Evelyn pushed her magic to its limit, racing forward at full speed while praying nonstop for Ryan, hoping only that she could arrive before he encountered mortal danger.

  At the border between Snowmere City and Penney City.

  In the area where Ryan stood, the sky was filled with blood red specks. They were not some strange celestial phenomenon, but a mist of blood formed from crushed human flesh. A heavy stench of gore hung thick in the air.

  Ryan's right hand was covered in ferocious dragon scales as it clenched the ultimate ice sword. He threw his head back and burst into wild laughter.

  His upper body was bare, his skin riddled with wounds of varying depths. Around his blood splattered neck hung a Soulweaver's Pendant that emitted a faint glow.

  His left arm was already gone entirely. Blood gushed uncontrollably from the severed stump, soaking the ground beneath him, yet Ryan seemed to feel nothing at all. There was only madness etched across his face.

  Under his boot lay a High Mage.

  "You wanted to hunt me down?" Ryan said hoarsely, his voice like a demon whispering its way up from hell.

  He stared down at the man beneath his foot with a savage grin, making his presence all the more terrifying and oppressive.

  "Don't kill me! I'm willing to swear loyalty to you as my master!"

  The High Mage pinned to the ground writhed frantically, begging for mercy, despair flooding his voice.

  Scattered around them were countless fragments of flesh. They were called fragments only because every pursuer had been cleaved into blood mist by Ryan's ultimate ice sword, leaving nothing but fine shreds of meat across the ground.

  "Do you think I need trash like you?" Ryan's lips curled into a cruel arc.

  He slowly lifted the ultimate ice sword resting against the man's neck, then brought it down in a single decisive slash.

  The head rolled across the ground as blood sprayed outward, staining Ryan's trouser legs crimson.

  "Arrogant brat! After slaughtering so many, you deserve death!"

  Just as Ryan was about to relax for even a moment, a heavy voice suddenly descended from above.

  He snapped his head up, a trace of solemnity flashing through his eyes. It was the noble patriarch, a Ninth tier Archmage.

  Ryan locked eyes with the man in the sky. His once handsome face was now speckled with red dots of congealed blood mist, his entire body drenched in gore.

  His battered and wretched appearance stood in stark contrast to Tharok, the noble patriarch above, clad in an ornate robe trimmed with gold, his aura steady and commanding.

  So the Archmage finally made his move, Ryan thought grimly.

  He had anticipated this long ago. A legendary weapon and the secret of the little Drake were more than enough to tempt a being of this level. An Archmage had surely been lurking in the shadows.

  Now that things had come to this, there was only one path left.

  A fight to the death.

  Ryan hurriedly checked the four items he had obtained from the earlier draw.

  After only a brief glance, he erupted into another fit of crazed laughter, a vicious grin spreading across his face as he fixed his gaze on Tharok in the air.

  The Card of Supreme Luck truly lived up to its name.

  Every single item drawn under the blessing of fate this time was a golden legendary tier treasure.

  In the million tier prize pool, the chance of drawing a golden item was only one percent to begin with.

  Yet under the amplification of supreme luck, that probability had soared to nearly absolute certainty.

  A surge of fierce confidence rose in Ryan's heart. As long as he paired it with the card he had just drawn and stored in his storage space, he could wield the terrifying power of the ultimate ice sword without suffering any backlash.

  In other words, he had the ability to kill Tharok, the Archmage before him.

  Tharok, suspended in midair, locked his gaze firmly onto Ryan, his face filled with caution. This boy was already on the brink of death, yet he was still laughing wildly. He clearly had something to rely on.

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  "I only wanted to reclaim what belongs to me. Your daughter insisted on trying to kill me, and I was forced to fight back," Ryan said.

  Killing intent surged around him like a tide. That ferocious aura made even Tharok, an Archmage, feel a chill in his heart.

  "Besides, I did not kill her at all. Are you truly willing to fight me to the death over something like this?"

  This child must be eliminated. If not, he will become a grave threat in the future. The thought flashed through Tharok's mind.

  "Withdraw now, and all grudges between us will be wiped clean. Otherwise, one day I will raze your entire clan to the ground." Ryan's voice carried a demonic pressure.

  His right arm, on the verge of exploding, held the ultimate ice sword aloft, his blood red eyes locked onto Tharok in the sky.

  At the same time, part of his mental focus remained fixed on his storage space, watching that trump card he had drawn. This was the true source of his arrogance.

  【Invincible Defense Magic Card】

  【Effect: Upon activation, grants one minute of invincible defense. During this state, the user is immune to all attacks below the Grand Magus level. Only attacks from a Grand Magus can break through the defense.】

  This was undoubtedly a golden legendary tier magic card. Below the Grand Magus level, it granted absolute invincibility. Even an Elder Mage would be unable to harm him in the slightest.

