Chapter 137: The Outbreak of the Calamity of Bewitchment (Combined)

City Square, on the high platform.

That mountain of tea, piled high from tens of thousands of tea leaves, was currently being rapidly swallowed by a jet-black flame.

In just a brief moment, the fire surged violently; the black waves of flame, like a giant maw, swallowed the entire tea mountain whole, turning it into a mass of raging black torchlight.

Countless tea leaves curled and carbonized in the fire, eventually burning into flakes of ash.

"Long live the Sage!"

Witnessing with their own eyes the destruction of those sinful tea leaves, the countless crowd below erupted into excited cheers.

Ekusi, too, could not suppress the joy in his heart; a flash of ecstasy appeared on his bruised and swollen face, and he even began to laugh, his laughter wanton and grating.

After enduring for so long, his plan had finally come to fruition. He could watch as these foolish Southerners inhaled the tea's fragrance, fell into illusions, and became the bewitched people he could manipulate like puppets on a string.

"This merchant Kelai has quite a good mentality. He can still laugh even when he's about to die. He's certainly much stronger than Mills."

Xia Mingyu looked with surprise at Ekusi, who was bound before the guillotine, looking wretched yet still laughing wildly.

Afterward, he withdrew his gaze and quietly watched the burning tea mountain before him.

"It really isn't easy to find the right way to destroy the Dusk Tea leaves!" Xia Mingyu couldn't help but lament in his heart.

During the latter half of last night, he and Youde had constantly tried various methods to destroy the tea leaves without leaking the tea's fragrance.

But helplessly, whether it was lighting them, dissolving them in lime water, or other methods, the Dusk Tea leaves would release a large amount of fragrance the moment they were destroyed, to the point where Youde was almost bewitched. For the sake of safety, they had no choice but to use a high-heat method to purge the tea addiction.

This bizarre tea was simply not like a plant; it was more like the manifestation of some transcendent power, as if it were a programmed sequence that would release fragrance the moment it was damaged.

However, during a whim, Xia Mingyu lit the tea leaves with a useless move he had newly developed, and unexpectedly discovered that the tea leaves did not release any fragrance this time.

And the name of that useless move was—"Black Fire."

Just as the world's first great mage, Bai Esi, said, the foundation of magic is the will of living beings. No two living beings have identical magic; if there are ten million living beings, there will be ten million types of magic.

Therefore, the magic awakened by every living being after stepping into the Morning Star Rank will possess characteristics, and moves can be developed based on those characteristics.

For example, when he previously compressed magic and wrapped it around his fist to attack, he had "Black Flash."

Besides that, because his magic looked like clusters of black flame clouds on the outside, Xia Mingyu soon associated it with the characteristic of burning, and thus developed "Black Fire."

It was just that this black fire seemed completely unable to ignite any object, and there wasn't even any high temperature; it was like a useless decoration meant only to highlight his aura.

Yet, it was this useless flame that, when he threw it onto the Dusk Tea leaves on a whim, devoured and burned the tea leaves like a hungry tiger pouncing on prey, without causing them to release any fragrance, leaving only black embers on the ground.

Fate is truly marvelous!

Xia Mingyu thought with relief.

At the same time.

"Hahahaha, wait, why can't I smell the tea fragrance?"

Ekusi, who had been laughing, also stopped. He looked at the raging tea mountain before him and the tea leaves gradually burning into ash within the flames, and suddenly realized a terrifying fact.

The black flame released by that Sage had actually truly destroyed the Bewitching Tea he had converted using the power of pain!

"No, no, this is impossible!"

Ekusi's entire face looked as if it had been fiercely struck by a fist; from his brow to his lips, his muscles twitched uncontrollably, convulsing wildly as if pulled by invisible threads.

The Bewitching Tea was a gift bestowed upon him by his god; how could a mere mortal destroy it?

"Who exactly are you? Which crown prince is behind you!"

Ekusi asked, acting as if he were insane.

His carefully prepared plan, which he had endured so long for, was ruined, and the massive amount of pain power he had accumulated by torturing slaves for countless days and nights had also turned into tea leaves and been burned to nothing by a single fire. This caused Ekusi's mentality to begin to collapse.

"Behind me is just a group of righteous people," Xia Mingyu said calmly.

"And one more thing, you should go die." The Sage said coldly.

Since Huo Ke from the Red Rose Brothel, this was the first time he had wanted to see someone die so much.

"Execute!" Luo Sha said in a deep voice.

Tap, tap, tap.

Two Transcendent Knights escorted Ekusi, whose hands were bound, toward the guillotine.

"Save me, save me!"

Seeing his head about to be pressed under the sharp blade, Ekusi exclaimed repeatedly in the face of the fear of death.

"Like you, a black-hearted merchant, who would come to save you?"

The Transcendent Knight on the left said with disdain, then grabbed Ekusi's hair to press his head onto the upright frame of the guillotine.

Swish, swish, swish.

At this moment, the shadows on the high platform, obscured by the giant bronze statue of the Crimson Fire, squirmed. Three figures wrapped in blood-red magic suddenly appeared, rushing toward the guillotine at a terrifying speed that ordinary people could not match.

