Chapter 297: The Alliance Leader's Near-Disaster, a "One-Sided Duel"
Author: Amnesty L
Tang Zheng stood atop the Bone Dragon, rising into the air to confront the Alliance Leader who was hovering in mid-air.
"I said, this is my territory."
"As for your subordinate, he's my man now." Tang Zheng let out a sinister, cold laugh, deliberately showing an arrogance that came with possessing a Bone Dragon.
The Zuranon Alliance Leader was extremely mysterious.
What Tang Zheng was most interested in, besides whether he truly possessed the power of 7th Tier Magic, was his identity.
So!
Should I just deal with him directly and get the information from his own mouth?
Tang Zheng's eyes, hidden beneath his hood, flickered slightly. A powerhouse of this caliber definitely knew a lot of useful information, and Khajiit was the only other person present.
There was no need to worry about it being leaked.
Even if the man truly wielded the power of Seventh Tier Magic, a single "Pure Throwing Spear" would be enough to severely injure him.
If he still had the ability to resist, another "Chain Dragon Lightning" would finish the job.
The only thing that kept Tang Zheng from making an immediate decision was the matter of the Zuranon Alliance Leader's identity.
He had long speculated that there were only three possibilities.
1: The Alliance Leader is an independent individual, perhaps connected to the country Evileye was from 200 years ago.
2: He is a member of Body of the Abyss, a deeply hidden organization in this Otherworld.
3: He is from the Slane Theocracy.
The first two were simple enough, but if it was the third possibility, things would get a little troublesome.
The Slane Theocracy had just taken notice of the abnormalities in the Abelion Hills, and then this Alliance Leader suddenly appeared in the Hills. Tang Zheng couldn't help but consider the connection.
"A Bone Dragon... what a powerful and special Undead."
The Alliance Leader exclaimed in admiration, and the killing intent in his voice dissipated significantly.
To gather enough Negative Energy to summon a Bone Dragon in such a short time... The Alliance Leader suspected that Tang Zheng possessed some kind of ability to rapidly collect Negative Energy.
He must have his eyes on the "Spiral of Death Ritual."
I see!
As if he had made a connection, the black Negative Energy mist covering the Alliance Leader's body trembled slightly.
"A Bone Dragon with absolute resistance to magic?"
"Being overconfident is not a good thing!"
The Alliance Leader sneered. An area on his left side, shrouded in black mist, squirmed, and a bizarre, dark-gray bone staff emerged from within, grasped by a hand that was nothing but skin and bones.
"The power of magic is infinite. The existence of a Bone Dragon renders spellcasters helpless... Heh, that is merely the ignorance of those who have never witnessed truly greater power."
"There are many ways to deal with a Bone Dragon. For example—Fifth Tier Undead Summoning: Skeleton Gryphon."
Dense Negative Energy converged in mid-air. From within the black energy, a gryphon materialized. It was only as tall as a man, composed entirely of bones, and emitted a thick death aura.
"Hiss!"
The Skeleton Gryphon flapped its wings, hovering and twisting in mid-air. Its lion-like skull let out faint roars.
"Go," the Alliance Leader said in a low voice.
*Whoosh!*
With a fierce flap of its wings, the Skeleton Gryphon shot forward like an arrow. Perhaps it was because its entire body was composed of lightweight bones.
It displayed a terrifying speed that far surpassed ordinary flying creatures, becoming a white afterimage as it sped through the air.
"Using a summoned creature for a head-on physical assault... this isn't the result I wanted." Tang Zheng understood the Alliance Leader's intention.
He had expected the Alliance Leader to showcase 7th Tier Magic, but instead, he used a summoned creature as a counter. After all, the Bone Dragon was ultimately just a level 16 monster.
"Dragon Lightning!"
Tang Zheng would not allow the Skeleton Gryphon to get close. He raised his palm and unleashed a blinding, surging bolt of thunder.
Unexpectedly, the spell missed!
It wasn't because the Alliance Leader interfered; the Skeleton Gryphon itself had dodged the attack.
*Boom!*
After dodging the magic attack, the Skeleton Gryphon had already reached the Bone Dragon's side, effortlessly shattering half of the Bone Dragon's wing with its body.
*Crack—*
Broken white bones scattered in mid-air!
With its wing destroyed, the Bone Dragon's entire body tilted, but it barely managed to maintain its flight, preventing it from falling completely out of the sky.
After completing this attack!
The Skeleton Gryphon didn't continue its attack. Instead, it turned and swiftly retreated to the Alliance Leader's side.
"The Skeleton Gryphon not only possesses incredible speed but also excellent evasive abilities. Using single-target magic attacks against it is the wrong decision."
