Black Hearted Mage

When the furtive figures all crossed the threshold of death, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded. Without warning, they collapsed to the ground, their bodies instantly shattered into a heap of shattered fragments, as if destroyed by some powerful force. Only a few intact sets of leather armor remained on the ground, as if these people had never existed.

The magicians watching the photo shoot stared wide-eyed, faces filled with shock and terror. They couldn't help but shudder. Who could have imagined that this ancient Duchess's cemetery still hid such a terrifying secret? Even though nearly seven thousand years had passed, the protective magic circle here was still powerful enough to easily destroy any intruder.

Kaisas, at the edge of the Frostwind Mountains, also witnessed this bizarre scene. If he hadn't worn the Frost Crown emblem, granting him special privileges, he would have likely suffered the same fate upon entering the cemetery. At that moment, he felt his ancestors were incredibly powerful, having constructed such a terrifying protective array, and he was filled with awe for the Duchess's cemetery.

"This protective magic circle is so weird! I can't sense any fluctuations of magical elements, nor can I see any traces of magic pattern formations. I really can't figure out how it works and how it can last for nearly ten thousand years?" Keynes muttered to himself as he looked at the shadow.

At that moment, Cairns of the Magic Guild emerged from the tent. He walked directly to the massive stone tablet, his eyes fixed greedily on the gemstones embedded within. The gemstones, gleaming with a mysterious light, exuded an alluring charm that was hard for him to resist.

Furthermore, the various precious mage equipment displayed before the statue captivated him, keeping him awake at night. However, Keynes knew that obtaining these treasures would be difficult. They were clearly heavily guarded, and only those who met the conditions for obtaining them could have a chance of obtaining them.

After the night, the day comes.

Last night was definitely not peaceful. Beside the huge stone tablet, there were already dozens of sets of leather armor and armor, and some weapons had fallen to the ground. Their owners were all those who dared to take risks, leaving their lives in front of the stone tablet.

In the morning, many magicians gathered in front of the stone tablet again, whispering about the magic gem embedded in it. Today, the gem seemed to have undergone a subtle change, and the flowing magical light seemed to be stronger.

The material of this stone tablet is very special, it can isolate all magical fluctuations. Many magicians have tried to use magical tentacles to explore it, but without exception, they have failed.

Many magicians speculated that the magic pattern was hidden within the stone tablet, which was unable to detect due to its ability to block magical fluctuations. Trying to break the protective magic circle was just an unrealistic fantasy.

Caesars hid in a secluded place, no longer daring to show his face during the day. Tens of thousands of people had descended on the Duchess's tomb over the past few days, surrounding it in three layers, both inside and outside. It was completely impenetrable. Only in the dead of night could he peer through his telescope.

Most of the magicians from Roland Continent should be here, and the number of mercenaries here is even greater. Together with the Roland Empire's Third Legion, there are already more than 100,000 people outside the Duchess's cemetery.

It was relatively peaceful during the day, but many people died almost every day at night. Some died purely out of greed, while others died to settle personal grudges at night.

On the night of the fifth day, a magical light emanated from the tall, dark stone tablet, and a huge curtain of light appeared. Caesars still didn't know what was on the front of the stone tablet, but he could clearly see the words that appeared on the curtain of light.

To obtain the various treasures outside the cemetery, several conditions must be met. The first condition has already appeared in the light curtain, which requires killing anyone here.

"Although this condition isn't harsh, it's not that simple either. If we're not careful, a melee will break out here!"

The Northland Tower and the Mage Alliance gathered together. Although they were not ready to kill, they had to be on guard against others attacking them. Old Roman was very worried that such a melee would be fatal to the magicians.

Some mercenaries are already scared, especially those who are weak and alone, and they are ready to withdraw.

The nobles and magicians were also worried that if someone took action, the situation would most likely get out of control.

Just as many people were worried, screams were heard, and someone had already started to attack. As someone was killed, the number one appeared on the screen, indicating that this person was qualified to obtain the treasure.

Under the cover of night, all was silent. Only Caesars, hiding in a distant place, silently listened to the sounds of fighting and the clash of weapons from afar. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's in the dark that people are braver!"

At first, the sounds of fighting were sporadic, like a distant battle. Then, they grew increasingly intense. The resounding clash of swords echoed incessantly, filling the entire night with tension and excitement.

As time passed, the brilliance of the spell began to shine in the distance, illuminating the dark night sky. At this moment, the battle became more chaotic, and the shouts, roars, and groans of pain intertwined to form a tragic and majestic melody.

The fighting lasted all night, not stopping until the last moment before dawn. When the light curtain disappeared, some scattered fighting could still be seen.

Caesars didn't know how many people had died that night, but the final number displayed on the screen was over 3,100. This number represented those who had qualified and survived.

The morning sun shone across the earth, awakening the slumbering world. Caesars was already awake, and his first order of business was to enjoy a hearty breakfast and then wash up. After completing these tasks, he stole a glance toward the far side of the cemetery. The sight before him was shocking: corpses littered the ground, a scene literally strewn everywhere.

The dead were numerous, and the injured were even more numerous. Even the Third Legion of the Roland Empire, responsible for maintaining order, had lost hundreds of soldiers last night.

There was no need to count, as Caesars knew in his heart that the number of people who died last night was far more than what was shown on the screen.

At this moment, he had a strong intuition that this bloody fight must be related to his ancestors. His mission was not as simple as simply placing a bottle of elven perfume, but rather triggered a mysterious magic circle that had been hidden for many years, thus opening the prelude to this killing.

After several days of observation, he found no trace of the Thorn Flower Merchants. Perhaps they had already seen through the secrets hidden in the Duchess's Cemetery.

A large number of mercenaries left, leaving behind corpses scattered all over the ground. These corpses no longer had any valuables on them, as they had all been looted by the fleeing mercenaries.

