"Ignore these people—breaching the opposing manor is our top priority!"
The leading Morning Star
"Your side seems to have ulterior motives for this joint operation. Mind telling me what they are? As allies, we'd very much like to offer you our assistance!"
Sac had appeared beside the wizard at some point, speaking with a smile.
However, paired with his massive frame and savage features, that smile looked utterly terrifying.
"Nothing of the sort. A few of our archenemies have also embedded themselves among these Fire Feather people, and we must deal with them all this time!" The Morning Star Wizard replied with evident courtesy.
"Oh? Wizards from another plane, like yourselves?" Sac pressed with keen interest.
The fact that he had been able to breach the enemy capital and inflict such heavy casualties was largely thanks to their help. Because of this, his interest in their uncanny magical arts and the rumored other world had only deepened.
"Yes! But unlike us, they are a group of evil bloodline bearers! They harbor an extremely intense interest in the bloodline of any living creature, often resorting to slaughter for it. They are the root of all evil!"
The Morning Star Wizard delivered his denunciation with righteous conviction, as though he hadn't just been massacring people here moments ago.
"I didn't think it had come to this! Quickly—fall back to defend the Chancellor's residence!"
Shike's hand brushed unconsciously over a pendant hanging below his neck, and he bellowed his orders.
Burns's energy was brimming as he carried Shike into flight. The flames on his body left a long fiery trail through the air.
The speed of a Star-level powerhouse was incomparable to the carriages they'd been using for show earlier. In less than a minute, Burns had carried Shike back to the residence.
Shike's expression was somewhat dazed. That morning, he had been happily dressed in his formal attire, going out with his father to celebrate. He never imagined he'd be fleeing back in such a wretched state.
Such a drastic change—even with his years of military experience, he couldn't fully process it right away.
"Sir!" Several military officers who had been left behind immediately stepped forward to salute.
Though they had heard the explosions from the square and seen the flames, their sense of duty as soldiers had kept them stationed here.
"Good. Notify everyone! War is upon us—activate all defensive facilities in the residence!"
Burns issued the command, and it was relayed swiftly. A golden energy barrier, like an enormous inverted bowl, enveloped the entire Chancellor's residence.
"Father..." Shike touched the necklace at his throat, and a look of determination appeared in his eyes.
"You still managed to get ahead of us?" Seven terrifying figures flew directly toward them. Even before they arrived, their overwhelming presence alone made everyone inside the residence feel suffocated.
"Fly Palm of Dessas!" Accompanied by an incantation, a colossal palm materialized, its surface laced with numerous symbols resembling Rune Chains. It slammed into the golden barrier.
Crack! Crack!
The golden barrier shuddered but held firm—though hairline fractures had begun to appear across its surface.
The instant the Fly Palm struck, a massive earthquake rocked the residence as well, causing cracks to spread through numerous buildings. The sound of glass shattering against the floor rang out continuously.
"Uncle Burns, can you handle them?" Shike's face drained of color.
"They have a full seven Star-level powerhouses. They also command the power of ice and water. Even in a one-on-one fight, I'd have little confidence. The other military commanders are either dead or pinned down outside..."
Burns smiled bitterly and patted Shike on the head, a tender look in his eyes. "But don't worry. I'll protect you!"
"Uncle Burns!" Shike's voice trembled, and his eyes reddened.
"This Chancellor's residence has rather underwhelming defenses. A single Morning Star Wizard should be able to handle it..."
Meanwhile, on the outer side of the massive golden barrier, Leilin and two other Morning Star sorcerers had long since positioned themselves here. Watching the scene unfold,
"Indeed. Under normal circumstances, this array can barely block a single Morning Star attack, but it has a secondary charging mode that can multiply its power several times over. And the key is in Shike's hands... Of course, I've also made a copy."
Leilin smiled and produced a golden gemstone from his sleeve. Within it, one could discern the phantom silhouette of a fire phoenix.
Shike had trusted him considerably before, and the young man's own strength was negligible. Gathering intelligence through the Chip's scans and a bit of mental suggestion had been almost trivially easy—even this contingency had been discovered by Leilin, who had even replicated it.
