by Zhuang Bifan
"Long time no see, Mage Cromwell." Unfortunately, Lin Li disappointed him. The surprise in his eyes was only fleeting, and it was followed by a smile that Cromwell abhorred. This polite yet condescending smile instantly reminded him of his humiliation.
"I hope you can still smile later…" A faint gleam of malice was revealed in Cromwell's narrowed eyes.
"Same to you."
Just as the two were head to head with each other, Castellan Isaac rose from his seat once again.
"As the overseer, I declare that the duel begins now!"
As soon as Isaac's voice fell, Lin Li sensed a violent wave of magic. Then, he saw Cromwell lift his staff, and a ball of fire with a flaming tail in tow was roaring towards him…
"Damn!" Lin Li propped up his Elemental Shield while secretly regretting sneaking an attack on him with the Waterfall Strike. Not only did it trigger the battle between Jarrosus's most powerful mages, he even taught such a guy like Cromwell to be smart—he even knew how to play a preemptive strike now…
Chapter 80 - Disadvantage
When the ball of fire hit the Elemental Shield and stirred up a dazzling spark, Lin Li couldn't help but startle. When did this fellow become so strong? Just a fireball had almost caused his Elemental Shield to collapse. He was probably nearing the strength of a Magic Shooter.
After barely receiving the fireball with his Elemental Shield, Lin Li dared not have the slightest negligence anymore. He prepared a wind blade in each hand, but was not in a hurry to release them. He was waiting for Cromwell to begin his spell recitation.
The smile on Cromwell's face deepened after the fireball. Although it failed to crack down the Elemental Shield completely, it gave him a good sense of his opponent's strength.
"A mere level-twelve…" In mages' battle, a difference of more than two levels almost meant that it would be a crushing of one side. Cromwell already had full confidence in winning this duel.
He cast an Elemental Shield on himself too, then began reciting at the full height of his voice.
When the light of the Elemental Shield shone, a wry smile appeared on Lin Li's face. This fellow had really smartened up. But now his arrow was fitted to the string, and he had no choice but to fire. The two wind blades tore through the air with a piercing sound and bumped into the Elemental Shield that was on Cromwell without suspense.
Lin Li knew very well that the two wind blades wouldn't do any damage.
With Cromwell's strength being close to that of the Archmage, the Elemental Shield that he held up could probably withstand even a level-fifteen spell, not to mention the two level-one wind blades. So, Lin Li did not dare to hope for any results at all. As soon as the two wind blades were released, he also began a long recitation.
With his massive mental strength, Lin Li barely caught up with the progress of the spell. Both of them completed a level-nine Flaming Storm almost at the same time.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The blares sounded almost concurrently. In an instant, a fire rose in the middle of Daylight Square.
The earth-shattering collision between the two's spells had everyone on the stands exclaim loudly.
With the exception of a few, no one thought that they would see a battle of this level today. Before arriving at the Daylight Square, almost everyone's impression of them was that of young geniuses—they had talent and strength, but it was only among the younger generation.
Little did they think it would be a battle that could rival the level of the Archmages fighting.
Just look at their skillful and rapid spell-casting technique and the powerful magical wave they released. These people even had an illusion… Was it Gerian and Matthew who were battling in their stead?
Both were hit almost simultaneously by the Flaming Storm, but the results were different. The Elemental Shield on Lin Li was instantly broken by the crush of the magic level and the previous impact of the fireball. Cromwell, who was also standing in the midst of the flames, had maintained the faint halo on his body all the time…
The gap between the two levels was exposed in a flash.
"Are you still able to laugh now?" Cromwell revealed a cruel smile, pointing at Lin Li with the Aether Staff in his hand. The magical crystal at the tip of the staff glowered in a blue light, and the roar of an icicle followed.
At this moment, half of the audience's hearts were clenched. Most local forces were related to the Guild of Magic. Gerian, who was sitting on Isaac's right, tightly clenched his fists.
