Advent of the Archmage

Opal City

"That demon has realized our plan," a Magician said as he saw a blonde figure skid past him on the streets. He recognized her immediately. He did not identify her through her features, but the aura emanating from her body

"Give chase!" the Magician beside him shouted.

This group of Magicians then started chasing the blonde figure. At the same time, a Magician in the group activated a rune stone he held tightly in his hand. The rune stone then began to shine and emit powerful magic fluctuations. This fluctuation was stable and regular. It spread throughout the entire market district of Opal City, sending a clear message to all the Magicians currently stationed there.

"The demon is between Leiden Road and the Altai Mountain; we will go over from the South!"

"The north exit will be sealed as well."

"Activate the barrier; seal the exits!"

One magic fluctuation followed another as the Magicians transmitted information amongst one another. The 30 over Magicians on this mission seemed to be operating efficiently with strong chemistry. They formed an almost impenetrable network of blockades, swiftly encircling Celine in their grasp.

Link's voice constantly sounded in Celine's mind. Stop, someone is blocking the road in front. Head left immediately and jump over the stone wall. It is not very tall.

Just as Celine jumped over the stone wall, she saw a group of Magicians running towards her. These Magicians were all at least Level-4 in strength and the leader was even a Level-5 Magician. If Celine were to be involved in direct combat with them, she might be able to achieve a narrow victory, but at the same time, she risked meeting the backup groups that would arrive soon after. She would then be trapped in a hopeless situation.

Therefore, she could not be held back by a battle.

"Damn it, the target leaped over the wall and is now in Wyeth Street," one person in the group saw Celine's actions and cursed.

The moment Celine leaped over the wall, Link said, Stay put and wait. Ten, nine, eight, seven…okay. Now go back to the other side of the wall and walk along the same road.

Celine once again leaped over the wall. The group of Magicians had long ran off in another direction, going on a detour to the location they thought Celine was at. Who would have thought that Celine would turn back to a previously dangerous spot.

This had allowed Celine to tear a small hole in the almost impenetrable defense set up by the Magicians.

Alright, now continue going forward. Do you see the exchange building two blocks away? Run towards it…wait, retreat! Hide in a shop and pretend to be buying something.

Celine immediately backtracked and ran into a shop. It was a hat shop, and she grabbed one frantically and placed it on her head. She then stared at the mirror on her side to act like a customer trying on a hat.

Five seconds later, a group of Magicians ran across the street she was supposed to cross. They missed Celine just like that.

Alright, now go out and run 90 feet in front of the intersection. Then hide in the clothing store, Link ordered.

Celine followed the instructions accordingly. She had no idea how Link was doing all these. However, after many close shaves with the Magicians, she had complete confidence in Link and executed her actions with conviction. Sure enough, the moment she entered the clothing store, another group of Magicians ran past the street and missed Celine by a few seconds.

Bren and the High Elf Magician Lina was observing Celine's actions through a crystal ball. After seeing the skillful maneuver of Celine through the City, Bren had a tight frown on his face. Something was not right.

Lina then spoke, "Do you feel like she has eyes on the back of her head?"

"It's not even just that! It seems as though she can foresee the future. She is playing hide and seek with the Magicians," Bren commented.

This was not the first time he had crossed swords with the demon princess. He had a good gage of her abilities. Previously, when the Magician Alliance sent a ten-man investigative team to crack down on her location, she was already at her limits.

However, now that the number of Magicians had increased to 30, she had gotten the upper hand instead. It was all too strange.

Lina smiled, "Bren, don't you feel that someone is giving her directions in the dark?"

"You are saying...?" Bren was increasingly horrified by the prospects.

"He should already be here." Lina had a smile of disgust and mockery on her face as she sneered. "Andrew's plan was crap to begin with. It would be enough for him to give directions from afar. He did not even have to appear physically."

Bren's face sank. Lina was completely relentless with her words. If Andrew's plan was really crap, then as the person who agreed with it wholeheartedly, it must have reflected really badly on him.

However, he knew that it was not a time to lose his temper. He said, "What do we do now? The Magician Alliance seems to be useless. Are we really going to let this demon princess get off the hook?"

Lina did not answer. She kept her eyes fixated on the crystal ball. After ten minutes, she suddenly spoke, "The tables have turned."

Celine seemed to have run into some trouble.

Two people could be seen in front of her. One of them was old and frail while the other had silver eyes and hair. The two of them were not deceived by Celine's disguise. They directly blocked Celine's path of escape.

A hundred and fifty feet behind the two of them was the exchange building of Opal City's market district. Celine was now 60 feet in front of them. In the crowded market district, all the Magicians had gotten news of the new location and were making their way here rapidly.

Although the fish was agile and nimble, the net was cast too far and wide. She was eventually captured.

Bren's eyes widened. "This group of Magicians will not let her live. Link will then have to appear physically to save her. Alright, Hanlott had started casting his spell. Hang on; Link is going to appear soon…Damn it! Why did Ballie charge out!?"

The scene depicted on the crystal ball was extremely clear. The first few people who rushed out in Celine's defense was not Link, but Ballie and his two assistants. Ballie had his own concerns as well. To him, the Syndicate's plan towards Link was only second in terms of priority. His main concern was still his master's order.

When he left the abyss, his master had only one request: "Bring back my daughter. She must be alive!"

The princess had to be alive. If she was killed, who could withstand the rage of the master? Therefore, to hell with the Syndicate, Bren, Andrew, and Lisa. This group of Magicians was about to kill the princess; he had to protect her life!

