Chapter 973: Provocation
Triggered by this terrifying force, the entire fortress’s defense system was instantly activated. The defensive metal plates lining the walls lit up in unison.
Using the fortress’s tracks as alchemical glyphwork, the covert energy circuits began to surge with power, and energy erupted from the three giant Magic Reaction Cores inside.
In an instant, countless runes appeared in the air above the Gray Orc Fortress. These runes swirled like tiny sprites, assembling in rows and columns before dispersing into a thin layer of light.
Almost immediately, a massive barrier enveloped the entire Gray Orc Fortress!
Countless runes flowed across the transparent barrier. Dubois Charles’s thundering assault crashed into the shield, instantly splintering into hundreds of smaller bolts that slid down its surface.
As these smaller bolts traced the barrier, they split again into even finer strands of lightning.
In the blink of an eye, that massive bolt—dozens of meters thick—was scattered into tens of thousands of tiny lightning strands.
The energy consumed by these lightning strands was drained away, while the remainder flowed along the barrier into the earth, finally absorbed by the fortress walls.
After passing through the alchemical array’s conversion, this energy was delivered to the three giant Magic Reaction Cores inside the fortress, fueling their power.
After passing through the Magic Reaction Cores, Dubois Charles’s power was transformed into energy that sustained the barrier.
Inside the Gray Orc Fortress, patrols of alchemical golems roamed the corridors. Any suspicious person was immediately detained—and any resistance was met with lethal force.
Krovitz gazed at the barrier shimmering in the sky, unable to suppress a sigh of awe.
"That’s a Sky Rank powerhouse up there. I never thought, after Archmage Leon’s modifications, the Gray Orc Fortress could actually withstand an assault from someone like that..."
Hubert bared his fangs at the sky, glaring at Dubois Charles above.
"That guy’s a fool. Sky Rank or not, if he can’t beat Archmage Leon, he comes looking for trouble with us instead? Hah! By the way, where is Archmage Leon?"
Anderson drifted over, sneering at Dubois Charles’s relentless attacks from above.
"Relax. Archmage Leon spent a lot of effort upgrading the Gray Orc Fortress. It might not hold out forever against that lunatic, but two days is no problem. Leon’s not one to let himself get the short end—he’ll make sure that guy regrets this..."
Krovitz looked worried.
"We can hold for two days, but after that, the three giant Magic Reaction Cores in the fortress will burn out from running at full capacity for so long."
Unfortunately, our materials here are limited, and there are technical issues too—we can’t build a better giant Magic Reaction Core. If we could make a Full Right-Angle Magic Reaction Core on that scale, just one would be worth all three we have now…"
Outside the Gray Orc Fortress, Dubois Charles hovered in midair, his face twisted with rage as he stared at the barrier-wrapped fortress, eyes full of shock and disbelief.
Damn it, so Matthew Merlin really thinks I can’t break through this fortress?
Hell, how long has it been? That guy’s actually built the fortress up to this level—its defenses are so strong, it can even withstand a Sky Rank assault.
Hmph. We’ll see how long you can hold out, you idiot. Matthew Merlin, you’d better stay hidden—I want to see how long you can stand it…
With that thought, Dubois Charles made up his mind. Without another word, he launched into his assault, casting spell after spell—occasionally unleashing a transcendent spell.
Meanwhile, Leon said nothing and flew straight toward Windfire Fortress.
That fortress was under Dubois Charles’s control—and it was his main base on the Blazeforge Plane. Everyone inside was loyal to him.
The relationship between the Black Tower Sanctuary and the Black Tower itself was complicated. Heron didn’t seem to obey Dubois Charles’s orders, always acting on his own plans.
From the information Leon had gathered, Dubois Charles had barely left Windfire Fortress—he’d spent ages attacking the Orc Fortress, but never took direct action, just staying holed up inside.
Fine, you attack my fortress, I’ll attack yours. Let’s see who’s faster.
Leon stormed toward Windfire Fortress, and the defenders inside immediately spotted him as he approached.
A mage flew out from Windfire Fortress, glaring at Leon and shouting.
"Who goes there? This is Windfire Fortress, under Lord Dubois Charles’s command—flying is forbidden!"
With that, the mage cast Fire Dragon—a flaming serpent over ten meters long hurtled straight for Leon.
Leon’s expression was cold, his speed unbroken. Runes of flame flickered in his eyes as he pointed at the dragon; several flame runes shot out, instantly shattering the Fire Dragon spell.
