Advent of the Archmage

Heroto was in a state of disorder when he appeared. His white beard had been sheared unevenly by some sharp object and stained by blood. His clothes were in tatters. He looked around. Feeling that something was not right, he asked, "Halino, what happened here? Did I miss anything?"

Halino chuckled. "No, you've arrived just in time, Heroto."

Eugene said, "Heroto, I'm telling you, the Red Dragon Queen's lost it. She's turned on us! She wants to destroy the Book of Creation's fragment!"

If Heroto had not appeared and Link had chosen to side with the Red Dragon Queen, both Eugene and Halino would have lost all hope of retrieving the Book of Creation's fragment.

But now, their overall strength had received a huge boost with the appearance of Heroto. They now had an advantage over the Red Dragon Queen. Even if Link allied himself with her, it would not have made a difference.

Also, Link was a reasonable person. He would definitely be able to see that he had no chance of winning against them. Not wanting to risk annihilation alongside the queen, Link would naturally choose to pull out from their dispute.

The Red Dragon Queen might even be thinking about taking all three of them on her own. If she was still intent on stopping them, it would only mean her death.

Gretel had also noticed the sudden change in her situation. She turned to Heroto.

"No, Great Sage, the Book of Creation's fragment is just too powerful. Whoever has it will... Eugene, you bastard! Are you looking to die so soon?"

Before she even finished, she realized that Eugene had already raced up the mountain ahead of them.

As he streaked up the mountain, he shouted back, "There's nothing to be said between us, Gretel. Our opinions differ greatly. Trying to persuade the other to see one's point of view would simply be an exercise in futility. Halino, Heroto, stop her!"

Gretel opened her mouth wide, and a huge fire pillar surged out from it towards the Dark Magician Eugene like a sharp sword.

It did not matter whether Link decided to side with her. It did not matter if she had to see this fight through on her own. Even if it meant risking death, she would do whatever it took to destroy the Book of Creation's fragment.

And so, she did not hesitate to make the first move against Eugene.

Heroto was still unclear about the situation. The atmosphere was already tense when he appeared in their midst. Seeing that Gretel had struck out at Eugene, Heroto decided to join forces with Halino and Eugene.

He pointed his wand at the ground. "Mountain Surge!"

A rumbling sound came from the ground. In an instant, the ground rose up, forming a 500-foot tall, 1000-foot wide, 100-foot thick stone wall. It was as if a huge mountain had appeared out of thin air.

The five-foot thick dragon breath hit the stone wall. Streaks of fire and light flew off in all directions upon impact, and molten rock flowed from the wall, but the attack did not penetrate the thick stone wall.

"Gretel, what are you doing? !" Heroto could not grasp the Red Dragon Queen's actions.

Halino said hurriedly, "Save your questions for later, Heroto. Our top priority now is to retrieve the Book of Creation's fragment before anything happens to it!"

This sounded reasonable. Still unclear about the whole situation, Heroto decided not to think too much about it for now and pointed his wand at the Red Dragon Queen's feet. "Earthquake!"

With another rumbling, the ground beneath the Red Dragon Queen began to roil like an ocean's surface during a storm.

Gretel spread out her wings and rushed into the sky in a whoosh. She then spewed dragon breath at Heroto as she flew up.

Another huge pillar of fire surged out from her mouth.

This was not all. A dark purple fireball was now taking shape in front of the Red Dragon Queen's massive body. It gradually expanded into a three-foot wide purple-black fireball.

"Ball of Destruction!"

Dragon breath surged towards Halino and Mountain Sage Heroto like an avalanche. On the other hand, the Ball of Destruction hurtled towards the Mountain Sage's huge stone barrier and collided into the huge hole that Gretel had managed to carve into it with her first burst of dragon fire.

In the next second, an explosion shook the earth. The Ball of Destruction had exploded, shattering the stone barrier into pieces. The stone that formed the barrier melted into hot molten lava, which burst out in all directions at incredible speed. In an instant, lava sprayed out as far as a few thousand feet around the point of impact.

From afar, it looked as if someone had set off a lava-filled firework!

This was an indiscriminate attack, covering everyone and everything within its area in an instant. It also had tremendous power. Each blob of lava that was sent flying into the air could reach Level-11 or above in terms of power. Only the Red Dragon Queen was able to unleash an attack of this magnitude with ease.

In the midst of this catastrophic display of fire and smoke, a flash of white light appeared. It was Link's spatial portal. Just as everyone else was busy taking cover, Link appeared beside Eliard and Nana and conjured a spatial barrier around them.

As soon as the barrier appeared, hot molten lava began falling from the sky and onto the spatial barrier. The barrage of lava was then suspended in midair by this transparent barrier before it hit the ground.

Through the spatial barrier, all three of them saw that Halino, Heroto and even Eugene stopped in their tracks in order to set up their magical defenses against this attack.

Seeing the raging Red Dragon Queen floating in the air, Eliard could not help but exclaim, "The dragons' queen really is powerful to be able to hold her own against three Legendary masters!"

Nana thought otherwise. She was staring at Halino. She then whispered, "Two seconds."

"Two seconds until what?" asked Eliard.

Link replied, "Two seconds from now, the Light Magician Halino will retaliate. Judging from the flow of energy within him, the attack he's preparing will be lethal. She'll die from it!"

Halino was a Level-13 master who had seen much in the world for the last hundred or so years. He was a peerless master whose power was second to none. The Red Dragon Queen was simply not a match for him.

Link's hand was already holding up the Ode of a Full Moon sword as he said this. Though his choice differed slightly from the others, Link was still of the opinion that the Red Dragon Queen's continued existence would benefit Link and Ferde more than her demise.