"Impressive!"
"Don't even think about controlling the entire array. Besides, judging by Chitong's decision to leave this to Shike, he likely still has some hidden cards he hasn't played today. We need to wait..."
Leilin looked at the two Comoyin dukes, whose eyes had already begun to glow red, and his voice turned cold.
His tone seemed to carry a peculiar magical quality, causing the red gleam in Gilbert's and Emma's eyes to gradually fade. Finally, both of them smiled ruefully. "We were somewhat affected by what we witnessed earlier. Apologies..."
Emma then looked at Leilin with renewed astonishment. "Your bloodline—even its emotional influence is remarkably muted. You can even indirectly affect us..."
"This degree of bloodline purity surpasses every Comoyin sorcerer in history... Perhaps the hope of breaking through the bloodline shackles lies with you!" Gilbert's face also brightened.
"I just happen to have slightly stronger willpower," Leilin said with a bitter smile, forcibly suppressing the destructive urges churning within him.
The emotional disease of a sorcerer's bloodline became fused with the soul upon advancement to Morning Star. While it wasn't uncontrollable, it became far more troublesome.
Problems rooted in the soul couldn't be resolved with ordinary potions or other means. For the time being, one could only rely on one's own willpower to suppress them.
"Chirp! Chirp!" Just then, the phantom phoenix inside the replicated key in Leilin's hand suddenly began to cry out.
"Shike is about to use this! Let's infiltrate as quickly as possible!"
Leilin uttered several characters, and the crimson Fire Feather Technique energy surged into the gemstone. A layer of golden energy barrier immediately emanated from the gem, enveloping him and the two dukes behind him.
The golden barrier touched the residence ahead, and the two merged instantly, causing Leilin and his companions to vanish from sight.
At that very same moment, an even more brilliant and resplendent golden barrier erupted into view. Faint phoenix cries could be heard from within, and it blocked every attack from the Morning Star Wizards.
"This level of defense?" The leading Morning Star Wizard's expression darkened abruptly.
"Strange—did you sense that?" Undetected by either the Morning Star Wizards or the military officers, Leilin and the two dukes successfully infiltrated the residence. With Leilin leading the way, they moved with perfect familiarity.
Leilin, meanwhile, stared with slightly unfocused eyes at the barrier that had activated for the second time, a contemplative look on his face.
"A Life Drain array! This secondary defensive barrier clearly employs life-leeching technology, siphoning vast amounts of pure life force—even soul power—from some enormous living being in order to withstand the combined assault of seven Morning Star Wizards..." Gilbert nodded.
"Furthermore, from the energy ritual structure, the energy being drained no longer comes from the residence's energy reservoir. It's coming from... underground!" Emma touched the floor and stated with certainty.
What made wizards more advanced than powerhouses from other planes was their vision and their spirit of research.
Having inherited the vast legacy of the ancient wizards, when it came to discernment and identification, few races across the many worlds could surpass them.
"So that means there's some powerful ancient creature imprisoned underground—something known for its life force..." Gilbert chuckled dryly, then his expression shifted slightly. "Could that Fire Source Stone from earlier be connected to this as well?"
"Very likely!" Leilin nodded gravely, recalling the red light at the center of that enormous array when he had followed Locke into the depths before.
For reasons he couldn't explain, the memory brought a faint surge of sorrow to his heart.
"This emotion?" Because of his bloodline's emotional influence, Leilin was extremely attentive to his own emotional states. He instantly traced the source of this sorrow.
"The Fire Feather Technique? If I weren't currently undergoing the energy mutation from the Fire Feather Technique, the effect would probably be even more pronounced..."
"This feeling?" Burns pressed his hand against his chest, his expression turning dark. "What on earth is going on?"
"I... I don't know either!" Shike had also sensed something vaguely, and his voice grew panicked. "Father gave me this key this morning. He told me that if I encountered any overwhelming crisis, I should flee back to the residence and activate the secondary defenses!"
"I see." Various emotions flickered through Burns's eyes. "If the Master had already prepared for this, then that's all the better!"