by Zhuang Bifan
"Let… Let me go!" The sudden attack gave Gryffindor a great shock. He had heard of the legendary Blood-vine Spell. Any living thing the blood vine entangled would have to fight until its last gasp. The blood vines would only stop after draining all the blood or amputating the affected body part of its victim…
Goddammit! How am I supposed to break free from this? Gryffindor already had the d.e.s.i.r.e to die.
It would be much better if his health was as good as before. But, now that he had been seriously injured, how was he going to save himself from those vines when he did not even have the strength to stand up?
Furthermore, although the Blood-vine Spell would not inflict physical injuries like Air Bomb, it was still a summoning spell. This meant that the blood vines that were summoned would have their own lives. Since Aldwin was only a Master of Inscription and had not become the invincible Guru of Inscription, the four Master-level mageweaths were not useful in controlling the Blood-vines Spell. This implied that if Gryffindor wanted to live on, he had to work for it himself…
F*ck this…
Gryffindor had a hundred doubts with regard to the young mage who came from a rural place. Where did he learn such a rare spell? Although Gryffindor was raised in Alanna Guild of Magic and had Rosen as his mentor, he only heard of it before…
Unfortunately, he did not have the time to think anymore…
The thousands of blood vines were like poisonous snakes that tightly entangled Gryffindor. He looked like an ant stuck onto a spider's web. The blood vines became tighter as he struggled…
"AHHHHH…!" Gryffindor cried out helplessly. He felt the needles of the vines sinking into his body. They were like greedy drinkers, s.u.c.k.i.n.g on his blood vessels. Every gush of blood that flowed out made the vines expand. In the end, the vines that were as thick as a pinkie became as thick as a thumb.
This time, Gryffindor felt really helpless…
He gave up struggling. He let the blood vines suck his blood while his soulless eyes stared blankly at the sky. His face that was covered in dirt and bloodstains had no expression at all. At this moment, Gryffindor looked as if he was an innocent girl who had just gotten gang-r.a.p.ed by 10 hefty men…
"This…" Macklin could not help but frown in his seat.
Although Gryffindor was not well-liked, it would be a messy situation if he was really killed by Felic. His mentor was the Legendary-mage Rosen, who was known for his petty and prideful attitude. If Gryffindor were to die in the Aurora Square, the Alanna Guild of Magic would need to answer for it.
"This cannot continue. We need to stop them…" Aldwin said nervously. He was very clear that both Felic and Gryffindor had abilities above those of an Archmage. If they wanted to kill each other, the four Master-level mageweaths were nothing to them.
"Should I go and stop them?"
Aldwin paused, and thought for a while. "Let me do it…"
"Alright." Macklin nodded. He did not say more.
In reality, Aldwin was the only person who could intervene.
That was because he knew Felic too well…
Since it seemed that Felic had set his heart on killing Gryffindor, he wouldn't be dissuaded from it by any advice. If he were to intervene in their battle at this time, it was not certain that Lin Li would listen to him…
Aldwin would be the best choice to stop Lin Li out of everyone in the VIP seats. Since he was the one who intercepted the previous battle to ensure the fella didn't get swallowed by the undead energy, Lin Li owed him a favor. Even if he was not happy with Gryffindor, he should give Aldwin face…
Goddammit, these bastards are really troublesome…
Seeing that Aldwin was holding onto his magic staff, Macklin sighed in relief.
Luckily, they had not created too great of a problem…
"How do you feel, Mage Gryffindor?" Lin Li asked Gryffindor sarcastically. Gryffindor was like a drowning man when he struggled under the blood vines. While Lin Li was at it, he observed the people in the VIP seats.
"Let… Let me go…" Gryffindor begged. This time, he did not care about his enmity with Orrin, or his status as the top mage of Felan anymore. He only wanted to live on. At the age of 25, he did not want to become a dried corpse under the blood vines. He did not want to die in a trial battle.
"Are you joking? I'll let you go and you'll injure my teammates again? F*ck you, do you think my brain is also like yours, short-circuited?"
