Earth's Greatest Magus

Despite not having any full moon magus in their party, the ten rogue magus regarded Emery with the hunger of predators eyeing a delicious piece of meat. Their confidence stemmed from the fact that they were waiting for backup, and using his [Jade Warriors], Emery had confirmed the arrival of at least a dozen, most likely more, magus entering the vaults, all of them dark elves.

"Look at him, he's so scared... I almost feel bad," remarked the leader of the gang with a mocking tone.

Emery, however, remained composed and inquired, "So, you're collaborating with the dark elves?"

"We're bandits, you know. Our loyalty comes in the form of spirit stones," replied one of the rogue magus with a smug grin.

"I see. I hope you have plenty of them," Emery responded calmly.

Emery's body began to undergo a transformation, signaling his readiness for a confrontation. The rogue magus grew anxious in response.

"Don't worry, brothers. We only need to hold him for 10 minutes, and we'll be super rich!" the leader reassured his comrades.

With his intimidating Twilight Form taking shape, Emery calmly stated, "You only need 6 minutes, actually... but that won't help you."

"Huh! Still acting tough! Attack!!" the leader commanded, and the rogue magus surged forward to engage Emery.

Despite only three of them being Halfmoon magus, Emery could sense that they possessed decent skills and worked well as a team. All three half-moon were close combatants equipped with high-quality defensive artifacts aimed at restricting Emery's movements.

Their rear ranks were filled with healers and long-range fighters. It was a coordinated setup that he believed could take down a full-moon magus. Plus, with the [Spatial Distortion] item hindering Emery's spatial magic, they were confident that victory was within their grasp.

However, their confidence was misplaced, as Emery had no need for spatial magic to win this battle.

As the battle unfolded, Emery's sheer battle power became evident. He effortlessly broke through the defensive encirclement of the three Halfmoon magus, his terrifying claws striking with deadly precision. Their defensive artifacts, while impressive, could only do so much against Emery's relentless assault.

The rogue magus had clearly underestimated their opponent. Emery's speed, strength, and agility made him a formidable adversary. He prioritized the healers among the rogue magus, ensuring a fast quick battle. With each swipe of his clawed hands, he inflicted a gruesome scene as he swiftly dispatched his opponents. Blood sprayed through the air as their defensive line crumbled.

Amid the chaos, the bandit leader finally realized the direness of the situation and made a desperate attempt to flee. Panic and fear filled his eyes as he attempted to escape Emery's grasp. Yet, Emery had prepared for this moment. His mastery over celestial earth allowed him to summon thick, sinuous jade roots that burst forth from the ground, forming an impenetrable barrier that cut off the leader's escape.

The leader of the rogue magus, now left pleading for his life, stuttered, "Please... Spare me... you can have this..."

But Emery did not entertain any further words. In one swift, decisive motion, he ended the bandit leader's life and seized the spatial distortion artifact. To his surprise, when he turned off the device, the spatial distortion effect remained in place. It was evident that the dark elves approaching toward him had a similar item in their possession.

"A fight it is then"

With a resigned nod, Emery acknowledged that there was no avoiding a confrontation. His calm demeanor remained unchanged as he utilized the remaining minute to collect the storage rings from the fallen rogue magus. He hoped to find some valuable items among their possessions.

As he finished his task, a dozen dark elf magus arrived on the scene. Emery's keen spirit reading allowed him to sense the approach of at least 20 more dark elves. 

"We've got you now!" shouted one of the dark elves, whom Emery recognized as one of the Khans from the light vaults. The fact that they were willing to traverse different vaults to hunt him down was a testament to their determination.

More and more dark elves continued to arrive in the area, surrounding Emery. Calmly, he addressed the Khan who had spoken, "I wonder how much the bounty a dark elf has on me."

"Bounty?! There is no price higher than honor!" the Khan retorted with conviction.

Emery knew that facing 30 dark elves in direct combat would be nearly impossible. Among them were 20 crescent moons, 10 half moons, and one Khan, a full-moon dark elf.

Although it was rare for elves to reach the full moon level in just 30 years, he sensed a few among them who were double half-moons, magus with two laws passing the 15% mark. Added to the fact that all elves possessed a naturally higher physique and spirit, this was going to be a challenging fight.

However, his calm demeanor concealed a strategy. "Let's see if you dare to fight me inside," Emery taunted as he retreated toward the Celestial temple, luring the dark elves inside.

As he entered the temple, a message flashed before him:

[Celestial Trial started]. 

This was the fourth layer, and it wasn't drones or constructs that had come for them anymore; it was the Order of Avalons, formidable three-meter-tall constructs created in humanoid forms, each possessing the power of half-moons. Among them, there were 16 in total: 8 knights, heavily armored and wielding formidable swords and shields, and 8 archers, their bows ready to unleash devastating arrows. At the center of this formidable group stood the towering Champion knight, imposing eight meters in height, replacing the usual juggernaut that Emery had faced before.

The strategy was clear; the temple guardians had swiftly identified the 30 magus as the primary targets. Emery, using his versatile spells and agility, adeptly avoided becoming the guardian target and methodically picked off the dark elves one by one.

Unbeknownst to Emery, at the back of the group, one dark elf was watching him attentively, his gaze locked onto Emery's every move.