Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"call--"

In that distorted light and shadow caused by the clash of high-intensity energy, a four-ringed "sun" that was originally radiating light and heat was crushed as if by an invisible giant hand, and its light suddenly went out.

Immediately afterwards, a figure that had lost the support of the mental energy field, accompanied by scattered elemental light fragments, fell helplessly to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

There was a brief pause in the bombardment of spells, as if the world itself held its breath for that moment.

In the heart of the energy storm, which was raging like a cataclysmic hurricane, Lindis's figure slowly emerged.

At this moment, Lindis's figure rose to more than three meters away, and his original human skin was completely covered by a layer of chitin armor flowing with black light.

Dense, translucent bony spikes sprouted from both sides of the skull, each spike greedily devouring the surrounding light.

His body became extremely long and explosive, with a strange, long tail covered in barbs extending from the end of his spine, lashing out unconsciously in the void and making a teeth-grinding crackling sound.

He was no longer human, but a monster that crawled out of the forbidden tomes of the abyss, born for killing and feeding.

Lindis slowly raised a hand covered in keratin, and on the sharp, knife-like fingertips hung a drop of blood belonging to a fourth-circle wizard.

He gently inserted his fingers into the mouth that split open to his earlobe, like a greedy child who had stolen the sweetest jam, sucking on it with a look of ecstasy, his dark golden vertical pupils revealing extreme pleasure at the passing of a higher-level life form.

This scene was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of everyone present.

The instinct for fear deep within their souls was instantly awakened, and countless wizards felt their blood freeze and their hands and feet turn icy cold.

Fourth Ring Road!

It stands at the pinnacle of the path to truth, an insurmountable monument in the eyes of countless low-level wizards.

But now, yet another fourth-circle miracle wizard has fallen!

Before Lindis, a demon who has mastered a higher level of rule power, their proud shields and painstakingly researched spell models are as fragile as ripe fruit hanging on a branch. With just a gentle pluck, juice will splatter everywhere and their souls will be scattered.

In a short time, two people on the fourth ring fell.

On whose head will the countdown to death toll strike for the third time?

The miracle wizards, who had been frantically attacking the rune array and trying to find a way out, now had their survival instincts overcome their greed.

Ignoring the backlash of their spells, they forcibly interrupted their spellcasting, their figures transforming into streaks of light of various colors as they retreated rapidly, fearing that they would become Lindis's next hunting target.

Just when despair was spreading.

"Hiss—Roar—!"

A terrifying shriek, powerful enough to tear apart one's mental sea, suddenly exploded.

Jennifer's four wings of light burned to their maximum intensity; she compressed all her mass and the power of the rules into a single point.

Transforming into a dazzling stream of light capable of leaving a scar on this world, it disregarded the distance in space and slammed into the inner edge of the rune array.

"Click—"

The collision of the five-ring-level rules produced a crisp sound.

The indestructible, sky-like rune array trembled violently, and countless black rune chains broke and vanished.

The previously barely perceptible gap visibly widened after this attack, and the murky yet free air from the outside seemed to rush in through the gap.

Lindis paused in his finger-sucking motion, his eyes instantly turning as cold as ice.

He didn't turn around, but simply raised his blood-stained finger and gently touched the mutated spot between his eyebrows.

"Buzz!"

With a shudder, space overlapped.

A dozen or so magical clones, whose body outlines were exactly the same as his but were made of highly compressed pure negative energy particles, were separated out of thin air.

These clones had no facial features, only a void of blackness, exuding a nauseating aura of depravity.

The moment each clone took shape, it used mental targeting to locate one of the miracle wizards in the arena.

They turned coldly, their movements perfectly synchronized, and pounced like marionettes, quickly ensnaring Jennifer once again as she tried to provide support.

In the sky, a dozen or so chaotic battle groups belonging to the fourth ring level instantly exploded.

Each of the magical clones released by Lindis embodies his profound understanding of the rules of darkness and possesses terrifying combat power approaching that of a fourth-circle miracle.

Even a powerful fifth-ring warrior like Jennifer had to be distracted when facing this creation of rules that was fearless of death and only knew how to kill, and ended up in a quagmire of bitter fighting.

