Earlier, when Lynn and the others were confronting the members of the Star Hunters within the sorcery array, Archmage Yude had been observing from the sidelines, waiting.
Hidden in the shadows, his sharp, hawk-like eyes coldly scrutinized the changes within the array.
Lynn's performance inside had somewhat exceeded Yude's expectations.
The archmage narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto Lynn, a flicker of surprise flashing across his face.
"Interesting…"
Yude mused internally, realizing that Lynn's display was beyond what he had anticipated.
Initially, he had little expectation for this research-type mage, even considering him to be quite mediocre in combat.
After all, when Lynn had been sent over, his records had marked him as a research talent.
In other words, his combat power was supposedly unimpressive, perhaps even negligible.
Yet, the scene before him made Yude reassess his judgment.
"Though his offensive capabilities are yet to be seen, just his defensive strength alone is already quite impressive."
Yude nodded to himself, a trace of appreciation flickering in his eyes. "It seems that after this hunt, I can transfer him to another position."
His eyes gleamed with contemplation as he reassessed Lynn's potential.
After all, following the crushing defeat at Fortress No. 13, they were sorely lacking key personnel.
At this moment, Lynn stood out like a crane among chickens, a rare gem among the mediocrity.
Perhaps, in a short time, Lynn could fill the void and become a rising star.
"Keeping him as a mere guardian mage would be a waste of talent…"
However, just at that moment
Yude's expression suddenly changed. His sharp gaze lifted, staring into the distance.
In that instant, he sensed an immensely terrifying force approaching at an astonishing speed.
"What is that?"
His figure flickered like a phantom, instantly disappearing. The next moment, he appeared mid-air, his black robe billowing as his piercing gaze scanned the horizon.
There, a tiny black dot emerged thick as ink, rapidly expanding.
As the air trembled, an overwhelming pressure swept forth, making hearts pound in trepidation.
Yude's eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting. In mere moments, the black dot had swelled to an enormous size, blotting out the sky.
It was an unimaginably colossal black dragon!
"A black dragon at the level of a Third-Level Grand Wizard?!"
Yude's heart pounded, his mind racing, a cold sweat forming at his temple.
The dragon's overwhelming aura surged forward like a tsunami, its scorching breath searing the air even before reaching them.
"Did the Eastern War Zone Headquarters send reinforcements? Why haven't I received any intelligence on this?"
He instinctively clenched his fist, his brows furrowing deeply.
The black dragon's crimson, blood-like pupils locked onto him with unmistakable killing intent.
But what truly unsettled Yude was the sight of two figures standing atop the dragon's broad back.
"If the black dragon itself is at the Third-Level Grand Wizard level… then what about those riding it? Could one of them be… a Morning Star Mage?"
A storm of emotions surged through Yude's mind, his fists tightening, his expression more serious than ever before.
Boom!
The black dragon suddenly spread its massive wings inky black, blotting out the sky.
A fierce windstorm erupted, shaking the ground beneath them.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon traversed the void, now a mere few hundred meters from Yude.
At this moment, Yude finally got a clear look at the two figures on the dragon's back.
The first figure was a cloaked female mage with a stable aura, roughly at the level of a Second Level Wizard not enough to hold Yude's attention.
But what truly struck fear into Yude's heart was the second figure.
A person clad in a robe resembling autumn maple leaves, their presence ethereal, as though straddling the border between dawn and dusk exuding an indescribable sense of mystery.
Yude instinctively tried to focus on the person's face, but the next second, he was met with a startling discovery.
Their features seemed veiled in mist, elusive and indistinct. The moment he glimpsed them, he immediately forgot what they looked like.
Even more disturbingly, their face kept changing, reshaping themselves every second a constant flux that bewildered the mind.
"Impossible…"
Yude's heart clenched, his back damp with cold sweat.
Even though he couldn't perceive the person's true face, their unfathomable presence was like an abyss, suffocating him.
He could almost be certain that this person was at least at the peak of Third-Level Grand Wizard, if not an actual Morning Star Mage.
Yet before he could even open his mouth to ask, he saw the maple-clad figure slowly raise a single pristine, jade-like finger.
A faint radiance emanated from the fingertip as if an entire starry sky swirled within.
Yude's pupils shrank abruptly, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
"Not good!"
But before he could react, that finger gently tapped the void
Boom!
Darkness consumed Yude's vision in an instant.
He had no time to react.
Like a kite with a broken string, he was sent flying backward, his consciousness shattering into nothingness.
The attack was effortless yet boundless in power, beyond Yude's comprehension. He couldn't even perceive how he had been struck down.
But the body that disintegrated wasn't his true form it was merely a spiritual projection he had conjured.
Under the crushing force of the powerful magic, the projection collapsed instantly, shattering into countless flickering fragments that scattered into the air.
Far away, in the sealed chamber of Fortress No. 13, Yude's true body abruptly opened his eyes, his entire form frozen as though waking from a nightmare.
His face was as pale as a sheet, his eyes filled with unmasked terror and disbelief.
Cold sweat had already drenched his back, beads of it trailing down his temples. When he reached up to wipe his brow, he found his fingers trembling.
"A Morning Star Mage… It was a Morning Star Mage…"
Yude muttered in a hoarse voice, his eyes brimming with dread.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, yet the scene replayed endlessly in his mind.
A mere flick of a finger had annihilated his spiritual form, giving him no chance to resist.
