Chapter 552 - 377: Deterrence and Communication

Five thousand miles east of the Anoroya Continent.

This place was shrouded in a gray fog. In the center of the misty sea was a lone island with a surface of less than a thousand square meters, made of black rock where nothing grew.

Above the island, the gray fog suddenly parted, and a pillar of brilliant white light descended from the heavens.

A figure in a plain white Long Robe emerged from the pillar of light. His face was veiled by a hazy Holy Light. It was none other than "Endless Holy Light," Endos Holi.

He landed on a flat stretch of Black Rock, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. The gray fog automatically receded for over thirty yards in every direction around him.

"Endos, punctual as ever." A coarse voice suddenly came from the right.

As soon as the words fell, space distorted and a dark red figure appeared.

This was a burly middle-aged man wearing an Adventurer-style suit of dark red Leather Armor. His bare right arm was tattooed with the image of a strange Fierce Beast.

His eyes were crimson, and his aura was savage and violent, as if he had just returned from a bloody battlefield. This was—

Louis Kro, the Morning Star Wizard of the Immortal Heart.

"You weren’t slow either, Louis." Endos’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

Louis grinned, baring his bone-white teeth. "So, the ’Eternal Fierce Sun’ took the initiative to invite us for a meeting. Interesting..."

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes. "I’d like to see what gives a newly promoted little whelp like him such confidence."

Before he could finish, the gray fog to the left suddenly shimmered with an emerald green halo, and a Witch in a pale green dress slowly stepped out.

She appeared to be in her early thirties, with a gentle face and long, dark brown hair tied back casually with a vine. A vibrant life force radiated from her, and where she stood, several sprouts of green moss even began to grow on the Black Rock beneath her feet.

Tessa Cameron, the Morning Star Wizard of the Embrace of Nature.

"Louis, put away those little tricks of yours." Tessa’s voice was soft, but her tone was blunt.

"Every Morning Star has their own exceptional qualities."

Louis grunted but didn’t argue. The three of them stood in a triangle, each a hundred meters apart.

The air fell silent, leaving only the SPLASHING of the waves.

In the Void, Ian gazed at the eastern sea horizon. Gaga hid in Ian’s shadow, looking a little nervous.

"Ian, do you think those three will team up against us?"

"They won’t." Ian’s tone was certain. "At most, they’ll probe us. They won’t make a real move."

"Back in the ancient era, the Supreme Wizard Alliance established a clear rule: Wizards at or above the Morning Star rank, regardless of their race, are strictly forbidden from engaging in battles to the death within this world."

This was information he had obtained from the Justice Clan. The power of a Morning Star was simply too immense. A single casual strike could destroy vast swathes of land and alter the very terrain. The world simply couldn’t withstand it.

Those who defied this rule would be hunted down by the Supreme Wizard Alliance.

This was a colossal entity that stood above all other Wizard Organizations, co-founded by numerous True Spirit Wizards to ensure the survival of the Wizard Civilization.

"Let’s go. They’ve arrived." Ian withdrew his gaze, and his figure vanished from the spot.

Above the lone island, the gray fog suddenly began to churn violently.

A crimson light shone out from the depths of the misty sea. The fog instantly dissolved, turning into pure, rising steam.

A figure emerged from the blazing red halo. He wore a dark gray Long Robe, his expression was calm, and perched on his shoulder was a small, jet-black bird.

Ian landed in the center of the Black Rock, facing the three Morning Star Wizards in a four-way standoff.

The moment he landed, four immense Wills collided in silence.

The gray fog surrounding the island completely dissipated, revealing a clear sky and an azure sea.

The waves calmed, the wind ceased, the clouds stilled. It was as if this entire space had been carved out from the rest of the world.

"I’ve kept you three waiting." Ian was the first to speak, his voice gentle.

Endos’s pupils contracted. For the first time, his face, veiled in Holy Light, showed a flicker of change.

"Eternal Fierce Sun... You are truly worthy of the name."

Louis narrowed his eyes, studying Ian with an unreadable expression.

Tessa, however, gave a slight nod, a friendly smile on her face. "Your Excellency, Marcus, congratulations on your promotion."

"I have invited you three here today, first, to address a matter from the past."

Ian’s gaze swept over the three of them one by one, finally landing on Louis.

"Your Excellency, Kro, a few years ago in the ruins of the Star Spirit Race, I killed Wizard Gunnar of your organization."

As his words fell, the air seemed to freeze. The smile on Louis’s face vanished, and his eyes turned dangerous.

"Oh?"

He took a step forward, his dark red aura erupting like a volcano. "You killed a member of my Immortal Heart, and you dare bring it up yourself?"

Endos and Tessa remained silent, merely watching. This was a grudge between Ian and Louis; they would not interfere.

Ian’s eyes were as calm as still water, his expression unchanging.

"In a struggle over ruins, life and death are left to fate. If Your Excellency, Kro, feels an explanation is needed... I can provide one."

With that, the crimson halo around Ian suddenly expanded. The Thermal Energy Rule flowed around him, cloaking him like a crimson robe.

The air instantly distorted and light bent around him. The Black Rock beneath his feet began to glow red and soften. The range of his Domain reached a thousand miles!

Such a solidified Rule Domain, with such a vast range, made the three Morning Star Wizards’ expressions shift slightly.

Louis’s pupils shrank. The terrifying Energy contained within that crimson halo was simply not something a newly ascended Morning Star could achieve. ’This Domain is as condensed as steel!’ he thought.

What was even more terrifying was that even at the very edge of the halo, the structure of the Rule was appallingly dense.

There was no leakage, no hint of instability.

It was like a true Fixed Star, locking all of its Energy and Rules firmly within its own Domain.

’This level of Control Power...’ A storm raged in Louis’s heart. He knew he couldn’t achieve this unless he had the support of a Wizard Tower.

His own Rule Domain extended six hundred miles at most, and the structure at its edges was relatively loose.