End of the Magic Era

Nobody would argue with Lin Yun whatever he were to say at this moment. As long as Lin Yun found a solution to the plague and gave them a hand, they wouldn’t say anything back even if Lin Yun pointed at their noses and cursed them.

Lin Yun clapped his hands, and threw out the journal he retrieved earlier.

“I acquired this journal a while ago. The person who obtained the journal considered it a perfect lich transformation ritual that has no weaknesses.

“But in fact, the journal contains a sacrifice ritual that’s from Dereksey, the Bloody Lich. As soon as one conducts the transformation ritual, one will sacrifice one’s everything to the Bloody Lich and become his puppet.

“Also, I know that the journal has been spread out, and mine isn’t the only copy. We must find all undead mages and figure out who has performed the transformation ritual. We must investigate all undead mages, from level-9 Archmages to those in the Heaven Rank. We don’t know whether or not they will directly summon the Bloody Lich someday…”

All the mages looked at each other in bewilderment. They took turns and read what was in the journal. However, none of them saw anything wrong with the transformation ritual. It seemed that one could really turn into an invulnerable and immortal lich.

However, everybody put on an awful expression. People who were as strong as them knew that there weren’t perfect liches. Even the lich kings of the Plane of the Undead were not invulnerable.

Nobody doubted Lin Yun’s accusation, because the mages believed in perfection. The journal seemed to be made of beast hide, and was quite old. However, the language in it was the Common Tongue of Noscent. There were even obsolete grammar rules in the writing that were only used in the early years of Noscent.

It seemed that the journal was left after the fall of the Third Dynasty. Unfortunately, the content of the journal was so detailed that even a level-9 Archmage could understand, as if its writer feared that the readers would have trouble performing the ritual.

All the mages were silent, but they had made up their mind to purge the undead mages. All undead mages would be investigated because anyone who performed the ritual on the journal would surely turn into an undead mage and boast the power of death.

After the successful transformation, it wouldn’t be hard for them to pretend to be an undead mage.

The others were all silent. Noc, however, sneered, and said, “Mafa Merlin, you just offered a random alchemy journal, and demanded that all undead mages be investigated. How do we know what you’re up to? Resisting the ocean of undead creatures with another ocean of undead creatures is the easiest way. The undead mages made a lot of contributions in earlier battles, yet you want to vet our contributors?

“Mafa Merlin, you’ve been gone for such a long time. Who knows whether or not you’re still Mafa Merlin. After you arrive, instead of trying to resolve the plague, you’re eliminating the contributors who helped the resistant. What are you up to? Or rather, who are you exactly?”

Hardly had Noc opened his mouth when everybody put on a weird expression. The people of the Holy Light Alliance would defend undead mages?

With undisguised mockery on Levis’ face, Levis chuckled in disdain.

Noc is truly an idiot. He’s truly trying to get killed. Sir Merlin hasn’t retaliated against him yet, and he’s jumping out again. Does he think that Sir Merlin is meek?

He’s even questioning Sir Merlin’s identity. Does he think that everybody else is an idiot, and it’s easy to pretend to be a Saint Alchemist?

That idiot probably doesn’t even know that the Saint Alchemists carry a unique aura that nobody else has.

What a shameless and pretentious guy. He’s defending undead mages, the heretics that they’ve always been dying to kill…

Noc shamelessly sought trouble, and everybody put on a weird expression. Before they said anything, a black shadow suddenly appeared behind Noc. A pure power of darkness exploded behind Noc, and countless dark tentacles tied him up.

A prideful look flashed in Noc’s eyes. His defense of holy light burst out, and hit the black tentacles. The power of holy light formed a brilliant shield on his skin. His extraordinary power gathered into a staff of light.

“Mafa Merlin, you goddamn bastard, I knew you had a scheme. Whatever you actually are and whatever scheme you may have, it’s not going to work. Dumbass in the dark, you’re exposed…”

Enshrouded in the holy light, Noc sacredly chanted a spell. His extraordinary power exploded like a tide, blowing up the meeting room into pieces. All the other mages in the fortress were instantly pressed down to the ground.

Lin Yun and Noc suddenly took action. Nobody in the meeting room expected that to happen. They were completely shocked.

