Chapter 1142
Leon stepped forward, each movement deliberate. His aura began to unfurl, and the body that seemed utterly ordinary, void of any magical fluctuation, now appeared to rise without limit.
A terrifying surge of magical power roared like tidal waves, spreading through the air with a relentless crashing sound.
Leon's face was cold as he hovered in midair. The Dragon Staff materialized in his hand, and behind him, the spectral image of a purple dragon appeared. The dragon stared coldly at Phelps, clutching a shimmering, multicolored roulette. Four gems—earth, fire, water, and wind—were embedded at its center.
In an instant, the four elemental forces—flame, frost, earth, and hurricane—condensed around Leon, forming a stable equilibrium. There was no sign of conflict; instead, the elements continually fused, transforming into an even greater power.
Morgan's face showed a trace of regret as he withdrew the Dark Magic Beast into his demi-plane. He glanced at Phelps with a hint of sympathy before slowly descending to the ground.
Foolish guy, actually thinking of fighting Archmage Leon. Either he was born brainless, or his advancement to Sky Rank cost him the rest of his mind, leaving it stuck at Title Archmage level.
Back when Archmage Leon was only an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage, he could already unleash power rivaling a first-level Sky Rank mage. If he went all out, even regular Sky Rank mages wouldn't necessarily be his match.
Now that Archmage Leon has advanced to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, the foundation of his magical rules is fully established. His mana reserves are immense, and his combat strength is at least several times greater than before.
Just now, the Dark Magic Beast sent me a message: once Archmage Leon unleashes his magic, he becomes the strongest presence here.
Even the Dark Magic Beast refuses to fight Archmage Leon. It already senses that if it does, its fate will be death.
Phelps, that idiot, really knows how to pick a fight—he’s actually forced Archmage Leon to take action himself.
Fortunately, Archmage Leon only brought out two magical artifacts. If he added that flaming tome and the Arcane Wheel, Phelps would probably die right here.
This time, he’s only using the staff and a component from another magical artifact in the book. Maybe Phelps won’t be beaten to death?
Heh, if Phelps really falls here, Dida La will probably lose his mind.
Morgan landed on the ground with a strange grin, while Joey, Heron, and Rafael all wore odd expressions. Seeing Leon take action himself, they could only look at Phelps with sympathy before dispersing the encirclement.
But Phelps’s face broke into a smile; his confidence returned. A cold curve formed at his lips as his magic began to spread.
Leon Merlin, you arrogant fool. Did you really think I didn’t know you could unleash power on par with Sky Rank?
But not being Sky Rank means you’re not Sky Rank. If you haven’t broken through, no matter how strong you are, you’re still just a Title Archmage. You’ll never be stronger than a real Sky Rank.
Today, I’ll show this arrogant fool just how vast the gap is between him and a true Sky Rank!
Phelps raised his chin proudly. Flames flickered over his staff, and in an instant, nine orange Detonations appeared around Leon, surging toward him from every direction.
"Leon Merlin, turn to ash! Against you, one cast is all it takes!"
Leon stared coldly at the Detonations, not even moving.
The nine orange Detonations engulfed Leon, their explosions booming as if detonating all at once. The combined force far exceeded the limit of a single spell.
Moreover, the orange flames were Elemental Fire of a higher grade, inherently more powerful than ordinary Detonations.
A smug smile crept onto Phelps's lips. He'd spent ages perfecting this spell—fastest casting, strongest single-target power. Against one foe, it was undoubtedly the strongest among eighth-level spells.
After casting, Phelps prepared to put away his staff.
Below, Morgan and the others glanced at Phelps with mocking eyes. Morgan had already covered his own.
Damn it, Phelps is such an idiot standing there—he’s almost blinding me. I’ll need Water of Life to wash my eyes after this. In all my years, I’ve never seen such blinding stupidity—almost as bad as a curse spell...
The orange flames slowly dissipated, revealing a thin layer of light within. Leon waved his hand, and the burning Elemental Fire around him scattered, dissolving into raw elemental energy.
Phelps cried out in shock.
"Law Sigils? Fused Shield? How is this possible...?"
Leon’s body seemed wrapped in a spherical barrier, hundreds of Law Sigils roaming across the surface of the shield.
This was Leon’s new rune shield—only now, the basic runes had been replaced by Law Sigils. Yet the shield still followed the formation rules of a classic Rune Shield.
The more runes inscribed, the stronger the shield’s defense!
Faced with the strongest single-target spell among eighth-level spells, Leon blocked it easily with just a few hundred Law Sigils.
If he used tens of thousands of Law Sigils to build his rune shield, its defense would rival a Transcendent Defense Spell!
Leon gave Phelps a cold, ghostly smile.
"Had enough? I don’t have time to waste on you."
The terms still stand: if you can escape, I’ll release your Burning Tower mages."
