Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"It's time to focus..."

Despite the overwhelming attacks, Dago showed no sign of panic.

His gaze shifted from Ang, instantly returning to a calm, a deep, wintery tranquility.

The dark light in front of him was reflected in his azure eyes, and the ferocious spells seemed to slow down in his pupils.

He took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to inhale the tranquility of the entire world.

Then, he raised his hand.

The movements were slow and steady, like smoothing out a crumpled piece of paper or pressing a restless piano key.

He slowly made a downward pressing motion.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

There was no chanting, no complicated incantations, and not even any superfluous movements.

But the moment his palm pressed down, a certain balance in the air was broken.

In an instant, countless mysterious energies emerged from the void, intertwining and colliding, accompanied by an indescribable and terrifying energy field that rapidly expanded and burst forth from the palm of Dago's falling hand.

That wasn't just a simple burst of magical power, but a crushing force of rules at a higher level.

"What...what is this?!"

Batlan, who was contorting his face in a rage and preparing to see Dago make a fool of himself, suddenly felt an immense pressure descend upon him. It felt as if the entire sky had collapsed and pressed down heavily on him.

The black light blades and shadow tentacles he wielded were like fragile glass hitting a hammer in the face of this invisible force field, instantly shattering and disintegrating into countless black light spots that dissipated into the air.

"Impossible! What kind of magic is this?!"

Batlan screamed in terror as he desperately channeled his magic power to try and erect a defensive shield.

But the pressure was too immense and too domineering, giving him no chance to breathe.

He felt like a fly being held down by a giant hand, unable to move an inch no matter how hard he struggled.

His prized Black Swamp Secret Techniques seemed utterly pale and powerless at this moment.

"Kneel down."

Ronan's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire No. 4 arena and even reached the spectator stands through the magic array.

As he uttered those two words, Ronan slammed his palm down.

"boom!"

A visible shockwave emanated from Dago and spread outwards, causing the entire arena floor to groan under its strain.

Batlan felt his knees buckle, and the tremor from the depths of his soul made him completely unable to control his body.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Batland's knees slammed heavily onto the hard stone slab of the arena, his kneecaps feeling as if they were about to shatter.

He braced himself with his hands on the ground, trying to lift his head, but found that the pressure was pressing down on his head, forcing him to remain in this humiliating position.

The entire room fell silent.

The audience, who had been paying attention to the other arenas, now turned their attention to arena number four.

They witnessed an unbelievable scene: the Black Swamp Wizard, who had been so imposing and full of magic just moments before, was now kneeling before the young man with azure eyes, like a servant who had made a mistake.

The young man didn't even move his feet an inch; he simply raised his hand and pressed down.

This is the difference in strength, as vast as the difference between clouds and mud.

Ronan withdrew his hand, stood with his hands behind his back, his robes swaying gently in the wind, spotless.

He didn't even glance at Batlan kneeling on the ground, his gaze returning to the direction of the Lava Brotherhood, and to Ang, who had a wicked grin on his face.

His gaze was calm and indifferent, as if to say:

"Look, this is my focus."

In the stands, Ang's smile deepened. He clapped his hands lightly, a playful glint in his wine-red eyes.

"Interesting, really interesting..." he muttered to himself, his voice filled with the excitement of discovering a new toy. "Looks like this game won't be too boring."

On the other side, the young man Igsius, who was as molten as lava, looked even more gloomy.

He stared intently at Dago, the air around him distorting even more violently due to the intense heat, as if he were about to ignite the very space around him.

"Dago..."

His voice was like a low growl from the depths of hell, filled with endless rage and murderous intent.

The wizards of the Thorn Ring were taken aback at first, then burst into thunderous cheers.

They knew Dago was strong, but they didn't expect him to be this strong.

Defeating the enemy in one move, and in such an extremely humiliating way, undoubtedly boosted the morale of the Law Ring greatly.

"Well done, Dago!"

"Incredible! This is our genius!"

Cheers erupted one after another, but Dago on the ring seemed detached from it all.

He wasn't proud of this victory, because he knew it was just an appetizer.

The real challenge lies ahead.

The referee stared in disbelief at the scene until he confirmed that Batlane was completely incapacitated, then he snapped out of his daze and loudly announced:

"Group Four, Winner—Thorn Ring, Dago!"

As the referee announced the announcement, the runic array covering the arena slowly dissipated.

