Chapter 508: Sweep
At this moment, all eyes were fixed on the Blazeforge Orc who had just spoken. He was strikingly young, yet his strength was anything but lacking. Among this orc squad, he ranked among the top three, wielding power equivalent to a Title Archmage.
Standing at the very front of the orc formation, Ash fell silent after speaking, simply waiting. His face was clouded and his entire presence radiated a chilling aura. Just three days ago, he had led nearly a thousand cavalry into battle, only for them to be utterly annihilated—a humiliation that was, without question, the greatest of his life.
Ash had enjoyed an unbroken streak of victories since childhood, so naturally, he was determined to wash away this disgrace.
"That would be me..." Leon stepped forward with a relaxed, almost mischievous smile.
"You?"
It was nighttime, but the Blazeforge Realm had its own strange rules—the darkness was little more than a dim twilight. Ash could see clearly, even at a distance of several hundred meters, the silhouette of a human mage. The young man was so youthful it was almost absurd, and Ash found his face oddly familiar.
"You understand your situation without me spelling it out, don't you?" Ash spoke with the confidence of someone backed by a formidable army, his gaze toward Leon tinged with disdain.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Hmph!"
Ash let out a heavy, cold snort, a chilling smile curling at his lips. "Cunning humans, do you really think you can stand against the army of the Forgefire Clan? It's pure fantasy. You cannon fodder won't last more than an hour—every last one of you will die here. If you want to live, it's simple: surrender to the Forgefire Clan, and I promise you won't be harmed. Well?"
With the power at his back, Ash considered wiping out this human mage legion a trivial matter. If they were smart enough to surrender, so be it. But if they were foolish, he wouldn't hesitate to order the attack—under the hooves of thousands of elite cavalry, not a single mage would leave a corpse worth burying.
He had spent the last few days reflecting in the Forgefire Clan, brooding over the disastrous battle that cost them dearly—just a moment's carelessness, really. Those Title Archmages had appeared out of nowhere, catching him completely off guard and shattering his forces. But now, he had no need for caution. If the enemy refused to surrender, even if dozens more Title Archmages showed up, they'd only end up dead.
"Surrender?"
Leon’s expression turned odd; no one could read his thoughts. But beside him, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin looked as pale as wax, sweat pouring down, their eyes wide with shock. Clearly, they hadn’t expected the Forgefire Clan to send such a formidable force.
Thousands of elite cavalry, nearly a hundred two-legged drakes, and close to fifty orc shamans.
There was simply no way the mage legion could stand against that...
They believed Ash’s words—the mage legion wouldn’t last more than an hour before being utterly routed.
Surrender?
Edgar and Uriel Merlin didn’t even consider it. Even if it meant dying here, they would never surrender to the Blazeforge Orcs. Doing so would disgrace not only themselves, but the entire Merlin Family in Auckland—none of the great powers would ever let them live it down.
Ash sneered, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Not bad. You may not be that strong, but at least you're clever. So, will you lead your mage legion to surrender to the Forgefire Clan?" His gaze swept over the human mages, brimming with contempt.
"Actually, I think it's you who should be surrendering..."
"What did you say? Ha!"
In an instant, Ash's face twisted as if he'd heard the world's funniest joke. He doubled over laughing—surely this young human mage was scared out of his wits. Otherwise, why say something so absurd? Under these circumstances, telling him to surrender was pure comedy.
No sane person would ever do something so ridiculous...
"If you don't believe me, take a look behind you..."
But as soon as Leon finished speaking, Ash's laughter was cut short, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat—he couldn't make a sound.
Ash couldn't laugh anymore. After the young mage spoke, he clearly sensed a commotion at the rear of his forces. Before he could react, wave after wave of violent magical energy erupted—brilliant spells blossomed among the orc ranks, and screams rang out one after another...
"What the hell..."
Now Ash was truly panicking—he could hardly believe it. How could a new force suddenly appear in the rear, just like that?
Leon led the mage legion in a ferocious assault on the orc ranks. The fifty Title Archmages were especially devastating—every burst of power swept away swathes of the enemy. Leon, together with Uriel Merlin and Edgar Merlin, plunged into the thickest part of the orc formation. Red and blue light flared, rising behind him like a full moon, and as he poured in mana, it exploded in a blinding radiance. Hundreds, thousands of low-level spells surged forth, drowning countless Blazeforge Orcs...