Lin Yun suddenly made use of the power of darkness, and Noc resisted with all his strength, as if he had seen it coming. A crack appeared among the clouds, and a thick pillar of light covered the fortress. Then, a pair of white wings emerged behind Noc’s back. Even the projection of his Demiplane appeared, sending out even greater power of holy light.

Noc floated in the sky, and looked down at Lin Yun with mockery in his eyes.

Mafa Merlin, no matter how you escaped back after you were exiled, you don’t stand a chance anymore. You used the power of darkness against a holy light mage? Idiot. Haven’t you noticed that I’m the only uninfected mage in this place?

Whatever method you adopted, you’re destined to be purged by a real level-7 Heaven Rank mage.

It’s truly shocking that you’ve advanced into level 6 of the Heaven Rank so quickly. The level-10 spell that ignited the ground was quite shocking too. Unfortunately, Mafa Merlin, you’re facing me, not the ocean of undead creatures. I won’t give you a second to chant a spell.

Die, die here. Everybody will know that you are a dark creature that’s disguised as Mafa Merlin…

Nobody expected Noc’s sudden counterattack or Lin Yun’s action.

They were also dumbfounded at the strength that Noc released. They had never known until this moment that Noc was not infected!

Nobody had seen it coming, because it was a holy light mage who died earliest. The plague didn’t spread out until the level-7 holy light mage was infected and killed.

Noc had lied to everybody…

Levis opened his mouth and looked at Noc, who was in prime condition, in shock. He was truly astounded…

Noc has tricked all of us. He never used his extraordinary power, and made us think that he was infected too. It seems that he’s not infected at all.

A level-7 Heaven Rank expert in his prime state…

Screwed. We’re screwed. There’s no stopping him now. Even the strongest of us can only use half of his strength. Nobody is able to stop Noc now.

Sir Merlin was too reckless. He fell for Noc’s trap…

Sky, master of Sky City, frowned and watched the scene gloomily. He looked even more awful when he saw that Noc had retained all his strength.

Noc is not infected at all. He tricked all of us so that he wouldn’t need to join the battle. He tricked Sir Merlin too. We’re in trouble.

Sir Merlin just cast a level-10 spell. That astonishingly powerful level-10 spell must’ve been exhausting. Now that Noc has made up his mind to kill, nobody can stop him. Sir Merlin is too reckless. It’s clearly Noc’s scheme.

What do I do? Nobody can stop Noc right now. How can we save Sir Merlin?

Noc floated in the sky, satisfied with everybody’s shock. Ever since the level-7 light mage was infected and killed, Noc had been pretending to be infected. He even avoided touching anybody or anything else, and swallowed the Golden Acme Potion to prevent himself from being infected.

By pretending to be infected, he didn’t have to face the skeleton king who boasted weird power. He didn’t burst out until this second.

“Stupid dark creatures, whatever scheme you may have, pretending to be Sir Merlin was your greatest mistake. Sir Merlin is an elemental mage who doesn’t know the law of darkness. Idiot, be purged by holy light!”

Noc chanted in a low voice. He flapped his fingers, and a scorching sun appeared in the sky. The Demiplane that was full of holy light suppressed Lin Yun as he moved forward.

Unlike Noc who seemed intimating, Lin Yun simply stood in silence, as if he had been dumbfounded.

Everybody was suppressed by Noc’s Demiplane, which sent out the pure power of laws. His level was the highest in this place anyway. The other level-7 Heaven Rank experts were all infected, and could only display half of their strength.

For people on their level, even a 1% gap could be hardly crossed, not to mention that they could only unleash half of their strength. Although Noc wasn’t attacking anyone else, he still prevented them from helping Lin Yun.

The experts wanted to say something, but they couldn’t open their mouths. They had to resist Noc’s pressure and the infection inside their body. Because Noc was being so crazy, they didn’t know if he would attack others.

Nobody could stop him. They could only watch in silence…

On Lin Yun’s shoulder, Lord Shawn appeared without a sound. He grinned and stared at Noc and the projection of his Demiplane that were falling down.

What a poor guy. He wants to suppress Merlin with his Demiplane. He’s truly pathetically stupid…

There was pity in Lord Shawn’s eyes. Lin Yun was shocked too. He was not intimidated, but shocked at Noc’s confidence and stupidity.

Summoning one’s Demiplane and imposing it on one’s enemy with one’s own extraordinary power was the safest way of fighting weaker mages, who might be easily pressured to death.

