Ian opened his eyes, a silver glint flashing in their depths.

He raised his right hand, palm up, fingers loosely curled.

Spiritual Power surged along the newly constructed model circuit. Hundreds of minuscule Runes lit up, nested, and spun within his consciousness...

At its core, the simulated node of a micro Gravity Field was triggered.

VMM...

An invisible Suction materialized.

The stray Energy in the surroundings, along with the Magic Power Ian injected, frantically collapsed and compressed toward that point in his palm!

A dim, unremarkable, marble-sized orb appeared an inch above his palm.

Gravity Collapse Ball.

Ian maintained his Spiritual Power output. The small ball hovered there, rotating slowly.

With each rotation, the surrounding light distorted slightly.

He counted his heartbeats.

’One, two, three...’

Below the tower, footsteps approached.

Ashes crept to the base of the tower from the left, pressing against the wall. He clutched a handful of powder, ready to scatter a Poisonous Fog to obstruct their vision.

Cold Crow closed in from the right, now holding a long, slender Bone Blade whose edge gleamed with a venomous green light.

Curse Eye circled to the back of the tower and crouched in the bushes, tracing patterns in the air with his fingers, preparing to cast a restrictive Witchcraft spell.

’Now.’

Ian suddenly swung his left hand!

Thirty-six Floating Crystal Guards shot out from his sleeve.

Like a golden swarm of bees, they dove straight for Ashes on the left!

At the same time, he thrust his right hand forward!

The dim, small ball vanished silently from his palm.

The next second, it appeared three feet above Curse Eye’s head!

"Watch out!"

Cold Crow’s reaction was extremely fast. The moment the small ball appeared, she sensed something was wrong and shouted a warning to her teammate.

Curse Eye was horrified. A layer of dark green Protective Spiritual Light instantly flared to life around his body as he scrambled backward!

But it was too late.

On the surface of the small ball, the minuscule Runes all lit up with a blinding, grayish-white light!

Then...

The Energy, collapsed to its limit, was unleashed!

There was no deafening explosion, only the low hum of tearing air.

The grayish-white mass of Energy expanded in an instant, reaching twenty meters in diameter and completely engulfing Curse Eye!

Inside the energy mass, light distorted and the scene blurred...

All matter turned silently to dust the moment of contact!

The Protective Spiritual Light on Curse Eye was torn apart as easily as paper.

His Long Robe carbonized and vanished, his skin and muscles disintegrated inch by inch...

He was swallowed whole before he could even let out a scream.

All that remained was a small pile of grayish-white powder, scattering in the wind.

A single strike, an instant kill!

"Curse Eye!" Cold Crow’s pupils contracted as she shrieked.

She hadn’t seen how her companion died at all. She only saw a flash of grayish-white light, and then he was gone.

But her combat instincts made her react immediately, her body drifting backward as if boneless.

At the same time, she flicked her left hand, and three bone nails shot out, flying straight toward the spot on the tower where Ian had just attacked.

The bone nails cracked open in mid-air, transforming into a dozen small, black poisonous snakes. They hissed, their Poison Fangs gleaming with an eerie light.

Ian’s figure emerged from invisibility, simultaneously firing over a dozen Frost Ash Beams that annihilated all the small snakes.

But his opponent was making full use of her Realm at the Peak of Liquefaction.

Her Witchcraft seemed endless, flying from her hands one after another.

Ian’s thoughts raced. ’I still have to maintain the Crystal Guards. At this rate, my Spiritual Power will be depleted first.’

At the Level One Wizard Realm, there was a huge gap between each minor Realm.

He steeled himself and kicked off the edge of the wall with his right foot.

BANG! His whole body shot downward like a cannonball.

The Furnace Body Tempering Skill activated at full power, the Jade-like Radiance beneath his skin dimming as it was drawn inward.

His muscle fibers tensed, Power erupting in an instant!

He didn’t even bother dodging the poisonous snakes. He clenched his right fist and smashed it toward the nearest one!

BANG!

The snake’s head exploded, its venom splattering onto Ian’s fist.

His skin made a soft "SZZZ" sound and white smoke rose, but the venom only corroded the surface, unable to penetrate deeper.

