Teleportation

"Soothing Rain Spell," Jialan whispered.

Glow-like water droplets landed on Katerina's arm, and the wounds corrupted by Dark Elements healed at a visible rate. This was Jialan's most skilled healing spell; while not as instantaneous as Light Magic, it was gentler and more enduring.

"Thank you," Katerina said, flexing her recovered arm. Her eyes remained sharp. "He went towards the swamp."

Jialan nodded and once again extended his Mental Power to search. But this time, he felt nothing. The Necromancer had vanished as if into thin air, leaving not a trace behind.

"He used some kind of secret technique," Jialan frowned. "Completely erased his aura and traces."

Just as everyone was at a loss, Qiuqiu suddenly jumped down from Shadow's shoulder. Its little nose twitched incessantly. The little creature appeared unusually serious, and it ran off in one direction, occasionally stopping to look back at everyone.

"Follow it," Shadow said without hesitation.

Qiuqiu led them through the edge of the swamp. Its movements grew faster and faster, finally stopping before a seemingly ordinary clump of bushes. The little creature's fur stood on end, and it let out a warning cry.

Intense Dark Energy erupted from the bushes, and the Necromancer's figure appeared. His black robes were tattered, and his exposed skin was covered in bizarre runes. Clearly, he hadn't expected to be discovered by a squirrel.

"Truly a surprise," his voice was hoarse and grating. "I didn't expect even a squirrel could find my trail."

Jialan felt a powerful Mental Power lock onto him, like a frog being eyed by a viper. The Necromancer's gaze was filled with greed, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"Such pure Mental Power," the Necromancer licked his lips. "If I devour you, I can break through to the High Mage realm."

Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying mental shockwave struck. Jialan felt a sharp pain in his head, his consciousness blurring. Just then, he felt a warm Mental Power connect with him—it was Qiuqiu!

The little squirrel's eyes turned a brilliant gold, and its Mental Power merged perfectly with Jialan's. The two forces intertwined, forming an impenetrable barrier.

"This... Mental Fusion?" The Necromancer took a step back in disbelief, his face growing even paler. Jialan keenly sensed that although the opponent's Mental Power was strong, it was already faltering.

"He's bluffing!" Jialan shouted. "He's at his limit!" As he spoke, he began chanting a difficult-to-understand incantation. He didn't dare to stop; this was the best chance to kill the opponent.

A flicker of madness flashed in the Necromancer's eyes. If he could devour Jialan, not only would his own injuries heal instantly, but he might even advance to become a High Mage. He clenched his bony fingers, and Dark Energy condensed into a pitch-black lightning bolt in his palm. The air seemed to freeze, and even time became viscous. Jialan could feel every movement becoming incredibly difficult, like struggling in deep water.

"Careful!" Katerina's warning came, but it was too late.

The black lightning bolt shot towards Jialan with astonishing speed, devouring even the light in its path. Jialan's Mental Power screamed a warning, but his body couldn't keep up with his thoughts. At this critical moment, his consciousness suddenly entered a wondrous state—everything around him slowed down. He could even see every wisp of Dark Element flickering within the black lightning.

Jialan's hands remained in their casting gesture, ice-blue light dancing at his fingertips. His body, driven by instinct, made an incredible move. The instant the black lightning was about to strike him, his figure blurred, and in the next moment, he was three meters away.

"What?!" The Necromancer's pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, a look of shock appeared on his pale face. "Teleportation? Impossible!"

Not only him, but Argyle and the others also looked incredulous. Teleportation was a skill mastered only by Archmages, requiring extremely precise Mental Power control and elemental affinity. And Jialan was just a low-level Mage!

Jialan himself was stunned by this unexpected event. In the face of death, he had subconsciously used the Teleportation spell. Although he had analyzed the spell before, it was purely out of curiosity. After all, at his current level, he was still too far from being an Archmage. He had never even tried it. In this moment of crisis, for some reason, the spell came to mind, and it worked.

The Necromancer quickly recovered from his shock, a more frenzied flame igniting in his eyes. "A genius! A perfect vessel! If I devour your Mental Power..."

His words were cut short because an ice-blue ray had pierced his chest. Jialan's spellcasting had never stopped; he had completed the spell's release while moving. The Ice Ray accurately hit the Necromancer's heart, and Dark Energy began to dissipate from his body.

"You..." The Necromancer looked down at the wound in his chest, his face filled with unwillingness and disbelief. "To die by your hand, not... a loss..." He then fell heavily, his body beginning to collapse and vanish into smoke.

Jialan felt as if his insides had been hollowed out. The emptiness was more unbearable than any pain. His vision blurred, and a buzzing sound filled his ears. Even standing steady became incredibly difficult.

"Jialan!" Argyle's voice seemed to come from a great distance. The Light Knight supported the swaying Mage. The cold touch of his armor made Jialan slightly more conscious.

"I'm fine..." Jialan managed to speak, his voice hoarse and unlike his own. "Just overdrawn on Mana..." The Teleportation earlier had consumed four-fifths of his Mana. After casting the Ice Ray, his Mana pool was completely depleted, rendering him unable to cast even the simplest spell.

Jialan took a crystal bottle from his Spatial Bag. It contained a pale blue liquid. "This is a Moonlight Potion. It can restore some Mana in an emergency. Full recovery will take at least a day." After drinking the potion, Jialan felt slightly better, but the sense of emptiness lingered.

He leaned against a tree trunk, watching the others clean up the battlefield. The Necromancer's corpse had completely dissipated, leaving only a few scattered items.