Chapter 1135
Diras ground his teeth, a ruthless gleam in his eyes as he snarled at Stongge.
"Lord Stongge, do you really think we have any way out now? Without the technology in hand, if Matthew Merlin exposes this, we can't possibly bear the consequences.
When that moment comes, not only will Lord Dida La refuse to spare us, but every other faction will mark us as the catalyst for the alliance's collapse.
But! As long as we possess the magical technology, we can leverage it to break through to Sky Rank. Lord Dida La will shield you, and then Burning Tower and our Shadow Tower will be able to produce Sky Rank mages in great numbers.
Given how quickly we're harvesting magic crystals from pseudo-Sky Rank magical beasts, our Sky Rank ranks will soon dwarf Matthew Merlin's. By then, his words will carry no weight.
Because we'll be stronger—no one will dare cross us, and with magical technology in our grasp, not a soul will rally to Matthew Merlin's side.
Right now, Lord Stongge, we've suffered too many losses—our manpower is depleted. You have to bring in more people if we're going to seize it by force.
Think carefully—this is our final chance. If we lose it, I can always go and beg forgiveness from Matthew Merlin, but you will face the full wrath of Lord Dida La...
Diras alternated between threats and persuasion, until at last, Stongge grasped the situation. Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet.
"Fine, Lord Diras, we'll launch a direct assault. No matter how strong Matthew Merlin is, he's just a Title Archmage. Even if he can wield Sky Rank power, he doesn't have true transcendence.
As long as we have enough people, we'll seize what we need. Once we get our hands on some key items, we'll definitely uncover the secret of the Beast God's Blood."
Stongge stormed off and quickly gathered twenty to thirty mages—all from the Burning Tower. Many were alchemists who usually assisted Stongge with device construction.
This time, Stongge used Dida La's name as an excuse to bring them along.
Once both groups assembled, there were over fifty people, all powerful mages above Seventh-Rank Title Archmage.
Including Diras and Stongge, there were seven Ninth-Rank Title Archmages among them!
A large group marched toward Leon's temporary camp, with Diras and Stongge leading the way.
Before they even entered the camp's perimeter, a grim-faced Ninth-Rank Title Archmage at Diras's side used Amplification Magic to shout.
"Matthew Merlin, you reckless fool! How dare you kill our people!
My poor brother Byron—he was Baili's closest brother. He only entered your camp by accident while hunting a pseudo-Sky Rank magical beast, and you imprisoned him.
And our mages from Shadow Tower and Burning Tower—they're upright and kind-hearted. Who would have thought they'd be viciously murdered just for stumbling into your camp?
Today, we're here to avenge my closest brother. Matthew Merlin, you venomous killer, prepare to face our magical judgment.
Release our people from Shadow Tower and Burning Tower immediately, or prepare for brutal revenge from both factions!"
Baili, face etched with grief and rage, entered the camp and used the trace Byron left behind to glean information. He discovered a Plane Path here—and Byron had already infiltrated it.
He quietly informed Diras and Stongge. Instantly, the two were overjoyed—their confidence in the assault soared.
Diras followed behind, face dark as iron, but inwardly he was elated.
Byron was a master of shadow stealth. Even if discovered, he wouldn't die easily. To think there's a Plane Path here—Byron must have infiltrated it.
He must've uncovered Matthew Merlin's secret—the technology behind Beast God's Blood. Byron surely has it now. As long as we rescue him, everything will be worth it. The losses this time can be recovered.
The group swaggered into the temporary camp, violently destroying every warning array they encountered. Waves of magical alarms rippled outward, spreading through the area.
Within seconds, Diras and Stongge led their people into the camp, pressing deeper and deeper toward its heart.
Leon’s Mage Legion was busy in the demi-plane, researching newly learned spells and combat tactics. In the camp, only Hubert, Reina, and members of the Henry Family, Cloudspire Tower, and Black Tower remained.
When intruders burst into the camp, everyone was shocked. The Henry Family reacted fastest, immediately blocking the attackers’ advance.
Diras and Stongge retreated into the crowd. Diras continued trying to contact Byron using Shadow Tower’s covert methods, while Stongge searched for Leon’s whereabouts among the people.
Baili, face twisted with rage, stood at the front, unleashing the full aura of a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage. He glared and roared at those before him.
"Matthew Merlin, we’re supposed to be allies, yet you disregard the alliance’s rules, killing our mages from Shadow Tower and Burning Tower, and even imprisoning Byron from Shadow Tower.