Dago did not leave immediately, but slowly walked up to Batlan.

Batlan's face flushed crimson, filled with shame and rage. He raised his head, staring intently at Dago with his sinister eyes, and gritted his teeth as he said, "You...you've insulted me! The Black Swamp won't let you get away with this!"

Dago looked down at him, his eyes completely unmoved, as if he were looking at an ant on the roadside.

"Humiliation?" Dago spoke calmly, his tone chillingly so. "When you decide to take advantage of someone's vulnerability, you should be prepared to be trampled underfoot. In the wizarding world, strength equals dignity. Without strength, you have no dignity."

After saying that, Dago ignored him and turned to walk off the stage.

"You..." Batland trembled with rage, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fainted.

As Dago stepped off the ring, he was greeted by the crowd of fans surrounding and praising him.

But he didn't get absorbed in it; instead, he went straight to a quieter corner and sat down.

He closed his eyes and began to adjust his state.

That attack, though seemingly effortless, was actually a highly precise application of his own energy field.

That was a skill he mastered by combining various spell models and through countless deductions.

What may seem like a simple pressure actually consumes a considerable amount of mental energy.

Moreover, he also needs to think about the next steps.

Igor's hostility was obvious; that guy was like an unstable powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. And Ang... that guy was even more dangerous.

His gaze, his smile, and that silent "focus" all made Dago feel a strange unease.

That guy is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows; you never know when he'll pounce out and bite you.

"Anglio..."

Dago pondered the name repeatedly in his mind. He had a premonition that the biggest variable in this competition would probably lie with this guy.

"Looks like I'll have to prepare some 'surprises' too."

Dago thought to himself, his fingers gently stroking the ring, where some of his trump cards were kept.

Just then, a strange fluctuation caught his attention.

He opened his eyes and looked at the center of the arena.

The fifth group's match has begun.

And the person who took the stage was none other than Ang Leo.

Ang remained as lazy as ever, slowly flying onto the ring and even yawning in mid-air.

His opponent was a witch from "Eye of the Storm," wielding a silver-white staff and surrounded by sharp wind blades, who appeared to be quite powerful.

"Begin!" the referee commanded.

The witch clearly knew how powerful Anglie was, and went all out from the start.

She waved her staff and chanted rapid incantations.

"Wrath of the Storm!"

As she chanted, a fierce wind suddenly arose on the entire arena, and countless cyan wind blades swept towards Anglie like a meat grinder. The momentum was several times stronger than Batlan's attack earlier.

However, Ang simply smiled.

He neither dodged nor defended himself. He simply stood there, letting the wind blades come at him.

"Is he courting death?" The surrounding audience gasped in surprise.

But the next moment, something happened that left everyone speechless.

Those incredibly sharp wind blades, the moment they touched Ang's body, disintegrated automatically as if they had encountered something terrifying!

There was no explosion, no collision; it simply vanished without a trace.

It's like snowflakes falling into a pot of boiling oil.

Ang remained standing there, not even the hem of his clothes ruffled. He looked at the astonished witch, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Is this all you've got?"

He spoke softly, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly throughout the room.

"If that's the case... that would be so boring."

After saying that, he raised his hand and gently touched the witch.

"puff!"

The witch didn't even have a chance to react. She was struck as if by an invisible hand, and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground outside the arena. Her fate was unknown.

One finger!

Another instant kill!

The entire venue fell silent once again.

If Dago's victory was domineering, then Ang's victory was bizarre.

The most terrifying methods are those that are completely incomprehensible to others.

Dago's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw it clearly.

The instant Ang raised his hand, he sensed an extremely subtle yet malevolent fluctuation. Was it... the power of the past?

"Blood magic, huh..."

Dago made his judgment. This ancient and forbidden witchcraft was known for its eeriness and cruelty.

It seems that this Ang is more troublesome than he imagined.

After winning, Ang did not step down immediately.

He turned around, his gaze piercing through the crowd and landing precisely on Dago.

He stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and gave Dago a meaningful smile.

That smile was filled with greed and bloodlust, as if he had spotted the most delicious prey.

Dago looked at him expressionlessly, without flinching or backing down.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and although there were no sparks, it was as if an invisible current was surging between them.

This contest of geniuses truly began from this moment on.

Undercurrents are swirling, and danger lurks everywhere.

Who is the hunter and who is the prey remains to be seen.