How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 252 Advancement to the Fourth Tier

Free city-state, Lambert territory.

The most prosperous city-state in this free city-state is now a far cry from its former bustling activity.

The air was thick with dust, sweat, and a faint smell of blood, and all the shops were tightly closed.

The people on the street were all filled with panic and hurried along.

Whether it's the poor huddled in the slums holding their children, or the middle class dragging their luggage.

Even the wealthy hiding behind reinforced iron gates are now gripped by the same panic.

The open ground was littered with refugees from other fallen cities of the Free City-State.

They were wrapped in blankets, their faces ashen, staring blankly at the sky, many still bearing traces of grief and fear.

The central location of Lambert Territory is home to the Central Chamber of Commerce.

Lambert paced anxiously, his hands behind his back.

His leather boots made a dull thud as they hit the ground.

A group of guards, holding longswords and crossbows, stood solemnly on both sides, their eyes fixed on the secret agent kneeling in front of them.

Lambert stopped and asked in a hoarse voice, "What's the news about Richter's territory, Medley's territory, and Coleman's territory?"

The spy lowered his head deeply, his shoulders trembling slightly, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear: "It's been confirmed, Chairman."

These three city-states closest to the grasslands were attacked by an overwhelming army of demons.

The headquarters of the Richter Chamber of Commerce was burned to the ground overnight.

President Medley led his family on a nighttime escape, but they were caught by the devil on the way.

Coleman's territory held out for a night thanks to its strong defenses, but the defenders had been almost entirely wiped out and it was estimated that it would fall today.

The spy raised his head, his face devoid of color, his eyes revealing utter despair: "The demon is too powerful, Chairman."

Even the most ordinary inferior demons possess the combat power of a first-tier professional, requiring two well-trained professional soldiers in formation to barely contend with them.

Second-tier demons tore through infantry formations like mowing grass; we have observed no fewer than several hundred of them.

As for third-tier demons, they can even withstand a single magical cannon attack head-on without dying.

Even more terrifying, they also have an aerial legion composed of flying demons.

We have no way to defend against attacks from the sky.

"Those incredibly fast demons could quickly bypass the city's defenses and pounce on the artillery positions to slaughter indiscriminately."

"If the defensive line is breached and no effective resistance can be established, the army will collapse instantly, and the soldiers will scatter and flee —"

"We've tried all the conventional weapons, and only the enchanted iron powder arrows imported from Sussas can effectively penetrate the demons' skin and inflict fatal damage on them."

But there are many kinds of demons that are not afraid of fire, and we—we have no chance to fight back.

Hearing these despairing reports, Lambert's face grew increasingly gloomy, and his brows furrowed into knots.

He rose to prominence through the Chamber of Commerce and single-handedly transformed Lambert Territory into the wealthiest region in the Free City-States, but this wealth was built more on commerce than on military strength.

Most of the soldiers under his command were mercenaries hired for a fee, and their combat effectiveness varied greatly.

We are now unable to even accommodate the hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring in from surrounding city-states, let alone resist the demon army.

Tens of thousands of demons, in just the first wave of attacks, completely destroyed three fully armed border city-states.

So when it's your turn, how much hope do you have of being able to hold on?

Lambert took a deep breath and waved wearily. "I understand."

The spy suddenly looked up, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and said urgently, "Guild Master! Let's escape! Let's escape to Susas! Those half-elves have been preparing for this war for five whole years, and their defenses are impregnable!"

Moreover—and the nearly one million people in this city-state can delay the demons' advance and buy us enough time to escape—”

Lambert's expression suddenly changed. He stared intently at the spy and slowly shook his head.

Seeing this, the spy lowered his head again, but a sinister malice that no one else could detect was revealed on his face.

His hand clenched secretly behind his back, half of his hand transforming into a waxy dagger.

The next second, he sprang up from the ground and pounced on Lambert like a cheetah.

The dagger gleamed with a chilling light, aiming straight for Lambert's heart!

But just as his body was airborne, Lambert's voice rang out calmly: "Shoot an arrow."

Before the spies could even react, dozens of iron powder arrows, glowing white, pierced through the air from all directions.

The white light, accompanied by scorching flames, instantly engulfed his figure, and the mournful howl lasted only half a second before abruptly ceasing.