The Alliance Leader let out a smug chuckle, as if proving his earlier point that a Bone Dragon was not an unbeatable existence for a spellcaster.
"You are quite impressive, whether it's your ability to wield Fifth Tier Magic or your means of summoning a Bone Dragon."
"You have far surpassed the recognized limits of ordinary people, even those so-called 'heroes of the nation,' the Adamantite-rank adventurers."
"Join us, Zuranon!"
The Alliance Leader looked in Tang Zheng's direction and extended the invitation in a resonant voice.
Based solely on the strength Tang Zheng had displayed so far, he was in a league of his own among the Twelve Apostles.
Putting everything else aside, just with the Bone Dragon and his mastery of "Flight" magic, the other members of the Twelve Apostles would have no way to deal with Tang Zheng.
"Being overconfident is not a good thing, Zuranon Alliance Leader." Tang Zheng's tone was mocking as he heard the invitation.
The Alliance Leader's face darkened. He had just said those exact words. Furthermore, the other man didn't seem surprised at all that his Bone Dragon had been damaged.
"Join Zuranon?"
"Hilarious. What would I gain by joining you? Surely not just the useless title of a secret society that only serves to frighten commoners."
Tang Zheng shrugged, his voice suddenly turning cold. "I still think killing you would make me happier."
"Magic Resistance Penetration: Gravity Reversal!"
*Wom—wom—*
An astonishing gravitational force suddenly surged up from the ground.
*Rumble!*
The Skeleton Gryphon's speed was rendered useless. It smashed uncontrollably onto the ground from high above, creating a deep crater.
The Skeleton Gryphon struggled to get up, its bones creaking continuously, but it couldn't break free.
*Whoosh!*
The Alliance Leader's figure followed right behind. His flight magic was clearly unable to negate the effect of the gravity, and his entire body, as if filled with lead, plummeted straight toward the ground.
Compared to the Skeleton Gryphon's falling speed, the Alliance Leader was obviously struggling, but it didn't have much of an effect.
"Shield Wall!"
The Alliance Leader chanted quickly.
A translucent magical barrier enveloped his entire body, nullifying the damage from the fall the moment he landed. He stood on the ground, looking slightly disheveled.
"You've angered me!"
The figure shrouded in black mist looked up. The magnetic voice he had maintained until now had become dry and hoarse.
"Dragon Lightning!"
"Don't think you're the only one who knows this magic! Dragon Lightning!"
Two bolts of surging lightning collided in mid-air. A brilliant white light illuminated the sky, emitting an astonishing screech. The terrifying magical collision created an invisible shockwave that spread out once more.
After a brief stalemate!
The "Dragon Lightning" unleashed by Tang Zheng, with unstoppable might, forcefully broke through the "Dragon Lightning" cast by the Alliance Leader.
"How can this be?" For the first time since appearing, the Alliance Leader's voice was filled with astonishment.
With his caster level, he had actually lost in a magical confrontation!
"Lightning Attribute Defense!" The Alliance Leader raised the bizarre staff in his hand and forcefully tapped it on the ground.
A faint blue light of magic power covered his entire body.
Although Tang Zheng's "Dragon Lightning" had broken through his own, its power was still significantly weakened and was ultimately blocked by the Alliance Leader's defense.
"Could it be that he specializes in lightning-attribute enhancement?" the Alliance Leader theorized internally. The pale eyeballs concealed by the black mist grew even colder.
It seemed that unless he displayed strength greater than his opponent's, it would be impossible to subdue him. A powerhouse of this level was indeed a proud and arrogant individual.
With his strength, he could single-handedly destroy a large city or a small country. No wonder he was able to cause such a commotion in the Hills.
Not far away.
Seeing the two start fighting in the blink of an eye, Khajiit frantically retreated. He never imagined the mysterious man would actually fight the Alliance Leader.
Moreover, judging from the situation just now, the mysterious man actually had the upper hand!
However, the Alliance Leader's strength was not limited to this!
"He blocked it? As expected of the Alliance Leader!"
Tang Zheng stood on the Bone Dragon, looking down at the Alliance Leader below. He had no intention of ending things here.
In any case, he still had to further probe this Alliance Leader's strength!
"Domain of Fire - All!"
An astonishing fluctuation of magic power surged from Tang Zheng's body. In an instant, a huge magic circle appeared on the ground.
Crimson flames erupted from the magic circle, instantly transforming into towering flames that rose like a wildfire.
This was the original "Sand Domain - All" magic, converted to the fire attribute through the passive ability "Elemental Attribute Conversion."
At this time, on the ground.
The moment he saw the flames rising at his feet.
The Alliance Leader immediately activated "Teleportation" magic. However, his body only shuddered for a moment before he found himself still in the same spot, the effect of the magic having been forcefully interrupted.
