Chapter 372: Sword Aura
Then came two soft sizzling sounds. The twin fire beams swept across, slicing through the Rune Shield like butter. Under the intense heat, Owen Merlin's robes turned to ash in an instant.
Of all the people in the family council hall, only a handful—including Hoffland himself—truly understood just how terrifying that voice from earlier had been.
Because Hoffland had heard it loud and clear.
"Who dares harm Owen?" The words, though few, grew closer with each syllable. At first, they sounded distant and indistinct, but by the last word, it was like muffled thunder exploding right beside one's ear.
What did that even mean...
It meant that Thorne Merlin was approaching at an astonishing speed. Moments ago, he was still thousands of miles away, but as he spoke, he was already almost upon them. Just this alone made it clear: Thorne Merlin's strength had reached an unfathomable level.
The news Link brought was simply too shocking...
The position of Patriarch was prestigious, but it did little for one's magical cultivation. Hoffland had always been diligent, but compared to Thorne Merlin—who spent his days on the edge of life and death in the Blazeforge Realm—he was worlds apart...
Owen Merlin quickly cast a Frostfire Shield...
But now, just from the sound alone, Hoffland could tell that Thorne Merlin's strength had already surpassed his own...
The whole process was unbelievably fast. By the time the Frostfire Shield collided with the fire beams, Owen Merlin had already retreated several meters.
Thorne Merlin's overwhelming power could at least keep the lawless Matthew Merlin in check. Otherwise, with his kill-first-ask-later attitude, who knows how many would die in the council hall today.
"That's right, Cousin Marfa, please don't be impulsive..." Even Leon Merlin, who always tried to stay unnoticed, couldn't help but offer a timid word of advice.
As for the other elders, they all chimed in, each more anxious than the last. If Leon lost his temper and killed Owen Merlin, Thorne Merlin might arrive and take his anger out on them instead...
"See, Matthew Merlin, I'm giving you one last chance. Before my father gets here, hand over the Gilded Rose. Otherwise..." Feeling that familiar aura growing closer, Owen Merlin completely relaxed.
After a smug little smile, the young master ignored the Arcane Wheel spinning overhead, straightened his sweat-soaked robes, and finally sat down at his seat with deliberate composure.
Owen Merlin knew his father would arrive in less than a minute.
Once his father arrived, today's elder council would instantly become a farce. Even Hoffland, the family patriarch, wouldn't dare face the commander of the Planar Legion head-on—let alone Matthew Merlin.
The two straight fire beams came so fast that no one could react. Even as a fifth-tier Archmage, Owen Merlin only had time to barely raise a Rune Shield.
"Indeed..." Leon thought for a moment, then raised his hand to retract the Arcane Wheel, nodding in agreement with Owen Merlin's point.
Whew... As the Arcane Wheel stopped spinning, it was as if the entire council hall let out a collective sigh of relief.
Especially those elders who had attacked Leon earlier...
After all, facing a madman who'd just killed three elders in a row, everyone was under immense pressure. Who knew if he'd get addicted to killing and wipe out the whole council hall...
Even Hoffland breathed a sigh of relief.
But as the family patriarch, Hoffland was thinking much further ahead than the other elders...
For the other elders, Leon backing down simply meant they were safe. For Hoffland, it could mean the Merlin Family had just dodged a catastrophe.
The news Link brought was simply too shocking...
Hoffland knew that behind Matthew Merlin lurked a terrifying background that no one else could even imagine. If he killed Owen Merlin, Thorne Merlin would retaliate, and things would get ugly fast. And if Matthew Merlin's mysterious backer got involved, the whole Merlin Family could be thrown into chaos.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness...
Thankfully, Matthew Merlin was rational enough to pull back at the critical moment.
Thinking of this, Hoffland let out a long breath.
"Looks like you're pretty clever, Matthew Merlin..." Watching the Arcane Wheel stop spinning, Owen Merlin's smile grew wider. "So, how about reconsidering my previous offer? I'm fairer than those old men like Lurgan. I won't monopolize the Gilded Rose. My promise still stands: three million gold coins for forty percent of its shares..."
