Advent of the Archmage

Orida Fortress

The fortress army was ready. At daybreak, 20,000 soldiers would depart from the fortress to control the plague in the southern Gladstone City.

The night before they departed, General Abel was frozen on a chair in the corner of his room in the fortress. He grasped his sword and breathed heavily.

Various fantasies of murder flashed past his mind. Like bubbles in boiling water, he couldn’t stop them at all. He had no energy to think about the current situation. The only thing he could do was use all his might to control his thoughts and sit in that chair.

After a long while, his emotions were slightly calmed. I’m going to lose control soon. I wonder if Annie has sent the message... If Master Link received it, he’ll be on his way to the North. If he comes, what should I do?

Panic set in. This was the fear of the impending judgment. No one could wait for death calmly.

Abel had once read countless epics of heroes. He’d seen countless sacrifices with his own eyes too. He had once thought that it was glorious and brave, but when it was up to him, he felt fear.

What does death feel like? I’ve killed so many people. Will my soul fall into the abyss to be devoured by countless demons?

A thought came up in his mind. He’d read the Firuman Epics. One of them was about demons. It described the tragic endings of various bloody killers and what would happen to their souls after death, placing emphasis on the horrible state of hell and the Abyss.

Eloan lay in the pit of poisonous snakes, countlessly bitten by them every day. When his flesh is eaten clean, and he is turned into a white skeleton, his flesh grows back the next day. The snakes come back to continue, and the cycle goes on for an eternity of torment.

This was how Eloan, a tyrant from 700 years ago, suffered in the hell of poisonous snakes. Abel could tell that many details were from the imaginations of the author, but applied to him, he fell into terror.

What if... that was real?

His body trembled as he grasped his sword tightly. The dragon leather around the hilt was cool to the touch. The power surging in his body gave him some sense of security.

But then the image of Link killing the demon army alone reappeared in his mind. Abel now had Legendary power, but after leveling up, he discovered that he could only kill at most 5000 demons in a direct fight. An entire army? That was an unreachable goal.

He is so powerful. I don’t have any chance of surviving. Instead of being killed out of punishment, why don’t I...

He looked at his sword. This was an Epic sword passed down the Abel family. Named the Lion’s Fury, it was an advanced weapon to the average man. But to someone of the Legendary level, it was just like a metal rod.

Supported by his sudden thought, Duke Abel applied some force. He lifted the Lion’s Fury and pointed the dark, cold blade towards his neck.

If he moved his sword, all the evil, all struggles, and all pain would be gone with the wind.

"Coward!" someone exclaimed from the corner.

Duke Abel’s hand shook. The voice killed all the courage in his heart, and the sword fell down. He looked to the source of the voice. A black shadow appeared—it was the woman who had lured him.

This time, he realized she wasn’t alone. There was also a black-haired woman. She stared at him with disdain and sneered. "Molina, is this the killer you mentioned? He looks like a worm to me."

The Naga known as Molina shook her head. "Katyusha, you’re wrong. You don’t know the duke. He just hasn’t thought it through yet. His thoughts have been restricted by too many mundane values. We must help him break through the restrictions so he can release his great potential."

As Molina spoke, her sharp features softened a lot. Swaying her hips, she walked over to Duke Abel and knelt down. Reaching out, she caressed Abel’s face. "Duke, I know you’re in pain. You feel tortured, repenting every night. I know I shouldn’t have guided you onto this path of blood. But if I was wrong..."

Here, Molina’s hand slid down and grasped the duke’s sword. Then she ripped her clothes open at the chest. Two pearly breasts sprang out, and the two red dots stole the duke’s eyes.

Molina pulled the sword to her chest. The dark sword, snowy white skin, and two tall mountains overlapped, forming a heartrending image.

She looked up at the duke, translucent tears rolling out of her eyes. "If I was wrong, kill me now."

"You..." Duke Abel stared at this woman in disbelief. She had led him astray—this much was indisputable. But she’d also given him much power. Abel hated her but seeing her like this, he felt that he couldn’t bring his sword down!

