The Might of a Wizard

"Lilith, you've crossed the line!"

A thunderous roar exploded from the center of the camp!

Everyone inside and outside the camp felt their eardrums throb violently.

Sound vanished!!!

But immediately after, a piercing ringing rose up, stabbing into their skulls like steel needles.

At the center of the camp, Wizard Sterling slowly rose into the air.

Thirteen Fireballs circled around him, continuously expanding as he ascended.

Each one was the size of a house, their blazing radiance turning half the night sky into daylight.

His black wizard's robe snapped violently in the scorching currents of air.

His gaze was icy as he locked onto the female wizard standing atop a dark crimson blood cloud.

"Crossed the line?" Lilith gave a silver-bell-like laugh and lightly shook the longsword in her hand.

"Sterling, war is the best boundary. This camp, and all the flesh inside it, are mine."

"Then let's see if you have what it takes!"

Sterling wasted no more words and thrust both hands forward.

Thirteen enormous Fireballs crashed toward Lilith like meteors.

The Fireballs carved thirteen scarlet trails through the air, sealing off every route of escape.

Before the Fireballs even arrived, their terrifying heat rapidly scorched the ground below, warping and steaming the air.

Lilith's expression did not change. The blood cloud beneath her feet whirled rapidly, forming countless threads that wove themselves into a gigantic Blood Shield.

At the same time, she began chanting an obscure spell, and bloody light flared fiercely from the crimson longsword.

"Sky-Covering!"

At the point of her blade, a vast blood mist surged from the void. Its foul stench spread through the air as it collided violently with the thirteen Fireballs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

A ceaseless chain of explosions erupted. Scarlet flames and crimson mist tore at each other madly, annihilating one another.

Everyone below was thrown off balance by the shockwaves from the collision. They all stopped fighting and stared blankly at the two rapidly shifting figures overhead.

In a battle between Formal Wizards, even the aftershocks were enough to severely injure or kill apprentices.

Ian hid behind cover. The Eye of Vigilance had shattered the moment Wizard Sterling rose into the air.

He stood up and stared fixedly at the battle in the sky, his eyes filled with shock.

"This is the power of a wizard!"

Any one of those Fireballs could have reduced him to ashes.

"The gap is too great..." He clenched his fists, and an unprecedented light gleamed in his eyes.

The battle in the sky had already reached its fiercest point.

Sterling did not want to drag things out any longer. This was his camp, and the longer it went on, the more disadvantageous it was for him.

With a wave of his hand, he pulled a small crystal bottle from his robes. It contained half a bottle of dark golden, viscous liquid.

Without hesitation, he pulled out the stopper and drank it in one gulp.

The next moment, Sterling's aura surged explosively, and the thirteen Fireballs instantly fused together.

They became a blazing white sun more than ten meters in diameter!!

Countless runes flowed across the sun's surface, radiating a palpitating aura of destruction.

"Molten Heart Potion!"

Lilith's face changed drastically, and fear appeared in her voice for the first time.

"Are you insane?! Aren't you afraid of the backlash?"

"As long as I can keep you here, what does backlash matter!"

Sterling's voice became as harsh and grating as metal scraping together. The potion's side effects had begun to show from the very start.

He held the blazing sun between his hands, then hurled it violently at Lilith.

Wherever the sun passed, space itself seemed to be burned through, leaving behind a blazing white trail.

Lilith let out a shriek, and the blood cloud beneath her feet erupted with dazzling bloody light.

Countless blood-colored runes flew from her body, layering dozens of defensive barriers before her.

But it was too late!

The blazing white sun effortlessly tore through every defense and slammed into Lilith.

"Ah...!!"

A miserable scream rang through the night sky.

Lilith's body flew backward as though she had been crushed by a giant beast.

Her wizard's robe instantly turned to ash, revealing charred, festering skin beneath.

She barely steadied herself before turning into a streak of blood light and shooting toward the depths of the canyon, scattering large amounts of foul black blood along the way.

"Sterling Vance! I'll remember this grudge!"

Her venomous voice came from afar, then gradually faded away.

Sterling did not pursue her. He did not have the strength to.

After forcefully unleashing his power by drinking the Molten Heart Potion, his face was now as pale as paper, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his aura had weakened to the extreme.

