Chapter 894: Clinging to Power
Chasing all the way to Radiance Fortress, sure enough, that terrifying defensive barrier had vanished without a trace.
From a distance, we could see a large number of Black Iron Orcs setting up defenses inside Radiance Fortress.
Charging straight to the front of Radiance Fortress, Leon glanced at the massive gate towering over ten meters high and slowly raised his Doombringer Staff.
Three musical notes escaped Leon's lips, and in an instant, a terrifying surge of magical power erupted from within him...
The ground for hundreds of meters in front of Radiance Fortress began to tremble, and then, a colossal hand nearly twenty meters wide emerged from beneath the earth.
The hand was lifelike, a gray-brown hue, its slender fingers resembling a work of art—every palm line clearly visible.
Like stroking a beloved pet, the giant hand silently pressed against the fortress gate. Suddenly, the entire Radiance Fortress seemed to shudder...
Boom!
That towering gate, over ten meters high, shattered like fragile glass under a giant's slap—exploding into countless fragments with a thunderous crash...
Even the rough fortress walls within ten meters of the gate exploded into fragments...
In the distance, Wagner—who had been preparing to impress Leon—stood there, mouth agape, staring at the gate of Radiance Fortress as if he'd witnessed the descent of a god or demon...
My god, what did I just see?!
Was that Gaia's Hand?
Is Gaia's Hand really that powerful? Damn it, was that Leon Merlin casting?
A few seconds to cast? Three seconds? Two seconds?
The Gaia's Hand he cast looked just like a woman's hand—so lifelike. Is this really the power a Title Archmage can wield?
Are you fucking kidding me? I must be hallucinating. Yeah, that's it—I'm definitely hallucinating...
How could Leon Merlin be this strong? Casting an eighth-level spell like Gaia's Hand in two or three seconds, and with that kind of power?
Even when our family's ninth-level Title Archmage cast Gaia's Hand, it was never this powerful!
Wagner stood frozen, nerves frayed, drawing sharp breaths as if he couldn't breathe. He shut his eyes tight and cast several mental protection spells on himself, desperate to dispel any lingering hallucinations.
He rubbed his eyes, then cautiously opened them, hoping everything he'd just seen was an illusion...
But when he looked, the gate of Radiance Fortress had truly been smashed to pieces. The whole fortress resembled a giant cake with a massive chunk bitten out of it, and from that gaping breach, hordes of Black Iron Orcs surged forth.
Wagner's face turned pale, a mask of despair and disbelief...
Shit, is Leon Merlin actually the strongest one here? Damn it, I get it now—I finally understand why that elite Mage Legion follows Leon's every command without question, like they're under some spell. There's not even a hint of hesitation.
And not a single member of their family ever doubts or resists Leon Merlin's decisions...
That's it—he was training them. Yes, he was drilling the troops. Before, those fifty legion mages weren't nearly this strong, but in such a short time, nearly half have advanced to Title Archmage. He must've been training them...
And then there's that cold, white-haired woman beside Leon, that ugly Alchemical Golem, and even the Relic Spirit floating in midair with its wheel-shaped artifact. None of them have ever shown their true power...
If Leon Merlin is this strong, then those few following him... are probably terrifyingly powerful too...
Wagner quickly recalled every clue he'd missed before. Now, his eyelids started twitching uncontrollably.
Shit, the only ones close to Leon Merlin are that white-haired woman, the Alchemical Golem, and the Relic Spirit. Even that freakishly strong orc isn't qualified to stand nearest to Leon...
Damn, that strange orc could fight a Black Iron Orc eighth-rank Sword Saint to the death—does that mean the others are even stronger than that red-skinned orc?
Leon had cast just one spell to save time, yet it sent Wagner's mind spinning with a flood of new thoughts.
At the front of Radiance Fortress, scores of Black Iron Orcs were already charging out. Leon didn't make another move—instead, he sent his fifty legion mages forward. William, Hubert, and Anderson joined the battle, while Reina, the Alchemical Golem, and the Relic Spirit just stood motionless.
At times like this, Wagner could instantly see the difference.
