Chapter 763: Worlds Apart
"Grand Elder? Hahaha... I truly don't care. That old immortal has suppressed me all these years, wasting the friendship we had since childhood. Now he's making his final struggle, venturing into the Shadowdream, yet he still handed the tribe's authority to you. If he dies in the Shadowdream and never wakes up, all the better. Even if he does wake up, what could he possibly do? By then, I'll have complete control of the tribe, and he alone will be utterly powerless! Besides, everyone knows he won't be waking up...
As for the Dark Elf Queen, you people still remember her? How many years has it been since she left the enclave? Do you even recall? She went to seek the Life Sigil Crystal's magical incarnation and hasn't sent word in decades—she's probably long dead. Even if she isn't, she doesn't matter anymore."
The Third Elder was gloating, completely dismissing both the Grand Elder and the Dark Elf Queen.
The Second Elder's face collapsed, having lost all hope in the Third Elder. The Third Elder had clearly lost his mind, and with their current strength, overturning the situation was impossible—the Third Elder had already seized control...
The Third Elder looked triumphantly at the defeated Second Elder, then turned to Leon, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, unable to restrain the gnashing of his teeth.
"Outsider, your time has come. No matter what you've done—even killing Jairus—your fate is in my hands now! So, are you going to keep hiding behind these useless fools? What's wrong? Weren't you confident before? Why don't you dare step forward now?"
Leon glanced around, his expression calm, and slowly stepped to the front, looking at the Third Elder as if he were nothing but air.
"Third Elder, huh? No wonder that's all you'll ever be. Your attempts at provocation are painfully clumsy. Do you really think victory is yours?"
The Third Elder sneered at Leon.
"Outsider, go ahead and act tough for now. Once I have you, you'll learn what it means to wish you were dead. You think I'd kill you so easily? That would be letting you off far too lightly!
I'll lock you away in the Shadow Dungeon, the darkest pit in the Dark Elf Enclave. It's the place with the densest, most violent magic. There, your magic will be corrupted, turning poisonous, flowing through your body like knives. You've never felt pain like that before, have you?
And you think that's all? Not even close. In the God-Demon Dominion, there's a kind of half-wraith creature that loves nothing more than devouring flesh. I'll catch a whole group and toss them into your cell. Don't worry, their appetite is small—they'll only eat you bit by bit, taking years to finish you off.
When your body finally collapses, don't expect your soul to rest. I'll turn your skull into a lantern, fueling it with your soul. For centuries, you'll watch your own soul slowly burn away!"
The Third Elder's venomous roar made all the nearby Dark Elves shudder. This was cruelty beyond imagination—worse than death itself.
The densest magic makes a mage's life incredibly resilient. In a place like that, a magus could survive for centuries. But with corrupted magic, not even self-destruction is possible—they can only endure endless torment.
Leon, however, showed no change in expression. Chaotic magic? Could anywhere be worse than the apocalypse?
In the end-times, every strand of magic was wrung from the void storms—magic there was beyond wild, and inhaling it felt like red-hot blades spinning inside you.
Did he really think these threats could scare anyone? How childish...
"Is that it? I expected something a little more creative. What a disappointment..."
Leon looked thoroughly disappointed, which instantly sent the Third Elder into a rage.
"Seize him! Just don't kill him!"
The Third Elder roared furiously.
Immediately, a dozen Title Archmage-level Dark Elves appeared—fanatical loyalists of the Third Elder, each one formidable.
The Second Elder looked at Leon with deep concern.
This time, the Third Elder was truly ruthless. It seemed he really intended to capture Archmage Leon and torment him. These dozen were all elite warriors of the enclave, each possessing unique abilities—and all loyal to the Third Elder.
That one was the captain of the hunting squad, famed for slaying a thirty-sixth rank magical beast. And the one beside him—he once killed several Title Archmage-level Demon Warlocks in a war against the Ashen Orc Tribe...
Archmage Leon was in real trouble this time. No, I can't let them capture Leon...