In just an instant, they appeared beside Ekusi.

The tallest bald, burly man among the three figures had his thick, pillar-like arm muscles suddenly tense, and his fist, wrapped in blood-red magic, smashed into a Transcendent Knight's breastplate like a war hammer.

Boom!

A loud sound like metal bursting exploded; the armor forged from refined iron instantly caved in, and the Transcendent Knight was lifted off the ground, knocked off the high platform, and landed heavily on the ground, clutching his chest and wailing incessantly.

Bang!

Another Transcendent Knight had just begun to move when he was kicked several meters away by a fierce flying kick from the golden-haired youth among the three. Although he was not seriously injured, he was forced to keep his distance.

Blood-red magic... three Morning Stars?!

"All Transcendent Knights, take orders, immediately surround and kill the villains." Luo Sha was startled, but still ordered calmly.

Tap, tap, tap.

The next moment, more than a dozen Transcendent Knights near the high platform, wearing heavy iron armor and helmets with only a slit for their eyes, gripped their knight swords, leaped onto the high platform one after another, and surrounded the four people by the guillotine.

Swish!

Lafier used a hand blade to cut the thick rope binding Ekusi's hands.

"Lord Ekusi, hurry and take out our weapons." He said urgently.

In this world, even after advancing to Morning Star Rank, the gap in combat power between being armed and unarmed, or between wearing armor and relying on a flesh-and-blood body, remains immense.

Whoosh!

Facing a life-and-death crisis, Ekusi didn't waste words, immediately raising his hand to draw a circle in the air, then reaching into the circular light ring to grope around.

At the same time, those Transcendent Knights had already rushed over from all directions with swords in hand.

"Latisi!" Lafier shouted immediately.

"Coming, brother."

"Boil, my blood!"

The beautiful girl with long purple hair gave a light shout, and the next moment, surging blood-red magic erupted from her body like a tide.

This magic outlined strange magic patterns out of thin air, eventually converging into an extremely complex pattern.

Bang!

The next moment, the pattern exploded, turning into a blood-colored air wave that blew toward the surrounding Transcendent Knights.

The moment they came into contact with the blood-colored air wave, those Transcendent Knights stopped their offensive steps with painful expressions; several Transcendent Knights even had to rely on their swords to barely stand.

"Well done, Latisi!" Lafier praised.

This was the core magic awakened by Latisi, who was previously a magician, after being converted into a vampire by Lord Saimen—Boiling Blood, which can cause the enemy's blood to heat up and lose combat capability.

Although the effect is poor and nearly non-existent for enemies of the same rank, it is undoubtedly a clearing god-skill for group battles against lower-ranked enemies.

"There's actually another magician..." Luo Sha's eyes sharpened.

Even among the Morning Star Rank, the number of magicians is far less than other professions.

"Bury the enemy in flowers and fire!"

In an instant, deep purple magic erupted from Luo Sha, spontaneously outlining magic patterns in the air and gradually forming a pattern so complex it made one dizzy.

She was also going to release her core magic.

"Damien, Youde, leave the high platform immediately!"

The moment he saw the three people wrapped in blood-red magic emerge from the shadows of the statue, Xia Mingyu immediately ordered the two people behind him to leave the high platform.

After all, fighting three Morning Stars... this was undoubtedly a fierce battle. The pharmacist and bard, who still had no combat capability, would inevitably encounter danger if they stayed here.

Afterward, countless black flame clouds erupted from Xia Mingyu's body, and he walked silently to Luo Sha's side.

Although Xia Mingyu knew that he had not yet awakened his core magic and was not a combat profession, so his combat power was likely in the lower tier of the Morning Star Rank, but... this was absolutely not a reason for him to watch Luo Sha, an old woman who had helped him so much, fight alone.

"Lord Ekusi, haven't you found the weapons yet!"

Seeing that Luo Sha on the opposite side had already raised her magic diagram, Lafier urged anxiously.

The Lord of the Southern Region, Luo Sha, was not a half-baked magician like Latisi; the power of her core magic would definitely far exceed Boiling Blood.

"Found them!"

Ekusi struggled to take out a heavy giant hammer from his merchandise inventory, followed by a long sword and a rapier.

"Latisi, you stay here to protect Lord Ekusi, Luo En, let's go together!"

Lafier threw the rapier to Latisi and said at the fastest speed.

Afterward, he and Luo En, who was holding the giant hammer, turned into two blood-colored streams of light, rushing toward Luo Sha, who was releasing magic, from different directions on the left and right like arrows leaving the string, at a terrifying speed exceeding the limit of ordinary human vision.

Several guards holding shields tried to block them, but were knocked flying the moment they came into contact with the blood-colored streams of light, falling from the high platform to the ground, causing a burst of exclamations in the crowd.

Bang!

The magic diagram above Luo Sha's head exploded, turning into a flame bud about several meters in size, which then bloomed into a flower.

