Chapter 803: Body Dead, Soul Extinguished

Five fireballs entered the control room at varying speeds and in different directions, finally arriving simultaneously and exploding together.

The blazing red flames swept the entire control room, but did not affect the Iola Core at the center.

Except for the Iola Core, the floor, walls, and dome were filled with flame; the scorching heat was intensely contained, not burning the rune array yet leaving no blind spot, leaving Korstted nowhere to hide, and his silhouette was instantly burned away.

It hovered in midair, a Necromantic Shield made of countless twisted ghost faces blocking the flame's assault.

Its splendid magical robe could not conceal its emaciated, skeletal frame; with withered, chicken‑claw hands gripping a staff, its pallid face bore no flesh, only shriveled skin, two black nostrils, sunken eye sockets burning with twin azure undead flames.

Even so, one could see that Korstted was in extreme shock.

It seemed unable to believe that the four Calamity Giants it created were all annihilated at a glance.

Thus, when forced to appear, it failed to react in time.

Anxiwodasi saw its half‑human, half‑ghost appearance, uglier than years ago, and was momentarily stunned, not immediately casting another spell.

He turned and ordered, "You guard the exit."

Then a person walked into the control room.

"Teacher, we meet again," Korstted began. Its voice was dry and shrill, as unpleasant as a blade scraping glass, showing no hint of panic; the word "Teacher" carried no feeling, only the coldest mockery.

Anxiwodasi stood on the floor, looked up and replied, "Since the day you betrayed Weizelan, you are no longer my student. Between student and slave, you chose to be a slave."

"Hehehe…"

Korstted laughed sharply, retorting, "If you can grant me Holy Soul Ascension and an immortal lifespan, I would be willing to be your slave."

"I don't need slaves."

Anxiwodasi's expression did not change, "Do you think I'm referring to you allying with the Death Lord? That's a secondary issue. I regret that a student who followed me for centuries has become a slave to transcendent power without realizing it—truly lamentable, a waste of all my years of teaching."

"You!"

Flames flickered rapidly in Korstted's eyes; having become a Lich only a few years ago, it still retained some emotions, which were instantly provoked.

It roared angrily, "Anxiwodasi, do you think I would consent to this?"

"If I don't serve a master, at most I will age and die in forty years. I have toiled for over six hundred years to become a Holy Soul Wizard, never slacking a day; after finally reaching the Legendary Peak, is that all I deserve—a death of old age?"

"You constantly tell me to pursue truth and walk farther on the path of magic."

"But I cannot live; how can I pursue truth?"

"How can I continue my magical path?"

"Teacher, tell me!" Korstted shouted, his voice frantic as if maddened; his gaunt body trembled, filled with endless anger and helplessness, roaring, "Tell me what I should do!"

Anxiwodasi fell silent.

Only after a few seconds did he reply, "I have already given you much help, imparted all my knowledge to you."

"Not enough!"

Korstted retorted harshly, a look of resentment, "That is far from enough; it doesn't even compare to what you did for Ryan Augustus!"

Anxiwodasi lifted his eyelids, "Lei En's achievements are his own effort; they have little to do with me."

Korstted scoffed, clearly unconvinced.

Anxiwodasi gave no further explanation, saying gravely, "In the end, your own lack of talent and some luck doomed you; failing to achieve Holy Soul Ascension is your predetermined fate, unrelated to me, Weizelan, or anyone else. You should not walk this dark path."

"Repent!"

"I will make your death a swift one."

Anxiwodasi issued a final ultimatum; fire elements gathered around him, and the Akus Holy Staff ignited with scorching light.

"Hahaha…" Korstted roared with wild laughter, fearlessly pointing at Anxiwodasi, triumphantly saying, "Do you think you can kill me? As long as I live, you will never obtain control of the Iola Core; Fu Kong Cheng will forever belong to me!"

Bang!

Anxiwodasi slammed his staff into the ground; countless flames erupted, spreading like lightning throughout the control room, forming a Flame Domain that enveloped himself and Korstted.

The center of the Flame Domain remained empty, so the Iola Core was unharmed.

At the same time, five fireballs shot out and instantly split into twenty‑five, swelling rapidly to the size of a basket before vanishing within the domain.

