Chapter 484: Sophistry
The young mage raised his ancient staff across his chest. As he channeled a surge of mana, the staff burst forth with dazzling light. Five Fireballs, each trailing a long tail of flame, swept forward with blistering heat, bombarding the Blazeforge Orc Shaman. Even from over ten meters away, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin could feel the terrifying power contained within those Fireballs.
The furious Blazeforge Orc Shaman finally showed a hint of panic on his face, clearly realizing the young mage was a formidable enemy. The dark red runes covering his body flared violently, draining all of his strength. Flames blossomed across his skin, enveloping him completely.
The Blazeforge Orc Shaman’s strength was on full display. Wrapped in countless flames, he possessed immense magical immunity. Even a Fifth-Level Title Archmage might not be able to harm him.
But in the next instant, the five Fireballs struck with incredible speed, hitting the Blazeforge Orc dead-on. A shrill scream rang out as the dark red flames surrounding him were instantly extinguished by half. The force of the explosion sent the Blazeforge Orc Shaman flying dozens of meters like a broken kite.
"Boom..."
With a thunderous crash, the Blazeforge Orc’s massive body smashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater. Now, his breath was ragged, his chest scorched black, and blood gushed forth uncontrollably.
Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin were utterly stunned. They could hardly believe that these were just Fireballs—yet they had wounded the Blazeforge Orc Shaman to such a degree. It was almost unbelievable...
Then, the young mage raised his staff again...
Suddenly, a pitch-black hand appeared in the sky, smashing down with brutal force. The Blazeforge Orc Shaman, not yet able to climb out, was struck hard by the black hand. Another thunderous boom echoed, and the shaman’s aura vanished completely—his corpse already torn to pieces.
"My god..."
Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin were too shocked to speak, utterly dumbfounded. They were scared stiff, and now when they looked at the young mage, their eyes were filled with deep awe.
The Blazeforge Orc Shaman who had rendered them helpless was utterly defeated before this young mage. Looking back and doing the math, they realized he had slain the shaman with just six offensive spells—five Fireballs and one Earthsplitter Hand.
"Roar..."
The other Blazeforge Orcs were clearly stunned by Leon's display, letting out incredulous howls. A dozen pairs of dark red eyes fell on Leon, but the fierceness was gone—replaced by fear. That young mage was like a nightmare to the Blazeforge Orcs...
It was terrifying...
The tribe's famed prophet hadn't even lasted ten seconds before his body was blasted apart.
But Leon wasn’t finished. Behind him, a red-and-blue wheel rose, hovering like a full moon. As mana surged into it, the Arcane Wheel blazed brilliantly, unleashing hundreds of low-level spells that engulfed three top-tier Blazeforge Orcs nearby. They didn’t even get a chance to scream—their bodies were left cold and lifeless.
Floating above the battlefield, Leon looked down expressionlessly at the remaining Blazeforge Orc Shamans. He raised the Doombringer Staff, and with a flash of light, Fireballs—each trailing a long tail—shot toward the shamans. Screams rang out one after another.
In barely ten seconds, of the dozen Blazeforge Orc Shamans at the start, only two remained. These were the strongest, both Third-Level Title Archmages, but now they were nearly scared witless. There was nothing to be done—this human mage was simply terrifying.
At this, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin stared at each other, their spells faltering in their hands. Damn, was this really just a Fifth-Level Archmage?
A dozen Blazeforge Orc Shamans—the weakest among them were top-tier Archmages. That’s a terrifying force, right? Even a Fifth-Level Title Archmage surrounded by them would be in grave danger. Yet before the young mage, they were utterly helpless...
When they first saw the young mage, both of them doubted his abilities. Was he really qualified to be a commander of the Planar Legion?
But now, Edgar and Uriel Merlin didn’t dare even think such things...
If this terrifying guy isn’t qualified to be a commander, then there can’t be more than a handful of people in the Ancestral Grounds who are.
Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin were genuinely terrified...
Who would have thought a Fifth-Level Archmage could possess such horrifying power?
For a moment, both of them felt utterly conflicted.
By now, the battle was nearly over...
