by Zhuang Bifan
This was truly a miracle; perhaps only a few in the Sanctuary-realm could manage it in the whole Anril…
However, the scene before their eyes was undoubtedly real, and the Crimson Python was trapped there securely. No matter how it struggled or growled, its body did not seem to loosen from the tight knot it was in.
"Damn it, what else are you keeping from me, you little bastard…" Gerian nagged angrily.
"Let's kill it first!" Rina was the calmest of them all, and did not remain dazed for long looking at the peculiar scene before her. As everyone was still staring dumbly, Rina had already raised her sword, and her unicorn neighed as it spread its wings. Her golden hair and shiny silver armor shone blindingly in the light from the flames…
However…
Even Rina could not have guessed that someone else in Black Clouds Town had moved faster than her.
Just as the unicorn spread its wings, a magical wave filled with a strong death aura spread out. As the only Judge Paladin amongst the Paladins, Rina was all too familiar with this evil death aura. She frowned as the magical wave spread out, while her unicorn which was just about to fly into the sky also paused…
This was a natural reflex she could not help, as she had been baptized by the Fire of Judgement, and was an utterly devoted follower of the Holy Light, the natural enemy of Undead creatures. This animosity toward Undead creatures had already been instilled into her from a young age, and had become her second nature by now, enforced by over a decade of devotion and faith!
However, Rina managed to keep it together, and realized the situation they were in was not suitable for her to fight an Undead creature after a moment of hesitation. It was not the Undead creatures harassing Black Clouds Town, but a crazed Crimson Python, after all, and protecting the innocent was of utmost priority to a Paladin. Her teacher Englos had said that even the fight between the Light and Darkness had to take a backseat when innocents were in danger.
However, with that moment of hesitation, the magical wave filled with a strong death aura rose like a tide crashing into the shore. The nearly tangible aura was strong and evil, making Rina cringe. Just as she was shocked, another surprising turn of events happened in the debris of the clock tower. Cracks appeared amongst the debris on the floor, and skeleton arms reached out from the cracks, growing so quickly in numbers that she soon lost count of them. A dense sea of skeletons had trapped the Crimson Python, just like a prison made of bones!
"Soul's Cage!" The expression on Rina's face changed immediately. That was a level-18 Necromagic that used up a lot of mana and required a long chant, so powerful that it rivaled Legendary magic!
There's such a powerful Necromancer in Black Clouds Town?
Rina had never thought of it—a Necromancer would have to be at least level-18 or level-19 to use the Soul's Cage, and Black Clouds Town was merely an obscure little town in Doland. If not for the Tower of Dusk being built here, she would never have known of its name. Why would a such a powerful Necromancer be here?
Unless these damned Undead creatures had something up their sleeve?
Just as Rina was being paranoid, the light reflected off the blade of a sword lit up the sky, and fresh blood splattered everywhere with a crisp sound…
"My God…" Rina could only now see clearly that the person holding the sword was a black-cloaked young man, lean and with a pale face. Upon a closer inspection, she realized that it was the high-ranking Vampire she'd met back at the Castellan Mansion in Roland City.
Norfeller had leaped from the sky holding the Heaven's Wrath daggers in his hands, piercing the weakest spot on the Crimson Python's body. Immediately afterwards, they heard an earth-shattering cry!
The Crimson Python finally met with the first fatal blow of the night from Norfeller. The tough scales covering the Crimson Python were impenetrable to most weapons, even those that cost millions of gold coins. The only weak point it had was its heart—while it was still protected by scales, it was so pathetically weak that it could not withstand a single blow from a high-ranking Vampire.