When Morez saw Lilith flee with severe injuries, his heart turned ice-cold.

"Run!!" he roared hoarsely, turning and rushing toward the canyon.

The other Crimson apprentices reacted as well and scattered in all directions.

Sterling hovered weakly in the sky. Looking at those fleeing figures, his eyes were filled with contempt.

He extended his right hand and curled his fingers in the air.

"Molten Lava Cage."

The ground split open with a roar, and scorching magma erupted from the cracks, instantly forming nine enormous Molten Lava Cages.

They trapped every Crimson apprentice attempting to flee, including Morez. Not one escaped.

"No..."

Morez attacked the cage frantically.

His crimson blood-element spells struck the magma walls, raising only a few sparks.

The cage grew hotter and hotter. The shield around him began flickering violently, while searing pain spread across his skin.

"I won't accept this! I won't accept this!"

Morez's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the figure in the sky.

"Why? Why have I cultivated bitterly for over forty years..."

Why could those geniuses obtain resources so easily while he had to gamble with his life for them!

The cage began to contract, and the temperature soared sharply. Morez's shield finally shattered.

His dark crimson robe caught fire, and his skin rapidly carbonized and peeled away beneath the heat...

"Ah..."

An inhumanly miserable scream came from the cage, but it lasted only a few seconds before abruptly stopping.

The nine Molten Lava Cages gradually sank into the ground, leaving behind nine charred marks and small amounts of ash.

Nine Advanced Apprentices were reduced to ashes with a casual strike from a weakened Formal Wizard!

The camp fell deathly silent.

All the Shadowmoon apprentices raised their heads, their faces filled with shock, lingering fear, and... an endless longing for power.

Ian emerged from behind cover and looked at the nine scorched marks, his heart pounding violently.

When would he possess such power?

"Clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded." Sterling's voice came from the sky, carrying unmistakable exhaustion.

"Hank, count the casualties and losses, then report to me."

After saying that, his body swayed and turned into a streak of fire as he entered the Central Stone Tower.

Only after Sterling left did the camp come back to "life."

Moans, cries, and shouted orders rose from every direction.

Those still alive began working frantically, treating their companions, extinguishing burning embers, repairing the walls...

Ian joined them as well, using the Wizard's Hand enhanced by Spirit Infusion to help carry the severely wounded.

He took out the two potions he had refined and treated the wounds of the injured apprentices.

At the breach in the western wall, the corpses of three Shadowmoon apprentices had been corroded beyond recognition. They could only be identified by their tattered gray robes.

In a corner, an apprentice whose throat had been slit by a shadow assassin lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open as if he could not believe he had died just like that.

Another six apprentices had been poisoned by the toxic mist. Although Ian had treated them in time, they still could not hold on.

Right in front of Ian, they screamed in agony for half an hour before gradually stopping breathing.

After Hank finished counting, his face was so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water.

"Not counting attendants and Knights, thirteen apprentices died alone. Five were from Shadowmoon, eight were severely injured, and thirty-five suffered light injuries..."

His voice was hoarse. "All nine from the Crimson Court were wiped out, but we suffered terribly!"

Yes, they had suffered terribly!

The Crimson Court had lost apprentices, and Shadowmoon Tower had also lost apprentices.

But to Formal Wizards, there was no difference. Apprentices' lives were worthless!

Unless you were a genius with the potential to break through.

Ian silently looked at the devastated camp, unable to say anything.

After tonight, he understood this world's rules even more clearly.

The strong devoured the weak, and strength reigned supreme!

He looked at the shield proficiency on his Status Panel. It would not be long before it reached Limit Break, and his heart grew even more urgent.

"Not enough. Limit Break alone isn't enough. Setting speed aside for now, my offense and defense must improve as soon as possible."

He looked toward the stone tower at the center of the camp, where Sterling was recovering.

The Molten Heart Potion Sterling had consumed during the battle could actually increase combat strength by such an enormous amount?

"Potions... what an incredible ability."

He possessed the Status Panel and could amplify that advantage in every aspect—potions, spells, Alchemy...

At that moment, Ian's desire to grow stronger had never been so intense!