"Crack."

Wizard Vadrak and Wizard Bella had already closed their eyes in acceptance of their demise, yet the scorching flames did not reach them. Conversely, they felt a chill and they could not help but shiver.

Thus, Wizard Vadrak and Wizard Bella opened their eyes to find that an icy gust of air had appeared before them, immediately freezing Donaugh's Flaming Ray. They were saved!

"Heh heh, Gray Wing Alliance is getting bolder and bolder these days. You dare act against members of my Fort Udon?"

At this point, a Spell Caster with an aged appearance slowly walked out from the crowd. He eyed Wizard Bella and Wizard Vadrak as he spoke in a raspy voice.

"Hmm, it's a Spell Caster from Fort Udon?"

Looking at this aged Wizard, the opposing Spell Casters from Gray Wing Alliance felt that the situation had become somewhat troublesome.

On the Kurdmansla Islands, Gray Wing Alliance possessed tremendous power. However, if there was anything Gray Wing Alliance was afraid of, it would be Fort Udon.

It was tricky to handle people from Fort Udon because fighting against one of them would result in the other Spell Casters of Fort Udon to be unsparing and unrelenting in their combined retaliation.

This was Fort Udon's best characteristic. They were extremely united internally, and Gray Wing Alliance would not want to provoke them.

"They've yet to become Spell Casters of Fort Udon!"

With a gloomy face, Donaugh was unable to stop himself from protesting in a low voice.

The aged Wizard remained calm, and coldly said, "Since they've already decided to join Fort Udon, they are Wizards of Fort Udon! What? Those from Gray Wing Alliance now dare to openly attack us Wizards from Fort Udon on this island?"

As soon as he spoke, a few Spell Casters rushed out from behind. They were wearing black robes just like the aged Wizard, only theirs were marked with a symbol indicating their rank. They were Expert black-robed Spell Casters, on the level of Third-level Spell Casters!

"Bordeaux, all of you at Fort Udon mustn't be unreasonable too. These two aren't in Fort Udon. If you still want to stick your nose in, hmph, then don't blame me if I don't hold back!"

From behind Donaugh, out walked a tall Spell Caster with a scraggly beard who had a dangerous air around him.

"Vlaar?"

The expression of the aged Wizard, whose name was Bordeaux, shifted slightly upon seeing the Spell Caster with the scraggly beard. He knew that this Spell Caster who looked extremely dangerous was called Vlaar, a formidable Wizard. Vlaar was a Fourth-level Spell Caster in Gray Wing Alliance.

Wizard Bordeaux knew that Vlaar was a Fourth-level Spell Caster, and that even if they all joined forces, they might be no match for him. Nonetheless, Wizard Bordeaux still gnashed his teeth and laughed coldly. "Wizard Vlaar, it's not like you don't know how Fort Udon is like. If we simply watched without doing anything, then in the future, what else would there be left for Fort Udon? We've never abandoned a fellow comrade!"

Wizard Bordeaux's inspiring words made Merlin's heart trembled slightly. Although he had previously heard that the Wizards of Fort Udon were extremely united, he had never seen how this unity looked like in real life.

Currently, Bordeaux and the other Spell Casters were demonstrating something authentic. Even if they were aware that they would not win, they still did not abandon their comrades. In the world of Spell Casters, "comrades" are hard to come by. For instance, in the case of Donaugh and Wizard Yalen, the latter had given Donaugh so much assistance, teaching him in his cultivation.

However, Donaugh killed Wizard Yalen in the end. In the world of Spell Casters, this was the common realistic and cruel occurrence. Conversely, it was the absolute unity of Fort Udon, the somewhat unquestioning defense of comrades that was rarely seen.

"Bordeaux, I wonder how you'll save them today? Bind!"

Wizard Vlaar barked out a cold laugh, his eyes tinged with fury. Thereafter, he cast a Wind-type Binding spell, restricting the movements of Bordeaux and the other Spell Casters in a flash.

Although Wizard Vlaar was rather enraged, he was not brazen enough to kill Bordeaux and the other Wizards from Fort Udon. However, Bella and Vadrak were different as they were not officially Spell Casters of Fort Udon. Therefore, Wizard Vlaar fixed his gaze on them, his eyes filled with cold murderous intent.

"Donaugh, go on!"

Seeing that Wizard Vlaar had made his move and bound Bordeaux and the other Spell Casters, Donaugh gradually began to relax. When he looked toward Bella and Vadrak once more, his face broke out into a cruel smile.

"Vadrak and Bella, give it up, and die!"

Donaugh attacked once again, and he cast Flaming Ray a few consecutive times. The scorching flames filled the air and thundered toward the two Wizards. Donaugh had learned from his last attack and left no chance for Bella and Vadrak to survive, going straight in for the kill.

Vadrak and Bella exchanged a glowering glance at Donaugh but it was of no use. They saw that even the Wizards of Fort Udon were restricted, and were unable to help them at all.

"It looks like there's really no hope this time around. Bella, it's all my fault, being unable to avenge Wizard Yalen, and unable to protect you…"

Vadrak shook his head and looked toward Bella with a profound expression, resolutely facing the furious flames which covered the entire sky…

...

"Earth Veil!"

