Chapter 935: The Second Sky Rank
But immediately after, the runes on the Rune Shield began to spin wildly. Every rune seemed infected by bloodlust, surging across the shield's surface—clear proof that the Rune Shield was under immense pressure.
That deep, starry magic shield—like a reflection of the night sky—was also violently rippling. Dubois Charles's oppressive aura bore down, forcing the magic shield to spin rapidly as Leon's mana drained away like water...
A flicker of surprise flashed in Dubois Charles's eyes. A Title Archmage could actually withstand his pressure? This Rune Shield was unexpectedly strong, and the magic shield had lasted so long without shattering. Clearly, their mana reserves were formidable.
Still, an ant is just an ant. At best, this one is a little more unusual—a little bolder—but an ant nonetheless.
Dubois Charles's gaze was icy as he looked down on Leon, utterly unconcerned that Leon could resist his aura.
On the ground, Leon's face was flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead and arms, teeth clenched tight. It felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him.
Aside from the Rune Shield and magic shield, other defenses were almost useless against this kind of overwhelming pressure.
Even the elemental forces here were suppressed, making spellcasting several times more difficult.
This is the power of transcendence!
Sky Rank power!
Just the aura alone was this strong. Just the aura was enough to pin down a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, leaving them utterly helpless—only able to close their eyes and wait for death.
This is what true Sky Rank means!
Leon gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and slowly raised his head to glare at Dubois Charles, who hovered in midair.
Dubois Charles sneered, his aura intensifying. Behind him, endless thunder raged in the spectral shadows, and the sky echoed with rolling thunder—like the wrath of gods and demons.
The pressure grew even heavier. Leon's bones creaked all over, but he refused to bow his head, staring defiantly at Dubois Charles.
A cold glint flashed in Dubois Charles's eyes. With so many watching, this ant dared to look him in the eye, dared not to yield.
"Kneel! Repent for what you did to my disciple!"
As his words fell, a surge of transcendent power descended—a spiritual force containing terrifying, supernatural might—crushing down on Leon.
In an instant, Leon's magic shield and Rune Shield began to tremble violently, as if about to burst like a bubble at any moment.
Leon manipulated the Rune Shield and magic shield, channeling that immense transcendent power to slowly contract them. The shields shrank smaller and smaller, defenses growing tighter, until they were nearly pressed against his body.
But the transcendent force hidden in that spiritual pressure made Leon feel as if he'd plunged into the depths of an endless ocean—pressure crushing him from all directions.
It wasn't just physical; even his soul felt as if it were bearing the weight of a mountain. The pressure kept mounting, draining not only his mana but also his mental strength at a terrifying rate.
Leon gritted his teeth, his face turning deathly pale. He stood rigidly, his body radiating fierce magical fluctuations, though all of it was suppressed at the surface.
His eyes, cold and unyielding, still stared up at Dubois Charles.
Leon stiffened his neck, eyes full of resolve as he glared at Dubois Charles. His Mana Harness was running at its limit, and his mental power was boiling, surging at an unprecedented speed.
A flicker of annoyance flashed in Dubois Charles's eyes. A Title Archmage dared to meet his gaze like this—a true Sky Rank powerhouse. Killing him now would be a disgrace.
He had to make this damned youth yield. Only after he’d submitted would Dubois kill him. If he killed the ant now, people would just say he bullied the weak, and praise Leon for his courage.
Once he submits, I'll cripple him—let everyone see my magnanimity.
Weaklings dare to act like this too.
Dubois Charles hadn't cared much at first, but now he felt something different. A moment ago, it was just about crushing and killing Leon to avenge his disciple. Now, it was about the dignity of a Sky Rank powerhouse.
Dubois didn't strike directly, but instead used transcendent power to create a terrifying pressure, bearing down on Leon from all directions, as if Leon were sinking deeper and deeper into the abyssal sea.
That was the power of rules—something mana could never resist. Only rules could contend with rules; all other forces were useless.
Leon's mana was vast as a sea of mist, but against transcendent power, it was like a pile of cotton. The transcendent force was steel—no chance of resistance. No matter how much cotton there was, it could never stand against a single bar of steel.
Leon struggled desperately, his bones creaking. The Rune Shield and magic shield were pressed tight against his skin. If they shattered, he'd have to face the transcendent power head-on—his body would be nothing but a fragile glass bottle, shattering with a single blow...
