Chapter 936: The Truth
The blazing sun that had fallen from the sky gradually faded, revealing a middle-aged man whose entire body seemed to radiate with light. He wore a pure white mage's robe adorned with a string of simple golden runes—elegant, understated. His aura was gentle, like the warmth of winter sunlight, utterly devoid of any domineering presence. If not for the clear fluctuations of supernatural power around him, no one would have thought this was a terrifying Sky Rank Archmage.
The man glanced at Leon and offered a faint smile.
In that instant, Leon withdrew his magic; the frantically operating mana array slowed and came to a halt. The three core meditation laws within him, which had begun to grow chaotic, stabilized once more. The reckless surge of magic he had been pouring into the Death Tome also ceased.
Gradually, that faint, enigmatic power within the Death Tome—which had seemed on the verge of awakening—quieted down again.
Even as a Fifth-Rank Title Archmage—far stronger than most Ninth-Rank Title Archmages—Leon still couldn’t contend with a Sky Rank...
Such is the gap between supernatural power and mortals—far greater than the difference between a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage and an ordinary person!
Driven to this point, Leon was ready to risk everything. The Death Tome, as a legendary magical artifact, remained extraordinary—even if he couldn’t wield its full power yet.
This was an artifact once wielded by one of the top three most powerful beings during Northend World’s golden age—its dormant supernatural power was far beyond anything Leon could currently awaken.
To stand against Dubois Charles, the only possibility was mutual destruction: to sacrifice his own life and unleash the Death Tome’s power. The simplest, most brutal method would be to ignite both the Death Tome and the Spellbook of Ages in a single explosive surge. Even if it didn’t kill Dubois Charles, it would at least cripple him completely!
Even at the end of days, as he watched the world crumble, Leon had never bowed his head, never even furrowed his brow—he faced it all with calm acceptance. Death had never been a reason for him to yield.
But this damned bastard—forcing him to such extremes—there could be only one outcome. If he couldn’t overcome, then he’d pay with his life to drag this first Sky Rank Archmage he’d ever met down with him!
Now, with the appearance of another Sky Rank Archmage—one who was actually stopping Dubois Charles—those thoughts had to be put aside. As long as he survived this time, there would be plenty of days ahead...
Heh...
Sky Rank...
Leon closed his eyes and slowly calmed the turmoil within his body.
Up in the sky, Dubois Charles furrowed his brow ever so slightly, his gaze icy as he fixed on this newly arrived Sky Rank Archmage.
"Butler, you actually dare to stop me? Are you trying to oppose me? Is it because we haven’t met for a while that you think you can beat me now?"
As Dubois Charles spoke, a phantom erupted behind him—a world saturated with endless thunder. Blinding blue lightning crashed down in torrents; within it, a single violet bolt twisted like a colossal dragon, swimming through the sea of thunder. The terrifying supernatural aura instantly suppressed the air for thousands of meters around, locking it in place.
Butler's face held a gentle smile, his features seeming to radiate with light.
A faint light slowly radiated from Butler’s body. The world within thousands of meters, frozen solid just moments before, began to thaw in that gentle sunlight—everything seemed to return to normal.
"Dubois Charles, I’m not opposing you. You’ve just forgotten the reason we came to the Blazeforge Realm."
Dubois Charles sneered at Butler, runes swirling thickly around him as thunder surged. Massive bolts of lightning coalesced around his body, countless streaks slithering like serpents in his wake.
"Butler, it seems you’re dead set on stopping me today. I’m going to kill the little ant who murdered my disciple—let’s see if you can stop me!"
Butler maintained his warm smile, unruffled and unhurried, speaking as if chatting with an old friend over afternoon tea.
"Dubois Charles, as I said, I’m not trying to oppose you, nor do I want to fight. Our purpose in coming to the Blazeforge Realm is the same—or rather, the only thing we need to do here is help the Andalusia Kingdom defeat the Blazeforge Orcs and win the bet against the Odin Kingdom. Everything else is irrelevant to us."
Dubois Charles just sneered, unmoved. He reached into the void and drew forth a staff crackling with lightning—the wild energy made it impossible to see the staff’s true form.
"Butler, enough talk. I’m going to kill him right now—let’s see how you’ll stop me!"
Butler still wore his gentle smile, unhurried as he continued speaking.
"You know as well as I do—we’re far behind the Odin Kingdom. Whether we can win this high-stakes gamble that decides the fate of the Blazeforge Realm hinges on one key factor: Leon Merlin."
