Chapter 886: Ice Dragon Sindera
In the beginning, Nefa dwelt in the great rift of the Eternal Darkness Altar. As a descendant of the Dragon of Destruction, he mastered the Laws of Destruction and the Laws of Evilness. High Priest Rogge, who had once fought alongside Geresco, experienced some changes in his physical form, and was probably a bit stronger than the three Sanctuary-realm arbitrators of the Supreme Council. However, the two Sanctuary powerhouses were beaten up by the Flame Dragon Lothar to the point where they could not fight back at all. If it weren’t for the two sacred objects, the Tree of Eternity and the Seed of Eternity, the two Sanctuary powerhouses would probably have been unable to protect themselves. Heaven and Earth might have been ruined too.
Lin Li could not imagine how Brahere had done it. He had actually captured the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera. The Immortal King had killed Azardas the Dragon of Destruction with the power of the debris of the stars and the Stars of Fury, but he still ended up seriously injured. Although the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera might not be as strong as Azardas, the Dragon of Destruction, the difficulty of capturing it was also completely different. Besides, Brahere did not have the Stars of Fury and the debris of the stars.
Of course, Lin Li didn’t tell everyone about those matters, because that would only make them feel even more hopeless. If things were to go awfully wrong, they might even lose their courage to fight.
At this moment, the army of Humerus Wyrms was approaching, and the expressions of the members of the expedition team became increasingly sullen. From the aura of the leader of the Humerus Wyrms that was surrounded by the other Humerus Wyrms, the numerous Legendary powerhouses of the expedition team could completely feel a descending deity that was definitely not simply at the level of an ordinary Sanctuary-realm individual. What made them feel even more shocked was that other than the fact that it had a massive body, the leader did not seem to have turned into a Humerus Wyrm. Unlike the Humerus Wyrms that only had their skeletons left, the leader’s body was flawless.
Upon sight of the Iceblast Wyrm, the last hope for luck in their hearts vanished instantly. Regardless of how strong and powerful the Iceblast Wyrm might be, it would definitely have some obvious weaknesses, such as having a skeleton without scaly skin covering it. The defensive power of such skeletons would be far from comparable to that of real wyrms. At the same time, they wouldn’t have the bloodline of real wyrms, either. In fact, even the bones of the Humerus Wyrms that were generally referred to as skeletons might not be the skeletons of wyrms. Most of the time, they were most likely just bones from other magical beasts or even humans that were pieced together to form a dragon’s shape with the consumption of Dragon Crystals.
Hence, Humerus Wyrms could never compare to real wyrms of the same level. That was also the reason the expedition team had not immediately retreated after finding out from Caleross’ log that there were Humerus Wyrms in the mausoleum.
However, although the other Humerus Wyrms could be seen through the fog of death aura formed by the Humerus Wyrms, they were similar to what the people had imagined. They were all just huge white skeletons. The most terrifying thing was the wyrm leader that was in the middle of the Humerus Wyrms. It did not look like a Humerus Wyrm at all, and instead looked like an ancient Iceblast Wyrm.
“It actually… actually really is an ancient wyrm!” Upon sighting the massive body that was becoming clearer in the fog, the members of the expedition team looked horrified. The ancient wyrms were prideful creatures, and yet it actually stayed in Prince Brahere’s mausoleum for the sake of guarding it?
The Iceblast Wyrm that was gradually revealed was about as big as the dozen or so Humerus Wyrms around it. It was covered in white scales, each of which was the size of the shields used by the great shield Warriors. Besides, they could tell at a glance that the defensive power of the scales was definitely much stronger than the meticulously created shields.
The wings on the back of the Iceblast Wyrms were not fleshy like those of the Humerus Wyrms. Instead, they were large and grayish-white, with faintly flashing dark silver patterns on the membrane. Those were bloodline mageweaths that only ancient wyrms with a truly pure bloodline could possess. Even a Master of Inscription could not touch the mysteries of those mageweaths that represented the power of the world’s origin.
The Iceblast Wyrm’s large skull was also covered in fine scales, and the six sharp horns on top of its head were divided into two rows. Each horn was like a giant sword that could split the sky. The sturdiest ones in the front were like mountain peaks. Its bloodshot eyes looked like the blood moons that once hovered in the sky of Anril, radiating a cold and brutal light. Its large mouth seemed to be able to swallow the Humerus Wyrms around it in one go.
That was an actual ancient wyrm, which possessed incredible power that was not inferior to that of the gods. The ancient wyrms were powerful creatures that had once dominated the world of Anril together with the Titans! Although most of them had never seen a real ancient wyrm with their own eyes, they were already convinced, for they had heard the legends that had been passed down.
