Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

Countless wizards suddenly looked up, and a scene etched onto their retinas that they would never forget—

Beneath the shadow of that colossal energy hand capable of crushing mountains, the figure appeared so small, yet so ferocious.

On his right arm, the ancient and even slightly worn crystal armlet was awakened. The magical circuits sealed within it for several eras were overloaded in an instant, bursting out with a dazzling brilliance that even surpassed the blazing sun in the sky.

The vast and powerful energy particles not only erupted, but were also violently compressed outwards like a high-pressure boiler exploding, and then, accompanied by a gentle tap of the index finger—

"Pop—"

The world has gone deaf.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dark, round hole that seemed to lead to a void dimension suddenly appeared.

The energy sea that was originally surging outward lost its momentum in that instant and was forcibly collapsed inward.

A dense array of black lightning bolts sprang up in the void. These were not thunderbolts, but cracks created by the space's inability to withstand the collision of high-density energy. These cracks grew wildly like snakes, greedily connecting to the rapidly expanding black dot.

A terrifying, forbidden aura, like a bucket of ice water, extinguished the clamor of the battlefield.

It was as if a hole had been punched in the earth and sky. Free energy, distorted light, chaotic air currents, and even the spiritual tendrils of the wizards scattered on their bodies within a radius of several kilometers were all leaking wildly toward that "black hole" under the irresistible pull of gravity.

This suction doesn't target the physical body, but goes straight to the essence, giving every wizard who stares directly at the black hole a terrifying illusion that their soul is being peeled away inch by inch and dragged into the abyss.

Faced with this power capable of distorting the rules, Lindis's giant energy hand, condensed to its extreme and representing the authority of the five rings, cracked and peeled off rapidly like porcelain under the scorching sun, eventually turning into a sky full of elemental dust, which was completely swallowed by the black hole.

Lindis's mental storm, which was originally crashing against the void like a tsunami in his rage, was now like waves hitting an iron wall. Not only could it not advance an inch, but it was also torn to pieces by the suction force.

His body, which had become highly elementalized and almost an energy entity, instinctively felt a chill and was forced to stop at a safe distance, unable to cross the line.

That ever-growing "black hole" hung arrogantly in the sky, like a forbidden black sun that devoured light, slowly rising and announcing the collapse of some old order.

And atop that forbidden black sun's crown, a figure soared upwards like a dragon.

Dago stood atop the Black Sun, his long, dark red hair dancing wildly like mad snakes amidst the turbulent energy currents.

He glanced back, his eyes showing no panic of fugitives, only a cold indifference and mockery like eternal ice, piercing the eyes of everyone below. Then, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light that tore through the sky, vanishing into the void in an instant.

Only when the terrifying black hole gradually disappeared due to the exhaustion of its energy did color and sound return to the world.

But deathly silence still reigns over these ruins.

Many wizards remained in the upward-looking posture, their expressions blank, emitting unintelligible "hoho" sounds from their throats.

They not only witnessed the miracle of fireflies turning into stars, but also the heroic act of mortals killing gods.

This scene is destined to become an indelible monument in the southern wizarding world for centuries to come; the prologue to the legend has already been written in the most violent way.

"A dual miraculous domain... using a third-ring rank to cross two major realms and directly confront a fifth-ring rank..."

The miracle wizard of the Emerald Court, now like a puppet who had lost its soul, trembled and murmured softly.

As an elite from the most powerful forces in the Central Region, he understood better than anyone what this meant.

"Even with the help of Isidore's relics, this level of precision in controlling mental power and the ability to withstand mental load... If this Dago Heca were placed in the Central Region, it would be enough to make those ancient schools fight tooth and nail for him."

Beside him, Michael stared intently in the direction where Dago had disappeared, his right hand uncontrollably stroking the deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his chest.

That was not just the damage to her armor, but also proof that her pride as a "chosen one of heaven" had been completely shattered.

The Emerald Court wizards who had previously mocked Dago, especially the silver-haired witch, were now ashen-faced.

What they once thought of as superiority now seems like nothing more than the laughable barking of frogs in a well at a dragon.

Above the void, Lindis slowly withdrew his hand.

"Isidore's Archon Armlet... something those old fogies couldn't take with them back then, yet it has accumulated such a massive amount of magical power in this wild land of the south."

His face was expressionless, but a barely perceptible shadow flickered deep in his eyes.

This inheritance could be said to have been indirectly "given" to the other party by him, but now it has become a tool for the other party to escape. This sense of humiliation of being played by an ant made the air around him freeze.

