Chapter 485: Despair
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Could it be that they are luring us to attack the Alchemy Colossuses? Do they take us for idiots?” Whoever saw this scenario all thought like that. Since they did not have the strength to fight, they would use themselves as bait and lure the firepower of others to attack.
The Archmages donning black robes in the sky continuously attacked Lin Li with spells, but they simply could not land any hit on Lin Li. There was always a point where magic would lose its effectiveness; they were just waiting for the point when Element Annihilation gave out.
The spellcasting standards of these 10 Archmages were decent. No matter how Lin Li maneuvered around those four Alchemy Colossuses, not a single spell had landed on the Alchemy Colossuses’ bodies.
A Legendary-mage’s Power of Flight was much better than an Archmage’s Levitation Spell, be it in terms of speed or maneuverability. If the Levitation Spell was like a balloon in the sky, then the Power of Flight was truly like a bird, soaring as it pleased.
Lin Li only took a short pause of one to two seconds beside every Alchemy Colossus. He would smack the Alchemy Colossus on the spot where the core arrays were located after the Disintegrating Array instrument in his hands had been activated. Soon, the four Alchemy Colossuses fell to his machinations, and as luck would have it, the power of the Element Annihilation was about to disappear.
“It’s gone!” The leader of the Archmages in black robes had foreseen this moment. He hastened the spellcasting with a shout.
Yet at this point, something weird happened. Screeching sc.r.a.ping could be heard from within the four Alchemy Colossuses. The complicated Alchemy Arrays on their bodies gave off a dazzling radiance, which was followed by flickering lights. Those that could lit up numbered less and less, until they finally all darkened completely. The four Alchemy Colossuses that had stronger combat prowess than Legendary magical beasts had suddenly broken down for no rhyme or reason under everyone’s shocked gaze.
n.o.body knew what happened to the Alchemy Colossuses; they only knew that the change had to be caused by that young Legendary-mage. The covers on the backs of the Alchemy Colossuses opened up, and the operators inside jumped out with panicked looks. One of the Archmages descended closer and interrogated one of them furiously, but the answer he got was full of confusion.
Even a driver might not know how to repair a car, what more a high-end machinery like the Alchemy Colossus. Although the kingdom of Rotterdam was known as the best in Alchemy in the whole Anril, those that knew how to build an Alchemy Colossus were very few. High-level Alchemists were like national treasures in Rotterdam. A loss of even one of them would cause tremendous heartache for the king of Rotterdam, so how could they come to such a place?
The mages of the Tower of Dusk looked at their own President with wors.h.i.+p. Although n.o.body had doubted the President’s abilities before, they did not imagine that these four Alchemy Colossuses would be disabled without a fierce fight. With such an omnipotent President, the Tower of Dusk needed not worry about prosperity, and the members needed not worry about advancing.
Truth be told, the principles of right and wrong or good and evil were all empty. They did not have any meaning at all. How could something like having one’s cake and eating it too exist in this world. Humans were superficial animals; it was very normal for them to work for whoever offered the most gains. To rope them in, the most important thing was to give them enough of the gains that moved them the most. Money, fame, future. They were all gains.
If the Tower of Dusk did not give the people hope, these people would not have a sense of belonging after joining even with Basel’s help. They would not treat the Tower of Dusk as an organization they were willing to work for. If it was just about throwing money, the relations.h.i.+ps maintained by money was still weak. But now, a Legendary powerhouse, a President that could create miracles, had shown them hope.
It was inconceivable from the others’ perspective, but Lin Li did not think it was anything special. Since he had the key to the door, why would he need to spend energy to smash the lock? This was what “one thing goes with another” meant, just like how spiced water went with bean curd. One Disintegrating Array had easily removed four Alchemy Colossuses from the equation.
Are we still fighting? The Archmages in black robes were hesitating. The four Alchemy Colossuses were their biggest reliance when they dared to take action against the Legendary-mage. Although they no longer had the four Alchemy Colossuses, they still thought that they would not lose if the 10 of them worked together.
However, it was unclear how many of these 10 would survive. Furthermore, excluding this young Legendary-mage, the other opponents were not weak, either.
