Chapter 1101: Earth Demon Rhinoceros
Morgan showed none of the dignity expected of a Sky Rank mage. Shamelessly flattering Leon, he kept laying it on so thick that even those around him blushed, but Morgan himself remained blissfully unaware...
Eventually, Leon couldn’t stand it anymore and told Morgan to get lost.
Only after Morgan left did Leon quietly pack away the alchemy array he’d set up earlier. The last time Rafael broke through, the commotion was huge—no one expected that after taking the Golden Temptation Potion, the surge in power would be so intense that even the Blazeforge Battlefield couldn’t suppress it.
It’s possible the orcs have already noticed that a mage has broken through to Sky Rank. This time, Leon prepared the alchemy array in advance, using the natural suppression of the Blazeforge Battlefield to keep Morgan’s breakthrough contained nearby.
After sending Morgan away, Leon began to ponder the orcs’ recent movements.
It’s been over a month, and the orcs haven’t made a single move. They even seem to be deliberately avoiding the humans. Who knows what kind of scheme they’re plotting now.
Aside from Morgan and Rafael, whom he kept in contact with, Leon hadn’t seen anyone from the other factions. The weakest, Joey and Helen, had completely vanished without a trace.
Progress on the mana crystal research was agonizingly slow. Leon felt the Blazeforge Battlefield was hiding more and more secrets—not just the pseudo Sky Rank mana crystals, but even the Beast God’s Blood was far from simple...
Leon’s subordinates continued hunting while Leon himself buried his head in research.
Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
If anyone had the best week, it was definitely Morgan Henry. As a newly ascended Sky Rank mage, his speed at hunting Pseudo Sky Rank Beasts was several times faster than before—and he did it all with ease.
Solo Pseudo Sky Rank Beasts were no challenge for Morgan; he could finish one off in under five minutes. Most of his days were spent scouring the battlefield for new targets.
Soaring through the air, Morgan’s eyes swept the surroundings, his mana senses stretched to their limit. He didn’t care at all about being spotted by the orcs.
Suddenly, Morgan’s eyes lit up.
"Quick, there’s a Pseudo Sky Rank Beast up ahead!"
Shouting to the Morgan Family, Morgan was the first to fly ahead.
A few minutes later, Morgan reached the spot he sensed. He immediately saw a massive Earth Demon Rhinoceros sprawled on the ground, towering at least forty or fifty meters high.
But now, the Earth Demon Rhinoceros’s eyes had been gouged out. Its iron-hard hide was mostly unscathed, but its head was covered with tiny wounds—like a baby’s mouth had bitten into it—torn open by some unknown force.
Blood streamed from the Earth Demon Rhinoceros’s eyes and ears. Several shadowy claws—like demonic talons—bound its limbs, and more shadows snaked into its head, burrowing through its eyes and ears.
Not far from the Earth Demon Rhinoceros, several figures shrouded in darkness drifted silently. All those shadowy, monstrous tendrils extended from the area around these people.
The leader wore a black cloak, quietly chanting indistinct spells under his breath.
Morgan curled his lip, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Damn, someone beat me to it. And of course, it had to be the Shadow Tower—Diras, that idiot, actually got lucky. I’ve been searching forever and haven’t found a single Pseudo Sky Rank Beast."
Judging by the look of him, he’s even stronger than before..."
A flash of caution and disgust passed through Morgan’s eyes. The mage factions of the Odin Kingdom didn’t get along, but here in the Blazeforge Realm, they were supposed to be allies.
Last time, when Rafael was being hunted by Bloodbone Orcs, Diras ran into them—and immediately turned tail and fled. That’s not just bad character, that’s outright betrayal.
From any angle, Diras’s behavior was utterly disgraceful.
Among the Odin Kingdom mage factions, the bare minimum was to help each other against the orcs—and never stab an ally in the back.
Diras had pretty much done everything you weren’t supposed to, and the Shadow Tower’s reputation was already bad—now it was even worse.
Most of the Shadow Tower’s spells were bizarre shadow magic, their magical fluctuations barely detectable—perfect for ambushes.
In fact, most victims of the Shadow Tower mages died because they were caught off guard. Several assassin factions in the Odin Kingdom are secretly controlled by the Shadow Tower; targeting mages for assassination is their main source of income.
So the Shadow Tower’s reputation in the Odin Kingdom was always terrible, but they were still useful to some, hated by many, yet never wiped out.
These sly bastards were naturals at backstabbing, so few dared cross them.
Morgan shot them a sour look and was about to leave, but as he turned, he suddenly froze.
Damn it, I’ve already broken through to Sky Rank and even opened my own demi-plane. My Dark Demon is nearly ready to be born. Why should I be afraid of that idiot Diras?
Hell, my foundation is built on dark rules, and shadow magic is just an extension of darkness. If Diras tries anything, I’ll take him out myself.
Yeah, with the whole Rafael incident as precedent, if I kill him, I can just say he tried to ambush me and steal my prey, so I took him out first...
Wait, why am I leaving? I found this Pseudo Sky Rank Beast too, so I deserve a share. I’ll just take the mana crystal and leave the rest of the rare materials to that idiot Diras...
Morgan smiled—he’d nearly forgotten he’d broken through to Sky Rank. There was no need to be wary of Diras anymore.