Chapter 1098: Submission
The strange phenomenon that had suddenly appeared and then vanished just as quickly had caught the attention of many mages on the Blazeforge Battlefield.
Every mage knew exactly what that peculiar omen meant.
Dida La suddenly looked up, gazing into the distance, a trace of awe flickering in his eyes.
"Someone broke through to Sky Rank? Who was it? That power is incredible—just ascended and already opened a demi-plane! How is that even possible...?"
It wasn’t just Dida La; several other mages sensed that strange ripple as well.
The leaders of various factions had all witnessed Sky Rank breakthroughs before and were intimately familiar with the ripples and omens that accompanied a mage’s ascension.
Those fluctuations vanished in a flash, yet a few still sensed them, leaving the crowd in awe.
It’s not unheard of for someone to reach Sky Rank in the Blazeforge Realm, but it’s exceedingly rare. Over all these years, there’s only been one such case. Breaking through in the Blazeforge Battlefield, where Sky Rank power and mages’ transcendent abilities are suppressed, is far harder than in the Northend World or even the Blazeforge Realm itself...
"To break through to Sky Rank here—who could it be? Was it Dida La? Damn it, is his talent really that monstrous? To ascend in a place that suppresses transcendent power and mage abilities...
Once he leaves this place, his power will soar—an ordinary first-tier Sky Rank mage probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him...
Talk about dumb luck... Damn that fickle Goddess of Fate—why couldn’t she favor me just once? Why don’t I ever get that kind of luck...?"
Diras’s face was twisted with envy and resentment—his eyes practically glowing red with jealousy...
Elsewhere, Joey and Heron joined forces to hunt Pseudo Sky Rank Beasts.
Cloudspire Tower and the Black Tower suffered heavy losses upon entering the Blazeforge Battlefield: not only did many mages fall, but their legacy High Essence Relics were destroyed here. Solo hunting was inefficient—and far more dangerous.
Now, sensing the ripple of a mage breaking through to Sky Rank, both of their expressions grew complicated.
"Sky Rank... Someone actually ascended here in the Blazeforge Battlefield. But the suppression here is brutal—Sky Rank mages can’t even wield their transcendent power, and we can’t sense who broke through..."
Heron sighed. He’d had one foot in Sky Rank for some time now, with all the accumulation and foundation he needed—just missing that final transformation. Yet, even after years, he hadn’t managed to cross that last threshold.
Joey had been stuck at that stage for at least twenty years. He’d focused on other pursuits before, never fully committing to the breakthrough. Because of Lin Yun, his research was finally complete, and these past few years he’d devoted himself to magic—but still, that last transformation eluded him...
Sensing that fleeting ripple now—who wouldn’t feel a stab of envy...?
For those who already have one foot in Sky Rank, just waiting for that final transformation, the actual boost in power isn’t all that dramatic—maybe double or triple at most.
What really matters is shedding your mortal shell, becoming something beyond human. Your very essence changes—you’ll live at least ten times longer, experience more, and have time to chase those unfinished dreams, to pursue the truth of magic...
To a true mage, all this means far more than a simple increase in combat strength.
Those on the Blazeforge Battlefield with one foot in Sky Rank were all feeling complicated emotions—envy, jealousy, and resentment at someone else’s luck.
After all, breaking through to Sky Rank—especially that final transformation—is unpredictable. No one can guarantee when it’ll happen, and luck plays a massive role.
In the Northend World, there are plenty of examples of mages who reached Ninth-Rank Title Archmage before thirty, but never managed that final transcendence before dying of old age.
Some elderly Title Archmages, in their final moments, suddenly undergo transcendence, becoming Sky Rank powerhouses and regaining their youth. It’s rare, but it does happen.
You can do everything right, but in the end, whether you break through—and when—is mostly up to fate’s decision...
So now, everyone who sensed it just felt envy and resentment. Not one of them suspected that this Sky Rank breakthrough was achieved with outside help...
Near the Sanctuary of the Ancients, Rafael drifted gently to the ground, eyes closed. The wind elementals supported his body—no need to cast spells, no fear of falling.
The fluctuations of transcendent power around him had vanished, but Rafael himself was utterly transformed. His skin seemed to glow with a subtle radiance, his mana rippled vast and unfathomable, and he gave off an imposing aura—as if everything nearby was aiding him...
Elemental companionship, force of law suppression...
This is the instinctive ability of a Sky Rank powerhouse. The same mana, the same spell—when cast by a Sky Rank mage, it’s several times stronger than when wielded by a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage.
It’s not a change in the spell’s essence, like a Limit Spell, but an intertwining of quantity and quality. The same spell at the same level is simply more powerful in the hands of a Sky Rank mage—even without transcendent power.
More importantly, thanks to their grasp of the force of law, after the transformation, Sky Rank mages can cast spells far faster than Title Archmages. Some advanced seventh- or eighth-rank spells can be unleashed in just a second or two.
Some powerhouses, due to their understanding of the force of law, can even instantly cast one or two eighth-rank spells—without much loss of power.
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This kind of power gives Sky Rank mages overwhelming advantages over Title Archmages in every respect.
Rafael’s mana hadn’t actually increased that much since earlier, but the power he could wield was now several times greater.
Morgan approached, eyes full of envy, and offered his congratulations to Rafael.