Chapter 829: Confession
A flicker of astonishment flashed in Baroque's eyes. What was going on here? Of course—the young man must be putting on a brave front, trying to negotiate. To completely give up the resources of the Horn of Plenty and then hand over two of the Merlin Family's fortresses? He would never agree to that. Unless it was taken by force, there was no way to get it.
But that's fine. I wasn't planning to seize so much all at once anyway. Things need to be taken slow—if you push the Merlin Family too hard, they might just fight back...
"Hmm, you want to bargain? I suppose that's not out of the question..."
Baroque put on a show of indifference, but before he could finish his sentence, a blue fireball—its tail trailing flames—came crashing down at him. The violent surge of magical fire exploded like thunder right in front of him.
Instinctively, Baroque hastily cast a fire shield.
A dark red fire shield formed a hemispherical barrier in front of Baroque. With a resounding boom, the shield rippled violently, as if it might burst at any moment.
Baroque was shocked and furious. He'd considered every possibility, except this: that damned bastard actually dared attack him directly. Was he trying to experience firsthand the might of a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage?
Damn it, he's begging for death. Well, he can't blame me for what happens next. The Merlin Family ought to find themselves a more rational commander!
Baroque's face twisted in anger. Suddenly, a crimson staff appeared in his hand, its tip set with a burning, swirling flame—like a mass of molten lava churning atop it.
The dense fire elements in the air seemed to be violently summoned, condensing into a massive fireball—two meters across—right in front of Baroque. The fireball radiated a palpable aura of destruction.
In an instant, waves of red heat rippled around the fireball, layer upon layer. Like a falling meteor, it shot toward Leon at terrifying speed.
Leon's face was cold as flames erupted from his body. His form suddenly grew, transforming in a flash into a towering fire elemental, seven or eight meters tall.
A burst of fire appeared, and Leon's elemental form flashed fifty meters away. The massive fireball struck the spot where he'd just been standing.
Instantly, the fireball seemed to melt, spreading outward. Dark red flames, compressed to their limit and resembling molten magma, flooded the area. Within ten meters, everything was turned to a field of lava, and streams of magma shot out like flaming arrows in every direction.
Within moments, a fifty-meter radius was transformed into a sea of flames. The dark red magma, like arrows, turned the area into a fiery hell. The air was filled with the constant hiss of things being torn apart.
Waves of white-hot air blasted out, punctuated by thunderous sonic booms.
But Leon had already used Flame Flash to appear over a hundred meters away.
Glancing at Baroque, Leon frowned slightly. Ninth-Rank Title Archmage—recently advanced, but as a fire magic specialist, in the Blazeforge Realm where fire elements are thick and lively, his power would be greatly increased.
And judging by the look of it, this guy is highly attuned to the Blazeforge Realm. No surprise—he probably advanced to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage right here.
Arrogant as he was, his strength was undeniable—stronger than most mages who had just advanced to Ninth-Rank Title Archmage.
In a flash, a string of thoughts raced through Leon's mind—he'd just about figured out all of Baroque's tricks.
The Mana Harness whirred into action, tracking auras and calculating his opponent's strength.
Behind him, the shadow of a massive wheel appeared, slowly spinning. Runes swirled within it, combining and separating—dozens, maybe hundreds of spells flickered across the spectral wheel every second.
The next moment, the fire element surging from Leon rivaled that of a true fire elemental. Spears, arrows, dragons, fireballs—all conjured in front of him, forming a torrent of flames that crashed toward Baroque.
Baroque sneered. You got lucky running away just now—otherwise, that explosive magma fireball would've burned you to ashes. This isn't ordinary elemental fire; it's the kind that turns solid iron to molten metal in an instant.
Damn fool. The Merlin Family is full of idiots. Using fire magic against me—do they not know I've always specialized in fire spells?
Baroque sneered, eyes full of disdain. He didn't even bother to dodge—just swung his staff, and the molten mass atop it spun furiously. Suddenly, a wall of fire erupted ten meters ahead, flames shooting skyward to form a barrier ten meters thick.
