Chapter 132: Heroic Spirit Warrior
Leon’s second opponent was another magical beast—a Three-Eyed Direwolf of level fifteen. It wielded necromancy at nearly Grand Mage level, and only after a minute-long duel did Leon finally bring it down.
While hastily recovering his mana, Leon made his way to the center of the circular arena, anticipation bubbling in his chest. As expected, three golden chests materialized out of thin air. Unable to resist Lord Shaun’s patient persuasion, Leon once again chose the leftmost golden chest.
“Mana crystals again!” As soon as the golden chest opened, another dozen or so mana crystals spilled out. Leon was so frustrated, he could’ve killed someone.
“Don’t be rash, just hold on—check the quality first!” Lord Shaun, sensing trouble, quickly stopped Leon from cutting off his mana supply.
Then Leon realized...
This batch of mana crystals was indeed much higher in quality. The lowest were level ten, and the highest reached level twelve. Leon knew that with each level increase, the value nearly doubled. A quick calculation revealed that the difference in value between the two batches was nearly twofold!
The result was shocking—Leon nearly forgot to settle scores with Lord Shaun. If each reward doubled in value every time, then after a dozen or so rounds, the prizes could probably buy out the entire Northend!
“Keep dreaming. Didn’t you notice how much stronger the Three-Eyed Direwolf was compared to that pack of rock wolves? After a dozen more rounds, you might be facing the Dream King himself...” Lord Shaun mercilessly poured cold water on Leon’s fantasy.
"..."
In reality, it wouldn’t take a dozen rounds—far from it.
By the time Leon’s sixth opponent appeared, cold sweat was already trickling down his back...
This time, it was a full ten Spectral Knights...
These Spectral Knights had all once served the Prince in life. Even in death, they remained bound by the bloodline curse, buried deep in this dark arena, their souls transformed into spectral guardians, eternally watching over the slumbering Prince.
At a glance, all ten Spectral Knights wore silver armor and wielded enchanted greatswords. The crisscrossing scars on their bodies spoke of countless battles while alive. Each possessed power above level fifteen, with refined battle aura and masterful technique—their fighting prowess likely surpassed even that of ordinary level fifteen Swordmasters.
Across all of Seaview City, only a handful of top factions—like the Silvermoon Mercenary Company—could muster such a lineup.
"Lord Shaun, shouldn’t you be thinking of something right now...?"
"Don’t joke around. What could I possibly do? With the pitiful amount of mana you’re giving me, I can’t even manifest an avatar..." For the first time, Lord Shaun’s voice betrayed a hint of panic. The master-servant contract wasn’t especially binding, but if the master died, it would be a devastating blow for Lord Shaun—potentially downgrading this Essence Relic to a mere Soulbound Relic...
"You call yourself an Essence Relic?" Leon managed to snap, just before being swept into battle by the ten Spectral Knights.
There was no prelude to this fight—both sides unleashed their full power from the start. The ten Spectral Knights charged, their battle aura igniting as their greatswords whistled through the air. The blazing energy swirling around the blades shattered Leon’s Icefire Shield in an instant.
Leon went all out from the start. As his Icefire Shield shattered, he used the force of the greatsword’s impact to retreat several steps, then unleashed a torrent of incantations. His most powerful Meteor Volley roared forward, targeting the Spectral Knights.
Gripping his Soulbound Staff in one hand and rapidly shifting casting gestures with the other, Leon managed to unleash three Meteor Volleys in just ten seconds!
This style of casting was utterly reckless—mana backlash could strike at any moment.
But Leon couldn’t afford to worry about that now. His plan was simple: launch a ferocious opening assault, kill at least one or two Spectral Knights, and then rely on the Soulbound Staff’s abundant mana to tangle with the remaining knights.
Unfortunately, Leon’s plan fell apart immediately...
The ten Spectral Knights formed a tight phalanx, withstanding Leon’s frenzied barrage of spells.
A few Spectral Knights were heavily wounded, seemingly out of the fight, but Leon’s heart still clenched...
