Chapter 666: Emperor Norlick
Unfortunately, no matter how bold he was, he could never have guessed that the falling meteor marked the prologue to Northend World's complete destruction.
So in the dreams that followed, Leon always felt something was off—because in the dream, the Northend World was merely shattered, not utterly annihilated!
Even if the Nightmare Lord were alive and intervened personally, he couldn't make Leon's dream flawless.
Shaking his head, Leon began to survey his surroundings.
Looking ahead, there stood a colossal palace—they were right at its grand entrance.
The palace was magnificent, reminiscent of an ancient temple. Eight massive red pillars supported the front, each pillar carved into a tall, slender human figure, entwined by a gigantic serpent. On the serpent’s back, countless small statues of magical beasts stood.
At the very top of the palace, there was neither a mage tower’s spire nor a noble’s dome, but rather a crown sculpted to resemble a giant tree’s canopy.
Standing at the entrance, a sense of overwhelming awe and terror pressed down upon them.
Turning back, he was surprised to find nothing but emptiness behind him.
Amazingly, this palace was perched right on the rim of a volcano. Looking down from above, viscous magma flowed continuously across the volcano, while the surrounding mountains belched thick black smoke. The heavy stench of sulfur permeated every corner of the air.
When he glanced back, he even saw a distant volcano erupting...
Damn, this is the Blazeforge Mountains!
Leon was shocked. He whipped his head around to look at the colossal palace again, his sense of astonishment only growing.
This is Emperor Norlick's palace!
The legendary palace said to sit atop the largest volcano in the Blazeforge Mountains!
Peering down from the volcano’s rim, Leon keenly noticed a number of subtle flaws.
One of the volcanoes had already been destroyed in a great battle, and another had long since solidified, transforming from a once-active volcano to a dead one that would never erupt again.
Yet here, those two volcanoes still stood, even erupting as if nothing had happened...
This is an illusion!
Leon turned and walked toward the palace, eager to find out if it, too, was just an illusion.
Moments ago, as he observed the palace, it struck him as impossibly exquisite—every detail, every speck of dust, far surpassed anything found in the volcanic landscape below.
Suddenly, Leon dashed into the palace like a madman. The others, bewildered and tense, hurried after him.
As they entered, the light dimmed abruptly. Once their eyes adjusted to the gloom inside, they were greeted by a shocking sight.
The vast hall was empty except for its massive pillars. Most striking of all was the grand, exaggerated throne at its center, where a shadowy figure sat. Beside the throne, the bipedal dragon Nobrus lay sleeping with its eyes closed.
Layer upon layer of dark-gold steps, pyramid-like in form, each step a meter wide and twenty centimeters high, all forged from dark-gold magic stone. Alchemical runes and intricate patterns covered every surface.
In front and to both sides, there were ninety-nine steps each. All three stairways converged at the top, leading to the enormous throne, which was eight meters wide.
The throne was understated yet luxurious. Leon recognized the material instantly—it was made from Flamecrystal Essence!
The finest magical material! Whether for alchemical arrays or forging true spirit artifacts, it was up to the task. Rumor had it that even some Heavenly-tier alchemical arrays required it.
Simple in design, lavish in magical material—Leon even knew that when this throne was forged, three entire planes capable of producing Flamecrystal were emptied. Emperor Norlick took every last reserve, refining it to perfection, just to create the Flamecrystal Essence needed for this throne.
This throne—it's the highest tier of true spirit artifact!
Legend has it, when Emperor Norlick sat on this throne, scepter in hand, he was said to be invincible.
And now, in the center of this throne, sat a figure shrouded in dust!
Layers of heavy dust, accumulated over countless years, had turned into a stony shell, encasing the figure like armor.
The fiery red cloak had rotted away, and the full-body armor, once covering every inch, was now tattered—only a few fragments had survived the ravages of time.
Leon didn't need to get closer to know—the armor was forged from Starfall Alloy. Not only was it the finest warrior's armor, its flexibility allowed for complete coverage, even over the fingers.
Moreover, Starfall Alloy was remarkably light. With its excellent magical conductivity, it was practically the perfect material for all purposes.
Back in the era of the Five-Colored Dragons and Pureblood Elves, Northend World's reserves had already been fully mined. Only with the dawn of the planar colonization age did it reappear.
Now, barely a trace of Starfall Alloy remained—corroded by time over tens of thousands of years...
This man is Emperor Norlick!
Leon was absolutely certain—not just because Nobrus lay nearby, its fate uncertain, but because Emperor Norlick held that scepter in his hand!
