Chapter 478: Clash of Two Legends

"Boom!"

Facing the fortress belonging to Roland that had erupted from some unknown corner of the void, the white-haired youth showed no intention of meeting it head-on, choosing instead to evade without hesitation. The dagger, held fast in the grip of Kieran, the Pope of the Church of Light, had to be abandoned in the process.

The massive fortress slammed into the emptiness, yet it produced a thunderous roar as if striking solid ground. Upon its arrival, the material domain that Wang Yu had once sensed within the void manifested alongside the living fortress, blanketing the surrounding area.

"I shall take this for now."

The Pope of the Church of Light grasped the dagger, speaking as he tucked it away. Since he had secured it, there was no reason to return it.

It must be said that Roland’s skill in "piloting" the fortress was truly remarkable; it grazed the Pope’s body at high speed, yet the colossal structure did not so much as brush him, merely forcing the white-haired youth to retreat.

"Roland, indeed. It makes sense; no matter what, you were bound to oppose us. After all, strictly speaking, it was we who 'betrayed' you, wasn't it?"

The white-haired youth did not grow angry or flustered at the loss of the dagger. He simply drew an identical blade from beneath his robes. It seemed the Utopia organization was well-prepared with such items for these deities.

"Ha, that hardly qualifies as betrayal. Everything you did merely delayed my path to understanding the truth. In the end, I found the answers, and the path you chose is one I can never tolerate."

From within the massive fortress came the steady, grave voice of a middle-aged man. If the white-haired youth was not speaking nonsense, this was the legendary greatest wizard of humanity, Roland. His age seemed to align with the time since he had vanished from all records.

"Such a vast domain, powerful enough to carve a material realm out of the void. It seems that of the three paths, you have chosen the path of the material world, Roland. A truly troublesome enemy indeed."

The white-haired youth paced slowly through the void, the dagger dancing between his hands as he sought an opening. Even with the presence of the greatest wizard standing against him, he showed no signs of surrender.

"Since you have found the answer and chosen your path, you should understand the significance of what Utopia is doing. Your interference will only bring about a greater catastrophe."

The white-haired youth’s tone turned serious as he addressed the fortress, questioning Roland’s motives.

"Sura, it would be better if you were dead."

Roland ignored the youth’s words entirely. Calling him by name, he launched his assault. The combat style was simple: he expanded the fortress’s immense domain to envelop Sura’s body and pressed down upon him.

Long ages had granted these beings ample time for reflection; their conviction in their own actions had long since solidified. How could they possibly harbor self-doubt now, because of a few words from an opponent?

"Casting spells? Casting spells in the void? This is truly a novel experience. Roland, perhaps your choice is indeed the correct one!"

He raised his hand, and in an instant, countless brilliant magic circles manifested before the white-haired youth. As a legendary figure in his craft, his mastery over mana was beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings.

To him, mana was a series of strings to be plucked at will; a mere flick of his fingertips turned these currents into notes, performing any spell he desired.

Eighth-tier spells were as cheap as fourth or fifth-tier ones in his hands. With a casual wave, dozens of eighth-tier spells were unleashed. Within Roland’s material domain, the restrictions of the void were lifted.

A vast expanse of earth rose from nothingness, its volume dwarfing Roland’s fortress, which looked like a small cottage atop a mountain.

Simultaneously, purple electric arcs covered the entire area of this earthen construct. Under the influence of gravity magic, the mass was continuously compressed and solidified during its collision with the fortress.

Azure streams of light flickered across the earth—the eighth-tier time spell known as Chrono-Shift, which accelerated everything within its area of effect.

This allowed Sura to complete a complex hybrid of eighth-tier spells at nearly ten times the normal speed. If one were to define a tier above the eighth, excluding the mere piling of raw power, this technique could be called a ninth-tier spell. At the very least, it was beyond the eighth.

A super-eighth-tier spell? Endless Earth. The extremely dense matter constructed by gravity was merely the vessel; the true destructive power lay in the elemental mana mixed into the foundation.

