"So you're saying I'm doomed?"
Osney's face was ashen.
"Not necessarily! Longbaton is the Child of Destiny — he won't fall so easily. And do you really think the
"How dare you offend me? A dignified second-rank
Waves of pale silver spiritual power coalesced as
In his heart, there was also a trace of lingering fear.
If not for his secret technique to forcibly halt the rebirth process, he might truly have perished here today.
A second-rank Wizard dying at the hands of a group of first-rank Wizards — that would absolutely be the greatest joke in the entire Dark Extreme Domain's history!
Right now, Rosby felt like a full-grown man who had been bitten by an ant. The stinging humiliation constantly gnawed at his mind.
Moreover, this suppression technique was not without its cost. At the very least, his current rebirth period would be greatly extended, and during times of war, the consequences could be catastrophic!
Therefore, Rosby was genuinely furious now.
"I'll turn you all into maggots, rotting in agony in the abyssal depths for ten thousand years! I swear it!"
Rosby's eyes blazed crimson as vast quantities of materialized silver spiritual power swept across the area.
"Damn it, use that one!"
Longbaton bellowed.
The two Dark Elves behind him exchanged a glance, nodded, and shot silver light from their eyes.
In an instant, their faces took on the sacred expression unique to martyrs.
Then they drew gem-encrusted daggers with peculiar curves from inside their robes and plunged the blades straight into their own hearts.
Pfft! Pfft!
Two peak first-rank Dark Elves collapsed to the ground, a cloud of blood mist billowing from their chests.
The spider phantasm behind Longbaton had already been severely damaged by the materialized spiritual power, nearly on the verge of dissipating. But now it surged suddenly, greedily absorbing the red blood mist and recovering at an astonishing speed. Its aura continued to intensify, even reaching a point where it could rival the second-rank Wizard across from it.
"What's... going on?" Osney asked in shock from the side.
"Heh heh! Nothing much — just a sacrifice. The Dark Elves' old trick!" Merlin chuckled coldly.
"Dark Elves are clan-based creatures, and each family's Matron exercises absolute control over her own bloodline. This control runs deep into the blood and soul, nearly impossible to break free from. Even a peak first-rank Wizard, with just a touch of mental suggestion, would kill themselves without hesitation..."
"And that Longbaton clearly cultivates an advanced Meditation Method that absorbs life force for advancement. After absorbing the full life force of these two peak first-rank Wizards, even if he still can't beat the opponent, escape becomes very likely..."
"Huh? What about me?"
Osney suddenly realized he was in serious trouble. Longbaton could leave, but he was merely a half-elementalized — how could he possibly escape?
"This is the backlash of fate! Longbaton is the Child of Fortune — he can escape successfully. But you? You're the one left behind to absorb the second-rank Wizard's fury!"
Merlin's voice was cold as ice, silencing Osney.
His eyes turned white once more as he rapidly brainstormed strategies. He also tried to draw on fate's premonition, but found nothing.
"Then what... should I do now?"
Osney's voice was hoarse.
"Pray! At this point, prayer is all you can do!" Wei Lin's voice was tinged with helplessness. "If my original body were still here, dealing with him would be as easy as crushing an ant. But now? All you can hope is that he kills you quickly, without too much pain..."
"No! No! There's still hope!"
Osney's eyes locked onto Longbaton. "If Your Lordship would intervene to save me, I could—"
Osney's words cut off abruptly as he watched Longbaton clash with Rosby through the spider phantasm, then immediately retreat without looking back.
Streams of black energy propelled him forward, and in an instant he vanished beyond the horizon.
"I... I..." Osney's eyes filled with despair.
Meanwhile, Rosby — having been abandoned by Longbaton — shifted his attention to Osney.
A colossal silver claw, carrying irresistible force, slashed down!
"Am I going to die? I refuse to accept this!" Osney closed his eyes. The overwhelming materialized spiritual pressure made even the mana flow within his body sluggish. Against a second-rank Wizard's fury, he had absolutely no power to resist.
"Rosby!!!"
At that moment, a cold, deep voice carried from the distant horizon, accompanied by violent energy.
"Hmm? An opportunity! Rosby must have an enemy coming for him! I'll wrap you in soul power — run, now!"
Merlin's voice came swiftly, and with a wave of icy sensation, Osney found he could move again.