Molina knelt so submissively before Duke Abel and pleaded, "Duke, there are two paths in the world. One is the mortal path. You must always consider everyone’s thoughts, consider their actions. You worry that they want your power. The other path is the undying path of gods. If you follow your own heart and go forward, you will become stronger, stronger, and stronger, until you are immortal. Duke, do not hesitate any more. A mortal’s life is temporary. The Abel family and the Norton Kingdom will turn to ashes. But if you choose the second path, you will stand for eternity."

Duke Abel was convinced. He was a strong-willed man. If the other used some kind of evil plan to tempt him to fall, his self-esteem wouldn’t allow it. He would resist naturally. But now, Molina was begging him and used that type of logic. His inner struggles relaxed greatly.

"But Link is coming. I’m not his match."

Katyusha, who hadn’t said anything all this time, burst into laughter. "Ha, I thought you were worried about something. Take this sword. Replace that crappy thing you have."

She tossed a dark red sword over.

Duke Abel caught it and studied it. The sword was around four feet long and weighed 30 pounds. There were many runes he couldn’t understand carved on the body. If the sword was placed somewhere for a while, dark red fog would rise up around it. The fog thickened and many runes started glowing dimly.

He could feel that this was many times better than the Lion’s Fury sword.

He gently touched the blade to the Lion’s Fury. Cling. The sword was completely unharmed, but the Lion’s Fury was chipped.

"Great sword," Duke Abel couldn’t help but praise.

"Of course it is," Katyusha said. "Its name is Hero’s Dusk and was once a Legendary Assassin’s weapon. Take it. When Link comes, Molina and I will help you take care of him. Also, use the fortress’ army so he won’t dare use wide-ranged attack spells. No matter how powerful he is, he won’t be our match."

Duke Abel hesitated again. He could feel that both Molina and this black-haired Naga were both powerful figures. If the three of them teamed up, threatening the lives of the entire army, they should... probably... maybe could defeat Link?

Katyusha lost her patience. "What are you worried about? Are you really a coward?"

Duke Abel finally made his decision. "Then let’s do it!"

It was strange. When he went all-out and stopped caring about his family’s glory, the fate of the kingdom, and other lofty values or the sins of murder, he instantly felt a long-lost sense of peace.

The chaotic desire to kill disappeared. All that remained was a subtle murderous intent. He could now feel clearly that as long as he wished it, the intent would emerge like a prehistoric beast. It would multiply his combat ability. But when he was calm, it would shrink back, no longer disturbing his rational judgment.

Molina and Katyusha sensed it. They exchanged glances and smiled.

"Congratulations," Molina said. "You’ve successfully stepped foot upon the undying path."

Katyusha smiled too. "This is how a general should be like."

Duke Abel breathed deeply and grasped the Legendary sword. "Link is a hero. He’s the savior of light. He’s filled with light, blinding people. He shouldn’t exist! Since this sword is called Hero’s Dusk, then let this hero die in the North!"

...

The next day, Orida Fortress’ army set out. People had expected 20,000 soldiers, but the number doubled, reaching 40,000. All the elites had left. Only 10,000 new soldiers remained in the fortress.

Before leaving, Duke Abel yelled, "Everyone, the plague has started spreading in Gladstone. We do not have a priest’s cure or a Magician’s fantastical thoughts. We only have the swords in our hands! The priests and Magicians couldn’t resolve this plague, but we will resolve it with our swords!"

The army roared in response to their general.

"Go!" Duke Abel pointed his sword in Gladstone’s direction and galloped forward on his horse.

...

Gladstone

At dawn, Link brought more than 30 priests from Hapsburg to Gladstone. He worked the entire night and finally completed the Divine Power Focal Crystal. He also hurriedly created a spell to rid the plague with some bishops.

As of now, they didn’t know if the spell would be effective. After reaching Gladstone, they went straight to the church.

When the archbishop saw the corpses strewn on the ground, he cried out in pain. "Oh, oh my, these demons!"

Complex emotions filled the eyes of the other priests. There was fear, terror, and horror.

During this, Link already grabbed a group of people from the streets. They had pale complexions, and their eyes were slightly bloodshot. When they walked, they trembled and breathed heavily. These were symptoms of a deep infection.

"Father, time is short. The plague will erupt soon," Link urged. "Hurry and test the spell’s effect!"

Nine out of ten people on the streets of Gladstone were like this. Link could already sense chaos in some corners. He estimated that the plague would erupt in two hours!