The scepter was simple in design, exuding authority and power. At its tip floated a constantly shifting rune, surrounded by countless flowing incantations that formed a dim orb of light around it.
The Spellbook of Ages!
It really was the Spellbook of Ages!
The power and properties it contained were far beyond what any illusion could conjure!
Leon's eyes began to shine; his breath grew heavy, almost against his will.
The Spellbook of Ages... How long had he been yearning for this?
Ever since he obtained the Law of Balance, he'd been fixated on the Spellbook of Ages. No—since his rebirth, he'd longed for it. Only before gaining the Law of Balance was it not an absolute necessity.
Scheming and risking everything, braving countless dangers—he'd finally laid eyes on the Spellbook of Ages. Leon tried to calm himself, but it was impossible...
Excited, Leon started toward the steps, but after just two strides, he forced himself to pause and sent out a dozen Wizard's Eyes to scout the area.
He casually cast an Undead Detection spell, but something unexpected happened—when the spell reached thirty meters in front of Emperor Norlick, it suddenly disintegrated...
Leon was startled, as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him—he stopped in his tracks.
The Undead Detection spell had been forcefully unraveled by a power beyond comprehension...
Behind him, the others, puzzled by Leon's strange behavior, all followed suit.
Leon growled, "Nobody move, don't talk, not a sound!"
Seeing Leon so cautious, the others were startled—even in the face of grave danger before, they'd never seen him break out in a cold sweat like this.
Standing at the foot of the steps, Leon looked up at Emperor Norlick seated on the throne—he was truly afraid...
At first, he'd assumed Emperor Norlick was dead, having taken his seat on the throne before dying. With the throne's absolute defense, even if Emperor Norlick was tainted by death and became an undead creature, the odds were low.
As long as he hadn't turned into an undead, and was just a corpse, Leon had ways to break through the throne's defenses.
But the Undead Detection spell wasn't merely blocked—it was completely unraveled...
It was as if the spell had instantly collapsed into its most basic magical elements...
That was an entirely different level.
If Emperor Norlick had turned into an undead creature, everyone might as well just stick their necks out and wait for death—it’d be quicker that way.
Everyone fell silent—even Hubert was so unnerved by Leon’s seriousness that he held his breath.
Gradually, the hall grew so quiet that everyone could hear the rush of blood in their veins.
Thump, thump...
Thump, thump...
A slow, heavy heartbeat echoed in Leon’s ears. He looked up at Emperor Norlick, nearly biting his own tongue in disbelief.
Damn, Emperor Norlick is actually still alive?!
Anderson’s three faces twisted with horror, staring at Emperor Norlick as if he’d seen a ghost.
Leon sidled up to Anderson and asked in a low voice.
"Anderson, what the hell is going on? Emperor Norlick is actually still alive? Has he been sitting on that throne for tens of thousands of years?"
Anderson was just as baffled, and replied with a sour twist of his mouth.
"You ask me, who am I supposed to ask? Who knows what the hell this is—just don’t mess with him, that’s all. He’s been asleep for so many years; as long as we don’t touch him, he probably won’t wake up."
Leon nodded, thoughtful, his heart finally settling back into his chest after nearly leaping out of his throat.
The fact that Emperor Norlick was still alive was just too terrifying...
But Emperor Norlick’s condition baffled Leon—alive, yet lost in a sleep that had lasted who knows how long. What could possibly explain it?
Why was Emperor Norlick sleeping on the throne?
Legend said that when Emperor Norlick sat on the throne, he was unbeatable. That throne was the finest true spirit artifact, boasting an ability called absolute defense—so formidable, the Blazeforge Throne was considered a transcendent among transcendent artifacts.
Could it be that Emperor Norlick encountered some great danger, forcing him to sleep on the throne?
But after all these years, why is he still asleep?
Leon eyed the scepter in Emperor Norlick’s hand, tempted to take it, but didn’t dare approach. Seeing the situation, he couldn’t help but recall Anthus’s death—did that old fool die such a miserable death because he tried to touch Emperor Norlick’s scepter?
Still, Leon couldn’t bear to just give up.
Frowning in thought, Leon suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
The scepter is real, Emperor Norlick is real, so the throne must be real too...
If none of these are illusions, then maybe the palace itself is real as well!
Legend had it that the Blazeforge Throne and the palace were one—the throne’s power was supplied by the entire palace...
Drawing from information in the Apocalypse Library, the Merlin Family archives, and scattered clues from the Blazeforge Realm, Leon pieced everything together.
A smile suddenly appeared on Leon’s face.
"I know now—the thing really is here!"