Advent of the Archmage

It was not only Hamilton. Noa was also dazed.

As a Level-14 Inferno Warrior, she was very familiar with her body. Even if Link didn’t say it, she could feel it too. Now that Link exposed her, she instinctively clutched her stomach and looked at Hamilton, the child’s father.

In the Fire Sect, all Inferno Warriors had to swear before entering the sect that their life would belong to god. Their entire lives would be dedicated to the god. If a man and woman conceived a child, their pure belief would be tainted. This was the greatest blasphemy!

If it happened and they were discovered, not only would their bodies suffer the divine punishment, their souls would also fall into hell and suffer the Tatanrose torture. Afterwards, the tortured would feel a burning thirst inside them. Cool water would be right beside their lips, but once they lowered their heads, the water would retreat, rising when they raised their heads again. This torture would continue until their souls were burned to ashes.

As an Inferno Warrior, Hamilton had been taken by a priest to visit hell. He’d seen the punishment with his own eyes. At that time, he’d felt terrified. He didn’t expect this day would come to him too.

Fear seized his heart as he looked to Noa. “No, this child…”

He wanted to say that this child shouldn’t exist. But halfway through, Noa stepped back. Tears flowed down as she shook her head furiously. The days of being a regular couple were right before her eyes. Thinking back, it had been a deception, but their experiences had all been real. The baby in her was real too. She couldn’t give it up.

Hamilton was just panicking too. After the panic subsided, he couldn’t do it either. Seeing Noa like that, he sighed and looked to Link. “Ferde lord, you are so cruel… What do you want us to do?”

Since things were at this point, there was no way back. He could only surrender.

Link wasn’t proud about his dirty trick. Thinking, he said calmly, “I already know why you’re here. Go back to the Isle of Dawn and bring some news to those High Elves.”

With that, Link handed a scroll to Hamilton, who accepted it and started reading.

“I wrote the information on there, as well as my goal. Afterwards, remain on the island and keep working for the High Elves. Record their actions for me. For these two things, you only have to follow the current for the former. But for the latter, you must work hard.”

The High Elves on the Isle of Dawn were too xenophobic. The island’s situation was not transparent. Link had to stop the fusion of realms while the World Tree was the most important of all. He might have to personally step onto the Isle of Dawn to deal with it one day.

In that case, news from the Isle of Dawn was extremely important.

Hamilton looked at the scroll and was silent for five full minutes. Then he asked, “What about Noa?”

“Her? She will stay in Ferde. Her power will continue to be sealed, but she will have a manor in Scorched Ridge with servants. She will give birth to your child and raise it. As long as you do well, your woman and child will be fine.”

This was a dirty trick, but desperate times called for desperate actions. Link had done even dirtier things before. He wasn’t innocent anymore.

Beside him, Piasce couldn’t really take it. However, he’d once been a Soul Tutor in another realm and had seen these political tactics before. He didn’t like it, but he still kept his expression calm.

Hamilton fell silent. Half a minute later, he said, “Aren’t you afraid of me abandoning her?”

One only had to harden their hearts a bit to abandon a wife.

“Yes,” Link said honestly. “So I have another protection. Piasce, show him.”

Piasce walked up. He put a hand-sized silver mirror before Hamilton’s eyes and asked, “Do you see who’s inside it?”

Hamilton nodded. He saw his own reflection. The mirror was very smooth, and the image was clear.

Piasce took the mirror away. He took out a needle and stabbed it into the mirror. “Ah!” Hamilton cried. He looked down and saw a hole appear on his leg. Blood poured out.

“What spell is this?” Hamilton was shocked.

“A Soul curse,” Piasce explained. “A person doesn’t only have one soul. It has many divisions. Some are the core while others are auxiliary. One of your unimportant souls was captured by this silver mirror. No matter how far you go, even if you go to another realm, I can prick this little guy’s heart in the mirror, and you’ll be dead too. Of course, the lord doesn’t wish to kill you so quickly. Instead, he wants you to experience 3000 tortures before dying. That means that I’ll carefully prick 3000 holes in you while being careful to not let you die halfway through…”

Hamilton was terrified. Before Piasce finished, he was already covered in cold sweat. He quickly said to Link, “Don’t worry. I will complete your mission. Please take care of my child and Noa.”

Link nodded. He flicked a finger at Hamilton and a ball of light buried into his body. Hamilton shuddered. His power was unsealed. Feeling the power surging inside him, he stood up slowly. He looked at Link not far from him and sensed the man’s power. His expression darkened.

