After the duel began, the arena-like field instantly transformed, becoming a vast battlefield ruin in the blink of an eye.
A solitary moon hung high, abandoned Magic Giant Golems, endless sand dunes, and a ruined royal city on the horizon…
Wasn’t this scene familiar?
[Today’s duel arena is supplied by Lianshan Xianzhe’s material: Lost Atlantis Royal Capital Ancient Battlefield. Thank Lianshan Xianzhe for his generosity. This match officially begins!]
The moment the match was announced, Luo Ya’s pre-prepared magic [Wind Wings] activated instantly.
A pair of wings formed from wind elements behind Luo Ya; with a light flap, they produced a sonic boom.
Luo Ya herself shot out like an arrow at light speed, heading straight for Ai Ma, who looked stunned.
‘As expected of Master! Perfectly predicted Luo Ya’s tactics!’
Ai Ma secretly rejoiced.
Then, as planned, she activated all her magical devices, and dense magic rained down on Luo Ya like a storm.
Luo Ya’s Wind Wings fluttered up and down like a light butterfly, and without any hesitation, she charged straight into the area covered by magic!
The explosive opening instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the Mana Net audience.
[Damn! She’s got something!]
[That charge speed is insane. Respect.]
[Wait, why is a mage charging in so urgently?]
[Who said she’s a novice who’s only touched magic for less than half a month? With such experienced charge tactics, I’d believe my master was using a child’s body to play for her.]
In the bar, Ka Er stared at the screen in shock.
Beside him, Ruiken also had a grave expression.
“If I remember correctly…”
Ka Er began slowly.
“That opening move is the standard for Deep Blue War Mages, right?”
“I was outside Deep Blue during that war and didn’t participate. As a participant, what do you think?”
Ruiken hesitantly set down the shaker.
“It is indeed a standard spell of the Deep Blue Battle Mages, but the Deep Blue Battle Mages should have completely disappeared. The weave was abolished, the techniques lost. If you weren’t a firsthand witness to that war, probably no one would recognize it.”
“What’s going on?”
Luo Ya maneuvered through the rain of magic like a ballet dancer on ice.
Her Wind Wings allowed her to make sharp turns as if unbound by gravity.
Ai Ma’s expression changed drastically.
‘How is that possible!’
Ai Ma swung her staff, intending to release a no-blind-spot Magic Shockwave.
But Luo Ya, who had been closely watching Ai Ma’s movements, raised her short staff and aimed at Ai Ma the moment she saw Ai Ma lift her hand.
[Magic Disruption]!
A jet of chaotic magic power directly interrupted Ai Ma’s spellcasting.
At the same time, Luo Ya had closed in!
Ai Ma’s face twisted in terror as she frantically pulled out a Magic Protective Charm and activated it.
Earth and stone gathered in front of her, instantly forming a Stone Golem forty meters tall.
The Stone Golem slapped Luo Ya to the ground with one hand, causing the surrounding ground to sink three feet.
“Hahaha! Now you know my power!”
Ai Ma laughed triumphantly.
But when the Stone Golem moved its hand away, Ai Ma was dumbfounded.
“Where… where did she go!”
Luo Ya was hiding behind a sand dune, panting heavily.
She gently stroked the Blue Crystal Pendant that had just saved her life.
Luo Ya murmured softly:
“Lord Xia An…”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Find her!”
Ai Ma ordered the Stone Golem to search the surroundings.
But the endless sand dunes blocked the view, and Luo Ya’s figure had vanished.
Ai Ma began to sweat.
The Stone Golem had a limited existence time.
If she didn’t eliminate Luo Ya before time ran out…
The battlefield turned into a strange game of hide-and-seek.
Luo Ya wisely chose not to confront directly but kept shifting her hiding spots using the dunes as cover.
‘Damn it! Damn it!’
Ai Ma cursed inwardly.
Luo Ya’s heart pounded violently.
With such high-intensity movement, based on her original physical condition, she should have reached her limit long ago.
But waves of blood-colored energy kept surging from deep within her body, repairing her.
Though it was excruciatingly painful, Luo Ya could still maintain the stamina for intense exercise.
For a while, only Ai Ma’s curses and the heavy footsteps of the Stone Golem remained on the dunes.
Ai Ma felt a chill run down her spine, as if a pair of eyes were watching her from the shadows.
Gradually, Ai Ma’s shouting subsided, as if the oppressive atmosphere had drained her strength.
Luo Ya never appeared.
Or perhaps she was lying on the other side of a dune, ready to take Ai Ma’s life at any moment.
Ai Ma regretted it.
She regretted ever opposing Luo Ya.
‘What kind of monster is she!’
The long and oppressive chase ended.
The Stone Golem’s magic power depleted, and with a bang, it disintegrated into a pile of rocks.
Ai Ma had lost all her trump cards.
Clutching her staff, she looked around in panic.
A shadow fell over Ai Ma.
Ai Ma turned around stiffly.
Under the pale moon, a figure stood on the dune, surrounded by blood-colored energy, like a demon crawling out of hell!
“Have you thought of your last words?”
Luo Ya’s voice was hollow and distant, instantly terrifying Ai Ma.
She completely forgot that her own magic power was tens of times greater than Luo Ya’s.
She dropped her staff and fled in panic.
At this moment, Luo Ya’s perception was exceptionally sharp under the enhancement of the blood-colored energy.
She had acquired this energy that day and had rarely used it, but inexplicably, she was extremely proficient.
Blood-colored energy gathered in Luo Ya’s hand, forming a spear.
She aimed, exerted force with her arm, and the spear shot out!
It crossed a long distance and pierced straight through Ai Ma!
“My god…”
In the bar, Ruiken whispered in awe.
“What’s wrong?”
Ka Er asked.
“In that war, I once had the fortune to fight a powerful knight. His talent was mediocre, but an adventure in his early years granted him an ancient inheritance from the Mythological Era, giving him a powerful source energy,” Ruiken said.
“It was a blood-colored source energy that could only be enhanced by constantly walking the line between life and death.”
“You mean that Chief Knight who almost broke through to Legendary?”
Ka Er recalled.
“Yes. If he had succeeded that year, the Deep Blue war legions would have had a much harder time achieving such results.”
Ruiken nodded.
“Massive enhancement of sensory perception, repair of bodily injuries, unparalleled adaptability—that knight was the nightmare of the Deep Blue war legions back then.”
“The name of that source power supposedly points to the legend of the River Styx.
Legend says that after death, souls are led by the Apostle of the Styx to the River Styx for reincarnation.”
“Regardless of one’s identity in life—whether a king who conquered nations or a noble of high status—once dead, all are equal before the Styx.”
“But the cultivators of this source power alone oscillate between both banks of the Styx.”
“The existence of this source power is a mockery of the Styx, a manifestation of the Styx’s failure.”
“Therefore, this source power has a unique name…”
Ruiken’s expression turned grave.
“…Sin of the Styx.”