Chapter 1463
Mana Harness...
The Arcane Sigil possessed by that Pyro Mage turned out to be a Mana Harness...
That terrifying Arcane Wheel was not only a transcendent magical artifact, but also the Pyro Mage's manifestation of magical law—a domain core that controlled and radiated his field.
Although its development diverged somewhat from Leon's own Mana Harness, he recognized it at a glance—the Arcane Wheel signified the strongest Arcane Sigil, the Mana Harness.
The moment Leon saw that massive Arcane Wheel, he felt his Mana Harness surge in power—over thirtyfold, in fact. His abilities grew so strong he could barely control them.
A thought flashed through his mind, runes flickered in his eyes, and a vortex rapidly formed. In less than a second, Leon's gaze spanned thousands of kilometers, seeing everything at the heart of the battlefield with perfect clarity.
Beneath the Mana Harness, a human mage in black robes hovered. Everything around him seemed unchanged, yet Leon couldn't make out the details—just a vague silhouette, a human mage in black, with a giant Arcane Wheel emblazoned on his back.
This was a human mage. Definitely a human mage—there was no way he belonged to any other race...
But that black-robed mage seemed to sense something, turning his head to look at Leon. Leon widened his eyes, trying to see who he really was. A Pyro Mage from the Age of Gods and Demons shouldn't have left no trace at all. Maybe the records were wrong, maybe they listed him as another race.
After all, back in that era, humans were listed as a lower race, their own writing system unfinished, their history barely recorded. Almost every record from that age was written by other races.
But when that black-robed Pyro Mage turned around, Leon was struck by a wave of irresistible weakness. His Mana Harness instantly reverted, his vision went dark, and he plummeted toward the sea.
The emptiness of his mana and soul left Leon in total darkness. Everything blurred before his eyes. Only after chugging three bottles of Mana Elixir did the emptiness finally ease up a little.
The instant his berserk state faded, Leon felt his mana completely drained, even his life force being consumed. His soul was on the verge of collapsing into sleep—if he hadn’t prepared ahead of time, he’d have passed out for good.
Passing out here was as good as dying. Sure, almost all life had fled the battlefield, but once the fighting stopped, the sea creatures would come back.
Who knows how long he’d sleep? Any random sea monster could rip him to shreds and devour him...
Mana Elixir, combined with the potions he’d already taken, quickly replenished his mana and soul power—the most important thing was easing his soul’s weakness.
When he landed on the sea, Leon struggled to muster a thread of mana, shaping a lonely boat from ice. He sat on the ice boat and slowly drifted ahead.
Looking back, the rainbow-hued domain was gone. No need to guess—the battle here was over, and so was the Pyro Mage.
Everything here felt real enough, but it was still fake—just the Lord of Nightmares’ dream, a memory. Many details differed from how history actually played out.
After downing potion after potion for hours, Leon’s face finally regained a hint of color. But getting back to his peak? That wasn’t happening anytime soon.
Even with the perfect potions, it would take at least a week to fully recover. In the outside world, that’s not a big deal, but here, any injury means you’re one step closer to death.
Floating across the sea in his lonely ice boat, Leon’s speed was a fraction of what it had been. But right now, this was all he could manage.
Tubby sprawled at the prow, face scrunched in misery, staring at Leon. He wanted to say something, but didn’t dare—just lay there, looking pitiful.
Leon didn’t bother with the cowardly Tubby, lost in thought about the battle. The Warbringer’s right leg could be ignored now—whether it was real or an illusion didn’t matter. That lunatic fused his god-demon soul completely with his body. Hard to kill, sure, but resurrection was out of the question.
Thinking of that other Pyro Mage, Leon felt restless. A Pyro Mage from the Age of Gods and Demons—he must have been a memory of the Lord of Nightmares.
In the Nightmare Realm, the Lord of Nightmares’ memories become fully real—there’s no difference from the actual Pyro Mage. In this domain, the Lord of Nightmares’ rules make everything true, even if he never had that overpowered four-element domain himself.
Looking back, that mage in black robes was always shrouded in mist—never truly visible. Most likely, even the Lord of Nightmares couldn’t see him clearly; the Pyro Mage in his memory was hidden by a layer of fog.
Even if the backlash from his berserk state hadn’t hit, when that Pyro Mage turned around, Leon probably wouldn’t have seen anything useful anyway.
Leon knew this in his heart, but still felt a pang of regret. Maybe there was a tiny chance he could’ve seen something—but now it was too late. The battle was over, and everything was gone.
But Leon still couldn’t figure out that massive Arcane Wheel. Why did the Mana Harness appear in the Age of Gods and Demons? When he thought back on its origins, he realized the historical records were hopelessly vague—the Mana Harness, as the strongest Arcane Sigil, had a history shrouded in mystery.
Compared to other Arcane Sigils, the Mana Harness went from first concept to finished sigil in no time at all. It was as if it had always existed, just buried in history until some mage unearthed it one day.
Other Arcane Sigils have detailed evolutionary records—from their first blurry forms to ever more refined, powerful versions, each one becoming a law unto itself. Even those with gaps in their history have most of their development documented.
But the Mana Harness was different. It was like some mage just had a wild idea one day and immediately invented the first method for constructing the sigil...
Days passed. Leon drifted for a week on the calm sea, covering just over a thousand kilometers. Signs of sea life began to reappear—creatures that had fled the heart of the ocean sensed the danger was gone and were returning.
At first there were only ordinary fish, then sea monsters, and finally, the ocean clans themselves began to surface.
Once the aftereffects of his berserk state were cured, Leon flew into the sky, watching the mass migration of sea creatures. With the danger gone, the bloody hunt began anew among those who’d once only thought of escape.
The powerful sea monsters devoured the weak; the weak preyed on the fish. The oceanic clans gathered, driving their giant beasts and protecting their return home.
None of the sea monsters paid any attention to Leon flying above. Soon, following Tubby’s directions, he crossed the ten-thousand-kilometer-wide inland sea.
Standing on the shore, Leon was surprised—the place he’d landed was exactly where he’d started. The mountains, the forests, everything looked the same as before. The only new thing was a winding Woodland Path up ahead.
Tubby finally looked relieved when he saw the path, sneaking a glance at Leon.
"The chieftain said, as long as you think about reaching the Deep World and cross the inland sea, you’ll see a road. But the road changes shape—everyone sees it differently.
But once you’re here, you’ll spot it right away. Follow it, and you’ll reach the Deep World."
Tubby looked worried, but he’d stopped begging to leave. After all this time, he’d resigned himself—he knew Leon wouldn’t let him go until he reached his goal. And even if he could leave, he wouldn’t dare.
If you didn’t take that path, you could just retrace your steps and cross the inland sea again—you’d end up right back where you started. When Tubby still had his tail, he’d swagger across without fear. In the outer Nightmare Realm, Nightmare Leotails are apex predators.
Not even the strongest oceanic clans would mess with a Nightmare Leotail. Even the weakest of them, once provoked, would fight at the same level as their opponent. And in the Nightmare Realm, the Nightmare Leotail’s advantages go far beyond that—no creature dares to cross them.