As an Archmage, his vision reached farther and was clearer than others'. Gerian knew Cromwell was nearing the strength of an Archmage with that fireball he released. And sure enough, he had also had the absolute advantage in the clash of the Flaming Storm afterwards. Now that Lin Li's Elemental Shield had been broken, even if he topped it up with the Ice Armor Spell, it might still be difficult for him to receive this icicle…
And then Gerian indeed saw the ice armor propped up in front of Lin Li. But for some reason, Gerian could feel that there was something wrong about this ice armor.
At the moment when the ice armor was propped up, the icicle had been shot.
"Tch!" At the instant the icicle came in contact with the ice armor, a piercing sound rang through the Daylight Square.
"Phew…" Gerian heaved a long sigh of relief, for he already saw that after that icicle hit the ice armor, it did not break it down as he had imagined, but swept past the glittering ice, bringing with it pieces of ice debris. It was then that Gerian understood why he'd felt there was something wrong with the ice armor earlier on.
The angle at which the ice armor was propped up was changed by shifting the elemental sequence. Kudos to this kid for thinking of it…
The ice armor propped up obliquely would naturally be more advantageous than the one propped up on the front in the face of an oncoming icicle.
The smile on Cromwell's face froze as he failed to score with the icicle. He had never imagined that his opponent would fend off the icicle in such a way.
There were gasps of awe from the stands, and the smile was still on Lin Li's face.
Perhaps only he knew that he had no need for the ice armor. He could totally receive the icicle with the strong magic resistance attributes of his Robe of Wrath. However, he didn't want to reveal the secret of the Robe of Wrath so early. He wanted to surprise Cromwell with it at a more critical time.
After a short Spell Cycle, Lin Li had gained a new Elemental Shield. At least on the surface, both sides were back to the same starting line once more.
But the disparity of two levels still existed. Just as Lin Li was putting up his Elemental Shield again, Cromwell began another round of outbursts. This time, he made use of a large amount of low-level spells. Even if his mental strength couldn't be compared to that of Lin Li's, with an absolute dominance in level, the amount of instantaneous spells he could release was definitely not less than Lin Li's. Numerous wind blades and arcane missiles landed unceasingly on the Elemental Shield, stirring up ripple after ripple on the sheer layer of light…
And under this storm-like attack, Lin Li's counterattack was equally sharp. Mind Control, Delirium… the harassment was so varied and numerous that Cromwell had to divert his attention to set up a mental protection field. Lin Li released a few wind blades from time to time, constantly trying to weaken the Elemental Shield on Cromwell…
Chapter 81 - Impasse
In an instant, magical elements rose from the square. Magic runes were scattered among the brilliant lights and shadows and various magic spells collided with one another, sparking off dazzling sparks in the Daylight Square.
"President Gerian, the situation doesn't seem good. Do you think Felic would have…" The Mannes Family was the first to swing to the Guild of Magic. The battle in the middle of the square was heart-wrenching to watch for Ysera. There was worry in the young patriarch's voice as he watched the various spells released by Cromwell raging on wildly while Lin Li could only struggle fo
r survival with an Elemental Shield.
"What would have? Open your eyes wide and watch. In less than a minute, Felic will kill that idiot Cromwell!" Gerian glared at Ysera, but his heart was in flames. Coming to tell me something doesn't look good in this critical moment. You're a f*cking crow, aren't you?
"Gerian, what's the use of losing your temper here? The situation now is clear even to a blind man. Your mage, Felic, won't be able to hold out for long."
Old Merlin's lukewarm voice fell into Gerian's ears and immediately angered him. "Matthew, you fool. I don't want to argue with you, but you'd better keep your mouth shut. Don't make me angry, or your tortoise shells may not be able to protect you."
Aaron Matsis, who was sitting below them, felt chills on his back when he heard the words "tortoise shells"…
"Gerian, there's no point in shouting here. Strength is strength. There's no use getting angry."
