Age of Adepts

“A very intricate design!” Mary couldn’t help but praise in awe.

Everyone watched as the chess pieces on the board moved forward or backward under the Silver Union adepts’ control. A terrible battle broke out whenever two pieces clashed.

Each chess golem had been programmed with different techniques and combat styles. Victory hinged not only on a piece’s abilities but also the finesse with which the adept controlled it with their Spirit.

If an adept had sufficiently powerful Spirit, they could cut their way through all the enemy pieces and execute the king with even the weakest pawn.

It was obviously an adept’s chess game meant for the training of Spirit. The chess pieces had been animated by the esoteric adepts and possessed combat power. That was the only difference.

Crucially, the esoteric adepts had mixed in a sort of metal known as Mandas Alloy when they created these chess golems; it was a famous memory alloy. Even if the chess pieces were damaged, they would slowly be restored to their original form as long as sufficient magic energy was infused into the chessboard.

Mary smiled. She expressed her gratitude toward Melone and ordered people to take the gift away.

The gift might be intricate, but it did not have much practical use for Horton Magic Academy. Perhaps that was the Silver Union’s intentions all along!

After all, the two organizations were still engaged in a competitive relationship. There was no way they would give away strategic resources as a gift to their rival.

After the Silver Union came the Northern Witches.

The representative they had sent this time was Deceit Witch Leader Angelina, and her gift was two small resource planes. It wasn’t much, but it was still a far more practical gift than the Silver Union’s chessboard.

Mary expressed her thanks once more and gave orders for the crystal containing the plane coordinates to be put away. She then raised her goblet and offered a toast to all her guests.

However, just as everyone was rejoicing and basking in the cheer, a commotion could be heard from outside the tower.

Mary frowned slightly and turned to look at Emelia, who was sitting to the platform’s left. A green ball of light shimmered between her hands. It seemed like she was communicating with someone in the distance.

Just a short moment later, Emelia’s expression changed. She lifted her head and looked at Mary as she said softly, “It’s someone from the Adept’s Association! They are heading here!”

Emelia might have appeared composed when she said this, but Mary could easily tell that there was more to the situation.

If the Association’s representatives had arrived in proper manner and etiquette, they would have been properly received by the academy’s adepts. There was no way a commotion would occur. Thus, it was very likely that these bastards had muscled their way in.

“Meryl, go and greet them!” Mary chuckled coldly. “Spare them from being able to say that we don’t know our manners.”

“Understood!”

Meryl acknowledged the order and stood up, a pair of wide red wings flaring behind her back. A powerful gust of wind blew throughout the banquet hall as she flew away.

After all these years of nourishment from the red dragon bloodline, Meryl’s power had improved drastically. She was showing signs of tackling Fourth Grade within a hundred years. As she grew stronger, so did her faction and her subordinates.

Everyone set aside their goblets and talked amongst themselves as they awaited the Adept’s Association messenger.

This was no benevolent guest!

It was a celebration in name indeed, but there was still competition and conflict between the various major organizations. While the Adept’s Association had come here to celebrate the event, they still insisted on doing things in such a fashion as to knock Horton Magic Academy down a peg.

That was only natural!

Soon, the messenger from the Association flew into the venue, accompanied by Meryl.

There were seven representatives in total, led by two adepts. One of these adepts was a strange female adept clad in purple armor, with no hair and purple eyes. The other was a short male adept with a hooked nose, green eyes, dirty yellow teeth, and sparse, messy hair. He wore a black robe on his person, adorned with all sorts of jewels.

All the guests present in the hall shuddered upon seeing the Association’s messengers. They could feel the oppressive aura radiating from the two of them.

Ultra-powerhouses. Both of the adepts leading the party were peak Fourth Grade ultra-powerhouses!

Meanwhile, the five adepts behind them, three male and two female, were all Third Grade. Though they were only Third Grade, their aura was incredibly ferocious. They seemed to be individuals who had climbed out of a pit of death, having endured countless battles and trials.

Even the weakest one among them was advanced Third Grade.

Mary was surprised, but she did not show it on her face. Instead, she put on a cold, insincere smile and said, “I was wondering who it was. So it was Lady Gloria and Lord Cerveris! I express my welcome to both of you esteemed guests in Greem’s place. Please……”

However, the two Association ultra-powerhouses didn’t seem to care much for Mary’s niceties. They simply hovered in the air and looked around at everyone in the hall.

The faces of the guests turned under the terrible pressure they were exerting. Their expressions were starting to turn forced and unnatural.

