Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  This plant did an exceptional job of hiding and keeping things under cover. For a while, no one discovered the abnormality in the town population. Surprisingly, for two months, these sporeloks were able to continue going about their lives with their human shells. If it weren't because the plant grew greedy and started seeking new victims in travelers and merchants, it would not have been discovered. In the end, it ran into an adept that happened to stay in the town.

  The adept clan responsible for the incidents sent out large groups of adepts and apprentices to participate in its extermination. It was only then that they discovered that the sporeloks had infected almost four thousand individuals, including some advanced apprentices.

  Only a few sporeloks managed to escape the purge and run away into the underground. The rest were all killed. Ever since then, all adept clans had become stricter and more rigid when overseeing their laboratories and resource sites. It was all for the sake of preventing the same thing from happening again.

  Here in Sarubo's Second Class resource site, all the magical plants were of common danger. Even if they managed to escape, they would not be able to cause a widespread disaster like the sporeloks. However, the site still posed a massive threat to nearby mortals.

  Now, with the destruction and damage done to the defensive arrays, some magical plants had managed to escape this place. Adept Flandre, who had taken over this place, didn't seem to mind. Instead, he watched with interest as he forced a group of a dozen apprentices to commit destructive harvesting acts on these plants.

  Adept Sicha even broke into the warehouse and started robbing the place of all its magical materials. On the other hand, Lamure never showed herself. Only a flock of red-eyed crows flying in the sky indicated her presence.

  Hill, whose right hand had been severed, slipped up. A bloodsucking vine wrapped around his leg and slowly dragged him into the woods. Hill struggled with all his might with his life on the line as he cursed and swore at Flandre.

  "Goddamned sissy. You are a freaking pervert. Go and find my teacher in the tower if you are so capable. You don't dare deal with my teacher, so you come and deal with us apprentice subordinates. You are a…"

  Adept Flandre had always been proud of his handsome face. His expression soured when he heard these words. He made drawing motions in midair, and soon a rune shot into the forest of magical vines. The wild bloodsucking vines immediately became even more savage.

  Several sprouts emerged from the tip of the vine that had entangled itself around Hill's leg. The shoots then twisted together and formed a humanoid mouth. The sharp edges of the leaves were like flashing teeth, viciously tearing into Hill's flesh.

  The serpent-like vines even dug into his blood vessels. You could hear the gulping sound as the vines swallowed and absorbed his blood.

  The destructive actions of the vines brought immense pain and damage to Hill. The torturous throes of the apprentice adept were an appalling sight to behold. The other captive apprentices lowered their heads fearfully. They didn't dare watch this happen. If it weren't for fear of provoking this wicked adept, they would have even covered their eyes and ears to avoid the knowledge of what was to follow.

  A red-eyed crow flapped its wings and landed on a tree beside Flandre. It tilted its head and laughed disdainfully, "Are you not afraid that the Flame Demon will come after you with all he has once you kill this disciple of his?"

  "Come after me?" A sinister smile surfaced on Flandre's face, "Does he even dare step out of that stone tower? He still refuses to come out after all we have done. I say, most of his past 'feats' were only flukes. Hmph! Just a coward."

  "Caw caw," The red-eyed crow cried, "Don't blame me for not warning you. If our two clans establish a truce in the end, your actions will bring down a terrifying enemy upon yourself!"

  "Hmph! Since when did you care about my wellbeing?" Flandre laughed coldly, "Not to mention that I have nothing to fear from a cowardly adept that doesn't even dare to fight me head on. He…"

  Just as Flandre planned to mock his opponent and boast a little bit more, something happened. He lifted his head abruptly and stared into the distance with unsure eyes. The feathers of the red-eyed crow bristled. It beat its wings and took the skies, its red eyes fixating on a black dot on the distant horizon.

  Even Adept Sicha, who had been pillaging the warehouse, had detected the abnormality. He immediately ran out with his companions and stared at the horizon.

