Spell Duel

"Oh? That's interesting." Konrad looked at the scene with no panic, but rather with great interest, as if he were observing an interesting experiment.

"That skull... is it the key artifact capable of attracting and controlling low-level magical creatures on a large scale? The principle seems to be amplifying and distorting the mental resonance of some kind of abyssal summoning contract... a crude, but highly efficient, dark magic method."

As the raging wave of magical creatures threatened to engulf the three of them, Konrad calmly raised his right hand, his slender fingers tracing a simple yet elegant arcane rune in the air, and uttered a single syllable. "Concealment."

A gentle, invisible wave emanated from him, instantly enveloping him, Lina, and Morian completely.

The three figures, along with their life force and magical fluctuations, vanished without a trace in an instant, like water droplets merging into the ocean!

[[Mass Invisibility]]!

Those magical creatures charging at the forefront instantly lost their clear target.

Their scarlet eyes were filled with confusion and agitation. They circled in place, letting out bewildered roars, and even began to attack and bite each other.

The Sorcerer Thor was in the distance, changed his expression. He, too, had lost his senses of Konrad and the other two!

But he was experienced in combat and immediately changed his strategy.

He stopped searching and instead launched an area-of-effect attack!

He continued to operate the Skull Artifact with one hand, while his other hand quickly formed a hand seal and slammed it into the ground!

"Touch of the Abyss, Soul-Devouring Demon Flower, appear!"

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The ground around where Konrad and his two companions had been standing suddenly churned violently, and three extremely grotesque and terrifying-looking plants burst forth from the soil!

Their trunks resemble twisted black tentacles, but at their tips bloom three enormous, brightly colored flowers covered with sharp teeth, from which corrosive sap drips continuously.

This is precisely the aggressive magical plant commonly found in sorcery: the Hell Tri-Flower!

As soon as these three demonic flowers appeared, they instinctively sensed the life energy present within the range of the invisibility spell.

Without hesitation, it opened its flower crown, covered with sharp teeth, and spewed out three blazing green flames towards what appeared to be an empty place!

"Careful!"

Konrad, in stealth mode, reacted extremely quickly. With a low shout, he shoved Lina and Morian aside and then fell to the side himself!

Boom!

Green flames breathed past their bodies, scorching the ground and leaving black marks. A pungent smell filled the air. It was extremely dangerous!

Konrad frowned slightly; the opponent's counterattack was so precise and swift that it truly took him by surprise.

He simply dispelled the invisibility spell, and the three figures reappeared.

"It seems simple concealment won't work on you," Konrad straightened up, dusted off his robes, and looked at Thor with a cold gaze. "Then let's communicate in a more direct way."

He extended his right hand, palm up, and began to chant a complex and ancient incantation.

The surrounding magical energy rapidly converged into his palm, condensing into a magnificent longsword composed entirely of azure arcane energy, with runic halos flowing across its blade!

[[Magic Blade]]!

Konrad flicked his wrist, and the arcane longsword sliced through the air, leaving a sharp blue arc of light as it hurtled straight toward Thor's face!

It was as fast as lightning!

Thor's pupils contracted; he hadn't expected his opponent, a mage, to be able to use melee weapons!

This is an effect that only a third-tier mage can achieve! Judging from the opponent's performance just now, it's very likely that they have surpassed a third-tier mage!

He retreated hastily, holding the Skull Artifact in front of him as a shield!

Clang!

The spell sword struck the skull, producing a deafening clang like metal clashing, and sparks flew as blinding flashes and chaotic currents of Magic Power surged forth!

Thor's arms went numb from the shock, and he staggered backward, horrified!

Taking advantage of the brief moment, a glint of malice flashed in Thor's eyes. He bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the skull, and shouted fiercely, "Soul Rot Curse! Belonging Like a Shadow!"

A thick, oppressive black cloud, exuding an aura of misfortune and decay, instantly coalesced above Konrad's head!

Lightning bolts darted wildly through the dark clouds, but they were a kind of negative energy lightning that sent chills down one's spine!

Konrad immediately felt a cold, sticky force trying to entangle and erode his mental sea!

He snorted coldly, abandoned the pursuit, and swiftly drew a perfect circular rune in front of his chest with his left hand.

"Mind Barrier!"

A semi-transparent, diamond-shaped shield instantly appeared above his head, its surface shrouded in mysterious runes, firmly protecting him and the two apprentices behind him.

Almost at the same instant the shield was formed!

Sizzle!!!

A jet-black bolt of energy lightning slashed down from the dark clouds and slammed into the mental shield!

The shield trembled violently, its surface rippling, but it steadily withstood the attack!

Black electric snakes swam and dissipated on the surface of the shield, unable to penetrate it even slightly!

Upon seeing this, Thor's expression turned even more grim.

He knew that the fact that his most proficient curse spell had been so easily blocked by his opponent meant that the opponent's magical skill was far superior to his own!

If we continue fighting, we will surely die!

Without further hesitation, a look of pain crossed his face. He gripped the precious Skull Artifact tightly to his chest with both hands, and with all his remaining Magic Power, chanted the final incantation for his life-saving spell:

"Shadows traverse, blood pacts exchanged! Unag, return!"

The instant the incantation was completed, Thor's figure was completely engulfed by a burst of dense black mist!

A cold glint flashed in Konrad's eyes, and without hesitation, he thrust his longsword toward the blurry figure in the center of the black mist!

However, the sensation of the sword tip piercing through was not the expected strong resistance, but rather a strange feeling of slight stagnation followed by easy break-through.

Almost simultaneously, the dense black mist seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand and quickly dissipated.

As the black mist dissipated, the figure that appeared beneath Konrad's sword caused his pupils to contract sharply. He forcefully stopped the forward thrust with his wrist, but the blade had already penetrated more than halfway into the ground!

The one who was stabbed was not Saul, but the Sauron Army who had just been fleeing in a sorry state!

Unag was utterly bewildered and terrified, his eyes wide open as he stared incredulously at the sword piercing his abdomen, seemingly completely bewildered as to why he had suddenly appeared there and why he had suffered such a fatal blow.

The excruciating pain and the rapid loss of life left him only able to make wheezing sounds from his throat.

Konrad immediately understood. "Paranormal activity? And it's a sorcery that swaps locations with a specific target through a blood pact or personal belongings... What a cunning fellow. It seems I really underestimated this self-taught sorcerer."

He looked up into the distance and saw Thor's figure flash briefly a few hundred meters away before disappearing back into the shadows.