Few humans were not afraid of death. The higher they stood, the more they feared losing it all. In Anril, Legendary and Sanctuary realm powerhouses were rare. Archmages could be considered the peak of the profession of mages. A level-18 mage received respect no matter which faction they belonged to. n.o.body would be willing to lose all of this.
“Hmph, we’ll settle the score another day!” The leader of the mages in black robes harshly left these words and turned around, wanting to lead his comrades away. After all, he was an Archmage, so he could not throw his face away even when facing a Legendary powerhouse.
It’s finally ending! The members of the Tower of Dusk and Malfa Family let out a sigh of relief at the same time when they heard the enemy’s words. After all, their enemies were 10 level-18 Archmages. Chasing them away was already enough. If they were to fight to the death with them, at least half of the allies would perish with them even if they had a Legendary powerhouse on their side.
“Another day?” Lin Li rubbed his nose. “Let’s wait for after I f*ck you guys…”
Lin Li still remembered that no matter if it was the arm of the Immortal King or the mysterious magical weapon, they were all not the reason he came here. The real motive for the members of the Tower of Dusk and himself to come here was to seek revenge for those that died at Black Clouds Town. Hence, be it the leftovers of the Syer Bandits or the 10 Archmages in front of him that came from another faction, none of them could be let off.
Few people had seen a Legendary-mage take action in their lives before. Even if it was the mages from the Malfa Family, they rarely saw Master Cheyenne take the field. Of course, it was needless to say that he was mobilizing against another Legendary-mage. But from this point of view, these 10 Archmages were considered lucky to be going against Lin Li.
Black Clouds Town’s disaster had definitely provoked Lin Li. For Lin Li, a maniac that protected short relations.h.i.+ps, it was intolerable if anyone that had a friendly relations.h.i.+p with him before was hurt. The Merlin Family had hurt McGrenn, and thus Old Merlin and Grenville died. The whole Merlin Family had completely fallen, reduced to an inferior force in Jarrosus. Granger had hurt Orrin, and so Granger’s fate had long been decided—it was useless even when Aldwin took action to stop it. Now, the Syer Bandits and this mysterious faction had harmed the townspeople of Black Clouds Town. Then, they were not far from death…
Lin Li mobilized all his might. He did not consider giving the opposition any chance; he instantly deployed the Magical Domain he’d grasped. Not only were they fighting a Legendary-mage, they even had the chance to experience a Legendary-mage’s Magical Domain. The luck of these 10 Archmages was at the extreme.
“Oh G.o.d, it’s a Magical Domain!” The members of the Tower of Dusk looked on with excitement. Originally, they thought it was extraordinary that the President had stepped into the Legendary-realm. They did not think that the President had actually already grasped the Magical Domain. This was hardly something that a mage that had just stepped into the Legendary-realm could do.
“F*ck, I really need a strong heart when I’m with this little b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Gerian said while staring blankly into the sky. Of all the people present, n.o.body had a deeper impression of Lin Li’s demonic talent than him. When they first met, Lin Li was only a little level-eight mage, and how much time had pa.s.sed since?
“He is only 20!” Hutton’s face was rather downcast. This was the second time he had seen Lin Li’s Magical Domain. The previous time was in the Abyss of Tharlen. Every time, this would make him feel depressed. In the past, he was a genius that was well known by everyone in the Breezy Plains, but now he felt that this t.i.tle of “genius” was a joke.
The current feelings of the magicians of the Malfa Family were extremely complicated. Their sense of superiority had already been obliterated. It was especially so for that Archmage called Yeric. Initially, he’d been rude to Lin Li (and Hutton) before he actually realized that the opponent was actually a Legendary powerhouse, and had even grasped the Magical Domain. This was simply too crazy.
Everyone present was a mage; everyone knew what a Magical Domain meant for mages. It was the peak power of magic. It was a small world, and he was the G.o.d of that world. Only with the Magical Domain was one a true Legendary powerhouse.
The sky that’d been originally clear and cloudless was instantly filled with thunder clouds. Pure white snowflakes fell and instantly changed the small s.p.a.ce into a snowy world. The snowflakes were fine and closely woven, causing the whole s.p.a.ce to look like fog appeared. The sky and the earth was dyed a silvery white color. The plants that had been covered by the domain had been turned into ice sculptures, and after that, crisp shattering sounds filled the place.