This Ferde lord was only Level-13, and the Magician beside him was only Level-11. They were less than six feet away. If he burst forward, he could kill those two and snatch the terrible mirror.

He might even be able to save Noa and his child and live out the rest of their lives, hidden in a quiet place.

This thought kept growing in his mind. He could barely control it. His only worry was that he had no weapons and wasn’t confident.

But right then, Link had another trick. The floorboards of the old cabin suddenly cracked open. A cloth bag flew out. It was the magic equipment Hamilton had carefully hidden earlier.

Whoosh. Link tossed the bag before Hamilton. “Take your things too. A Warrior needs a sword.”

This was a lifesaver! Hamilton bent over to pick up the bag. A familiar sword hilt peeked out of the opening. It was his Blade of Fire sword.

His weapon was right before his eyes. If he reached out, he would get his sword. Then he could pull it out and strike at the Ferde lord.

This thought flashed past his eyes. Then he did it!

Ignoring the extreme pain in his legs, he grasped the sword hilt. Power surged into it. Boom! Flames wrapped around the sword, fire splashing in all directions and illuminating the small cabin.

He used all his power with this move. He felt that this move was his most perfect attack.

At that moment, his sword was like the moon; the blade was like a tide. The power of fire poured out wildly, enveloping his two enemies instantly. In 0.1 seconds, he could destroy these two lowly bastards.

He really wanted to do that.

The next moment, something changed.

The Ferde lord had been sitting casually on the chair. Hamilton saw him suddenly raise a hand. When the hand moved, it had been covered in human skin. In the blink of an eye, it darkened and was covered in silvery black scales.

Clang! A sword radiating with moonlight suddenly appeared in his hands. The sword stabbed forward with impossible speed, instantly hitting his Blade of Fire.

Cling! There was a clash of metal, neither light nor heavy. Then Hamilton felt strange power surge into his sword. He could feel that the power was condensed and sharp like a needle. His own power was like a bubble full of water. It popped as soon as the needle came.

Whoosh! The surging flames around the Blade of Fire let out a gurgle and then collapsed. The strange power didn’t stop. It sped along the sword into his arm. He felt his arm go numb; he couldn’t hold the sword anymore.

Clang! The Blade of Fire flew out of his hand, spinning, and crashed onto the ground a few feet away. The sword with moonlight continued forward, going straight to the point between Hamilton’s brows. He retreated. While doing so, he discovered that the Ferde lord was still in his seat.

He’s that powerful? He just sits there. How can he hit me if I keep retreating?

As soon as this thought appeared, he saw a ring of extremely detailed runes light up around the sword tip. The tip buried into it. Then this ring appeared before him. The next moment, Hamilton felt coldness between his brows.

The feeling was fleeting and disappeared, along with the intricate halo of runes. The Ferde lord was still in his seat. His sword had already returned to its sheath.

Hamilton gulped. Feeling liquid flow from his forehead, he reached up to touch it. It was one drop of blood—no more, no less. The horrible attack was like a dream.

How could such swordsmanship exist in the world? How could such magic exist in the world?

He suddenly thought of the Black Forest. Back then, he’d faced some Magicians from Firuman. He couldn’t hit them no matter what. They seemed to all be prepared for his actions. Even though they weren’t as powerful as him, they could toy him as if he was a child.

These are all the top figures of Firuman, and the Ferde lord is one of them. No, he’s the most terrifying one. Oh, what stupidity did I just commit?

Thinking now, Link had already predicted this and voluntarily gave him his weapon. It was like giving a child a toy. No matter how the child played, he was still a child.

“Why don’t you kill me?” Hamilton asked dejectedly.

Link wagged a finger, and the Blade of Fire flew back into Hamilton’s hands. “Everyone makes mistakes. I usually give them a chance to change. Go back to the Isle of Dawn, Hamilton. I always keep your word. I will take care of your child and woman.”

Hamilton had nothing to say. He nodded at the soulless Noa, picked up the clothes on the ground, put his sword away, and turned.

After Hamilton left, Link said to Noa, “Madam, let’s go.”

Noa’s soul was clearly weaker than Hamilton. She’d already surrendered. Hearing Link, she nodded. White light flashed around her, and the three disappeared.

Link didn’t rest after settling Noa. He talked to Gretel, assigned tasks to Eliard and the others, and then went to the roof of the Mage Tower alone.

Everything was ready. It was time to enter the Sea of Void and find that mysterious piece of gear.