Silvermoon City's Late-Arriving Reinforcements

"Come closer..."

"Eat it..."

The oppressive sensation of that immense energy vanished. With fel energy ignited within him, Lanlos took another step forward, heavy and slow.

"Trolls, demons..."

"Nothing can stop you..."

"Eat it, and you'll rise above the entire world..."

A hoarse, low voice kept echoing in his mind, both urging and tempting him.

Lanlos seemed completely unaware of it as he slowly reached out both hands toward the crystal floating in the air.

"Yes, just like that!"

The voice from within his soul suddenly grew excited, as if it could see this boundless power flowing through Lanlos's veins and into his body. Then everything would unfold just as he imagined...

Unfortunately, he had forgotten one thing.

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

"The choice is mine to make." Lanlos murmured calmly, a smile returning to his face. Even in the fel's glow, it remained gentle and warm.

Sargerite!

Energy module activated...

"No! You fool..."

Rumble—

A deep, drawn-out boom above the Eastern Temple drew everyone's attention. Elves and trolls alike looked up, staring blankly at the green vortex in the sky as it gradually stopped spinning.

The next moment, like prey torn apart by countless beasts, the chaotic energies filling the sky were shredded to pieces and vanished in the breeze.

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

As Sathael watched the distant vortex of energy collapse, the smile on his face slowly faded, leaving him frighteningly grim.

"No!" Velania turned at once, then let out a terrified wail.

The stream of energy pouring down from the barrier had vanished. The portal connecting to the Shattered Abyss had been blown apart by the impact of that thunderous roar...

"You failed." Watching the skies of Quel'Thalas turn blue again, Sathael fell silent for a long moment. He stroked the crimson blade of Ulthalesh, his low, hoarse voice seeming to rise from the depths of the underworld.

"No, master, I didn't!" Velania weakly protested. She had already seen how this demon dealt with the incompetent. She didn't want to admit it, much less accept this outcome.

Turning around, Sathael looked at the scattered fragments of the portal and raised his scythe toward the elf who kept begging for mercy. "Useless wretch!"

"No... Aah!!!"

A desperate wail rang through the sky, filling this desolate place with terror and pain.

A towering spire stood by the sea in Silvermoon City, overlooking all of Quel'Thalas. Its impossible height made it stand out conspicuously above the buildings below.

This was Sunfury Spire, the meeting place of Silvermoon City's leaders and a gathering place for Magisters.

The Grand Magister's withered golden hair was streaked with gray. The long years had brought him wisdom and left faint marks on Belovar's face.

"Teleportation magic is working again! Everyone, get ready!"

The Grand Magister watched as the distant sky settled, then nodded to the dozens of Magisters, Spellbreakers, and Dawnblade Knights behind him. He reached out, and as he spoke a long, complex incantation, a dense wave of magic rose around them.

"For Quel'Thalas!"

The next moment, the vast magic compressed in an instant. A dazzling flash of white light passed, and everyone vanished from where they stood.

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

Talents:

Immolation: Burn life with fel energy, dealing fire and chaos damage to nearby enemies. Sacrifice 1% of health every 1 second.

Life Tap: As a standard action, touch a target to forcibly drain its health and restore your own, gaining up to 20% additional health.

Fel Surge: Greatly increase combat ability. Double the bonus effects of Fel Combustion. Talents that use fel energy no longer consume health. Life Tap and Soul Harvest can be cast from up to 10 yards away. After activation, lose 2% of health every 1 second. Gain status: Demon Within (unknown).

Health: 29%

Warning... Remaining health critically low...

The chaotic energies around him had completely dissipated. A weakness that came from deep within, along with the searing pain of fel energy scorching his body, surged through Lanlos. He swayed and slumped to the ground.

As he watched the rows of data appear in his attribute panel, he wasn't particularly excited. He hadn't suddenly learned these abilities; he had taken them from the two demons in the Shattered Abyss. They simply hadn't been recorded by the Sargerite Keystone because he had never used them.

That reassured him, but also left him troubled.

He was reassured because even the Sargerite Keystone couldn't peer into his thoughts. But he was troubled because these abilities did seem powerful, yet they were all forces this world despised. If other elves saw them and reported him, he would probably never be able to remain in this land.

Even the seemingly insignificant Fel Combustion could be detected by spellcasters, let alone Immolation and the like.

"Stable Arcane energy detected. Recommend that the host collect it."

