"You even know this much? It seems like you've studied me very thoroughly."
Leilin shook his head. "But do you also know that the one thing I hate most is being forced?"
Leilin's expression instantly darkened.
"And compared to you White Wizards, I actually find Black Wizards easier to deal with. After all, as long as you show them enough power to keep them in line, they'll become more obedient than dogs. They won't play dirty little games behind your backs the way you do..."
"It seems Lord Leilin holds deep prejudices against us White Wizards. That is truly regrettable..."
Nonov spoke slowly, the light emanating from his golden scepter growing ever more brilliant.
"Are you done talking? For someone who came from Black
Magilene, standing beside Nonov, also spoke up, her voice shrill and piercing.
Whoosh! The giant tree wizard beneath them hadn't spoken a word, but countless roots had already begun spreading outward, thoroughly enveloping a vast surrounding area. The ground was blanketed in a grid-like network of roots.
"To pursue vitality, undergo complete plantification, and fuse yourself entirely with plant life? Pitiful!"
After a brief glance, everything about his opponents was laid bare before Leilin's eyes. He shook his head. Though he said nothing more, the pity visible in his gaze alone was enough to send the banyan tree wizard into a frenzy.
Under an endless shower of green light, translucent green crystals seemed to solidify in the void, sealing off all the space around Leilin.
"Same as last time — Kefa handles the suppression. You provide the amplification, and I'll take the main attack!"
Nonov stepped forward. The golden scepter in his hand surged upward, transforming into a golden holy lance.
"Understood!" Magilene responded from the other side. Intricate and mysterious runes emerged from her body one after another, sinking into the giant tree beneath them and into Nonov himself.
With the amplification, the crystallization of their spiritual power became even more pronounced, pushing toward some kind of limit.
"Even after amplification, you're still only approaching the third-level limit?"
Leilin sighed, clear disappointment in his eyes. He waved his hand.
Boom! A ring of black flame ignited around the carriage on its own, forming a protective barrier. "Stay inside. Don't come out and get in the way!"
Snap! Snap! Countless probing plant tendrils met the black flame and were immediately incinerated to ash, drawing screams from the great banyan tree wizard. The clinging black fire even showed a tendency to spread along the roots, forcing the massive banyan tree to abandon that portion of its root system entirely, severing the connection on its own. Bright green sap gushed from the wounds.
"Roarrr..." The human-like face on the banyan tree's main trunk let out an incomprehensible roar, but it made Nonov and Magilene's expressions change.
"A flame that burns the soul! Lord Leilin seems to have obtained some extraordinary inheritance during the time he was gone!"
Golden light burst from the holy lance, spreading across Nonov's entire body, as if he were clad in a suit of golden armor.
"Oh? Did you think I obtained my current strength by inheriting some legacy?"
Leilin was rather dismissive.
"Holy Lance of the Sanctum! The judgment of light and justice!" Nonov roared, golden flames seeming to blaze across his body.
He hurled the lance in his hand, as if shooting forth a golden meteor.
The golden holy lance arrived before Leilin in the blink of an eye, its tip trailing wisps of black lines — hairline spatial fractures.
"I have to say! For a third-level Wizard, you've done rather well!"
Leilin yawned and extended his palm. Whether it was the golden flames or the spatial fractures, they all collapsed directly beneath his pale hand.
He caught the tip of the golden holy lance in his bare grip. Its terrifying sharpness couldn't bring even a scratch to his skin.
"Stop pulling out these little trinkets — it's embarrassing."
As if mocking the three Wizards before him, Leilin casually applied force with both hands.
Crack! The golden lance snapped in half, letting out a mournful cry. Golden sand continued to pour from the break as the entire weapon rapidly disintegrated.
"Impossible! How?!"
Nonov stumbled back several steps, his face bearing the backlash from the holy lance's destruction. Blood trickled continuously from the corners of his mouth, and two red trails streamed down from his eyes. "This is our Academy's treasured inheritance artifact! Even a peak third-level Wizard shouldn't be able to budge it!"
"Run! His terrifying power even exceeds that of Gegewu!"
Magilene pulled Nonov back as the banyan tree beneath them tore its roots from the ground and retreated like a giant, each stride covering hundreds of meters.
"Activate the Interference Array — same preparation as last time against Gegewu!"
