Metamorphosis of Air Bullet

Dago stood quietly, watching the Black-Robed Wizard, who seemed very interested in him.

Through the Detection Technique, Dago could see that the man's spiritual fluctuations were clearly stronger than his own. At the very least, he was a High-Grade Third-Level Apprentice Wizard.

He asked tentatively, "What is a Blood Offering?"

The Black-Robed Wizard looked at him as though he were already dead. "A Blood Offering is a sacrifice contributed to the Duskblood Council."

After saying that, he curled his lips slightly, then suddenly pointed the Spinal Bone Staff at Dago. A Shadow Energy Ball gathered once more and shot toward him.

Dago compressed a tiny Air Bullet beneath his feet with spiritual power, violently launching himself away. Only then did he barely evade the energy ball.

The Shadow Energy Ball struck the spot where Dago had just been standing. It made little noise, yet instantly corroded a large patch of ground, leaving it visibly sunken.

Dago looked at the broad depression in the earth with lingering fear.

He had seen this corrosion-based spell in the hands of the previous black-robed man.

But the power of the same spell when cast by a mid-level apprentice wizard versus a high-level apprentice wizard was vastly different.

Dago quickly got to his feet and exchanged a distant glance with the Black-Robed Wizard.

The latter's spiritual power had remained firmly locked onto him. Clearly, this Black-Robed Wizard was determined to kill him.

Dago's mind raced as his eyes flickered, considering his next tactic.

With my current spiritual power, I can cast the Ice Crystal Cannon four more times. Can I only gamble on him being unable to defend against it?

He acted immediately. Dago swiftly condensed ice elements into an Ice Crystal Cannon and fired it straight at the Black-Robed Wizard.

The Black-Robed Wizard sneered when he saw it. He rapidly chanted an incantation and swung his bone staff...

A circular Blood Mirror two meters in diameter condensed before him. What it reflected was not reality, but several twisted, struggling souls.

The Ice Crystal Cannon shell crashed straight into the Blood Mirror with unstoppable force. With a crack, countless fractures spread across the mirror's surface beneath the dark-blue projectile.

Just as Dago thought the Ice Crystal Cannon would charge through as it always had, the twisted, struggling souls within the Blood Mirror reached out through the cracks and wrapped their hands around the shell.

"Sizzle!!!" The ice elements on the Ice Crystal Cannon shell and the Air Bullet at its tail were steadily worn away and erased by the vengeful souls.

Only when the vengeful souls had completely dissipated did the Ice Crystal Cannon shell lose its momentum and fall to the ground, shattering into fragments.

Yet as the vengeful souls vanished, the Blood Mirror also broke apart with a crack, shattering into countless pieces.

The Black-Robed Wizard glanced at Dago in surprise. "Such an impressive ice-element spell. So you killed Morlock, didn't you? If I had been careless, I might have fallen to this spell as well."

At that moment, Dago was nearly overcome by despair.

Is this the strength of the Duskblood Council's Black-Robed Wizards, who specialize in killing and combat?

Dago once more applied a trace of compressed air beneath his feet. Using the recoil, he leaped several meters away and rolled across the ground several times.

The Black-Robed Wizard in the distance watched him coldly. The chill and indifference in his eyes made it seem as though he were watching an insect desperately fleeing for its life.

He was chanting a new spell, uttering one strange syllable after another.

Through the Detection Technique, Dago saw vast amounts of shadow energy particles gathering around the bone staff. An immensely powerful spell was brewing.

I can't let him cast that spell. Otherwise, I'll most likely die.

Dago's pupils suddenly contracted as a voice roared in his heart.

I have to interrupt his casting.

He made his decision at once.

He fiercely wiped the mixture of mud and sweat from his face. Gritting his teeth, his pale and handsome face looked somewhat disheveled.

"Whoosh~~"

Dago rapidly chanted, and another Ice Crystal Cannon appeared before him. Guided by his spiritual power, it shot out at high speed.

The instant the Ice Crystal Cannon blasted forth, Dago's body staggered backward uncontrollably.

