Chapter 597: Despicable
Within the Watson Family, the Crystal Balance is known as Absolute Defense. Reid Watson had heard from those in the ancestral grounds that even if cast by a newly advanced Title Archmage, it could withstand the full-force strike of a Heavenly Rank expert. Now, with Cyrus Watson wielding the Crystal Balance, the magic's power would reach unimaginable heights.
It must be said, this is a truly astonishing spell.
However, the Crystal Balance isn't without flaws; at the very least, the price paid to cast it is enormous.
It's said that after casting the Crystal Balance, at best it causes magical instability, and at worst, it can lead to magical backlash.
Reid Watson never expected Cyrus Watson to cast the Crystal Balance at this moment. Clearly, he was so enraged by Leon that he lost his composure...
When the Crystal Balance appeared, Cyrus Watson immediately drew astonished gazes. Whether it was Councilor Weiss, Felton, or Leon, all eyes fell upon the Crystal Balance.
At their level, they could already see through the essence of magic. The surge of mana within the Crystal Balance left everyone momentarily awestruck.
So powerful...
Yet, at this moment, there was no time left for them to admire the Crystal Balance.
Because, once Cyrus Watson raised the Crystal Balance, he finally drew Oracis's attention. This ancient beast let out a roar, and the apocalypse finally erupted...
The previous apocalyptic disaster was merely a brief prelude. From the Crystal Balance, Oracis sensed a sliver of threat. Though it was only a trace, to this beast, it was enough to warrant its full attention.
Thus, a more devastating apocalypse arrived ahead of schedule.
This was a cataclysmic disaster. Amidst the rolling smoke, Oracis's figure was almost invisible. A monstrous gray mushroom cloud suddenly surged into the sky, and at the same time, the deafening roar made everyone clutch their ears in agony.
Reina's body shuddered, letting out a piercing scream as she plummeted from the sky. If Leon hadn't reacted in time, using Levitation to leave Reina's body, he would have been crushed to a pulp...
Oracis is about to erupt...
Yes, it's really about to erupt.
The magma that once only seeped through the jungle suddenly boiled over again, and this time, the eruption was truly terrifying.
Before anyone could react, the overwhelming magma instantly flooded the entire jungle. The area here isn't small at all! Yet, in a split second, it was swallowed by magma...
And then, everything changed.
If this place was once a lush, ancient jungle, now it has become a thousand-mile wasteland...
A true thousand-mile wasteland—the ground was crimson, the air thick with gray smoke and scorching heat. Even a touch would cause one's skin to rot away...
It was an excruciating sensation—not only the body was tormented, but even the soul shivered with dread. Oracis's power now was beyond human resistance; it was true annihilation.
Bodies felt as if they might explode at any moment. No one dared draw even a hint of mana from the air—it would be a disaster.
Yet even so, the pain wracking their bodies made even the Title Archmages grimace in agony. Even Felton was not exempt. It was as if their bodies were roasted in a furnace, bathing in a volcano—none could endure it.
“Damn it, all together now! We can't let this apocalypse continue, or none of us will make it out alive.” Cyrus Watson was nearly roaring in desperation. If the Crystal Balance had been a show of anger toward Leon before, now it was simply a struggle to survive the apocalypse.
After saying this, Cyrus Watson manipulated the Crystal Balance to block the apocalypse. Though he was unharmed for now, that was only while the Crystal Balance endured. What if his mana ran dry?
Time was too precious—Cyrus Watson dared not waste it.
Still, it must be said, the Crystal Balance truly lives up to its reputation as Absolute Defense...
The area it shielded was like a world apart—vegetation remained vibrant, and even the flow of mana was undisturbed.
The recent apocalypse hadn't destroyed the Crystal Balance.
Heh...' Leon cast a sardonic glance at Cyrus Watson. So now he knows how to fight for survival? Well, it's better to fight than not at all...
Immediately, Leon coordinated Reina and Hubert, combining their power to carve out a relatively safe space. Then, they gave everything they had to resist the apocalypse.
The apocalypse seemed to have gone mad, and Oracis was as if it had taken a stimulant. Fortunately, despair didn't fully set in; after everyone paid a steep price, they barely managed to hold out.
No one had it easy. For example, Councilor Weiss of the Black Tower was nearly struck down by Oracis's apocalypse. If he hadn't activated the high-level spell Ice Pillar at the last moment, he'd have been pulverized...
But at that moment, Leon issued another order, shouting: “Run!”
It was like the voice of heaven. Only then did everyone truly unite, and no one questioned Leon—why he had said to fight before, and now to flee.
Then, everyone cast Flight or activated flying magic items, scattering in all directions.
At the same time, everyone realized—the space here wasn't sealed. There was enough room to escape Oracis.
Could it be...
Was it because of the apocalypse?
While Oracis unleashed this terrifying spell, it had no strength left to cast the Ashen Cage?
Yes, that must be it.
Suddenly, everyone understood why Matthew Merlin had insisted on a full-force strike against Oracis earlier. Now, the reason was clear.
But then, a small accident occurred.
The accident happened to Felton.
Felton's protective magic was no match for Cyrus Watson's. In fact, he couldn't produce anything comparable to the Crystal Balance. So, in the recent clash with Oracis, he was injured.
Of course, these wounds weren't serious—at the Title Archmage level, they were nothing.
But now, the task was to escape Oracis.
And so, a problem arose.
Because Felton was injured, his flight spell was far weaker than the others, leaving him at the rear of the group. Despite his best efforts, he simply couldn't overcome this disadvantage.
If that were all, it would be bad enough. What frustrated Felton even more was that Oracis was like a berserk beast, relentlessly bombarding them with ice and fire from a distance.
The powers of ice and fire were each ferocious. Combined, the ancient jungle was thrown into extremes, and the team suffered greatly.
Moreover...
Oracis seemed to have singled out Felton. This was terrifying—the area was already thick with magma, now compounded by Oracis's frost and flames. Felton, struggling to fly, was struck several times and half his body was frozen.
Damn!' Felton was truly furious, but powerless to resist Oracis. Otherwise, he would have struck back without hesitation, showing that beast his strength.
But Felton knew this couldn't go on. At this rate, he'd soon become Oracis's target and be shot down, falling into utter darkness.
So Felton did something unexpected.
He actually cast Gravity on Cyrus Watson, who was just ahead!
Caught off guard, Cyrus Watson suddenly felt his body grow heavy and lost his balance. The Crystal Balance wobbled. At this moment, even a simple Gravity spell could expose a fatal weakness in the Crystal Balance.
Immediately, Oracis shifted its target to Cyrus Watson.
It made sense—even if Oracis was just an ancient beast without human intelligence, it knew that Cyrus Watson was its greatest threat. Now, given the chance to destroy him, it wouldn't hold back.
Soon, Cyrus Watson was gravely wounded. Under Oracis's relentless assault, the Crystal Balance finally shattered, unable to maintain its original form...
Then, he was sent flying. The gray mist within Oracis's attacks was revolting, like a layer of sticky glue that couldn't be wiped away.
Worse still, the head of Oracis that wielded void magic began to glow with a dazzling gray light. The surging magical aura made Cyrus Watson roar—he knew that the third head was about to unleash a new spell...
Seeing disaster looming, Cyrus Watson couldn't help but roar at Felton: “Felton, you’re despicable!”
“Despicable? At a time like this? Looks like you still don't get it.” Felton had already flown past Cyrus Watson's head, glancing back with utter disdain.