Nonov's eyes still held remnants of shock, but he had already recovered his composure. He pulled out a white handkerchief and pressed it firmly against his bloodied mouth, barking out orders.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four pillars of light — red, yellow, blue, and green — shot up from around Leilin.
Wisps of smoke and multicolored threads continuously materialized from the void, combining into an enormous magical array. Runes swam across its surface, flashing with light.
"Nonov! The enemy's strength has exceeded our imagination. This Four-Pillar Stone Seal probably won't hold him for long. We need to use the ultimate treasure!"
Magilene said gravely.
"Roarrr..." The banyan tree wizard Kefa beneath them also roared, sending out spiritual waves of agreement.
"Then in that case..." Nonov's expression shifted several times before he finally gritted his teeth and reached into his robe.
"Rumble!" Suddenly, a terrifying roar erupted from within the sealing array, sending chills down every Wizard's spine. It was as if some primordial beast had been unleashed from inside. The explosive force pushed the entire array outward, creating irregular bulges. The runes on its surface cracked and shattered, producing the crisp sound of glass hitting the ground.
"Impossible? This is our Four-Pillar Stone Seal! Even the Gegewu from last time was trapped for several minutes. How much time has even passed?"
Magilene, who appeared as an old woman, let out a shrill scream.
"Prepare to reinforce the seal! Use the Deep Sea Devil Algae! Buy me time, now!" Nonov's face was twisted with desperation.
"But that's our last line of defense, and the Devil Algae reserves are only enough for one use..."
Magilene hesitated visibly.
"The enemy's power is the greatest catastrophe for us. I even suspect... Hurry!" Nonov suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Fine!"
Magilene had only hesitated for a moment before snapping back to her senses. She threw out a dried piece of seaweed-like material.
"O Messenger of the Deep, hear my call..."
Along with Magilene's incantation, the small piece of dried seaweed rapidly expanded in midair, as if absorbing a tremendous amount of water. Its surface became glossy and lustrous.
A massive amount of water vapor gathered, forming a dark green plant sphere covered in all manner of algae.
Bang! The plant sphere moved above the sealing array and detonated. Filaments of black seaweed spread outward, forming a network that descended upon everything.
"Good! Even against a peak third-level, the Devil Algae can buy us—"
Nonov's eyes brightened with hope as he watched, but the look lasted only an instant before vanishing. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, and all his composure crumbled. "How is this possible?!"
In his field of vision, both the seaweed filaments and the earlier Four-Pillar Stone Seal were suddenly split open from the middle.
A Wizard wearing a dark golden academic robe and a mysterious mask strode out with an air of arrogance.
Then, as if a black hole had appeared in his hand, all the surrounding seals and Devil Algae were drawn toward him.
Crack! A soft sound rang through the air. In the span of a single blink, the entire array and Devil Algae seal had been compressed into a tiny model in Leilin's palm.
"This level of power has far surpassed the third-level boundary. You are a Dawn—"
The blood drained from Nonov's face, leaving it frighteningly pale.
But Leilin gave him no chance to kneel, beg forgiveness, or flee. "This pointless game should end now. As repayment for earlier — take this back!"
He lightly tossed the model forward.
Boom! The Four-Pillar Stone Seal, infused with the Devil Algae's power, detonated after being compressed a thousandfold.
Rumble! Invisible waves rippled outward in all directions, and even the earth trembled continuously.
Colorful light shimmered through the air, appearing dazzlingly beautiful yet concealing lethal danger.
"I'm warning you — don't ever provoke the Farell Family again. Otherwise..."
Leilin descended lightly onto the carriage and walked calmly into the cabin under the reverent gazes of Krupp and Dallenlai.
"Neigh!" The Nightmare Demon Horse reared and galloped at several times its previous speed. After building momentum for a brief period, it actually rose into the air, transforming into a streak of light that tore across the sky.
In their wake, the terrifying explosions continued for a long time before gradually subsiding, revealing two wretched figures.
The great banyan tree wizard Kefa had vanished completely — it had shielded Nonov and Magilene inside its own body, absorbing the brunt of the attack.
"Kefa!" Magilene's condition was also poor, but the greatest blow to her had come not from physical injury but from that terrifying, invincible figure.
"He's fine! Though his entire body was destroyed, fortunately the seed was preserved!"
Nonov produced a green seed...