Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 154
"Three days ago, Shadow's Nest attacked the Emerald Tower…"
"What?" Lin Li stood and stared straight at Kevin. "Is this news reliable?"
Kevin nodded his head heavily. "Yes."
"This… How is this possible?" Lin Li stood there in a daze. He could not digest this information for a while. Shadow's Nest attacking the Emerald Tower at this time could not be any worse than other news. Gerian's mana had disappeared, and Lin Li was far away at Alanna. In the whole Emerald Tower, the strongest combat power was only a level-fourteen Magic Shooter. In the face of the newly equipped Shadow's Nest, being defeated was just a matter of time…
"What's the situation like now?"
"It's terrible…" Kevin covered his face with both of his hands and slumped to the ground. His voice sounded like he was sleep-talking. "More than twenty Magic Shooters and more than fifty Mages were killed. Almost everything has been plundered by them. At the end, they even… even… set the Emerald Tower on fire…"
"F*ck…" Lin Li almost blacked out on the spot. More than twenty Magic Shooters and more than fifty Mages. This was almost the entire magic strength of the Emerald Tower. The Emerald Tower would require at least ten years before it could recover from this loss. Lin Li clenched his fist tightly, and his eyes were almost spewing out fire. "What about Gerian?"
"The good news out of this misfortune was that Uncle Gerian had been secretly sent away before the Emerald Tower was attacked…"
"That's good…" After listening to the only piece of good news, Lin Li finally let out a sigh of relief. As long as Gerian was still alive, there would be hope for the Emerald Tower. "What were the reactions from the other forces?"
"The Merlin Family swung towards the Shadow's Nest. Other than Ysera, Reuben, and Old Odin, the other forces are still observing. Honestly, this time we really have to thank the three of them. If it was not because of their assistance, Uncle Gerian might not have escaped from the Emerald Tower…"
"Ok." Lin Li nodded and his complexion started to become gentler. As long as Gerian was safe and the other families did not interfere, the Emerald Tower still had a chance to recover. It was just that Lin Li had to return as soon as possible. If he were to be late, he might even lose the three most unwavering allies. After all, there was no such thing as everlasting alliances in this world. There were only everlasting benefits. The reason why these three forces protected Gerian was only because they knew all along that the Shadow's Nest would not be able to give them any substantial benefits. If anything were to change and cause them to lose faith in the Emerald Tower, Lin Li believed that they would absolutely sell out Gerian without any hesitation.
"F*ck, what is Shadow's Nest thinking? They actually attacked the Emerald Tower at this time… are they trying to interfere with the forces of Jarrosus? Shadow's Nest isn't that stupid, right, this would definitely anger everyone…"
"No, their aim seems to be searching for something. On the second day after they attacked Emerald Tower, they retreated back to the Demon Fall Valley."
"I get it now…" Lin Li nodded. He did not continue speaking. This time, he really understood. As expected, it was similar to what he had guessed. Shadow's Nest capturing the Demon Fall Valley had to be due to the hidden support they received from the Marathon Family. Lin Li could even imagine that both parties had reached some sort of agreement. After being successful, the Marathon Family would obtain something from the Demon Fall Valley, whereas Shadow's Nest would obtain the resources from the Demon Fall Valley.
It was just that when the Marathon Family was looking for that thing, they did not have many clues. Hence, they thought of attacking the Emerald Tower and looking for leads from the doc.u.ments of the guild…
"F*ck, you've guts, Marathon Family!" Lin Li was gritting his teeth while speaking.
"Felic, do we have to return immediately? I am afraid that Uncle Gerian…"
"No, I still have a score to settle." Lin Li shook his head, and his pair of reddened eyes stared straight at Matthias. His voice was soft and low; it was as if he was trying to explain to Kevin, but also felt like he was talking to himself. "It's time to settle the score…"
"What score?" Kevin was baffled…
"Nothing much…" Lin Li forced out a smile. "Kevin, go prepare the carriage now, and then go to the Silver Hand's base to look for a woman called Serena. Tell her that I want to hire some people from the Silver Hand. It's best if they are strong fighters. Oh, yes, bring Ina along as well. I've promised her that I will bring her back to Jarrosus."
"Okay."
"Oh, yes…" After Lin Li reached this point, he suddenly remembered something. "When you leave, don't forget to go to my house and bring Sean. We have to return to Jarrosus by tomorrow evening!"
"No problem!" Kevin nodded his head. He did not question further, and turned around to squeeze through the crowd.