Its shape was like a burning violet; each petal looked like solidified purple flame, with the outer layer being a deep violet, gradually changing to a nearly transparent light purple toward the inside, while ghostly blue flames flickered at the heart of the flower.

This was Luo Sha's core magic—Violet Flame Luo Lan, a purely offensive fire magic.

Seeing the two blood-colored streams of light rushing toward her at high speed, Luo Sha's expression couldn't help but become solemn.

Magicians are more suitable for acting as siege weapons and anti-army attacks on the battlefield, not for small-scale surprise attacks like this.

It was difficult for her to ensure her magic could hit fast-moving enemies.

"Lady Luo Sha, hit the big one first!"

Xia Mingyu gave a violent shout, then used all his strength to snap his fingers very loudly.

The next moment, Lafier and Luo En, who were running at high speed, suddenly felt a pulling force coming from their legs for no reason, as if someone had pulled their legs tightly.

They stumbled in unison and almost fell, and their originally high-speed movement also stalled.

"Opportunity!" Luo Sha's eyes sharpened.

The brilliant Violet Flame Luo Lan above her head smashed toward the bald giant holding the giant hammer like a meteor.

Almost without thinking, Luo En, who had experienced countless battles in the arena, immediately dropped the heavy giant hammer in his hand and jumped toward Lafier's direction.

At the same time, white doves emerged from various pockets of Xia Mingyu's clothes, flapping their wings and rushing toward Lafier one after another.

The golden-haired youth, who had never seen this bizarre way of fighting, was startled and hurriedly slashed with his sword.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The Violet Flame Luo Lan vibrated violently in the air as it approached the bald, burly man, its petals unfolding layer by layer, revealing the ghostly blue flame at its core.

Boom!

The next instant, the raging violet flower exploded with the pistil as the center; the high temperature distorted the air, and the eerie dark purple light submerged the entire area, making it impossible to observe what was happening inside.

"Luo En!"

Lafier shouted anxiously while using his sword to kill the white doves flying in from the sky.

The battle had just begun; if Luo En, who was their greatest combat power, died just like that, he wouldn't be prepared to continue the operation. He would immediately take Latisi and run away, leaving Ekusi to attract the firepower.

"Not dead yet."

Luo En's low voice came from the purple light. A moment later, the light dissipated, revealing the scene inside.

The impact of the explosion caused countless spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the surface of the stone high platform, with tiny purple flames darting out from the cracks.

And Luo En was standing not far from the cracks, but his injuries were very severe at this moment.

On the right half of his body, countless burn marks were densely covered, with large pieces of charred skin curled up, revealing the bright red flesh underneath.

His originally smooth scalp was also baked by the high temperature, covered with cracked blood patterns like a dried-up riverbed.

"Regeneration!" Luo En whispered in his heart.

Blood-red magic surged out, and the next moment, the charred skin on his body peeled off piece by piece like dried mud.

At the same time, the bright red flesh buds under the curled wounds squirmed wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye, like countless tiny blood snakes weaving and entangling under the skin, and in just a moment, they were restored to their original state.

This was the ability he gained after being converted from a Berserker to a vampire—Regeneration. Vampires inherently have basic regenerative abilities, and his ability strengthened this point.

The only regret was that activating this ability required consuming a large amount of magic.

Seeing Luo En's injuries recover rapidly, Lafier also temporarily suppressed the thought of running away.

Just looking at Luo Sha, who had raised her magic diagram again on the opposite side, and Xia Mingyu, who was constantly summoning white doves, his expression became solemn again.

Lafier realized that in the current situation, it was undoubtedly extremely difficult to kill Luo Sha in front of that Sage with bizarre abilities. Even if they could do it, they would inevitably have to pay a heavy price and would be unable to protect themselves.

Moreover, he glanced at the large number of soldiers who were constantly arriving around them and the Transcendent Knights beside Latisi who were gradually able to stand straight; the situation was still deteriorating rapidly!

"Lord Ekusi, please launch the Calamity of Bewitchment immediately!" Lafier shouted.

And Ekusi, hearing his voice, showed hesitation at this moment, because he still needed a little more time to advance to New Moon. If he launched the Calamity of Bewitchment now, the range would not be able to affect all the tea drinkers in the city who had drunk the Dusk Tea; only the addicts could be bewitched.

The gap in the number of people between the two was too large!

And the most important point was—the addicts were now concentrated in this square, and could not be bewitched to kill and destroy crazily in Twilight City for the sake of obtaining tea as he had envisioned.

Seeing Ekusi hesitating and the situation on his brother's side deteriorating, Latisi couldn't help it anymore; she quietly released a little of the Boiling Blood magic.

After feeling the pain in their bodies ease, those loyal Transcendent Knights immediately rushed toward Ekusi with swords again.

"Oh my, Lord Ekusi, I don't seem to be able to control them anymore!" Latisi said in a panic.

"My god, bestow your grace!"

Seeing those sharp knives and swords rushing over, and realizing his life was in danger, Ekusi hurriedly activated the gift.

The next moment, the countless people densely packed in the entire square suddenly had dull eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 138 =====