Chapter 197: Mark

She stared in shock at her hands: "I've never mastered more efficient 【Two-Handed Casting】 in all this time—how did I learn it so easily? What did you do?"

"Just a little trick."

Karist sneered at his smug expression. "Don't get cocky—this plague mage Amel isn't simple. He knows and has studied countless spells, possesses immense magical knowledge—he couldn't possibly have no escape method. Yet he stayed right here and fought us."

Luo De nodded.

He had already sensed something was off. Not only did the opponent fight like a desperate spirit warrior—no mage would ever take hits like that.

Besides, Amel's soul vessel was blood seeping into the ground. Until now, only Tally had noticed it.

Even if his current body died and the blood fled afar, everyone here would assume he simply died normally.

"So the question is—how do you touch his soul vessel? It's a liquid that can escape at any moment."

Karist pondered for a moment, watching the battlefield from afar.

There, Vivian seized the chance and hurled a precise 【Shapeshifting Spell】.

Plop—the Amel turned into a sheep.

The druid's owl-bear roared upward, layer upon layer of magic pressing down, forming a spell upon her.

【Dragon Strength Spell】.

The owl-bear's massive body swelled again, and in places where feathers couldn't cover, tiny scales began to grow.

She swung her enormous crimson-glowing bear claws.

Boom!

All magical shields shattered.

The sheep instantly exploded into a spray of blood.

But the next moment, another figure rose from the ground—this time, a halfling.

Karist watched the scene and suddenly understood.

"When he reforms his body, the blood serving as his soul vessel flows through the new form once before seeping back into the ground. That fleeting moment of flow is my chance."

She hadn't noticed before because she didn't know the blood was the soul vessel. Now that she knew, mages could quickly observe it with different spells.

That's why their magic treats knowledge as power.

Luo De: "Simple. I kill him a few more times—you'll catch it eventually."

Karist: "To avoid drawing attention, I'll observe next. I'll strike when he dies for the third time. Human, recall your ghoul mistress—and order all undead creatures around to withdraw from the battlefield."

The long stalemate seemed to be nearing its end.

Pan Ni obeyed, reluctantly stepping back.

Luo De and Karist entered the combat circle.

The druid's wolf-man was also a man of extraordinary endurance—he fought from start to finish without a single pause.

Despite being a masterful plague mage, without stronger offensive means, he was easily overwhelmed by two seventh-rank, one near-seventh-rank, and two top sixth-rank opponents.

The group launched a barrage of attacks and quickly defeated two of his bodies in succession.

At first, he guarded carefully when Karist entered, but as she remained inactive, he gradually shifted his focus to the more aggressive druid and Luo De.

When he rose for the third time, Amel transformed into an elderly human woman and thrust his staff into the ground.

A field of power rapidly spread outward.

A green plague mist, reeking of decay, expanded across the designated area.

The plague doctor finally unleashed his signature technique—【Plague Domain】.

The druid's owl-bear form slowed her movement; she couldn't dodge in time and was coated in plague.

Her body stiffened, then withered instantly.

Luo De braved the plague mist and dragged her out of its range.

The other three contestants, positioned at the rear, remained unaffected.

Karist didn't directly touch the druid—she hurled spells from afar.

"Her life force and magic have been drained. She's infected with at least fifteen diseases."

The druid could no longer maintain the owl-bear form and shifted into a smaller blue wolf.

She stood firm, glanced at the other four, then trudged slowly backward.

The wolf-man knew he could no longer fight and withdrew willingly.

Karist: "She'll be fine. Druids are skilled healers too."

Amel's voice emerged from the plague mist:

"I've never been a steadfast person. I've held countless jobs, accumulated vast occupational knowledge. Many temptations, many voices—I always chose to listen. I wanted endless magical knowledge. I wanted the secrets of pathogens and life. But when someone told me I had to choose one, I preferred to abandon both."

"And you—Forest Warden Luo De, Elf Karist—you are worthy vessels." Amel smiled warmly. "All the resources I spent delaying for nearly a century were not wasted."

With that, he fell silent.

Within the 【Plague Domain】, ritual arrays flared with magical light.

The next instant, everyone clearly sensed two strange energies, utterly alien to spiritual magic, peeling away from Amel's body.

These two strange energies repelled each other, incompatible.

It was hard to imagine they could coexist within Amel's body.

Luo De's face darkened sharply.

He sensed aether and spirit energy—the aura of another dimension.

And this aura—was the very scent of the 【Mark】 he had only recently learned about!

Unlike the 【Lust Mark】 inside Vivian, these two Marks carried attributes of Despair and Plague.

"He's transferring the 【Marks】! Karist! Get away from here!"

The moment he spoke—

The two 【Marks】 shot toward the elf and him!

They moved with terrifying speed and absolute precision.

Even when Tally leapt from the shadows to block them, the 【Plague Mark】 passed straight through her without resistance, zeroing in on Luo De.

The 【Marks】 were about to enter their bodies.

The water sphere gifted by Xiao Ke in Luo De's arms instantly burst open.

It split in two, flying faster than before to intercept the two 【Marks】.

Both 【Marks】 tried to dodge the water, twisting violently to change course.

But the water didn't let them go—it circled and chased them midair, and within seconds, successfully captured both 【Marks】.

It reformed into a water sphere, plopped onto the ground, then bounced a few times.

"What?"

Amel uttered an incredulous question.

Where would Luo De allow this creature to live?

He reacted instantly—【Lament That Shakes Heaven】 engulfed him, crimson-purple wrathful fire blazing skyward.

Simultaneously, pale white mist behind him condensed and rose, forming into the spirit form of a bronze dragon.

"ROAR!!!"

The mighty dragon roar exploded into a shockwave, scattering soil, dust, and plague mist alike!

Luo De vanished from his spot and closed the distance in an instant.

The giant dragon spirit behind him mirrored his slash—Luo De swung his sword, the spirit swung its claws, both crashing down upon Amel, still stunned at the center of the domain.

(End of Chapter)