Chapter 805: Earthquake
Gifted with the powers of two races, Councilor Suville was a menace—almost untouchable. As Leon sensed the interplay between Suville’s arcane force and death energy, a cold realization crept in: fatal wounds had become meaningless to this creature, mere shadows of pain.
Unless it was a single, decisive blow—there was simply no killing this monster.
The relentless barrage of spells seemed, on the surface, to be mere harassment—forcing Suville back, surrounding him with arcane force. That was what everyone thought, even Suville himself, their minds clouded by uncertainty and silent dread.
Yet none realized that every move was a calculated trap, designed to drive Suville into manifesting his true Ghost Incarnation—right into the snare Leon had woven.
Even the volley of Voidrend Icicles was no accident; Leon unleashed them to numb Suville’s senses, letting him believe that these trivial frost wounds were beneath notice.
It was all a ruse to slow Suville down—because the spell Leon was preparing for the finale, for all its power, was agonizingly slow to cast...
No one perceived the truth: behind Leon, the phantom Arcane Wheel shimmered with runes, their numbers and speed far surpassing what any ordinary spell demanded. Each glyph was a silent testament to the tension twisting inside him.
Because nearly all his strength was being poured into a different, hidden spell—a gamble beneath the surface.
Touch of Life!
This was the powerful spell that had manifested early, ever since the power of that colossal heart was awakened back in Nightfall Gorge.
It had neither offensive nor defensive capabilities.
Its greatest effect was to reduce an undead's defense by anywhere from one to ten ranks!
If cast by a Heavenly Mage who truly mastered the spell, it could lower an undead's defense by ten full ranks in a single strike!
When used on the living, it also boosted magical activity and mental clarity.
Unfortunately, Leon was under a language curse—chanting was out of the question. He had to rely on the Arcane Wheel to combine runes, and it took him more than ten seconds to finally cast the spell.
And the spell was far too slow. Under normal circumstances, there was no way it could hit someone as terrifyingly fast as Suville.
Trap after trap, each one leading to the next, until Suville plunged right into the snare.
Not only was his speed slowed, ensuring Touch of Life would hit him, but he was also forced to use Ghostform—which instantly amplified the spell's effect by at least half!
And then, something terrifying happened...
Originally, the effect would have only lowered Suville's skeletal body's defense from rank thirty-nine to thirty-six. But with the amplification, his defenses were brutally reduced from thirty-nine all the way down to thirty-four...
Even if his magic remained intact, Suville's body could no longer withstand the surging death energy...
Especially since Suville only had half an undead body—his form instantly fell into chaos. In that moment, Leon had all the time he needed to calmly unleash Starfire and incinerate Suville's skeleton...
With the skeleton destroyed, his body's balance was completely shattered. Falling into the Starfire, what chance of survival remained?
That monster, once seemingly unkillable, was suddenly reduced to ashes.
Everything changed far too quickly...
Everyone watching was utterly stunned.
Elsa and the Grand Elder gaped, completely baffled by what had just happened—how had that monster been burned to death so suddenly?
Councilor Weiss stood dumbfounded in the distance, staring at the suddenly tranquil battlefield.
What the hell just happened? What was that spell? My god, Merlin is already this powerful—he actually killed that monster Suville?
Crap, I forgot to run...
It was only after the blazing white fire faded that Councilor Weiss finally realized Suville had been killed, and all the Forgefire Dwarves he'd brought were captured. If he stayed, he'd probably end up a prisoner too...
Weiss turned to leave, a hint of magic just flickering around him, when a voice lazily drifted down from ahead...
"Councilor Weiss, where do you think you're going?"
Weiss looked up to see Leon floating in midair, the massive phantom Arcane Wheel slowly spinning behind him, endless runes swirling within. The Doombringer Staff in Leon's hand glimmered faintly.
All around, a crowd of hostile Dark Elves and Forgefire Dwarves had already surrounded them, waves of powerful magic radiating from every direction.
Weiss immediately sensed that, not counting Leon's own subordinates and the Forgefire Dwarves, there were at least two Ninth-Rank Title Archmages among the Dark Elves alone!
Shit, I'm dead this time...
Weiss, panic on his face, quickly raised his hands.
"I surrender, I surrender, Archmage Merlin! Please, don't attack—I really do want to cooperate with you. You saw what a lunatic Suville was; he's completely lost it..."
The phantom image of the Arcane Wheel behind Leon slowly dissipated, settling onto the ground as he glanced at Weiss.
"Speak. Where is Archmage Felton? What exactly happened with the Forgefire Clan?"
Weiss gave a bitter smile, knowing that hiding anything would do him no good—and might even get him torn apart by these Dark Elves. Besides, there was nothing left to hide...
"Lord Merlin, I was sincere in what I said before. Archmage Felton has grown unimaginably powerful. Honestly, you are strong—far stronger than I ever expected—but you are still nowhere near a match for Archmage Felton."
When we arrived in the Divine-Demon Dominion, we immediately made contact with the Forgefire Clan. While Archmage Felton was helping them excavate a relic, fortune smiled upon him—he alone gained almost all the benefits.
It was then that Suville suddenly resurrected as one of those half-human, half-undead monstrosities. As for me, I gained only a little, but it was enough to break through to the peak of Eighth-Rank Magister. Even if you all joined forces, none of you could stand against Archmage Felton now."
Hearing Weiss boast so much about Felton, Seth—whose face was dark and dreadful—couldn't hold back any longer.
Back when fighting Oracis, Felton had set Seth up, nearly getting him killed by Oracis. Later, aboard the Fearless, that monster impersonated Felton, wiping out the entire Seth family—leaving only Seth, who almost became a cripple. The hatred runs deep...
"Where is that scoundrel Felton—lower than dog filth? Where? I’ll tear him apart with my spells! This isn’t over. The Black Tower had better prepare for the Seth family’s terrible revenge!"
Seth roared, his voice trembling with rage.