Chapter 1246
Raymond gripped the white longsword, his face turning slightly pale. The aura of death around him grew stronger, while the brilliance of life dimmed.
From the hilt of that white longsword, a thread of black slowly emerged, swiftly enveloping the blade until it transformed into an ordinary-looking, aura-less black narrow sword.
Raymond's gaze grew strange. After slinging the sword onto his back, he hid his right hand behind him, the hand trembling ever so slightly.
Damn it, this guy really isn’t just some special alchemical golem. Can a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage possibly have this kind of power?
Is his mana truly limitless? He’s even planning to swallow a potion—an utterly terrifying one at that. It needs pure runes just to seal it. What kind of potion is this, anyway?
If he can use it in a situation like this, just how powerful will he become?
I almost got taken out by a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage. If I tell anyone about this when I get back, not even an apprentice would believe me. What the hell is going on—are people outside all this terrifying now?
Hearing Raymond’s words, Leon’s eyes flashed with a hint of regret. He stowed away the Songblood Bloom in his hand, and the ancient balance phantom beneath his feet slowly faded. The spectral purple dragon and roulette behind him vanished as well.
The flaming doorway on the left dissolved into a phantom and disappeared, and the massive roulette on the right vanished as well.
Only the burning will to fight in Leon’s eyes refused to fade.
By the midpoint of the battle, Leon had already realized his opponent probably wasn’t the guardian of these ruins. When the black sword began to shed its darkness and turn white, Leon recognized it immediately.
The legendary Song of Life—in the future, it would be one of the Sword Saints’ famed weapons, one of the very few to have a name recorded in the desolate library of Heather City. In fact, the Song of Life itself was kept in Heather City.
Unfortunately, back then, the Song of Life was nothing but a hunk of scrap iron. No one could wield it, nor did anyone have the strength to try.
The most obvious trait of the Song of Life was its aura of utter desolation—a despair deeper than death itself. When unleashed at full force, it would shift from pure black to pure white, a transformation only possible by pouring one’s life into it.
Even after figuring it out, Leon had no intention of stopping. It’s rare to meet a worthy opponent, so he had to fight—and besides, he couldn’t tell if the guy had simply misunderstood or truly meant to kill him.
When he sensed the other’s life force drop sharply, Leon knew his opponent was going all out. So he decisively produced the Weeping Anthem Elixir. If he drank it, he could definitely finish the fight.
Who could’ve guessed his opponent would call for a halt—and even disperse his power of his own accord? With that, the fight couldn’t go on, so he had no choice but to stop...
Raymond saw Leon finally stop as well, and only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Mighty mage, good day. I am Raymond Mantney from the Hidden Mountain Monastery. You may call me Raymond. This is a misunderstanding—a very big misunderstanding."
I thought you were an alchemical golem guarding these ruins—a rather special one at that. After all, I’ve never seen a Title Archmage as powerful as you...
Raymond gave a wry smile. To be mistaken for an alchemical golem—especially as a Sky Rank expert—was honestly a bit humiliating if word got out.
At first, he thought Leon was a mage, but once the aura erupted and the fight began, Raymond became convinced Leon was some extraordinary alchemical golem.
Can a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage unleash the power of a Sky Rank Level 2? Don’t be ridiculous—there’s nothing funny about that joke...
Especially in ruins abandoned for tens of thousands of years, randomly running into a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage this strong? If there’s anything here besides hordes of alchemical golems, it sure isn’t mages—even if they look like mages...
Hearing Raymond’s introduction, a look of realization flashed in Leon’s eyes.
So he really is from the Hidden Mountain Monastery...
The Hidden Mountain Monastery is a secretive, ancient order within the Odin Kingdom—immensely powerful and incredibly old. No one knows how many generations it has endured. Even at Northend World’s peak, the monastery’s origins were shrouded in mystery.
Several thousand years later, when Northend World entered the Plane Colonization Era, every faction began to develop rapidly—magic and alchemy alike advanced at breakneck speed.
Endless resources from endless planes, countless varieties, gave Northend World the opportunity to flourish. The number of planes and resources a faction controlled became the most direct measure of its growth.
At that time, even the Hidden Mountain Monastery couldn’t remain secluded—the resources of Northend World had left them lagging behind other factions.
Weakness was a crime in those days; the powerless were destined for elimination. They couldn’t even protect themselves, let alone stay hidden.
So the monastery’s master made a decisive choice: when the tide began to rise, they kept pace with the era and joined the Plane Colonization Era.
That decision alone kept the Hidden Mountain Monastery from being swept away by the new age—eventually, it became one of the Odin Kingdom’s top powers.
For a faction built around swordsmen, reaching the top in an age ruled by mages wasn’t easy.
It all came down to the monastery’s ancient inheritance: the Undying Aura!
This aura was similar to necrotic battle qi, yet fundamentally different—not death, but pure desolation. It could turn all power into stillness.
(Irrelevant system message: This chapter isn’t finished ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!)
Through secret methods passed down in the order, disciples began cultivating vitality from a young age—a swordsman’s life force could easily surpass that of outside Swordmasters.
That immense vitality was the foundation for mastering the Undying Aura. With it, swordsmen could counter mages powerfully; at their peak, those who practiced the Undying Aura could fight top mages as equals, with victory a toss-up.
Some weaker mages simply couldn’t match the Sword Saints of the Hidden Mountain Monastery.
The Song of Life sword truly rose to fame over five thousand years later, when a monastery expert wielding it at Sky Rank Level 7 defeated a Sky Rank Level 8 mage!
That battle cemented the monastery’s place in the new era, forcing all mage factions to treat them as equals.
Combined with the vast vitality granted by the Undying Aura, these Sword Saints lived longer than many mages. Especially when invading the Death Plane, the monastery’s Undying Aura suppressed undead as effectively as Holy Light mages—except they weren’t weakened in the Death Plane, nor did they attract hostility like Holy Light mages.
For a long time, the only legendary faction built around Sword Saints, the monastery was a top force—how could Leon not know of them?
"Good day. I’m Leon Merlin of the Merlin Family from the Andalusia Kingdom, here to attend the Astral Conclave at Astral Academy. I also mistook you for a guardian of these ruins—please forgive me."
Since the fight was off, Leon could only express his regret and clarify that it was all a misunderstanding...
Raymond managed a bitter smile, noting the battle intent still burning in Leon’s eyes. His right hand, hidden behind his back, still trembled slightly—the fight had drained much of his vitality, especially with the Song of Life unsealed, which consumed life force every second.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, it truly was a fortunate misunderstanding. Were you also accidentally trapped here?"
Leon shook his head.