Age of Adepts

No wonder Split-Off Brain Gru was the only one running outside on errands these years.

With Gazlowe’s steadily swelling brain, it would probably be unimaginably difficult to go outside.

When Greem walked into this iron hall, tens of thousands of vicious and hidden spirit threads wrapped toward him from every direction. If Greem hadn’t prepared, it was very likely the spirit threads would have penetrated the depths of his soul and caused some unexpected circumstances.

If this had been in the past, it might have succeeded. However, with the increase in grade, Greem’s Spirit had also improved. Though it was still far less potent than Gazlowe’s Spirit, it was more than enough to protect himself.

With a single thought, he exacted his will!

The translucent and distorted life forcefield around him immediately started burning, causing even the air temperature of the surroundings to rise rapidly.

Greem didn’t change in size, but his incomparably wild mental consciousness had already spread throughout the entire hall along with the erupting fires. Those tens of thousands of spirit threads were quickly defeated when they came into contact with his invisible flames.

The brain silently floating in the massive glass vat suddenly moved, and a massive mental consciousness descended upon everyone.

Greem did not cower. He stood tall, and two bright yellow flames burned in his black eyes. The invisible flames engulfed his entire body as his fiery eyes glared at the big brain.

A series of notifications from the Chip rang in his mind.

[Beep. Detecting signs of foreign Spirit intrusion. Detecting signs of foreign Spirit intrusion. Mental barrier and Spirit defense have been affected. Requesting host distance self from the source of mental abnormality.]

Regardless of how many notifications the Chip sent, Greem did not choose to escape from the iron hall. Instead, he raised his fire energy to its limits. The massive heart from the abyssal Flame Fiend in his chest pumped wildly. With every pump, fire energy of frightful intensity surged throughout Greem’s body, providing him with the tremendous amount of energy he needed to maintain his Burning Domain.

Several parts on his tall body started to glow with a blinding magical light, one by one.

The elegant and delicate Burning Suncrown on his head, the Emblem of Fire armbands that glowed like halos of fire around his arms, the Fearless belt that coiled around his waist like a lava serpent, the Fire Dragon’s Breath that hung from his neck like a miniature sun, as well as Ash, the boots that burned with horrifying flames.

The magical might contained within this powerful magical equipment connected rapidly as strange runic lines and arrays lit up with power. They formed a strange Burning Domain that engulfed everything within sight.

All substance within this light-red Burning Domain ignited with an unusual fire.

The skies were burning, the ground was burning, and even the empty air started to burn with an odd yellow flame, which quickly spread outward.

The Burning Domain instantly clashed with the mental power descending from above, tearing and ripping into each other at various points in the air.

They were like two massive armies: one as ferocious as fire, vicious and fast, the other with threads like blades, wrapping forward in endless waves, slicing to pieces any substance or Spirit in the way.

The two opposing forces clashed and tussled with each other in the air. One moment, the fire would gain the advantage, and the next, it would be the mental power instead. The two forces went back and forth, turning the massive hall into a battlefield. It was an even fight, though brutal and savage.

In general, Gazlowe’s Spirit presence was undoubtedly several dozens of times that of Greem’s. However, when it came to the offensive and defensive power of their Spirits, Greem had the upper hand.

One was large but scattered, while the other was small but concentrated.

The two forces didn’t seem to be on the same level, but after repeated clashes, it was clear that Greem’s smaller Burning Domain was superior.

The Burning Domain started to expand in the struggle against the mental power, bit by bit. Soon it would engulf the entire hall and its several hundreds of square meters. It was already at the edge of the massive glass vat.

Once Gazlowe’s brain was caught in the battle, he was doomed to lose!

“Congratulations, master, for advancing to Third Grade.” The extensive mental consciousness suddenly retracted all of its power the next instant. An exceptionally calm mental voice rang out throughout the hall.

Greem also reined in his Burning Domain and let it sit quietly before the glass vat. He hovered into the air and stopped at the same level as the brain.

One was a strange brain that was as large as a giant beast, while the other was a human so small that he could be overlooked in a room.

The two individuals faced off against each other as if about to start a fight!

“There’s no need for so much tension between us!” The mental voice rang out in the air once again.

A smile finally appeared on Greem’s solemn face as he calmly said, “Of course, a great power has to be subject to a great mind. It is indeed better for us to settle some things as soon as we can.”

“Your power has obtained my approval! Before any new breakthroughs happen to me, I will not have any thoughts of disobedience or betrayal. Hopefully, you can believe me on this!” The mental voice spoke slowly, fully demonstrating the careful thought that Gazlwoe had put into this.

