Chapter 271: Ashen Warlock

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The two of them stood there quietly, and nobody said anything—even if it was Matthias. He was very clear that the hatred between them had reached the point where it could no longer be solved. At this time, any words would only be meaningless, and any insults would be useless. Only a battle to the death and taking down one party would put and end to this hatred.

“Match, start!”

The two unlucky judges hid at the side instinctively once they gave the signal.

They had to hide. The two trial apprentices in this match were each a real piece of work. There was no need to mention Matthias. The magical wave that he was emitting was like a vortex that was swallowing everything. Some of the people that knew something about the murder case back then had already guessed that Matthias had to be a disciple of the Ashen Warlock.

As for that fella called Felic, he was more impudent that Matthias.

A monster that could fire out 60 Pyroblasts. Who would even be so free to stand next to him? If his mood were to be bad, what could they do if he were to use Pyroblast? Could it be that I, as a judge, would still have to be blasted by a trial apprentice until I become an idiot? No way, definitely no way. Gryffindor is already pitiful enough. We two judges would not want to join in as well…

Anyway, this is last the match. Let’s stay further away from these two dangerous fellas. Once they are done, whoever can still stand in the Aurora Square would be the winner.

That was what these two despicable judges were thinking…

Almost at the same these two judges hid at the side, the battle between the two trial apprentices had also started. They only used a split second and it made the audience feel a fiery aura. There was no probing or prelude. There was intense clash of magic the moment both of them arrived.

Thundershock going against Cloud Storm immediately caused thousands of golden sparks to appear in the Aurora Square. The endless magical elements were like an enraged beast letting loose a deafening roar. There were countless lightning bolts descending from the sky amidst the crackling sound of electricity. It created a gigantic net within a fifty-meter radius. At the same time, the electrical energy had seemingly torn apart the sky like a golden wyrm in an instant, causing the entire Aurora Square to be covered in a golden luster.

The animosity between the two had been going on for a long while. It had reached the point where their eyes blazed with hatred when they came face to face. Now that they had a chance to battle openly, naturally neither dared to fall behind. They only used a short moment before initiating this battle together. They went all out, blasting each other with high-level spells, which instantly roused a raging elemental storm in the Aurora Square.

There were hasty recitation of spells and surging magical waves. In the blink of an eye, large amounts of mana effused from both parties, who kept blasting each other with almost ten level-fifteen spells. Even a person like Macklin could only watch on with shock. This method of fighting was like throwing their lives away. In a brief moment, both had used up three Elemental Shields. Almost each of them had barely scraped through the opponent’s attacks. Almost every single shield made it through the Elemental Shield’s cool down time just right before the instant the next attack hit.

In an instant, the thousands of mages sitting at the spectator seats were in daze simultaneously…

Everyone was a senior mage. How could they not tell how heated this battle was? From their perspective, it seemed like these two fellas had taken aphrodisiacs and were going against each other with their lives. They did not have any feelings or leave any chances. They put their lives on the line for every single chance they seized. Nobody cared about defense—it was always going straight at each other. This way of fighting with their lives made everyone feel that they were not spectating a match between trial apprentices. Instead, they were sitting in a bloodstained colosseum and spectating a primitive and brutal slaughter…

Thankfully, these two trial apprentices were lucky. Even though the timings of the three Elemental Shields were cutting it really close, not a single death had been caused yet.

“F*ck, is this guy really Matthias?” At this time, Lin Li started be shocked. The power that Matthias displayed was simply too powerful. It was like another person when compared to the past. Back then, he could use four Arcane Missiles to break all four of this guy’s limbs. Now, he had to time his Elemental Shield usage to scrape through the bombardment of spells from the opponent.

“Relax, I told you I won’t kill you…” Matthias’ lips curled into a smile. It was as if this battle had long been in his grasp.

“Kill your mother’s a*s…” Lin Li was waiting for this chance. He muttered that sentence, and then raised the Aether Staff. After hastily reciting, a large fireball was shot out with a roar. This Pyroblast was long prepared by Lin Li. He was waiting for Matthias’ Elemental Shield to be almost broken and to give him a huge surprise.

This was the perfect chance.

At this point, both of them had just started countering each other. Under the circumstance that the Mana Retroaction had no effect, Lin Li used a Chilling Touch to counter Matthias’ Flaming Storm. This clash could be said to be even. Both sides did not gain any advantages, but it was at this time that Lin Li’s unparalleled mental strength had an unimaginable use.

The mental strength superiority gave Lin Li half a second head start.

The Chilling Touch’s recitation.

Afterwards, he shortened the execution timing of the Pyroblast insanely. The execution of this Pyroblast was almost at its pinnacle. It almost made the onlooking mages think this was another instantaneous Pyroblast.