He narrowed his eyes, his mental energy spreading like a vast net, trying to penetrate the layers of space to capture that aura.

However, in that instant when his fingertips twitched slightly—

"Boom!"

A violent rumble came from the ground below.

The rune array, which was already riddled with holes, finally succumbed to the tearing force of the "black hole," and nearly a third of its base collapsed completely.

Amidst the chaotic energy smoke, a tall figure with four tattered wings grabbed a red-haired girl and, taking advantage of the gap in the collapse of the great formation, broke through the blockade like lightning and fled into the distance.

Lindis's eyes twitched, and the murderous intent he felt towards Dago was instantly suppressed by reason.

"That's enough."

Compared to a stunning but ultimately just a third-ring southern native, Phoenix is ​​the core of this operation.

That family's plans in the Upper Ring Continent are far-reaching. Now that we've already broken ties, we absolutely cannot leave any survivors.

"Doru!"

A cold shout rang out, and mental energy shook the void.

A middle-aged figure clad in a purple robe appeared as if by magic, kneeling on one knee before Lindis.

Lindis's indifferent gaze swept over the area where Michael and the others were, his voice devoid of any warmth: "You know what to do."

The middle-aged man with purple hair silently lowered his head.

Lindis said no more, lightly tapping his brow with his fingertip, and a dozen clones, purely condensed from spiritual power, roared out like a pack of wolves rushing into the sheepfold below.

His true form shattered the void with a single step, transforming into a fierce streak of light, and relentlessly pursued Jennifer in the direction she had fled.

With the departure of this Five Rings Overlord, beneath the collapsing rune array, desperate wails and dying roars once again intertwined into a hellish symphony.

------------------

The wilderness was as silent as a tomb.

He ran for an unknown distance until the strange entity in his heart began to violently pound against his chest, at which point Dago abruptly stopped.

This is a desolate wilderness abandoned by civilization. The withered yellow grass trembles in the wind, and the distant gray mountains resemble the corpses of giant beasts lying in the wind. Only a few wisps of smoke prove the existence of life.

"thump--"

Dago's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, curling up and gasping for breath, each breath like pulling a broken bellows.

Dark red hair was scattered messily on the gray-yellow grass, like dried bloodstains.

He struggled to lift his head, his gaze first falling on his right arm.

The once unremarkable crystal armlet now shone dimly and even showed a few fine cracks.

"The massive energy accumulation, coupled with the armlet's extreme amplification of the spell model..."

It was precisely because of these two conditions that he was able to forcibly upgrade the [Endless Vortex of the Sea of ​​Despair] and touch the gate that belonged only to the realm of miracles.

[Miracle: The Despairing Black Hole]!

Without this trump card, facing a true fifth-circle wizard, he would probably already be a specimen on the dissection table, and his soul would even be extracted and made into a soul lamp, never to be reincarnated.

"This reckless, hypocritical approach to life... a comeback?"

Dago wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his mind racing.

"But my primary target is clearly not me."

He was self-aware enough to know that even though he had shown remarkable talent, he was by no means worthy of a fifth-circle archmage personally making arrangements.

The only ones who could truly attract such a monster are Michael, whose status is so high that even the Emerald Court has to show him deference, or the mysterious and unpredictable Ash Witch.

"ah--!"

Suddenly, a suppressed roar burst from the depths of Dago's throat.

My thoughts were interrupted, and the excruciating pain overwhelmed my reason like a tidal wave.

On his forehead, bluish-purple veins throbbed and bulged wildly as if alive, and the muscles on his back undulated in a bizarre, wave-like pattern.

The bones made a teeth-grinding grinding sound under the skin, as if something was awakening inside him, trying to tear open this shell and crawl out!

"Behemoth..."

Dago's eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth were clenched so tightly that he squeezed out the name.

It was a tearing sensation from the depths of his soul that made him involuntarily plunge his hands into the ground.

The hard, barren soil was as fragile as tofu under his palm, silently turning into the finest dust, and his body slowly sank as the ground collapsed.

The pursuit of the Fifth Ring Wizard may have been temporarily over.

But the real life-or-death ordeal has only just begun.

In order to win the bloody battle and fight his way out of the desperate situation, he had to crush the forbidden bloodline crystal in his heart once again and forcibly fuse with the terrifying power called "Desperate Winter Dragon".

He made a "deal" with the devil residing in his soul.

And now...

The moment has come for the creditors to come knocking, demanding "retribution"!