A traitor to one's own race would always be branded as unreliable. Did they really think they could thrive in the opposing camp?
Besides, Leilin had confidence in humanity's resilience!
Even if the Guardian of the Northern Realm had fallen and the entire Dark Abyss North had fallen into enemy hands, he still believed that the human race underground possessed far more strength than what was shown.
Therefore, Matron Alesha's provocations had absolutely no effect on him.
On the contrary, facing this Second-rank Matron before him, Leilin felt a surge of excitement rising from within.
"Perfect! The Second-rank spell templates I obtained earlier, along with the several Second-rank spell models the Chip has derived — I can finally test them all out!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Leilin's eyes, sending a chill down Alesha's spine and a growing sense of dread.
"Shadow Blaze!"
But Leilin would not give her the chance. He struck first — dark crimson flames surged skyward, forming a towering pillar of blazing fire.
"Shadow Blaze — Second-rank Spell. Attribute: Shadow, Fire. Power: 120 degrees (factoring in Spiritual Power elemental amplification)."
This was the quantified data provided by the Chip. Shadow Blaze was the enhanced version of his former Shadow Fireball.
Over the past decade or so, Leilin had not only obtained a large number of Second-rank spell templates from the Nature Alliance, but had also stripped many more from the schools he had destroyed. Among those, the Misty Forest — a mid-tier school — had yielded the largest haul.
Through constant exchanges in Dorun City, his collection of Second-rank spell templates had grown quite extensive. He had even, by a stroke of fortune, acquired two incomplete Third-rank spell templates, which Leilin had treasured and recorded, ordering the Chip to attempt deriving the full versions.
The power of these dark crimson flames had already far surpassed that of his previous Touch of Scorching.
Across from him, Matron Alesha's expression grew grave. She suddenly cracked her whip hard against the air.
"Snap!" The barbed leather whip compressed the air, producing a sharp, explosive crack.
"Come forth!" Complex black patterns surfaced on Alesha's face, spreading like a mask that covered the right half of her visage.
"Master! I obey your command!"
The void seemed to tear open as a spider, white as jade, materialized from thin air.
Faint crimson veins traced across its jade-like carapace, not lending it a ferocious appearance but rather an oddly endearing one.
"Squeak!" The Matron emitted a sound like a spider's cry.
The white jade spider immediately targeted Leilin, spewing masses of frigid threads from its spinnerets.
The threads wove together densely, forming a white cocoon that enveloped both man and beast.
"Ice Abyss Spider — a variant of the Cave Cold Spider, possessing extremely powerful mutational abilities! Strength: 35. Agility: 16. Constitution: 46.9. Spirit: 27. Special Abilities: 1. Silk Defense — the Ice Abyss Spider's silk carries glacial energy, making it the bane of many fire-element spells. 2. Camouflage — the Ice Abyss Spider can reflect light through its carapace to simulate stealth..."
The Chip's blue glow flickered, and data on the white jade spider appeared instantly.
Since joining the Dark Abyss wizard community, Leilin had never ceased expanding the Chip's database. By now, it had catalogued the vast majority of special entities found throughout the Dark Abyss.
"An Ice Abyss Spider bonded to a Matron-level dark elf? And it naturally counters fire-element spells?"
A faint smirk crossed Leilin's lips.
"A pity — my Shadow Blaze derives its power not primarily from fire, but from shadow!"
With a thought, the dark crimson pillar of fire began to transform. At its core, the red glow rapidly faded as pitch-black darkness seized the majority of the space.
In an instant, the power of shadow had come to dominate the flames.
"Heh!" Leilin thrust both hands forward, and the massive pillar of fire swept sideways, engulfing Alesha's enormous white cocoon.
Sizzle!
Dense white vapor rose from the cocoon's surface, dissipating rapidly.
"Squeak!" Leilin could even hear the faint, agonized screams of the great spider from within.
BOOM! The massive white cocoon suddenly exploded, shattering the dark crimson flames to pieces.
From within the billowing white mist, a figure emerged.
The Matron had now fused her body with the Ice Abyss Spider, becoming a half-human, half-arachnid monstrosity — instantly reminding Leilin of his subordinate Shigley.
"That look really suits you, Shigley!"
Leilin scoffed, though he knew full well the difference between the two. Shigley's transformation was the physical modification effect of his own Meditation Method, whereas this Matron had merged her body with her pet's — possibly even involving her soul!
And in terms of raw power, this dark elf Matron who had advanced to the Second-rank far surpassed Shigley by more than Leilin could count.
