Bestowal
Upon hearing that, Leylin turned silent.
History showed that, when both sides in a war had equal military strength at all levels, this was indeed the largest possibility.
With the lifespan of the protector of Twilight Zone being at an end, they were actually at a disadvantage. Although the entire race wouldn’t be exterminated, the humans would lose large amounts of their territory.
“Our strategy this time is to rely on using the three cities to defend. Every city has three rank 2 Magi stationed there, as well as a large army. The protector of the east is on standby, ready to reinforce any of the cities as required!”
Leylin stroked his chin. “The bloodbath here will truly be terrifying….”
“Hoo.. Hoo….”
As if tired of waiting, many darkness creatures started an uproar as they charged towards the city’s walls.
Ten thousand horses charged on the field, causing the ground to tremble a little.
Fendix’s face remained unchanged and he used a secret imprint to pass a message. “Engage the first layer of defense!”
Instantly, many runes appeared on the massive city walls of Dolon, radiating light that shaped itself into a barrier.
*Boom!*
Flames! Tongues of flame shot out, swallowing the darkness creatures nearby. They gradually grew larger, slowly spreading out further.
“Isn’t it a little early to be using fire elemental formations?” Leylin cringed his brows.
“These darkness creatures may not be strong, but there are too many of them. We cannot let them exhaust our strength in numbers with just the first exchange. In addition, we need our troops to have high morale. We still have a lot of magic crystals in reserve and these outermost formations don’t consume as many. There’s no need to worry!” Fendix gazed at the battlefield and explained to Leylin casually.
Raging flames burned like a giant torch in the middle of the night, attracting innumerable Dark Moths to them.
Aaron stood at the top of the city, his face pale at the sight before him. The burning corpses had a pungent odour which sent shivers down his spine.
After waiting for the fire to burn out, the darkness creatures charged to the base of the walls and were about to enter battle with the city guard.
Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron noticed a ferocious beast with sharp claws and fierce, pearly white teeth drooling. Immediately, he looked at the grey ring on the forefinger of his right hand and shouted out within his mind: “Grandpa Merlin! If you don’t help me now, I’m definitely dead meat!”
“Fret not. With me here, nothing will happen to you!” Merlin’s voice sounded inside Aaron’s head. This was not Leylin talking to him, but the limited AI.
“Originally, you could simply have defected and run away, but it’s a pity that we are now in the middle of war! If you try to escape, all the magicians in Twilight Zone will be left with no choice but to immediately hunt you down!” Merlin seemed to sigh.
If this was during times of peace and Aaron had defected and escaped, naturally only the members of his own guild would be hunting him down. But all that changed during war,
“Of course I know this!” Aaron panicked.
“Move three steps backwards! Use the Secondary Energy Fireball Technique! Aim 50 degrees to the right!” Merlin commanded with a cold and stern tone.
Aaron’s body could not help but obey the voice, and he moved three steps backwards, avoiding the claws of a beast.
“Quack! Quack!”
A huge black crow spiraled downwards and upon seeing Aaron’s escape, an almost human glint of regret flashed in its eyes.
“Dammit! I. Want. To. Kill. You!” Aaron said quickly as he paused at each syllable and swung his right hand at the bird.
A small fireball cut through the air and struck the crow.
*Boom!* A scarlet red flame burned the crow to cinders within moments. The creature did not even get to make a sound before it was burnt to a crisp.
“Just now, that was……” Aaron’s eyes lost focus.
He was certain that his fireball had been aimed nowhere close to the crow. Still, it seemed to have foolishly flown into its path.
“Foresight! This is something you must learn quickly if you don’t wish to die on the battlefield!” Merlin said from within the ring.
And Aaron looked at the admiration in the eyes of the acolytes surrounding him, and clenched his fist tightly in the dark: “I will….”
……
A few hours later, the sound of a desolate beast’s howl travelled from afar, and like the tide, all the darkness creatures retreated. Fendix nodded his head: “It seems like today was just a probe. Let us head back!”
At this moment, several dark elf knights on their Underground Winter Spiders stood on the mud slope before the horde. Gazing at the scene, one of them nodded.
“The enemies’ three rank 2 matriarchs are gathered here; this is where the battle shall occur. Send the signal!”
One of the knights said a few words to a white carrier pigeon and released the bird immediately after.
The white carrier pigeon circled in the air and flew away into the horizon.
……
Night had fallen, and military curfew had made the entirety of Dolon quiet. Back in that small, moldy room, Merlin was talking to Aaron with assurance.