Ian didn’t even frown. His left leg whipped out, sweeping toward Cold Crow’s waist!

Cold Crow’s expression changed. She never expected him to take on her poisonous snakes with his bare body, let alone that he would be so fast!

She retreated hastily, slashing horizontally with her Bone Blade in an attempt to force Ian back.

The blade struck Ian’s shin, letting out a piercing screech of Metal on Metal.

A chip flew from the blade, leaving only a white mark on Ian’s leg.

’What kind of monster is he!’ A chill ran through Cold Crow’s heart.

She was at the Peak of Liquefaction! Her body had been tempered by Death Energy, making it far stronger than that of an ordinary Wizard.

But she definitely couldn’t withstand a blow from a Witchcraft Tool’s blade head-on!

In that brief moment of shock, Ian’s fist was already in front of her face!

Cold Crow gritted her teeth. She spread the fingers of her left hand, and a twisted Rune appeared in her palm!

Death Finger!

A dark green ray shot out from the center of the Rune, carrying a thick aura of decay as it blasted toward Ian’s face!

The distance was too short. He couldn’t dodge.

Ian’s right fist didn’t slow down. At the same time, he raised his left arm to block his face!

PFFT!

The Death Ray struck his left arm. The Ring of Overlapping Peaks instantly dimmed and shattered!

His skin charred black and his muscles rotted away, revealing the pale golden bone beneath.

Excruciating pain shot through him. Ian let out a grunt, but his right fist had already slammed into Cold Crow’s chest!

BANG!

A dull thud of impact.

Cold Crow was sent flying backward as if struck by a battering ram.

A large section of her chest caved in, the sound of cracking bones clearly audible.

While still in the air, she spat out a mouthful of black blood, her eyes filled with horror.

Meanwhile, on the left, the battle had also reached a critical moment.

Ashes was tied down by the thirty-six Floating Crystal Guards. The Guards were fast, their attacks cunning, aiming specifically for his eyes, throat, and joints.

He swung his blade wildly, shattering three of the Crystal Guards.

But more Crystal Guards swarmed him, their Runes flashing as their energy beams wove into a net.

"Get lost!" Ashes roared, pulling a handful of powder from his clothes and throwing it.

The powder exploded in the air, turning into a gray mist that carried a pungent, foul stench.

As the Crystal Guards flew into the gray mist, the Runes on their surfaces immediately dimmed, and their movements became sluggish.

’An opening!’

A vicious glint flashed in Ashes’s eyes. His body flickered, transforming into a cloud of black mist as he rapidly retreated away from the tower!

As long as he escaped the encirclement, he could regroup with Cold Crow!

But just as he turned...

A black ball suddenly rolled out from the shadows, appearing directly in front of him!

Gaga opened its mouth. A spot of gray light glowed deep in its throat, and then...

Omen Eye!

A gray beam, so condensed it looked solid, shot out of its mouth, instantly piercing the black mist and striking Ashes!

His body froze, a momentary confusion appearing in his eyes.

Behind him, the thirty-six Floating Crystal Guards shot forward.

PFFT! PFFT! ...

Ashes screamed, and the black mist dispersed.

He fell from mid-air, his body riddled with tiny, bloody holes that went straight through.

He lay prone on the ground, twitched twice, and then went still.

"Well done, ga!" Gaga cried out excitedly.

But before the sound could fade, a sudden change occurred!

Cold Crow was only injured, not dead.

She had fallen into a patch of overgrown weeds. Seeing Ashes get killed, a hint of madness flashed in her eyes.

She pulled a pitch-black, heart-shaped object from her clothes, stuffed it into her mouth, and bit down hard!

"With my blood... I call the dead to return..."

A hoarse Spell was forced from her throat.

The ground trembled!

The earth beneath her churned open, and three skeletal arms burst out, grabbing her ankles, wrists, and neck!

Dark green Runes appeared on the surface of the skeletal arms, which began to burrow into her body as if they were alive!

Cold Crow’s body rapidly shriveled. Her skin cracked and her blood was drained, but her aura skyrocketed!

Level One Peak... Level Two Threshold... and still rising!