Advent of the Archmage

Link was being polite when he mentioned that Romilson would take at least three years to learn a Spatial Magic spell. In fact, he should have mentioned that he would not master it in his lifetime.

There were, of course, Spatial Magicians amongst the High Elves in the game. However, they were all known by name, and the total number of Spatial Magicians amongst the High Elves never exceeded five at any point in time. Romilson was never part of this exclusive and powerful group.

Link had once run errands for Romilson while he was playing the game. Coincidentally, these missions were those where Romilson had tasked Link to collect materials required for Spatial Magic experiments. He was trying to master Spatial Magic with fervor.

However, after Link had worked hard to collect all the materials, Romilson's experiment eventually ended in failure, and he never managed to master Spatial Magic.

Link could still remember what Romilson said after his experiment failed, "Oh, God of Light, why would a thing as torturous as Spatial Magic exist in this world!"

Following which, he would burn all the magic books and materials he had painstakingly collected for his experiments.

Link was confident enough to say so because of this exact mission that he had taken.

After Link had spoken, not only did Romilson not retort, the High Elf Princess Milda also fell silent. The reason was simple. In the game, although Milda knew a few Spatial spells, that was only after she had attained the Legendary rank. Furthermore, she had only mastered the most basic of Spatial Magic and was far from achieving anything outstanding.

At that moment, she still had not mastered any form of Spatial Magic. In fact, she had once tried to learn this torturous branch of magic but gave up after just half a year. She almost went through a mental breakdown during that period of time due to the difficulty of this magic.

However, Milda deeply regretted her actions back them. If she had persevered on the path, she might have been able to reclaim the dignity of their race in front of these humans. She would have stood up immediately and shouted, "Look at how arrogant you are. Isn't it just some little tricks? Anyone could cast those simple spells!"

But she could not. Her entire Magician team including herself were completely clueless about the workings of Spatial Magic.

"That is amazing. Sir Link has really opened our eyes to a new realm of magic." Milda smiled dryly while the rest of the High Elves followed suit. There was a hint of bitterness and disdain in their expressions.

This was a huge blow to the reputation of the High Elves. If this incident ever got out, they would definitely become the laughing stock of all the races in Firuman.

On the other hand, while King Leon was clueless about magic, he could tell from the High Elves' reaction that Link had completely overshadowed them. He then laughed heartily and said, "Master Link, Romilson is young. Don't get too worked up over this matter."

Following which, he then turned to Milda and said, "Milda, our Master Link is known for his bad temper. Please don't take offense. From my perspective, I don't think Romilson needs three years for this spell. One year would be more than enough just to learn one spell. Am I right?"

Milda was completely dumbfounded by King Leon's speech. After all, he had completely no knowledge about magic. She could only reply with an awkward and embarrassed smile.

Dean Anthony had a shocked expression on his face. As an established Magician, he could understand the difficulty of the little trick Link just performed. Why would the High Elves eat humble pie if not for the ridiculous difficulty of Link's performance?

Seeing King Leon's attempts at lightening the atmosphere, Anthony echoed, "Your Highness Milda, Master Link, and Romilson are both young lads. Isn't it normal for young people to learn and compete with one another? I say let bygones be bygones. Your Majesty, it will be nightfall soon, shall we adjourn for the day?"

This was the exact sentence King Leon was waiting for. Now that the human race had defended their dignity in front of the High Elves, there was no need to embarrass them any further.

He nodded and said, "The dean is right. Milda, shall we end this celebration?"

"At your command," Milda said as she wished to leave this place immediately.

King Leon immediately waved his hand and commanded the musicians and dancers to leave. Everyone around the desk then stood up and prepared to leave the premises.

Link had more important things to take care off. The things that happened moments ago were insignificant compared to what he wanted to say. He merely performed a few tricks and defended the dignity of the human race. It would at most become an interesting anecdote in the near future. However, the war in the North was a more pressing issue altogether.

He then whispered into King Leon's ears, "Your Majesty, the issue about the Dark Divine Gear is pressing. Why don't we start discussing countermeasures in the Heaven's Thorn while the High Elves are present?"

