Chapter 670: Kill the God (1)

If they were to ready gamble with their lives right now, they should have gone in fully equipped with their armor and weapons.

This was the problem. The three of them were completely stripped of those things when they were captured by the bandits. How were they supposed to fight under such conditions? This was where Link’s spatial magic would come in handy.

Without further delay, after dispersing Morpheus’ white mist clone, Link plunged a hand that was now gleaming with a silver light into the space in front of him. When he pulled it back out, there were now three spatial rings on his palm.

“Catch!” Everything they needed was in those three rings.

Link put on one of the rings. He then willed out some equipment into existence from the spatial ring. In the span of a mere second, these pieces of equipment sat themselves on Link’s body on their own.

Turning around, Link saw that both Eliard and Dylosen were already fully equipped as well.

They still had nine seconds.

“Let’s move out!” Activating the Void Walk spell, Link sprinted toward the leftmost cliff face of the valley. Eliard and Dylosen followed close behind him.

As soon as they reached the cliff face, Link turned around and saw that the bandit leader and his merry band were still waiting there at the entrance of the valley. They looked at Link in confusion.

The bandit leader had Level-8 power. He could still be a problem.

Glancing at the bandit leader, Link swung the Ode of a Full Moon sword behind him. In an instant, he unleashed a crescent-shaped 30-foot-long arc in the air, which silently flew 3000 feet across the valley towards the bandit leader.

Whir… whir… whir… The bandits at the valley’s entrance, whose bodies were still intact a moment ago, were cleaved apart cleanly by an invisible force before they even knew what hit them.

Turning around again, Link saw that a few thousand feet away, black smoke was rising into the air. Then, a black cloud began forming above them, gradually blocking out all light from the sky until the valley was as dark as night.

“He’s activating a shadow realm with a law spell. Be careful, this is a Level-15 technique! He still has Level-15 power!” shouted Dylosen.

The Chaotic Moon was able to suppress Level-5 power. If that was the case, Morpheus should only have Level-14 power right now. However, he was still in possession of the divine fragment, allowing him to attenuate some of the Chaotic Moon’s effect.

This was not good!

Link had been reading the book titled Sacred Realm that he had gotten from the God of Light’s library whenever he had time to spare. He now had a deeper understanding of the Legendary realm and the spells that could be acquired at every level in it.

In the Legendary realm, every level had an entry threshold. The first threshold to cross over was the one between Level-14 and Level-15.

In the Sacred Realm, Legendary masters at Level-14 and below were akin to newborn babies. Higher-level babies would be more powerful than those at lower levels. However, the essences of their powers would still remain unchanged.

With his rapid spellcasting and his lethal battle techniques, Link might stand a chance against a higher-level opponent. However, as soon as a Legendary master reached Level-15, the power he had spent a lifetime accumulating would undergo its first transformation.

A master with Legendary power at this stage would have full control of the essence of their power. In other words, they would be able to twist the laws of nature to their advantage. Low-level Legendary masters might be able to muster a small portion of that power. However, once they hit Level-15, they would see a drastic increase in their control over said laws.

A “realm” would be formed through the mixing and matching of these laws with those governing the Firuman realm.

The shadows were the Shadow Stalker Morpheus’ domain. He had an ability similar to this even back in the game.

In the game, incredibly powerful masters like Nozama, Morpheus, Level-19 Eliard, Kanorse, and the Beastman Warlord all reigned supreme in their own realms.

As soon as they activated this ability, the world around them would begin to warp into an environment that would be conducive to their powers while inhibiting the powers of their enemies in the vicinity.

Under such circumstances, a Legendary master would have their combat power amplified considerably.

Seeing the encroaching darkness behind them, Link immediately said to Eliard, “Defend yourself! Just focus on keeping yourself alive for now!”

Morpheus was a demi-god Assassin. He was at his strongest in the shadows. A full-blown attack by him from the darkness would instantly kill Eliard, whose power was still at Level-11, making him the party’s weakest link.

Eliard nodded. He first cast a Level-11 Legendary spell, “Ultimate Defense,” on himself. He then produced three Void crystals and activated them. Layers of light began settling on his body, forming a one-foot-thick crystalline sheen around him.

At the same time, Link and Dylosen set up their own defenses as well. The three of them were now floating in mid-air, 100 feet away from each other in a triangular formation. This way, if one of them were about to be in danger, the other two would be able to come to his aid in time.

At this point, the sky had completely darkened above them. The only light in this world of darkness came from the magical defenses that Link and the other had set up around themselves.

Still, no matter how anxiously they waited in the darkness, Morpheus had yet to reveal himself!

If he decided to spend the next ten seconds in hiding, he would soon return to full strength. At that point, if Link and the others still had not managed to escape the shadow realm, they would be forced to contend with a Level-19 demi-god. Death was the only possible outcome in such a confrontation.

“Dylosen, where is he?!” shouted Link. Dylosen was the only one who could seek out Morpheus in the darkness using the Level-19 Pinnacle sacred gear.

Dylosen’s heart was now racing. Seconds passed, and he was still no closer to pinpointing Morpheus’ exact location with the Chaotic Moon.

