*Crackle !* The sound of breaking glass could be heard as the gorgeous colourful shine from the tiger skull Magus burst forth in a flash and collided head on with the black cruciform, smashing it into a million pieces.
*Zzzz!* A slight tear appeared on his arm, and from it one could hear faint sounds of something decaying as white smoke arose.
Without hesitation, the tiger skull Magus dashed towards Leylin in a moment.
“Very high vitality indeed!” To be able to withstand the Giant Kemoyin Serpent’s poison, other than possessing excellent spell resistance, one’s vitality needed to be at least a hundred points and above.
In addition, the opposite side’s strength and agility had exceeded his own value of 30 by leaps and bounds. Seeing how he was able to use simple techniques to deal deadly blows, Leylin’s eyes brightened.
“Die now!” The right arm of the tiger skull Magus had morphed into a huge tiger claw, striking down on Leylin.
The huge tiger claw looked like a small millstone. The shiny sharp claw was glossy and menacing, with spell runes visible in the brilliant light it emitted.
*Bang!* The tiger claw was stopped abruptly mid-air by a palm.
Although Leylin’s build was tall and lanky, when compared to the tiger-headed creature, he was rather petite and his palm was equivalent to that of a baby.
Yet, it was this insignificant palm which had managed to tame the sharp tiger claw, disabling his ability to advance forward.
“How can that be?” The old man yelped in surprise. He had just defeated his phantoms a distance away.
He was absolutely certain of his friend’s strength.
The tiger skull Magus had mercilessly killed a rank 3 creature in this beastly state.
Even when he recalled it now, it had been shocking. Yet, a full attack from his friend had been blocked by a single palm, something that made no sense. What’s more, looking at the opposite party, it seemed to be effortless.
“Even for a Warlock, it is not possible to possess such terrifying power, unless you are a also a Magus who practices body reinforcement techniques?” The old man scrutinized Leylin, trying to analyze but unable to read him.
“How… How is that possible ?” Other than the shocked old man, the tiger skull Magus was speechless himself.
He had been extremely confident in his ability. Even in the face of several magic alloys put up by other Magi, he only needed to use his claw and they would have cracked and crumbled like soft sand. But now…
“There is nothing that is not possible!” Leylin tightened his grip, and cracking sounds rang out as the tiger skull Magus’ arm twisted abruptly into an odd, distorted curve.
“The difference between humans and animals lies in the usage of your strengths, be it for exploitation or as a tool. If you do not even know this, regardless of how strong you are, you are just a fool!” Leylin looked at the whimpering tiger skull Magus and he felt a tinge of pity.
Behind him, the black shadows of two arms appeared, attaching to his right hand and injecting a steady flow of energy into it.
Although Leylin’s strength was only thirty degrees of power, he could use his spells to break through that limit and massively increase his strength for a short period of time.
After all, his innate character was that of a Magus, not a competitive knight.
“Those who cannot keep up with the times, you will be abandoned like trash!” Leylin heaved a sigh, grabbed the tiger skull Magus’ arms, and raised him up.
“This is bad! We have to save Borgin!” The clash had happened too quickly. After all, both Leylin and the tiger skull Magus were agile, with at least 30 degrees of ability in that respect. From the initial assault, to Leylin drawing his sword, to the retaliation and counter-attack, everything had happened in a matter of seconds.
Even Toram did not have the chance to react, nor would she have expected Leylin to so easily defeat a rank 3 Magus.
“Shadowflame Plague!” Leylin was not going to show any mercy. He was completely ready to take everyone out.
A scarlet-black wall of fire appeared and, in a flash, the two rank 3 Magi that had charged forward were drowned in its blaze.
WMW Chapter 450
Seal of the Dark Corrosion
The corrosive black flames were like a chasm which separated Toram from the rest.
As for the other rank 3 Magus? The flames had inflicted him with heavy injuries, and he had escaped to the side while letting out blood-curdling screams.