"I… beg you…" Gryffindor's voice became weaker and weaker. While draining his blood, the blood vines were also drawing away his energy. If he could not escape the blood vines in five minutes, he was not going to live. Gryffindor had ditched his arrogance for that. He was even secretly determined to do anything to beg Felic to forgive him…
"Hmm, you looked rather sincere…" Lin Li said as he stroked his chin. While he was looking at Gryffindor, his mind was on the VIP seats. He had seen the commotion there. Aldwin was reciting a spell in a deep and serious voice…
Lin Li was very clear what was on the mind of the president. He was just afraid of the trouble that would arise after Gryffindor's death. His background was too powerful.
But, this was what Lin Li hoped to see. He'd never wanted to kill Gryffindor from the start. Since Gryffindor was Rosen's student, and Rosen was Andoine's fellow council member, if he were to kill him, Andoine would be in trouble.
Because of that, Lin Li played a little trick on the elemental sequencing of those blood vines. Although they looked as if they were s.u.c.k.i.n.g Gryffindor's blood menacingly, it was just the appearance. While these thousands pricks on the vines were draining Gryffindor's blood, they were just a tough front to terrify others. When the vines were drawing out fresh blood, they were at the same time injecting the blood back into Gryffindor's body through the pricks. It was extreme fear that got the better of Gryffindor, which caused him not to realize it…
However, while Lin Li did not want to kill Gryffindor, it did not mean that he would let other people intervene in his battle. The people who were injured by Gryffindor were my teammates! I should be the one who decide when I want to stop trampling on him. If you want to intervene like that, you'd better not regret…
"Alright, since Mage Gryffindor is so sincere, I shall try to"—Lin Li glanced at Aldwin, who was still in the process of his recitation—"I shall try to accept your apology…"
"Really?" Although Gryffindor was really weakened by the blood vines, he could not help feeling a little happy.
"Of course…" Lin Li replied and smiled. He waved his hands and the blood vines started to loosen their grip on Gryffindor.
"Thank you, thank you…!" Gryffindor thanked Lin Li profusely. At this time, he had already ditched his pride as the top mage of Felan. He was scared that the thousand vines would grip onto him again if he were to be late in his apology.
While Lin Li was controlling the blood vines, he was also observing the happenings at the VIP seats. Aldwin had completed his recitation, and there was suddenly a bright light that engulfed the whole Aurora Square. Instantly, both Gryffindor, who was entangled, and Lin Li, who was smiling, were swallowed by that light…
Lin Li knew that that was the legendary level-20 Purge Spell. Any region covered by the spell would bring the living things that were summoned there back where they came from. Even if it was a devil which was summoned from the abyss, it would return to the dark abyss instantaneously. It was the same for the blood vines, which were low-level beings.
And this was the moment Lin Li had been waiting for.
Just when the Purge Spell lit up, Lin Li stopped controlling his Blood-vine Spell.
"You're welcome!" The massive mental strength was activated to the max immediately. Just when Gryffindor tried to break free from the blood vines, a wave of mental strength that was filled with destructive elements gushed into his brain…
"AHHH…"
The shriek also stunned Aldwin.
Aurora Square was engulfed by the glow of the Purge Spell
. Even someone with extremely good eyesight would not be able to see what was happening within the light. The thousands of mages could only try to guess the situation from the shrieks coming from the light. They wondered if it might have been that Aldwin's spell failed, and instead harmed Gryffindor.
"Erm…" Macklin was dumbfounded as well. How did a battle that was fairly easy to nicely wrap up progress to such a state?
The whole Aurora Square became silent. Everybody gaped at that blinding light. Until this moment, they never felt as if time was passing really slowly. No one knew how long it took for the light to be dispersed. Then, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from that light.
