Age of Adepts

While the observers hesitated and chose their actions, the result of the battle grew clearer and clearer by the minute.

Greem, who had already dueled Mornashen and Cerveris in succession, might still be powerful, but he was already at his limits.

However, with the aid of the two Fifth Grade artifacts, his power was still at the level of an ultra-powerhouse, even at his weakest. That was why it was absolute domination when he was free to intervene in the battle between the Crimson Clan and the invading Central adepts.

No one could defend against his explosive fireballs brimming with dense fire laws. No one could neutralize the terrifying and ferocious corrosion of the laws.

The first to flee was Matthew.

He had been engaged with Remi the Spirit of Pestilence and had been unable to disengage when Greem hit him with an Explosive Fireball.

The flames were easy to shield himself against, but the laws were not!

Matthew might have studied the laws for several hundreds of years, but he was as proficient with the application of law powers as a baby was with words. He had no idea how to draw upon the laws to form a defense for himself.

As such, when faced with the surging magical fires and the penetrating fire laws, the elementium defenses around Matthew shattered like an eggshell. Flames engulfed his entire body before he could even cry out in surprise.

Aaaaaah!

Matthew screamed in agony and broke free of the sea of flames with all his power, fleeing toward the distant horizon.

Most people of sufficient power could see his body scorched and burning as he ran, a few clusters of fire still clinging onto his skin, refusing to be extinguished.

It was obvious that the fire laws had seeped into his body. Even if he fled back to his clan, it would take several years of rest and conditioning to remove the fire laws’ contamination.

With Matthew serving as a precedent, the other adepts on the battlefield began to consider their own safety and benefit.

The second victim Greem set his eyes on was Elder Nicolas, who had always been hostile toward the Crimson Clan. The shadow of Elder Nicolas could faintly be seen behind several of the conflicts involving the Crimson Clan in the past.

Nicolas also appeared to be very cautious and guarded against Greem. The moment he saw Greem look over with his blazing eyes, Nicolas crushed a piece of magical shell-like equipment in his hand without any hesitation. Mists surged around him as he vanished without a trace.

He had truly fled, as even his soul aura was gone entirely from the battlefield.

It seemed to open a valve of sorts as the few remaining adepts started to panic.

They all began to escape and flee the battlefield through their own means before Greem could turn on them. In the end, the only person left was Body-Refining Adept Fabres, whose face had now turned dark green and whose eyes filled with dread.

Fabres was a classic body-refining adept. He did not have the variety of magic that elementium adepts possessed, nor did he have the same kind of mobility. He had tried fleeing the battlefield, but Fourth Grade Thunder Dragon Arms always stopped him.

The anxiety and dread he felt wholly distracted him from the fight against the dragon.

On the one hand, he had to be wary of Greem striking him with invisible spells, while on the other, he had to find an opportunity to escape the battlefield. However, before that opportunity could arrive, Mary and Kerala surrounded him.

Fourth Grade Thunder Dragon Arms, Bloody Queen Mary, and Adept Kerala. With these three Fourth Grades beating down on him, Fabres was predictably defeated quickly, despite his tough body.

He was very fortunate not to have become a sacrifice to Greem’s fire laws. At the same time, he was also very unfortunate, as he became a test subject for Arms’ lightning laws, Mary’s blood laws, and Kerala’s darkness laws.

Fabres howled in pain as he crashed down from the skies, smashing a deep crater into the ground. His body crackled with flashes of electricity, crimson energy bubbling from his wounds. A dark black rune flickered on his forehead, causing his consciousness to sink in and out of darkness.

Body-refining adepts that focused on Strength were still too immobile, after all. They did not have the speed that an agile adept like Mary would possess.

Thus, Fabres became the only high-grade captive in this historic battle.

Once the battle’s result was clear, Adept Kerala slowly flew away from Mary and stared at Greem.

She could sense that Greem was incredibly injured and spiritually exhausted. However, no one could see through Greem’s law defenses under all those flames, and no one knew how grievously wounded he actually was.

Were they ordinary injuries? Or were they deep wounds that hurt his actual body? Or perhaps it was grievous damage that had shaken the very foundations of his power. Greem’s actual conditions here could affect the attitude of the major forces toward the Crimson Clan henceforth.

In the past, Kerala would certainly have lunged forward with all she had and fought endlessly until the legendary fire adept had been defeated. However, now that the two of them were grasshoppers tied on the same rope, Kerala couldn’t help but be concerned about Greem’s injuries.

