Chapter 373: Truly Wronged
With a thunderous boom, the thick walls of the Council Hall were instantly torn apart by a surge of overwhelming sword energy. A tall figure, wreathed in blazing battle aura, burst through the newly formed breach into the Council Hall...
The first thing that caught everyone's eyes was a flaming greatsword, its blade wreathed in roaring fire. The searing heat seemed capable of burning everything; with a single crack, the long conference table was instantly cleaved in two by the blazing sword.
At the same time, the tall figure, wreathed in blazing battle aura, crossed the distance in just two steps. The flaming greatsword was raised again, slashing down with thunderous force—this time, its target was Leon, who was controlling the Prime Flame Sprite...
Everyone held their breath in that moment...
It was as if the air itself stopped moving, as if time forgot to flow—the entire world seemed to freeze in that instant...
The Council Hall suddenly fell into utter silence...
No one knew how much time had passed before a scream shattered the eerie silence...
The surging ray of fire, in a seemingly impossible turn, suddenly twisted in midair and, in a most uncanny fashion, struck the stunned Owen Merlin...
Owen Merlin let out a scream on the spot.
Even more terrifying, in that instant, almost everyone sensed it—Owen Merlin's Arcane Resonance had suddenly vanished.
Yes, a fifth-tier mage, in an instant, lost all Arcane Resonance...
What does that even mean...
Even a fool would know—his Mana Vortex has been pierced.
From this moment on, Owen Merlin had fallen from a fifth-tier mage to an ordinary person. Worse still, he might never again accumulate even a shred of mana for the rest of his life.
For a mage, this is a fate far worse than death.
"Matthew Merlin!" Owen Merlin's voice was filled with endless despair...
"Who told you I only have one Essence Relic?" Leon sneered, refusing to spare Owen Merlin another glance. He uttered a spell, pointed his Doombringer Staff, and seven ice walls sprang up with a thunderous roar...
Next came the constant crackling sound...
Thorne Merlin's flaming greatsword shattered all seven ice walls in an instant, perfectly displaying the strength of one of the Merlin Family's three Sword Saints...
Unfortunately, it was still a bit too late...
Thorne Merlin took less than a second to cleave through seven ice walls, but for Leon, a second was more than enough...
Because, after a second, the Prime Flame Sprite—Saedus, who had pierced Owen Merlin's Mana Vortex—had already returned to Leon's hand. With a casual flick, it instantly transformed into a flaming shield.
Meanwhile, Thorne Merlin's flaming greatsword came crashing down, carrying the momentum from shattering seven ice walls.
Then, with a thunderous boom...
The flaming greatsword collided with the flaming shield, sending dazzling sparks flying in an instant!
For a moment, it was as dazzling as fireworks bursting in the night.
It was the ultimate collision of magic and battle aura, the final showdown between two Essence Relics...
After the thunderous crash, both the flaming greatsword and the flaming shield were sent flying backward at almost the same time.
This was when the true might of the Crimson Flame Sword became clear—even the shield formed by Saedus, transformed into flames, couldn't truly block this terrifying Essence Relic. The violent impact knocked the shield from Leon's control, sending it flying dozens of meters before it landed as a mass of fire, while Thorne Merlin's Crimson Flame Sword merely shook before returning to his grasp.
The violent tremor produced a sound that was almost like a dragon's low roar...
"Impressive." Leon waved to recall the Prime Flame Sprite, his other hand gripping the Doombringer Staff tightly.
Since arriving in this era, Leon had fought countless battles, but no matter how powerful the opponent, he rarely spoke words like 'impressive' from the heart.
This 'impressive' was truly a heartfelt compliment from Leon.
Thorne Merlin's strength had even exceeded Leon's expectations.
It was clear now just how powerful this commander of the Planar Legion truly was.
It was clear now just how powerful this commander of the Planar Legion truly was.
After that clash, Thorne Merlin didn't press the attack. Instead, he knelt down and lifted the fallen Owen Merlin.
Earlier, the Prime Flame Sprite had pierced Owen Merlin's Mana Vortex, not only reducing him from a fifth-tier mage to a mere mortal, but also inflicting a near-fatal wound...