He did not have much spiritual power left.

The Ice Crystal Cannon shell swept up a violent gale across the ground as it roared toward the Black-Robed Wizard with terrifying force.

Just before it struck him, the Black-Robed Wizard, who had been focused on chanting, lifted his eyelids at Dago's attack.

A thick, dark-green torrent of energy poured from his bone staff and collided head-on with the Ice Crystal Cannon shell.

"Boom!"

The massive energy torrent corroded the Ice Crystal Cannon shell into debris, while scattered ice-element energy formed snowflakes that drifted down through the air.

The Detection Technique gave him an inexplicable message: High-Level Apprentice Spell, Corrosive Torrent.

Using the fine control technique of the Air Bullet, Dago narrowly skimmed past the remaining Corrosive Torrent...

The Corrosive Torrent struck the wooden fence of the Treehouse Outpost, instantly corroding it until it collapsed.

Following the fallen wooden fence, Dago used the fine control technique of the Air Bullet to leap out of the Treehouse Outpost.

Outside the outpost, however, he saw Mariko and Selena standing dozens of meters away, watching him anxiously. They had not yet run far.

Panic surged through him, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Run!"

The next second, the Black-Robed Wizard, who had emerged from the outpost, locked onto him with powerful, icy spiritual power.

He said mockingly, "You little insect is still worrying about other insects. Don't worry. I'll send them down to keep you company soon enough."

Dago's heart sank, and he decided to risk his life on one gamble.

Just yesterday, the skill Air Bullet on his system panel—his most frequently used offensive skill—had undergone a Metamorphosis.

He had tried casting it during the night, but ultimately failed because his total spiritual power was insufficient. This spell required an enormous amount of spiritual power from a wizard, and he did not currently have enough.

Dago steeled himself and pulled out the last remaining bottle of silver-white Mental Potion from his body. He opened it and poured it into his mouth.

The silver-white substance entered his Mental Space, transforming into droplets of spiritual power that merged with his soul. Vast spiritual power overflowed from the deep-blue rings in Dago's eyes, radiating blue light.

He endured the head-splitting pain caused by the overload of spiritual power output and raised both hands toward the sky.

At that moment, Dago's expression was fierce and twisted. Blue light blazed from his eyes, veins bulged densely across his forehead, and the long hair draped over his shoulders fluttered despite the lack of wind.

With complete concentration, he used an enormous membrane of spiritual power to envelop a large volume of air, frantically compressing it above his hands. A deep roar of air rang out.

Naturally, the Black-Robed Wizard would not stand idly by and watch Dago cast such a grand spell. He hurriedly raised his bone staff at Dago and began chanting the incantation for Corrosive Torrent once more.

Just as he was about to finish chanting, vine-like tendrils as thick as pythons had somehow grown beneath his feet and tightly wrapped around him, interrupting his casting.

Selena had somehow appeared more than ten meters away and cast a Vine Art at him.

The Black-Robed Wizard turned toward her with the gaze of an enraged beast. He swiftly aimed his bone staff at Selena and began chanting, preparing to blast her apart with a Corrosive Energy Ball.

The focus returned to Dago. Above his raised hands, a shrinking Flame Core that radiated dazzling white light was rapidly taking shape.

Only when it had shrunk to the size of a walnut did it stop...

Energy currents churned within the Flame Core. Its temperature was extraordinarily high, and the surrounding space warped from the heat, as though it were a miniature sun.

Dago came back to his senses and saw the Black-Robed Wizard aiming his bone staff at Selena. He used the last wisp of his spiritual power to hurl the Flame Core at the Black-Robed Wizard.

As if sensing something, the Black-Robed Wizard instantly turned his bone staff toward Dago. Upon seeing the Flame Core, his gaze became vacant as he stared at it, and even his chanting stopped.

His expression was dazed and regretful, as though he had witnessed something impossible—and death's embrace.

He involuntarily muttered, "It can't be... the Apex of Sorcery. Impossible."