There had been more than a dozen Blazeforge Orc Shamans before, but after Leon made his move, only two were left. Soon, under the combined assault of Leon and his companions, the last two fell with a final roar, their bodies left cold and lifeless. Looking at the corpses of more than a dozen Blazeforge Orcs around them, Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin let out a long breath, finding it hard to believe—these were the tribe’s strongest, and now they all lay dead.
Prime Flame Sprites scattered, igniting flames that burned the Blazeforge Orc corpses to ash. Only after finishing this did Leon leave with Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin.
The elemental armies had all been summoned and controlled by the Blazeforge Orc Shamans. But now, with the shamans dead, the endless tide of elementals was left unchecked. No longer did they recklessly charge the Inferno Fortress—many even wandered off the battlefield.
For the next three hours, the entire Planar Legion fought on, hunting down the scattered elementals. After clearing the battlefield, they finally returned to Inferno Fortress.
Back at Inferno Fortress, Leon stayed in the barracks for a while, then called Edgar Merlin and Uriel Merlin to the council hall.
There, Thorne Merlin and several Planar Legion officers were speaking in low voices. When Leon and the others entered, everyone paused, their gazes sweeping over Leon in strange silence—no one came over to greet him.
"You all go handle your business..."
From the moment Leon entered, Thorne Merlin’s face darkened. He waved the other officers away, then turned a piercing gaze on Leon, a cold smile twisting his features. "Matthew Merlin, you really are something..."
Honestly, Thorne Merlin was nearly livid. While defending Inferno Fortress against the elemental hordes, that damned Matthew Merlin had actually led two Title Archmages out of the fortress. The elementals outside were endless; even the whole Planar Legion would’ve faced annihilation if they left. For a few people to rush out was sheer madness.
At the time, he was sure that bastard Matthew Merlin was as good as dead...
He should’ve been happy, but he wasn’t at all. Before leaving, he’d known how crucial this Blazeforge Realm campaign was for the Merlin Family—any mistake would be disastrous. If someone as strong as Matthew Merlin died out there, the loss to the family would be immense.
For the sake of the family's interests, Thorne Merlin might loathe Leon, but for now, he didn't want him dead.
After clearing the battlefield and hearing his subordinates’ reports, Thorne Merlin finally learned the guy had actually survived.
No denying it—he was lucky...
When Thorne Merlin realized Leon was still alive, he was filled with pent-up anger. That damned Matthew Merlin—supposed to be a commander—had nearly caused disaster right after arriving in the Blazeforge Realm.
Thinking of this, Thorne’s anger grew. He fought the urge to point at Leon and curse him out, and instead barked, "Matthew Merlin, do you have any idea how serious it is to leave Inferno Fortress at such a critical moment? We could have lost the fortress we fought so hard for. That’s not a responsibility you or I can bear!"
"Lord Thorne, I think you might be mistaken..." Leon frowned, his voice growing cold. The day before departure, back in the Ancestral Grounds, he’d promised Orren Merlin that during his time in the Blazeforge Realm, he’d avoid conflict with Thorne Merlin and help lead the Planar Legion in searching for their ancestor’s relics.
"Mistaken?"
Thorne Merlin sneered, as if he’d just heard the world’s funniest joke, staring at Leon. To him, Leon was just someone who ruined more than he accomplished—aside from his strength, he had no redeeming qualities. Worst of all, he wouldn’t even admit to his mistakes.
"Don’t bother trying to argue. Everyone saw you rush out of Inferno Fortress at the crucial moment. No matter how eloquently you explain, no one will believe you."
Thorne Merlin finally lost his patience, casting Leon a strange look. He’d planned to let it go if Leon admitted his mistake—but he hadn’t expected Leon to keep arguing and try to dodge responsibility. That was just infuriating. This young commander was a disaster; not only had he nearly caused catastrophe, he wouldn’t even own up to it.
No, leaving someone like this in the Blazeforge Realm was asking for trouble.
"There’s no need to explain further. I’ll report everything to the Family Council. If there’s more to the story, you can explain it to them yourself..." Thorne Merlin’s face was expressionless, as if pronouncing Leon’s sentence. "But I’d advise you not to bother—they’ll judge you fairly, no matter your status. Punishment will come as it must, and that goes for anyone."