If You Truly Want to Break Free from Something, Then Risk Your Life

The countless Invisible Strings in the space were stirred by Ronan's spear, and an ancient and powerful force pressed down, with the rolling Energy Torrent in the world converging on the tip of the spear.

The intricate patterns crisscrossing the Eight-Bladed Spear lit up, and more black Spirit Force surged from the spear, carrying a hint of dark red.

Driven by his instinctive fighting spirit, Ronan moved like smoke, elusive and unpredictable, as he thrust his spear at the Black Nightmare Knight behind him.

In an instant, a dazzling spear beam, woven from countless black lightning bolts, shot out, silently piercing through the void and arriving before the Black Nightmare Knight in a flash.

The latter held the gun horizontally, his hands forming a hand seal. The Spiritual Force Field and defensive energy fields of a level 5 late-stage wizard overlapped, forming a solid magical barrier in front of him. However, it shattered under the terrifying spear light in the blink of an eye.

The spear's edge pierced straight through the Black Nightmare Knight's brow, causing the Knight and his Black Nightmare Warhorse to disintegrate into countless ghostly blue flames.

"Call--"

Almost simultaneously, their battle erupted on the other side of the void.

The battle entered another phase, with Ronan and the Black Nightmare Knight moving at speeds that were impossible to detect with the naked eye.

Like light and shadow, like mist and lightning.

The approximate locations of the two could only be roughly determined from the countless dense, dark light paths resembling void meridians created by Ronan's Eight-Bladed Spear with each strike, and the eerie blue flames swirling around the Black Nightmare Knight.

Two domineering forces clashed repeatedly in the sky. Accompanied by the neighing of the Black Nightmare Warhorse, the terrifying aftershocks of the battle stirred up waves of energy and [Rage] hurricanes that ravaged the entire space and the land below.

As the only bystander in this battle, Jason continued to retreat.

As a Level Four Dawn Wizard, he didn't even have the right to watch the battle up close. Getting even slightly closer to the fray would cause him excruciating pain, as if his body and soul were being torn apart.

On the gray wilderness, the sandstorm stirred up by the battle grew stronger and stronger, and the celestial phenomena were also affected. Countless dark clouds rolled in, obscuring the already weak sunlight.

In the dim light, bursts of energy lightning, carrying a terrifying and forbidden aura, would occasionally fall.

In the sky that was suddenly illuminated, two ancient, demonic figures could be vaguely seen locked in fierce combat.

Time passed without anyone knowing how much, and then suddenly there was a loud "boom," and a figure was thrown out of the raging storm like a cannonball.

Jason's heart tightened, and he took two quick steps forward. But when he finally saw the person slowly rising from the sand that looked as if it had been plowed many times and shrunk down considerably, he suddenly froze.

The Black Nightmare Knight was slowly wiping his mouth with his hand, his eyes flashing rapidly. His armor was somewhat torn, large areas of the runes had dimmed, and even his ever-present Black Nightmare Warhorse had disappeared.

The murky storm at the heart of the battle zone shattered, and several streaks of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating Ronan's figure as he stood quietly beneath the Sky Dome, gun in hand.

Ronan looked far more battered than the Black Nightmare Knight.

His Itai armor was almost completely ruined, all sixteen pairs of golden wings on his back had withered, and there were some obvious wounds on his exposed body. However, his eyes were surprisingly bright, and the layers of black Spirit Force around him were like the churning of the Dead Sea, constantly surging out more crimson. Dark red patterns were interwoven on the scarred Eight-Bladed Spear in his hand, which had almost climbed to the middle of the spear.

Even Jason could clearly feel the surging fighting spirit emanating from Ronan at this moment. His long, ink-black hair fluttered behind him like an immortal banner.

"Again."

High in the sky, Ronan uttered a low, hoarse voice, holding a gun in one hand, and stepped down the air towards the Black Nightmare Knight below.

Her demeanor was domineering and imposing, like a drawn blade, aggressive and intimidating.

The Black Nightmare Knight narrowed his eyes and suddenly patted his chest lightly.

Immediately following, a strange runic fluctuation emanated from his body, and a surging, eerie blue flame erupted from his back, rising rapidly and gradually condensing into a huge pattern resembling a magic circle in the void.

"Inheritance Magic Array?"

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he stopped in his tracks.

He quickly regained his composure, slowly gripped the Eight-Bladed Spear in his hand, and kept his pace unchanged.

As the magic circle pattern continued to solidify, the Black Nightmare Knight's aura rose steadily. Energy Torrent surged forth from the magic circle pattern, instantly forming a vast ocean that lifted his body upwards. The gold Itai emitted soft chimes, and within his body, the Spiral Palace vibrated, and the conch shell hummed.

Ronan felt the ever-increasing pressure in the void and slowly licked his lips.

The illusion of the Black Dead Sea reappeared before his eyes—waves surged on the Dead Sea, and thick, blood-red liquid was carried up from beneath the surface, staining his pupils with a hint of crimson.

Just as the Black Nightmare Knight's energy and aura were about to reach their peak, the azure magic circle behind him suddenly collapsed, all energy receded, and the terrifying aura vanished in an instant.

"Oh"

A soft laugh came from beneath the bronze mask.

The Black Nightmare Knight shook his head, a hint of self-mockery in his voice, "It's ridiculous that I would even consider using the power of Inheritance Magic Array against a mere level four like you."

