Published at 25th of February 2026 7:03 am

Chapter 1531 Physical Strength

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A coppery taste flooded the Winter Lord's mouth as he was violently hurled toward the ground.

With another deafening crash, his body slammed into the earth, carving out a large crater on impact. Even then, he never took his eyes off the masked man.

As the masked man descended from the air, his fist glowing with thick, tyrannical mana…

He laughed and laughed and laughed.

"You're much more of a Magus," he said. "The other two were mere amateurs."

Adam spun through the air, his right leg raised high. Mana gathered around his foot as he brought it down in a crushing axe-kick.

The impact of this attack dwarfed the previous blows. The ground collapsed even further, the earth shuddering as if it could barely withstand the weight of Adam's tyrannical strike.

This time, however, the Winter Lord managed to evade the strike. He drew back several tens of meters and then finally came to a stop.

A thin line of blood trickled down the side of his lips. He wiped it off and glanced at it with a cold expression. "Been a while," he murmured to himself.

His gaze shifted to the masked man, who had just jumped out of the massive crater he had created. Then, he glanced at the surrounding land, the boulders, the trees, and the distant mountains.

Rune magic, he thought to himself grimly.

Has he already carved the land with rune magic beforehand?

Such preparations could only be possible if he was made aware of my arrival. And he did seem to be waiting for me here.

Yes, he chose this battlefield because this is where he holds the advantage.

Someone disclosed information about my arrival!

He straightened his back, his posture calm but alert. "Tell me, Magus, who told you that I was coming?"

Adam shrugged, a playful smile forming on his lips. "It was the lich. Didn't he tell you? He personally sent me a message, telling me to get rid of you. Something about you not being useful anymore. He also said you were too cold or whatever. Don't believe me? Ask him."

The Winter Lord frowned. "Lies," he snarled. "You're barring me from entering Springdale. Why? Do you bear enmity toward me? Or toward the Cult?"

As those words left his mouth, a dark realization struck him.

The Winter Lord frowned. "Lies," he snarled. "You're barring me from entering Springdale. Why? Do you bear enmity toward me? Or toward the Cult?"

As those words left his mouth, a dark realization struck him.

Bowman warned me about a mysterious faction, one that murdered two Councilors and sowed discord among the rest.

Could this man be from that faction? No, more importantly, how did he know my travel plans and even the route I would take?

Who told him? Bowman? He's the only one in the city who knew I was coming. But that makes no sense. It would undermine everything.

Then who? Someone from the Cult? Impossible—

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt when Adam appeared in front of him in an instant, striking viciously with a sharp hand shop aimed at his neck.

"Are you stupid?" Adam said coldly. "Or just overconfident? To be lost in thought when you're facing someone like me. How foolish!"

The Winter Lord's eyes narrowed.

His left hand turned into a blur and then…

Bam!

Adam's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

The Winter Lord's hand was coated in ice… no, it was more accurate to say that his entire hand had become ice! The Elder blocked Adam's strike head-on with his bare hand.

"Rest assured, Magus," he said coldly. "I'm neither stupid nor overconfident. I am simply certain that I will be the one who emerges victorious."

Adam's lips curled into a smirk beneath the Faceless Mask, "Is that so?"

Crack!

The Winter Lord's pupils constricted as fine fractures spread across his left icy hand.

"You can't hope to face me in a contest of physical strength," Adam added calmly.

He shifted his stance, leaning back just slightly, and then delivered a thunderous side kick to the Elder's abdomen.

At the last moment, the Winter Lord hardened his torso with ice and reinforced his upper body with mana.

The impact still pushed him away, though the damage was significantly reduced. He was hurled backward, his feet carving deep grooves into the earth before he finally stabilized.

For a few moments, a tense silence descended on the battlefield as both Magi studied one another.

What is this monstrous physical strength?! The Winter Lord thought in alarm.

In all my life, I've never faced an opponent so incredibly strong. And until now, he hasn't even cast a single spell!

He controlled his hand and abdomen to return to normal. The fine fractures that had appeared on his hand had disappeared, but there was still the lingering pain. And perhaps, some minor internal injury.

I must not let him get close to me, he inwardly decided.

But first…

He glanced at his surroundings, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

I need to counter all the arrangements he's made on this battlefield. Who knows how long he's been planning?

He quickly retreated several tens of meters more, all the while weaving a complex set of hand seals. A moment later, he slammed his palms to the ground.

Rank 4 Spell: Ice Age!

The moment the spell was cast, the temperature plunged sharply.

Frost raced outward in all directions, swallowing the land in seconds. Grass stiffened and vanished beneath solid ice, trees were frozen where they stood, their branches locked in place, and massive boulders were sealed inside thick, opaque layers of ice.

The ground itself hardened, cracking as ice spread deep into the earth. Breath turned to mist instantly, and the air grew heavy with biting cold.

Within the spell's range, everything was immobilized, encased, preserved, and rendered lifeless under the overwhelming weight of ice.

Adam gazed at the thick layer of ice creeping toward him. Instead of retreating, however, he scoffed and coated his whole body with a thin layer of his mana. The ice did no harm to him. But he did feel a little cold.

With his Sphere of Resonance still activated and honed in on his opponent's movement, he glanced at his right hand, which had been blocked by the Winter Lord's icy grip. There were faint signs of frostbite on his skin.

If he hadn't been a Rank 4 Paladin and hadn't transformed his physique with the abomination's blood, what would have happened to his hand?

So this is the level of an Elder from the Inner Circle, he thought to himself.

The Winter Lord was, without question, the strongest Magus Adam had ever faced.

Elders of the Inner Circle were, in general, far more talented and powerful than other Magi of similar rank.

That much was clear from history alone. Even someone as formidable as Marcus Blackwood had faced defeat at the hands of the Blood Lord, Marden Benton.

The two Magi had exchanged several blows, yet the battle had already settled into a stalemate.

And what's more, the Winter Lord had not yet revealed his trump card — Necromancy.

But neither had the Dark King…

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