Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 605: Destiny Bell · Eternal Bastion

At that moment when the gray breath, seemingly capable of erasing existence itself, spread with an unavoidable speed.

In the deepest consciousness of Duke, that ancient and rustic Destiny Bell that had always hung quietly with its hands eternally rotating, suddenly underwent an unprecedented dramatic change.

A massive amount of yellow sand gathered around him, countless grains continuously surging from the Yellow Sand Crystal, though it was uncertain if they could withstand the gray breath.

Duke was unsure, but he could only try his best.

He hadn’t anticipated that the long-quiet Destiny Bell would stir at this moment.

"Dong——!!!"

A sound, not resonating in reality, but directly vibrating in Duke’s soul essence, like a grand bell tolling from ancient times, resounded explosively.

On the clock face, the slender hand that used to spin aimlessly and slowly, as if nudged by an invisible giant hand, began to rotate frantically as never before.

It spun so fast that it became a blur, even causing a slight tremor throughout his mind.

Outside, time seemed to be stretched by this high-order power, the front of the gray mist of the breath of destruction nearly touching Duke’s outermost layer, the Yellow Sand Fortress formed by the Sand Guardian, with the sand vanishing at a visibly rapid rate in silence.

However, within that instant caught in a balance of life and death, the pointer of the Destiny Bell, after seemingly endless revolutions or maybe just one, weighed down by a predetermined heaviness of fate, came to a halt at one mark.

The chosen mark dispelled the original murk, blooming with an ancient gold glow as profound as the starry sky and as deep as the earth.

An array of information, accompanied by the lingering resonance of the toll, flowed into Duke’s mind almost instinctively.

"Mark · Ancient Barrier."

"Fate’s decision: grant absolute protection in the moment of universal destruction."

"Ability manifestation: Ancient Barrier."

"Buzz——!"

In reality, without time for thought, Duke’s body reacted ahead of consciousness, with movements as instinctive as breathing and heartbeat.

The remaining light Fighting Spirit, Magic Power, and the force flowing in his bloodline all seemed drawn by an invisible vortex, not by his active control but in compliance with the Destiny Bell’s guidance, completing the gathering and transformation in an inexplicable and mysterious manner.

No runes, no chants, and no pre-constructed Magic Model.

Just before Nidhogg’s destructive breath could erase Duke along with the space he was in, a wall silently appeared before him.

This wall was not made of any known substance, neither metal nor stone, neither light nor dark.

Its color resembled the oldest mountain rock weathered by countless ages, or the ash left after a star’s demise.

Its surface bore simple yet profound dark gold patterns originating from the same source as the Destiny Bell’s body; these markings were not static but pulsing slowly as if possessing life and breath of their own.

This Ancient Barrier was not large, just enough to completely shield Duke’s form. It appeared so naturally, so inevitably as if it had always belonged there, existing between Duke and the destructive breath, a point of destined convergence in the trajectory of fate.

Sssss...

No earth-shattering explosion, no roar of energy collision.

The gray breath of the Destruction Dragon Nidhogg, sufficient to annihilate regular Level 1 Peak Life and even some weaker Level 2 Life defenses, met with what was like the cosmos’s most indestructible and eternal dam.

The gray mist energy swept over the Ancient Barrier, producing an odd sound akin to intense heat searing ice yet immeasurably deep.

The dark gold patterns on the barrier’s surface suddenly lit up, stable and resilient, silently dispersing, nullifying, and dispelling the destructive energy.

The breath could no longer advance even a millimeter.

From behind the barrier, Duke clearly felt the terrifying force embedded within that gray breath; this was true dragon breath containing destructive power.

Nevertheless, all the thoughts of destruction and annihilation were entirely blocked by this seemingly thin yet conceptually indestructible barrier in front of him.

An unprecedented feeling engulfed Duke wholly.

He realized the existence of the barrier; it was derived from the Destiny Bell, a defensive power chosen by the bell driven by fate for this exact moment of peril.

There was no need to understand its complex principle or maintain its energy structure, just as there was no need to think about how to make his heart beat.

Maintaining the Ancient Barrier had become an instinctive extension of his body and soul.

"Is this the feeling of an Awakened?" Duke thought flashed through his mind.

Not attaining power through learning and researching but having innate abilities respond naturally at critical moments, seamlessly united and perfectly natural.

This power connected intimately to himself, far surpassing any acquired magic or Combat Techniques through training.

In the dark whirlpool-like dragon eyes of the Destruction Dragon Nidhogg, a distinct wave of emotion arose for the first time, a cold surprise, as well as a deeper fury fueled by being blocked by a seemingly insignificant entity.

It seemed unable to fathom why its invincible breath of annihilation would be stopped by such a peculiar wall suddenly appearing.

...

In the virtual arena, the Destiny Bell tolled, and the Ancient Barrier quietly emerged, steadily holding off the Destruction Dragon’s breath.

However, within the public observation zone in Zone C’s second access hall at the Anvil Castle combat evaluation and training center, all the spectators focused on the energy projection from cabin 19, including academy elite Rein Hossen, witnessed an entirely different and incomprehensible scene.

On the huge one-way energy projection wall, representing the internal energy state of cabin 19, the simulation diagram had originally surged into the deep red zone symbolizing extreme danger and theoretical peak value when the Destruction Dragon Nidhogg appeared, filled with intricate ripples representing destruction, dragon might, and high energy reactions.

When that gray mist breath was simulated for release, the energy reaction on the projection diagram reached a stratospheric peak, leaving everyone breathless, predicting in the next moment the curve representing the challenger’s life signs and defensive energy would plummet like a cliff, eventually hitting zero.

Yet, the anticipated "end" did not arrive.

On the projection diagram, during the instant that gray-black energy stream indicative of the breath of annihilation was about to engulf the energy map representing the challenger’s defensive strength, a sudden alteration occurred.

No intense energy confrontation ripples emerged signifying the effect of powerful defense, nor did any new or known energy attributes get recognized and labeled by the system.