"All resistance is futile! Today, the dark elves shall rule the entire Dark Polar Domain!"
Within the grey-black world, countless plants and animals withered away, transforming into ash at an eerie pace.
"Wither Domain!"
Anya cried out in a low voice, and within the domain, the Cave Cold Spider Knights were enveloped in rings of grey light, their combat prowess multiplied tenfold.
As for the enemies caught in the domain's reach, they quickly discovered that their bodies were aging, their life force steadily draining away.
"Pseudo-Domain! Anya, you've always been one step ahead of me!"
The Realm Guardian, who bore the appearance of a middle-aged man, sighed as he released a torrent of golden radiance from his body, blazing like a tremendous sun.
The two domains collided again and again, shattering the void, generating massive spatial distortions that soon exploded outward.
On the ground, the wizards had used trenches to hold off the first wave of attack, but the dark elves pressed on with their assault. In an instant, scenes of battle raged everywhere.
The wizards' energy was entirely consumed here — they didn't even have time to destroy the massive cocoon and rescue the other wizards.
The enormous white silk cocoon stood proudly, unscathed even as the occasional spell grazed it, displaying its formidable defensive power.
Even when damaged by the aftershocks of the third-rank wizards' clash, swarms of small spiders would quickly scurry up and spin silk to patch the gaps.
This powerful self-healing ability only deepened the despair of many wizards both inside and outside the arena.
"Have you found it yet?"
Venasi looked at Ailin beside her.
At this moment, the two of them stood back to back, the components of the Fallen Sword floating in silver-white brilliance, warding off attacks from Revolutionary Army wizards, dark elves, and swarms of tiny spiders converging from every direction.
Under Lombardon's deliberate orchestration, the situation within the arena had been steadily developing in his favor.
Not only were the nine most powerful second-rank wizards confined, but numerous operatives had been inserted into the arena itself. Under the initial surprise attack, many wizards had no time to react before they died ignominiously at the hands of their own comrades.
Moreover, Lombardon had made arrangements throughout the arena grounds as well.
"Not yet!" Ailin's face bore a bitter smile. "That Lombardon — his schemes run far too deep. He used himself to draw our attention while placing the key to victory within the arena itself."
He flicked the sword hilt, and a barrage of sharp white light severed the threads in the air.
"These threads are nearly impossible to detect, yet they blanket the entire field. Once entangled, they gradually drain spiritual power and mana, feeding the entire magical array's operation! To break this array, we have to find its central node!"
"But my prophecy can't see it at all!" Ailin's expression turned grim.
"
"I'm afraid a far more powerful wizard has used the force of prophecy to conceal the key point. Whoever can mask your prophecy must be a powerful second-rank wizard at the very least — I wouldn't be surprised if it's the third-rank Dark Matriarch herself!"
Old Man Merlin's voice carried a weight of gravity.
"Then do we have to search through the energy convergence points one by one?" Ailin's face was dark.
He suddenly swung his sword to the right.
Hummm! The white blade of light cleaved through the void, and a dark elf's face twisted in disbelief as she was sliced in two. The mangled corpse collapsed to the ground, blood and multicolored entrails spilling out.
Chaos! At this moment, the only thing Ailin felt was chaos!
Countless wizards, Revolutionary Army fighters, dark elves, and summoned creatures battled independently across the vast arena. Among them, a few wizards even snuck off to settle personal vendettas in blood duels, making the scene all the more chaotic.
And at the very center of the arena, Weilin was mounted atop the Cave Cold Spider Emperor, locked in a final confrontation with Lombardon.
The two second-rank wizards' clash sent waves of energy radiating outward, and the surrounding wizards all tacitly avoided their circle.
Not far from the battlefield, nine ice sculptures stood silently. They remained completely unscathed even amid the aftershocks of the second-rank wizards' battle, forming a stark contrast to the devastation surrounding them. A ring of desiccated corpses lay on the ground nearby — the remains of Dark Polar Domain wizards who had tried to sneak in and break the seals on the second-rank masters.
"Even with ancient heritage, even with a second-rank Cave Cold Spider Emperor as your contracted magical pet — you still can't surpass me! Because trash is trash!!!"
At that moment, the second-rank wizards' battle was reaching its climax.
Lombardon's face was wreathed in black mist as the spectral image of a spider behind him surged into his body.
"Aghhh!!!" His expression twisted violently in an instant.
"All Things Perish!
A wave of sinister, frigid energy blanketed the entire arena. Silence fell over everything, as though the world had truly entered an age of extinction.
