"Darkness Eye, delude!"

No one had expected that Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye could cause such a powerful illusion. Even Seventh-level Spell Casters like Wizard Hobbes were deluded by the illusion.

Their bodies began to tremble violently and their expressions turned ferocious. At once, intense Mind fluctuations began to radiate from the three of them.

"How can a mere illusion delude me?"

Along with Wizard Hobbes' words, a furious Mind fluctuation appeared suddenly. Its transparent force broke through the red light of Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye. The strings of red light disappeared rapidly while Wizard Hobbes and the others had gotten rid of the illusion and resumed consciousness.

After all, they were the Spell Casters of Abyss Fort. Since Abyss Fort specialized in Darkness-type spells, they were extremely familiar with various kinds of illusions hence, they were naturally more resilient toward them.

Thus, even the illusion cast by Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye could not trap them for long.

However, judging from the brief exchange earlier, Wizard Hobbes and the other Seventh-level Spell Casters were at a disadvantaged position. As a result, they also became fearful against Wizard Leo.

The strongest aspect of Darkness Eye was not its illusion; it was its destructive force. If Wizard Leo really wanted to exterminate them, they were not certain if they could block his attack.

Hence, Wizard Hobbes did not hurry to fight as he shouted, "Wizard Leo, if you dare to take one more step forward, I'm afraid you and Merlin won't be able to leave Abyss Fort!"

Although the Great Wizard Damani has long disappeared from Abyss Fort, there are Ninth-level Spell Casters here!

The Ninth-level Spell Casters were the strongest forces in spell casters' organizations such as the Dark Magic Region and Abyss Fort. Even during their battle against Ozmu, the Ninth-level Spell Casters did not take part in the battle.

However, if Wizard Leo truly dared to step into Darkness Void, the Ninth-level Spell Casters in Abyss Fort would have reason to strike. Wizard Hobbes' threatening words was backed by a strong foundation.

For the first time, Wizard Leo hesitated. His hollowed eyes stared into the pitch-black Darkness Void. Following that, his expression turned determined and he said in a calm tone, "Merlin cannot die. After saving Merlin, I promise I'll give you anything you want!"

After saying that, Wizard Leo strode toward Darkness Void with determined steps.

Wizard Hobbes exchanged glances with the others and took a deep breath. Then, Wizard Hobbes howled, "Wizard Leo, if you really want to force your way in, I'm afraid it's not going to be easy!"

Strong Elemental fluctuations appeared on these three Seventh-level Spell Casters; their spells might break out at any moment.

"Darkness Eye, exterminate!"

Before Wizard Hobbes could cast his spell, Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye flashed slightly. Immediately, an extremely red light rapidly flew out of the eye. The silent light imposed a dangerous aura upon Wizard Hobbes and the others.

"It's bad. This is the attack of Darkness Eye. Not even Seventh-level spells can block it. Run!"

Wizard Hobbes ran away in a rather panicky fashion. Seeing that Wizard Leo was still heading toward Darkness Void, the few of them revealed a helpless expression.

"Leo is really crazy. It seems we really need to call for Wizard Haguerman!"

Wizard Hobbes and the others nodded slightly. Wizard Haguerman was the Ninth-level Spell Caster in Abyss Fort. With his help, they could surely deal with Wizard Leo.

It was not that they were inferior to Wizard Leo; they had too many concerns regarding this matter. Darkness Eye was extremely powerful, and they would not want to fight it head-on and sustain serious injuries afterward.

…

Merlin did not know how many illusions he had experienced in Darkness Void. Following the desire buried deep in his heart, his desire and power became increasingly powerful amid the illusions.

One after another, the illusions made Merlin feel as if he had gone through many vicissitudes of life. The things he had experienced in both his previous life and the present were not comparable at all to the things he had experienced in the illusions.

Not everyone could have the chance to experience such matters. If Merlin wanted to become the strongest Wizard, then his wish would come true in the illusion.

If Merlin wanted to become the absolute king, he could become one in the illusion. Without a proper grip of reality, he could get lost in the illusion very easily.

However, Merlin kept his consciousness and reason with him deep in his heart, although he almost lost himself in the few most dangerous moments in the illusions. Luckily, he had instructed the Matrix to wake him no matter how many illusions he had experienced or got lost in so Merlin could wake up from the illusions.

In other words, the Matrix played a more crucial role in this than the Clarity Stone. With the reminder of the Matrix, Merlin was able to wake up from the illusion during the key moments when he was about to lose himself.

From the experiences, Merlin could clearly feel that his conviction had become stronger. The illusions tested the heart but the accumulated conviction was the heart's power.

