Chapter 1483: Broken Head (Part 1)
Lex and Saleen looked at the battle outside from the 13th floor of the magic tower. Lex asked, “are we really going to make a move right away, Saleen?”
“Of course not. We’ll see how Arbola deals with this. You’re being targeted and her people came to rough you up, so I retaliated. If the public hears about this, people all over Qin will hate her. If she’s tired of it, she’ll come and fight me. If she is just going to bear it…”
“If she is just going to bear it, what are you going to do?”
“Well, Dominic’s magic staff looks expensive, and I’d like an expensive magic staff.” Saleen smirked.
“I want something like that too.” Lex felt a sense of want welling up inside her when she saw the lavish, extravagant magic staff in Dominic’s hand.
While Saleen was trading with Dragon Island, he had never seen a magic staff crafted from such perfect dragon horns, even more so when the dragon crystal was taken into consideration. Saleen had dragon crystals, but he never had one of such high levels – so high that not even Grand Duke Iron Blood had something like it.
Dominic had painted a big target on his back by carrying the staff.
Saleen would do something if he was an enemy. Dominic came all the way to the palace, and Saleen saw an opening to take the staff.
“Stop…” Arbola’s voice was heard. Saleen saw a Six-winged Flying Snake zipping through the sky, and Arbola was standing on that serpent’s back.
Saleen put on his magic robe and stepped outside the magic tower. He held a black book, none other than the Lightning Magic Book. It became much easier to recharge the book, given how there was practically a limitless amount of Aqua Fulgur in his Ring of Cosmos.
“What now, Arbola? You want to attack the royal palace, too?” Saleen laughed.
Arbola halted at the edge of the palace’s wall. She glared coldly at Saleen. “Dominic is my a.s.sistant. Release him.”
Dominic was being held by a Bug Angel Warrior, whose wings were vibrating as they flapped. The sound wave emitted caused the old and shriveled Dominic to pa.s.s out.
“Alright.” Saleen pointed and the Bug Angel Warrior released the captive. Dominic’s body plunged from 200 meters in the air. If he had been awake, it would not be much of a problem. Even if his magic chords were completely lost, he still would not get too injured from the fall.
However, Dominic was unconscious. That Bug Angel Warrior knew what Saleen was up to, so it dropped him head-first. If he hit the ground like that, he would definitely snap his neck.
Arbola waved and unleashed a Six-winged Flying Snake, which chased after Dominic. The mage had been too arrogant and had lost to Eleanor psychologically right from the start, so being set up by the Elvish Time Arrow would have happened sooner or later. If he died, Arbola would not know what to do to placate her men.
She was against forcing Lex off of the throne the hard way. Lex did not actually want to sit on the throne in the first place.
However, her lapse in judgment allowed Saleen to make the situation tense. Saleen had killed a level ten sorcerer using the magic array and killed the mage and all the escorting swordsmen who were there to interrogate them.
Dominic was unable to sit with it and wanted to teach the two archers a lesson, and he almost ended up dead.
Saleen’s Thunder Dragon Blaster fired seven lightning icicles at the serpent. “You are trying to save someone of yours right in front of me? If Dominic remains alive, how am I going to make things worse between me and the Golden Plains?”
Saleen had recorded Dominic’s boastful speech when Eleanor got the man where she wanted him and sent recording to the royal palace with magic. Adherents of the Nature Faith would soon come to fix the problem for him.
Dominic was only attacked because he wanted to enter the royal palace without permission.
People from all over the Qin Empire would think that the mage had been arrogant and insolent and had no respect for Lex. Saleen learned the importance of riling up the people and getting them on his side. If Arbola actually started a war, Saleen would be on the righteous side.
What is the use of being on the side of the righteous? Very useful indeed. Most people would choose to back you.
Regardless of where the righteousness came from, taking initiative meant that he would be able to go all out in the upcoming conflict.
Killing Dominic was easy. Saleen’s target was Golden Plains.
Golden Plains was not like the Holy See. They were very united, so it would be difficult to eradicate them completely. The most difficult thing about it was that many had the surname Grukos.
Lex’s att.i.tude meant that Saleen was given permission to act.
She was unable to stand just sitting around doing nothing. Saleen had finally gained the power to unite the entire mainland. If Golden Plains did not learn their place, Saleen would have to teach them a lesson.
Arbola was unable to take it. She came through the teleportation portal after hearing that Saleen had shown up at Holy Rock City. Golden Plains was rich enough to afford one. However, she had to witness Saleen dropping her a.s.sistant—Dominic—to his death.
Another mark was held in her hand.
“Are you trying to make me raze the royal palace?”
A stifled collision was heard right after Arbola finished her sentence, coming from Dominic’s head hitting the stone ground below.
“Raze the royal palace, Arbola, and I’ll go and kill everyone in Golden Plains, then we can call it even. How about that?” Saleen answered in an unyielding manner.
“How dare you!”
