Chapter 206: The Demon's Infinite Power and the Duke's Phantom Sword Technique (23)

A rainy night.

The thunderlight in the sky kept flashing, but the rain had lessened considerably, turning from a torrential downpour into a fine drizzle.

In a spacious garden, aside from the stone sculpture at its very center, all other decorations and plants had been cleared away, leaving a fairly open space.

The warriors of the Radiant Empire and Levinde combined numbered over 6,000.

They formed a huge semicircle, standing silently in the garden—some with bows, some with firearms, some with staffs—all aiming in unison at the black mist drawing ever closer ahead.

Behind the warriors, Jia Di Ya was shielded in the middle by a group of mages holding shields.

She also stared fixedly at the spreading black mist, eyes unblinking, breathing as lightly as possible.

Information showed that the black mist originated from the residence of the former royal sage La Fengge, which was also the origin point of the demon invasion of Levinde.

General Jia Di Ya observed for a moment, then began issuing orders.

"Target the black mist! Launch a wave of explosive flame bombs!"

The first wave of warriors immediately used projection spells, hurling over fifty explosive flame bombs at the dense black mist in the distance.

After a few seconds, the expected violent explosion failed to occur; the astonishingly powerful explosive flame bombs had no effect, as if they had been thrown into fifty stones.

Jia Di Ya's heart jolted, and she immediately issued a second order.

"Unit One, Judgment Point 1, Radiant Judgment!"

As soon as the order was given, a judgment beam half a meter in diameter shot out from a tower in the distance.

This beam's power was astonishing; its brightness alone dyed the night sky a dusky yellow, as if the sunset had risen again.

It pierced the black mist like a heavenly punishment sword.

But horrifyingly, such a mighty strike was completely swallowed by the black mist, leaving no visible effect on it.

It seemed not a mist at all, but an abyss capable of devouring everything.

Shhh~~

A pair of silver eyes lit up within the black mist, and a round, soft, non-human voice echoed from the fog.

"General Jia Di Ya, I didn't expect to meet you again so soon."

"I originally thought you would become my envoy, but I didn't expect Duke Weilan to ruin things; never mind, he ultimately still delivered you to my presence."

Jia Di Ya didn't quite understand: "What Duke Weilan!!"

"Hahaha~~ that legendary mage, didn't he tell you his real name?"

"Haha, what a cunning fellow."

"But it doesn't matter; he didn't tell you, so I will: he is Duke Weilan, the most powerful mage on the White Continent and the only legendary mage."

"Of course, to me he is still merely a mortal, just a slightly stronger mortal, but he cannot cause me much trouble."

"For instance, now he thinks he has successfully suppressed me, but in fact I have seen everything he has done."

"All I need to do is patiently wait for him to send the elite warriors I value to my presence."

"Obviously, my wait has not been in vain; Duke Weilan's performance has far exceeded my expectations."

Hearing this, Jia Di Ya's heart pounded; seeing the black mist relentlessly spreading toward the warriors, drawing ever closer, she hesitated no longer.

"All-out attack!"

Bang bang bang bang!

Crash crash crash~~

Whoosh whoosh~~ whoosh whoosh~~~

Over 6,000 warriors charged together toward the black mist's magical artifact.

Firearms, spell arrows, and various spells rained down on the black mist like raindrops, while ten judgment points simultaneously activated, firing ten powerful judgment beams at the mist.

In an instant, the light of the judgment beams illuminated the night as if it were daytime.

This time, the attack finally took effect.

The thick black mist was dispersed considerably, and the fierce judgment beams even penetrated its obstruction, dimly lighting up the interior of the mist.

Through Radiant detection spells, Jia Di Ya vaguely perceived the situation inside the black mist: five fuzzy magical undulations scattered throughout its interior.

But she could see no people, only vaguely discern five sturdy defensive shelters.

These shelters easily blocked the firearms' attacks, and even stopped the judgment beams; moreover, the explosive flame bombs just thrown in scattered across the grass in disarray, all shattered into scattered parts.

Having seen the enemy, Jia Di Ya quietly resolved: "No matter how strong they are, they are merely five incarnations, while we have over 6,000 warriors, giving us absolute superiority."

She also realized that the enemy's most feared weapon was likely the high-powered explosive flame bombs they carried.

But the explosive flame bombs are launched via spell, so they are slow and easy for the opponent to defend against.

After a brief thought, Jia Di Ya devised a new countermeasure.

"Explosive flame bombs, throw them outside the black mist, fifty per wave, layer by layer to push the explosion forward!"

Ordinary soldiers would hardly grasp this order in a short time, but the empire's shadow guards naturally understood.

They immediately carried out the order.

