“But…” Stephen spoke hesitantly. Then, he could not help but feel indignant again. “But Father, I don’t think there is a need to do that!”
“Is that so? Tell me your reasons.”
“Just like what you said earlier, we have an absolute advantage when it comes to ability. As long as we have the chance, it is not difficult for you and the uncles to get rid of Cheyenne. You have reached level-21 a few decades ago, while Felic has only reached the realm recently. He has no right to interfere in your battle,” explained Stephen. “Furthermore, I think you might have forgotten what I had gotten from the Lord of Souls in the Abyss of Tharlen…” Stephen added on softly, as if with the determination to convince Borg.
“You mean…” Borg replied restlessly. A gleam appeared out of all his wrinkles.
“That’s right, Father. The Lord of Souls has died. I can feel that each of his soul fragments has vanished from this world. But, the force he left in my body…” Stephen’s voice became soft and hoarse, like that of a man who had just got drunk. “But the force it left in my body is boiling. As long as I’m given enough time to assimilate them, I will become the fourth Legendary powerhouse of the Dark Blade—”
Before Stephen could finish speaking, Borg sprang from his seat. He grabbed Stephen’s shoulders and sent a wave of mana into his body. As time trickled by, his astonishment turned into relief and joy.
“It’s true… Really… This is great… Really great…” As an experienced Legendary powerhouse who had reached level-21 a few decades ago, how could he not be able to sense that his son was indeed close to the boundaries of the Legendary realm, and had a strong wave of force within him?
This force was constantly assimilating into his body like an ice mountain in a lake. Initially, it had been a lofty structure that stood unrelated to the lake. However, as time passed, the ice mountain melted. Stephen would reach the Legendary-realm once the ice mountain turned into part of the lake.
“If everything goes well, I have the confidence to finish assimilating the Spiritual Force of the Lord of Souls. When that time comes, we’ll have no need for his neutral stance.”
“Yeah.” Borg nodded, and did not continue the conversation. He was caught up in his thoughts.
“Oh, yes. Stephen. I have never gotten to ask you about your experience in the Abyss,” Borg remarked abruptly after a period of 10 minutes.
“After we entered the Abyss, we met a group of winged demons. According to that Felic, they were the Azteks…” replied Stephen slowly as he tried to recall his time in the Abyss.
“What? You are saying that a group of Azteks launched the live bombs together? H-how did you manage to stay alive…?” The level-21 Legendary-mage gasped. Stephen had never mentioned his experience in the Abyss after his return. Despite being his father, it was the first time Borg heard about his son’s experience.
Borg did not expect himself to be unable to contain his subsequent expressions of shock…
“Three Rainbow Manticore Kings? Did they share the same soul like the legends claimed?!
“Do you still remember what spell Felic cast? How could he use one streak of light to counter the Dark Decay? The Dark Decay is a spell with a standard that is the closest to the magical domain. According to your account, wasn’t Felic a level-19 mage at the point of time? Could it be that he had some magical equipment that allowed him to use a magical domain?
“This is outrageous! Are you saying that the magical domain Felic cast was not only a snowy sky, but also strange creatures with black and white wings…? Were they summoned by the laws of light and darkness?”
Borg’s easiness from earlier had vanished. He turned paler with each experience Stephen shared with him. There was no sign of redness on his countenance.
Borg was not Stephen. As a level-21 Legendary-mage, his knowledge and experience were not something a young man like Stephen could match up to. Although the account of the story was filled with Stephen’s biased conjectures, as well as silly and egoistic remarks, Borg managed to piece these fragments together, which brought him closer to the truth.
Borg would have known the implications of live bombs launched by a dozen Azteks. It would even be more impossible that he would be unaware of how scary the Rainbow Manticore Kings were for their ability to share the same soul. As for what it meant for a man to have the power to cast spells from the three types of magical domains… A child would have a clear understanding of it as well.
After hearing about Stephen’s encounters, Borg could not help but admit Felic’s potential to be beyond imagination.
There was a high possibility for the news of the battle in Roland City to be true; Felic really defeated a level-22 elven mage…
“In the end, that Felic got his hands on all of Geresco’s relics, and I have gotten the strength from the Lord of Souls. But, I’m really curious whether the acquisition of Geresco’s relics would mean that he has already acquired the method to reach the Sanctuary-realm…” Stephen remarked reflectively. He was immersed in the force of the Lord of Souls assimilating into him.
“That’s enough, Stephen!” His father snapped. “Remember what I tell you. No matter how reluctant you were to apologize to Felic, we need him to maintain a neutral stance. I forbid you from provoking him before we get our hands on Immortal King’s treasures. This is an order!”
“But, Father!” Stephen retorted. He had not expected that his proud and voluminous speech would not change his father’s decision. Despite knowing that he was about to reach the Legendary-realm, his father was still insisting that he refrain from provoking that Felic. Why did he have to be cautious about another Legendary-mage?
Unfortunately, Borg gave Stephen no chance of rebutting. After reminding him with a very grave and serious expression, he dismissed Stephen from his tent.
…
After making some adjustments to their team, the two adventuring teams gathered the very next day. A stronger troop advanced towards the Haiga Mountain Range. Of course, to prevent any unnecessary conflicts, the two teams were still in their respective clusters.
Cheyenne referred to Osric’s notes as he led this two teams to avoid some troublesome regions. Although the journey was a little tedious, it did not hinder their speed. The day went by very smoothly. Although they frequently encountered magical beasts above level-10, the hundreds of powerhouses above level-15 managed to go unhindered by them.
However, Osric’s adventure diary was not all-encompassing. It would be too ideal to hope for a smooth-sailing path in the Haiga Mountain Range. Despite making the effort to avoid possible Legendary beasts, the team was obstructed by a group of powerful magical beasts.
The adventurers had grown complacent due to the smooth-sailing journey earlier on. However, the elites above level-15 grew alert as they saw numerous magical beasts flying out of the forest. The mages in the team cast defensive spells on themselves and their teammates. It was as though the entire team were protected under the shield.
The numerous spells erupted above them. Despite their timely defense, the sudden attack launched by the beasts resulted in a few injuries. The team stopped in their tracks; no one cared to admire the magnificent fireworks blasting on top of their heads. There were specialists who attended to the injured men, while the others stood on standby to deal with the magical beasts.
The magical beasts which launched the sneak attack did not let the men wait for a very long time. Heart-wrenching howls echoed through the forest as the beasts left their hiding place and confronted the team directly. It was unlike their previous encounters. There were at least 40 beasts, and none of them were below level-18.
Although there were close to 400 men who were all above level-15, and some at level-18, it did not mean that they would have an advantage over the group of powerful beasts. Compared to the innately intrepid magical beasts, humans would be at a disadvantage.