He began channeling his full power into the Chaotic Moon. His hands now sweating profusely, he muttered, “I’m still trying to find him. His realm is really muddling up my senses!”

Link’s nerves were tautened in anticipation of the enemy’s ambush from the darkness. One second, two seconds, three seconds… Seconds passed, but Dylosen still did not have the faintest idea where their enemy could be.

None of them had ever encountered anyone as menacing as Morpheus. Their current situation was not unlike being thrown into a fiery pit with nowhere to run.

Link knew that they could not go on like this. Waiting for Dylosen to track down Morpheus was not an idea he found appealing right now. He needed to find a way out of this, but how? Should they run for their lives? No, they still had six seconds left. There was still a chance. The only thing they needed to concern themselves with now was to find Morpheus in the darkness before he found them!

Suddenly, something clicked in Link’s mind. He recalled using a certain spell to dispel Morpheus’ shadow realm back in the game. Unfortunately, it was a Level-18 spell. With his current power level, there was no way he would be able to use it.

However, the memory of this spell was like a key which automatically unlocked certain parts of Link’s memory that had been locked away in his mind for a long time. No, there was still another spell, another technique that could get us out of this… Yes, I’ve got it!

In the game, few players were able to use magic to dispel Morpheus’ shadow realm. However, as they still needed to defeat him, some Magicians had come up with a particularly effective way to bypass his shadow realm.

Though it was an ingenious technique, one still needed to have Level-14 Magical Power in order to use it. Link would also have to burn through all of his power to cast it.

But Link did not mind exhausting all his power for this, for he still had an extremely power magic stone at his disposal: the Energy Crystal that would replenish his power once activated!

At that moment, Eliard saw that Dylosen was still wrestling with the Chaotic Moon. He knew that the man had come to his wit’s end.

“Link, should we retreat?” shouted Eliard.

Link shook his head. “No, we still have a chance. Witness my magic!”

While saying this, Link was perusing the spell menu that had appeared in his field of vision. He soon selected a spell named “Sunlight.”

Sunlight

Level-14 Legendary spell

Cost: 28,000 Realm Essence points.

Description: Convert a huge amount of power into pure sunlight. If cast at full power, the resulting illumination may even be as bright as sunlight.

(Note: Light unlike anything you’ve ever seen!)

The Sunlight spell might not be enough to pierce through the darkness around them. Even though Morpheus’ power had been inhibited by them, he was still a Level-15 master with his own realm.

There existed a wide chasm between Level-14 and Level-15. Morpheus would just ignore the Sunlight spell like it was nothing.

Therefore, Link still needed to try another technique.

To an ordinary Magician, this technique might prove difficult to pull off. However, to a spatial Magician like Link, it would be child’s play. He currently had 190 Omni Points. After buying this Level-14 spell, he still had 50 points remaining, which he then used to give himself a power boost

Though he was only able to raise his power by 50 points, this 50-point power boost might just spell the difference between life and death for Link.

After acquiring the spell, a shiver ran through his body. He then raised his Ode of the Full Moon sword without hesitation. At the same time, he took out the Energy Crystal in his left hand.

He began activating the Sunlight spell in his right hand while drawing power from the Energy Crystal in his left!

In an instant, a speck of light appeared on the tip of his sword like the light from a firefly’s abdomen. Then, the speck of light exploded!

Hum… Like the Big Bang, an explosion of light flooded the entire valley. It spread out in every direction, crashing against the surrounding darkness like a tidal wave.

However, Link knew that this Level-14 spell would not be able to disperse the darkness completely. The light would soon be swallowed by the darkness.

A violent spatial distortion appeared around the light at the same time. The light struck the distorted space and began filling it up for a fraction of a second until it finally burst out from an outlet in it.

In a corner, Eliard saw that the Ode of a Full Moon was growing bigger and bigger in Link’s hand until it was approximately a few thousand feet long and a few hundred feet wide. The entire blade seemed to be made entirely out of light, which at times gleamed like snow and at times burned like fire.

“Ahh!” Link roared. He then swung this sword of light in various directions. In a blink of an eye, he managed to swing the sword around at least a hundred times. At a glance, rays of light seemed to be radiating from his body. At the same time, the light now spread far and wide across the valley, which barely made a dent on the darkness around them.

This was the difference between Level-14 and Level-15. The combination of a Level-14 spell as well as a few other techniques from Link left barely a scratch on Morpheus’ shadow realm.

At first, the shadow realm had been an impenetrable sheet of darkness. However, as Link danced about with his enlarged sword, the darkness now seemed to thin considerably. At this point, anyone with Legendary eyesight would have been able to perceive the vague outlines of objects in the distance.

In the face of this all-encompassing darkness, Link’s power alone would not have sufficed. As soon as the explosion of light subsided, he would immediately be consumed by the shadows. However, he was not alone.

With the aid of the few rays of light that managed to pierce through the darkness, Dyleson again tried to seek out Morpheus.

“I found him, I found him! He’s right… Link, look out!” shouted Dyleson.

