allendalepharm Chapter 484, Page 493: The Broken Cycle 3
Chapter 484, Page 493: The Broken Cycle 3
Chapter 484, Page 493: The Broken Cycle 3
A single glance.
They were directly suppressed.
The man in the black robe felt a chill run down his spine; he knew the teacher had begun the "lesson."
"I'm not just good at this!" the black-robed man shouted, his mutated magic power erupting and forcefully breaking through the sticky feeling around him. His wand drew a complex symbol.
"Ten Directions Defense!"
I wonder if this magic also incorporates elements of Eastern magic.
Anyway.
There are indeed some traces of Western magic in it. In fact, it is not surprising that magic with this kind of fusion appears. After all, no one understands how to combine the strengths of different things better than African wizards.
They don't have much of their own culture either.
The situation is similar for both wizards and Muggles.
All I saw was...
The black-robed man then began casting a spell.
Two shields with different properties instantly overlapped in front of him.
"Don't just talk the talk." However, Saruman's "press" did not directly impact the shield. Instead, it flowed around the edge of the shield like water, continuing to apply pressure from the side and top. At the same time, several fine, almost imperceptible strands of magic reached towards the energy nodes of the shield as if they were alive.
"The shield stacking is the right approach. However, the nodes are too obvious, causing a delay in energy flow." Saruman's voice was like a gentle whisper in his ear, offering earnest advice.
The man in black robes suddenly felt the shield he had painstakingly maintained become unstable, and his energy supply seemed to have been momentarily disrupted! He was shocked and immediately changed his hand gestures.
"Fire descends!"
Another spell was instantly cast, and a wall of blazing fire surged forward, attempting to force back the invisible magical threads that were manipulating and searching for nodes with an area-of-effect attack.
"That's more like it." Saruman nodded slightly. This time, he raised his right index and middle fingers, joined them together like a sword, and gently slashed at the center of the wall of fire.
"But that's not enough."
Without a powerful clash of magic, the surging wall of fire was neatly split apart from its center by an invisible "rift," rolling to both sides and revealing the somewhat astonished figure of the black-robed man behind it. The energy of the separated wall of fire did not dissipate; instead, it was guided by an even more subtle force.
Flames slowly swirled around Saruman.
Like a tamed pet.
"Elemental magic, its power is decent, but its form is rigid, lacking variation and control. Remember, fire is not only destruction, it can also be a barrier, a repulsive force, it is—" Saruman said, and the swirling flames suddenly transformed into several slender fire snakes, shooting towards the black-robed man at an odd angle.
The speed wasn't fast, but the trajectory was tricky, sealing off most of his room to dodge.
"The pressure is too much!"
The man in black gritted his teeth, abandoning his attempt to dodge, and slammed his wand on the ground: "Eternal Calamity!"
A powerful shockwave spread out from him, attempting to shatter the fire serpents. However, as the shockwave approached, the fire serpents dispersed on their own, transforming into a scorching mist of sparks that spread outwards. The shockwave passed through the spark mist, its power weakened layer by layer, while the spark mist itself became tainted by his shield.
The flames were like maggots clinging to the bone.
It makes a sizzling burning sound.
It continuously drains his magic power.
"The response was aggressive but lacked agility. The rhythm of the offensive and defensive transitions still needs refinement."
Saruman continued his commentary.
The duel was clearly not an equal one.
In the time that follows.
The man in black robes used almost all the skills he had acquired in his life.
He attempted to use "Dark Slash" for a high-speed and precise cutting attack, but Saruman deflected it at the last second with an even faster "Magic Fingers".
So the man in black robes summoned viscous shadows in an attempt to entangle and bind them, but they were dispelled by the faint purifying runes that Saruman casually activated, which were already present in the secret chamber.
He used a trace of R'lyeh's corrupting influence in his mental scream, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea; Saruman's mental barrier was as solid as the Wailing Wall.
Instead, this prompted the teacher to warn him to "use foreign powers with caution and first stabilize one's own mind."
"Insufficient magic output."
Saruman remained stationary, relying solely on his exquisite manipulation of the surrounding energy and force fields with his hands, as well as his boundless spiritual power, to deflect the black-robed man's relentless attacks, constantly pointing out his shortcomings and areas for improvement.
The total amount of magic he used was strictly controlled to be slightly higher than the black-robed man's current magic output, but the skill, control, and understanding of the battle situation he displayed were completely different.