In short, Phelps hadn’t even grasped what was happening—he hadn’t even thought about running—when, in the very next second, he suddenly understood…
The instant Leon raised the Doombringer Staff, hundreds of Law Sigils erupted like a geyser from the massive phantom wheel behind him.
A torrent of Law Sigils exploded in midair, and then countless Four-Element spells materialized…
In an instant, those hundreds of sigils seemed to swell thousands of times over, and the raging Four-Element spells fused into a massive magical wave, over a hundred meters wide.
Spells collided and crushed each other in the blink of an eye, transforming everything. All spell forms collapsed, becoming a wild storm brimming with pure destructive force.
The aggregation of the Four Elemental forces became the ultimate Elemental Tempest…
The Elemental Tempest surged, devouring every elemental force within hundreds of meters, creating a vacuum zone. Elements from all directions collapsed inward to fill the void, and instantly, wild winds howled across a thousand meters.
Phelps’s face twisted in terror. He hastily raised his fusion shield and ignited waves of fire around himself, desperately trying to flee backward.
But in a heartbeat, the Elemental Tempest—now over a hundred and fifty meters across—unleashed a terrifying devouring force. The surrounding flames were torn and swallowed, making the tempest even larger.
He’d barely flown a few dozen meters before he tumbled out of the flames…
Faced with the now nearly two-hundred-meter-wide elemental wave, even a Sky Rank mage wouldn’t dare challenge it head-on—they could only dodge.
Phelps steadied himself, a cold sneer curling at his lips.
Foolish wretch, you nearly scared me. Sure, this spell is powerful on the battlefield, but using it against a Sky Rank mage is as childish as sending a tortoise to chase a dragon…
Phelps soared into the sky, easily dodging the elemental wave’s impact zone—but before he could celebrate, a shell radiating strange magical energy appeared ahead of him.
The shell, just over a meter in size, suddenly shimmered with Law Sigils across its surface. With a thunderous boom, it exploded, its terrifying shockwave sweeping in all directions.
Phelps’s fusion shield took the blast head-on, ripples spreading across its surface.
The fusion shield didn’t shatter beneath Leon’s newly enhanced Four-Element Bomb, but it blasted Phelps straight back into the Elemental Tempest’s impact zone.
Phelps tried to ride the momentum and fly downward, but another Four-Element Bomb suddenly detonated below him, blasting him right back.
After being struck by the force of three consecutive Four-Element Bombs, Phelps’s fusion shield was on the verge of collapse.
But now, the two-hundred-meter-wide elemental wave crashed down upon his body.
The instant the raging Elemental Tempest collided with Phelps’s fusion shield, it was like countless sharp blades clashing with steel—the ear-splitting screech of friction erupted.
When the Elemental Tempest finally passed, Phelps’s fusion shield was utterly shattered. His robes looked as though they’d been gnawed by insects for centuries—tattered, riddled with tiny holes, all traces of magical energy gone…
Bloodied all over, Phelps screamed as he plummeted toward a small hill just outside the camp. Leon was already raising the Doombringer Staff, chanting a rapid incantation.
As the incantation ended a second later, seven Four-Element Bombs suddenly formed in midair. The new Four-Element Bombs gleamed like red copper, each covered by a rune-formed membrane, with Law Sigils powering their propulsion systems.
Each Four-Element Bomb resembled an alchemical missile—faster, deadlier, and no longer limited to straight-line attacks.
The Four-Element Bombs arced through the air, trailing long white vapor tails, relentlessly pursuing Phelps as he fell toward the ground.
Before Phelps could hit the ground, the seven Four-Element Bombs caught up—explosions thundered, and a pitch-black mushroom cloud hundreds of meters high rose from the hill.
The small hill, dozens of meters tall, vanished completely in the blast, stones raining down across a thousand meters.
Leon lowered the Doombringer Staff and descended slowly.
"Hubert, go fetch that idiot back."
With that casual order to Hubert, Leon paid the matter no further heed.
The four Sky Rank mages watching nearby were stunned. They’d known Leon was powerful—but none had expected that, after breaking through to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, he’d reach such terrifying heights.
Morgan swallowed hard, finally believing why even the Darkfiend Demon—pure killing machines—refused to go near Leon…
Damn, wasn’t Lord Merlin supposed to have just broken through to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage?
Is this really just a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage breakthrough, and not a leap to Sky Rank?
That idiot Phelps might be dumb enough to blind me, but he’s still a bona fide Sky Rank mage—a real one.
Even if we can’t use transcendental power here and our strength’s a bit weaker, it shouldn’t be this bad, right?
Even a freshly advanced Sky Rank mage shouldn’t be this weak, right? How come, under Lord Merlin’s hand, he couldn’t even fight back? And that terrifying explosive spell just now—it didn’t seem like fire magic at all, the mana was so strange…
That idiot Phelps is probably dead, isn’t he?
"Lord Merlin, that idiot Phelps—he’s probably dead, right?"