Your actions will bring severe punishment upon you. Damn you! You must be trying to torture Byron for Shadow Tower’s secrets.
You have ten seconds—release Lord Byron now, or else, Matthew Merlin, you’re dead. All of you are dead.
We’ll show you what true bloody revenge means. Every one of you will die horribly—your souls won’t find peace.
Matthew Merlin, get out here! Kneel and apologize to us—to Lord Byron!"
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Baili roared furiously, playing the part of a wronged victim seeking justice.
On the other side, Hubert hefted Slaughter and stepped forward with a sinister grin.
"Fools! You dare cause trouble on Lord Merlin’s turf? You must have a death wish. Come—let Master Hubert twist off your head and send you to join your dead brother…"
As soon as Hubert stepped forward, Baili’s eyes lit up. He raised his staff and shouted in anger.
"Damn you! You finally admit it—our Shadow Tower and Burning Tower mages entered your territory by accident, and you killed them all! You’ve even imprisoned Lord Byron!
You bastards—prepare to die! Feel the wrath of Shadow Tower and Burning Tower!"
With a ferocious howl, Baili raised his staff and fired a Shadow Arrow…
In an instant, the mages brought by Diras and Stongge seemed to receive a signal—all raised their staffs and began casting spells.
Shadow Arrows rained down on the camp, falling like a storm.
Baili conjured a Shadow Shield, then rapidly chanted a spell. A mass of black-gray shadow rose from the ground, transforming into a phantom of a Shadow Dragon that charged forward.
"Take down these despicable bastards—avenge our closest friends and family!"
The Shadow Tower and Burning Tower mages launched their attack, hoping to catch the camp off guard and seize the advantage. But as their spells erupted, the response from the other side stunned them.
The Henry Family mages acted like nouveau riche, instantly producing two or three scrolls each—every scroll nearly half a meter long!
Scrolls that size were at least powerful Seventh-Rank spells, or even Eighth-Rank spell scrolls!
Though scroll-casting is a bit weaker than chanting spells, it has one advantage: it’s almost always instant!
The incantations and mana needed for the spells were all stored within the scrolls—just one trigger, and the spell was instantly unleashed.
The dozen or so Henry Family mages, facing the sudden assault, seemed perfectly prepared. Each grinned wickedly and activated their scrolls.
In an instant—Water Curtain Tianhua, Earth Barrier, Hurricane Barrier…
Five or six consecutive Eighth-Rank defensive spells appeared before the mages—layer upon layer of water curtains and light shields, stacking up five layers of wide-area defenses.
Diras and Stongge’s carefully planned surprise attack was like charging straight into the jaws of a hunter who’d been waiting all along…
Dozens of Shadow Arrows, along with the Black Dragon Shockwave, slammed into the five layers of magical protection. Only the first layer was breached, leaving a gaping hole, while the remaining four layers didn't even lose a drop of mana...
Instead, several seventh- and eighth-level scroll spells suddenly erupted—waves of fire, frost, hurricanes, and falling boulders swept across the battlefield like a torrent of elemental fury.
The Shadow Mages and Burning Mages hurriedly cast shield spells. Caught off guard, they hadn't even activated basic protections—who could have guessed their opponents would react so quickly, as if they'd been lying in wait for this ambush all along...
Their initial advantage vanished in an instant, and the battle devolved into a deadlock. The Shadow and Burning Mages were numerous and formidable, and even without their early edge, they could still suppress the Henry Family's mages and keep fighting.
Nearby, the surviving mages from Cloudspire Tower and Black Tower joined the fray, along with those from Sky City—now numbering over thirty.
There were more ninth-level Sword Saints and ninth-level Titled Archmages on their side than the enemy, and with top experts like Xuban and Reina joining the fight, the Shadow and Burning Mages were quickly overwhelmed.
Hidden at the rear of the crowd, Diras and Stongge had planned to slip into the camp's depths amid the chaos, to steal the technology and rescue their ally. But they soon realized the script wasn't playing out as they'd hoped...
Stongge gripped his staff, casting spells one after another, his face etched with barely concealed shock.
Damn it, why are these people so strong? Hell, the Henry Family, Cloudspire Tower, Black Tower, Sky City—why aren't any of their forces out hunting magic crystals?
Why the hell are all these bastards here? When did their strength reach this level?
The Henry Family, those nouveau riche upstarts, were tossing eighth-level magic scrolls as if they were first-level ones—within a single minute, they'd thrown more than forty eighth-level scrolls!