If not for the familiar spiritual aura about him, nobody would recognise him.
As for the three other protectors, they began to age visibly.
“Good! Good! Good!”
Anya bit her lips. She could naturally see that the three rank 2 Magi were entrusting their life force to the Guardian. However, this meant that, after today, the four of them would have all their life force consumed and lose their lives.
Fury Overflowing Through The Heavens
“All obstructions are futile! The dark elves will rule over Twilight Zone from today!” Anya mumbled, and a dark grey shadow extended from her back over the area.
Within the dark grey world, the plants and animals were drained of their lives, turning to ashes at a surprising pace.
“Wilting Domain!” Anya shouted in a low voice, and within the domain, a circle of grey light exploded from the bodies of the Underground Winter Spider knights, allowing them to be even bolder and fiercer.
As for the enemies that had been affected by the domain, they soon found their bodies aging and their life force disappearing.
“A false domain! Anya, from beginning to end, you’ve always been ahead of me.”
The protector who looked like a middle-aged man sighed, and then shot out large amounts of gold light that were like a giant sun.
The two domains collided against each other, and the air seemed to shatter, causing tremendous spatial distortions and then exploding.
On the ground, the Magi used the trenches as their first line of defence. However, the dark elves were still proceeding with their attacks. In that moment, the area was filled with the scenes of war.
The Magi spent all their energy here, and did not have any to spare to break the giant cocoon and save the others.
The large white cocoon was standing proudly, and even if magic were to brush past it, it remained unharmed, displaying its immense defensive ability.
Even if there were stray streaks from the battle between the rank 3 Magi causing it some harm, there would be multiple little spiders crawling up and spitting out threads to patch it up.
Such a powerful regenerative ability caused the Magi within and outside the arena to feel despair.
“Haven’t you found it yet?” Vinas glanced at Aaron.
They now had their backs against each other. Parts of the silver-white Meteor Sword floated, withstanding the attacks surrounding them from the Magi of the revolutionary army, dark elves as well as countless little spiders.
The situation on the battlefield was what Longbottom’s side intended it to be, and it was progressing in a way that benefited them.
Not only were the nine strongest rank 2 Magi restricted, many people from their own side had also snuck in. Under the unexpected attack that nobody could have responded to in time, many Magi died in their comrades’ arms.
In addition, within the competition area, Longbottom had also arranged for something.
“Not yet!” Aaron smiled wryly, “Longbottom’s conspiracy is too complex. He actually used himself to draw our attention, and left the key to the battle on the battlefield itself.”
He brandished his sword hilt, and great amounts of sharp white lights severed the threads in the air.
“It’s very difficult to identify these threads, which are spread out all over the area. The moment they wind around the body, they will consume spiritual and magic force, which is used to complement the running of the spell formation! To break this spell formation, we need to find the very center of it!
“But I can’t see it in my predictions!” Aaron’s expression was incomparably dark.
“Grandpa Merlin, what’s going on?”
“Seems like an even more powerful Magus is using the power of destiny to conceal the important part. To be able to hide it from your prophecies, it must be a powerful person, at least at rank 2. I even suspect it could be a rank 3 dark elven matriarch personally doing this!”
Grandpa Merlin’s voice was serious.
“Then we can only search one by one at the places where energy converges?” Aaron’s expression was serious.
He suddenly raised his sword towards the right.
*Weng!* White light blades streaked through the sky, and a dark elf’s face showed his disbelief as he was slashed into two. The badly damaged corpse fell to the ground, large amounts of fresh blood and multi-coloured intestines flowing out.
Chaos! Aaron thought that this was utter chaos!
Many Magi of the revolutionary army, dark elves, as well as summoned creatures all battled in the giant area, and there were even a few Magi secretly taking revenge on their rivals. These bloody battles caused the situation to become even more chaotic.
At the very centre, Baelin was riding the Underground Winter Spider Emperor, he and Longbottom in the middle of the final showdown.
The energy from the battle between the two rank 2 Magi overflowed everywhere, and the surrounding Magi automatically avoided them.
Not far from the battlefield, nine ice sculptures stood tall. Despite the stray waves from the battle between rank 2 Magi, none of them were in the least bit hurt, creating a stark contrast between them and the complete disorder in the surroundings. There was even a circle of dried corpses around them, and they were the Magi of Twilight Zone who had wanted to secretly unseal the rank 2 lords.
“Even with an ancient inheritance and an Underground Winter Spider Emperor with the strength of rank 2 as your magical pet, you still can’t win against me, because trash will always be trash!”
At this moment, the rank 2 battle was nearing its end.
Longbottom’s face was filled with black gas, and the phantom image of a spider behind him rushed into his body.
