Chapter 443: Weiss
Just a moment ago, the magical power emanating from that black object was so strong it defied belief. Touching it felt less like holding a piece of metal and more like grasping a five-colored dragon.
Yes, that's exactly how it felt.
What on earth is this thing...
Leon frowned, gripping the black object tightly. It filled him with constant dread; he tried channeling a bit of magic into it, but nothing happened.
This thing is definitely not ordinary...
He slipped the black object into his pocket—no time to deal with it now. He'd study it more closely when he had a chance.
When he emerged from the control room, Dalson and the others were already waiting by the furnace at the center of the alchemy workshop.
"Did you find anything?"
"Archmage Merlin, we've found the passage to the ninth floor..." Dalson said excitedly. After surviving the illusions of the eleventh floor, he had expected the tenth to be just as perilous, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy—except for the trouble caused by nearly a thousand alchemical golems. Overall, the tenth floor was almost devoid of danger.
Leon nodded, about to speak, when a surge of intense magical energy suddenly swept through the air. Instinctively, he turned his gaze toward the massive furnace nearby.
At the same moment, everyone present felt the same magical disturbance and turned their heads toward the furnace. Among them, Soran Monchi’s face changed dramatically; his eyes fixed on the furnace, filled with disbelief.
Just then, a battered figure suddenly burst out of the enormous furnace. The mage’s robe was torn and bloodstained, hair wild, face pale—most notably, he carried a heavy stench of sulfur the moment he appeared.
Could it be a demon?
The crowd was startled.
But then they saw that the person emerging from the furnace had two gray-white flames on his back, each radiating that same sulfurous aura.
"Councilor Weiss! Why is it you...?" Dalson exclaimed in shock.
It was no wonder—Councilor Weiss had changed so much. Back in the Daybreak Gorge, he’d seemed mysterious and elusive, but now...
...he looked no different from a worn-out old man.
Calling him disheveled wouldn’t even begin to cover it. Those two gray-white flames—everyone recognized them. They were Grayfire, the fire from the Abyss. Once it touches you, unless you’re a Sky Rank mage, it’s nearly impossible to extinguish. Grayfire only dies out when it’s burned your soul to ash.
Now, Councilor Weiss was facing exactly that predicament. The Grayfire gnawed at his soul, and if not for his formidable strength, he wouldn’t last long at all...
Weiss’s sudden appearance left Leon stunned. He’d come from the tenth floor of the Magic Tower...
Where had he been before this?
William Merlin had said that two months ago, back at Daybreak Gorge, Weiss was hunted by the avatar of the Wasteland Lord’s power. Yet now, after two months, Weiss had somehow escaped that pursuit and appeared in the Magic Tower in the most improbable way.
The fact that Weiss could evade the Wasteland Lord’s avatar was astonishing. Those three magical beasts back then were all stronger than Weiss, yet they couldn’t escape their fate.
When the avatar first appeared, Leon knew its strength was at least on par with Star Sage Joey...
But Weiss managed to survive under such a terrifying existence. Just thinking about it was hard to believe.
Even Leon had assumed that Weiss from the Black Tower stood no chance under the Wasteland Lord’s pursuit.
But now, Councilor Weiss was in dire straits. The Grayfire was eating away at his soul, and even with his power, it wouldn’t be long before he was gone for good—unless a Sky Rank mage stepped in to help extinguish it...
"Soran Monchi!"
Weiss, just out of the furnace, was momentarily stunned to see so many familiar faces. But then, his gaze locked onto Soran Monchi, eyes blazing with fury. He roared, unleashing a violent surge of magic; countless wind spells lashed out at Soran Monchi like a storm.
Has this old man lost his mind...?
Everyone was stunned by the scene. No one expected things to escalate like this. Weren’t Weiss and Soran Monchi both from the Black Tower? Weren’t they teacher and student, together for thirty or forty years? Shouldn’t their bond be deep? Why was Weiss coming at Soran Monchi so viciously, without a word?
The only explanation was that Weiss had gone mad. Otherwise, why attack his beloved student out of nowhere?
Soran Monchi’s achievements now made him one of the top talents in the Black Tower, with a real chance at joining the Council in the future. As his teacher, Weiss should be proud—having such an outstanding student is an honor. He should be spoiling him, not trying to kill him!
