Chapter 526

Dark golden light continuously twisted through the shattered void.

Gao Jie Ming made three consecutive directional shifts, then lay hidden for a time within a massive crack in the ground.

After confirming no traces of pursuit remained, Gao Jie Ming slowly exited Light God Form.

Slightly fatigued, he shook his head, suppressed his aura, and silently rose toward the designated coordinates.

This was a natural shelter hidden between two massive gray-white rock debris, and due to its location at the boundary between planes, space was unstable—making it a region with little strategic value.

The moment Gao Jie Ming stepped onto the relatively flat surface of one debris fragment, the air beside him rippled like disturbed water.

Black's pale face "separated" from the void, his deep purple eyes brightening noticeably the instant he saw Gao Jie Ming.

He then exhaled a long breath, as if shedding a mountain of weight.

"Phew————that scared the hell out of me." His voice still carried the tremor of relief, scanning Gao Jie Ming up and down. "Glad you're okay. After I got your message to retreat, I ran all the way. Then when that huge commotion erupted over there, I thought my heart had stopped."

He paused, slapping his chest hard.

Gao Jie Ming gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of his concern.

His current state had returned from Light God Form to a normal flesh-and-blood body, though his robes were torn in multiple places; he bore no visible wounds, but seemed slightly paler than before.

This was the result of his body undergoing multiple cycles of shattering and reconstruction.

Black's gaze lingered on the tears in Gao Jie Ming's robes, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, but he wisely refrained from pressing for details.

He turned to survey the surroundings, frowning slightly in confusion: "By the way, where's Augusta? Didn't she come back with you?"

Gao Jie Ming looked up at him.

Black explained: "On my way out, I ran into her. When she heard you'd gone deep in that direction alone, she turned around without hesitation and charged straight in—I assumed you'd return together."

So that's why.

Gao Jie Ming understood.

No wonder Augusta had shown up at that critical moment—not by chance, but because of Black's intel, specifically coming to reinforce him.

"She should arrive soon," Gao Jie Ming said, rubbing his temples; the slight fatigue from exiting Light God Form was slowly fading. "I circled around to confirm no tails followed, which delayed me a bit. She'd also be cautious about concealment—slower is normal."

Black grunted, asking no further questions, and turned to the more critical matter: "What did you find in that area?"

"A decoy," Gao Jie Ming said calmly. "Clearly, it was a trap set by the Allied Forces."

"We made that huge commotion, yet from start to finish, only the preset sentries and one ambush squad appeared—no reinforcements until after the battle, when other Allied mages arrived from afar. If this were a true core node, it couldn't have had so little defense."

Black listened, showing no great disappointment, merely nodding as if expecting it: "Alright, eliminating one high-risk coordinate is still a gain. At least we won't have to scout there again."

He paused, then couldn't resist probing: "So—what about those ambush mages? How strong were they?"

Gao Jie Ming fell silent for an instant.

"Very strong," he said briefly, but the weight of those two words was unmistakable. "Luckily, Augusta arrived in time and bought me the crucial window to escape."

He gave no further details; Black, equally wise, did not press.

After all, in certain situations, combat techniques were among a mage's most vital intelligence.

Black patted his chest again, harder this time, face still pale with shock: "Good thing, good thing—next time, take it easy. These deep-infiltration decoy-probing missions are enough. Don't keep throwing yourself into dead ends."

Gao Jie Ming offered no rebuttal, only a soft "Mm," acknowledging him.

Before he finished speaking, Black's relaxed expression froze.

A deep violet light flashed in his pupils; he tensed like a hunting hound, whipping his head toward a distant patch of ground.

Gao Jie Ming followed his gaze and immediately sensed a familiar magnetic fluctuation through the Causality Trace Technique.

"Don't tense up—it's her," Gao Jie Ming said, placing a hand on Black's shoulder.

Black's shoulders relaxed, though he remained wary, stepping back half a pace to clear space.

Moments later, the soil before them split open silently, like living flesh parting.

A tall figure rose from beneath, moving with light grace, not a speck of dust disturbed.

It was Augusta.

She had changed back into her form-fitting dark purple combat suit; the dazzling silver-blue battle armor she'd worn on the battlefield was gone.

Clearly, with her combat wisdom, she'd never risked fleeing while wearing such an eye-catching outfit.

