Age of Adepts c1-1513
Page 855
If one were to be brutally honest, the entire battlefield was being held together by Greem’s power alone. If Greem had given up on the situation, the Central adepts would have long since fallen apart!
Greem stood at the very back of the formation, reinforcing the fighters with fire magic as he sighed to himself.
The Central Lands were truly weak!
Still, no matter how upset he was, Greem couldn’t simply let the disaster creatures defeat the adepts. After all, his reputation was on the line as well!
“Chip, dynamic battlefield analysis, please! I want to look for an opening on the battlefield.”
[Beep. Dynamic scan activated. A total of eleven Fourth Grade disaster creatures and twenty-four Third Grade disaster creatures detected. Detailed information is currently being processed.
[Beep. Adept Ariza will be in a precarious situation imminently. Coordinates: 225,087. Two Fourth Grade enemies are pincering him. Please reinforce immediately.]
Greem waved his hand and threw a magma fireball at a specific location on the battlefield. The vicious and violent shockwaves instantly blew away the disaster creatures attempting to pincer Ariza, temporarily alleviating the situation for him.
[Beep. Declan is now being attacked by three disaster creatures. The enemy might break through at any moment.]
Without another word, Greem raised both his hands. A Fire Pillar erupted a hundred meters in front of Declan. The flames licked at all the enemies around it.
The three Fourth Grade disaster creatures hastily fled, and the offensive against Declan was delayed for a moment.
[Adept Kerala is standing too far out. A disaster creature is currently planning a stealth attack on her.]
Greem’s eyes gleamed as two thick golden beams swept across the horizon. They arrived close to Kerala; a strange tiger with wings on its back and horns on its head tumbled out of the sky, just barely avoiding Greem’s attack.
Kerala screamed when she saw this. Her hands moved quickly and several gray and black halos wrapped around the tiger.
The beast hurriedly escaped from her range with a few leaps. The ambush ended without a result.
With the Chip’s absolute surveillance and Greem’s uncontested principle fires, the Fourth Grade Central adepts finally managed to survive the most challenging phase of all and get over their awkward movements.
They realized that they had no risk of danger when such a powerful ultra-powerhouse backed them. Naturally, they could forget about their worries. They could begin thinking about cooperation and the best way to inflict the most damage to their opponents.
The cooperation and teamwork finally allowed each individual to display the full extent of their power!
Driven by Greem’s actions, the selfish Fourth Grades of the Central Lands finally abandoned their narrow thinking and started to devote their all to the team.
They were Fourth Grades, after all. Even though it was just a slight change to their combat style and thinking, it reflected greatly on their battles. It was almost as if they had been reborn.
Alfred specialized in soundwave magic. He was far more capable than his peers when it came to detecting and locating hidden enemies. He actively volunteered himself to deal with the stealthed enemies. He used berserk music notes to disrupt the enemy, providing the more vulnerable adepts like Kerala and Matthew with an additional layer of protection.
Nicolas specialized in water magic and could create mirror images and teleport his allies. When he contributed his power to the team, all members of the party were instantly reinforced with effects such as Mirror Clone and Water Reflection. Several intricate and well-hidden Wells of Teleportation were also placed amongst the group.
If any of the group members sensed danger, they could flee to another place using these Wells of Teleportation. In doing so, they had an extra means to escape the enemy’s pursuit.
Meanwhile, Adept Roderick’s plant magic was incredibly well-rounded, with the capacity for offense, defense, and healing.
An extensive Nature’s Barrier enveloped the team, allowing all members’ bodies and Spirit to recover while they were within it.
He also caused giant vines to grow everywhere, delaying and slowing down the disaster creatures.
The Central adepts had always been too selfish in the past. They rarely thought about their ‘companions’ in team battles, let alone using their own powers to protect them.
When they finally tried it for the first time, they instantly gained positive feedback.
The entire group became orderly in their approach against the disaster creatures. With Greem covering for them with ferocious fire magic, the battlefield would not fall apart again.
The Central adepts’ battle got even easier as they gained confidence and the will to battle!
Using the disaster creatures to train his forces.
There was always a group of people keeping their eyes on the Fourth Grade adepts of the Central Lands all over the battlefield. This unbelievable scene rendered them speechless. They couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh.
Man…using such fearsome disaster creatures to make the team mesh together. That was…a little too daring, wasn’t it!?
Chapter 1409 - Battle of the Stars
Suppress the entire battle with one’s power alone, and it would be a miracle. If you failed to do so, tragedy would strike!
Even though both sides could see the intention behind Greem’s attacks, it wasn’t possible to mimic him. After all, they didn’t have his level of power.
Greem was able to keep all the mutated beasts away with his Burning Domain. That cut off any chance of the mutated beasts reinforcing the disaster creatures. If the disaster creatures wanted to attack the Central adepts, they would have to grit their teeth and enter Greem’s Burning Domain.
Though the Fourth Grade disaster creatures’ magic resistance meant they wouldn’t be burned to ashes by the flames Greem radiated, the constant burning of the Undying Flames was still a burden on them.