In the middle of Daylight Square, Cromwell had taken the absolute advantage. A large number of low-level spells formed an elemental storm, devouring the faint halo of the Elemental Shield. After a long period of forbearance, they were finally yielding some good results today. Old Merlin was in high spirits, such that he could not even care about the insults between Gerian's words.
Cromwell's advantage was simply too great. The continuous magic strikes had shaken the Elemental Shield that Lin Li had just erected. If it hadn't been for the previous Mana Retroaction to delay time, he would have been hit directly by Cromwell's spells.
Cromwell laughed wildly in the blaze of magical light. The endless elemental storm seemed to have served as an outlet for him to vent all the humiliation he had gotten in the past month. The feeling was simply delightful. He even hoped for his opponent's Elemental Shield to collapse slower so that he could enjoy the destruction process to his heart's content…
Looking only at the current situation of the duel, perhaps even Gerian had to admit that Lin Li had sunken into an impasse.
It was an overwhelming dominance, with no strength to fight back at all.
At the beginning, he could use auxiliary magic spells to fight back. But after Cromwell had set up a mental protection field and unexpectedly consumed two scrolls, Lin Li had no chance to deliver his strikes anymore. The only thing he could do now was to constantly switch between Ice Armor and Elemental Shield, and occasionally delay time with the Mana Retroaction of the previous spell. Otherwise, he could only watch Cromwell unleash the spells one by one, letting them shine brilliantly upon contact with the Elemental Shield.
"Boom!" Another fireball exploded on the Elemental Shield. The impact of the huge force sent Lin Li a dozen steps back.
The flames were burning all around, and the light on the Elemental Shield was dim. In the midst of the burning flames, Lin Li seemed to hear a shrill piercing sound tearing through the air.
The collapse of the Elemental Shield and the Mana Retroaction of the Ice Armor Spell all happened within the cooldown time. Lin Li could only watch helplessly as the wind blade cut through his leg…
"Tchh!" There was only a slight sniffle, and then Lin Li felt a tingle in his leg, followed by a sharp pain. His right leg seemed to lose its strength suddenly, and he knelt down weakly on the square…
Cromwell emerged from the flames and stared at Lin Li, who was kneeling on the ground. His face was filled with the satisfaction of successful revenge. The smile on his face was distorted and ferocious in the light of the fire, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.
"Long time no see, Mage Felic. Hahahaha…" In the midst of his frenzied laughter, Cromwell shot out another wind blade. And this time, the target was Lin Li's left leg.
Then there was only a splatter of blood and Lin Li lost the support of his left leg. He was like a wooden stake, falling to the ground with a plop.
There were gasps of surprise from above the stands. It was obvious to everyone, including Castellan Isaac and the host of rich businessmen and celebrities, that the outcome of the duel had been decided. Many of them had expected the young pharmacist from the Guild of Magic to win instead of Cromwell.
At this point, the ch.i.p.s were down. Old Merlin stood up proudly, applauding towards the middle of the square where Cromwell stood. Out of the corner of his eyes, he glanced—unintentionally or intentionally—at Gerian. "I've already said, there's no use getting angry. Strength is strength!"
Hearing Old Merlin's annoying applause, Gerian's face was already livid as he was trying to hold his emotions in.
But even Gerian, who had infinite confidence in Lin Li, had to admit at this point that the outcome of the duel in the square had been decided. The gap between the two levels was irreparable. The reason why Cromwell had yet to kill Lin Li was just so that he could enjoy the fun of a cat catching a mouse.
"Castellan Isaac, if the Guild of Magic admits defeat, will it end this duel?"
Almost everyone thought they had misheard it when Gerian uttered the sentence. Is this really Gerian from the Guild of Magic? That Gerian, who never bowed down to any force even in the most desperate days of the Guild of Magic?
Gerian could only smile bitterly in face of the surprised looks from everyone.
How could he not see with his vision that the ch.i.p.s had been down for duel in the square? The only difference was Felic's life and death. There might still be a chance if he admitted defeat; if he did not, then Felic would no doubt die.
