Chapter 1162 Creating a Path of Spirit Illusions <TOC> Chapter 1164 All-out Attack
Translator: SumTLMan
Two titans, one aloft in the clouds, the other standing at the peak of a tower, their gazes coincidentally interlocking.
The emotions concealed within their eyes were inscrutable to outsiders.
However, this fleeting eye contact signified more than a mere bridging of distance — it embodied Mengke’s ambitions and Olucia’s obsessions!
When their gazes intertwined, without the need for spoken words, both knew the moment for combat had dawned.
With a wave of Mengke’s scepter, the wizards on the floating iceberg abruptly ascended, variously shaped and colored elemental creatures spawned from behind each wizard. Carrying a terrifying momentum of diverse energies, they directly charged towards the Void Obelisk!
This force was like a rainbow arch, or more accurately, a piercing arrow, thrust directly into the ‘raincloud’s’ core!
In contrast to the united front on the human side, the demons dodged haphazardly. With La Sutherland on the brink of collapse, the demons were mostly concerned about their own survival; none chose to fight desperately at such a time.
The retreat of the demons greatly bolstered the wizards’ morale. Previously, they felt that the continuous incidents in La Sutherland would increase unpredictability. However, it seemed that the uncertainties introduced not only trouble for humans but also complications for the demons!
In this relentless onslaught, the wizards rapidly advanced towards the top of the tower where Olucia was, nearly sweeping everything in their path.
The Servant of Fire, Tantin, looking at the surrounding demons who were evading frantically, a hidden rage flashed in his eyes: “These wastes!”
The Young Fire Demon Greaves, however, quietly rolled to Olucia’s feet, hiding between her legs and peeking out: “Master Olucia, what should we do now?”
Olucia glanced back at the painting behind her, her eyes calm: “Apart from the man wearing the mask, the others are not to be feared.”
Olucia put her mask back on and stepped forward.
Passing by Tantin, she whispered: “Protect the painting.”
Tantin nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said: “Master, dealing with these humans is simple, but…”
What Tantin left unsaid, Olucia understood. Once Lord Night returns from the painting, he will undoubtedly bring the Source Fire. At that time, all beings in La Sutherland possessing fire affinity will go mad, and the initial struggle to acquire the Source Fire is only the start. The real trouble lies in what to do after obtaining it?
Olucia paused in stride, lifted her head to gaze at the sky, as though seeing through the flickering flames into the void beyond the fiery birdcage.
And even farther places.
After a while, Olucia finally retracted her gaze and softly said: “Without the flames, are we left with only embers? Watch and see, a path will always appear.”
With that, Olucia jumped into the air, her eyes of ghostly fire flickering, ready to face this world-shaking battle!
…
“Olucia actually took action herself!” Sineva’s eyes flashed with delight as she turned to look at Mengke: “Lord Mengke, the demons are now all bent on self-preservation, and Olucia does not have strong guards, this is our best opportunity!”
Other wizards echoed in agreement; the commencement of the ultimate battle found Olucia making her move, an occurrence undoubtedly fortuitous for them.
However, contrasted with the crowd’s jubilation, a frown creased Mengke’s face.
In Sineva’s bemused gaze, Mengke turned to the silent Lucci, “You’ve seen the situation at the top of the tower, noticed anything wrong?”
“The painting,” Lucci cut straight to the chase, “that painting, there’s something wrong with it.”
Sineva also cast her eyes toward the top of the tower. She had previously focused her attention solely on Olucia, overlooking that painting. Now, taking a closer look, she indeed identified something abnormal.
That painting earned its title ‘painting’ merely due to its framed nature. Without the frame, it could easily be mistaken for a piece of black paper.
Void of anything, just a black expanse — could this be called a painting?
Why would Olucia carry such an eccentric painting?
Moreover, after Olucia went down to battle, the Servant of Fire retreated next to the painting, appearing dutifully protective. Being Olucia’s currently most powerful underling, it was strange that the Servant of Fire was not only not participating in the fight but was also assigned to guard this painting.
Could it be that some secret is concealed within that painting?
Sineva glanced at Lucci, hoping to glean some clues. But Lucci, too, was furrowing his brows. His hands, transformed into illusions, incessantly played with the twelve clocks on his body. What he observed beyond these clock wheels only deepened his confusion.
“What did you see?” Sineva asked.
Lucci shook his head, “I can’t make it out, it’s a complete chaos. However, that painting doesn’t seem like an inanimate object… it feels like a living entity that breathes, and moreover, it’s metamorphosing.”
Lucci’s words remained vague as ever. Still, all the wizards understood by now that the painting was anything but ordinary.
“Could this be another Mysterious Object?” a wizard asked.
“Hard to say,” even Mengke couldn’t confirm, “but we should consider the worst-case scenario and handle that painting with the utmost caution.”
At this time, behind the crowd, was Rivetta, who was rapidly scribbling notes. As she looked at the painting, it seemed to jog her memory. She feverishly flipped through her tome; she recalled documenting something previously… soon, Rivetta found the previous entry: “The trace of the Magic Painter startlingly found in the Abyss, shockingly related to a Demon Lord!”