Similarly, although the mages from the Tower of Dusk and the Malfa Family that were in this snowy world did not feel cold at all, and the snowflakes did not land on their bodies, the power of the domain still made them s.h.i.+ver. Even though they knew that the Legendary-mage in the sky with a blurry silhouette was on their side, the pressure produced by this display of peak magical strength still made everyone feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.
In an instant, the earth gained a thick layer of silver makeup. That thick layer of snow seemed like it had a life of its own—it looked like the surface of a raging silver sea when it tossed and squirmed. A frost magical beast was formed every time a wave surged. All of them soared and charged towards those 10 Archmages wearing black robes no matter if their original forms had the ability to fly.
“It’s the Frost Domain.” The leader of the Archmages let out a sigh of relief when he saw the form.
Although they were only Archmages, and did not have their own Magical Domain, they still knew how it worked. After all, they were level-18 Archmages, so it could be said that they were very close to the Legendary-realm. It was not weird for them to know about the Magical Domain.
Rules formed domains. The Frost Domain was naturally formed by the laws of ice, and the laws of ice were not complicated. When a mage learned magic, a large number of spells that they came in contact with had the ice attribute, from the most basic Icicle to the Thousand Miles of Ice later. Through learning these spells, mages would gain a very good understanding of the laws of ice. This was why many mages would use the laws of ice as the foundation to create their own Magical Domain after entering the Legendary-realm.
The reason for its being “popularized” was because the laws of ice were derived from the rules of water element, and were not fundamental rules that constructed an element. In terms of understanding and mastery, the laws of ice were naturally much easier. Magical Domains that were made from simple rules could only be described as simple and low-level. The prowess of such a Magical Domain was imaginable. Hence, smart Legendary-mages would not choose a single laws of ice Magical Domain.
Seeing that it was the Frost Domain, the 10 Archmages in black robes felt hope reignited in their heart. After all, Lin Li was still a young Legendary-mage. It was not impossible to break through the domain with the strength of their 10. They huddled tightly together and descended to the ground as standing on the ground could at least reduce by one the directions they were attacked from. The magic staffs in their hands waved constantly, and every spell destroyed the frost magical beasts that were surging forward.
After that, the snow petals in the sky stopped floating down, and were fusing together in midair when they thought that they had seen hope. In an instant, hundreds of humanoids with black and white wings on their backs that were wielding spears and swords appeared beside the Legendary-mage.
“G.o.d, what is that? You know what I felt?!” The spectators on the ground once again issued some surprised sounds because they felt that it was too incredible and appalling.
G.o.d… could you let us rest our weak hearts for a bit? Do you still want to let us live? If he was a Legendary-mage, then so be it. He actually also had Magical Domain! If it was the Magical Domain, then so be it, but it was actually a Magical Domain of the laws of ice. But then…
Light and darkness! the mages of the Tower of Dusk and the Malfa Family shouted in their hearts. The wave after wave of excitement was simply unbearable.
The 10 Archmages that were surrounded by the frost magical beasts now had expressions of despair and horror. They felt an aura of the laws of light and darkness on some of the bodies of those humanoids with black and white wings. Within the Frost Domain, they still had some chance with their abilities, but the appearance of the laws of light and darkness made them completely lose hope.
Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Light, Darkness, and Chaos were the seven fundamental elements that made up this world. Every element represented a set of fundamental rules. As compared to the simple laws like the laws of ice derived from the laws of the water element, every single fundamental element’s Rules were the hardest to master. It was especially so for light, darkness, and chaos. These three were the hardest to master.
With the abilities of these 10 Archmages in black robes, it was not impossible to completely see through the abilities of the Legendary-mage, Lin Li. But after seeing this Magical Domain made from three Rules, their hearts already had an answer that gave them despair. Level-20 would be called Legendary. Level-21 could master the laws of ice and create the Frost Domain. Then what about controlling the ice, light, and darkness—these three rules? Those abilities should be at level-22 or 23!