However, there are still some powerful mercenary groups that choose to hold on. Among them, one mercenary group is extraordinary in strength, with more than 3,000 people and 40 to 50 magicians.

Even more surprising was the ratio of heavily armored warriors to archers, which was three to one. Only a regular legion would have such a configuration. Their camp, like a legionary camp, had a tall wooden fence surrounding the tent area and several arrow towers within.

"Damn it! So many people from the Saint Laurent Empire have come. What's going on with the southern border guards?"

In the castle of the Dukedom of Barton, the old duke slammed his desk in a rage. He'd thought five thousand gold coins was a small profit, but he'd never known he'd have thousands of bodies to deal with. He didn't want the duchy to become a mass grave, so he needed to burn the bodies, which required a lot of firewood.

"Old Barton, the south is the territory of the three earls. It's possible that the Imperial Border Guards have been bribed by them. But then again, too many people died yesterday!"

The speaker was the renowned Duke of Solomon, followed by a group of guards. Their main purpose in coming here was to see the treasures in the cemetery. However, to their disappointment, they did not see the treasures first, but instead saw corpses scattered all over the ground.

"We'll know when my butler comes back. He's taking people to transport the bodies now. Oh, I'm really unlucky this time. I'm afraid more people will die tonight. Who knows how many people will die!"

"Old Barton, you really don't know anything about the Duchess's tomb. Why did such an abnormal situation suddenly occur?"

"Solomon, I really know nothing. I only learned about the situation here when I received an urgent message from the butler that day!"

At that moment, the Duchess appeared before everyone. Her presence made Duke Solomon's eyelids twitch, and he looked at Old Barton with a strange look. This old man had once pursued Joanna, but ultimately failed. Now, old and frail, he married a mercenary who bore a striking resemblance to Joanna to fulfill his unrealistic dream.

"Old Barton, why didn't you invite Joanna to the castle?"

"No, there are quite a few people from the Northern Tower here, including over 300 Northern Archers. My castle can't hold so many people!"

This ancient castle is now overcrowded. The guards of the two dukes, plus the people originally belonging to the dukedom, far exceed the reception capacity of the castle.

While Caesar was sleeping, he welcomed the arrival of another night. In the darkness, he walked out of his narrow hiding place and went outside to stretch his hands and feet.

When he saw the huge stone tablet glowing slightly, Caesars knew that today's big drama was about to begin again, but he didn't know how many people would die today.

A massive light curtain appeared above the stone tablet, visible even from miles away. Words appeared on the curtain, revealing the second condition for obtaining the treasure: Kill any member of the hostile faction.

When the people of the Saint Laurent Empire saw the conditions in the light curtain, they began to panic.

"defense!"

Someone suddenly shouted in the Saint Laurent Empire camp. Their heavily armored warriors quickly assembled, methodically taking out their shields and standing by the tents in a defensive posture.

"It's the Hellscreaming Legion of the Saint Laurent Empire!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, instantly recognizing the Saint Laurent Empire's newcomers. They were the renowned Hellscreaming Legion, the Imperial Guard. Directly under the command of the royal family, this legion possessed formidable combat prowess, having achieved remarkable feats in countless battles.

"It seems that a big shot has come from the Saint Laurent Empire. Old Roman, should we take action?"

The speaker was Kandel of the Northern Alchemy Tower, born in the Saint Laurent Empire. His family had been a prominent merchant clan for generations, but they had suffered a tragic tragedy, the mastermind of which was a member of the Saint Laurent Empire's royal family. Consequently, Kandel harbored a deep hatred for the Saint Laurent Empire.

"Kandel, don't worry, we have a whole night. I always feel that we can't take anything here away. The first condition is to kill anyone at random. Nearly ten thousand people died last night. Now we have to kill someone from the hostile forces. If we keep killing like this, there won't be many people left tomorrow!"

Old Roman frowned and spoke in a serious tone, his eyes revealing a hint of worry and vigilance.

"Old Roman, I find it a bit strange too. The more people die, the brighter the gems on the tombstone become. It seems that the deaths of these people are somehow connected to this mysterious place." Kandel agreed.

Both of them felt an inexplicable pressure, and they began to suspect that this place was hiding a greater danger. The Duchess's tomb was already full of mystery and strangeness, and now many treasures have appeared, but it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of these treasures.

"Wait a minute, there are people more anxious than us. I'll activate the defensive formation first. We can't predict the enemy forces, and perhaps someone will attack us!"

Ethan, the master of the Northland Tower, was a master of formations, having studied magic rune arrays for centuries. He removed a dozen metal plates inscribed with magic runes from his space ring and carefully placed them in a circular formation around the tent. These plates radiated a mysterious light, as if imbued with boundless power.

Then, Ethan chanted a spell, and a magical light flashed in his hand, injecting it into the metal plate. With a slight vibration, the defensive magic circle was successfully activated, and a transparent shield enveloped the tent, completely protecting them.

Caesars, observing from a distance through a telescope, noticed people fleeing from the cemetery. It seemed the second condition had frightened many, yet many still chose to remain. However, he was puzzled by the unusual calm in the distance, with no one taking action.

Caesars stared at the telescope until his eyes were almost sore, but there was still no movement in the distance. He sighed helplessly, tossed the telescope aside, and lay down exhausted on a flat boulder. He could no longer leave this place and could only wait and see how things developed.

At this moment, the little black snake finally came back. It swam to the side of Caesar, twisting its body. Caesar noticed that the little black snake's belly was bulging, obviously it had eaten a lot.

He looked at it curiously: "What did you eat? Why is your belly so big?"

The little black snake blinked, seeming a little proud, and burrowed into the fur to avoid the invasion of the cold night.