”What… What are you trying to do?” At that moment, the tiger skull Magus was truly terrified. He felt the increasingly horrifying strength emitting from both of Leylin’s hands, and the savage spiritual force which had sealed his sea of consciousness. For the first time, he felt terror from the bottom of his heart.
He began to regret not escaping immediately upon Leylin’s arrival. Because of that, he had landed himself in his current circumstances.
”What I’m trying to do?” Leylin’s lips curled up. Shadow arms emerged from his back in rapid succession. Enormous muscles emerged indistinctively, and fused onto both of Leylin’s hands.
*Creak! Creak!* First, the skin ruptured, then the muscles, then the bones.
The tiger skull Magus had a twisted expression, and was in so much pain that he could not even make a sound. His entire being seemed to have been stretched apart by Leylin.
”Let him go! Wait! NOOOOO….” Amidst Toram’s blood-curdling screams, the tiger skull Magus was ripped into two. Large amounts of bloodshed could be seen everywhere.
”Don’t you think it’s too late to say these things only now?” Leylin expertly avoided the blood, a skill he’d acquired from experience. His body had not even been tainted by a smidgen of it.
As if tossing out the garbage, he threw away the two segments of the corpse before turning towards Toram, his face emotionless. “You should have come to your senses before you decided to rebel against the Ouroboros Clan!”
”You’ll perish here today! This is my promise to Borgin!” Toram’s face instantly calmed down. Still, Leylin could very distinctively see the desire for vengeance in her eyes.
This was not a hot-blooded vengeance that arose merely from this one incident. It was rather a collective response to the extended period during which they were hunted down like prey. Many of Toram’s friends and family presumably died amidst the massacres conducted by the Ouroboros Clan, and Leylin’s actions earlier had fully evoked her wrath.
”Even now, you refuse to learn!” Leylin shook his head.
”Currently, you don’t seem to be fit to be my opponent. Let me give you a hand!” Just as he finished these words, a Magus dressed in a black robe, who looked identical to Leylin, suddenly emerged before the rank 3 Magus who had been seriously injured by the Arm of Vengeance.
A few multi-coloured potions were thrown out by “Leylin”, as he kept a straight face. They collided in mid-air and emitted terrifying energy ripples.
”Rank 3 potion combination spell— Divine Prairie Flames!”
The endless flames instantly swallowed the rank 3 Magus, even spreading so far as to include the “Leylin” in the area of effect.
”Leylin” who was surrounded by the many flames suddenly laughed hysterically, and morphed into many shadow chains that confined the rank 3 Magus in the flames.
”Master Toram! Save me!” The rank 3 Magus’ face was full of dejection. He did all he could to seek help, and him looking to Toram for help was his last hope.
But Leylin had blocked Toram’s path, and mercilessly dashed that last hope.
”You must be the only high-ranked Magus left in the stronghold now?” Leylin looked to Toram after the rank 3 Magus’ life aura had completely dissipated in the sea of fire.
”If you don’t use your remaining time to make me happy during our battle, I’m afraid I’ll continue to hunt down and kill all the other Magi below!”
”That female Magus must be your apprentice? The two of you might eve
n be related by blood. Don’t even think about lying to me. Both the bloodline ripples on your bodies and the spiritual force frequency have revealed your relationship…” Leylin shot a glance at one of the corpses lying around, and what he said caused Toram’s facial expression to change.
Just when Leylin’s gaze shot across the area, the female Magus with a childlike face who had been lying behind the remains felt as if she was stared at by a fierce ancient creature. Her limbs began to shake uncontrollably.
”It’s… It’s too terrifying!” Upon realising that she had been discovered, the female Magus tried to escape.
A light green wind dissipated from her body and carried her to the depths of Doray Forest.
”Other than Nina, even Master Borgin has….” As she started to sprint, tears streamed down her face.
At the instant when Leylin had released his deadly attack, the low-ranked Magi were all exterminated. Other than the three rank 3 Magi, almost everyone else had instantly perished.