Dubois Charles paused, glancing at the pale-faced Leon on the ground, then burst into loud, mocking laughter.
"Him? Butler, I don’t care why you want to save the guy who killed my disciple, but to say he’s the key to winning this war—do you take me for a fool? Don’t insult our intelligence. Just a mere Title Archmage?"
Butler’s warm smile remained, his whole body radiating gentle light as he replied unhurriedly.
"That’s not my claim..."
The moment those words left his mouth, Dubois Charles’s expression changed drastically. For a Sky Rank Archmage to lose composure like that was almost unheard of.
"Could it be... the Great Sage?"
Butler smiled, but said nothing.
Dubois Charles’s expression shifted repeatedly, but he instantly stowed his staff—no longer intent on fighting Butler.
To Dubois Charles, those three words—'the Great Sage'—were as mysterious and powerful as gods and demons.
The Great Sage was the first master of Cloudspire Tower, an ancient being whose age was unknown—so old that even the Tower’s own members had no idea how long he’d existed in this world.
Ever since the Great Sage entered the Cloudspire Tower’s sanctuary, he had rarely emerged. But every time he did, it shook the world—something monumental always happened.
The last time the Great Sage appeared was during the Barov Incident.
At the height of Barov’s rampage, he was utterly unstoppable, his arrogance boundless. But then the Great Sage appeared and, single-handedly, crushed Barov—the strongest of the Sky Realm—without mercy.
No one truly knew the extent of the Great Sage’s power, nor how many years he had existed in this world. Some even speculated he might hail from the age of gods and demons.
Even though the Cloudspire Tower and Black Tower sanctuaries were deeply at odds—always ready to stab each other in the back if given the chance—
not a single member of the Black Tower sanctuary ever dared disrespect the Great Sage of Cloudspire Tower—not even a word against him.
Just as Dubois Charles had seen himself—he was a member of the Black Tower sanctuary, with plenty of grudges against Cloudspire Tower’s people, but that was all. To the Great Sage, even a Sky Rank Archmage like him was no more than a child squabbling in the schoolyard...
Dubois Charles's expression kept shifting. Butler never admitted it outright, but that gentle smile never left his face—still, Dubois Charles dared not take the gamble.
What if it was true?
What if the Great Sage himself had really said it? If he killed Leon Merlin, wouldn’t he be making an enemy of the Great Sage?
No one dared defy the Great Sage’s word.
If he insisted on killing Leon Merlin today, even the Black Tower’s leadership would be displeased with him...
With that thought, Dubois Charles dispersed his power; the thunder in the sky vanished instantly.
Dubois Charles shot a cold look at Leon, standing on the ground, unwilling to accept the outcome.
He didn’t dare defy the Great Sage. If the Great Sage said it, it must be true. But was his disciple really just dead for nothing?
"Butler, I wouldn’t dare defy the Great Sage. If Leon Merlin is truly the key to victory in this war, then fine—I respect the Great Sage. So, until the Blazeforge Realm campaign ends, I’ll act as if nothing happened.
But my disciple can’t just die for nothing. Difo was exceptionally talented and perceptive—his chances of reaching Sky Rank were high. Now he’s dead, and I can’t just let it go.
We’re conquering the Blazeforge Realm, and yet Leon Merlin killed his own ally. Such a vile act can’t be justified anywhere..."
Dubois Charles clung to his argument, but before he could finish, Butler raised a hand. Endless light gathered in his palm, shining like the sun—yet it didn’t hurt the eyes at all.
"In that case, let’s see for ourselves..."
With a gentle wave of his hand, Butler unleashed a rain of light across the battlefield—silent and all-encompassing.
In an instant, time rewound again; visions like streams of time flowing backward appeared everywhere.
Butler’s time reversal was far clearer than Dubois Charles’s—each figure in the vision looked almost real. If not for the way they passed through the living, no one would have guessed they were illusions.
Time sped backward, soon reaching the moment when Leon killed Difo.
But Butler didn’t stop there—time kept rewinding, quickly passing Leon’s battle with the Orc Ancestor, then showing how Difo lured the Orc Ancestor toward Leon, how Difo schemed to frame Leon...
Only after that scene played out in full did Butler disperse the light in his hand, smiling at Dubois Charles.
"Dubois Charles, is there anything left to say? Since Difo has already fallen, let’s put the past behind us..."