Chapter 749: Are You Courting Death?
Then, in an instant, Leon Merlin slammed into another massive shard, coughing up blood again...
The chaotic surges of magical energy and spatial turbulence made spellcasting several times more difficult. As they fell, the party was buffeted by howling winds and could only use spells like Mana Shock to adjust their bodies in midair.
Leon Merlin had to cast Flight three times in quick succession before he finally managed to activate it in this chaos. A runic shield unfolded around him as he shot toward Hubert.
Leon Merlin unleashed seven or eight Explosive Fire spells in rapid succession, shattering a massive shard over ten meters wide and saving Hubert from a deadly collision.
Leon Merlin sped past Hubert, snagging him with a flaming chain before racing toward the others.
As Leon Merlin carried Hubert through the chaos, giant trees collided and changed direction in midair, accelerating and decelerating unpredictably. Several times, Leon nearly got struck by shards hundreds of meters wide.
"Master Merlin, please be careful..." Hubert shouted in terror.
Hubert screamed in terror, but Leon Merlin didn't hear him at all. Runes flickered in Leon Merlin's eyes as he used his Mana Harness to constantly calculate the angles and trajectories of the massive shards, dodging the seemingly random debris again and again...
They drifted with the waterfall for a full two or three thousand meters before Leon Merlin finally spotted a change below.
The massive tunnel was like a giant pipe plunging into the abyss, the Great Waterfall pouring endlessly downward. Now, a few hundred meters below, Leon Merlin spotted a fork in the passage—only a trickle of water flowed into it.
Only by plunging into the waterfall and following the river could they shield themselves from the exploding shards.
Leon Merlin infused his voice with magic so everyone could hear, his eyes locked on the fork's mouth, barely tens of meters wide.
They were now less than a thousand meters from the ground. Leon Merlin took direct control of the Arcane Wheel, casting Haste on himself, then shot toward Reina, who was falling fastest.
When they were just over a hundred meters from the fork, Leon Merlin suddenly veered away from the waterfall, leading the group toward the opening at breakneck speed.
It wasn't until they were just three hundred meters above the rocky slope that Leon Merlin managed to save Beta.
"Stay with me!"
Though everyone now had Flight cast on them and wouldn't die from the fall, the situation was still dire.
"Elsa! Wooden Sanctuary!" Leon Merlin shouted. Elsa instantly activated the Limit Spell Mark on her forehead, conjuring a green barrier that enveloped the group.
But whenever one of those huge shards crashed into the slope, it exploded instantly, splintering into countless smaller fragments that scattered in all directions with terrifying force.
The only way out was to follow the waterfall at the base of the massive slope—no one knew where it led.
Suddenly, a glow flared on Leon Merlin's left-hand Death Tome; a spell mark on the Sage's Chapter faded away...
Otherwise, in this situation, everyone but Leon would be gravely injured—if not outright killed.
Anderson poked his head out from the Arcane Wheel, just in time to see Leon cast Flight and lead the group in a line, streaking toward the massive waterfall.
"Merlin, are you trying to get us killed?!"
Hubert stumbled and fell as soon as they landed, and not just him—Seth, Beta, and Elsa also collapsed to the ground, their legs weak from fright.
During this period, the fewest and smallest shards would hit the slope—this was their best chance.
So Leon didn't slow down at all—if anything, he sped up, charging straight for the waterfall.
Leon Merlin stood on the ground, heart pounding—if he'd mistimed it, at least half the group would have died...
If Leon Merlin hadn't calculated the possibility the instant he spotted the tunnel, and immediately imprinted Mass Featherfall on the Sage's Chapter, their chances today would have been grim...
A second later, Leon Merlin and the rapidly falling group skimmed past the rocky slope.
In an instant, countless stone shards exploded like arrows, furiously striking the Wooden Sanctuary. Dense ripples spread across the shield, and Elsa's face turned deathly pale from the strain.
A second later, Leon Merlin led the group straight into the massive waterfall.
