Duke astonishingly constructed new magical circuits within a conjured illusion!?
Countless dragon geniuses struggle to construct a decent magical circuit within their own familiar bodies, let alone in an illusory form of an unfamiliar creature.
Moreover, Duke's illusion wasn't haphazardly crafted.
Within this newly formed magical circuit flowed a presence Malygos found incredibly familiar.
It was the aura of the frost magic circuit that Sindragosa specialized in!
"How could you possibly know what Sindragosa excelled at?" In the temple's isolated space, the roiling clouds in the sky had frozen, as had the expression of Malygos, who peeked his head out from them.
Neltharion's betrayal a ten-thousand years ago was the greatest disgrace to the dragons of Azeroth.
Even in the dragons' records, only the names and numbers of the deceased were noted. Besides the ancient great dragons, no one would know about the details concerning the Blue Dragon Queen.
Having just recently visited his mate's natural tomb, Malygos saw no signs of disturbance.
How did Duke know Sindragosa was a frost dragon, rather than a magic dragon like him?
Did Alexstrasza inform Duke?
Duke's performance persisted.
The skeletal dragon, resembling Sindragosa, began to be enveloped in magical circuits. Visible to the naked eye, white muscles began to grow on its pale bones, thickening continuously. With each layer of flesh, corresponding blood vessels and magical circuits took shape on the dragon's body.
The magic within Duke continuously depleted. However, with the assistance of the system spirit, not a shred of magic was wasted.
Every bit of magic was used to craft the illusory Sindragosa.
This move by Duke was nearly a manifestation of imagination.
Under his control, the blue dragon's body continued to grow, reaching over fifty meters in length. Once the flesh was formed, a beautiful blue dragon skin and scales began to cover it.
Simultaneously, even finer magical circuit branches were being laid out.
Witnessing this, Malygos felt a pang in his heart.
Humans and high elves have a superficial understanding of magic. Constructing a few major magical circuits within themselves was already commendable. They couldn't handle the finer details. Forget control; they might not even sense them.
Yet, this microscopic level of control is essential for a powerful spellcaster.
Could a magical circuit with thirty-six branches drawing magic from the atmosphere and the elemental plane compare to one with a hundred and eight branches of the same size?
It wasn't just about the number and size of branches but also the ability to construct filters within the circuits to purify impure magic. The circulation of pure magic and the expulsion of impurities are all crucial for a high-ranking mage.
Be it humans or elves, those luminous master mages, consciously or unconsciously, have perfected the above, possessing the magical circuits that many mages envy.
Malygos's astonishment stemmed from this.
How could Duke, with such minimal magic power, perform these meticulous operations that even those overflowing with magic couldn't?
Soon, Malygos couldn't focus on this anymore.
Seeing an illusion resembling his once mate, Malygos not only murmured her name, "Sindragosa..."
The illusion was so lifelike, and the magic flowing within it felt familiar and nostalgic.
He almost believed his mate, dormant for ten thousand years, had awakened and been reborn.
Ordinarily, Malygos would've seen this as Duke's desecration of his mate.
However, seeing his past mate while asking Duke to display his magical talents, Malygos was overwhelmed with emotions.
Without words.
Without familiar voices or smiles.
Even so, Malygos felt a piece of his heart, broken for ten thousand years, was healed.
He suddenly realized that Duke played a far more critical role in this revenge plan than he had imagined.
And he suddenly recognized that this human, whom he had always overlooked and belittled, possessed a finesse in magical control he couldn't match.
With a deep sigh, Malygos said, "Enough."
Duke halted his magical output, and the illusory Sindragosa froze.
Malygos, as if jolted back to reality, remembered that this wasn't his mate.
"Enough, let it vanish," Malygos said softly.
With a gesture, Duke made the illusory Sindragosa disappear.
Malygos's intimidating aura faded, but he stubbornly said, "I acknowledge you as the acting guardian because I recognize your strength. Since Neltharion was slain, I haven't considered you an ordinary human. However, as a guardian, even acting, your power is lackluster. Take this and leave. You're an eyesore."
With a flap of his wings, a meteor-like object fell from the clouds.
With a sharp whistling sound, it seemed ready to crush Duke's skull, but it halted just three centimeters from Duke's forehead.
Duke thought, "You did that on purpose!"
Malygos replied with a contemptuous look, "Yes, I did."
Duke: "Fine, you win!"
Why reject the power he'd earned?
Duke grabbed the [Starlight Moon] floating before his forehead. He wanted to ask Malygos how to use it.
But soon, he didn't need to.
The moment he touched it, the radiant [Starlight Moon]forcibly entered his palm, rushing into his magical circuit with an indomitable will.
Duke clearly heard his heart's forceful thump.
The rhythm suddenly decelerated tenfold.
Feeling like a drumbeat stretched infinitely, the sensation felt bizarre to Duke.
The next moment, Duke screamed in agony.
He felt as if a tennis ball-sized clot of blood had been pumped out from his main artery.