Moreover, this high-ranking Vampire was using the Heaven's Wrath left behind by a legendary assassin, something said to be a pair of the most powerful weapons related to Necromagic. Although it lacked the most essential Gems of Curse, it was still incredibly powerful, and that was enough for Norfeller to drive the daggers into the Crimson Python's heart while descending from the sky…
Perhaps it felt the pressure of death, but the Crimson Python retaliated so violently after it was stabbed that everyone feared for Norfeller. He held on tightly to a scale with one hand, while the other held the Heaven's Wrath dagger as he drove it into the Crimson Python's heart repeatedly. The Crimson Python's wails were full of anger and devastation as it struggled to throw Norfeller off its back. Unfortunately, its body was tightly trapped, and its strength was suppressed by the Soul's Cage. No matter how much it struggled, it was merely ramming its head into the bottom of the clock tower time and time again…
After a few rounds of bashing its head into it, deep marks could be seen left behind on the bottom of the tower made of refined iron…
"Such incredible physical strength…" Everyone was thinking of the same thing now. The bottom of the clock tower was made of the best refined iron, and had been there for hundreds of years. It had withstood the test of time without any noticeable change in its appearance, but was now left covered in scratches because of the magical beast that had gone berserk…
"Still so energetic?" Norfeller drove the dagger through the heart of the Crimson Python again, and Lin Li knew that the tiring fight was finally over.
Lin Li heaved heavily as he stood up with difficulty; his head still ached, although pain was less intense than before, and the mana in his body was now under his control again. He dusted off his robes and picked up the fallen Aether Staff.
Then came a long chant…
It was a long chant, but it was not complicated, only consisting of common words without making use of a single word from the High Elves' language. Even the weakest of the over 20 mages present knew what this young mage was chanting, and could understand every word to the extent of knowing what effect each word would have on the magic and how much mana it would use up.
However…
When all the words were strung up to form an entire spell, nobody could understand what it was supposed to do.
Only Gavin and Gerian, the two Archmages, knew what it meant…
It was a new magic, one that had never been made known to others; hence, nobody could understand it or use it.
In other words, this was magic that belonged only to Lin Li!
If Gavin and Gerian were not wrong, this was indeed magic that belonged only to Lin Li, or more accurately, the third kind of magic that Lin Li had ever created: Frost-fire Storm!
The first two kinds of magic Lin Li created were targeted at mages: one was the Countercurrent Vortex, and the other was the Arcane Combustion. They both made use of his incredibly strong mental strength to suppress the enemy as well as to attack; they were violent by nature, and were purely using force to counteract force, with no use of techniques or luck per se.
However, the previous two kinds of magic were way too mild compared to the third one.
The moment Lin Li finished his chanting, two vastly different but equally powerful magical waves surrounded the debris of the clock tower. One was icy cold, while the other was scorching hot, yet they combined flawlessly at that instant as though it was natural for raging flames and the frosty cold to appear together, just like a fault might appear if one of it was missing.
Chapter 375 - The Other One
The bone-chilling frost and the blazing flame element gave off contrasting vibes that filled the ruins of the clock tower entirely. When they clashed, everyone could hear explosions in the air. At that moment, all mages could not help but open their eyes wide. They knew that they were going to become the witnesses of magic history. They were going to witness the birth
of a completely new spell!
It was a magic spell that none had seen before. Anyone who had minimal knowledge of magic would know that there were no spells that could combine the magical elements of frost and flames ever since the prehistoric times. Not only that, no one had even imagined it to be possible before. Now, the concept was like a castle in the air, suddenly built up without any foundation…
Only real mages could understand such an absurd moment. Although Rina could sense that this spell was rather powerful, she did not know what it actually entailed…
It meant that the entire magic history would be rewritten today, with the birth of a brand-new method of spell-casting. After other people got ahold of this knowledge, even its most basic theory would create an outcry in the entire Anril World. All of the mages would be crazy over it, including Apophis—the living legend that had already entered the Sanctuary-realm!
The casting of the Frost-fire Storm was incredibly long—it took much longer than many Legendary spells. But, none of the mages was upset about that. To them, the spell itself was a priceless treasure. It was like an invisible door, and behind it was a magical world that none of them could have imagined.
Every one of them was immersed in the recitation. Lin Li's hoarse voice became the world's most melodious music in their ears.
Immediately after the recitation ended, the sky of Black Clouds Town lit up.