"Sorry, Cousin Owen..." Leon smiled and shook his head, putting away the Arcane Wheel as he spoke. "I don't like working with dead men."
"Huh?" Owen Merlin froze, his smile stiffening. "What do you mean by that?!"
"I mean, time really is running out..." As Leon spoke, his tightly clenched right hand suddenly opened. A ball of flame surged forth, no bigger than a fist, but the magical energy it radiated made everyone's heart race with dread...
"You... what are you doing?!" Owen Merlin's face went pale. Even if he was slow to react, he could feel the aura of destruction coming from that ball of flame.
But Owen Merlin realized it a little too late...
Almost as soon as he cried out, the flame split in two, transforming into twin streaks of fire in midair. Crossing like a pair of sharp scissors, they slashed down at Owen Merlin...
The two straight fire beams came so fast that no one could react. Even as a fifth-tier Archmage, Owen Merlin only had time to barely raise a runic shield.
[Irrelevant system message skipped]
Then came two soft sizzling sounds. The twin fire beams swept across, slicing through the runic shield like butter. Under the intense heat, Owen Merlin's robes turned to ash in an instant.
"Link!" In a panic, Hoffland called out to Link, who hadn't fought in decades.
In that instant, Link revealed his true strength. A moment ago, he'd stood woodenly beside Hoffland; the next, he was like a shadow at Owen Merlin's side. Without any visible movement, two gleaming curved blades seemed to appear in his hands as if by magic.
In a flash, a shower of dazzling sparks erupted...
The twin fire beams swept across the two gleaming curved blades...
Link's curved blades were forged from genuine Meteor Iron—a top-tier weapon material. From the moment they were made, they were at least legacy-grade magic weapons. What's more, they were inscribed with intricate alchemical arrays, making them at minimum spirit-grade artifacts.
But now, these spirit-grade blades lasted only three seconds under the fire beams before melting away...
Still, those brief three seconds gave Owen Merlin a precious moment to catch his breath.
Owen Merlin quickly cast an Icefire Shield...
At this point, there was no time to worry about fire shield or ice shield—Owen Merlin cast both at once, sending them charging toward the twin fire beams while he retreated rapidly.
The whole process was unbelievably fast. By the time the Icefire Shield collided with the fire beams, Owen Merlin had already retreated several meters.
Whew... After all that, Owen Merlin finally let out a sigh of relief.
For Owen Merlin, those few meters felt like a line between life and death. If he’d stayed put, the fire beams would have devoured him instantly, but now, everything was different.
Besides being a fifth-tier Archmage, Owen Merlin was also a true Master. With those few meters of breathing room, he had countless ways to buy time.
Thinking this, a hint of a smile returned to Owen Merlin’s face...
"Matthew Merlin, now I'll show you what it means to be a true Master!" As soon as he finished, Owen Merlin sketched an alchemical array in midair, perfectly enveloping the twin fire beams.
"A Flame Suppression Array?" One of the elders recognized it immediately.
That's right—Owen Merlin was drawing a Flame Suppression Array.
A simple, single-purpose alchemical array...
Its sole effect was to suppress the activity of fire magic elements. Within the Flame Suppression Array, the power of any fire spell would be greatly diminished.
Usually, this type of alchemical array wasn’t used much, but now, it had become Owen Merlin’s lifeline.
As the Flame Suppression Array finished forming, the twin fire beams instantly dimmed...
"Let’s see what other tricks you’ve got!" Owen Merlin sneered, chanting spells as layer after layer of protective magic settled over him.
However...
Owen Merlin’s cold sneer hadn’t even fully formed when, all of a sudden, a dazzling light flared before his eyes.
The sudden blaze lit up the entire council hall. The surging fire magic elements seemed to boil, and in that instant, everyone felt a wave of destruction...
"Stop!" At the same time, a furious shout rang out from outside the council hall. A torrent of sword energy tore through the air, bringing searing heat as it ripped open the thick walls of the hall...
In that moment, time itself seemed to freeze...