Witnessing the scene, Leon Merlin could hardly bear to watch and instinctively stepped back, as if danger were creeping closer. Rives, who had been monitoring Leon's every move, felt a sudden jolt of anxiety, though it helped him regain a sliver of composure.
Damn it, could Archmage Leon Merlin really be telling the truth?
Just as a troubling thought crossed Rives's mind, Delton suddenly let out a scream. The wisp of gray mist—dozens of times larger than the one Leon Merlin had summoned—touched Delton’s left hand. Instantly, his magic spun out of control. The mist surged forward like a ferocious Sky Rank beast rampaging through a flock of helpless sheep.
Both supernatural power and magic slipped beyond Delton's grasp, and even his left hand went numb. Once fair and rosy, it turned a ghastly gray-white as all life faded from it—his hand was utterly corrupted.
The corruption spread up Delton’s left arm like a plague.
Delton’s face turned pale, his magical aura in chaos, even his soul wavering. Holy light flickered around him. In less than three seconds, Delton gritted his teeth, summoned a crescent-shaped blade of light, and ruthlessly severed his own left arm.
Separated from his body, the left arm instantly turned to gray stone—lifelike yet dead—then crumbled into ashes. The gray mist flowed back into the towering wall of fog, vanishing without a trace.
Even though the corruption had only reached his wrist, Delton still severed his entire arm. Yet, a trace of gray mist still managed to invade his body.
Within seconds, Delton understood—if this continued, he was doomed. Once his magic was completely lost, no one could save him.
Immediately, Delton drew out his Essence Relic, wrapping himself in the power of the Sanctum of Light. Holy light flooded through him, overwhelming magic forcibly driving the gray mist toward the wound on his left shoulder, then into the relic itself.
As soon as the gray mist entered the Essence Relic, Delton didn’t hesitate—he hurled it aside.
The relic transformed into a sphere of light, floating in midair. Five seconds later, the light faded, leaving only ashes drifting down. This was a top-tier Essence Relic, custom-made for Delton and his companion for over a thousand years—destroyed in an instant.
Delton stood there, his face twisted in pain, a layer of holy light covering the wound on his left shoulder—no blood spilled. After stabilizing his magic, a Sanctum of Light mage rushed to his side, staff raised, chanting a spell.
Three Sky Rank Sanctum of Light mages chanted together for three minutes. Holy light surged from Delton’s wound, rapidly forming the shape of an arm. Within the glow, veins, muscle, and bone regenerated at astonishing speed.
Radiant Regeneration—a transcendent Holy Light spell—does not work perfectly for Sky Rank mages. The new limb is often awkward and takes a long time to adapt.
Only with stronger limb reconstruction can Sky Rank mages regrow limbs nearly identical to the originals, but even then, only arms and legs can be restored.
The three Sanctum of Light mages combined their spells for an enhanced Radiant Regeneration. While not as effective as full limb reconstruction, the result was nearly as good.
As his new arm grew, Delton glared at Leon Merlin, his eyes burning with fury, as if ready to incinerate him.
"Archmage Leon Merlin!"
Leon Merlin shrugged, at a loss for words.
"Lord Delton, I did warn you. I'm an alchemist, so I was curious to study that mist. I got burned for it, so I tried to warn you not to touch it—but you rushed in before I could finish. That's not on me. If you don't believe me, what can I do?"
Leon Merlin was genuinely speechless. For once, he'd tried to be helpful, and Delton hadn't believed him at all.
Daenoson and Rives both looked conflicted. Thinking it over, they had to admit it was true—when Leon Merlin touched the mist, his magic did go haywire for a few seconds, but nobody paid it any mind.
Leon did warn him—barely half a sentence, and Delton had already charged in. Who could he blame but himself?
Delton roared, teeth grinding with rage. There was nothing left to say. The Sanctum of Light were like rabid dogs, sure, but every time they made trouble, they could always find a perfect excuse—at least one that convinced themselves.
But now? Even if someone with a bad history had tried to warn him, what could he do if he refused to listen? No matter how shameless, he couldn't twist the truth in front of so many people. This wasn't Sanctum of Light territory.
Instigating a feud among the Seven Great Powers was hardly wise—who knew what treasures lay ahead? If the other three forced him out now, all his suffering would be for nothing.
Delton’s jaw was clenched so tight his teeth nearly cracked, but in the end, he held his tongue. Daenoson and Rives were already showing signs of impatience.
Daenoson stepped forward to play peacemaker, waving a hand and pointing toward the mountains ahead.
"If we keep following this path, the dangers will only grow. We'd better stay sharp. But there are plenty of rare things up ahead, too."
With potential rewards ahead, Delton could only swallow his anger and press on with the group.
Rives glanced at Leon Merlin, half-smiling, a flicker of wariness in his eyes.
Delton might be a rabid dog, but his strength was undeniable. Just a touch of that gray mist had forced him to sever his own arm, and it took a top-tier Essence Relic to escape disaster.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
Yet Archmage Leon Merlin’s magic only faltered for a few seconds. Didn’t that mean he was far stronger than Delton—by more than a little? A frightening thought. If not for this incident, I might never have noticed: Archmage Leon Merlin could be the strongest among us.
If I fought Delton, I might have a slight edge, but in the end, he’d probably win. Now that he’s gained the Heart of Radiance, his power rivals the peak of Sky Rank Five—almost as strong as a Sky Rank Six mage.
Could Archmage Leon Merlin already have Sky Rank Six strength?
Whatever. Storm Tower and the Gilded Rose have no real conflict, and we’ve even cooperated before. I’m only here for profit—there’s no reason to make an enemy of Archmage Leon Merlin.
The group pressed forward, crossing the vast, barren plain and soon entering the mountain range ahead.