Immediately, the force of the fragments pounding the shield weakened; ripples on the Wooden Sanctuary grew sparse, and most shards couldn't budge it at all.
The crisis was finally over—even Leon Merlin wiped away cold sweat. Anyone else would have died; only with his Mana Harness and terrifying calculation skills could he plan every step to perfection.
After a brief rest, they pressed on through the cave. Before long, it felt as though they'd reached the very depths of the earth.
Safely through the waterfall, Leon stayed alert, handing Elsa a vial of Mana Elixir to replenish her power while keeping an eye on what lay ahead.
Now they were falling as fast as the waterfall itself. If they hit something solid below, Elsa would be the first to die—the impact would be far beyond what the Wooden Sanctuary could withstand!
Elsa's mana would be drained in an instant by the Wooden Sanctuary, and the rest would be killed by the crushing force.
They drifted with the waterfall for a full two or three thousand meters before Leon finally spotted a change below.
The massive tunnel was like a giant pipe plunging into the abyss, the Great Waterfall pouring endlessly downward. Now, a few hundred meters below, Leon spotted a fork in the passage—only a trickle of water flowed into it.
"Heads up, we're about to leave the waterfall!"
Leon infused his voice with magic so everyone could hear, his eyes locked on the fork's mouth, barely tens of meters wide.
If they missed this chance, who knew when they'd escape the waterfall? They'd already fallen two or three thousand meters, with no idea how much deeper it went—or what dangers lurked below.
When they were just over a hundred meters from the fork, Leon suddenly veered away from the waterfall, leading the group toward the opening at breakneck speed.
Everyone's faces went pale—their descent was still terrifyingly fast...
Even Mass Featherfall couldn't slow them instantly, and they didn't dare reduce speed before entering the tunnel!
Any attempt to slow down would expose them to the waterfall's crushing force!
If the waterfall's power pinned them, they'd never make it into the tunnel. Leon charged for the fork without hesitation.
As they shot into the fork, everyone braced themselves for injury...
They shot in through the very top of the tunnel, but it was only thirty meters high. At this speed, even Mass Featherfall couldn't slow them enough to avoid injury...
Suddenly, a glow flared on Leon's left-hand Death Tome; a spell mark on the Sage's Chapter faded away...
Ripples spread out visibly, and each time one swept across the falling group, their speed dropped sharply.
After a dozen ripples, when they were just over a meter from the ground, their descent slowed to the gentle pace of drifting leaves...
They landed safely, but Anderson stumbled and fell. Not just Anderson—Seth, Beta, and Elsa all seemed to lose their strength and sat right down.
It was pure fright.
"Damn it, Merlin, next time you pull something like this, leave me out of it! I might become the first magical artifact avatar in history to die from a fall..."
Anderson was so shaken, he couldn't even keep his face together...
Leon stood on the ground, heart pounding—if he'd mistimed it, at least half the group would have died...
If Leon hadn't calculated the possibility the instant he spotted the tunnel, and immediately imprinted Mass Featherfall on the Sage's Chapter, their chances today would have been grim...
With his strength soaring, Leon hadn't used the Sage's Chapter—which could only copy a tier-three spell—for a long time.
Even as a Limit Spell, a tier-three spell copied onto the Sage's Chapter was only as strong as a tier-five spell. Now Leon could instantly cast tier-six spells with enough mana.
Without further upgrades, the Sage's Chapter had lost its practical value—so Leon hadn't bothered imprinting new spells for ages. Only one slot was used, which made imprinting Mass Featherfall possible.
Ordinary Featherfall couldn't slow a rapid descent to safety within twenty meters, but Limit Spell Mass Featherfall was different. It slowed everyone to a harmless pace—and by the time they were a meter from the ground, they were drifting like leaves...
The crisis was finally over—even Leon wiped away cold sweat. Anyone else would have died; only with his Mana Harness and terrifying calculation skills could he plan every step to perfection.
After a brief rest, they pressed on through the cave. Before long, it felt as though they'd reached the very depths of the earth.