Chapter 728: Hatred
Not far to the side, three swirling vortexes of flame appeared in an instant, each one spewing searing fire in the same direction.
In that moment, everyone saw that in the seemingly empty space, a tornado suddenly materialized, howling winds blocking the three raging streams of fire. Within the tornado, the vague silhouette of a Dark Elf could be seen...
"Go..."
Leon shouted loudly.
Everyone lowered their heads and charged forward.
The distance of more than a thousand meters was crossed in just a dozen seconds as everyone sprinted at full speed.
Meanwhile, inside the tornado, a Dark Elf roared in fury, but was held in place by three streams of elemental flame drawn from the Fire Elemental Plane, unable to break free for a long moment.
Just as everyone was about to escape the range of the Silent Trap, Wyndel Vossade finally erupted in rage. The swirling dragon tornado around him instantly expanded, the powerful wind force forcibly twisting the three thick pillars of flame, and Wyndel Vossade seized the opportunity to break free from the suppression.
The moment he broke free, he unleashed over a hundred massive Sonic Blades, each three to four meters long, slashing toward the group.
As Leon sensed the sudden, absolute silence around them, he finally realized they had escaped the range of the Silent Trap.
He glanced coldly at the hundreds of Sonic Blades behind them, quickly uttering a series of notes. The Doombringer Staff in his raised hand burst forth with a destructive brilliance.
Ahead, five thunderous bangs rang out in succession as five Gates of Eskrym formed a row, blocking the group from harm.
The first Gate of Eskrym was sliced apart in the blink of an eye, followed by the second, then the third...
But Leon kept uttering notes, conjuring Gate after Gate of Eskrym from the ground before him.
Defenses built of solid ice are best for this kind of brute-force spell duel—no finesse, just raw magical power and casting speed.
By the time Leon had conjured nine Gates of Eskrym, the barrage of Sonic Blades finally began to thin.
At that moment, a faint smirk appeared on Leon's face.
Suddenly, golden light erupted from the ground not far to the group's side. Crimson-gold flames shot upward, forming a cage of fire. Inside the cage, a wisp of wind trembled, instantly transforming into a raging tornado.
The tornado crashed violently against the golden flame cage, and at its center stood Wyndel Vossade.
Leon sneered, "Fool! Where would you find wind inside the Silent Trap? I almost believed you!"
Wyndel Vossade let out a resentful roar, but no one could hear it. Outside the Silent Trap, the Silence Barrier's effect took full hold—no one could hear a single sound around them.
The flames within the golden cage continued to swell, burning fiercely. The tornado swirling around Wyndel Vossade shrank smaller and smaller until it finally vanished, engulfed by the crimson-gold fire.
Moments later, Leon summoned Lich Barton and hurled him into the golden flame cage...
When the golden flames faded, Wyndel Vossade was nowhere to be seen—he'd been devoured by Barton. Barton, whose rank had previously fallen, was now restored to level thirty-eight...
But when Leon saw Barton, he was slightly startled—there was a magical rune on Barton's forehead!
Elsa's eyes widened in shock. "That's Wyndel Vossade's true magic rune!"
Leon’s eyes lit up at her words—no one understood better than him. Even the Dark Elf tribe probably didn’t know what Wyndel Vossade’s true magic rune was...
Even in the future, for a long time, Curis Quinn believed Wyndel Vossade's true magic rune was a wind rune. Only later did Curis realize it was a wind variant: the Sonic Blade rune!
Who would've thought Barton would inherit it after devouring Wyndel Vossade? If I build a mage tower in the future, could I create an alchemical array for the Silent Trap?
Without this magic rune, it's impossible to perfectly control the alchemical array. That's why Curis Quinn had to have Wyndel Vossade operate the array himself.
Leon was genuinely surprised.
He'd only thought Wyndel Vossade would be tough to kill—and as a wraith, surely Barton could devour him. He hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.
From the start, when the Mana Harness couldn't lock onto Wyndel Vossade's position, Leon switched tactics: he tracked the trajectory of each Sonic Blade, using the Mana Harness's immense computing power to deduce each casting location, and thus Wyndel Vossade's general movement.
Afterward, he discovered that every predicted spot had a faint breeze passing through. That was when Leon finally understood.
