Wizard Bloodline

As Benigo retreated to the moss-covered stone steps at the house's entrance, he launched himself toward the other side of the courtyard just as an explosion erupted behind him. His escape trajectory formed nearly a perfect right angle to the figures emerging from the dust cloud, seemingly avoiding them completely.

However, just as he was about to leave the confines of the courtyard, he slammed into an invisible wall of air.

"Bang!"

The impact from the air wall sent Benigo stumbling back two steps, his brow furrowing. Before he could attempt to break through the invisible barrier, he saw streams of runic light cascading down from above.

These twisted runic lights, like countless colorful tadpoles, wiggled their tails and flowed down like a waterfall.

In less than a breath's time, the invisible air wall transformed into a crystal-like structure.

The entire courtyard was enclosed by an inverted bowl-shaped crystalline barrier, airtight and obscuring the outside view. Countless glowing runes flickered across the surface of the crystalline wall.

"Tap—tap—"

Footsteps approached the courtyard entrance.

Through the dissipating dust, the silhouettes of several figures slowly emerged.

They wore identical silver robes, their protective energy shields glowing, and within those shields, their faces were young and cold.

"Lord Travis initially intended to have a civil discussion with you, so long as you handed over the Demon Tungsten voluntarily."

The leader of the group, with long, slender fingers and a lean frame, exuded an aristocratic arrogance and pride.

He lowered his right hand, which he had used to cover his nose and mouth, disdainfully waving away the nonexistent dust before him. His rare onyx eyes fixed coldly on Benigo, and he spoke in a chilling tone.

"But now, I don't think that's necessary."

As he spoke, he released his mental energy wave.

The powerful mental energy field distorted the air around them, creating block-like condensed traces.

This was the sign of a true first-level wizard about to step into the second level, where liquid mental energy was on the verge of crystallizing.

The strength of the group behind the young leader was nearly on par, except for one young man being supported by a companion, his face pale as he frantically gulped down a healing potion. The rest appeared slightly inferior to the leader.

Benigo squinted at these "rising stars," taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling a white smoke ring.

The next second, the pipe he had been holding in his mouth shot forward like a bird, piercing through the smoke ring and exploding near the group.

"Rip!"

The young leader with onyx eyes raised his hand at the moment the pipe was fired, making a slashing gesture in the air.

His fingers sliced through the air, emitting a sound like tearing steel, and a blazing red line of fire materialized in mid-air.

The temperature of this fire far exceeded that of ordinary spell flames, as if born from burning metal.

The black pipe's explosive force was entirely blocked by the fire line, with the red flames rolling back like a twisted beast, spewing its scorching breath directly at Benigo.

"Boom!"

The surging flames were split open by an invisible force, revealing Benigo, clad only in a simple floral-collared white shirt, emerging from behind the flames.

His posture was upright, his invisible aura spreading, and the black hiltless greatsword that had nearly killed one of the group reappeared, hovering overhead, exuding a domineering presence.

The sunset cast its glow on the rust-like wounds on Benigo's left cheek. His calm expression resembled an injured and aged lion king, whose decayed and maggot-infested body still showed a glimpse of its former majestic and awe-inspiring might.

"Burning Steel isn't something you use like that."

Benigo said calmly, then raised his right hand, mirroring the young leader's earlier gesture.

In an instant, the black hiltless greatsword vanished, and the young leader's expression shifted slightly, instinctively raising both hands.

"Boom!"

"Crack—crack!"

A massive red metal shield appeared before the young leader, emitting the sound of breaking under strain. The black hiltless greatsword flashed by and returned to Benigo's side.

The shattered, molten metal clattered down, revealing the young leader's slightly grim face.

"Attack!"

The young leader barked, prompting his companions to spring into action, their rapid spellcasting echoing throughout the area.

Benigo, his expression unchanged, took a step forward, appearing ghost-like before the group.

"Swish—"

He made a vertical slashing motion, and the black hiltless greatsword descended, raising an oppressive wind pressure.

The young leader's lips moved rapidly, runes lighting up on his cheeks, hands raised, and a black-red shadow shot from beneath his robe, forming a huge, exaggerated black axe before him.

The axe blazed with intense flames, the blade glowing a transparent red, as if just pulled from a blacksmith's forge.

The flaming axe collided directly with the hiltless greatsword.

"Bang!"

A dull, resounding clash as compressed energy particles dispersed in invisible ripples. Benigo grunted, his robust frame trembling slightly but quickly stabilizing. Without pause, as the black hiltless greatsword was knocked away by the flaming axe, he stepped on the residual energy waves, making an upward slashing motion with his sword.

The black hiltless greatsword turned smoothly, cutting out a ghostly silver-white arc, its blade entwined with mysterious, terrifying energies. Light distorted, slicing the air layer by layer, as if nothing could withstand its edge.

"A domain?!..."

The young leader's eyes flickered with emotion, instinctively retreating, hands moving non-stop, recalling the flaming axe.

Simultaneously, two figures stepped from behind him on either side: one released a surge of mercury-like silver metal liquid across the ground towards Benigo, while the other launched several glowing objects from beneath their robe, all high-grade magical tools. Flames, storms, and lightning erupted in succession, a yellow crystal sphere soaring skyward, emitting beams of bright yellow light that gouged deep furrows in the ground, pushing forward relentlessly.

