Chapter 170: I'm Saving You
The old man's voice was soft, his steps unhurried. He was thin, his hair completely white, and at first glance, he looked just like any ordinary elder.
Yet, with just a single sentence from the old man, the entire hall of the Gilded Rose fell silent. The howling wind ceased, magic stopped flowing, and the tense atmosphere instantly vanished. Even time itself seemed to freeze—an experience one could only truly understand if they lived through it.
He might appear ordinary, but the old man carried an indescribable magical presence. Simply walking down the stairs made everyone feel an overwhelming pressure.
"Hmm?" Leon, though only a fifth-level Grand Mage, was the most sensitive to the flow of magic and the changes in magical elements among those present. Immersed in this boundless pressure, Leon immediately realized that the force did not come from the old man himself, but from the world itself...
Leon understood at once—this must be the legendary transcendent power...
Nowadays, Star Sage Joey was just one step away from reaching the Heavenly Rank. Although he hadn't truly mastered transcendent power, his understanding of it already surpassed all Title Archmages. The magical fluctuations he unconsciously released now carried a faint trace of that power.
Back in the world of the Death Tome, Leon had experienced the power of a peak Title Archmage firsthand. But this was the first time he'd truly felt transcendent power—so close to the Heavenly Rank, where every gesture could shatter the world. This was the true force of worldly laws and personal power entwined, a terror that simply didn't belong to mortals...
Now, this old man who had already brushed against transcendent power slowly walked down the stairs and stood in the hall of the Gilded Rose. The boundless pressure radiated outward, making even Kadgar and Soth, who stood furthest away, feel as if they couldn't breathe.
As for Horne, who was at the very center of it all, there was no need to even mention his suffering...
At this moment, the ninth-level Archmage still clung tightly to his staff, maintaining the spellcasting gesture for Wind Serpent. But his square face had twisted into a bizarre expression—a mixture of anger, shock, confusion, and fear.
It was as if some mysterious force had gathered all sorts of emotions and plastered them onto Horne's face at once...
In that instant, Horne was utterly stunned. His eyes stared blankly at Joey, and amidst all the terror and shock, there was even a hint of innocence.
No mistake—Horne genuinely felt innocent.
It was like walking alone at night and singing a tune, only to accidentally attract wolves. Horne just couldn't figure it out—he'd only mentioned Lord Joey's name, only tried to warn Salomon not to get involved, so how did he end up so unlucky as to draw Joey here?
"Just now, you said no one could save Merlin?" Joey stood there casually, his first words devoid of any anger.
But across from him, Horne's face instantly turned pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead in fat drops. The once imposing ninth-level Archmage was now so frightened before Joey that he couldn't utter a single word.
Three hundred years ago, Joey took charge of Cloudspire Tower, and in those centuries, he single-handedly raised it to the peak of the Andalusia Kingdom. Even the mighty Black Tower, with its formidable Caucasus Battlemages, never forced Joey to retreat. For every mage at Cloudspire Tower, Joey's status was supreme—their feelings for him went far beyond mere fear or respect.
No exaggeration—Joey was the one true god of Cloudspire Tower!
And now, with the one true god of Cloudspire Tower standing right before him, even though Joey's words held no anger, Horne was still so terrified he couldn't speak...
"Salomon doesn't have the right to order you around, but surely I do?" This was Joey's second sentence, and unlike the first, he furrowed his brows slightly.
And with that, Horne completely broke down...
"I'm sorry, Lord Joey, I didn't know you had any connection with Matthew Merlin..." Horne nearly burst into tears on the spot.
By now, Horne realized that Leon Merlin was bound to suffer a loss this time. Never mind Matthew Merlin's own considerable strength—even if he were just an ordinary man, with Lord Joey's protection, not even someone like Leon could do anything about it.
No, no, at this point, it's not even about losses anymore.
If Matthew Merlin held a grudge and said a few words before Lord Joey, it wouldn't just be Leon Merlin in trouble—even Horne, a ninth-level Archmage, might end up sharing his misfortune.