King Leon immediately felt a shiver down his spine. He was well aware of the details of the military report Link gave in the North. Naturally, he was also knowledgeable of the dangers the Divine Gear posed. This issue was related to the fate of the Norton Kingdom.

He recollected his stern demeanor and relayed Link's message to Milda.

Milda naturally agreed. What happened previously was merely a small matter. When it came to serious matters, it would be important to put aside personal emotions. A Magician who was unable to accomplish this would be unfit for the upper echelons of the kingdom.

She nodded sternly and whispered to the attendant beside her. This attendant then immediately ran towards the High Elves' Magician team to relay the message.

On Link's side, he was also explaining the situation to Dean Anthony and the concerned individuals. Following which, an entire team made up of powerful Magicians headed towards the Heaven's Thorn.

Although the construction of the Heaven's Thorn was not complete, the parliament hall in the tower could already be used. Upon reaching the long table, King Leon naturally sat at the head of the table, followed by Dean Anthony, who sat by his side and then Link. They were then followed by the respective Master Magicians of the academy and lastly, the high-ranking Magicians. There was a total of over sixty people in the hall.

Amongst them, those who were less than Level-5 in rank could only stand as they were not offered seats.

It was the same situation on the High Elves side. Milda was sitting beside the king followed by Romilson and then the high-ranking Magicians.

After everyone was seated, King Leon coughed slightly and said, "We will be discussing strategies to deal with the Divine Gear, the Dark Serpent. We will need powerful spells in response to the Divine Gear. As I am not well versed in the area of magic, Master Link will speak on my behalf."

The mention of the Dark Divine Gear sent shivers down the spines of the High Elf Magicians. All of them immediately put their contempt for the human race at the back of their minds and listened intently.

Link nodded and pointed his wand in the air. After a beam of light shot through the air, the appearance of the Dark Serpent emerged in the form of a hologram. It was a black whip in the shape of a snake.

"This is the Dark Serpent. It is extremely powerful. In order to summon it, the Dark Elves sacrificed at least 150000 Icefield Barbarian souls. In the North, I witnessed a fortress made entirely out of bones of the deceased. They term this the Skeletal Fortress. Upon entering the Soul Realm, I could see the captive souls of the Icefield Barbarians floating around the area."

While he was speaking, Link changed the display to show the appearance of the Skeletal Fort.

At this moment, everyone had a look of disgust and shock on their faces, especially the High Elves. They had lived a life of peace and decadence on the Isle of Dawn. They could never have imagined such cruelties existed in the world.

"150000 lives? How could the Dark Elves do such things?"

"The Spider Queen is an Evil God! She will definitely be defeated!"

"A fortress made out of bones. If not for the fact that I witnessed it with my own eyes, I would never have believed such evil existed!"

With a light thud, Link, placed another wand on the table. This wand exuded a dark presence and the Cat's Eye Stone at its tip had been delicately carved into the shape of a horrified human face.

Dean Anthony immediately recognized this Epic Dark Magic Wand. He shouted, "Century's Nightmare, the Soul Taker's Wand!"

Link continued, "This is the weapon of a Dark Magician that I defeated at the site. It is extremely powerful. An ordinary person will probably be bewitched the moment they come close to it. However, what I want to say is that the Divine Gear is a hundred times, or even a thousand times stronger than this. The wielder of the Divine Gear, Auselia, had once attempted to unleash the Soul-Devouring Divine Skill. From my observation, this Divine Skill has a range of 11 to 13 miles."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this information. Everyone stared at the Dark Wand on the table and tried to imagine the power of the Divine Gear in their minds.

A Divine Skill that possessed a range of 13 miles was truly a catastrophe!

After a long while, King Leon spoke with a terrified expression, "I have no idea how to deal with this specifically. However, we need to have a countermeasure to this Divine Gera. If not, we will definitely lose this war."

Milda then looked at Link and said, "Since the Divine Gear is so powerful. May I ask then, how did Master Link escape?"

