would be burnt to smithereens.…"

Of course, that was for rank 3 Magi. After he reached the Morning Star realm, what should have been horrifying and dangerous was as safe and stable as the garden in his backyard.

*Rumble!* A layer of black flames appeared on the surface of Leylin's body, forming an oval layer that wrapped him within. A black bubble parted the lava, quickly disappearing into the depths…

The terrifying heat from the lava was absorbed by the black flames, blocking all from Leylin who was contained within. As time passed, the black bubble endured the spurts of lava to head straight down.

He was withstanding a natural disaster on his own and going through the lava against the current. Even Mount Asura erupting could do little against him. This was the power of a Morning Star!

*Boom!* In the subterranean world, large amounts of magma flew out of a pool, accompanied by tremors. A bubble of black flame burst through the thick, durable rocks at the top and fell to the ground. Leylin's figure appeared once more as he withdrew the flames.

Compared to before when he had to rack his brains and look for opportunities, the current Leylin could travel anywhere as and when he wished. It was extremely convenient.

Seeing the dark sky and the stifling rock ceiling, Leylin sighed, "Twilight Zone, I'm back!"

Feeling the large difference in the concentration between the central continent and this place, Leylin shook his head, "It's no wonder that Morning Stars pay no attention to this, the elemental particle concentration is so low here."

Compared to the central continent, this place was like the barren countryside, if even that. The restriction of a low particle concentration would reduce the might of any spells used here by a large amount.

Morning Stars cared little for this place, and regular Magi had no way to pass through the lava channel. Hence, Twilight Zone still retained its own path, and the influence from the external world was minimal up till Leylin's arrival.

One sweep of his soul force and the surroundings were displayed in his mind. He had been the master of Twilight Zone in the past, and was somewhat familiar with the general area. He knew where he was instantly.

"When I left, there wasn't even a rank 3 Magus in Twilight Zone, right?" Leylin touched his chin. Here, even rank 2 Magi could be considered the rulers, while rank 3 were the emperors. Morning Star? There hadn't been one in years.

"Am I like a high-levelled player in a newbie village, crushing everyone here?" Leylin touched his chin, a grin on his face, "But I like it!"

It was a fool's behaviour to still try to fight even when the enemy was powerful. Even if one could win for a while, a single failure would leave him with no hope of reprieve.

Leylin did not like these methods. Often, he would act only when he was very confident, and all he hoped for was for the Magi in the world to all be at rank 1 and 2, which made it easy for him to manipulate them.

It was because he had this stable mindset that he could leave till today.

"I wonder how Nature's Alliance Academy is doing. Has Celine been able to take care of it? And then there's the dark elves, gnomes and other races…" After he determined the direction, Leylin's body turned into a streak of light as it hurried towards the headquarters of the northern Nature's Alliance academy.

...

The northern region, Nature's Alliance academy.

Eternal Light spells brightened up the room, reflecting a black desk with innumerable documents on the surface, as well as ink, quill pens and other stationery.

A female Magus with a delicate face wearing luxurious upper-class clothing kneaded at her brows with slender fingers, seeming very tired.

"Director!" The door was pushed open, and a female Magus hugging a file ran in hastily.

"Urgent news from the frontlines! Potti City has been attacked again. All of our subordinates were killed, and two professors were even…"

"Alright." The beautiful director nodded her head from behind the desk, giving a drawn-out sigh. "Almost a hundred years ago, the fall of the northern region also started from Potti City. I just don't know if anyone will come and turn the situation around this time…"

She stood up and pulled the curtains open.

There was a gigantic square of the academy outside the windows. At the middle, the statue of a young Magus stood proudly, still having a slight radiance.

"Leylin, where are you? With your strength, I'm sure you must be doing well wherever you are, right?" This beautiful director was naturally Celine.

When Leylin had left Twilight Zone, he had left behind a series of tricks, allowing Celine to take control of Nature's Alliance academy for almost a century. She had also advanced to rank 2. However, the academy was now facing the largest crisis since its establishment!

The tide of darkness creatures had come forth once more! And in this wave, there were countless beast emperors that had mutated and reached rank 3!

That was not all. The gnomes and elves had now joined hands in rebellion and distanced themselves from the humans. They were now attacking in the north as well.

The defensive stronghold of the north, Potti City, had fallen under the cooperation of the three races, and two rank 2 professors from Nature's Alliance had fallen as well.

"Director, we need to react to this, or Lord Banker will use this opportunity to create issues! The exchange between academies is about to begin as well, and I'm afraid…" Concern was evident on this female Magus' face.

After hearing this, the look of helplessness on Celine's face grew more obvious. The immense pressure came not only from the outer world, but also the inner departments. Banker had initially been an ordinary professor of Nature's Alliance, but he'd had a miraculous encounter and gained the inheritance of some ancient Magus. His strength had shot up, and had now entered rank 3!

With power, he obviously desired the corresponding status. In Banker's eyes, that would be Celine's position.

Though he was fearful of Leylin, which meant Banker did not dare go too far, there were still countless Magi who sided with him. After all, Leylin had already disappeared for almost a century.