Through the dim light, Dyleson could make out a vague black form hurtling towards Link at unimaginable speed. The shadow was moving so fast his eyes could not even keep up with it. He would not be able to cast any spell to block the Shadow Stalker’s attack in time!

In the shadow realm, Morpheus’ power was at its peak. Even if he were to be spotted in his domain, no one would be able to block his lightning-fast attacks. This was true in Dyleson’s case.

As soon as Dyleson finished his sentence, he suddenly felt his own body being swayed left and right by an unseen force. No matter how much he struggled against it, it was all in vain.

He shouted in bewilderment, “The space is vibrating around us!”

He then turned around to locate the source of this spatial tremor and saw a scene he would never forget for as long as he lived.

Chapter 671: Kill the God (2)

The dark sky

There were two figures—one light and one dark—entangling with each other at an unimaginable speed. Their weapons clashed with an impossible frequency. Every time they collided, the air would shake. The air felt like the sea’s surface during a storm.

This violent battle had no sound. Other than the air shaking, there were occasional flashes too.

“Help!” Eliard yelled. He could see more clearly than Dylosen. Link could block Morpheus’ attacks, but the demi-god had the upper hand. Link was dancing at the edge of death right now!

He also knew that the attack hadn’t been aimed at Link. The original target was Dylosen, but Link had changed the direction and blocked Morpheus.

Among the three, only Link who was a master in both magic and martial arts could block Morpheus. If Eliard or Dylosen got close to Morpheus, they would get killed immediately!

Right now, Link was holding Morpheus up. It was the best chance for them to defeat Morpheus—and the only chance!

While yelling, Eliard had already started acting without hesitation.

A dark golden wand appeared in his right hand. It was a Legendary magic tool from the Golden Rune Workshop, called Broken-Winged Angel. He’d designed it himself and had used up all his allotted resources. He’d even used his credit too and had Evelina and Link’s help. Now, this wand wasn’t complete yet, but it was already at Level-12.

Fragments of light lit up at his left hand. Two runestones appeared. One was an Ethereal Crystal while the other was a pure magic stone. Link had made it just for this trip.

“Soul Lasso!” In the blink of an eye, the runestone flashed. A feathery golden beam of light came out and snaked towards Morpheus.

Soul Lasso

Level-14 Soul Spell

Cost: 29000 (Currently in energy storage mode)

Effect: After activation, the mysterious power will wrap around the target’s soul and restrict its movement. The specific symptoms will be that the soul is unable to escape, the target will react slowly, their memory will deteriorate, and they will become dazed.

(Note: It will trap your soul.)

When the Soul Lasso appeared, Morpheus was using all his power to restrict Link. In reality, he wanted to kill Link, but after two seconds, he realized that he actually couldn’t.

He was faster and stronger, but Link’s battle techniques and endurance were better. Link’s sword was more like a dragon. The blocks, stabs, slices, cuts, and sweeps were all the most basic moves and were clear too. But when put together, they formed many incredible sequences.

Some moves dismantled his power, making Morpheus feel that his dagger had stabbed a ball of cotton. Others were used to set things up, making Morpheus feel that he’d entered a jungle of traps. A poisonous viper could strike out at any time. He didn’t dare get distracted.

If Link was his only enemy, he could still survive until ten seconds later when his power recovered even if he couldn’t defeat Link quickly. By then, he could kill Link with brute force.

But he had three enemies!

Golden light suddenly appeared behind Morpheus. Without realizing, it wrapped around him. He felt his mind tremor and then it was as if there was a cotton ball stuffed inside. His movements slowed too. It became harder to block Link’s attacks. Danger rose.

And he was a demi-god. If he was a regular Level-15 Assassin, he would definitely be dead when attacked by Link now.

Damn Magician! He obviously knew what had happened. He wanted to kill the Magician who’d attacked him secretly, but then Link attacked with renewed strength. He couldn’t escape.

But Morpheus had other tricks.

“Mist!” Black light pulsed around him. At the same time, black mist rose up in the air, swirling towards him. They connected and snapped the golden beam around him!

At that moment, alarms raised in Morpheus. Using his rich battle experience, he dodged to the side, head turning. At almost the same time, sharp silver light scraped past his face, bringing with it dark golden blood that shone with a black light. It was Link’s sword!

This move was extremely dangerous. If he was an instant slower, his head would be somewhere else now.

Before this subsided, another wave came.

“Restraint Force Field!” This was Eliard with another Ethereal spell.

“Soul Rend!” This was Dylosen. He used a Soul spell. It was clear now—if they could disturb Morpheus’ mind, Link would be able to kill them. Thus, attacks on the soul were the best thing right now.

The two Legendary spells acted upon Morpheus’ inside and outside together.

He shook violently. His movements slowed again. It was only for around one-tenth of a second, but when faced with Link, it was basically a date with death.

The result was set!

Buzz. A sword buzzed softly. The Ode of a Full Moon lit up with cold light. A shred of “moonlight” circled Morpheus. After that, Link crossed behind Morpheus and then turned around, facing Morpheus’ back.

Morpheus couldn’t move now. Faint silver light snaked around him. From afar, it looked like a crack in a mirror. After two seconds, he slowly turned towards Link and finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and weak.