All that remained was a pool of thick, black-smoking wax, which was still slowly wriggling.

Upon witnessing this bizarre scene, the surrounding guards all gasped in shock.

Lambert stared blankly at the wax on the ground and said coldly, "All three city-states have fallen, everyone is dead. How did you escape?"

He shook his head, signaling the guards to clean up the scene.

Just then, a messenger strode in, ignoring the wax on the ground, and bowed: "Chairman."

"How's the reinforcement situation?"

"The Nord Kingdom's reinforcements have arrived, totaling 40,000 men, all of whom are elite heavy infantry."

The Silver Kingdom dispatched an army of 20,000 dwarves; the Covenant Alliance sent 10,000 mercenaries.

And the drow elves of the Dark Forest have sent three thousand rangers—

Lambert frowned.

These military forces, when added together, are indeed considerable, but in total they number only over 70,000, less than a third of the total number of mercenaries under his command.

"Where is Susas?"

"The army dispatched by Susas was the largest, reportedly the First Army Group of the Royal Court, totaling 200,000 men."

A hint of joy finally appeared on Lambert's face, and he quickly asked, "Where are they?"

The messenger's expression became hesitant: "They—they stopped at the border between the Free City-State and Susas, and have been lingering there for three whole days."

Local hunters reported hearing loud explosions and sounds of fighting coming from the border direction, but the specifics are unclear.

Lambert's joy froze instantly. He sighed deeply, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Just then, heart-wrenching screams and panicked shouts suddenly came from outside.

"What's going on?!"

Lambert's expression changed drastically, and he strode out of the hall.

Surrounded by numerous guards, he arrived at the terrace of the stone fortress.

Looking up, one could see dozens of mosquito-like demons with wingspans of up to three meters hovering in the sky.

Their transparent wings vibrated rapidly, producing a chilling buzzing sound, and their mouthparts gleamed coldly.

Five mosquito-like demons gripped screaming residents in their claws, then plunged their mouthparts into the victims' necks.

Visible blood was being frantically sucked into the demon's body through its mouthparts, and the residents' faces turned deathly pale at an alarming rate.

In the end, they all turned into wrinkled, dried-up bodies, falling heavily from a height of hundreds of meters.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of the dried corpse hitting the street was dull and terrifying, igniting panic among everyone.

"Shoot the arrow! Shoot the arrow now!"

The guild's guards hurriedly drew their bows and released arrows, and countless arrows rained down into the sky.

However, the mosquito-like demons are extremely fast, and most arrows are nimbly dodged by them.

They looked down at the panicked crowd on the ground, a mocking and cruel smile on their faces.

Just as Lambert's expression grew increasingly grim, a clear, resolute female voice rang out from the top of the city wall: "In the name of Shar, the Lamp Knight!"

Several silver arrows, gleaming with a holy white light, pierced through the air and precisely pierced the hearts of the three mosquito-like demons.

The demon let out a sharp shriek, its body convulsing and burning in mid-air before falling.

At the same time, a dense rain of white arrows shot out from above the city wall.

Seeing this, the remaining mosquito-like demons dared not linger any longer, and with a series of unwilling buzzing sounds, they fled in panic to the south.

But they were shot down one by one by the arrows that caught up with them.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers, mercenaries, and residents of the city erupted in deafening cheers.

Lambert let out a long sigh of relief and murmured, "It's the Lantern Bearers, they've come."

This mysterious organization has rapidly expanded across six continental countries over the past five years, and is said to be backed by two major northern powers, Nord and Sussas.

The ten strongest members of their organization are known as the Knights of the Lantern, each possessing peak third-tier strength.

Looking at the demon's corpse on the ground, dismembered by the angry residents in their rage.

Lambert's eyes, however, showed no sign of relief; instead, they were filled with worry.

High-level combat power is certainly important, but the number of high-level demons in the demon army will only increase.

Moreover, even the most powerful high-level warriors will eventually be exhausted and die when faced with an endless sea of ​​low-level demons.

"Susas reinforcements—what are you waiting for?"

Lambert muttered to himself, gazing anxiously northward.

Unbeknownst to him, in the wasteland south of Lambert Territory, there was a demon army of nearly 100,000.

Like a black tide, it surged and swept towards Lambert's leader.

At the very front of the army, an obsidian chariot pulled by twelve enormous Quassamon was speeding along.

