Chapter 137: Runic Detonation
The moment the second Mana Harness began to operate, Leon felt a surge of power rapidly growing within him. This was the strength brought by the coexistence of two Mana Harnesses in his body. Only now did Leon truly realize the vast difference between having one Mana Harness and having two.
You could say that when Leon only had a single Mana Harness, he had no idea what a true Mana Harness really was.
It wasn't until just now, when the second Mana Harness was fully formed, that Leon felt as if a whole new world had opened up before him. Mana flowed and cycled between the two Mana Harnesses inside him—smooth and agile, forming an almost perfect system without any need for conscious guidance.
Most Grand Mages, from first to ninth rank, tirelessly refine their personal arcane runes, striving for this very state of fluidity and agility—where mana becomes a part of the body itself, requiring little control, naturally accomplishing whatever the mage desires.
Leon was now only a second-rank Grand Mage, yet the realm he had reached was one that even many ninth-rank mages could never attain.
This is the true power of the Mana Harness...
But for Leon right now, what he needed most was for the Mana Harness to complete a full array.
"Finally, it's my turn to strike back..." As soon as the second Mana Harness started running, Leon unleashed a burst through his Frost Elemental Avatar. In this state, he nearly turned the entire temple into an icy cavern. The three Alchemical Golems, each as powerful as a ninth-rank Swordmaster, were frozen into sculptures by the torrent of frost spells Leon released.
However, Leon knew these three ice sculptures wouldn't last for long...
Maybe eight seconds, maybe ten...
Either way, these ice sculptures would soon shatter, and he would once again face those terrifying Alchemical Golems.
Leon seized this brief window of time to begin merging the two Mana Harnesses.
As Leon's mana surged wildly, the magical fluctuations around him grew intense. The runes engraved on the Mana Harnesses began to shift rapidly—these runes were the very foundation of the Mana Harnesses, and the source of all his magical power.
Most Grand Mages would simply strive to strengthen these runes, making them ever more powerful. But Leon went far beyond what other mages could do: using the Mana Harnesses as vessels, he began arranging the runes in intricate patterns, each configuration unlocking new power.
But such arrangements also required staggering calculations.
Leon’s two Mana Harnesses held at least thousands of runes. Every arrangement demanded an immense amount of calculation. In this era, aside from Leon, perhaps no other Grand Mage could accomplish this. This was the real reason why Grand Mages with Mana Harnesses were so rare.
Leon gripped the Sage’s Chapter in one hand and the Soulbound Staff in the other. The runes on the Mana Harnesses flashed wildly as vast magical energy converged within the temple. Howling winds swept up shards of ice, transforming the temple into a frozen wasteland.
Chants poured from Leon’s lips in torrents, each syllable brimming with indescribable power. Amid the roaring winds, his voice rose higher and higher. The instant he uttered the final syllable, the three ice sculptures exploded with a thunderous boom. The temple shook violently, as if the entire Prince’s Crypt was about to collapse.
At this moment, a visible ripple spread outward from the three ice sculptures as its center, radiating with sudden force in all directions.
That was Runic Detonation—the most basic array of the Mana Harness, and at this moment, the strongest magical power Leon could wield.
After a single Runic Detonation, the world seemed to fall eerily silent. The winds stopped howling, mana ceased to ripple, and everything—frozen sculptures, exhausted Leon—felt as if time itself had come to a halt.
No one knew how long this strange stillness lasted until a faint crack broke the silence...
Then, the sound of cracking multiplied, echoing throughout the temple. Cracks began to appear on the three ice sculptures—first like stains, then growing into scars, until finally, with a thunderous crash, all three shattered at once...
The three Alchemical Golems shattered alongside the ice sculptures.
Enchanted greatswords, enchanted armor—even their Adamantite-built bodies—were reduced to tiny fragments by that single Runic Detonation.
Such was the power of Runic Detonation.
"Wh-what... what just happened?" Even Lord Shaun, a True Spirit Relic, sounded genuinely panicked at the terrifying display of power.
