Silvermoon City's Delayed Reinforcements

"Draw near..."

"Consume it..."

The crushing pressure of the immense energy vanished. Lanlos, ignited by Fel, took another step forward—heavy and slow.

"Troll, demon..."

"Nothing can halt your path..."

"Consume it, and you shall tower above the entire world..."

The hoarse, low voice echoed incessantly in his mind, acting as both a prod and a temptation.

Lanlos seemed entirely unaware, slowly extending his hands toward the crystal floating in mid-air.

"Yes, just like that!"

The voice from the depths of his soul suddenly grew agitated, as if witnessing this endless power surging into Lanlos's veins, everything unfolding exactly as he had envisioned...

Yet, he had forgotten one thing.

The last time he spoke, he had failed to persuade Lanlos to join the Burning Legion.

"The power of choice lies in my own hands." Calmly whispering to himself, a smile appeared on Lanlos's face once more. Even under the glow of the Fel, it remained gentle and sunny.

Sargerite!

Energy module initializing...

"No! You fool..."

Rumble—

Above the Eastern Temple, a low, prolonged roar drew everyone's attention. Whether Elf or Troll, they all looked upward, staring blankly at the green vortex in the sky that had ceased its rotation.

The next moment, like prey torn apart by countless beasts, the chaotic energy filling the sky was shredded into pieces, dissolving into nothingness in the breeze.

The green clouds dispersed, and the rain cleared...

Witnessing the energy vortex in the distance fall apart, the smile on Sathael's face gradually faded, turning terrifyingly gloomy.

"No!" Velania, on the other hand, turned her head immediately, followed by a shriek of terror.

The beam of energy pouring from the barrier vanished, and the portal connecting to the Shattered Abyss shattered into pieces under the impact of that thunderous roar...

"You have failed." Watching the sky of Quel'Thalas return to a clear blue, Sathael remained silent for a long time, stroking the scarlet blade of Ulthalesh. His low, hoarse voice seemed to come from the netherworld.

"No, Master, I have not!" A feeble rebuttal. Velania had long witnessed how this demon treated the incompetent; she was unwilling to admit, let alone accept, this outcome.

Turning around, Sathael looked at the fragments of the portal scattered on the ground and raised his scythe toward the Elf who was continuously begging for mercy: "Useless trash!"

"No... Ah!!!"

A desperate, shrill wail echoed through the sky, filling this desolate region with fear and agony.

Located by the sea in Silvermoon City stood a tower that looked down upon all of Quel'Thalas. Compared to the buildings below, its unattainable height made it stand out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

This was the Tower of Sunfury, the meeting place for the leadership of Silvermoon City and the gathering point for the magisters.

His withered golden hair was streaked with gray; the long passage of time had not only brought wisdom but had also carved shallow marks upon Belovar's face.

"The teleportation magic is functioning normally. Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

The Grand Magister watched the distant sky return to calm and nodded to the dozens of troops behind him, composed of magisters, Spellbreaker units, and Dawnblade Knight warriors. Reaching forward, he chanted a complex, lengthy incantation, and a rich surge of Arcane power rose around them.

"For Quel'Thalas!"

The next moment, the vast magical power compressed instantly. A flash of blinding white light swept by, and everyone vanished from the spot.

Energy module: 69.27%... Database updated...

Talents:

Immolation: Burn life with Fel, dealing Fire and Chaos damage to nearby enemies. Sacrifices 1% of health every 1 second.

Life Tap: Contact the target with a standard action to forcibly drain health and restore oneself. Can gain up to 20% additional health.

Fel Surge: Greatly enhances combat capability. The bonus effect of Fel Combustion is doubled. All Fel-based talents no longer consume health. Life Tap and Soul Harvest can be cast at a maximum range of 10 yards. While active, lose 2% health every 1 second. Gain status: Demon Within (Unknown).

Health: 29%

Warning... Remaining health is critically low...

As the surrounding chaotic energy dissipated completely, a sense of weakness from the depths of his heart, accompanied by the searing pain of Fel burning his body, surged up. Lanlos swayed slightly and collapsed onto the ground.

Looking at the lines of data added to his attribute panel, he wasn't overly excited. This wasn't something he had suddenly comprehended; it was stolen from those two demons in the Shattered Abyss. It simply hadn't been recorded by the Sargerite Keystone because he hadn't used it until now.

This brought him both relief and melancholy.

The relief was that even the Sargerite Keystone could not pry into his thoughts. The melancholy was that while these abilities were indeed powerful, they were forces spurned by this world. If seen and reported by other Elves, he would likely never be able to remain in this land again.

Even the most inconspicuous Fel Combustion carried the risk of being detected by spellcasters, let alone things like Immolation.