Ultra-powerhouses would always be the most powerful force in a planar world!

Perhaps it was this sudden surge in the appearance of ‘pseudo-ultra-powerhouses’ that made actual ultra-powerhouses seem less valuable. Today, upon experiencing the frightening spiritual pressure of actual ultra-powerhouses, every guest present at the event felt genuine fear from the bottom of their hearts.

The Fourth Grade adepts were still doing ok. They remained composed in front of such terrible pressure. However, adepts of Third Grade and below started to shift around in their seats, terror slowly creeping over their faces.

If the Association adepts were allowed to continue terrifying the guests in this fashion, and if one of the adepts or otherworldly guests were to break down and start wailing, it would be a horrible affront to the Central adepts.

Such a thing could not be allowed to happen!

Mary’s body trembled. She suppressed her raging fury as a crimson wave rippled within her eyes. Her own pressure rushed forth and resisted against that of the Association adepts’. Unfortunately, she was not actually at peak Fourth Grade yet, while the Nightmare Castle was still thousands of kilometers away.

Thus, it was only a given that she could not push back against the malicious spiritual pressure of two ultra-powerhouses.

Upon seeing the unsavory situation, Mornashen Gaia also stood up and let out a stern cry, “Lady Mary has invited you all to take your seats. I would suggest you all take your seats!”

As he gestured and spoke his piece, Gaia’s sturdy Spirit cut into this invisible battle.

The Gold Titan was powerful, but his strength lay in his Physique and his lightning powers. He was inferior to these two ultra-powerhouses in Spirit.

Gaia let out a muffled grunt as golden light shimmered across his body.

Curse Adept Cerveris smiled superficially and let out a cold grunt. “The two of us are here to offer our blessings in the name of the entire Adept’s Association. What is it? Greem thinks he’s too important for even an audience?”

Adept Gloria remained silent all this while. It was obvious she was letting Cerveris say whatever he wanted to.

The numerous Central adepts present stood up. They were infuriated by the unreasonable and brusque behavior of the Adept’s Association. However, the Association adepts had not actually done anything. They were only ‘unintentionally’ causing everyone to feel discomfort due to their spiritual pressure.

If the Central adepts were to strike out here, they would be the ones to break the peace and start a war!

It was the real reason why Mary and Gaia couldn’t transform nor properly deal with their opponents!

The Adept’s Association had simply sent two ultra-powerhouses and were already able to force the Central adepts to transform in response, without lifting even a single finger. If such a rumor were to get out, the Central Lands would forever be humiliated. Horton Magic Academy would also be looked down upon by everyone across the continent.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, Mary and Gaia were only pseudo-ultra-powerhouses. Without transforming, they couldn’t even reach the level of a pseudo-ultra-powerhouse.

The guests from all over the world clearly had no intention of getting involved. They simply watched from the fence. Medusa Sshina and Sand King were surprised to see all this unfold. They glanced toward Lich Kanganas, only to see him sit by idly.

The two of them exchanged looks. They did not understand Kanganas’ behavior, but they acted in line with him and watched from the sidelines.

Fourth Grade Thunder Lord Arms also remained seated firmly, as if nothing was wrong at all. No matter how Iritina pinched him, he simply ignored it. It seemed like he was waiting to watch Mary make a fool of herself.

Just as the atmosphere in the hall turned oddly quiet and Mary and Gaia were about to lose their cool, an exceptionally crisp voice rang out in the hall.

“Hm? Quite a lot of guests today! Mary, why are you having the guests stand out here instead of offering them a seat?”

The voice wasn’t very loud, but it sent tremors throughout everyone’s hearts.

Everyone’s face changed when they heard this voice. Fear gripped their hearts.

That was because they did not hear this voice with their ears. Instead, the voice had been imprinted directly in their brains by some mysterious power.

That was what shocked them the most!

If the owner of this voice hadn’t imprinted a voice in their minds, but a spell…everyone couldn’t help but start sweating cold perspiration at the mere thought of this.

They opened their eyes wide and looked around the hall, hoping to find the owner of this voice. Sadly, given their power, they could not even figure out what ability the mysterious individual had used to speak to them, let alone being able to actually find him!

However, there weren’t only rookies in the room. Every powerhouse that had mastered law power and started to get involved in the domain of principles turned around and looked at the tall platform.

Lights flickered there as Greem silently appeared before his throne. He slowly sat down.

His entire body, inside to out, top to bottom, radiated a gentle and pure aura of light.

Mm? Light?

Since when did Greem switch to light elementium?