However, even if they used large amounts of light magic, in a huge area like that the headquarters occupied, there would still be much darkness and many shadows.
Beside a flower terrace, dark figures emerged from the shadows, one after another.
All of these figures were wearing black robes with traces of blood on them. The smell of blood on their bodies was so strong that it did not seem like it could dissipate, and their eyes showed no sense of human emotion; all there was a pure desire to kill and vent!
“How is this? It’s the Magi Army from the dark Magi’s headquarters. They’re not that different from the light Magi, are they?”
Leylin and Caesar stood aside. This time, they had used their authority to transfer the patrolling Magi away, personally removed the defense mechanism here, and welcomed these people.
Caesar grinned at Leylin.
“They’re not bad, and are perhaps a lot stronger…” Leylin sucked in a huge breath.
Due to the harsh environments they lived in, they had to have great battling prowess. In general, being able to live until now was only possible with their own two hands.
The army trained by the light Magi had also gone through arduous and bloody battles, but the only way in which they surpassed the dark Magi army was in their cooperation. In terms of individual battle power, they could not compare.
“It’s been already two days since the previous attack. We only have three more days before the investigation team from headquarters arrive! It’ll be troublesome when that happens…”
Caesar’s expression revealed his discontent. “How about Wade? Haven’t you taken care of him yet?”
“He’s concealed himself quite well. The people I sent to search for him haven’t discovered anything yet!” Leylin waved his arms, looking helpless.
“He won’t be able to flee out of the secret plane anyway, so he won’t leak any information. Two days later, it won’t matter even if he meets up with the investigation team!”
“Let’s hope so!” Caesar stared coldly at Leylin for a long while and then forced the words out of his mouth.
He had guessed that Leylin was not doing this work himself and had intentionally let Wade off. However, as long as Wade was not able to spread any information, it would only be a small matter. In terms of general benefits, as long as there were limitations from the contract with Trial’s Eye, Caesar believed Leylin wouldn’t do anything that harmed their interests.
After all, if this operation failed, it was impossible for Leylin to return to Four Seasons Garden. Instead, he’d become a fugitive!
“Isn’t it too conspicuous to bring over all these people? What’s going to happen if we get found out?”
Leylin looked at the line of dark Magi trailing behind Caesar and asked, a little worried.
The light Magi from headquarters were no fools. With the Lightning Corps around, every single action either he or Caesar took was susceptible to scrutiny, and if they were discovered to have dealings with dark Magi, they would immediately be stared closely at.
“There’s no other choice; we have no more time. In at most three days, or two days at best, we need to bring in enough people and transfer the authority to control the defense system to them!”
Caesar’s face was stern, “I can temporarily arrange for them to stay in a few abandoned laboratories and warehouses. They’re going to leave in a day or two anyway, so we don’t even need to prepare a lot of food or water…”
“Hide in the western warehouse! I’ve already minimized the patrolling officers and sentries there. Here’s the map of the changing of the guards and the warning systems.”
Caesar instructed the dark Magi behind him, and passed a piece of parchment paper to him.
The leader took it silently, and with a fling of his robes he turned into black smoke and left with the dark Magi behind him.
The entire process was extremely quiet, displaying the results of the dark Magi’s training.
Leylin was extremely aware that during the past few days, Caesar and himself had abused their own authority and brought several batches of dark Magi into the headquarters of Four Seasons Garden.
Due to the chaos after the attack, as well as he and Caesar helping to cover up this plan, not a single Magus had discovered that something was amiss.
By the time the authority to command the formation genie was transferred, the dark Magi would cooperate with those in the external world. Even if all the official Magi within the secret plane now, as well as the two large groups from the Lightning Corps were gathered, they would still be powerless!
Leylin sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He could already imagine the confusion and puzzlement on these Magi as they died.
“Tomorrow, you’ll come with me to unseal the core body of consciousness of the secret plane! After the attack, Desmund added another seal and without enough authority, the formation genie will fight back!”
Caesar’s face was grim.
In the contest to seize the gate, what was most important was obtaining the core body of consciousness belonging to the gate into the secret plane. As long as this was in their possession, they could control the platinum gate outside and prevent light Magi from the external world from entering.
It could be said that the key to seizing control of the secret plane was the core body of consciousness.
After Desmund had reinforced the sealing spell formation, just Leylin’s or Caesar’s authority was not enough to undo the spell formation and retrieve the body of consciousness. Only if they worked together would they have enough power to do so.
