Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

With a leap from the foot of Black Mountain, he shot towards Lynn like a black arrow, his speed astonishing.

From the outside, only a black afterimage remained in the air.

Lynn did not dodge.

After casting "Soul Bomb," the extremely illusory soul projection moved forward to block, and with a sweep of the light eye, Black Mountain was bounced away again.

But this time he steadied himself, landed, and charged forward again.

The Shadow Armor shielded him from the damage of the beam of light, and he was completely unaffected.

"Kid, how long can your projection last?" Black Mountain grinned through gritted teeth. "You're exhausted after using that ability, aren't you?"

This is true; after shooting out its last beam of light, the soul projection was on the verge of destruction and was powerless to launch another attack.

It tried to raise its hand to attack, but its arm broke off and disappeared halfway through its movement.

Black Mountain grinned maliciously and charged at Lynn again, punching him in the face.

Lynn turned his head away, his mouth split open, and blood trickled down his chin.

He took a step back, intending to swing his sword in retaliation, but Black Mountain stepped forward and punched him in the stomach again.

"What's wrong?" Black Mountain said, "The soul projection is failing, and you can't move yourself either?"

The third punch landed on Lynn's chest.

Lynn was knocked backward by the impact, staggered, and almost fell.

Black Mountain didn't stop; he landed a fourth punch, a fifth punch, one after another on Lynn.

The fist covered in shadow armor was as hard as an iron hammer, and every blow tore Lynn's skin open, causing his greatsword to slip from his hand.

"Where did that ferocity go?" Black Mountain said as he fought. "Try to cut me with your sword, try to blow me up with your soul bomb."

Lynn raised his hand to block, but Black Mountain's fist slammed into his forearm, making a crisp "crack" sound.

He gasped in pain and took two steps back.

Aria's eyes reddened as she watched from behind.

She got up from the ground, formed a hand seal, and shot a gray-white soul arrow toward Black Mountain's back.

The arrow struck the Shadow Armor and shattered into powder with a "crack," leaving not even a mark.

Arya did not give up and fired three more arrows.

All three arrows hit their mark and shattered.

Heishan didn't even turn his head, only letting out a snort.

"Don't bother," Black Mountain said. "If a second-level apprentice like you can break through the Origin Armor of the Second Ring, then my promotion to the Second Ring would have been for nothing."

Arya realized this too, and turned to look at the Gale Wolf lying next to her.

The wolf was hunching its neck, burying its head under its front paws, as if to say, "I didn't see anything."

"Big dog!" Aria patted its back. "Go! Take him down!"

The Gale Wolf raised its head, its eyes filled with disbelief.

Me? A mere apprentice-level magical beast, trying to kill a second-circle wizard?!

Are you crazy or am I crazy?

The Swift Wolf shook its head repeatedly, its face full of resistance.

Its meaning was clear: it was just a controlled wolf, with no obligation to risk its life.

But Aria slapped it again, her tone even more urgent: "Hurry up, your master is about to be beaten to death!"

The Swift Wolf turned its head and glanced at Lynn.

Lynn was being lifted up by the collar by Black Mountain, his face covered in blood.

The wolf sighed, as if resigned to its fate, and with a push of its four paws, it charged forward, transforming into a bluish-green phantom as it rushed towards Black Mountain.

It roared and opened its mouth, biting at Black Mountain's leg.

Black Mountain didn't even glance at it, and kicked the wolf in the stomach.

The swift wolf flew out like a rag doll, crashed into a tree by the roadside, and bounced to the ground.

It lay there with its four legs outstretched, its head tilted to one side, its mouth open, and its tongue lolling out, looking as if it were about to die.

But you can tell from its trembling eyelids that it's faking it.

Black Mountain scoffed, "A wolf barely clinging to life dares to bite me."

Aria was taken aback.

She clearly saw that when the wolf landed, it secretly opened one eye to peek at the situation, and when it saw that no one was paying attention to it, it quickly closed it again.

That heartless beast.

With no obstacle in sight, Black Mountain slammed Lynn to the ground and stomped on his chest.

Lynn lay on his back, blood streaming from his mouth, his face bruised and battered.

"Lynn, what are you after?"

Black Mountain looked down at him.

"If you had stayed obediently in the Gray Feather Clan, you would have only lost a witch crystal mine at most, but you insisted on going against me."

"Now that my son is gone, I'm going to die too."

Lynn didn't say anything.

His eyes were fixed on the sky, where the gray clouds were churning rapidly, as if the heavens themselves were angry.

The clouds and mist vaguely seemed to form a large face.

That was... his own appearance.

Heishan, oblivious to anything amiss, continued, "But you're quite capable, pushing me to this point with just one link. I admit you're impressive."

"What a pity. No matter how powerful you are, you've fallen into my hands now. Be more careful in your next life."

With that, he raised his foot, ready to stomp on Lynn's neck and break it.

But just then, Lynn's body moved slightly.

A mysterious force came, and his body slid backward as if being sucked in by something.

Black Mountain lost his footing and looked down to see Lynn floating backward.

Behind him was the disintegrating projection of his soul, its grayish-white outline so faded it was almost transparent.

This miraculous scene caused Heishan's expression to change drastically, and he felt a vague unease in his heart.

What's this kid up to now?

Lynn collided with the projection, and the moment they made contact, it was like two puzzle pieces coming together.

The projection shattered, turning into grayish-white light that entered Lynn's body.

Lynn's body instantly lit up, with grayish-white light seeping out from every pore, enveloping his entire body.

The wounds on his face were healing at a visible speed; his cracked lip, bruised eye socket, and swollen half of his face were all recovering.

The broken forearm bones made a "crackling" sound as they were reattached.

Montenegro was stunned, unable to comprehend this incredible scene.

He stood there, watching Lynn rise from the ground.

Those eyes had changed; a grayish-white light swirled deep within their dark, bright pupils.

His aura was also changing, rising from the first ring upwards, passing through the second and third rings, and still increasing.

"You...you..." Black Mountain took a step back. "Who are you?!"

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

The speed at which this aura is rising is too fast; it's completely abnormal.

It's either a seal or a possession.

There is no other explanation than these two possibilities for a young first-ring wizard to suddenly unleash power surpassing that of a third-ring wizard.

"Could it be that you have sealed your power?" Black Mountain's voice trembled slightly.

"Or... which Stigmata possessed you? Who exactly are you?"

Lynn did not answer. He raised his right hand, palm down, and gently pressed it against Black Mountain.

Montenegro felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.

His knees buckled, and the Shadow Armor creaked and cracked.

He tried his best to hold on, but the pressure was getting greater and greater, like the whole sky was collapsing.

This feeling made him feel like he was fighting against the whole world.