Leon knew that in the Dark Arena, Spectral Knights possessed almost undead regeneration. Injuries that would kill anyone else were nothing—a few minutes and they’d be back in action.
But the battle had begun, and Leon had no choice but to fight to the bitter end. After his reckless barrage, his mana was halved, yet his tactics grew even fiercer. Seizing the moment when several Spectral Knights were wounded, Leon chanted again: Flame Barrier, Chain Meteor Volley, Elemental Sever, Frost Burst... He unleashed his most powerful, mana-draining spells one after another on the Spectral Knights.
Barely thirty seconds into the fight, the sheer damage Leon inflicted would have terrified any Grand Mage.
But the number of Spectral Knights remained at ten...
Even after most were severely wounded, they kept closing in on Leon, their blazing battle aura almost within reach.
Leon knew his first real opportunity had already slipped by...
“Damn it...” Leon cursed, forced to activate his Elemental Avatar early. Using the firestorm he’d already unleashed, he triggered a Flame Blink to widen the gap between himself and the knights.
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“Fool! Utter fool! Didn’t you notice they’ve formed a Life-Link Array? Do you really think you’re some top-tier magus who can wipe out ten Spectral Knights in one strike?” Leon had barely landed from his Flame Blink when Lord Shaun’s furious voice rang in his ears.
“Of course I know it’s a Life-Link Array—the problem is, I have no way to break it!”
"No, you do!"
"I do?" Leon’s face froze in disbelief.
“I sensed a familiar magical fluctuation on you—should be from the Death Garden in this tomb. Hurry up and take it out!”
"The Sage's Chapter?" Leon frowned in confusion. The ultimate spells stored in the Sage's Chapter were indeed his most powerful weapons, but would they really be enough to break the Life-Link Array?
Leon had considered using a limit spell...
But after earlier attempts, Leon already knew—the ten Spectral Knights empowered by the Life-Link Array had terrifying resilience. Even if he unleashed a limit spell, he’d only seriously injure a couple more knights. It wouldn’t change the tide of battle.
No choice—at present, the limit spells Leon could cast were only about level four. To wipe out all the Spectral Knights in one go, he’d need at least a level six spell, the kind only a titled Archmage could wield.
"So that thing is called the Sage's Chapter? Whatever—name aside, if it came from the Death Garden, it can be used against these Spectral Knights. Have you forgotten what the Death Garden really is?"
"Wait, you mean..." The moment Lord Shaun mentioned the Death Garden, Leon suddenly understood.
That’s right—the Sage’s Chapter came from the Death Garden!
What is the Death Garden? It’s a place where endless death energy converges. The Sage’s Chapter, born from that power, is even higher in rank than Lord Shaun himself. The death force it contains could only be described as terrifying.
And what exactly are the Spectral Knights?
Spectral Knights, shaped by bloodline curses, are beings of soul and life transformed into spirits. What they fear and loathe most is death energy itself.
If, at this moment, a surge of death energy erupted, those Spectral Knights would be affected—no doubt about it.
But how severe that impact would be... even Leon couldn’t say for sure.
Leon gripped the Sage’s Chapter tightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.
This was no joke...
The Sage’s Chapter was Leon’s final trump card. If he unleashed its death energy, the three limit spells would vanish. If he still couldn’t break the Life-Link Array, he’d be out of options—no chance of turning the tables.
Time was running out for Leon...
The ten Spectral Knights had crossed the sea of fire, their heavy greatswords about to rise again. But Leon had no second Elemental Avatar left. If they closed in, escape would be nearly impossible.
"Then let’s do it!" Leon gritted his teeth and canceled the three limit spells on the Sage’s Chapter.
In an instant, a torrent of death energy burst forth. The entire Dark Arena was shrouded in thick black mist as countless soul flames erupted from the Sage’s Chapter, roaring and exploding at the arena’s center, transforming into a mass of wraiths and bones. The Dark Arena now resembled a haunted graveyard.
At the same time, Leon gripped his Soulbound Staff and launched a second ferocious assault.