This was why Caesar was so tolerant of Leylin.
“Don’t worry! This has already been stated clearly in the contract, so I can’t go back on my word.”
Leylin turned to look at Caesar.
“What’s more important is what I requested of you! How has the preparation for that been coming along?”
When he had made a contract with the rank 2 dark Magi that the Trial’s Eye had bore witness to, Leylin was also able to gain some benefits.
He had requested for a large amount of resources that were only available to certain dark Magi regions, high-grade academic knowledge, research information and even a promise that allowed him to enter Lighthouse of the Night!
Lighthouse of the Night!
That was the holy land for dark Magi. It had a rank 3 dark Magus in charge, and its reputation was spread everywhere. The original leader had even used his own strength and defeated, with a single blow, the combined attack from the director of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Siley and a few other rank 2 Magi!
Leylin’s request was a little difficult for the rank 2 dark Magus to handle at first.
Though he was a delegate from the Dark Magi Alliance, recommending someone so that they could enter Lighthouse of the Night also required him using a lot of resources and favours.
As for materials, knowledge and the like, it was another huge issue.
However, Leylin had absolutely insisted on this, and the dark Magus had no choice but to include this in the contract.
The moment he thought of this, Caesar’s expression became dark and his chest heaved up and down fiercely. Even his breathing had become harsh.
“Don’t worry! The Black Blood Ores, Bone Flowers and other resources have already been sent to your room. As for the promise for you to enter the Lighthouse of the Night, you’ll get it after we succeed here.”
“Very well!” Leylin nodded, and then disappeared into the darkness.
*Pak!* Behind him, there was the sound of something shattering.
……
Two days laters, the day before the investigation team arrived.
It was noon, and the blazing heat shined hard upon the ground, resulting in a heatwave.
Four Seasons Garden’s headquarters in the Eternal River Plain’s secret plane had already regained its vitality. Many light Magi were entering and leaving the Merit Exchange Centre as they completed all sorts
of tasks.
The Magi from the outside with neutral stances went out to gather all sorts of resources within the secret plane before coming to the exchange point set up by the Four Seasons Garden and traded them for magic crystals to purchase useful potions and high-grade information.
Everything seemed to be in order.
With Caesar and Leylin heading this work, the headquarters had already returned to its previous prosperity and stability. Of course, this was just on the surface.
Within the shadows, at least fifty dark Magi had been smuggled in, and a few important places with defense spell formations were taken over by dark Magi.
The busy light Magi had absolutely no idea that the headquarters of the secret plane here had already changed ownership.
“How is it? How does it feel to see the headquarters that you built up yourself be destroyed by your own hand?”
A voice travelled from behind Leylin.
Leylin expressionlessly turned, and answered Caesar who approached, “I feel nothing!”
Another Round
After speaking, Leylin turned to gaze at the bustling market.
Life and death happened all the time, much like the way flowers bloomed and withered away. Everything was being transformed in front of his eyes.
“Nothing in the world can escape the decay of time! This is why I’m so set on seeking eternity, which is something I live by!”
Leylin sighed deeply in his heart.
The rebuilding of this market was not entirely without reason. At the very least, Leylin had gained quite of a bit of experience from managing it. In the future, if he ever needed to take charge of an area where Magi gathered, he knew he could do it much better than before.
Seeing Leylin expression, Caesar snickered inside without showing anything on his face, “Then let us begin as quickly as possible! Someone will move the core body of consciousness today!”
“Alright! Are we finally going to make a move?”
Anticipation flashed in Leylin’s eyes, as they walked side by side as they left.
……
Caliste wore the robes unique to Magi from Four Seasons Garden, and ambled over to the region he was in charge of.
Along the way, acolytes stood by the road and bowed to him. He walked past them expressionlessly, and occasionally nodded aloofly.
“This is it! Respect! Reverence! This is what it feels like to be an official Magus…”
As someone who had just been promoted to be an official Magus, Caliste had yet to adjust to this situation.
Such treatment that was reserved for those who were more powerful than the regular human had him feel a little intoxicated.
However, all these thoughts vanished after seeing the large hole beside the fort.
At the outer layer of the headquarters of Four Seasons Garden, there was a huge hole.
This was the masterpiece done by the dark Magi in their previous attack. Leylin and Caesar had ordered for people to mend this, but it had yet to return to its original state.