  With this card, he could fully rely on the invincible state to force his way out while safely wielding the ultimate ice sword.

  As for killing Tharok? One minute of invincibility would pass in the blink of an eye. Once the effect ended, Tharok could crush him with a single strike.

  Moreover, this card provided only defensive effects and no offensive enhancement.

  Though the ultimate ice sword was a legendary weapon, he was ultimately not a Grand Magus. Escaping alive with the help of the card was already the limit.

  Tharok hovered in the air, looking down at the blood soaked Ryan, hesitation flickering through his mind.

  This youth possessed terrifying combat power and overwhelming fortune. If he was not killed today, once he grew stronger, he would surely become a massive threat.

  But in his current state, exhausted and gravely wounded with a severed left arm, did he truly still have a hidden trump card?

  A trace of mockery flashed through Tharok's heart, though his expression remained calm as he pretended to ponder seriously.

  In truth, his purpose for coming here had never been his injured daughter.

  What truly interested him was the rumor that this boy possessed a legendary weapon and was blessed with immense fortune. Such a heaven defying opportunity naturally drew him here for a share.

  Now he had arrived at the perfect moment. Ryan's strength was depleted, his body gravely injured. It was the ideal chance to seize the legendary weapon and harvest his fortune.

  Suddenly, Tharok no longer hesitated. Magic gathered in his palm as he struck out with a fierce slap.

  Greed for the ultimate ice sword was undisguised in Tharok's eyes as he dove straight down toward Ryan, determined to seize both the legendary weapon and the fortune bound to it.

  "I'll kill you!" Ryan's pupils shrank as he watched the roaring palm strike descend. With a thought, he was about to crush the Invincible Defense Magic Card inside his storage space.

  But an even more terrifying attack arrived faster than his action. That attack was not aimed at him at all. It went straight for Tharok in midair.

  A gigantic palm of magic infused with chaotic aura swept past above Ryan's head at a speed beyond naked eye perception.

  The palm strike Tharok had unleashed was like paper before the chaotic giant hand. It was instantly annihilated, vanishing without a trace.

  The chaotic giant hand did not slow in the slightest. Carrying world shattering might and chilling killing intent, it shot toward the diving Tharok, clearly intent on killing him on the spot.

  A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth. Before Ryan could even react, a soft figure suddenly slammed into him, knocking him flat to the ground.

  He froze in shock. A faint icy fragrance lingered at his nose, and a delicate softness pressed beneath him, making him momentarily forget the danger he was in.

  At the same time, another tall figure instantly blinked in front of them. A magic barrier shimmering with chaotic light formed in his palm, steadily blocking the shockwaves spreading from the explosion.

  Ryan stared blankly upward at the figure shielding them, and at the terrifying curtain of light erupting in the distance. His mind went completely blank.

  Terrifying waves of chaotic aftermath swept over them one after another. Fortunately, the magic barrier in front of that figure cut them off, preventing them from being affected.

  What stunned Ryan was not this world destroying power, but the information that Grimoire suddenly displayed about that back figure:

  【Grand Magus Corpse】

  【Identity: Corpse of Ryan's Eighth Life / Evelyn's Grand Magus Puppet】

  【Magic Rank: Grand Magus】

  Ryan was utterly dumbfounded. He stared at that familiar yet alien back, not even registering the soft body still pressing against him.

  The corpse of his eighth life? And it had become Evelyn's Grand Magus puppet?

  A dull explosive sound rang out, the sound of flesh being torn apart by chaotic magic, as if limbs were bursting apart right in front of them.

  Wave after wave of chaotic energy swept through. The power of this strike was so immense that everyone in both Snowmere City and Penney City could clearly see the aftermath.

  When the violent chaotic gale finally dissipated, the form of the Grand Magus corpse shrank into a small humanoid shape glowing with chaotic light. It slowly flew into Evelyn's mental domain space and vanished.

  As for the hundreds of kilometers around them, the land had already been reduced to ruin. The city walls of both cities had been shattered by the shockwaves.

  Fortunately, by the time the chaotic aftermath reached the city walls, its power had weakened significantly and was ultimately blocked by several Archmages working together.

  Even so, every Archmage involved had expended most of their magic power, their reserves completely drained, leaving them unable to investigate the situation at the center of the battlefield.

  Even if they had retained some strength, none of them dared to approach.

  That was the pressure of Grand Magus level magic, utterly irresistible and impossible to withstand, and this was only a single strike unleashed by Evelyn controlling the Grand Magus corpse.

  At the center of the battlefield, warm liquid dripped onto Ryan's neck, then onto his chest and abdomen.

  Ryan hurriedly looked down. Evelyn, who was pressing down on him, slowly raised her head as well. Her beautiful eyes, streaked with bloodshot veins, instantly met his gaze.