Chapter 536: Illusory Realm of the Snow Demon
At this moment, not only Larn Merlin and Uriel Merlin, but everyone in the squad was staring at the surface of the sea. Their faces were pale with terror as a massive shadow slowly glided beneath them, churning the water into a boiling frenzy. Then, as they watched, the enormous shape lurking under the waves began to look disturbingly familiar—until, one after another, monstrous heads broke the surface. The group was utterly stunned. It was the same Sky Rank Beast that had appeared on the ice fields not long ago!
Yes...
Nine heads emerged from the water, each neck over ten meters long. Two rows of razor-sharp fangs gleamed coldly in the sunlight...
"Ah! Run! It's really that Sky Rank Beast..." Larn Merlin screamed, nearly scared out of his wits. The instant he saw those nine heads, he couldn't help but recall the scene of this beast devouring Frost Mammoths one by one. Cold sweat drenched him from head to toe...
There was no helping it—it was just too terrifying...
Even someone like him, who had fought across countless planes for decades and was nearly a Fifth Level Title Archmage, instantly turned pale with fright. His scalp tingled as he stared at those nine heads, eyes filled with endless terror.
This was true Sky Rank...
In the entire Northend, this was one of the most terrifying forces. Even the slightest trace of its power far surpassed the limits any Title Archmage could bear.
That is no exaggeration...
Just look at those Frost Mammoths from before—there were over a thousand of them, each at least Level Thirty. Such an overwhelming force could easily spell doom for even the most powerful Title Archmage, should they be surrounded.
But...
With the appearance of the Sky Rank Beast, those thousand-plus Frost Mammoths didn't even have the courage to flee, let alone fight back. They were utterly stripped of any will to resist.
This is the power of Sky Rank...
After screaming, Larn Merlin didn't even think—he pointed his staff and cast a Flight spell, determined to leave this damned place no matter what.
He knew perfectly well that, as a Title Archmage, escaping under the nose of a Sky Rank Beast was nearly impossible. But he also understood that trying to run at least gave him a slim chance—while staying here meant certain death.
A dazzling light burst forth. Just as he was about to soar into the sky, Larn Merlin suddenly felt a mysterious hand clamp down on his shoulder. At the same time, an indescribable force crushed his mana, cutting off his spell mid-cast.
In an instant, the sudden change nearly drove Larn Merlin mad. He was about to curse out loud when he realized—the person gripping his shoulder was Matthew Merlin...
This young mage made him uneasy, but what the young mage had just done was beyond his tolerance. Combined with the incident in the snow cave earlier, his resentment toward the young mage deepened. Gritting his teeth, he suppressed his anger and said, "What are you doing?"
That was a genuine Sky Rank Beast...
Forget this squad—even if Chairman Heron of the Black Tower joined forces with Star Sage Joey from Cloudspire Tower, they wouldn't stand a chance against that terrifying beast. The only option would be to flee for their lives.
What was that young mage thinking...
Did he not realize how terrifying the power of that Sky Rank Beast on the sea was?
This was true Sky Rank—if we stayed here, we'd barely be a snack for it.
There was no way the young mage didn't know all this...
After all, just a few hours ago, when the Sky Rank Beast burst out from beneath the glacier, the young mage was right there and saw it all happen.
"Matthew Merlin, you really are ruthless. You won't let me escape—are you trying to get me killed?" Larn Merlin's face was deathly pale as he glared at Leon, his emotions running wild. As he spoke, his finger nearly jabbed Leon's nose. "I just don't get it—why do you always target me? Was it just because I treated you badly before? I was punished for that, you sealed my mana. Isn't that enough?"
"I don't think we've got any deep-seated grudge, do we? Just because of that little incident, you really want me dead?" Larn Merlin's expression twisted with madness and cold laughter. He'd already decided to go down swinging—if death was inevitable, he might as well say everything on his mind.
He truly hated the young mage!
"I think you've really misunderstood..." Leon was clearly taken aback. He rubbed his nose and looked at Larn Merlin, half amused, half helpless. If he really wanted Larn Merlin dead, there'd be no need for all this trouble—just a few high-level spells and it would be over in an instant.
"So, not only are you ruthless, you're also a complete hypocrite..." Larn Merlin's face twisted into a mask of hysteria, his laughter harsh and wild.
...
At this point, Leon couldn't even be bothered to roll his eyes. He just shook his head helplessly and slowly released Larn Merlin's shoulder. As his mana surged, a flame suddenly sprang up around his hand, enveloping it completely—this was the beginner-level spell, Flame Hand.
His action immediately drew everyone's attention. No one could figure out why, with danger looming and the Sky Rank Beast possibly about to burst from the sea and devour them all, the young mage wasn't trying to escape but instead cast Flame Hand.
[Irrelevant passage skipped.]
"Ah!"
Under the squad's confused gaze, Leon's hand, radiating heat, suddenly grabbed at the empty air in front of him. Instantly, a piercing scream echoed in everyone's ears.
Where did that scream come from...?
Everyone froze, unable to believe their ears. They'd heard it clearly—there really was a scream.
But aside from themselves and the Sky Rank Beast, there didn't seem to be any other living things here...
What was that scream about?
Just as everyone was puzzling over it, another scream rang out. Now they finally realized—the sound seemed to be coming from the young mage's flame-wrapped hand. Staring in shock, they saw, faintly, a silvery-white figure struggling inside the fire, hissing and writhing for several seconds before finally growing still.
"What is that...?" Thorne Merlin, the seasoned commander, was the first to react. Even he couldn't help but look stunned at the bizarre sight, his voice barely above a whisper.
The silvery-white figure seemed to appear out of nowhere, without any warning at all.
"A Snow Wraith... To be precise, it's a type of frost elemental. They're quite special among elemental beings, and mages usually call them Snow Wraiths because their powers are so strange—like sorcery. They create illusions so convincing, it's impossible to tell what's real." As he spoke, Leon cut off his mana, and the Flame Hand faded away. The palm-sized Snow Wraith lay quietly in his hand, now charred black by the flames.
With a flick of his wrist, the Snow Wraith's corpse dropped swiftly, landing with a splash in the ocean below.
In fact, Snow Wraiths are so rare in Northend that most mages have never even heard of them, let alone realized they exist among ice elementals.
It wasn't until the Magical Apex Era that obsessed mages uncovered all the secrets of Snow Wraiths. Leon only knew so much because he'd once read an ancient tome from that era in a desolate library. Of course, this was his first time actually encountering a Snow Wraith.
Snow Wraiths are among the weakest of elemental beings, about on par with Volcano Sprites—only around Level Ten. But they appear in swarms of thousands whenever they show up.
Still, you'd be foolish to underestimate them...
These illusion-crafting elementals have claimed countless mage lives throughout Northend's history—even top-tier Title Archmages have fallen to their tricks.
They usually hunt in groups, creating illusions and quietly waiting for prey to fall into their trap. Their illusions come in two main types: one is tempting, filled with beauty or riches to lure victims in. But once someone's caught up in the joy of the illusion, danger may already be upon them...
The other kind is like this—an illusion filled with terrifying threats, making its victims panic and fearful. When their guard is down, countless Snow Wraiths suddenly swarm out, bringing true disaster...
But Leon knew these illusions have a fatal flaw.
If someone inside the illusion realizes it's fake—and manages to catch a Snow Wraith—the whole illusion collapses. They're created by thousands of Snow Wraiths working together, and each one acts as a node in the illusion. Break a node, and the illusion loses balance and falls apart.