“Why the h.e.l.l not? Are you telling me that you’d go all the way and mess up Metatrin City after that? Arbola, Dominic cast a magic spell at the magic tower the empress was in. No one on the mainland would say anything if I kill every single one of his relatives, let alone just him.”
Arbola calmed right away. Saleen came prepared, and he was ridiculing her. She thought he would not dare to actually do anything.
Arbola’s face was red from rage. Saleen had finally become a threat to the Qin Empire. She took off a small badge on her chest and threw it behind her. Spatial vibrations were felt not far away, and Jalin came out of the fissure and took the badge.
“Jalin, go home now and give the badge to Xuvius. He shall be the next clan leader.”
“Madam?” Jalin’s expression was concealed under the mask, and it was unclear what she looked like. She sounded unsettled, seemingly desperate.
“Saleen, my further actions of combat are that of my own and my own only.” Arbola took out a magic book. “I heard that you brought your wife and kids along. You’re the one to blame.”
Saleen laughed. “Eleanor!”
“Right here,” Eleanor replied right away.
“Go out and look for my teacher. Tell him to bring the Floating City, 120,000 enchanters, 10,000 mages, and every single member of the demon army, then head to Golden Plains. If I die, destroy Golden Plains to avenge me. If I’m still alive, kill half of the entire place, just to vent my frustration.”
Saleen laughed without a care as he watched Eleanor leave.
Arbola was completely p.i.s.sed. She knew that Saleen’s teacher was far more powerful than Saleen, but she never thought Saleen would be crazy enough to put everything on the line.
Saleen continued, after seeing Arbola’s face twitch, “You trying to threaten me, Arbola? I wouldn’t even care if it was a G.o.d who was throwing such threats around. You’re just a clan leader and you dare to threaten me with my blood? Do you really think that I don’t dare to kill your people? If you know your place, leave Holy Rock City right away with your mages. Stay around and everyone in your family is going to get it!”
“You!”
“Arbola, do you still think that I’m a puny mage and a pushover like I was back then? You have the mark, don’t you? If you can use all of its powers, then by all means, come at me!” 24 thunder dragons shot out of Saleen’s wrist. He wanted to test if he was able to win against an almost level 15 mage without the help of the Lightning Moon.
If he won, he would be able to step all over Arbola. If he lost, then the Lightning Moon would make sure that Arbola never got to leave alive.
He was not in the mood to care about the G.o.ddess watching over his shoulder. That Mark of the Six-winged Flying Snake was powerful equipment. If Arbola was able to master it, it would be comparable to his Book of Lightning.
“You are going to regret this, Saleen,” Arbola calmed and found that Jalin was still around.
“What are you doing, Jalin?”
Jalin carefully put the badge on her chest. “I couldn’t hand the badge to Xuvius.”
“Are you insane? You’re not a Grukos. No one in the clan would heed your orders!”
“I’m not insane, teacher. I’m not a Grukos, but the rules say that Golden Plains shouldn’t have gotten involved with the squabbles of the court. Still, you are finding ways to get involved instead, aren’t you?”
Saleen was very interested in the conflict happening between the teacher and the student, and felt rather puzzled. From Saleen’s perspective, Jalin should not betray Arbola. Her teacher gave her everything she had, and Arbola never wronged Jalin in any way.
If Jalin betrayed her teacher, all mages would look down on her, and there would be people out to get rid of the treacherous student in Arbola’s stead.
Arbola was not as angry as he thought she would be. Saleen only saw that she became calm, frighteningly so.
“Jalin, who is making you do this?”
“No one. I’m doing this at my own will.”
“Get out here at once!” Arbola shouted. The s.p.a.ce shook, and a young man wearing a black robe emerged from that tight fissure of s.p.a.ce. Saleen’s eyes narrowed when he saw the man.
He knew him. He went by the name Van Gogh.
Van Gogh smirked sheepishly at Arbola. “What is there to be angry about, Lady Arbola? There is no right or wrong in this.”
“You Holy See sc.u.m. What kind of divine art did you dupe Jalin with?”
“I didn’t use any. No one could dupe her. I’m just saying that luck is on Saleen’s side. Everyone going against him would get messed up one way or another, so I simply advised Jalin to help Saleen.”
There was no way Arbola would buy his ridiculous words. She shuddered, one hand holding a magic book and the other holding the Mark of the Six-winged Flying Snake, and glared at Van Gogh, intending to find an opening on the young holy master.
Van Gogh shuddered, which meant he was getting ready to escape into a parallel dimension to evade attacks.
Saleen suddenly spoke up, “so you’re the one who exiled the three mages of Elemental Hand to other planes eh, Van Gogh?”
Saleen had no reason to believe that Van Gogh was on his side. He was only saying it to remind Arbola that Van Gogh had special abilities, capable of throwing others to other planes.
Saleen did not want to see Arbola exiled. The only fitting end to her was to die by his hand.