Advent of the Archmage
chapter-363

Returning to the Mage Tower from the commanding hall, Link's spirits were low. On the way back, he suddenly saw a scout run hurriedly.

The man's expression was anxious, and his footsteps were messy. His clothing was covered in dust and mud. He ran past Link, snaked through the generals leaving, and sprinted straight towards the hall.

Only the top officials could enter the hall. Seeing the strange scout run in, everyone felt that something was wrong. They all stopped and looked over.

Link had a bad feeling too. He halted and waited for Duke Abel to call them to reconvene. But strangely, that didn't happen.

After the scout entered the citadel, he didn't reappear. The hall was as calm as before as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, the generals found it weird, but they soon departed. They were all busy; at the critical point before the final battle, there was much to do.

Link didn't leave. Not only that, he even walked over.

His vision was shockingly good now. The scout's clothing was horribly dirty, but he could still vaguely see the emblem on it. It was a roaring golden lion.

Only soldiers of the Hot Springs City could wear the golden lion. This meant that the messenger came from the capital city. From the looks of him, the capital was most likely in trouble.

Link returned to the hall. It was still organized with the officers taking care of matters orderly. Nothing seemed to have happened.

However, Link didn't see Duke Abel. The duke had still been sitting when Link left earlier.

He pulled an officer over and asked, "Where's the duke?"

Seeing that it was Link, the officer pointed at the stairs. "He went to the library."

"Oh, write it down that I'm going to visit him now."

It was the army's rule that solo meetings with the general must be recorded. In the proper process, a message would be sent after the recording, and one could visit the general after being given permission. Link obviously didn't need that.

He strode upstairs and to the duke's library. He knocked lightly.

"I'm busy!" the duke's voice traveled from the room. He sounded normal, but Link could hear the anxiety.

I'm afraid something has really happened.

Using the Magician's Hand, Link opened the lock and pushed the door open.

There were two people inside the room. One was the messenger from earlier. He was now shoveling food into his mouth from the small table in the corner; he was clearly famished. The duke sat before a long table, gaping at a letter covered in sweat and blood.

Click. Link closed the door.

"Did something happen to the capital?" he asked. "Let me guess, did Delonga attack suddenly? Did their army pass through the Girvent Forest, going straight to the Hot Springs City?"

At least 10,000 soldiers were always positioned at the Hot Springs City. It wasn't easy to conquer, so Link wasn't too worried.

The duke let out a long sigh and sagged in his seat.

At that time, the scout reached at the wine on the table and was about to drink. Link used the Magician's Hand to steal the cup and add in a drowsiness spell. The man was already exhausted. With the spell, he fell asleep without a sound.

Magic flashed on his hand and the wine bottle dissolved into sand. "There's no use in killing a loyal messenger to hide news," Link said. "Let him sleep. When he wakes up, he'll forget everything."

The duke looked at the sky with lifeless eyes. "Master Link," he muttered, "the situation is worse than you think. When the messenger departed, Hot Springs City's outer walls were already breached. Everyone is holding down the inner city. Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't send a letter asking for reinforcements."

He passed the letter to Link, who accepted it with the Magician's Hand. Scanning it, his pupils constricted. "Dark Magician Andrew and the Syndicate. This is indeed a crisis."

Duke Abel glanced at Link and sighed. "What should I do? Abandon Orida and go south to help? No, I can't do that!"

If the Orida Fortress was breached by the Dark Army, it would be a catastrophe for the entire human world. The Dark Army would rush southward like a flood. Everyone in their path would die.

Furthermore, sending reinforcements now would be too late. He could only cover up the news by trying to kill the messenger.

This thin piece of paper held such heavyweight.

Link slowly placed the letter on the table. "The final battle is inescapable, and no problems should occur. Sorry for butting in."

With that, white light glowed around Link. He disappeared from the library and returned to the Mage Tower.

In the library, Duke Abel lit a flame and burned the letter. Then he wiped his face, wiping away all anxiety and frustrations. When he lowered his hand, the mighty general had returned.

…

Back in the Mage Tower, Link felt inexplicably anxious.

The world was riddled with pores and darkness was seeping in from every crack. He'd already done his best, but danger was still looming, even getting worse.

If the Hot Springs City was attacked, what about the East Cove Magic Academy? What about Ferde? Will Celine be okay? The thoughts poured into Link's mind, almost driving him crazy.

"Master, what's wrong?" Nana's crisp voice rang out, shocking Link.

Oh no, my mind is a mess. I still have to lead the magic seal! I can't be a mess!

His library was at the top level of the Mage Tower and included a one-way glass. He could see the Black Forest from here.

Pulling a chair over, Link forced him to sit down and stare quietly at the Black Forest without moving. Time passed slowly. His chaotic thoughts lessened, and finally, he let out a long breath.