That explosive, missile-like escape earlier had been a deliberate distraction.

Any mage who'd earned the title "War God" operating alone behind enemy lines knew the meaning of "discretion."

She lifted her gaze, black eyes sweeping over Black first, then settling on Gao Jie Ming; her chin tilted slightly, the familiar proud expression intact.

Gao Jie Ming paid no mind to her posture, stepping forward with sincere tone: "Thank you. Just now."

Augusta's eyelashes trembled imperceptibly, then returned to stillness.

"For what? It was nothing."

Her tone was dismissive, as if the "Annihilation Judgment" that had hurled a plasma torrent at sixty times the speed of sound at a Level Six mage had been an afterthought.

Gao Jie Ming didn't engage in polite refusal. He said directly: "Following the principle of equivalent exchange, I'll assign you all the military merits from this mission."

Augusta raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Of course, this is also my thanks," Gao Jie Ming added, voice calm but eyes earnest.

He truly believed it—without Augusta's timely arrival, his situation would have become dire.

Either risk fleeing as light, uncertain outcome; or hold out until enemy reinforcements arrived, certain death.

Augusta had arrived and bought him time, giving him a third option.

She stared at Gao Jie Ming; deep within her violet pupils flickered an extremely complex emotion—surprise, reflection, and a hint of release she hadn't even noticed herself.

Two seconds of silence.

"Do as you like," she flicked her sleek black hair aside, turning her face away, tone returning to its indifferent arrogance. "A Level Six mage's intelligence is worth plenty. I won't refuse extra military merits."

As she spoke, she withdrew a small, silver-blue glowing metal chip from inside her suit and tossed it casually to Gao Jie Ming.

Gao Jie Ming caught it.

The chip felt cool in his hand, its surface etched with exquisitely intricate encrypted runes—the standard format recognizable by personal communication terminals.

"My comm code," Augusta had already turned away, back to him, voice emotionless. "Next time you're in a death trap, send a message ahead. I won't always have the chance to 'do it casually'—though I'll still collect the reward!"

Without waiting for a reply, her body shimmered again with faint magnetic ripples.

The ground split like water, her form sinking and dissolving, vanishing in an instant, leaving no trace.

Even her retreat was clean, efficient—giving no room for polite farewells.

Only when Augusta's aura vanished entirely beyond perception did Black, who had been huddled nearby, suppressing his presence, finally exhale deeply, as if released from an invisible restraint.

"Phew————" He wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, muttering quietly. "No wonder Augusta's the heiress. That aura—exactly like back in the academy. No, even more terrifying now—"

Then his expression suddenly froze.

His deep purple eyes blinked in confusion, then widened visibly.

"Wait—" His voice wavered. "Augusta just said—you faced a Level Six mage?"

Gao Jie Ming looked at him, not replying immediately.

"Then————" Black swallowed hard, "you————won again?"

Gao Jie Ming blinked again, innocent expression: "Didn't I tell you?"

"You told me nothing!" Black nearly shouted, voice cracking. "You only said the enemy was strong and Augusta saved you!" You never said you actually won!"

He grew more agitated, gesturing wildly.

"And that's a Level Six mage! Not some street trash! A normal Level Five mage surviving one encounter is pure luck. Even those who win by skill rely on specific counters—face another Level Six and they'd get wiped in a second!"

Black's excitement had reason: many who claimed to escape Level Six mages did so by luck alone.

The few who won by skill did so only through tactical advantages—face another Level Six and they'd still be obliterated.

So surviving one encounter with a Level Six mage and winning was one thing. Surviving two—and winning both—was entirely different.

Gao Jie Ming considered, then explained seriously: "I thought you knew. The commotion over there was huge."

"The commotion was huge! I thought Augusta was dropping meteorites!" Black cried in anguish. "I had no idea you were brawling face-to-face with a Level Six!"

He rubbed his face hard, trying to calm down—clearly failing.

Instead, a complex mix of shock, dread, and uncontrollable excitement spread across his face: "Gao Jie Ming, do you realize what this means? Two victories over Level Six mages? Bring this back to the workshop—they'll have to give you a title!"

His speech quickened, his purple eyes gleaming with strange light: "Let me think… what should it be? 'Golden Ray'? Too plain. 'Dark Gold Fist'? Too clunky. No good—you've got zero flair, I can't come up with anything fitting—"