With an indescribable hue, elements beyond the known classification merged, not into chaos, but into a perfect, self-sustaining equilibrium of constant transformation.

The entangled elemental torrent formed an artificial Möbius strip, a cycle of unstoppable destruction. Anything caught within would perish in this eternal loop, the source of the spell’s power.

"Boom!"

Endless Earth collided with Roland’s fortress. An unimaginable explosion of energy erupted at the point of impact. The walls of the fortress, in contact with the elemental cycle, began to disintegrate rapidly. Yet, the fact that it could withstand such a spell without being instantly vaporized was absurd. It was fortunate they were in the void; otherwise...

"What an unimaginably strong 'body.' To think it could go toe-to-toe with this spell! You discarded your original form, but gained such terrifying 'mass' in return. Are you still a wizard, Roland?"

A bright, indescribable smile played on Sura’s face as he spoke incessantly to the crushing fortress.

"Ha, you used an artifact, didn't you?"

Roland ignored the content of Sura’s words, continuing to grind the fortress against the Endless Earth spell as he spoke.

"You saw through it? Well, I suppose, even though I said we shouldn't rely on these things we haven't fully researched, there are some things I must accomplish that force me to abandon my principles."

Sura wore a smile that held a trace of helplessness. Yes, he had used an artifact. Within his chest lay a translucent bottle with a large body and a tiny neck—a "Klein Bottle."

Artifact: Klein Bottle. Its effect was the endless output of any "energy" the holder had previously touched. Sura was drawing upon the purest stream of mana he had ever created, granting his spellcasting near-infinite supply.

"Clack, clack, clack!"

The outer shell of Roland’s fortress peeled away in layers, revealing an even sturdier, denser inner layer. With absolute force, it began to break the elemental cycle of the Endless Earth, shattering the spell from within.

"Truly an unbelievable power. In this case, I’d best not think of opposing you directly."

Watching the fortress smash through his spell, Sura sighed and completed another incantation. The energy provided by the Klein Bottle was sufficient for another super-eighth-tier spell.

A silver streak of light washed over Sura, freezing his state in time and transforming him into a form detached from the material world. The outside world could no longer interfere with him, nor could he affect it—perhaps the ultimate defensive ability in the realm of magic.

Super-eighth-tier spell: Beyond the Firmament. It stripped the caster from the material world for a time, leaving behind an impenetrable "filler" in their place.

In the next moment, Roland’s fortress crushed the Endless Earth and slammed into Sura’s displaced form. Yet, the power capable of pulverizing a super-eighth-tier spell could not affect him in this state.

However, locked within himself, Sura could no longer interfere with the outside world, which did not help him achieve his goal.

"Boom!"

At that very moment, several massive black shadows emerged in the surrounding void, rushing madly toward the surface of the void—the realm of the material world. They were the towers of the Utopia organization...

These towers were of little consequence; what was truly horrifying were the chaotic entities roaring in pursuit: dozens of Void Evil Gods!

The collective consciousness within these towers held an irresistible attraction for the Void Evil Gods. They had chased the towers, clearly used as bait by Utopia, to this place—the domain of the God of Light.

"Hum!"

The moment the Void Evil Gods arrived, the power of the God of Light activated automatically. The energy contained within that massive sphere of light enveloped the void, locking onto every Evil God within its perception.

These gods were, without doubt, "evil"—a fact recognized by all normal intelligent races and every follower of the God of Light. Thus, the God of Light would inevitably move to annihilate these entities that dared appear before Him.

Under the solemn gaze of the Pope of the Church of Light, blinding golden radiance instantly engulfed the Void Evil Gods. It was the power of the God of Light, a force beyond the Pope’s control.

At this moment, the chaotic void energy was finally detected by the Sky Mechanical City and the Lady of Night. Urgent warning signals flashed across the intelligence network of the Five-Race Alliance.

The Sky Mechanical City did not hesitate to activate all power systems of the main city, entering the pre-heating phase for its long-range spatial transfer array, doing everything in its power to reach this point of void turbulence.