The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The mountain, ablaze with Energy Flames, was overwhelmed by an even more powerful Particle Energy. The immense might caused the mountain to collapse in an instant, scattering in all directions like a shower of burning meteors.

The chaotic magnetic fluctuations prevented everyone present from using their Perception Abilities to see what was happening inside.

Furthermore, shockwaves from the roiling Energy made the surroundings look like the inside of a diffusion chamber as the ground cracked and split apart. When the Active Particle Energy and Inert Particle Energy collided, they didn't just cancel each other out; instead, they produced an even more violent explosion.

Above the mountain, the sky had turned into a sea of fiery clouds. Under the Secret Realm's natural cycle, the strange phenomenon slowly dissipated.

The Wizards outside, watching the projection screen, stared intently at every detail. This was especially true for those who had bet on Wang Ya. When they saw him being attacked from all four sides, they had already resigned themselves to his defeat.

But nothing was ever certain. This unassuming commoner freshman had already proven himself to be a dark horse just by making it this far.

'What if there's a chance for a comeback?'

As the Energy fluctuations gradually subsided, the scene on the battlefield was revealed to everyone.

The mountain had been completely leveled, leaving behind a scorched, blackened plain. Residual Energy Flames still kept the area at a scorching temperature.

However, the sea of fire was almost extinguished. Zack Antuun hadn't joined the fight directly; instead, he was commanding his Biological Puppets to prevent the flames from spreading.

He used his Spiritual Power to survey the entire battlefield. His Biological Puppets swarmed in and around the sea of fire, extinguishing the Energy Flames while also trying to find Wang Ya's body to eliminate any future threat.

Zack Antuun couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't that simple. The formation of the fire and his opponent's actions were both highly unusual.

Suddenly, the three people on the field focused their gazes in one direction, where the residual Energy Flames were thickest.

SIZZLE. The Energy Flames burned, and as if drawn by some force, they began to converge, re-forming into human limbs and a torso. When the last corner of his Wizard Robe materialized, a pale-faced Wang Ya appeared, sitting slumped and exhausted.

Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, only to be instantly vaporized by the intense heat.

He sighed inwardly. 'These guys are terrifying. If they team up, I'd have a hard time winning even if I were twice as strong.'

The Particle Energy in his body had been almost completely drained, with only a final ten percent remaining.

'But it's enough...'

"He's still in the Secret Realm! He actually survived an attack like that!"

The watching Wizards were all shaken. This outcome was completely different from what most of them had predicted.

In the projection conference room, many of the family heads had shot up from their seats, staring at the screen in astonishment.

Kaze Antuun was one of them. His expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Just how much Particle Energy does he have? The Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft has incredible Defense Power, but that's directly tied to the amount of Particle Energy in the user's body. That massive convergence of Energy Shock and chaotic currents... even a High-tier Witchcraft wouldn't be much stronger. How could he possibly have survived?"

Puni Stark glanced at him and said with a frown, "I don't understand this Wang Ya Harak. What is he trying to do?"

His words echoed the thoughts of many others present.

The situation in the Secret Realm had developed into a complete mystery.

There had to be a purpose behind his every action.

But everything this Wang Ya Harak had done so far was completely beyond the expectations of an ordinary Wizard.

He had deliberately created a sea of fire, and the result was that all the remaining freshmen ganged up on him.

He'd dodged this attack, but another was sure to follow.

...

Zack Antuun's pupils contracted. He couldn't understand how his opponent had done it. Why did the Energy Flames reassemble? Was that how he had dodged their attack?

'The Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft has another Transformation, not just the Flame Demon Roar as a follow-up Witchcraft!'

'This is definitely not part of the Witchcraft from the Isar inheritance my father gave me.'

'Could it be that my inheritance is incomplete, and his is the complete version? With such a smooth transitional Transformation, that seems to be the only possibility.'

Zack's face turned deathly pale. 'How could this be?!'

'Father doesn't care about me at all! He doesn't love me!'

'Father gave all his love to this guy in front of me.'

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes became bloodshot. Zack's chest heaved as killing intent flooded his mind.

He lost all composure and roared, "Wang Ya Harak!"

With a sharp downward flick of his fingers, the Biological Puppets lurking nearby all charged their target.

The Soul-Devouring Snake lunged, its jaws snapping.

The Night Moon Wolf became a phantom, its sharp claws tearing through the air.

More Biological Puppets formed a Beast Tide that swarmed forward. Their coordination was terrifyingly proficient, like an endless, surging Tide kicking up clouds of dust.

This sight made the other two combatants wary.

Their own Power was great, but not so great that they could ignore a battle of attrition. If these Biological Puppets swarmed them, they'd be in for a huge headache.

Their Particle Energy reserves couldn't sustain such a drain.

Not unless they targeted Zack Antuun, the one controlling the Puppets.