The three demons rushed out together and couldn't have cared less about Celine. As long as she was alive, they could always find her again. However, these two dangerous Magicians had to die!

Hanlott and Wavier originally thought victory was already in sight. They did not expect back up forces to arrive at this crucial moment. Three Level-6 demons—an axe demon, a lizard demon, and a toad demon—charged towards them from three different directions.

"Damn it, Wavier; Defend!" Hanlott shouted. He then canceled the spell he was casting to prevent mutual mana disturbance.

Wavier had quick reactions. Mana surged into his Merlin's Wand and caused the strong Epic Wand to glow in five different colors. A rainbow dome then appeared, surrounding Hanlott and Wavier in its defensive barrier.

This was the spell stored inside the Merlin's Wand—Elemental Sanctuary. It was a Level-6 spell that could be cast instantaneously, possessing extremely strong defensive strength.

The barrier was formed in the nick of time as the three demons reached their side. The demons then ferociously attacked the defensive spell as Ballie shouted to Celine, "Princess, please leave! Do not care about us!"

Celine was speechless. She never intended to save them anyway.

Once again, Link's calm voice sounded inside her mind, Bypass them and enter the attic in the exchange building. There will be a transmission magic circle inside.

Celine was euphoric. She quickened her pace and bypassed Hanlott and Wavier.

Hanlott had also heard Ballie's screams. He now knew that this female demon was a key figure in the demon world. Otherwise, the three demons wouldn't have called her the princess and risked their lives to save her.

"Wavier, stop that demon! Leave this place to me!"

Hanlott then let out a low bellow as mana surged into his staff. The howling sounds of the wind could immediately be heard as he shouted, "Wrath of the Storm!"

Wrath of the Storm

Level-5 spell

Cost: 900 Mana Points

Effect: An extremely strong wind elemental spell. It can create a high-speed rotating cyclone that will fling the target into the air. The wind blades will then chip at the target's flesh continuously.

One-and-a-half seconds later, this Level-5 spell had taken form. A huge cyclone surrounded Hanlott's body. At the same time, he made use of the power of the wind to fling Wavier in Celine's direction together with his Elemental Sanctuary spell.

This intricate spellcasting technique not only prevented the interference of mana between their spells, but also closed the gap between Wavier and Celine. It was a testament to Hanlott's strength.

The three demons did not expect to be attacked all at once and were caught off guard. They were then flung 30 feet into the air by the cyclone and continued rotating in mid-air. Apart from being unable to retaliate, their flesh was also constantly chipped off by the countless wind blades menacingly attacking them. Fortunately, these demons had a tough exterior. This spell would merely render them immovable and slightly injured.

On the other side, Wavier had reached a comfortable attacking distance after the help of his mentor. The figure that he had missed day and night was finally right in front of his eyes. However, he had to kill her with his own two hands.

What was the most cruel thing in the world? That would be having to kill a girl that you fell in love with at first sight.

That was the exact mission Wavier was tasked to accomplish.

Celine had felt the incoming danger and unsheathed her sword. However, even before she brandished her sword, her defensive preparations had already broken Wavier's heart.

He wanted to stop and turn back. However, the words of his mentor, the oath he took in the name of the God of Light, the strange looks he got from his fellow Magicians—all of these images started flashing through his mind. They then coalesced into a strong and powerful voice, She is a demon, don't have any mercy! This is all for the cause of justice!

This voice was so strong that Wavier momentarily forgot the pain of his own soul. He raised his Merlin's Wand and began charging it with mana, activating the Level-6 offensive spell stored within.

Elemental Disintegration!

Elemental Disintegration

Level-6 Combined Elemental Spell

Cost: 1020 Mana Points

Effect: Combines the mysterious forces of all the elements and ignores any defensive power from Battle Auras. Directly disintegrates the elements within the target's body.

The only drawback of this spell was its inability to lockdown on the target. It would thus easily miss when fired from afar.

However, Wavier was now merely nine feet away from Celine. Even if Celine were a swordswoman who prided herself on her speed, she would still be slower than a Magician's thought process.

An invisible power began to emanate from the wand before accumulating into a giant translucent ball. A beam that emerged from this translucent ball and flew straight towards Celine. The moment the attack was released, Wavier felt a great deal of remorse in his heart. However, what's done was already done. There was no going back.

Wavier was completely dumbfounded, and his eyes seemed to be robbed of its usual glimmer. He closed his eyes as he could not bear to see the results.

However, in the next moment, his mentor roared in frustration, "Damn it, it's a transportation spell! Some powerful being is helping her in the shadows!"

Wavier was pleasantly surprised. He opened his eyes and saw an elemental image of the female demon after the transportation. A quiet and beautiful smile seemed to have appeared on her face in the final few moments of the transportation.

She did not know any transportation spell. Someone must have helped her along the way. But who?

Wavier suddenly had mixed feelings about this. He felt some remorse, pain happiness, and even jealousy.

Who the hell did this? Another demon? Why did she have such a calm smile? Was it someone that she loves?

Wavier was extremely frustrated, and his whole being was cloaked in a deadly gloom.

In a dark alley, Andrew seemed to witness Wavier's mood transformation. He was first shocked before a sinister smile appeared on his face. "His soul seems to be damaged. That means…"

He had no idea why he was so elated. He also ceased to care about the demons who were still thrashing about in the air and left the scene.