Scorched Ridge Camp
The secret meeting was held in the parliament hall within the newly-built Mage Tower.
The people present in the meeting were Dean of the East Cove Higher Magic Academy Anthony, two masters of the six-man council Master Grenci and Master Ferdinand, High Elf Princess Milda, promising High Elf Magician Romilson, and lastly, the owner of the Mage Tower, Link.
There were a total of six people. Three of them were established and respected members of the Magician world, while the other three were budding Magicians, looked favorably upon.
The Mage Tower was newly-built. Naturally, all the equipment inside was new as well. The hot summer sunlight became extremely gentle and pleasant after passing through the crystallized exterior of the Mage Tower, which served to refract the sun rays at an optimized angle. The temperature magic circle in the hall made sure that the interior of the Mage Tower was always at a comfortable temperature. There was also a wind magic circle that constantly brought a cool breeze to anyone within the tower.
It was a very comfortable environment, though it did not seem to help ease the atmosphere in the hall.
Everyone stepped into the hall with extremely heavy hearts.
Anthony sat in the main seat of the long table and listened intently at Link's report of the incident in the Girvent Forest. When Link was done, he knocked the table lightly as he frowned, his eyes full of disbelief. He then said, "Is Wavier truly so strong now? He can defend against a level-9 spell?"
Grenci, Ferdinand, and the two High Elves also turned to look at Link, waiting for his answer.
Link recalled the battle scene and nodded his head before saying, "He is indeed terrifying. However, he still has weaknesses."
Upon speaking, Link pointed his wand into the air. A hologram then appeared in the air and displayed a blurry image. It was the exact battle scene when Aymons, Wavier and he were engaged in a fight.
As this image came from Link's memory, it was somewhat distorted, as Link's focus was purely on his spellcasting and the battle at that time. However, this did not affect the details that he intended to show.
"Take a look. In this entire battle, Wavier cast four spells. These spells looked no different from any ordinary dark magic. However, after closer inspection, I realize that Wavier's exterior undergoes major changes every time he cast a spell. As he uses up more energy, he becomes more like a corpse, especially so after defending against my Level-9 spell. Wavier's looks seemed to change dramatically at that point. There is still one more important detail."
Link then displayed another image in the air. This image was a lot clearer than the previous one. Wavier's expression and Aymons reaction could be clearly seen from the image.
This image still came from Link's memories. The clarity of the image suggested that even during the most intense of battles, Link still had a subtle and delicate perception of his surroundings. Everyone present showed an expression of shock and awe, especially Romilson, whose face seemed completely horrified.
Originally, he thought the only difference between Link and himself was their battle experience. However, he was proven wrong yet again. Link could easily squash him with his adept control of the battlefield.
"What a monster!" He could not help but mutter.
Link then pointed into the deceptively real image in the air and said, "I have tried to recreate the scene from the battle. Look carefully, before I cast my Level-9 spell, Wavier looked like an ordinary person. However, the moment he cast the blood crystal shield, his life force was rapidly depleted. When the collision of the two spells reached a climax, this shield was once shattered. Following which, Wavier did not hesitate to sacrifice four Undead Knights and use their life force to reform his defensive spell."
At this moment, Romilson frowned as he asked, "Are you saying that Wavier is using life force to maintain his spells?"
"Exactly. The spells that he used after this are also based on the same principle. These spells neither a limit to their power or a certain magic structure. As long as there is enough life force, it can become as powerful as it wants. However, the moment the amount of life force depletes, these spells will be nothing more than child's play!"
Upon hearing those words, everyone exchanged glances as they had already come to a conclusion.
Milda then said the thought that was in everyone's mind, "That is to say Wavier is using a Demon God Divine Skill!"
A Demon God Divine Skill was a branch of Divine Skills, as it originated from a god. They were extremely perfect as well and could do what mortal Magicians deemed impossible.
For example, reviving spells, complete recovery spells and prophecy spells were all power that ordinary Magicians were unable to achieve. However, priests could accomplish all of those easily. The reason for that was the use of Divine Skills.
"Then, isn't it simple? We merely have to stop Wavier from absorbing life force in the middle of a battle," Romilson said casually.
However, the moment those words escaped his mouth, everyone stared at him with a strange gaze.
"This… is there a problem?" Romilson felt that his train of thought was accurate.
Princess Milda patted her forehead and felt extremely embarrassed. She then rebutted, "Do you think that he would not store excess life force? Furthermore, he has 30000 Undead Knights under his command. Their life force is completely open for his absorption. How are you going to stop him?"
"This…" Romilson's face immediately turned red. This was indeed a huge problem.
This was only a small interlude to the main topic. Anthony then patted the table lightly before saying, "Simply because Wavier possesses such qualities, we will have to destroy him before he becomes stronger. If we continue to let him run wild, no one would be able to defeat him. Link, what do you think?"
This young man excelled at creating miracles. One could simply find him in times of trouble.
Link already had a plan. He said, "There is a problem with an undead army. It is too reliant on the Necromancer. This is an organization that is extremely centralized. As long as we can defeat the central figure, everything else will fall apart naturally. By this logic, we do not have to deal with the Undead Knights; we only need to form a small group and head straight for Wavier."
In fact, everyone present could come up with this plan. However, they lacked the resolve and determination. They were afraid that this small niche group would end up making a mistake, causing the mission to fail.
On the other hand, Link seemed to be able to see through the mist and guide them onto the correct path.
"But you mentioned that he has an indestructible soul," Grenci said.
Link nodded and said, "Indeed. Therefore, we will need the help of the Holy Knights, just like how they helped us imprisoned the soul of Blood Demon Talon 200 years ago."