Ronan frowned slightly, and seeing the fighting spirit emanating from the other party recede like a tide, he couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"

"The game should have ended long ago."

The Black Nightmare Knight slowly removed the mask from his face, revealing a mature and handsome middle-aged man with a neat mustache.

"Let me introduce myself."

The handsome man with the small mustache smiled slightly. "Thomas Quinn."

Would you mind telling me your name?

Ronan stared at him, seemingly unaccustomed to his sudden change in attitude.

After a moment of hesitation, Ronan finally answered in a low voice.

"Spirit Lake".

Misha.

Jason, who was in the distance, was taken aback when he heard this. He quickly reached out and scratched his bald head, turning his face away as if nothing had happened.

"Spirit Lake... Indeed, I should have remembered the symbol of this power long ago."

The man named Thomas looked enlightened, then nodded. "Misha, right? I'll remember that name."

He looked Ronan up and down with undisguised admiration, and said, "Of all the young lads I've ever met in my life, you're in the top three in every aspect."

Ronan's Eight-Bladed Spear hummed softly as he calmly said, "Among the level five old guys I've encountered, your resilience ranks in the top three."

The handsome man with the mustache paused for a moment, then, with a wry smile, scolded, "You little brat!"

He casually pulled out something that looked like a medal, like some kind of communication device, which was faintly glowing.

The handsome man with the small mustache stared at the medal in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly, but quickly smoothing out, his face showing no emotion.

"See you again sometime, kid."

The handsome man with the small mustache curled two fingers to his lips and whistled loudly. Soon, the void in front of him rippled, and a perfectly intact Black Nightmare Warhorse snorted as it leaped out of nothingness.

The handsome man with the small mustache gracefully mounted his horse, donned his visor, and looked down at Ronan, saying with a faint smile, "If I see you again, I'll definitely tie you up and take you back to the Third Army."

"Yeah?"

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

The handsome man with the mustache said nothing more, pulled on the reins, and he and his Black Nightmare Warhorse vanished into black smoke at the same time.

Ronan stood still, silently watching the direction where the man and horse had left. One second, two seconds, three seconds... until half an hourglass had passed, the Eight-Bladed Spear in his hand and the golden Itai surrounding him shattered in an instant.

"Click-clack—"

He deflated like a punctured balloon, exiting the Six Spiral Palace Ancient Demon God Body.

His black hair had turned a deep, pale white again. He leaned on the ground with one hand, and the wounds from the battle were particularly shocking on his pale, thin body. Itai docile little dog, a dog guarded him from the side, making the sense of brokenness emanating from him even more intense. "Damien!"

Jason darted to Ronan's side like a gust of wind, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions and worry.

Ronan raised his hand to stop him from helping him up, shook his head, and casually took out a square black stone box, drawing some of the power from the Healing Holy Shrine and silently converting and absorbing it.

"Pity."

Ronan felt the wounds on his body gradually fading, propped himself up, and slowly took out his robe and put it on.

"What's a pity?"

Jason couldn't help but ask.

"It's a pity we couldn't force out the power of his Inheritance Magic Array."

Ronan smoothed out the wrinkles on his robes, regaining his calm and composed demeanor, and said calmly, "Otherwise, I should have been able to complete the final breakthrough under that pressure."

Jason froze upon hearing this, then subconsciously took a few steps away from him, shaking his head as he spoke, "You're a madman... I'm already starting to regret being friends with you, and I'm really afraid that one day you'll lead us all to our deaths."

Jason Franklin.

Ronan suddenly called Jason by his full name.

He looked at Jason and said calmly, "You should take this to heart if you really want to get rid of something."

It requires a resolute determination to forge ahead and fight to the death.

Jason paused, then inexplicably lowered his head and fell silent.

"Let's go."

Ronan gave Jason time to think and process things on his own before telling him to leave.

The two followed the original route, retracing the path Ronan had left behind.

Halfway through the journey, Jason suddenly spoke up.

"Damien, let's part ways here."

Ronan stopped in his tracks, seemingly not much surprised by his decision.

"Going back the way you came is indeed a better choice."

The teleportation point I marked connects to some ancient ruins, but I'm currently participating in a trial, and I might not be able to attend to you afterwards.

"When did I suddenly become a useless person who needs your care in everything and only holds you back?"

Jason smiled, but his expression seemed somewhat bitter.

"Let me know when you find the Golden Rat's treasure. If I don't receive your message, don't wait for me..."

Jason said to Ronan with a serious expression, "Damien, see you next time."

I will definitely surpass you, at least I won't be seen as your follower.

Ronan looked at Jason with a strange expression; clearly, what he had just said to Jason had affected him.

"A good ambition."

Ronan patted Jason on the shoulder in encouragement, "Well then, good luck."

Something just feels off.

Jason muttered a few words to himself, then turned and quickly left in one direction without saying goodbye to Ronan.

Ronan watched his departing figure, a hint of amusement on his face. He shook his head and left alone as well.

On the dimly lit, gray-white wilderness, the two figures parted ways.

Ronan spent a short time returning to the teleportation point where he had originally marked it.

With a simple activation of the spell node, a white pillar of light rose, and Ronan stepped inside.

After a series of changes in the scenery, once everything stabilized, he returned to the dark, decaying, and damp Ancient Waterway.