A huge figure sat atop the chariot.

He was covered in grayish-white hair and held a golden knife stained with blood; he was the Demon Lord.

Lord of the Blue Wolves, Balk.

Dozens of human skulls were stuck in the edge of the chariot, making a whistling sound in the wind.

Balk raised his head, his scarlet eyes gazing at the Lambert Territory walls that were faintly visible on the horizon.

He revealed a set of sharp fangs, and a bloodthirsty and cruel smile appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away in the mountains.

The Graspan Labyrinth, this ancient labyrinth hidden deep in the mountains, has now been transformed into a massive slaughterhouse.

The heavy stench of blood mingled with the putrid stench of rotting monster corpses, and collapsed rocks buried the entrance to the maze.

Broken stone pillars and shattered armor lay scattered on the ground, and dark red blood pooled in the air like streams.

Every now and then, wounded monsters wailing and crawling out of the ruins would emerge.

He was then killed by a Sussas soldier wielding a spear.

Kane stood atop the massive rock, calmly observing everything before him.

The monster horde that just rushed out of the maze numbered in the thousands, mostly first and second tier monsters, with only a handful of third tier monsters.

-

Even those few third-tier monsters were torn to pieces by the combined bombardment of the magic cannon and the ballista, dying with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

The Graspan Labyrinth, which once killed one of the two academy heads and injured the other, is now utterly vulnerable in the face of the army that Sussas has been building up for five years.

"What are the casualties?"

Kane asked without turning his head.

"Reporting to Your Highness the Regent, no one died in this battle, but 13 people were injured, mostly with minor injuries."

Valentine strode over to Kane, lowered his voice, and his eyes revealed his excitement and shock.

Such a casualty ratio is nothing short of a miracle.

Artillery bombarded the ground, ballistae fired in crisscrosses, and soldiers used repeating crossbows.

The triple barrage of firepower effectively extinguished the monster tide, which could have caused a massive catastrophe.

Kane nodded slightly, and the shadows beneath his feet suddenly surged and intertwined.

It spread across the ground like a living thing, forming a black carpet in front of him.

"Except for the scout corps, which will be sent out first, all other corps will remain in place and wait for me for half a day."

"Your Highness, would you like the personal guards to accompany you inside?"

Valentine asked quickly.

"No need. You all stay outside the tower and guard it; no one is allowed to approach."

Having said that, Kane stepped onto the path paved with shadows and walked into the depths of the maze without looking back.

His figure gradually disappeared into the billowing smoke and dust.

Countless soldiers stood still, watching their regent leave, their eyes filled with awe.

Deep within the labyrinth, a solitary black stone tower stands amidst the ruins.

It seemed to be the only survivor in this land of death.

Without a doubt, this is the heart of the Glaspan Maze.

Kane pushed open the heavy stone door and stepped into the tower.

The tower was empty and silent, with only a huge ten-meter-high floor clock standing in the center.

The bell is covered with complex and ancient runes.

The pendulum remained still, as if it had been asleep for far too long.

Kane walked to the grandfather clock, looked at its dusty dial, and slowly spoke: "As someone who has traversed the labyrinth, Tower Spirit, or rather, the spirit of the labyrinth, shouldn't you say something?"

"Click"

The huge grandfather clock suddenly wobbled slightly, and the pendulum made a dull sound.

An ancient and hoarse voice echoed in the empty tower.

"I never imagined that arcane mages would still exist in this era."

Although you are only at the third rank—but, Arcane Mage, you have violated the rules set by my master.

"Because of the depletion of the ether, I am no longer able to cast any powerful arcane spells."

Otherwise, I will unleash the most terrifying magic upon you and kill you, the cheater.

Kane shook his head and calmly asked, "Just one question: is death the only punishment for cheaters?"

"Yes."

The tower spirit's voice was devoid of emotion, filled with solemnity, "I will not break my master's rules. The cheater must die, and all trials will end immediately."

But you can choose to leave now, and I won't hunt you down.

Kane completely ignored the "leave" option.

All the arcane knowledge the Tower Spirit possessed, as well as the Tower Spirit's other roles, were of paramount importance to him.

"If I'm confirmed dead, will my cheater status be removed?"

"----yes."

The tower spirit's voice paused for a moment, then remained unchanged.