“Ah!” His expression began to distort.
“All living things disintegrate, and return to earth!”
A great dark chilly aura shrouded the area and it became deathly quiet, as if they had entered apocalypse.
Longbottom was suddenly like the grim reaper, dancing with precise steps as he strolled to Baelin’s front.
“Seal!” With a palm strike, Baelin was sent flying while coughing blood, and he then stood atop the Underground Winter Spider Emperor’s head.
*Chi chi…* The Underground Winter Spider Emperor Aru made sharp sounds that could be of fury, or terror.
Immediately after, it saw Longbottom produce a black metal bottle with a thin mouth aimed at it. A feeling of an imminent catastrophe filled its heart in that instant.
“How dare you fail to appreciate the matriarch’s kindness! The great Matriarch couldn’t be bothered to deal with you, which was why she got you to stay in the holy land and be a sacred creature. How dare you betray your own race!”
Longbottom looked pleased at that moment, especially when he saw the urgent expression on Baelin’s face as he spat out a few more mouthfuls of blood. Feeling like he had wreaked vengeance on Baelin, he was especially thrilled.
Threads of little runic chains extended from the mouth of the bottle and then covered the body of the Underground Winter Spider Emperor.
“Aru!” Baelin yelled hurriedly. Through the long time they had gone on adventures together, he had long since considered Aru a companion he could trust. Now that it was gradually being sealed, he was extremely anxious.
*Pu!*
In that moment, however, he suddenly collapsed and spat out a huge mouthful of greyish-green blood.
Longbottom’s power full of perishing and withering had invaded his body, and was continuously devouring his life force.
In this situation, even the Bio Boosting armour found this a thorny issue and without more time, it could not dispel it.
Baelin could only watch as Alu’s body shrunk until it was sucked into the metal bottle.
“Did you see that? This is what happens to all that have helped you before, whether it’s Leylin or this Underground Winter Spider Emperor!”
Longbottom’s voice was clear and cold as he sealed the bottle and then ke
pt it in his bosom.
He unhurriedly walked to Baelin’s front, “How is it? Are you unable to move? My Death Decay isn’t so easy to withstand!”
*Boom!* He gave Baelin a flying kick, pushing him tens of metres away, his face dragging and forming a giant trench.
Even with the protection of the armour, Baelin also flushed red and then paled, and what followed was the sound of bones breaking.
The Bio Boosting armour also produced a groan, indicating it could not bear this.
“Wh-Why?”
Baelin looked at Longbottom, gritting out the words through his teeth.
“Why?” Longbottom went forward and stepped on Baelin’s face, pushing his head deep into the ground.
“You’re asking me why?” There was a sinister smile on Longbottom’s face.
“Why were you the one chosen by the Baron? Why were you the one to work at Blazing Hammers? At the end, why were you the one chosen by Leylin?” Longbottom snarled.
“So- So you still minded all these…” Baelin coughed and was stepped on once again ruthlessly, taking a mouthful of soil.
“Exactly. I minded all this, but it doesn’t matter to me now!”
Longbottom began to laugh maniacally. “The Magus Leylin who looked down on me, and you, who has been snatching away my opportunities, are now lying like dead dogs in front of me! I once swore that I would make anyone who scorned and humiliated me pay the price, and now, both of you are left. Let me see, should I first take care of Leylin or you… Oh, right! I heard you have a wife, right? I heard it’s a missus born in nobility. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her well.”
“You- You dare…”
Baelin was so furious, the veins on his face popped up, but he was then stamped on viciously.……
“What do I do? The child of fate is now fated to lose!”
Aaron struck and fended off the attack of a dark elf, but there was also an injury from a corrosive spell. The corroded flesh was constantly expanding.
“In the prophecies, I do not see any hope of him turning the tides!”
“There’s definitely hope! It is every Magus’ power and duty of Twilight Zone to look to the light in the darkness. Humans of Twilight Zone will definitely survive, and the glory of Magi will remain eternal!”
Behind him, Vinas muttered, and a misty-eyed look appeared in her expression.
“What’s going on? Did you predict something?”
Aaron was startled, and he sensed the person beside him collapsing.
“What’s wrong?”
Aaron immediately turned back, and what he saw caused his eyes to widen.
Vinas lay down weakly, and there was a sword tip glimmering with silver light in front of her chest. It had already pierced into where her heart was.
“You…you… why? I’ll treat you right now!” Aaron felt two bouts of heat flowing below his eyes.
“No! Don’t!” Vinas extended her hands filled with blood and resolutely stopped Aaron.
“Only by my death and allowing Sacred Flame to unite, as well as gathering all the parts of Meteor Sword, can you put up a fight with Longbottom!”
