Chapter 347: Misunderstanding
"Hey..." Leon was utterly dumbfounded. Was there really such a reckless Grandmaster? How did someone with this kind of personality ever endure the tediousness of alchemy?
At that moment, the rapidly contracting Mana Chain let out a sharp whistle in the air, like a taut bowstring snapping. With a loud "snap," it bound Leon tightly...
"Tell me, who is your teacher? Is it Casey or Konqi..." After casting the Mana Chain, the middle-aged alchemist didn't make another move. He simply walked over to Leon with a stern face. "I want to see which fool is so ignorant of the rules, letting their disciple wander into this alchemy lab without a care."
"Sigh..." Leon glanced at the Mana Chain wrapped around him and could only shake his head helplessly...
Then, with a gentle exertion, he broke free from the Mana Chain's restraints.
Yes, just a gentle exertion...
From the Mana Chain alone, it was clear that this middle-aged alchemist was at least a fifth-tier Archmage. The Mana Chain he conjured—if used on an ordinary first-tier Archmage—would be extremely difficult to dispel, maybe even requiring an Elemental Shield. After all, the power gap above fifth-tier was just too overwhelming...
Too bad his opponent was Leon...
For Leon, a Mana Chain formed purely by magical energy was basically nonexistent. With his Arcane Gear operating, the Mana Chain was laid bare—no secrets at all. Leon could tell its structure and weak points even with his eyes closed. All he had to do was release a wisp of mana and trigger a few weak spots, causing the whole thing to collapse.
The rest was just a matter of a little effort...
But in the eyes of the middle-aged alchemist, this scene meant something else entirely...
"Battlemage?" The middle-aged alchemist narrowed his eyes, and his gaze toward Leon suddenly grew wary and hostile.
To the middle-aged alchemist, Leon wore a robe and carried a staff, with no trace of battle aura—clearly a mage, not a warrior. But for a mage to break free from his Mana Chain purely with physical strength, and so effortlessly at that, he could only be from the Caucasus—a Battlemage skilled in both magic and martial arts.
Once Battlemages are involved, things get complicated.
Back then, the King of the Caucasus led his Battlemages and nearly ended the Third Dynasty. Although the Long-Legged Emperor later defeated the King of the Caucasus at the Turan Mountains, and his Battlemages faded into obscurity for thousands of years, three centuries ago, a disaster caused the Battlemages to break with the Black Tower. Since then, Battlemages have become true outcasts...
That disaster was a tragedy the Black Tower would never forget.
Even now, the Black Tower still hates these outcasts...
If you approach the Black Tower today, the first thing you'll see is a bounty posted outside: kill a Battlemage, and you can exchange the body for a magic item of equal rank. For three hundred years, the bounty hasn't changed—it's the Black Tower's enduring hatred.
Now that the Black Tower stands at its peak, its stance naturally influences other factions. Over time, even powers like Cloudspire Tower or Mercury Tower generally avoid contact with Battlemages—partly because Battlemages truly are outcasts, and partly to avoid provoking the Black Tower.
After three centuries, Battlemages have almost vanished from Auckland; even when they do appear, they keep to the shadows.
"I can't believe Mercury Tower has been hiding a Battlemage like you. Tell me—who is your teacher? I want to know which blind fool let a Battlemage slip into Mercury Tower..." The middle-aged alchemist's face darkened, his gaze at Leon now brimming with barely concealed hostility.
This was no joke—if the Black Tower found out Mercury Tower had a Battlemage in its ranks, it would mean serious trouble, maybe even outright retaliation...
The consequences would be dire...
The first thought that flashed through the middle-aged alchemist's mind was to make this Battlemage disappear before anyone found out, erasing all traces.
So, without waiting for an answer, the middle-aged alchemist spat out an incantation. A Frost Ring burst forth—ice-blue light flashed before Leon, followed by a loud "boom" as the massive frost element exploded in a ring. The force was enough to make any Archmage below fifth-tier throw up an Elemental Shield in defense...
But Leon didn't.
Facing the raging frost element, Leon simply took a step back to dodge the flying shards of ice. Then he cast a Frostfire Shield—under Leon's precise control, the shield flashed into existence and vanished in an instant. The fire shield blocked the Frost Ring's explosion, while the ice shield neutralized the resulting ice spikes. Quick, seamless, and if you weren't paying close attention, you'd hardly notice the Frostfire Shield at all...
Just like the middle-aged alchemist...
The middle-aged alchemist unleashed a Frost Ring, but never saw the Frostfire Shield appear. His first thought was: with such terrifying physical strength, what else could Leon be but a Battlemage?
"You really are a Battlemage!" Once his suspicions were confirmed, the middle-aged alchemist went all out—Frost Ring, then Dragonfire Spell, Fireball, Hellfire...
Three fire spells erupted almost simultaneously.
This is a classic spell combo for Archmages above fifth-tier: using the delayed burst of Dragonfire Spell, then weaving in Fireball and Hellfire—one single-target, one area effect—all detonating with the dragon's breath. The combined force can far exceed the caster's normal limits.
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"Hm?" The moment the middle-aged alchemist uttered the Dragonfire Spell incantation, Leon's brow furrowed. Until now, the Mana Chain and Frost Ring had been focused on control, not lethal intent. Plus, Leon had always had a good relationship with Mercury Tower, so he hadn't truly been angry.
But this time...
Dragonfire Spell, Fireball, Hellfire...
He was unleashing the full spell combo favored by Archmages above fifth-tier.
Which meant the middle-aged alchemist genuinely intended to kill him...
After twenty years in the apocalypse, Leon was used to snuffing out danger before it could grow. If you want to kill me, I'll kill you first. It was almost instinct—Leon immediately became an Elemental Avatar, transforming into a mass of flames and, using the three fire spells his opponent had unleashed, flashed through with Flame Blink...