“When I first laid my eyes on you, I felt danger, but I didn’t think I would die at your hands.”

Clang! Link sheathed the Ode of a Full Moon. That move had cut off all hope for Morpheus to live. He could only speak now because it was just a reflection.

“I only feared your Divine Fragment. I never saw you as an opponent.” Link just saw Morpheus as someone who’d gotten lucky, and this opinion had never changed. Morpheus wasn’t the Divine Fragment’s master—he was the slave!

Morpheus sighed. It sounded like a cry and laugh. “When I received the Shadow Divine Fragment, I thought it was a blessing. After 100 years, I realized it’s a curse. Whoever gets it will live miserably. I didn’t believe it when I first heard that. I thought I would be special and break through destiny’s shackles. Ha. Mortals, I wish you luck.”

With that, a strange smile appeared on his face. The spidery silver cracks on his body expanded. With a boom, the power within him lost control, and he exploded.

Shadow Stalker Morpheus who had terrorized the land for hundreds of years died just like that.

Once his flesh body was destroyed, his territory disappeared too. The omnipresent shadows vanished, and the sun peaked out.

Under the sun, Link, Eliard, and Dylosen hovered in the air. They were all relieved.

That battle had only been around six seconds, but it was possible for them to die at any second. It had been like a danse macabre—a dance of death.

“Is he really dead?” Eliard was in disbelief.

“He should be,” Dylosen confirmed. “The Chaotic Moon says that the target has disappeared.”

“Look, the Divine Fragment should be there.” Link pointed at the end of the valley.

Because of the battle, the fog had scattered. A wall with a castle built into it appeared at the end of the valley. That was Morpheus’ lair: the Shadow Fortress.

Chapter 672: The First Curse of the Divine Fragment Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Come on, let’s go take a look,” said Dylosen with a smile.

Due to the soul contract they had signed before, he did not have to worry about Link and Eliard betraying him. With the death of Morpheus, he was finally able to complete the mission that the Snow Mountain Archmage had entrusted him with.

Once he returned to the Aragu realm, he would most certainly be compensated by the Archmage himself for his efforts.

Link and Eliard never had any intention to abscond with the Shadow Divine Fragment in the first place. Though their soul contract with Dylosen played a chief factor in their disinterest towards it, they also knew that the fragment’s power was not something that should be trifled with. Anyone capable of wielding it would be able to ascend to godhood. Those who were unable to would be overwhelmed by it and perish as Morpheus did back then.

However, there was no way Link and Eliard would pass up a chance to study something so rare and mysterious up close. Link and Eliard began following Dylosen just to make sure nothing happened to him.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the Shadow Fortress. There was a broken humanoid statue in the great hall. From what was left of it, they were able to deduce that it had been shaped in the likeness of Morpheus himself. The points of breakage on it seemed fresh. The entire building too seemed to be in ruins. Most of its walls had crumbled. This must have been the after-effects of their battle with Morpheus not too long ago.

Once inside the hall, everyone split up to search for the fragment. In truth, Link already knew where it was. However, he had no intention of finding the accursed thing first, so he simply made a show of looking for it in a corner.

Suddenly, Dylosen came back hurriedly into the hall. “Found it, it’s right here!”

Link and Eliard turned around and saw that Dylosen was standing beside Morpheus’ fallen statue, holding a black crystal skull in his hand.

The skull was completely black. It somewhat resembled the crystal skulls back on earth. However, it seemed to be missing its lower jaw and a huge chunk on its back. There were also numerous scars on it as well. Curiously enough, a pair of black spectral light flickered in its sockets.

“The skull seems to be made of something not of this world. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” breathed Eliard. This had certainly been an eye-opening discovery for him.

Link had seen it before in the game. However, the real thing seemed even more impressive than he had anticipated. The two black flickering light in its sockets were like entrances into an impossibly dark abyss. Upon making eye contact with the skull, he could hear a low whispering voice inside one’s mind. He also suddenly began to covet it, wanting to make the skull his own.

Link immediately averted his eyes and suppressed this sudden impulse to snatch it from Dylosen’s hands. He then looked at Eliard. There was a strange look on his face. He too seemed to be affected by it.

As Dylosen had a deeper understanding of the skull than his two companions, he naturally knew better than to look directly into its eyes. “Careful, don’t let this thing enthrall you.”

Link nodded. “Alright, Dylosen, we’ve completed your mission. I think it’s time you give us what we’re due.”

“Of course, it has been a pleasure working with the two of you. My lord, you’ve certainly been a tremendous help. The Snow Mountain Archmage and I owe you a great deal,” said Dylosen with a smile. He took out a custom-made box and placed the black crystal skull inside it. He then used a piece of rope to tie it up and hung the box from his waist. Strangely enough, the box seemed to have erased the skull’s presence from this world.

Then, Dylosen handed the Chaotic Moon over to Link. “The Moon can only be used once per month. We’ve already used it once just now, so you’ll only be able to use it again in a month’s time. You’ve seen what it can do. I’m sure it will serve you well.”

