Chapter 586: Oracis
"Heh, or what?" Councilor Suville sneered coldly.
"Otherwise, some people might run into trouble..." Leon stroked his chin and spoke in a calm tone.
After hearing Leon's words, the Black Tower Councilor who had repeatedly suffered setbacks at Leon's hands burst into a hoarse, unpleasant laugh.
"Haha, this is just too amusing, Leon Merlin, who do you think you are?" Suville pointed at Leon from afar. "Do you think this is still the Blazeforge Realm? With Archmage Felton and Cyrus Watson standing here, what right do you have to speak?"
Upon hearing these words, Councilor Weiss pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head in exasperation. Suville, you idiot, Lord Heron really shouldn’t have sent this moron to the Blazeforge Realm...
Why can't you learn your lesson?
Did you forget how you nearly lost your mind at the hands of this young Archmage back in the Blazeforge Realm? Such a painful lesson—how could you forget it so quickly?
Do you think you’ve found someone to back you up now?
Truly, what a simple mind...
Cyrus Watson of the Watson Family—friend or foe, who can say right now? And you, so naïvely treating him as your patron? To be blunt, if the Black Tower ever goes to war with the Merlin Family, Cyrus Watson would be the first to clap and cheer. Let's see if you'll still be so eager to call him 'Archmage Watson' then...
Alright, let's leave Cyrus Watson aside for now. Next, let's take a look at Archmage Felton...
That's right, Archmage Felton is indeed a top-tier powerhouse from the Black Tower Sanctuary—an eighth-rank Title Archmage, one of the strongest in this team.
But...
He's only one of the strongest... nothing more.
Archmage Felton’s strength isn’t enough to crush everyone. Not to mention, Cyrus Watson alone has enough power to stand toe-to-toe with him.
Besides...
Do you really think the person who could single-handedly slay that formidable Hydra beneath hundreds of meters of ice is just some ordinary sixth-rank Archmage?
Among everyone here, aside from Archmage Felton and Cyrus Watson, if any other person fell into the ice lake with a Hydra, who would have the confidence to climb back out alive?
"Whether or not I have the right to speak doesn’t matter..." Leon’s face was expressionless, but his words were resolute: "All you need to know is that I have the power to make my words reality."
"Besides..." Leon suddenly smiled. "Just curious, Councilor Suville, does your chairman Lord Heron know you’re saying all this to me?"
"You!"
Leon’s tone completely enraged Suville, especially the mention of Heron’s name—it stung deeply. In his mind, he couldn’t help but recall the last time he tried to give Leon trouble and was harshly scolded by Heron...
Suville instantly flew into a rage: "Stop trying to use Lord Heron to pressure me! I’m telling you, this isn’t the Blazeforge Realm, and you, the so-called commander of the Merlin Family, are just a figurehead. This isn’t Northend either—the Black Tower’s leader here isn’t Lord Heron, it’s Archmage Felton!"
"Oh, so what?" Leon shrugged indifferently, cutting Suville off. He had no patience for the old man’s endless complaints.
"Hmph, so what?" Whatever he was thinking, Suville, who’d just been fuming, suddenly calmed down and flashed a strange smile. "Once we’re out of this Primordial Forest, you’ll see..."
"Enough, Suville, you talk too much." Archmage Felton, who’d been silent, finally spoke up, cutting Suville off. From beneath his black magical robe, his aged face glared at Suville in displeasure.
"Apologies, Archmage Felton." Realizing he’d let something slip, Suville said no more, just shot Leon a sinister look before turning and respectfully apologizing to Felton.
Watching Felton and Suville’s antics, Leon rubbed his hands in amusement. Clearly, unless some people are taught a lesson, they’ll never bother trying to build a decent cooperative environment.
On this point, Councilor Weiss—also a high-ranking member of the Black Tower—was far better than the other two. Leon turned and flashed Weiss a smile.
Uh-oh, what's going on? Why does it feel like something terrible is about to happen? Weiss was caught off guard by Leon’s sudden smile, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest.
