103: The silence before the decisive battle

Grimm stood silently atop the Goat Boulder.

He regulated his breathing, heartbeat, and surging Spiritual Power using the still-stance posture of Tai Chi.

He ignored the venomous verbal attacks from the Black Head Demon.

He had despaired… he had been sad… he had been angry… he had regretted… but the one thing he had never done was give up.

Grimm was not the kind of person who would easily give up when faced with difficulties;

Nor was he the kind of person who would grovel and fawn to save his life;

And he would absolutely not be the kind of person to wait for death when an enemy was about to take his head… Grimm was silent, as he faced the true Black Wizard—

The fear of the Black Wizard in his heart kept surfacing—

Descriptions of the Black Wizard's bloody brutality from novels in his previous life;

Various cruel stories of the Black Wizard spread in classes in this life;

And now, Grimm directly faced the tragic sight of his teammates being annihilated and their bodies not even preserved… One by one, these scenes… played out like a montage in Grimm’s mind.

Grimm’s mind was constantly assaulted.

Grimm felt that his Mind Bottleneck, under the continuous reinforcement of this fear, was rapidly growing, constantly accumulating and spreading over his heart like dark clouds gathering… But.

Grimm pushed it to the back of his mind, letting the fear spread as it wished, holding only one thought firmly in his heart—

“Live…”

His extremely active Spiritual Power gradually quieted down, and the divine light in Grimm’s eyes also gradually receded, becoming barely visible… Grimm was accumulating, enduring, and quietly waiting… Time gradually passed… Grimm’s physical strength, magic power, and Spiritual Power were fully restored under the effect of the potion, while Grimm’s will, under the dual pressure from within and without, became even more resilient, and his aura grew even more subdued.

Like a hibernating lion, waiting for the moment its prey arrives.

At that time… it would be either you die, or I perish.

As Grimm's belief shifted, a fierce aura of battlefield slaughter gradually emerged from him, growing stronger and more profound… Feeling this extremely deterrent aura, the space around Grimm seemed to become a low-pressure zone, and the buzzing mosquitoes all fled or simply fell silent.

The Swamp Croc also stopped its barrage of verbal attacks.

For a moment.

This small space on the Goat Boulder fell into an eerie silence… “You idiot.”

“Look at what you’ve done!”

The Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, could no longer hold back his anger and furiously spewed at the Two-Headed Wizard:

“Didn’t you say you were best at manipulating people’s hearts?”

“Didn’t you say you could completely crush that White Wizard Apprentice and drive him to despair?”

“Didn’t you say, with you acting, that White Wizard would slowly have his will eroded and finally collapse?”

“Then explain, what’s the situation now? Huh?”

“I really fell for your evil, I was really stupid, truly…”

“How could I believe a Black Wizard whose Spiritual Power had been corroded by the Two-Headed Ogre bloodline, and trust his wisdom?”

... “Enough…”

The Two-Headed Wizard, Ender Weill, said in annoyance:

“How was I supposed to know that fledgling wouldn’t play by the rules? My method has always been infallible.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with that foolish White Wizard Apprentice, that he’s not afraid of death. Does he think he can avoid dying by putting on a posture of fighting to the death?”

“Dream on!”

“My title of Black Head Demon isn’t for show. If I say I’ll have his heart and liver as a snack, then he must become a dish.”

After speaking, the Two-Headed Wizard, Ender Weill, glared fiercely at the Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, and snorted angrily:

“Pierre…”

“Don’t you forget, you tacitly agreed before I acted.”

“Moreover, both this Swamp Croc and the sound-transmitting insects are under your control.”

“Now that there’s a problem, you’re pushing all the responsibility onto me. Do you think I’m easy to bully, huh?”

... In the Black Wizard’s territory.

There was no such thing as modesty, much less feigning weakness to ambush the strong.

If you dared to show even a hint of weakness or lack of strength, you would be torn apart by the Black Wizards.

Therefore… almost all Black Wizards wore their ferocity and brutality on their faces, even bluffing, just to protect their momentary safety.

The Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, coldly glanced at this fool, thinking:

“He really is a brainless idiot. Even in this situation, he’s still thinking about infighting among ourselves.”

But the Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, also had to bow to reality. He, a squishy elemental + insect-controlling Black Wizard, couldn't do anything about Grimm’s armor.

The Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, needed this brainless brute to stand in front as a meat shield, so he patiently explained:

“Ender Weill, I didn’t mean that.”

“Now our interests are intertwined; we prosper or suffer together. Why would I scheme against you?”

“And look at the current situation. If our hearts aren’t united, we’ll truly be in trouble here. You still want to eat that apprentice’s heart and liver? You must be dreaming.”

“Now that White Wizard newcomer, although lacking in experience and having limited methods, has not lost his courage and is determined to die…”

“If he relies on his armor and advantageous terrain to hold his ground, it will be very difficult for us to seriously injure him, let alone kill him.”

... “Hmph…”

“That newcomer is still a bit green. With just that much confidence, he can’t stump me.”

“His heart and liver are mine, and not even the Ancient Wizards can save him, I say.”

The Two-Headed Wizard, Ender Weill, said with full confidence.

“Whew…”

The Insect-raising Wizard, Pierre, let out a sigh of relief. Seeing this fool so confident, he also relaxed.

Although Ender Weill was foolish enough, his strength was not bad, especially his second head, which had not been blown off by Devil Jordan.

Pierre couldn't help but admire Jordan’s audacity.

Jordan, he was truly brave!

Was he trying to use two Black Wizards to temper his apprentice?

Or was he trying to secretly kill this White Wizard Apprentice using two Black List Black Wizards?

... The silent stillness lasted for a long time.

Those waiting outside the Maze Swamp, however, grew a little anxious.

Anthony couldn't help but ask:

“Mentor Jordan, there’s been no movement for so long, could something have happened?”

Adler also followed up:

“Yes, Mentor Jordan, we can’t see anything like this. Relying only on sound, if something really happens to Grimm, we won’t have time to get there.”

“How about we capture those two Black Wizards and lock them and Grimm in the armor training room, letting them fight where we can see them? That way, we can control the situation better.”

“Don’t worry, you all know Grimm’s strength.”

“He won’t die so easily.”

Mentor Jordan said with a mysterious tone:

“I’ve said, this is Grimm’s necessary path.”

“You can’t raise dragons in shallow water, nor can you grow towering trees in a greenhouse.”

“Whether he’s a dragon or a worm, this time will tell.”

“Alright, all of you, shut your mouths and just watch quietly. I know what I’m doing.”

...