Leon hovered above Windfire Fortress, surveying it below. Aside from the many orc slaves laboring away, the only others were black-robed Black Tower mages—their robes marked by a ring of gold around the usual black flame insignia.
Clearly, these were all mages from the Black Tower Sanctuary, each pledged to Dubois Charles’s power.
"Matthew Merlin! So it’s you, damn bastard—are you trying to provoke Lord Dubois Charles’s authority? How dare you fly directly over Windfire Fortress!
You’re asking for death! Get down here and seal your magic, or don’t blame us for what happens next!"
When Daryl Su recognized Leon, he shrieked, his magic flaring to life as Windfire Fortress’s mages began to rise into the air one after another.
"Matthew Merlin, this is Lord Dubois Charles’s domain. To openly provoke a Sky Rank powerhouse’s authority—not just you, but everyone connected to you will suffer disaster.
Renounce your magic and beg Lord Dubois Charles for forgiveness. Surrender all your treasures, and I’ll plead for mercy on your behalf…"
Daryl Su hovered in midair, watching the mages rising from Windfire Fortress, his eyes gleaming with mockery and excitement.
Damn fool—Matthew Merlin really is an idiot, daring to come straight to Windfire Fortress. Too bad Lord Dubois Charles is out; if we kill him now, no one can object. He’s the one provoking a Sky Rank powerhouse’s wrath.
That guy’s loaded with magical artifacts, and he’s seized the Four Seasons Plain—he must have a fortune. If I can dig up his wealth, I’ll finally be able to forge a soulbound artifact perfectly attuned to me…
"Matthew Merlin, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll bring disaster not only on yourself, but your soul won’t rest, and even your family will face the wrath of a Sky Rank powerhouse. Now, hand it over…"
Leon hovered in midair, his face cold, using his mana array gear to scan the entire Windfire Fortress’s aura and layout. With no anti-air array in place, the fortress held no secrets from him—a few seconds was enough to assess all its power.
He glanced back at Daryl Su as if looking at a dead man.
"One strike. If you survive, I’ll let you live."
As Leon spoke, elemental energy from all four schools surged before him, rapidly coalescing into a Fourfold Elemental Bomb that appeared instantly before Daryl Su.
"Matthew Merlin! How dare you attack me!"
Daryl Su screamed, clearly never expecting Leon to attack him directly here at Windfire Fortress.
A deadly sense of crisis flooded Daryl Su’s mind. Instantly, he activated a rune shield, an elemental shield, and a mana shield, and even whipped out a shield-shaped magical artifact.
The artifact morphed into a massive shield of light, blocking Daryl Su’s path…
At that moment, the Fourfold Elemental Bomb struck the artifact head-on.
Boom—
With a deafening roar, chaotic energy exploded forth, engulfing Daryl Su. In an instant, the shield of light was shredded, Daryl Su’s triple-layered shields torn apart, and finally, an endless tide of destructive force swallowed him whole…
The shockwave swept across hundreds of meters, the buildings below battered by the blast—within moments, a swath over a hundred meters wide was reduced to ruins…
As the chaotic energy faded, Daryl Su was utterly gone—not even a fragment of his artifact remained, everything shredded and vaporized…
With a single strike, every mage in Windfire Fortress was stunned. Those who’d flown up just to watch never imagined Leon would actually dare attack here.
And with just one blow, he’d annihilated Daryl Su—a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage.
"Enemy attack!"
"Defend!"
A piercing shriek rang out, and alarms blared throughout Windfire Fortress.
The stunned mages snapped to attention—only to see a massive phantom of a violet dragon appear in the sky. In its arms, the dragon held an illusory wheel as deep as the starry sky, its center glowing with four radiant colors; endless runes swirled and danced within.
Then, around the violet dragon’s phantom, four enormous whirlpools appeared—earth, fire, water, and wind—each dozens of meters across. A torrent of fourfold spells surged toward them like a flood.
Leon hovered in the air, right hand clutching the Dragon Staff, left hand holding the Book of Death, his mana surging like a tide.
Without using an elemental avatar, relying solely on pure spellcasting ability, it took less than three seconds for a flood of spells to engulf more than a dozen Black Tower mages…
Leon hovered above, coldly watching the battered Windfire Fortress. His wild barrage of spells left only a handful of Eighth-Rank Title Archmages and two Ninth-Rank Title Archmages able to resist—the rest couldn’t even manage symbolic resistance.