Damn, did Suville just piss off this young Archmage...?
What now? Damn it, Suville, that bastard—just because he’s got Archmage Felton backing him, he thinks he can ignore Lord Heron’s warnings and do whatever he wants!
Before the sweating Weiss could think of a way to defuse the situation, the magical fluctuations around them suddenly surged. Flames roared up from Leon’s body—clearly, the young mage was ready to act.
"Archmage Leon, please, try to hold back! If there’s a misunderstanding, let’s talk it out..." Weiss hurried to smooth things over. No way could they actually let a fight break out—this young mage was someone Lord Heron had specifically told them to keep an eye on as a key partner.
But before Weiss could finish, something happened that caught everyone completely off guard.
After the beast horde was wiped out, the ground—which had finally settled—suddenly quaked violently again...
And this time, the tremors were far stronger than those caused by the running beast horde. The ground, covered in thick, rotting leaves, shook wildly like noodles, mounds split open to reveal cliffs from several to over a dozen meters high, and dirt and leaves tumbled down in droves.
With such violent shaking, even the mages could barely keep their footing. For a moment, even Leon put aside his thoughts of teaching anyone a lesson and blinked back to his own team.
Clearly, whatever happens next is definitely not going to be good...
Boom!
The heavy crash of giant trees falling echoed across the ground, carried by the advancing footsteps of some unknown magical beast...
Though the dense forest blocked their view and no one had yet glimpsed the beast itself, the sheer earth-shaking commotion made it clear—this creature was a hundred times more terrifying than the beast horde felled earlier by the light barrage.
Remember, this is a Primordial Forest dating back to the Age of Gods and Demons. Every giant tree here is dozens or even hundreds of times thicker than ordinary trees; any random ancient trunk is wider than a house.
Just imagine—what kind of terrifying creature could bulldoze through and topple every giant tree in its path like they were nothing?
They didn’t have to wait long. With the relentless crash of falling trees growing closer, finally, as the last trunk blocking their sight crashed down, an enormous figure appeared before them.
Damn it, why does it have to be that thing!
Everyone present sucked in a sharp breath...
The creature that appeared before them was colossal—over a hundred meters tall, its hulking, grotesque form like a living mountain on the move.
Its head was reminiscent of a drake, jaws agape to reveal rows of gleaming, razor-sharp fangs. Drool dripped in thick strands from between its teeth and tongue, and a crimson tongue occasionally flicked out, curling along its lips as if savoring some remembered delicacy—a truly terrifying sight.
"A-An ancient beast—Oracis!" Red Watson cried out, his face twisted with disbelief.
It wasn’t just him—everyone present was left speechless. The impact of this beast utterly eclipsed the shock of the ancient Hydra they’d faced upon entering this demi-plane.
In the magical peak era tens of thousands of years later, every surviving Hydra possessed Sky Rank power. That one, named Xudra, was one of the Four Beast Kings—a top-tier existence in Northend.
Yet the Hydra that ultimately fell to Leon, its heart now powering a Sky Rank puppet, was formidable but only at mid-level 38.
Compared to the ancient beast Oracis before them, mid-level 38 was nothing. This earth drake was nearly Sky Rank—just a hair’s breadth away from transcending.
Legend has it, Oracis was the mount of Moradin, the Blood King—one of the seventy-two Primordial Gods and Demons. This thunder king, born in blood and wielding the artifact Sin, was among the most legendary figures, possibly even the first demon born in the Abyss, ancestor to all abyssal demons.
Oracis, an ancient beast born in the Abyss, is said to be the offspring of abyssal demons and Ashen Serpents. It bears two python heads—one red for flame, one blue for frost—and a central abyssal demon head, the true source of its power.
Every adult Oracis possesses nearly Sky Rank power—almost unbeatable for those present. Its infamous reputation comes from the powers inherited from Ashen Serpent and abyssal demon, and its strength only grows with time. Someday, one might even reach the level of Moradin’s legendary mount.
No one wanted to face such an ancient beast...