As he looked at the light Magi and acolytes who were carrying out construction work, Caliste felt as if all the wounds had been re-opened as they sniggered at him.
This huge wound was a disgrace to all the Magi of Four Seasons Garden!
“Those darned dark Magi! One day, I, Caliste, shall…” Caliste’s complaints and curses suddenly stopped as he recalled the insane power the dark Magi had displayed.
For a Magus like him who had grown up in a safe environment, every movement from the dark Magi, which were filled with bloodthirstiness and violence, made him feel a little stifled.
In this condition, even those who were of the same rank might lose quite badly.
“If they attack once again, will I be able to do anything?” Caliste was filled with self-doubt. After all, it was his luck that had allowed him to survive while other, more powerful, light Magi had died in battle!
“Hah… I don’t care anymore! There’s still the Lightning Corps, large-scale defense, and amplification spell formations here, as well Lord Caesar and Lord Leylin! With this level of power, there’s definitely no problem for us to hang on for one or two more days. Besides, the people from the headquarters are going to arrive tomorrow!”
Caliste exhaled slowly.
*Boom!*
At this moment, green flames suddenly streaked across the sky like a meteor, a tail of light following behind it.
*Xiu!* Accompanying the flames was the piercing sound of friction with the air.
*Pak!* Green flames rumbled as they exploded in the middle of the sky, forming the image of a green skull!
“This is… the symbol of the dark Magi…” Caliste’s voice became hoarse, his expression displaying his disbelief.
“Enemy attack!”
The patrolling Magi bellowed, and layers of black magical beasts charged forth like a tide.
“The biochemical army of the dark Magi! This is an army made out of cannon fodder, formed due to the radiation and poisoning of beasts in the secret plane! The real enemy is still behind. Activate the defense formation and notify the two Lords!”
Atop the watchtower, a Magus who seemed to be the leader of a team icily roared immediately.
“Activate the Heavenly Fire spell formation! Magi on the ground are to prepare wind spells and fire rain scrolls!”
This little leader was obviously the commander of a zone, and he immediately began to seek permission from the formation genie with his spiritual force.
“Formation genie! Activate the energy amplification spell formation again! The targets are all Magi of Four Seasons Garden!”
The energy amplification spell formation was a large-scale spell formation that would cover the entire area of the headquarters at the secret plane. It could cause Magi who were semi-converted and below to have their power to increase by 10%.
“Received request, verifying authority!”
He could hear the emotionless voice of the formation genie in his mind.
“Verification failed! Spell formation will not be activated!” However, the formation genie’s next words seemed to throw him down into the abyss.
“What? It didn’t go through?”
The commander’s face changed and he fiercely smashed the stone railing beside him. *Pak!* A huge chunk of green stone fell.
“It happened again! There’s a traitor!”
He turned his head, glancing in the direction of Reynold’s office. “Is it Caesar? Leylin? Or both of them?”
Magi were not fools in general. The failure to activate the formation genie could be said to be a fluke the previous time, but it had happened again. The scope of people he suspected had been made smaller, and no amount of concealing would work.
Caesar and Leylin did not bother doing that either, as they were already prepared to leave Four Seasons Garden.
“Leader, what do we do?” The female Magus behind him asked anxiously.
“Let’s go!” This Magus looked at the beast horde that was going to arrive soon, and then the platinum gate of the secret plane a distance away. He gritted his teeth and made his choice.
“The situation now is extremely dangerous, and there are also traitors here! The casualties here will definitely be more than the previous time. If you want to survive, leave with me! Immediately! Now!” The leader quickly explained.
He was deemed to be very trustworthy in this team, and a few members chose to leave with him. The rest stayed behind.
At this point, those who chose to stay behind were completely loyal to Four Seasons Garden.
The expression on this commander’s face changed, becoming icy as he led his team members and broke away from the beast wave.
Before leaving, he turned back to look at Four Seasons Garden’s defensive line.
Though the ranged spell formation of the formation genie could not be activated, there were still a lot of defense Magi who chose to stay behind. Hailstones, storms, flashes of lightning and thunder, and fire rain
ing from the sky could be seen on the defensive line.
“I’m sorry!” This leader apologised in his heart and immediately turned to leave.
Magi were a bunch of logical and practical people. The team leader was very clear that the enemies were very aggressive in their attacks, and they even had a highly-ranked spy to provide support. The Magi of Four Seasons Garden here would not end up well.
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