"That's because you're too strong, teacher." The man in black robes was soon drenched in sweat, not from the depletion of his magic power, but from the immense pressure of intense concentration and being constantly challenged and instructed. Several scorch marks and tears appeared on his black robes, traces left by his inability to dodge or defend effectively. If his body hadn't undergone a mutation due to contamination, giving him strength and resilience far exceeding that of ordinary people, he would have already collapsed from the backlash of magic power and physical exhaustion.
But Saruman knew his limits perfectly well.
The intensity of each attack and the depth of each instruction were precisely positioned to push him to the limit, forcing him to break through his limits without causing irreversible damage.
Finally, after a complex spell, which he had poured all his energy into, was easily deflected and dissipated by Saruman with a simple yet seemingly spatially folding "magic deflection shield," the man in black, leaning on his wand, knelt on one knee, breathing heavily. He felt an unprecedented exhaustion.
But I also felt a strange clarity. Many of the doubts I had in the past during my cultivation and battles were vaguely answered in the storm of "guidance" just now.
"I only used one percent of your magic." Saruman remained standing quietly, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his body spotless, and even his breathing steady.
He wasn't showing off.
It's just stating the facts.
His face was calm and composed, as if the attack and defense that had just taken most wizards by storm was nothing more than a relaxing morning stroll for him.
"Of course, you're actually not bad either."
Saruman knew that corporal punishment should be combined with encouragement. His empty eye sockets "looked" at the student kneeling and panting, sensing the complex emotions mixed with exhaustion and understanding in the other person.
After a moment of silence, Saruman's aged yet gentle voice broke the silence once more: "Your progress is faster than I imagined. These years have been hard.
These words caused the man in black robes to tremble slightly.
Then, Saruman's tone became solemn, carrying a final word of advice: "Remember that feeling you just experienced. Remember that the essence of using power lies not in its magnitude, but in its appropriateness and control. The road ahead may be even more difficult, but you now have the foundation to walk it."
He paused, as if gathering his last strength, and his voice, clear and firm, reached the black-robed man's ears: "Now—"
"come on."
"Kill me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Saruman completely dispelled all the magical energy and mental barriers that protected him. His hands hung naturally at his sides, and he tilted his head back slightly, exposing his wrinkled neck, a vital area, to the black-robed man's wand without reservation. A provocative smile reappeared on his face.
Well, the slight emotional fluctuation that had just begun to rise was shattered by the teacher's words, and the man in the black robe even began to wonder if the teacher had used a mocking skill on him.
of course.
That was just a joke.
The man in black robes was not unreasonable.
Saruman's calm "Go for it, take me down!" had a mocking tone, but it didn't make the man in black robes act immediately, nor did it anger him much.
On the contrary, this sentence was like a key, unlocking a deeper shackle in his heart.
He instantly understood his teacher's intention—this was not merely a declaration of impending death, but also the final and most rigorous test and guidance.
The teacher lowered his defenses not to let him succeed easily, but to completely hand over the initiative to him, while also removing his "protection".
The next attack will require him to truly rely on his own strength, wisdom, and decisiveness to break through the last line of defense that seems undefended but actually still has an invisible gap in their levels of understanding.
This was more difficult and more real than the passive guidance from before. In the sealed chamber, the air seemed to freeze. Only the heavy breathing of the black-robed man and the faint throbbing of the raven feather, lying quietly in Saruman's palm, radiating an ominous glow, could be heard, as if sensing the call of fate.
"good!"
The man in black robes slowly straightened up, his breathing gradually calming down, but the light in his eyes grew even sharper.
He no longer viewed this duel as a painful task that had to be completed, but rather as the last and most precious opportunity for advancement bestowed upon him by his teacher. He would give it his all to demonstrate to this legendary mentor the true sharpness he had honed through a thousand years of protection, struggle against pollution, and adversity!
"I will heed your teachings, teacher!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in black did not choose a powerful but easily predictable spell, nor did he rush to attack. He first tapped the ground lightly with his wand and uttered a low shout.
"The earth is pulsating!"
A ripple of earthy yellow magic energy spread rapidly, not as a direct, brute attack, but rather to disrupt the energy stability of the ground beneath Saruman's feet and the perception of his footsteps. Simultaneously, he retreated rapidly, creating distance, and began chanting an ancient and difficult incantation.
This is a fragment he found in some ancient desert ruins.
The two masters and their apprentices naturally shared the same hobbies.