"Stable Arcane energy detected. Subject is advised to harvest."

Sargerite's voice interrupted Lanlos's train of thought. Although it remained filled with a metallic and mechanical texture, the High Elf mage still felt a sense of relief. After transferring all that energy into the Keystone, its management subroutines finally no longer needed to remain in standby.

But it mentioned Arcane energy? Where?

Just as a question mark surfaced in Lanlos's mind, his attention was drawn to the hard sensation in his hand.

The deep blue crystal shimmered with a mesmerizing glow, and materialized magic flowed across his fingertips like a babbling brook sliding through a mountain stream—cool, refreshing, and invigorating.

Unlike before, the Conduit Crystal was now connected to the local Ley Line node, its restrictions had been thoroughly destroyed by the Darkpine Troll, and now that Sargerite had completely absorbed the Fel, what remained was an ownerless field of wildflowers waiting to be picked!

Do not forget, while the Keystone possessed energy modules, it lacked charging ports. Just moments ago, he had relied on sheer willpower to resist the temptation of mana addiction, guiding the Fel into his body before transferring it into the Keystone. That feeling was like a starving man finally biting into roasted meat fragrant with fat, only to be forced to spit it out mercilessly.

If not for his decent self-control, he would have long since been unable to resist devouring that Fel. Yet the consequences were predictable: this body was simply insufficient to withstand such massive, chaotic energy. He would likely be burned to ash before his cravings were even satisfied.

Now that he held a controllable source of magic in his hands, how could he not be tempted?

Countless thoughts flashed through Lanlos's mind, and he revealed a faint smile. Only a fool would refuse power that required no price!

'Charging preparation, initiate flow restriction.'

Lanlos carefully established a connection with the crystal using his consciousness. Just as he braced himself to withstand a massive surge of magic, a pleasant notification echoed in his mind.

It was as if an invisible funnel stood between him and the crystal; the originally massive flow of magic split into a pure, slender branch, flowing into Lanlos's internal organs in an extremely gentle manner.

It felt like bathing in a hot spring; his blood boiled, his flesh cheered, and Lanlos could clearly feel the magic strengthening his body step by step.

Crackle!

Fine bolts of lightning suddenly appeared in the corner of the Astrology Platform, and the next moment, blinding white light nearly engulfed the entire area.

Following this came a sense of crisis that made Lanlos's hair stand on end.

"Wait." Stopping the Arcanist who was preparing a spell, Belovar fixed his gaze on Lanlos, who stood dazed while holding the Conduit Crystal. "Who are you?"

"I..."

"Forget it, where is Landral?" Belovar was indeed anxious at this moment; his usual gentlemanly demeanor had long since been cast to the winds.

Lanlos glanced at the spot not far away where traces of teleportation magic still lingered. Although he didn't speak, the implication was already very clear.

"She left you here alone?" he asked with a surprised retort, a flash of anger crossing the Grand Magister's face. "Reckless, foolish!"

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward the teleportation site. A blue-violet stream of light shot out like lightning, instantly tearing open a rift. The next moment, accompanied by a terrified scream, the magical aura shattered, and a disheveled figure was violently dragged out from within.

Seeing this, Lanlos's eyelids twitched violently.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was a 7th-circle spell, Teleport Return, which shared similar principles with the 4th-circle spell Displacement. The latter allowed a caster to return to their position before a Blink or Teleport, while the former could force anyone using spatial magic back to their previous location. Compared to Displacement, Teleport Return was mandatory and nearly unrestricted.

Likewise, because this spell involved profound knowledge of spatial jumping just like teleportation, the difficulty of casting it was surely no less than a 9th-circle spell.

Holding the title of the premier Arcanist of Quel'Thalas, it wasn't strange that he had mastered this spell, but the important thing was that Belovar had cast it instantly...

"You lot, go deal with the trouble below." Belovar glanced at Landral, who dared not meet his eyes, snorted heavily, and then grabbed the magic and flung it behind him.

A subtle breeze surged beneath everyone's feet, quickly enveloping their entire bodies. The next moment, they jumped directly off the Astrology Platform.

Mass Slow Fall, and it was instant as well...

The slowly drifting magisters chanted incantations in mid-air. Fire, Ice Lance, and lightning—one after another, brilliant and powerful spells tore those monsters to shreds.

As for the Spellbreakers and Dawnblade Knights, they guarded their sides wholeheartedly, easily cutting down any encroaching enemies.

Although the Farstriders were the largest force of the High Elf military, their individual strength was not the greatest. If not for their limited numbers, the elite forces of Silvermoon City, built around Arcanists, could have easily crushed them.