Howard swiftly turned, attempting to flee with his wings, but froze upon seeing crystal Palmfire Lotuses hurtling toward him from behind, his left, and his right.
Unbeknownst to him, Locke's Omen Mandrake Vine had used its invisibility to spread in all four directions. Leveraging the principle of Magic Pressure transmission through Magical Plants, the magic vines had remotely activated four Scorched Earth Bombs—sealing him off from five directions.
Of course, all of this was only possible because Locke now possessed over 400 units of formidable Mana. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to rapidly deploy five Scorched Earth Bombs simultaneously.
Despair gripped Howard's heart. "Damn it, his attack speed is too fast—I don't even have a chance to cast any Curse Magic. Is this really someone who just advanced to First Class Wizard Apprentice? Hussein, this isn't what you told me!"
The next moment, five Scorched Earth Bombs detonated around him.
The explosions even triggered a [Lava Conduit] phenomenon, concentrating fire elements to such an extent that droplets of molten lava rained from the sky.
Howard, his body battered and broken, barely managed to fly out of the blast radius. "Damn it all! He only advanced to First Class Wizard Apprentice less than half a year ago! Aren't we supposed to be on the same level? How can the gap in Mana and Spell repertoire be this vast?"
"I have to escape!"
But in the next instant, the Leaf Blades controlled by Locke's All Plants as Soldiers severed his left wing.
Howard spun around in midair, terror flooding his face as he saw Locke right behind him—suspended in the air like a spider, propelled by the reactive force of his magic vines.
For the first time, fear flickered across the face of this monstrous Vampire.
The Leaf Blades, animated by All Plants as Soldiers, danced lightly through the air before slicing through his remaining wing.
Howard couldn't even react in time. He had just begun chanting the Paralysis Curse when Locke seized his face with brutal force, forcibly cutting off his incantation.
The mark of the Ancient Bloodline of Orkney on Locke's left hand flared to life. His body rapidly expanded, transforming into a towering giant hovering midair. With a crushing grip, he seized the Vampire's skull—just as these creatures had once held Pierre's head—and squeezed with relentless force.
Howard screamed in agony and terror.
Is this really a fight against a White Wizard?
This feels like battling one of the seniors from my own academy!
Seeing Howard still attempting to chant, Locke simply crushed his throat with his other hand, permanently robbing him of the ability to speak.
Then, Locke gazed down at him with icy detachment. "You may have combat experience, but you lack the talent for battle."
"Still not dead yet? Interesting. I'll take you back alive."
"If you want to kill me, you're not qualified."
By now, Locke had fully transformed into a two-meter-tall giant, hovering ominously in the sky.
Under the influence of the Ancient Bloodline of the Orkney Giant Bear, his body seemed to resonate with some latent bloodline hidden within him.
This caused the bloodline ability, which originally only expanded his body and enhanced his defense, to now significantly boost Locke's physical strength, transforming him into a muscular giant warrior.
Locke's pupils had become a pair of golden vertical slits, his gaze filled with ominousness and ruthlessness.
Around him, faint golden energy fields flickered in and out of existence.
Locke assessed Howard, realizing that this so-called Vampire Baron couldn't be completely killed with fire magic or Wood Element magic.
He applied a drop of Emerald Potion to Howard, who immediately writhed in agony as the curse power within him began to dissipate.
'So that's how it is,' Locke thought. 'While elemental magic can't kill you, it can harm and weaken you. Ultimately, your immortality is sustained by a Blood Curse, so using a Lesser Emerald Potion—specifically designed to counter curse magic—can end you.'
"There are still many ways to kill you. You probably have other weaknesses too. Perfect—I'll capture you and study you thoroughly."
Locke landed back on the ground and used Wire Tendon Grass and Wild Grass Entanglement to completely seal Howard, who had already been severely wounded and weakened further by the Lesser Emerald Potion.
The Vampire struggled desperately on the ground, his eyes wide with terror, but was eventually completely encased by the Wire Tendon Grass, forming a cocoon-like structure the size of a person.
Locke turned to Gabby, who had been circling overhead at the edge of the battlefield, observing the situation. "Alright, Gabby, I owe you thanks this time."
This was Gabby's first time witnessing Locke fighting at full strength, and she was utterly stunned.
The intensity of the battle had been overwhelming—the rapid exchanges of attacks and defenses left her unable to keep up.
The sheer terror of Locke's full power had shattered her understanding.
'Is this the magical prowess of a First Class Wizard Apprentice?' Gabby wondered.
She landed and reverted to her human form. "Senior Locke, following you this time has truly broadened my horizons."
"I should be the one thanking you. If you ever need me again, don't hesitate to ask."
Beaming, she accepted the 70 Magic Stones from Locke. "Thank you, Senior."
Locke, meanwhile, deactivated his Bloodline ability and returned to his normal form.
He glanced at the Bloodline mark of the Orkney Ancient Giant Bear on his left hand. 'This Ancient Bloodline actually triggered a chain reaction with the unknown bloodline within me.'
'Where exactly does my witch mother come from? What kind of bloodline does she possess…?'
'This demands thorough research.' A glint of determination flashed in Locke's eyes—studying archaeology had now become an urgent priority.
The hidden bloodline within him had formed a unique chain reaction with the Ancient Creature Bloodline. And in the Southeast Corner Domain, the most profound research on Ancient Creature Bloodlines was conducted by archaeologists.
So, he truly needed to delve into archaeology—to uncover exactly what had just happened to his body.
There was also that instinctive craving for battle within him, something that seemed buried deep in his genes.
Perhaps it was also related to this special Bloodline.
Locke said to Gabby, "Let's go back to find my two friends."
"I need to quickly bring back this First Class Wizard Apprentice from the Blood Curse Court that I captured and inform my Wizard Mentor."
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