Leon Merlin was way too calm—even that three-faced Relic Spirit looked bored out of its mind. And that white-haired woman, was she studying spells? Shit, this is a battlefield!
Damn it, it's over. Leon Merlin probably never took me seriously, huh? Damn that idiot Daug—he said Leon agreed to those harsh conditions so easily because he wanted to cling to our George Family for support.
Good thing that fool's dead, or I'd tear him to pieces myself. Look at this legion of mages—just fifty strong, with the top one only a second-rank Title Archmage—slaughtering those Black Iron Orcs like pigs lined up for the butcher...
Shit, those are Black Iron Orcs—the fortress's elite! The weakest are Greatsword Masters, and there must be dozens of Sword Saints here!
It's over—the Radiance Fortress points are definitely going to Leon Merlin. Their strength is just overwhelming...
But what now? All my men are dead, my relics spent, and I've only earned a few points for destroying the Black Iron Orcs' sacred relic. This round is a total loss...
No, even without strength, I have to stick with Leon Merlin. We already have an agreement, and at least I've contributed. Maybe I can still earn a few more points. If I leave now, it's total defeat. By the time family reinforcements arrive, the whole offensive might be over.
Yeah, that's it—I'll follow Leon Merlin. Maybe I can scrape together a few more points, and it won't be a complete failure. After all, we did make a deal, so I guess that makes us allies, sort of...
With that thought, Wagner shamelessly sidled up to Leon, acting like nothing had happened.
Leon glanced at him but ignored him, and Anderson and Reina outright dismissed Wagner. Wagner didn't care—he just stood nearby, watching the battle ahead.
At the front of Radiance Fortress, the battle was a total rout. More and more legion mages were advancing to Title Archmage, and their combat power was finally on full display. The fifty formed a loose phalanx, crushing the enemy like a military crackdown, spell torrents sweeping through and forcing the Black Iron Orcs to retreat.
In less than three minutes, the Black Iron Orc army was driven back into Radiance Fortress. Through the breach, elemental flames surged in like a flood released from a dam, sweeping inside.
Just then, from the side's crude walls, dozens of crimson battle aura slashes shot out, like a scarlet beast launching a sneak attack, tearing viciously toward the Mage Legion.
In an instant, flames erupted from the Mage Legion's position, and shields of fire—like dragon scales—formed massive barriers, each tens of meters wide.
As the shields blocked the sneak attack, a sudden shift occurred—a Black Iron Orc eighth-rank Sword Saint, body blazing with crimson light, charged straight at the Mage Legion, following the barrage of aura slashes.
With a violent ripping sound, the Black Iron Orc soared above the legion mages—a deadly spot for them.
An eighth-rank Sword Saint among the Black Iron Orcs here was nearly unstoppable; he could easily tear through several legion mages.
Wagner's heart clenched, already picturing a dozen legion mages being ripped apart. No, these mages are elite—the losses shouldn't be that bad, but surely a few would be shredded by that furious Black Iron Orc...
Wagner couldn't help glancing at Leon, who remained expressionless, lost in thought, seemingly unconcerned about the legion mages' crisis.
At that moment, Reina quietly turned her head, exhaled softly, and a cloud of white mist condensed midair into a flurry of ice crystals, which swiftly formed an ice-blue rune.
Instantly, the rune—shedding ice crystals—became a streak of light, seemingly transcending space and time. In a flash, it struck the airborne Black Iron Orc Sword Saint...
The Sword Saint's battle aura and armor couldn't resist the ice-blue streak. In the blink of an eye, his body froze solid, even his blazing aura encased in ice!
It was as if time itself froze in that instant—his rage-twisted face locked in ice.
The next moment, Hubert appeared midair, swinging Slaughter. The massive warhammer swept up a surge of white energy, sonic booms sparking a field of crackling lightning.
Slaughter smashed into the frozen Sword Saint with a thunderous crash, shattering him into a shower of icy fragments.
The terrifying power of Slaughter erupted, wrapping the fragments in a thick wave of white energy, leaving a streak hundreds of meters long across the sky...
From sudden crisis to enemy obliteration—it all happened in less than a second!