Wyndel Vossade's true magic rune was the Sonic Blade rune—a wind variant. He'd mastered wind spells to the extreme, even the seventh-rank spell Wind Form. Wyndel Vossade definitely knew it!
After a few more changes in position, Leon finally pinpointed Wyndel Vossade's location!
Only then did they escape the Silent Trap's range—and Leon had even set a trap, waiting for Wyndel Vossade to fall into it.
With the battle over, Leon let out a slight sigh of relief. No wonder he'd once told Curis Quinn that, on his own turf, defeat was impossible.
Anyone below Sky Rank, as long as they're inside Wyndel Vossade's Silent Trap, will be worn down and killed sooner or later.
With Wyndel Vossade's appearance, Leon was now certain—the strange magical incarnation recorded in history was hidden deep within this forest!
The group dispelled the Silence Barrier. Elsa frowned and spoke.
"Leon, I've noticed that every Dark Elf wraith we've encountered died unnaturally—either killed in battle, struck by misfortune, or slain by terrifying beasts. Not one lived out their natural lifespan..."
(Irrelevant system message skipped)
Elsa carefully listed every Dark Elf wraith they'd met, describing in detail how each one died.
"All of them are heroes of the Dark Elf tribe who died tragically. But the tribe lost many strong warriors—most lived out their lives, and only a few died unexpectedly. Yet those are the ones we've encountered..."
Leon frowned at this. If he hadn't come here, he wouldn't have realized all the Dark Elf wraiths had died unexpectedly. Curis Quinn's notes never mention this—only that each wraith was outstanding among their kind.
Now it seemed likely that something was wrong with the magical incarnation, or perhaps it had a flaw. Otherwise, as the Life Sigil Crystal's magical incarnation, it shouldn't only be able to summon tragically slain Dark Elf wraiths...
Thinking it over, Leon felt one possibility was most likely: the magical incarnation had escaped from the Life Sigil Crystal, which was originally the true body of that magic rune. Losing its body for so long, the incarnation's power must have weakened or developed a flaw.
With that thought, Leon felt a bit relieved. According to Curis Quinn's notes, the magical incarnation was far more powerful at its peak—its strength rivaled a mage legion from a major faction. With its flaw, things were much easier to handle.
Otherwise, if that magical incarnation summoned a host of top-ranked Title Archmage wraiths, finding it would be pointless.
Leon stowed the newly empowered Barton. After a brief rest, the group continued deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Elf tribe, in the room of the Grand Elder's son Jeremy.
The Third Elder sat grim-faced to one side. Jairus glared angrily, pointing at Jeremy, who lay unconscious in bed.
"Father, haven't you always said you and the Grand Elder were as close as brothers? Now Jeremy's life hangs by a thread, and you do nothing? I've been with Jeremy since the moment I opened my eyes—how could I not avenge him?"
Just a damned outsider—and only a ninth-rank mage at that! Good for sneak attacks, but still trash, barely able to cast first-rank spells. Yet he's survived in the Dark Elf tribe this long. The whole tribe's a bunch of fools, and the Elder Council's no better!
Pathetic! Useless!
Jeremy was left like this by that damned outsider, and none of these old fools in the tribe want revenge!
And Elsa, that bringer of disaster! That wretch! She'll get what's coming to her sooner or later.
Now even Father refuses to act against that damned outsider. An outsider, swaggering around the Dark Elf tribe—and Father just lets it slide!
Jairus was furious—he was about to start shouting right in the Third Elder’s face.
The Third Elder's brow was tightly furrowed, his expression dark and intimidating.
"Jairus, I know you and Jeremy are like brothers. I watched Jeremy grow up—how could I not care? But right now, no one can make a move. Anyone who harms that outsider becomes the enemy of the entire Dark Elf tribe!"
The Third Elder looked grimly at the angry Jairus, his face even more troubled.
It's not that he doesn't want revenge—the damned outsider is just too troublesome. Not only has he openly defied the tribe's laws, but now even the tribe's leaders support him.
The Life Sigil Crystal's magical incarnation has been missing for a full century...
The greatest disaster in this hundred years hasn't been natural calamities or war, but the tribe's fertility crisis. More and more are infertile, and the newborns' talent and constitution keep declining.
In twenty years, the entire future of the Dark Elves might be lost—no more gifted children, maybe no new tribe members at all...