Kael smiled. Undoubtedly, he was the biggest winner of this expedition to the ancient ruins.Once he returned to the Sacred Council, he would undoubtedly gain the attention of its highest echelons.
Leif had been slain by Kael.
At one point, Kael had even considered sparing Leif—or even recruiting him as a subordinate. But that thought had been swiftly dismissed. The reputation of Shadow Wing mages was far too vile, despised by all, even more so than vampires.
More importantly, unlike Scarlett—whose body had been completely reshaped by Moonlight Dusk, leaving no trace of her vampiric nature—Leif was different. A Shadow Wing mage could never change. Kael had no intention of becoming a universally reviled outcast.
"There are still about ten days or so before the ancient ruins reopen. We should find something to do in the meantime," Kael said with a faint smile.
Truthfully, he wasn't overly concerned. With the map to the ruins, he could now enter freely through the 'Gate of Life,' allowing him to claim whatever treasures remained at his leisure. Instead, his focus shifted to the Unicorn Rhinos.
A plan was already forming in his mind.
The Unicorn Rhino herd in the ruins had grown remarkably close to him. If he could somehow bring them out of the ancient ruins…
The thought flickered briefly before Kael glanced at Alaric, who was currently stuffing his face with barbecue, looking utterly content. He couldn't help but chuckle wryly and shake his head.
"Kael, you're leaving soon?" Alaric looked at him mournfully and sighed. "Do you know how hard it is for me to find barbecue this good? If you leave this damned place, I'll be stuck eating that awful food again! After tasting this, how could I possibly stomach anything else?!"
To emphasize his sorrow, the Unicorn Rhino dramatically rolled on the ground, grumbling.
The Snowbear Beast nodded vigorously. "Kael, you might be a bit ruthless, but you're not bad—at least you feed us!"
Kael was speechless. Apparently, magical beasts in the ancient ruins were easily bribed—just offer them food.
As Kael pondered silently, the Snowbear Beast and Alaric struck up a lively conversation. The Snowbear, also a glutton, quickly bonded with Alaric over their shared love of food. Before long, the two were thick as thieves, addressing each other like sworn brothers.
"Boss, from now on, the future of our Snowbear Clan rests in your hands!" The Snowbear Beast bowed respectfully to the Unicorn Rhinoceros.
"Don't worry!" Alaric thumped his chest with a claw. "From now on, in the Ancient Ruins, I've got your back! If anything comes up, just come to me—there's nothing the great Alaric can't handle!"
Watching the two magical beasts quickly form a bond and "swear allegiance," Kael couldn't help but chuckle.
In the following days, Kael and his two companions stayed within the territory of the Unicorn Rhinoceros clan.
True to its word, the Snowbear Beast even relocated its entire clan just outside the Unicorn Rhinoceros' domain, as if determined to follow their lead from then on.
During this time, Kael and the others threw themselves into relentless training. With the Unicorn Rhinoceros' help, they scavenged numerous precious gems from the Ancient Ruins to aid their cultivation. Thanks to these resources, Amelia and Ethan showed signs of breaking through to the next level. As for Kael, his foundation grew increasingly solid, and his mastery over his domain became more refined.
If he wished, Kael could ascend to the rank of an Eighth-Circle Arcane Master the moment he left the Ancient Ruins, joining the ranks of the continent's most formidable experts.
Time passed day by day.
One night, Kael gently embraced Amelia's soft figure, his face close to hers as he smiled and said, "Amelia, tomorrow's the day the Ancient Ruins reopen."
"Mmm. Honestly, when I think about it, life here hasn't been bad—peaceful, at least," Amelia replied with a serene smile, her expression tranquil.
Tomorrow marked the moment the Ancient Ruins would open once more.
"Don't worry. Who knows? We might even have a chance to come back," Kael said mysteriously.
"Come back? That seems unlikely. Even the Sacred Council and the Holy Order probably wouldn't explore these ruins again…" Amelia trailed off, pausing as she noticed Kael's expression.