And Lombardon, like an envoy of death, advanced toward Weilin with precise, dance-like steps.
"Seal!" He struck out with his palm, sending Weilin flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. Then Lombardon planted himself atop the Cave Cold Spider Emperor's head.
"Squeak... squeak..."
In the next instant, it saw Lombardon produce a black, narrow-necked iron flask and aim it in its direction. An overwhelming sense of doom flooded the Cave Cold Spider Emperor's entire being.
"You ungrateful beast! The Great Matriarch merely couldn't be bothered with you and let you remain peacefully in the Sacred Land as a relic — and now you dare betray your own kind!"
Lombardon's face was alight with cruel satisfaction, and when he saw Weilin's desperate expression not far away — spitting up yet more blood — his heart swelled with the thrill of vengeance.
Thin, delicate rune chains extended from the mouth of the flask, quickly spreading across the Cave Cold Spider Emperor's entire body.
"Aru!!!" Weilin cried out in anguish from afar. Over the course of their long adventures together, he had come to regard Aru as a trusted companion. Now, watching it gradually being sealed away, his face was filled with panic.
"Pfft!"
But in the next instant, he collapsed, spewing a large mouthful of greyish-green blood.
Lombardon's power of death and decay had already penetrated his body and was continuously devouring his life force.
Even the Augmented Armor found this troublesome — it would take considerable time to expel the contamination.
And Weilin could only watch helplessly as Aru's form continued to shrink, until at last it was drawn into the iron flask.
"You see? This is the fate of everyone who's ever helped you — whether Leilin or this Cave Cold Spider Emperor!"
Lombardon's voice was cold and clear. He sealed the flask and tucked it into his robe.
He walked calmly up to Weilin. "How does it feel? Can't move, can you? My Death's Wither isn't something you can simply shrug off!"
Crack! He delivered a vicious kick, sending Weilin tumbling more than ten meters, his face carving a deep furrow in the ground.
Even with the armor's protection, Weilin's face flushed red, then drained white. The sound of cracking bone echoed from his body.
The Augmented Armor let out a groan of strain.
"Why... why?" Weilin looked up at Lombardon, the words squeezed through clenched teeth.
"Why?" Lombardon strolled forward and planted his foot on Weilin's face, grinding his head deep into the earth.
"You're asking me why?" A savage grin spread across Lombardon's face.
"Why was it you the Baron chose? Why was it you who got to work at the Fire and Hammer? And in the end — why was it you that Leilin selected?!"
Lombardon roared.
"So... so that's what this is about..." Weilin coughed, only to be stomped down again, a mouthful of dirt forced into his mouth.
"That's right — that's exactly what this is about! But now, it doesn't matter anymore!"
Lombardon erupted into wild laughter. "That Leilin wizard who looked down on me is right over there, and you — who've stolen every opportunity from me — are now lying before me like a dead dog! I once swore an oath to make every person who ever slighted or humiliated me pay the price! And now, only the two of you remain. Let me think... should I kill Leilin first, or kill you first... Oh! That's right! You have a wife, don't you? I hear she's a lady of noble birth? Don't worry — I'll be sure to take good 'care' of her..."
"You... you wouldn't dare..."
Weilin's face contorted with fury, veins bulging at his temples — but Lombardon's boot slammed him down once more.
...
"What do we do? The Child of Destiny is already doomed to fail!"
Ailin cleaved through a dark elf's attack with his sword, but a spell had corroded a wound into his arm, the rotting flesh still spreading.
"In my prophecy, I can't see any hope of his turning the tide!"
"There must be one! Looking toward the light from within the darkness — that is every Dark Polar Domain wizard's right and duty! Humanity of the Dark Polar Domain will endure, and the glory of wizardry shall last for all eternity!"
Behind him, Venasi murmured, her face suffused with a dreamlike radiance.
"What's happening? Did you see something in a prophecy?"
Ailin startled, and then he felt the body behind him go limp.
"What's wrong?"
Ailin spun around, and what met his eyes was a sight that nearly split them apart.
Venasi lay crumpled behind him, a silver-gleaming sword tip protruding from her chest, driven straight into her heart.
"You... you... why? Let me heal you right now!" Ailin felt hot tears surging beneath his eyes.
"No! Don't!" Venasi thrust out her blood-soaked hands, firmly blocking Ailin's intent.
"Only my death — merging the Sacred Light with the Candle Flame, and gathering all the components of the Fallen Sword — can give you a chance to fight Lombardon!"
"No, no, no!!! There must be another way — there has to be another way!" Ailin's hand trembled, and then he screamed.