The blade of light, shaped like a scarlet crescent moon, swept past. The enormous black monster let out a wail before dissolving into wisps of dark mist.
From within the mist came Steward's wary voice. "A high-grade magical artifact! You actually possess a high-grade magical artifact!"
He stared at the blood-red pendant dangling from
"Chip! Begin counteracting the curse radiation! Locate the source!"
Leylin's expression was grim as he issued the silent command. Had it been his former self, facing such an ancient curse would have been exceedingly troublesome. But with the vast collection of the Grand Library serving as his trump card, and with the Chip having successfully digitized his soul force into a database, he finally possessed at least some capacity to resist.
The same applied to the Scarlet Pendant. Before thoroughly determining its origins and functions, he had never dared wield it at full power. But this time, within the Grand Library, he had found a detailed account of the pendant's history—including activation incantations and the like—which naturally allowed this high-grade magical artifact to finally serve its purpose!
On the Central Continent, most magical artifacts in circulation were low-grade. Mid-grade ones were already exceedingly rare, and as for high-grade artifacts—even a Bright Moon
With the ability to wield the Scarlet Pendant, Leylin's combat power had received a tremendous boost—especially at a time like this, when he was being suppressed by the curse on all fronts.
"Ding! Task established. Deploying soul interference now—searching for the curse's origin!" the Chip reported back immediately.
A layer of faint yellow motes of light emanated from Leylin's body, while the numerous black masks surged toward them like moths drawn to flame.
"A trans-dimensional curse! And with this terrifying debilitating force! The opponent is at minimum a rank five Bright Moon Wizard! I'm ninety percent certain it's Jesiah! To think he possessed such talent in the dark arts of curses…"
A cold glint flashed through Leylin's eyes. This kind of ancient curse was something even his current self could not replicate. The technique of projecting it across space even exceeded the boundaries of rank five!
"Or perhaps… someone was assisting him? Could it be an even more powerful Wizard?"
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Leylin's expression grew even more solemn. He now had to contend not only with two rank five wizards fighting in concert, but also remain vigilant against the covert surveillance of that mysterious high-level Wizard.
"I truly underestimated you!"
Steward watched as the black masks assailing Leylin grew fewer, yet—somewhat unexpectedly—he did not press the attack. Instead, he let out something of a sigh.
"Methods capable of resisting an ancient curse. Peak Morning Star cultivation, with strength comparable to a Bright Moon Wizard. And in possession of a high-grade magical artifact! Had I known all of this beforehand, I wouldn't have made a move even if Jesiah had offered ten times the compensation!"
After all, Steward was still a wizard. Once his initial fury subsided, reason reasserted itself on his face.
Yet the very matter-of-fact way he spoke sent a very bad premonition coursing through Leylin.
"Unfortunately... once the seeds of hatred have been sown, I won't let them take root and sprout!" Steward fixed Leylin with a deep stare. "If I can't make you fall today, then once you advance to Bright Moon Wizard, it will surely be my end! Not even the Sky Throne will be able to protect me..."
Leylin remained silent, saying nothing more. His enemy knew him best, after all. Once he had sufficient strength in the future, he would certainly take his revenge. He would even pull the weeds up by the roots — and it wasn't just him who thought that way. Steward was the same. Neither side had bothered to hide it.
"So! You will die here today — or else it is I who falls, returning to the Star Abyss!"
A look of steely resolve surfaced on Steward's face. A strange fluctuation rippled across his body, and behind him, the halos of five innate Wizard Spells flickered uncertainly. Even time and space seemed to grind to a halt.
"A Bright Moon Wizard's killing move!?" Leylin's expression turned grave to the utmost.
A Morning Star Wizard could combine four of their innate Wizard Spells, driven by the power of a quality point, to form a terrifying fission force — a Morning Star killing move powerful enough to annihilate heaven and earth! So what about a Bright Moon Wizard?
The power of four fused innate spells was already terrifying enough. What would happen if a fifth-tier innate spell was added to the mix?
Leylin had never witnessed a Bright Moon Wizard's killing move, but he knew with certainty that once such an attack was unleashed, even the entirety of
Otherwise, back when Steward had been thoroughly humiliated, he would have used his Bright Moon killing move long ago instead of holding back out of fear of the Sky Throne — enduring it until now to finally make his move!
They were already far from Sky City. Even if residual shockwaves reached it, the city's own defenses and the Wizards within would be more than sufficient to withstand them. That was why Steward could unleash his full power without any reservations!
In that instant, as if gazing through his opponent's quality point, Leylin caught a glimpse of Steward's true spirit! A soul like a brilliant moon, radiating cold and dazzling crescent light!
"The stacking of a Morning Star killing move is absolutely not as simple as one plus one. Once a fifth-tier innate spell is fused in, the resulting Bright Moon killing move will increase in power tenfold! At a minimum!"
