What, you think Leon's luck is good enough to stroll along the seam between two spaces? Please—if he tried that, there’d be only one result: Leon, diced into bite-sized mage bits by the spatial rift. Talk about a shortcut to an early grave.
The Death Tome was right there. It looked as if Leon only needed to reach out and he could grasp this extraordinary magical artifact.
That was true power—transcending the mundane and reigning over all. Even if Leon could wield just one percent of it, he could sweep aside every mage, even stand toe-to-toe with the Title Archmages. It was a strength that could let Leon ascend in a single leap. No exaggeration: in this era, possessing an extraordinary magical artifact was almost the same as having the capital to challenge forces like the Black Tower.
Leon had ventured into the Bone Plane four times in half a year, delving into danger again and again, painstakingly exploring—always for the sake of this Death Tome.
But now, standing before the Death Tome, there was not a hint of joy in Leon's eyes. Instead, they brimmed with wariness...
Because Leon could already sense it: the magical fluctuations within this Bone Hall were exceedingly strange...
At a glance, the Bone Hall was ghastly—sinister bones, an eerie Hexstar Array, a mysterious black tome, all laid bare. Yet something was off. Leon kept feeling that the magical fluctuations here were violently intense, as if on the verge of igniting, and they carried a thick scent of sulfur. Just standing there made him feel dizzy, his chest tight, breathless.
Could it be... an illusion?
At that thought, Leon instinctively cast his Mindguard...
"Strange..." But after casting Mindguard, nothing in the Bone Hall changed. Leon's face grew puzzled.
Since coming to this era, Leon had stepped into illusions more times than he could count.
Even the Death Garden, born of boundless death energy and said to brush against the very laws of reality, would still show subtle traces after Leon cast his Mindguard. But this time, Mindguard was utterly useless.
So, was this not an illusion after all?
But the flow of mana never lies...
For a mage, the flow of mana is far more reliable than their own eyes. What you see may not be real, but the flow of mana never deceives a mage.
After a moment's hesitation, Leon still didn't dare step into the Bone Hall. Instead, he took his time, activating the Mana Harness within his body to thoroughly analyze the flow of mana in the Bone Hall...
At moments like this, Leon couldn't help but feel grateful for choosing the far more difficult Mana Harness when constructing his Arcane Sigil.
No doubt about it—the difficulty of constructing the Mana Harness was almost absurd.
The Mana Harness churned relentlessly, mapping every current of mana in Leon's mind. To him, the Bone Hall had become another world—an utterly abstract world, with no Hexstar Array, no black tome, only flowing mana and overlapping spaces.
Now, let's look at the Mana Harness...
Sure enough, as soon as Leon set foot in the Bone Hall, the Hexstar Array on the floor suddenly flashed dark red, and a thick wave of sulfur slammed into him.
That alone showed just how absurdly difficult it was to construct the Mana Harness...
Still, the Mana Harness, ridiculous in its complexity, brought Leon more than just raw power. Its terrifying computational ability was what he truly needed. Like now—by simply collecting the flow of mana in the Bone Hall, the Mana Harness would perform meticulous, precise calculations all on its own...
Leon reacted instantly—almost before he finished turning, he cast an ice-fire shield. Twin bands of red and blue spun out, and the three fireballs burst with a boom, all stopped a meter short by the shield.
He still couldn't see anything, but after the Mana Harness's analysis, every thread of mana in the Bone Hall was mapped out in his mind. Through those flowing currents, Leon easily unraveled the Bone Hall's secret.
That's right—the Bone Hall, seemingly laid bare, was actually two overlapping spaces.
Good thing Leon was cautious...
Leon pointed his Soulbound Staff and released an ice ring. Frost shards flew as the three Ash Imps froze solid. Without pausing, Leon lashed out with three gust-whips, smashing the imps and ice to pieces.
Caught between two overlapping spaces, Leon couldn't afford a single misstep.
