Chapter 133: The Strongest Soulbound Relic
Chanting spells without pause, shifting hand gestures without rest, casting and attacking relentlessly...
Leon felt as if the mana within him was surging out like a breached dam. The magic stored in the Elemental Amber ring had already been drained. Leon paused for a moment, then began drawing mana from the Soulbound Staff. Time seemed to lose all meaning—he couldn't even remember how many spells he'd unleashed by then.
At last, a scream rang out from ahead...
After taking nearly ten Flame Spears in succession, the foremost Spectral Knight finally collapsed, dissolving into a burst of white light that shot skyward, vanishing instantly into the darkness of the arena.
"The first!" Only one Spectral Knight had fallen, but to Leon, it was a glimmer of hope—a sign of victory.
Mana stored within the Soulbound Staff began to pour wildly into Leon's body. The chant that had just ceased resounded once more throughout the Dark Arena...
By now, Leon had no second Elemental Avatar left to use. Facing the oncoming Spectral Knights, his only option was to push the Mana Harness to its absolute limit, relying on two decades of end-times battle experience to fight a desperate, brutal struggle against the nine remaining Spectral Knights.
Relentless attacks, ceaseless defense, endless control—Leon did everything he could. He drank three bottles of Angel Elixir, fired seven Infernal Fire Bolts from the Bone Demon, and even drained the Lava Dominator he'd just taken from Ronald. Every last trump card had been played...
Finally, with a single Fireburst spell, Leon brought an end to the grueling three-hour battle...
"It's finally over..." By now, Leon had exhausted every last drop of mana—even the reserves within the Soulbound Staff were utterly spent. His nerves were stretched to their breaking point; three hours of relentless, high-intensity combat had drained him of the final remnants of his strength.
Almost at the very moment the Spectral Knight dissolved into white light, Leon too collapsed backward...
Since arriving in this era, Leon had never felt so utterly exhausted.
Even that night of slaughter within the Death Garden's illusion hadn't pushed Leon this far. As he toppled backward, he couldn't help but wish he could just sleep through it all—forget the Prince's Crypt, forget the Dark Arena...
Unfortunately, after barely five minutes on the ground, the ever-impatient Lord Shaun was already urging him on...
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Get up and check the rewards—see if there's anything that can restore Lord Shaun's power right away!"
"If you want to see, go look yourself. I'm going to sleep..."
"How dare you threaten Lord Shaun!" Shaun was instantly furious, but after a brief outburst, he suddenly grinned with schadenfreude. "Did you really think those ten Spectral Knights were your final opponents? Lord Shaun wasn't planning to scare you, but since you're so clueless, I'll give you a hint. Do you remember how many consecutive victories a gladiator needed in the Third Dynasty to earn their freedom?"
... The moment Lord Shaun finished speaking, Leon sprang up from the ground.
That's right—gladiators of the Third Dynasty had to win seven matches in a row to earn their freedom.
So that means... I still have another match ahead?
Damn, this joke is going a bit too far...
Just thinking about another fight nearly made Leon want to cry. Ten Spectral Knights had already pushed him to the brink, and by the Dark Arena's usual rules, his next opponent would probably be at high Magus level...
"So, Lord Shaun advises you to check the rewards first. Maybe there's something good in there that can restore Lord Shaun's power. If that's the case, you can just stand by and clap for Lord Shaun next round, nice and easy..."
... Leon might not care much for that arrogant Essence Relic, but he was still eager to see what rewards lay inside those three golden chests.
When Leon defeated his fifth opponent, he'd received a Soulbound-tier one-handed sword as a reward.
Though the sword wasn't suited to Leon, its grade was undeniable—a genuine Soulbound-tier relic.
By the Dark Arena's rule that each round's reward doubles, whatever Leon was about to receive—even if it wasn't an Essence Relic—would at least be a top-tier Soulbound Relic.
That would be power entirely in his own hands—unlike Lord Shaun, who shamelessly slacked off whenever he pleased.
Leon stood before the three golden chests, hand raised but hesitating, uncertain which one to open first.
"Left, left, left..." Lord Shaun seemed even more anxious than Leon, muttering nonstop beside him...
"Alright, alright, you win..." Leon's head was spinning from Shaun's nagging. Figuring he'd had good luck with the left before, he decided to go with it again.