Now, Owen Merlin lay pale and barely breathing, on the verge of death. Thorne Merlin gently lifted him, then pulled a small bottle from his pocket, uncapped it, and carefully poured the emerald green Grandmaster's Elixir into Owen Merlin's mouth...
As Owen Merlin drank the Grandmaster's Elixir, his complexion gradually turned rosy, and his previously weak, erratic breathing grew steady and strong. Even the wound left by Saedus was visibly healing at an astonishing rate...
For a moment, the Council Hall buzzed with whispers as many began secretly speculating about the origins of Thorne Merlin's potion and its miraculous effects...
"Owen, how do you feel?" Only now did Thorne Merlin's furrowed brow relax a little.
"F-Father, he..." Owen Merlin opened his eyes, nodded weakly, then struggled to raise a hand and point toward Leon in the distance...
"Enough, don't speak." Thorne Merlin pressed Owen's hand down before he could finish, carefully settling him to lie down. "Rest assured, no one can harm my son Owen Merlin without paying the price."
After tending to Owen, Thorne Merlin gripped the Crimson Flame Sword again, his expression shifting as he looked at Leon, now radiating undisguised killing intent. "You are Matthew Merlin?"
"That's right."
"Good." Thorne Merlin nodded, pointing the Crimson Flame Sword at Leon from afar. "I'm giving you a chance: cripple your own Mana Vortex and hands, leave Greendale forever, and never return!"
"How generous of you..." Leon sneered. For a mage, crippling your Mana Vortex and hands is no different than suicide.
"You don't have to agree, but I promise you'll regret it soon enough..." Thorne Merlin's gaze burned with undisguised hatred. "My name is Thorne Merlin. I'm sure you've heard of me—I command the Merlin Family's Planar Legion in the Blazeforge Realm. Do you know what that is? There's a river of fire beneath the earth there called the Howling River. I often throw Blazeforge Orcs into it and listen to their screams..."
"But don't worry, I won't do that to you..." Thorne Merlin's voice was low and chilling, his words enough to make anyone's skin crawl. "I'll tie you above the Howling River and let the flames gently caress your body. You won't die right away; you'll feel your flesh roasting inch by inch, and you'll even smell the aroma of your own cooked meat..."
"Heh, Lord Thorne, I have to say..." Leon idly toyed with the Prime Flame Sprite, his face twisted in a mocking smile. "You have quite the imagination."
"Is that so?" Thorne Merlin's expression darkened, his already stern face growing even more murderous. With a deafening roar, his battle aura—blazing hot—erupted into the air once again...
"Then you're courting death!"
As the Crimson Flame Sword tore through the air, it carried the sound of wind and thunder. The overwhelming sword aura swept out like a hurricane, and in an instant, the entire Council Hall seemed shrouded in a terrifying storm of sword energy...
"Not necessarily!" Leon shot back without hesitation, unleashing the Prime Flame Sprite. With a flash of fire, it transformed into thousands of flaming arrows, covering every inch of space with a force even more fearsome than Thorne Merlin's sword aura...
Chaos erupted in the Council Hall...
Even someone as powerful as Hoffland Merlin instantly raised a runic shield. There was no other choice—both men possessed superhuman strength, and their battle was destined to shake the world. Even a stray shockwave could instantly kill a mage caught in the crossfire...
But then, to everyone's amazement, neither the sword aura nor the flaming arrows spilled out in the slightest; every bit of power was perfectly focused on the other combatant...
"Remarkable..." Even Hoffland couldn't help but sigh, finally admitting that both Thorne Merlin and Matthew Merlin surpassed him in strength.
If nothing else, this absolute mastery over their power was something he could never hope to achieve.
Just look at this battle before your eyes...
Thorne Merlin's sword aura crisscrossed, Matthew Merlin's flaming arrows scattered in all directions, yet in the end, not a single stray bit of energy leaked out. Such control could only be described as terrifying...
"Lurgan, oh Lurgan, your death was truly in vain..."