124: The End of the Grand Elder

"Dora has just stepped into the Gold Rank, yet she possesses such ability. It can only be said that the Spirit of Nature truly cannot be judged by common sense."

"Since she was able to break through to the Gold Rank so quietly, I stopped looking at her with common sense long ago."

Renn looked at Dora with some envy. This little one had broken through to the Gold Rank a few days ago without any warning.

It felt as if Dora's breakthrough was as simple as eating or drinking.

"Comparison is the thief of joy; I really can't compare myself to a freak like Dora!"

Kapdo finished setting up the Magic Array, and his current work was coming to an end. Renn also had no other high-level magic plants that needed to be refined into potions.

Renn then dragged Kapdo along to help build the city walls.

With the help of Kapdo, a Gold Rank Archmage, the construction of the Red River Territory's walls seemed to have a fast-forward button pressed, with section after section of the wall rapidly taking shape.

While Renn was working hard and the Red River Territory was changing day by day, a grand drama was unfolding at the bone-chilling Frostchill Fortress.

Great Elder Bradley led the Winter Mage Corps, the Bloodfrost Swordsman Legion, and an army of tens of thousands to the Frostchill Fortress.

The Frostchill Fortress consisted of massive ice walls hundreds of meters high and over ten kilometers long.

The Frostchill Fortress connected to the Eight Peaks Mountain Range in the west and the Black Mountain Range in the east. To the north lay the narrow Frostchill Corridor, which was firmly blocked by the ten-kilometer-wide fortress.

The Frostchill Fortress was crafted by the Ice Mages of the Cold Wind Family using ice magic. The towering ice walls were covered with traces of ice magic, and the magic of frost permeated every inch of the fortress.

Bradley breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Cold Wind flag fluttering over the Frostchill Fortress. It had taken him four days to lead the reinforcements there, one day longer than planned.

Seeing that the Frostchill Fortress was safe and sound, Bradley ordered the reinforcements to enter the fortress.

The garrison inside the fortress had also sent out a reception unit in advance to lead the reinforcements in.

Bradley saw Orpheus, the commander of the Frostchill Fortress, coming to greet him. Orpheus was one of his three most outstanding disciples and a Gold Peak Ice Mage.

"Teacher, you've arrived!"

"Yes, as long as you are safe here, I can rest easy."

Everything seemed normal, but Bradley always had a bad premonition in his heart. This feeling had persisted since he received news of the troll tribes heading south. After so many days, it hadn't disappeared; instead, it grew stronger.

As a powerful Legendary Mage, Bradley took his premonitions very seriously. He remained vigilant of his surroundings, but he hadn't discovered any anomalies.

Once the entire army had entered the fortress, Bradley, feeling a mix of unease and relief, entered the fortress alongside Orpheus.

The howling wind and snow swept in overwhelmingly, but the tall ice walls stood firm, withstanding the onslaught of the blizzard.

Inside the Frostchill Fortress, Orpheus, as the fortress commander, held a welcoming banquet for Bradley.

Bradley sat in the seat of honor with Orpheus on his right. Orpheus was offering a toast to the Legendary Mage, who was also his mentor.

"Teacher, I offer you a toast. I didn't expect you to come in person this time; I thought the Grand Duke would lead the army."

"I would have liked to rest, but your senior brother, Santos, didn't want me to stay idle!"

Bradley spoke with hidden meaning, then gestured for Orpheus to put down his glass.

"With a great battle imminent, I won't drink. Is there any problem with the Mage Tower in the fortress? I'll go check it out in a while."

Orpheus put down the wine glass and picked up a cup of tea to hand to Bradley.

"You're right, Teacher. One really shouldn't drink at a time like this. Please, have some tea!"

"The Mage Tower has no problems. I've already had people prepare it in advance. You can move in shortly, Teacher."

The Mage Tower inside the Frostchill Fortress was the core of the entire fortress and its central hub. A Mage Corps was stationed there daily.

"Very good. You are still the most thorough. Unlike Santos, who is quite a handful. You've suffered these years being out here."

"It's what a student should do, Teacher!"

Orpheus watched Bradley drink the tea he had handed over, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"It's quite a surprise that Senior Brother Santos would let you come here. I thought he wouldn't do such a thing."

"After all, you've treated him like your own child for so many years, giving him the best of everything and being closer to him than a biological son. To think Senior Brother Santos would actually urge you to come to me."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Bradley immediately became alert at Orpheus's sudden change in attitude. He drew his staff, and surging magic power began to churn.

"Orpheus!"

Bradley shouted sternly, "Who are you? You are not Orpheus!"

A purple halo lit up around Orpheus, and mysterious, dazzling purple magic runes spread across his ice-blue robe.

"My dear teacher, if I'm not Orpheus, then who could I be?"

"Hehehehe!"

"Your power? You've actually broken through to the Legendary rank?"

Bradley watched in shock as Orpheus's aura rapidly intensified. Just as he was about to gather his ice power, a piercing pain shot through his entire body, causing him to cry out in agony.

"Ah!"

"What is this?"

"Was it that tea just now?"

Orpheus looked at Bradley, who was kneeling on the ground, his smile becoming increasingly unrestrained.

"My dear teacher, is the secret medicine of the Father of Decay delicious? An Archbishop personally prepared this for you."

"Hahahahaha!"

Horrifying black markings appeared on Bradley's face. The magic power within him had been completely corrupted and began to dissipate, and his life force was rapidly draining away.

"The Father of Decay? You've fallen, Orpheus!"

"Why?"

A magical light, a mixture of purple and ice-blue, glowed in Orpheus's hand as a powerful force swept through the room.

"Don't you understand yet, my dear teacher?"

"Because of this unrivaled power!"

"I've stayed in this neglected fortress for over thirty years. Aside from when those paupers from the north come to scrounge every year and the family takes a brief interest, who else has cared about me?"

"Teacher, you all decided I had no hope of reaching the Legendary rank, so you discarded me here for decades without a second thought. Did you think a simple 'it's been hard on you' would make everything I've done feel justified?"

"Look now! I didn't need the family to break through to the Legendary rank. This power is truly intoxicating!"

Orpheus walked over to the nearly unconscious Bradley. Looking at his former teacher, he raised his staff high with a twisted expression.

Bradley slumped on the ground, looking at his former prize pupil with a complex gaze. His inner worries had become reality, though he hadn't expected it to happen like this.

"The family!"

"The family... is about to face a catastrophe!"

Orpheus had fallen, and Santos, who had persuaded him to come to the fortress, had likely fallen as well.

The fall of these two core family figures to Chaos would be a fatal blow to the Cold Wind Family. He now hoped in his heart that Marshall could turn the tide and save the family.

Even at the end, Bradley didn't even think about why his closest disciples had betrayed him one after another; he was still considering the family's interests.

Until that staff fell, and everything came to an end.