It was obvious that the fire laws had seeped into his body. Even if he fled back to his clan, it would take several years of rest and conditioning to remove the fire laws’ contamination.
With Matthew serving as a precedent, the other adepts on the battlefield began to consider their own safety and benefit.
The second victim Greem set his eyes on was Elder Nicolas, who had always been hostile toward the Crimson Clan. The shadow of Elder Nicolas could faintly be seen behind several of the conflicts involving the Crimson Clan in the past.
Nicolas also appeared to be very cautious and guarded against Greem. The moment he saw Greem look over with his blazing eyes, Nicolas crushed a piece of magical shell-like equipment in his hand without any hesitation. Mists surged around him as he vanished without a trace.
He had truly fled, as even his soul aura was gone entirely from the battlefield.
It seemed to open a valve of sorts as the few remaining adepts started to panic.
They all began to escape and flee the battlefield through their own means before Greem could turn on them. In the end, the only person left was Body-Refining Adept Fabres, whose face had now turned dark green and whose eyes filled with dread.
Fabres was a classic body-refining adept. He did not have the variety of magic that elementium adepts possessed, nor did he have the same kind of mobility. He had tried fleeing the battlefield, but Fourth Grade Thunder Dragon Arms always stopped him.
The anxiety and dread he felt wholly distracted him from the fight against the dragon.
On the one hand, he had to be wary of Greem striking him with invisible spells, while on the other, he had to find an opportunity to escape the battlefield. However, before that opportunity could arrive, Mary and Kerala surrounded him.
Fourth Grade Thunder Dragon Arms, Bloody Queen Mary, and Adept Kerala. With these three Fourth Grades beating down on him, Fabres was predictably defeated quickly, despite his tough body.
He was very fortunate not to have become a sacrifice to Greem’s fire laws. At the same time, he was also very unfortunate, as he became a test subject for Arms’ lightning laws, Mary’s blood laws, and Kerala’s darkness laws.
Fabres howled in pain as he crashed down from the skies, smashing a deep crater into the ground. His body crackled with flashes of electricity, crimson energy bubbling from his wounds. A dark black rune flickered on his forehead, causing his consciousness to sink in and out of darkness.
Body-refining adepts that focused on Strength were still too immobile, after all. They did not have the speed that an agile adept like Mary would possess.
Thus, Fabres became the only high-grade captive in this historic battle.
Once the battle’s result was clear, Adept Kerala slowly flew away from Mary and stared at Greem.
She could sense that Greem was incredibly injured and spiritually exhausted. However, no one could see through Greem’s law defenses under all those flames, and no one knew how grievously wounded he actually was.
Were they ordinary injuries? Or were they deep wounds that hurt his actual body? Or perhaps it was grievous damage that had shaken the very foundations of his power. Greem’s actual conditions here could affect the attitude of the major forces toward the Crimson Clan henceforth.
In the past, Kerala would certainly have lunged forward with all she had and fought endlessly until the legendary fire adept had been defeated. However, now that the two of them were grasshoppers tied on the same rope, Kerala couldn’t help but be concerned about Greem’s injuries.
Of course, more so than her concern, Kerala was also keeping her guard up around the fire adept.
There had been too many conflicts and disagreements between them before their truce. Even though they had agreed to settle their differences earlier, it was entirely possible for Greem to dismiss his promises. That was why Kerala could only stand aside and await Greem’s response.
Greem might be burnt out, but he still pulled himself together and dealt with the battle’s conclusions.
It couldn’t be helped. It had been was a battle of high-grade adepts. If he, the clan leader, did not take a stance, then there was no one else who could represent the will of the Crimson Clan.
“Adept Kerala, our agreement still stands. My Crimson Clan will form an alliance with your clan, effective immediately!”
Upon hearing Greem’s words, Kerala could finally relax.
Those Fourth Grade adepts might look like mighty, higher beings that would stand eternally. However, if they chose the wrong side in a conflict, even an ancient clan with thousands of years of legacy and an incredible foundation could be reduced to dust in a matter of moments.
The conflicts between high-grade adepts were just as dangerous and vicious as the scheming and plotting between apprentices.
A conflict between adept apprentices ended with very low stakes. The worst thing that could happen was the death of the individual. However, should a high-grade adept lose a war, it could easily mean the disintegration of an entire clan of thousands of individuals. Moreover, any individual that was even remotely related to the defeated Fourth Grade would most certainly face the scythe of death.
As for the associated worldly kingdoms, their monarchs, and all their nobility? You could only imagine how many people would be involved in the ensuing purge!
The cause of this event might have been the conflict between the Crimson Clan and the Dener Clan, but by the end of it all, the conflict had evolved into a war between the incumbent forces represented by Freed’s Zhentarim Association and the newly rising influence of the Crimson Clan.
Meanwhile, Adept Kerala’s choice to change sides had proved to be the correct one. With that one decision, she had undoubtedly preserved the Dener Clan’s right to continue existing. As for Freed, Fabres, and the others? Their clans now faced an unprecedented crisis.
