Chapter 424: Two Become One

With a sharp CRACK, the mask on Jilannis’s face shattered. The Magic the Moon Elf had been about to complete faltered, having lost its casting medium. A flurry of heavy fists immediately followed, striking the Moon Elf’s chest and abdomen without mercy. Facing such a powerful Caster, Ron didn’t dare hold back; he put his full strength into every blow!

The immense force sent Jilannis stumbling back, but Ron gave her no chance to create distance. His right hand kept a death grip on the Moon Elf’s wrist, ensuring her most vulnerable areas remained exposed to his attacks.

Sending an opponent flying might be a show of force, but keeping them within striking range is the truly deadly tactic!

"Enough!" Trickles of blood seeped from the corners of the Moon Elf’s mouth and from beneath her nose. After several failed attempts to pull away, she finally gave up and instead spat out a word brimming with power that exploded in Ron’s ears. The mental pressure momentarily froze his movements, and seizing this opportunity, Jilannis finally had her chance to counterattack.

"Ron, your choice was most unwise!" Her expression darkened as she pressed her free hand onto his shoulder. The power of a fiery decree was about to surge forth and burn the young human to ash. "Decree!"

"Terminate!"

Just as Jilannis was about to utter the second part of the incantation, a holy light shot from the Holy Emblem in Victoria’s hand and enveloped Ron. His eyes instantly regained their clarity. A faint Gray Mist seemed to seep from his every pore, blanketing his body. As the Gray Mist submerged Jilannis’s hand, the Grand Mage was shocked to find that the effect of her Magic had been forcibly nullified!

’What is this power?!’

Within that Gray Mist, Jilannis sensed an unusual energy—a power that no ordinary mortal could possibly possess!

"A Final Lawgiver?!"

"Everything in this world has a beginning and an end, and Arcane Magic is no exception." The Gray Mist continued to spread from Ron’s body, even obscuring the light generated by their close-quarters fight. His voice was ethereal and indistinct, as if coming from a great distance. "Miss Jilannis, I’m sorry, but I cannot cooperate with you. At least, not with this you."

"Why?!" The Moon Elf’s expression shifted rapidly, her features awash with confusion and bewilderment. "Does that mean you can cooperate with my other self?! We are one person! Surely you’re not so dense as to not understand that!"

"You’d better think this through!" Jilannis retreated quickly, aiming a readied Magic spell at Ron’s companions. "Otherwise, I’ll have to use them as bargaining chips!"

"Of course you’re one person, but you’re different sides of the same person," Ron’s voice was unnaturally calm from within the Gray Mist. "At least the other you wouldn’t try to threaten me with my companions."

"Nor would she allow her teacher to brazenly research the highly aggressive Red Mould."

"I imagine these things are all related to your ultimate goal, aren’t they?"

The Moon Elf’s expression was grim and uncertain, her once-beautiful face now twisted and savage under the blood. "You’re right. This was my first attempt."

"So, your claim that you ’weren’t cut out to be the Magic Queen’ was also a lie. You originally intended to become the leader of those Spore People and use them to achieve your plan. It’s just that the Spore People can hardly be called a proper faction, so you failed."

"Then an unlucky fool happened to present himself, and you decided to use him as a test run," Ron glanced at the Vampire Count. "And then came us."

"And as for your teacher, I suppose he was also part of that failed plan of yours?"

The two Old Elves fell silent. As the ones directly involved, they of course knew the truth—it was exactly as Ron had described.

Resurrection, cloning, modification—the ultimate goal was to create a being that could be called a "true Lord of the Spore People." The normal Old Elf who had been separated out was simply Jilannis’s final, meager gesture of compassion, better than nothing. As for ambushing her other self, that was a plan for later.

"He volunteered!" the Moon Elf snorted. "The one involved hasn’t said a word. What gives you the right to play the hero for him?"

"Jian, I... I was, of course, willing to assist your research," the Old Elf said, a bitter smile on his face as he heard his student’s words. "But if I’d had a choice, I would have much preferred to stay peacefully in my coffin..."

"So that’s what you call ’volunteering’," Ron said, taking a step forward. As Jilannis’s Magic shot from her hand, a wisp of Gray Mist instantly surged forward and devoured it. "And you still try to harm my companions?"

"No," the Moon Elf sneered, watching Ron draw closer. A word overflowing with power erupted from her lips, exploding in Ron’s ears. "My target is you—Death by Decree!"

"Take that Gray Mist and crawl back to the Death Realm!"

Within the Gray Mist, Ron’s figure vanished without a trace, and a cloud of blood erupted in his place, staining the dissipating mist with specks of crimson. Jilannis, however, felt no joy in her victory. Another Sun Flame Burst detonated within the cavern, and if not for the two Old Elves desperately protecting the others, the terrifying Shaping Magic would have killed nearly everyone present.

But when the explosion cleared, two figures stood before Jilannis once more.

One, of course, was Ron. His clothes had been blasted to shreds, and he had sustained considerable injuries, though not enough to completely incapacitate him. The other person was the Jilannis with the Sword-Singing Lion Armor covering her arm!

"You just won’t die!" the Moon Elf exclaimed, shocked and furious. "How did you survive?!"

But that wasn’t what perplexed her most. What she truly couldn’t accept was how her other self had managed to emerge completely unscathed!

"As you said before, connections are a part of one’s strength," Jilannis said with a faint smile. The lion head on her shoulder opened its maw, and a Healing Potion rolled into her other hand. "There was also a Resurrection Magic Scroll in there, but I’ve already used it, so you won’t be seeing that."

"And as for why I am here, and why Sir Ron is still alive—Sir, would you mind showing my other self the fruits of my labor?"

Ron held out his right arm. On his forearm, a dark jade stone glowed with a soft, warm light.

"This creation helps him better integrate Martial Arts and Magic. At the same time, as its creator, I can naturally form a link with it and control it to a degree after we make contact," Jilannis said, slowly closing in on her other self. With her Magic depleted and her Casting Artifact gone, the other elf was no longer a match for her. "Ron may not have touched me, but he was in contact with you for a sufficient length of time just now. We are the same person, after all; it’s just that your half doesn’t know how to use this device."

"By the way, even if you’re obsessed with researching Magic, you should have paid more attention to your Magical Artifact. To think it was shattered by a single headbutt... tsk, tsk."

Like a ceaseless current, Arcane Energy once again flooded the cavern under Jilannis’s guidance, completely enveloping her other self. "Stop struggling. The match is decided. This is a good thing for me—for us—as a whole. I’m sure you’ll agree."

"Right now, the Sword-Singing Lion Armor is just a lifeless object that responds mechanically to my will. This is the perfect chance to flesh it out and adapt it for more functions. We can do it together, just like we used to."