Of course, more so than her concern, Kerala was also keeping her guard up around the fire adept.

There had been too many conflicts and disagreements between them before their truce. Even though they had agreed to settle their differences earlier, it was entirely possible for Greem to dismiss his promises. That was why Kerala could only stand aside and await Greem’s response.

Greem might be burnt out, but he still pulled himself together and dealt with the battle’s conclusions.

It couldn’t be helped. It had been was a battle of high-grade adepts. If he, the clan leader, did not take a stance, then there was no one else who could represent the will of the Crimson Clan.

“Adept Kerala, our agreement still stands. My Crimson Clan will form an alliance with your clan, effective immediately!”

Upon hearing Greem’s words, Kerala could finally relax.

Those Fourth Grade adepts might look like mighty, higher beings that would stand eternally. However, if they chose the wrong side in a conflict, even an ancient clan with thousands of years of legacy and an incredible foundation could be reduced to dust in a matter of moments.

The conflicts between high-grade adepts were just as dangerous and vicious as the scheming and plotting between apprentices.

A conflict between adept apprentices ended with very low stakes. The worst thing that could happen was the death of the individual. However, should a high-grade adept lose a war, it could easily mean the disintegration of an entire clan of thousands of individuals. Moreover, any individual that was even remotely related to the defeated Fourth Grade would most certainly face the scythe of death.

As for the associated worldly kingdoms, their monarchs, and all their nobility? You could only imagine how many people would be involved in the ensuing purge!

The cause of this event might have been the conflict between the Crimson Clan and the Dener Clan, but by the end of it all, the conflict had evolved into a war between the incumbent forces represented by Freed’s Zhentarim Association and the newly rising influence of the Crimson Clan.

Meanwhile, Adept Kerala’s choice to change sides had proved to be the correct one. With that one decision, she had undoubtedly preserved the Dener Clan’s right to continue existing. As for Freed, Fabres, and the others? Their clans now faced an unprecedented crisis.

Survival or death? All of that was now up to no more than a single thought in Greem’s mind!

“Mary, you stay here and deal with the cleanup. You should consult with Adept Kerala, especially with regard to future plans regarding the Central Lands. I won’t be sticking around,” Greem gave a few simple instructions. He then looked around the battlefield and, after confirming that he had settled everything, erupted in a massive cluster of flames.

By the time the fires dissipated, Greem was nowhere to be seen.

Inside Fire Throne.

Greem had reverted into his human form. He stumbled straight into Alice’s arms when he appeared, large spouts of black blood spewing forth from the myriad wounds on his body, completely staining Alice in black.

He had fallen unconscious the instant he teleported back.

“Helen, quick! Come and help!” Alice endured her discomfort with the pungent blood and shouted urgently.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. How’d he end up in such a terrible condition!? He…the law powers in his body are so chaotic,” Helen beat her wings as she pointed her wand at Greem and cast Levitate.

Unfortunately, the magical light was shattered into pieces by the chaotic law powers in Greem’s body the moment it entered. Greem, who had just begun to levitate, sunk straight into Alice’s arms again, almost throwing her to the ground.

“Helen, are you trying to help, or are you just making more trouble for me!?” Tears were already welling up in Alice’s eyes at the sight of her bloodied lover. She had none of her usual composure or patience.

“I…he…the law powers in his body have gone out of control. I…my magic won’t work on him anymore!” Little Helen, who had always been a carefree spirit, almost started crying when her partner started shouting at her so sternly.

At this time, it was Lucia, who had been watching on quietly from the sidelines, that decided she could not watch on any longer.

Arcane Enhancement.

An instant-cast Second Grade arcane spell enhanced Alice’s Physique and Strength by 5 points. This Arcane Enhancement allowed Alice to barely prop up Greem and bring him to a room with a bed.

She put him down carefully and took off his robes. At last, the tears she had been holding back streaked down her cheek.

Greem had a muscular body that was comparable to a Second Grade body-refining adept. At this moment, that body was covered in wounds, much of the flesh appearing as bloody pulp. It was almost as if he had been thrown into a barrel of knives and rolled around. You could see bone here and there, as well as long gashes measuring several fingers wide.

Blood continued to pour out of his body.

The blood still appeared black despite how much he had been bleeding. Moreover, it carried a nauseating stench. It was obvious that there was some form of poison in his body.

More terrifying was the fact that black smoke rose from the wounds on his body. Most of his flesh had turned black and was giving off the smell of rot.

Greem’s wounds were unprecedentedly severe!