Chapter 599: Poisoned or Not?
"Just you alone?" Leon was momentarily taken aback.
"That's right. It's enough." Cyrus Watson nodded with certainty.
"Oh, suit yourself then." Leon rubbed his nose and shot Cyrus Watson a distant glance, choosing not to say anything more.
But just because Leon kept quiet didn't mean everyone else would. Hearing Cyrus Watson's words, Anthus was instantly alarmed and hurriedly tried to stop him: "Lord Cyrus, your condition..."
"It's fine. I'm the leader of this team. This is my responsibility." Cyrus Watson shook his head, then slowly raised his staff...
Truth be told, Cyrus Watson didn't want to do this. He knew he was already gravely injured and in no shape for battle, but there was no other way—he had to act...
And he couldn't join forces with the others, either. He had to show enough strength on his own.
There was no choice. If he didn’t come off as forceful enough, his position would be taken by Matthew Merlin.
Sure, Matthew Merlin had saved him once before, but what was his real agenda? Who knew...
The number of Venomscale Lizards had reached a truly terrifying level. Simple single-target spells were almost useless against them, so Cyrus Watson opted for a large-scale area magic.
The spell was called Starlight Tempest...
The moment mana began to flow, a stabbing pain surged from his heart once again. No exaggeration—it felt exactly like his heart was being torn apart.
Just imagine—if someone's heart were suddenly sliced in two by a blade, how much would that hurt...
And right now, that's exactly the pain Cyrus Watson was enduring.
But there was no choice. Cyrus Watson knew he had to hold on...
As Starlight Tempest was unleashed, the void filled with a scene like a sky full of stars.
The sky seemed to shimmer, countless points of starlight forming a blinding brilliance, then, just like meteors, they rained down from above.
At this moment, the flow of mana became restless and violent. Restless—because Cyrus Watson was pushing his body past its limits, making the mana unstable; violent—because of the spell's inherent turbulence. But regardless, Cyrus Watson's power was still terrifying, and soon the Venomscale Lizards were swallowed up.
Under the onslaught of Starlight Tempest, the Venomscale Lizards were utterly devastated. One after another, they were not just knocked aside—no, it was far more than that. Every trace of life within them was completely destroyed, their blood scorched dry by the spell, and their bodies withered away...
Bodies stripped of all signs of life looked shriveled, like elders fading into twilight. The true strength of Starlight Tempest lay in its invisible magical energy—on the surface, the attack seemed calm, but underneath, it was a raging tide...
Just then, an even larger Venomscale Lizard burst forward from the rear, charging like a whirlwind.
Its menacing head, sturdy scales glimmering with green spots, and most of all, those razor-sharp, saw-toothed claws jutting from its toes—sharper than any weapon—were enough to make anyone feel immense pressure.
At this point, it should've been someone else's turn to step in. After all, Cyrus Watson's stamina was nearly spent; casting Starlight Tempest had already pushed him to his limits. But there was no help for it—if he was going to establish authority, he had to do even more...
"Boom!"
Cyrus Watson hit the Venomscale Chieftain with a Slow spell, then cast Swamp beneath its feet. Yet the beast's monstrous strength was clear—its four pillar-like legs tore free from the mire with ease.
Judging by sheer physical power alone, it could easily rival a first-tier Sword Saint.
The battle raged on...
Time ticked by. The fight between Cyrus Watson and the Venomscale Chieftain was grueling, but thanks to his vast experience, masterful magic, and overwhelming arcane prowess, he ultimately destroyed the beast with a devastating spell...
With a resounding "Boom," the Venomscale Chieftain's body was split in two. Scalding blood stained the ground, its heavy stench filling the air. Under Cyrus Watson's ferocious assault, the beast was utterly slain...
With the battle over, every Venomscale Lizard had become a cold corpse.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Cyrus Watson gasped for breath, his face even paler than before.
It was only now that Cyrus Watson finally let out a sigh of relief.
Still, something puzzled him—the rate at which his mana was depleting was absurd, flowing out like water.
But that was a minor issue. As long as he achieved his goal, there was nothing to complain about...
However, just as he retreated to Reid Watson's side, he suddenly heard Leon's 'kind' reminder.
"Say, Lord Cyrus, your physical condition doesn’t look so great..."
"Nonsense!" Cyrus Watson snorted coldly at those words, shooting Leon a much less friendly glare.
He had no choice—Cyrus Watson had to do this...
With Felton gone, the team's structure had changed dramatically. On the Merlin Family's side, there was Reina the Frost Dragon, a thirty-seventh-tier Alchemical Golem, and the mighty Dragonblood Orc Hubert. Even without Matthew Merlin, they could easily crush Reid Watson and Anthus. The only reason the Watson Family still held the reins was because of Cyrus Watson, an eighth-tier Title Archmage.
But...
If this eighth-tier Title Archmage lost his fighting strength, things would get complicated. If Matthew Merlin was decent, he might just seize control. But if he was ruthless, the Watson Family's whole team could be wiped out right here.
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So, Cyrus Watson had to hide his injuries.
Because Cyrus Watson couldn't afford to take that risk...
His presence was the team's greatest guarantee of stability. If Matthew Merlin found out that Cyrus had been gravely wounded fighting Oracis, and that his strength was fading by the minute, it would mean handing his fate over to Matthew Merlin...
"Heh..." Leon chuckled, seeing right through Cyrus Watson's thoughts. "If I'm not mistaken, Lord Cyrus, you were hit by poison fire when fighting Oracis, weren't you?"
"Do I look like someone struck by poison fire?" Cyrus Watson took a deep breath, doing his best to appear normal.
"I've heard that anyone hit by Oracis's poison fire ends up with Ashen Toxin..." Leon went on, ignoring Cyrus Watson's irritation. "The biggest thing about Ashen Toxin is how it eats away at mana. Once it latches on, it's even more annoying than a vampire. It won't stop until it's drained every last drop of mana..."
...Cyrus Watson's expression grew noticeably uneasy at those words...
Even if the poisoned person is an eighth-tier Title Archmage—ah, of course, Lord Cyrus, I’m not talking about you. I mean, even someone as powerful as you couldn’t rely on sheer force to resist the toxin. Especially those who don’t know any better: after being hit with Ashen Toxin, if they’re foolish enough to use magic, their fate’s even worse. Once the poison reaches the heart, not even a god could save them...
...Cyrus Watson drew in a sharp breath...
"Good thing, good thing, good thing you weren't poisoned, Lord Cyrus. Otherwise, after fighting those Venomscale Lizards just now, well..." Leon spoke, gazing at Cyrus with a look of profound relief...
"Yeah, haha..." Cyrus Watson forced a painfully awkward smile.
"Oh, right!" At that moment, Leon slapped his thigh. "I just remembered—I've heard that anyone poisoned by Ashen Toxin gets a crimson mark on their right palm, and as time passes, it creeps toward the heart. Once it reaches the heart, well, that's the end..."
"Heh, that's just a legend." Cyrus Watson did his best to stay calm, but he couldn't help glancing at his right palm...
Then...
Cyrus Watson saw, sure enough, a patch of crimson in the center of his right palm...
And that crimson patch had already started spreading up his arm...