“No, no, no! There must be a way! There must be another way!” Aaron’s hand trembled, and he began to roar.
Baloney
“Don’t be silly!” Vinas laughed weakly as she reached out and caressed Aaron’s face.
“Sacrificing me, a single person, will allow you to save the entirety of Twilight Zone, what’s there to hesitate?”
At the present moment, although her lips have gone pale and chapped from the loss of blood, her face remains full of radiance and it hurt Aaron to see her like this.
“No! You’re doing this for me! You’re doing this for me!”
Advancing to the second rank did not ensure that he could match up to Longbottom, but it would at least greatly increase his chances of escape.
Aaron wept, tears flowing down his face uncontrollably.
Vinas laughed, her tone full of gratification “This impermanent fate! We were destined to be enemies, yet we fell in love… with each… other”
*Bang!* Vinas’ palm fell listlessly.
Shortly after, a strong current of concentration, along with a warm and gentle scent, was injected into Aaron’s consciousness.
Sacred Flame started to revolve quickly, causing Aaron’s aura to rise sharply, and he broke through the bottleneck of a rank 2 Magus.
*Snap! Snap! Snap!*
The three parts of Meteor Sword assembled together, emitting bright silver rays, and from the light, a tall and thin sword shaped like a cross slowly appeared. The aura of a high-level magic artifact, also much closer to the level of becoming a magic weapon, spread out in a powerful manner.
“AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!”
Aaron roared as he lifted the Meteor Sword and he transformed into a long arc as he charged into the midst of the battlefield.
Any magi who obstructed the path, be they from the Twilight zone or from the Dark Elven Empire, all faded into the air under the power of the Meteor Sword.
“What’s the matter?”
In the middle of the battlefield, Longbottom stared at the huge incoming arc. With fierce eyes, he stopped toying with Baelin. A fireball aimed right at his head hit him.
*Pew!* The Meteor Sword released a ray of light, accurately targeted at the attack launched by Longbottom.
A great and powerful wave of energy surged forth like raging waves.
Although at this moment Longbottom could still kill Baelin, he would definitely suffer huge amounts of damage.
“Rank 2?” Longbottom’s pupils froze. Energy at this level, in addition to a high-level magic artifact designed for offence, was a great threat to him.
As such, Longbottom made a choice. Without moving his body, his quickly moved backwards, layers of grey-green protective shields formed in front of his vision.
“Kill!” In the middle was Aaron’s silhouette. At this moment, as he charged forward with the mighty sword, silver threads of spiritual force continued to condense onto the arc, causing the sharpness of this high-level magic artifact to increase exponentially.
*Bang! Bang!* The protective shield set up by Longbottom was torn apart like crisp paper, and the blade of the sword even touched Longbottom’s eyes.
“Are you trying to kill me? With just you alone?” Longbottom had a sinister expression on his face, and the shadow of a spider appeared on his body, with its mouth wide open, clasping directly on the long sword.
Snap!
The sound of a slight explosion rang in the air, following which, the silhouette of two people flew away, retreating.
Longbottom stroked his face, as below his left eye, a stream of blood flowed.
Whereas on the other end, Aaron’s arm produced a bone crunching noise as he quickly retreated to where Baelin was.
“You… are you alright?” Baelin finally expelled the Corrosive spell’s energy left by Longbottom within himself and he stood up.
Although he did not witness the previous scene, he felt that the expression on his friend’s face was not right.
“Your strong armor has been damaged! Use this!” Aaron glanced at Baelin. He then passed the cross-shaped sword in his hand to Baelin. “The energy it can display in your hands will be much much greater than what it displayed in mine”
Now was not the time for idle talk, Baelin immediately took over the Meteor Sword, but the deathly stillness in Aaron’s eyes still frightened him.
“This again! This again! Why is it that everytime I am about to succeed, there will always be more obstructions sprouting up?” On the other side, Longbottom observed this scene with a grim complexion.
”So what? Having one more rank 2 Magus does not change anything! You will all die here today!”
Longbottom roared. The phantom spider on his back suddenly did something unpredictable.
It ruthlessly widened its mouth and plunged its sharp incisors into Longbottom’s shoulders.
&nb
sp; Strings of red which were visible to the naked eye was extracted from Longbottom’s body. And the spider image on his back grew redder and started to expand.
Although Longbottom’s body continued to become thin and weak, leaving only skin and bones, which looked terrifying, the energy in his body was increasing exponentially, as though there was no limit.
“Dark Elven Ritual of Life! We cannot let him complete it or he will advance into the peak of rank 2, even though he will have to pay for it with his life…”
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