Therefore, this spell is called "Binding of Sandstorms," which can summon invisible sand spirits to form an imperceptible binding force field and has a subtle mental interference effect.
Although Saruman dispelled his active defenses, his perception of his surroundings remained undiminished. He "heard" the syllables of the incantation, and his empty eye sockets seemed to twitch slightly. "Gnutbi language? A broken combination of summoning and binding spells? The idea is good, but there are three errors in the syllable connections, and the energy guiding nodes are also off-target."
Just as the black-robed man was about to complete his incantation, and fine dust began to appear in the air as an invisible force field began to take shape, Saruman simply raised his right index finger and flicked it lightly at a spot above the black-robed man's spellcasting area.
"Ding!"
A very faint sound, like the tinkling of crystals.
The man in black robes suddenly felt as if his incantation had been pricked by an invisible needle, and the flow of magic became momentarily disordered!
The "Wind and Sand Binding" force field that was about to take shape collapsed in an instant, leaving only a few grains of sand that were unable to fall.
"Ancient spells often have extremely high requirements for syllable precision and magical resonance; one mistake can lead to complete failure."
"But the fact that you were able to find and use it shows that you have some knowledge of the ancient magic system, which is very good." Saruman's voice rang out at the right time, serving as both a comment and encouragement.
"Understood."
The man in the black robe felt a chill run down his spine, but he was not discouraged.
He immediately changed tactics, rapidly waving his wand in front of him, leaving dark trails, while simultaneously pulling a pinch of shimmering silver powder from his pocket and scattering it into the air.
"Shadow of the Stars!" he growled, pointing his wand at the falling powder.
The powder instantly ignited, transforming into a shimmering, dark mist resembling a miniature nebula, which rapidly spread and enveloped the figure of the man in black robes.
This light mist not only disrupts visual and mental perception, but also carries a faint, life-draining negative effect. It is a bizarre spell that combines ancient astrological magic with black magic.
"Oh? An improved version of Ancient Stardust Technique, incorporating the withering effect? Commendable creativity."
Saruman's voice seemed to carry a hint of approval, "But starlight and decay are fundamentally incompatible; forcibly combining them leads to structural instability, excessive energy loss, and—"
He suddenly stretched out his left hand, fingers spread wide, and made a "grabbing" motion toward the center of the nebula.
The man in black robes suddenly felt as if the magic he was using to maintain that patch of light was being gripped by an invisible hand and pulled violently toward Saruman! The light fluctuated violently, showing a tendency to break free from his control!
"Furthermore, the control nodes are too centralized, making them easy to manipulate in reverse."
Saruman finished his commentary.
The man in black gritted his teeth and decisively severed most of his magical connection with the light mist, allowing Saruman to "grab" him.
At the same time, taking advantage of the last cover of the light mist and the fluctuations of magic, his figure vanished from the spot in an instant, like a melting shadow!
The high-level movement spell of the Shadow element – "Shadow Leap"!
The next moment, he appeared less than five steps behind Saruman, and a highly refined, dark spike that seemed capable of swallowing light condensed at the tip of his wand, silently piercing towards Saruman's back!
This time, he didn't use any spells; it was purely a physical and magical attack formed by highly compressing his mutated magic, which had the corrosive properties of R'lyeh!
"Oh?"
Saruman narrowed his eyes.
This "Shadow Leap" followed by a silent stab was perfect in timing, angle, and concealment—a trump card honed by the black-robed man through countless life-or-death battles.
It is specifically designed to deal with powerful enemies who are highly perceptive and adept at dealing with spells.
prior to.
Many wizards were killed by him silently in this way.
However, Saruman was certainly not among them. It seemed as if Saruman had eyes in the back of his head. Just as the dark spikes were about to touch his gray robe, he did not turn around, nor did he make any significant movements. He simply flipped his left hand, which had been grasping at the nebula's light and mist, backward with an extremely slight wrist movement.
His palm faced the direction of the black-robed man's sudden attack—there was no powerful burst of magic, only a thin, almost transparent force field, like ripples on water, instantly formed behind him.
The dark spikes pierced the seemingly fragile water wave force field!
"Pop—"
A soft sound, like a pebble being thrown into a deep pool.
The violent magic power gathered on the dark spikes was like a mud ox entering the sea, quickly "dispersed," "conducted," and "dissolved" by the water wave force field in a strange way!
The technique of using minimal force to achieve maximum effect.
It is quite obvious that Saruman also went to the East to rob tombs.