In the next instant, fireballs appeared around Korstted, triggering chain explosions.

The booming explosions rattled the control room.

Korstted erected a gray‑white force field around himself; this was a Netherworld Domain, isolating him from the Prime Material Plane, placing him in a separate space immune to all harm.

The Netherworld Domain collapsed in an instant under the fireball blast.

But before the collapse, Korstted had anticipated it, teleporting to the opposite side of the control room, using the Iola Core as a barrier in the middle; his magical robe activated a Nine‑Ring Ice Seal Orb, which he hurled at his feet to explode, the extreme cold frost covering half the control room and extinguishing the flames.

In an instant, the control room became a world of colliding ice and fire.

However, it lasted less than a second.

The Flame Domain paused for a breath before regaining the upper hand; the frost melted, and the frozen area retreated swiftly.

A series of Nine‑Ring fireballs flashed and pursued relentlessly.

Korstted remained unhurried, raising his skeletal hand to flick multiple dark‑green decaying meat sacs toward the fireballs; they burst midway, reducing the fireballs' power, while the erupting high‑temperature flames were blocked by a bone wall, ultimately causing no damage.

In the gaps between blocking fireballs, Korstted also hurled several spells at Anxiwodasi.

Wither Spell!

Banshee Wail!

Maximized Enfeeblement!

Enfeeblement Curse!

Bone Spear Spell!

Bone Cage!

Greater Dispel Magic!

Death Finger!

Most of these spells are Eight‑Ring, a few Nine‑Ring, and all are instant‑cast, far exceeding Korstted's normal casting ability; he relied on the nearby energy of the Iola Core, forcibly elevating his power to that of a Thirty-level or higher caster.

But once the spell was chosen, it could no longer continuously summon the Undead Army from the lower levels of Fu Kong Cheng.

The Wizard Corps outside the control room and the four squads on the middle level immediately felt a great reduction in pressure.

The spell surged like a raging tide.

Anxiwodasi's response was a single spell: a fireball!

Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!

He stood rooted, a series of massive fireballs forming at the tip of his staff and shooting out at high speed, like a humanoid artillery platform with endless firepower.

Each fireball split into five, flying along different trajectories, then converging again, continuously tracking the scattered Korstted and exploding, leaving it overwhelmed.

The explosions never ceased for even half a second.

Sometimes, within a second, a dozen explosions would chain together, merging into a single massive blast.

Most of the spells Korstted unleashed were vaporized by the high temperature as soon as they entered the Flame Domain; the few Nine-ring Technique spells that reached him were always intercepted by fireballs, which detonated them.

Even spells like Enfeeblement Curse that have no flight path and fall directly on the target can be precisely triggered by fireball magic, nullifying their effect.

There is nothing a fireball cannot solve.

If one fireball is not enough, then two, three, four, five…

Anxiwodasi has spent his whole life studying fireball magic.

His understanding and use of the spell are peerless; no one in the world knows fireballs better than him, not even Augulevi Master, who would willingly yield.

After the first wave of spell clashes, Korstted could no longer hold on.

Even with support from the Iola Core, it was still chased away in a panic by fireballs, daring not to approach the side of the control room where Anxiwodasi stood, and could only cling to life by exploiting Anxiwodasi's reluctance to damage the Iola Core.

But it was merely a desperate struggle for survival.

At most two minutes later, Korstted would be blown to death by fireballs.

There was no hint of fear on its face; while desperately using various spells to fend off the fireball explosions, it shouted brazenly, "My Soul Box is in the master's hand; when I revive, no matter where Fu Kong Cheng is, I will take it back!"

"Unless you destroy Fu Kong Cheng, but you surely can't bring yourselves to do that."

"Hahaha…"

Korstted's laughter echoed through the entire Fu Kong Cheng, then abruptly stopped, as if sensing something, and he shrieked in panic, "No! My Soul Box…"

The sudden turn of events slowed its reaction by half a beat.

A string of fireballs seized the opportunity to break through, exploding consecutively at the same point of the Necromantic Shield, concentrating the flame power in one direction for maximum effect.

The Necromantic Shield was instantly pierced by the blast.

In the next instant, Korstted's body turned to ash, leaving no remains.