Having just experienced a violent upheaval, the runic array, deprived of the powerful external impact, saw its broken runic chains begin to writhe and repair themselves like living things, and the tremors gradually subsided.

That crack that represented hope was slowly closing at a despairing pace.

Once the grand formation is activated, this place will be completely turned into a slaughterhouse.

A deathly, oppressive silence enveloped the entire ruins of the ancient fairy city.

Despair spread like a plague among the tens of thousands of panicked southern wizards.

"No... I don't want to die!"

Suddenly, a second-circle wizard appeared, his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he were insane.

He raised the cracked staff in his hand, drained the last bit of spiritual power from his mind, and chanted the most basic incantation for the exploding fireball in a trembling yet hysterical voice.

He summoned a fireball that wasn't particularly large; it wobbled but flew with a resolute air toward the edge of the dark magic circle in the sky.

Although the fireball was weak, it was like a spark dropped onto a dry prairie.

"Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well fight!"

"My destiny is entirely in my own hands!"

The world suddenly became noisy, with countless suppressed roars converging into a sea.

The chanting of incantations rose and fell, and the elemental fluctuations caused by the casting of spells surged wildly like countless ripples of water, colliding with each other and triggering an even larger-scale elemental tide.

Everyone realized what was happening.

There is no savior here, and no miracles.

In this cruel wizarding world, the only thing that can save them is the power they wield and themselves!

Those young geniuses of the southern wizarding world were the first to break free from their fear.

With sharp eyes and lightning-fast movements, they moved spontaneously through the chaotic crowd, their wands emitting deadly light as they precisely killed the Resurrection Society wizards who had infiltrated the crowd and attempted to reinforce the magic circle by creating chaos.

The remaining wizards, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding, no longer held back and joined forces to bombard the mysterious magic circle that trapped them.

A dense barrage of magical light—fireballs, ice spears, wind blades, acid—like a meteor shower flowing against the current, carrying the will to survive of tens of thousands.

It fired wildly into the black sky, trying to completely tear apart the thick haze that shrouded everyone's heads.

Although the free energy particles in this space have become extremely thin due to the suppression of the rules of the fifth-ring wizards and the plundering of energy by the fourth-ring miracle chapters, the power of most low-level spells has been severely weakened.

The attacks from first and second-ring wizards landed on the magic circle, barely creating a faint ripple.

However, quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

The resonance of the mental energy of tens of thousands of people and the targeted bombardment of tens of thousands of spells were enough to overwhelm even the rune array formed by the blood sacrifice of thousands of wizards.

Under the onslaught of wave after wave of spells, the light of the great formation flickered and the vibrations became increasingly pronounced, as if a severely wounded giant beast was groaning in pain.

The scales of victory are tipping slowly.

"Hmph, the struggle of an ant."

High in the sky, Lindis let out a cold snort. The sound was not loud, but it resounded precisely in everyone's ears.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, hundreds of jet-black beams of light fell from the five rings of the battle.

They were like the scythes wielded by the Grim Reaper, ignoring physical defenses and elemental shields, mercilessly sweeping across the dense crowd below.

"Puff puff puff—"

Without any screams, the low-level wizards who were hit by the beam of light instantly stiffened, and then disintegrated like sand sculptures in the wind, reaping hundreds of lives in an instant.

The relentless surge of spells was immediately disrupted by Lindis's casually unleashed killing move.

Countless people looked terrified and fell silent, their newly kindled courage almost extinguished by this bucket of cold water.

However, just as fear was about to reign supreme on the battlefield once again...

"boom!"

A massive, orange-red flame, carrying an aura of domineering power capable of incinerating the entire world, suddenly shot into the sky, forcefully blocking several descending black beams of light.

At the heart of the flames, the figure of a stunningly beautiful girl holding an exquisite crimson lotus staff is clearly visible.

Tracy! Her red dress billowed, and her eyes burned with an indomitable fire, the Phoenix family's phoenix-like pride.

"boom--"

A loud whooshing sound followed immediately!

