Bang!!!
Soren's head, twisted with defiance and terror, flew high several meters before crashing to the ground, his eyes wide open and unable to close.
Before Leilin, Soren's headless corpse continued to fountain blood before sinking to its knees.
The corpse's left hand was still reaching forward, but less than a few millimeters from Leilin's body, it was utterly stopped by a layer of armor formed from grey light.
"With the Falling Star's Pendant for defense, I don't have to fear most apprentices' attacks at all. Combine that with an Ice Rune on the greatsword and my Knight-level physical constitution, and I really am unrivaled among apprentices!"
Leilin was quite satisfied with the result.
The Soren across from him was just slightly lesser than Torresas, and under this tactical approach, he couldn't hold out for more than a few rounds before collapsing entirely—even his head was cleaved off by Leilin.
"Now, it's your turn!" Leilin casually kicked Soren's corpse aside and charged toward the blonde female apprentice.
"It's done!"
At the same moment, the blonde female apprentice let out a long breath, her entire body relaxing as though a great burden had been lifted.
A vibrant red flower, blooming to the size of a fist. A green stone radiating a faint glow, splattered with the apprentice's own blood. And a dagger, broken halfway through, tossed directly onto the ground.
These three items were arranged in a rough inverted triangle, surrounded by numerous runes inscribed with silver powder.
Facing Leilin's fierce charge, the female apprentice sneered and pointed at him: "In the name of Melifis Nofalkel Machinando, the Great Binding Spirit of the Abyss—I decree that all I point at shall lose all ability to act!"
Buzzing!!!
The inverted triangle formation on the ground began to flow with light, and Leilin suddenly felt a tremendous binding force crash down upon him, pinning him firmly in place.
"This kind of spell? A human immobilization spell?"
Leilin struggled ceaselessly. From the void came the sound of chains snapping taut.
"Don't bother struggling. These are the chains of the Abyssal Binding Spirit. No matter how many you break, the rest will automatically regenerate—and the binding force will double!!!"
As the blonde female apprentice's voice rang out, Leilin felt the chains tightening around him ever more fiercely.
Ssssss!!! The silvery-grey light from the Falling Star's Pendant clashed continuously against the force emanating from the void, and faint wisps of white mist began to form.
"You lowly maggot, despicable butcher—how dare you kill apprentices from two of our academies! I shall grant you death to atone for your sins!"
The female apprentice's face was flooded with smug satisfaction and the thrill of vengeance, her features contorting until her once-pretty face became utterly grotesque.
"How dare you kill Soren! I'll make you pay in blood!!!"
The female apprentice pointed at Leilin once more: "Strength! Stripped!!!"
The instant the words left her mouth, Leilin felt the strength draining from his body, and in the blink of an eye he went from a Knight to something no stronger than an ordinary infant.
"This feeling... is it a curse?"
Leilin thrashed against the chains. "A mere curse—how could it make me bow down!!!"
"It's all over!" the female apprentice chanted in the Ancient Byron Language: "Flames of the Abyss—reduce this sinner to ash!"
With her incantation complete, a ring of black-red flames suddenly ignited beneath Leilin.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing his entire body in an instant.
Clang!!! The ice greatsword slipped from Leilin's hand and hit the ground. The ice fractured, split, and shattered—until finally even the Cross Sword forged from refined steel completely melted under the black-red flames, collapsing into a puddle of molten iron.
Ssss!!!
The silvery-grey armor on Leilin's body also began to destabilize. The Chip scrolled frantically across his vision: "Warning! Warning! Falling Star's Pendant energy dropping rapidly! Current reserves: 45%. Projected total depletion in 34 seconds!"
"Ignore it! Dump the Falling Star's Pendant's energy all at once!" Leilin ordered.
Buzzing!!! In an instant, the silvery-grey glow around Leilin surged more than tenfold, and behind him a massive cross-shaped phantom materialized. Above it, several gemstones flickered with different hues, and a wave of power spread throughout every limb and bone in Leilin's body.
"Break... for me!!!"
Leilin forced one violent surge. A cascade of cracking sounds erupted from his body as countless black runic chains materialized—then snapped apart, clattering to the ground before vanishing into nothing.
"Now it's your turn, you disgusting whore!"
Leilin's form blurred into the wind, arriving directly before the blonde female apprentice.
"No... impossible! How did you break free?!" The blonde apprentice clutched her head and shrieked, then pointed again. Several fireballs the size of washbasins slammed straight into Leilin.
Boom!!! The flames exploded and merged with the lingering black-red fire, then quickly died out.
And within the silvery-grey translucent armor, Leilin was completely unscathed.
"No! No!" The apprentice crumpled to the ground, scrambling backward.
Leilin kicked the green stone and the broken dagger aside, and the inverted triangle magical formation shattered instantly.