Have You Ever Heard of a Brag That Lasts Ten Years?

Mana Burn's name alone told you how overbearing and domineering it was.

By infusing a target with chaotic, unstable magic, it ignited the mana within them. The energy released by the burning then ravaged their body, setting off a chain reaction.

Never mind how powerful this metamagic technique was—using it was extremely difficult.

See the green glow when Mana Burn was cast? That was proof of energy collapsing into a stable state of chaos. Its nature was infinitely close to Fel. If an ordinary caster rashly tried to learn and use it, Mana Burn would burn away every last bit of mana in their body before they could successfully cast it.

How could a mere Arcane Aberration use a metamagic technique of this magnitude? Was it because of the Conduit Crystal?

Seeing the two unusual buffs in its status bar, Lanlos was almost certain: the Conduit Crystal was on that thing.

The Conduit Crystal was the Western Temple's input port, and it was also the connection port to the Ley Line. Mana from the Ley Line node flowed through the Conduit Crystal into the Displacement device, then transferred through the output port to Ban'dinoriel.

Now the Conduit Crystal had changed hands. An endless supply of energy poured from the Ley Line into the Arcane Aberration. If it were left to grow for a while, it would inevitably become a massive threat to Quel'Thalas.

How had Velania managed to lose something so important?

A question flashed through Lanlos's mind. As he searched the smoke for Vereesa, he quietly backed away, preparing to cast Invisibility and Speed Dash so he could escape.

Mana Burn and Mana Shield had almost completely cut off any chance of Lanlos defeating his opponent. With a virtually endless supply of mana, no spell could break through that shield. As for physical attacks, they'd be nothing more than tickling an elemental creature.

The extra 200% spell vulnerability from Ley Line Connection was a downright tempting trap.

"Vereesa, where are you? Hurry, we have to retreat!" With Speed Dash active, Lanlos shot into the smoke. Just as he finished calling out and was about to turn invisible, a voice came from below, strained with pain.

"I-I'm here..."

Lanlos looked over, his brows furrowing tightly. The ranger was sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, with the fallen tree pinning one of her legs beneath it.

Now was not the time for this kind of joke.

Lanlos was in a foul mood. He hurriedly crouched down and tried to push aside the trunk, which was as thick as a man.

"Ah!" As the mage strained to push, a sharp, stabbing pain made Vereesa cry out. Cold sweat poured from her forehead.

"I think my leg's broken." The ranger gripped her thigh with trembling hands, trying to ease the terrible pain. "I... I don't think I can get away."

"Don't worry about me. Just go."

Watching the Arcane Aberration draw nearer with a growing series of low snarls, the girl's voice trembled uncontrollably. Fear made her shiver all over.

This was the second time she'd faced the threat of death. The first had been earlier that day. She'd told herself over and over not to panic, not to be afraid. But now, with death drawing closer step by step, fear and panic inevitably showed on her face.

After all, she was still just a student.

Seeing Vereesa stubbornly bury her head against her chest to hide her pale, frightened face from him, Lanlos let out a quiet sigh.

Leave? Could he really just walk away? If he went back without her, her two sisters would probably flay him alive.

"Get up as quickly as you can. I'll buy you some time." Leaving her with those words, Lanlos turned with the Windrunner Blade in hand.

Vereesa stared blankly for a moment. By the time she came to her senses and tried to say something, Lanlos, with Speed Dash active, had already led the Arcane Aberration's attention far away.

Awooo—!

Its hollow growl echoed through the woods. Seeing its enemy still on the move, the Arcane Aberration swung its thick arm, sending another Arcane Blast hurtling toward him.

At the same time, mana gathered in Lanlos's hand. Four purple, diamond-shaped missiles appeared out of nowhere and shot toward the oncoming arcane energy. Time seemed to slow. Lanlos focused intently on the Arcane Blast's trajectory, and his vision filled with data like its angle, speed, and path.

Under his control, the four Arcane Missiles flew through the air in a line, striking the mass of burning arcane energy with pinpoint accuracy.

The successive collisions made Lanlos's heart pound. Once he'd met the requirements to use second-circle spells, Arcane Missiles had increased from two to four. But compared to the enhanced Arcane Blast, they were clearly no match.

Fortunately, the Arcane Missiles collided just as he'd expected. One, two, three... Then came a final, resounding explosion. Arcane energy burst into a brilliant blue-purple firework in the air, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Unlike the mishap on the beach with that Murloc Shaman, this time he'd deliberately used one spell to counter another. With his powerful mental fortitude and Sargerite's superhuman computational ability, he'd succeeded.

Still, this approach was little more than a gamble. If it failed, the consequences would be dire.

The Arcane Aberration was just as stunned by its unexpected failure. With its simple mind, it couldn't understand why its spell hadn't worked.

Seizing the opportunity, Lanlos used Speed Dash's boost to sprint forward, rapidly closing the distance between them.

He had only one chance to turn the tide: the 200% spell vulnerability. In that state, even a first-circle spell could inflict tremendous damage. But to break through the Mana Shield, he'd need to deal damage equal to all of his opponent's mana. None of the spells Lanlos knew could do that.

