End of the Magic Era

“Although their magic is classified as darkness magic, they specialize in shadow spells, which are completely different from my darkness magic. Even mages stronger than them might be killed if they aren’t careful.

“It is said that several hitman organizations of the Odin Kingdom are linked to the Shadow Tower. Fighting them head-on is fine, but it would be very terrifying if they mount a sneak attack on you.

“Their leader came to the Raging Flame Plane. He is a Heaven Rank powerhouse, but after coming to the Raging Flame Plane, he disappeared. No one, including the other Heaven Rank Powerhouses, could sense where he went.

“His level of concealment has reached an extremely frightening stage. If he launched an assassination, very few people in the Raging Flame Plane would be able to escape. Even those Heaven Rank powerhouses might not necessarily be able to survive.

“He has been missing for a very long time, and the next time he appears, something huge might happen.

“Thus, many people of the Odin Kingdom obviously dislike the Shadow Tower, yet they are unwilling to offend them. Their current leader was originally the second-in-command, but since he isn’t coming to the Raging Flame Battlefield, the one leading their troops here is his nephew, a genius among the members of the Shadow Tower. He is called Dylas, and his talent is suitable to receive the inheritance of the Shadow Tower. It is said that there are high hopes for him to advance to the Heaven Rank. A Heaven Rank powerhouse of the Shadow Tower had asserted that he was bound to advance to the Heaven Rank within thirty years.”

At the mention of the Shadow Tower, Lin Yun sneered.

He’d had some friction with the Shadow Tower recently. The Four Seasons Plain bordered the territory of the Shadow Tower, so it was natural for clashes to happen.

The Four Seasons Plain had a pleasant climate, as well as gems and ore veins. A large part of the Raging Flame Plane’s magic metal was in the Four Seasons Plain, and the amount of ore that could be extracted wasn’t small.

Moreover, the Four Seasons Plain bordered the Dilow Mountain Range, which was rich in medicinal ingredients. It even produced some rare plants that had already gone extinct in Noscent.

How could the Shadow Tower not covet that area? They attacked from another direction, with the aim to attack the Four Seasons Plain.

But as they attacked the territory bordering the Four Seasons Plain, their desired territory was taken over by Lin Yun, who was running it with an iron hand.

The friction at the frontier was becoming more and more serious. Lin Yun had lost over twenty puppets, while over thirty of the Shadow Tower’s mages were killed.

A few days ago, a mage even managed to infiltrate the Grey Beastmen’s fort and tried to access the restricted area. Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t been able to, and he was blown up by the puppets for his troubles.

Some important places within the Grey Beastmen’s fort were covered in Mage Eyes, some of which were enchanted with True Sight. Trying to infiltrate the place was purely a dream.

Because of that matter, Lin Yun remodelled the defensive system of the Grey Beastmen’s fort and secretly added a True Eye. Any shadow trying to move stealthily within the fort would be immediately discovered, and the puppets would show no mercy after surrounding them.

This was carried out in secret, and when needed, they could rely on the giant mana reactor’s supply of power to illuminate every corner of the fort with True Sight, revealing every last shadow.

All the puppets were remodelled to be able to examine shadows and discover concealing magic.

They were even specifically ordered to capture any mages they encountered that used Shadow Magic. If they couldn’t, then they were to go ahead and kill them. There was no need to think too much about it.

The puppets would perfectly carry out the orders, so there was no need to think about the Shadow Tower’s efforts. But there was more and more friction in the bordering areas.

Dilas noticed Lin Yun when he arrived, and he naturally knew that Lin Yun was the one controlling the Four Seasons Plain. Seeing Harren and Lin Yun apparently talking about his forces, Dilas sneered and took some large strides towards Lin Yun

.

“You are that daring commander of the Merlin Family? Damned b*stard, didn’t your subordinates kill my envoy? Are you disregarding the dignity of the Shadow Tower?”

When he came over, Dilas instantly started blaming Lin Yun while glaring at him with unconcealed evil intent.

Lin Yun glanced at Dilas indifferently.

“Envoy? Didn’t see any. I only captured a small rat and casually crushed it.”

Dilas’ eyes suddenly opened wide and he released obvious killing intent, his mana fluctuations surging. His long and narrow eyes looked like the eyes of a viper firmly staring at Lin Yun’s neck while his shadow continuously changed shape.

“Mafa Merlin, you think you are extremely clever, don’t you? I advise you to hurry up and return. Don’t come here, this is just throwing your life away. You are so young, how about you go back and drink breast milk for a few more years? You might never come out if you enter the Raging Flame Battlefield.