"I relied on a magic puppet that I had accidentally acquired." Link then tapped his wand lightly in the air again, and Nana's image appeared in the air. He then continued, "This magic puppet is extremely powerful and possessed a fast attacking speed. Making use of its sneak attack, we managed to kill the wielder of the Divine Gear, which allowed us to escape alive. However, the Divine Gear has a spirit of its own. The moment it realized that its host was killed, it hid its presence straight away. I was hence unable to bring it back with me."

Link deliberately left out Nana's origin in his account. It was a normal sight for a Magician to have his own magic puppet. Hence, no one questioned him further on this matter.

After listening to this account, Milda went into deep thought while all other Magicians fell silent.

Was it possible to defeat a Divine Skill using mere mortal techniques?

Even after bringing together the strongest Magicians in the Norton Kingdom, as well as a team of elite Magicians from the younger generation of the High Elves, no one had any ideas that could turn the situation around.

They responded with silence.

Anthony was the first one to speak, "I feel that I need to make a trip to the library."

The moment he said that Romilson sneered and said, "Dean, I don't think that hitting the books will give you an answer. The Dark Serpent has appeared a total of three times throughout history. Due to the effect of the Dimensional Rejection, it will change its form every time it enters the World of Firuman. Hence, we will be facing a brand new Dark Serpent. The previous methods will not work."

This demonstrated the in-depth knowledge the High Elves had about the history of this world. They had been around for more than 10000 years and had never lost connection with any of their culture and ancestors. They had detailed records of everything that ever happened in this world.

In this regard, the human race which had only been around for a short time and were constantly agonized by war and conflict could not even hold a candle to the High Elves.

Anthony merely moved his lips in disdain before falling silent after listening to Romilson's sarcastic words. While his tone was infuriating, it was the truth. Furthermore, it was not a time for personal emotional disputes.

After ten minutes, King Leon still heard no suggestions that could bring any changes to the current situation. Even Link fell silent. The boundaries of magic were limitless; he still had a long way to go before attaining the level of a god.

Lastly, King Leon frowned as he said, "We cannot delay this any further. Master Link, are you sure that the Divine Skill can only be activated once?"

"I am sure."

Milda also added, "This dimension will automatically reject the power of the Divine Gear. Hence, it can only be activated once."

King Leon then stood up and said, "Well then, I will start preparing now. I need to make sure that the kingdom is still strong enough to defend itself against the Dark Elves even after the destruction of an entire troop."

Magicians had their own way of dealing with problems, and King Leon also had his own response to this issue. When magic could no longer provide an answer, he had to consider the number of sacrifices he needed to make.

This was truly a cruel and helpless choice.

If they could not find a way to deal with the Divine Skill, it meant that one of the main troops of the kingdom would definitely be destroyed by the Soul Devouring Divine Skill of the Dark Serpent. What King Leon had to do was then to ensure that he could swiftly organize a new line of defense after the catastrophe in place of the casualties, preventing the kingdom from being breached.

Milda also had a serious expression on her face as she said, "I have to make a trip back to the Isle of Dawn. I think I might find some useful answers there."

The High Elves and the Dark Elves were mortal enemies. The moment they engaged in conflict, they would not stop until one side was completely defeated, that was, to the point of eradicating their entire race. The Norton Kingdom was now a shield for the High Elves. If this shield was broken, the High Elves would also pay a heavy price of losing many of their comrades.

Hence, the High Elves would do their best to ensure the integrity of this shield.

This was what they needed to and had been doing for the past tens of thousands of years. The only thing that changed was the name and ownership of this shield accompanying the rise and fall of many kingdoms.

"I thank the High Elves for their help in this matter," King Leon spoke respectfully with a heavy heart.

It was not necessary to continue the meeting any further. Everyone stood up with a pained expression on their faces.

Annie then asked, "Link, what plans do you have?"

Link had already formulated a plan in his mind. He did not plan to keep it in and said, "My magic puppet was destroyed while it was attacking Auselia. I will try my best to repair it. Although the Divine Gear is invincible, it's wielder is not. Perhaps, my magic puppet can once again create a miracle."

Link did not witness the entire battle between Nana and Auselia. However, if she had already done it once, why not a second time?

This was Link's interpretation of the solution to deal with the Divine Gear. It might not be the most reliable way, but as long as there was a chance of success, it was worth trying.