Chapter 809: Assassination
After returning, I should try to persuade my family. Years ago, the Merlin Family produced a genius who led us out of hardship, gradually restoring our strength. Yet even that prodigy likely pales in comparison to Archmage Leon before us. The rise and glory of the Merlin Family seem to be just on the horizon.
Archmage Leon is now a force unto himself—no one can stop him. It's best to maintain a good relationship. If we can ease the feud between the Watson Family and the Merlin Family, that would be ideal.
If we continue to antagonize the Merlin Family, I can't even imagine what might happen in the future. After all, Archmage Leon is hardly a merciful man...
Seth made up his mind in secret—for the sake of his family, befriending Archmage Leon could not wait any longer...
The others, too, were shocked when Leon stepped out—not just Weiss and Seth, but also the strongest among the Dark Elves, Ashen Orcs, and Forgefire Dwarves. None could determine Leon's true power anymore. That vast, obscure magical aura only felt overwhelmingly strong; no one could gauge Leon's rank at a glance now.
Some may have felt a trace of reluctance—after all, the Three Great Races had pledged allegiance to someone who'd only just earned the title of Archmage. But now, every single one was utterly convinced.
It was clear to all that, soon, the one they served would become a Sky Rank powerhouse!
No one doubted this for a second.
"Good day, my master."
"Good day, my master."
......
The leaders of the Three Great Races all stepped forward to greet him.
Leon nodded and walked to the crystal helm of the USS Dauntless. He brushed his hand across the front, and instantly, the entire captain's cabin transformed into the void—the walls vanished, and in every direction, it was as if they were looking straight out from the Dauntless itself.
It was still endless darkness and void.
"We're almost there. Everyone, be ready—breaking through the Spatial Bulwark won't be easy. We can't be sure where we'll end up outside; there could be deviations, so stay prepared for anything."
In the void ahead, the phantom of a world appeared. At first, it looked no bigger than a ball, but it rapidly expanded until it seemed to fill half the void.
The USS Dauntless rammed into the phantom with force. Instantly, the ship began to shudder violently—a terrifying spatial rift split open across the world's image.
The USS Dauntless squeezed into the spatial rift, plunging into that world...
............
Blazeforge Realm, Horn of Plenty.
This was once the richest, most peaceful region of the Blazeforge Realm—now filled with shouts of battle, explosions of magic, and dying screams...
Thorne Merlin wiped sweat—and someone else's blood—from his brow, glaring fiercely at the distant battlefield.
The Merlin Family, Watson Family, and Black Tower forces were entrenched here, facing endless charges from Blazeforge Orcs on the other side.
A Blazeforge Orc, wielding a battered axe with a dozen notches along its blade, hacked into a human warrior's shoulder. The man's armor did nothing—the orc's ruined axe sliced half his body apart in an instant, and blood sprayed like a fountain.
Far off, a Merlin Family mage chanted loudly, summoning a fire dragon that crashed into the orc with the broken axe. Flames engulfed the showboating Blazeforge Orc; its agonized screams echoed for only seconds before it was reduced to ash...
On the other side, a Blazeforge Orc Warlock—eyes bloodshot—waved his hands wildly, hurling a green ball of poisonous fire at the Merlin Family mage. The exhausted mage, having just killed the orc warrior with his fire dragon spell, had no time to defend himself; his head was instantly burned to ash...
The battlefield was chaotic and bloody, the fiercest clashes between warriors—blood everywhere, limbs flying. A human was decapitated by a Blazeforge Orc, but immediately, a greatsword pierced the orc's heart...
Thorne Merlin's eyes showed exhaustion. Months ago, he could still lend a hand when Merlin Family warriors were in danger—now, he was powerless. Even a few hundred meters away, all he could do was watch them die.
On this battlefield, where lives were traded for lives, even a Fifth-Rank Sword Saint had little impact anymore...
Thorne Merlin panted heavily, his face grim. Nearly half a year had passed—when would this battle end? The Blazeforge Orcs' counterattacks kept growing fiercer. Damn it, we never should've attacked the Horn of Plenty; the losses have been far too great...