Leon was suppressed, and Dubois's transcendent force began to withdraw. The terrifying pressure that had flooded the battlefield faded away.
Reina, Shuban, Kurum, William...
All of Leon's people began to rush toward him, caring nothing for the fact that the enemy was a Sky Rank powerhouse.
Reina leapt into the air, instantly transforming into a Frost Dragon over a hundred meters long. Ice-blue light gathered in her jaws, and endless frost filled the air—Reina was about to unleash her strongest attack: Absolute Zero Breath!
But before Reina could unleash her Absolute Zero Breath, Dubois Charles merely glanced at her. A few runes flickered with lightning at his fingertips and vanished, and a massive bolt of blue-green thunder crashed down from the sky, striking Reina instantly.
Lightning crackled across Reina's back. She let out a mournful cry and crashed to the ground, her Absolute Zero Breath forcibly interrupted. Her body was scorched black—surviving the strike was a miracle in itself.
Hubert charged like a rampaging dragon, swinging his warhammer and roaring as he rushed at Dubois Charles.
"You bastard! Let go of Lord Merlin, or I'll smash your skull..."
Hubert's eyes were bloodshot, his aura boiling. Steam condensed into a snarling dragon's head swirling above him.
Dubois Charles simply raised a finger. Several blue-green lightning runes shot out, and a bolt of lightning three or four meters thick crashed down, instantly engulfing Hubert.
When the lightning faded, Hubert lay charred on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth, each breath trailing white smoke—he was instantly gravely wounded.
Kurum, William, and three others, along with fifty legion mages, formed up in battle formation. Before they could attack, a massive bolt of lightning, several meters thick, crashed down from the sky.
The lightning fell like a colossal Thunder River, surging toward the mage legion.
Kurum transformed into a flame elemental, channeling everyone's mana into a spell array. A towering flame giant, dozens of meters tall, rose from the array to clash with the massive lightning bolt.
In an instant, the half-formed flame giant was torn to pieces by the lightning, and the residual energy left everyone gravely wounded.
In just three seconds, all of Leon's people were gravely wounded. The alchemical golems stood motionless, as if dead—Leon, suppressed by transcendent power, could no longer sense or control them.
Leon clenched his fists, watching the scene in silence. His eyes were blood-red. If not for the transcendent power suppressing all his aura and strength, his mana would have erupted uncontrollably by now.
Leon kept his head raised, eyes blazing red, glaring at Dubois Charles. His Mana Harness and mana were pushed to the limit. In his demi-plane, a storm was raging, and the mana pool's water was spiraling upward in a water tornado.
Light blazed wildly from the Doombringer Staff, while Leon poured mana into the Spellbook of Ages and the Death Tome as if possessed.
"Kneel! Repent for what you did to my disciple! You have three seconds. For every three seconds you refuse, I’ll kill one of them."
Dubois Charles declared the fate of Leon’s followers with icy indifference, determined to make Leon submit.
Suddenly, Leon's expression became calm, his gaze turning indifferent—as if he were looking at a dead man.
He looked at the gravely wounded Reina, the scorched Hubert, the bloodied mage legion lying on the ground, and William and his brothers...
Leon’s gaze grew ever more serene. Only his Mana Harness was running beyond its limits, and instead of wasting mana on shields, he poured it madly into the Death Tome, drawing on every ounce of power from his demi-plane.
Looking at Dubois Charles, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of Leon’s mouth.
I've died twice already, yet I've never known what it means to yield. Sky Rank...
Heh, I've seen the end of the world. Too bad I couldn't go further. But if I can take a Sky Rank down with me before I die, that's not so bad—I've never killed a Sky Rank before...
A terrifying power began to awaken within the Death Tome. Leon’s Triple Meditation Codex showed signs of collapse, as if a force beyond the limit was about to shatter the balance of the laws.
At that moment, a spatial ripple appeared in the sky—a blazing fire, bright as the sun, descended from above, as if the sun itself were falling.
Its terrifying power was like the noonday sun. It wasn’t violent, but gentle like a sunrise—weak light and warmth that, with irresistible force, swept away all darkness.
With the appearance of this blazing sun, Dubois Charles’s oppressive aura vanished instantly, like darkness before the dawn.
Sky Rank!
Another Sky Rank powerhouse has appeared!
Dubois Charles frowned, and the transcendent force suppressing Leon instantly dissipated.
The pressure was gone in an instant. Leon's face turned deathly pale, his magic and Rune Shields sprang open—and then shattered with a bang.