Advent of the Archmage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Various green magic shields lit up one after another, protecting the elders.

The energy for these shields came from the World Tree and reached the pinnacle of Level-19. Protected by the shields, even if Link and Saroviny made a hole in the space here, the building would still be undamaged. The shockwaves wouldn’t harm the capital either.

“Young man, you don’t know what kind of power you’re facing right now!” Dark Mana rumbled. Saroviny’s voice was like a tiger or a dragon’s roar. It made one’s heart tremble.

Even though they were protected, the High Elf elders still paled from the voice. It wasn’t that they were hurt. Instead, their minds were attacked. In other words, they were scared!

The High Elves further back were better off. After the initial shock, they composed themselves and stared at Link in concern.

Demon Saroviny’s wild dark power filled the space outside the magic shield. The space twisted completely. People could even make out black shards of space. Compared to it, Theodore’s range of influence was much smaller. It only reached three feet away from him.

From the look of things, Theodore was completely at a disadvantage.

Since the situation was like this, there was no room for compromises. The High Elf Queen took a deep breath and said to the five Legendary guards beside her, “This battle pertains to the fate of our race. Go help! Don’t let Theodore be alone!”

The High Elf Queen wasn’t powerful enough, but she saw things clearly. Earlier, she saw Theodore block Saroviny’s sudden attack. He was disadvantaged against Saroviny’s wild tide of power, but he could still resist.

This meant that Saroviny actually wasn’t much weaker. It was still possible for him to win. If he also had the full help of the Legendary royal guards, the possibility would increase. She didn’t need Saroviny killed on the spot. If she was gravely hurt, she might reveal a fatal flaw. After all, they were in the royal capital. They were right under the World Tree!

The High Elf Queen had the boldness of a ruler. Now that there was a chance to turn the tides, she would immediately gamble everything. Even if all the Legendary guards died, even if she would face Saroviny’s anger if they were defeated, she had to take this chance for her race!

The Legendary guards also sensed this chance. They all had tragically heroic expressions as they bowed to the queen, then rose to join the fight.

But unexpectedly, Theodore’s voice sounded after they took some steps. “Don’t come over. I can deal with her! She’s just putting on a show!”

“Idiocy!” Saroviny roared. But strangely enough, other than showing off her wild power, she didn’t attack. She obviously wasn’t scared of her enemy. She was just looking for a flaw to kill him at once and create the biggest effect.

The High Elf Queen also urged, “Theodore, it’s not the time to pretend to be strong.”

“Your Majesty, no matter how many guards you send, they’re useless in a fight of this level. Don’t let these talents die meaninglessly.” Link looked at Saroviny with a cool gaze. He clearly had the lower hand, but he gave off the feeling that he was the stronger one.

This attitude made Saroviny a bit unsure. She stared at Link’s body and sensed his aura closely. She felt that he was full of flaws, but when she prepared to attack, the flaws would vanish.

The situation was strange. She couldn’t be sure, so she still didn’t attack.

She didn’t move, but Link suddenly did. He took a step forward and sneered. “Demon, I recognize you. You were the general of the demon army when we were at the human Orida Fortress. It’s so sad that you have Legendary power, but you were trapped in Aragu by the Ferde lord and finally escaped after a century. But even though you’re back, your courage is still in Aragu. You’re too scared to find the Ferde lord for revenge, so you come to show off in the Isle of Dawn… You’re just a scaredy cat!”

At the end, Link peered down at Saroviny as if out of disdain. His words were even more insulting. Each one pierced Saroviny’s heart.

Her biggest enemy was Link, but she couldn’t defeat him. Every time that she tried, she would get humiliated instead.

Now that Link said all this, she felt her vision go black. Gritting her teeth loudly, a voice as cold as the iciest swamp in the Abyss was squeezed from between her teeth, “Young elf, you talk too much!”

Before she finished, she already stabbed her sword forward. It contained her hatred. In its path, space was destroyed and the orderly time turned chaotic. Wild Void energy shot from deep inside space to this realm. The entire battlefield warped in that instant.

In this zone, neither time nor space held meaning anymore. Only two things existed: pure power and a strong soul!

A mortal couldn’t even glance at this wild zone without being shaken up, let alone stand inside it. They might even be scared straight to death. It was like an innocent child suddenly seeing the bloody scene of a tiger eating a human in the forest. They would obviously be freaked out!

The High Elf Elders all retreated involuntarily. Some less courageous ones even yelped like children. The World Tree shield could protect their bodies but could not give them strong souls.

Even the Legendary guards trembled at Saroviny’s attack. They couldn’t believe such aggressive power could exist in this world.

Can Theodore block it? the Legendary guards all thought.

