"Zzzla—"
Bright blue electric currents surged through the void, and a figure suddenly appeared beside Ronan.
"Anglair Leo!!"
It was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a high nose, exuding the powerful aura of a third-level wizard. Seeing Jupiter's dire state up close, he gritted his teeth and spat out Anglair's name, as if wanting to chew it up and swallow it whole to vent his anger.
He quickly grabbed the half-kneeling Jupiter, shot Ronan a cold glance, and then dashed off in a certain direction, disappearing without a trace in a blink of an eye.
Standing on the empty dueling platform, Ronan looked around and saw chaotic battles breaking out everywhere.
Some wizards, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, suddenly erupted into violence, attacking their comrades and those from other factions.
On the Silver Ring side, he saw several familiar faces, including Derby, a Seventh Ring wizard genius who had traveled with him. Derby, who had previously been composed and reserved, now looked wild and fanatical.
Orion was heavily injured by an unknown assailant and was being closely guarded by Caroni and Archido.
Numerous figures clad in black robes, their faces obscured, were chanting about "resurrection and salvation," seemingly appearing out of nowhere from the Goblin Plains surrounding the venue and joining the battle.
"Ignatius!"
A voice shouted angrily from afar, "Has even the Sakiels family betrayed us?!"
Ronan turned his head sharply, only to see a terrifying figure wreathed in orange-golden flames rampaging through the territory of the Palace of Thorns, leaving charred remains in its wake.
In a daze, Ronan seemed to see a strange pattern of six interlocking rings, with the top three complete and the bottom three broken.
The Ancient Witch Resurrection Society!
Ronan's heart shook, his eyes reflecting the "Dawn Suns" clashing fiercely in the night sky above.
Anglair being a part of the Ancient Witch Resurrection Society didn't surprise him at all. Given Anglair's character, engaging in such madness seemed only natural.
What truly shocked him was how thoroughly the six major wizarding factions had been infiltrated by the society. Not just second and third-level wizards, but even fourth-level Dawn wizards, who were leaders of their factions, were part of the society.
"Under the light of dawn, how could those hiding in the shadows have a chance to act?"
But what if even "Dawn" itself had been consumed by shadow?
Ronan bit down hard, dashing towards the Silver Ring's direction, only to collide with a smooth, mirror-like "silver wall."
He passed through without resistance, yet found himself suddenly "reversing" back to his starting point.
Stunned, Ronan tried several directions, meeting the same result each time.
"It's the power of a spatial array."
Ronan seemed to be "trapped."
And he wasn't the only one.
Standing before the silver, mirror-like wall, Ronan looked around and saw similar walls everywhere, dividing the vast battlefield into separate areas, through which only the black-robed Resurrection Society wizards could freely pass.
"Is it one of the Dawn artifacts from the core area of the Mirror Court?"
With even Dawn wizards turning traitor, it wasn't surprising that the Resurrection Society had acquired one or two Dawn artifacts.
So was their real aim the shattered World Stone?
Ronan pondered this, gently brushing the air before him, and through the rippling waves, he saw Caroni watching him from not far away.
Caroni's face was tense, his gaze complex as he looked at Ronan, his lips moving, finally uttering a few helpless words: "Damien, be careful..."
Ronan nodded at him, turning back to calmly think of a way to break out.
Compared to the chaotic battlefields around him, his current position was relatively peaceful.
So far, no one from the Ancient Witch Resurrection Society had noticed him.
"First, find a way to escape this artifact-divided battlefield. If I can't aid the Silver Ring, I should at least ensure my own safety."
As Ronan thought this, a black-robed figure quietly entered his vision.
His expression shifted slightly as he took two steps forward, his hand reaching for the earring on his left ear, ready for battle.
But unexpectedly, the black-robed figure brimming with killing intent was gently held back by another.
"Leave him alone for now."
"Why?"
"He has the key World Stone coordinates... and, this guy's life was reserved by someone else long ago."
"Hmm?!"
Ronan paused mid-action, hearing the conversation between the two black-robed figures.
It turned out he hadn't been overlooked; rather, he was the one "under special attention."
The matter of the World Stone coordinates was something he had only shared with Kirstie.
