Advent Of The Archmage - Chapter 678

In a dark underground palace.
Blue flames danced about in the darkness.
From time to time, a blood-curdling shriek echoed in the air.
In the dim light, a beautiful woman clad in black scaled armor was sitting on a throne made of white human bones. A man in a black battle robe was standing without a word below the throne, a sword dangling from his waist.
Five minutes went by in silence. Finally, the woman spoke out, “With Mozur dead, knowing Milda, she would probably send Razer next.”
“Yes, Mistress. My informant told me that he had seen Razer enter the Teleportation Temple. He should be in Firuman by now.”
The Teleportation Temple was a place specially built to facilitate the trans-realm journeys of any core member of the Fire Sect. It would not take a genius to know where Razer had teleported off to after Mozur’s defeat.
Saroviny smiled. She was extremely beautiful. There was now an almost palpable air of darkness swirling around her after centuries of refining it. Though the edges of her lips were curved up in a smile, her black eyes exuded nothing but malice as they gleamed with a cold, piercing light.
The black-robed attendant sank into a deeper bow before her. He knew just how terrible the Queen of Darkness’ fury was. An unspeakable fate awaited those who dared slight her in any way. The deaths of his predecessors were a testament to that fact.
Ten minutes later, Saroviny’s smile faded. She then said, “I think it’s time we take things into our own hands. We can’t just stay on the sidelines forever and let Milda hog all the glory now, can we?”
“But Mistress, none of us are a match for Razer. He’s just too strong.”
“Which is why I’m prepared to go there myself!” said Saroviny with a smile.
The attendant was stunned. “Mistress, you would be publicly standing against Milda if you do so. I don’t think the lord would be pleased about this…”
Before he could even finish his sentence, he realized that Saroviny was coldly glaring at him. Her eyes were now flashing dangerously. He quickly rephrased his words.
“Of course, Mistress, your wish is my command. If you still insist on doing this, I will make the necessary arrangements for you as soon as possible.”
“Quick thinking. I would hate to have to replace you so soon.” Saroviny laid back in her ivory throne. She then said lazily, “You don’t need to do anything. Just go about your business as usual. I don’t want anyone to know that I have left the temple. You better keep all this to yourself.”
“Of course, Mistress,” the attendant said, nodding furiously. From his perspective, this was his mistress’ way of showing that she still preferred not to go against their lord’s will. The consequences of her own actions concerned her still, and she would never go so far as to violate the pact that had been honored by both parties for so long.
This way, their lord would not lose his temper, and the attendant would not be part of the collateral damage of his mistress’ actions. He sighed in relief at this.
The black-robed attendant then said with a low voice, “Mistress, I also heard that they are now up against the lord of Ferde, who had come to the Aragu realm once with Milda a few centuries ago. Not only did the man kill Mozur, but he is also now in possession of a divine fragment. I don’t think it would be easy to deal with him right now.”
Saroviny waved an impatient hand at him. “I already know about that. Alright, you can leave now. Close the door behind you. And make sure no one comes knocking on it for the next two months!”
The temporal difference between Aragu and Firuman had begun shrinking as the two realms grew closer and closer. In the past, two months in Aragu was the equivalent of half a day in Firuman, However, right now, two months in Aragu now equaled four days in Firuman. This was more than enough time for Saroviny to prepare herself.
Without another word, the attendant hurriedly left the palace. Once outside, he closed the doors behind him as instructed, cutting off the dark palace from the outside world entirely.
When the attendant was gone, Saroviny said under her breath with a cold smirk, “What an obedient little puppy.”
Though he was officially Saroviny’s retainer, the attendant also served as an extra pair of eyes for the Inferno Archmage, observing her every move and making sure she did not step out of line.
In the past, Saroviny would never dare challenge the Inferno Archmage’s authority. However, things had changed.
She stood up from her ivory throne. Then, a magic seal glowed on the wall beside her. A door appeared on it. Behind the door was a secret room.
Once inside the secret room, the wall sealed itself shut behind her. There was no trace of the magical door on it. The secret room was a bit small; it was at least ten square feet wide. A seven-foot-tall statue stood in the middle of the room. A peculiar light seemed to be radiating from it as it alternated between light and darkness, reality and illusion. Anyone could tell that there was nothing ordinary about the statue.
Saroviny walked up to the statue and then knelt before it. She muttered, “Father, your daughter has returned.”
The statue glowed for a moment. Then, Saroviny could hear a clear masculine voice echo in her mind. “Oh, I already know what you’re going to tell me. The Shadow Divine Fragment that is now in Link’s possession would definitely suit you. It belongs to you, my child.”
Saroviny was overjoyed to hear this. With the divine fragment, she would be able to light up the Sacred Fire, ascend to godhood herself and extricate herself from under the Inferno Archmage’s thumb. She would soon be able to stand on equal footing with him. No, she could do even better than that, since her father was the one and only Ruler of Light and Darkness!
Saroviny then asked, “Father, how should I deal with Link? Should I obliterate him? Or should I sacrifice his soul in your name?”
“Give him to me. I’m forging the leader of my Battle Seraphim right now. His soul would make a fine ingredient.” He then added, “Do not underestimate him. He is a giftedfighter.”
“I understand, Father,” said Saroviny. A hundred years ago, she would not have been happy to hear this from him. She usually had a competitive streak when it came to matters concerning Link. However, the only thing she cared about right now was attaining godhood and freedom from the Inferno Archmage. She could not be bothered with anything else.
Saroviny had heard much about Link over the last hundred years. She had also dueled with him once in the past. She knew from experience that he was a man not to be trifled with.
“Good. You can go now,” said the clear, resounding voice in her head.
Ripples soon formed around Saroviny until her surroundings grew blurry. The blur around her persisted for three seconds. Then, the ripples subsided, and her surroundings cleared. She soon realized that she had left the underground room beneath the Fire Sect’s Temple and was now standing in the middle of a dark forest.
There was something familiar about the forest she was now in. Realization then dawned on her. “The Black Forest. What a wonderful place to teleport me into.”
A black light flashed from the surface of her body. When it faded, she was now wearing a black battle robe. After finding her bearings, she quickly sped off in the direction of the Skeletal Fortress.
Saroviny was no longer someone given to making rash decisions. As she was not at all familiar with the state of Firuman, her safest option now was to hide in the shadows and find someone to act as her proxy.
As a Level-16 master, she was now moving so fast towards her destination that she appeared only as a streak of light in the forest.
…
The Snow Mountain Archmage of the Aragu Empire naturally would not sit idly by as the people of the Fire Sect swarmed around Firuman like sharks that had just gotten a whiff of blood in the water. Around the same time as Razer’s arrival in Firuman, a bolt of lightning struck an isolated corner of Girvent Forest out of nowhere.
The bolt of lightning set the forest ablaze when it appeared. An old man with greying white hair stepped out of the inferno, leaning against a long magic wand as he walked.
The old man’s cheeks were hollow. The power he was exuding from his body was no more than Level-10. The only intriguing thing about him was his eyes, which were a pristine blue. At times, they glittered with a light which was as white as snow.
Panting slightly, the old man then began his journey towards Ferde in the southeast.
Three days ago, every timeline the old man had been able to foresee led up only to his own death. However, something had changed. He managed to discover a timeline which did not end in his demise.
The key to his continued existence lied in Ferde, in the Firuman realm. More accurately, his life now rested in the hands of the lord of Ferde.
This was his chance to make his final stand against death! He needed to seize it, whatever the cost might be!