Chapter 939: The Next Stage
Leon made no movement at all, yet the earth before him suddenly surged upward. With a thunderous rumble, a wall of earth seven or eight meters tall rose into existence.
The earthen wall writhed like a living thing, squirming up from the ground. Its surface churned rapidly, forming bizarre, monstrous shapes, and then the soil itself shimmered with a metallic luster.
A furious Battle Aura Slash struck the wall, and it sounded as if countless blades were clashing—sharp, ringing notes echoing one after another.
With just one strike, the Orc Sword Saint's expression changed. He had assumed this was merely some human youth who’d wandered in by accident, not particularly strong. But this instantly cast spell had blocked his sneak attack—a feat only a powerful Title Archmage could achieve!
His first attack failed. The Orc Sword Saint hesitated, preparing to strike again. But by then, Leon had already stepped out from behind the earth wall, raising a hand and pointing at the orc from afar.
In that instant, the Orc Sword Saint’s crimson face darkened. Facing what looked like an ordinary gesture, he felt as if the entire world pressed down upon him. Breathing grew difficult; the air seemed to solidify, and even space itself felt frozen.
Four-colored runes swirled around Leon’s fingertip, and in midair, countless more burst from the void, swiftly gathering at his hand and coalescing into a radiant glow of four hues.
All around, the Four Elemental Rules—earth, fire, water, and wind—grew wildly active in an instant. Endless streams of elemental energy converged, swirling into a storm, with Leon’s finger as its core.
The Orc Sword Saint’s face twisted in terror. He no longer cared about hiding his strength; with a furious roar, his face flushed so red it seemed about to bleed, and blood seeped from every pore as he unleashed all his battle aura without reservation.
And all of this—just to break free and escape from that overwhelming, terrifying pressure.
Before the Orc Sword Saint could even turn, the four-colored light at Leon’s fingertip shot out like a beam, instantly striking the orc’s body. His battle aura armor and weapon seemed to become mere illusions, utterly useless.
The next moment, the world fell silent. The Orc Sword Saint stood frozen in terror, his eyes filled with inconceivable despair.
Leon’s expression remained unchanged as he turned and continued toward Sunset Fortress.
After Leon had walked a few steps, the Orc Sword Saint behind him began to scream in utter despair. Endless four-colored light burst from his body, countless runes of earth, fire, water, and wind appearing and combining into a single sigil.
The surrounding elemental forces of earth, fire, water, and wind surged into the Orc Sword Saint’s body like ravenous wolves.
Three seconds later, blinding white light began to shine from the orc’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Cracks split open across his skin, spilling searing radiance.
Boom...
With a muffled bang, the Orc Sword Saint’s body exploded—no blood, no fragments, only a cloud of fine powder that vanished completely in less than a second.
Leon strode toward Sunset Fortress, without the slightest doubt about the death of the Eighth-Rank Orc Sword Saint.
After more than ten days, the embryonic form of his rules had finally begun to take shape—not the fire rule he’d expected, but the Four Elemental Rules of earth, fire, water, and wind, all brewing at once.
It was only now that Leon truly understood the greatest benefit of fusing Constantine's Skull and advancing to Title Archmage.
It wasn’t simply that he could form a thread of his own rule at the Title Archmage level, but that—by combining the Arcane Module and three core meditation laws—he could simultaneously complete the brewing of all four rules at once.
That’s far, far stronger than brewing just one rule at a time.
Sky Rank powerhouses only begin to comprehend other rules after perfecting one. At that stage, grasping additional rules becomes even harder.
The suppression is too strong; the foundational rule is overwhelming, and the bias becomes severe.
At the peak of the Northend World’s development, there were only a handful of powerhouses who could simultaneously comprehend the Four Elemental Rules—and not a single one who used their combination as a foundation!
The newly revealed Senluo Chapter in the Death Tome has stabilized its name, though its contents have yet to appear. But that’s only a matter of time; once the first step is taken, the rest comes much easier.
In these ten-odd days, Leon had only advanced from Fifth-Rank to Sixth-Rank Title Archmage, but the increase in combat power was far beyond a mere rank up—it was a fundamental leap in quality.
Before, if an Eighth-Rank Orc Sword Saint skilled in stealth tried to ambush him from a dozen meters away, it would have been no real threat—he could have easily killed the orc, but not this easily.
If the enemy tried to delay and focused solely on escape, it would have taken half a minute to kill him.
But now, by wielding just a hint of the Senluo Chapter’s power—even in its embryonic state—he could annihilate his foe in an instant!
It even creates a crushing pressure reminiscent of transcendent power, affecting both strength and spirit. An Eighth-Rank Sword Saint’s abilities are suppressed so much that he can’t fight at full force.
Struck by the Senluo Chapter’s power, the enemy is erased instantly—not merely killed, but consumed by chaotic earth, fire, water, and wind. Body, strength, even soul, wiped out—as if deleted from existence.
Leon ran a few simulations using his Arcane Module to test this.
Facing Dubois Charles, unless he’s ready to go down together, Leon still isn’t a match. In a real fight, Dubois would crush him without question.
But now, things are different. Dubois can’t just use transcendent power to pin Leon down, unable to move.
But now, things are different. Dubois can’t just use transcendent power to pin Leon down, unable to move.
With the Four Elemental Rules as his foundation, the power he gains far surpasses the peak of most Ninth-Rank Title Archmages—those who’ve set one foot into the Sky Rank.
His resistance to transcendent power has also greatly increased. He still can’t beat Dubois Charles in a fight, but escaping is no longer a problem.
Don’t underestimate this small step—the difference is something no Title Archmage could truly comprehend.
Transcendent power isn’t something mortals can wield, and Sky Rank is utterly beyond mortal resistance. Against a Sky Rank, mortals are like lambs awaiting slaughter.
In the future, when the Northend World reaches its peak, anyone who escapes a Sky Rank’s grasp—if they survive—will inevitably become one of the world’s greatest.
For a mortal below Sky Rank to strike down a Sky Rank, no matter the method, it would be immortalized in history—worthy of a place in the Desolate Archive at the end of the world.
The most famous case is the Burning Legion, ranked among the top three mage legions in the future Northend World. They used a thousand Ninth-Rank Title Archmages, more than half at peak power!
A thousand Ninth-Rank Title Archmages, all equipped with identical runes, top-tier magical artifacts, and staves, plus a massive alchemical array and a joint chanting array. The Ninth-Rank spell was split into a thousand parts, with all chanting in unison.
Exhausting every means, they managed—through direct battle—to kill a Sky Rank who wasn’t even that strong or high-level!
This battle was recorded as a miracle of mortals defying fate, carefully preserved in the Desolate Archive.
Now, Leon can merely escape from a Sky Rank powerhouse—even a low-level one—but that alone is enough to earn a place in history.
Leon is satisfied with this outcome; escaping is enough.