There were no shocking explosions or flames-filled air, just a brilliant glow that turned the night sky of the Black Clouds Town as bright as day.
Then, everything became silent…
The dark-red body of the python was still in a dead knot, tangled up around the tower made of refined iron. Its thick and long tail stopped struggling, and was drooping on the ground that was covered with pungent red blood. That hideous head was gone too, leaving behind a glowing magical crystal in the pool of blood…
If they did not witness it themselves, how would they ever believe that the mightiest magical beast in the Blackstone Mountains that probably had Legendary-level powers had just been slaughtered like that in an isolated town in Doland that had no more than a thousand people?
Supporting himself with his Aether Staff, Lin Li bent to pick up the magical crystal from the pool of blood. Then, he moved two steps backwards, thinking he could rest against the tower. Yet, the moment he let go of his staff, he stumbled and nearly fell down on the spot. After he finally balanced himself, Lin Li started to breathe heavily. His pallid face was filled with weakness and fatigue.
Lin Li's energy had been thoroughly consumed by the battle that night. His forceful distorting of his mental strength to raise his Levitation Spell to level-20 was already pure madness, and he still disregarded his tiredness to cast the Frost-fire Storm afterwards. It pushed Lin Li to his limits, and after the death of the python, Lin Li could endure no more. He fought for his breath while he leaned against the tower behind him. Lin Li was so weak that he did not even have the energy to move his finger.
Norfeller went over to Lin Li with his Heaven's Wrath, and Ujfalusi walked towards him from the distance as well. The compelling death aura his staff emitted made Rina tighten her grip on the long sword in her hands immediately. The unicorn beneath her neighed warily too.
Unicorns symbolized brilliance and holiness, not to mention the sacred unicorn that had been baptized by the Fire of Judgement. If not for Rina's inaction, it would have dashed towards the two evil Undead creatures…
Ujfalusi stumbled when he heard the growl of the unicorn, but he soon regained his composure as if nothing had happened. He walked past the Paladin and bowed submissively before Lin Li.
"Master, are you alright?"
Those words were like grenades in Rina's ears. How can that be? How can a level-18 Necromancer be someone's servant? At once, Rina felt that Felic's identity was extremely mysterious. How many secrets could there be behind this man who had been crowned as the 'Genius Pharmacist' by her mentor, and was also the youngest President of a guild of magic and the master of a level-18 Necromancer?
Lin Li was not aware of the burning doubt within Rina. He only knew that he was really tired. If he could, he would really want to find a place to have a nap. Unfortunately, right after the Crimson Python died, the ruined street became bustling with life again. Some of the trembling folks who had been hiding at homes stuck their heads out of their windows carefully, while others started to step out of their houses vigilantly. Then, their cheers at the death of the Crimson Python sounded through the entire Black Clouds Town…
"Everybody's safe now! The monster is dead!"
"Look, look! I think that's Mage Felic!"
"Mage Felic has saved us!"
It only took 10 minutes for the crowd to form outside the abandoned clock tower. Under the illumination of the fire, the smiles of joy on their faces were even more brilliant. Among the group, the most conspicuous man had to be Old Salatt—he had a hammer in his hands and was running faster than the youngsters.
"I knew it! You have saved us again…" Old Salatt's wrinkled face was filled with pride. He was the first person the young man had met in Black Clouds Town, and Old Salatt had always treated him like a close kin. Now that Felic became the hero of the entire Black Clouds Town, it was no doubt the time for Old Salatt to be proud of him.
"Uncle Salatt, please don't be so courteous. I'm just doing what I should do…"
Lin Li tried to prop himself up with his Aether Staff. Yet, he was stopped by Old Salatt. "Please don't move yet. You are seriously injured, and should take a rest first…"
"No, I can't rest now…" Lin Li struggled to get up. "I still have an important thing to clarify before it is too late…"
"Felic, listen to me. Please have a seat and take a break first. If there's anything, uncle can ask on your behalf with my authority in this Black Clouds Town."