Kirstie must have reported it, and with even Dawn wizards in the Resurrection Society, it wasn't surprising that this secret had leaked.
What truly piqued Ronan's curiosity was...
"So who exactly..."
His expression calmed, and he sat down where he was, squinting, his gaze sliding over the various figures moving around the battlefield.
"Reserved my life?"
"Boom!"
Scorching crimson-gold flames burned fiercely.
A monstrous hand released its grip, discarding a charred wizard's corpse like trash.
Ignatius, engulfed in roaring flames, stood nearly twice as tall and broad as before, with two twisted horns over half a foot long growing from his forehead. His body was covered in black, magma-like hardened patches, with bright orange-gold lines forming intricate patterns between them.
His eyes had turned nearly pure gold, exhaling thick sulfurous fumes with every breath, exuding an indescribable aura of terror.
"@%...&*"
A rapid chant of incantations echoed in his ears, and Ignatius turned swiftly, locking his gaze on a figure radiating blinding green light.
The spell materialized in an instant. Solid green light, like countless arrows, shot towards Ignatius, carrying extraordinary domain energy that shook the void.
Ignatius's orange-gold eyes flared with cold, violent light. Instead of dodging, he charged head-on into the spell.
Terrifying flames scorched the air, leaving a long, distorted trail.
"Boom!"
The green crystalline glow shattered upon impact with the red meteor. Before the third-level wizard casting the spell could express shock, a monstrous hand pierced through their body.
Ignatius appeared behind them, cruelly retracting his hand, clutching a rapidly charring heart between his fingers.
He opened his mouth towards the collapsing wizard's body, drawing out a half-phantom, blurred figure from the shell, screaming as Ignatius slowly swallowed it.
Afterward, he closed his eyes, savoring something.
When he reopened them, the orange-gold in his dark eye sockets seemed even more brilliant, and the flames around him blazed hotter.
By now, every wizard in this area had turned to charred corpses.
Some backed away in fear, while others, separated by mirror-like barriers, screamed and cast useless spells at him.
With a calm expression, Ignatius walked forward, leaving charred footprints behind.
He surveyed the scene, each divided battlefield erupting in fierce combat.
Ignatius's gaze coldly locked onto several battle groups.
"Rufus, Jupiter, Orion..."
Names that rivaled his own, some in dire straits, others severely injured.
Ignatius licked his lips, eyes brimming with desire. He knew the immense benefits he would gain from consuming their souls and flesh.
But unfortunately...
These individuals were too valuable, needed as bargaining chips for the upper echelons.
He shifted his gaze, and silver light descended before him.
Several black-robed figures emerged from the light, each exuding the powerful aura of a third-level wizard.
The leading black-robed figure held a constantly spinning silver cube in his right hand.
He strode up to Ignatius, lowered his hood, revealing a fair, youthful face.
It was Damien, who had vanished after his battle with Ronan.
Standing amid the battlefield belonging to the Palace of Thorns, Damien ignored the corpses of his fellow wizards strewn around, his expression unusually calm.
"Where's that bastard Anglair?"
Seeing Damien, Ignatius asked coldly, "He acted prematurely, disrupting all plans, and now he's nowhere to be found."
"Unknown."
Damien shook his head, "After wounding Jupiter, he vanished completely, and we can't contact him."
"He won't get any credit even if we secure the World Stone!"
Ignatius's eyes darkened, then narrowed as he glanced in a certain direction.
There, a young figure sat quietly, seemingly unbothered by the chaos around him.
"It's time to retrieve the coordinates."
Ignatius sneered, striding toward the youth.
Damien frowned slightly, following beside him, speaking softly, "Laura said no one can touch him."
"This kid is Laura's lover?"
Ignatius glanced sideways, slightly surprised.
"No."
Damien shook his head, "Laura wants to kill him herself. They had a feud long ago."
"Heh."
Ignatius silently grinned, quickly leaving Damien behind.
"Let Laura vent on his remains... There won't even be ashes left under my hand. The one who insulted the Inferno Blood..."
"Are they coming?"
Sensing a slight spatial energy fluctuation, Ronan looked up to see Ignatius, in his Inferno form, approaching, followed by Damien and others.
His eyes flickered.