  There, on the edges of that cloudy horizon, a tiny black speck was quickly becoming larger.

  A cluster of flames was also approaching rapidly behind that black dot.

  Even though there was still a distance between them, that powerful aura caused even the elite Flandre to frown. A brilliant light flashed in his eyes.

  "It's… him?" Flandre quickly recognized the approaching person.

  All this while, the three of them had been trying to force Greem out of his tower. It was natural that they would acquaint themselves with his aura. Yet, at that moment, the terrifying god-like individual that was storming towards them with that oppressive aura still caused them to gulp slightly.

  That was the enemy they wanted to deal with?

  Dammit! Why is he so powerful?

  A violent gale pushed against their faces like a crashing wave. The black dot had reached within one kilometer of them in the blink of an eye. Its wildest and most savage side was displayed before everyone's eyes.

  That...that is a dragon?

  Even the three adepts couldn't help but stare in stunned silence, despite their cumulative knowledge and experience. They had no idea what to do when looking this creature in the eye; this strange dragon whose flesh, muscles, and bones were all formed from tempestuous wind vortices.

  The World of Adepts had not seen a live dragon in many, many years. There were rumors that the Adept's Association on the East Coast had once created mixed-blood 'faux-dragons' by combining the bloodline of ancient dragons with the sea dragons in the Boundless Sea. However, here in the Zhentarim area, far from the sea, it was rare for anyone to witness anything that resembled a dragon.

  The three adepts had to look closely multiple times before they confirmed that this proud green dragon with the recklessly arrogant aura was no magical creature. It was only an elementium golem– a wind-attribute elementium golem!

  It was only when the wind dragon neared that the three of them noticed the towering silhouette riding on its back.

  This was a powerful and unforgettable adept!

  He wasn't old at all. In fact, there was even a trace of youthfulness that hadn't faded from his handsome face.

  He wasn't a body-refining adept, yet he had a perfect body with the ideal ratio. Tight muscles, radiant skin, and the strange long, crimson hair that rested on his shoulders and extended to his waist. With the crimson light glowing beneath his black eyes, he radiated a strikingly seductive aura of destruction and unbridled power.

  This man was far too noticeable. It was almost easy to miss out on the three Ioun Stones circling above his head, the strange and powerful staff in his hand, and that even more unknown tome that dangled by his waist.

  What was even more shocking to the three adepts was the realization that the cluster of flames was no magical spell. Instead, it was a massive cape of flame flowing behind his back due to the excessive speed at which the dragon was traveling.

  The faces of the three adepts became solemn when they made this discovery.

  Dammit! This Flame Demon only has the ability of a veteran adept. How was he able to impose such great psychological pressure on them?

  In particular, Soul Adept Lamure, who had once fought with Greem, couldn't suppress her shock and surprise. She had not sensed such astonishing power when she struggled with him before this!

  This nineteen-meter elementium dragon emanating a violent and savage aura suddenly stopped in the skies above them as the three adepts looked on. It remained a hundred meters above the ground.

  Gre
em lowered his head and looked down at the forest. A blinding red light shone from his eyes when his vision fell upon his still struggling disciple, Hill.

  "How bold!" A chilling smile appeared on his face, "You all deserve nothing less than death!"

  A crimson magma fireball shot out of his hands and crashed into the forest of magical vines.

  Boom.

  Resounding flame shockwaves ravaged the entire garden. Half an acre of the magical vine forest was swallowed by a sea of fire that reached into the skies. All the magical vines curled and struggled in the shockwave, desperately twirling left and right.

  Sadly, nothing they did mattered!

  The elementium flames ended as quickly as they came.

  Once the sea of fire dispersed, a field of carbonized magical vine remnants was all that remained.

  Chapter 446 Melee

  The two adepts didn't intercept Greem's attack. Instead, they silently assessed the strength of the fireball.

  One hundred and thirty points!

