Chapter 968 The Fire Lich <TOC> Chapter 970 Disrupted Connection
Translator: SumTLMan
Other apprentices were hindered by the intermittent beasts that fell from above. Angel, however, found his speed enhanced as a result, although he dared not move too quickly under the persisting shroud of fog above.
Having flown for nearly half a minute, Angel detected a faint whiff of blood drifting down from above.
“Quick, hide towards the back! A clone of the Scythe Wielding Blood Demon is falling!” Madeline’s voice reached Angel, panting heavily.
On instinct, Angel took a step back as per Madeline’s guidance.
But no sooner had he retreated than Toby sent out a warning call. Turning in confusion, Angel found a grotesque face, wielding two colossal cleavers, leering ominously at him from a frighteningly close range.
The abrupt appearance of this entity startled Angel—their proximity was less than a meter.
“Hehehe, I just need a little more meat for my meat pie, so aromatic, I’m going to mince you,” a bizarre, fluctuating voice emanated from the gaping, bloodied maw of the creature.
Upon hearing this voice, Angel initially thought it was Madeline, but it swiftly shifted, reminding him of Sanders, Nausica, and even Gloria—the voice was ever-changing, impossible to identify!
Clearly, what he had earlier perceived as Madeline speaking to him was not so. It was this odd creature, luring him with its voice.
The entity was an obese figure, each hand brandishing a serrated cleaver. A giant iron pot was tied to its back, and its body was bound with black chains. Its ears, akin to pig’s ears, flapped like large fans, serving as wings to keep it aloft.
As it spoke, its cleavers were rapidly descending towards Angel.
Given their proximity, it was too late for Angel to retreat. Calculating the trajectory of the cleavers in his mind, he successfully dodged a flurry of blows and, seizing the opportunity when he passed by, he landed a vigorous kick to the creature’s neck.
Staggered by the kick, he somersaulted backward, creating several meters of distance.
With the advantage of distance, he no longer had to worry.
Because Madeline had mentioned that the recovery speed of magical energy would significantly decrease within the Abyss, he now had to be prudent and conserve it.
Where other apprentices might rush headlong into a confrontation with a magical creature, resulting in a rapid expenditure of energy, Angel knew the dangers of such recklessness. In the precipitous peril of the Abyss, such a strategy might very well lead to the exhaustion of one’s energy reserves, leaving one powerless to defend oneself against impending doom.
Therefore, from the get-go, he must consciously strive to conserve his strength.
A flurry of thought raced through Angel’s mind, seeking a solution to the opponent before him, all while expending the barest minimum of energy.
His cognitive wheels spun rapidly, and in no time, a myriad of counter strategies had formed. Yet, faster than his quicksilver thoughts was Toby’s nimbleness in action.
Earlier, when Angel was within the portly creature’s striking range, Toby had found himself somewhat constrained. But now that Angel had put some distance between himself and the foe, Toby would hardly let the opportunity slip.
While Angel was still weighing the pros and cons, Toby, with lightning speed, had severed the creature’s two ears with his sharp claws.
The beast, which relied on its ears for flight, was thrown into a panic at their loss. A pitiful shriek escaped its lips as it tumbled uncontrollably towards the Abyss below —
A proud grin on his face, Toby trotted over to Angel, seeking praise.
Angel replied, somewhat bemused, “Well…you are a part of my combat capabilities, after all.”
A wry smile graced Angel’s face. His mind had been in the throes of devising a battle strategy, never expecting the fight to end so effortlessly.
The first adversary he encountered in the Abyss had fallen into oblivion, most likely never to rise again.
“Let’s press on,” decided Angel. He had no intention of confirming the creature’s fate — even if it had survived, it was likely to be slaughtered by the other apprentices.
So, he continued his ascent. It wasn’t long before he felt the touch of light from above.
Wondering what it could be, he found himself emerging from the mist-covered region. Above him, the top of the massive boulder was now visible.
When he lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowed in awe.
Reflected in his eyes was…an architectural marvel that defied description!
Perched at the pinnacle of the colossal crag, a monumental structure, awe-inspiring to its very core, stood defiant against the gloomy heavens. Furthermore, this formidable edifice was not merely limited to a single crag. A dozen or so of the neighboring crags were incorporated into the structure, each interconnected by the cyclical sky bridges!
Labeling it as a city would be an understatement and a half-truth.
Through the eyes of Angel, it was essentially an architectural marvel. Yes, this monument housed countless rooms, numerous towers, and several sky bridges leading to various crags.
However, the collective style bore a singular identity, akin to an enormous castle that mimicked the architectural flair of a cathedral, proudly perched amidst the cloud-covered peaks.
“Indeed, a marvel of wizard architectural genius!” Angel had feasted his eyes upon numerous architectural wonders, including Sky Mechanical City, yet none were capable of eliciting such a profound sense of awe.
Amidst the desolate and withering Abyss fraught with endless perils, the wizards clandestinely erected such a formidable fortress city, providing sanctuary for those who ventured into the Abyss, a sanctuary that had persisted for several millennia.
Angel was inexplicably moved.
This was the Emberstone Titan! This was the Great City belonging to wizards!
The entire edifice radiated a gentle golden glow, illuminating the murky sea of clouds. It was reminiscent of a sanctuary providing hope, so much so that faint echoes of a choir of nuns seemed to resonate in the onlooker’s ears.
