Chapter 465: He Will Return Again
Now he wouldn’t dare think that way. The power the young mage unleashed just now was enough to rival Barris!
Heron in the Black Tower probably could only manage what the young mage just did.
This Matthew Merlin is truly terrifying...
And he’s still just a Fifth Rank Archmage. If he ever reaches the rank of Title Archmage, who in all of Auckland could stand against him?
Just thinking about it is terrifying...
And I seem to have tricked the young mage before. Looks like when I get back to Auckland, I’ll need to find a way to make up for my mistakes. Otherwise, if someone this scary holds a grudge, I’ll be waking up in a cold sweat every night.
“Ah! You forced me into this!”
While everyone was still stunned, Barris suddenly let out a deafening roar, thundering through their ears and making their eardrums ache...
“Rumble...”
Demonic power surged from Barris like a tidal wave, flooding every corner of the great hall. With his roar, the Desolation's Avatar he possessed radiated an overwhelming, terrifying aura, its entire shell swelling violently in that instant.
That ferocious demonic face twisted with madness, completely contorted.
"Ah... Is he trying to detonate this avatar to erase the power on the gate?"
Just as Dalson finished speaking, there was a thunderous boom—the Desolation's Avatar, swollen to the limit, suddenly exploded. In an instant, endless demonic power surged toward the crowd.
Most of the shockwave from the avatar's explosion was blocked by the mysterious power on the gate; only a small portion reached the hall. But even so, everyone—including Leon—turned pale and hurried to cast their strongest defenses...
"Boom!"
When the demonic power finally dissipated, before anyone could react, the floor beneath their feet suddenly trembled. Noticing this, Leon's brow furrowed as he gripped his Doombringer Staff tightly.
At the moment Barris detonated the shell he controlled, Leon activated his magitech array and caught the trace of Barris's soul. Before the explosion, Barris had already abandoned the shell, using the shockwave to send his soul into the Wizard's Spire. But things weren't looking good—his soul was merging with the tower itself.
A Sky Rank soul is unimaginably vast, enveloping the entire Wizard's Spire. The lowest level had long been sealed off; even unleashing the peak power of a Title Archmage couldn't break through.
"Archmage Merlin, have you noticed..."
Standing next to Leon, Councilor Weiss looked pale, sweat dripping in large beads from his forehead as he rasped, "It seems Barris's soul has sealed this place. It's almost impossible to get out..."
His voice wasn't loud, but it rang clear in everyone's ears, startling the group as they looked around in horror. Only now did they realize what Barris meant before detonating the Desolation's Avatar—his goal wasn't to kill them, but to trap them in the Wizard's Spire forever.
That was, without question, a fate worse than death...
Despair appeared on everyone's faces all at once...
To them, the soul of a Sky Rank being was an unsolvable threat—no one even tried to leave the Spire.
"Boom!"
But just then, a dazzling golden sword light suddenly burst forth, radiating an unmatched power. Everyone, including Leon, was stunned—before that golden sword light, they all felt insignificant, like mere dust...
A thunderous sound shook the tower, followed by a faint scream. As the sword light swept through, it tore a crack in the soul barrier Barris had placed at the lowest level. Instantly, his soul surged wildly, trying to repair the breach.
But...
No matter how he tried, the crack was like a bottomless pit, devouring all his soul power...
"Go, now!"
At that critical moment, Leon's voice rang clear in everyone's ears. Without hesitation, the group dashed through the crack, escaping the Wizard's Spire in seconds...
Leon blinked, and suddenly his feet were planted on solid ground. All around were birdsong, blooming flowers, and a surge of vibrant life—he could even hear distant magical beasts roaring. Most importantly, when he sensed the rules of earth, water, wind, and fire, he realized this wasn't some pocket dimension, but the real Northend World.
Surviving by a hair's breadth, he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. Barris's soul had sealed the entire Wizard's Spire; he'd planned to try the Ancient God-Demon Soul Fragment, but in the end, that sword light appeared...
Back in the floating palace and the Crimson Forest, he'd seen traces of battle between the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus. Judging from those marks, the sword light that cut Barris's soul must have been left by the Long-Legged Emperor Sandman. Good thing he planned ahead—otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable...
