Chapter 444: Puppet Frenzy
Councilor Weiss was teetering on the edge of madness. The events of that day haunted him relentlessly, replaying in his mind like a curse. After being thrown aside by Solan Monty, he spent ten agonizing days dodging the Avatar of the Wasteland Lord’s relentless pursuit. The cost was ruinous—not only was he gravely wounded, but twice he’d been seared by the Grayfire. If he didn’t find a Sky Rank mage soon to help extinguish the Grayfire, his soul would be nothing but ashes before long.
In fact, during his battle with Solan Monty, Weiss had to siphon off a portion of his strength just to keep the Grayfire suppressed—if its corrosive spread accelerated, it would devour him alive.
The moment Solan Monty hurled him away, Weiss swore to himself that if he survived, he would make his former apprentice pay—with blood.
He’d poured decades into molding his apprentice, only to be stabbed in the back when it mattered most. Anyone would lose their mind over such betrayal. If Weiss hadn’t weathered countless storms, he’d have coughed up blood from sheer rage then and there.
By some twisted stroke of luck—or maybe fate—he’d evaded the Wasteland Lord’s pursuit, and even managed to track down Solan Monty.
Every ounce of Weiss’s pent-up hatred exploded the instant he laid eyes on Solan Monty.
Yet after exchanging blows with Solan Monty, Weiss felt a chill settle deep in his bones—a cold realization gnawing at his heart.
He realized Solan Monty was no longer the apprentice he once knew—something dark and unfamiliar had replaced him.
A Fifth-level Title Archmage! The raw, oppressive power radiating from Solan Monty was unmistakable—a mage of this rank could bend lesser spellcasters to their will.
A bona fide Fifth-level Title Archmage. Now that Weiss himself had fallen to this rank, he found himself unable to subdue Solan Monty—and that was almost unbearable.
Solan Monty’s expression was a mask of shadow. At first, when he saw Weiss, panic clawed at him—he knew his teacher’s power all too well. Without at least Sixth-level Title Archmage strength, surviving an encounter with Weiss was virtually impossible. And he himself was only Fifth-level.
But almost immediately, Solan realized his teacher was badly weakened—Weiss had dropped to Fifth-level, and the power he could muster was now less than Solan’s own.
"Weiss, do you remember three years ago in the Azure Plane? I nearly died exploring a ruin, but I clawed my way out with an Essence Relic. And you—you forced me to hand it over. Honestly, I've had enough of your twisted teaching. If I hadn’t feared your strength, I’d have turned on you ages ago! And as for what happened two months ago, you really don’t need to be so angry. We’re even now, and I won’t pursue the Essence Relic anymore..."
But Weiss didn’t even hesitate—his attacks only grew fiercer. Brilliant, dazzling wind spells howled toward Solan Monty one after another, each one more vicious than the last.
Solan Monty’s face darkened even further. He could see it now—Weiss was ready to fight like a cornered animal, desperate and deadly.
For ten days straight, Solan Monty had swallowed his pride, living in dread of running into Matthew Merlin and losing his life. One Matthew Merlin was already more trouble than he could handle—now Weiss was here too...
Damn it, do they all have it out for me?
Screw it—if I'm going down, they're coming with me!
Solan Monty glared at Weiss, eyes blazing red, and unleashed every ounce of his Fifth-level Title Archmage power...
The battle raged for more than ten minutes—intense was an understatement. Both sides fought with the full power of Fifth-level Title Archmages, holding nothing back. Each was dead set on annihilating the other.
Once teacher and student, now mortal enemies fighting to the bitter end.
How perfectly ironic... Sometimes fate really has a twisted sense of humor.
The real spectacle wasn’t the magic flying back and forth, but how Weiss and Solan Monty kept airing each other's dirty laundry mid-fight. Every petty grudge, every old wound—dragged out for all to hear, including Leon Merlin, who could only stare in disbelief. Was this a duel, or just a public brawl?
By now, both Weiss and Solan Monty were nearly spent. What began as a clash of high-tier spells had devolved into slinging first- and second-tier magic—clearly, their mana reserves were running dry...
Weiss looked battered and exhausted. His wounds had only multiplied, and fresh blood mingled with the old.
"Stop it, both of you—now!"
Suddenly, Leon Merlin—who had been watching quietly all this time—turned pale and spoke in a low, urgent voice. Just moments ago, the control system he’d dismantled from the Sky Rank Golem began to act up.
The shift made his heart jolt. It felt as if some sinister force was trying to seize control of the system.
It reminded him of their arrival on the tenth floor—nearly a thousand Alchemical Golems had charged at them without hesitation. Back in the workshop, he’d suspected the chaos was caused by the Alchemical Golem’s previous master, but now... things seemed far less simple.
If he hadn’t dismantled the control system from the Sky Rank Golem, that construct could’ve been unleashed on them by that mysterious force.
What kind of entity could wield such power over Alchemical Golems—seizing control and rewriting their very programming...?
A sense of foreboding crept over him—his instincts screamed that disaster was inevitable. That’s why he tried to stop Weiss and Solan Monty’s fight; if they lingered here, catastrophe would surely follow...
But...
It was as if Weiss and Solan Monty hadn’t heard him at all—they kept trading spells, locked in a death match. Their hatred had reached the point where only death could settle things...
Suddenly, Leon Merlin surged into the fray, transforming into a Fire Elemental Avatar. With a flash of flame, he appeared beside Weiss and Solan Monty—no words, just action. Seven Ice Walls sprang up, instantly separating the two. Then, with a point of his Doombringer Staff, chains of fire lashed out, binding them both.
Normally, even with powerful amplification, a second-tier spell like Fire Chains would barely restrain a Fifth-level Title Archmage for a moment.
But this was no ordinary situation...
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Nearly drained of mana and utterly exhausted, Solan Monty and Weiss were ensnared by blazing chains, utterly immobilized. Weiss glared at Leon Merlin, his face livid with rage.