Hence, Merlin's strength did not improve at all in the illusion. Instead, the conviction in his heart had become extremely powerful.

"Beep!"

Merlin was drowned in yet another illusion. In this illusion, Merlin was an ancient god who possessed incomparable strength.

This was the limit of his desire, but a strange noise suddenly rang in his mind. Following that, the sound of the Matrix appeared in his mind. "The time has finished. Please return right away!"

"Return?"

Merlin was still confused. In the illusion, he was a natural-born god who controlled everything in the world; he looked down on the people since nothing could spark his interest.

However, the Matrix immediately presented a myriad of scenes and information in his mind; all the detailed records since he entered Darkness Void until he decided to fall into the illusion once again.

With this information, Merlin immediately woke up.

"So, this is all an illusion?"

After saying that, a smile appeared on Merlin's face. Then, the god he had turned into disappeared instantly and he was still in a dry and cold cave.

However, Merlin knew that this was also an illusion. The illusion he had experienced had multiple layers. The last of all was the hardest to break through. Even if he knew that it was an illusion, he was unable to break through it.

"Matrix, how long has time passed since I entered Darkness Void?"

Merlin immediately asked the Matrix.

"You've been in Darkness Void for almost seven days. You still have two hours left!"

"Two hours left?"

Merlin frowned slightly. He had experienced countless illusions, so his conviction had been accumulated to the limit. Now, a great change had occurred to his entire aura; he gave off a deep vibe that could not be understood easily by others.

It seemed the aura around Wizard Leo and Wizard Hobbes were less comparable to that on Merlin.

"It's time. Should I try to break through the illusion?"

Merlin took a deep breath. After being in Darkness Void for such a long time while experiencing countless illusions, he felt that the conviction he had accumulated was sufficiently strong. No difficulties could make him back down now. Even if the Matrix had disappeared and his Spell Models had crumbled, he was supported by his strong conviction, so he would be able to rise again.

This was the gain he had obtained after the countless illusions – his heart had become tougher!

Merlin closed his eyes and the illusions he had gone through kept flashing before his eyes. The life-like scenes circulated in his mind.

"Nothing could delude me!"

Merlin said in a low voice. Following that, he opened his eyes; his stare was as deep as the dark night.

"Phew…"

Merlin opened his eyes to find that he was sitting in a corner. There were white bones scattered around the ground. Upon seeing this, he heaved a long sigh.

"I've finally broken out of the illusion. This is the true world!"

Merlin's lips quirked into a smile. This was reality. He was certain that this was the real world. Before his powerful conviction, there was no illusion that could delude his senses.

The most terrifying illusion – the illusion during the seventh day in Darkness Void – was easily broken through by Merlin. When he cultivated the third type of Darkness Heart, he would not experience much difficulty now.

"Darkness Eye, exterminate!"

Suddenly, Merlin heard a low voice and he was slightly stunned. Then, he realized that it was Wizard Leo's voice, coming from the outside of Darkness Void.

"Could it be that Wizard Leo is fighting Wizard Hobbes and the others?"

Merlin was shocked. He looked at the time and found that he had almost used up the seventh day in Darkness Void. Wizard Leo might have become impatient and began to argue with Wizard Hobbes.

They were in Abyss Fort, so Merlin did not wish to see Wizard Leo fighting with the Spell Casters of Abyss Fort. Thus, he stood up immediately, without caring to cultivate Darkness Heart.

He could cultivate Darkness Heart anytime he wanted since his conviction had become extremely strong. The illusions he would have faced when he cultivated Darkness Heart would not affect him by much. Hence, he could do it anytime he wanted. The most important thing to do now was to prevent Wizard Leo from fighting the Spell Casters of Abyss Fort.

Merlin soon found the entrance of Darkness Void and headed straight towards it.

…

Outside of Darkness Void, Wizard Leo's stride did not falter as he headed toward the entrance. Meanwhile, Wizard Hobbes and the others' expression had turned extremely dark. They gritted their teeth and mysterious runes began to appear in their hands.

These runes were specially made to convey messages. Although Abyss Fort did not specialize in Runology, they could still make runes for simple purposes like conveying messages.

Wizard Hobbes rapidly sketched the complicated runes in mid-air to call for the great Ninth-level Spell Caster, Wizard Hanguerman, who resided in the deepest area of Abyss Fort should he extend his Mind Power into the runes!

"Teacher Leo!"

Suddenly, a voice broke into the scene. Wizard Hobbes raised his head, his stare set to the entrance of Darkness Void. Upon seeing the figure that appeared at the entrance, his hands stiffened; he did not complete the last rune, looking astounded.