620: Twin Demon Realm Descends! Resistance from the Black Factory!
In the Six Towers Land, within the White Dragon Tower, Alicia heard from Locke's master's lineage that he was participating in the Spell Fighting Competition. Consequently, she asked other wizards to purchase a live broadcast of the Spell Fighting Competition for her.
Alicia stared at a pot of water hyacinths before her, frowning slightly as she watched the scenes of the perilous battle between Locke and Antoine.
"I hope Locke can win. But the opponent is also very formidable, so Locke might not necessarily win."
"But I still hope Locke can win."
The soul of Great Wizard Sura looked at the images above the water hyacinth, find it somewhat hard to believe that this was the same Locke Augustine who was in the Six Towers Land three years ago.
Great Wizard Sura said, "The power of the two wizards in this match has already surpassed what I was back then."
"I didn't expect Locke's growth to exceed my expectations so much."
"At this rate of growth, he should be very close to becoming a Second Ring Wizard. However, Alicia, you aren't bad either; you truly are the genius of our Plutarch Family..."
"Of course, looking at it this way, the relationship between you and Locke is indeed a very valuable investment."
"The rate of return will be very high."
"I thought highly of him back then."
Alicia knitted her brows and remained silent.
...
On Arena No. 1, Locke frowned. Antoine had already changed his previous fighting style; that uncomfortable feeling of being peered into had vanished.
The previous style was entirely a Third Ring Wizard's prediction of his movements.
That feeling of being followed like a maggot on a bone was truly unpleasant.
Starting from just now, Antoine's fighting style had completely changed, and the battle between the two became much more of a direct confrontation.
Even so, he was still the one at a disadvantage.
Due to the existence of No-Thought Crushing Fist, Antoine had partially freed himself from relying on his eyes, allowing him to dodge Locke's attacks.
Under the enhancement of Kinetic School spells, his fists and feet were all weapons; Crushing Fist and Hundred-Rending Kicks were combined to attack.
Furthermore, he could manipulate eighteen Magic item iron balls to form a killing formation, while summoning the Wind and Thunder Wheels and magic silk to launch sneak attacks from the side.
Naturally, Locke utilized the insight of his Magic Eye to the limit, perceiving all attacks simultaneously. He managed to dodge using his high mobility while seeking opportunities to counter with the Tyrant Fern Spear.
Antoine's gaze grew increasingly serious, and his speed faster. Suddenly, a pebble shot out from his left hand, piercing through Locke's left shoulder like a cannon shell.
"This speed..." Locke quickly retreated to create distance. The speed of that spell just now was so fast that even though Locke saw it, his body couldn't dodge in time.
Locke looked at the bloody hole in his left shoulder. 'He used alchemy to reinforce the hardness of an ordinary stone, and then used Kinetic School magic to add high-speed kinetic energy to it.'
Antoine looked at Locke, a rare flash of excitement appearing in his eyes along with a serious respect for Locke as an opponent. He showed an attitude completely different from before. "Locke, at this speed, even if you can see it, you can't dodge it anymore, right?"
"This is the Impulse Ejection Incantation. It can convert the time I hold the stone into kinetic energy. The Kinetic School believes that 'force' is the most fundamental core form of this world, and all things in the world are composed of force."
"Though a typical Kineticist likely wouldn't possess such a powerful heritage."
Antoine placed another pebble into his hand.
At the same time, he looked at Locke seriously. The power he had originally intended to hold back was no longer being reserved; he began to exert his full strength.
He lunged at Locke. The moment his fist neared Locke, he abruptly converted his spiritual fluctuations into kinetic energy. In an instant, a blast of air surged toward Locke.
In the next moment, another Hundred-Rending Kick was unleashed.
Spiritual fluctuations were being converted into kinetic energy every second.
Meanwhile, the eighteen iron balls swirled around Locke, attacking him.
Because Locke had just been injured, his movements grew slower. Antoine seized the opportunity to use the [Impulse Ejection Incantation] to fire a second pebble at Locke's chest. The Impulse Ejection Incantation pierced through the defensive layer of the undying dragon scale, injuring his abdomen.
Antoine went a step further, standing still in place and adopting a punching stance while gripping a third pebble in his hand.
He simply used the eighteen Magic items to continue besieging Locke.
Seeing this, Locke repeatedly used the Tyrant Fern Spear to try and break through the encirclement, while simultaneously realizing why the other man was standing still.
"He can use No-Thought Crushing Fist to convert spiritual changes into kinetic energy. He can also use the Impulse Ejection Incantation to convert the time he holds the object into kinetic energy. This way, every moment Antoine spends holding it and every spiritual change is accumulating kinetic energy. Although I don't know the upper limit, if I let him continue charging, my situation will become extremely dangerous."
"Furthermore, he can likely use the Impulse Ejection Incantation to convert even the time he spends charging into kinetic energy."
Most crucially, as a Object Controller, Antoine could still manipulate the eighteen Magic items to besiege Locke without physical contact while charging up.
Locke looked at Antoine and frowned. 'What a terrifying combination attack. I can't just attack recklessly and enter his strike range.'