I was being impatient. There are many Mage Towers in the Ferde Wilderness. There are many strong fighters, and Celine's gun is powerful too. I left her a lot of bullets. Andrew is only Level-7. If he dares go, a few bullets will end him…

Thinking like that, Link gradually calmed down.

Just then, a message appeared in his vision. It was a mission.

Activate Mission: Orida Fortress

Mission Description: Guard the Orida Fortress against the Dark Army

Mission Reward One: 300 Omni Points

Mission Reward Two: One Full Replenishment Crystal (Level-10)

Full Replenishment Crystal

Legendary Composite Part

Effect: This item can replenish any drained Legendary weapon

Seeing this, Link got an idea. He glanced at the Storm Lord sword at his waist, and the sword's stats appeared.

Abstruse Storm—Lord of Thunder—Silent World

Upper Order Legendary

Current State: 1/100 (drained)

The Replenishment Crystal could definitely recharge this sword. However, the level was too low. It probably couldn't fully charge it but could still help a little.

A pity, such a pity. It would be great if I could use the sword during this battle… No, the sword spirit probably won't let me use it. Ah, how annoying.

Just as he was feeling sad, the sword spirit's voice rang out in Link's mind. "Who said I wouldn't let you use me? Haven't you been using me all this time?"

Link shrugged. That counts? Every sword can do that. I was just using you for the convenience.

Then don't use me in the future!

Link felt a change and quickly said, I'm sorry. I really have been using you. With that, Link thought back to his words and still felt something was wrong.

"Okay, fine. I forgive you. I just don't have enough energy right now… Your Dragon Power should be able to recharge me, but it's not very efficient. If you start charging now, I should recover some strength by tomorrow. By then, I'll at least be stronger than your Burning Wrath of Heavens wand."

Really? Link was overjoyed.

"Hurry up." The sword spirit scoffed.

Link's happiness only lasted for a bit. He quickly thought of another problem. I don't know any lightning spells. It won't be effective even if I recharge you.

The sword used wind and lightning strength. Link didn't know either of them.

The sword spirit was quiet as if thinking of something. After ten seconds, it said, "Look at my hilt. Do you see the dark red rune?"

Yes, Link said.

"Drip your blood onto it."

What does that mean?

"If you want to use me, put your blood in!" The sword spirit wouldn't explain.

Link did as told and sliced his finger on the blade. Blood flowed out, and he put a drop on the rune. Strangely, the blood was originally bright red, but the moment it touched the rune, it turned into a translucent drop of water. All redness was absorbed by the sword.

The next moment, Link felt the sword start to vibrate with crisp clinks. Then a spider web of cracks appeared on the body of the sword.

"Hurry, your strength! I need your strength!" The sword spirit's voice was urgent.

Link added in Dragon Power without hesitation. His upper limit was 6900 and was in mid-Level-8. He was now the strongest of the Orida Fortress.

However, nothing happened when he poured the power into the Storm Lord sword. Like mud falling into the sea, it just disappeared. Link's Dragon Power was drained almost instantly.

More and more cracks appeared on the sword. Finally, there was a crack sound, and the sword turned into countless shards. But strangely enough, the pieces didn't fly away. A crystal-red connected each piece. After a moment of stillness, the pieces grouped back together.

Clink, clank. Crisp sounds came continuously as the sword quickly changed.

"Power, power!" the spirit cried.

Link's Dragon Power recovery rate was now 18 points per second. He poured the power in as soon as it regenerated.

"Too slow, too slow. I need more, more!" the spirit yelled.

Link's recovery rate was related to the energy in the environment. If he wanted to recover faster, he needed somewhere with higher energy. What place had the most energy?

The Azzaro Volcano? It was 400 miles from the fortress, and Link quickly crossed out that option.

The Elemental Pool? No, his body rejected the elements. Those in the Elemental Pool stayed far away from him.

As he thought, Link suddenly looked up. The weather was great today, and the sun was out… Link immediately ran to the rooftop of the Mage Tower. He cast a spell and released a huge Spatial Sphere.

The sphere was more than 300 feet wide. Inside it, the frequency was only slightly warped but it acted like a huge lens, focusing all the sunlight directly on Link.

He felt heat on him, and his clothing quickly burned to crisp. It was alright; his body was fine.

Checking his recovery rate, he discovered it was now 64 points per second while he used up five per second to maintain the Spatial Sphere. Overall, the recovery rate was still three times higher than before.

Is it enough? Link asked.

"I guess."

The sword regrouped bit by bit. After two whole hours, Link put in a total of 450,000 Dragon Power points to complete the sword.

The shape was different. The groove in the center was gone, and dark red scales appeared on the surface, looking like dragon scales. The blade was now a transparent crystal red. The body was wide, and the blade was arced. The cross-guard was a Red Dragon with wings unfurled. The hilt was made up of two entwined dragon tails. It was also covered in fine scales and was smooth to the touch.

Link checked the sword's stats. It was completely different from the Storm Lord sword; even the name had changed. At closer inspection, his eyes flew wide open. It was made just for him!