Advent of the Archmage

Within one second, the Flame Blast spell took form!

Link released the spell without any hesitation. The spell would land around 15 feet in front of him. Closer inspection would reveal that this Flame Blast spell was slightly different from the ordinary one. It was still wrapped in the same deadly flames, but the magic fluctuation was much more stable. This stable form caused the resulting spell to look just like a translucent light dome.

The fireball landed after 0.1 seconds and caused a huge explosion. At the same time, Alina was still 25 feet away.

Boom! The earth-shattering sound reverberated throughout the street as the incandescent flames started emerging. Then, a stunning thing happened.

The spell did not erupt in all directions, but instead charged only in the direction opposite of Link in a conical formation. The explosion seemed to be obstructed by an unknown force on Link's side. The dancing flames were constrained into a perfect semi-circular arch around him.

Supreme Magic Skill: Single Directional Explosion!

This was an upgrade to the Flame Blast spell Link had been working on.

The translucent light dome surrounding the fireball was not merely a more stable version of the flame, but also a binding field. When the Flame Blast spell exploded, Link could then control the eventual shape of the explosion, containing the explosion to a single directional outburst.

As a result, Link would not be affected by the damaging effects of the spell, while Alina had to bear the full offensive power of the explosion.

What was more frightening was the concentration of power in Link's Flame Blast spell. Even though the spell had been contained by the force field, there was no change in the total offensive power of the explosion. Since it was unable to explode with full power in all directions, all the oppressed deadly fire elements would be compressed towards Alina!

The Flame Blast spell now had a power that was almost Level-5 in strength!

In an instant, Alina felt like she was engulfed in a lava waterfall while she struggled to travel upstream against the torrential current.

Not only was there an endless stream of flame, there were also rubbles and pieces of charred flesh washed up by the force of the spell.

"It's not possible to break through!" Alina made the judgment in an instant and sidestepped, dodging the attack. She escaped the blazing furnace in 0.2 seconds.

However, within those 0.2 seconds while she was in the lava pool, the black mist protecting her was completely shattered and her Battle Aura disintegrated. Her cloak with anti-magic properties was also vaporized, the anti-magic pebbles in the cloak breaking into pieces. Her protective mask was also drenched in blood as a piece of rubble had hit her right in the forehead.

At the same time, she heard a cry of despair behind her. She spun around and saw Ainos being engulfed by the blazing flames 60 feet away.

Ainos' reaction speed and defensive power were not as fast as Alina's. Although the offensive power of the Flame Blast spell had already weakened after spreading out over 60 feet, its surface area was five times larger.

As a result, Ainos did not manage to escape the deadly assault. Following which, Felidia was also affected by this attack.

Felidia was positioned in a much better location. He had enough time to hide behind a broken wall and was much further away from the attack. Hence, he only suffered minor injuries.

However, this was not all. Alina once again felt the violent fluctuations of fire elementals. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a new Flame Blast spell taking form at the tip of Link's staff.

Supreme Magic Skill: Link's machine gun!

Under the effect of magic resonance, the new Flame Blast spell formed almost instantaneously. Due to the three Flame Blast spells fired by the Dark Elves previously, the air was concentrated with fire elementals, this hence catalyzed the spellcasting speed of fire elemental spells. Alina estimated that the Flame Blast spell would be fully formed in 0.5 seconds.

How can his spellcasting speed be so fast! Alina was horrified. This was a Level-4 spell and not some simple Level-0 child's play. It did not make sense!

She only had around one-tenth of her Battle Aura left. It would not be enough for her to escape; her only choice was to fight to the death. Fighting to the death was merely a saying to boost her confidence. To be exact, it should be a futile desperate attempt. Perhaps she indeed had a slight chance of winning, however, it was way too slim. What happened in the next moment completely shattered the final hope present in Alina's heart.

When she once again charged towards Link, she felt an incomprehensible and irrepressible fear in her heart. The fear was so intense that she turned back involuntarily after only charging forward two steps—she had to leave this terrifying place.

Alina had a strong soul and was able to maintain her sense of reason even when she was struck by extreme fear. She quickly knew that this was not due to her fear of Link, but because of the effects of some sinister spell!

Some distance away, a black-dressed woman was staring at her coldly, her hands holding a purple staff enveloped in a sinister dark purple glow—it was Eleanor. Due to the time constraints, she could only use a Level-3 spell, The Heart of Fear.

The Heart of Fear

Level-3 Secret Spell

Effect: Cause the target to be in a state of fear. Seriously inflicted individuals will lose control of their body and scream involuntarily. May cause death from the breakdown of the soul.

(Note: The more strong-willed the person, the weaker the spell)

Alina was a tenacious woman. She recovered from the spell in less than 0.5 seconds and continued her advance towards Link.

However, Link's Flame Blast spell was already fully formed and Alina stood no chance. The only reason she continued her assault was due to her pride and glory as a swordsman.

Even if I must die, I will die fighting and not while on the run! Am I going to die? Alina sighed. She could already feel the blanket of death coming over her—it was scalding hot.

At this moment, Alina was suddenly pulled back by a strong force. She realized that everything around her was moving further and further away, creating distance between Link and herself.

Following which, Felidia's voice rang in her head, "Alina, run, go as far as you can!"

This was Felidia's spell: High-Level Vector Throw

High-Level Vector Throw

Level-2 spell

Effect: The upgraded version of Vector Throw. User is able to throw a stone weighing half a ton at the speed of 150 feet per second.

Alina did not weigh more than 200 pounds even with the additional weight of all the equipment. The effect of this spell was strong. She flew through the air at a speed of 240 feet per second.

While she was still in mid-air, she saw Link release the Flame Blast spell towards Felidia.

A blinding flash and deafening blast echoed through the street. The flames still advanced in a cone formation, engulfing Felidia's hiding spot in flames. The next moment, the magic aura surrounding her disappeared.

Felidia was dead.

At the same time, she heard a sharp whistling sound. Her acute senses told her that danger was imminent. Alina saw two small objects flying towards her at high speed. She gasped, "This guy wants to exterminate us!"

Alina finally got the chance to reveal her skills as a swordsman. Brandishing her Shattered Star sword, she dished out 13 slashes in a second, forming a visible net of air ripples in front of her.

The collision of the Whistle spell and Alina's defensive stance caused metal fragments and flames to burst in many different directions. This debris was mostly blocked by Alina's fast reaction and her armor.

However, there were still some that slipped through the cracks and penetrated deep into her thighs and arms. Alina immediately felt a sharp pain shot through her body.

Fortunately, her body had landed safely in an alley 300 feet away. With all the houses surrounding her, she was out of her opponent's field of vision.

The moment she landed, she ignored the injuries on her body and rushed into a house. Following which, she jumped out of a back window onto the streets and deftly maneuvered herself around the streets, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Alina did not know how to describe her feelings.

Felidia, Ainos and herself were termed as the Three Musketeers of the Silver Moon. For this assassination mission, they were not only the main engineer, but also the main execution members.

To hold such great power when they were merely teenagers was a testament to their strength. They felt like the whole world could be trampled under their feet in due time.

However, they were utterly defeated when the three of them attempted to fight this human Magician. Ainos and Felidia were already dead while she was fleeing in panic. All her confidence and pride were completely shattered by the human Magician called Link.

How can there be someone this horrifying? His spellcasting speed was insane! How do I even explain this situation to the queen? Can I escape from Hot Springs City safely?

Worrying thoughts continued to bubble in Alina's mind. She could not help but be in fear. She was like a dog who had lost its home, desperately running from the dangers of the outside world without any direction.