“It is certainly an incredible item,” said Link with a nod, ready to receive it in his hand.

This had been a beautiful partnership between them. However, things had never been this easy for them.

“Look out!”

Link suddenly pulled out his sword and stabbed it into a Despair Ball that had materialized in front of him. The sword’s tip then protruded from behind Dylosen.

A figure in a red-gold battle robe had jumped out from behind Morpheus’ statue, swinging his sword down on Dylosen.

Judging by his outfit, the figure must be an Inferno Warrior… No, his battle robe seemed even more garish than the ones worn by the two Inferno Warriors that Link had brought to Ferde not too long ago. The power fluctuations in his body felt even more powerful as well. This must be one of the high-ranking Lava Knights that Dyleson had told them about.

Link figured that the Lava Knight must have been drawn to the commotion in the valley just now and so waited in the shadows for an opportunity to strike all this time.

The Lava Knight parried Link’s sword with a resounding clang. The impact sent a powerful shockwave down Link’s arm, paralyzing it in an instant and temporarily neutralizing Link’s ability to wield his sword effectively. The Lava Knight was evidently a lot stronger than him.

However, Link was not just a Warrior. He was also a Magician.

Though the Ode of a Full Moon sword was parried, it was able to buy its wielder time to cast a spell. With a reverberating hum, a thick Space Barrier materialized between Dylosen and the Lava Knight.

“Hmmph!” The Lava Knight swung his sword down once more. All of a sudden, the two-handed sword, which seemed to be dripping with streams of lava, exploded. It then coalesced into a 50-foot-long blade made entirely out of fire and lava.

The sword effortlessly cut through the Space Barrier that Link hastily set up behind Dylosen like butter.

Then, the sword’s flames surged towards Dylosen at incredible speed.

This had all happened in a split second. Aside from Link, neither Eliard and Dyleson even had time to react to the Knight’s ambush.

Dylosen was soon enveloped by the flames. Sounds of explosions came from his body, as the defensive magical gear he had with him all failed at that moment.

Evidently, the flames were some sort of realm-type attack. Dylosen simply had no way of defending himself against such power.

This was the result of an ambush conducted by a Warrior-type class on a Magician. The Lava Knight was clearly more powerful than any other Magician. There was no way his magic-wielding quarries would be able to survive any of his attacks.

Just when it seemed as if the flames were about to roast Dyleson alive, white light began to glow from his body. Hum. Hum. Hum. It was Link’s teleportation spell.

When the white light faded, all three of them had disappeared from the Shadow Fortress. The Lava Knight did not give chase. He simply went over to where they had been and picked up the wooden box. He then opened it and found the divine fragment quietly lying in it.

Dylosen was not his target. His target had always been the divine fragment. With it now in his possession, the Snow Mountain Archmage would no longer be a threat to his master, the Inferno Archmage.

“The lord of Ferde is certainly something,” The Lava Knight closed the box. He had no intention of going after Link. Instead, his plan now was to head back to the Isle of Dawn.

His main mission was to retrieve the divine fragment and sabotage the Snow Mountain Archmage’s plans. Killing Dylosen and the lord of Ferde would have simply been an act of convenience. Their deaths mattered little to him at that point.

However, the lord of Ferde’s little trick had caught him completely by surprise. Though the Lava Knight was not at all afraid of him, there was no need to bother with him for now, lest he trip up in his pursuit.

Chapter 673: The Aggressive Power of Lava ##

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Buzz! With a soft sound, Link, Eliard, and Dylosen appeared miles away.

The southern forest surrounded them. It was extremely dense and covered almost all the space. There was swampy patch below with grass growing on it.

The three appeared a few feet above the ground. When they appeared, Link and Eliard adjusted how they stood and landed steadily. Dylosen had more trouble. His body was black and smoking. When he appeared, he dropped down like dead weight.

Link’s heart jumped. He knew that the situation was bad and Dylosen would most likely die this time. Using his mind, he cast a low-level force field and caught the falling man.

He and Eliard quickly steadied themselves. Eliard went up to check Dylosen’s state. “It’s bad,” he muttered. “He’s practically baked!”

Link had stopped the sneak attack midway, but Dylosen still couldn’t dodge it. He was hit so badly that he was awaiting death. The Level-15 Lava Knight was clearly powerful.

Link also went up to check Dylosen.

From three feet away, he could smell the pungent fragrance of baked meat… His injuries seemed grave. Getting closer, Link saw that Dylosen’s robe was practically all gone. Only a shred still stuck to his flesh. His body was charred, and almost all his skin was gone.

He put his hand to Dylosen’s nose but could barely feel any breathing. His pulse was just as weak. Everything showed that Dylosen was at the brink of death and could die at any time.

Link immediately cast the Dragon Essence Vitality at Dylosen. A few seconds after the Mana surged into Dylosen, he suddenly opened his mouth and let out a gust of scalding air. Then his breathing strengthened.

A while later, he opened his eyes. His first sentence was, “They took the Divine Fragment!”

Link had noticed, but they’d been in a hurry, and the transmission didn’t work on the Divine Fragment. He had to give it up to save Dylosen. They could worry about it later.