  A casual attack by the Flame Demon could deal up to a hundred and thirty points of fire damage. This degree of power was shocking. Even Flandre, who prided himself as an elite adept, would have trouble reaching such terrifying heights of power.

  He might be a water adept, but he didn't choose to specialize with it as his mastery. That would make him and his spells extremely susceptible to a counterattack.

  In usual circumstances, Flandre's magical damage was only between eighty to a hundred points. If paired with the proper magical materials, chants, and handsigns, this amount could inflate by another five to fifteen percent.

  Flandre had once defeated three adepts with a single Water Dragon Wave, but that was only due to the waves of attacks from the spell itself, not to mention the fact that none of the enemies were elite adepts. After all, the core area of the Water Dragon Wave only reached one hundred and ten points. The edge of the spell dealt even less at seventy points.

  If it weren't because Flandre had a unique method to shape the Water Dragon Wave into a dense vortex that could last for an entire forty seconds, he would never have been able to accomplish the magnificent feat that had propelled him to his fate.

  That was why the clan elders immediately sent Flandre to the frontlines when they heard who the enemy was to be. The Flame Demon, who had the power of a veteran adept and the ability to reach elite level temporarily. The clan also assigned the veteran Sicha to go along with Flandre to ensure the success of the operation. The sole purpose of Sicha's inclusion was to aid Flandre in capturing the famous Flame Demon in one fell swoop.

  On the other hand, there was Soul Adept Lamure. Her solo prowess was extremely limited. She probably couldn't even beat an ordinary adept in a straightforward fight. However, if she discovered a chink in your soul, she would be an even more lethal force than Flandre himself.

  Greem set fire to the magical vine forest and saved Hill. Yet, it didn't seem he had any intention of leaping off of the wind dragon. He stood high up on the wind dragon and glared coldly at the flock of red-eyed crows flying away into the distance. His eyes then moved on to the blue-robed Flandre and the leather-armored Sicha.

  Without another word, Greem raised the Blaze of Destruction high above his head. Loud and resolute chants reverberated throughout the land as a massive fire spell formed in his hands.

  Judging from its shape, this was a Scarlet Firestorm!

  Dammit! The two adepts had already known that Greem chose to go down the path of flame mastery. They knew he could cast spells at a much faster rate than an ordinary elementium adept. Still, watching a large-scale spell like this one form in under five seconds was a jarring experience.

  "I'll keep him occupied. You give him a mean one." A ferocious light flared in Sicha's eyes. He secretly transmitted a message to Flandre before he took off. His body flashed, and in just a single instant he appeared right beneath the wind dragon's gigantic body. His figure flashed again with a golden armor on it as a golden afterimage drew across the sky. He appeared just two meters below the wind dragon's abdomen.

  Sicha was a true-blue body-refining adept. His control over his body had already reached levels far beyond ordinary men. The golden circlet gave him the ability to levitate. Sicha took a few steps as if he was walking on the firm ground and not stepping on the sky. The golden claws in his hands slashed out several times, targeting the dragon's unprotected abdomen.

  Back on the ground, a ripple of water enveloped Flandre. Blue light flashed as several layers of Wave Shields and Water Barriers emerged and protected him within. Once he had cast his defenses, Flandre took out a blue gemstone the size of a fist. He used it as a medium to rapidly cast Ice Lance Barrage.

  Ice spells were a variation of water spells, and Flandre had mastery over several of them!

  However, their attacks still couldn't reach the speed of Greem's fire spell.

  Almost at the same time the two had finished communicating, Greem hurled the Scarlet Firestorm towards them. Meanwhile, he also started to transform into the Flame Fiend.

  A blazing fire pillar exploded into the sky with Flandre at its center. The roiling elementium flames were streaked with traces of purple as they sizzled and burned away at Flandre's shields. The wind dragon that Greem was controlling wasn't as stiff and dull as your ordinary elementium golem. Instead, it was as agile and flexible as an actual dragon.