Yet Anxiwodasi did not stop; a dozen fireballs changed direction, all soaring toward another spot inside the control room.

Substitute Death Spell!

The one just blown up was merely a magical decoy.

Korstted's figure just materialized, and a string of fireballs struck his face head‑on; the Necromantic Shield he had just raised was blown apart, killing him again.

Chain Contingency Spell!

Anxiwodasi continued casting without pause, having already seen through everything.

Inside the control room, ten identical Korstted appeared, each looking like the original, raising Necromantic Shields to block fireballs while hurling various spells at Anxiwodasi.

Anxiwodasi, while manipulating fireballs to erase these Mirror Images, released a Dimensional Anchor toward some empty space, followed by a string of fireballs.

The Korstted that was undergoing Otherworld Vortex teleportation was instantly interrupted.

It flickered to dodge the fireballs, and in a flash realized it had walked into a trap, being seized by a massive flaming hand.

The giant hand clenched inward with a "snap", instantly crushing the Necromantic Shield.

The flames seared Korstted's body; his robe and magical items were instantly incinerated, his skin blackened and cracked, causing a howl. Black chains sprouted from the void, binding the nearly naked Korstted, severing his connection to space and preventing any further teleportation spells.

A Soul Binding Spell descended, cutting off his soul from the outside world, making it impossible to control Fu Kong Cheng through the Iola Core.

In an instant, Korstted could not move.

The battle inside the control room finally ceased, and the Flame Domain receded.

At that moment, Lei En stepped in from outside the control room, a warhammer in one hand and a sleek gray‑blue iron box in the other.

Seeing the iron box, Korstted's eyes flared with undead fire, thrashing wildly.

Even now, it remains in disbelief.

"This is impossible!"

"My Soul Box is hidden in a demi‑plane; how did you discover it?"

"No! Even if you found it, you couldn't get in so quickly. Tell me, how did you obtain my Soul Box?"

Korstted let out a desperate scream, his skull‑like face fully contorted.

"Teacher."

Lei En handed the Soul Box to Anxiwodasi, then turned to Korstted, a cold smile curling his lips, but he did not answer its question.

Anxiwodasi stared at the Soul Box in his hand, surprised.

He too only now learned that Korstted had hidden the Soul Box in a demi‑plane; even he could not have breached the demi‑plane's entrance so quickly.

Moreover, Korstted must have prepared other arrangements within the demi‑plane.

From opening the control room to subduing Korstted took less than three minutes, yet Lei En managed to obtain the Soul Box.

Such methods and efficiency—no wonder Korstted could not believe it, and others could not comprehend it either.

Anxiwodasi nodded and praised, "Well done!"

"Just a trivial effort," Lei En said with a calm smile.

Others thought he was modest, but it truly was just a trivial effort; he didn't open the magical gate himself, but let a Mirror Image do it.

The demi‑plane's magical gate can identify intruders; the moment it is opened with the Key of Doors, it triggers an Otherworld Vortex that engulfs the Mirror Image, transporting it to an unknown plane, where the Mirror Image quickly vanishes.

That half‑plane's importance to Korstted is second only to Fu Kong Cheng; it is small, about a kilometer in diameter, and Korstted stored his most precious wealth inside, arranging a tight protective formation that blocks spatial teleportation and intrusion.

Outside the rune formation there is also an Ancient Frost Dragon.

It was transformed into a Bone Dragon, enslaved by Korstted, and constantly guards the Soul Box.

Fu Kong Cheng, the half‑plane, the ancient dragon!

The Soul Box has three layers of insurance; Korstted has taken it to the extreme, yet before Lei En they are all merely ineffective.

The strongest fortresses are often breached from within.

When Getan's army appears inside Fu Kong Cheng, its failure is sealed.

Lei En didn't even enter the half‑plane himself; three Mirror Images went in, two activated anti‑magic fields to entangle the Ancient Frost Dragon, one directly teleported into the rune formation, easily seized the heavily defended Soul Box, all in under ten seconds.

"Korstted, you must repent," Anxiwodasi said, holding the Soul Box.

"Teacher…"

Controlled by a fiery giant palm and Void Chains, Korstted finally realized his situation; flames flickered in his eyes a few times, and he trembled, "I dare not hope for the teacher's forgiveness; all this is my own choice."

