Chapter 831: Suppression
Specter Valley was shrouded in an oppressive silence, broken only by the echo of battle. Councilor Weiss felt his magic draining, the fatigue clawing at his mind. How could it end like this?
Six consecutive explosions thundered through the air. Baroque's Fire Elemental Avatar was blasted away like a ragged sack, and while still airborne, the cracked avatar forcibly broke apart...
The Black Tower mages exchanged worried glances. Chairman Heron’s eyes narrowed, his suspicion growing with every magical tremor.
Baroque crashed to the ground, rolling for more than ten meters before finally coming to a stop, covered in dust and looking utterly dazed and hopeless...
He had once commanded the Blazeforge Realm’s flames, but now, even Councilor Weiss and Chairman Heron seemed distant, unreachable. Despair gnawed at him, deeper than any wound.
Staring at Leon, who now stood before him, Baroque had already forgotten about continuing the fight...
Chairman Heron’s voice was cold, but beneath it, Baroque sensed a flicker of urgency—a warning that something was terribly wrong.
This can't be...
The Blazeforge Realm’s laws were supposed to favor him. Yet, in this moment, everything felt inverted.
Why...
He could feel the Elder God Blood pulsing within him, the core heartwood of the Tree of Wisdom calling out, yet none of it answered his desperate plea.
Why is this happening? If that's not the Fire Elemental Avatar, then what is it? Why is he immune to my fire spells...
Was it the protection of Constantine's Dominion? Or some artifact from the Heart of Constantine? The rules here were shifting—twisting beyond his grasp.
Why can't I hurt him at all? The same spell—he can harm me, but I can't touch him...
Baroque’s confidence crumbled, replaced by a gnawing sense of inferiority. Every magical principle he knew seemed to betray him.
Baroque stared blankly, oblivious to his own injuries, his mind teetering on the edge of madness...
Councilor Weiss hesitated, fear flickering in his eyes. Baroque’s reluctance to surrender mirrored Weiss’s own dread—a silent, shared defeat.
Leon approached with a cold expression, dismissing his own Fire Elemental Avatar. With a wave of his hand, Theo surged forward, transforming into a mass of flame.
The flames tightly bound Baroque, severing his connection to the surrounding fire elementals. In that instant, Baroque felt utterly alone—cut off from the power he once commanded.
At this point, even as a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, Baroque was finished. Any trick he tried would be instantly devoured by Theo, along with every last trace of fire element...
Flames condensed before Leon, forming a golden-red spear that appeared in an instant, its blade aimed directly at Baroque...
"You ruined my hard work, wasted my precious materials, and repeatedly provoked me. Now, you'll pay the price for your actions..."
With that, Leon prepared to turn away, the golden-red spear hovering in midair, ready to strike...
"Archmage Leon, Archmage Leon, please show mercy..."
Leon glanced back and saw a figure in the distance wrapped in a whirlwind, speeding toward them.
A second or two later, Councilor Weiss dropped from the sky, rolling across the ground. His robe was caked in dust, a streak of blood marked his face, and his hair was a mess. Weiss didn't care—he scrambled over in a hurry...
"Archmage Leon, please, have mercy! Surely we can talk this out..."
Weiss was drenched in sweat, his face pale with fear. He stood trembling nearby, not daring to get close to Baroque, only managing a bitter smile at Leon.
"Archmage Leon, let's talk this over—please, don't resort to violence. Surely we can negotiate..."
Leon frowned.
"You want to save him?"
Weiss jumped in fright and hurriedly waved his hands.
"Archmage Leon, you've misunderstood, truly misunderstood. I'm just here to explain—this really is all a misunderstanding..."
"Archmage Leon, Baroque only arrived at the Ember Plane recently. He doesn't understand much yet. This time, he just overheard a few things and acted impulsively without knowing the full story—it's really all a misunderstanding. Baroque was just a bit rash..."
Leon stared coldly at Weiss.
"His impulsiveness has nothing to do with me. Because of him, all my hard work was destroyed. Do you think I'm easy to placate?"
Weiss quickly tried to interject.
"Archmage Leon, let's talk this out. The Black Tower will compensate you double for your losses—just please, let Baroque go. You know Baroque is our newly appointed Deputy Councilor, second only to Lord Heron. This whole thing is a misunderstanding, and I've already punished those responsible. If you're still unhappy, I'll hand over the rumor-mongers for you to deal with, how about that?"
Weiss wiped the cold sweat from his brow, gritting his teeth as he shot a glare at the still-stunned Baroque.
Damn idiot, always causing trouble. Hell, you don't know anything, you have no clue, and yet you dare provoke Archmage Leon? If you want to get yourself killed, fine—but do you have to drag me down with you?
Damn fool, stupid groundhog. You have less sense than a slime—how did you ever become Deputy Councilor...
If I hadn't rushed here with everything I had, you'd already be ash, you idiot!
Leon frowned slightly. With Weiss now here and talking like this, taking further action would mean a complete break. He glanced at Baroque, who looked utterly vacant.
Leon pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. Two vials of Elder God Blood, and a cube-sized heartwood from the Tree of Wisdom's trunk, rich with life force. Forget the rest..."
Weiss breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Alright, no problem. I'll have it sent to you immediately... Wait, Elder God Blood? Heartwood from the Tree of Wisdom's trunk?"
Weiss cried out in astonishment, eyes wide with disbelief. The look he shot Baroque was sharp as a knife—he looked ready to strangle the idiot himself.
Damn idiot, what the hell did you do?!