Matthias’ next spell was only recited halfway through when he suddenly heard a whizz coming from a distance. After that, he felt that a brilliant red flare flashed by his eyes…

This Pyroblast struck a critical hit. It was when Matthias’ defense was at its weakest. The old Elemental Shield was close to breaking, and the new Elemental Shield had not made it through the cool down timing yet. At this time, the only thing Matthias could do was to desperately raise a negligible Ice Armor and watch as that gigantic Fireball blasted his body…

A muffled “BOOM!” could be heard in everyone’s mind.

The unparalleled fire attribute element had almost instantaneously swallowed Matthias. In an instant, torrential flares rose up and covered everything in flames. It was like a plague that gave everyone goosebumps.

After using a Pyroblast, Lin Li did not continue attacking. Instead, he stood at his original position and caught his breath. This Pyroblast was definitely a planned attack. He had already calculated the timing for Matthias’ Elemental Shield from the start, and had been using all sorts of methods to distract his opponent all the while. The advantage of timing started stacking up bit by bit, and when it came to the Instantaneous Pyroblast, it naturally gave people a weird sensation—why was this Pyroblast so fast?

In fact, it was not that the Pyroblast was fast. It was the result of superiority exploding in an instant.

Even Matthias could not defend against the instantaneous explosion of the Pyroblast. After all, the Elemental Shield on his body was already on the brink of collapsing. Now, a Pyroblast had blasted right on his body. It was like breaking the last straw on his body, and it immediately caused the Elemental Shield to completely collapse. Once the surging fire attribute magical element exploded, even a warrior protected by high-level Combat Energy would definitely not be able to defend against it, what more a robe-wearing and magic-staff-wielding Matthias?

“It’s still not clear who is killing whom…” Lin Li scornfully pouted his lips. The release of this Pyroblast had also meant that he had complete control over this battle’s rhythm. Even if Matthias was lucky to not die, he had to have suffered serious injuries. As long as Lin Li continued suppressing him with spells, victory was only a matter of time.

“F*ck…” Macklin, who was at the VIP stand, blurted out vulgarities.

His own trial apprentice had smashed the opponent in an instant, but Macklin could not even be cheerful. His old face had been frowning due to anxiousness, and he started to mumble complaints. “Little bastard, oh, little bastard, why don’t you listen to my advice? I told you to avoid trouble whenever possible. You still have a lot of time and a bright future, why do you have to do things so ruthlessly?”

Indeed, Matthias was really hated…

But being hated was one thing. After all, he was the successor of the Marathon Family. You crippled Gryffindor and killed a member of the Marathon Family. F*ck, do you still want to stay in the Felan Kingdom?

One had a chance to be a Legendary-mage of the arbiters, and to top things off, the other was a thriving man with thousands beneath. Even if it was me, I would still have to think about the consequences. You’re really great, you little bastard. First, you crippled Gryffindor with a Mental Disruption, and now, you almost killed Matthias with a Pyroblast. F*ck, you really think that becoming an Archmage would make you invincible?

“F*ck, this little bastard is really reckless…” Macklin grumbled to himself for a while, and he could only use that sentence to conclude everything.

“No, Matthias is fine…” Aldwin, who was sitting beside, was shaking his head with assurance…

“Ah?” Macklin was stunned immediately. “He’s still fine?”

“Didn’t you notice? Matthias’ magical wave had not shown any changes up till now…”

“Oh, yea…” After all, Macklin was a level-eighteen Archmage. Initially, he was too worried about his disciple getting into trouble, and that was why he did not notice Matthias’ abnormal magical wave. After hearing what Aldwin said, Macklin immediately understood. Indeed, Matthias’ magical wave was still normal. From the beginning, it did not have any changes as though what struck him was not a level-fifteen spell, but just a mere pebble.

“Seems like Matthias has grown quite a lot in these two months…” After Aldwin said that, he immediately shut up and focused his attention on the battle that had yet to conclude.

Macklin scratched his head. “Did this kid take the wrong medicine today?”

It was only natural that Macklin was so doubtful. The raise in Matthias’ strength was really too abnormal. Within less than two months, he turned into a professional from a newbie—from level-eleven or twelve to level-fifteen and above. No words could be used to describe such a tremendous improvement. It was especially so for this match. He had been hit by a Pyroblast, but he came out unscathed. It went against everyone’s magical knowledge…

“F*ck…” At this time, Lin Li was also shocked.

It was because he clearly saw that Matthias slowly walked out of the flames with the magic staff in his hands.

