Chapter 169: Magical Energy, Extreme Ice Finger

*Whish!*

A violent surge of ice elemental energy emanated from the scroll, followed by a dazzling streak of white light that shot through the air like an iron spike, hurtling straight toward Merlin.

This was a Level Two spell—Ice Spike!

Ice magic is primarily focused on immobilizing and attacking. Merlin's ice spells were geared toward binding, but this Ice Spike was one of the most powerful offensive spells in ice magic, and a Level Two spell at that!

It was astonishing that Hegal, a wandering mage, possessed such a high-level spell scroll. A scroll with such potent attacking power would require at least a hundred contribution points to obtain within the Tower of Myriad Phenomena.

This was Hegal's trump card—a Level Two spell scroll capable of killing many first-level mages, let alone an entry-level mage like Merlin.

"Hehe, die!"

The piercing cold of the Ice Spike was palpable, even from where Merlin stood, as the icy aura crept through the air toward him.

"Guardian Monolith!"

Facing a Level Two spell, Merlin took a deep breath and immediately cast Guardian Monolith, activating its enhanced version without any hesitation.

*Boom!*

The Ice Spike collided with Merlin's Guardian Monolith, and Merlin felt an unparalleled coldness. Despite the Monolith's protection, the freezing energy of the Ice Spike still seeped into his body. Fortunately, his physical resilience, combined with his own ice magic, allowed him to quickly dispel the chilling energy within.

*Crack.*

Finally, even the reinforced Guardian Monolith couldn't withstand the Ice Spike and shattered, sending shards flying in all directions.

Though the enhanced Guardian Monolith was almost as strong as a Level Two spell, it couldn't completely block the Ice Spike. However, it managed to absorb most of its force. Merlin quickly cast two more Guardian Monoliths, fully dissipating the Ice Spike's remaining energy.

"Impossible! How could Guardian Monolith, just a Level One spell, withstand Ice Spike?"

Hegal's expression changed dramatically as he watched, his face filled with disbelief. This wasn't the first time he had used Ice Spike. Hegal had once come across five such scrolls, each capable of killing a first-level mage instantly. Even a four-element first-level mage had died under Ice Spike.

Yet Merlin had used Guardian Monolith to withstand it, completely upending Hegal's understanding of the spell.

"No… Guardian Monolith can't be this strong. Do you have an amplifying tool?"

Hegal's face contorted as the realization dawned. Amplifying tools, extremely rare and valuable, could increase a spell's potency by enhancing its power during casting. Such items were so scarce that even major mage organizations were often unable to acquire them.

"An amplifying tool?"

Merlin didn't respond directly, letting Hegal believe it. This misunderstanding would save him some trouble.

*Swish!*

Merlin's form blurred, wind energy pulsing around him as he darted toward Hegal. With no scrolls left, Hegal didn't dare confront Merlin head-on. He cast a wind spell to increase his speed and fled.

"Trying to escape? It's too late. Thunder Web!"

Merlin unleashed Thunder Web, hoping to paralyze Hegal, but as a first-level mage with his own defensive spells, Hegal was unaffected.

*Whoosh.*

Merlin activated his enhanced Wind Surge, surging forward even faster. As he closed the gap, he mentally activated his Dark Mist spell model.

"Dark Mist!"

This time, Merlin cast the enhanced version of Dark Mist. Given Hegal's powerful mental strength, an ordinary Dark Mist wouldn't be enough to ensnare him.

The dark mist billowed out, engulfing Hegal, who barely had time to let out a sneer before his face twisted in horror.

"No, please! Merlin, I know a secret—a huge secret. If you just…"

His plea was cut off as he fell silent, his eyes glazed over as the enhanced Dark Mist plunged him into an illusion.

*Boom!*

Merlin fired a fireball, mercilessly killing the entranced Hegal. Then, his gaze shifted to Earl Longadi, who now stood pale and trembling, his lips quivering.

"Merlin, I'll call off the attack. I'll order a retreat!"

*Boom.*

Ignoring Longadi's pleas, Merlin launched another fireball, eliminating the earl without hesitation. He had no intention of leaving his enemies alive.

After dealing with Longadi, Merlin returned to the bodies of the six fallen mages. He searched their belongings, then raised his hand to the sky. Several small fireballs shot up and exploded in the air. Even from the distant city walls, Earl Salin and the others could see the signal clearly.

---

"Haha! Merlin did it—he actually did it!"

Earl Salin and the others, seeing the fire signals in the sky, couldn't contain their joy.

With newfound resolve, Salin issued orders, "Open the gates! All nobles, lead your knights in a full assault. We'll strike down the army of Lebis in one sweep!"

With a meticulously organized strategy, Salin recognized this as their best chance to defeat the army of Lebis decisively. If they could decimate enough of their forces, they might even manage to annex Lebis entirely.

*Kill!*

The air filled with the deafening cries of warriors as the gates swung open, and a flood of knights poured out, yelling that "Longadi is dead." Lebis soldiers, glancing back to confirm this, saw nothing and quickly began to lose morale. One soldier's retreat quickly led to more, creating an unstoppable wave of disarray.

Far off in the distance, Merlin watched as the knights of Pugasi relentlessly pursued the retreating forces of Lebis. Once victory was certain, he let out a sigh of relief. Instead of joining the chase, Merlin turned his attention to the rings he had taken from the six mages.

As expected, these wandering mages were far from wealthy. A quick examination revealed only low-level spells and some alchemical ingredients. He found no elemental crystals, reminding him of his own impoverished state before joining the Dark Arcane Order.

"Matrix, scan and store all spell models."

Merlin sorted through the rings, finding about ten zero-level spell models, which, though basic, could still be useful if stored for future data integration.

After handling the lesser spells, Merlin turned his attention to the ring taken from Hegal. For a wandering mage to wield four elements and reach the first level suggested he must have had some fortuitous encounter.

Before killing him, Hegal had mentioned knowing a significant secret. Merlin was curious and figured he could uncover clues from Hegal's belongings.

Inside Hegal's ring, he found more substantial wealth—several zero- and first-level spells, a few elemental crystals, and various rare alchemical materials. Hegal's collection was more valuable than what many official mages in organizations possessed.

Among the items, a faintly glowing gold book caught Merlin's attention.

He extracted it with his mental energy and held it in his hands. It was a thin book, yet its pages shone with a subtle golden light, making it appear quite unusual.

Flipping open to the first page, Merlin's eyes were drawn to a striking line of golden text: *Magical Energy, Extreme Ice Finger!*