“You almost died, and you still worry about that?” Eliard said.

“No, no, it’s okay if I die. The Divine Fragment has to get to the Snow Mountain Archmage or else everything will be over. Hurry, Ferde Lord, you must get it back!”

Dylosen’s burnt face cracked open, making him look horrifying. He was panicking and his features twisted. He looked like a demon. Regular people would probably get scared to death, but Link and Eliard weren’t regular men. Their hearts were heavy. To Dylosen, the fragment was more important than they’d imagined. Without it, everything would be over.

However, the Lava Knight’s power was also unimaginable. Judging by the sneak attack, that guy wasn’t stupid either. Now that Dylosen was hurt like this, Link and Eliard weren’t his match alone. It would be suicide if they went to steal the fragment.

Dylosen realized this too, of course. He breathed and said with difficulty, “I know that Lava Knight. His name is Mozur. He’s known as the Explosive Duke. His fire power is really domineering and has explosive strength. Less than ten people in all of Aragu can block his sudden attacks. He has weaknesses too though.

“The first is that his explosive power is hard to maintain. He needs at least two seconds to re-accumulate power. Second, he loves the Fire Sect Holy Maiden and doesn’t let anyone insult her. You can use it to easily anger him.”

Knowing that his explosive strength couldn’t last was important. Link could create a tactic to escape from a full-on hit. As for the second point, this was an even more fatal flaw to an advanced Warrior. This meant his emotions could be swayed and utilized by the outside world. Emotions were representations of the ripples of one’s soul. Mozur’s weakness was basically a flaw in his soul.

A Soul Magician could easily influence his soul after knowing this weakness. Even if he wouldn’t die, his combat ability would be greatly reduced.

Coincidentally, Link had made great strides in the Soul field after studying the Book of Revelation. He was now a good Soul Magician.

After hearing this, Eliard looked at Link. He thought that they might have a chance to defeat the Lava Knight and get the fragment back. To be honest, this was important to Ferde too.

The realms were fusing, and the Holy Maiden of the Yan Empire was Princess Milda of the High Elves. They would obviously be on the Isle of Dawn’s side. That gave Ferde an unimaginable enemy. If they didn’t have the Snow Mountain Archmage’s help, there was no way for Ferde to face a Level-19 Archmage who was about to become a god!

There was a way to turn the tides now. They could risk their lives.

Link didn’t hurry to decide. He continued asking, “Does Mozur have other famous tricks?”

“Yes, I was about to tell you!” Dylosen took a deep breath. “He already used his scariest one. It’s the sword that cut your spatial barrier, called Lava Fire. It can destroy practically any defense spell under Level-16. If you add his powerful burst, even a Level-16 spell can be destroyed. He also has the Lava Double.”

“Lava Double?” Eliard asked. “To die in his place?”

“Yes…” Dylosen broke off to gasp for breath. His state was really bad now. His exhales were all hot steam. Firelight flickered within his burnt and cracked flesh. He looked scary.

“How are you?” Link cast Essence Vitality for him again.

With the dragon recovery spell, Dylosen recovered a bit and continued, “There’s no time… His sword is called Boiling Lava. The so-called Lava Double is that the sword could die in place of him. So…gasp, you have to kill…gasp, kill him twice!”

The Essence Vitality effect only lasted a few seconds. Dylosen started panting again, breathing out hot steam. A bad feeling rose up inside Link. Lava Knight Mozur’s fire was abnormally powerful. He actually couldn’t repress it. It seemed that Dylosen had to die.

His breaths were now basically fire. It was as if his flesh and internal organs were burning now. He was like an active volcano.

“I… I’m going to die. My things…take them. Wh—when you see the Snow Mountain Archmage, tell him…I tried my best…” Whoosh.

Fire spewed out from Dylosen’s mouth. Lava-like fluid poured out of the cracks all over his body. The fluid bubbled and evaporated. Dylosen’s body burned away in the blink of an eye. All that remained on the ground was a man-shaped scorch mark and a spatial ring. This was Dylosen’s legacy.

“Such powerful fire!” Link sighed. If he’d been hit, he would probably die too. Bending down, he picked up Dylosen’s ring and checked it. It contained some spell-casting material, a magic notebook, and the Chaotic Moon divine gear.

Even though Dylosen gave them three Level-19 divine gear, the other two were only auxiliary items. For example, the Battle Horn could raise soldier morale and even make them go crazy. It could affect up to one million people and was a great weapon in a battle between two armies, but it was useless in an advanced fight.

The Chaotic Moon was nice, but they could only use it one month from now.

In other words, if they wanted to defeat the Lava Knight and get the fragment, Eliard and Link could only depend on themselves.

Eliard chuckled wryly. “It’ll be more dangerous than our fight against Morpheus.”

They could still escape if they couldn’t have defeated Morpheus. But if they couldn’t defeat Mozur, they would end up like Dylosen.

“There’s no other solution. The enemy might have a territory, but he’s only a Warrior. We might not lose!” Link smiled faintly, but his eyes were abnormally cold.

Seeing him like this, Eliard knew that his old friend was ready to risk it all. Composing himself, he murmured, “For Ferde!”

