Colin took a gentle breath, and before him, the black mist churned as if it were a demon's den choosing its next victim.
The cold air sank into his lungs with his breath, the chilly sensation invigorating his body instead.
It was like a volcano, most tranquil before an eruption.
"Let's go."
He waved his hand to bestow a Steel Temperature Resistance Field upon Marjorie, gave a low shout, and then walked directly into the black mist barrier.
This black mist barrier wasn't a Protective Shield, lacking any obstructive function.
It must have been specifically for concealing the commotion of battle.
Thus, with the witchcraft inspection Protective Shield set up by Phil outside, even a Third Level Great Wizard would unlikely detect the battle inside the Magister's Academy unless they approached closely.
Yasi had clearly made thorough preparations for this operation.
The black mist barrier wasn't merely a thin layer but spanned several meters in distance.
As he moved through, the black mist rushed towards him, making Colin feel as if he had returned to the fog-enshrouded banks of the Leibo River.
Only now the pure white mist had been stained a filthy black.
Moments later, they completely passed through the barrier, and their vision suddenly cleared.
The snow fell gently like feathers all around.
Atbolde's lavish villa had already become a pile of grey-black ruins.
Beyond these broken walls and ruins, one could see a towering, twisted tree on the right.
The tree was in poor condition, with withered branches and leaves, and a stout trunk marred with gaping wounds and odd brown galls from attacks.
At that moment, a horde of pitch-black creatures surrounded it, attacking.
Black mist spread from these shadow-like creatures, intermingling with the dancing tree whips, creating a ghastly image.
And opposite the twisted tree stood Yasi Hidosh, clad in a blood-red Wizard Robe.
His expression was stern, his posture relaxed, looking calm and collected as if he was sure of his victory.
As Colin and Marjorie's gaze fell upon Yasi, he returned the look.
In fact, Yasi had noticed their presence the instant these uninvited guests broke in.
He had thought there was some accident outside, but now, it seemed, a pleasant surprise had come his way!
With a shift in thought, he understood the situation and turned elegantly to gesture towards the outside, performing a graceful bow.
"Thank you, Phil, for bringing me such a splendid gift."
After these gestures, he looked leisurely toward Colin and Marjorie, inquiring in a small-talk manner,
"Colin Leonard... didn't you go to Merredith City to visit friends? How come you're back so suddenly?
As I suspected, you haven't given up on Atbolde, as Oliver suggested."
"And Marjorie Alist, aren't you dead yet? Those two wastes truly lived up to their name, failing to kill even with the Black Mist Transformation.
Could it be that Colin saved you?"
Yasi smiled, not waiting for an answer, and continued,
"However, your timing couldn't be better; I was quite vexed."
At this point, Marjorie became more composed. Ignoring Yasi's pretense, he looked around cautiously and wondered,
"Where is Master Atbolde?"
Boom—!
Just then, a muffled sound like a drum beat suddenly erupted.
A deep green ring of light burst from the center of the twisted tree's trunk, instantly cleansing the surrounding black shadows and even momentarily pausing the snowfall.
However, Yasi, upon witnessing the scene, actually lifted an eyebrow and laughed,
"Atbolde, you just couldn't contain yourself, could you?"
He then addressed Colin and Marjorie once more, "I appreciate your involvement, otherwise if old Atbolde died in silence... all my efforts would have been in vain."
"That twisted tree, is Master Atbolde?!" Marjorie murmured in shock.
Colin remained silent, observing Yasi intently, his superbrain whirring at high speed as the patterns of the Crown of Insight slowly emerged on his forehead.
The situation was still stable, and gathering more information was the right choice; he had no intention of acting rashly.
After all, Yasi before him was a Second Rank Wizard.
"Atbolde, hand over the Black Mist Token, I am sure you don't wish to see two of your students die before you," Yasi said, already turned, addressing the entwined giant tree with a commanding tone.
In his words, there were no considerations for them, treating them as though they were fish ready for the chopping block.
"I don't have any Black Mist Token." A heavy sigh arose, a crack opened in the bulk of the twisted tree, and the figure of Atbolde emerged from within.
However, only his upper body was visible; from the waist down, his form was completely wooden, merged with the twisted ancient tree.
"Master!" Marjorie called out instinctively, a tinge of sorrow surfacing on his face at the sight of Atbolde's state.
"You should not have come." Atbolde looked at them, sighing once more, "I'm but a dying man... You shouldn't have thrown your lives away over a person's grudges and wrongs."
His face was old and covered with tree-like veins, his expression stiff; even his voice was somewhat dull.
"My life was given by the Master anyway..."
Marjorie couldn't finish his sentence as Yasi coldly interrupted.