Leon and his companions emerged from the Wizard's Spire deep within the Skyline Gorge. After a few hours, they regrouped with members of the three major mercenary companies, forming a grand procession heading toward Auckland.
Though the Turin Mountains trip was dangerous, the rewards were considerable. At first, he'd only come for the Six-Formula Meditation Law, but he ended up with much more: the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf, the Codex of Elements, Ancient God-Demon Soul Fragments, Mana Vines, and more...
Most importantly, after slaying a high-level undead in the second layer's necro-space, he unlocked a new function in the Book of Death—summoning undead creatures. There were now three marks on the Book: the Undead Knight, the Lich, and another absorbed from a recent essence. He'd tried infusing mana into it, but nothing happened, so he decided to study it later when he had time.
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On the way back to Auckland, he carefully pieced together the events from years ago and discovered many mysteries. First, the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus—why did they come to the Turin Mountains? It can't have been just for a duel. He could tell the so-called duel was just a cover; judging by the stone tablet in the Crimson Forest, it seemed they went somewhere else...
But where exactly did they go?
Leon was completely puzzled. In the ninth floor study, while translating Ronan's diary, he also found mention of that place. The Long-Legged Emperor and Ronan had a falling out over something, and their exploration of that place was abandoned—eventually, Ronan went there alone.
There were plenty of mysteries surrounding Barris, the Sky Rank mage. The imperial throne was supposed to be his—he was the Long-Legged Emperor's own son. Leon couldn't figure out Barris's motive for coming to the Turin Mountains to assassinate the Emperor. There must be more to the story.
He knew he'd return to the Turin Mountains someday—not just to uncover the truth, but also for something he needed. On the tenth floor, a portal to the Puppet Plane appeared. Though he recorded the coordinates, it could only be opened from inside the Wizard's Spire.
Once he found the item hidden in the Puppet Plane, he could boost his puppet's power to a whole new level—defeating even rank thirty-seven or thirty-eight opponents would be no problem.
That’s why he was so eager to visit the Puppet Plane. Dangerous as it was—no less than the Undead Plane—he was confident that with his current strength, he'd be able to handle it as long as he was careful.
Ten people made it out of the Wizard's Spire safely, and nearly all gained something substantial. Of the three young Merlins, Ross Merlin fought Stan Watson in the illusion and defeated him, resolving a personal issue and rapidly advancing his power. Now he's an Eighth Rank Archmage with full command of the Elemental Tide—reaching Title Archmage is only a matter of time...
Leon Merlin obtained a complete Arcane Ring and honed his skills in the illusion, eventually merging all nine Arcane Rings and reaching the peak of Seventh Rank Archmage. In pure combat, he might even outmatch Ross Merlin.
Of the three young Merlins, William Merlin's gains were the most enviable. The Well of Stars is considered the strongest magical rune in Northend, second only to magitech arrays. Once William finishes studying the Heart of Lava, he'll be able to destroy his old rune and reforge the Well of Stars. Even though he's only a Sixth Rank Archmage now, with the Well of Stars, not even a Ninth Rank Archmage could take him lightly...
Shuban took a nap in the illusion and came out a Ninth Rank Greatsword Master. After training in the eighth layer's beast space and the necro-space, he's now at the peak of Ninth Rank Greatsword Master. Give him half a year, and he'll likely become a Sword Saint...
The three major mercenary companies completed the commission for the Odin Kingdom's royal descendants, bringing out the crown from the Wizard's Spire. Soon they'll receive an astronomical reward. But Dalson and his crew were worried, not happy at all. Secret dealings with an enemy nation are no small matter. Their work for the Odin royal descendants wasn't a secret—Dalson even announced it on the second floor, so the whole team knew.
If word got out, even the three major mercenary companies would have trouble cleaning up the mess...
As for the young Merlins, they weren’t worried. They’d formed a deep friendship along the way, so the odds of secrets leaking were slim. Their only concern was Councilor Weiss of the Black Tower.
Honestly, they were overthinking it...
Weiss had bigger things to worry about—he was nearly losing his mind. Ever since witnessing the young mage's terrifying power in the Spire, he'd been anxious that the mage might come after him for that unpleasant incident in Skyline Gorge.