No antidotes or defensive runes had any effect on the attack. Before the terrifying toxins of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, everyone else was feeble and weak.
Toram’s innate defensive spells had not in the least bit affected Leylin’s attack. If not for the protective charm she’d obtained from her mentor, she would have perished as well.
The female Magus that was lucky enough to survive had hidden herself behind a wall, witnessing Leylin’s cruelty and terror. The two powerful rank 3 Magi had perished at his hands one by one, and from the looks of it, Leylin had not even unleashed his full power. Now, he was even using her life to threaten her mentor!
After hearing her mentor’s hurried whisper, the female Magus could not take it anymore, and started sobbing out loud.
Even so, the energy particles below her feet had not once stopped shining, as if escaping from that area was instinctive.
In the depths of her subconscious, she did not want to return to face the horrifying monster anymore.
”That’s not too bad of a suggestion! Looks like you care for her a lot!” Leylin watched as the rank 1 Magus escaped, with no intentions of giving chase.
On the contrary, he turned to Toram who was ahead of him, and a taunting expression flashed across his face. “However, I’m afraid you’ll have to try to buy time. If not, she won’t be able to make much headway…”
”Lunatic! Monster!” Toram cursed. A majority of Warlocks had anger management issues, something that was only exacerbated by battle.
Compared to Magi, Warlocks prefered to ruin their opponents or even vent their desires upon them.
Toram had previously witnessed similar scenarios. It was painful to see dead Magi, and many female Magi subjected to horrible violations.
And now, she thought of Leylin in the same light as those crazy Warlocks.
”Even if I have to put everything on the line, I will stop you at all costs!” Toram announced as she ripped the silver necklace off her neck with eyes full of determination.
”Haha! Excellent! That’s the mindset!” At that instant, Leylin felt like the big villain from the movies of his previous life.
”Seal of Dark Corrosion! Release!” Toram performed some gestures and, in that instant, the silver necklace exploded.
In a flash, the energy waves on her body strengthened significantly. Drops of blood even started seeping out of her pores.
The detailed black runes instantly crawled all over her body. Coupled with the scar on her face, she looked even more terrifying.
Leylin could sense that she’d already reached the peak of the Hydro Phase. In fact, some of her spiritual force had already formed traces of crystals from repeated attempts at compression.
Once completely solidified, Toram would reach the Crystal Phase.
Of course, her rash actions put her in grave danger. However, right before her body completely fell apart, she’d stepped one foot into the Crystal Phase realm!
This was definitely her trump card, some sort of mysterious spell that would put everything at stake.
Strangely, Leylin did not try to stop Toram’s actions, instead allowing the aura on her body to rise slowly as he let out a hearty laugh, ”Haha… Good! Indeed, with this sort of mysterious spell, you won’t disappoint me!”
From the very beginning, the entire reason why Leylin had adopted such abusive methods was to force Toram to use a spell that would exhaust her vitality and allow her to temporarily increase her strength.
Although he’d accepted it as a task from the organisation, he also intended to experiment with his newly developed rank 3 spell— Fatality’s Tip.
Even though its ability to break through the defensive spell formation spoke volumes of its formidability, he ultimately lacked the physical data to affirm its full capability. Especially with regards to its ability to clash with Crystal Phase Magi, something that engendered his resentment.
He had discovered that with his strength, he was the best of the best among Hydro Phase Magi, and even a peak Hydro Phase Magus like Toram could do nothing to him. Only a Crystal Phase opponent would cause him trouble.
And the A.I. Chip lacked data specifically regarding Crystal Phase Magi. Given the fact that Leylin would have to deal with Magi of that rank, he desperately needed a standard to measure his own capabilities.
And now, Toram had become such a standard.
When he’d probed her during the previous battle, the A.I. Chip had detected that not only had her strength become feeble, she had even seemed to be injured, something that resulted in her not performing to her fullest potential.
And so Leylin took such drastic measures to compel his opponent, to incite her her will to live on so as to battle him.