"Because there are no more available challenge levels, it is impossible to retake the challenge."

To gain recognition, the next unmarked test-taker must enter.

But as a cheater, you will never gain my approval.

Kane smiled slightly upon hearing this.

Immediately afterwards, he flipped his right hand, and a spear formed from pure shadow appeared in his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he plunged the spear into his own abdomen.

The sharp spearhead pierced through his back.

Crimson blood gushed out instantly, staining his robes red.

Kane's eyes quickly dimmed, and his body went limp as he collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

The tower spirit, possessing the giant grandfather clock, announced: "The cheater is dead. The trial system is reviewing the results—available trial levels—zero."

But in the next second, something unexpected happened.

The corpse on the ground suddenly came to life.

The blood that had flowed out seemed to come alive, flowing back into Kane's body.

The wound on his chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Immediately afterwards, Kane opened his eyes and sat up from the ground.

The grandfather clock shook violently, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound.

For the first time, the tower spirit's voice carried disbelief: "Impossible—confirmed dead—illogical—needs self-examination!"

Kane stood up, dusted himself off, and looked completely unconcerned.

As the regent of Susas, his army and merchants brought him countless prey every day.

Even if things go wrong, there are enough death row inmates in the royal court's prison every day for him to exploit.

He has no shortage of experience points to revive.

He looked at the violently shaking grandfather clock and spoke again, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Now, please begin the test."

The tower fell into a long silence.

The entire tower was completely silent, except for the clockwork that was still trembling slightly.

After an unknown amount of time, that ancient, hoarse voice rang out again, carrying a hint of utter helplessness: "The test has begun—the test has ended."

Those who participate in the trial will gain full command of the Glaspan Maze and the knowledge left behind by its original owner.

Please state your name.

"Kane".

"Identity confirmed. Welcome, new master, Kane."

The grandfather clock emitted a deep hum, and the pendulum began to swing slowly.

On the side of the bell, a hidden door slowly opened, and a box made of ebony wood slowly rose from inside.

Kane stepped forward and opened the box.

Inside lay an ancient book made of the hide of an unknown beast, its cover inscribed with ancient arcane script.

Glaspan's Notebooks

He picked up the book, sat on the ground, and quietly began to read it.

After an unknown amount of time, the system notification finally sounded in his mind:

[Verification: You have completed reading the advanced book "The Legacy of Glaspan", with a 100% experience gain rate, and have received 6000 experience points.]

[A little experience.]

[Hint: You have read the exclusive advanced book for the Arcanist path, meeting the advancement requirements. Would you like to change your primary class to "Grand Arcanist"?]

[Note: This career change is irreversible; please choose carefully.]

Fourth-order Archmage.

Kane's heart skipped a beat, and without the slightest hesitation, he confirmed in his mind, "Yes."

The experience bar on the panel was mostly emptied.

The next second, an indescribable, immense power surged into Kane's body.

The thin ether in the air gathered towards him like a tide, merging with the shadow behind him.

The shadow behind him surged and bloomed violently, transforming into six enormous shadowy tails that swayed slowly in the air.

Kane's figure became blurry, as if he might blend into the surrounding shadows at any moment.

The next second, he appeared on the other side of the tower without warning, without any spatial fluctuations, as if he had always been there.

He looked down at his character panel; his class had changed to "Grand Archmage (Tier 4)," and three new traits had appeared:

【Shadow Travel】: You can instantly move between any shadows, and the distance increases with your mastery of the skill.

[Shadow Master]: Your mastery of shadow power has reached the master level, enhancing the effects of all shadow-related spells.

【Shadow Tricks】: You can use shadows to create illusions that are so realistic that they can be mistaken for reality, and you can also control shadows to attack and defend.

Kane felt the new power surging within him, and his eyes became incredibly determined.

He looked at the ancient grandfather clock and said in a deep voice, "Tower Spirit, I need you to command my army."

"As you command, Master."

The clock emitted a humble hum.

Immediately afterwards, the hour and minute hands detached from the dial, and the entire bronze dial slowly rose, fell, and disappeared into the shadows beneath Kane's feet.

Kane clearly felt that he had established a mysterious connection with the entire shadow, and could even vaguely sense its existence.

He looked up and gazed in the south.

"It's time to go to the Free City."