The silver greatsword, enveloped in domain power, cut into the red axe blade, continuing its unstoppable advance, tearing through the firewall, storm, and shredding lightning, unwaveringly driving forward.

It only hesitated when enveloped by the yellow crystal sphere, the blade trembling slightly, as if suddenly dulled.

"His domain is collapsing! He's almost done for."

The young leader's onyx eyes gleamed, a sinister expression crossing his face. The flaming axe, locked with the silver greatsword, suddenly exploded.

The explosion produced a blinding light, sweeping away everything with terrifying energy ripples.

Amidst the chaos, a grunt sounded, followed by the piercing light of the yellow beams, then hurried footsteps, until all noise ceased.

"Clap—clap—"

The young leader smoothed his robe's slight creases, brushed away nonexistent dust, adjusted his collar, and walked slowly over the shattered, chaotic ground.

He exuded innate nobility and composure, his onyx eyes gleaming like gems, cold and regal.

"My name is Lynch."

He stooped before Benigo, speaking softly.

"Remember it?"

He reached out, as if to pat Benigo's cheek, but upon seeing the large, festering wound on Benigo's left cheek, quickly withdrew his hand with distaste.

Benigo's chest showed a visible depression, the floral bowtie on his shirt stained red with blood seeping from underneath.

His limbs, waist, and neck were tightly bound by shimmering liquid metal, like entwining silver serpents.

Beneath the silver, faint sounds of tearing—whether from his robe or flesh—could be heard.

Benigo resembled an old wolf freshly pulled from a trap, battered and bound by the sturdiest of thorny chains, as "hunters" closed in, leaving him only the strength to breathe.

The group surrounded Benigo: a round-faced young wizard manipulated the liquid metal, while another was encircled by four floating magical tools, flashing intermittently.

"Harry."

The leader suddenly called, and a pale young man stepped forward weakly.

"He hurt you earlier, didn't he?"

The leader produced a peculiar silver-white dagger, runes glowing on its surface, the blade serrated with minute, curved hooks.

He handed the dagger to the weak young man, Harry, who accepted it without hesitation, a fierce gleam in his eye as he glared at Benigo.

Harry approached Benigo, raising the dagger, only to lower it again. He quickly retrieved a vial from his storage pouch, carefully sprinkling a gray powder onto the blade.

"Pain potion, it amplifies pain fifty to a hundredfold."

Harry grinned maniacally at Benigo, "You're getting off easy; I originally prepared this for another bastard."

With that, he stabbed the dagger into the base of Benigo's neck!

"Ugh!"

Benigo's body convulsed violently, veins bulging on his neck and cheeks, sweat soaking his hair and clothes almost instantly.

Strangely, no blood flowed from the wound.

As the dagger pierced Benigo, its runes lit up, and Harry, with a gleeful expression, gripped the hilt and pulled upward.

During this, the hooks on the blade snagged Benigo's flesh, peeling it back, but the true agony lay in—

The black metal material, like roots intertwined with his flesh, was being forcibly extracted.

Stripping a metal wizard's spell medium was akin to ripping out veins and tendons.

And with the pain potion's effects, the agony was magnified fifty to a hundredfold, an unimaginable torment that could break a soul.

Benigo's tremors turned to spasms, then numbness, as webs of black metal were slowly pulled from him.

Harry's cheeks flushed with the ecstasy of vengeance as he gripped the dagger.

Lynch urged coldly, "Hurry... Lord Travis is waiting."

"Almost."

Harry panted, wiping sweat from his brow, ready to pull the dagger free.

Then.

"Crack—"

A sharp, breaking sound echoed.

"Swish—"

Harry paused, the group looking around warily.

"What was that?!"

"Someone's attacking our rune array!"

The tool-encircled youth produced a prismatic crystal, speaking urgently.

Everyone saw the crystal flashing erratically, with faint cracks appearing on its surface.

"Who's coming at this time?

"This is a second-level rune array."

The tool youth spoke quickly, but before he finished, "Crack—"

The sound of breaking rang out again, louder and clearer.

They traced the sound to the courtyard gate.

The thick, rune-illuminated crystalline wall displayed a long crack.

The crystal, the array's control center, suddenly split.

Shock flickered across their faces.

"Harry, hurry!"

Lynch reacted first, reaching to seize the dagger from Harry.

His hand was inches from the dagger's hilt when—

"Crack! Bang!"

"Boom!"

The control crystal exploded.

A massive detonation shattered something.

Before they could react, they were engulfed by a blinding snow-white wave.

The space filled with rolling cold, deep blue auroras spreading across the sky, threads of despair seeping through.

As the raging cold subsided, Benigo's ruined courtyard transformed into an icy landscape.

Everything lay beneath ice and snow, the air so cold it seemed to freeze blood.

Amidst the icy expanse, Lynch and the others, faces grim, peered through their quaking energy shields to see—

At the courtyard's main gate, through the swirling cold, a young figure approached with an ice spear in hand.

White hair mingled with the snow, the wind catching his robe like a cloak.

His handsome face bore bright eyes, as blue as stars washed by winter night snow.

The youth strode through the wind and snow, gaze passing through Lynch and his group, fixing on the nearly dead Benigo, speaking softly, "Benigo, why didn't you tell me you had guests today?"

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!