Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1739: Section 1740 Another Vortex

The void, in an instant, transformed into a pendulum, swaying back and forth. This ”swaying” was merely a sensation, but Toby could feel his consciousness being stretched and compressed amid the strange spatial distortion, nearly losing its cohesive form.

”What is happening?” Toby wondered as he did his utmost to maintain balance, his mind filled with confusion.

Throughout more than a hundred experiences in the House of the Heart, he had never encountered such a situation.

With the other side so close at hand, why did this sudden anomaly occur? What exactly had gone wrong?

As anxiety gnawed at Toby, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts grew increasingly elated, continuously releasing its negative emotions to further provoke greater changes in the void.

This terrifying and unknown disruption persisted for an indeterminate amount of time. Just as Toby felt his consciousness might be torn into fragments, the oscillations in the void gradually subsided into stillness.

As Toby breathed a sigh of relief at having survived, the space directly in front of him suddenly began to shift.

At first, it seemed as if space itself had overlapped, but slowly, this overlap began to curve and eventually twisted. Finally, countless distortions within the spatial fractures coalesced into a small vortex.

The moment this small vortex materialized, it began to expand maniacally, swelling in a fleeting instant to rival the dimensions of the previous largest vortex.

Gazing at the vortex before him, Toby’s expression turned cautious. In the largest vortex before, a Snake Bird had emerged, something for which Toby’s experience had provided him some means to counter. However, with this new vortex rivaling its predecessor in size, any magical creature that might emerge would likely be beyond his ability to easily handle.

Most crucially, this vortex lay precisely at the endpoint, directly barring the way. This meant that even if Toby attempted to bypass it, he could not evade its presence. If another magical creature emerged from inside, he would undoubtedly have to face it head-on.

Trials in the real world, after all, proved far more tumultuous than those in the House of the Heart.

Because of this, an uneasiness crept into Toby’s heart.

However, Toby swiftly suppressed this unease. While the vortex now before him had never appeared within the House of the Heart, the strength he now possessed similarly surpassed anything he had wielded there.

He had absorbed the full power of a Gryphon from many magical creatures and, after slaying the Snake Bird, had even gained an intuitive grasp over parts of this Mind Space. Under such favorable conditions, Toby was confident he could dismantle any obstacle blocking his path!

This confidence stemmed from his growing strength and conviction. Yet, this confidence faltered quickly, for not long after the vortex emerged, an unprecedentedly terrifying aura began to seep outward...

Meanwhile, the outside world also fell into a commotion.

When Toby had killed the Snake Bird, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had already reached an impasse. Its despair manifested as the black mist churning less frequently outside.

Moreover, with Toby seizing partial control of the Mind Space, this reflected externally as well—the black mist appeared diluted, becoming increasingly faint.

The convergence of these two developments brought a ray of sunshine to the otherwise shadowed heart of Greya.

”The black mist is calming and growing thinner. Does this mean...” Greya’s eyes sparkled with hope as she gazed into the distance. ”Has Toby succeeded?”

Angel could not provide a definitive answer to Greya’s question, but based on the current situation, even if Toby had not yet succeeded, he should be close. After all, that patch of black mist in the distance was not merely mist—it was a condensation of negative emotions, including jealousy and wrath, and the very essence of the Snake Bird’s Origin.

If the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had won, that black mist would have grown thicker and its range more expansive. However, judging by its present state, not only had the mist ceased to spread, but it was also dispersing, signaling that Toby now held the upper hand.

”It’s not over yet, but this appears to be the final battle,” Angel murmured, a gleam of cold light flickering in his eyes. ”Moreover, Toby is no longer at any disadvantage now.”

Greya let out a relieved breath and whispered as if in prayer, ”The River of Fate still flows by Toby’s side.”

”Are you planning to study prophecy spells with talk like that?” Angel asked curiously, his gaze shifting to Greya. Apart from those in prophecy paths, few wizards casually used terms like ”the River of Fate.”

Perhaps Toby’s favorable situation eased her heart, for Greya’s expression had noticeably lightened. She smiled at Angel. ”A long, long time ago, I delved into prophecy spells. The school I chose back then was indeed the River of Fate. But alas, I probably lack any real talent in prophecy. Beyond the occasional use of ’Fortune’s Choice,’ the rest is beyond my ability.”

Greya’s chosen school was the River of Fate, but ”Fortune’s Choice” belonged to the school of ”The Questioning Bell.” This mix-and-match was hardly unusual; after all, in the vast field of divination, one of the more accessible methods was ”Fortune’s Choice.” Much like detection tricks, it relied on an individual’s knowledge base, collecting and analyzing conditions in the present environment and known context to reach the most optimized possible conclusion. Its essence differed somewhat from prophecy itself.

”Why not try using ’Fortune’s Choice’ to see if Toby can ultimately prevail?” Angel suggested.

Greya fell silent for a moment before shaking her head. ”I won’t...” She hadn’t yet uttered the word ”dare” when an unexpected turn of events abruptly unfolded.

In the distance, the black mist suddenly began roiling anew, and this time, its range expanded. If it were mere turbulence, Greya could have explained it as simply, ”In the final battle, it’s impossible for Toby to dominate completely; there’s bound to be pushback.” Yet the mist was not just surging; its previously diluted hue was deepening, regaining its oppressive intensity. And that wasn’t all...

From the very beginning of Toby’s trial, black mist had ceaselessly emitted waves of negative emotion surrounding him. However, just moments ago, emanating from the black mist was a sensation unlike anything felt before.

In addition to its baseline envy and wrath, there emerged a far more profound emotion. Though its exact nature eluded them, it was like a deep-sea current hidden beneath the Ocean of Envy: heavy, inevitable, and terror-inducing, carrying an oppressive force that chilled the soul.

Greya’s newly softened expression darkened in an instant. Her brows furrowed tightly. ”What’s going on now? What’s happening?”

...

What’s happening? That same question plagued Toby at this moment.

He too was bewildered by the current situation. Within the vortex, a menacing aura unlike any he had felt before was seeping through. Though the aura could not directly be equated with raw power, it carried a crushing pressure—so much so that it surpassed even the aura emanating from his little master, Angel.

This suggested that the entity behind the vortex very likely exceeded even a Level 1 Official Wizard’s power! In other words, the creature waiting within the vortex might be stronger than the Snake Bird that had come before!

Toby couldn’t understand how the Extreme Resentment Thoughts could summon such a formidable magical creature. What confused him even more was that the emotional resonance exuded by this entity was entirely absent on the Extreme Resentment Thoughts itself.

It was a deeper, darker sorrow, more haunting and more profound.

As Toby reeled in uncertainty, the vortex began to tremble, signaling that the being inside was already stirring, ready to break through into the world.

At the endpoint, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts grew visibly ecstatic, its fervent, almost frantic gestures communicating its enmity:

”Yes! Come out! Come out! Kill it! Kill that filthy, wretched sea bird!”