Ancient Wizards: A Little Progress Every Day

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar, like the collapse of the heavens!

High in the sky, amidst the endless purple aurora and the dense cumulonimbus clouds, a blinding "sun" suddenly bursts forth!

That was... one of the Storm Weaver's eyes.

A terrifying will, so vast it was suffocating and so majestic it was inviolable, crashed down on the earth with a tangible weight.

Accompanying this were streaks of seven-ringed lightning, crashing down like ancient thunder pythons, powerful enough to flatten mountains!

"Don't forget! Nash's finger bone can only shield you from the aura of a seventh-ring being, but it absolutely cannot protect you from actual magical damage!"

Arajan's voice had completely transformed into a furious growl.

Clearly, the anxiety and restlessness he felt due to the life-or-death situation had reached its peak.

"Click—"

Just a fraction of a second before the lightning struck overhead!

With a sudden burst of force, the very tip of the pale finger bone in his palm quietly crumbled into a fine cloud of bone dust.

An ancient, mysterious, and unpredictable energy, seemingly capable of obscuring the secrets of heaven, instantly emanated from the area.

This fluctuation quickly condensed into an invisible black cloak in the void, which slowly drifted down, perfectly and completely enveloping Dago and his aura within it.

In an instant, the deafening roars and howls of the countless storm elemental spirits below came to an abrupt halt.

Their massive bodies froze in mid-air, suddenly losing all sense of the "intruder".

In their simple-minded judgment, that tiny creature had already been reduced to nothingness by the thunderous might of heaven.

All the commotion subsided quickly in an instant.

Only the terrifying lightning that accompanied the weaver's gaze remained truly present.

They were like an uncontrolled, ancient, forbidden magic array that had leaked, blindly pouring out waves of destructive power onto the earth.

Dago floated silently in a corner of the void.

The giant "sun" eye that had bloomed in the rain clouds above his head had slowly closed and gone out again.

He stood there silently in mid-air.

Instead of taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to hide, he frantically fled towards the exit.

Instead, he remained as calm as a detached observer, examining a priceless treasure.

"What the hell are you after?!"

Arajan's voice boomed in Dago's mind. This was the first time the ancient shaman had sworn, his words carrying a stern question and bewilderment.

"You're risking your own life...no, you're playing with fire on the edge of a cliff with both of our lives! Do you even realize that?!"

Dago remained deaf to Arajan's stern questioning.

Those deep, abyss-like eyes kept relentlessly following the terrifying aftershocks of thunder that were powerful enough to tear the heavens and the earth apart.

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, as if he had finally found his prey!

His gaze was fixed on a tiny, most minute storm of lightning emanating from the Weaver, the smallest of all the divine punishments.

Then, under Arajan's desperate gaze, Dago suddenly moved, like a cannonball released from its barrel, and instead of retreating, he charged forward towards the lightning bolt!

"You're insane—!"

Arajan's sudden exclamation was abruptly interrupted by Dago in a cold yet fanatical tone.

"What am I after?"

"That's exactly what I'm after."

"I'm not like you, Arahan. I have nowhere left to retreat."

"I absolutely cannot let go of any opportunity, even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, that could allow my body and magic to be elevated."

"Only by repeatedly and willingly stepping into this hopeless situation where there is no chance of survival..."

Dago's voice was torn apart by the gale, but his deep-seated obsession remained as hard as steel.

"Only then do I have that tiny, sliver of a chance... to grasp the power I truly desire!"

Amidst the low murmurs scattered by the gale, Dago's body had already fiercely approached the seventh-ringed lightning bolt that merged with the ancient storm.

He showed no defensive posture whatsoever; instead, his expression was frenzied, and his eyes gleamed with a ferocious, chilling light!

He spread his arms and let out a roar that shattered his throat, like a moth eager to burn the heavens, willingly throwing his own body into the destructive thunderstorm!

"boom--!!!"

In an instant, countless bolts of lightning and a hurricane that tore through space simultaneously pierced through Dago's body! This was not a clash of spells; it was one-sided destruction.

His black armor, clad in a powerful aura, crumbled like paper, his seemingly indestructible "Blue Demon Body" instantly carbonized, his flesh vaporized by the intense heat, revealing the pale bones beneath.

But Dago didn't utter a sound of pain. He gritted his teeth and held on to the last bit of clarity in his mind, even as his gums cracked and his mouth was full of blood.

In this extreme destruction, incredibly, ancient and complex primordial runes, like hurricanes and lightning, were reflected and grew deep within his eyes.

His battered body, like an insignificant speck of dust, was completely engulfed in the endless white light of destruction, his fate unknown.

Within the space of consciousness.

Alazan, transformed into a golden ladybug, stared blankly at the incredible, almost miraculous scene unfolding before him.

He remained silent for a long time, unable to utter a single syllable.

……

……

at the same time.

The distant central continent.

This is a dark, damp, and perpetually sunless swamp of decay.

Thin, eerie blue phosphorescence floated silently in mid-air, barely illuminating the thick layer of decaying leaves floating on the water's surface, as well as the withered trees that twisted and died like ghostly shadows.

Every now and then, huge methane bubbles would surge up from the sludge, bursting with a "glug" sound and spewing out a nauseating stench that even contained trace amounts of toxins.

"Clatter—!"

*Thud!*

A series of hurried and frantic footsteps abruptly tore through the deathly silence, barging into this cursed region without warning.

She was a petite and graceful young girl.

Her skin should have been very fair, and she was wearing a finely crafted emerald green tight-fitting leather armor.

But at this moment, she was biting her bloodless lips tightly, her fair face was covered with black mud, and her hair roots were already completely soaked with cold sweat, sticking messily to her forehead.

But she didn't care about her disheveled appearance at all.

She just ran desperately forward through the mud, glancing back in terror every now and then, her eyes filled with despair.

In the endless darkness behind her, something terrifying and indescribable seemed to be relentlessly pursuing her.

"Crackling sound—!!!"

suddenly!

Somewhere deep within this oppressive and gloomy swamp, a blindingly bright and eerie burst of lightning erupted without warning!

A strong smell of burning and a violent aura of thunder instantly filled the air.

The girl was clearly startled by this sudden strange phenomenon, and her steps to escape came to an abrupt halt.

She breathed heavily, cautiously releasing her meager spiritual energy, tentatively probing towards the direction from which the lightning had exploded.

Soon, her previously despairing face suddenly lit up with an incredible joy and frantic hope, as if she had grasped at the last straw.

With trembling hands, the girl ripped off an old silver ring that had been hanging tightly around her neck, clutching it tightly in her hand until it left a bloody mark.

Her eyes flickered violently in the darkness, like a gambler driven to desperation, finally making a desperate gamble.

The next second, her eyes instantly became incredibly resolute. She turned around and, stumbling along, quickly rushed towards the center of the violent lightning explosion!