Chapter 674: The Enemy’s Too Powerful, Let’s Run While We Still Can (2/2) Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“He’s heading northeast. He must be going to the Isle of Dawn.”

Not too far away from the Shadow Fortress, Eliard was able to come to such a conclusion after observing the fortress’ surroundings through a Mirror spell.

Link stood up with his sword in his hand. Looking in the general direction of the Isle of Dawn, he said, “The High Elves must have used some sort of technique to summon him such that his power wasn’t even affected by the realm itself. He must be in a hurry to go back to Aragu through the Isle of Dawn.”

The wind was howling bleakly through the mountains at that moment. Though the climate in the South was warm and the forest grew thick here, the battle they had with Morpheus had all but caused the trees around the fortress to shrivel up. Most of their yellowed leaves were blown loose by the bitter wind.

Eliard walked up to his side and looked in the Isle of Dawn’s general direction. “Do you think we’ll be able to stop him?”

Link shook his head. “I don’t think we can… Still, it’s worth a shot.”

Their enemy was as uncompromising as a force of nature. The only way they could proceed now was to have a head-on confrontation with the Lava Knight. Only one side was allowed to come out of this alive.

Since that was the case, the only thing they could do right now was to take the Lava Knight down with everything they had.

As one of Link’s best friends, Eliard was immediately able to make out the resolve in his voice. He smiled weakly. “This is the first time I’ve encountered such a dangerous opponent. This should be fun!”

Ever since Eliard began studying magic under Link’s wing, he rarely had the chance to take charge of things on his own. However, with his current power level, he was now able to fight side-by-side with Link. This had always been something he wanted. Naturally, he welcomed such an opportunity with open arms.

As a Legendary master himself, Eliard had already mastered Link’s Void Walk technique. Together, the two of them leaped into the air, transformed into two streaks of light and hurtled through the sky.

A Warrior would never be a match for a Magician in terms of speed. The Lava Knight Mozur was already a Level-15 Legendary master. Though both Link and Eliard were vastly outclassed by him in terms of power, the fact remained that a Warrior would not be able to use that power as dexterously as a Magician.

A Warrior below Level-17 would not be able to fly in the air without the help of some special equipment or battle technique. His movements would only be restricted to the ground. He might even be faster than any other Magician on land, but the uneven geography of his path would definitely hinder his movements.

Link and Eliard only had to follow a straight-line path in the air towards the Isle of Dawn. After flying more than 100 miles in the air, Link finally sensed something.

“Did you feel that?” whispered Link.

Eliard felt for anything out of the ordinary in the area without losing speed. Half a minute later, he replied in a low voice, “It’s Infernal Power, and it’s moving really fast. It must be Mozur!”

Link nodded. Right now, the Infernal Power felt weak. There was also no sign of Mozur in the vicinity. However, he figured that the Lava Knight must be no more than 20 miles away from them.

After determining where the Infernal Power was coming from, Link and Eliard quickly changed course and headed straight towards where Mozur was.

Three minutes later, Eliard suddenly said, “I can’t feel him anymore. It’s as if he just vanished into thin air.”

Link felt the same thing. Now hovering in the air, he gazed at the forest of stone protrusions beneath them. There were stones of various shapes and sizes sticking out of the ground. The biggest stones down there were hundreds of feet tall, while there were smaller ones which were only three to four feet tall. Blind spots abounded in this stone forest.

“He must have noticed our presences. He must also know that he would not be able to match our speed. He’s probably hiding behind any of these rocks, waiting for a chance to ambush us.”

Dylosen had told them that the Lava Knight Mozur possessed incredible explosive power and a talent for sneak attacks. If they were not careful enough, he would be able to kill them in a mere second.

Eliard understood what was going on. He then said, “If we can’t even go down there to find out where he’s hiding without having our heads lopped off, then I guess we should just level the whole stone forest!”

Since their enemy was still set on ambushing them, their safest option now would be to use a huge area-of-effect spell and remove all possible hiding spots down there that he could avail himself of. This was where a Magician worth his salt excelled at.

However, such a feat would come at a heavy price. Eliard would need to expend a huge amount of power in order to cast such a large-scale spell. He would not be able to be of much help in the upcoming battle with the Lava Knight. In other words, after smoking out Mozur from hiding, Link would be forced to take him on by himself.

Link was not too optimistic about his chances of surviving a direct confrontation with a Level-15 master.

After ruminating on Eliard’s suggestion for a few seconds, Link finally nodded. “Do it!”

He would make his move the moment the Lava Knight was forced out from his hiding place by Eliard. Though their enemy was a lot stronger than any of them, if Link could get the drop on him, he would probably be able to increase his chances of victory.

Eliard took a deep breath. Then, power began circulating in his body until light radiated from his entire body. A few seconds later, he took out his magic wand and pointed at the stone forest below him. “Radiant Storm!”

Radiant Storm

Level-11 Sunlight spell

Description: Whip up a powerful storm capable of decimating everything in its path by agitating the air with a high concentration of Sunlight Power.