Following the command of an icy voice, the wide-ranging flames crashed into Bella and Vadrak. However, their bodies had been covered in a veil of dirt-yellow light.

Under the protection of this veil of light, no matter how furious the flames raged on, they were unable to hurt Bella and Vadrak.

"Who did this?"

Seeing that he had not killed Bella and Vadrak, Donaugh's face darkened even further as he scanned the crowd.

It was not only Donaugh but even Vadrak and Bella were full of astonishment. They exchanged a glance, each feeling a trace of elation that they were not yet dead.

"Who is it that saved us?"

Bella and Vadrak were searching for this person as well. They had closed their eyes earlier as they awaited their deaths, so they did not see who it was who had cast the spell and saved them.

"You're such a failure as a human being that you're starting to disgust even me…"

A figure in black strolled out from the crowd leisurely.

"Wizard Merlin? It was him who saved us!"

"So, Wizard Merlin is actually a Second-level Spell Caster. Earth Veil isn't easy to construct. Wizard Yalen had mentioned before that Earth Veil is very complicated, and whoever who could construct it must be a confident and powerful Spell Caster!"

After seeing that it was Merlin, Bella and Vadrak were taken aback. Before this, they had thought that Merlin was just like them, merely a First-level Spell Caster.

However, it seemed now that Merlin was not as simple as they thought. He must surely possess significant capabilities to be able to construct such a complex Second-level spell like Earth Veil.

"Who are you?"

Donaugh stared at Merlin rather apprehensively as he questioned.

Merlin only shook his head lightly in response. Initially, the matters between other Spell Casters were of no concern to him. What happened to Bella and Vadrak was unable to move him.

Nonetheless, what Donaugh had done evoked a sense of loathing even in Merlin. Wizard Yalen could be considered Donaugh's "tutor", yet Donaugh ambushed and killed him.

An act like this caused Merlin to feel repulsed, and a desire to kill was born in him.

"Dark Light Realm!"

Merlin did not bother babbling with Donaugh and cast the First-level Darkness-type spell. Instantly, rays of light began to distort, and Donaugh's surroundings turned into pitch-black darkness. He was thoroughly lost in the illusion of Dark Light Realm.

"Frigid Ice, freeze!"

Merlin did not plan on killing Donaugh. On the Kurdmansla Islands, Gray Wing Alliance was a colossal force, so teaching Donaugh a lesson and killing him were two entirely different matters.

Therefore, Merlin did not wish to cause further trouble and immediately used Frigid Ice to freeze one of Donaugh's arms. The ice poison of Frigid Ice quickly penetrated the flesh, and Donaugh's one arm was crippled from then on.

"My arm, you… You crippled my arm?"

Merlin dispelled Dark Light Realm, following which Donaugh recovered his senses. Immediately, he discovered that one of his arms had no feeling left in it.

One arm, to a Spell Caster, did not make much of a difference. After all, a Spell Caster used spells by relying on the simulation of Spell Models in their Awareness through Mind Power. Even without both arms, the casting of spells would not be much affected.

As such, losing an arm would be more akin to utter humiliation. From that point onward, preparing potions and researching alchemy would be rather inconvenient.

Although Donaugh was enraged, he did not act rashly. He still had not lost his wits. Merlin had cast Dark Light Realm earlier, and he knew that he was no match for Merlin at all.

Dark Light Realm was a very complicated spell among the Darkness-type spells and had the power to challenge those beyond its level. Having cast Dark Light Realm, Merlin could have easily killed Donaugh, but he did not, indicating that he had qualms about the fact that Donaugh was a Spell Caster from Gray Wing Alliance.

Therefore, Donaugh could only clench his teeth as he glared at Merlin, but did not dare attack him.

Besides Donaugh, the Fourth-level Spell Caster, Wizard Vlaar, also narrowed his eyes, sizing up Merlin.

"You're not a Spell Caster from Fort Udon. Who are you really?"

Wizard Vlaar's face was cloudy as he asked coldly.

Merlin shot a glance at Bella and Vadrak, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He said serenely, "I'm like them – someone who's about to become a member of Fort Udon!"

"Which is to say, you're not yet a member of Fort Udon?"

Wizard Vlaar turned the topic around, and a cold light shone in his eyes. He said icily, "A roaming Wizard who's a nobody dared to attack a Wizard of my Gray Wing Alliance. Hmph, I can't kill Bordeaux, but why can't I kill you?"

With that, violent Fire Elemental fluctuations abruptly surged around Wizard Vlaar's body.

"Oh no, Wizard Merlin, escape quickly! Vlaar, you dare? They're all about to become Wizards of my Fort Udon. If you dare to kill them, even if you hide in Gray Wing Alliance, Fort Udon will surely make you pay a heavy price!"

Wizard Bordeaux was still bound. Now that he saw Vlaar was about to attack Merlin, he immediately roared out.

"Hmph, how overbearing is your Fort Udon to battle with my Gray Wing Alliance over a few mere Spell Casters who aren't even members of Fort Udon? Haha, Bordeaux, I'll kill them. What can you all do?"

Wizard Vlaar roared in laughter, and his body was instantly shrouded by raging flames. Following that, flames rained down from the sky like a violent storm, whistling as they swept toward Merlin!