"That's great. Uncle Salatt, please help me to find out the person who attracted the Crimson Python here. This is very important because Crimson Pythons usually travel with their partners. Now that this python had been killed by us, the other one might not be far away from Black Clouds Town. We have to find it before it arrives here…"
Lin Li could not help but feel afraid. It was lucky that only one of the Crimson Pythons came. If there were two, it would spell doomsday even if he tried to further distort his mental strength and get the help from Norfeller and Ujfalusi…
"Alright, please take a good rest. Uncle will find out about it as soon as possible." The elder patted Lin Li's shoulders gently. Then, he turned to look at the dumbfounded fence-sitter, the mayor.
"Mayor Alexir, have you heard what Felic said? Shouldn't you start sending some militiamen to every household to ask about it now?"
"E-e-erm…" Old Salatt's words caused the fence-sitting mayor to break out in cold sweat. He stuttered in fear, and could only agree to do it. "Old Salatt, don't worry. I know what to do," the mayor replied. He had no other choice anyway.
When the mayor said that, Lin Li could guess what he was thinking. But, it was not the right time to deal with him. After some hesitation, Lin Li stopped caring about Mayor Alexir. He gestured to Norfeller to help himself back to the Tower of Dusk.
"E-erm, Mage Felic, thanks for your help…" Seeing that Lin Li was finally taking his leave, Alexir wiped away his cold sweat in relief.
"It's nothing, Mayor Alexir…" Lin Li glanced at the fence-sitter. "Oh, yes. Mayor Alexir, where's Granger? It's so noisy tonight…"
Granger was the 27-year-old son of the fence-sitting mayor. It was said that he had been learning martial arts from an esteemed Warrior since a very young age. He became rather popular, and it was only recently that he returned to Black Clouds Town as a level-14 Warrior. With that, Alexir was really proud of his son's achievement, and had been telling the entire town and everybody how successful his son was. Even Lin Li had heard about it at the Tower of Dusk…
"Why are you asking this?" Alexir did not expect Lin Li's question, but he regained his
composure very swiftly. He squeezed out a smile, and said, "Granger is sick. I let a doctor prescribe him some medication; he is resting at home now…"
"Is that so…?" Lin Li smiled, and did not ask further. How would a level-14 Warrior need medication prescribed by a doctor? The body of a level-14 Warrior was much fitter than any common folks' bodies. Minor illness would not pose any threat to him at all.
Lin Li saw through Alexir's lies, but he had no intention of exposing him. After nodding at Alexir, he stood up with his Aether Staff and bade goodbye to some acquaintances among the townspeople. Then, he had some people bring the corpse of the Crimson Python back to the Tower of Dusk.
"Gavin, ask some men to bring the body of the python to the cold storage at the bas.e.m.e.nt. Then, find me at the meeting room…" After Lin Li gave Gavin his instructions, he called Norfeller over.
"Norfeller, return to Black Clouds Town and help me keep an eye on Alexir, and especially his level-14 Warrior son. Record down everything they do and every single word they say, and report back to me tomorrow morning."
"Yes, President Felic."
"Alright, Master. "
After instructing Gavin and Norfeller, Lin Li was prepared to return to his room for a nap. The battle had been really energy-consuming. The weakness in his limbs and throbbing in his head could still be felt. But, he realized that the s.e.xy Paladin was still here. She stood by the gigantic crystal ball, staring at him.
"Paladin Rina, why are you still here?"
"Why do you have a Necromancer with you?" Now that the guild hall was empty except for the two of them, Rina finally got the chance to ask the question that had been bothering her. "Also, why did that Necromancer address you as his master?"
"It is a long story…" Lin Li replied as he sighed in grief.
At this moment, if Gerian, Macklin, or other people who knew Lin Li well were around, they would definitely roll their eyes and leave the scene. A fool would know that once that fella put on that expression, he was definitely prepared to bullsh*t a story out of nowhere. The words he was going to speak should not be believed, and it would be best not to even listen to him.