Chapter 270 - Settling The Score
The brilliance of the Purge Spell slowly dissipated, and the Aurora Square returned to its original silence. The freak that had released sixty Pyroblasts in a row returned to the resting area in a flash of light. They did not even wait for the judges to announce the victor, because even a blind person could tell who had won this match. Gryffindor was lying motionless on the floor. His heartbeat and breathing were normal. He would occasionally let out painful m.o.a.ns and groans from his throat, but it gave people a feeling that he was dead…
This sort of feeling was really weird. He was alive, yet it made people feel like he was a corpse. Yet, after thinking about it carefully, the mages in the spectator seats were suddenly enlightened…
Indeed, this was all because of mental strength.
Although Gryffindor was alive, he was no longer the number one genius of Felan. This was because his mental strength had been exhausted—it could even be said that it was completely destroyed. It took less than twenty seconds from when the light of the Purge Spell was ignited to the moment when it disappeared, yet Gryffindor's body underwent a drastic change.
Not a single magical wave could be felt from his body. He was like a walking corpse lying down there…
Macklin was somewhat confused. "How did this happen?"
"I shouldn't have taken action…" Aldwin let off a sigh. Out of all those that were present, only he knew what had happened behind the brilliance of the Purge Spell.
In fact, he already knew things were going bad during the moment when the Purge Spell was released, because he distinctly felt that an unparalleled mental strength had surged into Gryffindor's mind while borrowing the power of the Purge Spell. That aura close to being destructive would even make a powerhouse that had broken through the Legendary realm like Aldwin feel shocked. It was too powerful and too overbearing. It was as if a thunderbolt had landed and completely destroyed Gryffindor's mental strength instantly…
"You did that?" Macklin had a shock.
"No, no, no…" Aldwin shook his head, somewhat annoyed. "It's just that if I hadn't made any move, Gryffindor would not have become like this. Sigh, we really outsmarted ourselves this time, Macklin…"
The more Macklin heard, the more lost he was. "In what way?"
"I really don't know how to describe this trial apprentice of yours. He is terrifyingly smart. This match may seem to be full of accidents, but in reality, it was all within his calculations. Even my taking action at the crucial moment, using the Purge Spell to dispel the blood vines, had already been in his calculations. Do you know what he did to Gryffindor in the end? Mental Disruption. Damn. He actually borrowed the power of the Purge Spell, separated a segment from the spell, and specifically separated out the incantations for a Mental Blast. With this segment of incantation that was separated, he totally shattered Gryffindor's mental strength. Macklin, were you able to do something so terrifying when you were twenty years old?
"N-no…"
"But there is something strange: where did he learn this incantation from?"
"I think it should be Andoine that taught him…" Macklin swallowed his saliva; he seemed rather guilty. He clearly remembered that the incantation for Mental Disruption was a reward for Felic when this fella helped him forge an iron sword, but he did not imagine that two months later, this fella would use his own incantation and destroy the mental strength of the number one genius in Felan…
F*ck, this thing cannot be revealed. If Rosen were to know about this, I will be in deep trouble…
Macklin looked at the president cautiously and realized that the old man's expression was not any different than his own. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
"This time, we really acted on our own imagined cleverness. If I knew this was gonna happen…" Aldwin's voice carried a tinge of regret. Even though Gryffindor's conduct was not really good, he was still a powerhouse that had broken through to level-fifteen in his twenties. In Aldwin's position, he could not make decisions based on what he liked or disliked—he had to take into consideration the overall benefits of the Alanna Guild of Magic.
"This isn't a big issue." Meanwhile, Macklin's train of thought was much simpler. Hence, he did not have to hide his hatred for Gryffindor. "Who asked this a*shole to be so arrogant. It wasn't enough after injuring Orrin—he even injured Mason. It's not like you don't understand Felic's character. This a*shole is lucky enough that Felic did not kill him with a Pyroblast…"
"Aye…" Aldwin sighed again, and did not continue this conversation. He only called over two mage apprentices and told them to bring Gryffindor to the guild's medical center for treatment.
"Then, the victor of this match would be Felic from Jarrosus' Guild of Magic!"
The two judges that had been scared out of their wits only regained their senses and announced the results of this match when Gryffindor had been carried off the square.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap…"
A thunderous applause was heard in the Aurora Square. Thousands of mages stood up together and showed their respect to this young mage through their passionate applause.