This time it worked.

Boom boom boom boom~~~

A wave of fifty explosive flame bombs, each containing three kilograms of explosive flame agent, has explosive power equivalent to detonating a legendary flame spell of intensity over ten rings.

One could see rings of flame bursting violently, equivalent to a super‑large legendary spell continually erupting, thereby pressing the black mist inward layer by layer.

With each wave of explosions, the black mist was successfully compressed by one layer.

Soon, the outermost demon incarnation came under threat from the explosive flame bombs.

But here, the explosive flame bombs encountered a strong interference; any bomb tossed nearby immediately failed to detonate.

Clearly, the demon incarnation used some spell to disrupt the flame's explosion.

Jia Di Ya still had a plan.

General Leipzig, the demon can't hold out much longer. We'll continue suppressing with firebombs; send over a batch of thunder weapons and blast the garden!

The thrown firebombs can be intercepted by the enemy, which is not surprising, because the throwing speed is not fast.

She didn't believe the enemy could intercept the firebombs launched from the thunder weapons.

General Leipzig obviously had the same idea.

But just then, an abrupt change occurred!

The black mist that had just been compressed by the firebombs suddenly became dense again, instantly returning to an ink-like state and spreading in all directions at a speed an order of magnitude faster than before.

Silver eyes reappeared within the black mist.

"Mortal warriors, the game is over; it's time to become my apostles!"

"Especially you, General Jia Di Ya, from today onward you are my first vanguard general in conquering this plane~hahaha~~"

The speed of the black mist's surge is truly too fast, as if the opponent possesses limitless power.

The warriors attacked fiercely, desperately hurling firebombs, and the judgment beam struck again with fierce force.

But just moments ago these were effective means of attack; now they all fail, unable even to pierce the black mist, let alone block its expansion.

Jia Di Ya was shocked in her heart: "What's going on?"

She could not comprehend the demon's methods.

But she still had one trick, a magical item given to her by the legendary mage.

She had been holding this item in her hand all along—a short staff.

According to the legendary mage, this is a positioning beacon; through this beacon, one can draw upon the legendary mage's power.

She likewise didn't understand the principle of this thing; the only thing she could be certain of was that it really works.

She planted the short staff into the ground and infused it with her own magical power.

In the next instant, the beacon took effect, and a faint golden light appeared on the staff.

At first, the golden light was merely faint; a few seconds later it suddenly brightened, rapidly expanding outward from Jia Di Ya as its center.

In less than three seconds, the diameter of the golden light expanded to two hundred meters, colliding with the similarly rapidly expanding black mist.

Upon collision, the two forces immediately clashed violently, with lightning and thunder flashing at the point of contact, light patterns rippling, emitting a series of heart-pounding vibrations.

After a bout of clashing, the spreading black mist was successfully blocked by the golden light, but the golden light also struggled to push the black mist back.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

In the end, the warriors were protected in the middle by a golden sphere of light two hundred meters in diameter, while all around them lay an extremely dense black mist.

"Swish~"

Silver eyes again surfaced within the black mist, and a non-human soft voice appeared once more.

"Duke Weilan~~very good~~you did very well~"

"But you are ultimately a mortal; your strength will eventually be exhausted, whereas my power is limitless~~truly limitless!"

"Let's see how long you can hold out!"

Jia Di Ya shouted angrily.

"Attack~~full-force attack!"

"The demon's minions are the demon's power beacons in the mortal realm; kill the demon's minions and drive the demon back into the void!"

This is what the legendary mage told her, and after dealing with the demon for over a month she had also roughly arrived at a similar principle.

In other words, as long as all the demon's incarnations are slain, the demon's power cannot enter the White Continent; at most it can hide outside the magical circle, muttering softly.

"Boom boom boom~~~"

The warriors once again launched a full-force assault, pouring various kinds of power into the black mist in an attempt to drain its strength.

The black mist's power indeed waned considerably, but as soon as it did, it immediately revived, as if it were truly limitless.

Looking again at the legendary golden light, it remained lit, with no noticeable change in brightness or range.

But whenever Jia Di Ya thought of the demon's words, a surge of anxiety welled up in her heart.

Because what the demon said was correct—the legendary mage is merely a mortal, and judging by his age he is no spring chicken; he couldn't possibly endure for long.

"Is the demon's power truly limitless?"

No answer came; the legendary mage hid in the shadows, seeking an opportunity to ambush the demon.

Jia Di Ya herself was indeed an outstanding commander; she immediately realized: "All the demon's words are meant to make me anxious, to make me forget the truly effective tactics!"

What is the truly effective tactic now? It is to focus on dealing with the demon's incarnations, using every means to threaten them in order to draw the demon's attention, thereby creating an opportunity for the legendary mage lurking in the dark to launch a sneak attack!