Some of his earlier doubts seemed to find answers now.
Slowly standing, he calmly faced the approaching Ignatius and his group.
Just five minutes ago, he had discovered a way to escape this spatial "prison," but he stayed to see who would come.
Ignatius tilted his head, looking at Ronan, cruel, violent light flowing from his orange-gold eyes.
"I don't see the expression I wanted on your face."
Ignatius grinned, revealing white teeth, speaking hoarsely, "Honestly, I'm disappointed."
Ronan exhaled softly, touching his earlobe.
Blue light streamed out, as the [Winter's Homeland] equipment set donned piece by piece.
The central platform's activity drew the attention of several nearby battle groups, causing a temporary lull.
"Boom!"
Terrible spell power slammed into the silver barrier, only causing slight ripples.
On the Silver Ring side, Caroni and Archido watched coldly, terrifying energy swirls surrounding them like beasts trying to break free.
But the response was merely Damien's indifferent fiddling with the silver cube.
Someone stood on the blood-soaked corpses, laughing maniacally at Ronan—Derby, frenzied. Nearby, Clemens repeatedly attempted to break the spatial barrier, his face grim.
Ignatius surveyed it all, his smile growing brighter.
"Seems like quite a few are concerned about you."
He leaned slightly toward Ronan, the orange-gold in his eyes brightening, speaking with strange anticipation, "I'm eager to see how they react when you suffer, beg, wail, and die under my hand."
"Aren't you after the coordinates?"
Ronan asked suddenly.
"That's not your bargaining chip for survival."
Ignatius smiled, dreadful aura spreading, raising the temperature of the dueling platform space. "We have ways to extract them from you."
"Alright."
Ronan fell silent.
He raised his hand, casting spells.
One by one, one-stage domain resonance spells appeared around him, intertwining domain fields.
Behind Ignatius, Damien smirked faintly, while Ignatius stepped forward disdainfully, fiery energy erupting from him, scattering all icy auras in the area.
"You're using that domain overlap trick again?!"
Ignatius, as if a true Ancient Inferno Demon, unleashed seemingly limitless flames, overtaking the space and forming a world of fire.
"Pathetic and laughable trick!"
His hoarse voice roared amidst fire and heat waves.
"Where's your bloodline?
Show it to me!"
"Igor, that disgrace to the family!"
"I'll show you the true power of Inferno Blood... Roar—"
Ignatius roared from the void, his voice echoing.
Beneath him, countless intersecting runic lights shattered, turning the vast dueling platform into a sea of lava.
The power of a third-level wizard and the dread might of the Ancient Inferno Blood were fully displayed. Even wizards trapped in independent space prisons felt the heat, casting fearful glances this way.
Amidst the scorching heat, Ronan, barely holding a small foothold with three domains, appeared remarkably calm.
He gently pressed his trembling, beating heart.
Slowly raising his right hand, he aimed at the fiery Ignatius.
In an instant, the three interwoven domains around him inexplicably fused.
A brand-new, tensely solidified domain emerged, radiating an unparalleled terrifying aura.
This aura dripped down, extinguishing flames and solidifying magma with each drop.
This aura, combined with the three spells surrounding Ronan, soared and transformed.
The pure white ice blade became a vertical pupil.
The despair ice orb served as the eye.
The deep blue auroras spread into the shape of ocular veins.
Ultimately, a massive, dark blue sphere hovered in the sky like an eye, with innumerable terrifying auras vaguely outlining an ancient multi-headed serpent.
At this moment, it seemed as if the true ancient frost overlord had arrived.
It gazed coldly downward, disdainfully overlooking the arrogant figure of Ignatius.
Ronan, silhouetted by the enormous serpent shadow, slowly raised his head, one eye closed.
At this moment, his silvery hair and robes danced, an indescribable noble, ancient aura surrounding him.
Ronan's voice was hoarse as he looked at the stunned Ignatius, speaking soft
ly:
"First, feel the gaze of antiquity."
With those words, Ronan's tightly closed right eye suddenly opened, releasing endless dark blue light.
Simultaneously, the dark blue sphere above him blazed with light!
Three one-stage domains fused!
—[Hecarto's Death Gaze]!
"How dare you ants look directly at me?"
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