As one of the co-founders of the magazine —City Firefly’s Night Whisper—, Rivetta instinctively started drafting headlines when taking notes.
Seeing this title, Rivetta’s brows knitted together.
Olucia had come out of the Hunting Museum, and Angel once mentioned that Lord Night of the Hunting Museum and the Magic Painter seemed to have some connection. Could this painting be… a work of the Magic Painter?
This speculation might seem too abrupt, but as a wizard who had been compiling —City Firefly’s Night Whisper— articles for years, Rivetta had seen numerous non-sequiturs. In the enigmatic and fantastical Wizarding World, the more inadvertent, the more likely it is the final answer.
After pondering, Rivetta decided to share her suspicion.
Upon hearing this, the crowd initially frowned in disagreement, but after some careful thought, it seemed there might indeed be a sliver of possibility.
“Ah, if only Angel were here, he’d be able to shed light on the situation,” a voice seasoned with age echoed from behind the group. They turned to find Canter making his way back onto the floating iceberg.
“Angel was privy to the relationship between Lord Night and Mirafael Von Feng, likely privy to certain insights — perhaps Lord Night himself might have revealed something… If the painting truly is the work of Feng, then Angel would have been our quickest lead. Regrettably, Angel has met an unfortunate end…” Canter shook his head, glancing at Nereus after his words.
Nereus’ countenance darkened at the words, for the looks from the others were now filled with suspicion, even Mengke shot Nereus a cold look.
They had previously dismissed Angel as a spent asset, not considering Nereus’ actions significant. However, upon Canter’s reminder, they realized that Angel might still possess many unexplored pieces of critical information. After all, details often dictate victory or defeat.
“Though it is merely Rivetta’s speculation, if the painting is indeed the work of the Magic Painter, why would Olucia hold it in such esteem?” someone voiced their doubt.
“The Magic Painter’s mastery lies in the ability to intertwine the planes of the second- and third-dimension. Perhaps the painting conceals an entire world within.”
The debate raged on, but Mengke paid it no mind. His gaze was locked onto Olucia.
Regardless of the painting’s hidden implications, they would unravel themselves in due time.
As Mengke’s gaze fell onto the battlefield, his expression grew solemn——
In the midst of the wizard encirclement, Olucia moved with a leisurely gait, seemingly slow but leaving behind afterimages with each step. Moreover, around Olucia, a ghostly blue flame flickered. Merely approaching it proved deadly; wizards who failed to activate their bloodline powers in time were consumed by the flame. It began with a chilling rigidity that, with the flame’s flicker, reduced them to icy blue fragments.
For a moment, fragments resembling ice crystals floated in the sky, imbuing the scene with a brutal dream-like quality.
“Lord Mengke, over ten wizards have been slain by Olucia. Those engulfed by her icy-blue spectral flame cannot even be recalled by soul wizards. Under such circumstances, our momentum will be hindered,” spoke Maher. However, as soon as he finished speaking, a commotion arose near the Void Obelisk.
“It’s not a probability; it has already happened,” Rivetta, by Maher’s side, asserted as she gazed into the horizon.
The initial unstoppable momentum that even sent demons retreating was now marred by the one-sided massacre by Olucia, forcing human wizards to dodge. During this process, some wizards fell among the demons, who showed no mercy to those fallen into their hands.
Naturally, the wizards’ momentum began to wane, and some started to retreat.
Mengke knew of Olucia’s strength; his plan was to wear Olucia down by using the wizards. Yet, it seemed the effects were meager. After a moment of contemplation, Mengke turned to the blood-spitting Winchester: “You lead the retreating wizards to study Olucia’s ghost flame, try to find a way to counteract or slow its consuming effect.”
Then, Mengke turned to Maher, directing him to manage the energy on the floating iceberg.
Once all had been accomplished, Mengke’s gaze was cast upon the true knowledge wizards assembled in the area.
After a short time, all the true knowledge wizards, with the exception of Nereus, moved forward to engage Olucia.
Mengke too soared to the forefront of the battlefield, primed to provide support when required.
Olucia could easily crush any ordinary wizard, yet for those true knowledge wizards who had already found their own path, simple eradication wasn’t as feasible. More so, should danger arise, Mengke would not hesitate to act.
Under these circumstances, Olucia’s battle tactics became constrained and she began to lose her footing.
Olucia could also see that Mengke’s calculations was not to engage in a decisive battle at this time, but to exploit this situation to whittle away her strength, with a larger endgame in mind.
Frowning, Olucia was wary of retreating at this point, fearing unforeseen consequences.
However, if this attrition warfare were to continue, there was a chance she might indeed play into Mengke’s hands.
As Olucia pondered whether to employ her secret weapon, a foreboding cloud began to form in the sky.
Simultaneously, an eerie voice permeated the ears of the assembly: “Drip, drop——”
Chapter 1162 Creating a Path of Spirit Illusions <TOC> Chapter 1164 All-out Attack