Survival or death? All of that was now up to no more than a single thought in Greem’s mind!
“Mary, you stay here and deal with the cleanup. You should consult with Adept Kerala, especially with regard to future plans regarding the Central Lands. I won’t be sticking around,” Greem gave a few simple instructions. He then looked around the battlefield and, after confirming that he had settled everything, erupted in a massive cluster of flames.
By the time the fires dissipated, Greem was nowhere to be seen.
Inside Fire Throne.
Greem had reverted into his human form. He stumbled straight into Alice’s arms when he appeared, large spouts of black blood spewing forth from the myriad wounds on his body, completely staining Alice in black.
He had fallen unconscious the instant he teleported back.
“Helen, quick! Come and help!” Alice endured her discomfort with the pungent blood and shouted urgently.
“I’m coming, I’m coming. How’d he end up in such a terrible condition!? He…the law powers in his body are so chaotic,” Helen beat her wings as she pointed her wand at Greem and cast Levitate.
Unfortunately, the magical light was shattered into pieces by the chaotic law powers in Greem’s body the moment it entered. Greem, who had just begun to levitate, sunk straight into Alice’s arms again, almost throwing her to the ground.
“Helen, are you trying to help, or are you just making more trouble for me!?” Tears were already welling up in Alice’s eyes at the sight of her bloodied lover. She had none of her usual composure or patience.
“I…he…the law powers in his body have gone out of control. I…my magic won’t work on him anymore!” Little Helen, who had always been a carefree spirit, almost started crying when her partner started shouting at her so sternly.
At this time, it was Lucia, who had been watching on quietly from the sidelines, that decided she could not watch on any longer.
Arcane Enhancement.
An instant-cast Second Grade arcane spell enhanced Alice’s Physique and Strength by 5 points. This Arcane Enhancement allowed Alice to barely prop up Greem and bring him to a room wi
th a bed.
She put him down carefully and took off his robes. At last, the tears she had been holding back streaked down her cheek.
Greem had a muscular body that was comparable to a Second Grade body-refining adept. At this moment, that body was covered in wounds, much of the flesh appearing as bloody pulp. It was almost as if he had been thrown into a barrel of knives and rolled around. You could see bone here and there, as well as long gashes measuring several fingers wide.
Blood continued to pour out of his body.
The blood still appeared black despite how much he had been bleeding. Moreover, it carried a nauseating stench. It was obvious that there was some form of poison in his body.
More terrifying was the fact that black smoke rose from the wounds on his body. Most of his flesh had turned black and was giving off the smell of rot.
Greem’s wounds were unprecedentedly severe!
Chapter 1306 - Healing? Butchering?
If the injuries that Greem had sustained were only common elementium wounds, then regardless of how severe they were, a single Enhanced Potion of Life would have restored him to full condition on the second day.
Unfortunately, what had ravaged Greem’s body wasn’t elementium damage, but all those twisted and distorted foreign laws.
Their presence caused Greem’s wounds to become so severe and difficult to deal with that Alice had no idea where to start.
Most of the foreign laws had already been shattered into countless tiny law shards. They lingered in Greem’s bones, veins, organs, blood, and flesh like bloodsucking leeches. They had assimilated with Greem’s body and energy, continually causing the mutation of his laws.
Their presence was what prevented Greem’s wounds from mending. Even his bodily functions were thoroughly disrupted, resulting in his current condition.
No magic or potion would be effective against these wounds. Greem’s biological system could only function properly once these foreign laws and energies were slowly worn away. Only then could he start healing again.
………
Greem was placed limply upon a rough stone platform.
He was utterly unconscious now and lay there naked, oblivious to what was happening to him.
Alice had changed into a dark robe, placing a rattling tray of metal equipment onto the edge of the stone platform. The smart and active Helen waved her wands as a dozen bright arrays were laid down around the stone platform, clearly illuminating Greem’s naked body without blinding Alice.
Lucia, who was Alice’s disciple, wandered around listlessly in the room as well. It was the room of a high-grade adept, after all. Anything placed in this room would be a rare resource that tens of thousands of people would die to get their hands on.
Though Lucia had no use for most of these things, she was more than satisfied to take a look at them and lay her hands on them.
However, even though she tried her best to walk around calmly, her gaze always drifted uncontrollably to that naked body on the stone platform.
It was the muscular body of a man, filled with life!
The muscles exposed beneath the light were clearly-defined and firm. Their outlines were smooth and spoke clearly of the tremendous strength contained within. His face wasn’t precisely breathtakingly beautiful, but its features were certainly handsome and gave off the unique charm of masculinity.
Greem’s once healthy and strong body was now covered in all sorts of wounds, strands of black and gray smoke rising from each of those injuries. Whenever tendrils of flesh reached out from the injuries in an attempt to mend the muscles, the smoke would swarm forward and erupt in a series of explosions.
Thus, the wounds remained open and black blood continued to stream like a river down his body.
He was one of the people responsible for the fall of the Arcane Empire!?
