The moment the two of them stepped into the Hell Gate, the treasury was immediately filled with the stench of blood. Amidst the restless magical waves, there were roars and roars that were sometimes near and sometimes far. Through the flickering Hell Gate, everyone could faintly see sinister creatures from Hell. There were evil spirits with flames and blood flowing all over their bodies, demonic children that were spewing thick smoke, hideous and ugly Yakshas …
At first glance, it was a sea of monsters. No one knew which corner of Hell these two Hell Gates led to, but just by looking at these hellish lifeforms, everyone knew that this wasn't a simple battle. Even the weakest Devil was a genuine level 20 lifeform, and there were at least a few dozen of them rushing over, not to mention the scattered Demon Imps and Yakshas, as well as the Cerberus and Hell Warhorses. Even an Archmage would have to peel off a layer of skin if he went in there.
But separated by the two Hell Gates, outsiders simply couldn't know what was happening inside. Everyone could only wait outside the Hell Gate, anxiously waiting for the final result.
Time slowly passed, giving everyone the feeling that it was especially slow. The entire joint exploration team of twenty people didn't say anything. Apart from their breathing and heartbeats, not a single sound could be heard in the treasury.
Everyone was anxiously and depressingly waiting ….
They didn't know how much time had passed, it might have been an hour, it might have been two …
Amidst this stifling wait, Lys was the first to discover that one of the Gates of Hell suddenly flickered.
Then …
Rhys's expression froze.
At the same time, he felt his heart sink.
The first to come out of the Hell Gate was Fran.
'It's over, it's really Fran.'
Fran, who had stepped into the Archmage realm, had an incomparable advantage in this competition of fighting power. Although Merlin's strength was unfathomable, he wasn't a true Archmage in the end. In this competition of fighting power, Fran was the one who had the last laugh.
Although Rhys had been mentally prepared from the start, he still couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile when he saw Fran walking out of the Hell Gate first.
As expected, Fran won …
"Fran …" Lys opened his mouth, but his voice was strangely hoarse. In the end, the dispute over the right to choose magic materials fell into Fran's hands. This was the first time Lys felt so powerless after becoming a Master Alchemist. After shaking his head with a bitter smile, Lys slowly walked forward.
However, just as Rhys was about to admit defeat, the other Hell Gate also flickered.
Following that, a disheveled Lin Yun walked out of the Hell's Gate.
"High Mage Fran, thanks for letting me win."
"Hm?" When Rhys heard this, he couldn't wrap his head around it. What's going on?
Wasn't Fran the one who came out of the Hell Gate first?
Wait a minute …
Something must be wrong. Rhys composed himself and looked up at Fran, who was the first to walk out of the Hell's Gate. At this time, Rhys suddenly noticed that Fran's expression seemed a little off. Normally, Fran should be wearing a victorious smile when he walked out of the Hell's Gate first even if he didn't say a few harsh words to ridicule him.
But Fran's face was ashen …
Especially when Merlin walked out of the Hell's Gate and said, "High Mage Fran, thanks for letting me win." Fran was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on as he jumped up on the spot and shouted, "Mafa Merlin, you cheated!"
"High Mage Fran, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. You think I cheated in front of so many people?" Lin Yun coldly snorted.
"You still say you didn't cheat? Why didn't my Hell Gate have a Hell Core?" Fran stood there with an ashen expression, one finger pointing at Lin Yun, his whole body shaking with anger.
Hearing this, Lys finally understood.
It turned out that Fran, who had walked out of the Hell's Gate first, hadn't actually destroyed the Hell's Heart. From the conversation between the two, it seemed that Fran hadn't found the Hell's Heart at all after entering the Hell's Gate. In other words, Fran's trip had been in vain.
But …
How could the Hell Gate not have a Hell Core?
Lys was a Master Alchemist, and although he hadn't mastered the Hell Gate yet, he had some understanding of this Artisan level array.
The so-called Hell Gate was actually an area carved out of Hell using the power of the array. The Hell lifeforms in that area would become the power guarding the array, and this was all done through the Hell Core. To some extent, the Hell Core was both a mana source and the core of the array.
Even an Apprentice Alchemist that had just started knew that the Hell Gate simply couldn't operate without the Hell Core.
How could Fran not have found the Hell Core?
Lys wasn't the only one who couldn't understand, Fran also couldn't understand.
Thus, Fran made a prompt decision. "No, this doesn't count!"
"…"
Let alone Lin Yun and Lys, the entire joint exploration team was shocked by Fran's words. At this time, disdainful gazes fell on Fran's face. William and Merlin, who were the closest to Lin Yun, directly hissed.
Even Suyass had an ashen expression.
'Shameful, this is truly shameful …'
An esteemed disciple of the Mercury Tower was acting shamelessly in front of so many people. If news of this spread, the entire Mercury Tower would lose face because of Fran.