Leon reached out, and with a click, the leftmost golden chest swung open...
And then...
Lord Shaun immediately started cursing...
"Damn you, Barov! You shameless bastard, how dare you toy with Lord Shaun!"
Honestly, it was hard to blame Lord Shaun for getting so worked up.
Who would have thought that, after slaying ten Spectral Knights, the reward would turn out to be a Legacy Relic!
And not just any Legacy Relic—an unfinished one at that!
Lord Shaun was nearly in tears. He'd expected that after ten Spectral Knights, he'd at least get a top-tier Soulbound Relic, enough to recover half his former strength. But instead, the chest held nothing but an incomplete Legacy Relic!
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It was a staff crafted from Wraithwood, its tip set with a mana crystal of unknown grade. Judging by the magical aura it radiated, it was unmistakably a Legacy Relic. But only three alchemical arrays had been inscribed on it so far, and they weren't even interconnected—its mana source hadn't been activated. Anyone could see at a glance that this was an unfinished Legacy Relic.
Damn it, a Legacy Relic is one thing, but an unfinished Legacy Relic? Prince Barov, isn't this joke a little too much?
Lord Shaun was furious, even trying to use what little power he'd just recovered to destroy the humiliating Legacy Relic in a fit of rage.
But before Shaun could act, Leon had already snatched up the Legacy Relic.
No, not just snatched it up...
Leon treated it like some precious treasure, quickly stuffing the Legacy Relic into his pocket.
"Hey, are you really so desperate you'd take even an unfinished Legacy Relic? If I keep working for you, will you be so broke you can't even supply the mana crystals I need?"
"I have to say, Lord Shaun, your judgment is terrible..." Leon shook his head with satisfaction, delighted with his new prize. Even Shaun's usual mockery didn't sound quite as harsh now.
"You actually recognize this cursed Legacy Relic? Tell me—can it restore my power right away?"
"No, it can't. But I guarantee you, in less than a year, this cursed Legacy Relic will be stronger than you, Lord Shaun. Want to bet on it?"
"Nonsense!" Lord Shaun exploded.
"Then let's make a wager: If I lose, I'll dissolve our master-servant contract immediately. If you lose, you swear absolute loyalty to me."
"Uh..." Lord Shaun hesitated. To be honest, he didn't believe for a second that an unfinished Legacy Relic could surpass him in a year...
But seeing Leon's unwavering confidence, Lord Shaun couldn't help but feel a bit uncertain...
At that, Lord Shaun made a snap decision: "Careful—the seventh round is about to begin!"
"What, already?" Leon jumped in surprise, quickly pulling out a level-13 mana crystal from his pocket. He didn't care about possible backlash from impurities—he just gritted his teeth and started draining its mana...
Thankfully, by the time Leon finished draining the level-13 mana crystal, the seventh match hadn't actually started yet. Just to be safe, he fished out a level-12 mana crystal and kept replenishing his mana.
One, two, three, four...
After draining the fourth mana crystal, Leon's mana was fully restored.
Still, the seventh round didn't begin...
"What's going on?" Leon was confused. He knew the rules of the Third Dynasty's gladiator arena: only after seven consecutive victories could a gladiator earn their freedom.
But he'd only fought six matches—so why was the seventh round delayed?
"Why are you spacing out? The Dark Arena's gates are wide open. Planning to stay for dinner?"
Lord Shaun's mockery snapped Leon out of it, and his expression darkened. "What's going on? Didn't you say there was a seventh round? Were you lying to me?"
"Lord Shaun would never lie to you. The empire's arena rules say seven consecutive wins earn freedom. But you're in luck—your seventh opponent just happens to be the invincible Lord Shaun..."
"You?" Leon was stunned for a moment before he understood.
As an Essence Relic, Lord Shaun's power was on par with a Title Archmage. Having a Wraithwalker as the seventh-round opponent in the Dark Arena was actually quite reasonable.
Thinking back, Leon suddenly recalled that legendary archmage from Cloudspire Tower, who, after escaping the Dark Arena, described his luck as 'defying the heavens.' Leon had always wondered what that meant...
Now he realized that mage must have, just like him, gained the approval of an Essence Relic before entering the Dark Arena—so in the end, the seventh round was skipped entirely.