  Faced with the storm of golden claws swinging at it, the wind dragon lashed out with its tail. Its pair of broad wings thrummed, and several transparent layers of wind vortices swiftly covered its entire body.

  The delicate elementium control of the wind dragon allowed it to shape the direction of the wind vortices, causing every one of them to pull in a slightly different direction. Stacked together, they were even sturdier than any magical defense an adept could muster.

  Even with his violent strength, Sicha's claw was still almost diverted by the barrier of wind. If he had been an agility-focused body-refining adept instead, he likely wouldn't even have a chance to break through the wind dragon's defense.

  The golden claw pierced through the layers of wind and finally came into contact with the wind dragon's thick hind leg.

  Sparks flew everywhere.

  Sicha and the wind dragon were both knocked back. A considerable distance quickly grew between the two of them.

  Meanwhile, Greem had transformed into a towering demon burning with flames. He pointed with his smoke-shrouded magma finger as a chain of Explosive Fireballs shot towards Sicha.

  Sicha didn't actually possess the ability to fly. The power of levitation granted by his golden circlet was also much less agile than if he was walking on the ground. He waved his golden claw and smashed apart a dozen of the explosive fireballs. He quickly retreated and avoided most of the ensuing shockwaves.

  What remained of the impact couldn't deal any damage to him through his golden leather armor.

  While Sicha was tangling with Greem in the skies, Flandre had finally finished preparing a large spell.

  Whirlpool Strangulation!

  An immense amount of water elementium gathered from every direction. It condensed to form several twisting currents that surged around Greem and the wind dragon. The moment the spell completed, all the flows flooded in towards the center, and all the water merged together.

  The next second, a deafening dragon's roar rang out from within the splashing whirlpool. The gigantic green dragon, whose body was so concentrated it almost looked solid, broke out of the maelstrom under the protection of a wind barrier. Lava Shields surrounded the Flame Fiend standing on its back keeping the torrent of water at bay.

  Fire and water clashed.

  Choking steam and heat enveloped the Flame Fiend.

  Amid the mist and steam, the gigantic flame humanoid remained wreathed in flames. It threw magma fireballs and launched magma spears at Flandre, creating a storm of fire of his own.

  As the chaos went on, one could sense the continuous shockwave
s from within. Sicha's ferocious battle cry could be heard as well.

  Greem seemed to have gone mad. He completely ignored Sicha's attempt to draw him into a melee and enduringly avoided the body-refining adept with the agility and speed of the wind dragon. Instead, he focused most of his attention on the magic duel with Flandre.

  The destructive magma fireballs and the rain of water arrows collided in midair. Some of them neutralized and intercepted each other, while others slipped past and wore away at the enemy's defenses.

  The three adepts circled each other, quickly moving around in the resource site. Everywhere they stopped was ravaged by the collateral damage from spells that had missed their targets.

  Those magical plants that existed as the nightmares and horrors of human society had now become delicate crystal flowers; they shattered into pieces with a single touch.

  Greem tossed a Scarlet Firestorm from above. Flandre deftly dodged the attack. The wildfires spread in every direction and devoured the garden and all the magical plants in a blazing conflagration.

  By the time they moved away from this location, the land had been scorched and burned until it cracked. A thick layer of dust piled above the earth.

  On the other hand, Flandre's Blizzard was like a chilling current. It had instantly frozen all the magical plants into white and blue crystalline sculptures. The shockwaves passed by and shattered them all into ice shards.

  The magical plants bound to the gardens by powerful magical arrays gathered together and wailed as if they had foreseen the fate awaiting them ahead. Sadly, this couldn't save their lives!

  It didn't matter whether it was a Magma Fireball cutting through the air or an enormous wave. Each of these magical attacks spelled their deaths.

  Of course, there were a few fortunate plants as well. The powerful spells had damaged the defensive arrays and created gaps in the formation that contained them. Thus, many surviving magical plants escaped outwards. Some turned into humanoid forms and crawled outwards with great difficulty. Others dug into the earth and fled through the ground.