“You have already been sent here. No matter what reason you have, escaping your duties is a one-way street to death. There is only one thing you can do now, and that is serve! Accumulate a lot of contribution points, and use them to speed up your advance to a rank 1 Magus! Magi all have the power to make their own decisions, which will greatly increase your chances of survival……”
Although the entire battlefield was full of danger, there was still some hope.
At least for the magicians, the war council had set up a reward system. This allowed one to exchange contribution points for resources.
It is difficult for one to rise to power in periods of peace. War, however, produced countless heroes. It was a time when high risk met high reward.
“Of course, I know this!” Aaron thought deeply: “But my aptitude and meditation technique….” He hesitated.
“I’m working to fix your aptitude. After yesterday’s minor operation, you felt it too, didn’t you?” Merlin chuckled. The only thing manipulating him now was Leylin, who was free at the moment.
It was Leylin himself who had harmed Aaron’s aptitude in the past. Now, with the A.I. Chip and the information he had obtained from his time in Nature’s Alliance, this sort of minor injury was easy to heal.
Hearing this, Aaron’s expression relaxed. Ever since Merlin had conducted an operation on him, the pain from his injuries had alleviated, and his aptitude had been restored.
“However, just this is not enough!” Merlin continued explaining, “Your aptitude is only in the third grade, and this is your limit. Magi who can increase your aptitude have long since gone extinct. Although with your current rank you can force yourself to practice your guild’s high-grade meditation technique, it doesn’t really suit you….”
Aaron’s face sank. The high-level meditation technique passed down in this Guild was Blazing Heart, and it didn’t have many requirements. As long as one had affinity for the fire element and possessed an aptitude that was at or above the third rank, they could practice it.
But there was a problem here. His primary affinity was not fire, but water. Fire was only a secondary affinity of his. Furthermore, for a magician to practice Blazing Heart, the higher the aptitude the better. His third rank aptitude just barely met the standards.
“Basically, you have no way of getting recognition and learning the high-level meditation technique from your guild!” Merlin concluded.
“Yeah! So what now?” Aaron’s eyes were tinted by dejection.
“Hahaha…” At this time, Merlin laughed out loud and said: “Have you forgotten? I, Merlin, am a legendary Magus. How would I not have high-grade meditation techniques of my own?”
“I will bestow upon you a complete high-grade meditation technique. Furthermore, it has the frightening ability of allowing you to peer into the future! If you can predict the future, you can control everything!” Merlin’s voice was full of confidence.
“Foresee the future, control the future!” Aaron’s breathing grew heavier.
“That’s right! This meditation technique is called—Sacred Flame!”
……
In Dolon City, Leylin’s bedroom was vastly different from Aaron’s.
The gold-plated floor, the soft, silk brocade quilt, huge crystal chandeliers and gold and silver plates holding many fruits… comparing Aaron’s room to this place was like comparing a beggar’s shack to a grand palace.
“Few acolytes can resist the temptation of a high-grade meditation technique…” Leylin sighed. With his connection, he could tell that Aaron had begun using this new technique, and he let out a soft gasp.
Although the A.I. chip had repaired Sacred Flame and eliminated its side-effects, Leylin was still cautious of it. The soul was a huge mystery. While Leylin had previously assumed that his research into spirits was profound, after being at the mercy of a ghost, he had realized how ridiculous his thoughts were.
The amount of research he had done in the field of spirits was negligible. He had realized he was like a frog in a well, and completely abandoned any previous notions he had about the depth of his research.
Even more so, regarding the high-grade meditation technique Sacred Flame, he wished only to admire and respect it from afar. Although he thirsted for the power of destiny, he did not want to devolve into a schizophrenic madman.
Thus, it was necessary to collect data through live tests, which was what he had put into motion.
Leylin had a blank expression on his face, full of indifference. His gaze pierced through a veil of light and stared into the future.
……
The next day, the darkness creatures besieged the city as usual with their cannon fodder.
*Boom!* A fireball was shot and turned a huge black bear into a torch.
Aaron calmly retracted his hand. Uncaring of the increasingly reverent looks of the acolytes around him, he walked to the side and began meditating to restore his spiritual force.
“How does the new meditation technique feel?” Merlin and Aaron were conversing inside his head.
Aaron had previously only practiced in a simplified meditation technique. Even Leylin felt unfathomable that the transition was this smooth.
And after practicing the Sacred Flame, Aaron’s aura had faintly changed.