The force that appeared behind the orc army attacked just as fiercely. Countless powerful mages moved in perfect unison, their incantations ringing out in a thunderous chorus. Waves of potent spells battered the Blazeforge Orcs, slaughtering them in droves.
In just over ten minutes, the orc army was devastated, their formation in total disarray, the battlefield descending into chaos.
Soon, this once terrifying force had lost all ability to resist. As Leon’s mage legion and the other force tightened their encirclement, the Blazeforge Orcs found themselves with nowhere to run. In the end, the entire orc army was all but wiped out.
The two armies worked seamlessly to clear the battlefield. At this moment, several mages approached Leon—among them were Councilor Weiss, Councilor Suville, and a few Title Archmages.
"Archmage Merlin, good thing we weren’t late..." Councilor Weiss greeted Leon with a broad smile, clearly satisfied with the victory. After all, annihilating a top-tier Forgefire Clan force had dealt a heavy blow to their strength—an advantage that would be crucial in the upcoming final battle.
There was no doubt—the sudden reinforcements were from Leon’s ally, the Black Tower. This time, the Black Tower had sent its main figures: Councilor Weiss and Councilor Suville, along with several Title Archmages.
"Is this all the Merlin Family can muster?" Councilor Suville’s expression was clearly hostile as he approached Leon, his gaze full of animosity. Three hundred years ago, he was wounded by Thornton Merlin, his magical path forever crippled—he’d been stuck at Seventh Level Title Archmage ever since. After returning to the Black Tower and gaining a council seat, he entered the Blazeforge Realm, scheming to use the Tower’s power for revenge. But two months ago, the Merlin Family and Black Tower formed an official alliance, so at least for now, he couldn’t openly attack the family.
He was consumed by hatred—whenever he saw the Merlin Family, there was no chance of a friendly face.
"Matthew Merlin, is this the best your family can offer?" Councilor Suville watched the busy mages with undisguised contempt. Hundreds of Archmages and a few dozen Title Archmages—such meager strength, and this is what the Merlin Family considers impressive? "You sent so few people to face the Forgefire Clan. Without the Black Tower, you’d be lost. So when it comes to dividing the spoils, the Black Tower deserves a bigger share."
Suville knew perfectly well—the alliance between the Black Tower and the Merlin Family was all about gaining control of Specter Valley. Once the Forgefire Clan was wiped out, the vast valley would fall to their two factions. With a share of Specter Valley, the Merlin Family’s power would inevitably grow, and that was the last thing Suville wanted.
The partnership was set in stone, and Suville couldn’t change it. But he could still look for opportunities to undermine the Merlin Family whenever possible.
"Councilor Suville, perhaps we should set that matter aside for now..." As expected, Councilor Weiss’s smile froze at Suville’s words, his face turning resigned.
In fact, before setting out, Lord Heron had spoken to Weiss privately, instructing him to respect Matthew Merlin as much as possible during the alliance—and ideally, to build a strong friendship between the Black Tower and Matthew Merlin. When the time was right, they could approach the powerful Heavenly Mage behind him.
So even if the Black Tower had to accept a minor loss in the deal, it didn’t really matter.
Though the young mage’s legion was a bit weak, it was at least passable...
"Hmph..."
Suville’s face darkened. He shot Weiss a cold look, then turned sharply and strode away.
"Heh... Councilor Weiss..."
Once Suville left, Leon finally smiled and struck up a conversation with Weiss. While both mage legions cleared the battlefield, they discussed the details of their cooperation...
It didn’t take long to reach an agreement. The two factions’ mage legions set up camp elsewhere, and at dawn, an imposing force continued its advance deeper into Specter Valley. In fact, before the Black Tower reinforcements arrived, Leon’s mage legion had already secured most of Specter Valley.
Last night’s brutal battle had wiped out the Forgefire Clan’s reinforcements. For now, the clan wouldn’t be sending any more troops, making this the perfect moment to seize control of Specter Valley.
Three days later, after both mage legions swept the area, there wasn’t a single orc left in Specter Valley—the whole valley had fallen under their control...