Leilin Farell!
That name was legend in the Extreme Dark Region — it was myth! His exploits had been written into epics, sung over and over by countless bards!
And now, the living legend himself had appeared before these Wizards' very eyes.
"Looks like quite a few interesting things happened while I was away!"
Leilin swept his gaze across the crowd, and the mass of Academy Masters — whether Rank 1 or Rank 2 Wizards — all retreated several steps.
Slap! Finally, one Rank 2 Wizard could no longer hold himself and dropped to his knees: "Lord Leilin! Please forgive me! Akziwa never betrayed you — it was all under Bank's coercion!"
As someone from the same generation as Leilin, Akziwa understood better than anyone just what Leilin was capable of and how ruthless he could be. The moment Leilin appeared, he had nearly wet himself in terror.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Like dominoes falling, more and more Wizards sank to their knees.
No matter how much effort Bank had put into rallying and threatening them beforehand, the moment Leilin showed up, all of it became a joke.
"Weren't you the one who wanted me here? Well, now I've come. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Leilin looked at Bank, almost too lazy to waste words on such a little insect. But to Bank's ears, those words dripped with absolute sarcasm.
"Shadow of Locke!!!"
Bank's face shifted between green and red. Then his Pseudo-domain erupted, Rank 3 spell energy blazing across his body, while the glow of a low-grade Magic Artifact flickered relentlessly.
Convinced he was unleashing his strongest attack, Bank charged straight at Leilin.
He knew perfectly well that once Leilin appeared, every one of his schemes had turned to ash. The only hope left was to shatter the legend with his own hands — to defeat Leilin!
He had faith in his own heritage!
His massive domain unfurled, shoving even the numerous Rank 2 Wizards aside. The fierce, violent power made a great many Wizards' faces pale.
"Truly admirable courage!" Leilin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Crack! First, the low-grade Magic Artifact in Bank's hands splintered apart, piece by piece. Then the Pseudo-domain shattered, the Rank 3 spell's radiance snuffed out entirely. A layer of ashen stone skin rapidly spread across Bank's surface, transforming him into a statue.
On the statue's face, the expression of manic determination freezing into shock was preserved with startling vividness.
The whole sculpture looked exactly like a fleeing clown — absurd beyond measure.
"Weren't you desperate to earn glory and have your name passed down through the ages? Wonderful. This statue can be placed right in the central square of Nature's Alliance — a fine point of contrast!"
Leilin gave a nod.
The entire venue sank into dead silence. The assembled Wizards thought they must be dreaming.
What had they just witnessed? A third-tier powerhouse, Bank, had launched a full-force attack against Leilin, and in the end the man had merely blinked — and Bank had turned into a statue, his very soul annihilated?
Lord Sacred Light Guardian seemed to be countless times more terrifying than the legends suggested!
"What? Do any of you still have objections regarding the internal affairs of my Nature's Alliance Academy?"
Leilin swept his gaze across the crowd.
By now, Buxa and the other die-hard loyalists of Bank already sensed that something terrible was coming. They began backing away, some even activating teleportation spells — the telltale glow already flickering to life around them.
But it was already far too late.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Like grotesque bursts of fleshy fireworks, Buxa and several of Bank's most devoted followers simply exploded, their entire bodies reduced to a shower of fine, scattered particles.
Steaming bits of flesh and blood drifted down onto the faces and shoulders of the assembled Wizards, yet not a single one of them dared to wipe it off — let alone step forward to intervene.
"Lord Sacred Light Guardian didn't even lift a hand, and there wasn't the slightest fluctration of magical energy — so how did those second-tier Wizards just…"
Having reached the absolute peak of their shock, the Wizards in attendance felt their minds beginning to go completely blank.
"No! No objections at all! Dean Xiling's track record is plain for all to see!"
They truly would not have dared to stick their necks out again — not even under threat of death.
For the likes of these first- and second-tier nobodies, Leilin could now blow half of them away with a single breath. He simply could not be bothered to waste any more time on them.
"Leilin!" Xiling stepped forward, her voice brimming with emotion — which actually caught Leilin a little off guard.
He had assumed that after his departure, with the reins of power firmly in her grasp, Xiling would have been only too happy for him never to return. But judging by the way things looked now, the long separation had actually made this woman reminisce about his good side.