"This level of power… Who on earth are they…?"
Yude instinctively clutched his staff, his knuckles white, his voice barely steady.
"There's no doubt about it. That was a Morning Star Wizard… terrifying… I couldn't even see what he did before I died…"
At this point, he didn't even dare return to the battlefield. Instead, he hastily contacted the Morning Star Wizard of the Eastern War Zone to report what had transpired.
As for Lynn and the other lesser wizards, all Yude could do was silently wish them luck…
...
"Grand Wizard Yude, where are you?!"
At this moment, not only was Lynn desperately calling for Grand Wizard Yude, but even Gilru and Martha were also frantically shouting his name.
However, there was no response at all from Grand Wizard Yude.
If they hadn't seen with their own eyes that he had arrived at this fortress, they might have thought they were simply hallucinating…
And right at this moment, the Five-Circle Mage gathered his killing intent and struck!
"Fifth-Circle Spell, Celestial Summoning!"
With murderous intent surging, the Five-Circle Mage's gaze turned icy cold. He raised his staff high, as pale radiance swirled at his fingertips, shimmering like a cold moon rising in broad daylight.
Boom!
The void trembled as a sacred gate slowly emerged, exuding a vast and mysterious divine aura filled with majesty and solemnity, as if capable of purging all sin and blasphemy.
A Fifth-Circle Spell is equivalent to a second-level spell in the world of wizards.
Even before the spell fully took shape, it radiated an overwhelming divine presence, sending chills down Lynn and his companions' spines.
To purify this "blasphemer" from another realm, the Five-Circle Mage had chosen to unleash Celestial Summoning.
If the spell succeeded, it would summon a holy celestial entity.
Using a divine celestial being to purify an otherworldly blasphemer was how the Five-Circle Mage intended to vent his killing intent.
As the divine gate slowly materialized, its unique celestial aura hailing from the divine realm beyond the heavens became unmistakably distinct.
"There's no relying on Grand Wizard Yude now. You two, we fight to the death."
Lynn and his two companions exchanged glances, bracing themselves as they sensed the rapid approach of the celestial entity emerging from the sacred gate.
However, this unique celestial presence did not only draw the attention of Lynn and his companions.
From atop a black dragon, a figure clad in a maple-leaf-colored robe suddenly turned his head slightly, his pupils flashing with an icy gleam.
His gaze instantly sharpened like a blade, and his robe fluttered slightly as an intimidating pressure radiated from him.
The black dragon beneath him also reacted, letting out a deafening roar, its massive wings unfurling like dark storm clouds.
With a sudden flap, a black tempest erupted, tearing through the air as the dragon shot forth like an arrow, hurtling toward the divine aura at terrifying speed!
…
From within the sacred gate, radiant light surged like a fountain, spreading pure, holy brilliance in all directions, as if enshrouding the entire world in a thin veil of divinity.
Beyond the gate, a majestic figure gradually emerged, accompanied by the solemn hymn of the heavens.
A pure white celestial steed stepped forth from the gate, its pristine feathers fluttering lightly in the divine radiance. With each step, ripples of holiness spread outward, purging the very air itself.
A single crystalline, translucent horn adorned the steed's forehead, emanating a soft yet mysterious glow, as if harboring the power to cleanse all darkness.
Seated atop its broad back was a divine knight.
Clad in silver-white holy armor, every piece of his plating gleamed flawlessly, as if forged in the celestial realms.
A pair of radiant, snow-white wings extended from his back, each feather distinct and shimmering with divine light as they fluttered gently, resembling falling stars.
In his grasp, a longsword rested at his side, its blade radiating a faint holy glow, as though capable of purifying all evil in the world.
Through the slit in his helmet, his stern and unwavering gaze fell upon Lynn unyielding, absolute, and filled with solemn authority.
"Prepare yourselves, I might…"
Lynn frowned slightly, turning to Martha and Gilru, ready to activate his last resort the Starfall Boots to make a swift escape.
Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening dragon roar thundered across the sky, echoing like rolling thunder, shaking the very air.
Lynn's heart pounded violently. Along with the Five-Circle Mage, everyone's attention was drawn toward the sound.
They looked up
A massive, ferocious black dragon tore through the sky with the momentum of a raging storm!
Its colossal maw opened wide, swallowing gusts of wind as it streaked forward, a pitch-black tempest in its wake.
"What is that?!"
The Five-Circle Mage's eyes shrank in shock, his face turning deathly pale as he felt an overwhelming, suffocating pressure bearing down on him.
Lynn, too, was stunned, his gaze locking onto the monstrous black dragon. A flicker of disbelief and recognition flashed through his eyes.
He knew this black dragon.
This was the very same one ridden by Aestry back during the Spirit Eye Furnace incident!
"A dragon's roar… a black dragon?! It's him!"
Boom!
As space itself trembled, the black dragon roared, tearing through the skies as it streaked toward the sacred gate.
Its gaping maw opened a black abyss of annihilation.
Crack!
Without hesitation, without pause.
Before the celestial steed and the knight upon its back could even react
They were swallowed whole in an instant.
Even the divine radiance that had illuminated the battlefield was snuffed out in a heartbeat, as if it had never existed at all.
The execution was swift, merciless, and absolute.
That overwhelming divine presence was utterly shattered in mere moments.
And then
Lynn's gaze met the eyes of the figure atop the black dragon.
At that instant
One glance. A thousand years.
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