Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran did not elaborate. However, he had two reasons for being thankful to Osric.

First was because Osric inadvertedly confirmed Neo's status.

Although Kyran used the durable materials he could acquire during his stay in the Tower of Tribulations when creating his puppets, he was still worried if it was enough to withstand a Legendary mage's magic attack and pressure. So far, he only had himself to test his puppet's durability. However, he knew deep down that he had held back his strength because it pained him to see such rare materials destroyed.

The way Osric praised Neo— Kyran was positive he was talking about the latter— it confirmed that Neo's body was still intact if the former still considered him a 'young man.'

As for the second reason...

"I have come as you ordered, master."

A powerful male voice spoke from behind Osric.

Kyran smiled as he looked at the person who had just arrived.

The newcomer was none other than Tritus.

The second reason Kyran was thankful to Osric, was the latter's love to blabber. If it was any other enemy, Kyran would have already made a move to kill him. But after confirming Osric was also a Water mage, he did not want to waste such a precious resource to help one of his Sigil, Tritus, advance.

Alas, if Osric knew Kyran treated him as an advancement resource, he might have already flown into a rage. No matter how much Osric considered himself a patient man, such treatment would likely push his buttons.

Initially, Kyran was still contemplating how to buy time for Tritus. But because Osric offered the solution himself, Kyran went along.

Osric's pupils constricted as he heard a different voice speak from behind. He had not felt the other person's arrival— a feat that had not happened to him after advancing to Legendary.

Before he could react, Kyran responded. Obviously, he was not responding to his earlier comment but to the newcomer.

"You came just in time."

'Don't tell me...!' Osric narrowed his eyes as realization hit him.

All this time, Kyran's inaction was actually to buy some time for the newcomer. Osric was surprised that Kyran actually called for someone to help.

Why Kyran would ask for help baffled Osric. Could he be wary of him?

Impossible.

Osric rejected the idea as soon as it came to him. If Kyran had been wary of him, Osric would have detected it. No matter how composed one was, there would definitely be telltale signs of mood fluctuations around him. However, none of those signs appeared in Kyran. As a matter of fact, his calm attitude could easily send others into despair.

"He's the same as you," Kyran continued, ignoring Osric's puzzled look.

"Hmm... now that you mentioned it. We do possess the same type of magic energy."

Osric immediately understood why he did not sense the newcomer's arrival from their short exchange.

Falling into a deep sleep was not to halt one's time. It was to help a mage immerse himself in his innate magic and grasp its profundity that one could not sense during his waking hours.

The more one immerses himself in his magic, the more he becomes sensitive to its magic energy. Soon, one would feel as if one had become part of it.

However, such a feeling had a downside, especially when one was in slumber. It was the inability to differentiate his own magic energy from similar types. Of course, one would eventually be able to tell the difference, but at the moment Osric had yet to accomplish this.

He had only awakened and the first thing he did was recover his motor skills. Besides, there had not been any mage in the empire who possessed Water magic so he did not believe it would be any concern.

Osric's eyes widened in realization.

'No,' he thought. 'There is one...'

Just as the name of the person came to Osric, Kyran said something that almost blew his top.

"I'll leave him to you. I've got better things to do."

"Yes, master."

'... have better things to do...?' Osric's mind reeled at Kyran's words.

In the end, Kyran thought nothing of him!

The thought infuriated Osric. He was the last of the first generation of the Boyd Family. In terms of seniority, everyone in the empire should show him respect. They should bow before him when they see him. Prostrate on their knees before talking to him. No one was allowed to show him disrespect, nor disregard him!

BOOM!

Osric's magic pressure erupted in all its force.

Tritus, who had just arrived was immediately forced to the ground at the intensity of Osric's magic pressure. Even Kyran felt his knees tremble, surprising him.

"You seem to have the wrong impression that I am someone you can easily deal with," Osric started. His ancient-sounding voice reverberated with power, sending ripples in the air.

Every second that passed by, the pressure intensified.

Crackling sounds filled the surroundings as the magic fluctuations around Osric increased.

Kyran's eyes narrowed. He did not expect Osric to possess such powerful magic pressure.

A pressure of this quality was no longer considered an average Legendary. Could it be that after slumbering for years, his mage level had progressed? Could he already attain the level of a Sage?

No.

Kyran rejected the idea at once. It was not easy to break through to the next level after advancing to the Legendary realm. At most, Osric's magic energy that had not been used for years accumulated, allowing him to possess the might of a top Legendary.

After analyzing Osric's magic pressure, Kyran was more convinced of this. Although a top Legendary was far from being a peak Legendary, which meant he only needed to take a step to break through to the Sage realm, such a gap in level might be too much for Tritus to handle.

Kyran looked at Trituts and was about to remind him of the Sigil's effect. But after seeing the look on the latter's face, he could not help but smile wryly.

Tritus, who was forced to the ground after Osric's magic pressure erupted did not look worried. Even if he was wearing a helmet and it was impossible to see his expression, Kyran could sense Tritus's excitement.

'Right,' Kyran thought. 'I may have changed his way of thinking, but his desire to break through to the Legendary realm remains the same.'

"Master, leave this one to me. I will not fail you," Tritus assured Kyran.

Before Kyran could respond, Osric already made a move.

Water pillars erupted from the ground around Kyran, forming a cage after they merged from above. Then Osric waved his hand, without looking back at the person behind him and summoned three sea serpents that glided in the air.

Tritus barely raised his arms to protect his head when the three sea serpents appeared before him. They opened their jaws and snapped at him and they dragged him backwards.

Without looking at the newcomer's fate, Osric focused his attention on Kyran.

If the newcomer's magic was similar to his, then it was useless to take him seriously.

When two magic of the same attribute clashed, the mage with the higher realm would obviously prevail. After all, the understanding of the mage with a higher realm to that magic was far greater than the mage with a lower realm.

Osric raised his right hand and a two-meter-long bluish crystal staff appeared before him. A sea serpent's head decorated the top of the staff and its eyes were made from sapphire-blue magic stone. They emitted a cold glow that could send ordinary people gasping for breath if they directly looked at it. It was not an illusionary effect but the stone's ability. As if its very existence was analogous to the deep blue sea.

Kyran could tell that the magic stone was not ordinary. During his second trial in the Tower of Tribulation, when he was studying all kinds of materials one could use in Array, he read about a series of rare stones that had the ability to emulate different types of elements.

One was called the Eye of Pontus, a stone that at first glance could be mistaken for a sapphire because of its blue color. However, if one looked into it, one would find themselves unable to breathe properly as if they were thrown into the depths of the sea where the air was non-existent.

Kyran frowned after realizing what the stone was. After all, the Eye of Pontus was not a stone that could be found in the Human plane. How did Osric get his hand on it?

'It seems his claims of being the last member of the first generation of the Boyd Family is true,' Kyran thought, thinking that the only way for Osric to possess such an item was from those 'demons' that invaded the Human plane.

But this discovery gave Kyran the idea that the previous Soul Emperor was not working alone. It seemed there were other humans who willingly worked for her.