“Go die, lucky elf! Go die, blessed child of the World Tree!” Amidst the chaotic currents, Saroviny’s voice was as lofty as a god’s. It was horrible and omnipresent.

But in the next moment, a beam of green light shot from the wild current of energy. This light was like an agile dragon in the roaring tide. No matter how the waves crashed, the dragon was still unaffected.

The “dragon” snaked through the waves, dodging energy peaks one after another. Suddenly, it turned and charged towards one giant wave.

Boom! The sound shook everyone’s hearts. Silence followed the explosion.

The first moment, the energy tide scared everyone out of their minds. The next moment, everything vanished. White powder flew out in the empty space at the center of the building. When the dust settled, two figures were revealed.

Link was still standing in place. The halo of green light remained around him. There were no changes; he didn’t even seem to have budged.

Fifteen feet away stood Saroviny. She was in a much more pathetic state. Her hair was messy, and her Abyss of Despair robe was covered in dust. The sharpness of her eyes had dimmed too. She stood while holding her sword, staring at Link incredulously.

In the exchange earlier, she’d felt a very familiar soul. It was none other than her biggest nemesis—the Ferde lord!

In addition, only he had this kind of swordsmanship and spells. Only he could make her feel like such a failure!

She stared at Link and sneered. She wanted to reveal his identity and completely destroy his plan of fusing the realms!

She thought this, and so she did it. “Ferde lord, it’s you! I was wondering how such a powerful elf could pop up in the Isle of Dawn. This is your disguise!”

As she spoke, she focused on defending herself. Rather than trying to defeat Link, she did it to protect her last chance of escape.

But when she was done, she saw that Link remained unmoved. He didn’t plan on stopping her at all. Finding it strange, Saroviny thought seriously and felt her blood run cold. Is he preparing to kill all the High Elves on the island and suck their souls?

The High Elves present weren’t stupid. The fight had been intense, and no victor was clear, but Saroviny looked like she’d lost. This was great news. But then Saroviny’s words shocked them all.

The Ferde lord was the Isle of Dawn’s greatest enemy. Ever since he started rising, the island’s space of survival kept getting restricted. Both their status amongst the races and their annual profits had been decreasing dramatically. If not for the protection of the World Tree, they would be at the level of the Dark Elves now.

Someone this strong had snuck into the Isle of Dawn, and no one discovered him. This was terrifying!

After the High Elves heard this, they were first shocked and then horrified. The High Elf Queen, the elders, the young, the guards and everyone stared at Link, waiting for his reply.

Link stood in place. His expression didn’t change as if Saroviny’s words had nothing to do with him. “What, you can’t defeat me, so you’re trying to destroy our trust?”

“Link, you can’t fool me! I can recognize you even if you turn to dust! Stop hiding. A true hero shows himself!” Saroviny cackled. She felt some hope now.

Yes, Link was in Level-19 and was much stronger than her, but this was the Isle of Dawn. It had the strong World Tree too. Even Link had to avoid it. Disguising himself as a High Elf was proof. If he was exposed and attacked by the World Tree, he wouldn’t be able to retreat unharmed… But then Saroviny felt like she’d missed an important detail.

What was it?

They’d gone through a big battle, and Saroviny’s mind was in a mess. She couldn’t remember.

Just as she furrowed her brows, deep in thought, Link suddenly said, “Oh, I received the World Tree’s blessing last night. Do you think the World Tree would mistake people like you?”

Ah?! Saroviny froze, feeling icy-cold instantly.

She’d thought very deeply. The most terrifying one was that Link found out the World Tree’s secret. Not only could he not be found by the World Tree, but he could also use its power! If he really could do that, she probably wouldn’t survive today. Even her father might not be able to save her.

The High Elves were excited again. Their suspicion decreased dramatically. Since he could be blessed by the World Tree, Theodore must be a pureblood High Elf noble. The demon must have tried this trick because she knew she would lose!

Link smiled. He looked around at the High Elves. “Your Majesty, elders, my brethren, I, Theodore Morgenstern, was not only blessed by the World Tree last night. I also received its warning. Would you like to know?”

“Please speak, Theodore.” The queen’s eyes were very gentle. Right now, Theodore was the hope of the Isle of Dawn. In the future, he might even be able to fight against the Ferde lord.

The other High Elves all listened, holding their breaths.

When everyone’s attention was on him, Link pointed his sword at Saroviny. “The World Tree told me that a Realm Devourer appeared in the Sea of Void,” he announced. “Its name is the Ruler of Light and Darkness. This ruler’s daughter is Saroviny. She wants to stop the fusion of the realms to prevent Firuman from strengthening and having the power to resist the Realm Devourer!”