Unless he could send a spell through the shield and hit the creature directly!

The Sunwell's blessing had given him that ability. A while ago, he'd figured out how to trigger Shocking Grasp through the blade of the Windrunner Blade.

The distance between them was still considerable, and with an 80% reduction in casting time, the Arcane Aberration wasn't going to let him approach so easily. It roared and swung its arm again. Six dazzling Arcane Missiles appeared almost instantly and rushed toward the elf.

Lanlos's brows knitted, but he didn't slow down. Electricity crackled along the curved blade in his hand as he swung it forward with all his strength.

Bam! Bam!

Two deafening impacts rang out. The force nearly tore the blade from Lanlos's grip. Without activating Fel Combustion, intercepting two missiles with Shocking Grasp in such a short time was his limit. The remaining four struck his Shield spell and dissipated.

At the same time, he finally reached the Arcane Aberration.

His spells hadn't managed to stop the elf's advance, and the Arcane Aberration's already frenzied nerves snapped. With a roar, it directed all its chaotic will toward the elf.

A violent sense of danger seized Lanlos. His pupils contracted sharply. With no Shield spell left, the familiar green glow shot straight toward his chest.

Mana Burn struck again, but this time Lanlos roared in his heart:

Fel Combustion!

Both were chaotic magic. What would happen if they collided? Chaos piled upon chaos!

His health plummeted by more than half in an instant. Roaring green flames burst from his skin and burned through his robe, flooding into his body along with unbearable pain and immense power.

Bam!

He slammed both feet into the ground. A terrifying force struck the earth like a heavy hammer. Amid the thunderous impact, the elf shot into the air like a cannonball and reached the enemy in a single breath.

He turned his wrist and slashed!

The Mana Shield blocked the blazing Fel flames, but the blade easily pierced through the shield, slicing down through the mass of jelly. At the same time, the grimacing Lanlos chanted the short, swift incantation for Shocking Grasp.

Boom!

Electricity? No—white-hot lightning, like silver serpents, danced wildly through the air. The Arcane Aberration's wail rang out, shrill as a demon's, mingling with the rumbling thunder that rolled across the forest.

He'd won.

Lanlos narrowed his eyes, enduring the pain of chaotic energy devouring his body, and smiled with pride. But the next moment, his smile froze.

The dying lightning didn't quiet the howling world around him. On the contrary, the wind roared, and the light around them seemed to dim. Only the mass of frenzied energy before Lanlos remained, blazing with dazzling light.

After Lanlos had gone off to draw the enemy's attention, Vereesa could no longer see him from where she was. But she didn't stay idle. As the sounds of battle reached her ears, she kept digging away the dirt beneath her feet.

At last, she felt the pressure on her leg ease. Overjoyed, she pulled out her injured right leg and struggled to her feet, enduring the pain.

Hurry. While there's still time, I have to tell Lanlos to retreat.

Boom—!

A brilliant purple light flashed in the distance. The deafening roar slammed into Vereesa's eardrums, leaving her dizzy and nearly knocking her over again. Then, an uncontrollable terror suddenly surged through her.

That sound? An explosion that powerful? Lanlos!

Fear and panic seized her again. No—this time, there was guilt, too. An indescribable self-reproach swallowed her like a tide, as if the ground beneath her had crumbled and sent her plunging into a pitch-black abyss.

She ran, ignoring the tearing pain in her lower leg. The agony grew more intense, and she stumbled again and again. Each time, she got back up and ran, only to fall once more, crawling forward on hands and feet.

At last, she saw a figure half-buried beneath dust, broken branches, and dead leaves.

"No..." Vereesa covered her mouth as she stared at that disheveled gray hair, as if she couldn't bring herself to believe what she was seeing.

The mage's last words to her kept echoing in her mind.

Buy her some time...

If only she weren't so useless. If only that fallen tree hadn't hit her leg while she was panicking. If only...

The overwhelming guilt was almost more than she could bear. Worse still, this man had repeatedly insulted her virtue. Had he died, she couldn't help but feel a trace of satisfaction. But he'd died because of her, putting himself in danger to save her...

Conflicting emotions collided and battered against one another, nearly tearing Vereesa in two. Grief, self-reproach, and guilt mingled with a shameful flicker of delight. The feelings she couldn't name welled up inside her, turning into hot, wet tears that slowly slid down her cheeks.

"You bastard!" Vereesa practically threw herself onto the ground. Trembling, she reached toward the battered mage, bruised and torn open. "I'm begging you, wake up!"

Her voice broke with sorrow. She knew that if this place became Lanlos's final resting ground, she'd never escape the whirlpool of darkness for the rest of her life.

You can't even let me have any peace in death, you bastard...

Unable to feel the other person's breath, and overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions crashing through her, Vereesa finally broke. She threw herself onto the mage's chest and burst into tears.

But just then, that familiar, infuriating voice suddenly sounded beside her.

"Ow! Hey, girlie, that hurts like hell..."