Sargerite's voice interrupted Lanlos's thoughts. Although it still sounded metallic and mechanical, the elven mage felt a surge of relief. After he had transferred all of that energy to the Keystone, its auxiliary program had finally no longer needed to remain on standby.

But it had said Arcane energy? Where?

The question had barely formed in Lanlos's mind before his attention was drawn to the hard sensation in his hand.

The deep-blue crystal shimmered with captivating light. Substantial magic flowed over his fingertips, like a clear spring trickling through a mountain stream—cool, refreshing, and invigorating.

Unlike before, the Conduit Crystal was now connected to the local Ley Line node, and the Darkpine Trolls had thoroughly destroyed its wards. Now Sargerite had absorbed all the fel energy, too. What remained was an ownerless wildflower ripe for the picking—and not just one flower, but an entire field!

Don't forget, although the Keystone had an energy module, it had no charging port. Just now, he had forced himself to resist the temptation of his magical addiction, guiding the fel energy into his body before transferring it to the Keystone. It had felt like a starving man finally biting into a fragrant, greasy roast, only to spit it out again without mercy.

If he hadn't had decent self-control, he would have already given in and devoured all that fel energy. But the consequences would have been obvious: this body simply couldn't withstand such a vast amount of chaotic energy. Before his desire could be satisfied, he would probably have been burned to ash.

Now he had a controllable source of magic in his hand. How could he not be tempted?

Countless thoughts flashed through Lanlos's mind, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Only a fool would turn down power that came without a price!

Prepare to charge. Enable flow restriction.

Lanlos carefully established a connection with the crystal through his thoughts. He had just prepared himself to withstand a massive amount of magic when a delightful notification sounded in his mind.

It was as though an invisible funnel stood between him and the crystal. The vast stream of magic split off into a small, refined trickle that flowed gently into Lanlos's organs.

As if bathing in a hot spring, his blood boiled and his flesh rejoiced. Lanlos could clearly feel the magic gradually strengthening his body from within.

Crackle!

Fine bolts of lightning suddenly appeared in a corner of the Astrology Platform. The next moment, dazzling white light nearly engulfed the entire platform.

Then came a sense of danger that made Lanlos's hair stand on end.

"Wait." Belovar stopped the Arcanist who was preparing a spell and looked toward Lanlos, who stood frozen with the Conduit Crystal in his hand. "Who are you?"

"I..."

"Never mind. Where's Landral?" Belovar was in a real hurry now; his usual gentlemanly manner had long since been cast aside.

Lanlos glanced at the spot nearby where traces of teleportation magic still lingered. He said nothing, but the answer was obvious.

"She left you here alone?" Belovar asked in surprise. A flash of anger crossed the Grand Magister's face. "Reckless. Foolish!"

He reached out and made a grasping motion toward the teleportation site. A streak of blue-purple light shot out like lightning, tearing open a rift in an instant. The next moment, amid a startled scream, the magical light shattered, and a disheveled figure was violently dragged out.

Lanlos's eyelid twitched at the sight.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was a seventh-circle spell, Teleport Return, with an effect similar to the fourth-circle Displacement. The latter could return a spellcaster to the spot they had occupied before blinking or teleporting, while the former could send anyone who had used a spatial spell back to where they had been before. Compared to Displacement, Teleport Return was forceful and had almost no restrictions.

Likewise, because this spell involved the profound knowledge of spatial translocation, just like teleportation, it was certainly no easier to cast than a ninth-circle spell.

It wasn't surprising that someone with the title of Quel'Thalas's greatest Arcanist knew this spell. What mattered was that Belovar had cast it instantly...

"You all go deal with the trouble below." Belovar glanced at Landral, who didn't dare meet his eyes, and gave a heavy snort before flinging a wave of magic behind him.

A gentle breeze rose beneath everyone's feet and quickly enveloped them. The next moment, they jumped straight down from the Astrology Platform.

Mass Slow Fall, and instant-cast again...

As they drifted down, the Magisters chanted spells in midair. Fire, Ice Lance, and lightning—one dazzling, powerful spell after another tore the monsters to pieces.

The Spellbreakers and Dawnblade Knights, meanwhile, devoted themselves to guarding the Magisters. Any enemy that approached was swiftly cut down by their blades.

Although the Farstriders were the largest force among the High Elves, their individual strength wasn't the greatest. If not for their limited numbers, Silvermoon City's elite troops, built around Arcanists, could easily crush them.