Thinking this, Jia Di Ya immediately shouted loudly.

"Attack~continue attacking!"

"There is no truly limitless power in the world~~the demon is outright lying!"

"Every attack is effective; as long as you kill the demon's minions, he will have to retreat into the void"

Before his words finished, dozens of spear-like mist tendrils suddenly surged from the black mist, violently piercing the golden light and advancing about ten meters within it, impaling the bodies of seventy or eighty guard soldiers. Those struck shuddered violently and screamed in agony.

After a few seconds, they turned into bloodthirsty madmen, beginning to fiercely attack nearby soldiers.

"It's a madness spell!"

"Kill the berserk soldiers!"

"Gather~gather~stay farther from the barrier's edge!"

Jia Di Ya quickly issued countermeasures, then loudly encouraged everyone.

"Our attacks are effective, our tactics are correct, the demon is starting to panic~~"

These words had some effect, but the chaos within the legendary barrier continued to greatly affect the soldiers, making it difficult for them to launch full-force attacks on the black mist.

Just as the soldiers were busy dealing with the internal turmoil, the next wave of the black mist's attack arrived.

One could see surging currents erupting from the mist, continually striking the legendary barrier; the barrier's surface was instantly roiled by waves of impact, its light flickering and wavering, like a campfire in a storm that seemed about to go out at any moment.

Jia Di Ya immediately understood the demon's plan; the demon wanted to accelerate the consumption of the legendary mage's power.

And once that golden legendary barrier dissipated, the black mist would immediately envelop them.

Judging by the black mist's recent performance, once they fell into it, they'd all be doomed! She also vaguely sensed the demon's impatience; if they just exerted a bit more effort, they could cause the demon great trouble.

She had to do something.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't do anything.

Because she had already done everything she could; the warriors' attack power was already astonishing—even against a legion they'd be doomed—but unfortunately the opponent was an extraordinary demon.

His power seemed truly endless.

"Looks like I have to go all out."

She decided to take the elite warriors, charge into the black mist, and fight to the death against the demon incarnation.

She would surely die because of it, but this sacrifice was necessary!

Just as she was about to issue that order, another change occurred.

Levinde's warriors once again began to loudly sing the natural hymn.

Strangely, as the hymn arose, these Levinde warriors' bodies began to faintly glow with golden light.

Then, these warriors fearlessly charged out of the protective barrier and dove straight into the black mist.

One or two warriors rushed in, and were quickly swallowed by the black mist.

But when tens or hundreds of warriors charged, they still managed to illuminate the black mist.

When thousands of Levinde warriors rushed into the black mist, the black mist actually echoed with the angry roar of the demon incarnation.

One could faintly see the warriors taking turns fighting to the death against the five incarnations in the black mist.

Although a single warrior's power was naturally far inferior to the demon incarnation, these warriors fearlessly charged forward, roaring, cooperating in silent understanding, and actually inflicted massive damage on the demon incarnation.

The damage was secondary.

The key was that it greatly disturbed the demon incarnations, preventing them from focusing on channeling the demon's power.

The effect was remarkably outstanding.

The five demon incarnations were also forced to shift around, fleeing in all directions, and the black mist's thickness instantly began to thin at a visible speed.

The hymn's voice grew ever louder, and the golden light on the Levinde warriors' bodies became ever more fervent, like moths rushing into fire, like swallows battling the storm.

It felt as if they were burning their lives!

Jia Di Ya stared, dumbfounded.

"What's going on? How can Levinde's warriors be so brave? How could their faith in Mother Nature be so fervent?"

She could see that these Levinde warriors had not lost their free will, and they were not unaware of fear.

They then used a secret method, offering their lives to the gods.

Just then, the concealed magic array she had secretly set up suddenly lit up on its own.

These legendary mages had specially requested the establishment of these magic arrays; thirty-six had been set up, from the outer palace to the inner palace, each placed in the most concealed location.

At this moment, these arrays lit up and dimmed in succession, as if some power were using the arrays as guides and transmitting along some hidden path.

Just as the demon incarnations were being entangled one by one by the faith-filled warriors, roaring continuously, the brightness of the power dao marker in Jia Di Ya's hand suddenly increased by orders of magnitude!

That kind of increase—jumping by hundreds or even thousands of times all at once.

This brightness surged dramatically.

At the same time, in the Huan Wai Xu Kong, golden rays sprang up from various locations, like golden swords, fiercely stabbing toward the demon's true body.

These swords were not just one, but thirty-six.

No, not just thirty-six, but seventy-two—and they kept increasing, an endless, repeating sword formation.