He fled at full speed, narrowly dodging the claw's strike, and without looking back, disappeared into the distance.
Rosby didn't pursue, because another wave of spiritual power — also at the second-rank level — had already locked firmly onto him.
He looked up to see a black figure approaching from the horizon.
The figure's face was shrouded in a layer of dark mist, making it impossible to discern their true features.
"Who are you? I don't believe we've met before?" Rosby ventured cautiously.
His situation was extremely dangerous — the secret technique could fail at any moment, dropping him back to first-rank power, which would spell disaster.
"Never mind who I am! But how can I let you harvest the fruit I've planted?"
The figure spoke in a mechanical voice, clearly disguised.
"Fruit! Harvest? Could you be—?" Rosby's face showed shock and fury, which quickly transformed into panic.
Mist! Enormous quantities of black mist, tinged with a silver sheen, formed a massive labyrinth that locked him inside.
"They're trying to suppress my strength and wait for my technique to expire before dealing with me!"
Rosby saw through the plan at a glance. He swept his arm, launching a volley of silver arrows that pierced into the mist.
Pfft pfft!! Pfft pfft!! Pfft pfft!!
The silver light arrows vanished without a trace the moment they entered the mist wall, draining the color from Rosby's face.
"This place is completely sealed off. Don't bother trying to summon allies or send messages — nothing gets out..."
From within the black labyrinth came the same voice, faint and wavering, its position constantly shifting.
The opponent was being this cautious — even against someone like Rosby, who had only barely recovered to second-rank power through a secret technique, they still refused to show themselves directly, lest he resort to some devastating final attack that would destroy them both.
A glimmer of despair crossed Rosby's face...
More than ten minutes later, Rosby let out an unwilling roar as his aura rapidly weakened. Wrinkles spread across his face, transforming him from a middle-aged man into an old man's appearance.
This was the moment the secret technique expired — the power regression period of rebirth.
Seeing this, the vast mist immediately surged inward...
Snap! The black labyrinth dissolved. A single black flame descended, reducing Rosby's corpse to ashes.
Leilin weighed the green ring in his hand, a smile spreading across his face.
"As expected of a major faction's leader — the accumulated wealth is impressive. He even had a spatial Magical Item!"
He examined the ring carefully. It was extremely slender, the kind a woman might wear, with buds and vine decorations on its surface forming an intricate pattern.
"This spatial ring must contain many treasures, but the protective layer on its surface is troublesome. I'll need to go back and have the Chip analyze it slowly..."
Leilin stroked his chin and carefully stored the green ring away.
Rosby was a second-rank Wizard with a spatial artifact — he certainly carried vast quantities of resources on him. The total value likely even exceeded the treasury of the Green Water Garden headquarters.
Obtaining it was equivalent to looting an entire major faction and claiming all the possessions of a second-rank Wizard.
"Not a bad haul. And, heh heh..." Leilin sneered.
On the ring, he had detected an incredibly faint thread of connection, subtly linked to a distant presence.
This meant Rosby wasn't truly dead yet!
The connection on the ring was extremely subtle. Had Leilin not already advanced to second-rank and carefully scanned the ring several times with the Chip's assistance, he might never have noticed.
If Rosby had escaped and then traced the ring back to Leilin's true body, things would have been troublesome indeed.
But now?
Leilin glanced in the direction Osney had fled, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"You actually made it back — that's wonderful!" Longbaton looked at Osney with a brilliant smile.
"Just lucky, that's all." Osney wore a bitter smile, but the seed of distrust had already been planted in his heart.
The two of them had returned to the noble estate where they'd started.
The four Mithril Constructs had been ground to pieces under the combined assault of the other two Dark Elves and numerous Wizards.
"That Wizard — do you know who he was?" Longbaton asked Osney.
"No, but he was probably an enemy of Rosby's or something. The second-rank Wizard circle is far beyond our reach — I couldn't collect any useful intelligence..."
Osney sounded somewhat regretful.
Suddenly, a premonition surged through his mind, and his eyes instantly turned white.
"Rosby is dead! But an Incarnation Seed of his still remains at the Green Water Garden headquarters!"
Osney quickly relayed the prophecy to Longbaton. "What should we do?"
"Is that even a question?"
A savage grin spread across Longbaton's face.
"Gather our people — we're heading for their headquarters!"