Chapter 426 - 409: Clash of Casters

Chapter 426: Chapter 409: Clash of Casters

’That is...’

Roland’s running steps didn’t falter, but his eyes narrowed sharply as he instantly recognized the figure.

’Duadeng?’

......

......

Duadeng looked up, gazing at Tula who was suspended mid-air, his body radiating a majestic Magic Radiance. His wrinkled face betrayed no emotion, but he coughed heavily a few times. His weather-beaten, crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

’To be able to cast a Fourth Ring Spell so casually... his speed at absorbing Magic Power is astonishing,’ the Old Zor Elf calmly assessed. ’But his Casting Techniques... they’re far too crude. He’s just brute-forcing it with raw Power.’

’If this were back in the old days... hmph!’

A flicker of resentment flashed in his eyes.

At that moment, Tula, noticing his attack had been blocked, raised an eyebrow slightly. His flawless face still wore that same compassionate and gentle smile, as if everything was under his control.

Like a king looking down upon his subjects, his gaze fell on Duadeng. His voice carried clearly across the battlefield.

"To be able to nullify my Magic so easily, your strength is considerable. State your name."

Duadeng turned a deaf ear to Tula’s question, a hint of mockery flashing through his mind.

’It’s just as Rudolph said in passing. Some people who think too highly of themselves love to run their mouths in a fight, trying to show off how superior they are.’

The thought had barely formed when Duadeng’s withered fingers, hidden beneath his sleeves, had already completed a complex gesture.

Without any warning, several tentacles made of pure Shadow Energy shot out from the void behind Tula.

Like living poisonous pythons, they rapidly coiled towards his limbs and throat.

Seeing the Shadow Tentacles approach, Tula simply shook his head, the corner of his mouth twisting into an undisguised sneer.

"Truly... overestimating yourself."

He didn’t even raise a hand. A spherical Shield shimmering with a seven-colored halo instantly materialized around him.

The Shadow Tentacles struck the Shield, like water crashing against a reef. They let out a continuous SIZZLE of corrosion but failed to budge it in the slightest, finally dissipating resentfully into nothing.

"It seems you are not aware of the gap between us."

Tula spoke nonchalantly, then extended a finger and pointed lightly in Duadeng’s direction.

The next moment, the ground beneath Duadeng’s feet suddenly softened, as if turning into a viscous Quicksand Trap. A powerful suction tried to swallow him whole.

At the same time, a sharp sound of something slicing through the air came from above. Three transparent Long Spears, formed entirely from a Force Field, shot toward him in a triangular formation with a lethal whistle.

Duadeng’s pupils constricted. He slammed his crooked Wooden Staff forcefully onto the ground.

"Hah!"

A ring of Shadow Energy erupted from him as the epicenter, instantly solidifying the Quicksand Trap back into firm ground.

Simultaneously, his other hand quickly traced a Rune, and a translucent shadow Shield instantly appeared before him.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The Force Field Long Spears slammed into the Shield one after another, creating heavy thuds. The Shield fluctuated violently, barely blocking two of them. The third, however, pierced through. It grazed Duadeng’s shoulder, tearing his sleeve and drawing a spray of blood.

The Old Zor Elf let out a muffled grunt and retreated half a step, his breathing becoming ragged.

With Tula’s appearance and attack, the Surface Elves, who had previously scattered in Fear and lost their will to fight, seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline. Hope was rekindled.

"For the Eternal Song Forest!"

The remaining Surface Elf Warriors roared and reformed their defensive line, launching a counter-Charge against the Zor Elves.

For a time, the entire battlefield fell into a stalemate once more.

The clash of weapons, shouts of battle, and explosions of Magic interwove as lives were lost with every passing moment.

And in the very center of the battlefield, the magical duel between Duadeng and Tula grew ever more intense.

Duadeng was profoundly experienced, his understanding of Shadow and Defense System Magic far surpassing that of an ordinary person. He could always resolve a crisis at the critical moment with a clever choice of spell.

But Tula, relying on his vast reserves of Magic Power, cast spells with effortless ease. Ring Tier Spells of all kinds emerged one after another, forming an absolute suppressive fire.

This forced Duadeng to spend most of his time defending and dodging. The occasional counterattack he managed was easily blocked by Tula.

He was like an old but sturdy boat in a tempest; despite its captain’s masterful skill, it was clearly at a disadvantage against the endless, raging waves.

Finally, his defense reached its limit.

Under waves of nearly endless magical bombardment, the shadow Shield that Duadeng had relied on to hold his ground, like glass repeatedly struck by a heavy hammer, let out a brittle crack and shattered completely into a sky full of glittering shadow fragments.

A Scorching Beam that followed immediately after precisely pierced through the lesser ward he had hastily conjured, striking him squarely in the chest.

"Urgh!"

The Old Zor Elf let out a pained grunt. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the scorched earth. His Wooden Staff flew from his grasp and rolled away.

He tried to struggle to his feet but suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His body curled up in pain, clearly having lost the ability to continue fighting.

"Elder!"

"Elder Duadeng!"

The surrounding Zor Warriors, who were locked in combat with the Surface Elves, couldn’t help but cry out in alarm and anger upon seeing this.

A few Warriors who were closer even disregarded their own safety and tried to rush over to help, but the quick-reacting Surface Elves intercepted them, throwing the battle lines into even greater Chaos.

Tula remained suspended in the air, that compassionate smile still on his flawless face, as if he had just completed some trivial task.

Shaking his head as if he wasn’t quite satisfied, he elegantly raised his hand. A dangerous Magic Radiance once again lit up at his fingertip. A condensed beam of Arcane Energy began to gather, aimed directly at the fallen Duadeng.

His expression was calm, as if he were about to crush a bothersome insect.

However, just an instant before the fatal blow was to be unleashed, Tula’s movement faltered almost imperceptibly.

He frowned slightly. The hand he had raised was slowly lowered, and he subconsciously placed it over his own chest.

Immediately after, he whipped his head around. His sharp, hawk-like gaze pierced through the chaotic battlefield, locking onto a distant point.

For the first time, the perfect smile on his face changed slightly, the corners of his mouth curving into a look of surprise.

"What an... unexpected prize."

He muttered to himself.

’To think the other Divine Favored One, the one so closely connected to Galvis through the Love God’s Divine Favor... is here right now...’

Before his words had even faded, the space around him distorted slightly. Tula’s figure blurred like a phantom and then vanished completely.

All that remained were the Elves of the two clans still fighting on the battlefield, and the grievously wounded Duadeng, gasping for breath on the ground.