Head rolls, dust settles!
At last, the formidable threat of Leif was finally eliminated by Kael!
Kael let out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze toward Scarlett. A smile of approval crossed his face. "Well done." Much of the credit for this victory belonged to Scarlett. Though she wasn't solely responsible, her assistance had been invaluable.
With Kael's strength alone, he might have been able to match Leif, even gaining a clear advantage, but killing him would have been impossible.
Leif's power truly lived up to the title of the strongest below the eighth rank. Only a monster like Kael could suppress him so decisively.
Kael exhaled deeply. This breakthrough had brought him immense gains—not only had he acquired the power of lightning, but he had also comprehended the force of a domain. Among those of the same rank, Kael was now unrivaled. Even ordinary Arcane Magi might not be his match. The depth of his accumulation was enough to put all other seventh-rank powerhouses to shame.
This was what it meant to build a solid foundation for a grand rise.
After praising Scarlett for a while, Kael noticed an unexpected flicker of pleasure in her heart, which she immediately scorned. Damn it, why am I happy about this insignificant human's praise?!Unbeknownst to her, the master-servant contract was subtly at work. Over time, she would grow increasingly attuned to Kael's every action, slowly coming to regard him as her master…
Kael, however, remained oblivious to this. His attention shifted to Leif's corpse.
Searching through Leif's belongings, Kael found a scroll tucked inside his spatial ring. Unfurling it, he discovered a map!
"So that's how it is!" Kael's expression shifted as he deciphered the clues on the map.
It was a rough sketch of the Kingdom of Kya, marking several renowned cultivation sites. Most prominently, one location stood out.
"The Black Valley in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Kya… This must be the entrance to the ancient ruins that Leif mentioned—the 'Gate of Life'!" Kael's lips curled into a smile as he studied the marked spot.
Clutching the map, Kael could hardly contain his excitement. His heart pounded with anticipation.
With this map in hand, Kael could freely enter and exit the ancient ruins. These ruins would become his exclusive domain—his own private world!
Like a personal garden, the ancient ruins would be his to explore at will!
After all, even the Sacred Council and the Holy Temple had to set up magic arrays in specific locations on Yanhua Island and rely on the combined efforts of at least four Saint-level—or even Legendary—powerhouses to forcibly tear open a spatial passage, allowing Kael and the others to enter. Coupled with this space's unique restrictions—only those below the eighth rank could pass through—it was clear just how difficult accessing the ancient ruins truly was.
But with this map, everything would change.
Finding the Gate of Life to the ancient ruins would be like using a key to unlock the front door—far more convenient.
"Alright, now that this is settled, I need to hurry back!" Kael gave a cursory glance through Leif's spatial ring. It was filled with all sorts of oddities, though most were items useful for alchemy or Shadow Wing mages, which held little value to him. Still, having obtained the map to the ancient ruins, Kael was satisfied and paid no further mind to the rest.
"Yes, Master," Scarlett responded obediently. Aware that she was Kael's hidden trump card, she dutifully retreated into the contract space.
Kael smirked. Scarlett was becoming increasingly… compliant.
Carefully storing the map away, Kael let out a light hum before gripping Leif's severed head and dashing back at full speed.
The closer he got, the louder the sounds of battle grew. When Kael focused his gaze, he realized the situation had completely shifted—especially with the undead army, which had undergone drastic changes!
The undead beasts had grown frenzied. Without Leif's control, they had gone berserk, attacking indiscriminately—even each other!
"Without Leif's command, these undead beasts are no longer a threat!" Kael instantly assessed the situation. Leaderless, they were nothing more than a disorganized mob.
Freed from control, the undead beasts reverted to their primal instincts as magical creatures. Most instinctively feared the powerful unicorn rhinos, and soon, the battlefield descended into chaos as they turned on one another.
"Kael, you're back!" Ethan, still in the midst of battle, suddenly looked up and was startled to see Kael's return. Did Leif escape?
It was no surprise Ethan thought this way. Though Leif's strength was slightly inferior to Kael's, the gap was marginal. And with Kael returning so quickly, it was only natural to assume he hadn't succeeded.
"No, Kael succeeded." Amelia shook her head, her eyes gleaming with realization. She had noticed Kael's hand—the one gripping Leif's severed head. With her sharp intellect, she even vaguely guessed the method Kael had used to kill Leif.
"What? He did it? Kael actually killed Leif?!" Ethan exclaimed in shock.
"He killed Leif!" Stellan stared at Kael in disbelief, his body freezing in place the moment he saw the grisly trophy in Kael's grasp.
How is this possible?!
From the moment Kael appeared, he had delivered one earth-shattering surprise after another—first the inconceivable lightning magic, then the mastery of a domain, and now, the slaying of Leif!
There was a world of difference between defeating Leif and killing him! Has he really grown this powerful?! The thought surged through Stellan's mind, sending an involuntary tremble down his spine.
Too ruthless!
With a cold snort, Kael casually tossed Leif's head onto the ground, letting it roll to a stop before the stunned onlookers.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Every gaze locked onto Kael.
Only two faces paled drastically—Kairo and Heath! Though both were peak seventh-rank powerhouses, their expressions now brimmed with terror as they stared at Kael in near-panic.
Fear of Kael's strength consumed them. Their instincts screamed at them to flee, to escape immediately!
Yet Kael had already locked onto them.
Uproot the weeds, destroy the roots.
With a swift dash, Kael lunged forward, a chilling smirk on his lips as his Lightning Domain instantly enveloped the two.
The moment Kairo and Heath sensed Kael's domain closing in, their flight became even more desperate, their terror mounting.
If Kael could kill even Leif, his power far surpassed theirs. Their first and only thought was to run!
But the lightning arrived in an instant!
With a deafening boom, the thunder surged forth—purple currents twisting into blades that slashed through the air with lethal speed!
The overwhelming electricity, amplified by the domain's power, engulfed Kairo and Heath entirely. Horror flooded their hearts as an oppressive force locked their bodies in place, rendering them helpless. All they could do was watch as the twin bolts of lightning struck them dead-on.
In less than a breath, the lightning found its mark. The acrid stench of charred flesh filled the air as their bodies blackened completely, collapsing like charred logs.
Mages' bodies were fragile. Against such devastating thunder, survival was impossible.
A single strike.
With just one attack, Kael had annihilated Kairo and Heath—two peak seventh-rank powerhouses!
This surpassed even Leif's feat of repelling the Holy Temple's four warriors in a single move. After all, among those four, only Magnus had been at the peak of the seventh rank, while the other two (excluding Stellan) were merely early-stage seventh-rank—far weaker opponents.
Moreover, Leif had only injured them, not killed them. The difference was staggering.
"Too brutal… This guy's on another level," Ethan muttered, realizing how vast the gap between him and Kael had become since entering the ancient ruins.
"It's over."
With Kairo and Heath dead, only the rampaging undead beasts remained. But these were trivial to handle—without control, they were little more than fodder beneath the unicorn rhinos' trampling charge.
At last, the dust settled completely, and Kael finally relaxed.
But while Kael was at ease, everyone else stared at him wide-eyed, their gazes a mix of awe and terror—as though beholding a monster.
The shock he inspired was even more terrifying than the undead themselves!