If this kind of power appeared in the hands of a Magus, perhaps Lord Shaun wouldn’t be so shocked. But this was clearly a Grand Mage—barely advanced to second rank! How could he possibly wield such terrifying magic?
If a mere second-rank Grand Mage was this powerful, what would happen if he advanced to Magus?
At that thought, Lord Shaun fell silent...
"You wouldn’t understand even if I explained," Leon said, unwilling to go into details. That Runic Detonation had drained all his mana—and even cost him several newly inscribed runes.
There was no other way. Runic Detonation required an overwhelming amount of mana. When Leon realized he didn’t have enough, he made a snap decision—sacrificing a few freshly inscribed runes just to pull off the spell.
Now, Leon’s second Mana Harness was unstable. He had to act quickly, re-inscribing the sacrificed runes before time ran out. Otherwise, he might become the shortest-lived second-rank Grand Mage in Northend’s history...
Fortunately, after touching the Eye of Reincarnation, his Mana Harness had already undergone a transformation. Re-inscribing runes took far less time than before. In just ten minutes, Leon patched the minor flaw and once again stood before the statue of Hyberon, both hands on the Eye of Reincarnation.
But then, Leon’s expression suddenly changed.
This time, not a single vision flooded his mind.
"What’s going on?" Leon’s brows furrowed instantly.
Could it be... because of the mana?
Leon thought it over. That seemed to be the only explanation...
When Leon first touched the Eye of Reincarnation, his mana was nearly full. Now, after a long and grueling battle, his mana was completely depleted. Could that be why he couldn’t activate the Eye?
Whatever the reason, he had to try anyway...
So Leon tried to recover his mana. But as soon as he started, he was left dumbfounded—he really was out of options.
His pocket was empty of mana crystals, and both the Elemental Amber Ring and Soulbound Staff had been drained dry. The only way left to restore mana was the accelerated recovery from the Angelic Elixir...
For a moment, Leon could only laugh bitterly at his predicament.
The Angelic Elixir’s accelerated mana recovery might be precious in battle, but in this situation, calling it a drop in the ocean would be generous...
If Lord Shaun hadn’t stubbornly refused, Leon might have asked him to spit out the mana he’d swallowed...
Searching everywhere, Leon’s eyes finally lit up when he saw the shattered remains of the three Alchemical Golems.
Sure enough, Leon quickly found three level-eighteen mana crystals among the broken parts!
“No wonder he was a prince of the Third Dynasty...” Leon couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of the three level-eighteen mana crystals.
A magical beast capable of producing a level-eighteen mana crystal was nearly king-class. In Thousand Sails City’s market, each would fetch over three million gold coins. Yet here, in the prince’s crypt, they were merely fuel for three Alchemical Golems...
With these three high-level mana crystals, Leon not only restored his mana, but also recharged the Elemental Amber Ring and Soulbound Staff.
Once everything was done, Leon placed his hands on the Eye of Reincarnation once more.
This time, he knew he’d guessed right.
It really was all about mana.
Once again, endless visions flooded Leon’s mind...
Another brief instant—another eternity.
But when Leon emerged from the endless visions for the second time, the familiar sound of footsteps echoed in his ears once more.
"Damn it!" Leon’s face instantly darkened.
Sure enough, as Leon cursed, the silhouette of Alchemical Golems appeared in the temple—this time, there were five!
Leon had never understood why the legendary master with a Mana Harness only reached the realm of five harnesses with the Eye of Reincarnation’s help.
The Eye of Reincarnation could let one experience countless cycles in an instant. For most people, these cycles meant little, but for a Grand Mage with a Mana Harness, it was a dream come true. Every cycle allowed the mage to accumulate more runes—the more runes, the more perfect the Mana Harness became.
In theory, with enough cycles, one could attain nine Mana Harnesses, or even merge all nine into one and step directly into the realm of Magus.
So why didn’t the legendary master keep cycling forever?
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[Author’s Note: There was a minor error in the previous chapter. The runes inscribed on the Mana Harness should be referred to as 'runes,' not 'arcane sigils.' Apologies for the oversight, and thank you for your understanding.]