Still, Leon's strength isn't as weak as it seems. Maybe it'll be fine...
Worry clouded the Second Elder's face. He considered intervening, but feared that if he acted, the Third Elder would too—and then the situation would spiral out of control...
While the Second Elder was still hesitating, some of the Third Elder's loyalists had already made their move.
A Spear of Vulcan descended from the sky, its shrill whistle slicing through the air—the battle had begun.
Leon gripped the Doombringer Staff in his right hand and pointed lightly. Another Spear of Vulcan appeared in midair, colliding with the first.
With a bang, sparks exploded in the air as both Spears of Vulcan shattered into fragments and vanished...
In an instant, a barrage of spells erupted from the Dark Elves—flames, frost, mountains, and arrows of darkness all hurtled toward Leon.
Leon flipped open the Death Tome with his left hand; without even chanting, a fierce wind whipped up around him, condensing into a tangible blue whirlwind shield that encased him.
Immediately, eight more shields of ice and fire appeared, spinning wildly alongside the whirlwind shield. The combined barrier blocked every spell, keeping them three meters away from Leon.
Then Leon raised the Doombringer Staff, and a faint glow lit its tip. Suddenly, a storm of low-level spells erupted, filling the space within dozens of meters around Leon.
Each of the dozen Dark Elves was instantly surrounded by dozens of spells; in a flash, shields shattered and four or five of them were sent flying, coughing blood.
The others, seeing this, quickly cast advanced protective spells—flame shields formed in a rush, and ice walls sprang up.
In an instant, a Dark Elf's rune shield was forcibly torn open—a deep blue Voidrend Blade sliced through, leaving a gash in his chest down to the bone.
Within a second, more than half the elite Dark Elves had their defenses ripped apart by Voidrend Blade—most were gravely wounded in an instant.
The surrounding Dark Elves surged forward, dozens casting suppressive spells at Leon while simultaneously shielding their injured comrades.
But Leon unleashed even more spells, single-handedly forcing them back—injuries mounted as the crowd of dozens was utterly suppressed by just one man.
The Third Elder's face twisted in shock and fury, darkening completely after only a few seconds.
He waved at his struggling subordinates, and suddenly a massive gale appeared, its blades like countless knives slicing through the air, blocking all of Leon's spells.
"Stand down."
He barked at his followers, then stepped forward, his face still grim.
"I didn't expect you to be this strong. I already thought highly of you, but I still underestimated you. Still, your fate is sealed!"
As he spoke, a surge of magical power erupted from the Third Elder, sending visible ripples through the air—tinged with something deeply menacing.
This is the fundamental difference between a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage and an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage. Below Ninth Rank, a Title Archmage might still break through by sheer force, but at Ninth Rank, they've begun to comprehend the laws themselves.
It's the final step before reaching Sky Rank. At this stage, they may not wield the laws in battle yet, but they're already on the path to transcendence.
An Eighth-Rank Title Archmage might not even know which direction the path lies.
Though the Third Elder hadn't been a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage for long, the Dark Elves' long lifespan gave him immense experience—his power far surpassed that of an Eighth-Rank Title Archmage.
In that instant, Leon's expression grew serious.
He could sense the faint trace of law within the Third Elder's magic—even a hint of it made an enormous difference.
This was a true Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, nothing like the fight with the Second Elder inside the Life Sigil Crystal's pocket world.
Back then, the Second Elder had held back, afraid that unleashing his full Ninth-Rank power would shatter the Life Sigil Crystal. He'd barely used a fraction of his strength—yet even so, he'd fought Leon to a draw.
Now, the Third Elder had no such concerns. He could go all out—and fueled by hatred, his strength was even greater...
Sure enough, the Third Elder opened with Meteor Summon: a massive meteor, dozens of meters across, trailed black smoke as it accelerated through the sky, making the air tremble and pressing down with immense force.
Leon raised the Doombringer Staff, unleashing a dozen Detonations skyward. In an instant, they collided with the giant meteor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...