However, no one knew that the fear in Lin Li’s heart was 1000 times greater than the rest. When the Humerus Wyrms appeared, he had already taken out the debris of the stars, Holy Light. However, he had been secretly suppressing its power to avoid any unnecessary changes.
In fact, after Connoris called Sindera’s name, there was a tinge of imagination and fantasy in Lin Li’s heart. He did not have hope, but he did feel like it was somewhat a fluke. After all, Iceblast Wyrm Sindera was a powerful existence that was on the same level as the Flame Dragon Lothar. Given the pride of the ancient wyrms, how could it guard Brahere’s tomb obediently? There might be a hidden reason.
However, as the Humerus Wyrms and the Iceblast Wyrm approached, Lin Li sensed the changes in the power of Holy Light, and his heart sank to the bottom—to his horror, he found through the changes that there was an incomparably thick death aura coming from the Iceblast Wyrm. It was far richer than in any Undead creature he had ever seen. In fact, even the Ghost that Osric had left in the Sky Castle seemed inferior to it.
What did that mean? Although Lin Li couldn’t believe it, he had to believe that the Iceblast Wyrm was probably a true-blue Undead creature. Apart from it being an Undead creature, he could not think of any other explanation for the incomparably rich death aura around the Iceblast Wyrm’s body.
At this moment, Lin Li could finally see the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera’s appearance through the fog of death, and it further confirmed the terrifying suspicion in his heart. The scales on Sindera’s body, something which all wyrms were proud of, had lost their original luster, and were dyed with a deadly grayish hue. At the same time, the magical aura that flowed through its body was no longer icy cold. Instead, it was mixed with blackness that was full of death.
Lin Li then shifted his gaze to the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera’s eyes, which were like blood moons. He could clearly see that the gaze in those eyes was also extremely different from what he had seen in the Flame Dragon Lothar. As the king of Flame Dragons, Lothar’s gaze was full of pride, as if all lives before it were like ants. However, the gaze of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera was not cold and indifferent. Instead, it was deadpan, like that of a soulless zombie.
Not only did Brahere capture the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera, but he also used some sort of method to completely transform it into an Undead creature! At the thought of that, Lin Li could not help but be shocked by his own conjecture. It was not about transforming a Skeletal Warrior, but a real ancient wyrm that was a powerful existence second only to the Dragon Aspects!
Although Lin Li always learned to use Elemental Magic, and was considered an orthodox mage, he was not clueless about Necromagic. On one hand, he had by his side the Lich Ujfalusi, who was good at Necromagic. On the other hand, he was on good terms with Sendros, a famous Necromancer. Hence, he still had a deep understanding of Necromagic.
Lin Li knew very well that in theory, Necromagic could indeed transform all life into Undead creatures. However, there was still a very important condition, and that was that the Necromancer would have to possess power far beyond that of the creature that was being transformed. Take Sendros, the most famous Necromancer of Anril, for example. He could easily transform a dead soldier into a Skeletal Warrior, and it would be no issue for him to create even 1,000 or 10,000 Skeletal Warriors. However, it would not be easy to turn a wyrm into a Humerus Wyrm even though his power was at the peak of the Legendary-level.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible for Sendros to do it. However, transforming a Humerus Wyrm was not as simple as chanting an incantation and waving one’s staff. It still required the accompaniment of a special Necromagical ritual. However, even with Sendros’ abilities, the success rate of transformation was not 100%, and there was a great possibility of failure. Hence, the amount of effort and time spent on the transformation would definitely be astonishing.
The bloodline of the current so-called wyrms was actually much weaker than that of their ancestors, and adult wyrms only possessed Legendary-level abilities. The Green Dragon King in the lair in the Haiga Mountain Range was merely level-24, yet it was already the king of a clan. Clearly, their bloodline had greatly weakened.
As for the real ancient wyrms, they were not to be trifled with! Lin Li couldn’t even imagine what kind of existence in Anril would be able to turn an ancient wyrm into an Undead creature. Besides, it was not an ordinary ancient wyrm, but the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera, which was halfway to becoming a god, and was considered an elite powerhouse amongst ancient wyrms, just like the Flame Dragon Lothar.
At least in Lin Li’s perception, perhaps only mythical figures like the Immortal King or the God of Mages, Geresco, could do it.
However, when he was thinking of the two mythical figures, a thought suddenly flashed in Lin Li’s mind. He wondered, Or… could it be the queen who also existed in the myths?
However, the current situation no longer allowed Lin Li to make any more conjectures. The hundreds of Humerus Wyrms were getting closer and closer with the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera. At this moment, he had to find a way to beat the enemy.