"After killing Leif, I took the map of the Ancient Ruins from him. If you ever want to return, we can come back anytime—as long as our strength doesn't exceed the Eighth Circle, of course," Kael explained with a grin.
"You…" Amelia was first stunned, then deeply moved. The fact that Kael would share something so important with her, without any hesitation, warmed her heart.
"Heh." Kael chuckled and tightened his embrace around Amelia. He had no intention of keeping secrets from her—to him, Amelia, Ethan, and the others were people he trusted completely.
The two drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
The Next Day.
Alaric reluctantly bid farewell to Kael, with the entire Unicorn Rhinoceros clan seeing him off. Kael arrived at the spot where they had first entered the Ancient Ruins. The Holy Order's group was already waiting there, and when Stellan and Magnus caught sight of Kael, their eyes flickered with recognition.
Suddenly, the Ancient Ruins trembled.
"It's happening!" Kael's heart tightened. A faint tremor rippled through the space of the Ancient Ruins, and in the next moment, a spatial rift tore open, sending a shockwave through the entire realm.
The spatial passage had been forcefully opened!
"Go, now!" The group exchanged glances before leaping forward one after another, swiftly stepping into the passage. Kael did the same, and in the blink of an eye, all of them had vanished.
Inside the spatial passage, Kael watched as the Ancient Ruins shrank into the distance, eventually becoming little more than a black speck. Yet he felt no sorrow—because he knew, without a doubt, that he would return.
In an instant, they emerged back on Flamebloom Island!
In the plaza stood Zorath the Silent and the three Archmages of the Holy Order, all panting heavily, their faces slightly pale. Among them, Zorath the Silent appeared the least strained—clearly, his strength surpassed the others.
"You've finally returned!" Zorath the Silent exhaled in relief.
As the group came into view, his expression shifted abruptly when he took a closer look. "Why are there only three of you? Where are the others?"
Zorath the Silent scrutinized them again—twelve members of the Sacred Council had entered, yet only the three from Flamebloom Academy had returned. How could he not be furious?
"They all…" Ethan began.
Seeing Ethan's expression, Zorath the Silent understood everything. His gaze then swept over the Holy Order's surviving members, and his face darkened. Damn it! Once again, the Holy Order has stolen the spotlight! In recent years, the Holy Order had consistently outshone the Sacred Council in nurturing the younger generation—and now, history had repeated itself.
"Hah! Well done! Most of you have returned—excellent work!" The Holy Order's Archmage wore a satisfied expression, his face brimming with pride as he cast a smug glance at Zorath the Silent. He then asked, "Which of you slew Leif?"
"My lord, this expedition to the Ancient Ruins was far more perilous than expected... The intelligence was flawed. Leif was not only at the peak of the Seventh Circle, but he also commanded two powerful subordinates and an army of thousands of undead..." Magnus, the leader of the Holy Order's younger generation, explained to the Archmage.
His words caused the Archmage's expression to darken, and even Zorath the Silent grew solemn. The atmosphere turned heavy—none of them had anticipated that Leif harbored such terrifying secrets. The ability to control the undead... If Leif had been allowed to reach the mainland, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
"Then... is Leif truly dead?" the Holy Order's Archmage pressed urgently, his tone now tinged with uncertainty.
"He is," Magnus replied, his gaze flickering subconsciously toward Kael.
The Archmage didn't notice Magnus' subtle glance and exclaimed joyfully, "Dead? Good! Splendid work! This will be recorded as a great merit! Magnus, you've proven yourself worthy of being the Holy Order's genius—your contribution here is immeasurable!" The news that such a dire threat had been eliminated naturally filled him with elation.
"My lord... it wasn't us who killed Leif," Magnus stammered hesitantly.
"Not you? Then who did?" The Archmage's eyes widened in shock.
"It... was him." Magnus sighed and pointed at Kael.
Instantly, every eye in the plaza locked onto Kael.