And so, if Gretel was really in trouble, he would have to step up and come to her aid.

As the terrifying shower of lava came to an end, Halino's voice rang out. "Your Highness, this is getting ridiculous. I've always held you in the highest esteem. But now, you've gone too far. You seem to forget that I too have a temper!"

Halino was now holding a white crystal magic wand. He pointed at the sky, and a faint golden light flashed out from the tip of the wand into the air.

"Light's Fury: Lightning Retribution!"

There was a rumble in the sky. Almost at the same time, a streak of lightning descended from the clouds like a golden electric serpent, striking the Red Dragon Queen squarely.

The golden lightning's power was incredible. When it flashed out, the whole sky was lit up as bright as day. The ice plain was bathed in a golden light, holy and pure like an angel's halo.

Though the Red Dragon Queen's body was massive, her size was trivial in comparison to the sheer force of Halino's lightning attack.

Eliard's eyes widened, unable to believe what he had just seen. He was at a loss for words, unable to comprehend the terrifying attack Halino had just unleashed.

If one had compared the Red Dragon Queen's Ball of Destruction attack to the earth's terrible fury, then the Light Magician Halino's Lightning Retribution attack was like a divine punishment meted out directly by a god. It had come straight from the heavens with enough power to bring all mortals down to their knees in reverential awe.

The earth might be powerful, but it was still inferior to the heavens. Anyone could see that the Red Dragon Queen would not be able to survive the attack.

Link was still gripping on the Ode of a Full Moon sword. However, a moment later, he loosened his grip. He knew that the Red Dragon Queen must have something up her sleeve. She would not be killed so easily by this.

The bolt of lightning pierced through the Red Dragon Queen's body as it descended from the heavens. It seemed to have hit her, but in the next second, her body began to fade until it finally vanished.

"Was she hit by the lightning?" Eliard asked, stunned.

"No, she's entered the Sea of Void," whispered Nana.

The golden lightning bolt was indeed powerful, but the Red Dragon Queen did not bother defending herself against it. Her dragon body was a vessel meant for crossing the Void. She must have realized that she was completely outmatched by Halino, and so chose to slip into the Void to avoid the attack.

"Uhm?" Halino was stunned by this as well. He had assumed that the queen had lost her mind completely. The fact that she still retained her combat sense had caught him by surprise.

"Eugene, stay alert! She could ambush you from anywhere!" Halino shouted at the Dark Magician, who was already halfway up the mountain.

"I know, just mind your own business... Ah, going after the fragment yourself, eh?" No longer caring where the queen might strike next, Eugene continued making his way up towards the mountain's peak.

Halino had also turned into a ball of golden light, which sped off towards the peak of the mountain. Though he and Eugene had formed a temporary alliance, Halino was not about to let Eugene lay his hands on the fragment.

Once Eugene had gotten hold of such a treasure, there was no way he would ever let it go again. Things would become even more troublesome at that point.

Both Light and Dark Magicians raced up the mountain towards its peak.

Mountain Sage Heroto remained confused, unsure of what was happening right now. Had they not all agreed to retrieve the fragment together? The lord of Ferde had been standing on the sidelines of this fight that had broken out among them. Was it not him they had all come to stop from wreaking havoc? Why did they all start fighting one another?

Seeing that the two Magicians were getting closer towards the peak, Eliard asked, "Should we move in, Link?"

The fate of Ferde should not be up to these two outsiders to decide. Eliard realized just then that wanting to live a peaceful life was an extremely tricky business. The world was filled with ambitious schemers vying for a huge piece of it. Their every action could easily upset the balance of the world if they were not careful enough.

The only surefire way of taking control of one's own fate was to become even stronger than these masters.

There were only two options available to Eliard and the others right now : either let the Book of Creation's fragment be destroyed, or let Ferde have it!

Link did not move. Still looking at both Light and Dark Magicians, he said in a low voice, "Things aren't as simple as they look. The Red Dragon Queen may reappear at any moment, and the Book of Creation's fragment is still protected by a defensive barrier and the will of a guardian. We'll see how things go."

A second after Link finished speaking, Halino and Eugene were basically near the mountaintop. Just then, ripples began to form near where they were.

A moment later, a faint purple light burst out from the Sea of Void. It was the Red Dragon Queen's Dragon Void Breath!

"I've been expecting, you red lizard!" said Eugene. He had completely dispensed with formalities at this point. He pointed his wand at where the dragon breath was coming from.

"Dark Canvas!" A glittering sheet of darkness before Eugene, blocking the Dragon Void Breath attack from Gretel.

"Your Highness, you're outmatched!"

Halino had also joined in the counterattack against the Red Dragon Queen. Pointing his wand, he shouted, "Judgement of Light!"

It was another Level-13 light spell. A golden light surged into the depths of the Void, drilling into it like a cyclone.

The force of the attack was incredible. Eliard and Nana could not see what was going on, but Link was now ready to leap into the fray and put an end to the fight.

The Red Dragon Queen was up against two Legendary masters. As a Level-11 dragon queen, even with the advantage she had by hiding herself in the Sea of Void, she could not possibly defeat two Level-13 veteran masters by herself.

Link figured that the Red Dragon Queen would sustain heavy injuries from this fight at best.

Just when Link decided to step into the fight, something happened.

There was a hum. Light shot out from the mountain peak, hitting everyone present. At that point, all six of them were completely immobilized. Even the clashing spells were frozen in midair.

Then, the voice of the guardian sounded. "Alright, people, that's enough. I've seen what you have chosen."

A white silhouette appeared on the platform at the mountaintop. His gaze swept across everyone before finally coming to rest on Link. "Except you. I don't really know what you're thinking."