Other level-6 Heaven Rank mages probably would’ve been killed by Noc with the overpowering strength.

Such a way of fighting was risky, and was essentially a competition of extraordinarily power. It was an indirect collision of two Demiplanes.

Nobody would fight a mage on one’s own level in such a way, because they might die together. Every mage who had normal brains wouldn’t think that.

However, Lin Yun put on a sympathetic expression at the man who had chosen the safest approach to fight someone he thought was underneath his level.

It was essentially a collision of Demiplanes. He would hit another mage’s Demiplane with his own Demiplane that accommodated his understanding of laws. If his Demiplane was broken, then he might fall from the sky. Even if he stayed in the Heaven Rank, he might become one that had just advanced into the Heaven Rank. He would likely explode because of the mana inside his body.

Of course, that was only the result if he failed.

When everybody watched angrily or regretfully, Noc, who was flapping the angel’s wings, descended with the projection of his Natural Demiplane, as if he was going to suppress and kill Lin Yun.

The people who were close to Lin Yun were flaming. The member of the Odin royal family was so gloomy that his face was almost dripping ink.

Unfortunately, he was not able to utter a word. Because of the infection and Noc’s pressure, he had to spend all his strength to keep himself standing. Seeing that the holy light got more and more dazzling, he closed his eyes in desperation and pain.

Noc, that fool, is going to be in big trouble. Does he really think that Mafa Merlin is just the last candidate to set up the Hexagonal Array? Idiot, Mafa Merlin is also Agalon’s only disciple.

He will be the future leader of the Starry Sky College, which is the only land for all the alchemists of Noscent, and has three Saint Alchemists. He is also the disciple of the Great Astrologian who has never lost.

This is a disaster. After Agalon comes back, when he finds that his only disciple has been killed by the Holy Light Alliance, the disaster will be even worse than the scourge of the undead.

The three deans of the Starry Sky College certainly won’t stand by. Mafa Merlin’s Gilded Rose will surely retaliate at all costs. As the leader of the Merlin Family, which was the most powerful force in the Andlusa Kingdom in the past, he has spread his influence throughout the country…

It’s said that Santon Merlin of the Merlin Family is still alive. If that terrifying genius is truly alive and hears the news…

Oh my God, does Noc really know what he’s doing?

He’s not just ruining everybody’s last hope for the solution to the antidote, but also the chance of winning the war. He might even provoke a war in Noscent.

The representatives from the most powerful organizations of the Odin Kingdom closed their eyes in desperation, not just because they would die from the plague sooner or later, but because the chaos wouldn’t get any better in the future.

The more knowledgeable they were, the clearer they were of the consequences of the incident.

The consequences of the incident were the most serious ones. A few top experts would even be involved.

Endless holy light descended from the sky. The dazzling holy light made everybody close their eyes. However, when the holy light was about to enshroud the fortress, thunder burst out next to everybody’s ears.

The rumbling noises destroyed half of the buildings in the fortress. More than 90% of the people had blood in their ears and eyes. Half were heavily wounded.

In the deafening noises, the pressure that Noc released was ripped by a power that was even more horrifying.

It was like when a floating island fell from the sky, a real world suddenly appeared down below and stopped it…

The holy light gradually dispersed, and blood seeped out of Noc’s eyes, mouth, nostrils, and ears. Floating in midair, he was absolutely dumbfounded, as if he had seen something incredible.

Behind him, his Demiplane that accommodated his understanding of flaws cracked like a crystal ball. The cracks penetrated the projection of his Demiplane, which meant that his Demiplane was on the verge of destruction too…

A sound that was only audible to the souls echoed in everybody’s souls. The cracks soon hastened, and turned into a symphony of breaking.

In only three seconds, Noc’s projection of Demiplane had fallen apart into countless pieces and disappeared as holy light, and Noc plummeted from level 7 of the Heaven Rank to level 1.

Without the Demiplane to accommodate his understanding of laws, Noc was unable to control laws anymore. At the same time, the enormous amount of holy light in his body was beyond his control. It emanated from his body, and the brilliance shot through him.

It darted towards the sky from his eyes as two pillars of light. Then, he turned into a dazzling ball of light.

The power of holy light spread out. There was not a shadow within the radius of 100 kilometers.. All places were filled with nothing but glow.