The charging Biological Puppets blotted out the light around them. Above, the shadows of flying Biological Puppets appeared, diving down with claws outstretched.

But Wang Ya stood up, his expression perfectly calm, as if this situation was still far from hopeless.

His calm demeanor made the three of them, including Zack, feel extremely uneasy.

In the Combat Platform Base, the Mad Brothers, controlling the swarm of red floating machines, also looked stirred and abruptly launched their attack.

Zack Antuun roared, "His Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft has a three-second interval! He can't have much Particle Energy left and needs more time to cast it! Now is the best time to eliminate him!"

Dante Qiuji and Jim Novy exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously. A massive torrent of electrical current formed from Biological Charge surged toward Wang Ya. Dante's face paled slightly.

The Biological Charge consumed a combination of his Biological Energy and Particle Energy.

The latter used all the material from his Liquid Earth Dragon, transforming it into a scattering of sharp spikes. As a final touch, his attack also enveloped the Biological Puppets.

Zack Antuun's expression darkened, but he said nothing. The spikes covered a fifty-meter radius, perfectly sealing off Wang Ya Harak's escape routes.

The last of his Particle Energy was consumed. A crimson light once again appeared around Wang Ya, forming the familiar Flame Demon Doppelganger.

But this was more than that; it was an advanced state of the Doppelganger. Crimson patterns covered his entire Wizard Robe, and his facial features and even his hair were wreathed in fine, crimson particles of light Energy.

The Active Particle Energy was more condensed. Although the threatening high temperature around him was gone, it was replaced by even greater Defense Power, attack power, and Explosive Power.

It also combined with Wang Ya's own Biological Force Field to form a special domain.

[Flame Demon Domain]

Wang Ya spread his arms. The charred ground left by the sea of fire and the remaining Energy Flames were drawn by a unique force, erupting with blazing light and once again sending temperatures soaring.

It was as if a single spark could ignite a prairie fire.

BOOM!

Flames filled the sky. Within a fifty-meter radius centered on Wang Ya, invisible flames raged, enveloping the positions of the other three.

[Flame Demon Domain - Fear-Burning Fire]

The faces of all three changed dramatically.

They all hastily released their Particle Energy Shields to resist the sudden eruption of burning Energy Flames.

Zack stared at Wang Ya as if he'd seen a ghost. 'What is this? Is this still the Isar inheritance?!'

'Just how much love did Father give this guy?!'

'So many Transformations, so many linked Witchcrafts... Could he be Father's real son?'

Along with jealousy and rage, Zack felt a great deal of confusion.

He could tell that these were various linked Transformations of the Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft. Even this current Witchcraft State had traces of the Fear of the Flame Demon in it.

But fundamentally, it was completely different. It was more High-tier, more complete.

Even the Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft itself no longer had the three-second time limit.

This forced him to believe his own suspicions!

However, Zack didn't know that in the projection conference room, Kaze Antuun was experiencing an even greater emotional upheaval.

His eyes were wide, glued to the projection screen.

The emotional turmoil he felt in that moment was perhaps more than he'd felt in the entire past year.

'You've got to be kidding me!'

'What the hell is this Witchcraft?'

It had definitely been Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft at the beginning, but the subsequent transformation and the special domain, similar to a Biological Force Field that only an Official Wizard should be able to use, left Kaze Antuun completely stunned.

'And the Flame Demon Fear Witchcraft no longer has a three-second limit...'

'Could I have been wrong? This Wang Ya Harak didn't receive the Isar inheritance and knows nothing about it? Is he truly a hidden card planted by the Rhine Lineage?!'

'Did that lord revise the Rhine inheritance again, adding new Witchcraft and patching its weaknesses?'

Kaze Antuun took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He had to investigate this matter thoroughly before taking any further action.

He wasn't the only one who thought this. Many were now certain that Wang Ya Harak was a hidden card planted by the Rhine Lineage.

That he had learned and mastered the latest knowledge from the Rhine Lineage's inheritance.

In the Rhein Wizard Tower, a beautiful figure in a red Wizard Robe, her long red hair cascading over her shoulders, slowly curved her brilliant red lips into a smile.

The projection screen before her showed Wang Ya executing the series of Witchcraft Transformations of his Flame Demon Doppelganger.

She usually didn't pay any attention to the battles between these little fledglings, but someone had sent her a message, telling her that a youngster in the Secret Realm competition was using the Rhine Lineage's inheritance.

She was quite certain that her teacher had no intention of planting a hidden card, and it was unlikely anyone else would have done so either.

"How interesting! A successor to the Rhine Lineage has appeared out of thin air."

A great idea suddenly occurred to her. She touched a slender finger to her red lips. As she rose from her chair on her long, fair legs, her ample bosom trembled slightly, accentuating her curvaceous figure.

'Who says a fake can't be made real!'

'Isn't this a promising sapling delivered right to my doorstep?!'