In a world desolate and devoid of hope, the Emberstone Titan was supposed to serve as a beacon of hope and light.
However, the present Emberstone Titan was unfortunately smeared by the unforgiving stains of darkness and war.
The vicinity of the entire Emberstone Titan was teeming with abyssal creatures, flying and engaging in combat with the guardians within the Emberstone Titan.
Occasionally, some creatures would strike at the Emberstone Titan, causing significant portions of the structure to crumble under their assault. Countless bricks, buildings, and statues were displaced from their lofty heights, plummeting into the abyss below.
The spectacle was a poignant reminder of despair and sorrow.
Not just Angel, a growing number of apprentices emerged from the fog below. Upon witnessing the Emberstone Titan immersed in a sea of blood, everyone was silenced.
“The Emberstone Titan has stood steadfast for thousands of years, yet light has yet to pierce the depths of the Abyss; the impending darkness is inevitable.”
Sighs of lamentation serve no purpose in the end. Even if the Emberstone Titan were to be preserved this time, it has inevitably reached the end of its journey.
Angel gradually ascended into the heavens, eventually descending to Madeline’s side.
Directly ahead of them, stood the Frost Moon guard, led by Maher. Facing them, however, was a legion of abyssal beasts. At the heart of this monstrous mass, Angel spotted a humanoid beast, several magnitudes larger than its ilk.
All the abyssal beasts were stationed guard around this humanoid monstrosity.
“That, there, is the Scythe Wielding Blood Demon. It appears rather impressive, doesn’t it?” Madeline followed Angel’s gaze to the humanoid beast, adding, “However, it’s merely a half-blood demon, an impure hybrid borne of a demon and an original abyssal inhabitant. I do not say this to belittle it – even demons refer to these half-bloods as ‘bastards.'”
A half-blood demon, not even equivalent to a lesser demon, generally has quite feeble strength. But, even at their worst, half-blood demons possess the power of a wizard.
It highlights just how formidable the abyssal demons truly are!
The standoff between humans and abyssal beasts didn’t last long. Initially, the abyssal beasts had the upper hand, overpowering the Emberstone Titan. However, the timely arrival of the Frost Moon guard shifted the balance of power.
Neither side had any intention of negotiations, and so, war broke out.
The battle concluded swiftly. Sineva, within a single breath, wielded a terrifyingly irrational power to snipe the Scythe Wielding Blood Demon from an extraordinary distance. The Blood Demon didn’t even have a moment to react before it exploded into a scatter of flesh.
A dragon without its head, the mopping up of the remaining beasts was just a matter of time.
Not one of the remaining beasts surpassed a wizard’s level of power. Thus, the Frost Moon guard deliberately left the weaker ones to the apprentices, providing them with a valuable learning experience.
Having previously lamented the lack of battle experience against abyssal beasts, Angel now found himself with an abundance of opportunities.
In this massacre that lasted almost six hours, Angel accumulated a plethora of combat experience. It’s important to note that this experience doesn’t pertain to combat style or consciousness, as he had already garnered plenty of that in the Wizarding World. Rather, it pertained to an accurate control of his own strength; exerting the minimal amount of power to maximize lethality.
This embodies the meticulous orchestration of combat rhythm.
As the battle concluded, Madeline gave Angel a quizzical look and raised an eyebrow, “I was under the impression that academic cultivators usually kick off with a prepared set of spells. It seems I’ve misjudged you. Well, it does make sense, given that you’re Phantom Master’s apprentice. Your rapid adaptability doesn’t surprise me.”
At this juncture, Angel still had at least 60% of his magic source intact.
Throughout the skirmish, he had only resorted to illusion spells when he was besieged by a horde of magical creatures. The rest of the time, he barely used any tricks, resorting at most to a smattering of 0-level tricks for disruption.
Beyond that, his primary choice of offense were alchemical weapons.
Though he lacked the rigid power enhancements that came with other bloodlines, he was an alchemist and would, of course, bring his own weapons. These weapons were generally powered by magic crystals, which he had in abundance.
As such, even though he barely used any tricks, his killing efficiency outpaced his peers by a wide margin.
At the very least, Madeline noticed that the total number of magical creatures slain by Angel ranked among the highest of all the apprentices.
“If you could incorporate a suitable bloodline, your killing efficiency might increase even further,” Madeline mused with a smile, “This is the Abyss, teeming with countless magical creatures. If you need assistance, I could help refine your bloodline. As for the cost, how about a music box?”
Angel responded with a warm smile and nodded in gratitude to Madeline. However, he refrained from mentioning that he had already incorporated a bloodline.
Madeline turned her gaze back towards the Emberstone Titan shimmering with golden light. What once signified hope and illumination now bore a hint of melancholy decline.
“We should head back. There has been a disruption here, and Frost Moon will need some time to address the issue of translocation,” Madeline sighed regretfully, “It’s a shame, the Emberstone Titan’s former glory may never be restored.”
Despite their victory in battle, the overall mood was far from jubilant. Instead, it was tinged with regret and sorrow as they flew towards the battle-scarred Emberstone Titan.
Chapter 968 The Fire Lich <TOC> Chapter 970 Disrupted Connection