"Human! Damned human!" The elf's upper body, still perched atop the spider, continued to shriek.
Clang! Clang!
The Matron had seized one of the white jade spider's legs, which immediately transformed into a pale scimitar.
Elegant curves adorned the blade's length, with beautiful patterns that pulsed with radiance.
Wisps of white mist drifted from the scimitar's edge, reflecting glints of cold light.
"Die!" The elf's voice dissolved into a brilliant flash of light, vanishing into the air.
"She entered stealth?" Leilin stroked his chin, a cold smirk playing at his lips.
Dark elves were inherently adept at direct combat, but they far preferred seducing their opponents with their bodies and beauty, or lurking in the shadows for a killing blow!
But Leilin, as a dark wizard, had seen such tactics countless times — and was fond of employing them himself.
He tilted his head with a faint smile, then stood perfectly still, both eyes gently closing.
A few minutes passed before a streak of white frost light sliced across Leilin's body, sending ripples through it. The figure had been nothing more than a simple illusory double.
"You fell for it!"
Leilin emerged from the void to one side, a ring of Shadow System particles forming a protective barrier around him.
"You're the one who's been fooled!" Matron Alesha let out a light laugh as another body lunged from a different direction, unleashing its power at Leilin.
WHOOSH! A white, mucus-laden net shot forth, trapping Leilin inside.
Sizzle! The moment the white slime touched Leilin's body, it produced a violent corroding sound, seeping through his clothes and into his flesh.
"So the previous one was a decoy as well!"
Leilin smiled calmly, showing not the slightest trace of frustration — as if the one trapped was not him at all.
A flash of white light, and Alesha appeared directly before Leilin.
Her expression was cold and detached. She raised the white scimitar and brought it down directly toward Leilin's skull.
Facing Leilin in this state, even she felt a flicker of unease.
WHOMP! Leilin's head soared into the air — but halfway up, it underwent a bizarre transformation.
Massive quantities of dark shadows burst from the severed head. Countless wisps of dark energy and energy particles coalesced into the shape of a steel cage, binding the Matron tightly.
"Second-rank Spell: Double Phantom Body!"
The surrounding void shimmered as Leilin dispelled his Shadow Concealment and appeared before the Matron.
At close range, he could better appreciate her stunning figure and overwhelming allure.
But Leilin's expression was as cold as a sheet of ice.
A black spear materialized in his hand in an instant, its shaft wreathed in flickering red flames.
"Second-rank Spell: Spear of Corrosion!"
"Die!" Leilin snarled, hurling the black spear forward.
Where the spear passed, the air visibly warped. A tremendous, corrosive force concentrated at its tip, building with terrifying intensity.
"Explode!!!" Facing the spear that carried such horrifying energy — as if it could destroy the world itself — the Matron's expression shifted rapidly.
She barked several arcane syllables and shouted a command.
"Squeak!!!" The Ice Abyss Spider beneath her suddenly erupted into frenzied shrieking. The crimson veins across its body expanded explosively, nearly dyeing the entire creature red, and its body began to swell grotesquely.
CRACK! A burst of white light flashed as Alesha and the white jade spider were violently separated.
BOOM!!!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted from where Alesha had stood moments before.
The black chains shattered apart, and the resulting mass of flesh collided head-on with the arriving black spear.
Two titanic energies devoured and expanded against each other, warping the void and generating violent distortions.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The distortions concentrated to a single point before detonating outward.
Massive waves of destruction swept across the battlefield.
Though the battle had taken place in midair, the aftershocks continued to ripple downward, tearing up earth and rock alike.
A figure was sent hurtling through the air.
It was Alesha — and her condition was dire, her lower body drenched in blood.
Positioned at the epicenter of the explosion, she had borne the brunt of its fury.
But she had no time to tend to her injuries. After shooting a wary glance toward a certain position across from her, she transformed into a crimson streak and vanished over the horizon.
Leilin stood there quietly, making no move to pursue.
For him, lending a hand to humanity was a trivial matter, and he had no desire to actually kill a Second-rank dark elf and invite an unending grudge.
Of course, to accelerate the war's conclusion, some preparations were still necessary.
A faint smile on his lips, Leilin briefly oriented himself, then headed toward the two remaining battles.
Entangled with Fantix was the Matron who had worn two golden rings on her chest. This Matron was clearly formidable, pinning Fantix down in a small area where he could do nothing but struggle to hold on.