He looked up at Anxiwodasi, his voice rising a few pitches.

"Teacher, I truly yearn to ascend."

"I want to live, so I can continue to seek the truth of magic, forever stay by the teacher's side, and listen to the teacher's teachings."

"From the start, I never intended harm to Weizelan, but I was not in control; the Death Lord seized my Willpower and body, and I could not defy his orders."

"I truly did not intend to hurt Weizelan…"

The Holy Soul Lich wept and sobbed, and a flash of pity crossed Anxiwodasi's eyes as he looked at the Soul Box in his hand, his expression complex.

Outside the control room, the Undead Army halted its assault; the battle had ceased, and the Weizelan Wizards also heard Korstted's words, remaining silent.

Lei En watched coldly, saying nothing.

The teacher, of course, would not spare Korstted for a few words; otherwise he could not command the crowd nor explain to the wizards and residents who died at the hands of the Disaster Army.

But humans are not plants.

Korstted had followed the teacher for centuries; the two were master and disciple and like father and son, having earned many merits for Weizelan. Now he must end Korstted's life with his own hands; even if it is just deserts, anyone would find it bitter.

Lei En's Soul Eye had been watching Korstted.

Although he could not discern its Element, he could sense its emotional shifts. This confession was genuine, heartfelt, not a lie.

But truth is truth; Korstted's soul was shrouded in black.

It is hatred!

The undead's hatred toward the living; it voiced its feelings only to mask its intent, buying time to break the Soul Binding Spell, not truly seeking repentance.

Lei En let out a cold laugh in his heart, ready.

Anxiwodasi broke the silence, sighing, "Korstted, the day you betrayed Weizelan, you should have foreseen today's outcome."

"Teacher!" Korstted said, terrified, "I don't want to die!"

"You must die."

Anxiwodasi did not hesitate; flames flickered on his hand as he began to destroy the Soul Box, shouting, "This is the ending you deserve; dying by my hand is your final mercy."

"Then let's die together!"

Korstted's expression turned monstrously feral, as if all reason had fled, he screamed wildly, "So many accompany me in death, my dying is worth it! Weizelan destroyed by my hand, erased from the world, hahahaha…"

The Wizards' faces changed dramatically.

Speaker Ronnie hurriedly shouted, "It's about to detonate Iola…"

His words abruptly ceased, and the whole world fell silent.

Time Stop enveloped both inside and outside the control room; the air no longer moved, everything seemed paused, the Wizards remained frozen in place, completely unable to think or move, like a still frame.

Korstted kept his mouth open in a mad shout, the undead fire in his eyes solidified.

During Time Stop, only one thing and two people could still operate.

The thing is the Iola Core; it is unaffected.

One of the two is Lei En; he had already pushed the Key of Doors to its limit, and in his eyes a simple bronze gate appeared, as if formed by countless transparent worm clusters; the tightly shut gate cracked open a slit, emitting an eerie glow.

Time Stop only paused him for a heartbeat before freedom returned.

Then Lei En's spirit leapt before Korstted, wielding Thunder God's Hammer; a single strike smashed his head and body into powder.

Almost simultaneously, Anxiwodasi destroyed the Soul Box.

The sturdy Soul Box first melted into molten iron, then vaporized away, leaving no trace.

He stared at the frozen scene, his expression extremely shocked, as if more shocked than Korstted's desire to self‑destruct with everyone. Korstted's thoughts were entirely within his grasp; even without Time Stop, it would not have had time to detonate the Iola Core.

"This…"

Anxiwodasi opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged.

In Time Stop, sound cannot travel.

Although he was only slightly affected, his movements slowed a bit, his mind remained normal, and he could still cast spells and fight. He instantly identified the caster of Time Stop; at the control room doorway, a gaunt figure in a black magical robe, holding a straight staff, materialized.

Reslin!

Anxiwodasi's eyes widened in realization, then a hint of disbelief, "Lei En's duplicate has mastered Time Stop!"

Tick! Tick…

The six seconds, slow then fast, ended; in the final second, the pale Reslin gave Anxiwodasi a slight nod and vanished.

Time resumed its flow.

Please grant the early‑month ticket, thanks!

(End of Chapter)