Leylin watched with deep wariness as the light behind Steward merged and swelled, rippling out with a brilliance sufficient to destroy the very world!
"Steward has truly made up his mind — daring to unleash a Bright Moon killing move in the Primeworld!"
Leylin let out a long breath. He did not charge forward to attack directly. While Steward was channeling his killing move, a horrifying barrier had already formed automatically around him. To rush in now would mean facing the full, devastating blow of a Bright Moon killing move head-on!
"The gap in power is too great. This level of force is more than enough to make me fall!" A flush of red rose to Leylin's face. "The only option is..."
He slowly pulled the white glove from his left hand, revealing a solar rune brand wreathed in black flame.
*Ding! Curse Ritual detected. Pursuit mode activated. Source confirmed!* At that moment, the Chip also delivered a piece of good news.
"Perfect — I'll settle both matters at once!" A sharp gleam flashed in Leylin's eyes as he strode forward to meet Steward head-on...
...
The City in the Sky.
"What do you mean? Wasn't it because Leylin's own strength was extraordinary, comparable to a Radiant Moon, and he offered the coordinates of the Lava World that His Highness Sky agreed not to interfere?"
Wells looked at his elder with a puzzled expression.
The Radiant Moon Wizard, however, shook his head. Wells even noticed a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth — and that only deepened his surprise.
This elder of his was a fairly powerful existence among the Radiant Moon Wizards. How could he possibly be wearing such an expression? Could it be that Leylin's strength had already reached a level that even he found helpless?
Wells shook his head vigorously, as if trying to drive the thought from his mind, but the more he did so, the more firmly the notion took root.
Rumble! A terrifying tremor rippled through the air, accompanied by a blinding white light.
"That's... a Morning Star's ultimate technique? No! An energy fluctuation even more terrifying than a Morning Star's ultimate technique? Could it be Leylin?" Wells raised his head, his gaze sharp and intent as he stared at the distant pillar of light.
"Stewart just couldn't hold himself back after all!" The Radiant Moon Wizard sighed, then turned to Wells. "Your luck is quite good! You get to witness a Radiant Moon's ultimate technique in the main world! And something even beyond that!"
"Even beyond that?"
Wells was bewildered for a moment, but then his jaw dropped in shock.
What did he see?
The sun! An eternal, boundless sun! It suddenly rose from within the white light of the Radiant Moon's ultimate technique.
That warm yet overwhelming radiance, along with an inexhaustible torrent of heat, sent a chill of terror through his very core. Wells could feel with absolute clarity that even a single lick of that flame would be enough to leave him gravely injured — or even obliterate him entirely!
The white light of the Radiant Moon's ultimate technique burst like a soap bubble under the sun, and the massive corona, far from satisfied, kept expanding outward until it reached the very edges of the City in the Sky.
Pop! Pop! Pop! One defensive formation after another shattered in succession. Terrifying waves of golden-red heat poured in — as though the sky itself had cracked open, the sun had fallen from the heavens. Buildings collapsed in droves, and the entire City in the Sky descended into utter chaos.
"Aaah..." Wells's mouth hung open. He could never have imagined that the City in the Sky — once seemingly invulnerable, never so much as trembling — would sway like a tiny sailboat caught in a raging tempest under such a horrifying attack, threatening to break apart at any moment.
Under the terrifying sorcery of a level-six Daybreak, even the City in the Sky — the crowning achievement of the entire Central Continent's academic pinnacle — was on the verge of collapse!
The colossal floating city lurched violently within the storm of scarlet-gold flames, threatening to fall apart at any second.
"No good! I have to flee right now — get as far away from this spell as possible. It's far too terrifying..."
Wells murmured under his breath.
Just as his defenses were about to buckle entirely, a hand came to rest on Wells's back, instantly steadying him.
"Don't panic! We still have the Lord! His Excellency of the Heavenly Throne won't stand by and watch the City in the Sky fall!"
The Brilliant Moon Wizard's words seemed to carry an extraordinarily powerful calming effect, and Wells quickly recovered from his state of shock — though the astonishment lingering in his eyes refused to fade for a long while.
"That spell... what on earth... no! That's not a spell anymore! It's a rule — an absolute rule of flame!"
Never before had Wells felt so keenly how small and powerless he was. The gap between himself and Raylin was simply too vast.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Accompanied by a cascade of beautiful birdsong, pure white feathers drifted down like snowflakes, wrapping the entirety of the City in the Sky in a tight embrace and blocking out the blazing radiance.
Under the aid of that strange power, the entire City in the Sky stabilized at last.
"It's His Excellency of the Heavenly Throne! He's made his move!" the Brilliant Moon Wizard let out a sigh of relief.
And within the City in the Sky, countless wizards knelt devoutly in the direction of the Sky Garden, giving thanks to the Lord for saving their lives.