“Master Hoffman, get your men closer to us, and take these with you,” Lin Li said while touching the Ring of Endless Storm on his finger, after which 10 Six-pointed Star Arrays appeared on the bare land beside him, while 10 brand-new Magical Crystal Cannons appeared in the arrays.
Compared to magic props like the War God’s Shadow and the Shapeshifting Insect Hive, the Magical Crystal Cannons did not have an interesting background or an ever-changing attack method. However, when used appropriately, they would instead exert effects that were not inferior to those magic props. Hence, there would always be some spare Magical Crystal Cannons which could be used during emergencies in Lin Li’s Ring of Endless Storm. He had not taken them out when he fought the Whispering God, because the Whispering God had the characteristic of devouring all mana. The Humerus Wyrms that they were facing now could not absorb the light of the Magical Crystal Cannons.
Although the Magical Crystal Cannons had a single method of attacking where they would merely compress and condense mana before launching it, even Legendary powerhouses did not dare to belittle the massive power they contained. Coupled with the rapid attacking speed that made them difficult to dodge, they were perfect weapons for fighting against Humerus Wyrms.
With the financial power of the Glittergold Trade Union, it would not be difficult to get some magical crystals, since they could just purchase some from the Dwarf Kingdom with money, which was unlike powerful magic items that were unattainable. However, bringing the magical crystals there was not an easy task. Space-related magical items were already very rare, and even Hoffman and the others only had one or two of them, which were only a cubic meter or so of space at most. Perhaps they couldn’t even fit a Magical Crystal Cannon. They were probably used for storing items like potions and expedition necessities. Only Lin Li’s Ring of Endless Storm, which had an almost infinite amount of space, could be used to store the Magical Crystal Cannons.
Upon sight of the 10 brand-new Magical Crystal Cannons, Hoffman’s eyes suddenly lit up. Although they could not play a big role in the situation that they were in, and it was impossible to rely on them to wipe out the Humerus Wyrms, it was better than nothing. At least the team could last a little longer under the attacks of the Humerus Wyrms with the support of the 10 Magical Crystal Cannons.
Time was running out, so Hoffman didn’t bother being polite. He simply waved his hand and ordered the team from the Glittergold Trade Union to approach the mages from the Tower of Dusk, and pull the 10 Magical Crystal Cannons over at the same time.
As soon as the Magical Crystal Cannons were dragged towards them, the people of the Glittergold Trade Union immediately prepared to load them with magical crystals. Although they could not bring Magical Crystal Cannons along to the expedition like Lin Li, the Glittergold Trade Union was still wealthy enough to afford the magical crystals. However, when they opened the mana source of the Magical Crystal Cannon, and were about to put in the magical crystals that they were holding, they could not help but be stunned as if they had momentarily forgotten about the threat posed by the Humerus Wyrms.
They couldn’t believe their eyes at all. The mana sources of the Magical Crystal Cannons were actually large Legendary magical crystals. Using Legendary magical crystals as a mana source was too extravagant even for the Glittergold Trade Union that had rich financial resources. However, the 10 Magical Crystal Cannons of the Tower of Dusk actually used 10 Legendary magical crystals as the mana source!
In the world of Anril, even a Legendary magical crystal that had just reached level-20 could be considered a priceless treasure that was hard to find. Yet, the Tower of Dusk used them as a mana source for the Magical Crystal Cannons. Even Elvan and Thomas, the Legendary masters, were flabbergasted due to the Tower of Dusk’s generosity when they saw the Magical Crystal Cannons, let alone the Archmages.
However, what was truly shocking was the fact that an incomparably huge Six-pointed Star Array had already surfaced in the open space beside the Tower of Dusk, occupying almost half of the area in the canyon. As it reached the peak of its brightness, a massive steel colossus slowly rose from the Six-pointed Star Array as if it were rising from the surface of water.
“An Alchemy Colossus!” yelled someone who recognized it.
However, the crowd soon realized that it was by no means as simple as an ordinary Alchemy Colossus. The massive steel colossus that rose from the Six-pointed Star Array was numerous times larger than the Alchemy Colossuses that they knew. The complicated alchemical mageweaths and Alchemy Arrays on the colossus’ body only bedazzled them.
It was… a legendary Titan-level Alchemy Colossus! When Joseph saw the full appearance of the Alchemy Colossus, an incredible conjecture suddenly popped up in his mind. In the current era when Alchemy had declined, even ordinary Alchemy Colossuses were considered quite rare, and could only be produced by the mysterious Country of Alchemy, Rotterdam. Besides, Titan-level Alchemy Colossuses only existed in myths and legends. Legend had it that even Rotterdam didn’t have the technology to create a Titan-level Alchemy Colossus.