At the very least, they would have to dedicate thirty to forty percent of their power to resist the effects of the Burning Domain. Naturally, this left them incapable of attacking the adepts with all their might.
What really infuriated the disaster creatures was the thousand-meter-tall flame giant standing far in the backline– Greem.
Whenever the disaster creatures organized a vicious offense, Greem would hurl numerous shockingly powerful fire spells at them. The disaster creatures often had to throw their own formations into chaos just to avoid the flames.
The disaster creatures were unable to organize themselves, while the Fourth Grade Central adepts were gradually becoming more used to fighting alongside each other; they were finally starting to resemble a team. Under the effects of all these factors, the Fourth Grades of the Central Lands were already able to execute two Fourth Grade disaster creatures and six Third Grades.
This ‘tremendous’ success undoubtedly boosted their confidence and fighting spirit. Despite the grudges that some of them held against each other, they were all beginning to work together and cooperate.
That put even more immense pressure on the disaster creatures!
The battle raged on the battlefield while the minor Scourge Lords hiding in the valley’s mists were engaged in a massive disagreement.
They weren’t blind nor deaf. In fact, just the familiar aura of that thousand-meter-tall giant allowed them to make the connection to the burning will that had spread through the principles some days ago.
It was clearly a Fourth Grade adept that had obtained preliminary control over Fifth Grade powers!
Just digesting this information had expended all of the minor Scourge Lords’ energy, let alone engaging in a discussion on how to deal with the enemy.
Their real forms in space might be incredibly powerful, but their powers would be limited to peak Fourth Grade the moment they entered the World of Adepts. If they were to go up against an adept with Fifth Grade
powers under such circumstances, every minor Scourge Lord here would run the risk of death.
The low-grade mutated beasts might not have intelligence, but higher beings like themselves had fearsome intelligence that matched their might. None of them were willing to bear such a terrible risk for the benefit of the whole.
Thus, the question of how to deal with the fire adept quickly became the core of their heated discussion.
Some were skeptical and believed that the fire adept was putting up a front. They wanted the minor Scourge Lords to attack him in unison and kill him immediately. Meanwhile, another minor Scourge Lord suggested that their companions delay the fire adept while they attempted to find a breakthrough on other fronts.
If that was the case, a new question cropped up. Who was supposed to stall the fire adept!?
After pushing the task back and forth between themselves, the monumental and challenging task fell unexpectedly on the strongest individual among them– Fiveface.
Fiveface was a terrifying many-headed serpent with peak Fourth Grade powers.
He was the one who had fought against all three of the ultra-powerhouses of the Adept’s Association alone and forced them to retreat.
Naturally, it became a consensus that he should be the one to fight against the fire adept!
There were five minor Scourge Lords here, all with peak Fourth Grade powers and control over mighty principle powers.
It was only natural that the vicious and savage minor Scourge Lords were eager to launch a counterattack upon seeing the human adepts launch such a grand assault on them.
After concluding their discussion, the minor Scourge Lords immediately recalled their subordinates from the battlefield. They charged out of the valley mists with heavy steps.
The commotion on the battlefield instantly drew the attention of all the adepts. The ones who were relatively far out on the battlefield quickly retreated and rallied. The seven Fourth Grades of the Central Lands also retreated upon seeing this. They circled Greem’s giant body and awaited his instructions.
After the battle here today, all of them finally understood something. Without Greem supporting them all, the Central adepts were nothing on a planar battlefield. They had to rely on Greem if they hoped to live.
That was because only Greem had the power to save them from the claws of the disaster creatures at those crucial moments. As for the companions at their sides? It would be a blessing if they could fend for themselves!
No one else really cared about the internal workings of the Central adepts. The instant the minor Scourge Lords showed themselves, the Adept’s Association also started moving out.
Over a hundred humanoid adepts flew into the sky from the adept tower behind the frontlines. Standing at the center of them all were the Association Fourth Grades led by none other than Domhnall himself.
“It seems like they are eager for a final showdown!” Greem stepped forward and silently sent voice transmissions to the Central adepts, “Stay back when the fight begins later. Don’t even think about leaving the radius of my flames. Play safe!”
All the Central adepts instantly gained a direction when they heard the message. They gathered around Greem like loyal guards.
Only the more experienced amongst them, like Kerala and Alfred, frowned deeply. They seemed hesitant to get too close to Greem. They knew that once the battle began, Greem was most certainly going to be the star of the human adepts.
When that happened, the battlefield that Greem was involved in would be the most dangerous location of all!
The decision to stay closer or further away from Greem was the best test of the adepts’ experience and understanding of the battlefield dynamics.
Everyone held their breath and remained silent as they sized up these fearsome creatures climbing out of the valley depths. The more they looked, the deeper they frowned. In the end, all the adepts’ brows were tied up in knots. Their hearts pounded uncontrollably.
One…two…three…four…five.
Dammit! There were five peak Fourth Grade disaster creatures in total!
It was not going to be an easy battle.