"If I say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count!" Fran simply didn't care. His eyes were bloodshot as he waved his hands like a crazy gambler, spitting saliva as he clamored, "Mafa Merlin, you must have done something! Otherwise, how could there be no Hell Core in the Hell Gate?"
"High Mage Fran, this is a bit excessive …" Lin Yun scratched his cheek as he looked at Fran, then at Suyass. At this time, he really couldn't understand why there was such a huge disparity between them. They were both from the Mercury Tower and were both Nolan's direct disciples.
Although Suyass was excessively arrogant and would sometimes resort to unscrupulous means for the benefit of the Mercury Tower, there was one thing that was worth praising: Suyass could afford to lose.
As for Fran …
"I'll tell you the truth, Mafa Merlin, this batch of magic materials is mine. Since you didn't abide by the rules and cheated in the Hell Gate, don't blame me for not abiding by the rules!" Fran was already riding a tiger, unable to back down. He had unexpectedly lost the bet he had been sure to win.
But Fran couldn't give up on those magic materials.
Thus, Fran only had one choice left.
Just as he said those words, Fran chanted an incantation and the power of an Archmage was thoroughly displayed. The surrounding mana was suddenly sucked dry, and everyone felt suffocated. They only saw Fran raise his staff and two halos, one of ice and one of fire, flew towards Lin Yun.
"Fran, you dare!" Lys was the first to react. He raised his staff and cast a Runic Shield.
But …
How could a Runic Shield contend against the power of an Archmage? Even if Lys had been famous for a few decades and could stand shoulder to shoulder with Solomon in Thousand Sails City, he was still too weak in front of an Archmage. Just as the Runic Shield was released, the Ice Fire Halo fiercely collided with it. Only a loud explosion could be heard as Lys was sent flying.
A dozen chests filled with magic materials were knocked over by Lys, and all kinds of magic materials fell down, burying Lys in an instant.
"Lys, you actually dare to attack me!" Fran sneered after the Ice Fire Halo missed. He only raised his staff from afar, and an irresistible mana tightly wrapped around Lys amidst the pile of magic materials.
Then, Lys slowly came out of the magic materials and floated in the air. He wanted to struggle, he wanted to gasp for breath, but he couldn't get rid of that terrifying mana. It felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping Lys' throat.
"Originally, I wanted to let you go on account of our past friendship …" At this moment, Fran seemed to have completely changed into a different person. After using magic power to bind Rice, his former friend, his eyes were filled with cruelty and excitement …
"I hadn't expected that you would actually attack me for Mafa Merlin. Good, very good. Since that's the case, I won't be lenient. Now, you can die …" Fran's right hand slowly tightened around his staff, and the mana grabbing onto Lys also slowly increased.
Fran knew that things had already reached this point, and there was no way to resolve it.
He was already standing on the opposite side of the joint exploration team, so what he had to do now was establish his might and let these country bumpkins of Thousand Sails City know that the prestige of an Archmage couldn't be provoked. Even Lys, the leader of Thousand Sails City's Alchemist Guild, would have to pay the price with his life if he provoked him.
"Hmm?" But after a few seconds, Fran felt that something was wrong.
He had already increased his mana output to the limit, so how could Lys still be fine?
No, it wasn't just fine, Lys' situation seemed to be a lot better than before. He was no longer struggling, and his breathing was a lot smoother.
'What's going on?'
Fran's first thought was, 'Could it be that there's a problem with the Crystal Scales? Has the power of an Archmage already left me?
'No, this is impossible …'
But Fran immediately denied this conjecture. He could clearly feel that his power was still at the Archmage realm, and that unprecedented feeling of power was no different from before.
But Lys …
'Why isn't Lys dead?'
"Boom!"
Just as Fran was still in a state of shock, he suddenly saw a ball of flames continuously expanding in front of him. 'Hell, that's a Flame Burst!' Fran was startled and couldn't be bothered with Lys for a moment. He withdrew the mana binding Lys and cast an Elemental Shield.
That was a defensive spell that only Archmages could master. It contained the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Whether it was a physical or magical attack, it had an unbreakable defensive ability. In comparison, a High Mage's Runic Shield was like a child's toy.
But Fran hadn't expected that such an unbreakable defensive spell like the Elemental Shield would be as fragile as a piece of paper in front of that Flame Burst. Fran only felt his vision blur, and before he could clearly see what was going on, the Flame Burst had already passed through the Elemental Shield.
It then heavily smashed into Fran's chest.
This was a lot more powerful than the Ice Fire Halo that had hit Lys.
A dazzling flame blossomed, and Fran was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, dragging a trail of flames behind him as he flew several dozen meters away.
"I told you, High Mage Fran, you are a bit excessive …"
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