They had been together for more than a month. Even though they made no difference between the senior and junior when they talked to each other, in Gerian's heart, he had regarded this young mage as his own nephew. He couldn't just watch him die.
In order to save him, Gerian even lay down his dignity and bowed down to the Merlin Family for the first time.
However, Isaac's reply was exceptionally cruel. "I'm very sorry, President Gerian. I have to uphold the fairness of the duel. A request to end the duel must be agreed upon by both sides. Which means… If Chief Matthew agrees…"
"Gerian. If you kneel before me, I might consider your request…" Old Merlin roared with laughter, relishing the fun of teasing Gerian. He had not enjoyed the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of Gerian bowing down in front of him for a long time. Ever since the battle outside the Emerald Tower, the Guild of Magic had been above the Merlin Family. From then on, Gerian had been taking the initiative in the confrontation between the two of them.
"You…" Gerian stared fixedly at Old Merlin, who was laughing away. It almost seemed that flames were about to burst from his eyes. He had even released a trace of mana a moment ago, wanting to blast a fireball at Old Merlin's repugnant smiling face.
But at the next moment, he saw Lin Li's bloody legs, and Cromwell who was closing in on him. The trace of mana that Gerian released vanished without a trace and the furious expression on his face gradually turned to hesitation…
Cromwell's face was full of satisfied smile. "Mage Felic, can you still stand?"
"Come over and see for yourself…" Lin Li tried to squeeze out a smile on his face, but it accidentally touched a wound, making the smile look unusually unsightly.
At the same time, a trace of mana was directed into the Torrent of Elements Ring. Lin Li only needed to magnify this mana and the ring would create a channel in an instant, guiding the impending magical elements into the ring.
Chapter 82 - Cloud Storm
"Why, aren't you a pharmacist?" At the same time Cromwell humiliated his opponent to his heart's content, he released two fireballs, easily blowing off the Elemental Shield Lin Li had just put up.
It wasn't easy dragging through the last Spell Cycle, but now it was buried in the two fireballs Cromwell had released.
The few forces' leaders who had the closest relationship with the Guild of Magic sighed almost concurrently. It's hopeless, it's completely hopeless…
"Mr Pharmacist, where's your potion?" After two fireballs blew away the Elemental Shield, Cromwell was still not in a hurry to kill. He was enjoying the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of humiliat
ing his opponent. "Don't you like Ina a lot? Shall I tell you a secret?"
"What secret?" Lin Li startled when he heard Cromwell mention Ina.
"When I came out this morning, I sent someone to visit the McGrenn's house. If nothing unexpected happened, the father and daughter are most probably in the Merlin Family's dungeon now…" Cromwell's smile was full of a victor's pride. "After killing you, I'll go back and have fun with Ina. I can hardly wait just thinking about it. I wonder if Ina's long legs would be tightly clamped in bed…?
"But, don't worry… I won't kill you off so quick. I will torture you slowly, cutting you with shot after shot of wind blades until you have shed your last drop of blood. Only then would it be enough to wash away the humiliation you had given me." Cromwell released two more wind blades in between his words.
Without the obstruction of the Elemental Shield, these two wind blades cut through Lin Li's skin easily, bringing up a spatter of blood on the Daylight Square.
Lin Li didn't utter a sound but gritted his teeth and endured the pain. He could only hold on until opportunity presented itself.
Cromwell's smile was full of enjoyment. He was walking towards Lin Li step by step. He would release a wind blade for every step he took, and each wind blade seemed to bring up a spatter of blood with it. Cromwell kept this rhythm steady, neither giving Lin Li a chance to fight back nor killing him at once.
There was a dead silence in the Daylight Square. As Cromwell closed in, everyone knew that this duel, which was far beyond their imagination, was coming to an end.
"How about it, Gerian? Have you thought it through? As long as you kneel before me, I may agree to end this duel. Of course… It all depends on my mood."