Greem calmly replied, “I believe you! Moreover, I look forward to your breakthrough very much. If I cannot harness your power and suffer the backlash from you, I will not blame you at all. I will only blame myself for not working hard enough.”

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Brain Monster Gazlowe’s strange mental voice finally rang out after a long pause.

“You are a powerful adept worthy of respect! Hopefully, you will continue to be this powerful forever!”

Having said that, the giant brain floating in the glass vat turned from a bright red in Greem’s elementium sight to a friendly light green.

Greem let out a breath of relief deep in his heart.

These high-grade servants were truly difficult to deal with, each one more than the last. If the master’s power were slightly insufficient, he would be at considerable risk of a backlash. Take the situation from earlier, for example. Had Greem failed to defend against the invasion of the mental powers, it was very likely he would have ended up having his consciousness and mind taken over by Gazlowe.

When that happened, he would become a soul servant of the Third Grade brain monster. He would offer up all his wealth and knowledge before willingly providing his brain to the monster as nourishment.

It was the fate of most soul servants of the Mind Flayers!

“Really, Alice? She found a way to empower Gazlowe, and she didn’t tell me? If it weren’t for my advancement to Third Grade and the Burning Domain formed by the Fire Throne set, as well as the new magical tattoos, it would probably have been tough to win in this battle.” Greem thought angrily to himself.

That said, he didn’t really blame Alice.

She must have seen this scene unfold ahead of time, which was why she had so confidently helped Gazlowe improve his abilities. Still, being kept in the dark and almost getting a fast one pulled on him upset Greem a little.

He had managed to use his own power to subdue Gazlowe’s ‘restlessness’ and once again obtained actual authority over the Capital of Eternity.

In truth, during these days when Greem had been in isolation, Gazlowe had only maintained the most basic level of cooperation with Mary and the others. After all, with the endless supply of energy, the tens of thousands of magical machines, and his new mental powers, Gazlowe had already covered all his soft spots. He now possessed the capital and ability to establish himself within Lance independently.

If it weren’t for the magic generator furnace and his soul both still containing the soul brand that Greem left behind, Gazlowe would probably already have chased out all of the Crimson adepts and witches and led a life of his own.

There was almost no better way to subdue such an ambitious individual apart from raw power.

Such individuals of ambition and strength only bowed before a higher power.

If you were more powerful than them, you held the reins over their life and death. They would be the most loyal and convenient tools of war under your employ. However, if the power dynamic was turned around, they would instantly become the most terrifying demons. Backlash and biting at the master’s hands were only secondary. The true horror was in them possessing the ability to inflict unbearable torture upon their former master.

And this was what terrified Greem the most!

Of course, Greem was now in a stage of explosive growth. He did not need to concern himself with these ‘fine details.’ However, should the speed of his improvement ever start to slow down, he would need to consider the risks of backlash from Gazlowe.

Being a successful clan leader was not easy!

It had only been ten days since Greem had emerged from isolation and he had already been to three places using various means to subdue the three ‘boss-level’ individuals in his clan. It was only then that he had managed to stabilize his position once again.

However, this wasn’t the end of it. It was only the warm-up leading to the real show.

That was because Greem had left the true ‘boss’ for the very end. The Crimson Clan could only rest easy once he had ‘subdued’ her!

…………

The World of Adepts, the Tower of Fate.

Greem had rarely stepped into this ancient tower since Alice became its owner.

This tower had also seen dozens of owners, but in the end, there was only one owner.

That person was the First Witch of Fate and the one who had established a miraculous and glorious legacy for herself– Maysa.

It was she who had created the Tower of Fate, she who had established the Fate Witch branch that had lasted for tens of thousands of years, and she who had embedded the legacy of the Fate Witches into the law systems of the World of Adepts; she who had stepped into the void of space and transcended into a legend among the Northern Witches.

There were countless stories of her, while her monuments had endured tens of thousands of years of beating, and her mark filled every corner of the Tower of Fate.

Every time he came to this silent and mysterious tower, Greem would feel the illusion of his consciousness being suppressed and his spiritual activity lowering.

However, he had to come to the Tower of Fate to meet someone this time. Someone vital to him.

Only ‘she’ could become the wings he needed to soar in the skies; only ‘she’ could point out the path forward in the dense mist surrounding him.

And ‘she’ was also the person that Greem cared about the most. His lover!

A witch!