Fire Wall was originally an offensive spell, but in Baroque's hands, he amped up the flames, turning it into a defensive barrier.
Leon unleashed dozens of low-level fire spells every second. As they hit the wall, the soaring flames scattered them, and the dispersed fire was reabsorbed, making the Fire Wall even stronger.
A few seconds later, the Fire Wall before Baroque had grown into a towering barrier—forty or fifty meters high, twenty or thirty meters wide. The scorching flames sent the temperature of the entire Specter Gorge soaring; trees for hundreds of meters around withered, leaves yellowed, and even the glossy trunks shriveled as their moisture was sucked away.
Baroque's robe swirled around him as he burst into laughter.
"Damn fool, Leon Merlin! Weiss used to praise you, saying how powerful you were. Looks like Weiss doesn't have much taste after all. Idiot—trying to use fire magic against me? Don't you know my title is Flame Sovereign? Wherever there's fire, I'm the strongest. No one can match me!"
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Click 'Next Page' to continue reading!)
"You fool. You think your fire elemental form can withstand this? Now, repent for your sins in the flames. This is the punishment for offending the dignity of a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage!"
Baroque controlled the terrifying mass of fire, sending it surging forward like a tidal wave. He fully intended to burn Leon alive.
The tip of Baroque's staff kept spewing dark red magma, raining down into the sea of fire ahead and boosting its power to a whole new level.
The fire elemental form does increase the power of fire spells—even allows for Flame Flash within the flames. Aside from true masters of spatial magic, it's one of the few spells comparable to teleportation. For Title Archmages, it's practically essential.
But no spell is without limits. The power of a fire elemental form varies, and when a Title Archmage casts fire spells, even a simple Sea of Flames can become impassable. Not even a Grandmaster could use Flame Flash to cross it.
That fire has already surpassed a Grandmaster's limits. Even with a fire elemental form, you'd be burned alive in an instant.
If a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage like Baroque, specializing in fire magic, combines this terrifying sea of fire with molten magma, even lower-ranked Title Archmages would be burned alive within.
Even the best swimmers drown in water eventually. It's all the same principle.
In the Elemental Plane of Fire, low-level fire elementals never dare approach the domains of higher elementals—the flames and heat there are simply beyond their limits.
Baroque had calculated it all. Unless they also specialize in fire magic, no spell below Eighth-Rank Title Archmage could possibly escape this molten inferno.
A smug smile crept across Baroque's face. He perked up his ears, waiting for those sweet, pitiful screams.
But after several seconds, Baroque didn't hear a thing. His expression shifted to confusion.
Had Leon Merlin already been burned to death? Was he unable to even put up a fight?
Yes, I really was influenced by Weiss—overestimated this Leon Merlin. He must've been incinerated instantly...
Baroque was still smiling, ready to lower his staff, when suddenly, something changed in front of him.
Ripples spread across the blazing Fire Wall, and a massive fire elemental burst through it.
Behind this fire elemental hovered the spectral image of a massive wheel, and in front of him, a Quadra-Dragon Core grew larger and larger.
Damn it, what is going on? How did this guy just walk straight through the Fire Wall?
A flash of terror crossed Baroque's eyes. Without thinking, he instantly conjured a Flame Barrier in front of himself.
At the same moment, Baroque saw a burst of fire explode right before him. The Flame Barrier shuddered violently but held firm, unbroken.
Luckily, it was just a single Fire Impact—no way it could break my Magma Shield...
But in the next instant, Baroque's face twisted in horror.
Hundreds of runes surged out from the spectral wheel behind Leon, instantly forming dozens of Fire Impacts.
In a single second, at least forty or fifty Fire Impacts slammed against his Magma Shield.
In an instant, the flames burning on the Magma Shield were forced apart. The searing magma was actually extinguished by the barrage of Fire Impacts!
The Magma Shield crumbled into a pile of ashes and drifted away.
And then, more than a dozen Fire Impacts surged toward Baroque's body!
Baroque roared, instantly summoning a shield covered in runes. Flaming runes flowed across the surface, wrapping him in protection.