(Note: No blade of grass or stone will be left standing in the storm’s wake!)

A blinding light shone out from Eliard’s wand and expanded into a tenfoot-wide ball of light which seemed almost palpable. Then, the ball of light came off the wand’s tip and fell to the ground. It was not unlike watching the sun fall out of the sky.

As the ball’s altitude fell rapidly, its volume expanded at a frightening speed. The ball of light then began spinning, agitating the air around it until a golden cyclone, which stretched from the ground to the heavens, appeared in its place.

Whoo. Whoo. The fierce wind was not cool like most winds. Rather, it was giving off unimaginable levels of heat. This was the effect of the Sunlight Power.

The cyclone began moving inexorably forward, melting every huge rock in its path.

No blade of grass or stone was left standing in its wake. The only evidence of its passage was a trail of red molten mess behind it.

As the storm rampaged on, Link waited patiently in the air, gripping his sword in his hand. As soon as Mozur showed his face from behind a rock, he would immediately lash out at him with everything he had!

As the storm’s rampage went on, the stone forest’s area gradually shrunk, leaving Mozur with fewer hiding places. Link’s power was now boiling inside his body, which began radiating light as gentle as the moon’s. Though the light seemed inconspicuous, the power it was giving off felt oppressive.

Ten seconds later, a point of golden-red light flashed out from the ground.

A 100-foot-long flaming blade extended from the point of light towards the advancing Radiant Storm.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the flaming blade pierced through the cyclone in an instant. Like a dragon that was stabbed in the heart, the cyclone let out a mournful wail before evaporating into countless specks of golden light in the air.

Eliard instantly felt the effects of having his spell forcibly dispelled by the Lava Knight. His face had turned pale, and his body was now shaking uncontrollably. The knight’s retaliation had also left the internal circulation of his power in complete disarray. Seconds later, Eliard spewed out blood from his mouth.

Though his injuries were visibly severe, Link could not afford to tend to them right now. At that moment, the Lava Knight was all that mattered to him.

With a burst of power, Link immediately conjured a silver-white moon in the sky. The moon basically blocked out the whole sky at that moment.

An instant later, light poured out profusely from the Ode of a Full Moon sword in his hand. Its blade had taken on the quality of a transparent crystal. Countless runes were now flickering around the sword’s tip.

Link then swiftly plunged the sword into the Void. However, there was no sign of a Despair Ball being used, as Link had seamlessly integrated the Despair Ball into his sword technique.

At the same time, the Ode of a Full Moon sword reappeared on the ground, moments away from piercing through Mozur’s forehead.

Link’s attack seemed almost perfect. It gave the impression that Link was bringing all the power in the heavens down on the Lava Knight in a single attack with the aid of the ethereal light around him.

“Incredible!” Mozur felt his very soul being weighed down by Link’s power. If he had faced such an attack three years ago, he would have surely died on the spot.

However, he had mastered his blazing realm technique. After dispelling the Radiant Storm, he had already anticipated Link’s follow-up attack.

“Lava Fire!”

Mozur let fly the power of his blazing realm into the air with a powerful swing of his sword. In an instant, flames surged up into the sky at incredible speed.

At that moment, it was as if a geyser of lava had erupted through a hole on the ground, threatening to paint the sky red and crack open the moon that Link had conjured in it.

Before long, the two Legendary powers collided with one another.

Hum. A high-pitched, nigh undetectable whine sounded in the air. Ripples spread out violently across the space from the point of impact. Spatial fragments had also appeared near places where the ripples were most intense.

Both sides were then struck by the resulting shockwave of the impact.

Waves of pain washed over Link’s body as he was buffeted by the shockwave in the air. Mozur seemed to have been hit badly by it as well. Though his attack seemed impressive, it was in fact hastily executed with only 60 percent of his full power. Due to insufficient preparation, his body went completely numb when the shockwave hit him. Being unable to withstand his power, the ground gave way beneath him, and both his legs sank into the stone as a result.

However, as a Level-15 master, Mozur was physically stronger than Link. His recovery rate was also a lot faster than the latter. After smoothing out the circulation of his power in his body, he channeled his power to his feet, blowing up the stone around them to pieces. He then lightly jumped out of the crater.

Laughing out loud, he leaped into the air, making a beeline for Link. He needed to end this quick!

However, he seemed to have forgotten that Link was also a spatial Magician.

Though his physical body had taken on the full brunt of the shockwave, his mind remained unperturbed. As Mozur came towards them, a white light engulfed the two Magicians’ bodies. In an instant, both Link and Eliard were teleported away.

They were left with no other choice. Seeing how the Knight was able to easily shrug off their attacks, their only option was to escape and come at him again with a better offensive strategy.

With the disappearance of his targets, Mozur had no choice but to let himself fall from the sky.

Looking at the empty sky, he frowned. “I don’t like this one bit.”

He was up against two Magicians. Anxiety began creeping into his heart. He would not be able to outrun the two Magicians, and they did not seem willing to leave him alone throughout the remainder of his journey. At this point, he could only hope to intercept their subsequent ambushes without tripping himself up.

“No, I can’t let this go on. I need to think of something.”