"A binding magic ability?"
The Alliance Leader's pupils constricted. He then felt the flames on the ground envelop his legs.
The towering flames continuously exerted a powerful magical suppression. Some of the flames transformed into fiery vines, entangling the Alliance Leader's legs.
Even with the barrier of Negative Energy, the intense heat from the flames still passed through the black mist. Fortunately, he had a magic item that resisted fire-based attacks.
The Alliance Leader's feet were bound in place by the flames, rendering him immobile. He hastily tried to control the nearby Skeleton Gryphon to carry him away.
*Bang—*
But in the next moment, the Skeleton Gryphon could not withstand the searing flames, and its body was burned to ash.
Both fire-attribute and holy-attribute energy inflict several times more damage to the Undead!
"The Skeleton Gryphon couldn't break free either? How can this be? This magic doesn't just have a binding effect!"
A flustered expression appeared on the Alliance Leader's face. He realized he had underestimated his opponent and had suffered an unexpected and humiliating setback.
The black mist of Negative Energy surged continuously, resisting the high temperature of the flames.
A sense of crisis, the likes of which he had never felt before, descended upon him!
"Sixth Tier Magic: Pale Fire!" the Alliance Leader roared.
In mid-air.
Tang Zheng looked down at the Alliance Leader, who was completely enveloped in flames, and raised an eyebrow slightly. "He won't be defeated this easily, will he? Or did I go a little too hard on him?"
"Domain of Fire" was converted from "Sand Domain," so it naturally possessed the same series of effects: hindering an opponent's movement, blindness, silence, and distraction.
Suddenly!
Tang Zheng suddenly looked up. A huge curtain of fire, constructed from white flames, had appeared high above his head.
Almost in the next instant!
The curtain of fire transformed into a torrential downpour of "Pale Fire" raindrops, descending upon Tang Zheng below. It was a dual-attribute magical attack, composed of both fire and the negative attribute.
A single glance was enough.
It gave one a chilling and terrifying sense of inescapability.
As it fell, every drop of "Pale Fire" easily scorched the air, making a sizzling sound of Negative Energy corrosion wherever it passed.
"Sixth Tier Magic?" Tang Zheng first glanced at his status panel, noting the magic's tier.
"This is..."
Immediately after, he noticed another spell that appeared on the status panel right after it.
"So that was the plan."
A flash of understanding appeared in Tang Zheng's eyes. He mused for a moment, then, looking at the rapidly falling "Pale Fire" from above, he chanted, "Teleportation!"
*Shhh!*
Tang Zheng quickly vanished from his spot, reappearing outside the area of effect of the "Pale Fire."
At that very instant, a figure appeared not far from Tang Zheng—it was the Alliance Leader, who should have been trapped within the "Domain of Fire."
"Cough... Hmph."
The moment he appeared, the Alliance Leader let out a pained grunt and retreated without hesitation, putting distance between himself and Tang Zheng.
"You were actually able to escape from my magic?"
"I see. So it was 'One-Sided Duel'?"
Tang Zheng first feigned surprise, then spoke with realization, "A truly unexpected strategy."
The Third-Tier Magic, "One-Sided Duel"!
Its specific effect is that even if an opponent escapes using teleportation, the magic establishes a connection with them, allowing the caster to appear at the same location as the opponent.
The Alliance Leader first used a Sixth Tier area-of-effect magic attack, forcing Tang Zheng to use teleportation magic to evade.
By doing so, he leveraged the effect of "One-Sided Duel" to escape the bindings of the "Domain of Fire."
"The power of that last spell was quite terrifying. It must be a power that surpasses the 5th Tier, right?"
Tang Zheng exclaimed in undisguised wonder. He raised his arm and waved, and the Bone Dragon, which had been at the center of the magic attack, flew over completely unharmed.
"According to rumor, there are four humans who have stepped into the transcendent realm, becoming the legendary 'Aberrants.' One of them is that person from the Baharuth Empire."
"The remaining three are very mysterious, but I imagine that as the Alliance Leader of Zuranon, a secret society that makes every nation wary, you must have also reached this realm."
Opposite him.
The Alliance Leader's figure was in a sorry state. The black mist that had shrouded his entire body had grown thin.
Through the Negative Energy, one could vaguely see a withered figure wearing a loose magic robe, his face pale and his body so thin he could be described as a skeleton.
"I underestimated you."
The Alliance Leader's pale pupils revealed wariness, but more than that, disbelief.
If he hadn't reacted in time, he feared he would have been completely trapped in that bizarre magic, unable to escape.
(end of chapter)I've finished my website and it's now launched, which means 10+ chapter uploads every day instead of 5. There are also 50+ new chapters already available on the website. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!
👉 soollhooaf.com/novels