This splendid duel was worthy of them using their applause to show respect. At the start, who would have thought that this duel was going to be this exciting. The fight between these two trial apprentices had far surpassed the imagination of the audience. Be it the victorious Felic or the defeated Gryffindor, they had exceeded the expectations of the audience. Without a single bit of exaggeration, with just their strength alone, they would have long been a president of a guild each if it had been a smaller place…
From the moment Gryffindor let loose a Thousand Miles of Ice, the audience already knew that this battle was going to be special. Sure enough, Felic used five Instantaneous Pyroblasts to counter immediately. This was closely followed by other 55 consecutive Pyroblasts, pushing the battle towards its climax step by step. At that moment, everyone thought that they were dreaming. For them, this was more shocking than any legendary level spell.
This battle could be said as perfect. Be it Gryffindor's Thousand Miles of Ice or Felic's 60 Pyroblasts, they were all filled with brilliance. It was simply perfect. Those that had witnessed this battle would not be able to find another mage battle that was as interesting.
As for what happened at the end, it could only be said to be a small error.
Some mages were even complaining that President Aldwin had made an unnecessary move. If it was not because of his sudden action, this battle might have been more interesting. It was all because of this untimely old man. Of all times, he had to take action at this point. Great, now that Gryffindor is crippled, let's see how you are going to explain to his mentor Rosen…
Of course, all of this had nothing to do with Lin Li.
After destroying Gryffindor's mental strength with a Mental Disruption, Lin Li slowly retreated to the resting area. He was taking a nap all the while. Even when the judges announced his victory, he did not even open his eyes to take another peek. After all, this was the first time he'd separated the incantation for Mental Disruption. Even with the assistance from the Purge Spell, Lin Li still needed some time to calm his madly distorted mental strength down.
Macklin came over suddenly and stood in front of Lin Li with a face full of anger. He questioned, "F*ck, why are you s
o ruthless?"
Upon hearing that it was Macklin's voice, Lin Li could not help but laugh. "Doesn't this match what you want?"
"Heh heh…" There was no choice, Gryffindor was really too arrogant. Even a person like Macklin had been annoyed with him for a long while. After listening to what Lin Li said, the old man immediately smiled shamelessly. It was just that he smiled for a bit before he suddenly remembered why he came over. He immediately changed his expression. "F*ck, cut your bullsh*t. I told you before, Gryffindor's mentor is the Legendary-mage Rosen. That old man is not as kind as Aldwin. F*ck, just watch, you are going to be in a lot of trouble…"
"What sort of trouble can it be…"
"What trouble? Rosen, that old man, is famous for covering his faults. If he were to know that you turned his only disciple into an idiot, how do you think he is going to fix you?"
"Felic!" Just when both of them were speaking, Kevin suddenly squeezed his way through from the crowd. His expression was abnormally anxious as if something serious was going to happen.
"What happened?" Lin Li looked at Kevin and immediately figured that something was amiss.
Kevin only shot a glance at Macklin. He did not say anything, but from his look, it was very obvious what he wanted. Macklin had always been sharper than monkeys. Just by looking at Kevin's expression, he immediately guessed what was happening. It had to be that something happened over at the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, and Kevin did not dare to say it front him. Hence, he gave off that sheepish look. Macklin immediately gave off a laughter, and reprimanded Lin Li a little more before he made an excuse hastily and sneaked away…
After seeing Macklin off, Lin Li asked softly, "Speak, what exactly happened?" His expression was abnormally serious. He knew that Kevin would not come look for him for no reason. It was even more impossible for Kevin to be so mysterious that he even forgot about basic manners…
"Just now, the Emerald Tower sent me some news. I think I have to tell you…"
"Speak!" Lin Li's heart immediately tightened after he heard the words "Emerald Tower". Currently, Gerian's mana had disappeared, and Shadow's Nest had become a threat. The news that had been received at this time would definitely not be good news…