Damn that Watson Family. Didn't they say only a third of the Blazeforge Orcs were left at the Horn of Plenty—should've been easy! Why are we facing such fierce resistance?
The Fireblade Tribe is the strongest among the Blazeforge Orcs. After all these years, no one's conquered them—how could they be weak? The Horn of Plenty is the richest region in the Blazeforge Realm; there's no way the Fireblade Tribe would give it up.
Damn it, what started as minor retaliation has become a full-blown war. The Merlin Family can't withdraw now—even abandoning the Horn of Plenty isn't an option. If we don't drive out these ugly Blazeforge Orcs, our foundation in the Blazeforge Realm is doomed.
Watson Family and Black Tower—those greedy, disgusting groundhogs. Why aren't they all dead yet!
Thorne Merlin cursed viciously, rested for a moment, and felt some strength return. On the brutal battlefield ahead, more fell every minute. The crazed Blazeforge Orcs were starting to push back again. He hefted his greatsword, ready to charge out.
Just then, Thorne Merlin saw a neatly dressed figure approaching from the rear, and his face instantly soured.
"Glynn Watson, what are you doing here?"
Glynn Watson looked disdainful and arrogant, straightening his collar with a cold glance at Thorne Merlin.
"Thorne Merlin, we've discussed with Black Tower and decided to take over your defensive line. There's a mission for you to handle."
Thorne Merlin was instantly furious.
"Discussed? As the Merlin Family's commander, how come I never heard about this? Are you trying to send my people to their deaths again?"
Damn bastards—these scheming fools have caused countless casualties among my family's warriors. Every dangerous mission gets pushed onto the Merlin Family, while they cherry-pick the safer ones.
Last time, they sent the Merlin Family to raid a Blazeforge Orc outpost. They claimed there were only four or five hundred enemies, but those idiots from Black Tower and Watson Family never considered those were all elite Blazeforge Orcs!
Damn it, hundreds of Blazeforge Orc Warlocks! There was even a Title Archmage-level warlock among them—was that supposed to be easy?
They hid the fact that there were Title Archmage-level warlocks on the enemy side. We suffered massive losses—over eighty Grand Mages, more than twenty Magi, and even a Title Archmage were killed.
Then, the time before that—they claimed to have precious intel, found the Blazeforge Orcs' supply unit. Did they really think a supply convoy wouldn't be guarded by an army? Those idiots forced the Merlin Family to destroy the orcs' supplies.
Damn it, three Title Archmages! The supply convoy was escorted by three Title Archmage-level powerhouses. If I hadn't sensed something was off and gone to help, the Merlin Family would've been wiped out—there would've been no escape.
More than fifty Merlin Family members—Grand Mages, Magi...
And over three hundred battle-hardened warriors—all fell there. Damn bastards, why don't they go themselves?
Damn it—it's all because our Merlin Family is the weakest in the Blazeforge Realm. Out of the three factions, Black Tower and the Watson Family keep pushing us around...
Thorne Merlin gritted his teeth, wishing he could punch Glynn Watson in the face. As commander, he fought on the front lines himself, while this bastard kept his clothes spotless—he hadn't seen battle in ages!
Glynn Watson stared coldly at Thorne Merlin, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"Lord Thorne, I'm not here to negotiate. We've found Hobart's trail—this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Black Tower and the Watson Family will hold the front line and distract those foolish orcs. Your mission is to assassinate Hobart!"
How foolish—of the three attacking factions, the Merlin Family was the weakest. Look at this, what kind of people are these? The commander is just a Fifth-Rank Sword Saint, and he still wants a share of the spoils? If you weren't still somewhat useful, we'd have kicked you out long ago.
If you dare refuse, don't blame the Watson Family for being ruthless.
Glynn Watson wore a look of undisguised contempt and a cold sneer, staring at Thorne Merlin.
Thorne Merlin's face changed dramatically at the mention of Hobart—his expression turned so dark it was almost dripping black water.
Hobart—how could he not know? He was the leader of those crazed Blazeforge Orcs, the chieftain of the Fireblade Tribe!
The Fireblade Tribe was the most powerful in the northern Blazeforge Realm—not just for their numbers and warriors, or their many spellcasting warlocks, but most of all because of their chieftain, Hobart.