The translucent figure bound by vines had a pair of lifeless eyes; even with the assassination failed and his life hanging by a thread, not the slightest ripple of emotion could be detected from him.
"Boom!" Terrifying spiritual power erupted from his body, forming five distinct halos of different hues.
"Lunar ultimate technique—..." The man's voice was extremely hoarse, as though he hadn't spoken in a very long time.
The surrounding Dawn Star wizards also gritted their teeth, pouring forth ever-increasing waves of particle force to sustain their Dawn Star ultimate techniques.
This Lunar wizard had clearly contacted the surrounding Dawn Star wizards at some unknown point, and they had agreed to launch a coordinated counterattack!
"Crack!"
Leylin materialized before one of the Dawn Star wizards in an instant, the spectral image of a colossal serpent on his hand mercilessly piercing through the wizard's innate defensive barrier, sending him hurtling backward in a trail of blood.
The Dawn Star ultimate technique was immediately interrupted, and the horrific backlash forced a pained shriek from the wizard's throat.
"If it were a dozen or so Dawn Star wizards attacking together like before, it might have been a bit troublesome. But now?"
Leylin glanced toward Melinda's location, where the terrifying fifth-rank energy storm had already swallowed the entire area she was in.
But Leylin could clearly sense Melinda's aura—she was perfectly fine.
"Time truly does erode all things. Are these all the wizards who remain loyal to the Flame Throne? How pathetic!"
Swept by Leylin's gaze, the Dawn Star wizards could no longer withstand the crushing pressure. The halos of their ultimate techniques crumbled one after another, and they fled the battlefield clutching their heads.
Rumble!
Lunar-level spiritual power surged violently from the center of the battlefield. Several streaks of light lanced outward, the energy storm dissipated, and the silhouette of the fifth-rank Lunar wizard was revealed.
Though his body now bore a massive cross-shaped corrosive wound, the terrifying Lunar ultimate technique had fully taken shape in his hands.
"Void Fire..." the Lunar wizard intoned in a low chant.
From the void, a formless, substanceless flame energy began to slowly emerge—yet it was enough to make Leylin's expression change.
"Are Melinda and Joanna complete idiots? They actually let him finish his Lunar ultimate technique?"
Leylin cursed under his breath, his finger already pressing down on the gray ring as wisps of mist began to seep outward.
"In accordance with the ancient covenant of the soul, Void Fire—devour everything before me..."
Across from the Lunar wizard, Melinda saw him unleash this formless flame, yet a smile of triumph spread across her face.
With a solemn expression, she chanted an incantation and pointed her right hand toward the Void Fire.
Whoosh! The ripples of formless flame reversed course, instead enveloping the Lunar wizard himself. Scorching heat poured forth continuously, accompanied by the sound of innate spells shattering apart, and beneath his screams of agony came the wizard's disbelieving wail:
[[[lang:en]] "You can't be... How can you control the Void Fire... You... You are..."
But before he could finish his words, the formless flames swallowed him whole. Slabs of flesh and blood tore away from his body until nothing remained but a skeleton, and even the bones continued to melt away.
A wave of destruction targeting the true spirit rippled outward. This fifth-rank Lunar killing move powered by the Void Fire could actually target the soul!
Watching the opponent's form being continuously annihilated, Leylin lowered his hand from the ring, though his pupils contracted slightly. "Directly controlling a Lunar killing move? Turning the killing move against its master — that's far more difficult than simply disrupting it, unless..."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Once the fifth-rank Lunar wizard fell and the Flame Throne still failed to appear, the remaining Morning Star wizards finally lost all will to fight. Flashes of teleportation light and the explosive roar of surging air currents erupted one after another.
"That Lunar wizard must have been the last of the Flame Throne's forces..."
After completing all of this, Melinda's current state seemed rather strange — as though she were grieving, yet simultaneously relieved.
"From this day forward, the Flame Throne's reign is over!"
Melinda sighed, then reached her right hand toward the center of Duze City.
Boom! A colossal phantom of a white hand materialized and crushed the sacred flame at the very center. Even the array spirit was directly destroyed under this assault.
The entire Duze City fell silent in an instant, and the glow of the grand defensive wizard array dimmed.
"Could it be... Is Duze City really changing hands today?"
"Where is the Flame Throne? Where is His Majesty the Flame Throne?" the surviving wizards cried out in disbelief.
But ever since the sacred flame was extinguished, a premonition had taken root in all their hearts.
Perhaps the history of the Central Continent would be forever changed today!
……
Teams of wizards wearing Thunder Rune wizard robes methodically arranged defenses outside, collected supplies, and performed various tasks. Occasionally, several elderly figures were seen specifically decrypting the storerooms and the defensive wizard array.
The Thunder Rune wizard robes were the hallmark of Jupiter's Thunder, and apart from them, there wizards bearing the symbol of the Twin Stars were doing the same.