'But dragging this out isn't very meaningful. If he can transfer all the kinetic energy from his charging move into that pebble, it'll be disastrous.'
'He's forcing me to make a choice.'
Locke looked at Antoine and frowned.
But the most important thing now was to figure out why this guy's total magic pressure was so immense.
The opponent's total magic pressure had reached an absurdly high level.
If his total magic pressure weren't so high, he wouldn't be able to use this set of combined magic.
No-Thought Crushing Fist seemed inherently very taxing on magical power.
And if his observations were correct, the charging process of Kinetic School magic required the consumption of one's own magical power; it wasn't a perpetual motion machine.
It still obeyed the law of conservation of energy.
The reason Antoine's No-Thought Crushing Fist and Impulse Ejection Incantation were so powerful, just like his skills as a Object Controller, was that the core mechanism was driven by his massive total magic pressure.
'To solve this mystery, I actually have a way. As an Archaeologist,' Locke thought.
...
On the judges' stand, the Throne Wizard of the Fischer Family looked at Wizard Fischer and said, "I didn't expect Antoine to be able to use No-Thought Crushing Fist so proficiently. I previously thought he hadn't fully mastered our Senate's heritage."
Wizard Fischer was also surprised. "Actually, before this match, he couldn't fully master No-Thought Crushing Fist either. He never knew why his use of No-Thought Crushing Fist was so hit-or-miss."
"It's likely that Locke Augustine is one of the few wizards among his peers who can put pressure on him. So, in the battle against him, he thoroughly mastered No-Thought Crushing Fist. It's just that I told Antoine before the match to hide his brilliance no matter what and not to show off how outstanding he is."
"After all, there's still the Plane Conquest Competition. To deal with Locke, he only needed to use either the Impulse Ejection Incantation or the No-Thought Crushing Fist. I don't know why he chose to expose his trump cards and reveal his entire magical heritage."
"And to be so serious..."
"This is the first time I've seen him take something so seriously."
Witch Catherine glanced at them and let out a disdainful sneer. "Look at that boy's eyes and you'll know what his real thoughts are. There's no future in being a shrinking turtle."
"He is actually very happy to be able to truly fight Locke."
Wizard Fischer said awkwardly, "Lord of the Throne, how can you speak so crudely?"
The Throne Wizard of the Fischer Family snorted coldly. "Better look after your own student, Yekaterina."
"He's about to lose."
Witch Catherine gave him a cold look. "What, do you want to compete with me too?"
The Throne Wizard of the Fischer Family was about to speak when he suddenly frowned and looked toward a certain direction in the Cloud Arena.
The White Elephant Group member who had fought Locke yesterday was seen walking in a daze, his eyes filled with deep despair, like a walking corpse.
"You geniuses... you never know the pain of us wizards living at the bottom. For a few resources, we can only sell our time and lives, enduring massive magical pollution, all for just a tiny bit of resources..."
"This arena is the stage where you geniuses make your names, a place for you wizards to climb upward, but it is a grave for us 'failures' with insufficient talent. White Wizards, I am not reconciled!"
The Second Ring Wizard Demon Hunter responsible for guarding him immediately used his Demon Hunter earring to notify most of the Demon Hunters to keep an eye on that wizard.
"The state of the wizard from the Twin Demon Realm is very abnormal, everyone pay attention!"
"However, under our surveillance, there shouldn't be any problems. Keep an eye on all the other suspicious targets we discovered earlier as well."
The wizard, walking unsteadily, stepped up to Arena No. 1 and muttered incoherently, "Stealing the sky and changing the sun, calling a stag a horse, Twin Demon Realm, the Fire-Stealers endure forever..."
Simultaneously, his face began to blur.
"Ahahaha..."
"The things the Twin Demon Realm wants, it can always get its hands on. White Wizards, you use systemic oppression to exploit us, forcing us into black factories to live for your glory. Then we Black Wizards will simply overturn your chessboard; if we can't trade for it, we'll seize it; if we can't earn money, we'll steal it..."
"The Twin Demon Realm is the hope of Wizard Civilization..."
Suddenly, a solar eclipse occurred in the sky, as if a dark hand had grabbed the sun and stolen... it away.
At the same time, this Black Wizard's facial appearance and spirituality all transformed into another person.
Simultaneously, traces of magic arrays appeared throughout the Cloud Arena.
Magic potions hidden in various corners suddenly shattered, and an abnormal fragrance permeated, spreading throughout the entire venue.
A card, entirely black on one side and white on the other, appeared in the middle of the Cloud Arena's floor.
However, the Third Ring Wizards of Golden Crown Mountain faced such a startling change with either cold smiles, indifference, or disregard, appearing to be fully prepared.
As that card appeared, a surge of world power descended; the world power of the Twin Demon Realm was summoned here via ritual magic.
The world powers of the Wizard World and the Twin Demon Realm merged. With Third Ring Wizards present on both sides, they automatically merged into a world battlefield, entering the state of [Demonic Realm War].
...
On Arena No. 1, Antoine glanced at the sky that had suddenly dimmed and said to Locke, "Locke, I don't know what happened, but it seems Black Wizards have attacked the venue."