“This, this, this… This can’t be real, right?” Watching as Matthias walked out from the flames, Lin Li immediately felt goosebumps all over. How did this guy become so powerful—even a Pyroblast would not kill him.

Isn’t this match gonna be in deep trouble?

“Mage Felic, you’ve really disappointed me…” Matthias’ face still bore a cruel smile. At this time, Matthias did not look like someone that had just been struck by a Pyroblast. His whole body did not even have a single burn mark. His hair was still neat, and his handsome face was still as fair as ever. Even that robe made with fine craftsmanship did not have a single crease…

No matter who was it that saw Matthias now, they all suspected that everything that they saw was just a hallucination. The Pyroblast did not exist at all, and it did not even pose a single threat to Matthias…

“It’s too unreal, too unreal…” Lin Li refused to drop the matter, his hand holding onto the Aether Staff tightly. He was never someone to give up easily. It does not matter if it’s one Pyroblast, two, three, four, or even ten—at least one of them will kill him. Anyway, I have mana and potions. If I can’t defeat you, Matthias, I will write my name in reverse!

At almost the same time when Matthias was walking out from the flames, Lin Li had started to hastily recite spells. He was still using the Pyroblast, and the recitation was quick and fast. It was as if saliva was about to pour out of Lin Li’s mouth. The revolving flames and the abstruse runes started to weave a myriad of dreamy colors in the Aurora Square.

Yet at this time, Matthias did not move at all.

“Idiot, don’t you get it? The power of the flames will never hurt an envoy of the Abyss!” Matthias’ voice was gruesome and cruel. In that instant, Lin Li even thought that a magical beast was roaring at him. It was especially so for that word “abyss”, for it gave Lin Li a shiver down his spine he’d never felt before.

After that, he realized the Pyroblast that he had released had disappeared…

There was no reason or signs. It was as if a Void Crack had appeared in the Aurora Square. It had swallowed a level-fifteen spell in front of the spectators’ eyes.

“…” Lin Li was really stupefied. He rubbed his eyes furiously to try and see things better. This was a complete a joke. A level-fifteen spell had suddenly disappeared without any reason. Could it be that Matthias had a brand on his body that could instantly generate a mana channel and shift the opponent’s mana into it?

Osric wasn’t this generous, right…?

“What the hell?!” It was as if someone had stepped on Hoffman’s tail in the VIP area. After a scream, he jumped up. He could not believe what he had seen. What sort of drugs did this little rabbit of the Marathon Family take—how did he become so powerful?

Forget about that initial Pyroblast; after all, there had been a thin layer of Elemental Shield protecting him. But this time, Hoffman clearly saw that Matthias’ body did not have Elemental Shield or any protection from any spells. He was completely naked standing there, no different from a prostitute that was naked and spreading her legs wide open…

F*ck, how could this be…

Without protection from any spells, even the Sword Sage that was protected by a high-level Combat Energy would be seriously injured when blasted directly by a level-fifteen spell. Could it be that Matthias has trained to be stronger than the Sword Sage? Then why did he even join this finals, just let the judges announce his victory…

“Hoffman, please be quieter.” Herza frowned. This damned fatty that was making a big fuss was giving him a headache. He was constantly making movements, not allowing the others to watch the match peacefully.

“How can I calm down?” Hoffman rubbed his brow. He was so anxious that cold sweat had appeared. “It’s not like you did not see it. This little rabbit from the Marathon Family is like a monster. A f*cking Pyroblast could not even kill him. What else is there that he can’t do?”

“What’s so weird about that.” Herza shook his head with a smile. “Did you forget about that murder case in the Breezy Plains fifty years ago?”

“Fifty years ago in the Breezy Plains?” Hoffman was in a daze; almost immediately afterward, his expression was panic-stricken. “You’re talking about Ashen Warlord Roland?”

“That’s right.”

“F*ck!” Hoffman looked at Matthias, who was in the Aurora Square, for a while with a face full of anxiety and doubt before he suddenly spewed vulgarities. “F*ck, I really did not think that this little bastard was actually Roland’s disciple. No wonder I kept thinking that he looked repulsive. So that’s how it is. F*cking Roland is really an idiot—of all the people to take in as a disciple, he chose this little bastard…

Hoffman was cursing passionately, but his heart could not help but be anxious. The fame of Ashen Warlord Roland was known by even a three year old in the Breezy Plains. There was no choice—this guy was really too famous. He was one of the biggest slaughterers in the Felan Kingdom after Osric from the Dark Ages. This legendary murderer that was always wearing a black robe and covering his face with a hood commanded mysterious powers from the Abyss. He had once used his mysterious powers to summon a powerful demon fifty years ago, and killed thousands of soldiers from the Felan Kingdom in a single night…