Joseph thought that the young President of the Tower of Dusk had played all the cards he had during the battle with the Whispering God in the incubation room. However, it seemed that the alchemy puppets and the Abyssal Demon Gordon that Lin Li had released previously were nothing to him compared to the Titan-level Alchemy Colossus. In the legends, the Titan-level Alchemy Colossuses possessed power that was near the Sanctuary-realm. In fact, even ordinary Sanctuary powerhouses were likely to be defeated by a Titan-level Alchemy Colossus.
Upon sight of the Titan-level Alchemy Colossus, Joseph had no idea how he should feel. On one hand, he naturally hoped for the expedition team to be stronger since they were facing a crisis now. However, on the other hand, he truly did not want the strength of the Tower of Dusk to grow to the extent that he would be afraid.
When the Alchemy Colossus got out of the Six-pointed Star Array entirely, Angelano maneuvered the alchemical machine and fled to the bottom of the Alchemy Colossus before getting inside it in the blink of an eye. As the Alchemy Arrays and the alchemical mageweaths on the Alchemy Colossus’ body lit up, the giant pillar-like alloy spear moved about in his hand. Angelano finally found some sense of security.
The appearance of the Titan-level Alchemy Colossus made everyone feel extremely shocked. However, the current situation did not leave them with any chance to lament further. On the Glittergold Trade Union’s side, Elvan and Jerany aimed the 10 Magical Crystal Cannons, and immediately commanded their team to quickly change their formation in a bid to maximize the effect of the Magical Crystal Cannons. At the same time, Thomas once again took out the golden sculpture of the War God, releasing the 10-meter tall War God’s Shadow that was emitting a pale golden glow.
The teams of the Mithril Alliance and the Caesar Family made their own preparations to engage in a battle at any time as well, following the instructions of their superiors. Although they all knew that the enemy had become extremely powerful to the extent that they could not be matched, they knew that they would be pushing themselves towards the abyss of death if they were to retreat out of fear.
All of a sudden, the temperature in the canyon plummeted, and a large ball of white ice flames was spewed out from the mouth of the approaching Iceblast Wyrm, Sindera. It then smashed into the expedition like a meteor. Everything in the path of the ice flames seemed to have become frozen, and the cliffs were coated in white before shattering with a thud. The glittering powder and the frozen rocks of various sizes fell into the canyon like an avalanche, causing it to look like there was a blizzard in the canyon.
The massive ball of ice flames that froze everything shrouded the entire expedition team; almost at the same time, the Legendary-mages raised their staffs high in their hands, exhibiting their strongest defensive spells with all their might. A curtain of colorful light covered the team.
“BOOM!”
The layers of light shattered in response to the sound, and the mages who had their defenses broken didn’t even dare to wait for the surging magical waves in their body to calm down. They immediately began chanting some magical incantations, and the light from the gemstone on top of their staffs continued to erupt, doing their best to compensate for the defensive light curtain that collapsed.
A casual spout of dragon breath from the Iceblast Wyrm caused the Legendary-mages to use almost all of their strength, only to barely block the lethal ice flames. That traumatized them. The ancient wyrm was unstoppable and truly unparalleled!
However, even if they could not fight it, they couldn’t possibly give up on resisting and allow themselves to be slaughtered at its will. In the face of the powerful Iceblast Wyrm, Lin Li felt powerless, but that didn’t mean that he had lost the courage to fight. He abruptly raised the Helios’ Scepter and exclaimed, “We can’t let ourselves be beaten up and remain passive like this. Those above level-22, come with me to fight the Iceblast Wyrm. Leave the Humerus Wyrms to the rest!” Before the crowd responded, Lin Li immediately charged towards the Iceblast Wyrm using the Power of Flight.
On the Tower of Dusk’s side, the Legendary-mage Basel, Connoris, the Lich Ujfalusi, and the Vampire Norfeller all followed Lin Li without hesitation. Upon sight of that scene, Hoffman, Thomas, and the Sword Sage Jerany dared not hesitate at all. They immediately charged upwards like arrows shooting straight into the sky.
After watching the Legendary powerhouses of the Tower of Dusk and the Glittergold Trade Union charge towards the Iceblast Wyrm, Joseph gripped his King of Flames Staff forcefully. Following a change in his expression, he led Elvis and the patriarchs of the three other families to join the attack of the teams of the Tower of Dusk and the Glittergold Trade Union against the Iceblast Wyrm.