…
After seeing Kevin off, the one hour's rest time was almost up. Lin Li moved his limbs around and slowly entered the Aurora Square without even waiting for the judge to call his name.
"The contestants for the next match are Matthias from the Sunrise City Guild of Magic and, from the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, Felic!"
"Felic!"
When the judge's voice had just landed, there was tsunami-like applause in the Aurora Square. Thousands of people were cheering, causing the whole square to tremble. Almost every mage stood up and showed their respects to this monstrous young mage through their own unique ways. Earlier, those 60 Pyroblasts had completely won over this nitpicking crowd. No matter their status or position, they had all completely become fans of this young mage from Jarrosus at this point. The standpoint of these thousands of mages had never been so unanimous before. Everyone believed that only this monstrous mage from Jarrosus was worth of winning this finals.
"Honestly, there's no need to continue with this match…" Hoffman was no exception. He pouted his lips without any manners at all. He impolitely glanced at Matthias, who was slowly walking up to the square. "Based on the strength that Felic displayed just now, there is not a single mage in the whole Felan Kingdom that is under thirty years old that can challenge him. That Matthias should just forget about it. It's better for him to surrender earlier to save himself from the embarrassment later…"
"No, no, no…" Herza, who was sitting beside him, shook his head. His pale face carried a thoughtful expression. "If I am not mistaken, this match will be more exciting than the previous one…"
"Pff…" Hoffman could not believe it at all.
Yet, Herza was full of confidence. "My judgment will not be wrong for this match."
"Pff. Didn't you say that as well for the first match? Something like, the Battle Mage is unrivaled. Unrivaled my a*s, wasn't he sent packing by Felic in a short while? Furthermore, when Gryffindor went up the square, didn't you also say that Gryffindor was terrifyingly strong and that Felic was going to be in trouble, and then what happened? 60 Pyroblasts, he got blasted till his mother could not even recognize him anymore…"
"Haha…" Herza laughed, and did not bother explaining himself, but his eyes were fixed on Matthias. He believed that he would definitely not be mistaken this time round, because the magical wave emitting from Matthias' body was all too familiar.
That magical wave was similar to a vortex and constantly swallowing everything, and was very similar to that of Ashen Warlock Roland. After thinking about the relationship between the Marathon Family and the Ashen Warlock, no matter how stupid Herza was, he should have guessed it. Why was Matthias able to have such a tremendous power within a short period of one month and why was he able to have such a unique magical wave…?
Without a doubt, Matthias must have been taught by the Ashen Warlock by some chance.
It was still difficult to tell who'd be the victor of this match…
After two months, the two of them were standing face to face again. It was just that the current Matthias was not longer the newbie that could be trampled over at will. Even Lin Li had no choice but to be serious about this match. Ever since Matthias walked into the Aurora Square, Lin Li could already feel that the magical wave emitted by the opponent was incomparably weird. It was like a vortex, constantly swallowing its surroundings. Even the afternoon sun's rays were slightly distorted when they shone on Matthias' body…
"Relax, I won't kill you…" When brushing past Lin Li's shoulder, Matthias' eyes suddenly displayed a deeply etched hatred. He whispered, "I will only break your limbs, destroy your mental strength, and make you useless forever to suffer in the deepest depths of hell…"
"Oh, is that so…" Lin Li rubbed his nose, and stared at Matthias for a while with a smile before saying, "Then it's such a shame, I think I will most likely kill you…"
"Wait and see!" Matthias glared at the opponent and shut his mouth. He knew that if he were to argue, even ten of him would not be able to overthrow this mage from Jarrosus. But how was that important? The battle between of mages had always been about strength. So what if he could shoot out 60 Pyroblasts? How could that trash, Gryffindor, compare to me in strength?
Before the match began, the atmosphere in the Aurora Square started to get intense. Probably only Lin Li knew that the words he'd spoken just now were not to scare Matthias. He had already decided that he would kill Matthias in this match. The reason was simple. The actions of the Marathon Family had already far surpassed Lin Li's bottom line. Forget about them attacking the Demon Fall Valley, they killed so many people and even burned down the Emerald Tower.
For Lin Li, the Emerald Tower was like his second home. He could tolerate anything, but he absolutely could not tolerate that they burned down his second home.
"It's time to settle the score…"
Chapter 271 - Ashen Warlock
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 l.u.s.ter.
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 scr.a.p.ed 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 scr.a.p.e 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 circ.u.mstance 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?"