As soon as the golden sword formation appeared, even before it had fully coalesced, the demon already sensed it.

Strand after strand of conduits made purely of soul waved about, blocking the path of the light sword formation.

At the same time, a grand will echoed in the void.

"Duke, is this your trump card?"

A multitude of light swords coalesced and shot toward the demon, but were easily blocked by one soul conduit after another.

The soul conduits also suffered some damage from this, but it was insignificant and would quickly recover.

"Hahaha, what a splendid attack, but utterly meaningless!"

"Demon, you're overconfident."

With those words, in the magic ring void near the demon, a light sword suddenly appeared, a hundred times thicker and a hundred times more blazing than other light swords.

This sword rose like the sun in the void, its blade surrounded by endless golden runes, thrusting with the utmost ferocity and at the most cunning angle toward the demon's soul's true body.

At this very moment, at least half of the demon's attention was tangled with the mortal realm and the mortal legion, while the other half was drawn by the multitude of light swords.

Only a tiny sliver of attention remained, barely waving one or two soul conduits, trying to block this astonishing soul oath sword.

Its true form then desperately fled the magic ring, seeking to escape.

"Swoosh~~"

The blocking soul conduits were easily severed, causing no delay, and the oath sword continued forward, successfully striking the demon's true body.

"Hum~~"

The demon's face manifested a thick soul‑warding spell, but its strength was only that of a legendary third‑rank.

Facing a legendary fourth‑rank attack, it blocked for only an instant before being broken through.

"Pfft"

The thick, violent oath light sword plunged deep into the demon's body, then instantly disintegrated into countless soul runes, like a swarm, rampaging wildly inside the demon and exploding violently.

This inflicted truly lethal damage on the demon.

At the last moment, silver eyes gazed at the sword-wielding Duke, bursting into a grim, loud laugh.

Well done, Duke, well done ah, hahahaha

Ah~~~~~

The frenzied laughter turned into a miserable shriek.

The demon's true form hidden in the void gradually disintegrated into countless soul fragments.

At the same time, a non-human yet incredibly mournful shriek came from the black mist in the mortal realm.

With that shriek, the black mist dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The demon incarnates that had been sparring with the faith warriors in the mist also stood motionless at that moment.

Like lifeless sculptures.

Within a few seconds, they were all torn to pieces by the zealous faith warriors.

Everything returned to calm.

Jia Di Ya didn't know what exactly had happened in the void, but she vaguely felt that the demon had probably been injured, and badly so.

So she loudly asked: "Legendary Mage~~ Legendary Mage~~ How is the demon?"

The voice of the Legendary Mage came from the staff planted in the ground.

Thank you all for your cooperation, and thank the followers of Mother Nature for their great sacrifice.

The demon in the void has been killed and will never return.

Jia Di Ya was greatly startled, then a surge of fierce joy welled up.

Mr. Luobin, is the demon really dead?

Dead, I watched it die with my own eyes.

The voice from the short staff carried a deep sense of fatigue, as if drained of strength.

General Jia Di Ya, the demon is dead, and I should go look for the next demon~

Farewell, brave warriors~

Farewell, heroes who saved the world~

Jia Di Ya had countless questions she wanted to ask, and she was also deeply worried about the Legendary Mage's health.

But before she could speak, the staff that had been making the sound emitted a 'crack' and actually broke into several pieces.

The golden barrier that had been protecting everyone flickered a few times and then vanished.

This mysterious Legendary Mage slew the terrifying demon, asked for no reward, and left hardly any trace.

He came in haste and left in haste.

The empire's female general turned her head to look around, seeing only that her comrades shared her confusion, but even more so, reverence.

Deputy Officer Lieutenant Colonel Glen said: "General, Mage Luobin is a noble saint, a pure demon hunter."

His existence is a great fortune for us mortals.

Jia Di Ya agreed with this: "But the demon said the Legendary Mage is Duke Weilan?"

Lieutenant Colonel Glen shrugged: "The demon's mouth is full of lies; anyway I don't believe it, but the report naturally needs to state it."

Jia Di Ya nodded: "That's right. The demon is dead, this place has nothing to do with us, let's withdraw too."

Take the fallen brothers' bodies as well.

After all, this is Levinde, and they are foreign troops; with the common enemy gone, the longer they stay, the more dangerous it becomes.

Although the Empress sent a secret order urging her to use any means to bring Mage Luobin back to the country,

but she couldn't do it; even if she could, she wouldn't, even if it meant punishment upon returning home.

She didn't want worldly power struggles to disturb this noble mage.

The climax has passed. Chapter three is the wrap‑up, with a few details not yet polished; it will be updated later.

(End of chapter)