“Moreover, you should hurry up and look at your little domain again. Maybe one day your daring subordinates will bafflingly die, and the fort you barely managed to conquer will be empty. At that time, don’t accuse me of being rude. I’ll even help you control the Four Seasons Plain… Oh, and the Dilow Fort too, that’s a good place. It’s really a waste to leave it in your hands…”

Lin Yun sneered as he glanced at Dilas. “Haha, you should take good care of yourself! Many puppets recently appeared in the Four Season Plain, and they cover a wide range. These brainless things are only attacking within the Four Seasons Plain. It would be no good if they expanded their range of activity and started killing somewhere else.

“If there are small rats that want to secretly steal things, being killed would be the best outcome. I’m raising many cats, and they are most fond of toying with their prey.”

This time, not only would the number of people able to enter the Raging Flame Battlefield be restricted, but there would also be a lot of additional dangers aside from the original ones present there… The most important one being these other people entering the Raging Flame Battlefield. They were more dangerous than the Raging Flame Battlefield itself.

Thus, Lin Yun couldn’t take too many people with him. The puppet army and the mage army were left at the Grey Beastmen’s fort, and Lin Yun only took a dozen people with him, which still counted puppets.

After all, the Andlusa Kingdom had the smallest number of spots, and there were even less after dividing them between the four forces. This was another reason that the Andlusa Kingdom was at a disadvantage.

And there had been even more clashes against the Shadow Tower recently. After killing a mage that infiltrated the fort, Lin Yun didn’t need to think to know that the next clash would be even fiercer.

Especially since Lin Yun’s strongest few subordinates would be following him in the Raging Flame Battlefield. The possibility of the other side sneakily doing something was even bigger.

Lin Yun previously gave a kill order. If there was some trouble, and it had to do with a member of the Shadow Tower, they were to “kill first, discuss later”. If there was trouble at the border, the puppet army would increase the defenses there, and anyone trying to sneak in through the border would be killed.

If they seemed to be having the upper hand, the Teleportation Gate between the Radiant Fort and the Grey Beastmen’s fort would be activated, and the mage army would lead the puppet army to destroy them.

After so much time had passed, the number of fighting puppets was enough to let Lin Yun support a large-scale military campaign. He wasn’t worried at all about the Shadow Tower’s plans.

Facing Dilas’ threat, Lin Yun just sneered.

Dilas squinted, his eyes filled with killing intent.

“Mafa Merlin, you had best pray that you can come out of the Raging Flame Battlefield this time. It would be a pity if you died inside. I heard that there are many dangerous things within the Raging Flame Battlefield and that dying is a common occurrence. You’d better hope that you don’t encounter that kind of danger, or your death will be very unsightly. Your soul might be captured and unable to free itself.

“Have you heard about the Soul Eater beasts? Those kinds of beasts are specialized in devouring souls. It is said that there are some within the Raging Flame Battlefield. Once your soul is devoured, it is slowly digested within the stomach, tortured until the digestion is complete. I know where such a terrifying magic beast is… Shall I tell you?

“Mafa Merlin, as long as you kneel, apologize, and hand over the Four Seasons Plain to me, I’ll let you avoid one death.

Lin Yun conscientiously looked at Dilas and shot back, “I’ve also heard that there is a kind of magic beast in the Raging Flame Battlefield that likes to devour mana and blood. After capturing their prey, they don’t kill, but instead use their innate ability to seal their prey’s mana before slowly devouring their mana cleanly.

“They then let the victim’s mana slowly recover, just like pigs getting prepped for slaughter. They keep devouring again and again, before biting down and creating two holes in the prey’s body to swallow a little bit of blood every day.

“Ultimately, when the prey has run out of mana and blood, the prey still isn’t killed. At that time, they use the prey to grind the teeth of their cub, letting their cub slowly tear at the victim and torment it for three to four days before it finally dies. In their last moments, they would see the flesh of their limbs being devoured clean before the beast finished them off. It is very pitiful.

“I just so happen to know how to handle that kind of magic beast, as well as the environment in which they live. I think your luck isn’t that good, so you have to be very careful if you meet one.

“As for the Soul-Devouring Beast, I also happen to know how to handle them, and I also think that you should be careful. You seem to be the kind of delicacy that Soul Devouring Beasts would be willing to die for.

Dilas ground his teeth, his eyes emitting cold light as he said in a low voice, “Andlusa Kingdom’s country bumpkin! Don’t think I don’t know that you are part of a 3rd-rate family of a backwater place like the Andlusa Kingdom! You’re a worthless 7th Rank Archmage! You’ll be nothing more than cannon fodder in the Raging Flame Battlefield!”