Now, Horne didn't dare think further. He just hoped Matthew Merlin wouldn't pursue the matter. As for mana shackles and magical materials, Horne had already tossed those concerns out the window...
Yet Horne hadn't expected that Joey, who had only furrowed his brows a moment before, would suddenly darken his expression after hearing those words.
"What, do you think I'm just favoring Merlin?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant, Lord Joey, please let me explain..." Horne nearly wet himself, shaking his head and desperately trying to explain...
Lord Joey actually used the word 'favoring'!
If word got out, I'd instantly become the public enemy of Cloudspire Tower!
"Enough, Horne, you don't need to explain anything. I watched you grow up—how could I not know what you're thinking? Do you really believe I'm personally shielding Merlin? Do you think I'm forcing you to agree to something?"
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"No, no... Lord Joey, I really don't mean that, please... please just hear me out, okay?" Horne was so anxious he was nearly in tears. Every word Joey spoke sent his heart racing—favoring, forcing—it was like one slap after another landing on Horne's face.
And he didn't even dare try to dodge.
All he could do was try to explain, but he couldn't even get a complete sentence out.
"Idiot!" Joey finally snapped, unable to hold back any longer. "Don't you get it? I'm saving you!"
"Huh?"
At that, not only did the babbling Horne freeze, but even Kadgar, Soth, Monty, and the others—all with their own agendas—were left with their mouths hanging open. For a moment, they even wondered if they'd misheard. Did Lord Joey just say... saving you?
What... what is happening here?
In a battle where a ninth-level Archmage is crushing a fifth-level Grand Mage, how could something like 'saving you' even come up?
For a moment, all three of them wondered if Lord Joey had simply misspoken.
"You don't quite believe it, do you?" Joey shot Horne a cold look.
Horne's face showed no defiance, but the confusion in his eyes gave away his true thoughts...
That's right—Horne didn't believe it, not one bit...
He was a bona fide ninth-level Archmage. Sure, he wasn't as terrifying as Solan from the Black Tower, but against a fifth-level Grand Mage, there shouldn't be any surprises at all...
Even if this fifth-level Grand Mage was much stronger than he looked, there was no way he could actually stand up to a ninth-level Archmage, right?
Sure, Matthew Merlin had defeated Leon Merlin, but Leon was only a first-level Archmage. Compared to a ninth-level Archmage, that's an entirely different world. No matter how careless or off his game Horne might be, he shouldn't lose to such a young mage, right?
"It seems you really don't believe it..." Joey stared at Horne for a long time before turning his gaze to Leon. "Merlin, why don't you tell us yourself—can you defeat Horne?"
"No," Leon didn't hesitate—he simply shook his head.
Hearing Leon's answer, everyone in the hall, for some reason, let out a collective sigh of relief. Even Monty, who'd been hoping to take advantage of the chaos, felt the same—after all, the stronger Leon was, the worse it was for Monty. But even Kadgar and Soth, who usually got along well with Leon, reacted this way...
That alone showed just how shocking Joey's earlier words had been...
"Tell the truth," Joey said, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.
"Really, I can't." Leon shook his head firmly, but after a pause, he added, "But Archmage Horne will definitely die."
The moment those words dropped, everyone in the Gilded Rose hall sucked in a sharp breath.
"I'll definitely die?" Horne was so shocked by this that he nearly burst a lung.
How could a fifth-level Grand Mage have the confidence to declare the life and death of a ninth-level Archmage? Even with Joey backing you, that's a bit much, isn't it?
"Horne, shut up," Joey snapped after a brief pause. He then frowned, silent for about ten seconds, before finally nodding: "That's right, Horne would definitely die. If Salomon and I hadn't come down, in five minutes, both you and Horne would be dead..."
"Mm." Leon nodded and didn't say another word.
At that, everyone in the hall—including Horne and Leon Merlin—was left completely unsettled. Every word of their conversation was clear, but put together, it just didn't make sense.
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