A valiant knight clad in pure white armor, wielding a lance engraved with ancient runes, rode a white unicorn with outstretched wings, tearing through the sky like a white lightning bolt.

His entire body was ablaze with pure white holy flames, and a magnificent phantom of a holy temple vaguely appeared behind him. With an indomitable momentum, he was like a fearless and dazzling meteor, rushing fiercely from bottom to top toward the edge of the wavering magic array.

The two men's actions seemed to send a signal, igniting the pride and fighting spirit of the top geniuses.

Following closely behind, more and more top talents joined the ranks of those striving for success.

Gehrman held a crimson lightning spear, with lightning snakes dancing wildly around him, transforming into a crimson thunderbolt;

Rufus was shrouded in blood clouds, and strange demonic patterns appeared on his skin, revealing the ferocious form of an ancient flesh and blood demon body;

Kolcrow stood on a massive, ghastly white skull plate, countless dark green lights intertwined into a net, soaring into the sky with a highly toxic aura that corroded everything.

They are the most outstanding young people in the South, the pride of this generation, and the hope for the future.

Whether for others or for themselves, they were absolutely unwilling to die here in such a pointless way!

Under the combined assault of numerous genius wizards, who spared no effort, the rune array that had been looming over everyone's heads like a dark cloud finally let out a mournful cry of despair.

The tremors intensified, and large swathes of runes began to crumble, revealing faint cracks.

At this moment, almost all the wizards in the settlement were moved by this tragic and passionate atmosphere.

The same extreme thirst for life united the hearts of people who were originally a disorganized group into a formidable force.

The chanting of incantations roared like thunder, resounding throughout the heavens and earth. Countless low-level wizards held nothing back, and the energy tides they unleashed, squeezing out their life force, crashed against the solid reefs like giant waves, one after another.

Even with the terrifying battle between fifth-ring and fourth-ring wizards overhead, this torrent formed by countless tiny forces could not be ignored!

The gap that seemingly unbreakable "door" was finally being pushed open, and it grew wider and wider...

"Taka!"

A clear, authoritative voice, yet carrying a resolute determination, rang out in the center of the battlefield.

On the battlefield of the central platform, the miracle wizard belonging to the Emerald Court spread his arms and unleashed unprecedented magical power without regard for anything else, desperately blocking the purple-haired middle-aged man, Doru.

Michael knelt on one knee, his golden hair cascading down like a waterfall amidst the chaotic flow of energy.

At this moment, her expression was solemn and resolute, like a holy apostle about to sacrifice herself.

She pulled up the large golden bow in her arms with both hands, the bowstring taut to its limit, emitting a buzzing vibration.

Accompanied by the obscure and ancient chanting of incantations, a golden arrow of light, condensed and compressed to its extreme from countless tiny runes, took shape in her hand.

"break!"

Loosen your fingers.

The arrow of light shot out, like a ray of dawn piercing the deepest darkness before daybreak.

"boom!"

The golden light traversed vast spatial distances, ignoring all obstacles along its path, and struck the already loose and cracked edges of the rune array with unparalleled precision.

The formation shook violently, and a small, irregular gap was blasted open.

In an instant, the eyes of all the wizards involved in this battle shone with ecstasy and hope.

I see!

The sky outside!

Almost there!

Just one more step!

With just a little bit of strength left, the last straw that broke the camel's back, the "door" that had trapped them all would be opened completely!

Just then.

"call--"

A sudden gust of extremely cold wind swept across the scorching, burning battlefield.

A chilling cold, penetrating to the bone, swept from one end to the other, rising from everyone's heart and freezing even their thoughts.

The red snow fell silently once again, carrying with it a sense of tragedy and death.

Everyone felt something and subconsciously looked up.

Their pupils reflected a figure they would never forget.

The figure wielded two scarlet longswords formed from despair and ice, surrounded by countless dark red snowflakes as sharp as blades.

He did not hesitate at all, nor did he make any unnecessary movements.

Like a comet burning with cold flames, trailing a blood-red tail like smoke and mist, carrying the will to sever all shackles, it swiftly slashed towards the edge of the already crumbling rune array with a resolute posture.