The soul belonged to the realm of the gods. Mortals had little to no understanding of this area. Both the demon god and the God of Light had a deep understanding of this realm of power. Their underlings would thus have the power to deal with the soul.
Blood Demon Talon also liaised himself with the demon god and attained an indestructible soul. However, it had been 200 years since he was captured. Many had already forgotten the details of his downfall, though Link still remembered it clearly.
Upon saying those words, a detailed plan formed in Link's mind. Furthermore, this plan was highly feasible.
Anthony thought for a moment before saying, "The pope and the archbishop are both stationed at the Northern Fortress. However, the bishop of Hot Springs City is still present. I will contact him."
Milda then asked, "Since we are doing an assassination, we will have to discuss the members involved. I believe the opponent will not give us many chances to accomplish this. If we fail this time around, it would be extremely difficult to do this again. Therefore, the members of this mission must be extremely strong. We must have confidence in the success of this mission."
"Both my magic puppet and I will take part," Link said.
The bulk of the Norton Kingdom army was in the North. The strongest available combat Magician that was left in the South was Link. Furthermore, he was the most familiar with Wavier's fighting style. He had no reason to stay out of it.
As for Nana, it had already become a habit to bring her everywhere as his personal bodyguard.
Milda then added, "Count me in as well. I have fully recovered after resting for so many days."
Romilson quickly continued, "Since the princess is going, I am going as well."
Anthony, Grenci, and Ferdinand could only smile bitterly as they watched. They were all too old for such an intensive infiltration mission. They would only be a burden if they joined.
Anthony pondered for a moment before saying, "Since it is an infiltration mission, you will need as much speed and anonymity as you can get. I will make a trip to the Yabbas. In three days, I will bring back a combat airship after three days."
An airship was a convenient long-distance flying vessel. It could also be equipped with a variety of weapons. An airship was like a floating and mobile fortress. It had always been a prized treasure of the Yabba race.
The fact that Anthony could promise an airship in three days demonstrated his wide connections.
With the help of an airship, they would not have to worry about infiltration and retreating.
Ferdinand then mentioned, "I know the Chief Court Magician in the Southmoon Kingdom. Both of us used to study in the same magic academy when we were younger. I will pay him a visit and ask for his help. The appearance of a huge undead army is also a huge threat to the Southmoon Kingdom. I believe he will assist us in controlling the Delonga Kingdom."
It was also important to disperse the strength of the undead army.
Lastly, it was Grenci's turn. He laid out his hands helplessly as he said, "I do not have any connections. However, I have a bit of experience in alchemy and have a collection of potions back in the academy. Some of them can be used to heal wounds while some to raise offensive and defensive power. I won't keep them in my stash anymore. Make a trip to the Mage Tower and take all that you need."
After the Holy Knights, the airship, potions and a huge group of court Magicians were in place, the assassination could begin.
Link then added, "Wavier's physical body has been destroyed by my magic puppet, Nana. After he returns to Delonga, he will accumulate an insane amount of power. He will also devise plans to defend against Nana. Before we leave, I will make some adjustments to her."
Everyone nodded. Link's magic puppet was extremely strong and could determine the success of this mission. This was a common consensus.
The discussion ended here as everyone went to prepare whatever they needed. Link then approached Anthony and said, "I have captured two important figures of the Dark Elves in this mission. One of them is Dark Prince Walter, while the other is an elder of the Silver Moon Alliance, Aymons. I believe sending them to the North will be a good idea. We might be able to delay the time of the decisive battle."
At this moment, the entire Kingdom was searching for a way to defend against the Dark Serpent. The longer the time they had to prepare, the higher their chances of success.
Anthony was slightly surprised at these two opportune hostages and said, "You are right, I will inform the people at MI3 to take care of this."
"That will be great."
Following which, Link went to find Alloa.
Alloa had already changed into her sleeping attire at that time. She was wearing a blouse and let her hair down freely on her shoulders. Her pair of crimson eyes typical of Dark Elf royals was exceptionally charming. Her figure was even more attractive.
Upon seeing Link, she smiled and said, "I can feel a sense of animosity on your face. Are you preparing to kill people? Let me guess…Is it Wavier?"
"This is not difficult to guess." Link laid his hands out helplessly. He then glanced around the room and asked, "Where is Celine?"
The moment he asked that question, a mysterious smile crept up on Alloa's face. She then said, "I cannot tell you. She said it was a surprise."
"Surprise?" Link did not understand. However, he chose to ignore it and simply wait patiently for the surprise to happen. He then continued, "Do you know magic puppet theory?"
"I started learning about magic puppets after Auselia was defeated by one. You can say that I have a little bit of experience with it."
"That is sufficient," Link was slightly surprised. He also only began delving into magic puppet theory after Auselia was defeated. Currently, he was already considered a master in the field. Based on Alloa's intellect, if she mentioned that she had experience with it, it would probably mean that she had already done ample research.
"Do me a favor; I need to adjust a few flaws that Nana has."
Nana was almost perfect. However, the fact that her body was made of metallic substances was a fatal flaw.
Wavier was an intelligent person. He would definitely sacrifice more souls to Tabinos after returning to the Delonga Kingdom and ask specifically for Divine Skills that could defeat Nana. Such spells would usually be magnetic in nature and were not difficult to master. Once Wavier mastered such spells, Nana would be in trouble. Therefore, Link had to get rid of this shortcoming.
Alloa certainly would not reject this offer. She nodded and said, "Making improvements to Nana? I am extremely honored to do so."