"But we were having such a good time. Look, we're still at the decisive point."
"Maybe you'll be the one to lose in the next moment."
"How about..."
At this moment, the voice of a Throne Wizard echoed through the Cloud Arena. "All matches are currently suspended. A minor disturbance has occurred, but we will end this temporary Demonic Realm War as quickly as possible."
"The competition is temporarily interrupted and will continue after the war ends."
"The live broadcast will not stop."
Antoine said regretfully, "Suspended, huh. I was just getting into the swing of things. Since that's the case, we should..."
Locke continued to weave his undying dragon scale spear through the eighteen Magic items. "It's fine, don't stop. Let's just keep fighting like this."
Locke's eyes revealed dragon pupils, filled with battle intent, and a look of madness appeared on his face. "The Third Ring Throne Wizards are here. There's no need for us to worry. Antoine, I won't take advantage of you. Let's continue fighting."
Antoine paused for a moment, then laughed loudly. "You really are an interesting fellow. Fine, I'll end this battle as quickly as possible."
Locke looked at him indifferently. "You want to end it quickly? I should be the one saying that."
He took out a Porcelain Moon from his astral ring.
At this time, the venue was in chaos. Black Wizards and White Wizards were fighting, White Wizards were fleeing in panic, and the Fire-Stealers of the Twin Demon Realm were acting with unknown motives.
Moreover, with the solar eclipse, the surroundings were pitch black.
But in this darkness, a bright, clear moon emerged, and the swallowed light reappeared.
Moonlight fell, and every one of Locke's magic plants was strengthened. The porcelain-like moon had a smooth, perfect surface.
Under the shine of this Porcelain Moon, Locke's strength was once again comprehensively enhanced.
Antoine was stunned. "You actually kept such a trump card. I originally thought you would use the Peach Arc Thorn Arrow."
A Second Ring Wizard from the Tower of Transmutation next to Arena No. 1 stared in shock at Locke's Porcelain Moon. For a moment, he even thought it was Great Magic.
That moon already possessed the embryonic form of Great Magic, containing Locke's understanding of Botany and ecology.
That moon also lit up the surroundings.
At the same time, next to Arena No. 1, the wizard from the White Elephant Group revealed a look of terror, because at this moment, his face had completely transformed into that of Wizard Shelley from the Golden Crown Mountain Elm Grove.
Wizard Shelley looked confused and struggled to break free from the Demon Hunters' control. "Why am I here? Why are you catching me?"
Meanwhile, next to Arena No. 1, the face of the original Shelley had turned into the face of that wizard from the White Elephant Group.
With a darkened face, he looked at Locke and Antoine, who were still fighting, his expression ugly. "Damn it, these two are too arrogant. They actually dare to continue their match in the middle of a Demonic Realm War."
"They simply don't take us Fire-Stealers seriously."
A black-robed Third Ring Wizard came up behind him and pressed a palm onto his shoulder. "Hehe, Cole, why be so angry?"
Between the fingers of that palm was a card, white on one side and black on the other.
The voice was soft, sounding like a woman's, yet it was a man's voice.
Wizard Cole looked respectfully at this Black Wizard. "Lord Thief Saint Wizard, you've come. According to the plan you formulated, this is our Twin Demon Realm's first attempt at the plan to steal the talent of White Wizard geniuses."
The Thief Saint Wizard of the Twin Demon Realm extended a finger as white as jade. *Tap... tap...*
The Second Ring Demon Hunters trying to approach him discovered in horror that their walking distance had been stolen. No matter how they tried to approach, they couldn't advance an inch.
And the Thief Saint Wizard, who had stolen their movement distance, vanished from his spot the next moment and appeared before Witch Catherine.
Witch Catherine said impatiently, "You again, thief. What do you plan to steal today?"
"Can the Twin Demon Realm go one day without stealing something?"
The stealing power of the Twin Demon Realm's Black Wizards originates from the world power of the Twin Demon Realm. All Black Wizards of the Twin Demon Realm are essentially puppet extensions of that world.
The danger is immense.
The side effects are also significant. The Twin Demon Realm routinely replenishes its world power by devouring its own Black Wizards; after all, its scope is too vast.
If someone is talented enough, they might even be eaten early by the greedy Twin Demon Realm.
Therefore, choosing to become a Black Wizard of the Twin Demon Realm is truly choosing a path of self-destruction; even the possibility of retirement or a stable life is gone.
It is a path of no return.
The Thief Saint Wizard looked at the three Third Ring Wizards of Golden Crown Mountain who had surrounded him and curled his lips. "Don't be so disdainful of theft. Theft can balance wealth, letting the money in the pockets of the rich fall into the pockets of the poor."
"I prefer to view theft as a form of sharing."
The Thief Saint Wizard kept his hands in his pockets, as if he felt no pressure at all. "Coincidentally, I've recently discovered a new theft technique, and I'm here to put it into practice."
The Thief Saint Wizard said, "I've discovered a way to use the world power of the Twin Demon Realm to steal the talents of others."
Wizard Fischer said, "Absurd. That's impossible!"