The most significant difference between ordinary disaster creatures and minor Scourge Lords was the existence of a Scourge Aura. The so-called Scourge Aura actually referred to the domain of light formed by a Scourge Lord’s principle powers.
The moment an enemy stepped into the domain, they would be assaulted by the fearsome principle powers. Only Fourth Grade adepts, who had mastered laws, could have a chance at resisting the principle powers.
Adepts below Fourth Grade were little more than defenseless rabbits in front of principle powers. The only difference between them and ordinary humans was the fact that they would die slower and suffer more pain in the process.
Apart from that, they were no different from mortals before the Scourge Aura!
A lizard with five heads stood at the forefront. Jade-green scales covered its body, and its four thick limbs supported its gigantic body. The five heads all looked forward, though facing different directions.
“Lord Greem, it seems like we will have to work together for this one! Do you see the many-headed reptile? It’s called Fiveface. Each of the five serpent heads has scales of a different color, each having a distinct elementium attribute. Red is fire, white is wind, blue is frost, brown is earth, and the central head is green for poison,” Domhnall was clearly trying to get back on Greem’s good side. He pointed at the reptile as he solemnly explained its powers to Greem.
Greem stood tall at the center of the battlefield, silently appraising his opponent.
Though Domhnall’s explanation was helpful, it wasn’t as comprehensive as experiencing it for himself.
The reptile was most likely a Fifth Grade creature as well, only that its power had been suppressed to peak Fourth Grade due to being in the World of Adepts.
A creature like this would have attributes and a grasp over the principle powers superior to Fourth Grade adepts. It was definitely more powerful than even ultra-powerhouses.
In particular, Greem could sense the presence of a strange principle power on its hundred-meter-long body.
“Chip, are you able to analyze the attributes of the opponent’s principle power?”
[Beep. Information gathering complete.
[Target Creature: Five Face.
Target Grade: Fifth Grade (Limited to peak Fourth Grade within this plane).
Target Species: Mutated Salamander.
Target Attributes: Strength 45 | Agility 18 | Physique 52 | Spirit 48.
Scourge Aura (Principle Power): Poison + Disaster Power.
[Poison is the target creature’s actual attribute, while the disaster power is a shared attribute between all disaster creatures.
[Host will have to be cautious of the two principle powers when in combat. In particular, disaster power can corrupt Host’s Spirit and cause Host to gradually lost control over the fire principles.
[Recommended method of defense: The Tome of Corruption.
[Host must constantly be enveloped in the Tome of Corruption’s principle light. Should the principle light be shattered, the fire principles will be able to shield Host’s Spirit for eleven seconds. Any longer than that, and the Host’s Spirit will be at risk of being corrupted.]
Greem couldn’t help but frown when he heard the analysis. He bemoaned to himself, “Dual attributes? The poison alone is difficult enough to deal with. Why do I have to deal with disaster power as well!? They get blessings from the disaster power. What about me? Is the planar consciousness not going to help while I’m fighting on our home ground!?”
[Beep. Vague higher consciousness contacted. Detecting high energy flow into the body. Requesting instructions from Host. Allow connection?]
“Dammit, of course…that’s a free blessing from the plane! Accept the connection.”
The next second, Greem felt as if his mental consciousness had been soaked in warm water. Strange energy flowed from spa
ce and merged with his fire principles, turning into a peculiar principle power of its own.
“Hahaha…with the aid of the World of Adepts, I’m no longer afraid of that snake’s disaster power!” Greem finally smiled.
Chapter 1410 - World Power
Disaster power wasn’t the same thing as disaster aura.
Any powerful creature that emerged from the World of Disasters was steeped in an undispellable disaster aura from flesh to fur. It went right down to their very bones. Wherever they went, the disaster aura they radiated corrupted all substance and Spirit, degrading the environment until it resembled that of the World of Disasters.
This disaster aura was also the unique mark of the World of Disasters!
Meanwhile, disaster power was a world power. It was an origin brand left on the souls of planar creatures that the World of Disasters favored. This power wasn’t an innate trait of disaster creatures. Rather, it was a manifestation of the World of Disaster’s power brought forth by the use of their chaos principles.
Only a few of the most powerful creatures in the World of Disasters could use disaster power. The intensity of their disaster power revealed the degree to which the World of Disasters favored them.
Correspondingly, while the minor Scourge Lords could draw on disaster power to strengthen themselves, Greem would be able to enjoy the blessings of the World of Adepts, especially while he was fighting on his home ground.
With the Chip as the bridge of communication, Greem was able to reach into the principle level with his mental consciousness. He came into contact with the massive-yet-disorderly consciousness of the World of Adepts. The next second, an unfamiliar surge of energy flowed into Greem’s mind, making him feel a cozy, maternal warmth.
This flow of energy gave Greem a deep understanding of the principles while also instilling him with a deep hatred toward these invaders.
Now, he had no choice but to fight, even if he changed his mind!
Greem stepped forward, the foot of his thousand-meter-tall body booming against the ground. He bent over and let out an earthshaking roar at the disaster creatures in the distance.