"I need to destroy this! Quickly!"
The sight of the sinister black spell formation sent a jolt of primal fear through Gargamel. Without hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of spells. Bolts of dark energy struck the crimson, rune-etched barrier, erupting in a series of violent detonations.
Rumble!
Under Gargamel's fervent assault, the outer screen of the formation was reduced to ash, yet the black runes remained.
They hung in the air like brands seared into the fabric of reality itself. This sight only fueled his growing desperation.
"I remember now! This... this is the Large Formation of Ten Thousand Spirits: Hades' Sacrificial Rites!" Gargamel's voice cracked as he identified the forbidden magic.
"This is a taboo technique lost to the ancient eras! It devours every scrap of spiritual energy from the dead within its reach. It carries the protection of Hades himself—it will not dissipate until its time is up! How? How could someone like you possess a lost art!?" Gargamel's face contorted into a mask of horror and wrath.
The massive black formation thundered with rhythmic power, acting like a vacuum for the grieving spirits and the five millennia of accumulated Darkness energy saturating the chamber.
Leylin had planned this meticulously. He had secretly carved the runes of the Ten Thousand Spirits onto the snakes stored within the Ring of Despots, waiting for this exact moment.
The intricate geometry and energy nodes were secrets he had extracted from the Book of Giant Serpent.
According to the records of the Kemoyin's Pupils, a Warlock usually had to burn massive amounts of their own spiritual force and push their meditation techniques to the limit to break through to Rank 2. But Leylin had modified the ancient design.
He knew that after five thousand years, the spirits here were mere husks with little spiritual potency. Instead, he turned the formation's hunger toward the raw, elemental Darkness energy.
Gargamel's role was the most crucial: he was the Eye of the Formation. Leylin was using the ancient being as a living battery to anchor the spell, simultaneously confining him and siphoning his strength.
Once Leylin was finished, Gargamel would be nothing more than meat on a chopping board.
'I don't need to worry about the Spiritual Force,' Leylin thought, cold and detached. He ignored Gargamel's howling curses and focused on the flickering blue light of his A.I. interface.
[Beep! Leylin Farlier: Rank 1 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Summon—Black Horrall Snake, Dragon Crown Nighthawk. Strength: 28.5, Agility: 24.3, Vitality: 31.9, Spiritual Force: 92.0, Magical Power: 92. Elemental essence conversion: 92%. Status: Heart remodeling, progress: 72%]
In the world of Magi, advancing to Rank 2 required "burning" spiritual force—a resource as precious as lifeblood. Doing so often left a Magus crippled for years. However, if one could harvest external spiritual and elemental energy that was sufficiently pure, it wouldn't just prevent damage—it would forge an unbreakable foundation.
"Let's not waste time on such a momentous occasion. Let it begin!"
At Leylin's command, the dark red elemental particles acted like moths drawn to a flame, surging toward the crimson light in his palm.
He funneled the ownerless energy directly into his modeling heart. His internal organs opened like a greedy maw, devouring the essence.
The sensation was explosive. It felt as if a bolt of lightning had paralyzed his nerves—a rush akin to a parched traveler finally tasting cold spring water. A sense of euphoria washed over him; he felt as though he were floating atop white clouds, every cell in his body singing in resonance.
[Beep! Host has absorbed a massive influx of elemental energy. Heart modification rate accelerating.]
The A.I. Chip worked at maximum capacity. The data on the holographic screen blurred as the numbers climbed.
[80%... 85%... 90%!]
The progress slowed momentarily at the 90% threshold, then erupted again as a wave of heat washed through his chest.
[97%... 98%... 99%... 100%!!!]
As the modification hit completion, a mental shockwave struck Leylin like a titan's hammer.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His heart, now enveloped in a pulsing purple-red radiance, skipped a beat before hammering against his ribs with newfound, terrifying violence. The thumping was so loud it could be heard echoing through the chamber.
Blood, now a deep, shimmering ebony-red, surged through his arteries, transforming his entire physiology.
[Beep! Breaking threshold. Elemental essence conversion: 99%... 99.4%... 99.9%!]
A series of sharp cracks echoed from his body. His rune points transformed into abyss-black tunnels, webbed with glowing reddish veins. He had successfully elevated his rune points to the Elemental level—the ultimate foundation for a Knight's path toward becoming a Saint Knight, a path he crafted himself.
A moment later, Leylin focused inward. His Life Seed had materialized, taking on a brilliant, crystallized form.
[Rune channels connecting. Life Seed solidified. Life force arterialization complete. Strength increased! Life Seed connected to the Sea of Consciousness. Residual spiritual force permeating the physical body!]
Weng!
The force crystal ignited, turning into a massive silvery flame that swallowed Leylin's silhouette.
The defensive formation groaned under the pressure, its runes dimming as spiderweb cracks spread across the light screen.
Ka-Cha!
Inside the barrier, Gargamel was a shadow of his former self. His frame was gaunt and withered, his strength drained so thoroughly he could barely remain kneeling.
Suddenly, the crimson formation began to pulse rhythmically, like a giant, beating heart. The black patterns of Hades' Sacrificial Rites bulged like veins on the surface of the light screen. An immense, suffocating pressure began to radiate from the center—an aura so powerful it made Gargamel's soul tremble.
"A Rank 2 aura... He's actually doing it! He's advancing to a Rank 2 Magus!"
Gargamel's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible?"
He knew he had to stop it. Even in his weakened state, he couldn't allow this monster to complete the transition. Gritting his teeth, he began a frantic, raspy incantation. As a thousand-year-old entity, he still held one final trump card.
As he chanted, his formerly bright eye turned faint. He forcibly extracted his own essence, materializing a ball of concentrated, bloody mist.
Malevolent skulls manifested from the void, latching onto the sphere and wailing with a piercing, ghostly whistle.
Sssii!!
The bloody orb struck the crimson formation. The air contorted violently as shockwaves rippled outward.
Rumble!
The red light stretched to its limit before collapsing in a titanic explosion. The surrounding corpses were pulverized into dust and rubble. The Hades' Sacrificial Rites, having finally exhausted its energy, shattered completely.
The final crimson screen shuddered, black cracks racing across its surface until—Ka-Cha!—it exploded into fragments.
The blood-red mist, carrying its monstrous killing intent, pierced through the wreckage toward the figure at the center. Amidst the dazzling debris, a human silhouette appeared, wrapped in dying raven flames.
"Shadow Warp."
Leylin's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable weight. Instantly, dozens of dark shields materialized out of thin air, intercepting the blood mist.
The two spells clashed with a screeching hiss, but the shields held firm, forming a crushing sphere that bound the bloody energy tight, refusing to let it break free.