And from the looks of it, he’d achieved his goal.
Originally a peak Hydro Phase Magus, Toram indeed possessed the formidable ability to partially crystallise her spiritual force using this mysterious spell, even if she’d pay for it with her life.
It was rare to experience a fight against a Crystal Phase Magus. After all, the Crystal Phase Magi he’d previously come across were mostly his seniors, and he could not fight them.
Magi like Toram, who had a probability of losing control when they forcefully entered the Crystal Phase, were even more scarce.
Leylin immediately ordered: “A.I Chip, record this battle in detail!”
[Orders received! Scan scheduled!] The A.I Chip intoned.
A pale blue screen was projected ahead of Leylin’s eyes, and Toram who was in the screen was engulfed by strong radiation.
The mysteries of Crystal Phase spiritual force were also slowly being uncovered by the A.I. Chip and presented to Leylin.
”The madmen of the Ouroboros Clan should not even exist in this world!” Having advanced to the Crystal Phase, Toram’s strength now was a far cry from what it was before.
Just the suppression of the aura in the atmosphere caused Leylin to feel discomfort.
WMW Chapter 451
Fatality’s Tip
‘Rumour has it that after a rank 3 Magus enters the Crystal Phase, they undergo a phenomenal change and experience an exponential increase in strength. From the looks of it, that might just be true!’ Leylin stared at the Crimson Throne behind Toram, a solemn expression on his face.
Originally, his own force field had enveloped hers and suppressed it to the point of near destruction. Now, though, it had expanded greatly, especially the huge crimson throne. It seemed almost corporeal, and the power it was emitting had somewhat exceeded that of his terrifying force field.
“Haha, this is great. Just the kind of opponent I wanted!” This was the first time Leylin had felt pressure on the battlefield yet he was smiling, evidently pleased.
The opponent he’d wanted to go up against was precisely Toram, who’d experienced a huge increase in her spiritual force and had broken through to the Crystal Phase.
“Alright! Let’s see the real strength of a Magus in the Crystal Phase!” Leylin felt feverish as
a layer of fine black scales formed on his body. Multiple runes appeared on the surface that formed a black membrane, an additional layer of defense.
In the face of a Crystal Phase Magus, he did not dare hold back any longer.
“If that’s what you wish!” Toram said. Two streaks of red liquid flowed down from the corners of her eyes, like tears of blood. It gave her a sinister aura.
*Swish!* The two human silhouettes morphed into black shadows that collided with each other. A loud ear-piercing boom was heard and a frightfully huge amount of energy rippled out in all directions.
“Lord… Lord Leylin is actually this strong?” Tamansi saw the entire horrifying scenario play out from outside the camp and his jaw dropped.
Toram was indeed the second strongest in the Arm of Vengeance, a rumoured peak Hydro Phase Magus!
Not only had she been a strong opponent for years, there had even been rumours that this person who was wanted by the Ouroboros Clan had advanced to the Crystal Phase.
What’s more surprising was that Leylin actually had the upper hand in this fight, and could fight her to a standstill! What kind of strength was that?
Only one thought was left in Tamansi’s mind. He would grasp at Leylin’s coattails without hesitation.
[Crystal Phase force field record completed! Beginning analysing opponent’s perimeter of attack!]
At this juncture, Leylin who had been battling with Toram did not look like he had it easy.
Although she’d used a secret technique to enter the Crystal Phase, Toram’s strength far surpassed Leylin’s expectations.
Not only had she formed an armour of spiritual force, that had fully advanced to the Crystal Phase, on her body, the rest of her spells had been greatly amplified as well. From the looks of it, the rumours regarding the massive transformations after advancing the Crystal Phase were true.
Besides, Toram had steeled her will and was fighting like a madman to end up in mutual destruction with Leylin. She cared not one whit about herself, which gave him a lot of trouble.
Whatever the case may be, there were still limits imposed on someone who entered the Crystal Phase using a secret technique.
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