Here, Link turned to Saroviny. “Demon, your Abyss of Despair robe must be your father’s gift, right? Everyone, look at her robe. Let me ask you, can the owner of such an evil battle robe be a kind god?”

The High Elves began discussing anxiously. Everyone stared at the Abyss of Despair robe.

It was honestly too sinister. Not only did it radiate dark aura, but it also contained countless painful shadows. Each shadow was in a wailing state. There were countless of them in countless types of pain. A common man would get dizzy by looking at it. If they kept staring, their souls would even get pulled out.

Seeing the fearful expressions, Saroviny knew that her advantage was gone. She knew that the enemy was Link, but no one would believe her. The High Elves were too weak, too slow, and they were all mortals.

A Level-19 man could use some small tricks to fool everyone. Nothing she said would work.

Link continued. “The World Tree also told me that the Ruler of Light and Darkness is coming for Firuman. To stop this horrible god, the realm’s time sped up. This means we have less than two months to prepare to fight against the god. If we want to defend ourselves, our only solution is to fuse the realms!”

“See, he’s the Ferde lord! He’s doing everything to trick you into fusing the realms!” Saroviny yelled.

But no one listened to her. The High Elves were arrogant xenophobes. They only believed their own race. Right now, there was someone of their race who had been blessed by the World Tree and was telling them the World Tree’s warning. How could they not believe him?

“The World Tree told me that it’s not our first time fighting against the Ruler of Light and Darkness,” Link continued. “Two hundred thousand years ago, this ruler descended upon the ancient Firuman Realm. It caused the realm to crack apart. Now, he’s coming again, and Firuman at last has the power to resist…”

“Two hundred thousand years is so long ago. How can anyone be sure it’s true?” Saroviny felt that she’d found a flaw.

“The tenth page of the Book of Moses records, ‘Meteorites descended from the sky, bringing catastrophe to the world.’ I’m sure the scholars of history must have read this sentence, right?”

The High Elves were proudest of their history. At this, an elder with white hair walked out with his cane. “There indeed is this sentence. I had thought it was just a myth, but now that Theodore mentioned it, it suddenly dawned on me.”

This elder was the patriarch of the Duskmoon family. He was well-educated and respected in the history field. He was also serious about learning. Since he supported Link, the other elves all trusted him, even the High Elf Queen.

Since things were at this point, it was very clear. Saroviny couldn’t say anything. Gritting her teeth, her expression turned menacing. “I will die today, but you won’t be well-off either. Link, I will expose you!”

Before she finished, she’d already rushed out, stabbing towards Link again.

This sword truly contained all her hatred and it was many times more powerful than before. If Link really was only a High Elf blessed by the World Tree and didn’t have much experience in using the power, he might be defeated by this. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

His Natural territory flowed around him with a green light. Countless leaf-like images danced around him like butterflies before wrapping around the thin High Elf sword in his hands. Finally, he stabbed.

Natural power was usually gentle, but when nature was angry, it could destroy the world too. The techniques could be extremely miraculous too.

Link met Saroviny’s dark sword with his sword wrapped in countless leaves. Both touched Saroviny’s sword at the same time and kept entangling, squeezing, and clashing. Some leaves started sprouting on Saroviny’s sword, quickly sucking out the dark power and turning it into Natural Mana.

Converting energy was the Natural territories strongest skill.

In that instant, Link’s Natural Mana wasn’t stronger than Saroviny, but after a few clashes, Link’s Mana started rising while Saroviny’s plummeted. After a while, Link had the upper hand.

Clang, clang, clang! After many consecutive clashes, Link’s sword broke through Saroviny’s defenses and stabbed between her brows.

His power exploded and destroyed the demon’s soul. Saroviny shook.

With a clatter, her sword fell to the ground. She lost her vitality at that moment too and just hung limply against Link’s sword.

Snick. Link pulled back his sword. Turning, he announced to the High Elf Queen, “Your Majesty, I’ve defeated the demon. We High Elves have the World Tree. It’s time to take up the heavy responsibility of protecting the realm!”

The High Elf Queen looked at Saroviny’s corpse and let out a sigh. She thought back to what she saw when Saroviny took her around Aragu. Looking at Theodore now, she suddenly kind of believed Saroviny’s words earlier.

Suspicion grew in her.

Instead of replying immediately, she looked to Theodore. A few seconds later, she said, “Theodore, you are our race’s hero. I will announce your reward before the royal tombs. Time is running short. Let’s go now.”

Link furrowed his brows slightly. He wasn’t sure what the High Elf Queen would do, but he didn’t want to ruin things, so he just agreed.

“It is my honor, Your Majesty.”