Any wrong move would send Leon into the other space. Judging by the thick scent of sulfur, that space was almost certainly a Demon Realm—waiting for him there could be a demon, a greater demon, or even a Demon Lord.
What, you think Leon's luck is strong enough to walk the seam between two spaces? Don't kid yourself—if he tried, there'd only be one outcome: Leon sliced into countless pieces by the spatial rift...
So, while the Bone Hall looked completely open, the places Leon could actually pass through were very limited. And even those weren't just casually accessible.
The two spaces overlapped so severely that their boundaries had become paper-thin. If Leon could somehow invite a Title Archmage-level powerhouse, they could unleash a full-force burst of mana and carve a path to another plane right here.
Of course, Leon would never do that.
At least, not right now...
Right now, Leon barely had time to nurse his headache—let alone punch through to another plane. If he could, he'd rather separate the two overlapping spaces. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with an endless stream of demons...
"This is the only way." Leon took a deep breath, gripping his Soulbound Staff tight.
After dispatching the Ash Imps, Leon shook his head and stepped again toward the Death Tome...
The Mana Harness churned relentlessly, mapping every current of mana in Leon's mind. To him, the Bone Hall had become another world—an utterly abstract world, with no hexagram array, no black tome, only flowing mana and overlapping spaces.
From the entrance to the center of the Bone Hall was only a dozen or twenty meters, but Leon knew those meters were far more difficult than the thousands he'd crossed at Ghostriver.
Sure enough, as soon as Leon set foot in the Bone Hall, the hexagram array on the floor suddenly flashed dark red, and a thick wave of sulfur slammed into him.
Behind him came a shrill scream...
Suddenly, the temperature spiked. Leon turned and saw three fireballs roaring toward him.
Leon reacted instantly—almost as he turned, he cast an ice-fire shield. Red and blue light spun in a blur, and the three fireballs exploded with a boom, every one stopped a meter in front of him by the shield.
Only then, through the burst of flames, did Leon see his attackers clearly. Three squat, vicious creatures—charred all over, small and hunched, but their blackened skin was covered in flame-like runes, and two twisted horns grew from their brows.
Leon knew what they were: Ash Imps, fire sprites born in magma, naturally gifted with control over flame. Individually, they're only as strong as an average mage, but they swarm in hundreds or thousands. In real combat, even powerful demons steer clear of them.
Thankfully, there were only three this time...
Leon pointed his Soulbound Staff, casting an ice ring. Amid the flying shards of frost, the three Ash Imps instantly froze. Without hesitation, Leon unleashed three gust-whips, shattering the imps and ice together.
"What a pain..." Even after dispatching the three Ash Imps in an instant, Leon's face showed no joy.
Because Leon knew, this was only the beginning...
No help for it—the two spaces had already overlapped, their boundaries paper-thin. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but the moment Leon stepped into the Bone Hall, it was enough to draw demons into the Bone Plane.
It meant that every step Leon took in the Bone Hall could bring another fight...
The only consolation was that these demons wouldn't be too powerful.
After all, the spaces weren't fully overlapped, so the power they could contain was limited. If a demon was too strong and tried to force its way into the Bone Plane, it would be repelled by both spaces at once.
Still, even so, it was troublesome enough.
From the entrance of the Bone Hall to the Death Tome was only a dozen or twenty meters. Which meant Leon might have to fight a dozen or twenty battles before he could actually claim the Death Tome.
And in those battles, Leon had to constantly remind himself not to use spells that were too powerful. The stronger the spell, the more likely it would shatter the boundaries between spaces. If he accidentally blasted open a road to another plane, he'd really be in trouble...
After dispatching the three Ash Imps with three gust-whips, Leon shook his head and took his second step toward the Death Tome...
With the last encounter fresh in mind, Leon paid close attention this time...
Sure enough, the moment his second step landed, Leon sensed the mana flows around him twist strangely. The boundaries between spaces blurred, and a wave of sulfur from the Demon Realm rushed at him almost instantly...
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