With each step, he could feel the surrounding abyssal energy increasing.

These energies were like long-lost friends, actively drawing closer to him, encircling him, forming a strange resonance.

"Bloodline Altar... this imprisoned 'mini-abyss'..."

The Holy Disc murmured softly, a near-pitying emotion in its voice: "Today, I shall grant you freedom."

Passing through several ruined corridors, he finally reached the core area of the control node—a vast circular space where an ancient stone platform stood in the center, engraved with intricate runes and patterns.

Surrounding the stone platform were twelve towering crystal pillars, each emitting a blood-red glow, reflecting the entire space in a hellish, bizarre manner.

The most eye-catching feature was the huge red crystal suspended above the stone platform.

That was the core of the control node, the key to sealing abyssal energy, established by the Great Wizard of Crystal Tower when transforming this small space.

Complex energy patterns flowed over the crystal's surface, like some ancient and mysterious language, recording secrets unknown.

Mutated eyes greedily stared at the crystal, tongue unconsciously licking cracked lips.

At that moment, a subtle magic fluctuation came from behind.

The Holy Disc's lips curled into a cold grin.

He did not turn around immediately but exhaled gently, allowing the abyssal energy within him to retract slightly.

No need to reveal all his power immediately—the Apostle's Power is like precious nectar, each drop invaluable, used up one less.

"It seems the school's defenses are even tighter than I expected." The Holy Disc calculated in his mind:

"That old fox Soron, indeed remains vigilant at such a crucial moment."

"Intruder, state your purpose." Soron's voice came from the entrance, steady and wary.

The Holy Disc slowly turned, deliberately hiding his mutated right side in the shadows, revealing only the left half that retained human features.

This half-hidden approach, more than a fully mutated image, was likely to confuse and intrigue the opponent.

"Soron... long time no see."

The Holy Disc's voice deliberately maintained a certain familiar tone, with a rhythm reminiscent of past encounters, yet subtly mixed with a hum unique to the abyss:

"You look more... worn out than the last time we met."

With the boost from the Apostle's Power, he clearly sensed Soron's energy fluctuation—Morning Star Level peak, strong but still far behind Valen at Dark Sun Level.

Most importantly, Soron was clearly exhausted at the moment, his energy fluctuations carrying a weak sense of disorder, obviously due to recent excessive exertion without recovery.

"That voice... seems like..."

Soron's gaze sharpened: "Zote? Impossible... aren't you already..."

"Dead?" The Holy Disc sneered, deliberately turning his face toward the light.

Allowing Soron to see his half-familiar, half-twisted face:

"Disappeared, left, fallen... people always like to use those terms for colleagues who choose different paths."

The Holy Disc emitted a piercing laugh, like nails scraping across glass.

He spread his arms, as if displaying some kind of trophy, showing off his mutated body:

"However, I've gained the Supreme Apostle's favor, acquiring power enough to destroy your school!"

Soron's expression immediately turned serious.

"Apostle... Supreme Apostle of the Eye of the Abyss?"

Being a seasoned Official Wizard, Soron instantly realized the gravity of the situation.

A Supreme Apostle isn't a regular Awakened, but the top leadership of that terrifying organization, each possessing power comparable to a Great Wizard.

The Holy Disc could see the shock and fear flash in Soron's eyes, exactly the effect he desired.

In a duel between Wizards, psychological advantage is sometimes more critical than the strength of magic power.

And now, Soron's emotional fluctuations had begun to affect his magic power stability.

The Holy Disc keenly sensed this wavering, continuing his psychological offensive:

"Soron, we've worked together for years, aren't you curious? Curious as to why I would choose the Path to the Abyss? Curious why more and more Wizards are abandoning so-called 'orthodoxy' for the path of the Awakened?"

With each sentence, he deliberately infused a special frequency wave into his tone.

As a Curse Series Wizard, this was his ace skill—the "Word Spirit Disturbing Heart Technique," capable of attacking specific thoughts and disrupting the target's cognitive coherence.

"Enough, Zote!" Soron stopped him harshly, yet inadvertently exposed his emotional fluctuation:

"Regardless of who you once were, now you've fallen into an abyssal puppet, pointless to say more."

Saying this, Soron began forming seals, the starting gesture for "Multi-layered Twisting Shield," a generally effective Universal Protective Magic.

The Holy Disc knew he couldn't give the opponent more time.

"Multi-layered Twisting Shield? Tsk tsk, you still fancy flashy magic."

The Holy Disc's seven eyes rotated simultaneously, deep inside the pupils flashed a bizarre red light:

"Unfortunately, you're no longer in peak condition. Maintaining the Bloodline Altar node drained too much of your vitality, didn't it?"

Soron's action paused slightly, the Holy Disc knew he hit the nail on the head.

Ron's recent promotion just occurred, and the entire Black Mist School's upper echelon expended substantial energy for it.

Especially Soron, as the one assigned to maintain the Bloodline Altar, his spiritual power must have been massively depleted.

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