Chapter 598 - Only One will Walk Out of Here Alive (2/2)

Though Link looked serene on the outside, Halino could feel that he would not be able to survive this volcano’s eruption.

After standing in front of each other for half a minute, Halino began to sense his sense of inferiority growing in him. Realizing this, he sighed. “I’ll admit, you may be the strongest Battle Mage in all of Firuman I’ve ever seen. In one-on-one combat, your magic is the equivalent of an unstoppable tank. But it does not mean that I have no chance of beating you, Lord of Ferde. Unencumbered, no one is your equal. However, that is not the case right now. If I leave you now, you’ll be able to take the fragment from and save Gretel as well. However, you will be at your weakest when you’re burdened by both an injured person and an invaluable stone tablet.”

Saying this, Halino began to step back slowly until his body slipped into the white mist behind him. A faint voice echoed out from it. “So choose wisely, Lord of Ferde.”

There was a sudden bang beside Link. The Spear of Light embedded in Gretel’s body exploded into specks of light.

The explosion managed to widen Gretel’s wound even more, causing her extreme pain. However, it was not powerful enough to kill her immediately.

“Arghhh!!!” Gretel shrieked out in pain. Her entire body then collapsed on the ground. Blood flowed out of the gaping wound between her chest and abdomen in rivulets.

If Link did not cast a healing spell to stop the bleeding soon, the Red Dragon Queen would most certainly die before him.

Link turned around and was about to do something about the Red Dragon Queen’s wound when suddenly he stopped. In an instant, he drew his sword out and stabbed it out to his side. A Despair Ball appeared before the sword tip, swallowing half of the sword as it extended outward.

In one fluid motion, Link had lashed out just as quickly as when he had delivered the final blow to Eugene.

A soft groan echoed from the white mist. It was the Light Magician Halino. Link’s Ode of the Full Moon sword had pierced his heart.

From the sword, Realm Essence power flowed into Halino’s body like a moonlit stream. Gradually, a Ball of Destruction began to form in his heart.

The Ball of Destruction did not explode immediately in him, which was the reason why Halino was still alive.

Halino grasped at his chest in pain. From a few hundred feet away, he asked, “How did you know I was about to attack?”

Link pointed a finger at Gretel and cast a spatial sealing spell on her, sealing her body in a spatial bubble. He then slowly said, “On the Golden Plains, if a Beastman wished to become a Warlord, he would be required to overcome a series of challenges. Once a Beastman declared his candidacy for the title of Warlord, one of the trials he would be required to take on was to survive a series of assassination attempts. Powerful Assassins would try to kill him at every opportunity for a whole month, day and night. He would only be deemed fit to bear the title of Warlord after having survived this trial.”

The candidate could employ whatever means necessary to overcome this trial. If the new Warlord was not able to stay alert even in his sleep, this meant that he sorely lacked training and would probably have to stay up all night for a whole month on a lookout for Assassins. He would probably die from the exhaustion if no Assassin had managed to kill him at that point.

The only way any potential Warlord candidate could get through this trial was the Legendary battle technique, the Soul Furnace.

The perfect unification of soul, strength, and body would naturally sharpen one’s sensitivity to all forms of danger, allowing it to surpass even a wild beast’s instincts. A Beastman Warlord who had mastered the Soul Furnace technique would be able to sense an enemy’s presence even in his sleep. He would be ambush-proof.

This was the true strength of the Beastmen’s Soul Furnace technique.

Halino might not have lost to Link so easily if he had put up a fair fight. It was a shame that he had chosen to fight so dishonorably. When Link turned around, Halino thought that this was his chance to move in. However, it was then that he took a hit from Link’s sword.

In a fight between two equally powerful masters, whoever slipped up first would be instantly killed by the other. This was the cruel reality of any life-and-death battle.

Link then cast a soul barrier around Halino’s body, preventing his soul from escaping. Eugene’s soul was more than enough for Link. He wondered if he needed to keep another enemy’s soul.

Halino instantly knew what Link was up to. Panicking, he shouted, “I’m not like Eugene. He’s a banished Dark Magician. His soul will wander around the mortal plane if it’s let loose. My soul, however, will ascend to the God of Light’s kingdom!”

“You’re right, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. Even if you’ll be ascending to heaven, that’s not your call to make. It’s mine!”

At that moment, the Ball of Destruction exploded inside Halino’s body, blowing it up into pieces. The soul barrier that Link had set up immediately shrank around the explosion until a single Soul Crystal was all that was left of Halino.

Link beckoned at the Soul Crystal, and it flew into Link’s hand.

“Don’t worry, your soul isn’t of much use to me anyway. I’ll be sure to personally take it to a Church of Light and let an archbishop send you to heaven.”

Keeping the crystal away, Link walked towards where the Book of Creation’s fragment lay. He had defeated everyone. The fragment was his to keep.

However, as he reached for the fragment, there was a glimmer of light from it. The guardian’s image appeared on the tablet. He looked at Link and pointed at the Red Dragon Queen. “Young man, you still haven’t dealt with everyone. She’s still alive,” he said.