Lucia thought to herself silently.
After studying all those magical tomes under Alice’s tutelage, Alice had gained a different understanding and perspective on everything that had happened in the Arcane Empire. She had only been one of many ignorant arcane apprentices. She had no proper or objective understanding of the complexities or vastness of the universe.
However, now that she’d had the opportunity to stand upon the shoulders of the highly-developed adept civilization, Lucia finally understood the significance of civilization and how difficult it was for one to exist.
Not every larva would successfully grow to become a butterfly. In fact, many fell prey to the claws of ferocious predators soon after they were born and before they could achieve metamorphosis.
The man who lay on this platform in a deplorable condition was the terrifying flame giant in her memory. The colossal giant that had stood dozens of meters tall. The giant that wiped out the arcane academy, that burned her most respected teacher, Sir Brown, and that personally ended her life.
The silhouette of this man slowly overlapped with the fire giant in Lucia’s mind. She was at a loss all of a sudden.
He…he…to think, he was Teacher Alice’s lover!
It was he who brought her soul back to the World of Adepts.
That was what gave her the opportunity at a second life in this alien world.
The fall of her homeworld…the personal grudge of her teacher’s death…even her own death had been at the hands of this man.
For a moment, Lucia herself wasn’t sure what attitude and feelings she should hold toward this man.
While Lucia was frustrated, confused, and unsure of what she should do, what she wanted to do, and what she could do, Alice called for her with a frown on her face.
“Lucia, stop standing around doing nothing. Come here and help me.”
Er……help?
Lucia seemed to have lost her usual free-spiritedness. She walked over to the stone platform stiffly, almost like a puppet on strings. Her gaze wandered around the room. She was unsure of where she should look.
Mary appeared almost like a bloody butcher now. She hacked away at the body of the man on the platform.
Greem had 34 points of Physique. That made his body as tough as a magical alloy.
Finally, Lucia overcame her shyness as a girl and her odd sense of hatred for the man. She regained the curiosity that a Second Grade arcanist like herself should possess. Indeed, Lucia’s arcane abilities had improved rapidly during her tutelage under Alice. She was improving at an unbelievable rate.
She was now a Second Grade arcanist and a First Grade adept!
It was a bizarre case of multi-classing and, in fact, the only example of multi-classing in the World of Adepts.
More accurately, it was an unprecedented event, but there could certainly be more such individuals in the future.
Lucia’s existence had opened up a new system of power in the World of Adepts. A new power system would soon appear among the original classes in the World of Adepts– the arcane adept!
And Lucia was the pioneer of this new class of spellcaster.
Of course, this was not a glory that Lucia had been dreaming about or seeking.
Lucia shook her head and cast aside all the unnecessary emotions in her mind. She regained the curious and exploratory mindset of an arcanist and began to turn her attention to this perfect male body before her.
It was truly perfect. In all honesty, even if Lucia were to imagine and draw an ideal body by herself, she would not have been able to create such a flawless form.
Lucia gently touched the man’s arm. The muscles were firm but had an elasticity to them. The skin was smooth and even seemed to gleam with a crystalline energy radiance.
On careful inspection, this man’s body might even be more perfect than most women that could be called beauties.
However, the soft sensation of his skin was only an illusion!
Even when Lucia applied more strength, the muscles would not sink any further aside from the slight dip she had initially made with her finger.
Lucia’s expression changed as she started to app
ly more force.
Unfortunately, the muscles remained unmoving, as if they couldn’t sense the change in Lucia’s strength at all.
Lucia’s expression changed again. She took a very sharp silver scalpel from the operating table and gently pressed the blade against the man’s arm. Similarly, the skin dipped slightly, and then the muscles moved no further.
Lucia decided to slice at the man’s arm with all she had. The sharp blade clashed with the soft skin, and a muffled grinding sound–like that of aged leather being cut–could be heard. Sparks even flew here and there.
Even though Lucia had used all her strength, she still could not cut through the man’s skin. In fact, it was the silver scalpel that seemed to have dulled due to her excessive force.
Was the Physique of high-grade adepts so terrifying?
A look of horror finally appeared on Lucia’s face!
High-grade adepts were truly monsters.
“Stop playing around over there. Come here and give me a hand,” Alice, who had been busy with work at the front of the platform, called out.
Lucia muttered an acknowledgment and walked over.
Greem’s 34 points of Physique had made every inch of his skull and every piece of his flesh incredibly tough. Ordinary weapons could never hurt him now.
Only special scalpels that had been enchanted with a Spell of Sharpening and a Spell of Armor Piercing could slice his skin to reveal the bright red tissues beneath that brimmed with fire energy.
What Alice was doing now was opening up each and every one of Greem’s injuries to find the law shards hiding within. She then neutralized the law shards through a unique method.
Of course, this was an excessively bloody and savage process. An ordinary person couldn’t even sit through the entire operation. Moreover, due to Greem’s incredibly resilient body, the process of fixing him up looked less like an operation and more like the butchering of a beast.
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