And in any faction, infighting is unforgivable. Even if Weiss is a Councilor, he’d have to give a good reason for this, or he’d be expelled from the Black Tower...
"Serves you right for all the shady things you’ve done. Now karma’s come knocking..."
But the Dragonblood Orc, Xuban, standing beside Leon, didn’t seem surprised at all by Weiss’s attack on Soran Monchi. In fact, he wore his trademark gloating expression, muttering under his breath while curling his lip.
"What did you say?" Leon heard him clearly and frowned. The Dragonblood Orc seemed to know something.
"Uh?"
The Dragonblood Orc saw Leon’s frown and was clearly startled, standing there nervously, not daring to make a sound...
"Don’t just stand there—if you know something, spit it out..." Leon glared at Xuban, shaking his head. For a ninth-level Swordmaster, this guy sure was timid.
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The Dragonblood Orc let out a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing—though he had no idea Leon was silently judging him. After a pause, he pointed at Soran Monchi and said, "That guy’s even worse than us Highland Orcs. Back then, he was lying on the ground, about to be killed by the demon avatar. It was Weiss who saved him and tried to help him escape. But when Weiss wasn’t looking, Soran Monchi threw Weiss toward the demon avatar and ran off alone, eventually following us into the cave..."
A sly smile crept onto Leon’s lips. He hadn’t expected Soran Monchi to do something so ruthless—betraying his own teacher, and not just a little, but throwing him right to his death. No wonder Weiss ignored everyone else and went straight for Soran Monchi...
Maybe even Soran Monchi hadn’t foreseen this outcome. First, he’d been secretive about it—Xuban only saw by accident. Second, Weiss, thrown to the Wasteland Lord, should have had no chance of survival.
But fate had other plans...
Now that the truth was out, even if Weiss didn’t kill him, Soran Monchi would have no place in the Black Tower.
In short, Soran Monchi was doomed...
Weiss and Soran Monchi were fighting fiercely in the open alchemy workshop. Leon and his group stood off to the side, watching—none of them had any intention of intervening.
No one could blame them—everyone present had little affection for Weiss or Soran Monchi from the Black Tower...
The three mercenary groups had been conscripted, forced to delay helping their employers search for that thing, and now they held a grudge against both Soran Monchi and Weiss. At this moment, Dalson and the other four watching the fight were secretly hoping the two would destroy each other...
As for Leon, he had even less patience for the Black Tower duo. Soran Monchi’s actions had long since crossed his line. If not for the dangers of the Magic Tower and Soran Monchi’s lingering usefulness, Leon would have blasted him to bits ages ago.
Back at Daybreak Gorge, Weiss had attacked Leon first, then sabotaged him at the critical moment. If Leon had hesitated even a little, the Wasteland Lord’s avatar would have killed him.
And as Soran Monchi’s teacher, Weiss probably knew a few secrets about the Bone Plane.
"What the hell is going on here..."
Leon could see clearly: Weiss was attacking Soran Monchi with everything he had, but he couldn’t injure him at all. That surprised Leon—he’d experienced Weiss’s strength firsthand. Back when he’d calculated with the mana array, Weiss was at the peak of sixth-level Title Archmage, and with his bizarre wind magic, he was nearly on par with a seventh-level Title Archmage. Otherwise, Leon wouldn’t have been so completely overpowered...
But now, against Soran Monchi, he couldn’t gain the upper hand at all.
It was odd...
Even if Soran Monchi had improved rapidly, he was still just a fifth-level Title Archmage, and his control over power was far from refined. Yet he was able to fight Weiss to a standstill. It didn’t add up...
"Weiss’s injuries seem severe. Who knows what happened in the past two months..." Leon frowned, watching Weiss in the magic duel. He quickly realized the problem: Weiss’s rank had dropped to fifth-level Title Archmage, and much of his power was spent suppressing the Grayfire. That’s why he couldn’t defeat Soran Monchi—and if things kept going this way, he might even lose.
"Soran Monchi, you bastard! I swear I’ll kill you today!"
Weiss’s face was ashen. As he spoke, cyclones appeared out of thin air around him. The surrounding mana churned wildly, drawn by an invisible force. Wind magic erupted from Weiss, unleashing a barrage of high-level spells at Soran Monchi.