The realm of third-rank Wizards was divided into many stages.
Leylin's current realm had only just reached the point where he could condense his formless, intangible Spiritual Power into a mist-like state and manifest it in the real world.
A crystallized Wizard, on the other hand, could use Spiritual Power crystals to permanently preserve their Spiritual Power, even selling it as merchandise.
Fully crystallized Spiritual Power, when pitted against Spiritual Power that was still in a mist-like state, held an advantage so vast it was almost inconceivable.
It could be said that even if Leylin, Robin, and Kasha joined forces, they would not be a match for Lucci.
But now, Tannasha's Spiritual Power was nearly depleted, her own Spiritual Power crystals entirely consumed, her trump cards exhausted during the earlier confrontation with the Blood Condor King, and even one of her clones destroyed.
An opportunity this good — letting it slip would not be like Leylin.
Crystallized Wizards were not only outstanding in strength, but because they were reserves for the Morning Star rank, their status in the Central Continent was extremely noble.
Under normal circumstances, Leylin was nowhere near qualified to subjugate a Wizard of this caliber — it would take someone like his master, Duke Gilbert, to accomplish such a feat.
But now, everything had become possible.
"You..."
The usual pallor of Tannasha's face flushed crimson, and even her fingers began to tremble.
"You, a mere gaseous Wizard, dare to speak to me like this?"
"It seems I must make you face reality!"
Faced with her attitude, Leylin let out a somewhat disappointed sigh. Then, his figure dissolved into a streak of light and abruptly appeared right in front of Tannasha.
*Bang!* In the next instant, his fist smashed into Tannasha's face.
*Buzz!* A ring of red radiance erupted, forming a defensive barrier, but it appeared extremely fragile and was easily shattered by Leylin's overwhelming force.
Tannasha was sent flying backward, a massive red mark already blooming across her face.
Before the dazed Tannasha could even open her mouth, Leylin had already pressed the Fallen Longsword against her neck.
"Now — submission, or death!"
Unlike his earlier tone, Leylin's voice now was utterly frigid, filled with a bone-piercing chill. He already harbored killing intent — if Tannasha truly refused to surrender, he would slay her right here without hesitation.
He had no intention of leaving himself a crystallized enemy.
Looking at Leylin's ice-cold expression, Tannasha wisely chose silence. She had a premonition that if she dared voice even the slightest objection, Leylin's sword would cut off her head without the slightest hesitation.
The scent of death was so familiar, dredging up memories she had sealed away long ago. It was as if she had been transported back to that time when she was still weak and powerless, and Tannasha's consciousness slipped into a momentary daze.
"Her mental state?!" Leylin shook his head. Wizards already tended to suffer from various psychological problems to some degree, and on top of that, Tannasha had been gravely wounded before entering the Land of Oblivion. She was bound to have experienced yet another string of harrowing memories. A reaction like this was perfectly normal.
"Hurry! I'll only give you three seconds!"
Leylin felt a flicker of delight internally, but his hand abruptly tightened. The edge of his Fallen Sword pressed even closer.
With crystallised Wizards on the outside, there might still be talk of dignity, pride, and whatnot — but the Land of Oblivion was different. Every human Wizard who set foot here was someone who had hit rock bottom on the Central Continent, having already cast aside everything else for the sake of survival. That meant there was still a real possibility of coaxing surrender.
Leylin's frigid voice snapped Tannasha back to her senses.
By now, the flush that had risen to her cheeks from anger had entirely faded, leaving nothing but a sheet of snow-white pallor.
"I… am willing!" she whispered, her voice so faint that Leylin could barely hear it.
The moment the words left her lips, Tannasha collapsed as though her spine had been ripped out, and two lines of tears streamed down her face.
Yet Leylin's sword still did not move.
"Swear the oath! And hand over your Soul Origin!" Leylin's voice was as cold as a slab of ice.
"I… Tannasha…" Tannasha's eyes wavered with a brief struggle, but in the end she chose to submit.
A glistening wisp of Soul Origin emerged from her forehead and settled into Leylin's hand.
This was the very lifeline of a Wizard — something that could only be yielded voluntarily, never extracted by force. On the Central Continent, using it as a control measure was strictly forbidden by law. Though many major factions secretly employed such methods to cultivate fanatically loyal operatives, none of them could bring it into the open, lest they face the collective enmity of all Wizards.
For Leylin, of course, this was not a problem at all. He had no intention of ever letting Tannasha appear before the public eye.
"Master…"